Second Born

by Lance Wilson

  “Who is in charge here?” the moon elf says his voice deep and arrogant.

  The two soldiers only smile and him and then go back to there conversation. The moon elf is astounded by there arrogance, how dare they just think they can ignore him. He takes out his whip and raises it to whip one of the soldiers. Before he knows it one of the soldiers leaps up at him taking the hand off at the wrist. The moon elf shouts in pain as the soldier lands on his chest.

  “Go now, run along and tell your Mecmed that he faces free men, not slaves,” the soldier says growling at him, the tip of his sword now at the moon elves throat.

  “No, not slaves, your women, your sons, your daughters, your elders, they will be slaves, but you will die, the thousand empires of the moon elves shall descend on you. Our arrows shall black out the sky,” the moon elf says with a kind of sick laugh.

  “Then we shall fight in the shade” the soldier says and shouts at him and with that slams the sword into his throat.

  Attonnan watches all this at the distance and smiles at his soldier, they have prepared for this, become real soldiers, killers. Just like that it begins. The slaves of the man go running back into where the other army is. The soldiers prepare knowing full well that an attack is coming. The moon elves fill the landscape, filling the landscape like some dark title wave. Attonnan’s men form a set of two lines blocking the way through the hell gates. Attonnan nods and the first row of soldiers slam their shields into the ground. The second row prepares their shields and spears. The tall square shields are the width of any man, and with the solider ducked down on one knee and his head down, you cannot see him beyond the shield, With each shield edge to edge with each other they form a solid wall. As the moon elves clash with this wall the shields lift just enough for the men to get up and push the army back. The unit is skilled in the art of defense and each one looks over his brother next to him. Spears and swords try to penetrate the wall but cannot. Attonnan stands with the second row a spear n his hand.

  “Give them nothing, but take from them everything.” Attonnan shouts over the clash of battle.

  They hold the armies back for a few moments then Attonnan gently places his hand on Toph’s shoulder that is holding a shield right in front of him. That is the signal; Toph lets out a whistle and the walls of the shield slams into the soldiers. This pushes them back about a foot, and with lightening speed the second row lowers and slams there spears into the moon elves and in the same move then switch with the first row slamming there shields down forming the wall once again. Attonnan uses this strategy several times before Attonnan feels that the moon elves are low enough to fight without the wall.

  “Now” Attonnan shouts at his men and watches as his men break ranks and begin their slaughter of the first wave of moon elves. The battle is not long but it is indeed bloody. His unit moves through the men with shield and spear slaughtering them like they were nothing more the amateur children. It takes them less then an hour to slaughter the wave of moon elves. He smiles at the bodies of the moon elves. There are at least two, three dozen of them for every one of his own men, and yet the way he had trained his men, prepared them, they slaughtered the moon elves like they were nothing.

  “Move thought the bodies, give the killing blow to those that are not yet dead.” Attonnan says and looks back to the Hell Gate wondering who will send the message and what they will get in return.

  The soldiers only nod do as he says, using their spears to deliver the final blow to those that now writhe in pain on the battlefield. Attonnan walks the battlefield watching his will being done, but as he does he hears something in the distance. Attonnan looks up to see exactly what the slaver had promised. The sky has darkened with the sight of the arrows.

  “Men, arrows” Attonnan shouts and drops behind his own shield,

  Everywhere his men do the same, all of them dropping to there knees tilting the shield up and plunging it into the ground so that they can fully land behind it. The arrows it hand on the shields but do not pierce them. The men are grouped together and Attonnan begins to hear one of them laugh

  “You just had to say it didn’t you,” one of the younger soldiers says to another

  “What” the soldier says looking perplexed

  “We’ll fight in the shade,” The first soldier says and then the both of them begin to laugh

  Even Attonnan begins t chuckle. For some reason the mood of the battle seems to lighten and the men begin to banter with each other under their shields as the arrows fly at them again and again. Some talk of how many kills they got and calling the one next to them a woman. Toph smiles to see the spirits of her men so high. But it is in the middle of all this that Attonnan can feel it, a bit of vibration. It hits Attonnan like a bolt of lightening, mounted cavalry.

