"I intend to get to a balcony," retorted Garth. "You can save me time by showing me the shortest route, but we are not going to our quarters."
The officer hesitated only a moment before nodding. "This way. Hurry."
Garth and Kalina ran after the officer as he guided them through a maze of twisting corridors. He finally brought them out on a wide balcony overlooking the city and the plain towards the south. Baron Uloof and Baron Stikman were already there. Far out on the plain were hordes of ogres stomping towards the city.
"They have never attacked this far east before," commented Baron Uloof. "Baron Ohmson has been battling them for years. We are fortunate to have some of his men in the city this day."
"My men will join the hunt," offered Baron Stikman. "We will make short work of them."
"This will not be a hunt," commented Garth as he stared out at the gathering horde. "This will be a battle. I will gather my men and join you."
"Nonsense," scoffed Baron Stikman. "This is a grand opportunity for the Alceans to watch how things are done in the horse countries. You should bring the rest of your men up here to watch."
The barons turned and fled from the balcony, nearly bumping into King Persimon and King Wendal as they entered the balcony.
"You must forgive my baron," King Wendal said apologetically. "Baron Stikman is an excellent fighter and a wonderful patriot, but sometimes even I tire of his braggart ways. His invitation for your people to view the battle, though, is a good one. Perhaps King Persimon will send an officer to fetch them."
King Persimon nodded and signaled for an officer. He issued his instructions and the officer ran off.
"I have met many a braggart in my days," commented Garth, "but few who would let their pride get in the way of doing what is best for their country."
King Wendal glanced at Garth questioningly. "Are you speaking of your offer to battle the ogres or the Council of War?"
"Both," answered Garth. "We have fought ogres before. While they may appear stupid to us in many ways, they do understand battle well enough. For the most part, they are fearless foes, and their strength is incredible. They are not to be underestimated."
"I think you are unfair to Baron Stikman," replied King Wendal. "He would never knowingly do anything to hurt Korocca, but he is skeptical of the danger you present, both on the battlefield and in general. For centuries our culture has been one of a strong defense. We build mighty castles and tall walls to keep our enemies outside our cities. Even this battle you see unfolding before you is merely an exercise in tactics. Should the battle start going poorly, our forces will retreat into the city and fire arrows down on the ogres. What you are suggesting with this Council of War goes totally against our whole way of life. You want to take us out of our castles and move our armies hundreds of leagues southward to fight a battle that is not to our liking or benefit."
"So you do agree with your baron," commented Garth. "I was not sure from the way the meeting progressed. You appeared quite willing to let Baron Stikman speak for your country."
"Did you think that odd?" smiled the king. "I can imagine that I come across as nothing more than a figurehead, but the Zaroccans know me well enough. Baron Stikman is my son. He is the Prince of Korocca. I find it useful for his loud mouth to do the hard bargaining before we get to the real negotiation stage."
Kalina chuckled. "You sly old fox."
King Wendal grinned and bowed his head towards Kalina. "Finally, someone who appreciates my style."
"They just keep coming," King Persimon remarked anxiously as he stared at the growing horde of ogres. "There must be hundreds of them."
Everyone turned their attention to the plain south of the city. It was slowly filling with ogres, and others could be seen beyond the river still flowing out of the Forest of Death. While they were watching the growing horde, the other Alceans stepped onto the balcony. Garth turned to greet them and noticed that Max was missing.
"Where is Max?"
"We don't know," answered Karl. "He was gone when we got back from shopping. His mount is also missing, but his gear is not."
"I hope he isn't outside the walls," Garth said as he turned back to watch the ogres.
With a blaring of horns from below, the castle gates opened, and the knights of Zarocca started riding out of the castle grounds. They wore long, orange and white tunics over chain mail, and they carried high the banners of the barons they represented. Garth recognized the banners of Baron Ohmson and Baron Uloof, but there was another that he did not recognize. Following the Zaroccans were Baron Stikman's men, dressed similarly to the Zaroccans, but colored in a pale yellow with a black horse emblazoned on their chests and backs. Baron Stikman rode at the head of his troops with the standard bearer beside him.
