The Wizard's Tower 02

by Peter Last

  “It’s nice to hear that,” Josiah said sarcastically. “No one in the entire army can do this job, a fact which I seriously doubt, so I can’t do anything without you babysitting me. It’s nice to know that you care so much. Besides, I already said I’m not in any more danger at the back of the army than I am at the front with you.”

  “Come on, Josiah, don’t be like that,” Cirro said. “You’re my friend, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. But the army also needs you, and in my opinion that is far more important than any personal relationship. And concerning your safety, you might be just as safe from Molkekk’s soldiers no matter where you are in the army, but they are not your only enemies. Why do you think the late General didn’t associate more with his men? Why do you think he was always surrounded by his guards? He was too much like you to allow himself into that situation unless it was necessary. No, if he wasn’t afraid that others would harm him because of his position of authority, he would not have had the guards; however, he did have that to consider, and so do you.”

  “I know all that, Cirro, but I simply won’t believe any of my men would harm me until I have evidence to the contrary. Until that point, you can still offer me your protection, but please, don’t do any more than that.”

  “I will do as you command, General,” Cirro said in a tone that shouted his displeasure. “I will say one last time, however, that you take too many chances for a person of your intelligence.”

  “Logged and noted,” Josiah said and started off, leaving Cirro to catch up with him.

  The army marched west across the bottom of Belvárd, following the Vänern River toward the gap between the Rebel and Vankor Mountains. The plains allowed them to see a great distance on every side. On the right hand was the county of Belvárd with its many farms starting at the Pelé River and spreading away from it as they followed branching creeks and canals. The county was sparsely populated compared to the other two in Magessa, though three large cities around the river made this fact less than obvious. In the interior of the county, however, there could be up to several miles of distance between houses. Besides allowing for larger farms, the large distances between the dwellings also allowed for an incredibly diverse population of the races rarely seen in Magessa. Orcs, elves, both mountain and forest ogres, and even a few dwarves all could be found with relatively little trouble. Many of them had settled in the county to lead a life of farming and only associated with other people when they sold their produce or bought supplies. There were also a small minority that had chosen to settle in the cities.

  The intermingling of races had even given way to intermarrying between them, a practice that the humans of Gatlon and Rampӧn found detestable. Still, the practice continued despite the opposition from the rest of the country, and now half-breeds formed a sizable portion of the county’s citizens. These mongrels, as humans tended to call them, were often indistinguishable from the other races, but they were looked down on and often discriminated against. As a result, many of them had retreated to farms where they did not have much interaction with anyone.

  Josiah had entertained ideas of help from the army of Belvärd; however, Cirro had crushed these hopes with his superior knowledge of the social and military trends of the region. Several dragon outposts had been established in the county, and as a result many of the dragon riders settled there. The fact that the county could only be entered from the two adjacent counties gave the people of Belvärd a measure of security; therefore, they did not keep a standing army, but instead relied on the dragon riders to deal with any military problems that might arise. Only a few generations ago, many of the people knew how to handle a blade and were able to form an army if necessary; however, the current generation had seen this practice as unnecessary and discontinued it.

  With these thoughts in mind, Josiah decided how he was going to best fortify his chosen position, the gap between the two mountain ranges at the bottom of Rampӧn. The dragons that the messengers would come across would help greatly, but they would not be able to hold off the entire might of Molkekk’s army. He would have to send messengers throughout Rampӧn and request all available soldiers, hoping they would arrive in time. The county of Rampӧn probably had a standing army of thirty or forty thousand, but they would be scattered over a large area. And even after they were contacted, they would still have to travel to the bottom of the county. All told, they would probably only have a few hundred additional soldiers in two days, maybe ten thousand in five days, and twenty thousand in a week, if they survived that long. Molkekk’s army would be stalled at the Péle River, but that could only last so long. If they also took time to pillage Belvárd, it might give Josiah’s army enough time to build up a sizable force, but that was just a guess. The army might stick to the bottom of the country and move straight across to attack.

  “We have to offer them something that they can’t refuse,” Cirro said from beside Josiah, jerking him from his thoughts.

  “What do you mean?” Josiah asked as he shook his head. He didn’t understand how Cirro could have read his thoughts.

  “I was just thinking that we really won’t have any better of a chance of holding off the enemy at the mountains than we did at the river,” Cirro explained. “We can send for help, but who knows how long it will take to arrive. What we need to do is flaunt something in front of the enemy army, something they can’t help but chase after. If we can keep them following it for long enough, it should give us time to fortify our position and receive reinforcements.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Josiah asked. “Molkekk’s troops seem to be hell bent on the fall of Magessa and nothing else.”

  “Molkekk may be bent on our nation’s fall,” Cirro said as he stepped over a rut in the ground, “but his troops are still mortal. They’ll have their best interests in mind over the interests of their master. If we collect enough articles of value and put them in the army’s path, the soldiers’ first thoughts will be to collect them. If we’re lucky, they may even fight over them and decrease the army we have to face.”

