The War

by R. D. Bernstein

  Greyson knew right away that he had fallen for a trap. Ten men walked inside, each with a sword at their side. Behind them came Merchant Kahlis.

  “Damn that bartender,” Greyson muttered.

  “Have a seat, Greyson,” Merchant Kahlis said with a smile Greyson wished he could knock off his face. “We have a lot to discuss.”

  * * *

  Lance raised a shield in front of several knights as the mystics sent lightning bolt after lightning bolt. The knights Lance protected battled for their lives in the midst of the taller, stronger obsidian armored Drakaran.

  The mages were forced to focus on defense as the Drakaran mystics hurled spells consistently and in rapid succession. The lightning was extraordinarily powerful and unfortunately, the armor acted as a conduit for the electricity.

  Dozens of knights fell around Lance, several mages soon following suit. A sense of panic and disorder ensued.

  A horn blared in the distance and Lance looked to the west to see hundreds of more Drakaran warriors running toward them. If they attacked from the back, the knights and tribal Drakaran would be smashed in between.

  The knights fought bravely and Chieftain Zulu’s warriors battled with unbridled ferocity, but it wouldn’t be enough. Lance had to stop them or the war and his world would be over. As it was, they had the numbers, but not for long the way the battle was going.

  Lance began to hobble and wade his way toward the Drakaran reinforcements. A hand gripped his wrist and he nearly fell when he put too much pressure on his bad leg. Lance looked up to see Master Porthos standing there.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Porthos told him. “And I’m not going to stop you this time. But take this. I was saving it for a special occasion.”

  Master Porthos took out a tube with bluish flakes Lance was unfamiliar with.

  “Eternium metal,” Master Porthos explained. “One of the rarest metals on our planet. Take all of them. God speed, Lance Gundar.”

  Lance took the tube and downed the flakes as directed. Unlike the silver and copper he was used to, the eternium had an instant effect. His veins bulged and turned a bright blue as the metal coursed through him. He felt invincible.

  Lance ran as fast as a crippled could manage. Before long, he found himself standing halfway between his people and the incoming enemy reinforcements. It was time.

  Lance dug deep within his mind, channeling everything he had into the spell. A stone wall with jagged spikes appeared in front of the Drakaran reinforcements, stretching nearly a quarter of a mile long. Then he summoned another one behind them. With great effort, Lance had the walls slam together. He heard the sickening crunch of three hundred obsidian armored suits just before his body collapsed and he blacked out.

  Master Porthos and the others gained a burst of hope and inspiration from the destruction of so many enemies at once. None of them had ever seen someone cast a spell of that magnitude.

  “Kill them all!” General Kirn yelled. “For humanity!”

  Chapter 9

  Greyson laughed, mostly because of the situation. He should have known better. Trust no one and you’ll be safe. Greyson didn’t even bother fighting. Three men with clubs was one thing, but ten men with swords in close quarters was too much for any one man armed with only a dagger. He was confident in his abilities, but not foolish.

  “I’m listening,” Greyson said, leaning back in his chair with crossed arms. He might as well be comfortable, and if they tried anything, he would make damn sure he took some of them with him.

  Merchant Kahlis took a seat at the opposite end of the table while his men stood with hands on their hilts, blocking the only exit.

  “Let me get straight to the point,” Kahlis said. “I am going to give you a one-time offer. I’ll give you one day to process and make a wise decision. If you say no, I’ll kill you. No more chances. That I can promise you.”

  “And what is this special offer?” Greyson asked.

  “Although I will not hesitate to kill you if necessary, I think you have many skills that could prove useful in my line of work. Come and work for me. I’ll put you in charge of ten ships. You’ll have respect from the men, a home to live in, and plenty of gold.”

  “That is a fair offer,” Greyson said. “I will consider it.”

  “Good,” Merchant Kahlis said. “I hope you make the right decision. For your sake.”

  * * *

  General Kirn swung his broadsword back and forth at the Drakaran. He killed more than his fair share, but his men were dying. The mages looked exhausted while the mystics seemed as strong as when the battle began. Even the savage tribal Drakaran grew tired, their numbers dwindling every minute. They gathered around their Chieftain, fighting as one.

  General Kirn had seen enough battles to know the battle was slowly shifting into the Drakaran’s favor. Men he fought beside many times, good men, were cut down or electrocuted in front of him. Too many lives had been lost already.

  The General side-stepped an overhead swing from a Drakaran blade and swung his broadsword into the Drakaran’s mid-section. His enemy fell to his knees and Kirn kicked him over, just as another Drakaran sliced Kirn’s arm right between the grooves of his armor. General Kirn made the Drakaran pay for that.

  He soon found himself back to back with Chieftain Zulu.

  “Do not worry, human,” Zulu said to the General. “I made plans.”

  General Kirn had no time to ask questions as several enemies came at him at once. He had no idea what the tribal leader was referring to.

  A few minutes later, General Kirn found his answer. One thousand screaming tribal Drakaran exited the woods and charged across the plains.

  “I sent messages to gather the tribes,” Chieftain Zulu said with a smile.”

