Defiled

by Elskidor Xell

  The lookouts sounded their horns, signaling the prepared army to follow the commands Elzeenor had given them earlier. But the sounding of trumpets also triggered a terror-filled rain from the enemy. Arrows by the thousands with flamed tips soared from enemy boats that had snuck into position on the Pallae Sea under thick fog. Screams, yells, squeals, howls, and roars from ungodly beasts consumed the forests while the treetops lit up like massive torches. Going against orders at first, Magus Dawnhand lingered. A fire attack had not been part of the strategy. He wondered if the Head Commander had been duped.

  Meanwhile, out of the forest, the bulk of Elzeenor's company retreated as fast as they could. The fire arrows had taken many by surprise, and countless soldiers fell victim. During Magus's reluctance to flee, his horse narrowly escaped being hit and subsequently dashed off without him. Lost and confused by the screams, horns, flames, and ambushing boats, Magus was horseless in chaos.

  Fast on his feet, and now filled with untamed fury, Magus raced through the burning trees of Urnen's Gut. He leaped over logs and through bushes to make it to safety, soon joining the rest of the retreating allies. As he ran, he decided Elzeenor had underestimated the enemy. There was no doubt in his mind that hundreds had been killed in the ambush. Magus wanted to scalp these wretches. His thoughts gave him energy as he flew through the forest, carrying his massive weight easily. As he sprinted, he came upon several of these shadowy black enemies. Some were minotaur, while others were dratzel and pulsling in black armor. He thought he saw a few trolls too. Magus took no extra time to stop and fight them individually, but the first one he ran upon he pursued. He came upon him unnoticed, slid his strong arm around the deformed long neck of a purple-fleshed dratzel, and took control over the enemy's body. As the dratzel let out a horrible shriek, Magus continued running with the dratzel's head locked under his arm. He charged the creature straight into a tree, breaking its neck, killing him instantly. After he had taken the dratzel down, he kept his pace and raced on through the woods. Horses fled past him. None stopped for him to mount, spooked by the flames and incoming threat. Magus, now fearing for his survival, dashed as quickly as his legs would carry him. After a few more moments of panic, he heard a familiar voice.

  "Move out!" Elzeenor shouted. Within the far valley, thousands rode off in two different directions as Elzeenor stationed himself between the two forks of the retreating army and barked orders.

  Horses took flight bearing armored elves and men. Behind Magus and on his trail was the horde of enemies, who continued to raid as they paraded the forest. Magus observed the chaos before noting the many horses without riders. He imagined their passengers must have died by unfriendly fire. It was at that moment he spotted the beautiful chestnut horse with a white patch of mane starting on his forehead and extending to his nose, standing with the other horses. Magus figured his horse was waiting for him. His joy and relief at the reunion filled him with energy. He ran and leaped upon the horse, hitting its back with his foot to move it forward, and then gave chase toward Elzeenor. The retreating soldiers had emptied the area, and now Elzeenor had taken flight into the night.

  Onward he continued through the dark forest, following the glimmer of elfish armor. As he gained on him, Magus screamed for Elzeenor to slow down. At the alarming booming of Magus's voice, Elzeenor's horse skidded, coming to a stop. Magus rode upon the commander, and as he closed in, Elzeenor turned his horse to meet him. The military counselor had a concerned look painted on his face as he greeted Magus's angered one. Finally, the hooves of his horse skidded through the fallen leaves, sending dust from the ground as he came before Elzeenor.

  "Was that fire attack supposed to happen?" Magus screamed and pointed in the direction behind them, but only murky shadows of trees were visible. Elzeenor and Magus had outdistanced the raging marauders busy in their pillage. "Did your minotaur friend trick you, and they came early or something? We just lost a number of our own. This was supposed to be a safe retreat, right?"

  "Trust me, Master Magus. Hurry along and trust I have a plan. Or stay here to meet your doom if you prefer. I like you, so I would rather you come." Elzeenor spun his horse around and vanished into the shadowy forest.

