by Wolf Golan
“That's different. I'm not putting my life at risk.” She retorted angrily. “I don't want you to get killed. You can't leave me alone!” Alex cried.
Max stared at her for a moment, letting the heaviness of the moment sink in. He attempted to hold her cheek, but she jolted her head away.
“I'll stay by his side and stay out of battle... I'll be okay.” Max reasoned.
She was still turned away.
“You're a Native man, you don't stay out of the battle.”
Max sighed and looked to the left, heavy silences remained for a few moments before Max decided to change the subject. “I have news of Yems.”
Alex turned to him with her anger fading to concern.
“Most of them escaped into the woods, some held out, and Broglin got knapped.”
“Oh no!” Alex said putting her hand to her mouth.
“Is he okay?”
“Luthrick likes to capture Lords to ransom them to the King.”
Alex lowered her eyes at the thought.
“Also…there's a bounty on me.”
“What?” Alex asked shocked.
“Apparently I caused too much trouble for Luthrick and Kraakon and they've learned of my military skill and technology, they want me captured or dead.”
“I don't think you should go to the battle tomorrow.” She said.
“I have to. The General wants it.”
“Max, I can't lose you.” She said almost crying.
“You won't.” He said staring firmly into her eyes.
He decided to change the subject.
“Look I have an early start. I have to sleep.” He walked over and padded the pillow.
“Huh!” Alex said appalled.
He lied down and kicked off his shoes.
Alex slammed her half-finished sweater on the bedside table, crossed her arms, and stared to the side. Oblivious to her racket, Max closed his eyes and started drifting off. Max felt her stating at him in anger, but soon drifted into the dream world.
Chapter 19
Max woke before Alex and saw her sleeping with her clothes on, only her shoes off.
He stepped into the shower and turned it on and scrubbed himself as quick as he could. He stopped the shower gadget and turned to see Alex staring at him leaning against the stall.
“Whoa!” He jumped. “You 'have' to stop doing that!”
He held his chest in irritation.
“Do you love me?!” She asked.
“Yes I do, now cut it out!”
“Then don't go!” She shouted.
“I'm going! Now go away!” He yanked the curtain closed.
“PIG!” She yelled.
“MEANIE!” He retorted.
She hit the curtain and walk way, a few moments later, he heard the door slam shut.
He sighed and turned the gadget back on.
Max walked out the Northwest tower with his leather corset, metal pouldrons, greeves, sword, vambraces, cowter, and gauntlets. It was a full Knight Armor. He walked along the walkway looking at the green forest below and turned onward to see the platform extended from the North wall. He turned for one last look and the castle looked like a giant mountain.
Max turned forward and noticed a stone house against the head of the platform. They reached it and as he cornered the house, he saw a gigantic blimp balloon hovering above a small ship on the pad.
Max met General Ryzen among a small band of Knights. He looked up at the blimp and the huge propellers on small wings extended from the stern. He noticed a small coal engine installed against the stern and two rudders on each side of the bottom.
“How did you guys learn combustion?” Max asked.
General Ryzen glanced at the ship and back at Max, yelling over the wind:
“Don't know the airships were created by the Wielder Guild twenty Moon Cycles ago!”
Max nodded and stared up at it in wonder.
“We better lift off General the wind is picking up!” A Shipman yelled holding the rope.
“Yes!” The General yelled back.
General Ryzen rounded the ship with a couple Knights following along with Max. A wooden walk board extended from the side of the ship. The shipman quietly walked up and led the crew in. Max stepped onto the hard deck and saw three benches planted to the floor lining the hull.
Two shipmen ran to the side and threw off the anchors. The ship started to float, and Max got a little nervous. General Ryzen and his small band of Knights sat and settled in on the benches. Max stood in wonder, but soon got startled as it lifted up. Max looked over and saw the stone pavements descending.
It started to fly towards to the east rising higher and higher. Max saw the giant castle disappearing under the rails.
“Whoa!” Max said holding onto the bench.
“No worries Max,” General Ryzen said, calling him down.
Max smiled.
He looked over again and saw Alex's tiny figure folding her arms watching him from the battlements of the northeast tower. He waved, and she waved back but soon, she was too small to see.
The city passed under them with its buggies, praides, and thousands of Chandeerans bustling about their day.
Max turned and saw General Ryzen gone. He turned to see him lying on sacks in the corner to relax and sleep. He looked beyond to see the Driver holding a liver directing the ship, two more men fed small pieces of coal to the engine behind him.
The airship flew pass farmlands, hills, forests, and then the open plains. They came over a great wide river. Max stared down at it, as General Ryzen came up from behind and said:
“The Great River.”
Max looked at him and nodded back down.
The ship then crossed a great valley between two mountain ranges. It was the mouth of the Droe Plains, with its vast grasslands as far as could be seen. The expansive prairies stretched out like a map to the distant mountain ranges, rock outcrops and hills peppering it. Strong winds shook the ship and hit Max, rocking the hull a little.
The Driver forcibly pushed the lever to keep the bow straight.
