Haven Keep (Book 1)

by R. David Bell

  Von loosed, his arrow hit the Halfen man center chest, sending him backward out of the saddle to the ground. Soren’s man went down hard. The remaining scout looked around in panic, then turned his horse to gallop off. Von pulled another arrow from his quiver, but Soren was faster. The man fell from his saddle with an arrow through his throat. He hit the earth, his neck twisted into an unnatural position.

  Soren was back on his horse and on his way down before Von could replace his arrow in his quiver. Von hurried down the little knoll, following Soren to where the Halfen lay.

  The first man Soren shot was still alive. The arrow pierced him through the gut. He would not survive without help, and Von was not going to give him any. The man was alive for one reason. Soren wanted him that way. He would not have missed the vitals if he wanted to kill.

  Soren bent over the man. “We will bandage you and allow you to walk back to your army. That will give you at least some chance to survive, but only if you answer our questions.”

  The man glared hatred at Soren.

  Soren put a little pressure on the arrow in the man’s gut.

  The Halfen groaned and writhed in pain. “All right! All right!”

  “Good,” Soren said. “Now, who is at the head of this army.”

  The man hesitated and Soren put his hand back on the arrow.

  “Alright. No need for that. It is Jubben.”

  Von’s breath caught. He wanted to get his hands on Jubben almost as much a he wanted Ky.

  “Where is Ky?” Soren asked.

  “He is at Stone Abbey.”

  “When did Ky leave for Stone Abbey?”

  “About a week ago,” the man moaned.

  Von realized what Soren was doing. Getting the man to answer questions that did not matter much, then when he asked what he really wanted to know the man would already be talking.

  “You’ve taken prisoners.”

  The man nodded slightly.

  “Where are they?” Soren asked.

  The man’s eyes went to the arrow stuck in his gut before he answered. “They are a couple leagues behind the army. Under heavy guard.”

  “How many are there?”

  The man’s breathing was heavy and labored now. “There are about fifty guards.”

  “How many prisoners,” Von asked impatiently.

  The man looked at Von. “I don’t know.”

  Soren applied a little more pressure.

  “Ahh!” The Halfen writhed in pain. “About two hundred I think. Mostly women, some children.”

  The Halfen were even lower than Von thought. They raided this land as if these people were strangers or enemies, not fellow northmen. Taking women and children as they would on a raid on Semnaria or the high desert nomads. In Von’s eyes Ky had given his people a death sentence, or at least conviction to a lifetime in the mines. Yet Von’s brother lived and Von was not the heir to the empire. Could he still pass sentence? Did he have a right to? It didn’t matter. He would make the Halfen pay.

  Soren continued his interrogation. “Will the army camp tonight, or will they continue their march?”

  The answer came in a groan. “Jubben drives us hard. He means to be at Azmark at dawn.” He paused between deep breaths. “He wants Baiden to awaken to the largest army he has ever seen.” The man spit blood. “Ky wants Baiden dead, but Jubben would rather take Azmark without a fight. He hopes to frighten Baiden into surrendering.”

  “I’ve got a mind to do some frightening of my own,” Von said, sounding more threatening than he wanted to. He half drew his sword as he spoke. “We will give the Halfen something to think about this night.”

  The Halfen scout stared at Von. Von could see the man was waiting for Von to finish him. He obviously had no idea what Von really meant. Von didn’t even know if Soren knew for sure. It would be time soon though, the sun was almost down, and with the coming of night they would strike.

  * * *

  Senjin was not sure why he even agreed to come on this campaign. Ky promised them all riches from looting, but he knew as well as any other that the lands of the Kailfen were not exactly overflowing with treasure. Yes the promise of power and the prospect of the Halfen dominating the north was enticing, but all he saw so far was rough nights and cold days, marching in soggy boots and carrying more heavy gear and supplies than he cared to think about. He was hungry most of the time too. Now Jubben declared they were going to march through the night. The sun disappeared behind the tree line a short time ago. He was stumbling through the dark now, trying not to fall on his face. It would mean another night without sleep. If they just waited until morning they could march straight through the forest, but traveling in the dark meant they would need to keep to the plains and meadows, adding another six or seven leagues. Extra distance Senjin did not care to travel.

  He thought about some of the captivating young women that were held at the rear of the army. Maybe he could take one of those beauties home for himself. That might actually make this excursion worth the trouble. He longed to be relaxing in the common room of a raunchy inn, with his nose in a mug and a warm fire to heat his weary bones. Ky’s ambitions could fall into the Rift for all he cared.

  A commotion drew Senjin’s attention to the front of the ranks. Murmurs spread through the formation. Apparently one of the scouts had gotten himself shot in the gut by one of these stray farmers. Served him right for not paying attention. He deserved to be gutted out for fish bait if he couldn’t do a better job of scouting than that. If the man really did take an arrow to the gut, there were slim chances of him living. The prospects of infection were high, not to mention poisoning from his own bile or excrement. They should just leave the man to die.

  Another commotion further down the line piqued Senjin’s curiosity a little more. Somebody else had probably gotten himself pig stuck by another farmer.