  * * *

  Lance felt terrible, but there was no time to dig individual graves for the dead. If they took another half day, the Drakaran would send more monsters and mystics. There seemed to be an endless supply. The only solution would be to kill the Drakaran council and fulfill the prophecy his father so strongly believed in. According to Chieftain Zulu, most Drakaran preferred to end the practice of raiding other worlds. It was the council that insisted and ordered such atrocities.

  Lance and the other mages hastily cleared a large patch of soil. The bodies were rolled in as gently as possible. Master Porthos and General Kirn said a few quick words and then the mass grave was filled in.

  Seeing so many dead bodies was a sobering experience. After continuing on, most of the troops rode in silence, lost in their own dark thoughts. Charlotte looked like she had seen a ghost, and Lance was sure he didn’t look much better.

  The further along they travelled, and the closer they came to the Drakaran capital, the nicer the road became. It was now made of some type of smooth black stone. Lance could see his reflection in its fine surface. They passed several small farms. The workers ran when they spotted the human army, and General Kirn let them go. Even if they went to the capital to warn of their coming, it mattered not. The Drakaran knew they were coming.

  General Kirn ordered the troops to restock on food. There was no telling how long the war would last and the supply wagons were running low as it was. The crops, although strange and unfamiliar, were bountiful. Before long, the wagons were filled to capacity. The vegetables and fruits proved to be delicious and Kirn could tell the added food helped with the troops’ dwindling morale as many of their comrades died on this strange and alien planet.

  After loading the last of the supply wagons, the army headed out. Lance sidled up next to Charlotte’s horse.

  “This is only going to get worse,” she told him.

  Lance nodded. There was no sense in lying to her. They all knew it. The last few battles would pale in comparison to the final one.

  They rode in silence, Charlotte’s words echoing inside his head, mirroring the thoughts of most of the troops.

  * * *

  Council member Sareth broke the news to
the other five council members. They took it as he expected. Council member Guntak slammed his fist onto the table.

  “Do you remember how hard we worked to get the masses in line with our plans? Now you’re telling me we are at risk to lose everything! How did this happen? We conquer worlds, not defend for our lives! We are Drakaran!” Guntak’s face flushed red.

  “All is not lost,” Sareth added. “I will admit that the humans making it to our capital, to stand outside our very walls is infuriating to say the least. But they do not have enough numbers to take us. Commander Voltross began to recall all troops to the capital the moment the humans stepped through the portal. We didn’t expect the weaklings to attack our planet. Nearly one hundred thousand Drakaran from all our forts across our lands are nearly here. All we need to do is stall for a few days and our problem goes away.”

  “You make it sound simply, Sareth,” Guntak replied. “But we all know it is not. The humans should never have gotten this far.”

  The other council members nodded in agreement.

  “Commander Voltross should be executed for this failure,” Guntak added.

  Sareth replied, “Probably. We all agree he deserves it, probably long ago, but he is far too powerful an asset to throw away.”

  The eldest of the council members, Lillia, rubbed at her temples, her red eyes closed. When she opened them, she gave a look of annoyance to the others.

  “We all know the expression; A Drakaran does not keep adding logs to a fire that is too damp to light,” she said. “Continuing to rely on Commander Voltross and hoping for better results is foolish. He has failed us time and time again. It is time to get rid of him. The people will see us as weak if we do not.”

  “I second those thoughts,” Guntak added.

  “And I do too,” Sareth chimed in, surprising the other council members. “As much as it disgusts me to defend Commander Voltross, we need his influence and power. When the humans are crushed and this is all over, then we can kill him.”

  There was a moment of silence as the other council members considered Sareth’s words.

  “As soon as the last human falls, Voltross will be publicly executed as an example of what happens when someone fails the council,” Guntak said.

  All council members raised their hands in agreement

  Chapter 9

  Greyson had no intention to consider Merchant Kahlis’ offer. The only option as he saw it was to kill the arrogant man. Only then would he have the time and freedom to build his empire

  Greyson peered back over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t followed. The night blanketed the manor in a sheet of darkness, only two torches lit outside the gate and the house with none at all.

  After observing the manor and its courtyard, Greyson noted that there were four guards at the front gate and three patrols. It was impossible to discern how many guards were inside, but he would deal with that later.

  He waited until a patrol passed by his location and then he wrapped his hands around the tree limb he sat on and lowered himself down to the courtyard, dropping lightly to his feet the last couple of meters.

  Greyson sprinted to the side of the manor where a set of windows waited, set between two large white columns.

  He checked them to see if they were left carelessly open and wasn’t surprised to find them secure. A lock never stopped him before.

  Greyson reached into his side pocket and pulled out his lock picking tools. He had the same tools since he was little. They weren’t the fanciest, but they worked.

  A little fiddling with a few of his tools and Greyson was able to pry the window open. He climbed through as quietly as he could manage, closed it behind him and looked around.

  He was in a study of some sort, a large bookshelf across half the far wall and a desk with parchment, an inkwell and quill next to him. A fancy rug of what looked like bear fur covered the center of the room where several comfortable chairs formed a semi-circle.

