Halvar’s heart skipped a beat. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. They have chosen high ground twenty miles north of here. Their archers will have tree cover on their right flank, and the rest of the field is an uphill climb.”
“Have you spoken to any of the commanders?”
“Not yet. But I know what they’ll say.”
So did Halvar. “I have no intention of nipping at their edges,” he said. “If we can end this battle now, we should.”
“I agree. Besides, most of them are unaware of Martok’s plan.”
Halvar could see that there was something else on her mind. “You have more for me?”
Keira shrugged. “It's just something one of the humans said a few days ago that's been bothering me. He said he was glad that we didn’t have to fight Shinzan’s real army. I asked him what he meant, and he told me he'd heard that Shinzan had an extra force of up to a million soldiers that could sweep across the land and lay waste to everything in their path. I took it as nothing more than rumor and nonsense. Everything we’ve learned says that his entire army numbers no more than two-hundred thousand swords. And close to half of those are about to engage us. The rest are likely scattered throughout Lumnia in smaller groups or holed up in garrisons.”
“If there is such an army, we’ve seen no evidence of it,” remarked Halvar. “Were it to exist, I'm certain your people would be aware of it.”
“That’s what makes me think it is simply a rumor spread to strike fear into the hearts of the people. Shinzan might be powerful, but I do not see how even he could hide a million soldiers without our notice.”
Halvar scratched his beard. “Even so, we should double our scouts and tell them to look for signs of any troops massing in unlikely places.”
“Despite my doubts, I took the precaution of doing that soon after I heard the human speak of it,” Keira replied. “For now though, I think we should concentrate on the task at hand. If Shinzan really does have a million extra men, for certain they’re nowhere near us now.”
Halvar grunted. “Yes, I agree.” He turned to one of his personal guard. “Gather the commanders. And ready the army to march.”
* * * * *
General Hronso ran his hands over the long, circular length of the dwarf weapon. Even as a Rakasa, he could still feel the energy it radiated. But instead of the warmth it would have brought to his flesh as an elf, it was cold to the point of being painful.
“Simply magnificent,” remarked the commander standing at his back. “Have you ever seen it in use?”
Hronso liked Commander Lukus. In fact, he was one of the few humans whose company he could actually abide. “Once, many years ago,” he replied. “Before you were born.” He withdrew his hand and closed it tightly. Even the pain was welcome. A reminder of a previous life. “Is everything in place?”
“Yes, sir. But Lieutenant Highwater is dead.”
Hronso looked over his shoulder. “Really! How?”
“I was forced to relieve him of his command, General.”
“You do know he was the cousin of General Pryn.”
“He may well be, but he was also an incompetent fool,” replied Lukus. “He claimed that he was unable to follow my orders. He even went so far as to tell me he was willing to bet his life on the fact that they could not be accomplished. I took him up on his wager, and, needless to say, I won. The matter is now concluded and the wager settled.”
This was what Hronso liked about the man. Fearless and efficient. That the lieutenant had powerful relatives had never entered into the equation for Lukus. Incompetence was inexcusable to him and would be weeded out come what may. Hronso had recently considered giving him a field promotion, but eventually rejected the idea. Lukus was a man who saw things very much in black and white. As skilled as he was, the nuances of the overall picture often eluded him.
“Then ready the weapon to be moved,” Hronso ordered. “They will know where we are soon, even if they don’t know already.”
“And what of the rumors concerning a plot against us?”
“Let them plot and scheme; it will do them no good. Whatever devilry Martok has devised will only delay the inevitable.”
In spite of this casual dismissal, the general knew that something significant was sure to happen. Martok’s strategies were legendary. Had he not been betrayed, he would have undoubtedly conquered all of Lumnia. But he was from another age, and Shinzan was far more ruthless than anyone Hronso had ever encountered during his lifetime. The Emperor would sacrifice an entire army without a single thought. Life meant nothing to him. No one could be adequately prepared to face such a foe. Not even Martok the Great.