  “So we use the oldest trick in the book and play to their greed,” Josiah said skeptically. “But what do we have that could possibly lure them away from their task? We’re poorly equipped as it is and have nothing we can spare.”

  The dilemma seemed to stump Cirro, and he was silent for some time as he thought. Josiah was thankful for the silence and turned his mind back to figuring out how to fortify his position, but for some reason his thoughts kept drifting back to Cirro’s idea. After all, why wouldn’t it work? All they needed was something that the enemy soldiers would want, and then their selfish nature would take over.

  It’s interesting, Josiah thought, how often people are deflected from their paths by something they think they want. All too often, though, it is only after they waste many years to catch that thing that they realize they were only chasing shadows. It is such a depressing commentary on our nature.

  Josiah again forced his thoughts to how he was going to position his men between the mountains at the bottom of Rampӧn. The Vänern River would protect their right side, but it would also be a disadvantage to them. If the enemy crossed to the other side, Josiah would have to split his already slim force to cover both sides. If only he could get more men, but there again was the original problem, he needed more time. And the only feasible way to make more time would be to harry the enemy with strike attacks, but for that he would need more men, men he didn’t have.

  “Why are you chasing shadows in your mind, Josiah?”

  Josiah looked up and saw the same man that he had seen on the plains outside of Magessa when he had been chasing the dwarves and more recently when he and the army were resting near Dublack. This time the man wore a full set of silver plate-armor though it didn’t seem to hamper his movement at all. A shield was slung across his back, and a large two handed sword hung in a sheath behind it, the handle sticking up over his right shoulder. A heavy bow was also under his shield and stuck out
over his left shoulder. He carried a helmet under his arm, leaving his face uncovered. Again Josiah was struck by the love that he saw in the stranger’s face.

  The sound of a sword sliding from its sheath drew Josiah’s attention to Cirro who had drawn his weapon with the intention of pointing it at the stranger. His sword never made it fully out of the scabbard, however, for when he looked at the stranger, what he saw stopped him cold.

  “Put your sword away, Cirro,” the man said and put a hand on Cirro’s shoulder. “There is a time for that, but it is not here when you are among friends.” After a moment’s hesitation, Cirro slid his sword back into its sheath and let go of the hilt. The man left his hand on Cirro’s shoulder for a moment before removing it and turning his attention back to Josiah.

  “I see that you have convinced both the elves and the ogres to help you,” the man said as he scanned the army.

  “Yes, I did exactly what you said, and still we failed to defeat the enemy,” Josiah said hotly. “Why? Did I somehow fail to do something that I was supposed to do? What went wrong?”

  “Nothing went wrong,” the man said, unfazed by Josiah’s outburst. “You did exactly as I told you to do, and you accomplished what I said you would. I never said you would defeat the enemy, I simply said you would survive, and you did, didn’t you? I tell you the truth, you would be dead at this moment if you had failed to follow my instructions.”

  “And what good is being alive when I am powerless to stop the army currently overrunning my country?” Josiah asked. “Answer me that.”

  “Where there is life, there is hope,” the man answered. “If you are alive, you have a chance of stopping the enemy; you have no chance of that if you are dead.”

  “And will I be able to defeat them? I thought that you said they have even more men than they did the last time they attacked Magessa.”

  “I did say that, and you have fewer men than you did last time, but these facts do not diminish the power of Elohim. He is still able to deliver you.”

  “Well then, what shall I do?” Josiah asked in a somewhat more respectful voice. “Should I make a stand at the pass between the Vankor and Rebel mountains?”

  “Yes, you need to do that, but you will be driven from your position there,” the man answered.

  “What’s the point of fighting there then?”

  “There are many battles in a war, yet only the last one matters,” the man said. “Win the last battle, defeat the enemy, and you win the war. You may not win the next time you encounter the enemy nor the time after that, but if you trust in Elohim, He will not fail you.”

  “Listen to the man,” Cirro interjected. “You have told me many times before that the reason we fight is not because we know we will win, but because we know our cause is right. You cannot back down just because you fear that you may lose.”

  “What’s up with him?” Josiah asked and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at Cirro. “I thought when I was having a vision they couldn’t see me.”

  “You are not having a vision,” the man said with a smile. “You are not there, I am here.”

  “Right. Does that mean you aren’t leaving this time?” Josiah asked.

  “I am afraid not,” the man said. “I will leave shortly, but remember, I am with you even if you don’t see me. I will lead you, so don’t stray, chasing after shadows; leave that to your enemy.” The man smiled and began to fade. Within seconds he was completely gone.

  Josiah and Cirro stood staring at the space where the man had been standing only moments ago as the army continued to march past them. Neither found what they had just witnessed to be unbelievable, but still they were a bit stunned. They stood in that way for several moments, half expecting the man to reappear, but he didn’t.

  “Chasing after shadows!” Josiah exclaimed suddenly. “That’s what he meant. All that we need to do is find several pack animals and form them into a caravan. A few men can drive it toward the enemy army, and when they come within sight scatter a few articles of gold on the ground and drive the caravan away. By the time the enemy catches the caravan and finds out there’s nothing in it, they will hopefully be some distance from here.”

