* * *
Lauriston’s mind settled down quickly after his talk with the Brunian. It helped to have a focus. A goal. A deadly enemy chasing you.
A plan for the larger campaign had begun to form in Lauriston’s head.
The marshal had Mon to thank for his renewed focus. The old general had helped him to remember the goal of the group. He’d told Lauriston to go talk with General Pitt. A marshal always had his generals to thank for making campaigns and marches and battles easier.
Lauriston believed he’d settled on the course of action for his current group and the larger army. Now he just needed to convince his officers that it was the best course of action.
“Generals to me, Pitt and Elisa included,” Lauriston said when he called a halt to the riding on the second evening after the fight. The sun was still dropping from its afternoon height, but he felt the men had earned the extra rest and he didn’t feel the danger on their tail quite as much anymore.
They had room to breathe and discuss their next steps.
The other soldiers began setting up the camp and watering the horses while the generals walked over to Lauriston. Pitt stood slightly on the edge of the group and gripped his arms across his chest, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Elisa stood directly next to Lauriston.
Lauriston looked everyone in the eye while he spoke. “We push east through this part of the forest. We continue on this trail at a good speed.”
Desaix nodded. Quatre scratched at the stubble on his cheeks. Pitt continued to shift back and forth.
Lauriston pointed at the Brunian as he continued. “General Pitt here was betrayed by his allies, in case you didn’t notice during our fight back there.”
Quatre, Mon, and Lodi all looked at Pitt. Desaix and Elisa kept their eyes on Lauriston.
“I’ve been doing some thinking on what that means for us. Duroc executed the Wahrian king. He’s supposedly attacking his own allies now. And General Pitt doesn’t think the central army from Brun or Wahring will be able to defend against it.”
“So now we fight two separate enemies instead of one big Coalition,” Quatre said. He glanced sideways at Pitt with narrowed eyes.
Lauriston couldn’t blame Quatre or anyone else for skepticism. Brun was one of the empire’s greatest enemies. A big part of the next stage of his plan was to get the men to see the new war that was now laid out across the Continent. A new war that gave Erlon a fighting chance to avoid collapse.
“That’s one way to look at it,” Lauriston said. He meant to continue with a rebuttal but Mon spoke up for him.
“No,” the old general said. “It means we have fewer enemies.”
Lauriston nodded. He’d known Mon would be smart about this. “That’s what I think too. We may even have new allies.” He looked back at the Brunian. “General Pitt, how will Brun take this betrayal?”
Lauriston pointed at the Brunian and expected a quick confirmation of his theory about an alliance against the Horde. Instead, Pitt looked very confused.
“I’m not sure.” The Brunian rubbed the side of an arm and continued to shift his weight.
“I would assume it would be in our best interests to ally against the Horde.” Lauriston raised his eyebrows at Pitt to emphasize the statement and his need for confirmation.
Pitt stayed silent. Quatre’s eyes were still narrowed at him. Lodi looked at the ground in thought.
Mon broke the silence.
“I think that makes sense, Lar.”
At least one officer agreed with Lauriston.
“Thank you, Mon.” Lauriston smiled at his old friend. “Our focus now is obviously to get Elisa to safety and find the army. They shouldn’t be far through the trees, but it’ll be rough going.”
“We’ll find the path through, Lar,” Desaix said.
Lodi and a few others nodded in confident agreement.
“Thank you, Desaix. The army should be near Lake Brodeur. We’ll find them and plan a campaign against the Horde.”
Lauriston took a breath. That was the easy part. The next part was more murky and confusing.
“From there, I think we push north and find the remaining Brunian army. Pitt here says they’ve taken Vendome and should be down along the Branch. If we can get there before the Kurakin can continue their attacks…”
Lauriston trailed off. The thoughts had sounded crazy in his head and now sounded even worse when spoken aloud. He shook his head and regained his voice quickly.
“My point is that two armies are better than one, especially against the Horde. If we can convince the Brunians to fight with us, we may be able to scuttle whatever campaign Duroc is planning with the Horde the rest of this season.”
Mon nodded. Elisa and Lodi didn’t move at all. Desaix thought for a second before nodding and Quatre continued to scratch at his stubble.
The group’s eyes turned to Pitt. The Brunian seemed shocked to have the attention pivot onto him once more.
“I think that could work,” he said. The lack of confidence was clear in his tone. Lauriston would have to work on that.
“That part of the plan is still days away, at least. Priority one is to find the Erlonian army,” Lauriston said. “Distribute the plan to your men. We keep up the same marching strategy and watch our rear.”
He nodded at his men and met their eyes to ensure there were no other questions.
He added one final point before they walked away.
“Watch the sky. The Scythes will have their hawk back in the air soon. That’s the biggest danger to us right now, and I would bet they’ll be back on our trail soon.”
Lauriston thought he saw Elisa give a slight shiver at the mention of the Scythes, but wasn’t sure. He continued as if he hadn’t seen it.
“We lost good soldiers yesterday. Don’t let their sacrifice go to waste. We get the princess to safety first.” Lauriston pointed to Elisa. “And then we find a way to keep fighting. Onward, Erlon.”