The people in the streets cheered as the knights rode buy. Garth watched in wonder as the people waved and threw flowers. There was no fear on the faces of the citizens, and the Knight of Alcea began to understand the king's words a little better. The Zaroccan people lived within a fortress, and their only fear was the harm that might come to the knights going out to battle. No one in the city seemed to give a thought of the ogres actually penetrating the city. The castle gates closed before the city gates needed to open. Garth ran his eyes along the column and estimated slightly more than a hundred knights were going out to fight the ogre horde. He raised his eyes to gaze at the plain once again and shook his head. He saw that the knights would clearly be outnumbered.
"Are there no more knights?" Garth asked King Persimon.
"There are more," replied the king, "but only two troupes remain ready at any given time. It is fortunate that Baron Ohmson and Baron Stikman are in the city. Their added men are most welcome this day."
"Shouldn't the knights have waited until more men got prepared?" asked Garth.
"And let those beasts near the walls?" balked the king. "I think not. Besides, I have read Baron Ohmson's reports. He normally uses only one troupe to roust the ogres from his lands. We are sending out four troupes."
Garth shook his head in disbelief and backed away from the edge of the balcony. He caught Tedi's arm and beckoned him into the castle. Natia followed her husband.
"I want you to make sure that our mounts are saddled and ready to ride," Garth instructed Tedi.
"We are going out to battle the ogres?" Tedi asked.
"Not unless we have to," answered Garth, "but I fear we will need to. While I will not prejudge the Zaroccans, they seem to be underestimating the ogres. I doubt that Baron Ohmson has ever seen so many ogres as what is pouring onto the plain out there. I just want to make sure that if we are needed outside that there is no delay in getting there."
"I understand," nodded Tedi. "I will see to it."
Tedi took off at a run. Garth turned to go back out on the porch, but Natia stopped him with a touch on his arm.
"I will need more knives. There are a lot of targets out there."
"Does Tedi know that you are going out?" asked Garth.
"Does Kalina know that you are?" smiled the gypsy princess.
Garth smiled and began pulling knives out of his boots.
"Not yours," stated Natia. "They are like fingers for you. When you need one you will reach subconsciously for it. The castle must have an armory."
Garth nodded and looked both ways in the corridor. Off to his right an officer had just rounded the corner. Garth waved for him to stop as he passed by. Before the officer could ask what he needed, Garth turned to Natia and spoke.
"I will be out on the balcony with King Persimon. When you are properly outfitted, I want you to come out and join us."
Garth turned to face the officer. "Natia needs to be escorted to the armory. See to it that she gets the best throwing knives available."
The officer frowned in confusion and opened his mouth to speak, but Garth promptly pivoted and walked through the door to the balcony. The officer started after him, but he halted when he saw Garth walk up to the king and start
talking to him.
"I think time is wasting," nudged Natia.
The officer nodded. "Follow me."
Garth asked the king a question about battle tactics, but the purpose of the question was to avoid a lengthy discussion over Natia's need for knives. While the king gave a lengthy answer, Garth's eyes swept over the battlefield. The knights were now outside the city walls and aligning in a broad line facing the approaching ogres. Garth looked beyond the gathering horde and saw still more ogres leaving the forest. They easily outnumbered the knights by three to one and more were arriving every minute.
"Now you shall see what I have been describing," declared King Persimon. "The slight lowering of Baron Uloof's lance was the sign to prepare to charge."
Garth watched as the broad line of knights all charged forward in unison. Their lances came down as they charged, but the leading ogres did not appear to be intimidated. As the knights galloped across the plain, the line began to curve with both ends extending forward as if they were trying to paint a smile upon the plain. Garth focused on the knights farthest to the right. They came right up to the front line of the ogres and turned sharply to the outside. They aimed the tips of their lances at the tops of the ogres' heads, and Garth saw that the ogres' skulls quickly gave way to the lances. The riders raced away from the ogre horde and curved back towards the castle.
