by Peter Last
“It’s also easier to face adversity when you know that He has your back, so to speak,” Senndra commented.
“That is also true,” Timothy said. “But then again, we never know if my theory is true or not. Perhaps the purpose of the attack was to bring the military back to Elohim, and they will, in turn, take their belief in Him back to the rest of the country. And then again, maybe the purpose of the attack has nothing to do with that at all. Often times it is very difficult to determine such things.”
“So the only choice that we have is to do our duty and hope that Elohim will fight for us,” Senndra said.
“No, when we obey Elohim, we know that He will fight for us,” Timothy said. “Of course, as we said, His plan may involve the defeat of this city; however, you never know what the plan of Elohim is, so never give up without a fight. Now, let’s get back to this plan to save the city.”
******
Josiah trudged through the mud at the head of his soldiers and again wished for his horse. The soldiers were marching obediently after him, but he knew that they were feeling weary and depressed just like he was. Their ranks had been complemented by soldiers from Feling, but not as much as had been hoped. They had also been joined by the majority of the civilians from the city, and Josiah knew that they would be a liability in a battle. Even so, he knew that accompanying them was the only decent thing to do, so he kept his mouth shut and marched. Several hours after leaving Feling, a halt was called, and Josiah took the opportunity to sit down. His men followed suit, and soon all of the soldiers were resting in various positions. Josiah looked up to see a messenger approaching, and he stood to his feet. The messenger gave a salute, and Josiah returned it.
“The General has ordered a rest of one hour, sir,” the messenger said. “You are to have your men ready to go in forty-five minutes.”
Josiah acknowledged the statement with a nod, and the messenger saluted again and left. For forty-five minutes the army rested; there was not much movement since the soldiers were tired and the civilians were frightened. The few animals with the army were also relatively still, as if sensing the mood of the group. Finally the soldiers climbed wearily to their feet and they were off again, marching over the ground that excessive rain had turned into a bog. They marched for hours, the monotony broken only occasionally by the breakdown of equipment or some other problem. They took one more forty-five minute rest that day and after that marched until dusk.
When the sun began to set, they stopped and pitched camp in the mud. The next day they struck camp before the sun rose and were off again. The rain had finally stopped, and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds that had been hiding it. The weather was warmer now, and the mood of the company was much brighter, but the ground was still muddy, making their pace rather slow. Even with this impediment of their progress, the borders of a forest could be seen to the south by the third night. They pitched camp when the sun set and were up again before dawn. Tired out from their long march, they plodded the last miles to the forest.
Two
The trees on the edge of the forest were the shortest, and even these stretched more than forty feet tall. The noises issuing from between them were just as would be expected from any forest, which was somehow not what Josiah had been anticipating. The elves’ forest should have a mystical and foreboding feeling about it, he thought, but instead there were the natural sounds of birds and animals. Occasionally these beasts could be seen between the trees; they looked like perfectly normal animals running about their own business, but the men in the army knew better. Rumor had it that the elves were able to communicate with the animals and used them to patrol the borders of their forests.
Josiah wondered why a halt had been called. The Reaumur Mountains rose to the east, so there was really only two options for the army; either they could follow the edge of the forest to the southwest, or they could take the easier path directly south into Dublack. No matter what the decision was, the army needed to keep moving in order to stay ahead of the enemies that were sure to be advancing in their wake. Perhaps the decision had been made to go through the forest, Josiah considered. In that case, the General had probably sent a party of men into the forest to gain permission from the elves. It was a time-consuming, yet necessary formality. Not only was it important for the elves to know about the enemy attack, but entering their woods without permission was a dangerous thing to do. Before the people of Magessa had invaded the land, the elves had been one of the only groups to worship Elohim, and as such they were almost constantly under attack. They had set up many traps and enchantments to protect their borders, and many of these devices were still in working order.
The army stayed outside the forest for an hour or two. Josiah couldn’t really tell how long it was, nor did he care. Leave that to someone else, he decided, and promptly fell asleep, leaving orders with one of his soldiers to wake him up when the army was ready to move. His sleep was not filled with dark and stormy nightmares; in fact, he didn’t dream at all.
When he woke, he felt perfectly rested, almost as if he had not been marching for the last two days. The camp around him was strangely silent, and he began to investigate it. At first he thought that all of the soldiers and other people were asleep, but he realized this would not account for the silence of the animals. He walked to a nearby corral and saw that the animals were walking about inside, eating and opening and closing their mouths as if they were making noise, but no sound was issuing from them.
“They are making sound, you just can’t hear them,” a voice behind Josiah said. He turned. There stood a man he had only seen once before, on the plains outside of Magessa. The man’s sandy blond hair was still cropped short, and even when Josiah examined him closely, he still could not determine which race he was. Perhaps he was all of them, Josiah thought, and perhaps he was none of them. When he looked into the man’s eyes, he still saw the indescribable love he had seen at their last meeting.
