The Dominion artillery was stationed on a hill to the northeast of the road, near the gorge and a final line of sandbags had been filled and another half-dozen men were stationed at a reserve line near the artillery and the gorge. Dag allowed himself a small smile as he carefully crept away from his vantage point and began descending the rock wall, Kayleigh following close behind him.
Darkness had fully fallen by the time they re-entered the wood and the Dominion sentries had decided to make things very easy for them by lighting torches. Dag and Kayleigh sneaked past them easily and made their way back to the southern part of the road. Pendleton was already there waiting for them.
“I was starting to get a little worried,” he said in a hushed whisper. “How’d it go?”
“Better than we could have hoped for,” Dag answered. Kayleigh was silent, knowing that they had almost been discovered because of her. She was thankful that Dag had not brought it up. “What did you find, Pen?” he asked.
“The sentry line stretches from the road on the east all the way to where the rock wall and the tall hills extend from the gorge into the woods,” he reported. “I counted a dozen and two. There is only one near the road, however. I think they are counting on the mines and the defenses there to spot any incoming trouble.”
“How thin is the line?” Dag asked.
“Thin enough that we could march a brigade through without anyone seeing it,” he said. “Hearing it though… that’s another matter altogether.”
“We’ll need to eliminate the sentries before we send our main force through,” Dag said to himself.
“You want to strike through the woods?” Pendleton responded.
“We won’t survive an assault down the road,” Dag answered.
“I agree,” a third voice said. Logan emerged from the trees and made his way over to them. “I counted seventy-five men on the defensive line and the road has been mined. We don’t have any mine-sweeping equipment and even if we did, our men would be cut down by machine gun fire before they cleared a path. The woods are our best bet.”
“We need to get back to Hammer Rock,” Dag said. “Let’s just hope there is an army there when we arrive.”
16
There were not a whole lot of vehicles left in the town, but Alex with the help of Torrace had been forced to commandeer them all. All of the volunteers had been outfitted with weapons and armor from the constabulary or armory stores or with those taken from fallen and captured enemies. Even with the captured Dominion weapons, they were still short on guns and ammunition. Many of their volunteers were carrying hunting rifles and pistols that they had brought with them from home and many had no body armor whatsoever. Food was one of the main staples that those fleeing the city had taken with them, and Torrace was scrambling to provision their makeshift army with the barest of necessities.
Although they certainly were not ready from a supply standpoint, Alex was still impressed with the demeanor of the volunteers he was about to take into battle. Aria had called the entire infantry into formation and Alex had decided to repeat a summary of the news broadcast many had seen just before the shelling of Harren Falls had begun.
“Our homes are under attack,” he had said once he had finished his summation of the Dominion surprise assault. “This is not a far off war on a distant battlefield. These invaders are in our backyards. Enemy armies are marching down the streets where our children play. We know they have but one intent: the subjugation of the Miravallian people and the death of the liberty we know and love. We are asking a great deal of you: to march into battle against a foe who outnumbers us, is better supplied than we are, and is more experienced in the arts of war than we are. But we have the greatest weapon on our side. We are fighting for a cause of justice: the protection of our homes, our families and our country. Stick true to the cause and to the man who stands beside you, and we shall carry the day!”
This had elicited a stirring salvo of cheers and whistles from the assembled troops, who then broke into a spirited singing of the Miravallian national anthem. Captain Beaurigar ran the colors up the flagpole and then ordered the newly formed company to fall out first by platoon and then by squad for transportation up to Hammer Rock. A half dozen vehicles were crammed full of soldiers and equipment and made their lumbering way up to the main staging area. Alex and Aria had gone with the first carload, with Tangrit and his bombardiers in the second. Alex had Aria supervise the unloading of equipment as he deployed the soldiers in a defensive position around their mustering area. He forbade the building of fires or the running of lights of any kind and the men were to maintain absolute silence unless the enemy was spotted approaching. There was no time to work on fortifications, so he had the men take up positions behind hills and rock formations.
Captain Beaurigar came in the last group and looked approvingly on the force they had assembled. The sun was just beginning to set and he beckoned for Tangrit, Aria and Alex to join him over at a long flat rock, which he repurposed as a table. He removed a map from one of his pockets and unrolled it out on the rock.
“We have our army,” he said to them. “Now all we need is our target.”
“Dag will come through,” Alex said.
“I do hope you’re right, Lieutenant,” Beaurigar responded.
17
Alex had given the same order to every man and woman who took up position to be on the lookout for four Miravallian scouts that had been sent behind enemy lines. All the same, Dag had nearly been fired upon as he approached the Miravallian army.
He had heard the clicking of a round being loaded into a gun’s chamber and he had hissed, “Hold your fire. We’re Miravallians.”
“Password?” a nervous voice demanded.
“The Ruin of Today,” he hissed back. Alex had chosen the password based on the film of the same name, which featured an invading force being turned back by a small yet determined group of patriots defending their home.
“Approach, slowly,” the voice whispered back. “Keep your hands high.”