  Magus glanced back and forth first, where they had left their allies caught in the ambush and then forward to Elzeenor's company. He was torn in both directions and confused by the sequence of events. He fought with himself while listening to the sounds of distant war cries on one side and seeing Elzeenor fade out of sight on the other. After he could stand it no longer, he trusted his instincts and made a mad rush after Elzeenor.

  ***

  A few hours after the assault on their camp, Elzeenor and his army raced through a barren field of open green. The horses kept their speed as the troops made their way approximately ten miles northeast of Urnens Gut. The fog had lightened now that they had cleared the deep valley and arrived on a flat surface. Magus caught up with Elzeenor, who now rode in front of the others upon a white steed harnessed in silver. The twin elves that had been in counsel were also here. Magus rode at their side, hoping to get a better understanding of what was happening along with Elzeenor's plan. But when he had first ridden up to receive counsel, Elzeenor had ordered him to stay quiet. So for the next ten minutes, Magus kept his thoughts to himself, giving an occasional curious glance to his fellow riders.

  Elzeenor's eyes alone told Magus a story. In deep thought, he formed a plan with every breath he took, but Magus was impatient. His mind was jumbled as he thought of those that had been lost one moment and how the surviving army might claim victory the next. His sense of urgency along with the questions that kept coming to him made waiting for Elzeenor unbearable. Magus's hands were fists around the reins of his horse with his spine bent and neck lurking ahead. His eyes focused forward as he felt the wind pummel his bare skin and toss his hair. The young man felt as if he were a mighty leader while he rode aside the cloaked elf commander several yards in front of the army. But these weren't his troops. They were Elzeenor's.

  Nothing seemed safe about this path of retreat. The plains the army strode across were vast and barren. By sunrise, they could see for miles in front of them and behind them. While this would mean they would at least know when an enemy was approaching, the enemy would also spot them. Never mind that Elzeenor had ordered him to shut his lip. Magus pressed the issue.

  "What are we doing right now?" Magus again blurted out after his curiosity, and worries became intolerable. He turned to wait for the elf to respond. Elzeenor lifted his head and peered at Magus's concerned face. His eyes were all that was visible within the shadows under his hood. Before they had been light and pale and now black and vivid, yet they remained just as potent and pure.

  "Wait, Master Magus. Soon." Elzeenor raised his voice over the wind and trampling horse hooves before turning his head once more as to depart. Magus wanted to say something, but Elzeenor tightened his grip on his armored horse, and a shrill, demanding tone filled the air.

  "To Yuken's Point in haste!" Elzeenor ordered in some odd language Magus couldn't understand or translate, obviously an animal language. For when he spoke, the powdered horse jolted away with high speed. In only a few moments, Elzeenor left Magus behind. Once he was far in the distance, Elzeenor and his horse slowed their pace, but he remained vaguely visible. It appeared as though the host followed a spirit under the twilight.

  It would be a half-hour before he spoke with Elzeenor. Magus and the army followed the shadowy figure to the edge of the flat plains of Urnen. From the plains, the land dipped down into a deep grassy valley where they rode forth. The valley was wide enough to hold an army of several thousand, and standing in this part of the valley, Magus had an excellent view of the hills overhanging, and ahead he could see the grassy valley leading into a dark forest.

  It was here in the center of the valley, between a cage of hills, they ceased motion. The troops waited on their commander about fifty yards away. After everyone came to a complete stop, Elzeen
or observed his host. He knew they had questions and were afraid, but he waited to speak, pondering his exact words. Should he answer questions, there would be chaos. Finally, he rode toward them and raised his voice at last.

  "Prugranna and Prigrinna and Magus, ride forward. Everyone else waits silently. Liberate your horses and stretch if needed." Elzeenor said. The three he selected rode toward him while Elzeenor turned his horse and distanced himself from his host and waited for the chosen three to join him.