  “I thought you didn’t like my plan,” Cirro said with a small laugh. “That would work though. As long as we can find enough to entice them with, we should be able to stall them.”

  “And your job is to find those types of items,” Josiah said. “Once you have them, assemble the caravan and set it out so that the enemy will see it.” Cirro didn’t move immediately, and Josiah added, “You may start now.”

  “Josiah, I thought we already had this discussion,” Cirro reprimanded.

  “Don’t worry about me, Cirro,” Josiah reassured his friend. “I need to talk to the General of the elves’ army, and I’ll stay with him until you finish your task. Surely he has enough guards to satisfy even you.”

  “I don’t know.” Cirro’s expression changed to a smile and he chuckled. “He only has thirty men in his personal bodyguard. Maybe you should get him to take on a few more.” Josiah glared at Cirro who just laughed and said, “Make sure you stay with him.”

  “What, you’re going to trust me to walk myself all the way to where he is?” Josiah asked in mock surprise.

  “Perhaps it isn’t the best idea, but time is of the essence,” Cirro said.

  Feeling just a bit juvenile, Josiah stuck his tongue out at Cirro. Cirro just laughed and jogged away toward the front of the army where the supply wagons were. Josiah turned and started toward the rear of the army where the elves were positioned. As he approached, he was struck by the odd look of the elfin ranks. Many different uniforms were present, each indicating a separate region of the elves’ forest. Two insignia were the most common among the soldiers, one of them being from the king’s army of Dublack and the other that of the army from across the mountains. They were not in two large groups but were instead dispersed among the other elves. The stories that Josiah had heard about the elves had made him believe that they were stern beings who were always in order; however, they were anything but this description. The elfin army was not in any ranks but moved as a group of mingling soldiers who laughed and joked among themselves. Near the back of their ranks were three or four lines of soldiers and among these Josiah spotted their General and headed toward him. He was stopped by three guards and asked his business. Quickly he gave his position in the human army, and he was let past with no further delay. The General heard him coming and turned to face him. He was tall even for an elf, and his build was massive. His hair was bound in a tight ponytail which hung down his back. He appeared to be about twenty, but Josiah knew that elves showed their age less than humans and placed this one’s age at about forty-five. He wore a full suit of leather armor as most of the elves did and carried a bow and sword. His helmet was not on his head, allowing Josiah to see his eyes, and he immediately liked what was before him.

  “Good morning, General,” the elf said before Josiah had time to speak. “That is, if you can find anything good about it.”

  “By the grace of Elohim, we are alive,” Josiah said. “Surely that’s cause for rejoicing.”

  “Well spoken,” the General said and offered his hand to Josiah. “I saw you in Lêf but was not able to introduce myself. My name is Nathan Valosh.”

  “I am Josiah Pondran,” Josiah said as he shook the elf's hand.

  “I do remember the name, though I do not recall you being a General when you were in Dublack,” Nathan commented.

  “That's because I wasn’t at the time,” Josiah explained. “I was a simple Commander then. The General of our army was killed in the battle at the Accri Forest, and I was promoted to fill his spot.”

  “Well in that case, congratulations on the promotion, though I am sorry to hear about your leader,” Nathan said. “Now, what is it that you came to see me about?”

  “My men are working to create a diversion to slow the enemy down, but they may need help,” Josiah explained. “
I was wondering if you had any magicians among your men who could create an illusion.”

  “I have a few,” Nathan answered. “Exactly what kind of illusion do you have in mind?”

  “I know very little about magic, so I don’t know how hard this will be, but I need, if possible, for them to make our army appear larger than it is so that the enemy will be less likely to follow us.”

  “That would be very difficult,” Nathan answered slowly. “Creating such an illusion would take a lot of power, and I don’t believe I have enough men to do it.” Josiah’s countenance dropped, and the elf hurried on. “There is one thing I can do, however. I believe I have enough magicians to implant images into the minds of the foremost soldiers in their army. That would start the wave of fear which would ideally flow back through the ranks. It might accomplish the same things as an illusion would.”

  “Well, if you think it will work, I would appreciate it if you would have your men do that.”

  “Think nothing of it,” Nathan said amiably. “After all, it’s helping me just as much as it’s helping you.”

  “Oh, and one other thing. My body guard is very picky about my safety, and since I sent him to do a task for me, he told me I would have to stay with you until he finished.”

  “You’re always welcome to join me,” Nathan said. “It’ll be nice for a change to have someone around who isn’t so respectful that they won’t even carry on a conversation with me.”

  “It’s lonely at the top,” Josiah quipped.

  “Actually, it is,” Nathan answered. “As soon as you can, you should renounce your Generalship and go back to being a commander. Commanders have all the good times.”

  Five

  Senndra opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling from where she lay on the couch. She had a crick in her neck from where her head had been propped up on the armrest all night, but otherwise she felt refreshed. Slowly she sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking around the room at the same time. The place was deserted, and Senndra didn’t feel like getting up yet, so she lay back down and closed her eyes.