by LeRoy Clary
Bender said, “Tyler, before you put that on your neck, you made a mistake and took mine.”
“No, I took the bigger one.” Then Tyler relented with a smile and shrug, “Oh, all right. Here.”
With the larger one in hand, Bender also smiled. “And you wanted to leave them back in that cave.”
“No, I wanted us to get out of that damn cave, and get away.”
The blacksmith said, “Then the story about you two defeating that Black dragon in a cave is true? Really?”
Tyler turned over the claw that was minutely smaller than the other and inspected the excellent workmanship. He placed it around his neck, and the thing felt like carrying a skinning knife around his neck. Without looking up at Bender, he said, “Every word of it.”
“Another round,” Bender called to the pretty girl Tyler had his eye on.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The following morning, Judge walked through the men sprawled on the patio of his inn and kicked the men’s feet to wake them. The staff wanted to clean the inn in preparation for breakfast, and he wanted them to leave so they could do their work. There were others sleeping under the fruit trees, and more in the barn.
Not long after, a few of the men from the village took glee in banging pots and pans, shouting, and waking everyone with a hangover. They offered breakfast, but told those too hungover they would muster at mid-morning on the main street where Bender would address them.
Tyler laughed at their antics, but the noise hurt his head, so he returned to the inn to try to eat and settle his stomach. Food had been laid out on the empty tables, enough to feed an army, someone quipped. Tyler didn’t laugh. The time for had passed, and now his thoughts turned ahead.
He and Bender had already met and made plans with the men from the village, especially those who wanted to rush north and rescue their family and friends from the mines. All of them had agreed to bring in these men, initiate their military training, and devise a detailed plan to share with the new army before moving against the Cabots.
Judge escorted four men to their table. They stood at attention while Judge said, “I found two more. Before making final plans, we should question them.”
Bender said, “I don’t understand.”
“Forgot to mention it,” Judge said. “Sorry, but these four served as Cabots.”
Tyler had forgotten about them until now, but Judge was right. This was the time to pick their brains and find out what they knew that might help.
The four were similar in respect to their eyes. As they were introduced, each of them looked down or off into the distance, as if ashamed of their former association with the Cabots. Other than that, they were alike in that all were around the same age as Bender and him. None were exceptional in weight, height, or any other feature. Tyler glanced at their hands, and found they were the hands of men who worked for a living, the scars and calluses evident. They must have earned those before working for the Cabots.
Tyler rapped his knuckles on the table to draw their attention. “Listen to me. You four have information that may help us, but I sense a problem. Let me make a statement.”
He waited, then explained that he respected their choice to leave the Cabots when they realized what they were doing to hurt good people. It took courage to desert a cause that was wrong, and as he talked he realized he was speaking more was about himself than them. His choice to desert his army had dwelled on his mind, and if he sat on the other side of the table, he’d feel exactly as they did. He briefly told them he and Bender were deserters for much the same reasons, and they relaxed.
He ordered them to sit and asked questions. The answers came slowly, at first. Later, they were offered freely, often with suggestions. Not a lot of new information came forth, but some items were clarified. Two of them had been guards in mines. They found that only a few men managed the workers at each mine, as overseers. With the workers in chains, the food controlled, and the exits blocked, more guards were not required. Their duties were to make sure the workers stayed busy, more than just guarding them.
One of the four, a man who called himself Helm and who had not volunteered much, said, “I have an idea.”
Tyler glanced at Bender, then back at Helm. “Good. I’d like to hear it.”
“I’ve never planned, or even been in a military attack, so this may not be the best.”
“No matter, what’s your idea?” Tyler prompted.
“Well, if you look at a map, you see the part of the river the Cabots control is shaped like an hourglass, or one-half of one because the other side of the river where the bounty hunters are, doesn't count. About half the Cabots are above that narrow place. There are only the River Road and the smaller ones leading up into the hills. If we manage to slip a few men at that narrowest point before we attack the main force, they could keep word from reaching those Cabots in the north.”
Bender smiled. “So, we fight two smaller battles instead of one. Each a surprise and against half the number of men.”
Tyler said, “Can that be done?”
Helm nodded. “There are times when there are only a few patrols on those roads. Most have either two or four men. If we positioned an ambush at each place they patrol, and a few scattered out between we might prevent word of our first attack from spreading.”
Tyler asked for a quill, ink, and paper. They went to work, planning, drawing, and using the input from each of the men. They indicated where camps and mines were located, as well as compounds like the one Bender and he had seen in the north. Obstacles such as mountains, rivers, and swampy areas were placed on the map.
A secondary plan came together. A small group would sneak behind the lower part of the hourglass to the bottleneck, and blockade it, preventing word from reaching the north. The main force would attack from the south. But a third smaller group would strike the mines with the intent to free the people held there and to capture or kill the Cabots holding them. It would also keep them from forming up and defending from the first attack, or from trying to reach the north and warn their leaders.
