Dryw Henge

by Jonathan Forth

  “Anyway, enough of this. I did not bring you here for idle chitchat. And I won’t waste my time trying to break you or indeed giving your men the chance to save your life in return for leaving Ampheus. I assume you would all rather die. And, of course, eventually you all will.

  “No, I recognise it is fruitless, instead you will be a symbol of the futility of resisting me.

  “As I destroy your precious castle brick by brick, you will watch. In return your men will witness as you starve and suffer from the elements. You and your castle will be broken together. Take him away.”

  The Janshai led the King down to the ground in front of the castle where he’d met Gorath weeks before. They strapped him with leather bindings to a thick wooden pillar that had been driven deep into the earth. He stood, his hands bound and looped through a ring above his head. The King of Ampheus watched the first boulders strike against the walls of his castle.

  *

  Aron’s renegades returned to the camp nestled in Windfell Woods. They camouflaged the carts. The men were in high spirits, they slapped themselves on their backs and made jokes about how far the Horde would have to walk to Aquamura in their underwear.

  Aland supervised the distribution of the food. They took the rations needed to feed the expanding number of men at the camp. What was left they distributed to local villages and hamlets that had suffered from Vane’s raiding parties. It was a welcome relief to most who were scrabbling to survive.

  Aron watched, perhaps only his face could not mask the harsh reality of what they faced. He knew two things. Firstly, the supply chains would be more heavily guarded going forward and at some point they would retaliate and the lives of his men would be lost. Secondly, the Janshai would already be tracking them. It would only be a matter of when, not if the camp was found. They continued to ready their defences. Hopefully they had enough surprises up their sleeves.

  *

  The four of them had entered the Borna Fault a day or so previously. Leo was still in awe of the towering cliffs that stretched ever upwards from the canyon floor. The remote wilderness that existed in the ravine was seemingly permanently in shade unless the sun was directly overhead and then it scorched the rocks. Aksel took the lead as Leo and Fayette rode on Flint. Sirion followed alongside.

  They had to keep their wits about them. Occasionally boulders would break free from the cliff face and fall tumbling to the valley bottom shattering into pieces and sometimes spraying knife edged splinters across the canyon floor.

  The river at the bottom of the ravine sometimes hugged the edge of the cliffs but otherwise would meander freely across the valley floor. Hardy grasses grew in small clumps but little else survived here.

  For the most part they would ride alongside the river. At times they would stride the horses through the stream to cool their legs and sore muscles. The riders would lean down and cup handfuls of water to freshen their dusty faces or chill the back of their necks.

  Initially they did see signs of human encroachment. Some simple remote dwellings long discarded, the odd item cast aside. Perhaps some circles of stones built to shelter a fire. That was it and for a day or two now everything was how it should be, randomly natural.

  Leo pointed up to a cliff section at one point.

  “Mountain goats.”

  “How did they get up there?” said Fayette.

  “We saw them in the Misty Mountains. They have an incredible ability to balance and leap from rock to rock.”

  Suddenly one pitched forward and tumbled to the valley floor.

  Leo reacted and spun round to see Aksel lowering his bow.

  “Well we’ve got to eat,” he said, twisting and sliding off his horse. He skinned and stripped the carcass in the water of the stream. That night they camped, washed in the water, cooked on an open fire and slept outside under the stars.

  The next morning the valley meandered around a bend and then split into a fork in the stream. It diverted its progress forcing it to divide to the left and right. They soon lost sight of the river but it was clear, the island was surrounded by cliffs either side and was a vast expanse. There was no sign or indication that anything may exist behind the walls. Just the solid rock that had divided the voyage of the river on its path to the sea.

  “Wow, amazing, just how you described it Sirion.”

  “Well the question now is how do we get in?”

  “Sirion?”

  “Right, I’d better have a chat with the rocks,” he groaned. “They can be a little pig-headed and cantankerous.”

  Sirion wandered around mumbling to himself.

  “What are you doing?” asked Leo.

  “Trying to find a rock that’s a little more broadminded. Ahhh here we go.

  “Yes, yes, yes, right, right, right, great, thanks.”

  “Well?”

  “It has no idea what I’m talking about. Suggested I tried an older rock. It had only just eroded from the cliff walls a few years ago.

  “Give me a moment,” and he wandered off again.

  The Princess had drifted off to the wall of the middle island.

  “There are some markings over here, but I can’t read them.”

  “Sirion?”

  “Give me a moment, still conversing with these blockhead rocks.”

  “Forget about them, come here.”

  “Oh, if you insist,” he moaned.

  Sirion stood in front of the markings.

  “Very ancient indeed. I can’t read it but there are some similarities to some modern languages. If I can backtrack to the origins of them then perhaps I can form some understanding of what it says.”

  “And, let me guess, you need more time.”

  “Yes,” he sighed.

  “Good grief!” said Aksel, who up until this point had been very understanding.

  He leant against the wall and there was a grinding noise. The rock pivoted on a hinge and he fell through and disappeared behind the rock completely. In his place was a puff of dust from a door that had been left undisturbed for centuries.

