Elf World Shadows Rising

by Matthew Pequegnat

  Myst approached the group and the Queen looked questioning at him.

  "Ambassador Morningstar has offered the services of the military forces of the Empire of Solara, in aiding us in this dreadful problem," informed the Queen.

  "Oh, great, now what has she done, if things weren't bad enough already she has to go and look for more trouble!"

  "I'm sure," Myst responded looking ruefully over at Kayla, "that we will help in any way possible, your majesty."

  "Very well. The problem we seem to have is that we cannot evacuate the city down the river to safety at Port Orland. The Orcs have strung a cable across the entrance to the river from our lake. No boat can cross the cable without having its bottom torn open. Of course, the Orcs have large numbers of archers on each bank of the river protecting the cable. We so far have not been able to come up with a plan to remove the cable. What help will you be able to give us before the city is overrun and we are all slaughtered by the vicious Orcs?"

  "Your Majesty," Myst bowed to the Moon Elf queen, "I will evaluate the situation regarding the cable, and with my aids see if we can come up with a solution to the problem. Now, if you will excuse us your Majesty, I need to get the ambassador back to the embassy to consult with her staff."

  As soon as he got them out of the fort, Myst quietly and most reasonably asked Kayla, What the hell she was doing? "If we don't have enough problems without getting involved with this mess?"

  Kayla swept ahead of the group as they walked back to the embassy. "I am the ranking representative of our government here, Myst, and I will make the political decisions regarding this mess. We not only have a defense treaty with Tuscan, but it is strongly in our best interest not to have them fall to the Orcs."

  "I know that, but, your safety is my responsibility, once you are safe then..."

  "No," she interrupted him, "we will do something about that, now! Besides, we got an update from the foreign ministry."

  Myst did not like the sound of this, "Couldn't GHQ get their act together, well probably not, typical."

  "The foreign ministry has arranged to have a dragon fly the three of us out of here,… in three days."

  "Three days! In three days, this place will be neck deep in Orcs!"

  Kayla looked over her shoulder at him, "So there's no reason not to help out is there?"

  "Well, I guess it would be in our best interests to assure the city gets evacuated down the river."

  "Besides, only three can get out by dragon. Me, you, and Elise. That order came from both the Foreign Minister and your Director General. You may not stay behind."

  "What about the others, and why only one dragon" Myst asked?

  "Only one dragon was available, and as to why us, they regard us as the most valuable to rescue of course, and the dragon can only carry so much."

  "Hell, I weigh over one hundred and ninety pounds. You could get both Thomas and Willow out, if I stayed back. And I'm the most likely to survive, when the city is overrun."

  "The decision has been made. They were very adamant."

  "What about the rest we leave behind?"

  "Queen Alyn has agreed to take them with her in her personal yacht, or there is also an embassy barge. So we need to get the cable down, and since the dragon probably will be here too late to get us, we will have to go down the river with them."

  "Ok," all Myst could do was agree. He was struck once again that this Elf lady had quite a mind as well as strong will.

  They had just re-entered the embassy compound, when warning trumpets called from the city’s main gates.

  "Kayla, you better start destroying the embassies secret documents. Elise, stay with her."

  Turning around to the gate, "Ensign Greenbrier," Myst called.

  "Yes sir," the young ensign ran up to him and saluted!

  "Ensign Greenbrier, no one is to leave this compound without my orders, NO ONE!"

  "Yes Sir!"

  Reconsidering Myst amended the order, "Unless the Orcs get in the city, then get the ambassador to the docks and on a boat. Oh, and you’re a lieutenant now, congratulations, so don't screw up."

  Seeing the dwarf come out of the embassy, trying to buckle on a leather cuirass, Myst called, "Moss, with me." Together, they raced back to the city’s west gate and the gate’s high tower. Up they climbed the inner stairway, finally bursting out the door on the top of the tower. The Moon Elves were unnaturally quiet, as they looked out at the field.