“This is a vision,” the man said. “You are seeing the camp exactly as it is, but you cannot hear them, and they cannot see you or me.” A guard paced past Josiah not two feet away but didn’t give him so much as a glance.
“Why are you here?” Josiah asked. He was slightly fearful, but more than that, he was eager, anxious to hear what the man had to say.
“I am not ‘here’ as you say,” the man said. “This is not the earth as you know it. Rather we are in the spiritual dimension and can merely see what is happening on the earth. Therefore, the question that you should be asking is ‘Why are you here?’”
“Well then, why am I here?” Josiah asked.
“The enemies of Elohim again threaten Magessa, and only you and your army stand in their way,” the man said. Anger at the fact he had just stated showed in his eyes and voice. “Their numbers are insurmountable, even more so than the last time you saw them. They have been reinforced by a large army of dwarves; that is why they stayed at Saddun for so long. But now your reprieve is gone, and they are following you with vigor.”
“We can’t hope to win if we stand against them, can we?” Josiah asked.
“That is not for you to decide,” the man answered. “You are called only to obey Elohim and leave the outcome to Him. There is, however, wisdom in strengthening your position so that you have the best chance of defeating them. You should retreat to where the Vänern and Pelé Rivers cross. If you receive help from the elves and the ogres, you may have a chance of survival.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Josiah asked. “I am not in command of the army. You should be speaking to the General. He has the authority to do what you are suggesting.”
“The General is a fair, just, and wise man, and he is a believer in Elohim,” the man said, “but his belief is more ceremonial than anything else. He does not believe enough to see me even if I chose to appear to him.”
“But couldn’t you make him believe? Couldn’t you make him see you?”
“That is not the way that I would
have it,” the man said. “There is nothing that I cannot do, but there are a few things that I will not do. Forcing someone to believe is one of those things.”
“Very well,” Josiah said. “I see that it falls to me to do this thing. What shall I do if the General does not heed my advice?”
“You are to go to the elves and ask them for their assistance,” the man responded. “From there go to the place where the Vänern and Pelé Rivers cross. You must do this under any circumstances; the fate of Magessa rests in your hands.”
“This all seems plausible when I’m standing here talking to you,” Josiah said with panic rising in his voice, “but what about when you are no longer here? How will I do what I have to do when you are gone?”
“When I am gone?” the man repeated. He began to fade from sight as he said, “I am never gone. I will be with you, even though you cannot see me.”
First the man and then the rest of the surroundings faded from sight, and Josiah found himself in complete darkness. He blinked, and light flooded his vision, blinding him momentarily. He blinked again and waited for his eyes to grow accustomed to the light. He found himself looking up at the sky and realized that he was lying down on his back. For a moment he had trouble remembering what had just happened to him. What had he been dreaming about only moments before?
It came back to him in a flash, and he pushed himself to his feet. His body ached, but he forced himself to jog toward where the General’s tent had been erected. The insignia on his uniform allowed him passage by all of the guards, until he found himself face to face with a massive man standing at the entrance of the General’s tent.
“I have urgent news for the General,” Josiah said and made sure that his rank insignia was plainly visible. The guard studied Josiah for a minute, then stepped aside from the entrance of the tent. Josiah pushed the flap aside and entered, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim interior. The General sat at a makeshift table with several other men, some of whom Josiah recognized but some of whom he did not. All of the men looked up when he entered. The General looked at him, waiting for him to speak.
Josiah remembered himself and offered a salute. When it was acknowledged, he dropped it and stood where he was, trying to think what he should say.
“If I could have a moment of your time alone, General,” he finally said in order to gain time. The General must have seen by Josiah’s face that it was important because he nodded to the men in the tent and motioned for them to leave. The men stood and filed out past Josiah, leaving him and the General alone. The General was looking at Josiah again, and Josiah again began to search for words.
“We are to enter Dublack,” he finally said. “At the command of Elohim,” he added as an afterthought.
“At the command of Elohim?” the General asked. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that a messenger from Elohim has told me that I must leave the camp and go to the elves,” Josiah said. “He said that we must send an envoy into Dublack forest to request assistance from the elves. Meanwhile, the army is to fall back to where the Pelé and Vänern Rivers cross. The messenger said that if we have the help of both the elves and the ogres, we might be able to defeat the enemy.”
“No, I cannot allow that to happen,” the General said after a moment’s hesitation. “I must keep every available man between the enemy and the rest of Magessa. We have a responsibility to protect the country.”