  A scratching sound at the door caused Greyson to duck down and pull a dagger from his boot. The door swung open to reveal a large dog, black fur with a patch of brown around its head. Its long floppy ears hung down to the rug as it sniffed around. Catching Greyson’s scent, it began to bark.

  The dagger took it in the throat after only one bark. Greyson hated killing animals, but once a dog like that caught his scent or saw him, it would ruin everything. He crept over to the dog and pulled the dagger out of its neck, dragging the body to a spot underneath the desk. Keeping the dog’s body in plain sight would just be stupid.

  Greyson left the room in a hurry. He might be a killer, but killing a dog was not something he took pleasure in. But a killer always did what needed to be done.

  The manor was large, but a man like merchant Kahlis would sleep on the second floor in the largest of the rooms. It was there that Greyson would end Kahlis’ life and secure his foothold in the merchant business.

  Greyson crept up the stairs, lifting and lowering his feet so slow that even an ant could crawl out of the way in time. His trained eyes inspected the stairs above each step, seeing the grooves and grain of the wood, and thus better able to detect where a creak would likely sound if he put pressure on a particular spot.

  The going was slow, but there were still plenty of hours left in the night. At the top of the stairs, he peeked around the wall to see a long hallway, a man leaning against the wall with a bored, tired expression. Greyson didn’t envy the man. Standing all night while his pompous boss slept in a comfortable bed was not a fun experience.

  Killing the man wouldn’t be difficult. The challenging part would be to kill him without him alerting whoever was inside of the bedroom at the end of the hall. Greyson doubted there were more guards inside the actual bedroom, but one never knew.

  Greyson drew his dagger, still wet with the dog’s blood. His timing had to be perfect. Greyson waited until the man turned his head to glance toward the bedroom. Greyson darted out and ran closer. His dagger sunk into the man’s head, between the eyes, just as he turned around. He let the man sink to the floor, gently lowering him for his last quiet sleep.

  He tiptoed over to the door, and held his ear against it. Silence.

  He opened it a crack and peeked inside. As suspected, merchant Kahlis slept on a bed large enough to comfortably fit four people. His snoring was loud enough to be heard by the neighbors. To Greyson, the snoring was a symbol of the man’s arrogance.

  Greyson didn’t hesitate. He ran over and killed the man who threatened his chance at growing and expanding his empire. Nothing would stand in Greyson’s way.

  * * *

  With most of the mages battling on the Drakaran world, there was only a few dozen left behind at the palace, most of them red robes. Master Gretta was put in charge as the ranking member of the mage quarters. She was too old to go to war on another planet. She could barely make it up and down the stairs anymore as it was.

  Gretta shuffled her feet across the room and sat down on her chair with a pillow on it. She waited a moment to catch her breath and then sighed. She picked up a full stack of parchments.

  Master Gretta was tasked with ensuring things were in order. Part of that meant to make sure they were fully stocked with flakes of a variety of metals. Not only did they take most of it for the Drakaran war, but the metals would be needed for when things finally returned to normal. If it ever did.

  The metal suppliers were mostly across the sea and thus required contracting merchant ships to make the run to and from. She looked over the offers from several companies in response to her request. It seemed unreasonably high. Perhaps things were more expensive than in her younger years. It had been a while since she worked on any sort of budget and order fulfillment.

  She leafed through them, all of them claiming to be the best in the business. She was about to put the pile of parchments down and take a break, when she came upon the next offer and stopped. The price was close to half that of any other offer. It also offered a guarantee of de
livery. Master Porthos and the others would be happy with how she was able to spend way within budget.

  She looked at the name of the company. It was a simple name, most likely family owned and passed down from generation to generation to keep the family name as the business. Her mind made up, she penned a response to Greyson’s Empire.

  * * *

  What remained of the humans and tribal Drakaran combined army pulled up short of the Drakaran capital city. Its high walls were made of similar material to that of the obsidian armored Drakaran warriors. The sun reflecting off the walls’ smooth surface was blinding.

  General Kirn had seen the plethora of Drakaran forts and outposts across the lands and knew it would only be a matter of time before countless reinforcements arrived. Time was of the essence, but the walls of the city could not be breached by force or scaling without difficulty. It would be up to the mages to come up with something and fast.

  General Kirn called Master Porthos to him.

  “We don’t have long to take this city,” Kirn said. “We don’t have time to build siege engines. We need to come up with a way to break in.”

  Master Porthos shielded his eyes from the glare and scanned the city.

  “If all of us combine powers, and I mean all of us, we could eventually break a sizeable hole in the wall. Only trouble is that we will be close enough for arrows and other objects to hit us,” Master Porthos replied. “We wouldn’t be able to spare enough mages to cover all of us with an energy shield with how much power it will take to break the walls.”

  “I’ll have my men cover yours with shields,” Kirn said.

  Porthos nodded. “Make sure you are ready if they send men out the gates to stop us.”

  General Kirn replied, “This isn’t my first war. They would be stupid to not send some resistance. They’re not going to just sit there and wait for us to break in. We’ll be more than ready. Just get us a path through that wall and we’ll take care of the rest.”