by Ryan Evans
“Soldier, what in the hell is going on here? Who’s in charge and where are the other officers?” I demanded as I reached the closest group. I couldn’t tell if it was my sudden appearance or my confrontational attitude that startled them more. I let my aura radiate out. I’d spent so much time suppressing it that it felt strange to release it. It was like a tension in my chest I didn’t realize was there until I’d let it go.
Regardless of my feelings about influencing others, I couldn’t argue with the results. The six around the campfire sprang up at once, an impressive feat for a couple of them that had bandaged thighs and calves. “Sir, saurians attacked us during the night. The surviving nobles fled on horseback when they thought the battle lost. They left behind the rest of us to give them time to escape. None of the higher ranking sergeants are among us, and no one has stepped up to take charge,” the oldest among them, a grizzled sergeant, answered bitterly.
His answer caught me completely unprepared. I couldn’t fathom abandoning the army regardless of the odds we faced or the hopelessness of the situation. I didn’t have time to dwell on it though; the soldiers in front of me needed direction and motivation if they were to survive.
“The others might have run, but I won’t. We need to get everyone organized and salvage what’s left of the food and equipment. This is bigger than just our army and the force you faced. In a couple of hours nearly one thousand refugees will be here expecting our protection,” I said with my aura reinforcing the soldiers’ moral.
I immediately noticed a fire growing in the eyes of the soldiers in front of me. With quick salutes and bows the group spread out to pass on the word and start organizing everyone. I let my aura spread out fully, feeling it would encompass the entire camp and all the soldiers within it. As I brought my aura to bear, I headed in the direction of the command tent.
The large tent was still intact, but blood ran down it and slash marks decorated its sides. Some officers’ tents were still standing while others were knocked down with no rhyme or reason. The smell of blood and decay was everywhere, and I imagined that it’d attract every saurian in the region in another couple of hours.
As I inspected the area, I noticed Major Gortros Umbra lying dead in front of his tent with a spear shaft through his heart. Upon further inspection, I found that Captain Darian Mollis and Lieutenant Saundra Umbra were also dead. Darian had been disemboweled near the command tent. Saundra had never made it out of her tent. What the saurians left of her was lying on her cot. From the looks of things, they’d killed her before anyone had even raised the alarm.
As I turned away from the entrance of Saundra’s tent, the female sergeant that I’d met when Bashita shattered my shoulder approached me. “Sir, we’ve assembled the remaining soldiers and are awaiting your orders,” she started, but hesitated before she continued, “Also, I thought you’d like to know that the other officers and senior sergeants took your mount with them when they escaped.” The last part she said with her eyes slightly down-turned and seemed to be waiting for my anger.
I took a deep breath, forcing down the irritation of Bashita being taken. I realized that she probably wouldn’t have survived the ambush and grudgingly thanked the ancestors I at least knew she was safe.
“Thank you sergeant. Also, thank you for delivering the news. I’m not one to punish others for things out of their control,” I said as I walked towards where the formation of soldiers waited.
As I stood before the formation, I could see just how fatigued the soldiers were. The female sergeant following me fell into the front line of the formation with the remaining sergeants. Before the formation stood the grizzled sergeant I’d first interacted with upon my arrival. “What’s our current status, and what happened last night? Sergeant?” I asked, making it clear that he should supply me with his name.
“Sergeant Aldo, sir. We currently have one hundred combat-ready troops. Thirty soldiers are wounded and unable to stand for formation. It is unclear if several will make it,” Sergeant Aldo stated loud enough for the entire formation to hear.
“Last night, based on the evidence we’ve seen, a force of several hundred saurians attacked our army. They started by infiltrating the camp and causing as much destruction as possible. Upon our realizing we were under attack, Colonel Karsam and our senior leadership tried to establish order but were being targeted by those already in the camp. After several of the nobles fell, the colonel called for every able-bodied rider to accompany the remaining officers on horseback. We estimate a force of twenty accompanied them towards the fort. Our orders were to hold the enemy as long as possible,” he reported mechanically, keeping his personal emotions from showing.
His story matched what I had hypothesized at seeing the command tent and bodies of the slaughtered officers. As I wondered how this much of the army had survived, his continued report drew me out of my contemplation and answered the question. “The battle turned to chaos. Some of our soldiers shifted while others tried to group together in formations. During our stand, three brutes wearing strange white necklaces led a charge and tried to break our remaining moral. They fought better than the regular saurians and nearly succeeded, but they over extended themselves and got too far away from their main force. After we dispatched them, the rest of the horde dissolved into a panic. We were able to slay many as they scattered, but lacked the forces to give chase,” he finished holding out the necklaces of which he’d spoken.
I stepped forward, taking out my own necklaces to compare them to those held by the sergeant. They were of the same design and material. Taking the three from the sergeant, I slid them over my neck. I didn’t bother tucking them back under my armor as the six large trinkets would make it a tight fit. Instead, I wore them above my tabard and addressed the troops. These would be our trophies for killing their leadership.
