“I am always open to your suggestions, Randi. What did you have in mind?”
“I suspect you plan to create a fire barrier at the mouth of the cave,” Randi responded. “Am I correct?”
“Close,” the colonel nodded. “I actually plan for the fire barricade to be a bit away from the mouth of the cave so that we can still rappel down from here, but you have the general idea.”
“And what if I was able to do the same thing at the other end of the canyon?” grinned Randi. “We would have fish in a bowl.”
Colonel Vidson grew silent as his eyes gazed down upon the canyon stretching away to the west. Eventually, he sighed and nodded.
“There is great risk in your plan, Randi,” the colonel stated. “You cannot seal the rear entrance until the attack begins, and once it does begin, many eyes will be looking up at the ridge. You will be an easy target for a decent archer as you try to hurl the jars into the canyon.” Randi opened his mouth to speak and Mitar held up his hand to silence the sergeant. “We also do not know if all of the column will make it into the trap before the attack begins. There might be a sizeable portion of the 30th Corps outside the canyon, and they will not hesitate to climb the ridge to go after you.”
“The rear guard has just been doubled,” countered Randi. “If they use my attack as a signal for theirs, the men who didn’t enter the canyon will have their hands full. I doubt more than a half dozen soldiers will come after me, and I can handle them.”
“Not without risk,” frowned Mitar.
“Not without risk,” agreed Randi, “but I am willing to take that risk. Besides, if I do not seal the exit from the canyon, the rear guard may end up with more than they can handle. The Federation column might reverse itself mighty quick.”
Colonel Vidson nodded. “It will work better if the fire glue comes from both ridges at the same time. It will spook the defenders and divide their attention. Get Jami to take the other ridge, and tell Caan to lead the rear guard.”
* * * *
The Ranger woke and gazed up at the night sky, carefully estimating the hour. He gazed downward from the tree he had hidden in, but he could not see the forest floor. He stuck his finger into his pocket and woke up the fairy.
“Is it time already?” chirped Wisp.
Harod held his finger to his lips and nodded. “I need you to check below before I descend. Be silent.”
The little blue woman dived downward and appeared again a moment later. “The coast is clear,” she reported.
“We are a far way from the coast, little one,” chuckled Harod as he reached over and unstrapped himself from the tree. “Go and wake the others, but be conscious of noise. We are not alone on this ridge.”
The Ranger stowed the strap in his pack and then silently climbed down to the ground. He stood and stretched as black-clad forms began to gather around him. All over the area, Rangers slid out of their hiding places. Many had spent the day in the upper branches of large trees where the volume of leaves would hide them. Others emerged from pits in the ground that had been covered by hackleberry bushes or other dense foliage. It took almost an hour for the four hundred men to assemble. While Harod waited for his men, Wisp sped along the ridge to spy on the enemy’s camp.
“The enemy is a thousand paces to the east,” the fairy reported. “There are two sentries guarding the camp. One to the east and the other to the west. Shall I put them to sleep?”
“Yes,” answered Harod, “but not until we are all in position. I will let you know when.”
Harod turned to his men and spoke softly. He assigned different groups to different quadrants and then started an attack count. All of the Rangers began tapping their fingers against their arms or legs. With a wave of his hand, Harod sent the groups into the night. Giving the others a generous head start, Harod led his own group of one hundred men forward. They proceeded single file through the dark forest at a pace slow enough to ensure silence.
Almost an hour later, Harod halted, held his hand up and rotated it in a circle. The Rangers in the column behind Harod split to the left and the right of their commander in an alternating manner, creating an arc equidistant from the enemy’s campsite. As the numbers in Harod’s head began to approach zero, he waved a finger in the air in front of his fairy. Wisp needed no further command. She leaped off of Harod’s shoulder and sped into the dark. Harod watched as the western sentry collapsed. The eastern sentry followed a moment later. Almost immediately, four hundred black shadows moved stealthily into the camp. Armed with reeds and myric quills, the Rangers brought death to the entire Federation company. It was over in mere moments, and Harod focused on assigning his men to positions along the entire ridge.