The other knights used the same technique as their turn to strike arrived. Those right of center looped to the right, and those left of center looped to the left. Within moments the corpses of the entire front line of ogres littered the plain, and the knights were reforming for a second run.
"Splendid technique, is it not?" smiled King Persimon. "Baron Ohmson developed it over the years he has been fighting these beasts. The rest of the ogres are slowed by the falling bodies in front of them."
Garth nodded with genuine appreciation, but a frown still stuck to his face. "It is a splendid technique," he agreed, "but the ogres still manage to gain ground as the knights regroup. It puts the onus on the knights to engage the enemy as far from the city walls as possible."
"I have never heard such pessimism," scowled King Wendal. "In all the years that Baron Ohmson has been battling these creatures, not once have they ever reached the walls."
Garth did not respond as he focused on the precision with which the knights reformed for another charge. His eyes marked the location of the fallen ogres as the second charge began. Again the execution by the knights was flawless, and Garth smiled at the perfection, but he was already estimating the distance gained by the ogres between charges. Natia slipped onto the balcony while everyone was watching the knights reform once again.
"They are still streaming out of the forest," Kalina noted. "They are awfully eager to attack this city."
"That is the problem," Garth said. "While I admire the perfection of your knights, the ogres will reach the walls of the city. Look at the first line of bodies and estimate the distance to the second line of bodies. You should have archers on the walls."
A moment of silence followed, but King Persimon eventually nodded in agreement. He blew a whistle and an officer soon appeared beside him. The king ordered archers to the walls and then turned back to watch the third charge.
"What are those things?" bellowed King Wendal as he pointed to the left side of the charging ogres. "They look like giant foxes."
"Yaki!" swore Kalina. "I should have expected to see them. They shared a Universe with the…"
"Fire!" interrupted Garth. "Yaki have a great fear of fire. There is a reason for their fear. Their fur will ignite like a torch."
"There are more on the right side of the ogres," shouted Karl. "They are planning to ambush the knights."
The king blew his whistle again as the first knights made contact with the ogres. The yaki leaped at the turning knights, knocking many of them off their mounts.
"Your help is needed, Kalina," Garth said urgently. "We are going out."
"The distance is great," Kalina replied, "and the forces are close together."
"Do what you can," Garth said as he turned and raced off the balcony.
Natia, Karl, and Shawn followed Garth as they ran down the stair to their waiting mounts. While the king ordered an officer to direct the archers to use fire arrows, Kalina raised her arms and focused on the center of the horde of ogres. A lightning bolt slammed down out of the blue sky into the center of the charging ogres. Ogre bodies flew through the air, and the ogres beyond the blast faltered. Seconds later another bolt struck slightly to the right of the first, followed by one to the left of the original. A fourth bolt of lightning struck far in front of the ogres, and Kalina halted in confusion. Her eyes scanned the far bank of the forest and saw a black-cloak with his hands raised over his head. Another bolt slammed to the ground between the ogres and the city. The enemy mage was guessing with his shots as he did not have the elevation to see his targets, but Kalina knew that she had to eliminate him. One lucky hit could be devastating to the Alceans. As she concentrated on his position, the mage retreated into the trees.
Kalina ignored the raging battle below as she tried to focus on the shadowy figure in the forest. She sent a trio of lightning bolts in a triangular attack on the last spot where she had seen the mage. The bolts smashed into trees and sparks began to fly around the forest like a thousand flaming arrows. Satisfied that she had at least disabled the opposing mage, she returned her attention to the battlefield, but there was little her magic could now. The battlefield was in total chaos, ogres, yaki, and knights intermingled in mostly a foot war. The few remaining mounted knights made passes at the ogres to thin their ranks, but the ogres and yaki pursued the main body of humans towards the city wall.
