by Damon Glatz
Ohitekah lost his breath.
"This is incredible, they did it. They all came. I don't believe it."
Sierra trotted up next to him. "See? They will all follow you. They trust you. Their Thunder Mythic. One of their own."
Ohitekah nodded. "Alright... Let's get everyone ready. Falko marches soon. We don't have any time to waste."
Daisuke sat in solitude for quite some time. He required some time to meditate. He had a lot on his mind. On his lap rested his katana, and in front of him rested the leather notebook from Ashikaga. Daisuke had already read the entirety of his notes several times over.
This changes everything. Everything I thought I knew.
Daisuke drew his black sword from the sheath and studied it.
How could no one know?
Daisuke stood up and pocketed the notebook. He placed his weapon back at his side.
I can't let this end with me.
The headquarters were empty, the Spades had already mobilized and were traveling south to support the Tribesmen. The hawk that delivered the message about Galius' death was resting by a window upstairs. Daisuke took out a long scroll and penned out a letter. He attached it to the leg of the hawk and sent it on its way. He then went back down to the basement.
I need to hide the notebook in a place only Spades can find it. If this falls into the wrong hands it could be devastating.
The night was growing dark, Daisuke realized it was time to leave. He walked out of the headquarters and vanished back into the streets of the city.
It’s in their hands now. There is no more I can do. But I hope it never comes to that.
He walked through the shadows of the city, never turning a head. On its outskirts, he signaled for Blaze to come. He gave him a firm pat on the head.
Lance, I'm coming for you. We need you now more than ever.
Ohitekah was seated outside the borders of the collected tribes. He sat in a large circle of men. Each of the Chief Elders from each tribe. All next to one another for the first time in history. Ohitekah struggled to find his words.
"I think it best we speak in the common tongue,” One of them spoke up. “All of our tribes are so unique, it would be insulting to choose which of our languages to use." The grey-haired men all nodded.
Ohitekah stood up.
"As I'm sure you have all heard by now, The Orbis Empire to our south is coming here, to our lands, to invade and conquer us. They are going to march on our plains tomorrow at sunrise. If we decide to unite, for this battle, we can stop them before the worst happens. If we are divided and let our own ways keep us against each other, their army will take us all out one by one. Our best chance to survive is to fight as one. As the united Tribes of the Plains. All different, yet all as one. We have friends all over the world who are going to help us. The Vatnic navy is sending its ships to attack the Orbis Capital. The Northern Samurai are sending men down to back us up and increase our numbers. We have men in the capital already, planning on how they will restore power back to the people so this may never happen again. If we make our stand here, tomorrow, we will show the world we are not tribal savages. We are a powerful force. One that can even stop the world’s strongest army. We will be respected by all, for the first time. This is our shot to bring the Tribes together, as the largest and strongest nation of all."
The elders sat in silence for a moment.
"We face..." One of the grey-haired men sat upright in his seat. "One of the strongest armies of all time. We do not have the training or weapons like they do. How could we win?"
Ohitekah stood up tall. "Because we are fighting for our homes. They are strangers, they do not know our lands, and it is a tool for them. We are stronger, larger, and more passionate than they are. They will be forced to retreat when we are charging down that hill in the morning."
"The Abenaki tribe offers you their allegiance, Thunder Mythic." A young man stood up, he was an interpreter for a very old man at his side.
"I thank you." Ohitekah smiled.
Several more tribes stood up and pledged their support. One by one deciding they would rather fight together than dying alone.
"Thank you all. Also, send those of your people who cannot fight to the Quaoke tribe. We are sending them towards the Vatnic Isles... In case," Ohitekah glanced down.
"That is smart," A chief stated from the back. "We should be planning for all outcomes. Even the unimaginable. We cannot have all of our tribes wiped out in a day."
Ohitekah nodded. "I agree."
"How'd it go in there?" Sierra stood in the night outside the meeting tent. She smirked at him through the shadow of her hood.
"I think it went well. I wish we had more time, but intelligence says Falko is already marching towards the plains. He would be here tomorrow. We have no time to train... I wish you could stay and help."
Sierra looked up, her hood falling off her head and resting on her back. Her short bangs blew coolly on the breeze. Her diamond eyes pouring into him.
"Ohitekah," She took a deep breath.
"No, you have to go. It's your place."
"Why did you come save me? Why did you bring me back? I need to hear it."
Ohitekah glanced away without answering.
"Please,” she spoke again. “When this is over. Come find me again. No matter what."
Ohitekah could feel his heart beat through his chest
"I will... I promise."
Sierra walked forward to him. Ohitekah's eyes grew wide.
"Sierra."
She grabbed him by his collar and pulled him down to her face. Their lips met in the darkness. His breath slowed as he exhaled out of his nose, his heart slowed down and relaxed. After a moment, she pushed away.
I love him.
Ohitekah heard her thoughts resonate through his head as she stared at him.
He hesitated, thinking of something to say.
"Stay with your family," Sierra said quietly "Protect them. I need to go protect my family too."
