A Warrior's Redemption (The Warrior Kind)

by Stanton III, Guy

  “What’s the matter? Can you not see how the Creator is fighting for us?” I asked the assembled group of friends around me.

  Rolf spoke up, “It’s not that. The Creator is clearly at work on our behalf I can see that, but look at how many of them there are Roric! That army numbers more than our entire Valley Lander force put together and there not even the main body of the army! They still outnumber us by at least four to one! We have no tricks left to throw at them. How can we hope to defeat such a force as they still field in open battle?”

  I decided to share more of the plan with them, “Your lack of faith does not become you Rolf. It is not so grim as you believe, as everything is not what it appears to be.” I had their attention now, “The army you see before you is mostly a slave army. They number close to two hundred thousand men, but one hundred and fifty thousand of them are slave warriors. Only the cavalry are regular army and there the least experienced soldiers that the Attorgrons have. They were only sent along in order to keep the slave warriors in line and for appearance sake. The Attorgrons distrust the Zoarinians motives, as to what happens after they have jointly eliminated us. They kept their most loyal and best trained warriors behind to defend their cities in case the Zoarinians turn on them after their done with us. They view the slave army as expendable and unreliable, which their right in believing partially. My uncle was in contact with their slave leaders, when he found out about their inclusion in the battle plan, they reached an agreement of sorts. If we can make a convincing case for victory they will switch sides and join us in the fighting. After the fighting they have asked for and will receive refuge in the Valley Lands as free men and be given land of their own. After the war we will bring pressure on the Attorgrons to release the families of the warriors to them under the threat of invading them if they don’t. But we have to make a compelling case that its worth throwing in with us or they won’t join us and if that happens then yes things are likely to turn out very grim indeed.”

  “Is that all you have up your sleeve?” Rolf asked watching me closely.

  I shrugged with a slight smile turning up the corners of my mouth slightly, “It’s possible that we could receive some help from the Tranquil Islanders too, but that is heavily dependent on whether they can make it through the Zoarinian blockade in time and in any great number.”

  “It would seem then that there is reason to believe that the future can still have a fruitful outcome after all.” Rolf said inclining his head slightly in a bow to me.

  “Yes, there is reason to hope yet and hope we shall, as it is all we have left other than prayer and I recommend doing plenty of that. Come let’s get out of here and catch up with General Sanjo before they spot us.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  According to Plan

  The Zoarinian Camp on the highland outskirts of Kingdom Pass the next morning

  General Tessan stood looking out over the multitude of tents of the army he alone had been tasked to lead. It was the largest military force ever congregated together under one banner, even after they had lost so many in the fires and subtle tricanery of taking Kingdom Pass. They really hadn’t taken the city behind the great wall. It had been given to them and they had paid for it in blood.

  Over two hundred thousand men missing from the sea of tents before him bore testament to the price that they had paid to set foot on Valley Lander soil the night before. That wouldn’t have been so bad if the enemy’s losses had been high too, but they hadn’t been. The assault last night had been a colossal error and now the whole army’s morale was in question. Their spirit of optimism as to an easy campaign was shattered.

  The Valley Lander army was gone and still intact and able to continue the fight, while they should have been slain to a man within the confines of Kingdom Pass. If they had only held off on the attack! He would not underestimate them again. The sounds of his aids and subordinate field commanders arguing behind him began to register in his consciousness disrupting the clarity of his thoughts.

  “Enough! Stop this senseless chatter!”

  Those gathered within the tent fell silent at the general’s sudden outburst of anger.

  “I listen to you and all I hear is whining and that what has befallen us was an unavoidable occurrence. What utter ridiculousness! We were beaten clear and simple! Manipulated masterfully to commit ourselves onward onto our own swords as it were. There’s no going back! What’s been done is done. We need to move forward and accomplish our primary mission’s objective. Our force is still strong and more formidable than anything the enemy can throw at us. Prepare the army. We march for the Shrine at once!”

  A longtime experienced field commander spoke up hesitantly, “But what about the cities Sir? We’re not just going to leave them are we? This is the best opportunity we’ve ever had to crush the enemy once and for all!”

  General Tessan didn’t look unfazed for a moment at having his orders questioned, “Our primary objective is to secure the ships at the shrine. Once we have them secure we can return our attention to the systematic annihilation of the Valley Lander people. We need a quick victory to restore our men’s moral and capturing the shrine does that, as well as securing our primary mission’s objective. Should we be surprised further by our wily foe, we will at least have that accomplished. We will leave a discretionary force of eighty thousand men to keep the Valley Landers bottled up within their nearest city, which will secure our open supply line with the homeland through the pass should we need it. Our navy along the coast will off load what supplies we may need to us as well. The Valley Landers will not want to leave either their city fortresses or families unguarded with such a strong army nearby and we will have a clear path to the Shrine. We will take the rest of our force and march directly inland to the Shrine starting today. You have your orders, now go and see that my army is on the march within two hours or heads will roll!”

