by T J Trapp
“Did you send a scout out to check?” asked Alec.
“No, no, keeping the pass clear is not our role. The pass is on the Gott side of the border. Keeping it open is their job. Our job is to monitor people that come in or go out of Theland.”
“Do you have anyone that is familiar with the pass area?” asked Erin.
“Yes, two of my men are very familiar with Winding Pass. They grew up near these mountains and know every rock in them.”
“How are the roads beyond here?” asked Alec.
“They stay about the same – they can be difficult but passable for wagons like yours. The border is a half a day away, and the pass is another day. Once you are through the pass, and down the other side, the land opens quickly into the Gott side of the Grasslands.”
“We want to investigate what is happening at Winding Pass. We will be leaving in the morning to head there. If possible, we would like to take your two men who know the mountains and understand the conditions.”
“I don’t know if I can authorize that, Princess,” said the older man, rubbing his fingers on the side of his nose.
“Our Princess has Queen Therin’s writ of authorization,” Thom assured him.
“Well, then. If you want them under the Queen’s authorization, I will gladly do it.” He turned to an aide to have the news relayed to his mountain men. He continued, “There is a Gott fortress just beyond the pass. Sometimes they can get upset if our people show up uninvited. Should I send a messenger to inform them you are coming?”
“That would be a good idea,” said Erin. “Also, I will need you to send one of your riders with a message for the Queen to advise her of our progress. And of your able assistance.” Sargent Urgan smiled, pleased to receive royal recognition.
✽✽✽
The next morning they were off towards Winding Pass. The garrison had been a disappointment to Alec. He had been hoping for more support regarding both personnel and organization than was there. This part of Theland was secluded from the remainder of the realm and had been at peace for a long time; even though Theland was a war-like society, it did not have a large, organized military force.
By mid-day, they reached the edge of Theland. “We are now in Gott,” Erin said to Alec, pointing to the low stone boundary cairn.
They had spent the morning in the last village in Theland talking with the locals to get a better feel for the countryside. The more people they conversed with, the more concerned they became. Normally this was a busy trade route, but not now. The locals could not remember a year with so little traffic at this season. The inn-keeper was most upset; his income depended on travelers stopping at his establishment.
About mid-morning the next day they reached a fork in the road. One way led towards the heartland of Gott, and the other towards Winding Pass and the Gott fortress. They turned moonward towards the pass.
Erin would periodically stop and use her ring to sense ahead as they approached the pass. At one stop she motioned to Alec.
“I sense something. There are many people not far ahead of us. They seem distraught.”
Erin called her lead rider. “Thom! Put up the banner of Theland. We don’t want to approach them unannounced.” Thom unfurled the Princess’ banner, and one of the riders carried it in front.
Alec also checked to see if he could sense any gunpowder; he didn’t detect any.
They came around the next bend and encountered a lone sentry. “Halt!” he said. “Who are you?”
The lead rider rode forward, holding the banner. “We ride with Princess Erin of Theland. We are a contingent from Queen Therin of Theland.”
“And what is your purpose?”
“We have come to check on our trade routes with Gott. We want to see how much traffic is entering our country through this pass.”
The sentry laughed. “There is no traffic through the pass! We have lost it to the Alders!”
Erin rode forward to the front of their party.
“We wish to confer with one of your magistrates, or officers, regarding the situation befalling our trade routes. Who is in charge here?”
“Captain Levor is in charge.”
“Where is he?”
“He is at our temporary base. It is about two els forward.”
“May we have passage to go to him?”
The sentry thought about it. “I have no orders to stop those who would help us. Are you here to help?”
We don’t know, thought Erin. “We are not here to oppose,” she said.
The sentry pondered this for a few moments. “I guess that is good enough reason. I will escort you to our Captain.”
They followed the sentry until they came to a wide place in the road where the Gott captain had set up his base. The sentry turned them over to a lieutenant who escorted Erin, Alec, and Thom to the Captain.
Captain Levor, a slender middle-aged man with a worried frown, strode quickly from his quarters to address Alec.
“If you are here to help, I fear you are too late,” he said, with none of the usual Gott pleasantries.
Alec was not used to being identified as the person in charge.
“No,” he blurted, “we aren’t here to help – we came to investigate the lack of traffic through the pass.” Sensing that the Captain was on a different wavelength, he continued. “We also heard a rumor of a hostile army on the Grasslands.”
The Captain slammed his fist into his other hand in frustration. “It is no longer on the plains! That wretched army is here in Winding Pass! We lost our fortress three days ago. We are retreating! We have no way to slow them down, so as they advance we retreat.”
Then the Captain remembered his place and his customary manners.
“Greetings from the People of Gott. I am Captain Levor. You must pardon my lack of courtesy, but we are under great stress,” the Captain said. “And to whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?”
Erin took her place by Alec’s side under the banner of Theland.
“Greetings, my friend and ally, Captain Levor,” she said in her formal style. “I am Princess Erin of Theland, Heir Presumptive, and this is my Consort, Alec. We come in peace. We carry a message of goodwill from my mother, Queen Therin, and hope to continue our friendship with your people.”