  “Men, to the gates, form ranks.” he shouts, they still have time.

  The men rush to the gates keeping their shields up to keep the arrows off of them. It takes them only a matter of moments to get to the entrance of the gates and form their ranks. Attonnan stares out at the horizon to find that all of it was made just in time. He can see the men coming at them. They are at full gallop and he knows that it will hit hard but his men are ready and prepared for even this. The men prepare by planting the spears on the tops of the shield and planting the but of the spear into the ground. Both rows do this they know that it may not be much for the soldiers but it will disable the horses and render the cavalry useless. In no time the cavalry slams into the shields of Attonnan’s unit. They all growls and slam where whole body against the shield to stop the horses. Blood spills over them as the spears pierce the horses. The horses wounded or dying fall to one side or the other toppling the riders with them. Every time a rider falls the man quickly take the opportunity and slam a spear or blade into the rider killing him. Attonnan smiles at all of this; his unit is perfect, a beautiful fighting force, and a killing machine. The air is filled with the screams of pain and the sound of bones cracking. Wave after wave of men come at them, but the force is solid and no one moves. Once the cavalry is limited to only a few men Attonnan gives the signal and like the last time the unit breaks away and begins the slaughter. Men fall left and right Attonnan holds back at the gates and only watches his men work. He knows that he could easily join them and slaughter ten times what his best warrior could, but this is there battle, this is to prove something. He watches as his men slaughter the moon elves cutting them to shreds. The battle lasts only a moment or two and Attonnan stares at the landscape now littered with dead bodies of both men and horses, body parts and innards litter the white sand looking over his men he can see that some of them are wounded, but they are only scratches here and there, nothing serious. Once everyone is sure that the battle is over the men form ranks in front of Attonnan. He smiles at them as they all smile back at him. They have won the first of the battles to come and now they know exactly what is coming.

  “Enjoy your victory men, you have earned it” Attonnan says patting each of them on the shoulder.

  Each of the men cheers and lifts their weapons in joy. They have proven themselves; today there are bloodied warriors. Once the excitement and adrenalin run down on the men they all sit together talking. Not of the battle but of the time before they were warriors, the lives before they joined the Takunen. Attonnan can’t help but think of his own time as he listens to them he hears how most of them had grown up in the streets fending for themselves, his life may never have been great and perhaps he did have some bad times, but he can always say he had a place to live and some one to look over him. When the story gets to Toph she only looks down the valley at the dead men.

  “I was nobility, a princess. My father was a second rank lord; the prince of the land had him become the ambassador to the moon elf kingdom when they set their eyes on the gray elf kingdom. I went with him on one of the trips and met Mecmed once, looking at him, he frightened me, and I knew h
e was a devil in elf clothing. Neither my father nor the prince saw it he swayed them and when there guard was dropped he raided the kingdom. Killed everyone but the wives and children of the nobles, those he sold, I was sold to Lord Fuma, part of the deal for him becoming one of Mecmed’s generals, he gets first pick of the survivors.” She says turning away from the warriors, she doesn’t want them to see her cry, she is there captain and they must only see her strength.

  “So, what about you commander, what is your story” One of the soldiers says looking over at Attonnan. Even Toph looks at him.

  She knows part of his story, the fact that he was a slave and then the apprentice to lord Fuma. But what happened before then, how did he get there.

