Epic Unearthed

by Thomas Turner

  Chapter XXII

  Fearing Darkness

  After the Mantineians arrive in Sidra, a Kyrenian scout rides to Nextear with news that the Atlanteans and Valteareans are, in fact, on their way to Bardia.

  The main question the Mantineian generals ask is, “Why Bardia?” Nextear knows the Atlanteans have no artillery in that region. Therefore, he knows that his army will have the advantage with overwhelming numbers.

  After a long march, Laptos converges with his generals at Bardia, and starts to construct a crude defense perimeter on the mountain side of the Albers. Laptos’ army can only be attacked from three different directions. Since the Atlanteans holds the high ground, their archers will inflict heavy causalities. Persephone understands they have to deplete enemy supply lines to allow Atlantis to develop their defenses. Because the Valteareans and Atlanteans torched Sidra, the enemy has to transport provisions from their homeland.

  Laptos, Quentoris, Tulless, and Persephone review their objectives: All are preparing for battle; they must make a stand; the Atlanteans are a three-day march from the Atlantean West Gate; the Atlantean Emperor has no clue what is happening in the Mantineian Campaign; Laptos is stranded without reinforcements from the fatherland; many messengers have been sent to Atlantis, but none have returned.

  Laptos orders the Valtearean and Atlantean generals to meet in his tent and says, “We must seek assistance from our Western neighbors.”

  Persephone replies, “On the continent, Hamma and Maktar are small city-states of the Empire. They have one-hundred-thousand warriors to fight, including their reserves. We must bring them to this battlefield.”

  Quentoris says, “They are too far away to reach us in time. The battle will not be won here at Bardia. We must lure our enemy to the borders of Atlantis to fight. Our enemy has overwhelming numbers. We must punch them in the face and quickly withdraw. The only way we can win is with reinforcements from our fatherland. We need cavalry and artillery from Atlantis.”

  Tulless says with pride, “All my soldiers are with you, and we will fight to the death with your empire.”

  Quentoris replies, “I will fight and protect your warriors with my life.”

  Tulless replies humbly, “I don’t mean the past kingdom of Valtear. I mean the new state of Atlantis. The Kyrenians and Mantineians will destroy our way of life. If we win, we can rebuild my kingdom. Fighting here gives my civilians more time to evacuate the continent. The Atlanteans have proven they will preserve our culture and improve it. I know Aten will fight for my kingdom with everything he has.”

  Persephone urgently says, “Laptos, you have your father’s influence with the Maktar. Quentoris, Hamma has the first division from your first command. If you both use your influence in this desperate time, you can organize them to fight for us. Balaris, you must ride to Atlantis and tell them what is happening here. If the Sabatheans are involved, Atlantis cannot take on three empires, even if the Ladonean Empire stays neutral or fights with us.”

  Laptos says, “I agree. Quentoris, you and I may not survive the journey, but our empire depends on our influence. The ride is a two-day journey on elk. I will meet you at the border of Atlantis in five days. There are two Atlantean divisions at the Great West Wall, but our defenses will not be able to withstand a full-scale attack from our enemies. Combined, the Mantineians and Kyrenians are too strong. We must weaken them and deplete their supply lines before they reach our borders so our fatherland can reorganize and counterattack. Persephone, I am putting you in harm’s way. You will be in charge of Bardia. Fight here and retreat back to Atlantis.”

  Quentoris says, “Before the invasion of Sidra, I sent word to Maktar and Hamma to be prepared. If we do not unite as one force, we will all be picked off one by one. There will not be a Valtear, Hamma, Maktar, or Atlantis if we do not unite. I feel that our homeland is being attacked. There is no word from our messengers, and our bell posts are not communicating. Our enemy will not split their troops until Bardia is taken. Nextear is looking for a decisive victory.”

  Persephone says, “I will fight here to buy time.”

  Quentoris replies, “I agree. The battle her will make or break our empire. We must slow Nextear so that our empire can prepare.”

  Laptos throws a map onto a table, points at the destination, and says, “Quentoris, my father has confidence in you, as do I. In five days, meet me at the border of Atlantis close to the city of Akco.”

  All go their separate ways. Balaris rides to the fatherland. Quentoris and Laptos mount their giant elks and are accompanied by a small task force for protection. The two men make their journey toward the small Atlantean city-states to gather the few men who are there. They ride quickly and do not sleep until reaching their destinations.