“And your purpose here in Gott?”
“As my Consort said, we have come on a mission to assess the situation regarding our trade routes from your land to our land, through this mountain pass. My party includes twenty riders, three wagons, and our support staff.”
“Welcome, Princess Erin, and your most esteemed Consort. Unfortunately, my hospitality is limited.”
“Tell us what happened,” said Alec, tired of the formalities.
“It has been a disaster,” Captain Levor said, frowning. “Last winter we learned of an army from a new people, called ‘The Alder,’ forming on the Upper Grasslands. Since that time, they have been advancing through the Grasslands, sweeping through villages and raiding our merchants. We understand that the main army is heading toward Raner Pass. A small force was deployed toward this pass. They probably intend to seal off Winding Pass to prevent a flanking attack.
“We sent forces to defend both passes. Major Debor was dispatched to defend this pass. He had two companies under him. I led one company, and Captain Smink led the other. We made it to our Winding Pass Fortress without a problem. The Aldermen were in the Grasslands. We had two hundred troops, and they had around the same number.” Captain Levor looked down at his dusty boots and shook his head. Alec sensed the officer’s dismay at the events he was recounting.
“The Alder were camped out on the Grasslands,” the Captain continued, again looking at Alec. “Our instructions were to hold the fortress, but the Major wanted to make a name for himself. He thought we were better equipped than any motley group from the Grasslands. Major Debor decided we would assemble and attack the Alder at dawn with a cavalry charge. Our numbers were about equal, and our training should have carried
the day for us. We were ready at dawn. Everything was going right. We charged them. The sun was at our back. They didn’t look prepared for us. It looked like we would ride through them, break them, and rout them.
“Then their death rods started. We didn’t know of death rods before that skirmish. Now we have learned what other unfortunate men have learned before us. Have you heard of the death rods? They are the curse of the dragon’s breath, and no one can escape their deadly teeth! The Aldermen had many death rods that they used on our troops. We lost almost half of our force, and both Major Debor and Captain Smink died in the charge.” The Captain spit in disgust. “We retreated with our surviving men in disarray.”
“Then what happened?” asked Alec.
“I tried to form defensive positions in the pass,” the Captain answered. “I thought we could retreat to our fortress at the pass. But they found high places on the hills on both sides of the fortress. Anytime we went outside, even into the fortress courtyard, their death rods would kill. They can kill from a great distance – further than our most experienced men can hurl a spear.”
“Did they move upon your soldiers? How did they engage your men?” asked Thom.
“They have a simple but effective strategy,” the Captain answered. “They find a high point and position their death rods there. Then they move their troops forward. When we come out to fight they use their death rods to destroy us.
“After we retreated to the Winding Pass Fortress, they attacked the fortress gate. As we tried to defend the gate, the death rods would kill us. We retreated from the fortress three days ago. Every position we take, they position their death rods such that we cannot defend. Now all I can do is pull back every time they move forward.” Captain Levor ended his recounting of their fight. Everyone was silent for a few moments, absorbing the information.
“So,” Captain Levor said, breaking the silence, looking at Alec. “Can you help us?”
“My Consort can destroy the death rods,” said Erin, trying to assert herself as the leader of her troops.
“How?” asked the Captain, warily, eyeing Alec.
“He is a Great Wizard,” said Erin.
The Captain almost laughed. “Hah! There are no Great Wizards,” he said, and then realized Alec was her Consort. He turned back to Alec.
“How can you destroy death rods?”
“In my land, they are called ‘rifles,’” Alec said. “They are a mechanical object, not magical. They require special fuel to do their job. I can destroy that fuel from a distance,” Alec said evenly.
The Captain looked skeptical.
He is not convinced, Alec thought to himself. He had discovered that special-effects made him seem more credible, so he snapped his fingers and his staff lit with the brightness of the sun. With a second snap, he put the light out.
The Captain gasped, and some of his men stepped back in fright. The demonstration convinced the Captain that Alec was more than he seemed.
“Can you show us how to defeat the death rods? Or help us?”
“Those decisions are up to my Consort, Princess Erin,” said Alec. The Captain turned to look at Erin.
“We are not prepared to do battle on behalf of Gott,” Erin said carefully. “But, these trade routes are important for our country. We agree that they must be protected.” She weighed the situation before her. “Although we are sympathetic to the distress of our long-time ally, the Gott, your battles are not our battles. But in this situation, I understand that if we do not help you, the Aldermen will have an entryway into our country through yours. We will do what we can. But we don’t have a great force of riders with us.”
Good girl, thought Alec. You sound like a Queen. Then he spoke to the Captain.
“If we can get them to bring their death rods out of hiding, I can destroy the death rods.”
“How do we get them to do that?” the Captain asked.
“We need to set a trap for them,” Alec said. “Can you set up a defensive position where they have an obvious high point to use to shoot at us?”
“Yes, about an el ahead there is a good defensive position. We haven’t used it because it is open on one side, and we knew that the Aldermen could scale a peak on that side and use their death rods against us. We would be open to the death rods if we tried to fight there. But if we use that to set your … trap … what is the risk to my men?”
