Deadly Wands

by Brent Reilly

CHAPTER 13

  Liz wanted a vacation, so William took them to his ancestral home in Prussia for the first time. A forest had largely taken back the farmland. The huge family cemetery stunned them. The sight moved William to tears.

  “And these are just the ones who died fighting the Empire,” William lied. “Our family was among the first -- after the Khan’s -- to reproduce strategically. The deaths of my little brother and baby sister made me the last of my blood. My father said our ghosts cannot rest until we punish the Mongols for their crimes.”

  Below a demolished castle, in a beautiful meadow overlooking a valley, Liz and Billy watched William update his dead parents on the last dozen years. Only warriors could appreciate how much revenge worked as therapy. Putting their success into words forced them to reconcile the enormity of what they had accomplished. To make it real, the three of them dug their own graves. Literally. Though they left the gravestones blank.

  “You don’t want to be buried in England next to your family?” William asked her.

  Liz gazed upon the several thousand members that her husband’s family lost and vowed to become stronger. She had never loved him more, now that she felt what he felt.

  “Record me!” she commanded with an authority that made them both jump to obey. “This message is for my father. Dad, you blessed my marriage, so I’m now and forever a Richthofen. England wants me dead, so this is my family. Our decisions determine our destiny, and I made mine with open eyes. I don’t regret my life. I traded the life of a princess for the life of a badass, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve seen the world, overcome many challenges, and became a millennial in the process. I want to be buried here, in my husband’s family cemetery. And I want my husband and son to be buried alongside me because I’ll never be alone as long as they’re with me.”

  She suddenly leaned forward and Billy instinctively retreated. His mother was the only person Billy feared. “Father, there may come a time when my only son needs you. When you, and only you, can help him. I expect you to do whatever it takes to either save his life or avenge it. Even if it requires declaring war on the Mongol Empire.” William started laughing at tiny England challenging history’s mightiest empire, but Liz shut him up with a look. “I’d have been queen if you only obeyed your mother. Make it up to me by granting me this, my ultimate wish.”

  Billy stopped recording and kept looking at his mother as if someone possessed her. And that someone kept talking:

  “I can’t do this half-way. It’s too late to stop now, so let’s go all the way. If we must do bad things, let’s do them good. The only thing that can justify killing tens of millions is world peace enjoyed by people governed with their consent. I say we spend the rest of our lives killing as many enemies as we can, as fast as we can, for as long as we can. If we can’t live in peace, then let’s live for war. But whatever happens -- and we all know bad things will happen -- let’s never have regrets. Agreed?”

  They didn’t write it in blood, but they may as well. Billy felt the shackles fall off. William hugged her so tight she squealed.

  “Billy, what do you want for your 9th birthday?”

  “Mom, dad, I already have everything I want.”

  With winter over, the family returned to dueling with a vengeance. They didn’t raid that year because William had given the Americans the time off. William took smaller venues while Billy exhausted the larger arenas. Even Liz began dueling. Along the way they updated their maps and documented the size and location of enemy units. Billy finally studied the enemy as a professional would. They stayed away from Europe to avoid Uncle John’s bounty hunters and were as happy as terrified refugees can be. The trick was disappearing frequently. They knew they stayed too long when they couldn’t sleep at night.

  The family entered Alaska just before winter to check out their flight students. They invited all their employees to a party in Anchorage in the spring.

  Previously, students had to pay their own way, then had few job prospects other than fighting Mongols in Europe. In contrast, William offered full scholarships and super wands to any American who could fly long distance, so the University was now operating at capacity at fifty thousand students. The University of Mongolia routinely taught five times as many and rumor said the Khan recently expanded enrollment to half a million.

  William had kept the bomb factory in Anchorage at full capacity. Now he had the students distribute that inventory along the coast. He then divided them according to how far they could fly and watched them choose squad, company, battalion, and division commanders. Now William gave them a crash course in bombing and basic formation flying. The University already taught them this, but William had very specific things in mind. When not drilling them in certain basics, like bomb packing, he had Billy push their endurance. Daily. As if their lives depended on it.

  William didn’t employ those guarding the ten lines of fortifications, but they sure listened to him when he explained what Genghis Khan may do next. Some were skeptical.

  “Put yourself in the Khan’s boots,” William asked them. “Your job is to protect your people, yet some upstarts robbed your capital, sacked your cities, and massacred your people. News reports talk of little else. Power brokers are openly calling for new leadership. To keep his head, much less his job, Genghis has to do something big to show his people he’s fixing this. He learned last time that regular quads -- even a million of them -- don’t meet the needs of a punitive strike. So next time he’ll probably do what we did and use an all-marathon force, which takes time to recruit and train. Your fortifications are spaced about every five hundred clicks from the border so, as the second line of defense, you’re more likely to be hit than the first forts. He could simply fly past you, but his troops need food, bombs, and shelter. Remember this when he tries to draw you out.”