* * * * *
“They are in sight, Your Highness. Everything is just as the scouts reported.” After breathlessly delivering his message, the young man bowed and hurried away.
Halvar didn’t really need to be told this news. He could see for himself the enemy banners flapping in a strong wind atop the rise. There were only a few more hours of daylight remaining, but it had already been decided that they would not wait until the morning to attack. Though the enemy held a strong position, the elves would be able to use the fading light to great advantage if they were able to make headway early enough. That alone was a good enough reason to press ahead.
Together with Keira, he waited impatiently for an emissary to appear from the Imperial lines with the usual arrogant demand for their surrender. But after a half an hour it was obvious that none would be coming.
“I guess they know we’re here to fight,” said Halvar.
“Then let us not disappoint them,” replied Keira. She nodded to an elf on her left holding a silver trumpet. He immediately blew three short blasts. The signal to attack.
The vast army charged forward, the roar of their battle cries thundering loud. In response only moments later, a sizeable section of the enemy began a steady descent down the hill with a solid wall of steel tipped pikes leading the way.
Frowning with surprise, Halvar turned to Keira. “What are they doing? Why would they concede the high ground so readily?”
“I have no idea,” she admitted. “It must surely be to our advantage. Unless there is a devilishly cunning trap that neither of us are able to see. That, or they have discovered...”
She let the final sentence hang.
“If that were the case, I cannot imagine that their commanders would be lingering where they are,” Halvar responded. Nonetheless, his eyes constantly scanned the terrain for any sign of trickery.
The moment the Imperial vanguard was in range, the dwarves let loose their weapons. While cursing the Emperor's name, they unleashed flash after flash of vivid light and fire, sending them directly into the heart of the advancing soldiers. In a simultaneous strike, the elves showered them with arrows. Hundreds fell in only a few seconds. Further compounding Halvar’s surprise, the Imperials made no attempt to return fire with their own dwarf weapons. This was illogical, he thought. Surely they must possess them,
When the two armies were barely a hundred yards apart, Keira gave another nod to the herald alongside. Three more blasts rang out, bringing the entire dwarf and elf advance to a sudden halt. Clearly baffled and unsettled by this, the enemy slowed their own approach.
“This is it,” muttered Halvar, eager anticipation mixing with an equal amount of apprehension in his voice. From his belt he produced a small, rectangular box with one button set in the center. He pressed this twice.
Scarcely had the second press been made when a massive explosion erupted amongst the enemy rear atop the rise. Then another, and another. The Imperial vanguard turned and gazed back in shock at the fires now devouring their comrades.
“It’s working,” cried Keira, a broad smile all over her face. “I can’t believe it. Martok’s plan is working.”
“Yes. King Yularian has done well.”
He had indeed. For the next fifteen minutes, dozens more of the dwarf explosive rods that had been secre
tly placed amongst the Imperial army encampment by agents of King Yularian continued to erupt, turning both men and equipment into nothing more than a chaotic melee of ruined flesh and twisted metal. King Halvar and Keira watched throughout with sheer joy.
“If only this ploy would work every time,” said Keira.
Cheers of victory burst forth from their ranks, mingling incongruously with cries of sheer terror from the enemy. The entire Imperial front was in a state of mass confusion. They could not move forward, yet were afraid to retreat in the direction of the explosions.
The call of a horn from the north then told the two monarchs that their plan had been fully realized. The already panicked enemy was sent further into distress as a line of three hundred horsemen appeared from the west, the banner of Ralmaria flying high while charging directly at the Imperial rear. Behind them, moving at a rapid run, came thousands of King Yularian's foot soldiers.
With vast clouds of smoke rising from the devastation, it was clear that the enemy commanders no longer had any control over their soldiers. Keira ordered the herald to sound a full charge.