"Will there be a time?" Ohitekah said, looking past her and into the darkness. "A time this will be over? When we can just be? When we can just have fun? A time when I can meet my friends and not have it be focused on how to fight anything. That’s what I want. That’s all I want." Ohitekah felt his eyes water.
"I know." Sierra smiled. "Me too." She turned to walk away.
She was walking into the night, into a darkness that she may never return from. This may be his last moment with her ever again.
No! His thoughts raced. I let her go before without speaking my mind… Not again!
“I love you, Sierra!” Ohitekah spoke despite himself. “I loved you the first moment I met you, and I knew… I knew you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. But you died before I knew what you thought of me. And I would have lived the rest of my life, wondering, what could have been. I… I just had to get you back, anyway I could. So that we had a chance to make that life happen. And… Now I know.”
Sierra faced him again and smiled. “Know what?”
“I saved you because I knew… I knew you would have saved me too. If that was me that died, and you lived, you would have fought through hell to bring me back. You were the only one who would have done that for me, even though we just met.”
She nodded. “Yeah…” She said with a smile. “Yeah, I would.”
“If something goes wrong,” Ohitekah spoke up. “Stay alive. Just get out. And I’ll do the same. We need to be able to find one another again, no matter what. Promise me, you will survive.”
“I promise,” She said.
“I promise too.” Ohitekah smiled. “There, now we have nothing to worry about.”
She nodded. “Sure… Nothing at all.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Into the Inferno
The sun rose eagerly, excited to begin the day. Ohitekah could feel its warmth on his left cheek as it peeked over the hills. It reminded him of the day he led his buffalo hunt with his
tribe. His men waiting behind him, silently paused until a command was given.
Ohitekah sat on Bolt at the lead of the warriors going to fight against Falko. He had hoped he had more time with them, but Falko moved quickly and no days could be wasted. Sierra had left in the middle of the night, she had to cover a lot of ground before dawn broke. Ohitekah sat alone still unsure of how he felt about Sierra's place in today’s plans. Darius left too, only he refused to leave with Sierra, he stayed behind with the tribe and traveled west with those who would not fight. He would lead them all to the shores should the unimaginable happen. Ohitekah was left alone, leading all of the men behind him whenever Falko comes into sight.
Leading them to fight an army.
Ohitekah glanced at the rising sun, it would not get the spectacle it wanted. Ohitekah closed his mind and above him, dark clouds began to form. Not yet raining.
This is all you will get to see today, God of the Sun.
The shadow of the storm grew over the men, making them cool.
There was another cloud beginning to rise. In front of them, beginning to make its way north in their direction. A brown fog of dust rose into the air, slowly building in its height and form.
Dirt kicked up from a marching army. It was Falko on the move, heading north.
Ohitekah glanced behind him, his forces were spread wide, but behind them was nothing. Daisuke was not coming.
Did he fail? Where are his samurai?
Ohitekah reared Bolt forward.
It’s fine. I will have to make due.
Falko's men were beginning to come into view. They were marching in a straight column, formed into ranks about five men wide along a paved road. They appeared as a great golden snake that slithered its way up the trail.
Ohitekah began to feel his heart pound. It was a lot of men. Much more than he imagined.
This is it. We’re going to fight.
Ohitekah looked to his men. They stood in a wide mass of warriors, all ready to charge at the Mythic's command.
Not the organized ranks Sierra wanted… But we had no time to train, this will have to do.
The first drops of rainfall began to trickle down the faces of the men marching up the trail. Ohitekah took a deep breath.
"Tribesmen... Falko does not care about our people. Our traditions. Or lives. He wants our country. So that he can attack and hurt others further away. That’s all we are to him. People in his way. He never considered us a threat at all. He never once thought of us as anything but bumps in his road."
Ohitekah turned to face forward. The wind began whipping his hair as the sky grew darker.
"We are going to prove him wrong! We are going to show him, and all the other nations how strong we really are. That we are a force to be feared and respected. Never again will an army march through our lands because we will teach them what will happen if they do. We will make an example of Falko,” he said enthusiastically, rallying the tribes.
Ohitekah lifted his bow into the air. The men followed and gave a deafening cheer across the plains to his back.
"This is our home!"
Ohitekah kicked his heels into Bolt and they raced down the tall hill. Seeing their leader charge ahead of them, the rest of the men raced their horses forward. The thundering stampede of warriors chased just behind him, ready to fight.
"Sir they have begun their main formation. They have mobilized and are advancing. Orders?"
A general rode on his horse just behind Falko. The main force of their army marching ahead of them. Falko gave a nod.
"No deviations. Just as planned."
"Lieutenant," The general spoke sternly to the man to his side. "Pike-men forward, phalanx the first three rows. Archers rear and cavalry flanks."
"Yes, sir."