More men were still arriving in small boats. At mid-morning Bender assembled all on the main street, including nearly everyone in the village. He stood on the bed of a wagon as he explained what the army had been hired to do and offered to release any that didn’t wish to participate, although he intended to hold them in the village until after the attack to prevent warnings from reaching the Cabots, if they hadn’t already.
Oddly enough, the excitement of being hired into the new army turned somber, and the mood of the crowd grew angry with Bender’s speech, angry at the Cabots. Tyler realized they could have been recruited them without pay, if what he heard, portrayed true feelings, and he believed what he heard.
They were split into three groups, with Bender taking the large attack force, Tyler took the group that would prevent word of the attack from spreading north, and Judge commanded the group to attack the mines. Red ribbons were passed around and attached to weapons for identification. Men without them on their weapons were enemies, and Bender told them not to use Cabot weapons they came across unless they affixed a ribbon.
Tyler took his small unit of men to a cow pasture and appointed three men as sergeants, each with seven or eight men reporting to them. Then he issued weapons and required each man to demonstrate his skill with a bow and sword. Those failing his approval were given instruction and practice. Again, each ‘fought’ with their sergeant, using sticks as blades. Some were singled out and returned to the main force where their lack of individual skills wouldn’t be as important.
In the afternoon, after the noon meal, Tyler called his men together. “Here’s the overall plan.”
With a few words, he shaped the larger plan and then honed in on their portion. He stressed that a single Cabot getting past their lines could warn the Cabots in the north and that would mean a more difficult battle.
A quiet man, older than most, nodded and muttered, “I like it.”
“I like it, too,” another said.
The words were repeated by many. Another said, “I’ve rented out my sword four times in my life, but this is the only time with a cause I believe in.”
He received agreement from those around him. Tyler realized what he felt had managed to strike home with these men. This was not his war, it was becoming a shared enterprise. He and Bender could have continued floating south on the river and found their new home, but hadn’t. He wouldn’t receive any rewards or riches besides personal satisfaction for the conflict. But, that was enough.
Tyler said, “Every minute we delay gives the Cabots more chance to discover our plan. It will take only one traitor, and that one man may cost you your life. I want you to take it upon yourselves to make sure none slip out and try to reach them.”
The men exchanged glances. They were already on his side, but he had more to say. “I’ve sent two men back to fight in the larger, main group. They were not good enough for what we’re going to do, because the lives of many of us will depend on how well we do our portion of the upcoming battle. I want you to sleep for the rest of the afternoon, and be ready to move at sundown. We’ll leave then, before the main force because we must get into position. No trips to the inn except for food, and again, keep your eyes open for deserters.”
“When will the main attack happen?”
There seemed no reason not to tell them. If a traitor relayed any of their plans, they would have to change them all or face a harder battle, but the timetable wouldn’t do any harm. Telling them would cement their relationship and build trust. “The main force departs two days after us. That gives our group time to sneak past their defenses and get ready for our blockade.”
The men seemed to like the answer. None had expected him to provide the information, and they liked knowing what would happen, which was far different than life in the Unity Army had been. He suspected it was different from all regular armies. Tyler had seldom known what would happen the following day for five years and had always resented it.
He was good enough to offer his life for the Unity Army, but not good enough to know when or why they did anything. He said, “We have to sneak into their lands undetected and hide. Two days from now, we’ll make a dash for the bottleneck and secure it, but first, we must get into position, undetected. They patrol their roads and lands, but we’ve built a plan to avoid them. Be warned, there will be no fires or hot food until we have completed our mission.”
The men were dismissed and most rushed to the inn, and hot food. They were experienced soldiers and knew to eat and sleep when the opportunity came. Tyler headed for Bender, but located Judge, first. His group would train for another day before departing, then it would split up, each squad assigned to a specific mine, or mines. They would attack at dawn on the second day, and Judge had selected expert archers for his squads, believing that a surprise attack with bows would kill nearly all the Cabots guarding the miners without endangering his men, or the prisoners. If all went right, half a dozen arrows fired at almost the same time would kill all the guards at each mine.
The short discussion with Judge bolstered Tyler’s mood. The whole crazy plan might work. When he located Bender, he paused sensing his friend was upset. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just ran into the men who went to visit the family of those fishermen that tried to turn us over to the Cabots. They died, the women and children. All of them.”
“All of them?”
“The villagers who went after them caught up as they were fleeing. They tortured them. When they found out everyone at that farm knew what was happening, and approved, things got out of control. They killed them.”
“I sort of feel responsible,” Tyler said.
“Don’t. I did at first, but think. The men captured people and sold them to be slaves in the mines, but the women of the family knew what was going on. They shared in the profits and even helped trap travelers. They were not innocent.”