  Persephone and Tulless stay and fight, setting their lines of defense. Every bridge was set afire as the Atlanteans and Valteareans retreated from Sidra. Their enemy will have to go up and down rivers seeking a bridge to cross.

  To defend Bardia from charging cavalry, the Atlanteans cut down every tree they can find. The Atlantean and Valtearean archers construct tens of thousands of crude arrows from the surrounding area.

  On the third day of marching, the Kyrenians and Mantineians are nearby, and have close to three-and-one-half-million men ready to fight at Bardia. Atlantean patrols see the massive army, and give details to Persephone of what is coming.

  Laptos and Quentoris finally reach their destinations. The city-states of Maktar and Hamma agree to fight. A ship is launched to Atlantis to warn of the invasion, but will take three days to arrive in Vasic. The two small city-states have hastily mustered four divisions. Quentoris reunites with his old division. The Maktar and Hamma artillery divisions are sent by ships to meet Persephone’s army outside the Atlantean Great West Wall, close to Akco. Other ships evacuate the civilians, crossing the sea searching for refuge. Meanwhile, the two Atlantean city-states on the continent burn and destroy anything their enemy might use in their campaign against Atlantis.

  Laptos marches the army he has mustered close to the sea, toward Atlantis. The armies carry every bow and sword from their arsenal. The journey to Akco will take three days. Because Laptos is exhausted, he tries to sleep in a carriage while traveling. The responsibility of everything his father has worked for has become extremely taxing.

  Back at Bardia, Persephone sends most of her light and heavy cavalry to the south side of their defensive point. Because the Valteareans do not have the same range as the Atlantean archers, they will be positioned closer to the enemy. The two armies are spaced correctly to concentrate their firepower. Because the Atlanteans are better trained, Persephone’s infantry is positioned in the center of the defensive perimeter. The Valtearean infantry is situated on the left and right flanks, where terrain and higher ground will help keep their formations sound.

  The Mantineians and Kyrenians reach Bardia and move in formation to attack. The battle begins. The Mantineians’ main assault is toward Atlanteans’ center, where their archers and infantry fight hand-to-hand. Persephone counterattacks, and slaughters many of Nextear’s infantry. The Atlantean enemy has too many casualties to regroup.

  At dusk, the Valteareans and Atlanteans start to lose ground on the north side. The Valteareans fight well, but are few in numbers and begin tiring. As the sun starts setting, Persephone catches a break. The enemy retreats to their camp, while completely surrounding Bardia. Before nightfall, a Mantineian messenger rides to the Atlantean fortification to speak with the commander at hand. The messenger marches to Persephone, and stands proudly. He says, “Please allow our wounded to die in peace. The sun will set in thirty minutes. We ask that you allow our warriors to die in the light of the sun so they can go to the heavens and their forefathers.”

  Persephone is stunned and says, “You may take the wounded off the field, and I will not attack your men during the retraction.”

  The messenger runs to relay the message to Nextear. Thousands of Kyrenians and Man
tineians move to their mortally wounded, turning those faces toward the last rays of sun then killing them where they lie. In the Mantineians’ and Kyrenians’ religion, this is the only way they can attain the afterlife to join their gods. Light is the key to entering their heaven. When the sun sets completely, the Atlanteans hear cries from the battlefield and thousands of torches are stabbed into the ground.

  As Persephone watches this, she devises a plan, and gathers the captains together. She waits until everyone is in the tent, and speaks to the Atlantean and Valtearean captains.

  Persephone says, “Our adversary cannot fight efficiently in the dark. We must break out of here tonight. Our enemies’ religion dictates that they can’t die without the sun or the torches of light. Our enemy will fear to die this eve because they believe they won’t be able to enter the afterlife. This is the only way we are going to safely return to our homeland. If we wait until daybreak, we will not survive.”

  An Atlantean captain says, “Not everyone in Mantineia or Kyrenia believes in that faith.”

  Persephone replies, “Religion is religion. Even if everyone doesn’t believe in the light to go to heaven, who is going to chance it this night? Their theology is imbedded in their culture. It is time to go on our last offensive in Valtear. I hope Laptos and Quentoris have secured our reinforcements. Many of our men will perish.”