The men echoed the last words immediately. The officers and the princess were dismissed and Lauriston was left alone with his thoughts. He knew the idea of allying with the Brunians sounded insane, but it would increase their chances of winning the war and saving the country by tenfold.
Lauriston looked to the east and the dark tangles of the forest before them. They still had a hard journey before they found the army. Lauriston would do his best to see the men through and keep them in front of the Scythes.
The fight with the Kurakin over the Brunian had been a setback, but it wouldn’t ruin his troop. Lauriston would push them on and overcome this. He would lead them and find a way to somehow win this war.
One step at a time, that was all they needed to focus on for now. Get the princess to safety and find the army. And avoid the Kurakin Scythes at all costs.
Chapter 19
A strong leader, by his presence alone, can swing the momentum of a battle.
Maxims of War, Entry Two
Emperor Gerald Lannes
Andrei
The bodies sat bloated in the creek bed. Andrei knelt at the edge and looked over the fallen soldiers.
“They took their weapons,” Andrei said.
“Quite a fight.” Jerkal nodded a few feet away.
“Yes.”
A horse lay broken to Andrei’s left. Wolves and vultures had already picked through the insides.
“They left quickly,” he said. “Many wounded. They won’t be far.”
“You think it’s the girl’s group?”
“Yes.”
The scene was a brutal one. Andrei had seen great battles and the destruction they caused. This was on a much smaller scale, perhaps thirty men fighting total, but there were bodies of men and horses everywhere.
And most of them Kurakin.
Whoever protected the girl was strong. They’d run into the hunting party tracking down the Brunian captive and had been able to fight them off. Erlon might be falling, but Andrei could still marvel at their soldiers’ streng
th.
“What a mess.” Andrei shook his head and stood up.
The bundle strapped to his chest stirred slightly but only shifted to a new position before returning to sleep. Andrei put a hand on the bird in the pouch and felt the strength returning to his animal.
“No sign of him, Commander,” came a call from the other side of the carnage.
The Brunian captive was gone. Andrei’s prey still eluded him. Duroc wasn’t going to be happy.
The Kurakin captain who’d been responsible for the Brunian prisoner now lay dead in front of him with bullet wounds in his back. The whole scene was a mess.
“Jerkal, start on their trail. We must keep up pursuit. I’ll go give the report.” Andrei left the group. He walked up the hill to his wolverine and started the ride back to camp.
The Kurakin army had camped a few miles west by the river. This was only the rearguard now, as the main attacking forces were already pressing to clean up the Brunians and Wahrians just to the north.
Andrei rode through the camp. There was a buzz about the soldiers. Like the water piled up behind a damn about to be released to rush towards the sea. It’d be hard to stop this army.
General Duroc was alone inside his tent when Andrei stepped inside.
“Andrei.” Duroc sat at a desk, writing out formal orders. A lone candle gave him light.
“No sign of the captive, sir,” Andrei said. “It was quite a fight.”
“The Erlonians with the girl helped him?” Duroc stopped writing and looked up.
Andrei nodded. “It’s got to be.”
“You’ll find them soon.” Duroc resumed his writing.
“Yes, sir.” Andrei made to leave the tent. Quick meetings with Duroc were common. Efficiency was the key to a Kurakin army.
“Another thing.”
Andrei stopped at the tent flap. This voice didn’t come from Duroc. It came from Andrei’s left. A figure walked out of the shadows of the tent’s corner. A chill blew through the air and ran up Andrei’s back.
The Scythe recovered from his shock and bowed to the clean-shaven god.
“You think too much on the rest of the war,” the god said. “Your sole focus is the girl. Is that understood?”
Andrei looked at Duroc. The general was focused back on his writing.
“Is she still with the group we track?” Andrei turned back to the god.
“She should be. You track them and find her.”
“Yes, sir.” Andrei bowed his head and left the tent quickly. The chill lingered in his body even as he moved out and away from the camp.
Andrei walked back to his wolverine and moved off to find his men. They’d set off on the trail at once. There would be no rest for Scythes tonight.
Whatever scheme Duroc had planned, whatever games his god was playing, it depended on the Erlonian girl. Andrei didn’t need to be told why. He only needed to do his job and find her.
The injured hawk shifted again on his chest. She burrowed deeper into the pouch and rested against his heartbeat.
Andrei was happy to track down the men who’d shot her. He would find the girl and the soldiers with her and he’d get his revenge and complete Duroc’s mission in one great swoop.
Elisa
Elisa was back on the trail. Back to riding all day and the feeling that the enemy was about to appear out of the trees behind her at any moment.
The conversations with the soldiers helped, of course. But now the group was quieter as they nursed their injuries and fought through the exhaustion of the pace Lauriston pushed for. The quiet gave Elisa’s mind freedom to roam to unhealthy subjects.
She thought back to the fight. There were horrible memories. She could see the colors in the strongest detail. Black coats clashing with blue. Blood and smoke flowing freely.
“You’ve never been this quiet, even on the farm,” said a voice beside Elisa.