  General Tessan watched them go knowing that in their hearts they questioned his choice of strategy. They still saw the army as unstoppable. Why not destroy the enemy, as they found them instead of bypassing them for a soft target like the Shrine? As for him he no longer thought their army unstoppable.

  One quarter of his army lay dead with probably less than ten thousand of the enemy slain. If the enemy could keep that odds differential up, this invasion of the Valley Lands was doomed. If they were able to seize the Shrine and the prize it held, then perhaps they could break the enemy’s spirit to fight.

  He had thought breaking their great wall would do that, but he had been wrong. The loss of their great wall had inspired them instead.

  The third morning of the invasion. In the camp of the rearguard army of eighty thousand men assigned to keep the Valley Landers held up within their cities, while the main body of the invading army marched for the Shrine of Remembrance.

  It was barely past the brink of dawn when Commander Orlanthis was jarred awake by one of his aids, “Sir the enemy has left the city sometime during the night and is advancing on our position!”

  Commander Orlanthis leaped off of his cot and ran outside only half dressed. His aid had been right; the enemy was clearly visible as they marched in formation away from the protection of their walls, directly at them.

  “Sound general assembly on the double!” Wheeling to face the aid he barked out, “Why have they now just been noticed? Where are our sentries?”

  The stammering aid could only shake his head, as horns rang throughout the camp calling for the assembly of the army. A scout the aid had dispatched but minutes before drew up his excited mount before the commander’s tent.

  “What do you have to report soldier?” The commander barked out as he stared up at the rider.

  “A large force sir! I make it an easy fifty thousand sir! There appears to be no cavalry support and the force from their general make up and disorderly form appears to be comprised of nothing but militia sir!”

  “Militia? They send militia out against us
!”

  “Yes sir! Older men and farm boys is all I saw!” Responded the scout emphatically.

  Commander Orlanthis smacked his hands together excitedly. The gods must be smiling down upon him this day! This was a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his overlords. Not to mention the revenge that would be theirs as well! His eighty thousand men were all that remained of the initial strike force that had been deployed against Kingdom Pass.

  These old men and farm boys would fall before their superior numbers and experienced soldiers like flies. This was just the opportunity he had needed to redeem himself. He had barely escaped Kingdom Pass with his head after the great loss of troops his contingent had suffered. Within a half hour his force was gathered in readiness for battle.

  Their battle line was more disorganized than he would have liked, but it would do and besides they had almost twice as many men as the enemy. They were almost within range and he raised his sword as he sat astride his mount in preparation to signal the first volley of arrows to be released into the fast approaching militia.

  An aid pulled his horse up abruptly beside his, “Sir!”

  “What?” The militia were within range. “Archers at the ready!” Commander Orlanthis bellowed out ignoring the aid.

  The enemy militia suddenly stopped and issued forth a war cry before breaking into a run towards them wielding a wide assortment of weapons. The brave fools, what did they hope to gain by so impetuous a charge?

  “Sir!”

  “Confound it all man what is it?” Commander Orlanthis half screamed as he turned towards the aid prepared to cut him down in his anger with his sword.

  The aid was shaking like a leaf and as pale as milk, as he pointed down the valley behind them. Before Commander Orlanthis could turn to look at what the aid was pointing at he heard it.

  He froze up inside at the sounds of the horns that sounded out within the veiled morning mists, still hanging low in the valley behind them. Over the blare of the horns he could hear the roar of cavalry at full charge echoing up the valley towards them. Reluctantly he half turned in the saddle to witness his fate.

  The gods were not with him, if there be any gods at all he thought abstractly to himself. Charging out of the morning mists like a monster from some forgotten fairytale came a solid line of cavalry, several rows deep and as wide as Commander Orlanthis’s entire command.

  Their lances were lowered as they thundered over the ground churning it up. The release of arrows that had been intended for the militia army from the city hadn’t happened, because when the horns had sounded out from behind the army the army had turned almost as one, with dread filled eyes to behold what new torment the fateful horns had heralded in.

  The army twisted about like a wounded animal between two predators not sure which would strike first and as a result it wasn’t prepared when both opposing forces crashed into it. It was clear that Commander Orlanthis had underestimated the militia too.

  Older men retired from the ways of war, but fired up by adrenaline and the righteous cause for survival that they fought for sliced into the less experienced Zoarinian ranks, as if they were once again hardy warriors of thirty five and not seventy and older. The rust fell from off their old but sure blades, as talents won over a lifetime of war, came back to them, as if greeting an old friend long unseen.

  Farm boys of fourteen and sixteen made strong by hard work and a proud heritage to uphold, smashed away at the enemy soldiers, as if they were but ripe sheaves of corn ready to fall under the swings of their scythes.

