Epic Unearthed

by Thomas Turner

  Chapter XXXV

  The Holy City

  Daygun’s cavalry takes a longer route, rushing toward Halotropolis. The Atlantean Emperor skirts the rocky terrain. He looks with his cavalry over the hill, where he witnesses the full extent of bloodshed.

  Daygun points at the battlefield and says to his generals, “Most of the enemy’s cavalry is on the other side. This is where we need to charge. This is where our enemy is weakest. We will have to fight a mile and a half to be under the protection of the Halotropolian archers. Blow the horn for a full-scale attack.”

  The horns sound, and the Halotropolian warriors see their emperor charging the enemy. Riding full speed, Daygun’s cavalry fights its way through Sabatheans and Ladoneans. The Atlantean giant rhino cavalry charging toward God’s city easily destroying the enemy. On this side of the battlefield, the Continental army does not have the military resources to repel Daygun’s offensive. Most of the enemies’ artillery and cavalry is on the adverse side of the city, attacking the weakest part of the Atlantean city-state.

  A mile deep into the conflict, Daygun pulls back from the fight. He looks at his light cavalry commander and says, “Take seven-thousand light cavalry and fight alongside the Halotropolian walls. Reinforce the Halotropolian infantry outside our gates. Take a strike force under the protection of our archers in Halotropolis and repel the enemy which is taking our weakest point of the city.”

  Quentoris sees Daygun’s cavalry fighting outside the walls and says, “Protect our light cavalry that is pushing forward. Concentrate our artillery ahead of their thrust.”

  The Halotropolian artillery fires their projectiles, giving their light cavalry a chance. The archers fire ahead of the drive, allowing them to break through.

  Inside the Holy City, the enemy starts breaching the main wall. Thousands of Atlantean men and women fall back to other defenses. Halotropolians have to give up parts of the city in order to regroup. The Holy City’s inner fortifications are not as strong as the outer walls, and it becomes easier for the enemy to take parts of the city.

  Daygun’s light cavalry arrives at the weakest point of the city and regains what they had lost. Luckily, the enemy is still being destroyed by the Atlanteans’ artillery outside the gates. The Sabatheans and Ladoneans cannot organize a strong enough counteroffensive to regain what they lost.

  Quentoris understands that the area cannot be held. The Atlantean bells sound, ordering the Atlantean light cavalry to cede the ground they had just taken, and retreat to the safety of other inner defensive fortifications.

  Outside the city, Daygun’s heavy cavalry is beginning to lose momentum and cannot hold out much longer. The enemy’s cavalry starts breaking through their ranks, countering the Atlantean offensive. The Atlantean Emperor retreats through the gates of Halotropolis.

  Quentoris and Kaydence run to Daygun’s mammoth, the Atlantean Emperor says, “We are getting out of here. Order what is left of our light and heavy cavalry to the rear of the city. Quentoris take command of our walls and deliver a barrage of arrows outside Halotropolis. Kaydence, get your men and hold off our attackers inside the city. Get the civilian population out of here. We will serge forward our cavalry and allow our archers a safe haven to fight outside the walls. This is the only way we are going to survive. Where is King Haylos?”

  Kaydence responds, “He has taken command at the breach of the city. I honor his courage. His warriors are not yielding.”

  The surviving Halotropolian cavalry rides to the rear of the city where the outside enemy is at their weakest. Quentoris’ archers fire their arrows and establish a perimeter around the rear gates so the cavalry can charge through.

  The Halotropolian gates open. Twelve-hundred mammoths, three-hundred elephants and four-hundred Atlantean giant rhinos push forward through the massive gates. Behind them are the elite infantry and eight-thousand light cavalry fighting alongside. Once the Atlanteans create a circle outside the walls, twenty-five-thousand Halotropolian archers rush through the gates and fire arrows deeper into the enemy, allowing their cavalry and infantry to push forward. The circle enlarges and the Halotropolian civilians run and assist their army. Over one-hundred-twenty-five-thousand Atlantean warriors are outside the walls, battling and gaining ground.