  “Well alternatively that works,” chuckled Leo.

  The boulder door swung open again and one by one they dipped inside. Perhaps fifty yards away was a gap at the other end of the tunnel with light streaming in from the other side. They followed the tunnel and stepped out into the sunlight on the other side.

  The three stood on a raised platform one hundred feet above a huge forest clearing that surrounded a crystal blue lake. Waterfalls cascaded from the rocks at the side of the canyon. They seeped through the ground rock from the river flowing outside. The hidden valley stretched unseen for leagues. They paused for a moment as flocks of beautifully coloured birds swooped and arched between the trees.

  “It’s beautiful!” said the Princess.

  “Yes, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Leo.

  “Let’s go,” said Aksel, and stepped down a staircase that had been cut into the rock. “Be careful,” and nodded to the sheer drop down to the valley.

  They followed the steps and then a trail that led through the forest and then opened up to meadows that bounded a crescent beach. The water of the lake was crystal clear. In moments there would be flashes of silver and gold as shoals of fish approached the sand and then darted away from the silhouettes on the bank.

  “What should we do? There are plenty of signs of life just not of the human kind,” said Leo.

  “Let’s keep going,” responded Aksel.

  “Sirion?”

  “To think I spent all my time on that rocky outcrop when I could have been sitting on this beach. It’s depressing,” he said sadly.

  They strolled along the sand that was soft and undisturbed and then headed further into the forest. The mist of the waterfalls drifted across the divide in the breeze creating a lush undergrowth the likes of
which they’d never seen before. Trees stretched above them and vines twisted among the branches and then flowed down to the forest floor. Small animals would materialise in the underbrush and then twitch and scuttle away.

  “No sign of footsteps,” said Aksel. “Plenty of animal tracks but they are all small. No tracks of any predators at all as far as I can tell.”

  “Maybes the Tutaim left or died out. It’s plausible,” suggested the Princess.

  “Perhaps. But then again, perhaps not.”

  Standing in the middle of the trail in front of them was a man. He was short, slender and wore a crystal white robe which hung loosely from his shoulders. He did not utter a sound but instead beckoned to them and turned and walked back the way from which he’d come.

  “Princess hang back, take cover, and follow us. Do not reveal yourself until we are sure we are not in any danger. It will be useful to have a trick up our sleeve. Leo, Sirion come with me.” The Princess paused and stepped into the cover of the undergrowth.

  They followed the man at a distance for a mile or so and then came to another clearing. They passed through a large archway and then strolled along a terracotta-paved thoroughfare. People looked out from their dwellings and watched them in silence as they strode deeper into the settlement.

  “They are all rather short,” said Sirion. “I feel like a giant.”

  Eventually they stopped in front of a magnificent pyramid where two more small slender people waited for them.

  “Welcome, we have been expecting you. Well not you specifically. Someone. We have been lost and hidden, but we knew at some point we would be found.”

  “I am Leo, this is Aksel and Sirion. We come in peace, we are in need of your help.”

  The man nodded, “I am Phythian and this is Letia. We assume you need our help, otherwise why seek us out? Whether you come in peace, or that peace will prevail if we do not aid you, is something yet to be revealed.

  “First I suggest you cleanse yourselves and rest. We will eat and meet to discuss what you require of us later. Letia will show you to your quarters.”

  They were led to what may have been an old converted stables surrounding a courtyard, bordered with white marble statues of musicians playing their instruments. In the middle of the cobbled courtyard was a flowing fountain. Chimes tinkled in the breeze. Each was given a room simply furnished but decorated by beautiful woven textiles that hung from the walls.

  “The Princess would like this,” said Leo.

  “Maybe,” responded Aksel, “but let’s work out what we are dealing with. They seem very friendly.”

  “That’s a good thing, surely.”

  “Perhaps, but not always. Take the sirens. They are very welcoming but lure sailors onto the rocks, kill them and eat them.”

  “Sirion? What do you think?”

  “Agreed, some things are too good to be true. And like most things really tend to disappoint in the end I find,” he said, glumly.

  Chapter 19

  The Alethea Totem

  Sumnar and Urien looked down upon their King. He was slouched against the pillar, hunched against the rain from which he had no shelter. His hair was tangled and matted hanging limply across his face.

  “It warms my heart to see the King fit and well,” said Sumnar. “I thought he might have been struck down by the Janshai’s blade.”

  “He looks a mess!” responded Urien. “How long can he survive open to the elements like this? No food. The cold nights. He does not look as though he has much left in him.”

  “Urien from all the years you have known Armanar, what would even lead you to believe that he is beaten?

  “Let me assure to you he is watching, waiting, learning about the enemy. Conserving his strength. He may look broken but he is biding his time. Do not doubt our King still has a critical role to play before this conflict comes to its end.”

  The two men ducked instinctively as another boulder came crashing down on the roof of a building in the city behind them.

