Ascendant

by Craig Alanson

  “Begging your pardon, Captain sir, this is wizard business, and it can’t wait,” Koren insisted. Raddick was intimidating, but nowhere near as intimidating as Paedris.

  Raddick turned his attention from the lieutenant. The wizard wouldn’t interrupt army business unless it was important. “Speak, boy.”

  Nervously, Koren blurted out “Sir, those sheep are alone, no shepherd or dog around. We haven’t seen anyone in the fields since we passed that barn a few leagues back. None of the buildings in the village have smoke from their chimneys. And Paedris says there must be a wizard around, because he can’t sense anything, nothing at all, which I guess is unusual, for a wizard. He says he feels like we’re being watched.” Koren wasn’t sure how wizard senses worked.

  “Whoa, whoa, slow down, boy. Sheep?” Raddick twisted in the saddle to peer at the sheep contentedly grazing in the pasture the army column was passing by.

  “Yes, sir, I think-“ Koren stopped as Raddick waved his hand for silence.

  “You’re right. There’s no one in the fields. And the village ahead appears deserted.” Raddick was alarmed now, he exchanged a glance with his lieutenant, who nodded grimly and said a very bad word under his breath. They were deep inside Tarador, so Raddick had not bothered to have scouts ride on the army column’s flanks. Deep inside Tarador, but less than fifteen leagues from the seacoast. Could the enemy have landed a raiding party, which had traveled so far inland? It was difficult to believe, but the enemy had been shockingly bold recently, even including an invasion of the Thrallren woods. Raddick didn’t know the full story of how Ariana had been attacked, but Raddick did know Ariana’s visit to LeVanne province had been cut short, and her guard doubled. “I am a damned fool! What else did the wizard say?” Raddick resisted the urge to gallop back to confer with the wizard himself.

  “He advises that, if we’re attacked, you go straight through the village, and across the bridge, he says it’s the only bridge across the river for several leagues.” They had passed another bridge that morning, but it was so old that part of the center span had fallen into the river; it was useless as a bridge.

  Raddick nodded agreement. He had ridden the road before. He was not in a good position, if the enemy had planned an ambush, they had planned it well. Just across the field to the east, the river had steep banks on both sides, and was rushing deep and rapidly with the Spring rains. The only way across the river was the bridge beyond the village ahead. Behind, the road went through a gap between two hills, which would be easy for the enemy to block. Ahead, the road squeezed between buildings in the village. His supply wagons could not travel across the fields and pastures, they were separated by stone walls, wood fences and tree lines which acted as windbreaks between the fields. It was a good place for a prepared battle, not good for an escape attempt.

  Raddick made a quick decision. “Pentric,” he turned back to his lieutenant, “when the wizard gives his signal, we ride through the town, enemy there or not. Leave the wagons, we get the men and horses across that bridge yonder. Boy, drop back slowly and tell Lord Salva that we await-”

  While Koren was talking to Captain Raddick, Paedris called two soldiers, a man and a woman, and gave them orders. Here, in the royal army, he did have command authority. “Don’t reach for your weapons,” he began in a low voice, “the enemy is near. I said, don’t reach for your weapons!” He added in annoyance as the younger soldier automatically gripped her sword and rose half out of the saddle. “What are your names?”

  The older man, a veteran of many battles, with a white scar across his forehead to prove it, answered “Arteman, Lord Salva. I was with you at the battle of the Thrallren Woods, sir. This undisciplined young one is Dartenon.” Dartenon tried to relax, but the inexperienced young soldier could not help glancing at the tree line atop a low ridge to the west. Arteman cuffed his companion on the side of her helmet. “Look straight ahead, you fool. What are your orders, my lord?”

  “Though it seems unlikely here, and on this fine Spring morn, the enemy will attack, soon. I have advised Captain Raddick to make straight through the village, and across the bridge, if he can. You two find my servant, and get him to safety.”

  “My lord?” Arteman asked in surprise. A servant’s place was by his master’s side, especially a wizard-spelled expert fighter like Koren Bladewell.

  Angrily, for he was running out of time, Paedris grabbed the front of Arteman's leather vest. “You get Koren to safety, even if it costs your lives, do you hear me?” The wizard added a compulsion spell under his words, and the two soldiers stiffened.