The rocking and shakes got a little more violent, so Max grabbed the bottom of the bench. The winds calm but then started the descent. General Ryzen advised Max to brace himself for the landing. Max picked up his sword along with his vanguards and pouldron. The ship started to lower but got rocked again. Max stared ahead as it entered clouds.
“We're coming down to the South Droe Lines soon!” Ryzen yelled from the bench, Max nodded.
The cloud cover cleared, and Max saw the vast stretches of green flats all over the planet that was the Droe Plains. The winds continued to knock the ship to-and-fro.
Max saw small a wide river approaching with black blobs on the opposite bank, white squares on his side. Max walked to the rail for a closer look. The black blobs were Groargon Legions in the thousands, pushing west of the river. The white squares were Densmerian forces holding them back. They made smaller squares but numbered in the thousands as well.
General Ryzen spread out a map before Max with its edges flapping in the headwind. Max looked at it and saw that it was a map of the battlefront. The battle got closer and Max got a little anxious.
“Aren’t they going to shoot at us if we’re this close?” Max asked.
“No, we're too far away!” Ryzen said over the headwind.
He turned back to the map.
“Look at this!” Ryzen said pointing to the South Line. “We're here,” he said tapping it. Max shook his head and Ryzen slid his finger across to North Line. “We're flying over here to headquarters.”
He tapped the original spot across the map.
“They're main push is on the South Front, because it's hilly and they can hide from our arrows and catapults.” He shifted his finger to the center, “The center is dead right now.” He tapped it hard. “We've dug lines of moats with fire liquid and halted them along the Glord. They have boats to make assaults though.” General Ryzen explained.
�
��Their main push is the South Front.”
Max squinted at the map studying it and then looked beyond to the dark blobs moving against the river and floating across with little boats. Some blobs reached the other side and disembarked to war with the white blobs.
“How many Groargons?” Max yelled.
“Sixty-thousand strong versus our fifty-thousand Knights,” he replied.
Max stood up, twisted his lips, and nodded. He'd been in battles before, even as a Dropship Pilot. He took commanding roles when warehouses were under attack, or when he had his gunners provide cover fire for the troops.
There were no guns, but swords, bows, and fireballs. He didn't know if his military knowledge and skills would apply.
Horns were blown.
He glanced back down over the rail but didn't see anything.
The General returned to his seat, so Max followed him.
As they lowered more and neared the ground, Max could hear thousands of explosions, snarls, clanking of swords, and yells.
The airship started calmly over the Glord River until Max saw the battle right under him. He figured they were at least a thousand feet in the air, so they were safe. By the battlegrounds, Max noticed stone ruins of buildings of a once flourishing town.
“That's Walik it's been abandoned and destroyed during the first Groargon invasion.” General Rzyen comment. He pointed in the opposite direction towards the west.
“Our headquarters is a little way ahead.”
Max nodded, hair blowing across his face.
General Ryzen put the map in front of Max and shifted his finger to mountains on the very edge of the map.
“These are the Darfast Mountains, the saving grace of Chandeera for thousands of years,” He pointed to the sea on the right edge. “Then the South Sea, but the Groargon have no fleet, so they fight us on the plains.”
General Ryzen rolled up the map and gave it to a subordinate who walked it away.
Max turned back toward the plains and the battle was now a distance behind, as they flew over clear stretches of flat ground. Max saw a camp coming up and knew it was headquarters.
The ship finally descended all the way down to the ground. Max looked back toward the battle and saw the plumes of smoke. He turned to the General who smiled back, waiting for the ship to land.
“What about Kamptaurs?” Max asked.
“They haven't been around, winds are too strong.” Ryzen explained.
Max nodded.
Hundreds of tents dotted the landscape around a gigantic one in middle-headquarters. The ship slowly descended onto a clearing. The tent walls started indenting from the gust of the turbines and the Knights held their hands to their faces from the flying dust. The ship landed with a bump and thud, the propellers slowed to a stop.
Knights waited outside the ship to greet General Ryzen, as he straightened his ruffles waiting for the side door to open. Two Shipmen ran to the rails, took the door off its hinges, and set a walkway down. General Ryzen started down on it and led the way. The waiting Knights below bowed their heads, as he stepped onto the grass and started to his tent. Knights and Squires stood to attention as he passed them.
Max walked out quickly and trailed after him. The Knights below stood in lines looking expressionless as he passed them. The others looked at him suspiciously. He could make out weapon racks scattered among the tent walls, praides tied up all over.
General Ryzen soon approached a gigantic tent three times larger than the rest. Two guards stood on each side of the entry and opened it as he entered.
Max followed and went in as well. The tent was huge with lots of space and a rug in the middle leading to a long table with maps, a Servant stood at the side holding a pitcher of wine.
Ryzen took off his armor and washed his face at a basin, as Max stood by the entrance resting his hands on his hilt. A couple of Knights walked in and took off their helmets. Max could tell they were High Military with their stripes and unique clothing.
The General's Military Assistant bowed to Ryzen, as he wiped his face with a towel. “General, the Commanders.” He gestured. The General walked up drying his hands and threw the towel to the Assistant, as he examined them.
