The Roar of a Dragon

by Robert Blanchard

  I hesitated before I answered. ‘They see me as your “golden boy”. They’re not very fond of me.’

  Garridan sighed again. ‘I’m sorry, Aidan. That wasn’t my intention.’

  ‘There’s nothing to be sorry for,’ I answered. ‘My road to becoming a soldier has been no easier than anyone else’s. They can’t help their own ignorance and jealousy.’

  ‘Don’t speak so of your comrades,’ Garridan chided.

  ‘It also doesn’t help that Aidan routinely defeats them at sparring sessions,’ Derrick said brightly, clapping me on the shoulder. I accepted this praise with a proud smile.

  Garridan turned toward me and looked me in the eye. ‘Even as I tell you not to speak of your comrades in derision, I tell you not to let the insecurity of others stand in your way.’

  I stood straight. ‘I have no intention of that.’

  ‘Why can’t he simply be under my command?’ Derrick asked. ‘I’ll make sure that little weasel stays out of his business.’

  Garridan gave Derrick a look of admonishment, then answered.

  ‘Aidan’s still not a knight, Derrick, I cannot put him in your unit. As it is, Sir Norvin still outranks you, Derrick. You are a Knight-Sergeant, he is a Knight-Lieutenant. In my absence, he will lead the army.’

  As far as knight rankings go, there was a Knight-General, a couple of Knight-Lieutenants, several Knight-Sergeants — who each commanded their own unit — and the rest were simply knights.

  Something was just starting to occur to me. ‘So, as you are Knight-General, if and when you step down, Norvin would likely be the next general.’

  Garridan sensed what I was thinking. ‘That will be a very long time in coming, Aidan. Trust me on that.’

  ‘I don’t think I’m coming back from this little excursion,’ I said, turning to Derrick. ‘I may just have to set up permanently in Boulton.’

  ‘Make room for me,’ Derrick muttered.

  He took a risk making that comment — such remarks, as we were making, were considered treasonous — but we always backed each other up. I was half-joking, but really, what difference did it make if Norvin was to be the next leader of the White Army?

  ‘There is no need to start packing your bags yet,’ Garridan said sternly. ‘I am still in command here, and have no intention of relinquishing that.’

  ‘I would hope not,’ I replied.

  Garridan smiled, and there was a short silence as he turned back to the blacksmith. Finally, I moved on to the next matter at hand.

  ‘What seems to be the trouble in the west?’

  Garridan gazed into the fires of the blacksmith’s forge as he spoke. ‘A little less than a year ago, the kingdom’s supply of copper was beginning to run a bit low. You may remember hearing about it?’

  I nodded.

  ‘His Majesty sent out small groups of men to all corners of the country, searching for copper mines. A few months later, some men reported seeing some mines off to the west, right on the borders of our country and the country of Boulton. They weren’t being used, so the King sent the miners out there to begin their work. Apparently, a week went by before some soldiers of Boulton saw them and arrested them, claiming that the mines were theirs and we were stealing from them. King Baladir was outraged, but sent an emissary in an attempt to settle things as diplomatically as possible. The king of Boulton sent the emissary back, with a message that was… let’s just say, not so pleasant.’

  My eyebrows raised a little at this.

  Garridan nodded. ‘King Baladir took this as a declaration of war.’

  ‘You mean —’ the realization was beginning to set in ‘— we’re actually going to war?’

  Garridan nodded again, hands behind his back. ‘Yes, Aidan… Delmar is officially at war.’

  My gaze was distant for a moment as I tried to come to grips with that knowledge. I had a feeling that it would be a long time before that happened. I was excited (my first war!) but at the same time, I was petrified.

  ‘This is your first war, Aidan,’ Garridan continued, ‘and I know that you have so much on your mind. But, to be straightforward, I wouldn’t expect this to be much of a war.’

  ‘Why do you say that?’ Derrick asked. I’d forgotten he was even there.