“We suffered a great loss here last night. The enemy killed half our number, but more importantly, your leaders failed you. They ran in the face of defeat and used your lives to buy them time. We will settle that score later, but for now we have more important business to attend to,” I said, making eye contact with many of the soldiers in the formation. I could see their anger at being abandoned still simmering just under the surface. My aura kept them focused, but it didn’t erase their own feelings.
After a short pause, I continued. “While you were being attacked last night, Vega Point was also being besieged by a large saurian army.” Several soldiers drew in surprised breathes at the revelation. “And just like here, saurians wearing this damn jewelry were leading them,” I said holding the trophies above my head for the soldiers to see.
“Luckily for the town, an imperial force held out until we killed the savages’ leaders,” I continued, shaking the necklaces violently.
“For hundreds of years, this has been our land. Our strength and blood secured it against all invaders. The saurians were nothing more than trophies to hunt at our leisure. Now, they wish to take control of this land. I say, come. If they wish to challenge us, we shall meet them with tooth, claw and steel. We will remind them of why they should fear us,” I said loudly while putting the necklaces back around my neck.
The troops went wild. They roared and lifted their fists to the sky. I let it continue for a moment before bringing them back under control. “Right now, a group of refugees nearly a thousand strong is being escorted by one hundred imperial troops and my squad to the fort. We’ll police the camp, salvage what we can salvage, and when they arrive here, we’ll protect them until we reach the safety of the fort’s walls. After that, we will find the saurians responsible and make them pay for our losses in blood,” I finished as my aura radiated determination and confidence. These soldiers were mine. Together, we would find vengeance.
“Sergeant Aldo,” I said in a more tame voice, “I expect the refugees and imperials to be here within the hour. Have the troops gather the dead, strip them of their gear, and stack them in a pyre to be burned before we leave. We’ll not let the
bastards feast on our dead. Stack the saurians’ bodies on one side of the road, but remove their heads and place them in a pyramid on the other side. Let them see what it means to fight us.” My voice was low enough that only the front row of sergeants could hear it.
I noticed several of the sergeants nod in approval as Sergeant Aldo saluted, bowed and started breaking the soldiers into work details. It was tiring work for them as they’d been fighting all night, but my pep talk seemed to give them the extra push they needed to complete their gruesome tasks.
Chapter 14
We burned our dead and made our grim totems of enemy bodies on the roadside. It was messy work, but every mutilated saurian body strengthened the resolve of the soldiers. Once that was complete, we went about sorting the equipment we’d salvaged. Saurian claws were extremely sharp; combined with their aggressiveness in battle, they left little salvageable armor on the bodies of the dead. That which we couldn’t repair or use for something else we burned with our fallen.
The rest of the gear was another story. Many of the packs, tents, weapons and shields left by the dead were still usable. I had all the soldiers make sure they had serviceable equipment and two days’ worth of field rations from the excess supplies. The saurians had burned the wagons, including the one carrying food, so field rations would be our only fare until we reached Fort Granas.
Everything not needed by our soldiers I had assembled together so that there was a pack, tent, food, a shield and a weapon in each bundle. The imperial soldiers would get first run at the supplies, replacing anything they lost during the siege. After them, we would distribute the equipment out to the townspeople willing to stand to the outside of the group and fight should the enemy attack.
We would pass the rest of the travel rations out to the remaining refugees. It wasn’t enough to keep everyone well fed, but no one would perish from starvation in transit. I just hoped that the townspeople understood why I had allocated things the way I had. It wouldn’t do to have a mob on our hands in our current situation.
We also gathered any coin we found on the fallen. It would go towards resupply and repair of our gear and equipment when we reached Fort Granas. While many cultures scoffed at the idea of taking from the dead, for beast-kind, we wasted nothing from those that fell in battle. It would all go to strengthen those that remained.
It took several hours for the refugees to reach our position, much longer than I’d estimated. The fatigue of the night’s events and lack of sleep was getting to them. By the time we sighted them, we’d had time to separate everything out, see to everyone’s wounds, and let the soldiers rest while the sergeants and I discussed the way forward.
As we got wounded onto litters to be carried by able-bodied townspeople, Sergeant Iglias made it to the camp with the rest of my squad. He clearly had questions but was too disciplined to ask. I saw his eyes hone in on the trophies around my neck, and it seemed the gears were turning in his mind.
Inspecting the soldiers before me, I noticed they looked tired, but otherwise fit. I quickly shared the details of what happened to the main army and paused, giving them time for it all to sink in. Many, including Sergeant Iglias, appeared angry at the officers’ abandonment.
“While I understand your feelings of betrayal, we have too much to accomplish to let it cloud our judgement. Our first priority is to get everyone to the fort. After that, we can deal with the other officers’ actions. You’ve all been training as scouts and have had your skills tested in combat. I’ll be relying on that skill to train the others. Now, replenish your travel rations and rest while we get things sorted with the refugees. We’ll be moving out before anyone feels ready to march again,” I said, dismissing them to take care of things.
Sergeant Iglias stayed after the others left. “Sir, what’s the plan?” he asked, and the bluntness of his question surprised me. Soldiers didn’t typically question officers in this manner. The others’ abandonment had clearly affected him. Instead of being angry, his resolve impressed me. It took a lot to question me with my aura at full strength.
