Soul Under the Mountain (Legend of Reason Series)

by Guyton, David J.

  "That's still terrible odds. Each of your men has at least 25 men to kill. That's a lot to ask of a soldier."

  "We're not going to kill them all. All we need to accomplish is terrifying them and killing several hundred. We want to drive them out of the city, and when they see that their defenses have been breached over here on the western side, the few remaining officers inside will opt to retreat across the plains. The officers stuck with night watch duty are probably not the best and brightest, nor are they very well-liked. They will be the runts of the litter when it comes to military matters, and when they realize that the other officers have been killed, they will run out the eastern side. The rest of the army will run behind them.

  "Now, on the east side of the city, opposite the front gate, I will have a full Legion of men waiting. When the cowards inside run to the eastern exit, they will run right into the jaws of the Medoran army. The thousand men I send in there will seal the gate after the enemy exits. We will crush them and not only retake our city, but send a message to the rest of their army out on the plains."

  Rommus nodded. "It's risky, but I get it. And when they flee to the east they will be looking into the morning sun so we will have the advantage there. I would like to add one thing though."

  "What's that?"

  "I don't want to take any prisoners, and I don't want to release any of these animals to tell the rest of their army what happened. These people came into our land and attacked us for no reason. I want them all killed, without exception."

  "Rommus I think that's a little extreme. A lot of those men are just following orders and don't understand the complexities of warfare. Besides, we need to capture some of them to question afterwards. The information they have is just far too valuable when it comes to the full scheme of the war. I cannot allow all of the men inside to be murdered in cold blood."

  "Cold blood? These men know why they are here. Yes, many are just following orders, but they know what the orders are. They know that they have been sent here to murder, and they forfeited their right to fairness the moment they stepped on Medoran soil holding a weapon. We know their plan. We don't need to interrogate men we capture. They all deserve to die."

  Tannis sighed. "Look, son, I hear your words. I even agree that most of those men know what they are doing, and from our perspective, they probably deserve to die. But war is not judgment. It is not our duty to judge those men for what they have done. War is simply the tool we are forced to use to protect our land and our freedom. When swords are raised, we must raise swords against them. But when swords are lowered, we cannot slaughter essentially innocent men."

  "How can you say that, Tannis?"

  The sound of his own name stung him. His son had never called him Tannis before. He had wondered for a long time what it would be like when Rommus finally called him by his name. When Tannis was a young man, and finally called his own father by his name, it was a sign of respectful growth. A young man who becomes his father's equal eventually earns the right to stand next to his father instead of behind him.

  But this was different. Rommus was not respectfully stepping up next to his father. He had made a statement with a single word that meant he no longer respected his father's views the way he always had. It was a slap in the face; although a somewhat gentle one.

  "Rommus, I know that you are angry at those men in Taburdum. I know that the stress of all that is happening is weighing on you. I can't even imagine what it must be like for you to have to bare the things you do. But I have been in this world much longer than you, and as a military leader I must accomplish certain goals. One of those goals is to gather all the information I can on our enemy so that it can be used against him. I cannot ask a corpse questions and expect answers. I forbid you to slay any men who have dropped their weapons after a battle."

  Rommus ran a hand through his hair and grunted in frustration. "Don't you see the flaw in that? When the enemy realizes that they won't be harmed, they will take advantage of us. They will lull us into a state lacking vigilance, and strike us all down. We must send a message to the rest of the army out there on the plains. They must know that entering this land is a death sentence."

  Tannis cracked a few knuckles as he considered what to say. "Rommus, I will weigh your words. I ask you to do the same with mine. I really want you to consider what I have said to you. But for right now, we have a job to do. This whole thing has been carefully planned and it is going to go how I say it's going to go. We can discuss the next operation after we get through this one. Is that suitable to you?"

  "I trust that you know what you're doing," Rommus said shortly.

  A soldier carrying several burlap bags full of soil walked by. "That should be it, General Tirinius. We have dug all the way up to ground level. There's only another two or three feet to dig and the tunnel will break through to the surface under the fortification. We can punch through after the sun sets. It should take no more than a half hour."

  "Very good, soldier. Where will the tunnel break the surface?"

  "It's difficult to say exactly, but somewhere west of the museum, off in the gardens there where there's no stone street to deal with overhead. Assuming they have not moved anything into that area, all should go as planned."

  "West of the museum at the gardens. Very good. You're dismissed."

  The man couldn't snap a salute without dropping the bags of soil, but he nodded before making his way passed the men and back up the dark tunnel to the outside. Somewhere off beyond that tunnel was an ever-growing pile of excavated Medoran soil. Tannis couldn't help but think about how Medora was changing from within—in more ways than one.

  "Rommus, get your men ready. The sun should be setting in about an hour, and we'll break through the surface not long after that. Have some of the dried meats and make sure you drink some water. You don't know when you'll have the chance to eat or drink again."

  "Yes sir," Rommus said as he stood.

  "I have to get back out there to assemble the rest of the men for the battle in the morning. Give me your sword."