  ‘You know that Boulton, compared to Delmar and other countries, has always been underdeveloped,’ Garridan responded, mirroring my thoughts. ‘They’ve always been desperate to gain a foothold in this world, to be considered a legitimate threat. I believe this business with the copper mines was simply the excuse they needed to go to war. Whether they’re ready for what that means or not remains to be seen.’

  I remained silent, still trying to absorb all of this information.

  ‘Go on, back to the barracks, Aidan,’ Garridan said, stepping forward to put a hand on my shoulder. ‘You have much to prepare for, and the army marches in three days.’

  ***

  Those three days went by in a flash. I spent nearly all of that time training and preparing for the weeks-long journey. I had had yet to see Norvin, but had no doubt that he was lurking about somewhere, watching us, maybe even making preparations of his own — who knew with him?

  Finally, the day came. We were all awoken from our cots very early that morning, and were brought to the mess hall for a hearty breakfast — it would be our last good meal for a while. Then it was back to the barracks to get suited up. There weren’t nearly enough people around to assist everyone with their armor, so I put mine on myself.

  After we were suited up, I did what most of the other men did; I sharpened and polished my weapons for battle, including the dagger I kept in my boot. This would also be the first time I was heading into battle with two shortswords — after my first battle, I had realised that the sword-and-shield method wasn’t for me. I was much too small for a broadsword, not well suited for handling spears, and archery wasn’t my strong suit either. But with a shortsword in each hand, I felt right at home.

  Standing there, in my armor, with my swords sheathed to my back, I felt invincible.

  Finally, we were mustered to the grassy hill outside of the castle, making ready for our departure. This experience was so different from my first battle. Before, I was thrown into battle, there wasn’t much of an army, and there was little time to prepare. This time around, watching everything that was happening, I gained a much better understanding of how soldiers prepared for war.

  We settle into ranks — the general army in front, with ranks of archers on the flanks, and the knights behind, separated into different units. The archer units of the knights were settled into the rear of the army. Sir Norvin, on his horse, rode to the front and walked slowly across the front ranks, observing the army. Then he stopped.

  ‘Soldiers of Delmar,’ he called out. ‘Our king and our country have been threatened, and insulted. We head out to war today for one reason: to send a message that the country of Delmar and its people will not be treated like sewer rats. We go today to show them that Delmar is the mightiest country in all the land.’

  The soldiers yelled and cheered, but I couldn’t bring myself to join in. I believed in Norvin’s words, and his speech was a good one. The problem was that Norvin sounded less than enthusiastic when he was making it — in fact, he sounded downright bored.

  It hardly instilled me with any more confidence and pride in my country than I already had.

  As we marched out of the gates, into the city, Norvin posted himself by the gate and watched us pass. I kept my face forward, as I was supposed to, but out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Norvin — to find that he was watching me.

  Maybe this war wasn’t going to be as glorious as I hoped.

  CHAPTER 7

  Marching to Boulton was every bit as I imagined it to be: tedious, demanding, and relentless. For the first week of the journey, we marched through torrential downpour. That only made things more difficult — our armor was most problematic, as the rain weighed it down, making it twice as hard
to march. Many soldiers around me grumbled and condemned Norvin for making us march in this monsoon, but surprisingly enough, I didn’t share the same disagreements; I knew that difficult campaigning like this was simply a part of war, another thing that had to be dealt with.

  The following week, the sun came back out, and the spirits of the soldiers rose again. All around me, they boasted about the great deeds they were going to accomplish, the glory that would be attained. I didn’t join in these conversations either — I felt the same excitement and anticipation they all did, but I knew that my boasting was not welcome. This may have come off as arrogant, but why would I get involved in a conversation when I knew I would just be ridiculed in the end?

  One thing I did not expect was for Norvin to leave me alone for the entire march — but he did. He even passed by me a couple of times, but he never said a word. Perplexed, but relieved, I stayed out of his way and continued going about my business.

  I wasn’t the only one surprised by Norvin.