  Moments after the militia hit the enemy line, the full column of charging cavalry under General Nadero’s command, smashed into the enemy’s rear. There was an almost visible shockwave across the enemy formation as it absorbed the impact of the charging cavalry. Completely unhinged from their defeat at Kingdom Pass and this new brutal twist in their sad tale of invasion the enemy broke and ran screaming for their lives, too hysterical in their terror to even defend themselves.

  It was a slaughter that none were allowed to escape from, for fear that they would regroup with the main body of the army and inform them of the loss. Before even all the enemy had been mopped up General Nadero separated out from the fight to gallop towards the city gates in the distance.

  “Open the gates!”

  The gates clanged open and out poured a collection of carts and wagons of every conceivable description. Some were pulled by teams of horses others mules and even oxen, while spare teams were herded along by outriders.

  Their drivers were old shop owners, widows and anyone who could hold a pair of reins and drive a team. In a frenzy of action General Nadero issued orders to load the carts with the militia members still able and fit to fight. His actions were almost panicked as he was anxious to rendezvous with Roric’s forces on time.

  He was already several hours behind that schedule by his calculations. He had lost time having to divert and travel out of the way of the Attorgron forces coming down from the north. The hastily put together misfit caravan groaned and creaked its way out of the valley in a flurry of its own dust as it was escorted by the cavalry northward towards the Shrine of Remembrance.

  Chapter Twenty

  Last Stand

  Two days later, the Shrine of Remembrance on the shores of the northern sea.

  I watched the banners grow closer over the plain of green rich grass. They had done just as Sebastian had theorized that they would, if first met with a significant reduction in force. They had bypassed our cities, towns and castles to come straight here to the Shrine.

  Thank God! Little did the approaching army know that every city and castle would have fallen easily before them, because every available warrior capable of fighting had been gathered for the engagement to come upon this plain. If General Nadero had been successful in his assignment, then we stood a chance in the battle to come. That is if we could hold out until he arrived.

  There were a few other critical factors that had to go just right too, but so far everything had, so there was still reason to hope. General Sanjo came up beside me as I stood looking out over the dirtwork defenses at the enemy amassing on the plain before us.

  “There sure are a lot of them aren’t there. General do you think that they will mount an attack on us given that it’s already early afternoon?”

  General Sanjo stared at the congregating enemy force beyond the dirtwork fortifications, “We will be dealing with their more experienced commanders now. They’ll want to see what we’re made of and they have the time and men to spare to find out. I think they’ll attack at twilight. There will be a sudden heavy press and then a withdrawal followed by light skirmishes throughout the night meant to keep us awake until the main assault occurs in the morning. That is if we survive the first heavy press at twilight.”

  I nodded, “You had best tell the men to get what rest they can then.”

  General Sanjo turned to go, “General there’s one other thing.”

  General Sanjo turned back to me expectantly. “I’m sorry for the men and women we lost in the city. I know that you trained most of them and knew many of them personally. The city had to be fired when it was or our position would have been overrun. Their sacrifice paved the way to a great victory, but I know that must be shallow comfort to you and their families. I wish there could have been a better way and I’m sorry that there wasn’t.”

  The General looked back at the approaching banners of the enemy, “They knew what they were doing. They died for their nation as proud warriors should in the heat of battle.”

  “Still General I’m sorry for your loss and I assure you that your loss is mine also.”

  His eyes flicked from the enemy banners back to me, “Roric can I share something with you?”

  “Always General. I value your wisdom.”

  “Something I have learned during all my years of leading men into dangerous situations is the peril of getting to attached to the warriors you command. Ev
ery loss of life of those under your command can become a source of personal angst, which eats away at sound reasoning and the will to act as needed. Seeking to avoid the pain of additional loss can lead one to make a choice in battle that is the wrong choice just to avoid more personal pain for yourself and the families of those you command. You made the right choice at Kingdom Pass Roric do not allow yourself to regret it.”

  He started away, but my words stopped him briefly, “Tell me General, have you ever managed to achieve such a disconnection between your emotions and the fate your warriors face?”

  General Sanjo didn’t look back around as he answered, “No, but I keep trying. If I didn’t keep trying I wouldn’t be of any use to anyone.”

  He continued on his way and I returned my gaze to the enemy that had drawn steadily closer across the plain. I wished that this day and responsibility had never come to me. Wishing had never gotten anyone very far in accomplishing something meaningful though.

  Someone always had to do the hard work and make the sacrifice needed to affect any lasting change for good in the world. The only question I had was why did I have to be the one involved in the sacrifice?

  They came at twilight just as General Sanjo had said they would. They stormed up and over our trench work and dirt work defenses around the Shrine in three places.

  We were hard pressed to hold them back without calling out our reserve troops hidden within the Shrine and by the shore of the bay. Of the eight thousand warriors manning the wall of dirt and wood we lost over half of them throughout the long hours of the night. Before dawn’s early light we subbed out most of the survivors along the defenses for the fresher warriors still hidden near the Shrine building.