Alutar: The Great Demon (49 page)

“We are,” nodded Natia. “We were just waiting to make sure that everything was all right here in Farmin before leaving.”

“Then there is nothing to hold you,” replied Garth. “Prince Harold is settled in, and I left him the option of using the Rangers for protection. Where is Prince Samuel?”

“In the bedroom,” answered Bin-lu. “We had some new traveling clothes tailored for him, and he is getting dressed. Are Rut-ki and I going with you to Valdo?”

“Unless you are needed elsewhere,” Garth nodded. “We will face a different problem in Valdo. Prince Samuel is already the Crown Prince there, and the queen is dead, but there may be some who wish to see Samuel dead rather than on the throne. You two should fly on ahead and get familiar with the city. Kalina and I will escort the prince there in a more traditional manner. The head thief there is Strangler, but you should not have any troubles with his men. Do not try to make contact with him or the Rangers stationed there unless it is urgent. Remain inconspicuous if you can.”

“We usually stay at the Greystone Inn,” added Kalina. “It is across the street and down the block a bit from the Royal Palace.”

“Get there today,” instructed Garth. “Use the next few days to become familiar with the city so that its foreignness is not an obstacle when your help is needed.”

General Eylor of the 38
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Corps saw light coming from General Askor’s tent, although dawn was still an hour away. He moved the flap aside and entered the tent and saw General Askor and Colonel Hildon looking over a rough diagram of the battlefield. Both men looked up when Eylor entered, but neither said a word to him. General Eylor walked to the table and stared at the diagram.

“The camouflage worked well enough,” General Askor said without taking his eyes off the diagram. “We still have three catapults functional.”

“That is better than nothing,” General Eylor replied. “Where are you going to use them?”

“Right here in the middle of the wall,” General Askor replied as he stabbed his finger at the center of the diagram.

“All of them in the same place?” questioned General Eylor.

“Yes,” nodded General Askor. “We are going with a full assault this morning. There will be no retreat. The fighting will stop only when the Alceans surrender.”

“All or nothing,” sighed General Eylor. “Will you use the battle mages there as well?”

General Askor looked up and his face darkened at the mention of the black-cloaks. “Their performance yesterday was pitiful. They accomplished nothing with their great battle magic. They all concentrated on the king and someone was shielding him the whole time. That will not happen today. Today they will spread out and attack the soldiers on the wall. I am also ordering the two wounded mages into action. I don’t care if they have to get men to carry them to the battlefield. They will perform their duties as ordered.”

General Eylor nodded. He listened to General Askor give the battle orders to Colonel Hildon. When the colonel left the tent, General Askor sat down at the table and picked up his lukewarm cup of coffee. General Eylor sat down as well.

“You were wise in having the men sleep during the day yesterday,” commented General Eylor. “I expected the dragon to visit us again last night. It did not seem to have as great an effect as the previous night, but it still kept many of the men awake.”

“The dragon is not a threat to this army,” General Askor replied dismissively. “Were it not for the burning of the siege engines, it would have been useless. It is meant to scare us, Eylor, and I think many of the men figured that out on their own when it never attacked anyone.”

“It does seem that way,” shrugged General Eylor. “When does the attack start?”

“At sunrise,” answered General Askor. “By high sun we will be dining in the Royal Palace of Tagaret.”

General Eylor did not respond. So far, the Alceans had shown that they were clever and unpredictable. He was sure that Askor’s schedule was far too optimistic. General Eylor expected some surprises during the battle, but he could not think of what they might be other than the sudden appearance of the Red Swords or Rangers. He was glad that General Askor had allowed him to set up a rear patrol to prohibit such a surprise, but he could not shake the anxious feeling that the Alceans would come up with some other surprises.

* * * *

“The attack will be at sunrise,” reported the fairy. “They will position three catapults to attack the center of the western wall, but the five black-cloaks will be spread out along the wall. General Askor stated that there will be no surrender to the Alceans. He plans to eat the midday meal in the Royal Palace.”

“Cocky,” noted Queen Tanya. “Are you sure that he said five black-cloaks? I thought there were only three.”

“He said the two wounded ones will partake in the battle even if they have to get men to carry them to the battlefield.”

“It appears that I missed some of their catapults last night,” frowned the king. “Catapults can remain outside bow range. Can you do something about them, Tanya?”

“The catapults and the five mages spread out along the wall?” frowned the queen. “And should I shield you as well?” she asked sarcastically. “As powerful as I am, Arik, I can still only be in one place at a time. If we had other mages, I could be using my powers on the Federation soldiers attacking the wall.”

The king and queen fell silent for a moment as each of them dwelled on the information brought by the fairy. The silence broke when they both started speaking at once. They laughed at the situation, but the queen held her hand for Arik to wait.

“I am sorry,” Queen Tanya apologized. “I am frustrated at using my powers merely to safeguard you, and I should not be. Safeguarding you is the most important thing I could do for Alcea.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” smiled King Arik. “You are in an impossible position, and I am doing nothing to help you with that burden. Will the black-cloaks be holding physical shields around themselves?”