“Of course, there is a risk to your men,” said Alec, “but what is the risk to your men, and your country, if we do not stop the Alder? Isn’t it worth the lesser risk to try?”
Captain Levor considered this and finally agreed to try Alec’s plan. The next morning, the Captain moved his forces forward to the defensive position to implement the plan and bait the trap.
Leaving their mounts behind, Alec and Erin took five of their riders and began hiking towards the highest crag. They looked for a point where Alec could see the death rod position. Alec had determined that a line-of-sight was essential in order to use dark energy to disable the rifles’ ammunition. If he couldn’t see the general locale of an object, he couldn’t ignite it.
They reached the crag after a short climb. They could see the Captain’s troops on the road below. Captain Levor was expecting the Aldermen to advance towards the point later in the day, and had arrayed his troops such that the Aldermen would have a bitter fight taking the narrow point. The Captain planned to hold the point but knew if the Aldermen deployed their death rods he would have to quickly pull back his troops.
Erin used her ring to sense the locations of the Alder troops. She could feel that they had started to move and that a small group was making its way up the slope.
“They will come out on the rocks just ahead of our position,” said Erin quietly. “Are you ready?”
Alec nodded his head.
They saw blue-uniformed soldiers emerge from the rocks and walk towards the overlook. Two of the men carried the death rods. Two others carried boxes of ammunition. The others were wary guards with hands on their spears and swords.
Alec motioned for everyone to get down.
Focus.
Suddenly one of the ammunition boxes burst open in a frenzy of explosions. The wooden sides of the box were shattered into splinters and thrown in every direction. Alec and Erin peered over the edge of their rock hiding place.
Four of the Aldermen appeared to be down, including one of the death rod bearers. Two others were nursing bleeding wounds.
“Go!” said Alec. This was Erin’s part.
Erin and her five riders quickly reached the Aldermen. The soldiers saw them coming and drew their weapons. Erin made quick work of the first Alder with a couple of quick slashes. Her troops engaged two of the others. The last Alder soldier decided to run and started down the slope. He made it around the first rock before Erin saw him escaping and followed down the slope.
The man saw he was being pursued and turned to fight Erin. They traded sword blows back and forth for a few moments. Then Erin twisted to his right side. The Alderman turned to counter her move. She stepped back to the other side, and the man tripped on a rock as he tried to again counter Erin’s attack. She seized the opportunity and finished him off with a quick slash, her sword glowing.
Erin rejoined the others. Her troops had finished off the other fighters.
“That takes care of that,” she said, sheathing her sword.
Alec looked around the site where the Aldermen had dropped their weapons until he found both rifles. One had been damaged in the explosion, but the other was intact.
“Look,” he said in wonder. “This gun was made in my homeland. This writing is English.”
“Wizard runes,” said Erin softly, tentatively touching the rifle with an outstretched finger. Her riders stayed well away from the piece.
One of the riders looked down at the pass. “The enemy is starting to engage the Gott troops,” she reported with urgency.
They could see that a contingent of Alder troops was starting into th
e narrows. A few men peered upwards at the rock overlook, obviously expecting help from their death rod team any time.
“Let’s show them something,” said Alec. He examined the rifle in his hand, a high-caliber gun with a scope. He opened the remaining ammo box and took out a shell, put the shell into the magazine of the rifle, aimed it at the Alder forces, and pulled the trigger. The rifle recoiled, and there was a splash of dust and rock at the feet of the advancing Alder forces. Erin and her troops had never seen a death rod before; Erin gasped and held her hand over her ears, and two of her riders hit the ground in fear.
“I didn’t know you could do that!” she exclaimed. “You made the death rod speak!”
“Missed,” said Alec. “Give me another shell!” The second try was a success, and one of the Alder soldiers collapsed with a grunt. Erin continued to take bullets from the ammunition box, one by one, and cautiously hand them to Alec, quickly putting her hands over her ears after each one. After the first shot, Alec was routinely hitting the Alder guards, who were now swarming about trying to figure out why the death rod was mowing them down. Just like shooting prairie dogs back home, Alec thought.
At the sound of the first shot, Captain Levor started to pull back his troops. However, by the fourth shot, he realized that something was different – all the death rod shots were landing among the Alder troops and taking them down.
“Hold,” he shouted to his men.
Three more bullets tore into the Alder force, and the Alder soldiers decided they had enough. A few broke and ran in panic. Seeing some of his soldiers fleeing, the Alder leader ordered a pullback of the remaining soldiers.
Alec slung the rifle over his shoulder. One of the riders carried the ammunition box, as they made their way back to the Captain Levor.
✽✽✽
By evening the Gott soldiers and Erin’s riders were back at the base, and after their dinner reviewed what each had done in the afternoon’s battle.
“To protect our land – and yours – we need to retake the pass,” said Captain Levor. “And to do that we need to retake our fortress.” He cleared his throat. “I hear you captured the death rod,” he said to Alec. “May we see it?”