  Rommus cocked his head in confusion. "Why?"

  Tannis unsheathed his own sword, which was entirely black from tip to pommel except for the sharpened edge. That edge caught the firelight and sent little shards of light bouncing all over the earthen room. He held it across both hands; handle in one, and blade in the other. After examining it a moment, he presented it to his son."

  "I know you had to leave your golden sword behind, but it would mean a lot to your father if you took this sword instead of that one at your hip. Hopefully I don't have to explain why. It would just feel more appropriate for you to take my sword into this battle."

  Rommus looked him in the eyes for a moment, and then to the sword at his hip. He pulled it free and handed it over, taking the black sword in return. After sheathing it, Rommus cleared his throat before he began to speak.

  "Father—"

  Suddenly there was yelling farther up the tunnel toward Taburdum. At first it was muffled by the wet walls, but there was no mistaking its urgency. It was an alarm. Something was wrong.

  "Breach!" someone yelled. "They're coming!"

  Chapter 3

  The tight tunnel was suddenly a boiling cauldron of flesh and steel. The elite group of 15 soldiers was joined by another 20 or so who were returning from the breached tunnel opening. The narrow halls were swarming with men; some trying to advance, and some trying to retreat. It was total chaos.

  "What do we do?" Rommus yelled over the roar of soldiers.

  "Medorans!" Tannis yelled. "Let the men returning from the dig pass! Get out of the tunnel! The rest of you stay right where you are."

  Rommus looked over to his father. He appeared calm and commanding, but it was obvious to Rommus that he was nervous about what to do. A genuine look of worry crossed his face and his eyes darted about, searching for some kind of answer about what to do.

  "Do we retreat?" Rommus asked.

  Tannis shook his he
ad. "There's still a chance this will work. There were 25 men up that tunnel, and only 21 have returned."

  "So you think they were killed? What do you mean?"

  "It's possible, but if I know my soldiers, anyone who came through that hole met a sword in a hurry. With any luck, the four missing men are aboveground chasing down anyone who saw the hole. If they can kill them before they can report back to the enemy, then we can still move forward as planned."

  Rommus drew his sword. "Okay, so if we don't see any slain Medorans, then we can assume they are inside the city trying to keep the mission a secret. We have to go now."

  "The sun is still up. You need to be very careful, Rommus."

  Rommus nodded and waited for the last returning Medoran soldier to pass before heading into the dark tunnel. He didn't bother to check if his elite companions were following; he knew they were. The walls and ground were slick with sticky mud, so he could not run, but he jogged up the tunnel as fast as he could in the darkness. Clicks of armor and creaks of leather could be heard behind him.

  Not far ahead, the darkness was split by a shaft of cool blue evening light. The light came down through the ceiling of the tunnel, and the outside world could finally be seen. There were hand and boot prints in the mud all around the hole where soldiers had climbed to the surface, but there was no sign of any of them. Rommus also noticed that there was no blood or dropped weapons as far as he could tell.

  When he got to the opening he motioned for the soldier behind him to give him a boost, as he didn't want to risk slipping on the walls trying it by himself. Two men came to his aid, and standing on their clasped hands, he cautiously peeked through the hole above him.

  He didn't see a soul. It was darker than he imagined it would be, but only because clouds had moved in to block the rays of the setting sun. The garden was empty of any human being, with only marble statues to play the role. The flowers of spring and summer were long gone, but rows of carefully pruned bushes and decoratively-cut evergreens brought a little life to the cold garden.

  "Anything?" a soldier quietly asked.

  "Nothing. There's no one here. Push me up."

  The men pushed him upwards to help him out of the hole. He took another look around and reached in to clasp an arm and help one of them up. In a matter of moments, all of the soldiers were out of the hole and crouching behind the low-cut bushes. All of them searched the horizon for the enemy, but none of them saw any.

  A man named Herrus leaned over to Rommus. "They said that the enemy was coming. I don't see any evidence of that. It looks like our men got out, but no one got in the tunnel."

  "You're right. I saw the footprints in the mud down in the hole. They were all heading this way, not down into the tunnel. This must mean my father was right. There are four Medorans in here with us, trying to silence anyone who saw them before they alert the others."

  Four? Are you sure?"

  "Tannis was sure. I have to trust his assessment."

  Herrus scanned the horizon over a bush. "Why would only four stay, and not all of them?"

  "Probably because most of the men digging were not armed or wearing armor. I don't know if these four have weapons and armor either, but I hope they do."

  "Two of them have swords," Herrus said. "Look here."

  Rommus looked down to where Herrus pointed. Two distinct sword blades had been pressed into the mud near the mouth of the hole. They were carefully placed, and obviously a message sent to anyone following them out of the tunnel.

  Rommus touched the imprints lightly. "That's good news. If they had the time to think to do that, then there's a good chance they were not rushing out of the hole after anyone. It's possible that no one saw the hole collapse at all, but since our men are not here waiting for us, I assume they are following at least one enemy."

  "So what do we do?" Herrus asked. "Do we try to find them, or do we proceed with our plan?"

