General Eylor did not respond. So far, the Alceans had shown that they were clever and unpredictable. He was sure that Askor’s schedule was far too optimistic. General Eylor expected some surprises during the battle, but he could not think of what they might be other than the sudden appearance of the Red Swords or Rangers. He was glad that General Askor had allowed him to set up a rear patrol to prohibit such a surprise, but he could not shake the anxious feeling that the Alceans would come up with some other surprises.
* * * *
“The attack will be at sunrise,” reported the fairy. “They will position three catapults to attack the center of the western wall, but the five black-cloaks will be spread out along the wall. General Askor stated that there will be no surrender to the Alceans. He plans to eat the midday meal in the Royal Palace.”
“Cocky,” noted Queen Tanya. “Are you sure that he said five black-cloaks? I thought there were only three.”
“He said the two wounded ones will partake in the battle even if they have to get men to carry them to the battlefield.”
“It appears that I missed some of their catapults last night,” frowned the king. “Catapults can remain outside bow range. Can you do something about them, Tanya?”
“The catapults and the five mages spread out along the wall?” frowned the queen. “And should I shield you as well?” she asked sarcastically. “As powerful as I am, Arik, I can still only be in one place at a time. If we had other mages, I could be using my powers on the Federation soldiers attacking the wall.”
The king and queen fell silent for a moment as each of them dwelled on the information brought by the fairy. The silence broke when they both started speaking at once. They laughed at the situation, but the queen held her hand for Arik to wait.
“I am sorry,” Queen Tanya apologized. “I am frustrated at using my powers merely to safeguard you, and I should not be. Safeguarding you is the most important thing I could do for Alcea.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” smiled King Arik. “You are in an impossible position, and I am doing nothing to help you with that burden. Will the black-cloaks be holding physical shields around themselves?”
Queen Tanya’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “No,” she replied. “They will keep out of bow range and will not need physical shields. Erecting physical shields would take power away from their offensive magic, so they will not use them unless they feel threatened in some way. Why do you ask?”
“I have thought of a way to allow you to concentrate on offensive magic,” grinned the king. “You won’t need to worry about the black-cloaks or shielding me. If things go perfectly, you won’t have to worry about the siege engines, either.”
“If the black-cloaks were gone,” retorted the queen, “the siege engines would not be much of a problem, but your words have me greatly concerned. What are you thinking?”
“It is time for the Warrior King to be more of a warrior and less of a king,” replied King Arik. “I have a general who can stand on the wall and direct our troops. I am not needed there as well.”
* * * *
As dawn brightened the sky, General Askor and General Eylor watched their massive army form up in battle formation. Wave after wave of soldiers took their places on the plain before the wall of Tagaret. Near the center of the wall, three large catapults were pulled into position, and loads of large rocks were carted in and stationed near the siege engines. Piles of wood were also carted to the catapult area and huge fires were lit to allow for fiery projectiles for the catapults. General Askor nodded with satisfaction at the preparations.
“This is the day we have been waiting for, Eylor,” he said proudly. “Today we will accomplish what 240,000 men could not. Today, Tagaret will fall to the Federation.”
General Eylor did not respond verbally, but he had to admit to himself that the assemblage of power before him was impressive. As he gazed north or south, he could see Federation soldiers as far as his eyes could see. The Alceans upon the wall looked small and weak in comparison, and he began to feel some of Askor’s enthusiasm for the coming battle. As the first rays of sunlight peeked above the horizon, General Askor nodded to the soldier next to him. The horn blared, and the charge began. All three catapults let go of their heavy loads, and men ran towards the walls, battle cries shouting from their lips. Fiery magical projectiles shot towards the wall as the black-cloaks unleashed their magical powers. At that moment, General Eylor felt victory was assured.