An elf captain hurried toward the two monarchs and bowed low. “I have been sent to ask if we will accept surrender.”
Halvar looked to Keira and then nodded. “If possible, yes.”
“Do you think the Ralmarians will be so kind?” Keira asked him.
He shrugged. “That is not my concern at the moment. But I hope so.”
* * * * *
King Yularian had not felt blood lust in many years. But now the rage he was experiencing while spurring his steed into an even more furious gallop was bordering on insanity. It would take a river of blood to quench the thirst of his steel. Not that his motivation had much to do with how the Emperor was destroying his subjects' lives. Though a king’s heart should not be selfish, as the Imperial banners flapped mockingly ahead, Yularian knew full well that his lust for vengeance was about as personal as it was possible.
Shinzan had taken his daughter, his wife, and through deceit and corruption, his brother as well. Those who would not stand against him were fully deserving of death. He glanced over to his right. The army of King Halvar and Queen Keira were slowing their charge. The front lines of the Empire were surrendering. He sneered. Let them. The dwarves and elves may show them mercy. He would not.
The explosive devices laid by his covert operatives had killed a vast number of foes, but there were still thousands more left alive. He could hear the cries from his personal guard begging him to slow his mount so that they could ride ahead of him. But this was not a time for kingly restraint. This was a time for savage reprisal.
The ever more desperate shouts from Imperial commanders to regroup were falling on deaf ears as the surviving soldiers tried to make some sense out of the havoc descending upon them. Yularian bared his teeth. If all had gone well, the garrisons in both Ralmaria and Al Theona were at this very moment suffering similar chaos.
For an instant, his snarl turned into something resembling a smile. Martok the Great, the elves called him. Indeed, he was exactly that. In one fell swoop they had denied Shinzan more than half of Lumnia.
While raising his sword, he saw the eyes of his first kill filled with dread. The sheer force of his strike shattered the enemy’s breastplate, opening a gaping wound and causing near instant death. A moment later the battle cries of his own men reached his ears; steel clashing on steel like the ringing of a thousand anvils. Four more men perished at his hand before he was forced to slow his charge.
The enemy was surprisingly unskilled and barely able to defend themselves against even off-balanced attacks. Some of them had scrambled together to form loose battle lines, though it was to no avail. His cavalry smashed through them as if they were made of glass.
Much to his irritation, his personal guard finally managed to form a protective circle around him just as the infantry joined the battle, so separating him from the fray. And though he tried repeatedly to outmaneuver them, they were far more skilled riders than himself and easily kept him within their ring.
A few Imperial stragglers passed near, but the guards cut them down before Yularian could lay a blade on them.
“Damn it!” he roared. “Let me fight.”
In spite of the fact that he was their king, they ignored his anger. A young man Yularian recognized as Irivan rode up and gave a quick salute. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. Do not blame your guard for this. It was my decision. Punish me after the battle is over if you wish. But you have risked yourself enough for one day.”
Yularian grumbled and glowered while considering these words. Irivan was his most trusted captain, and surprisingly level headed for one so young. He was among the very first he had sought to enlist in the fight against Shinzan, and the young man had not hesitated for an instant. He would serve his king against any foe. Even the fearsome Emperor.
“Remain here, Your Highness,” he continued. His eyes stated that this was not a request from a junior officer, but a command from a man determined to ensure the safety of his monarch. “The day will soon be ours. This pathetic lot has no heart for battle at all.”
Yularian locked eyes with the captain for a brief moment before relenting. He let out a sigh. “Very well. I suppose my blade’s thirst will have to remain unquenched for now. But next time, remind me to send you to the supply lines before the battle.”
Irivan smiled broadly. “Not a chance, Your Highness.”
Forgetting his irritation, Yularian returned the smile. Such men were an honor to lead. And a gift to have near.
His infantry was now steadily battering down the remaining meager resistance, while the cavalry had already cut off any possibility of retreat. He shook his head. How could Shinzan possibly hope to defeat their combined forces with such weak soldiers?