  Back in the City of God, Kaydence fights to allow more people to retreat. However, some Halotropolians will not leave the city walls, believing they are fighting for God. They give their lives for their beliefs.

  In the middle of the last inner stronghold, Daygun tries to find his wife, rushing toward her last known location, screaming her name. Because of battle cries, Kaydence cannot hear him and fights on. After desperately searching, he spots her combating the enemy in the middle of a courtyard. The Atlantean Emperor runs to her and fights by her side until he has to pull her out of harm’s way. She shouts out in frustration, while witnessing her army being overrun.

  Back at the Atlantean rear gates, the sun is setting. Most of the Halotropolian civilians are outside the walls, under the military’s protection. Before Daygun leaves the gates of Halotropolis, Captain Miro, stationed in Ladonea under Ryeland’s command, runs straight to Daygun and says, “I still have over ten-thousand men. Our division should have been destroyed. We believe we have disrespected our empire. We implore you to give us a chance to redeem our honor, and let us die here protecting our emperor. We will remain here and give you time to return to our capital.”

  Daygun responds, “You have not failed our empire; it is I… who has failed. Come with me and help protect our capital.”

  Miro looks unblinkingly into Daygun’s eyes and says, “I told my men you would say this, and I told them that probably you would not let us honor our dying wish.”

  Miro salutes the Emperor of Atlantis, smiles, and walks toward his men. Daygun says nothing, understanding that his captain has a moral obligation to fulfill for his belief in the empire.

  Daygun leads Kaydence out of the City of God. Some of the archers cede their lives to allow their emperor’s escape. The Atlanteans’ infantry tries to fight their way from the midst of the enemy. The Continental Alliance cannot get an overwhelming force of archers or cavalry to break the Atlanteans’ lines outside the city.

  Inside the city are little pockets of Halotropolian fighters, but they do not last long. In one of the pockets, Haylos, King of Halotropolis, dies with his men. Now, three of the most important political figures of Atlantis are dead: King Haylos joins Emperor Aten and Laptos as casualties of this war.

  In retreating from Halotropolis, the Atlanteans lose more than two-thirds of their military. The survivors flee in haste. Daygun’s cavalry picks up survivors during the escape. The enemy follows them until nightfall. Because of the topography surrounding Halotropolis, the Atlantean have the advantage.

  After losing at sea, the Atlantean enemy has a much-needed victory. With the taking of Halotropolis, momentum shifts to the enemy. While the Ladoneans and Sabatheans are regrouping, the Atlanteans escape. Although Halotropolis is badly damaged, the city is now a stronghold for Melercertis.

  In the middle of night, with the waning moon, Kaydence and Daygun ride alongside one another with their retreating warriors. Of three-hundred-thousand Atlantean citizens, only seventy-thousand survive. Since the citizens of Halotropolis fought so bravely for their fatherland, Daygun promises them the first opportunity to evacuate the Empire. They have seen enough death.

  Melercertis does not know how to tell Palexus that her husband is dead. The Ladonean Emperor gives Ryeland a hero’s burial; he then regroups his men, instructing every army of the continent to go toward Masaba, and then wait to attack their enemy. Many Atlantean soldiers are still at the Great West Wall and at Masaba. Melercertis must destroy these two obstacles before launching the final attack on the Atlantean capital. If Melercertis does not first take Masaba, he is open to attack on two fronts. He is comforted in knowing that the Atlanteans are losing the war rapidly. His forces consist of over eight-
million men and more cavalry than the Atlanteans. If Melercertis can take the two cities, he will have control of the peninsula.

  Meanwhile, Daygun orders Quentoris to lead the military at Masaba. The odds continue stacking up against Quentoris’ survival, but he is a warrior and will do whatever the Atlantean Emperor asks of him without question. Daygun knows his friend has gone through a great deal already, but he is the best man qualified. The enemy must cross rough terrain to reach Masaba, but Quentoris knows a shorter route. By using the passage, he will beat the Kyrenian and Mantineian armies.