  ‘Really? He hasn’t spoken to you at all, tried to make you do anything ridiculous?’ Derrick asked as we ate our supper of foul-tasting rations together one night.

  I shook my head. ‘I don’t think I’ve seen him three or four times this entire march.’

  ‘Hmm,’ Derrick said, rubbing his short beard. ‘Maybe he’s turning over a new leaf.’

  That comment was met by hysterical laughter — from both of us.

  Finally, halfway through the second week, we arrived at the mines in question. The area was very grassy and full of hills; the entrance to the mines was burrowed into one of these hills, and outside of it, there was abandoned mining equipment strewn everywhere.

  Norvin ordered us to halt, and he sent a few scouts ahead to survey the area and find out where the enemy was. Afterward, he ordered the rest of us to set up tents and make ready to camp. The sun was beginning to lower in the sky, the dimming light settling into an orange color.

  We ate our meager supper, and were then ordered to get some rest — we would need to be refreshed for tomorrow’s battle. The scouts hadn’t yet returned, and the soldiers began to whisper to each other that something wasn’t right.

  Eventually, the scouts did return, but it wasn’t until the middle of the night. I was awakened by their approaching horses. I sat up, as several other soldiers did, and watched as Norvin and the scouts whispered to each other. I was fairly close to them, but couldn’t hear what they were saying.

  Eventually the scouts finished giving their report, and Norvin dismissed them. Norvin looked over and saw that I was watching. He scrunched up his lips as though deep in thought.

  ‘Aidan, a word with you,’ he ordered, then walked away, toward a stand of nearby trees.

  I frowned in confusion. He hasn’t had a word to say to me this entire march, and suddenly now he wants to talk to me?

  I did as I was ordered, rising from my spot underneath a tree to join my commanding officer. Norvin had his back to me as I approached, but he turned and didn’t waste any time with (disingenuous) pleasantries.

  ‘Aidan, the scouts were unable to find Boulton’s army. They traveled a great distance, in all different directions, but the enemy was nowhere to be found. The scouts are exhausted, and I need to know where the enemy is. Tomorrow, I’m going to give you command of a small group of men, and I need you to scout further ahead.’

  I didn’t say anything — mostly because disbelief had stolen any words I might have said.

  Finally, I recovered enough to say (daringly, considering this man far outranked me), ‘You are aware that I’m just over one year in the army, right?’

  Norvin looked me straight in the eye as he answered, ‘I never thought I would say this, but you are the best fighter we have. I need someone who I know can defend himself, as well as someone who will fight for the honor of our country.’

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I would have never expected to hear anything like that from him.

  After a short silence, I stood straight and answered, ‘If those are your orders, I will carry them out… sir.’

  Norvin smiled in response. ‘You are a good man, Aidan. Now go and get some rest.’

  ***

  I could hardly sleep for the rest of that night. How exciting this was going to be! To my knowledge, nobody had been given command of a unit so early in their military careers… if I succeeded, perhaps they would consider me for knighthood early! I would be easily the youngest knight in Delmar’s history.

  By the gods, everyone would really hate me then.

  But again, friendship wasn’t what I was here for. Friendship isn’t usually conducive to success. All I’d ever wanted to be was a knight, and here was my chance to prove that I was worthy of such an honor.

  It still baffled me that Norvin would be the one to give me this opportunity, but for the time being, I decided not to spend too much time mulling it over. I had more than enough to think about.

  True, it was a simple scouting mission, but scouting missions could be dangerous too. And it still stood to reason that no one had ever been given this chance so soon.

  Morning came before I knew it. After a quick breakfast (quicker for me — I was too excited to be hungry), I joined my unit on the edge of our camping grounds. Norvin had selected ten men to accompany me; much less than would be in a regular unit, but more than I would need for a scouting mission.

  ‘Men,’ Norvin said, suddenly appearing from behind a boulder. ‘The scouts were unable to find any trace of the enemy yesterday. I know they’re lurking about somewhere… Aidan here is in charge, and I want you men to travel directly west from this location. You may find them closer to their castle, which is about a day’s march from here.’