* * * *
Sergeant Carter smiled as he led his squad westward along the road to Southland. The first rays of sunlight were already lightening the sky, and he knew that the battle for Tagaret was beginning. Although he was less than three leagues from the battlefield, he would be spared another day of fighting. His appointment to lead the rear patrol had been a blessing. In addition to missing the fighting, he had a horse to ride, and the men he led were all friends, handpicked from the squads ravaged the previous day. The road was in good condition, wide and fairly smooth, and the sounds of nature were certainly preferable to the noise of the battlefield. All in all, the sergeant felt great. His smile widened. When the patrol came to an intersection with a north-south road, the sergeant dismounted.
“Hold my reins, Paulis,” the sergeant said to the corporal. “I need to take a short visit to the woods.”
The corporal nodded knowingly and dismounted, holding his own horse’s reins as he took the reins to the sergeant’s horse. Sergeant Carter ambled into the trees in no particular hurry. Corporal Paulis gazed northward from the intersection, wondering where that road led. Suddenly, the horses grew edgy, and the corporal tightened his grip on the reins. He turned and looked in all directions and saw nothing disturbing, but the horses’ nervousness grew by the second. Thinking that there might be some ferocious animal in the woods, he started staring into the forest as he slowly rotated. Still, he saw nothing alarming.
Suddenly, a loud roar split the air, and the sky lit up in flames. Corporal Paulis gasped as he looked up and saw the dragon bearing down on him from the west. He let go of the reins and dropped to the ground just as the dragon soared overhead. The horses bolted, heading south on the north-south road. The other riders managed to control their mounts, and the corporal shouted for them to catch the two runaway horses. Corporal Paulis started to rise when he heard the dragon coming back for another attack. He held still, his limbs quivering in fear as the dragon once again shot overhead, but a confusing frown came to his face. It was not the same dragon coming in for another attack. It was a different dragon. As he lay in the intersection, he saw other dragons flying eastward to the north of him. He rolled over and saw another one to the south of him. He swiftly rose and dashed into the woods. Moments later, Sergeant Carter walked out of the woods and into the intersection. He warily gazed skyward and then sighed with relief.
“How many did you see, Paulis?” he called.
“Five, I think,” Corporal Paulis answered from the woods. “I might have seen the tail end of a sixth one, but I am not sure.”
“Not a good day to be on the battlefield,” Sergeant Carter mumbled.
“Our horses went south,” Corporal Paulis called from the trees. “I sent the squad after them, but there were dragons down that way, too.”
“What are you doing in the trees?” called the sergeant. “Come on out.”
“I think I will wait until the dragons are gone,” Corporal Paulis nervously called out.
Sergeant Carter laughed and turned his eyes upward. He scanned the skies and saw no more dragons. He rotated to view the sky in all directions just to make sure that no more dragons were coming.
“They aren’t coming back here, Paulis,” called the sergeant. “They were heading for the battlefield to aid the Alceans. If they were just hungry, they would have swooped lower and snared you. Come on out.”
Corporal Paulis hesitated, but eventually he eased out of the forest and joined the sergeant in the intersection. Sergeant Carter w
as gazing southward, hoping to see his squad bringing his horse back.
“What if they can’t catch them?” asked Corporal Paulis. “I don’t look forward to walking back to camp.”
“We will double up,” shrugged the sergeant. “Stop worrying about every little thing. No matter what happens out here in the forest, we are a lot safer than we were yesterday.”
While the sergeant kept his eyes out for any sight of his men, Corporal Paulis spent his time gazing skyward. He suddenly stiffened and reached out to grab the sergeant’s arm. Sergeant Carter turned with a look of annoyance on his face and found the corporal gazing westward. He turned further and followed the corporal’s gaze.
“Merciful steed!” exclaimed the sergeant. “Quick, into the woods!”
The sergeant raced for the trees, and Corporal Paulis followed closely. The two Federation soldiers dove the last few feet and threw their bodies into the bushes alongside the road. They scrambled behind the bushes and peered upward.
“Flying horses?” cried the corporal. “What kind of people are these Alceans?”
“Quiet,” the sergeant commanded softly.
As the two Federation soldiers hid in the bushes, wave after wave of soldiers mounted on unicorns flew overhead. The unicorns carried the soldiers eastward towards the battlefield. After the flying army had passed by, the two soldiers remained unmoving and silent for several more minutes. Finally, Sergeant Carter rose, and the corporal rose alongside of him.