* * * *
Dawn was still an hour away, but the four thousand men of the 30th Corps attack force had already broken camp and stood assembled, ready to march into the canyon. Colonel Atman sat astride his horse and signaled for the commander of the 3rd Regiment to join him. Colonel Darhak complied immediately.
“Any word from the men on the ridges?” asked Colonel Darhak as he arrived alongside Colonel Atman.
“Not a word,” answered Colonel Atman. “These rebels truly are careless. We could have left half of these men home.”
“That makes no sense,” frowned Colonel Darhak. “They managed to wipe out three hundred men guarding the convoy without a problem.”
“Did they?” questioned Colonel Atman. “I am beginning to have my doubts about that.”
“You think that there was no ambush?” asked Colonel Darhak. “Where then are the wagons?”
“Oh, I think there was an ambush,” replied Colonel Atman, “but I think the fools guarding the convoy fled when the fighting began. These rebels are not trained soldiers, Darhak. They are proving that right this minute. There is no way they could have succeeded in taking that convoy.”
Colonel Darhak shrugged, unsure of Atman’s reasoning, but afraid to argue with the leader of the attack force. “What is our plan of attack?” he asked instead.
“My regiment is mounted,” stated Colonel Atman. “It is ill suited to lead this attack in a narrow canyon. I want you and the 3rd Regiment to lead the column through the canyon. The 4th and 5th Regiments will follow. The 1st Regiment will come last. They may have to ride through the canyon single file if it is as narrow as reported. You are to start the march in three files. Continue in that manner if it is possible. If not, you may narrow it to two files, but I do not want this entire army marching single file through the canyon. It would take us all day.”
Colonel Darhak nodded his understanding. “You will miss all the fun, Atman.”
“I think not,” replied Colonel Atman. “The canyon is supposed to widen before the cave. Assemble the men there, but do not attack unless you have to. I suspect the rebels will cower in their cave. That means we will have to flush them out, so I will have plenty of time to join you before our main attack. Get the column moving.”
Colonel Darhak returned to his regiment and ordered them to begin the march. He let three companies enter the canyon before inserting himself into the flow of the 3rd Regiment. He glanced anxiously up at the ridges, but it was not light enough to see anything yet. After a while he lowered his eyes, not wanting his men to see him staring up at the ridges. Enough of them were already doing so.
Dawn arrived an hour later, and Colonel Darhak’s anxiety decreased. He occasionally glanced up at the ridges, but he began to feel that perhaps Atman was correct. The rebels were not trained soldiers after all. As that thought passed through his mind, he turned a bend in the canyon and saw the mouth of the cave. There was indeed a widening of the canyon before the mouth of the cave, and his men had already begun to spread out. Colonel Darhak glanced up at the mouth of the cave and the path leading up to it. The path was well worn, but there was not a rebel in sight. The colonel signaled to his company commanders, and they hurried to his side.
“Spread the men out in a defensive position,” he ordered quietly.
“Keep them quiet until ordered to attack. Make sure each company commander entering this area receives the same instructions.”
The captains saluted and withdrew. Colonel Darhak dismounted and stared up at the cave. There was a lingering taint of wood smoke in the air, but not enough to account for campfires for a thousand men. There were no sounds coming out of the cave, and no one was visible. He began to wonder if the rebels had abandoned their cave and moved elsewhere. He signaled for a captain to approach, and the junior officer hurried over to the colonel.
“I want a squad to approach the mouth of the cave,” ordered Colonel Darhak. “I do not wish to engage the enemy or even have them notice that we are here. Your task is to merely peek into the cave and estimate the number of men who might be inside. I do not mean for you to count them. Just come back and tell me if there is a hundred, a thousand, or a dozen. Nothing more.”
The captain saluted and returned to his company. He selected a squad for the task and sent them up the path towards the mouth of the cave. The sergeant in charge of the squad led the men in a cautious and quiet approach. They crept slowly up the path and along the ledge towards the mouth of the cave. When they got close, the sergeant held up his hand to stop the squad from moving closer. He alone crept forward and stuck his head out to peer into the cave. He could not see anyone. He signaled for his men to follow and then stepped into the mouth of the cave. Placing each foot carefully to ensure a silent approach, the sergeant led his squad into the dark cave.