“Commanders, this is Max Wilkes.” General Ryzen pointed to Max.
“One of the Star People I presume,” the Skinny Commander commented.
Max smiled and bowed, and the Commanders followed suit.
“Max we have four main camps making up the Droe Defense Lines.” Ryzen gestured to the first Commander. “This is Commander Brimdor of the North Front, the most besieged at the moment,” Brimdor nodded to Max again. He looked in his mid-40s with a beard and short hair.
“This is Commander Tabore of the First Center Camp,” Tabore bowed. He was a short man in his 50s with a pleasant face and slightly overweight.
“And I believe you know Commander Gorro of the Second Center Camp.”
Gorro smiled at him.
“Of course!” Max shouted in glee. “My old friend from the Woodlands!” Max shot out his hand and smiled hard. Gorro grabbed it and Max grabbed his shoulder shaking him.
“Good to meet you young Stranger!” Gorro said with a jolly laugh.
Ryzen pointed to the last one.
“Commander Ti'gor of the South Front,” Ti'gor looked in his mid-thirties, the youngest one among them, as well as the scrawniest. He had short blond hair and a rough mane with a scar.
Ti'gor extended his hand and Max shook it, Ti’gor nodded firmly.
“Gentlemen!” General Ryzen said as he walked over to the table with a map spread-out. The Commanders followed him and gathered around him. It was the same map Ryzen showed Max in the ship, but a more blown out with notes drawn. It was in Chandeeran, so Max couldn't read it, but saw pictures of towns, rivers, and mountains.
“Our men are quickly finishing the second moat below the break here.” Commander Brimdor said pointing to a blank spot below the Defense Break. The arched line indicated the Groargon Push, General Ryzen's Assistant drew notes on the spot.
“Commander Tabore,” the General said turning to him. “Can you spare men to assist Brimdor's Line?”
“I can General, but we can have another attack from the Center at any time, I don't want to leave Gorro alone.”
“I can send my reserves to the Center, while you assist me in sealing the Break,” the General Ryzen explained.
“Yes, General, of course,” Commander Brimdor quietly nodded.
“Very well, a good plan,” Commander Tabor nodded.
“Take half your Army and hit them hard on the right flank Give me one command and I will flank them on the left and try to box them in,” General Ryzen said moving his finger around the Greorgon Push.
They nodded.
Max enjoyed listening and being with them, this was his field: battle. Native American men fought in every major war for centuries back on earth and into the Great Space Age, they fought in the System Wars as well.
Max had been at Fleet for seven years but had only attended a Command Meeting once or twice. He tried to hide his smile of delight at being at this one.
“Commander Ti'gor what of the South Push?” Ryzen turned to him.
Holding his hilt, Ti’gor stepped forward with serious eyes and explained:
“We have them at a standstill. We've done a few attacks today and their South Force aren't as strong, but the army is spread out.”
Ryzen nodded and turned back to the map.
He strained his eyes at the map and rubbed his chin with his suede glove before turning to Brimdor. “Commander Brimdor we will go to the North Break, keep the defenses up. We cannot afford to be flanked or lose Lake Cordwall. It is our only water supply.” General Ryzen said turning to Max as his Commanders began filing out.
“Max you come with me.”
He made his way out and Max followed.
They reached a small group of praides at the edge of the camp, and General Ryzen mounted one. A Squire walked
a Praides up to Max and gave him the reins. It had been ages since he rode a horse. Nevertheless, he braved it and jumped on.
Max remembered how uncomfortable he found horseback riding, only at the ranges in Delta Junction did he ride them with Aunt Benning when he was fifteen. He did remember how to back up, hit the sides, and slow it down by pulling the reins, but it was still nerve-wracking. The Chandeeran bridle was much like it was on earth.
Max saw the other Commanders begin riding in their respective directions, and General Ryzen galloping out of camp. Max hit the praides sides and it started galloping. Max got nervous. He looked behind and saw the Squire staring at him.
Max turned ahead to see General Ryzen with his small band in the distance, Max whipped the praides and hit his feet against it harder and it started to going faster. He rode across the vast Droe plains smiling with excitement.
Chapter 20
General Ryzen stopped shy of a half of mile from the main fighting.
In the distance, Max saw thousands of Densmerian Knights fighting fiercely against a black sea of Groargon soldiers, plumes of smoke rose into the sky from places on the battlefield.
Max rode up to the General’s side.
Ryzen put his hand over his eye and stared ahead.
Commander Tabor's army was a moving blob of white sparking Knights in the distance. He smashed them into the right side of the Groargon Army. General Ryzen turned to Commander Brimdor.
“Order the rest of your Infantry in. I'll take a command around the left flank. Now go!” Ryzen yelled. Brimdor nodded and whipped his praides into a gallop.
Another large group of infantry came galloping in. General Ryzen whipped his praides towards the opposite direction and the large infantry followed. Max whipped his beast and rode after them.
They rode pass the fighting with a few arrows coming down and one Knight got hit falling off his beast. Max got startled but kept riding. The Command continued along the battle lines north, where Max could see black armored Groargon soldiers fighting with the grey armored Densmerian Knights.