I didn’t quite understand why they hadn’t started with the fireballs from the beginning. Perhaps it was because they were more focused on the couple hundred men infiltrating our camp or because the Geneshan commander wanted to keep one of his greatest assets in reserve. Maybe it was just as difficult for them to use sorcery as it had been for our mages.
I had prepared for the Geneshan’s response to my longbowmen by holding back the few mages I had at my disposal. They worked hard at the rear of my forces, trying to deflect or snuff the descending fire. They did well with the majority, but many still made it through.
I hoped that Balak seeing our failure with sorcery would entice him to bring in the High Mages, but I didn’t hold my breath. He was a stubborn man.
“So you antagonized them?”
“Yes.”
A couple of larger fireballs rose with the next wave. Before they struck near our back lines, four geysers of green light shot up into the sky. I clenched my fists tight around the reins of my mount in quiet celebration. Hamath and Dekar’s units had located the master sorcerer.
Now, they just had to get out.
I marked the position of the green signals and sent my last two runners down to relay my orders, one to my cavalry commander, the other to my mages.
“What are you doing?” Balak asked as the next wave of fireballs fell mostly uncontested.
It was rough to see the attacks fall and strike down several men. More than rough. I nearly threw up as a man ran around on fire before being tackled by another to extinguish the flames.
Molak-be-damned, the weight of command wasn’t just the pressure one feels on their own shoulders, it was the pressure of weighing one life over another. Every decision made would save some, but kill others. It was an awful thing to decide whose life was more important. Some detachment was necessary to make the decisions necessary to win a battle.
I expected to reattach myself to those emotions tenfold when the fighting ended.
Sometimes sooner, I thought, swallowing my rising bile.
“Tyrus?” Balak pressed.
I had not answered his question. I was in no mood to explain myself.
“Just watch, General.”
Thankfully, he did.
My mages directed their efforts with extended arms toward the left flank of my infantry, toward the green signals. Through the will of the mages and the previous orders given to my officers at the front, our lines began to turn inward, creating a narrow lane just on the outside of our formation. The cavalry charged at the first glimpse of that opening, and galloped hard through it. Their mass opened the hole wider. Three hundred mounted soldiers sped toward the Geneshan mages and their reserves in a quickly forming V formation. The airborne fireballs stopped falling. The enemy had more pressing worries heading toward them.
“They’re heading right at the mages,” said Balak.
I heard his worry. Under normal circumstances, they’d be annihilated as a spell was stronger the closer a sorcerer got to a target. I’d essentially sent the target to them.
Fireballs shot out toward the approaching cavalry. They struck, but the targets didn’t fall, nor did they burn.
Balak snorted, seeing what I had done. “A good use of Urion’s men with a resistance. But what about the mounts themselves? They don’t have a resistance and the armor of the men won’t protect them completely.”
He was right. A resistance did not make someone invulnerable to sorcerous attacks, but it did lessen the effects greatly. However, there were ways to get around the remaining damage one could experience from sorcery. I had used those methods on more than one occasion. One of the last times was when my unit attacked the Geneshan tent that housed the artifact. Then, I had a shield with specific runes made from silver. Both the runes themselves and the silver helped to further insulate any attacks.
I did the same thing to my cavalry, mainly on the horses themselves at the front who wore light armor decorated with all the silver I could round up.
I relayed that information to Balak.
“That won’t protect them forever,” he stated flatly.
I could tell he weighed my plans in his head, but hadn’t yet determined how effective they might be.
“It doesn’t have to. Just long enough to shield the others behind them to swarm the Master Sorcerer.”
He snorted. “Shrewd.”
I ignored the comment. I didn’t have time for chuckling and banter. And I couldn’t gloat over the impending loss of my soldiers’ lives.
A large fireball, thrice the size of the others, zipped toward the charging mounts. There was no question in my mind where it came from. The Master Sorcerer’s attack crashed into the charging cavalry. The V formation helped deflect the attack as my strongest soldiers with a resistance were at the point. The force behind the blow sent those first four men to the ground, but the mounts behind them remained upright. There was a quick moment of the remaining horses wanting to run off at the excitement, but the riders managed to rein them back in and reform the V just as they struck the enemy lines.
The cavalry slammed into the Geneshan reserves protecting the sorcerers, cutting through them like a sharp blade. Their momentum carried them into the ranks.
Even with the spyglass, I couldn’t make out all the details in the chaos. My men hacked and slashed downward from horseback while the Geneshans tried to stab upward with sword and spear. Their sorcerers didn’t run, instead throwing more localized attacks at my men.
Smoke from the sorcery, along with pulsing waves of power that blurred the air made it that much more difficult to see everything. I cursed to myself, wishing I could be part of the battle, as if I would have somehow gotten through to kill the Master Sorcerer already. That wasn’t true, but it was hard not to think of “what-ifs” when you sat helpless far away from the fighting.