  “We can only focus on what we have to do. We’ve destroyed three of the trebuchet as our ballistas have found their range so we’ve forced them to keep relocating the machines, reducing their effectiveness. I believe Vane will soon get frustrated and we’ll see the first attempt at the main gate.

  “That does not mean we should not give some encouragement to our King.” He turned round to a sergeant of the guard standing behind him. “Fetch one of the guards’ drummers.”

  Five minutes later a young fresh-faced lad approached the battlements, his drum slung by a strap over his shoulder, the drum itself hung low below his waist. He bowed his head to the two men. “Thomas, we need you to give your King some encouragement, we want him to know that we are behind him. Sound the Terramian March.”

  The boy started building to a long roll of the march and repeated it time and time again.

  Six hours later Urien returned to the battlements. He looked at the boy. His palms were blistered and his knuckles raw. “Thomas that’s enough, thank you.”

  “Sir if you don’t mind. If His Majesty can stand out in the open for us, then I can keep playing.”

  “Thomas he’s got the message I’m sure.”

  “No Sire, you don’t get it. It’s not a message. Every beat is driven to sustain our King. If I stop I feel I will have let him down.”

  Urien turned as he heard footsteps coming up the battlements behind him. Another young boy with a drum.

  “Percy?”

  “Thomas you need a rest. I’ll take it from here.”

  Percy stood next to Thomas, followed his strokes for few seconds. Then they nodded at each other, and Thomas drew in his sticks.

  “Get your hands seen to,” said Percy. “The other drummers will take turns but we’ll need you back.”

  “Troth to the Realms,” said Thomas.

  “Troth to the Realms,” repeated Percy.

  Urien shook his head and returned back to the castle.

  *

  Vane watched his troops file back into camp. General Shyam and his entourage rode up the hill to his standard and dismounted.

  “Lord.”

  “And the Windstrom Army?” asked Vane.

  “Behind us a day or so. We engaged them on the Midland Plains and then slowly retreated to draw them in. Not that we had to do much. I believe they were coming here to relieve Ampheus anyway.”

  “How many soldiers?”

  “Cavalry and infantry, perhaps ten thousand. Not the largest army but they are well drilled. They caught us off guard with a cavalry charge, almost routed us if it were not for our weight in numbers and the bravery of our archers.

  “Either way they are a formidable force to have on our east flank.”

  “Make sure we reinforce our defences. I’m sure they will consolidate their positions first before making any further advances. We now have an army here of thirty thousand men. They won’t risk an assault unless they know they have more support.”

  *

  Commander Favian smoothed out the map of Ampheus and the surrounding countryside that Queen Laila had prepared for him. “We can assume that Vane will consolidate his defences directly in front of Ampheus. He’ll have the benefit of the higher ground of the hills that occupy that area. The meadows off the lake give him good footing to stage an assault. I anticipate his men will be fortifying the flanks down the hills to ward off any sudden attacks by us or the Aquamurans when they arrive. Frankly he really has a sound strategic position.

  “We’ll either have to set up a camp before the woods or in the woods themselves. If we advance the trees will provide us some cover, but they will slow down the cavalry and break up our formations.”

  “So what do we do…?” asked the Queen.

  “Well for the moment I suggest we make our base of operations here before the forest, t
o the north east of Vane’s forces. The woods will act as a buffer.

  “We have some experience fighting the barbarians to the east of Windstrom in wooded conditions. It was almost impossible to win a decisive battle from a full-frontal assault by cavalry or infantry. But we wore them down and inflicted losses by conducting raids by smaller units on their forward formations and disrupting their supply lines. Our combat operations are suited to this. They can operate in small units using stealth and hand signals; light engagements that cause maximum damage by surprise and then retreating before attacking on another front. I would be surprised if the Horde is prepared for such tactics. They certainly won’t have the communications in place for a coordinated response. We’ll be in and out before they know what has hit them.”

  *

  “I don’t like it,” whispered Aland. “Covered carts; I can only assume they are full of troops, though I’d have been surprised if they’d done anything different.”

  “Well troops or not, there are still supply carts in-between and we have more than enough men. We are either at war or we are not. We can’t simply pick and choose to attack based on how easy it is. We have to take some risks, after all we are not in the ascendency here. We are on the back foot. Ampheus needs all the help it can get.”

  “Fair point. We’ll send down some fire arrows into the canvas cart coverings and smoke out the troops. We’ll at least know what we are dealing with.”

  “Let’s do it…”

  They had chosen to ambush the convoy where the forest receded from the track, giving enough cover for the men hidden in the trees. It was also wide enough to expose the Horde convoy so that they were caught in open ground and to allow for arrows flying in from both sides.

  The first volley of arrows fizzed with fire as they arched from the trees, striking the covers of the carts. The tarpaulins started to burn and dark thick smoke billowed from beneath. Other archers targeted the cart drivers bringing them down. There was a pause as the Horde guards held their ground, but eventually they spilled from the guard carts coughing and spluttering. The Terramian archers picked them off one by one as they blundered down and took cover under the carts. They could hear the shouts of the men as they organised themselves.