by Ryan Evans
I walked up to the group of imperial officers where the two nights stood. Leonis and Kyla were briefing the lieutenants on the upcoming mission. The eight officers were a diverse group of beast-kind types, with the most prevalent being coyote-kind. As interrupting the briefing would be rude, I stood behind the lieutenants and listened to the mission details. I’d try to keep the tension among myself and the others at a minimum during our time together.
Leonis was clear on his thoughts about this mission along with his expectations. He didn’t believe we’d find anything, but he expected everyone to fulfill their duty to the princess to the best of their ability. We’d head out from the eastern gate before traveling in a wide circle through the area surrounding the fort until we made it back to the eastern gate. He projected the mission taking at least a week if not more.
There was a standing order to kill any saurians we encountered no matter their numbers or organization. The way he gave the order made it clear he thought we’d only see isolated tribes. In years past, he may have been right, but Kyla’s expression told me what she thought we’d face. During the briefing, Leonis ignored me and didn’t give me a defined role.
An hour after sunrise, we received the signal to move. The formation’s discipline impressed me as they marched out into the eastern expanse. These soldiers clearly had experience parading through Tor’s Rest. It wouldn’t do them any good when the saurians sprung their ambush, but it was entertaining to watch. I stepped out of the shadow of the wall on which I’d been leaning and moved to join the front of the formation. If I was being forced to go on this mission, I’d position myself wherever I pleased. Protocol be damned.
Once we passed through the gates, Sir Leonis set a fast pace just short of a jog. It pushed his soldiers hard until we reached the edge of the barren landscape surrounding the fort. The pace slowed considerably after that. The front soldiers had to cut their way through the long grasses and shrubs that had taken over the terrain. No roads extended to the east of Fort Granas. It was where the empire stopped, and we knew of no cultures to trade with beyond the expanse and desert it eventually became.
After a full day of marching, Sir Leonis called for the force to stop and set up camp. The sun was barely visible in the sky, so the work was slow in the fading light. Our pompous leader made it clear he didn’t care what I did around the camp, but I wasn’t allowed to leave for any reason. I lost track of the man after that and occupied myself watching his soldiers beat down a clearing in the middle of the expanse.
I compared how he led his soldiers against my own leadership style. My focus would have been keeping the men battle ready at all times. He clearly valued the amount of territory covered in a day more than anything. He did at least send out scouts ahead of his force, but I questioned how much good it would do him. His pace exhausted the soldiers under his command. I doubted they’d be worth a damn in a fight regardless of how much warning they received.
Like the journey from Vega Point, the imperial force didn’t have a supply wagon accompanying them. Everyone managed their own equipment and food. Even the officers slept on bed rolls inside simple tents and ate field rations.
The soldiers worked with a practiced efficiency. The officers, with a minimal amount of complaining, also offered their assistance. Their procedures looked almost the same as my own training.
An entire week passed by with the same routine: Sir Leonis would march the soldiers at too fast a pace before stopping right at dark. The soldiers and officers would set up camp and get what sleep they could. The entire process would start over again before sunrise the next day.
In all of this, Kyla stayed away from me. On some level, I understood that interacting with me would only further complicate her position as a knight. I tried my best not to take it personally, but I noticed my frustration at being avoided bleed through from time to time.
To take my mind off the situation with Kyla, I spent the nights at the edge of camp, pretending to be asleep while listening for any saurians. I suspected the enemy watched us already, but spending all night walking around the camp wouldn’t accomplish anything. My efforts would only insult the soldiers with which I traveled. Since I wasn’t allowed far enough away from camp to scout our surroundings, I would lie there in the evenings listening. I also spent the time thinking about the various tasks I needed to complete for Fero House to thrive.
Over the course of the first week, I noticed that the imperial troops seemed to be more at ease with their routine. They were getting complacent with the way things were going. The uneventful covering of ground made them feel secure, and they forgot the danger that lurked in the long grass. I made a point of mentioning it to Leonis, but he dismissed me and said it wasn’t my concern.