  “Yes, my lord.” They said in unison.

  “I only hope we have time-” Paedris began, before there was a terrible roar from the west, and the enemy stepped forward from the tree line. “Go, you fools!”

  Koren caused the enemy to spring their trap too early, for the enemy had seen Raddick giving orders to his lieutenants, and seen Dartenon grasp her sword. The enemy’s plan had been to let the Taradoran royal army’s column pass by to the south, then emerge from the tree line and cut the road behind them, while enemy soldiers in the village ahead set up a barricade across the road. Instead, at the instant the enemy was sighted, two of Raddick’s lieutenants spurred their horses, and led ten soldiers toward the village as fast as they could ride. Another soldier spun his horse around and raced back along the column to tell the supply men to cut their horses loose, and abandon the wagons. Raddick’s horse reared up as its master pulled back on the reins, and Raddick stood in the stirrups and raised his sword high, crying out to the men behind him “To me, to me!” More and more of the enemy were emerging from the tree line, Raddick realized he was facing a substantial force, not a mere raiding party landed from a single ship. There were easily three hundred of the enemy mounted on horseback, and he could see a few enemy soldiers in the village ahead, belatedly scrambling to set up a barricade. His two lieutenants were almost at the village, the enemy dropped the tree they intended to use as a barricade and fumbled for their bows. The main body of the enemy charged from the treeline with another roar, racing down the pasture, scattering the panicked sheep. Raddick waved his men forward with his sword, letting them pass him by, so he could attend to the rear of the column. As Raddick wheeled his horse around to face the enemy, there was a shout of dismay from his men. Fireballs from three enemy wizards lashed out, and even Raddick winced in terror, before Paedris deflected the fireballs to splash into the pasture, well short of their target! A cheer went up from the royal army soldiers, and Raddick saw Paedris spur his horse to leap the fence, and race away across the pasture with the three enemy wizards following him.

  Koren had momentarily frozen at first sight of the enemy, while Thunderbolt strained at the reins. Seeing Raddick’s horse rear up, Koren figured he no longer needed to worry about alerting the enemy, so he urged his horse on, and soon wind roared in his ears as he raced back alongside the road, passing the soldiers who were all moving forward as fast as their own horses could move. When the enemy threw fireballs at Paedris, Koren flinched like everyone else, and Thunderbolt veered off the road in fear. It was not the horse’s fault, Thunderbolt had never been trained as a war horse, and few horses could stand the sight and smell of fire, especially magical fire. As he struggled to control his horse, Koren saw Paedris deflect the fireballs, which fell short to scorch the pasture grass. When the wizard’s horse jumped the fence and raced away across the pasture, Koren was stunned. Why would the wizard leave him? He managed to get Thunderbolt pointed in the right direction, and was about to urge the horse onward, when his way was blocked by two soldiers. “Out of my way!” Koren waved frantically, anxious to find a way through the chaos of soldiers who were struggling to control their own horses, and help Paedris.

  “Come with us!” One of the soldiers shouted at him, and tried to grab the reins.

  “No! I must-”

  “Lord Salva told us to get you to safety! Those are our orders!” The man stared into Koren’s eyes wi
th such intensity that Koren hesitated.

  “Paedris ordered me away?” Koren couldn’t believe it. “But I’m his servant.”

  “Fat lot of good your sword will do against wizard fire, boy, you’d just get in the way. I’ve seen Lord Salva in battle, he’s an army all to himself. I’m Arteman, she is Dartenon. You have a helmet? Put it on. Now, come with us, or we’re lost.”

  Koren fumbled to get his helmet untied, and jammed the uncomfortable armor on his head, it was a bit too big and he had to tilt it back to keep it out of his eyes. The three tried to gallop up the road, but it was now jammed between the fences by other soldiers on horseback, and riderless horses that had been cut loose from the wagons. The enemy was now halfway across the pasture, having split in two groups to cut off the royal army front and back. Koren stood up from the saddle to watch Paedris, his master was riding away across the pasture at an angle, heading for a gap in the trees which separated the sheep pasture from the next field. The three enemy wizards were chasing Paedris, as Koren watched, fireballs flew back and forth, neither side getting a hit, and then Paedris’ horse plunged through the treeline gap to the next field, and he was gone from sight. Koren turned to look ahead, where Raddick’s lead troops had forced their way into the village, sweeping aside the barricade. The Captain himself was behind Koren, leading the men from the wagons. “We’re not going to make it!” Koren shouted, seeing that the enemy would cut the road before he reached the village.