  Persephone’s orders are carried out. The Mantineians and Kyrenians are camped only two miles away, on all three sides. Atlantean warriors charge with their light and heavy cavalry, and their archers follow closely behind. Atlanteans and Valteareans fire their arrows into the darkness, hopefully hitting their enemy. Caught off-guard, tens of thousands of Nextear’s warriors are killed in minutes. The Atlanteans rush toward their foes torches alongside the Alber Mountains, using their heavy cavalry to spearhead through the enemy lines in total darkness. After an hour, the Atlanteans are outside their enemies’ pocket and retreat before sunrise. The Mantineians and Kyrenians do not follow for fear of dying in the dark.

  During the night offensive, the Mantineians and Kyrenians lost over six-hundred-seventy-thousand men, forcing them to regroup. The Atlanteans have found the weakness of their enemy. During the battle, some Kyrenians and Mantineians retreated because they feared the full moon. The light of the full moon is believed to lead the dead to their hell. The religion of the enemy has saved the Atlanteans, and they have put a huge dent in the opposing military.

  At sunrise, the Atlanteans and Valteareans escape with only two-hundred-thousand men. Close to four-hundred-thousand Atlanteans and Valteareans died at Bardia. It was a night-long fight. Neither side completely knows the death toll. Early in the morning, the Mantineian Emperor wants revenge. In Nextear’s eyes, the Atlanteans disrespected his gods, ensuring to his warriors that this is a Holy War.

  The Atlantean enemy tries to attack the Atlanteans with their cavalry as the day progresses, but the Atlanteans ward them off. In turn, the Atlanteans weaken the enemy a little more. The Atlantean cavalry is the best in the world. Persephone’s archers are down to twenty good arrows apiece. The Atlanteans cannot repel another attack like that at Bardia. The only thing keeping the Atlanteans going is the idea of reaching their homeland.

  The Atlanteans and Valteareans stop and have a short funeral service for those who did not survive Bardia. Life and culture have changed since the Atlanteans went to Valtear. Persephone has never seen so much death. In less than a week, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have died on both sides. Persephone wonders if trying to take Mantineia was worth all of this. She wonders: did she help destroy Atlantis with conquest?

  As the Atlanteans flee, their adversary’s light cavalry attacks Persephone’s retreat once more at dusk, but they are also beaten. The whole countryside of Valtear has a trail of blood running toward Atlantis. After a long march, Atlanteans and Valteareans near the appointed meeting place, seeking Laptos and Quentoris. They send scouts and a messenger ahead to the destination. Persephone is where she should be. That morning, the reinforcements from Maktar and Hamma finally arrive. Persephone is relieved when she sees Laptos leading the corroboration.

  Laptos and Quentoris have returned with four divisions and more military supplies. The Atlantean scouts ride toward the communication post to try and warn their fatherland, but the posts have been destroyed. The only way the Atlanteans can communicate with their own is through messengers. Tulless, Laptos, Quentoris, and Persephone meet in Akco, the bordering outpost of Atlantis, and make plans for that afternoon. Since the Atlanteans are outnumbered, they need to fall back behind the Great West Wall and gain reinforcements. They talk about battle strategies and transporting artillery from the ships of Maktar, which should arrive shortly. They are weary of going toward the Great West Wall. The enemy can be in the mountains, ready to attack the retreating Atlanteans.

  Then, Balaris rides his horse up to Persephone. He is out of breath and says, “I can’t get to our gates. The Atlanteans are fighting someone. Thousands of men are fighting at the first barrier into our empire.”

  Persephone asks, “You say thousands of men? We were right not going toward the Great West Wall alone. I think the Sabatheans are also a part of this.”

  Catching his breath, Balaris says, “I estimate that about four to five-hundred-thousand enemy warriors are at our gates.”

  Laptos says to Persephone, “Do you think the Kyrenians and Mantineians split up?”

  Persephone replies, “No! Why would they divide and try to take the Great West Wall of Atlantis with a small army? This is a diversion. Our fortification is too strong. Our enemies know five-hundred-thousand men are not enough. We have a half-day’s march to get there. I think the whole world is at our doorstep.”

  The next morning, Persephone and a few scouts look upon the Atlantean Great West Wall to see what is happening. Persephone observes about five-hundred-thousand men from the Sabathean Empire attacking her empire. Almost three-million additional warriors of Nextear’s army are less than a day’s march away.

  Persephone rides back to camp hastily, and can think only of how she is going to die in honoring her empire.