That we’d gone an entire week without a sign of the enemy was both worrying and refreshing. Some part of me almost wanted to believe I’d been wrong about everything, but the reality of our situation always pushed its way into my mind. Wishful thinking would do us no good.
Nine days into our expedition, we came out on the western road near where Silvanti House had been attacked. We made it to the original ambush site around midday. I immediately went on high alert. There was no sign of the saurian corpses we’d left on display. Even after this many weeks, there should have still been signs of decay, or at least bones. There was nothing. It had all vanished.
The gruesome displays my men and I had created were also gone. Something, or someone, had disturbed the dirt around the road where we’d stacked the saurian bodies, but that was the only evidence of something ever being there at all. Even the ash pits from the burned funeral pyres seemed to have been trampled and covered over, making it look like any other torn up campsite. Some group had removed all evidence of battle from this location.
Sir Leonis sent two squads out to scout the area north and south of the ambush site. He then ordered the other squads to spread out and search the area. I was sure they wouldn’t find anything, but all I could do was stand around and watch. I noticed that Kyla also seemed nervous as she kept those under her command on full alert and near one another the entire time.
By the end of the day, I heard whispers from soldiers about the lack of evidence of an attack. I caught glances in my direction as the men continued to search for things that weren’t there. As my frustration rose, so, too, did my certainty we were in danger.
The sun dipped lower on the horizon, and it became clear that something here was very wrong. The two squads sent out to scout should have both been back by now, but the northern scouts had never returned. Sir Leonis order the camp set and called the officers to meet at his campfire. I had no delusions of having a voice in the meeting, but I went to the designated area just the same to hear what they decided.
As I walked up, Sir Leonis was giving the lieutenants a rundown of the situation with the missing squad. There was a tension in the air as he spoke. I caught Kyla looking my way with a frown on her face, but she said nothing. She was merely a passenger on this ride just as I was.
After his briefing, Sir Leonis assigned guard details and ordered that none of the soldiers were to venture outside the camp perimeter. As the meeting wrapped up, he opened the floor for questions or comments. By his scowl in my direction, the offer didn’t extend to me.
There were a few questions of sending a runner back to the fort, but Sir Leonis made it clear he’d not worry the main army without an actual threat. He even suggested that the squad could have gotten turned around on the way back. I thought he was being willfully ignorant but kept it to myself. One of the officers interrupted my private speculations by speaking loudly enough for the group to hear her.
“Sir, why don’t we ask Lord Valian? Princess Emilia sent him with us as a consultant and he has experience with saurian ambushes,” she said firmly. Several other officers nodded in agreement. Sir Leonis stared daggers at the lieutenant that had spoken before looking my way. He then looked towards Kyla who made a point not to look at me or Leonis.
I took the opportunity to speak my mind.
“It’s true that the plains are rolling, and distance can be deceptive, but any of your squads can backtrack straight north or south. Even if they lost their bearings, they could find the main road and follow it back to our location. The only reason that explains the scouts not returning by now is that they met a hostile force and lost,” I said to the assembled nobles. Sir Leonis scowled and clenched his fists as I spoke. I ignored his posturing. My words gave validity to their fears, and I would not cower to his ire.
“Well, Lord Valian. Assuming you’re correct, what would you have us do now considering we have not found a single sign that saurians are active in this area?” Sir Leonis asked through gritted teeth. I thought about what my own men went through before answering. The knight would most likely ignore my advice, but maybe letting the lieutenants know might make them more alert.
“First, I’d decrease the number of fires in camp to preserve the soldiers’ night vision. Then, I would place stationary guards in concealed locations around the main camp. Enemy chirpers will likely try to infiltrate the camp before the main attack. If the saurians make a move, the outside guards can alert the main body, and we can organize a defense before they strike. You’ll lose soldiers to their initial ambush, but hopefully be able to organize the main force,” I said and waited for the knight’s response. I caught several officers nodding and thought my idea must have made sense to them. Unfortunately, by his expression, Sir Leonis thought otherwise.