“We will be protecting the country,” Josiah reasoned. “If we move now, the messenger seemed to indicate that we would arrive at the Accri forest before the enemy would.”
“That’s not a chance I’m willing to take,” the General said. “There is a possibility, a good one in my mind, that the enemy will overtake us before we ever reach the ogres. I will need my army to be at full strength when that happens.”
“General, Elohim says that we won’t get stuck in that situation,” Josiah said. “If we follow His commands, He will watch over us.”
“Faith like that may be good enough for you, but I cannot stake the fate of the country on it,” the General said with a shake of his head. “Even if I dispatched messengers to the elves, the chances that they would come to our aid are minimal.”
“Why?” Josiah asked. “They came to help us the last time we were attacked.”
“True, but the politics were different back then,” the General said. “The elves have withdrawn from dealing with us humans at all, and it does not seem likely that they will see fit to help us.”
“Withdrawn from dealing with us? Why?” Josiah asked.
“Apparently you do not follow politics very much,” the General said. “Actually, not too many people know what happened. It would seem that the elves believe, and it appears rightly so, that the governing body of Gatlon is corrupt. They have also not been treated fairly of late, and this has driven the wedge further between us.”
“So it would seem that we are alone in this battle,” Josiah said. “But,” he added, “the messenger of Elohim said we need to do this thing.”
“That may be,” the General said, “but I already told you I don’t have enough faith to stake the fate of the country on the goodwill of the elves. So once again, the answer is no. I will not do what you have requested.”
“Then you leave me no choice,” Josiah sighed. “The messenger also said that I have to do what needs to be done, and I will do it alone if necessary.”
“That is deserting in time of war, a crime that is severely punished,” the General said, though his voice was not threatening.
“I know that, sir,” Josiah answered, “and still I must obey Elohim. No matter what punishments come, I must obey Elohim.”
“I wish I had faith like you,” the General said. “As it is, you have left me in a tough position. I cannot have my commanders randomly deserting the army, which is what may happen if I allow you to walk away unpunished.”
“I am sorry if I cause you any inconvenience,” Josiah said, “but I have already told you what I must do, and I will not be moved in my resolve.”
“I was afraid of that,” the General said. “I cannot afford to have a prisoner in this army, as it would slow us down and consume resources that we cannot spare. Also I cannot see putting a man such as yourself in custody. You have more than proven your bravery and worth, and I do not wish to imprison you for deserting.”
“I am sorry for the choice that you are forced to make, but it appears that you must choose between two bad things.”
“Ah, but that is where you are wrong, Commander,” the General said. “There is a third option that I have not mentioned yet. I do not like it, but it appears to be the best thing considering the circumstances.
“Commander, I hereby order you to take an envoy to the elfin capital and present our request for help to them. After that you are to rejoin the army at the Accri forest no matter what the response to your envoy may be. You are ordered to surrender command of your legion to me, and I will reassign it as I see fit. You may take anyone that you deem necessary with you for the envoy, up to ten persons. Good luck and Godspeed, Commander,” the General finished. “Heaven knows that we need you to succeed.”
“Understood, General,” Josiah said. He saluted and turned to head out of the tent but was stopped by the General’s voice.
“Send the other men back in when you go out, Josiah.”
Josiah stepped out into the sunlight and motioned for the other men to re-enter the tent. He headed across the camp to where his legion was and ordered a soldier to locate his Captains and have them meet him. Then he began to gather his gear together and stuff it into his pack. He was just finishing when the first of his Captains began to arrive. Within five minutes, the four Captains that had left Saddun alive had gathered.
“I’ll make this as brief as possible,” Josiah began. “I have received an order from the General to take a delegation into Dublack Forest and request aid from the elves. Meanwhile, he will take the rest of the army around the edge of
the forest toward the Accri Forest. After I and my delegation have presented our requests to the elves, we are to rejoin with the army at the Accri Forest. I am to surrender command of my legion at least for the course of the mission, though I don’t know if I will resume command when I return to the army.”
“I am coming with you, Commander,” Cirro said immediately.
“I am allowed to take up to ten people with me, but I don’t think that I can allow you to come,” Josiah said. “You are a Captain, and as such you have responsibilities to the army that I don’t feel comfortable relieving you of.”
“Get real, Josiah,” Cirro said. “Your legion is not much more than a company as it is. I think it will be just fine without me.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Josiah conceded with a humorless laugh. “There really aren’t enough soldiers to justify four Captains.”
“With your leave, I would also like to accompany you on your mission,” Brandon, one of Josiah’s other Captains, said.
“So be it,” Josiah said after a moment’s hesitation. “Two Captains should be more than enough for the number of men that still remain in the legion. We will be leaving as soon as the envoy is filled. Do you have any suggestions as to whom I should take?”