“The children?”
Bender shrugged. “They also knew and shared at least some guilt. They were raised to think of people as slaves to sell.”
“Even the children?”
“Well, the older ones,” Bender said. “The younger ones were killed too.”
“That’s not right.”
Bender looked at the ground and then raised his eyes to meet Tyler’s. “I see two lessons in this. Don’t do things that reflect poorly on your family, and never underestimate the anger of good men.”
Tyler shivered in response, a cold creeping down his spine and his mind shutting down. Maybe. He spoke without thinking, “I don’t want to meet the villagers or ever know which ones went there. Promise me that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
As the sun threw long shadows at the end of the day, Tyler moved his men northward through the dense forests, keeping away from the river and any possible sightings. The dragons were secured at the village in a pen, and Bender would watch over them until he departed. But after that, a woman had been found to reluctantly feed and water them. They’d warned her not to get too close, but she seemed to have a well-developed sense of self-preservation and would remain at a distance. She promised to throw scraps of meat over the fence from several steps away.
But Tyler had Lucky with him, and a leash for the dog in his backpack. The dog’s warnings in the past had saved him several times, and while the men cast strange looks at the one-eared animal with the patchy fur, none petted him. As usual, Lucky ranged out ahead, but they were well south of the nearest Cabots, and Tyler let him roam.
His sergeants took their men and spread out to either side, using the travel time to teach them to move silently and unseen. Splitting into three smaller groups provided additional advantages because a larger group would be easier spotted. It also tripled the chances of being found out, if one of them stumbled onto a Cabot outpost, but he ignored that. If nothing else, the squad would have two more squads as reinforcements rushing in—and making sure none of the Cabots escaped to spread the word. That was the sole purpose of their venture, and one they all needed to keep in mind.
Helm, the man who had once been a Cabot, traveled with Tyler’s main squad, not so Tyler could keep an eye on him, but because he’d helped devise the plan and Tyler wanted him close to offer more suggestions. The bottleneck plan was originally his. While the others of his squad were spread out and moved quietly, Helm stayed at his side.
“Don’t trust me?” Helm asked when they were alone. “Because I’m a deserter?”
“Bender and I are deserters, too. From a different army, but for a lot of the same reasons.”
“How did you get rich?”
He was not the first to ask that question in the last two days. As always before, Tyler ignored it. “Are you going to have a problem fighting against them? Your old unit?”
“No.”
“You didn’t have any friends that are Cabots? What if you find yourself facing the man who was in the next bunk?”
Helm snorted, and said, “You picked a bad example. I’d put two arrows in him instead of one. He used to steal my boots to wear while going to the latrine at night. But, I see your point. There are a few of them I’d have problems fighting, so I hope I don’t see any of them. I’m sorry if I disappoint you.”
“No, not at all. If you had answered differently, I’d have wondered. The truth is usually the best.”
“You and your friend Bender are not normal people if you don’t mind me saying so. No, let me reword that.”
“Don’t bother. We are not normal, and we’re proud of it.”
Helm walked behind Tyler but didn’t speak again. Tyler allowed questions to slip into place. Helm had spoken the truth. They were not normal in many senses, but so what? After being taken from their homes to serve in the Unity Army, they had almost died in the bloodiest battle of the war with Queensland. After that, they began to observe the army around them and used what they saw to better their lives. Normal was a concept
they knew little about. Being a soldier in a war they knew nothing about, fighting an enemy they didn’t hate, and with no end in sight was not normal. So, how could they be?
The route they’d planned to take to the location they hoped to set up their blockade was on higher ground, away from the river where they believed most of the Cabot troops were stationed. Near dawn, they saw the torchlight from a watchtower high on a hill, and a scout brought the information that only two men were there, but the mission depended on proceeding without discovery, so they let them live. They could easily have taken the watchtower, but when the guard’s reliefs appeared the element of surprise would be gone.
They slipped past before the sun rose and when they reached a deep, narrow valley filled with brush and small shrubs, Tyler called a halt. Traveling during the day was too dangerous. He ordered his men to bed down and received no objections. Each of the sergeants set a man on watch and rotated them throughout the day, although the men were spread out and sleeping under shrubs or small trees.
Lucky circled the area and returned to lay down a few steps from Tyler’s feet, but where he could watch his man. The scabs had mostly fallen off, leaving pink skin visible in the short yellow fur. The ears still looked odd but provided an almost whimsical expression when coupled with the healing scars on his face.
Tyler went to sleep with the image of Lucky watching him protectively, and knowing the dog would warn him of any trouble. The image of the two despicable dragons entered his mind, and he cringed. They were nasty little creatures, always hungry and ready to kill anything not their ‘mother.’ He avoided thinking about their future with him, but it was impossible.