  “We have company,” Attonnan says walking to the horizon

  At first everyone just looks at him but soon they see it to a small dot getting larger and larger. He can tell that they are not a fighting force, but some kind of messenger. As the messenger gets closer Attonnan is in shock at what he sees, it is not just a messenger, it appears to be some kind of nobility. Six men are carrying the man in a chair. Attonnan walks over and shakes his head at all this. The man looks over the battlefield, all his men are dead, but he can’t see one man wearing the Takunen uniform. The man then snaps his finger and a series of slaves walks to the side of the chair and forms a ladder using their bodies. The noble smiles looking at Attonnan seeing if he is even slightly impressed with the show of power, then makes his way to the ground. The six men then set down the chair and those that formed the ladder stand next to it. The noble is shocked at what he sees as he walks in a circle around the young man in front of him. This cannot be the leader of the Takunen, he was told that a man named Kenshi would be leading them and he was given a description of the man. This man is not he. So how is it tat this man can cause such devastation. Attonnan smiles at the noble, it is clear from the way he is dressed that he has never seen a day of battle. The young lord is dressed in a pale blue shirt with a white tunic over it. Both falls just above the knees around his waist is a wide brown leather belt with golden studs. Over his wrists are brown bracers also with golden studs. His feet are covered with sandals with straps that go half way up the calf. His skin is pale and he looks almost skinny, almost on the verge of death. His eyes are sunken in and have a pale milky look to them. His hair is black and oily looking and pulled into a long tail. As he smiles Attonnan can see that his teeth are almost a yellow color and each of them are sharpened to points. Looking at him Attonnan’s mind flashes when he first met the man Mecmed.

  “Let me guess, lord Hitori” Attonnan says raising an eyebrow.

  “No, my name is Radu, son of the great and powerful Mecmed. Come Attonnan, let us reason together, it would be a terrible waist for you and your men to parish for a simple misunderstanding, there is much our cultures can share” he says smiling at Attonnan.

  “I have noticed, we’ve been sharing our culture with you all mourning” Attonnan says and makes a gesture to the dead bodies all around them.

  “Yours is a fascinating clan, even now you are defiant, in the face of destruction. Imagine what horrible fate awaits my enemies when I would gladly kill one of my own men for victory” He says and watches as Attonnan turns his back on him

  “And I would die for any one of mine” Attonnan says with almost a growl of defiance, how dare he hold life so cheaply.

  “You take pride in your logic apply it. Consider the fate of your city, I could raise it to ash, consider the fate of your women” he says smiling, he is sure that he has pinned him.

  “Clearly you don’t know our women. I might as well have marched them up here by what I have seen. You have many slaves, but few warriors. It won’t be long before they fear my spears more then your whips” Attonnan says taking a step or two away from the young lord

  There is a slight pause in the conversation where Attonnan hears the lord take a step to him then feels Radu’s hand gently place it on his shoulder.

  “It is not the lash they fear, but my divine power. I am a generous man, I could make you rich beyond measure, I could make you warlord of all the kingdoms, you could carry my standards to the heart of the gray elf kingdoms all of your enemies would kneel at your feet, if you would but kneel at mine.” Radu says his voice soft and soothing, almost comforting.

  The voice begins to calm him, makes him what to believe that this is the right path. But it doesn’t last long, he has been here before, Fuma had such a way, a way of turning a warrior into a slave. And do it willingly.

  “Such an offer, only a madman would refuse, but the idea of kneeling, its, well slaughtering all those men of yours has left a nasty cramp in my leg, so kneeling will be hard for me.” Attonnan says turning and smiling at him. He would never kneel before him, or before anyone now.

  “There will be no glory in this, I shall erase even your existence. The world will never know you were ever here,” Radu says now growling at him. How dare he be so defiant?

  “The world will know that men stood against a tyrant, that few stood against many, and that in the end, you bled.” Attonnan says and growls as he walks off of the battlefield.

  Radu watches as he walks off. This one is different then the others he has faced. When he talked of the battlefield, talked of defiance, there was something in his eyes. There was kind of a fire in his eyes, a flame that in truth frightened him. If this is the one that is leading the unit, then he wonders what kind of warrior that Kenshi is, to be a leader that has this kind of sword at his side. This will be a long and grueling battle if he doesn’t think on his feet and end it soon. Attonnan only walks back to his men seeing that they have now disposed of most of the bodies by throwing them off of the cliffs.