  Senjin heard the sound of steel clashing against steel. There were screams and shouts. The sounds men made when they were dying. The army halted its march and Senjin saw a tumultuous wave of men, armor and swords heading his way. The formation of men parted as the wave broke through the ranks. Men began to run.

  Screams erupted amidst the violence.

  “Demons!” someone cried. Senjin heard it more than once, from more than one voice.

  “Demons from the Rift!”

  The noise grew louder, it was coming his way. The cowards should stand and fight. It couldn’t be anything but a few of these upstart farmers who finally managed to grow a backbone.

  The screams continued. “Devils with their demon dogs!”

  The wave of destruction neared Senjin. It moved at the speed of a charging horse. He drew his sword and readied himself for the fight. He had seen enough battles not to flee in the face of an opponent just because he appeared suddenly in the night.

  He heard another cry, “The scourges! They have risen out of the Rift to punish our sins!”

  Fools and their foolish superstition. Some men would believe anything.

  Then he saw it,- saw them. Two demons in bestial helms. One clad in armor like a dragon, the other covered in no kind of hair Senjin had ever seen, both riding powerful steeds. At their sides were two massive dogs, with menacing jaws, threatening to snap anything in their path. The two figures cut a bloody swathe through the men who were too slow to get out of their way. Demons, that’s what they were, what else could they be?

  The demons did not slow their charge. They never turned to the right or the left, they just cut their way through the army, an army that was a nuisance because it was in their way.

  No one stood to fight. They all turned and ran. How could they know if they could defeat this enemy if they did not even try? Senjin would not run. He would show these so called soldiers what it meant to fight. He would show them that even demons from the Rift could bleed.

  Senjin charged the one in the armor. He could see a human face behind the mask of the helm. The helm covered three quarters of the demon’s face, but th
e mouth was visible. Senjin saw that mouth twist into a wicked smile.

  It was the last thing he saw.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The Halfen army marched through the night, an enormous snake winding through the valley and between the trees. A black line moving in the moon light, confident nothing could stand against its might. A powerful force moving ominously toward the city that would become its victim. The snake seemed immovable in its path, yet something had disturbed the Halfen ranks. Not only disturbed, but put over one hundred of the invading soldiers to flight, sending others into a confusion that disrupted their march. Some of the ranks to smashed into those ahead, like a spring snapping back on itself. Flenn heard the shouts of battle and the now familiar sounds of swords clashing and men dying. Screams of terror rang out and many Halfen broke formation and ran away from the forest, toward the mountains and their homeland.

  It didn’t make sense. All the outlying farms and communities in this area were already gathered in, or fleeing from the army. There was the possibility some men remained out here and banded together to resist the invaders, only that would not have caused the panic Flenn saw. Men ran madly into the darkness, their fellows calling after them, but they were still too far away for Flenn to make out what they said.

  Whatever caused the disturbance, was focused on the weakest part of the Halfen line, just behind the supply wagons and in the midst of the scraggly looking infantry, where the Halfen were the most spread out and marched in the narrowest formation. If Flenn planned a small attack on the Halfen during the night he would have picked that location as well, which meant whoever did attack them had been watching the Halfen for some time. He thought of Von and Soren then quickly dismissed the possibility. Von would need to be further ahead by now to reach Stone Abbey before the clan chiefs began to meet. Von was adamant about stopping Ky and Flenn did not think he would waste time with the Halfen and delay his arrival to the meeting.

  Flenn kicked himself for not sending more men with Von, or at least making him wait. Ky could be dealt with another day. Who cared what pretenses the Chiefs would vote on? It would all be illegal anyway. Of course not everyone in the north would know that, or believe. Who knew how many hearts could be swayed just by a vote of the council of clan chiefs? Maybe Von was right. Maybe the vote did need to be stopped before any more seeds of betrayal could be sown, yet Flenn still could not help thinking he had made a mistake in allowing Von to go. Then again, how could he have stopped him? He wished Von had taken more men with him. Flenn had seen Soren and Von fight, seen the devastation they unleashed upon the Halfen, but in that instance they were fighting along side another army. They would be sorely outnumbered now. What if they were overwhelmed? He and Soren would probably get themselves killed.

  He laughed at himself for entertaining the thought it might possibly be Von and Soren who caused the disturbance in the Halfen ranks. No matter, whoever had done it was at least fighting on the same side as the Kailfen. He put the incident out of his mind, knowing he might not ever find out what really happened down there.

  Flenn could worry about it later, right now there was an invading army to deal with. He had been a part of one battle earlier this morning and wished that could have been an end to it, but he found himself now getting ready to join another, and this one promised to be even bloodier than the last. A battle of great enormity, one the size of which was only heard of in tales and fables.

  The Halfen continued to march through the night, coming closer to where Flenn and his men were hidden. Tostig’s scouts were adamant this was the first time the Halfen did not make camp at night. They must have wanted to reach Azmark by morning, and at this point the Halfen most likely did not know of the lopsided defeat of their other army. They would learn soon. Some of the survivors and stragglers from the battle fought just earlier that day must be making their way back to join the main army. Either way, the Halfen had no way of knowing the Orlenc, Kragen and Celten were now joined with the Kailfen, and with the addition of the men following Oded and Domnal, the fight was now in Baiden’s favor.