  Rommus stood cautiously and checked his surroundings. "We must go through with our plan. The four of them will have to do their part on their own. If we encounter them, we can help them, but remember we look like the enemy to them. We're wearing Vindyri armor, and they stick out like a sore thumb in here wearing bright Medoran armor. Keep an eye out for more imprints in the mud or any other signs they might leave us. We know they went that way, towards the city center. There's nothing out here but the museum and these horrible walls they built everywhere."

  "Should we check inside the museum?"

  Rommus repositioned his black helmet. "No, let's just get going. No one would run in there and our men are obviously on a mission to kill. We need to get closer to the city center and do what we came here to do."

  "And the hole?"

  "No one can see it with all these bushes around it. I think we got very lucky in all of this. The tunnel could have opened up right under one of their camps."

  The men did their best to walk towards the city as any Vindyri would. Obviously no Vindyri would be carefully scanning his surroundings or checking around corners, so they strolled along as any soldiers would. One had even taken to singing quietly, which Rommus permitted. At first he thought it was a bad idea, but then he realized that no one in his right mind would be in enemy territory singing songs. It was a good idea and made them blend in better if anyone saw them.

  They were still out at the city limits, but the smells of horses and fire had found their way to their noses. The distant hum of thousands of voices could also be heard on the wind. The clangs of hammers on anvils pierced the cold air, and sent a nervous tingle up Rommus's spine. They were in a very dangerous place, and it was only going to get more dangerous. He suddenly felt very small.

  Rommus took a slight detour and led the group to a graveyard. There were some small buildings there where they could rest out of sight while waiting for darkness to come blanket them. He had his men eat some of their rations since they didn't have the chance earlier, and they drank some of their water since any that they found inside the city might be poisoned.

  Finally the blue light surrendered to the coming night, and all that could be clearly seen were the white marble buildings and some tombstones. Off to the east, the campfires lit the clouds above with a soft orange glow. It wasn't as clear and bright as a moonlit night, but at least as they approached the encampment they would be able to see.

  Rommus looked back at how far they had come. "I wonder why they built their wall so far from their camp. That's a lot of work to protect an area that you're not using."

  Herrus drummed his fingers on a tombstone. "I guess they had planned on having a lot more men in here. Or maybe they still plan on it, and more men will set up camp here later as the war progresses."

  "I don't know," Rommus said. "Something seems odd about this. It's too quiet here. Something isn't right."

  "You think this is a trap?"

  "No, not for us anyway. I don't believe they knew about the tunnel, so they probably don't know we're here. Although I now fear that the occupation of Taburdum may just be a diversion. Once we see what is happening in here, I want a few of you to go back and report to my father before morning. There may not be anyone in here for us to attack."

  "Well that would be a good thing, right?" Herrus asked. "We could take back the city."

  "It's not really a good thing. If they have our attention here, and nothing is here, then they are planning to strike us somewhere else. It's the same trick that the Vindyri used when they asked for our help to fight the Bhoors near Burnhamheade. They marched right around us and attacked our cities while the Medoran Legions were gone."

  Herrus looked to the ground. "Yes, I remember that well. I lost my sister and her husband to those animals when they came, and my brother has taken in their son to raise him. I was out there fighting to protect the Vindyri, and they were back here killing innocent Medorans. What is the world coming to?"

  "An end," one of the other soldiers added.

  "It certainly seems like it," Rommus said. "Alth
ough everything that ends is just followed by a new beginning. This may not exactly be the end of the world, but this war may very well be the end of Medora—and the end of freedom."

  Herrus stood and arranged his armor. "Let's go make sure that doesn't happen, Rommus. Let's see what these invaders are up to."

  ——————

  "I guess I was wrong," Rommus said. "That's a lot of people. There's easily 20,000 down there, and there's no telling how many are inside the buildings—the ones that are still standing anyway."

  Herrus took off his helmet to get a better look. "I think the officers are over there in those buildings. When the candles go out, we know they'll be asleep soon after. It will still be some time before they prepare for bed though."

  Suddenly a rustling came from the bushes behind them. Everyone turned at once to see a group of Vindyri soldiers with blades drawn. A few of them chuckled as they smacked the flat of their sword against their palms. They had walked up on easy prey.

  Rommus fought to find his words in a hurry. "What are you doing out here? Get back to camp."

  The largest of the Vindyri soldiers stepped forward. "Are you boys lost?"

  "It appears you're lost," Rommus snapped back. "What is your name and rank?"

  The man just laughed. "You don't fool me, Medoran."

  "Medoran? Now see here—"

  "Shut up, Medoran. Your friend here has dark hair. Did you think we wouldn't see that? Everyone get on your feet. We are taking you back to camp for interrogation."

  Herrus slammed his sword nearly hilt-deep into the man's belly under his cuirass. The man looked down to see Herrus twist the blade and rip it out of this stomach. Before the soldier knew what happened, another Medoran had slit his throat. Dark strings of blood whipped through the air as the battle began.