Though eliminating the sorcerers was a key component of winning the battle, I couldn’t keep my focus entirely there. I shifted the spyglass back down to the main lines.
The battle line finally began to shift in our favor. Without the Geneshan sorcerers influencing and supporting their men, our weaker mages could contribute more freely to the fighting. Our officers solidified ranks and methodically pushed and killed one step at a time.
A bright burst of light erupted out of the corner of my vision. I turned my attention to it, and watched the Master Sorcerer unload his power on a dozen men swarming him. Most had a resistance, but not all. Several died immediately, charred and blackened. Even those with a resistance did not make it through unscathed, getting thrown back dozens of feet.
The Master Sorcerer retreated while keeping my men in front of him. He headed toward several horses. I cursed. If he got on horseback, he might be able to escape and regroup. He attacked twice more. Three men went down. None looked seriously wounded, but they were all dazed.
The Master Sorcerer turned sharply toward the mount at his back. When he did, his legs went out from under him. I moved the spyglass down and saw a crossbow quarrel had struck him in the ankle. I wasn’t sure if the aim was intentional or just a lucky break for the bolt to find a spot in his defenses.
Someone leaped over the mount.
Hamath descended, red hair dancing in the air with sword pointing down.
A part of me was frustrated he defied orders and didn’t leave after signaling the Master Sorcerer’s position as ordered. But another part of me was equally relieved for his efforts. The Master Sorcerer raised his hands in defense, but his injury and his fall had likely broken his concentration. Hamath’s sword entered his target’s chest with little resistance.
The sorcerer convulsed as Hamath twisted the blade. Then he went still.
The Master Sorcerer seemed to have some connection to other magic-users around him for with his death the lesser sorcerers panicked. Their hasty attacks were more easily def
ended. They died quickly.
The Geneshan reserves that had hung back to protect the sorcerers faltered as well.
“That worked out well,” said Balak next to me.
It had, but I said nothing, going back once more to the main battle.
My men continued to push the Geneshans backward. Still, I didn’t like the way the battle progressed. We needed to move faster. For every minute the battle lasted, we allowed the Geneshans a chance to turn the tables. Plus, we couldn’t afford for more fatigue to set in when we had a long road still ahead of us.
I sent three more runners off with messages. Two were to my archers positioned to the rear of both my left and right flanks. The other was to my reserve of infantry held back at the center.
I watched as my archers dropped bows and picked up pikes, hustling out to the edges of either line. They kept formation well. Within minutes, they began to push and prod the Geneshan’s outer ranks, moving our own battle line with them so that we slowly began encircling the enemy.
Just as that happened, my reserve of infantry marched down the center. A hole opened for them. The fresh soldiers had an immediate impact as they replaced their tired brethren. Facing a renewed press from the center while their flanks slowly became enclosed, the Geneshans tried to retreat.
I looked back toward their camp. The last thing I wanted was to give the Geneshans an out.
I didn’t need to worry. With the Geneshan sorcerers dead, my surviving cavalry, some two hundred men, reformed lines.
I actually smiled watching them.
Regardless of how well a commander hopes and plans, they are only as good as the men under them. I had some talented officers under me. My cavalry captain understood the situation and knew how best to solve a potential problem.
He signaled the charge at the retreating enemy.
Charging cavalry will give any man pause. In the case of the retreating Geneshans, it did just that. My cavalry captain wisely pulled back after his initial strike at the retreating enemy. His men were too tired and too few to get sucked completely into the battle. However, that one clash was enough for my pike men to complete the encirclement.
Trapped with nowhere to go, the battle turned into a slaughter.
CHAPTER 27
I should have felt relief with a victory, but I didn’t. We might have killed over three thousand Geneshans, but we lost a thousand men ourselves. That was far too many. Even just one death was not acceptable.
As Balak had stated, the Geneshans were transporting prisoners. A lot of them.
We counted over seven hundred men, women, and children. It was an odd mix of emotions as we greeted them. Most were thrilled we had saved them. At least until they learned all able-bodied men were being pressed into service.
A few fights broke out as a result of the news.
With blood running hot, I had to get involved several times.
Eventually, prisoners accepted their new lives after allowing us to explain the situation to smaller groups of people. Balak even got involved to help convey the information.
Just after we pressed the men and older boys into our ranks, he and I got into it regarding the women and children.
“Kick them out? Are you crazy!” I shouted inside his command tent.
Balak had brought me inside before announcing his decision, no doubt anticipating my reaction. That only angered me more.
“That many mouths will drain our resources.”
“You had wanted to take everyone from the outpost when you found me. What’s the difference now?”
“More than three hundred mouths.”
“We picked up a slew of supplies from the Geneshan camp today. Our stores have never been this plentiful since I joined you.”
