by Tom Burton
Daniel then smiles.
“It’s the Treno-Ban…. It worked.”
Daniel then paces back and forth along the edge of the cliff, waving his arms excitedly, attempting to signal the ships while gesturing to the sandy beach below them. Eventually, the ships slowly turn toward them. Daniel then turns to Aaron and Jaylen.
“Let’s go meet our new allies,” Daniel suggests.
He walks toward the top of the staircase carved into the cliff and begins to head down to the beach. Aaron and Jaylen follow quickly behind him.
As the three men take the long venture down to the bottom of the cliff, the ship anchors around half a mile out of the shore, and they make the rest of the way by rowboat, as it draws closer to the sandy shores. Daniel sees Laura excitedly jump off the boat, her feet sinking into the sand. She sprints toward Daniel with a huge smile on her face. Daniel jogs toward her, and the two wrap each other’s arms and hold each other close.
“I’ve missed you,” Daniel whispers.
“I’ve missed you too,” Laura replies.
As the two let go, they smile at each other lovingly. Jaylen then sees Kamara gradually descend from the boat. She reaches the beach and walks toward Jaylen.
“I’m glad to see you in one piece,” Jaylen says.
“I wouldn’t be standing here without her,” Kamara answers, pointing to Laura.
Laura shouts to them. Jaylen looks at Kamara sheepishly.
“I’ve made a few mistakes over the last few days. My head wasn’t on straight. I should never have stopped you from doing what you wish, and I’m sorry.”
Kamara merely smiles and hugs Jaylen. Jaylen breathes a sigh of relief as he returns the embrace.
As the other ships anchor, the Treno-Ban soon start to depart the rowboats that made their way to the shore. Reaching the shore, they walk toward the greeting party. Laura looks back at the rowboat to see Queen Athora walking toward her, coming up the sandy beach. As the queen approaches them, Laura stands between the two the party of Neroman and the surviving Treno-Ban.
“Everyone,” she says, “this is Athora, Queen of the Treno-Ban. Athora,” she says, turning to the queen, “this is Daniel Rane, Jaylen Vance, and Aaron Silver.”
All of the parties—the welcoming crew and the queen—shake hands graciously.
“Welcome back to Neroman,” Daniel says to Queen Athora.
“It’s good to be back,” Athora tells them all. “Laura has informed me of the troubles you are facing. And we would be honored to fight alongside you against a common enemy.
“I have brought warriors to help with the fight ahead. Also, food and water to help those who need it.”
The queen points to wooden boxes several of the Treno-Ban are carrying up the beach. Aaron, Daniel, and Jaylen are relieved to see the much-needed food and water.
“Let’s head back to camp, everyone can introduce themselves,” Aaron suggests. They soon start heading up the stone staircase, making their way back to the royal forest.
Back at the camp, the barrels of ale are now completely empty. Several of the men and women are passed out. Those who are still awake slowly hear footsteps deep within the forest. They stand expectantly. Slowly, more and more of the humans stand and wait. Eventually, Jaylen and Daniel emerge from the trees—and behind them, a small army of people.
“The Treno-Ban are here!” one of the men shouts.
The sound of rousing applause soon fills the campsite. Aaron, Jaylen, and Daniel walk happily across the camp, as the men and women of Neroman welcome the Treno-Ban. After a few moments, George comes out of the crowd and approaches the new arrivals.
Aaron takes care of the introduction: “George, this is Athora, Queen of the Treno-Ban.”
George smiles as the two shakes hands.
“A pleasure to meet…such an impressive woman.”
George’s admiration does not go unnoticed by Athora, who simply laughs it off. Jaylen then approaches the group.
“Now that we are all together, we should waste no time in developing our strategies for the battle to come.”
As the others nod in agreement, Aaron replies, “Let’s head to your tent, Jaylen. From there we can discuss our plans.”