  There, on the green rolling field, two division of Orcs were assembled. At least twenty thousand of the beasts, standing in orderly ranks. Behind the main assault battalions, companies marched in precise drill to their assigned positions. Engineers were rolling out large ballista’s, a type of giant crossbow that shot six foot javelins. Larger catapults were being pulled onto the field by teams of horses. At the head of each of the battalions forming up on the field, were bannermen carrying the red skull on black flag of the Quintara Orclands.

  It was an imposing sight. Myst felt the old tingle of battle fear, but shrugged it off; fear was something he had got used to, many battles before.

  The Orcs just stood there, letting their foes get a good look at them. They were the masters of the assault, no one did it better. The Orc army had few Cavalry, and what they had were mostly used as scouts. They did not have the normal infantry that the Sun Elves used, half pikemen half fusiliers, the pikemen to protect the fusiliers so they could fire their bow or crossbows.

  In fact the Orcs did not even use crossbows; they had skirmishers armed with curved horn bows. They would work the sides of the Orc forces to protect the infantry. The main force that the Orcs had was a heavy infantry armed with strong shields, short spears, and short swords.

  They would form into highly disciplined Brigade Columns of five thousand troops. A nasty heavy infantry assault unit; the core was 4,000 infantry, ten across and four hundred Orcs deep. With the assault column they would attack at a quick march, steel drums pounding at the rear, and it could break through any defensive line set up to stop it. In addition to the core infantry troops, the Orc Brigade Column had, one Battalion of skirmisher- scouts, and one support Battalion of engineers, quarter masters, armorers, smiths, and supply troops. They are highly trained, very well disciplined and very, very hard to stop.

  The Orc assault column scared nearly everyone, it was damn near unstoppable, and in the open field, no other infantry had a chance.

  Calvary could not penetrate the column either. The Orcs would simply form a square, a shield wall with multiple rows of spears pointing outward, with archers in the center shooting anything that got close. No horse could be made to charge a closed shield wall, and death waited for any who would try.

  In short, the Orcs were a force to reckon with. They did have weakness, but the frontal assault was not one of them. The best you could do is hope to have good fortifications, and plenty of warriors on your side to man the walls. And this was not going to be the case this time. Oh, Myst was confident in the fortifications, but they were greatly outnumbered by the damn Orcs.

  "There's another Orc division outside the east gate," informed Brigadier General Verdune, who was now in charge of the gate.

  "Who's defending the east side then," asked Myst. This might be a real quick defeat, the way things were going?

  Pointing at the map on the table, that Myst hadn't noticed, due to the massive Orc army outside, the Moon Elf replied, "We got one infantry brigade at each of the two gates, and thank the Gods, the Calvary brigade that was east of town showed up, finally. They are manning the walls between the east and west gates."

  "So, fifteen thousand against one hundred thousand,… sounds easy."

  "Aye, The Moon Elves are going to get slaughtered," piped in Moss.

  “Moss is always so cheerful, so full of optimism.”

  "Think happy thoughts Moss," Myst told him.

  “And try not to frighten the poor Moon Elves any more than they already are!”

  With a notice
able quaver in his voice, Brigadier General Verdun stated, "We can hold them."

  Myst gave Moss a dirty look, and Moss looked somewhat ashamed for speaking so openly in front of such untested officers.

  "Oy, of course, with a little bit o' luck. We’ll send these Orcs packing. Why I've seen worse situations. Ya remember the siege of Palmara, Myst. That was really hopeless, but we made it without a scratch."

  “Oh sure, I spent six weeks in hospital after Palmara, and you nearly died; not a scratch! "Your right Moss. At Palmara the odds were just as bad as here."

  "Really", asked the newly appointed Brigadier General Verdune?

  Myst was saved from lying, again, by a blast of trumpets from the Orc lines. They had finally got their formations into the precise order that the Orcs prefer. Now it was time to attack!