“They weren’t flying horses,” the sergeant said in awe. “They were unicorns. There were hundreds of them, maybe a thousand. I do not think the battle today will go well for General Askor.”
“Thankfully,” the corporal replied, “the battle will be over by the time we walk back to camp.”
“Actually,” the sergeant replied distractedly, “I wasn’t thinking of going back. Maybe it’s time we just disappeared.”
* * * *
Colonel Hildon watched the battle with satisfaction. Colonel Maxwell stood by his side, and he nodded as he watched the Federation soldiers climbing the wall.
“This is more like it,” Colonel Hildon said. “Already we have three pockets of men upon the wall.”
“And the catapults are tearing the center of the wall down,” agreed Colonel Maxwell. “All the men needed was some sleep.”
“And the black-cloaks are having great effect,” Colonel Hildon commented. “No one is shielding the Alceans today. Perhaps General Askor is wiser than we thought. He said that we would be dining in the Royal Palace for the midday meal. I thought he was crazy, but this battle is going well.”
“The Alcean archers are still taking their toll,” retorted Colonel Maxwell. “If they manage to make a safe retreat to the next wall, this scene will have to be played out over again.”
“True,” agreed Colonel Hildon, “but they will lose half of their men each time they retreat. Taking the next wall will be much easier than this one, and the third wall might not even be much of a battle at all.”
Suddenly, a dark shape soared over the heads of the colonels. Colonel Hildon snapped his head upward and gasped as he saw the dragon. The creature glided soundlessly into the battlefield. The colonel watched in horror as the massive creature descended to just over the heads of his men. With amazing speed, the dragon’s talons streaked downward and impaled the shoulders of one of the battle mages. With powerful strokes of its wings, the dragon shot nearly straight up, the black-cloak hanging from its talons like a limp doll. Nearby soldiers brought their bows to bear on the flying creature, but it was a useless maneuver. The dragon was out of range before the first arrow shot skyward.
“There are more of them!” shouted Colonel Maxwell as he pointed up.
Colonel Hildon looked up and saw more dragons both north and south of him. He watched in awe and horror as each of the dragons snared one of the battle mages and then shot upward. He watched, mesmerized by the sight, as the dragons flew over the city of Tagaret and disappeared into the distance.
“It is as if the dragons knew right where to find the battle mages,” offered Colonel Maxwell. “Do you think they are intelligent creatures?”
“They were sent specifically for the black-cloaks,” frowned Colonel Hildon. “Whoever gives them their orders knows how to communicate with them. I guess that makes them intelligent in a manner of speaking.”
While the colonels were watching the five dragons disappear, the sixth and largest one flew overhead. Upon its back sat the Warrior King, and it did not fly low at all. The dragon maintained a height that made shooting arrows at it a waste of time. The dragon banked into a circular pattern over the siege engines, and Colonel Hildon saw the king drop something. Suddenly, one of the catapults burst into flames. Twice more the king dropped something, and twice more a catapult erupted in flames. The men in the area of the siege engines ran to put distance between the burning catapults and themselves. With all three catapults destroyed, the dragon carrying the Warrior King turned out of its circular pattern and glided over the walls of Tagaret.
“So that is where the king was,” commented Colonel Maxwell. “I noted his absence from the wall before the battle started. I thought he was trying to avoid the bloodshed.”
“He is called the Warrior King,” replied Colonel Hildon. “I do not think he got that name by avoiding bloodshed. His pet dragons have managed to slow down our assault, but it will take more than that to stop us from taking his city.”
“Are you sure?” questioned Colonel Maxwell. “Too many of the men are now looking over their shoulders.”
The soldiers in the first waves seemed to be oblivious of the dragons, but those near the rear kept looking up to see if other dragons were coming. The structure of the attack formation began to crumble, and Colonel Hildon signaled for nearby runners.