From his vantage point he could see that the elves and dwarves, along with a few human allies, were allowing the vanguard of the enemy to surrender. There were at least eight thousand men laying down their weapons; what would they do with so many? It would be impossible to imprison them all. They could only kill them or let them go. And after having spoken to Queen Berathis of Al Theona, he did not foresee much mercy in their future. As they were still within her lands, it would be her decision. Unless, of course, the elves or the dwarves contested her authority. But that problem, if it arose, would have to be dealt with later.
After a time, he retreated to the edge of the tree line to watch the day unfold. It was a slaughter. In less than three hours of battle, the Imperial army was all but lost. The ground was literally smothered with their dead and soaked deep in blood. And though he had not actually given an order to leave none alive, it was clear that his men would not be satisfied until every last one of Shinzan’s soldiers no longer drew breath. The failing daylight seemed to be no deterrent to this work. Their fury had consumed them. A fury that had been building for their entire lives.
As the stars began to appear, the sounds of the wounded overcame the clattering of steel. He could no longer see the carnage in the dim light of the quarter moon, but he knew it would continue for some time yet.
A messenger arrived a short time later with a request for him to join the dwarf and elf leaders. Yularian could see that this made his guards uneasy. In truth, he was nervous about the meeting as well. Though he had met Queen Keira previously, King Halvar was another matter. Dwarves were not exactly renowned for their friendliness, and many considered their hatred of humans to rival even that of the elves. But times were changing fast. And where he had been plagued by fear and doubt at the onset of this campaign, he was now actually daring to hope for victory.
Choosing two of his best men to accompany him, he rode behind the messenger toward the massive combined force that had become his new allies. The enemy prisoners were now disarmed and sitting at the bottom of the rise inside a large circle of dwarves, all of whom were holding their strange rod weapons. Fires lit the camp with a welcoming glow, and numerous songs of victory ra
ng out into the night.
His own men had been ordered to gather near the forest once the enemy was defeated. He wondered what it would be like when the two armies eventually met. A great number of his men hated elves and dwarves only slightly less than they did the Emperor. It had not been easy to overcome their objections. Many pleaded with him to forget such an alliance. If war with the Empire was inevitable, they stated, then so be it. But surely it would be better to gather support from other humans. Most knew that Al Theona would rally to their banner. Queen Berathis had lost her entire family to the wrath of Shinzan in one of his legendary fits of anger. And even if the other rulers would not actively join their ranks, they would surely not oppose them by fighting against their own kind.
No matter how powerfully put, Yularian knew these arguments to be without merit. Though he too had been confidant that Queen Berathis would join them, he knew for certain that the others would not. Traxis and Kytain bordered the wasteland that separated the Emperor’s desert from the rest of Lumnia. Though Shinzan had been hard on them over the years, the nobles there had grown rich through trade, and had supplied his army with vast quantities of both provisions and men. As for Malacar, that was all but useless. The king was old and without an heir. Most of the nobles there were far too busy trying to gain Shinzan’s favor so that they could lay claim to the throne to even think of rebellion.
Only Ralmaria and Al Theona had the two dwarf nations within their borders. This meant having access to weapons of a fearsome nature. What's more, their ports furthered their advantage. The Empire had long used them as a base for the majority of their ships. Now they would be forced to use smaller, lesser equipped ports far to the south.
Of course, none of this would matter in the slightest if Shinzan himself ventured forth. But for the time being, he could not. At least, that was what Lord Dragonvein had assured him. This had been the tipping point for Queen Berathis – the one thing that ensured her support. He recalled the doubt and suspicion written plainly on her face when he had spoken to her. She had nearly thrown him out, fearful that his visit was a ploy to trick her into admitting to treason. Even when she did finally accept that Yularian was being truthful, it still took almost a week for her to agree.
Dragonvein Book Four Page 25