  ~

  Kayla sat behind the ambassador’s grand desk, a massive 'Tuscanate' piece of gracefully carved pink wood inlaid with a fine slab of pink marble. It was large enough to serve as a dining table for a family of six. Piled in various stacks, were the embassy’s sensitive files and papers. Kayla was attempting to sort out what had to be burned, which went on the left side of the table, and which Elise then took over to the massive marble fireplace, and tossed in. Another pile went on the right; these were documents that were important but not critical, and needed to be sent down the river on the embassy’s barge, and Thomas was taking them and stacking in a large crate. The last pile, and largest, was on the floor; this was the embassy’s junk, and held no critical value, one way or the other.

  Willow was sitting on a large brocaded divan, much too large for her tiny frame, and looking out the two story window at the formal garden.

  "It's lovely here," She commented.

  Kayla looked up and smiled at her. "Yes, it is Willow. I have always loved Tuscan, the rolling hills and woods, tiny hillside villages, and magnificent cities. And Dara is a wonderful capital city. I wish I could show you the museums and cathedrals, each full of precious art work. It will be such a waste when the Orcs take the city. Hopefully, they won't put the city to the torch."

  "Would they, do you think?"

  "I don't know. The prestige of holding this great city may save it, but it's hard to say with Orcs."

  "Are we sure it will fall to the Orcs?"

  "The Orcs have a whole armies outside the walls.... We have about three Brigades, and they lost most of their officers in the explosion at the Royal Palace."

  Willow looked confused. "I don't understand, Divisions, Brigades?"

  Kayla looked over to Thomas, "I think you can explain it better than I."

  Thomas came over and sat next to Willow, his feet not quite touching the floor.

  "Well let's see now, where to begin?"

  Elise called over to him, "Start with the Regiment, everything builds from the Regiment."

  Thomas nodded his head in agreement.

  "The primary military unit used in the Elven forces is the Regiment. The Regiment is a single arms command, in that it is either wholly Infantry, or Cavalry, or whatever. It is made up of two Battalions, each with five- one hundred man Companies, for a total of approximately 1,000 troops. Regiments are commanded by a Colonel, with two Majors as the Battalion commanders, and ten Captains who command the companies, an additional twenty to twenty five Lieutenants and or Ensigns serve under the Captains and command the various platoons.

  The next higher unit in the Elven military is the Brigade; it is made up of four Regiments, frequently of different combat arms, and is not a permanent command as is the Regiment, in that different Regiments may be assigned to the Brigade at different times, according to need. The Brigade is commanded by a Brigadier General and has approximately 5,000 troops assigned to it at any one time.

  Next on the list is the Division. It is commanded by a General, and has four or five Brigades, or about 15,000 men. That’s followed by the last and largest of the Elven commands, the Army. An Army is commanded by a Field Marshal or Senior General, it has four to six Divisions, and roughly 50,000 to 90,000 plus troops."

  "Now about the Orcs, we might as well bring them into it. Their main unit is the Brigade, about the same size as the Elven Brigades, they are very hard to stop, very well disciplined, and highly trained."

  Thomas finished up with his lecture on Elven and Orcish military, and seemed quite pleased with himself on the learned yet succinct presentation.

  "I think I will go get a bite to eat now," informed Thomas, lecturing always seemed to make him hungry.

  After he had left, Elise asked, "So did you get all of that?"

  "Were going to lose?"

  Kayla and Elise laughed.

  "He's such a dear, but I find my eyes glazing over by the third sentence. What will happen when the Orcs take the city," Willow asked?

  "They will loot the city, rape and pillage, and make everyone they don’t kill into slaves," Kayla answered.

  Elise took another stack of papers and threw them into the fire. Willow watched the Moon Elf, as she tossed the papers into the fire. It was strange to see a female in uniform. Gnome females are not allowed to participate in war, and Willow had never considered that Elven women might be warriors as well as the men. Elise's dark green and gold military short vest and trousers, and black soft leather boots, was more clothing than she had ever seen on a female Elf before. Not that it seemed, Willow noticed, to detract from her beauty. Elise's uniform fit so snugly, that it did not hide much more than did the normal ladylike Elven attire. But the deadly looking sword, with its two-handed hilt slung across her back, was not ladylike in the slightest.

