by Jamie Davis
“You mentioned this fire sand of his, Hall,” Kay said. “You make it sound as if it’s the most dangerous thing in the world. It can’t be as bad as all that.”
“It’s worse than just dangerous. It has the potential to change the world and the way wars are fought here forever.”
A look of concern darkened Sir Anders’ face.
“What is this fire sand and why is it so dangerous that it requires a special mission to destroy it?”
“In my world, it is called gunpowder. When it was discovered, it quickly led to advancements in weaponry that outstripped everything that had come before it. Arrows and armor became obsolete in a few decades as the projectiles thrown by the weapons powered by gunpowder made it possible for the lowliest soldier to take down a mounted knight in the finest armor with ease.”
“This sounds serious, Hal. You think you’ll need Kay’s help in destroying this magic powder and these guns you speak of then?”
Hal shook his head.
“He and his fire mages haven’t figured out that part of the equation yet. They’ve just realized the explosive power of the fire sand and harnessed conventional methods to throw projectiles packed with it at an opposing army. It’s crude but it will have the same effect unless someone can get to his stockpile during the battle.”
“Perhaps we can acquire some of these guns you speak of and steal his stockpile for ourselves?” Kay asked.
“Guns are metal tubes with mechanisms to light the fire sand and send lead balls firing out the other end. It is a technology that will take time to develop and I’m no gunsmith. It would take months just to develop a prototype that would work through trial and error. We don’t have that kind of time. Our only hope is to destroy Norak’s supply of the fire sand. If we can do it during the battle, we stand a chance of blowing up part of his army at the same time. At least, that is what I hope will happen.”
“If that is the case, then I must insist on accompanying you. I have been too long away from the princess. If she must accompany you in this task, I will be at her side as I should have been all along.”
Hal knew he wasn’t going to convince the man otherwise. He’d just found his long-lost love. There was no way he was going to let anything separate them again. Judging from the look on Kay’s face, she felt the same way.
“Hal,” Bilham said from across the pavilion. “If you’re going on this fool mission during the battle, who is going to lead this army in battle.”
“You are, Bilham. You’ve trained them this far. You’re the best qualified to lead them and make best use of them. I’m sure Sir Anders here will lend you a few of his officers to assist while Kay and the remaining gladiators join me in breaking through into the enemy camp from behind.”
“It’s already going to be a desperate fight, boy. Without you leading them, I’m not sure there’s anyway they’ll stand up to the trained imperial forces facing them.”
“They’ll do it because they know they don’t have to defeat them on their own. All they have to do is hold their ground long enough to distract the attention of Norak and his generals while we slip into his army’s rear and destroy the fire sand. Once that is done, I assure you, they’ll be in no shape to stand against us any longer. It’ll be the imperials who rout from this battle, not the other way around.”
The old soldier looked doubtful.
“I don’t know, Hal.”
“Don’t worry Bilham. I’ll speak to them before we depart and lay out the stakes for them and what I need them to do. Assemble them first thing in the morning. I’ll talk to them then. In the meantime, let’s pull the officers together tonight and I’ll fill everyone in on my plan.”
37
Hal stood on a small rise next to the camp where his army now stood in ranks assembled for the coming battle. It had taken two days for Norak’s army to arrive and set up their battle lines nearby. There had been several small skirmishes between scouts and sentries but the main battle would be joined today.
The men and women, most of them former slaves stood in their lines, spears, pikes, swords and shields held ready. Mixed in among them were three war bands of orc warriors, seven hill giants who had come to join their force, and the tribe of rock trolls.
Next to them stood Sir Anders contingent of heavy cavalry, the knights’ armor polished and gleaming amidst the pennants flying from their lances in the early morning breeze. Anders’ second in command, a knight named Sir Allen of Shipton sat atop his magnificent mount in front of the mounted troops. Anders would be accompanying Hal, Kay, and the others selected for their secret assault to destroy the fire sand.
Hal considered what he would say once more before he began. His high school eleventh grade English teacher would be proud, he thought.
He cleared his throat and began in a loud, clear voice that carried across the assembled troops in the early morning stillness.
“A king from my far away homeland once looked out at his army on a day like this and said some words that I will borrow for today. His troops faced an opposing army much larger than his own and everyone assumed this ancient king’s army would lose in the face of his enemy’s forces. They were proven wrong because that king knew something about the mettle of his soldiers that others didn’t know.”
Hal paused as his troops waited for him to continue. He took a deep breath, meeting the gaze of those closest to him before looking out over the entire force.
“I see that same mettle and inner strength in each of you. We aren’t just some army assembled on a battlefield. When the time comes to recount the feats of today’s battle, years from now, there will be those who will ask you who fought here today to recount the exploits of the battle. You will be remembered for what you do here because this day will forever live on as the day we first defeated one of the Emperor’s generals and his army on even ground. Together we will be thought of as the ones who began the ending of the Emperor’s rule over this land.”