The gate guards saw the Alceans approaching before they heard Garth's shout. The guards opened the gates barely wide enough for the Alceans to race through, and closed them immediately after they had passed. The five Alceans spread out widely as their unicorns galloped towards the knot of humans fighting their way towards the gates. With the ogres surrounding the knights, the yaki turned towards the riders approaching. Several dozen of the fox-like creatures rushed towards the Alceans. They leaped at the riders as they had done with the knights, but the results were not pleasing to the yaki. Natia's knives caught the creatures in mid-flight. Tedi's staff exploded their bodies into red mists, and the swords of Garth, Karl, and Shawn sliced through their bodies with practiced ease. In mere moments the yaki ceased to be a threat.
The knights had become surrounded, and the Alceans rode directly into the beasts closest to the city. The unicorns' horns slashed the ogres in front of them while the riders attacked anything within reach on either side of them. Within minutes they managed to open up a corridor for the knights to escape the encirclement. Garth heard horns blowing behind him and glanced back at the gates. More mounted knights were racing out of the city.
"Fighting retreat!" shouted Garth.
The Alceans began slowly backing up, attacking the ogres only when they came close enough to strike. With the approach of fresh troupes, the ogres hesitated and then turned back towards the river. A full-scale rout ensued as the new troupes attacked the rear ranks of the fleeing ogres, but for the knights on foot, the battle was over. They raced for the safety of the city gates. Garth looked at his fellow Alceans, who were the only people on the plain no longer in motion. He stared at the bloody horns of the unicorns.
"We need to wash the horns before anyone sees them," he said softly. "They are no longer invisible with blood on them."
Chapter 31
Zynor
The courtyard in front of Traginak Castle was littered with the bodies of the dead and wounded knights. Family members of the stricken kneeled by the sides of their warriors, and healers flitted from body to body. As the stray Occan mounts were found, they were brought through to the castle stables where their wounds were tended to. Kalina moved through the courtyard offering what help she could, but the rest of the Alceans could onl
y watch. One of the wounded with bandages on his hands and neck rose to his feet. He walked over to the Alceans and bowed in respect.
"I guess we looked rather poorly out there today," stated Baron Stikman. "We all owe a great debt to you Alceans for coming out when you did. Our losses would have been severe if you had not drawn off those wolves."
"Yaki," replied Garth. "They are creatures from another Universe. While we were glad to be able to help, I disagree with your assessment of how you looked. I admire the tactics and precision your men showed out there today. You have given me a healthy appreciation for the Occan warrior and the lance. I was afraid that your men would only be able to spear one ogre before their lances became useless."
"We have Baron Ohmson to thank for the strategy," Baron Stikman replied with a hint of a smile on his lips. "I think that is exactly what happened the first time the Zaroccans fought the ogres. They may be strong opponents, but their heads crack like a ripe melon. Let's get away from this courtyard. It is distressing to gaze upon the results of our failure."
Garth nodded towards the Courtyard Shadows, and the baron's eyes brightened in approval. Together they strode into the common room, and the rest of the Alceans followed except for Kalina and Max. The baron ordered a couple of pitchers of ale, and the servant was swift to comply.
"I saw that your horses suffered from your attack," opened the baron. "I would be pleased to replace them if you would journey with us to Herinak. If your travels do not allow for such a journey, I will talk to King Persimon about selling me some of his, although I believe that our Occans are far superior."
"I appreciate the offer," smiled Garth, "but our mounts are fine."
"Fine?" balked the baron. "I saw more than one with bloody wounds on their heads."
"It was ogre blood," explained Garth. "They are just fine."
Baron Stikman blinked in surprise. "How did you come by such Occans in the first place? Their sale to outlanders is frowned upon."
"They are not Occans," answered Garth. "I suppose they are some distant relative of the Occan. As for the journey to Herinak, I would love to see your country, but you have set a tough task before us. We need to travel south to find those fighters that will enable the Council of War to become a reality."
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