  Norvin walked over and put his hand on my shoulder.

  ‘I know you can carry this out, Aidan. Make us proud.’

  Those words didn’t sound like they should be coming out of his mouth — ever — but I nodded reassuringly.

  ‘We will.’

  I was about to order the men to move out when I saw Derrick in the distance, standing near the grove of trees where Norvin and I had spoken the previous night. He was wearing a look of disbelief — and concern.

  I didn’t understand the nature of his expression, but I gave him a confident nod. Then, at my command, we were off.

  The day was calm and clear, but there were clouds building to the west, headed our way. The weather was on the verge of becoming nasty, I couldn’t help but think that those clouds had a foreboding presence.

  But that was far from my mind; I was in command of a unit, in my element, and it was glorious. Standing proudly at the head of the unit, I marched us directly west, as ordered, through a vast area of rocky terrain. Intimidating rock formations bordered the path sporadically on both sides, and the path was headed up a steep hill. I stopped the unit for a moment, taking stock of the situation.

  ‘What are we going to do, Aidan?’ one of the soldiers asked sarcastically.

  I turned toward the soldier and took a couple of steps toward him. I had been expecting this, but that didn’t make it any easier for me to take.

  ‘What is the meaning of that tone?’

  Another soldier answered with a question. ‘Why were you chosen for this command? Every one of us has a great deal more experience than you. You don’t deserve command of this unit.’

  ‘You expect me to know why I was chosen for this?’ I asked incredulously. ‘Sir Norvin and I don’t exactly have a great history —’

  ‘Everyone knows that,’ yet another soldier answered, ‘which makes your appointment even more ridiculous. It was only given to you because you are the general’s bootlicker.’

  I almost lashed out and grabbed the soldier by his throat, but (at great effort) I restrained myself.

  ‘Look,’ I said, becoming exasperated, ‘I don’t know why I was given this privilege. But I have it, and I am going to do exactly as I’m ordered. And you are going to follow me —
not because I’m in command, but because we are doing this for our country.’

  The soldiers grumbled as they glanced back and forth at each other, but I knew they weren’t going anywhere. Proud of how I handled the situation, I gave the order to march toward the hill.

  The hill was even steeper than it looked; about halfway up, we were practically crawling to make it the rest of the way. To make matters worse, it began to rain, which didn’t help the situation at all. Several of the soldiers (myself included) nearly slipped and tumbled back down the hill.

  But eventually, one by one, we all finished the arduous climb. I was one of the last to make it, and before I made it to the top, I noticed that the soldiers had made it before me were standing and staring incredulously.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ I asked. When no answer came, I pulled myself to the top with a loud grunt. My muscles were tired, I was short on breath — I needed to rest for a moment. But knowing there was no time for that, I took a breath and stood up, looking around me.

  At least, I started to — my gaze fixed immediately on the danger before us.

  Boulton’s army stood straight ahead of us — an army some thousands strong.

  I turned to give the order to retreat back down the hill, but more of Boulton’s soldiers were marching out from behind one of the rock formations, cutting off our escape.

  We were trapped.

  The archers in my unit already had their bows drawn, but any effort on our part would be fruitless.

  We were going to die.

  My mind was suddenly racing — Norvin had said that the scouts had searched and searched, but seen no sign of the enemy army.

  But we had only been marching for just over an hour…

  The realization pierced me, deep into my soul, driving a sweeping feeling of both rage and fear through my body.

  We’d been set up — or, more specifically, I had been set up.

  With great daring, I took a few steps toward the vast Boulton army, trying desperately to keep my rage in check.

  ‘We are merely a scouting party for the White Army of Delmar,’ I called out. ‘You can see that the numbers, to say the least, are not evenly matched. I would speak the commander of this army, and see that we are allowed to return to our army.’ I knew that what I was asking was impossible, but I had to try.