  “Baron, why do you look so happy?” one of their smarter ones asked.

  “Because Genghis Khan is about to piss away his best quads.”

  That spring, news agencies reported a record number of newborns because, apparently, people with money procreate. Genghis Khan was not amused to learn that thousands of American babies were named Baron.

  Fifty thousand of William’s fliers lived in the area, and another fifty accepted his party invitation -- mostly for a chance to get a picture taken with him. William suggested a tournament, which would get them organized into units, then played locals versus visitors. After competing for serious coin, he suggested they teach the students how it’s done. So one hundred thousand veterans chased the new guys across western Canada, engaging in mock battles and highlighting the value of endurance and height. Those with the lowest ceilings, on both sides, got clobbered, which motivated them to take their relaxation and medication courses more seriously. The 5% with the lowest ceilings William kicked out of school, taking their wands as well as their careers rather than lose their lives.

  Meanwhile, William sent Billy to patrol the Strait. He dressed after a hot bath and found his mother inspecting his backpack.

  “Mom, you know I like to pack my own stuff.”

  “But you never bring enough bandages.”

  “Mom, you’re gonna make me late for work.”

  Liz sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t treat this like a game.”

  The boy laughed. “I’m a kid; what do you expect? Relax! I’m just gonna find them, not fight them.”

  Billy felt proud that his dad needed him so much. His ability to fly farther and faster gave them a lethal advantage.

  Excepts weeks passed and the bad guys still had not shown up. After a month, Billy left to find his dad in Alberta.

  “You were finally wrong about something,” the boy cheerfully greeted him.

  That made William smile. “Sorry you spent your 10th birthday alone.”

  Billy lit up. “Oh, I wasn’t alone. I spent it taking out their patrols, ambushing their air mules, and p
icking off those fishing. It’s liberating to only have the enemy to worry about.” In cities, they never knew who’d poison them for their winnings. It really warped how they saw people. “I overhead them say Genghis started a special academy for prodigies at a secret location and that flight school has become mandatory for every teenage quad. He also wants them to procreate as much as possible. The Mongols I overheard think he’s moving every good young quad from Mongolia for their own safety.”

  William didn’t like that at all. “That’s a smart move. I thought he’d give us more time before taking such drastic actions. This makes our job -- killing them faster than they can be replaced -- that much harder.” He paused, shaking his head. “Well, I guess I better send the regular troops home and throw them the party I promised. I thought Genghis would be here by now. Your mom and I will meet you at the Strait.”

  “Dad, it’s too late in the season to organize a raid, so take your time. Give mom the vacation she deserves. Don’t worry about me. I really like it here. Every week I’ll check in at the first forts.”

  Except when his parents finally arrived, two months later, they couldn’t find Billy. And the Mongol camp was a frenzy of activity. They patrolled for three days before Billy showed up, as exhausted as they have ever seen him.

  Many of the suddenly rich marathoners started families. They didn’t want to raid Mongolia with babies at home, but still wanted to contribute, so William asked them to patrol the coastline from his fleet. William even paid to modify the merchant ships to make them family friendly -- no one wanted babies to slip over the side.

  “Our fleet lost contact with a ship, so our marathoners went looking for it. Instead of our boat, they found an American fishing vessel that sailed much too low in the water, just as you warned. Enemy marathoners chased ours away, which began a week of cat-and-mouse. Having babies to protect motivated our marathoners more, as you foresaw, so they only sank one more ship before we destroyed all seven of theirs. Putting marathoners on board saved our fleet. It only takes one incendiary to sink a ship.

  “I didn’t know they captured seven American fishing vessels, so I asked the troops in the forts to search their coastlines. Once they found the first hidden cache of bombs, food, and supplies, I island-hopped along the Aleutians to the Kamchatka Peninsula and soon ran into Genghis Khan sneaking through Manchuria.

  “Dad, you were right, damn you. One hundred marathon battalions are coming. At least once I hope to catch you wrong about something.”

  William hit himself in the forehead. “He’s waiting until mid-summer for the easiest foraging. He over-learned his last mistake. Crap! He’s gonna bypass the fortifications. It’s a hit-and-run.”

  Liz left to warn Anchorage; Billy flew farthest, to San Francisco, for the locals who recently disbanded; and William looked for his students, who hopefully were back from Alberta. Each battalion of two-wanders spread out on every hilltop to track the enemy. The division that guarded each fort split up to utilize the Baron’s bunkers, then began hunting and fishing in case they were besieged.

  The Great Immortal arrived at the Strait a week before his marathoners to hear what his spy network reported. He liked everything he heard: that the Baron was far away, vacationing with his wife, the fifty thousand students were off in Alberta, the Baron dismissed his veterans, and the only force between him and San Francisco were American Jack’s defensive lines.

  Genghis apparently learned the value of speed because he arrived before either father or son, leaving Liz to organize defenses. Privately she was thrilled when Anchorage’s 10th Division chose her as their leader. Then the responsibility for so many lives chilled her. Later she realized they elected her for morale purposes because they had been defending this town for centuries. They didn’t need to be told what to do -- her mere presence told them help was on the way.