The four man scout team did as they were ordered, crossing the road with their hands raised above them, before one of the sentries at last said, “Dag, I didn’t recognize you at first.” He recognized the voice as belonging to Rheinhold, the greengrocer’s son.
“Thanks for not shooting us,” Dag replied good-naturedly.
“How’s it look out there?” Rheinhold asked, the eager expression on his face plain even in the dim light of the moon and stars.
“Like the Dommies are about the find out how big a mistake they made,” Dag responded.
“Alright, sir. Just give the word and we’ll be on them,” he replied.
Dag nodded and led his team past the sentries and into the camp. After telling Logan, Kayleigh and Pendleton to fall out and find some food and water, Dag headed through the middle of the camp, looking for Captain Beaurigar. He spotted the captain standing around a rock, staring at a map, along with Alex and the other new specialists of their ragtag army.
Dag approached and saluted the captain, who waved the gesture away and said, “Enough of that. Give me some good news.”
“Well, they outnumber us at least two-to-one and they’ve fortified their position along the road quite nicely,” Dag began. “The road itself is mined just as the prisoners said and their artillery is positioned at this point here.” He pointed to the small hill near the gorge. “It will command any approach down the road toward the Dominion position. Between it, the mines, and the fortifications, any attack down the road would be a slaughter.”
“I asked for good news, sergeant,” Beaurigar reminded.
“The approach through the forest is our best bet,” Dag said. “The sentry line is long, but spaced too far apart. My team could take out enough of them without a shot fired to get the infantry through the woods without the enemy knowing.” Dag pointed at the map again. “There are some fortifications at the southern part of the camp, but they are lightly manned and could easily be overr
un.”
“Anything else?” Beaurigar asked.
“Yes, sir. They don’t know that there is a way to the top of the rock wall on the western periphery of their camp,” he said.
“Good place to snipe from,” Alex observed.
“That was my thought,” Dag agreed.
Alex turned to the captain and said, “If we can move against them tonight, there’s a good chance that we can catch many of them asleep and unprepared for battle. That could swing the odds in our favor a little bit. We might be able to capture the camp with little resistance.”
Captain Beaurigar frowned. “They’ll just rush in reinforcements from the road fortifications and we’ll be in one hell of a melee. We need a way to keep the forces here,” he said as he pointed at the spot on the road where the Dominion fortifications were strongest. “From rallying to counter-attack once we’re in the camp.”
“We need a two-pronged attack,” Alex said.
“We don’t have enough men to split our forces like that,” Aria argued. “If we try to attack through the woods and down the road, both wings will be lost. To say nothing of the loss that would be inflicted by the mines and the artillery.”
“We don’t need to fight them on two fronts,” Dag said as a plan began to take hold in his mind. “We just need them to think that we are.”
“Are you suggesting a feint?” Alex asked.
“A diversion,” he replied. “Tangrit and the bombardier division takes up position here,” he said, pointing to a hill to the southwest of the road, but with a clear line to the Dominion fortifications. “You begin an assault on the works there. You should just be within range with our mortar launcher, but out of range of their machine guns and their artillery. Your attack should distract the Dominion and keep their men on the road in place while our infantry moves from the forest into the enemy camp. With the assistance of snipers to help clear the way, the infantry takes control of the camp, the bridge and the defenses that the Dommies have set up.”
“The Dommies on the road will have to hold their position out of fear of an attack from down the road,” Alex mused. “And by the time they realize an attack isn’t coming…”
“The infantry will have shored up their position in the camp and will be ready to repulse any attempts to retake it,” Aria finished.
“Caught between artillery fire from the south and infantry and sniper fire from the west, the Dominion force should surrender,” Captain Beaurigar agreed. “The level of timing this attack is going to require is going to be very difficult without functioning radios.”
“Once the infantry and my snipers are in position, I’ll fire the first shot,” Dag said. “The report should be audible from Tangrit’s position. That will be his cue to start the bombardment.”
Beaurigar nodded. “It’s settled then,” he said. “Tangrit, begin moving your men into position. Take the time that Aria and Dag need to get into position to do what fortifications you can. You must not be seen, however.”
“Not a problem, cap’n,” Tangrit answered.
“I’ll keep Torrace here with me in case things go south,” Beaurigar said. “I can send him to the town to get anyone left out of the city.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Alex said through gritted teeth. The idea of failing in this mission was not a possibility he was willing to entertain.
“Lieutenant, you’ll lead the infantry charge,” Beaurigar said. “Aria, get all of your soldiers into the woods and order them to hold and maintain absolute silence.”
“No more than fifty yards in until we signal for you,” Dag said. He looked at Beaurigar and said, “I know what to do.”
“Of that, I have no doubt, son,” he replied.
18
Alex and Aria rounded up the infantry while Tangrit led his five bombardiers, all of whom were pulling on the massive mortar they had captured, dragging it through the rocky hills into a position that would command the Dominion line. Only one other man had been given a rocket launcher and so the other men would serve as gunners and protect the mortar position once the battle began.