“While I appreciate the advice of an esteemed noble such as yourself, I will not work this camp into a frenzy over unfounded theories. We still don’t even know we’re in any danger. You all have your assignments. Dismissed,” he said in a condescending tone. His aura radiated out as he spoke. It didn’t affect me or Kyla, but there was a marked change in the lieutenants. They all scrambled to take care of their designated tasks, and the meeting was over. Only the two knights and I remained by the fire.
“Lord Valian, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t unnecessarily worry my subordinates. They have actual work to do without jumping at imaginary monsters in the shadows. You’re just an observer here with no authority over anyone. Don’t forget that,” Sir Leonis said, meeting my eyes and, for a moment, the familiar red tint of rage covered my vision. I had to struggle to keep my aura suppressed. This was what he wanted; for me to become openly insubordinate so he could further discredit me in front of the others. Kyla walked off with her gaze lowered without saying a word. Whatever had happened to her after our arrival at the fort, her role here wasn’t one of leadership any longer.
The evening settled into the normal routine after that. Just like the night before, I laid down and pretended to be asleep while I listened for any sign of the enemy outside the camp. Guard rotations had more men assigned to them, but they followed the same routes every time. Their predictability made it easy to differentiate the sound of their movement with any other sounds in the darkness. Most of the night passed uneventfully, then a soft noise cut through my musings and focused my instincts on a razor’s edge.
The chirping was barely discernable at the edge of camp. By the lack of activity around me, only I recognized the sound. I rolled up into a crouch and looked towards the long grass closest to me. The fires were at my back, so I saw the surrounding grasses clearly. After a short time, I picked out several points of movement.
I silently eased over to where the nearest person slept and shook him awake. He was an experienced soldier, so at the slightest shake, his eyes sprang open to see what was happening. One didn’t live long in the field by being a heavy sleeper. The soldier didn’t make a sound as he looked at me questioningly.
“The enemy is here. Rouse the others quietly. Have them wake as many as they can, but don’t raise the alarm yet,” I whispered. The soldier’s eyes registered understanding, and he hastened to follow my orders. He headed towards where his senior sergeant slept without making a sound. Though I was focused on the possible attack, I noted his discipline as he carried out the task I’d given him.
A few moments later had several sergeants and lieutenants moving back and forth between our fire and their own. They made a point of staying in isolated ones and twos and moved casually so as not to alert the enemy. To the outside word, it would have looked like a couple of soldiers couldn’t sleep and were visiting with one another.
As the soldiers alerted more of the camp, I continued to listen for sounds of the enemy. It didn’t take long to pick up chirps and movement from all around our campsite. The imperial troops picked up on the activity as well. Luckily, we’d gotten most of the soldiers awake without raising the alarm.
The imperial soldiers’ ability to keep calm as we prepared for battle was a pleasant surprise. At the rate they were working, they’d be ready before the enemy made a move.
Sir Leonis’ voice sabotaged our preparations. “Valian, what the hell is going on here? I thought I made it clear I didn’t want to hear any more of your opinions in my camp?” he yelled loudly into the night.
I cursed silently and said a prayer to the ancestors that he didn’t just condemn us all to death. By the sound of his voice, he was headed in my direction from the middle of camp. I stood up slowly and checked that my blades weren’t stuck in my scabbards. The ancestors weren’t listening tonight as his voice broke the illusion of a sleeping camp. The saurians took notice of the change, and I braced for the attack.
Just as Sir Leonis came into view, a barrage of sharp stones launched from around the camp on multiple sides. They directed the missiles at the patrolling and stationary perimeter guards. Screams of the dying and wounded along with the chirping and hissing of saurians filled the air. Leonis had taken most everyone’s focus off the attack, and orders were slow to be given and followed.