He accompanies George, Daniel, Laura, Queen Athora, and Jaylen to Jaylen’s tent, as the rest of the Treno-Ban join the Neroman citizens in camp.
Aaron, Jaylen, George, Daniel, Laura, and Queen Athora walk into Jaylen’s large tent. They sit in a circle around the table with the map of Neroman. A set of candles gently burn in the background, shining light onto the map in the middle of the tent.
“Have we heard from any of the scouts?” Daniel asks Jaylen.
“Not a word,” Jaylen replies. “Which means they cannot be far away.”
“Okay,” Aaron puts in.”Let’s assume their attack comes this time tomorrow. What strategy would give us our best chance to defeat them?”
A few moments of silence follow Aaron’s question.
“We need the element of surprise on our side,” Jaylen suggests.
“How so?” Queen Athora asks.
“Ride out and meet them,” Jaylen proposes. “Before they arrive at the royal forest. We fight them on their doorstep, take them on in a great open field, which would be our best chance.”
George shakes his head at this.
“The orcs would only swamp us. We can implement our forest strategy. We were against the odds then, and it worked.”
He looks across to Jaylen at the opposite side of the table.
“And what was that strategy, exactly?” Jaylen asks curtly.
George stares back at Jaylen, unimpressed by his tone.
“We set archers and some swordsmen up in the trees, then guided the orcs into the forest and shot arrows down from above. As the swordsmen dropped to the floor and fought the orcs hand to hand, they began to panic. Assuming it works here, we sweep in with the rest of our military, forcing their ranks to retreat.”
Aaron defends George. “It does work, Jaylen,” he says.
But Aaron’s defense only frustrates Jaylen.
“They retreated—you think they will do that again with Mutaro by their side?” he asks, slowly raising his voice. “It may work against a few thousand of them. But there are ten times that amount coming straight at us. Taking the fight to them is the only way!”
George stands up. He starts walking around the table, toward Jaylen.
“You don’t decide what happens here,” George tells him.
Aaron looks at George with a worried expression on his face.
“Don’t——” Aaron warns.
But George ignores the warning. He continues walking toward Jaylen.
“And what do you know of warfare?” Jaylen asks, standing up to confront George.
“I may not know as much about war, but I know people, and I would do more for them than you ever will.” George mocks.
“Did you tell yourself that when we killed your precious soldiers at Meldom?” Jaylen asks.
George recoils. He takes a moment to consider what Jaylen has told him; then, he looks over to Aaron.
“Killed—?” George asks.
“I’m sorry….It was the only way to get out of Meldom,” Aaron softly explains.
George then turns and scowls at Jaylen.
“Hardly soldiers, George,” Jaylen says, remaining unfazed. “Easy pickings, really.”
George yells then charges toward him. He wrestles Jaylen to the ground, wrapping his arms around him. As the two wrestle on the tent floor, Aaron and Daniel try to split the two up. George shrugs Daniel off him and then pushes Jaylen through the door of the tent.
Aaron, George, Daniel, Laura, and Queen Athora charge out of tent, but the fight continues in the camp. As George and Jaylen wrestle, the men and women around the camp ap
proach the area near Jaylen’s tent to see what’s happening. George then pushes Jaylen into a crowd of onlookers.
“The scum killed our men—” George shouts “—return the favor!”
One of the men from George’s contingent then grabs Jaylen’s shoulder, but Jaylen turns and punches the man in the jaw. The air of resentment and aggression spreads throughout the camp. Soon, some of the men and women of the West start brawling with the contingent from the Crown Lands. Punching and tossing pieces of gear and equipment around the camp, several men also retrieve weapons from their tents.
“Everyone, stop!” Aaron shouts.
But, his words fall on deaf ears.
As the fight continues to escalate, Aaron turns to Daniel and unsheathes his sword. Then he swings the sword against a shield leaning on one of the poles of Jaylen’s tent. A loud thump echoes throughout the campsite. The brawling men and women suddenly stop fighting, and look over to Aaron.