  Genghis hoped to sack San Francisco, but dropped that hope when he couldn’t find his supply fleet or the hidden depots. He kept to the coast and flew around the lines of fortifications, who nevertheless bombed him every night. William warned them not to fight in daylight, so they stuck with hit-and-run night attacks, sometimes using the Khan’s own bombs. Genghis countered by flying at night and taking short naps in the day. The farther they flew, the less food they needed, and the likelier they’d survive.

  Genghis had every reason to believe he caught the Baron by surprise. Scouts couldn’t find anything unusual. He couldn’t find the bombs they spent a year burying along the coast, so the Khan secured the Anchorage munitions depots while his armada rained down fireballs on the rest of the city. His reserves patrolled in a wide perimeter to avoid being surprised.

  While the quads who could fly the farthest joined the 1st Division, those who could fly the highest got the 10th. They broke into companies to hide in bunkers to bomb the Mongols constantly.

  In fact, the only thing that surprised Genghis was the team he sent for the bombs themselves got bombed, in a huge explosion that cooked a few thousand marathoners. Locals poured out of bunkers to kill anything near the ground, before retreating when overhead patrols started targeting them.

  This led to a stalemate since the Americans couldn’t challenge the Mongol marathoners in the air, yet the Mongols didn’t have the bombs to force their way into the bunkers. And using precious marathoners against two-wanders in tunnels was a waste of talent, so Genghis called it a victory and left while he could.

  When the Mongols landed for lunch, the 9th Division used cloud cover to drop on them from high altitude. The Mongol rapid-reaction division eventually chased them down as they fled to the south. The volunteers suffered more casualties than they caused, but they unknowingly cost the armada precious energy.

  William had no idea if his wife lived or died. He cursed himself for letting the visiting troops return home after the party. He couldn’t reach the Mongols before they attacked Anchorage, so he waited for them to come north while coordinating an attack with Jack’s 7th and 8th Divisions.

  His students couldn’t beat experienced formation fliers in daylight, so he hid them a thousand clicks from Anchorage. His well rested students dropped fifty thousand bombs on the exhausted marathoners while they slept. While four divisions fought at high altitude, William led the division with the lowest ceiling around to attack at tree-top level from the south. With most Mongol fighting high above, William faced the sick, injured, and those attending them. The bombs killed several thousand and injured twice as many more; now William killed the injured and an equal number helping them until sentries warned William that Mongols above were dropping on them.

  The students left to rest, eat, and pack more bombs. The 8th Division bombed as soon as the Mongols laid down again, and the 7th struck an hour after the 8th left. William had this students attack a few hours later near ground level from four directions -- at maximum speed, they fireballed everyone on the ground, then disappeared in the dark. As the students flew north, the 8th returned to wake the enemy up with another bombing run two hours before dawn.

  Billy arrived alone in the morning to harass the enemy. At noon, the Mongols caught up with the students, who had been napping. Armed with food kits and water sacks, William used his students as bait to lure Genghis away from the Strait. It’s why he insisted they continue wearing student uniforms. The trick was letting the enemy get close, but not too close. Genghis, suspecting the well-rested students may have greater endurance that day than his tired marathoners, broke off just after dark. William sent Billy to track them while his students bunked at the sixth fort. After the 6th Division bombed from high altitude, Billy wounded those helping the injured. He then got the 5th Division to bomb them before midnight. The 6th returned a few hours later.

  The students slept several hours before launching their pre-dawn attack. One division dropped bombs to force the sleepy Mongols into the air. Then the other forty thousand flew through a ravine to surprise the ene
my with blades.

  Genghis chased the students northward, where William knew Billy gathered Jack’s ten divisions.

  That’s when Liz, leading the veterans from San Francisco, overtook the Mongols. William, Liz, and Billy sandwiched the enemy. Genghis signaled retreat, but could not execute it before the Americans engulfed his marathoners with several times as many troops.

  The joy of seeing each other alive gave William, Liz, and Billy new reserves as they led their teams to victory. At one point, William saw his wife decapitate a battalion commander and yell out to him, “Best! Vacation! Ever!” Left rock hard, William had to find release in battle.

  All four forces had flown a lot already, so the battle made up in intensity what it lacked in length. The fight didn’t end so much as pause for ever longer periods. Billy, with his enviable ten year old batteries, continued hunting them through the night.

  Numbers now mattered. The fliers from the fortifications finally proved useful as something other than support, communications, and target bait. One hundred thousand quads and ten thousand two-wanders finally got the fight they took this job for. Having more eyes in the air was instrumental in finding the enemy hiding on the ground. Genghis and a few thousand marathoners escaped, but had little to show for their trip.

  “Genghis may have infinite quads,” William concluded with satisfaction, “but he will soon miss those marathoners.”