Fifty paces into the cave, the sergeant halted. He held up his hand for silence and listened intently. A distant sound drifted to his ears, and he cocked his head as if it would magnify the sound. When the sound came again, he shuddered. It was the sound of something scratching the stone floor of the cave. The men behind the sergeant heard it as well, and they began to fidget nervously. The sergeant turned and glared at the men, but his attention was quickly drawn back to the sounds. They were getting closer.
Suddenly, a massive horned head poked around a corner, smoke drifting from its nostrils. The sergeant quaked with fear, but he stood paralyzed. As more of the huge beast came into view, the sergeant heard his men scream and race for the mouth of the cave. Knowing that he stood alone, the sergeant turned and ran after his men. He saw his men in front of him, and they were running for their lives. Some of the men slowed to turn onto the small path leading into the canyon, but others merely ran straight ahead and leaped into the canyon below. The sergeant slowed, afraid to trust his life to a leap from the ledge, but others were queued up waiting to get onto the path. He turned and saw the dragon approaching and decided to take his chance with the leap. He jumped without looking and crashed to the ground in pain. Suddenly, his whole world burst into flames.
All around the sergeant, men screamed as their uniforms and flesh were devoured by fire. He was sure that the dragon had spat flames at him, but he only felt the pain of landing on the ground. He heard the roar of the dragon as another group of men farther away from the cave were suddenly engulfed in fire. With the single purpose of fleeing the area, the sergeant barged into the chaotic crowd and tried to claw his way toward the canyon mouth. He tore at his fellow soldiers and tossed them aside, but it was all to no avail. Without warning, his body burst into flames, and he fell to the ground screaming.
* * * *
Colonel Atman rode at the head of the 1st Regiment. He led his cavalry into the canyon following the last of the infantry. As he rode, he scanned the ridges on both sides of him searching for any sign of his men, but he could not detect them. He smiled when dawn arrived, realizing the vanguard of the column was approaching the mouth of the cave. There had been no sounds of fighting, and that meant that he had correctly evaluated the situation. He smiled broadly, but his elation was premature. A few minutes later, he heard the faint sounds of battle cries echoing off the canyon walls. He frowned as he watched arrows streaming into the column before him from the ridges above. Recognizing the ambush for what it was, the colonel swiftly reversed course to escape the deathtrap.
The 1st Regiment was still flowing into the canyon when Colonel Atman turned around. He charged westward directly into the face of his own regiment. The men of his cavalry unit tried to get out of the colonel’s way, and most of them were successful as they moved close to the walls of the canyon. Those who got in the way of the colonel’s horse were shoved aside. Atman could hear the cries behind him getting closer, knowing that the men up on the ridge were taking their cue to fire from those next to them. Like a wave of death, the arrows chased after the colonel. When he saw the mouth of the canyon before him, he sighed with relief, but again, his feelings were premature.
Unexpectedly, a wall of fire erupted before the colonel. The screams of men and horses filled the air, but the colonel had no time to stop before the flames. He spurred his horse harder, and the creature leaped into the flames. For a moment, he saw nothing but fire and then he was through. The canyon on the other side of the wall of fire was clear, his own men having turned and fled. He raced after them, trying to estimate the size of the army he had left to lead. Besides the 2nd Regiment that he had sent around the mountain, the colonel could only see about one hundred riders ahead of him. He called for them to halt and rally to him. As his men slowed and turned, the Rangers’ rear guard attacked. Two hundred arrows streaked out of the forest towards his men, Colonel Atman watched in disbelief as his soldiers were cut down. Before he could turn his horse to flee once again, an arrow pierced his chest. Colonel Atman stared at the men in black who ran from the forest towards him. He shook his head in wonder and then tumbled from his horse.
Chapter 11
Power of Healing
A captain of the 2nd Regiment of the 30th Corps of Karamin rode forward to ride alongside Colonel Cidel.