  Magus was relieved to know Elzeenor hadn't broken his promise and eager to discover the plan. To Elzeenor's left, Magus arrived, while Prugranna and Prigrinna stopped at Elzeenor's right. Elzeenor eyed them all before forcing his horse to stop. The three watched as Elzeenor straightened, his hand tossing his hood off his head, revealing his lengthy pale silver hair and braided bangs, which tumbled before the sides of his pure face. The elves watched their elder wise commander wordlessly.

  But Magus was done waiting, and asked, "Now what's going on? Not a great hiding place. We're in a valley and can be easily surrounded. What is the benefit of being here? If that's what you were going for, you failed. I could have told you that if you would have talked to me earlier." Elzeenor calmly listened and ignored Magus's heated insolence. No other ally or soldier would dare address the Head Commander, much less a strategist, on the folly of his plan.

  "The plan isn't to hide, Master Magus." Magus gave him a dumbfounded look. He had a habit of speaking first and thinking afterward. Even when he thought before speaking, Magus wasn't always logical.

  "You want to face them here? That's folly. We'll die. Why didn't we stay back and fight in Urnen's Gut?"

  "The best way to get answers to your questions is to not ask any at all, Master Magus. Wait, watch, and learn. Observe, record, and then take action. It is always the best plan in any situation I have found." Elzeenor's voice was soothing now and not demanding. He did not react to Magus's insults and took no offense. It was easy to see that the young man was still confused, and Elzeenor couldn't blame him. "For starters, we are being tracked most definitely. The elves have superb hearing. I'm sure you know that as well. The enemy possesses several thousand infantry and cavalry, and they all are heading in this direction. It won't be but an hour at most until they arrive here. I can hear the powerful feet of running minotaurs a day away, and by their side are dratzels and pulslings. Now, what I require of you three is absolute obedience, and this will all work out in our favor. Not only will we survive, but we shall be victorious and wipe out the entire opposing army that tracks us." The elves watched Elzeenor with loyalty, while Magus remained skeptical and bewildered.

  "But," Magus said, but Elzeenor lifted his hand, directing him to wait.

  "We lost some earlier, yes," Elzeenor said, "I knew it was possible, especially if they attacked with fire. I hoped they wouldn't, but it was always a possibility. Magus, you need to think about the entire situation, not just the small. An attack here in north Urnen against minotaur and the enemy host is easier for us than defending Urnen's Gut would have been. These creatures are not too bright. They don't know this land and don't realize how well we can use it to our advantage, precisely right here at Yuken's Point. Their army will march right at the tip of that hill where we entered the valley and will find a few hundred troops and they will charge down to greet us. We'll welcome them with a smile in return." Elzeenor's calm explanation clarified nothing for Magus, who could not understand how any of this was a good thing.

  "Prugranna and Prigrinna, you need to brief half of the troops. It doesn't matter which half, but at least that many. Make sure the captains understand you. Magus, you will be with fifty fast riders, and I will be with the rest. You need to know a few details and only about the part you play." Elzeenor looked away from him and started forward down the path. In the foggy distance were few trees. Elzeenor pointed in that direction, and the three followed his finger into the fog. "There is no hillside down that path. There is a patch of forest, however, with both left and right paths clear of trees. The branches on the right and left sides of the immense hills travel upwards. Our advantage out there is that it is foggy. Easy to stay hidden.

  "I still don't understand," Magus said, his tone agitated.

  "Everything will begin when the enemy arrives at the top of the hill and charges down into the valley. Prugranna and Prigrinna. I need you two to escort half the army toward the foggy forest before their arrival. What the two of you see with your elvish eyes is something the enemy cannot. I need you and your troops to ride to the right of the forest. On the outer part is a hillside. You will go up that hill about halfway. At that point, you stop and look downward to make sure your view of the forest is perfect. Make sure you are high enough to see the tops of the trees as if it were a sea of treetops. This must be your view. You must see it like this from far and wide. Then arm yourself with bows and arrows. Have the captains make small fires for soldiers to dip the tips of their arrows. I need you to stay there. I will also have many archers on the left side aimed at the forest. Now, this is simple to understand, correct?" The two elves nodded. Magus did nothing but try to imagine what Elzeenor described.