Sir Leonis, confused by what had just happened, whipped his head around and took in the unexpected change in his camp. He quickly recovered his military bearing and slipped into command mode. “Form up on me,” I heard him order, and several beast-kind fell as they turned their backs on the enemy to follow the command.
We’d had a plan, and his single command had undermined it. The sergeants, used to listening to his voice, gave orders to break their formations and follow Leonis’ directions. As the imperial soldiers tried to re-position, brutes and chirpers flooded into the camp from every direction. The saurians hit the outer squads while they were in disarray, nullifying their advantage.
Several nearby soldiers died as I drew my blades and engaged two brutes charging me from outside the camp. I tried to coordinate my actions with the two groups of soldiers closest to me. The enemy caught them trying to break up and move to Leonis’ position like all the others. They’d already lost nearly half of their numbers. I gritted my teeth in anger at the knowledge. Damn Leonis and his pride.
Despite their weakened state, the soldiers combined and formed a line facing the long grass from which the closest enemies emerged. The line kept those in front of us at bay, but the enemy swarmed from all angles. They’d changed their tactics. Suddenly, several brutes carrying primitive clubs launched an organized attack on the line of soldiers. We were in trouble.
Their weapons were perfect for pushing shields out of the way. They broke the line in several places before the soldiers braced themselves. I stepped up to engage the enemy, trying to preserve the formation. I blocked the down swing of a primitive club with my sword, shattering my weapon in the process. My primitive side exerted a stronger hold on my mind, and the familiar bloodlust from my last battle returned as I partially shifted. The brute had aimed the swing at a wounded soldier. Instead, I disemboweled him with the claws on my left hand before he brought his weapon back to bear.
I parried a spear thrust from a chirper with my dagger before using my clawed hand to rip out the creature’s throat. The chirper had come from behind, and a quick look told me that we had already lost this battle. The enemy had hit us so fast that we never formed a cohesive defen
se. They’d broken the camp into an unorganized brawl, and in that situation, numbers won over training.
“Shift. Small beast-kind first then hold back the enemy for the medium and large beast-kind,” I ordered above the chaos of battle. My aura reinforced the order in the minds of all those still fighting.
“Ignore that order. All soldiers form up and create a defensive line,” Leonis immediately yelled from somewhere in the camp with his own aura behind his command. In different circumstances, I could have canceled out his control on his soldiers, but I didn’t. These troops were used to following his commands. It would only confuse them if I tried to wrestle control of the army from him in the middle of battle. Begrudgingly, I focused on the battle around me and getting the soldiers grouped together.
The enemy threw more spears and rocks as more of their number charged from the long grass. I tried to gather the surrounding soldiers, but every time I succeeded, brutes with their massive clubs would disrupt my efforts. While I couldn’t deny the effectiveness of their tactic, it started to piss me off.
I attacked more aggressively, not staying in one spot, but instead trying to actively get soldiers to bring back to the largest concentration of imperial soldiers nearby. It became a lethal dance, full of rage and fury. Stab, claw, thrust, parry, swing. My motions were fluid and left a path of death behind me. I’d just mauled another club wielding brute while slicing the hamstring of a chirper when a sharp pain erupted in my right side.
Cursing loudly, I looked down in surprise. I saw a dagger hilt sticking out of the seam of my armor near my kidney. A hand still held the weapon, and as I followed the hand to an arm and then a body, I recognized my attacker. I ducked my head and rolled forward out of reflex as I recognized Leonis. I felt the breeze generated by his sword as it barely missed me.
Unfortunately, the blade in my side didn’t make the roll with me, and fire ran through the wound as Leonis jerked the blade out with a twist. As I came up from the roll, I pressed against the wound with my dagger hand, staunching the blood flow but igniting a new agony in the wound. I knew I would heal quickly even if he didn’t.