“Are you sure this is wise, Colonel?” asked Captain Borgund. “We have already sent one rider to investigate the fire and then a complete squad. Neither has returned. We may be riding into an ambush.”
“Your concern is noted, Captain,” replied the colonel, “but we have little choice in the matter. While smoking the rebels out of the cave was part of Colonel Atman’s plan, the smoke we saw was something else entirely. We have to investigate it, and we have already lost a squad. What do you propose we do next? Send an entire company? I will not risk dividing my forces any further. The whole regiment will respond to Atman’s aid. Nothing less will do.”
The captain nodded silently as the two officers rode together near the vanguard. An hour later, the battlefield that the 1st Regiment lost to the Rangers’ rear guard came into view. The vanguard of the 2nd Regiment stiffened in response to the bodies littering the ground. The colonel and the captain rode forward and called a halt to the column. The colonel dispatched a squad to examine the bodies and return.
“There are around two hundred bodies,” a sergeant reported. “They are all Atman’s men. The enemy must have taken their slain with them. Colonel Atman’s body is among the dead, but the body is headless.”
“Headless?” scowled Colonel Cidel. “The barbarians will pay dearly for this. Where is the rest of the 30th Corps?”
The sergeant nodded towards the mouth of the canyon, but he said nothing. The colonel surged forward, urging his horse to a gallop. The captain followed him, but the sergeant and his squad remained. When Colonel Cidel reached the mouth of the canyon, he halted and stared in disbelief. The rock walls of the canyon were marred with the charcoal residue of an intense fire, but what he saw beyond the scorch marks made his body tremble. The canyon floor was littered with the bodies of men and horses as far as he could see.
“All four regiments?” asked the captain. “Is that possible?”
“Not to rebels,” snapped Colonel Cidel. “Atman was no fool. He had the high ground covered in this battle. What I am seeing makes no sense.”
“Shall I have men count the bodies?” asked Captain Borgund.
“No!” the colonel shouted quickly. “Do you w
ant our men fleeing in every direction? If there is a military force out here that can destroy four regiments, how do you think our men will react? Make the inspection yourself and report back to me personally. I will have the men make camp where they are.”
While Colonel Cidel returned to his column and issued orders to make camp, Captain Borgund turned and entered the canyon. When he reached the scorched area, he hesitated and viewed the carnage before him. Bodies of men and horses filled the canyon floor, and the captain shuddered as he imagined the battle taking place. He realized at that point that Colonel Atman’s men could not have held the high ground. Whatever happened to the two companies sent up to the ridges, they had been eliminated before the battle began. He urged his horse forward, seeking a clear path through the dead, but the horse had difficulty avoiding the bodies and became nervous. The captain dismounted, looped his reins over a freestanding column of rock, and continued on foot.
As he rounded a slight bend in the canyon, he noticed that there were no more dead horses. He realized that he passed beyond the 1st Regiment and was now surveying the dead of the infantry regiments. He shook his head as he moved through the bodies, incapable of imagining such a slaughter. As he tried to push the gruesome images from his mind, he noticed the lack of arrows sticking out of the bodies. The enemy had taken the time to retrieve the arrows that would be useful for a future battle. That indicated to the captain that either the enemy was unaware of the 2nd Regiment being nearby, or they were unconcerned about meeting it in a fight. The thought caused a shiver to race up his spine. He quickened his step, wanting to finish his assignment and get out of the canyon.
After a couple of hours of picking his way through the bodies, Captain Borgund was numb to the carnage around him. He no longer looked upon his fellow soldiers as bodies, but rather mere obstacles to walk around. That numbness dissipated instantly when he arrived at the wide area before the mouth of the cave. Over one thousand bodies spread out before him, and the captain felt the urge to vomit. He fought to suppress the urge as he tried to make sense out of what he was seeing. Many of the bodies were merely charred lumps, unrecognizable as individual soldiers. The captain forced himself to move towards the path leading up to the cave.
Alutar: The Great Demon Page 13