“We will hand out our spare supplies among the imperials and townspeople since we have no wagons and can’t carry it ourselves. After that, I will break the army into five groups. We’re not going to just mass on the road waiting to be attacked. We’ll scout the surrounding terrain while the refugees march. Tonight, our army will camp in the long grass separated into their five groups. Our squad will train the rest of the army on the way we do things while we move. If the enemy comes, we’ll hit them from multiple sides looking for more of these necklaces. They clearly mark their leaders. We need to cut the head from these lizards,” I detailed with Sergeant Aldo standing nearby to hear along with Sergeant Iglias.
It was an unorthodox plan, but I hoped that it would give us our best chance of success. Sergeants Iglias and Aldo seemed to grasp the idea at once and moved off to get started. I stood alone, watching the activity around me for a moment before turning towards the refugees nearing our camp on the road.
The imperial soldiers and civilians had stopped and a small delegation was moving towards my troops. It looked like Lady Kyla accompanied by her two lieutenants, a sergeant from the imperial force and a couple of well-dressed civilians. I headed in their direction to meet them, not wanting it to appear as if I was avoiding them.
“Lieutenant Fero, it seems things didn’t go well for Silvanti House last night,” Lady Kyla said in a neutral tone as she looked over the activity of the camp. “Will I be absorbing your forces into my own then for the rest of the journey?” she asked with no hesitation.
My eyes widened slightly at her question, but I kept any other physical reactions hidden. Unfortunately, my aura gave away my indignation at her presumption. The entire delegation took a step back as they felt my anger.
Having me relinquish the Silvanti army was as good as demanding my subservience. It was also an insinuation I wasn’t fit to lead the surrounding warriors. Every soldier in my army stopped what they were doing and turned in our direction at the change in my aura.
Seeing how delicate the situation before me was, I took a moment to calm myself before answering. Lady Kyla’s aura was pushing against my own, trying to neutralize the influence I had over those around me. She wasn’t nearly strong enough to do so. I saw the first hints of belief in her eyes that I was descended from the long dead Feros as I answered her question.
“Lady Kyla, while I’d be happy to duel you if you wish to challenge me for my troops; I had a different plan in mind,” I said casually and then detailed the supply allocation, making it clear I’d retain command of Silvanti House’s forces.
The representatives of the townspeople were in support of my recommendation as soon as they heard about food being distributed, but as commoners, their presence was merely a courtesy to the refugees. They had no real influence. The knight before me seemed hesitant, but eventually agreed to what I’d suggested. The only caveat was that I had to remain near her own position so we could coordinate in the case of an attack.
I agreed with the stipulation she placed on our arrangement. Anything else would have seemed suspicious. After all, it was I who suggested we work together. I’d originally wanted to lead one of the roving patrols, but being the leader of our army, I had to accept some limitations.
I signaled Sergeants Aldo and Iglias with a hand gesture. They’d been standing close enough to either come to my aid or carry out orders depending on the situation. With the sergeants shouting, the soldiers separated into their assigned groups and prepared to hand out the supplies.
It was nearly mid-day by the time we were moving again. The supplies had been divvied up along with the spare food and our remaining water skins. While no one would be particularly satisfied, we had enough food and water to ensure we could sustain our pace.
I split the Silvanti army into twenty soldier groups. Sergeant Aldo, along with one group, stayed with the body of refugees near my position. The other four groups, directed by Ser
geant Iglias, spaced out and surrounded the refugee formation in the long grasses beside the road.
At first, the imperial soldiers had thought we were insane for such a troop distribution. The lieutenants under Kyla’s command even had the audacity to complain, in front of me, that we were going to slow down the march. Sizing them up, I could see the clear challenge in their posture.
By their scents and some instinct within me, I knew one of them was a leopard-kind while the other was a weasel-kind. I also smelled a hint of fear in them. Being from two of the smaller beast-kind species, I had no doubt I could kill them both in a duel. Unfortunately, by their maneuverings, they expected Lady Kyla to be the one to face me.
Despite their attempts to create a conflict, Lady Kyla didn’t take the bait. She instead reminded them of the agreement we’d made, then sent them to check on the soldiers around the formation. All of this was in ear shot, but she made a point not to look in my direction. Her handling of her subordinates impressed me.
Even though the Silvanti deployment was complex, it wasn’t our forces that slowed us. The townspeople simply could not move as quickly as a trained formation. While it wasn’t surprising, the slack pace frustrated the regular soldiers.
My four groups shadowing us in the long grass had plenty to keep them occupied. They were learning the skills that my squad had been working on several days prior, and so were not affected by the slow pace. The twenty troops with me were a different story though. Sergeant Aldo seemed to recognize this and devised a creative and effective solution.
He had the soldiers spread out among the refugees that had volunteered to carry swords and shields and work on basic fighting drills with them. At first, the imperial soldiers laughed at them, calling them crazy. The criticism only lasted a little while, as it soon became clear that the tactic worked to ease my soldiers’ nerves, and several of the townspeople picked up on the training.