  From what she had overheard, Elise was extremely competent with her sword, and that was why Myst was willing to leave Kayla to help the Moon Elves. Willow was more than a little in awe of the Moon Elf warrior girl. She was tall, at least five and a half feet tall, beautiful with her dark red hair and purple eyes, and very confident. In short, she was all the things that Willow would like to be.

  "Are you from here, Captain Starwood," Willow shyly asked?

  Elise looked over at the little Gnome girl. "No, I'm from the Empire of the Sun. See the uniform?"

  "I see, but then you don't look like most of the Sun Elves."

  "That is because my father is a Moon Elf; my mother is a Sun Elf from Palantar. We Elves always physically take after our fathers race, so that explains my looking more like a Moon Elf."

  "And acting like one, from what I hear," responded Kayla, still sitting at the desk sorting reports.

  Willow looked over at Kayla in astonishment. Kayla never said anything bad about anyone, she was always so nice.

  Slowly turning to look at the Ambassador, Elise responded, "What do you mean? You’re the one sleeping with my lover. He's been sharing my bed for years."

  "Myst and half the general staff, from what I here!"

  “What is going on? Is Kayla really jealous of Elise? But she's been sharing Myst with Zara for the last eight weeks. Why get upset now?”

  Obviously quite furious, Elise opened her mouth to give Kayla a piece of her mind, just as the attack horns sounded.

  Out of the Ambassador’s study they raced, up the grand circular staircase to the oak door that led to the roof. Throwing open the oak door, Kayla ran to the wrought iron railing and looked to the west.

  "What's going on?" Willow asked Zara, who had been looking through a telescope at the west gate a mile away.

  "Nothing yet, just the trumpets. Things won’t happen for at least a half hour yet."

  "Lieutenant Greenbrier," Kayla called to the young Sun Elf who had just made the climb up the steps from the courtyard and looked slightly nervous but mostly excited.

  "Yes, Ambassador," he managed to respond.

  “My good Goddess, he's so young, but he will have to do!”

  "Assemble all of the embassy’s staff, and prepare to move them down to the embassy’s barge on the lake. If the city starts to fall, we can make it to the other shore and escap
e inland."

  "Ambassador, I'll have my senior sergeant and Life Guards ready the staff to go down to the harbor immediately. Myself and the Hussars will be staying with you."

  "Very well, Lieutenant."

  Lieutenant Greenbrier hurried back down the stairs to carry out her orders.

  “He has more back bone than I first thought, he'll need it. And how did he find the time to change the single silver sunburst of an ensign for the single gold sunburst of a lieutenant on his tunic so quickly?”

  “And why did I fight with Elise down stairs? Could I be jealous? Yes I am. She's had Myst for years, and I'm afraid he'll prefer her bed to mine. If this is what being in love is like, I don't know if I'll survive the experience.”

  "Elise,..I apologize for what I said down stairs. I think I'm jealous about Myst."

  "Apology accepted Kayla. I'm having way too much fun to settle for one guy, even one like Myst, so don't be jealous. All I ask is that I can maybe borrow him sometimes."

  Kayla looked over at the grinning Elise, "Not anytime soon."

  ~

  The Orc trumpets sounded a harsh brassy clarion call across the field. Myst noticed that small groups of Orcs, dressed in blood red had appeared on the field and were making their way to the head of the waiting assault Columns. These were the Orc Battle Mages and Death Priests. Soon the magical attack would commence.

  "Boom, Boom,-TA Boom-Boom-Boom," all of the Orc drummers had launched into full volume drumming.

  At the last 'Boom', all of the Orc Battle Mages, launched magic spells at the defenders’ wall. Streaks of red, flaming balls of green fire, purple sparks, all seem to leap right at Myst standing on the gate tower.

  Fortunately for Myst, Moss, and the rest of the Moon Elf staff officers on the tower, all who were now lying on the ground; the various magic’s seem to hit an invisible wall just short of hitting the tower, and disappeared.

  The Moon Elves, while short of soldiers, had a few mages and plenty priests, to counter the Orc magic, and the walls themselves have had centuries of protective spells embedded into them.