Falko nodded again and watched the order continue to relay itself across the lines. However, it did not take much time for the men to begin their formations. They had been rehearsing ranks like this for years, able to commit to them in their sleep almost. The strongest men in his ranks marched forward and locked shields with one another, forming a human wall of metal. The bottom of their shields were spiked into the ground to give them more strength. They spread themselves across the width of the pass to Chrysos. Three rows formed, pikes angled forward to meet the rush of the first wave. Behind them stood more shield-men at attention, ready to replace any of their men who would fall in action. Further behind them still were the archers who were preparing their first volley.
The first drop of rain clanged onto Falko's golden helmet. He glanced up at the sky and observed the dark clouds spiral over him.
All that power... Wasted on a child. What a pity...
"Lieutenant," Falko barked. "Prime the archers. Fire on my signal."
Falko raised his hand into the air.
"Heave ho boys!" King Nicholas pointed his sword forward off the bow of his ship. His crew raced ahead of the others. The fleet of Vatnic ships spread far behind him. Almost as far as the horizon.
Nicholas stabbed his sword into the deck at his feet and gripped its hilt. He stared forward. He had never felt his ship sail so fast before, his men wanted the prize. Nicholas wanted to be the first boots on the shore. To lead the charge. And so far he was winning the race.
He glanced into the water to his right. The crystal blue sea. For a brief moment, shivers were sent up through his spine.
He could see it. Just under the waves. The blue scales of the beast. Slithering through the depths barely out of sight. The Mythic was keeping pace with his ship, never letting him get ahead. Its tail was probably far behind them with the rest of the Armada.
Nicholas collected himself. This was its purpose. To assist the navy as commanded. To be a force to be used for Vatnic purposes. This was its first test. The first attempt to control such power. Nicholas trusted the Goddess to keep her word. Her promise to use her Mythic as required by the Vatnics, just how the dragon fought for Ashland long ago.
Some of his men were clearly uneasy. They never dropped their guard. Never sure if this was the moment the Mythic might betray them and strike.
Nicholas kept his cool. He even brought his own sword as a token of faith. Bringing another out of fear of losing it to the sea would bode an ill omen for the journey. He knew that. Regardless, he kept an eye on the beast.
The Capital was still half a day away. Nicholas had no time to waste.
Sierra twisted the sword on the statue of the King. The stone door slid open at her feet. She gave one last glance to be sure she wasn't followed and jumped back into the halls of the dungeon. She pulled another lever and closed the slab behind her.
"Where have you been?" Marcus commanded. He and his men of the Order were positioned at the opposite end of the hall. Ready for their fight.
"The battle is starting!" Sierra ran over to them. "Falko and Ohitekah have begun the war. I came as quickly as I could." She drew her sword.
"We must wait for word of Nicholas' arrival. We are to strike in unison with his attack. Not a moment earlier."
Sierra gave a nod. "Understood."
"Have you heard from Daisuke? Any word at all? Reinforcements?"
"No... Nothing. Ohitekah prepared for battle without any word from the North... I'm not sure what happened to them."
Marcus looked down.
"That is troubling. We must hope Ohitekah can hold his own then."
Daisuke... What happened to you?
Daisuke's robes fluttered in the wind to his back. He sat on his horse at the base of the Great Wall. Just outside the Eastern Gate. He remembered the last time he was here, seated on his horse, looking East. The day the Ashland army marched against him, the day the dragon flew over the horizon, and his life ended.
He could remember it vividly. Like a phantom of a dream. He remembered the sparkling jewels over the horizon. The thin line of silver shimmering in the morning sunrise. The banners of the horses fluttering on the breeze.
It was almost as if he was trapped
in the past. Unable to see the real world in front of him. How many times must he relive the nightmare before he can awake from this hell? Unable to forget, unable to move on.
He could see it like it was yesterday. The silver dragon on the red banner of the Ashland army.
Silver.
No. The Ashland banners two hundred years ago had a black dragon on a red flag. Not silver. Daisuke squinted to sharpen his vision.
The banners had a silver dragon. They fluttered in the breeze just as the old banners did. The army marched forward just as they had two hundred years ago.
"What is this?"
Blaze took a few uneasy steps forward.
Silver dragons... The symbol of Lance’s personal guard.
Daisuke's knuckles turned white as he gripped his reigns. This was no vision, no memory he was reliving. This was not the past coming back to haunt him.
Daisuke scowled.
"Lance."
Ohitekah whipped his reigns harder. The heavy rain was hitting firmly on his face. The earth shook behind him as his men all raced down the hill. Rising in front of him were Falko's men. Shields staked into the dirt, bracing for impact. The first volley of arrows were launched. They glided into the heavens, arcing high into the sky.
Ohitekah stood on top of Bolt's back and jumped into the air. The men grew small beneath him as he accelerated upward. He flew towards the rising arrows and met them in the clouds. With a burst of energy, he sent a shockwave out that exploded around him. The blast was enough to halt all of the arrows at the peak of their flight. They lost momentum and fell down harmlessly.
He floated for a moment in the sky. He watched his men charge towards the enemy. He could see the ranks of Orbis stretching far back down the road they came in on. They were still forming positions in the rear.
Ohitekah knew his men were about to ram into Falko's shields. He had to help.