“That ancient king had the words right when he declared to his soldiers as I do today: ‘We few, we happy few, we are a band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother; be he never so vile, this day shall gentle his condition; and gentlemen back home now a-bed, shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap while any speaks, that fought with us upon this fateful day.’”
Hal didn’t wait for reaction to the end of his paraphrased quote from Shakespeare’s Henry V.
“Brothers and sisters all, I ask you. Will you rise up with me today to signal the beginning of the end for the Emperor and his vile rule?”
There was a pause, and for a second Hal thought his speech had failed. Then, the entire force before him erupted in a rousing cheer, their fists raised in the air. The hairs on the back of his neck raised as a chill shot down his spine.
“This ancient king of yours must have been quite the warrior, Hal,” Anders said from behind him as he turned and stepped down from the hill to join the officers and his strike team.
“Those words were written by a renowned bard. I have no idea if the king said them or not.”
“Did he win the battle?” Kay asked.
“Oh, yes, he did. It was a resounding success and was recounted for centuries afterward by storytellers of all kinds.”
“That’s all that matters, then,” she said. “We’ll win as well because we must.”
“Agreed, Kay. Failure isn’t an option.”
Hal turned to Bilham, Churg, Otto, and the other officers assembled there.
“You know the plan. All you have to do is hold them until we get to the fire sand. Once we do that, you’ll be able to break away if necessary. Hopefully, you won’t have to retreat because we’ll have broken their will to fight.”
“How will we know you have succeeded?” Bilham asked.
“You’ll know. You’ll hear and see the mother of all explosions. It should cause quite a bit of chaos in the imperial ranks. If it does, my hope is
you’ll be able to exploit it and rout them from the field rather than the other way around.”
“There are a lot of hopes and hopefully’s in there, Hal,” Bilham said.
Hal shrugged.
“It’ll work, trust me.”
Kay groaned.
Hal smiled and when he glanced her way, he saw a smile on her face where it showed beneath her helmet.
“Churg, are you and your scouts ready to help us skirt the flanks of the imperial force?”
The goblin chieftain showed his sharpened teeth in a fierce grin.
“Ready, Hal. It’s a good day for glory and death.”
“Then let’s get going. We’ve got to move fast to get into position before the battle is joined.”
Hal reached out and clasped wrists with Bilham then mounted his horse and led Kay, Anders, Rune, Junica and a small group of chosen recruits after Churg south to skirt the imperial flank and work their way behind.
The young corporal, Erik was among the recruits who followed. Hal smiled at the boy and turned his horse around, waving his hand forward. It was time to earn the big bucks.
Quest accepted — Destroy the fire sand.
An hour later, as the small mounted force and their goblin scouts worked their way through the forest to the south, a great roar of voices sounded to the north.
“Battle’s begun, Hal,” Kay noted. “Do you think they can hold long enough?”
“Bilham and Otto will hold them together, Kay. They know what they’re doing.”
“Sir Allen will assist him, Hal, never fear,” Anders said from nearby. The knight had doffed his full plate armor for a more practical suit of chainmail and more basic conical helmet, similar to his and Kay’s. He had his kite-shaped shield strapped to one arm as he rode.
Churg stepped out from around a rock outcropping ahead of them.
Hal rode up to the scout leader.
“We’re just about far enough past the southern sentries that we can turn north again. They’re all distracted by the battle playing out in the valley.”
“Any sense of how it’s going?” Hal asked.
“It’s hard to see much through the trees. Both armies seemed locked together in the center of the vale.”
“That’s good, I guess,” Hal replied. “Our side hasn’t broken and run away. Let’s press northward. Have you been able to locate the wagons storing the fire sand?”
“There are several wagons that match your description. They are clustered together near the command group just to the rear of the imperials with their reserves and cavalry. I don’t know how you’re going to fight your way all the way to those wagons, Hal.”
“We’re not going to fight. We’re going to walk right up to them. Tell your scouts we need ten imperial uniforms, preferably not too bloody.”
Churg smiled and raced off into the woods.
“That’s your plan? Dress up as imperials and waltz in there like we don’t have a care in the world?” Kay asked.
“We have the distraction of the battle and my uncanny luck. Has it failed us yet?”
Kay laughed. Her face was creased with concern, though.
“One of these days, your luck is going to run out, Hal. Then what are you going to do?”
“I’ll let you know when I get there.”
Hal put on a show of bravado. His luck had failed him once already, back when Norak captured him. A quick glance at his stats showed the luck attribute still in full strength and not grayed out as it had been during his captivity.
“Come on, folks,” Hal called, wheeling his horse north and heading after Churg. “We’ve got a battle to win.”
38
Hal knelt at the wood line and stared at the carnage of the battle in the valley below. Occasional explosions erupted as Norak’s fire sand weapons were used against the army of ex-slaves.