  "Brief them and take them to that spot now and get a decent view early. You must assign them each a target of their own to aim. When the time comes, we don't want the archers firing at the same spot." The two nodded. Elzeenor gave a smile and firm nod of the head. "I will check up on you and your sector shortly to make positive your location and provide finishing details that remain vital. Good fortune to the two of you." With that, the two turned and rode off towards the allied host.

  "And what of me?" Magus asked. Elzeenor sighed, then glanced back to the forest filled with fog.

  "You have a crucial part, impatient one. However, I think you are up to the task. I'm appointing you to lead a group of fifty fast riders. You won't be set up in a safe place either. You will be down in this very valley until the enemy arrives and begins their charge. Then you and the other riders shall sprint towards the foggy forest with the enemy chasing after you. You'll appear easy prey, in the wide-open valley. Into that forest, you will go. All the way to the other side.

  These horses are a great breed and can navigate through the perils. You will be given a horn as well. Once you and the other riders safely make it through the foggy wooded area, you'll branch to the right once you see a large half-fallen tree, also pointing the same direction. This tree is your signpost, and it should be obvious because of its enormous size. When it fell, it collided against another tree, and never quite hit the forest floor. From there, ride on until you exit the forest.

  Your journey through the woods will take about twenty minutes, which gives the enemy time to pack the forest tightly. Once out of the woods, you complete a simple task. Counting. One hundred and twenty seconds after you complete your journey through the forest, you should be out of harm's way. Then you must blow a series of loud bellows from a horn that you will receive after this counsel. That horn is the signal for the following events that shall lead us to victory." Elzeenor spoke slowly and deliberately as he explained. He could tell Magus understood by his smile and the look in his eyes.

  "The horn will signal all to shoot into the forest with fire arrows and engulf the enemy the same way they did to us. Right?" Magus blurted out in excitement. He slammed his bare fist in the air as if he was fighting some unseen foe. "Then we'll beat them all." As soon as he said it, he realized he was wrong. "How is a fire going to kill thousands of them? Not all the troops will have even made it in the forest in that short of time. There will be many still within the valley itself." Elzeenor reached out to Magus and set his arm upon the broad shoulder of the young man.

  "The horn will signal more than just the fire arrows, Master Magus. I sent part of the army in another direction to split the enemy. The enemy should fork off in two directions. Some captains are already leading this distraction. The army tracking this team will lose their scent and the trail when they reach the m
arshes. Still, they will follow as best they can along the marsh and within a treacherous path under a mountain. A trap will be sprung once they go too far. They will find themselves victim to an avalanche of rock and stone as part of the cliffs above will collapse upon them. The second regiment won't even have to be there for that attack. This trap has been ready and waiting for some time."

  "In reality, we have lost less than you realize. This other regiment is waiting directly above our present location on each side of this valley hidden in the fog. They wait for you to blow the horn. When the enemy arrives within this valley, and that horn blows, our troops shall charge the hillside, colliding with our opponent. Between our fire arrows and ambush parties, many of the enemy troops will be repelled and seek to retreat beyond the fire of the forest. Those troops will be led into the thickest fog imaginable and fall into yet another trap, their downfall -- our prisoners. There is no escape from Yuken's Point. Try as they might, they'll fall into an abyss waiting deep within the fog. We may be fewer, but we are smarter. By the time we make it to Orzo, two of their armies will already be defeated."

  With that, Elzeenor pulled the reins of his horse to turn his steed toward the troops. Magus felt a deep respect for the wise counselor. Elzeenor had one last instruction before riding away from Magus and toward his soldiers.