“Look at this!” Aaron shouts. “Look around you! We cannot fight each other now, near the end of our rope.”
He takes a step forward, toward the quiet crowd; Jaylen and George also slowly get back on their feet.
“In the last few days, hundreds of thousands of men and women gave their lives so we can be here today. And I will not stand by and insult their memory by wasting their sacrifices.”
The men and women drop their blunt weapons and help some of their fellow campmates up off the ground. Aaron looks back to see Daniel and Laura nodding.
Aaron then turns back to Jaylen and George.
“Back into the tent…now,” he instructs.
Aaron, Jaylen, George, Daniel, Laura, and Queen Athora all walk back into Jaylen’s tent. They sit around the table once again as the candles continues to burn gently in the background. Aaron then points to the map, gesturing that he will be the first to speak.
“After some thought, I suggest we mix the ideas together. Jaylen is right, we need to move forward and use the element of surprise. But the forest strategy also offers that, so if we find a forest big enough to draw them in, then we might have a chance.”
Aaron’s plan draws nods from everyone else sitting around the table—including from George and Jaylen.
“Okay,” Aaron resumes, “so where do we set up?”
George then points to the map.
“There is forest, a couple of miles north of Dellmoor, called the Lion’s Cloud. There’s an open field on the northern side that the orc army will need to cross. But because of their numbers, it will take them longer to go around it, so they will go through it giving us that chance.”
“Is the forest big enough to draw the orcs in, given their numbers?” Queen Athora asks.
“It is….We don’t need to draw them all in, just a large number of them,” George explains.
The tent falls silent for a few moments.
“It could be our last stand,” Laura says somberly.
Everyone in the tent takes in what Laura has said, but Aaron looks over to her.
“Maybe not,” he suggests.
Laura smiles at Aaron’s hopeful comment.
“We will need to learn this forest strategy, if we are to fight them properly,” Daniel observes.
“I will get everyone on it right away,” George replies.
“Then that concludes our gathering; we’ll start right away,” Jaylen says.
The group then walks out of the large tent. Daniel, however, lingers, which Aaron notes.
“You really think this won’t be the end?” Daniel asks him.
Aaron notices Daniel’s negative tone.
“I have hope—something greatly needed in the darkest of times,” Aaron tells him.
Daniel smiles, nods, and walks out of the tent.
Aaron’s smile soon fades; he sighs while he returns to looking at the map of Neroman. Eventually, he starts to walk out of the tent. But before he is out the door, he hears a strange crackling behind him—like sparks of electricity fizzling in hot air. He turns around to find Azdus and Goras materializing inside the tent. When they have completely transported themselves there, Aaron sees that they are seriously wounded.
“Azdus, Goras!” Aaron shouts.
He darts toward the two wizards and examines their wounds. Although their skin has not been pierced through, burn marks slash across their attire and their bodies.
“What happened?”
Still catching his breath from whatever battle the wizards have just fought, Azdus answers, “We tried to fight him off, but he has become too powerful....We had to get away before he could finish us off.”
“So—you’ve come to help us?” Aaron asks.
“The humans helped us in our time of need,” Goras tells him. “We couldn’t leave you to defend yourselves against our brother.”
“But how can we defeat him if you two could not?”
The two wizards then look up to Aaron.
“We saw your speech—you managed to inspire two peoples in the same place to fight a common cause,” Azdus says. “You have united humanity in its last stand. And that scares Mutaro, more than we ever could—and that’s why it needs to be the three of us.”
Aaron takes in what Azdus just said. He feels his hands getting cold at the thought of humanity facing its last stand.
Finally, he sighs.
“All right, so we have a plan for taking on the orc army. What’s our plan for Mutaro?” he asks.
“The strength of Mutaro is his mage power,” Goras explains. “Without it, we cannot defeat him. Was there anything at Redlock you saw when you were in the throne room?”