Dag’s team were warming themselves by the fire and attempting to quickly scarf down some bread rations. Dag’s stomach rumbled and for the first time he realized he hadn’t eaten at all that day. His mind drifted to the deer he had shot just the day before, hanging from the tree in his yard. All that venison was probably going to go to waste, he thought to himself with a sigh. He sat down next to Logan and accepted the dry bread loaf he had been offered and tore into it ravenously.
“We got orders, boss?” Pendleton asked.
Dag swallowed, nearly choked, accepted a canteen from Kayleigh and forced the dry bread down. “Yeah, you’re going to be playing with your knives,” he said after his breath had come back to him. “We’re taking out the picket line one-by-one, paving the way for the infantry.”
“I take it silence is a virtue in this case,” Logan said.
“It’s an absolute necessity,” Dag replied. “Tangrit’s going to give them a big show on the road, but the main force moves into the enemy camp from the trees.”
“How do you want to do it?” Pendleton asked. “Every man for himself?”
Dag shook his head. “Two teams. You and Logan. Me and Kayleigh,” he said. “We’ll start on the west while you take the east. We’ll meet you in the middle.”
“What about the torches?” Kayleigh asked.
“What about them?” Pendleton demanded.
“If we kill the sentries, won’t the torches they’re carrying fall or be snuffed out?” she asked. “Won’t that be visible to the other sentries still standing?”
“She’s right,” Logan said quietly.
“Right,” Dag said. “Logan, find Torrace and see if he has any tape or rope and some matches he can spare us. If the torches go out for a few moments, no one will suspect anything as long as they’re back in place quickly. The other sentries will chalk it up to the wind blowing the flame out.”
“You sure about that?” Kayleigh asked.
“Absolutely,” Dag managed to say with what sounded like confidence. In his own mind, he was not so sure.
19
Thirty minutes later, Dag and Kayleigh were moving around the western flank of the woods, Kayleigh walking in Dag’s footsteps. How Dag managed to avoid tree branches on the ground, limbs reaching out to swipe them across the face, and maintain his sense of direction in the near black of the woods Kayleigh had no idea. After nearly forty-five minutes of marching, Dag abruptly stopped and very slowly lowered himself to the ground. Kayleigh did the same as she spotted what Dag had seen: the distant glow of a torch.
“Stay here,” Dag whispered as he drew his skinning knife. “Use your crossbow if any other Dommies show up.”
She nodded nervously.
Dag crept away with a kind of feline grace, moving over the ground on all fours. Within a moment, he was no longer visible. Fear gripped Kayleigh. The encroaching darkness, the presence of the enemy so close, and the suddenness with which she was alone all preyed upon her mind. She clutched her crossbow tighter and stared at the torchlight in the distance. For a moment, the torch seemed to falter and shake in mid-air, before moving slightly to the right where it remained steady once more.
Moving as quickly as she dared, Kayleigh traversed the woods in front of her, headed toward the torch. She was not as quiet as Dag had been, but she did not make any obvious or loud sounds. Once she was within twenty feet of the torch, she was almost about to congratulate herself before she felt steel at her throat.
“You’re lucky I decided to make sure you weren’t a Dommie before killing you,” Dag whispered. “What part of ‘stay here’ did you not understand?”
Kayleigh did not have an answer.
She sensed more than saw Dag’s manner change from angry to concerned and he said, “Don’t worry about it. Just stick close to me.”
They marched past the torch which was now lashed to a tr
ee using the fallen Dominion soldier’s belt, and they proceeded onward down the picket line. Dag did all the soldierly work, bringing down each of the Dommies by sneaking up on them and stabbing them in the lungs. When Kayleigh asked, he explained it was fatal, but also prevented the men from screaming. With the next three kills, Kayleigh assisted by grabbing the belt of the dead man and fastening the torch to the tree.
As they approached the fifth sentry, Dag ordered Kayleigh to circle around him slightly and be on the lookout for any Dommies, as he had done with every sentry attack thus far. Dag’s attack went exactly the same as his previous kills also as he easily felled the fifth sentry. He did not see that the sixth sentry had left his torch behind and had been walking into the halo of the fifth sentry’s torchlight just as Dag pounced and killed him. The sixth sentry caught Dag by surprise and he fell over, the fifth sentry’s body falling on top of him. The torch fell to the ground below, but did not go out. Kayleigh could see by the dim light, the sixth sentry draw his pistol and ready it. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. She raised the stock of her crossbow to her shoulder, sighted, and felt her finger close around the trigger. The movement had taken only a fraction of a second and the arrow was sent whistling through the air, catching the Dommie in the throat just as he aimed his pistol at Dag. He stumbled backward, his free hand clutching at the arrow sticking out of his neck.
Kayleigh felt a momentary feeling of triumph shoot through her, but it was short-lived. Some reflex or impulse must have remained in the Dommie as he died, because his finger closed around the trigger of his pistol and he fired a round into the dirt. The gunshot echoed like a thunder crack in the silence of the forest. No longer concerned with silence, Kayleigh sprang forward from her hiding spot and raced to the dimly lit part of the forest where Dag lay.
Partisan (The Invasion of Miraval Book 1) Page 8