  “Men rest up, tonight is mine” Attonnan says and smiles to himself, he has heard rumors of what they will bring to him, he can hope that they are all true. Radu has challenged him, thinking he can come here and make some offer like his will and service can so easily be bought. No. His men shall rest this night. If he were Radu he would attack tonight, and if he does, this fight will be his. He will fight it alone to show Radu just what he is up against. Knowing his next move Attonnan takes a seat nearest to the path and lays his blade in front of him. This is where he shall wait for them.

  Time passes slowly but eventually it is done and the sky blackens lit only by the full moon and the bright stars. His men stay at the entrance of the hell gates sleeping comfortably by there fires. Attonnan however is wide-awake ready for what he knows will be a night raid. Radu stands on hill overlooking the battlefield. He can see it all from his place of judgment. The men are asleep and only Attonnan stands watch. He has sent his immortals to him, they shall slaughter the men in there sleep, or at the vary least, before they have a chance to do anything. With only Attonnan at watch there is no contest. Attonnan’s eyes flash open as he hears the sound of something approaching. It is a soft sound, only the slightest sound of a footstep, they are coming. A smile crosses his face as he straps his sword to his side and stands at the ready. Radu watches carefully, Attonnan is a fool, he has clearly heard the force but he doesn’t wake his men, instead he tries to face this mass on his own, he shall die and no one will stop him from moving into Omashu. Attonnan’s breath comes quicker now, his mind clearer, and his senses sharper. His fingers tap lightly on his blades handle. Yes. Let them come. In the distance he sees them. A small force dressed all in black. Poles with black flags hanging on them. Each man has a metal mask of silver inlayed with gold, the gold in tribal patterns, and each pattern different from each other. Each one unique to the man that is under it. So these are the immortals, the moon elves finest warriors. Attonnan can feel the rush of adrenalin, his body just aching to strike, poised ready to kill, but he must wait. Taking a quick glance at the force he can see that there isn’t any less then two hundred, maybe three. As the force gets close enough he watches them draw their weapons. Like
the mask each weapons is personalized to the warrior, axes, daggers, swords, blades and clubs of all kinds. Attonnan drops into his low stance and focuses on the force. Here is the night that they shall die. He is the ghost, death on the field of battle. The lord of war. Taking careful calculation of where they are Attonnan waits tell they are just right. As soon as they are within his range he rushes them. The immortals are taken off there guard by this daring attack and before they know it they are joined in battle. Attonnan moves at them like a whirlwind of blood and hate. Each stroke of his blade is death, he cuts from the left to the right, from behind to in front, vanishing then reappearing in front of another. The immortals are in chaos and are at a loose of how to stop him. Radu watches as his attack fails. The one man, this one elf in white moves through his finest army slaughtering them as if they were wooden training dummies. The screams of death and clattering of weapons against each other wake Attonnan’s unit, they all scramble to get to there weapons, but quickly Toph raises her hand, she sees what is happening and she is sure that she knows why. This is not there fight, Attonnan has chosen this as his own and they shouldn’t interfere. Radu’s face goes pale watching the moment, blood sprays all over the field and the soft night turns to a thunderstorm of death and shouts of agony. Attonnan moves like the wind, never making a sound, never stopping, nothing slowing either him or his blade. Like always Attonnan thinks of nothing in the battle, his body mind and spirit are moving without thought, as if the path was already set for him. The battle lasted only a few hours. Radu’s face goes pale seeing what he has just seen. One man, this elf, had just taken his immortals and killed them all, and walked without even a scratch. Attonnan looks around at the end of the battle and wipes his blade clean of all the blood. Taking a deep breath he smiles and walks over to Toph.