Aaron eyes flicker as he retraces his steps at Redlock.
“There was something! I caught a glimpse of a glass container in another room…red liquid was floating in the container.”
Azdus and Goras look at each other simultaneously, as if something has just dawned on them.
“Of course!” Azdus says. “Mutaro could never hold that much power within himself….”
“So he stores his power in a different location and calls upon it when needed,” Goras says.
“And if we work out how to disable the power source,” Aaron says, reading the wizards’ thoughts, “it could cripple Mutaro. So someone has to go to Redlock and destroy it…but who?”
“I will go,” Goras responds immediately.
“Are you sure?” Azdus asks.
The two now look at each other.
“If you stay and keep Mutaro occupied as the war begins, then that gives more time for me and the humans,” Goras answer.
Azdus nods.
“You will need backup—there may be orcs guarding the place,” Azdus says.
“Let me gather some people,” Aaron offers, “we can sort that out for you.”
With that, he steps outside the tent. “Daniel! Queen Athora!” he shouts.
The two quickly look over at Aaron from somewhere nearby where they are training their own groups. Aaron waves them over to him.
Daniel and Queen Athora walk toward Aaron uncertainly. Aaron stands by the door to the tent as the two enter it. As they enter, they see Azdus and Goras on the other side of the tent.
Daniel smiles in relief at them.
“Welcome back,” Daniel says.
The two wizards smile and give him an encouraging nod. Then they turn to Queen Athora.
“A Treno-Ban!” Goras whispers.
“Unless my memory deceives me,” Azdus says candidly, “the last time the Treno-Ban were in league with a wizard, it was with Mutaro.”
Daniel steps forward.
“The Treno-Ban have sworn to fight for humanity, and we need them, given that there are not many of us left.”
Queen Athora nods gratefully, noting that Daniel defended her people.
Azdus
and Goras’s frustrations soon dissipate. Aaron then walks into the tent.
“I’ve been discussing our plan with Azdus and Goras,” Aaron tells Queen Athora and Daniel. “Goras has volunteered to go to Redlock. We believe we can cripple Mutaro’s power from there. But he is going to need some help.”
Queen Athora nods. “I can spare a few members of the Treno-Ban, but is there some way they can get to Redlock before the orc army attacks us?”
“We saved a few horses during the fall of Dellmoor; you’ll can ride on them to hasten your journey,” Daniel suggests.
At that moment, the group hears horses coming back into the camp. Daniel rushes out of the tent to see two scouts coming toward him.
“Daniel!” one of the riders shouts over to him.
Aaron and Queen Athora step curiously out of the tent to observe the riders.
“What news?” Daniel asks.
“Mutaro and the orcs were at Redlock—we last saw them marching south, toward us. If they move quickly enough, they will be here by tomorrow.”
Daniel takes a deep breath then looks back to Aaron.
“I will start to gather some of my women,” Queen Athora tells them. She quickly marches away.
Aaron returns to the tent to talk to Azdus and Goras.
“They will be here by sunrise. If you are going, now is the time,” Aaron tells them.
After a while, horses are gathered near the edge of the royal forest. Aaron, Daniel, Azdus, and Goras manage the horses, and Goras mounts one. They turn back to the camp to see Queen Athora and several women of the Treno-Ban approaching. They quickly mount the horses as well.
Daniel is surprised.
“My lady,” he says to Queen Athora, “what are you doing?”
“You look after your people here, I will look after my people in the North,” Queen Athora replies.
Daniel nods. He offers his hand to Queen Athora, which she accepts willingly.
At the front of the group, Goras and Azdus shake hands as well.
“Safe travels, little brother,” Azdus tells Goras.
Goras merely smiles back.
Queen Athora then turns to Goras. “Forgive me,” the queen of the Treno-Ban asks, “but how do you plan to get to the other side of the country by tomorrow morning?”