  "The boy’s right!” Arteman hauled in the reins, causing his horse to skid to a halt on the muddy dirt road, and the old soldier slid off onto the ground. “Help me!” The soldier called out as he began pulling apart the tall split-rail fence that lined the east side of the road. Koren and Dartenon joined him, along with a half-dozen other soldiers, they swiftly opened a twenty-foot gap in the fence, and soldiers began to guide their horses into the field without waiting for orders; they could see the enemy almost upon them.

  Captain Raddick rode up, about to rebuke his men for stopping, when he saw the gap in the fence, judged how close the enemy was, and recognized Arteman. “Arteman, good thinking. On with you, then, around the village, get across the bridge and don't let anything delay you. Archers! Give these men cover!” Raddick spurred his horse onward, to hold off the enemy.

  Back on their horses, Koren, Arteman and Dartenon rode across the field at a fast trot, looking backwards to see whether all the soldiers were following them. A dozen soldiers had gone past the gap in the fence and were riding hard after Captain Raddick, swords drawn, charging into the lead group of enemy soldiers, who had reached the road, and jumped their horses over the low stone fence there. Only a few of the royal army soldiers who had gone through the fence had bows and arrows, they all jumped off their horses and knelt behind the fence. While Koren's magical skill could hit a moving target from horseback, the other archers needed to steady their aim. Arrows thudded into the enemy soldiers, breaking up their formation just as Raddick and his soldiers slammed into the enemy with a ringing of steel on steel.

  Koren stood up in his stirrups, transfixed by the sight of his first battle. He had never seen the enemy, now he saw them up close, not more than fifty yards away. They were terrifying, Koren felt his legs turning to jelly as he stared, transfixed. The enemy's helmets were covered with black feathers, the faceplate of their helmets were fashioned and painted to look like skulls, and they wore bones and teeth on a string around their necks, or woven into their beards. To Koren, they looked like demons from a nightmare, come to life. He knew, from talking to Paedris and some of Raddick’s men, those scary faceplates interfered with the enemy soldier’s vision, but even knowing that, Koren found his hands shaking. Unlike the swords of the royal army, which gleamed bright from being kept constantly cleaned and oiled, the enemy’s swords were never cleaned, left covered with blood and gore from previous battles. Only the sharp edges were bare steel, a cut from such a dirty blade made for certain sickness, and some of the enemy’s blades were dipped in poison.

  Despite his fear, Koren reined Thunderbolt to a halt. The handful of royal archers were losing their battle, there simply weren't enough of them, though they were shooting as fast as they could, and now from close range, for the enemy was now in the road, and making for the gap in the fence. In a few moments, the archers would need to leap back on their horses, or be overrun. "The archers! I can help!" Koren called out.

  Arteman cursed Koren's foolishness. "Move! That's an order! You don't even have a bow, you young idiot!" He whacked Thunderbolt on the horse's left flank with the flat of his sword, and the horse shot forward in fright, beyond Koren's control. To keep Koren moving, Arteman kept his horse pressing sideways into Thunderbolt's flank, urging him forward. Koren reluctantly followed Arteman's orders, while looking backward at the archers. Only three of the archers made it back to their horses, the others had waited too long, and were now tangled with the enemy, fighting with swords. Their bows were discarded on the ground, useless in close combat. Koren let Thunderbolt run on by himself, the fight both horrified and fascinated him so he couldn't tear his eyes away. For all the exhausting hours Koren had spent sparring with the weapons master, he had never seen real combat, with men falling, with blood, and screams and terror and confusion. Now, only now, could he see the value in the weapons master's endless, tedious 'Forms'. In combat, real combat, no one had time to think, a soldier needed to act, without hesitation. The endless repetitions of Forms had taught a soldier's muscles how to move a sword, a shield, a pike or whatever weapon he had, without waiting for his slow brain to decide what to do.