“For now.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You can’t do this. You send these people out on their own with just a couple days’ worth of food, and they’ll die. They can’t survive on their own. They might even be picked back up by the next Geneshan army. Do you want the battle today to go to waste?”
“We didn’t fight this battle to save prisoners. We fought it to kill the enemy and reduce the total number we’d face at Hol. Taking them apart in small doses will be easier.”
I shook my head. “I won’t order it.”
“I don’t need you to order it. I’ll do it myself. I may let you command, but this is ultimately my army.”
I gritted my teeth. Ready to make a stand, I had to will myself not to reach for my knife. Such an action would only worsen the situation and make Balak more stubborn in his decision. I would not allow those people to be turned away, but there were better ways to reach the general.
I let my voice drop. “You won’t order a Molak-be-damned thing.”
“Excuse me?”
“You were always disconnected from the men, but never this bad. I guess it’s a product of you spending more time alone in this tent working on whatever scheme you have planned for Hol. You need to come out more often. Do you really think the men we just forced into service are going to fight very hard knowing that you’re sending their families to their deaths? You don’t think people will try to desert? Or stage a revolt?”
“We’ll make examples of them like you did whipping those boys that attacked you.”
“Not the same situation at all. The other several thousand soldiers in your army all have families too, Balak. They’ll sympathize with the newcomers, not you. And I’ll be right there with them. You want to rule Turine? Then act like a ruler now and consider all your people, not just those who’ll help you accomplish your first goal.”
He stared at me hard. It was obvious he didn’t like what I had to say. That being said, he didn’t lash or dismiss my thoughts either. That had to be a good sign.
After a moment, he rubbed his stubbled chin. “You raise a good point. They can stay.”
My jaw actually dropped. Normally, I might have blinked, but I was too surprised to do even that. I thought I’d have to practically beg or threaten to stop leading the men in order for him to see my point. Maybe he was changing for the better like Hamath had said.
I found my voice. “Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You want them to stay, they’re your responsibility. I won’t have them slow my army down, and I won’t have them get in the way. Understand?”
Of course. I understood completely. My workload had just increased. I apparently looked as though I had a mountain of free time on my hand.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. You’re dismissed,” he said, turning to his table of maps.
I left the tent with a few extra pounds of weight on my shoulders. On top of the list of other things I had yet to do before calling it a day, I also had to figure out how to take care of a few hundred women and children.
I didn’t get far in walking back to the fire when I saw a family huddled around a different set of flames. A father, mother, and two sons. The father had his arm around his wife. Their two young boys sat in each of their laps. They held each other tightly as if letting go might cause them to perish.
The father met my eyes, his expression filled with worry as if he expected the news Balak was ready to give.
I smiled. “Did you and yours get dinner yet?”
He shook his head.
“Make sure you do. We’ve got a long march ahead of us tomorrow and I want everyone, especially your little ones, to have their strength about them.”
I noticed him relax as he understood what I meant.
“I will,” he said. “Thank you.”
I nodded and walked on.
He wasn’t the only one. I passed mothers and their children sitting alone, scared. Their worries were greater as they had no husband or father to lean on for comfort. I stopped and promised them each that they would not be abandoned. I swore t
hat we’d see to their survival as best as we knew how.
That seemed to ease their minds some, though not nearly as much as I would have liked.
I finally reached our fire, surprised to see it wasn’t just keeping Dekar’s unit warm anymore. Seven children, ranging in age from three to twelve sat there as well. They were in a half circle around Ira, who, with animated gestures, did his best in telling an old fairy tale I recalled hearing as a boy.
My smile came easily.
I sat next to Reuma who watched Ira with fascination.
“What’s this all about?” I asked.
“Orphans,” she said simply. “Ira somehow found them right away and within a few seconds had them change from being wide-eyed and scared, to this.”
“He’ll make a good father one day.”
“I hope so,” she said.
I raised an eyebrow and she blushed.
I patted her hand, and turned my attention back to Ira. I had an endless list of things to do, but I could use a small break first.
Besides, the best part of the story was coming up.
CHAPTER 28
Since Chadar and Galya brought no better solution, Ava resumed their current path toward the nearby river.
They reached their destination a day and a half later. At first, everyone was thrilled. Ava especially found joy at the rushing sound of water flowing over rock and shore. The entire group wore smiles, some patting each other on the back in congratulations for finding the river.
Ava chuckled. She’d let them claim responsibility for discovering dirt if it meant it spurred them toward their goal all the faster.
So caught up in their excitement, several people enthusiastically began hauling felled trees while others hacked away at the broken limbs on the logs. Others started chopping down more suitable options for the rafts needed for the journey.
Ava was ready to join in, eager to contribute both physically and with sorcery to get on the river by tomorrow, but a shout from Zadok gave her pause.
Resurrected Soldiers: The Tyrus Chronicle - Book Three Page 26