“Tell the unit commanders to keep their men’s focus on the wall,” he ordered the runners, “especially those in the rear ranks. If I see men looking over their shoulders, I will hold the unit commanders responsible.”
The runners took off in all directions, and Colonel Hildon watched as the formation began to unify once more. Even without the mages and the catapults, the Federation troops were making satisfactory progress. Colonel Hildon turned to look towards the large command tent far behind him and he saw General Askor and General Eylor observing the attack. General Askor looked at Colonel Hildon and nodded his appreciation of the colonel’s handling of the attack. Colonel Hildon smiled with satisfaction and turned his attention back to the battle.
“Is that the queen?” asked Colonel Maxwell as he pointed to the ramparts near the center of the wall.
A women wearing white and gold armor similar to the king’s stood with her arms outstretched. Even as Colonel Hildon began to nod in answer to Colonel Maxwell’s question, he felt a trembling of the ground. His brow creased in confusion.
“Is the queen a mage?” he asked with a tone of urgent concern.
“I do not think so,” answered Colonel Maxwell. “She is known as the Warrior Queen.”
The trembling increased until it became hard to keep one’s balance without thinking about it.
“Perhaps that is just a title to match her husband’s,” commented Colonel Hildon. “I might be wrong, but I think she is a mage. Do you see anyone else on the ramparts who might be casting magic?”
The trembling grew until the broad plain began to ripple. Men fell down, and the formation disintegrated.
“No,” cried Colonel Maxwell as he lost his footing and tumbled to the ground.
Colonel Hildon dropped to his knees to avoid falling. He watched in horror as every wave except the first one fell to the ground. Those already climbing the scaling ladders and those near the wall were the only ones unaffected by the spell. Unexpectedly, the trembling stopped abruptly.
“I cannot conceive of such power in a single mage,” gasped Colonel Maxwell. “She made this plain have waves like the sea. We should order a retreat while we can.”
>
“Because she can make us fall down?” scoffed Colonel Hildon. “It will take more than that to break our attack.”
“Do not fool yourself, Hildon,” warned Colonel Maxwell. “She brought us to our knees for a reason. She successfully broke our charge, but I suspect that it is more than that. We need to tell the generals to sound the retreat.”
Colonel Hildon frowned and shook his head as he rose to his feet. He had known Maxwell a long time and had never known him to be a quitter. He turned around to see what the generals thought of the situation and gasped. Colonel Maxwell, who was in the process of getting to his feet, jerked his head to see what had caused Hildon’s reaction. Together they stared in terror as the Men of Tor rode through the Federation encampment.
“That is why she brought us down,” Colonel Maxwell said in alarm as he viewed one thousand men charging towards him on the backs of unicorns.
Each of the charging horsemen held a horse bow with an arrow already nocked. Two arrows streaked out from the vanguard, and the two Federation generals died on the ground where they had fallen moments before.
“Our cause is lost,” Colonel Maxwell declared. “The men will be slaughtered from behind. They will just be getting to their feet when these men charge into their ranks.”
“We won’t be here to see it,” scowled Colonel Hildon. “We have only seconds to live.”
“Perhaps,” murmured Colonel Maxwell as he drew his sword. “It is time to see what kind of men the Alceans really are.”
Colonel Hildon’s face held a puzzled frown as he drew his own sword. He glanced at Colonel Maxwell questioningly. “How many do you think we can actually kill before they shoot arrows into our hearts, Maxwell? Our swords will not slay a single one of them.”
“That is not why I drew my sword, Hildon,” replied Colonel Maxwell as he stabbed his sword into the ground and knelt next to it. “I am not ready to die in a battle that is already lost.”
Colonel Hildon stared at the approaching horde, his thoughts confused, and his mind not yet made up. He watched several of the enemy draw back on their bowstrings, and he made his decision in that instant. He shoved his sword into the ground next to Maxwell’s and swiftly knelt. The charging Alceans parted slightly and rode around the two colonels. Both colonels let out loud sighs of relief as tremors raced through their bodies. Unexpectedly, a magically amplified voice filled the air.
Alutar: The Great Demon Page 39