  "Make for the bridge!" Arteman called out, holding his sword in the air to rally the men to him. Those who could followed, urging their horses on in what was now a race. To get to the bridge beyond the village, the royal army men needed to go through a field between the river bluff on the left and the buildings of the small village on the right. Koren tried to judge, the field they must ride through was maybe two hundred yards wide? Royal army soldiers were still fighting with enemy troops in the village, those few royal army men who had forced their way through the village were guarding the entrance to the bridge, but there were only three of them, and the enemy was now alert to the need to seize that bridge, having failed to spring their trap in the village.

  Koren tore his eyes away from watching the fate of the archers behind, and concentrated on where he was going. He knew Thunderbolt could easily outpace any of the royal army's horses, but it would be foolish to be out front by himself, and if he got to the bridge first by himself, what would he do then? He held Thunderbolt back, despite the horse chomping at the bit and fighting the reins, keeping pace with Arteman and Dartenon. Their three horses reached the edge of the field, and jumped a low stone wall. The next field had been planted with corn, which was not yet even knee-high, the horses had no problem finding solid ground for their hooves. They were just passing the barn which was the last building of the village, and Koren was looking ahead to the three royal army soldiers guarding the bridge, when Dartenon gave an agonized cry, leaned to the right, and fell off her horse.

  Koren and Arteman wheeled their horses around as one, to see Dartenon on her knees, an arrow protruding from her upper right leg. A group of enemy archers were crouched in the shadow of the barn. Koren opened his mouth to shout for the woman to get back on her horse, when another arrow hit the young soldier square in the chest. Dartenon's head snapped back, and she fell to the ground without a sound.

  Koren was halfway out of his saddle when he felt Arteman's hand on the collar of his vest. "No! You can't help her!" The man shouted.

  "But, I, we have to-"

  Arteman pulled Koren close so they were face to face. "This is not a game, it's war! If you don't want to die like Dartenon, ride for the bridge."

  Koren had never seen anyone die in battle before, his mind was awhirl of confusion while he let Arteman lead the way toward the bridge. Tears blurred Koren's vision as Thunderbolt carried him toward
safety. Enemy troops were now riding out of the village in an attempt to cut off their escape, it was going to be close. Some instinct caused Koren to duck, just before an arrow whizzed past where his head had been. He was turning to see where the arrow had come from, when there was a sound like a sharp axe hitting soft wood, and Arteman gasped. An arrow was sticking out of the old soldier's back! Koren leaned over to stop Arteman was falling off his horse, but the horses moved apart, and he was too late. Arteman fell forward, rolling out of the saddle face first, and fell to the ground. One of his horse's hooves kicked him in the head by accident as the soldier fell, throwing his helmet off. The horse stumbled and fell, rolling over then scrambling up and running off in fright.

  Koren hopped down to the ground, horrified the old soldier may already be dead. Arteman lay on his side, and groaned when Koren reached him, his eyes fluttering, unfocused. The arrow was not in deep, it had hit a thick strap on the leather vest, Koren was able to quickly wiggle it out, as the man grunted in pain. Pulling the ripped vest open, Koren could see white bone in the wound, the tip must have hit a rib. Painful, but lucky for Arteman, and the arrowhead looked clean, Koren licked it and spit out, it didn't taste like poison. The old soldier was not so lucky about the wound on his head. The horse's hoof had caught him in the right temple, there was a deep gash in the shape of a horseshoe, and a lot of blood. When Koren tried to help him up, Arteman only groaned, could not keep his legs under him. The man's eyes were closed, his head lolled from side to side. There was no way Koren could get the man onto Thunderbolt's back by himself. Something, a sound, a movement of air, caused Koren to spin around. Before he realized what he was doing, his short sword was in his hand, and the blade flicked out to knock aside an arrow that had been aimed at Arteman.

  "How the hell did you-" Exclaimed a passing soldier, astonished as Koren stood up, and this time, his sword blade neatly sliced the next arrow's shaft in two, with the tip diving into the ground.