As far as Hal could tell, Bilham held them together despite destruction wrought by the strange new weapons. The Imperials outnumbered them, though, especially considering the reserves clustered around the wagons in the center of Norak’s line.
Hal’s plan had to work or the day was lost. He hooked a finger and pulled the clasp holding the imperial cloak around his shoulders down away from his throat. Churg’s scouts had a variety of uniforms in various sizes waiting for them when they arrived. It had only taken a few minutes to arrange their disguises.
The goblin chief nodded in approval.
“How do we look, Churg?”
“Well enough, I think, Hal. Do you want us to remain here and keep an opening for you to escape?”
“Hopefully, the Imperial line will break and we can rejoin our own army without coming back this way but we should probably keep the lines of retreat open just in case.”
Junica stood nearby checking her dual quivers of arrows. One rested on her back, over top of the imperial cloak. The other was strapped to her hip. She was checking the arrows in her hip quiver.
These were all tipped with oil-soaked cloths, wrapped tightly around and behind the arrow heads.
“Ready, Junica?” Hal asked. “After we reach the wagons and do our work, we’re going to rely on you to finish the job with a few well-placed fire arrows. No matter what happens with the rest of us, you have to set those wagons aflame.”
“I’ll hit them, don’t worry about that. I haven’t missed a target that large since I was a small child. I know the stakes. Whether you’re clear or not, I’ll take the shot.”
“Good. Then let’s go. Remember, people, we take this at a steady, purposeful walk. If anyone stops us, we tell them we have an urgent message for the baron. If they don’t take that answer, we kill them quickly and quietly as possible and keep going.”
Hal waited for nods all around. He brought up his stats and concentrated on his luck for a second. Instantly, the rolling, whirring slot machine started rumbling in his head. Time to press his luck once more.
He stepped from the tree line and started walking toward the wagons in the center of the imperial line. Behind him, ten friends and comrades in arms formed a double rank and followed.
Hal and the raiders made it to within a hundred yards of the wagons before the first imperial officer noticed them.
“You, there. Why aren’t you with your unit?”
Hal saluted with a fist to his chest in the imperial manner.
“We were sent with an urgent message for the baron, sir.”
“Well what is it? And why did it take all of you to deliver it?”
The imperial captain placed his hand on his sword hilt as he scanned the group behind Hal. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening.
“Guards, to the rear…”
His words choked off as Hal rammed his dagger home into the man’s throat.
1,000 experience points awarded.
Hal’s death blow wasn’t quick enough to keep the guards from hearing the captain’s shout of alarm.
A squad of imperial troops standing guard near the wagons turned and saw their captain fall away from Hal.
There was no way to hide the blood on his dagger. The imperials drew their weapons and charged.
“Rune get to the wagons and break open some of the fire sand kegs. Make sure you scatter it all over the back of the wagons. The rest of us will hold off the guards.”
The Rune nodded and ran for the wagons as Hal drew his sword and charged the approaching imperial guards. Kay ran beside him with Anders to her right.
Hal charged forward and shield bashed the first guard he came to, nocking the man to the ground. A pair of thrusts to his chest finished him before he could do more than grunt.
1,000 experience points awarded.
Spinning in place, he blocked a spear thrust at his side with his sword, turning away the tip just before it pierced his armor.
The surprised imperial tried to pull his spear back in time to fend Hal away, but he was already in too close. Hal leaned forward and delivered a savage head butt to the man’s face, the metal
rim of his helmet crushing the imperial soldier’s nose in a spray of blood.
The guard’s hands came to his face, trying to wipe the blood from his eyes.
Hal snarled and slashed his sword across the soldier’s midsection, laying open his stomach, spilling his guts out. The man fell backward with a single cry and lay twitching on the ground.
A quick thrust to the throat finished him.
1,000 experience points awarded.
Hal looked around for another opponent but the others had engaged the rest of the guard squad and were mopping up the resistance.
Seeing the guards were contained, Hal raced over to help Rune open the kegs of fire sand in the back of the wagons.
The monk was almost finished with the first wagon when Hal arrived.
He was about to climb up and help when something bowled him over.
Health damage: Health -12
Hal found himself grappling with an imperial officer who’d charged him from around the side of the second wagon.
Rolling on the ground, trying to keep the man’s dagger from his throat, Hal dropped his sword and pulled his arm from the shield straps to free up his hands.
With one hand, he gripped the other man’s wrist, trying to press the dagger home into Hal’s chest. His other hand fumbled to reach his own dagger, sheathed at his waist.
He couldn’t reach the dagger, no matter how he twisted and the imperial lieutenant had gotten on top of him and was pressing his weight down on the dagger poised above Hal’s chest.
Frantic for anything he could use as a weapon, Hal grabbed a fist-sized stone from the ground and slammed it twice against the lieutenant’s cheek, just below the edge of his helmet.
Hal felt bone crunch on the second blow and the man fell back with a cry.