  Thinking of Domnal gave him pause. Flenn still had a hard time believing Von had a brother. He was still trying to get over the fact Von was the son of Trajan, that Trajan actually had a surviving heir, and not just one heir, two. Domnal had been fighting the Horde for years while Flenn sat comfortably here in the north. The thought made him feel a little guilty. He would make up for it now, starting with the Halfen.

  The Halfen would expect to overrun the Kailfen, but instead would find it was themselves who were outnumbered. Flenn tried to imagine the enormity of the battle that was going to take place. The Halfen army was reported to be as large as sixteen thousand men. A force the size of which Flenn had never thought to have seen, but they were spread out now. They must think with their sheer numbers no one dare attack them, yet what they did not know was that they no longer possessed the superior force.

  The Kragen arrived with an army over three thousand men strong and their ships continued to bring more. They numbered over four thousand now with more arriving on the shores of Kailfen land at that very moment. Flenn wished there was time for all of them to arrive. The Orlenc added another three thousand or more as did the Celten, and the surviving Kailfen still numbered well over two thousand men, with more continuing to gather in from the farms and outlying villages. That brought their numbers to nearly thirteen thousand, more than enough to fight the Halfen, but that was without counting the southern forces. Their strength of over four thousand battle hardened men meant an army of over seventeen thousand soldiers, possibly approaching eighteen. It was hard to conceive the clans were able to gather so quickly. The numbers were staggering to Flenn. A battle that size would cost too many lives. Lives that would be wasted because of pride and greed. Ky’s thirst for power may well still prove the death knell for the north. How could they ever recover from such a devastating battle?

  Flenn took some comfort in knowing Oded and his men were fighting on his side. Their experience and skill would sway the battle a great distance in their favor. Oded and Tostig had planned the ambush that would take place this night. Others gave their input, but it was Oded and Tostig that formed the main part of the plan. Everyone saw the logic in it, the simple brilliance. Their numbers and the help of the southern army were not what would give them the advantage, it was the element of surprise, and the Halfen’s pride in thinking they could not possibly be attacked, that no one would or could stand up to them. That fact, along with Oded’s and Tostig’s strategy should ensure victory.

  Flenn hoped the casualties would remain low, at least on his side. Oded assured Baiden if everyone did as they were instructed most should survive. Oded’s words were not exactly comforting when you were staring down sixteen thousand armed men.

  Riders were sent to reach Domnal and his forces to ensure they would participate in their part of the plan. Scouts returned informing Baiden that Domnal would be where he was wanted. They would be the wave, crashing against the shore, smashing the Halfen against the rocks that were the armies of the northern most tribes. Tostig vowed the Halfen would drown in a sea of death. Flenn hoped it worked out that way. The alternative was something he did not want to think about.

  He turned his attention back to watching the Halfen. They still had not restored order to their ranks. The disturbance in the Halfen lines and the confusion that followed made Flenn want to attack now, but he knew he should wait for the signal. Any straying from what was planned could cause the whole thing to fall apart, so Flenn sat in his saddle in the dark, and waited. It would all begin soon enough.

  He was secreted in the trees with twelve hundred men. Other men with similar numbers were hidden nearby and others even further away. With so many men they would not remain hidden for long. Oded , Tostig and Baiden each commanded a division. Ulfgar, Riktor, Zor, and Gunnar each commanded a group of Kragen. The Orlenc were split, with Lowerth, Amas, and Morleo each taking command of a unit. The Celten f
ell in with the other groups, adding to their numbers. Oded was the one who suggested it, and Flenn suspected it was to keep the Kragen loyal. It was not that there was an actual distrust, and Oded never spoke in any way to indicate there was, but the Kragen were new allies, until recently thought to be enemies. For this reason Flenn was sure Oded had seen that the Kragen were not left alone. Flenn hoped no one else saw this or suspected. He did not want the Kragen to feel insulted.

  The Halfen inadvertently played into their hands with their night time march. They were too spread out to fight together and their army, especially the western side, was vulnerable to attack from the forest. That was where the main attack would come from, but not from Flenn’s men. Flenn was positioned to meet the Halfen army head on. Others on the east and on the west of the Halfen would attack from their own hiding places. Oded hoped to devastate the front portion of the army and cripple the Halfen before they could come together. The plan just might work, only now the Halfen were getting closer and Flenn was getting anxious, maybe even a bit nervous. If the Halfen continued in this direction for long, they would march right over the top of him. He would be forced to retreat and the plan would be jeopardized. Oded needed to give the signal and soon.

  “Bows out,” Flenn ordered. The command was given down the line. He wanted to be ready for Oded’s signal, wanted to easily see the Halfen men approaching in the moonlight. Too much closer and they would see him as well.

  “Come on Oded. Where are you?” he whispered. In a few more moments Flenn would be forced to make a decision. Attack and hope the others did as well or turn and retreat. His twelve hundred could not stand and fight the Halfen alone. Maybe he should have picked a place near the flanks instead of right at the head. If the Halfen charged he would meet the brunt of it.