She looked towards the source and found Mon riding next to her on the forest path.
Mon had checked on her immediately after the fight, but as the group fled the scene and rode east, she hadn’t had time to talk to him yet. Mon was usually busy at the front of the group, discussing things with Lauriston.
They were five days out from the fight with the Kurakin horsemen and today Mon rode next to her in the middle of the pack.
“Even when you were mad or annoyed with us, one of the farmhands would get a rise out of you.” Mon clicked at his mount to keep it on the path. “But now you’ve been silent.”
“I’m sorry, Mon.” Elisa wasn’t sure how long they’d been riding for the day. She’d been too lost in her thoughts. It felt like morning still, but she couldn’t see the sun through the forest canopy.
“What troubles you?”
“Nothing.”
Elisa knew she answered too quickly and Mon would see right through the short response. She turned her head towards him and gave a tired smile.
“Too many things.”
“I’m sure.”
Elisa raised her eyebrows at Mon’s quick answer.
Mon shrugged. “Your parents are gone, your country is falling apart, you’ve just witnessed a brutal fight and there are a bunch of Kurakin on wolverines in the forest chasing us.”
Elisa raised her eyebrows. It was impressive Mon understood that much.
She let out a sigh. “It’s not just that, though.”
“Try me,” Mon said.
Elisa struggled to force her thoughts into words. It was hard to explain her current feelings. They kept slipping away and changing.
“The men,” Elisa said finally. Mon’s voice calmed some of her thoughts and she took a stab at voicing the biggest trouble that now screamed at her. It was a new feeling and she still didn’t understand it. “We lost six soldiers. Three of your guardsmen. Jerome was nice to me. They all were.”
“Loss and war go hand in hand.” Mon stared down at his horse’s mane. “But you know that. Your father is in exile because of war. You lost your palace, your home.”
Elisa nodded.
“But this is different. Something more.” Mon pulled his eyes back to Elisa and she noticed a new light behind them. Something darker, as if Mon was half in a deep memory and half in the present.
“I’m supposed to be their princess. The heir,” Elisa said.
“You are our princess,” Mon said slowly. He spoke like he couldn’t understand Elisa’s statement properly. The shadow was still within his eyes.
Elisa looked away into the trees. Maybe this was too hard to explain. Maybe no one could help her. Only a royal could and there were none of those left on this side of the Continent. Her family had abandoned her and left her to figure things out on her own.
She shook her head and looked back to Mon and decided to try anyway.
“They died saving the Brunian general. But also protecting me. All these men.” Elisa nodded at the line of soldiers stretching in front of them. “They’re making sacrifices, all for me.”
She paused and was thankful when Mon didn’t interject. Her thoughts needed time to gather.
“What if I can’t live up to their sacrifices? What if Lauriston came south for a worthless princess, someone who isn’t fit to lead? What if you sacrificed your farm for nothing?”
“So you’ll give up? Because you don’t think you can lead?” Mon said.
Elisa was shocked by the bite in his voice. She saw something dark again behind the old general’s eyes. It had grown. She’d never seen this shadow before and couldn’t understand it. The old general’s knuckles where white where he gripped his reins. Some faraway memory had turned to anger.
“No,” was all she could say.
The word blew away with the wind. Elisa knew it was a weak answer. Giving up was exactly what she’d been thinking about.
“I’m sorry,” Mon said.
His eyes returned to normal. They were bloodshot and cloudy, with nothing hiding deep behind them anymore.
“No, I’m sorry,” Elisa
said. “I’m not thinking about giving up. Not while this group still fights on.”
She hoped her words were true. She wanted them to be.
“The six we lost were not the first to die for Erlon. Thousands came before them, and that’s just for your father’s empire. History has millions dying for the west, sacrificing their lives for the country and the people.” Mon returned to staring down at his horse. “My three guardsmen join others with the Ascended now, including all the guardsmen before them.”
Mon’s voice had the slightest break in it at the end. Elisa looked at him again and saw another flash behind his eyes. This time of sadness and loss and pain.
She wanted to ask him about his past then but couldn’t find the words. It was too hard of a question and she didn’t want to say the wrong things.
“Not fighting on, giving up after surviving…” Mon’s grip had loosened on his reins. “That would be the worst thing to do. That would ruin their sacrifice. It’s a burden, I know. For you even more so than a normal person. But we fight on for the same reasons they died. Walking away would be the worst thing to do.”
Elisa knew the old general was right. She’d never heard Mon talk this way before. His voice was deeper and full of emotion she didn’t know had been there. He stared at the path in front of them.
“Thank you, Mon,” she said.
Elisa went back to her thoughts. Things were a little clearer now but still difficult. Mon was right, of course. She had to continue on. She had a duty to Erlon. She just had to figure out a way to not fail them.
They expected her to lead, to be her father. She didn’t know how she would do it, but she had to find a way to keep from letting these soldiers down.
* * *
The group broke for lunch around midday. Lauriston ordered it to be a quick one and Elisa overheard Desaix pass along a report to Lauriston from one of the scouts.
The Fall of Erlon Page 22