Queen Tanya’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “No,” she replied. “They will keep out of bow range and will not need physical shields. Erecting physical shields would take power away from their offensive magic, so they will not use them unless they feel threatened in some way. Why do you ask?”

“I have thought of a way to allow you to concentrate on offensive magic,” grinned the king. “You won’t need to worry about the black-cloaks or shielding me. If things go perfectly, you won’t have to worry about the siege engines, either.”

“If the black-cloaks were gone,” retorted the queen, “the siege engines would not be much of a problem, but your words have me greatly concerned. What are you thinking?”

“It is time for the Warrior King to be more of a warrior and less of a king,” replied King Arik. “I have a general who can stand on the wall and direct our troops. I am not needed there as well.”

* * * *

As dawn brightened the sky, General Askor and General Eylor watched their massive army form up in battle formation. Wave after wave of soldiers took their places on the plain before the wall of Tagaret. Near the center of the wall, three large catapults were pulled into position, and loads of large rocks were carted in and stationed near the siege engines. Piles of wood were also carted to the catapult area and huge fires were lit to allow for fiery projectiles for the catapults. General Askor nodded with satisfaction at the preparations.

“This is the day we have been waiting for, Eylor,” he said proudly. “Today we will accomplish what 240,000 men could not. Today, Tagaret will fall to the Federation.”

General Eylor did not respond verbally, but he had to admit to himself that the assemblage of power before him was impressive. As he gazed north or south, he could see Federation soldiers as far as his eyes could see. The Alceans upon the wall looked small and weak in comparison, and he began to feel some of Askor’s enthusiasm for the coming battle. As the first rays of sunlight peeked above the horizon, General Askor nodded to the soldier next to him. The horn blared, and the charge began. All three catapults let go of their heavy loads, and men ran towards the walls, battle cries shouting from their lips. Fiery magical projectiles shot towards the wall as the black-cloaks unleashed their magical powers. At that moment, General Eylor felt victory was assured.

* * * *

Sergeant Carter smiled as he led his squad westward along the road to Southland. The first rays of sunlight were already lightening the sky, and he knew that the battle for Tagaret was beginning. Although he was less than three leagues from the battlefield, he would be spared another day of fighting. His appointment to lead the rear patrol had been a blessing. In addition to missing the fighting, he had a horse to ride, and the men he led were all friends, handpicked from the squads ravaged the previous day. The road was in good condition, wide and fairly smooth, and the sounds of nature were certainly preferable to the noise of the battlefield. All in all, the sergeant felt great. His smile widened. When the patrol came to an intersection with a north-south road, the sergeant dismounted.

“Hold my reins, Paulis,” the sergeant said to the corporal. “I need to take a short visit to the woods.”

The corporal nodded knowingly and dismounted, holding his own horse’s reins as he took the reins to the sergeant’s horse. Sergeant Carter ambled into the trees in no particular hurry. Corporal Paulis gazed northward from the intersection, wondering where that road led. Suddenly, the horses grew edgy, and the corporal tightened his grip on the reins. He turned and looked in all directions and saw nothing disturbing, but the horses’ nervousness grew by the second. Thinking that there might be some ferocious animal in the woods, he started staring into the forest as he slowly rotated. Still, he saw nothing alarming.

Suddenly, a loud roar split the air, and the sky lit up in flames. Corporal Paulis gasped as he looked up and saw the dragon bearing down on him from the west. He let go of the reins and dropped to the ground just as the dragon soared overhead. The horses bolted, heading south on the north-south road. The other riders managed to control their mounts, and the corporal shouted for them to catch the two runaway horses. Corporal Paulis started to rise when he heard the dragon coming back for another attack. He held still, his limbs quivering in fear as the dragon once again shot overhead, but a confusing frown came to his face. It was not the same dragon coming in for another attack. It was a different dragon. As he lay in the intersection, he saw other dragons flying eastward to the north of him. He rolled over and saw another one to the south of him. He swiftly rose and dashed into the woods. Moments later, Sergeant Carter walked out of the woods and into the intersection. He warily gazed skyward and then sighed with relief.

“How many did you see, Paulis?” he called.

“Five, I think,” Corporal Paulis answered from the woods. “I might have seen the tail end of a sixth one, but I am not sure.”

“Not a good day to be on the battlefield,” Sergeant Carter mumbled.

“Our horses went south,” Corporal Paulis called from the trees. “I sent the squad after them, but there were dragons down that way, too.”

“What are you doing in the trees?” called the sergeant. “Come on out.”

“I think I will wait until the dragons are gone,” Corporal Paulis nervously called out.

Sergeant Carter laughed and turned his eyes upward. He scanned the skies and saw no more dragons. He rotated to view the sky in all directions just to make sure that no more dragons were coming.

“They aren’t coming back here, Paulis,” called the sergeant. “They were heading for the battlefield to aid the Alceans. If they were just hungry, they would have swooped lower and snared you. Come on out.”

Corporal Paulis hesitated, but eventually he eased out of the forest and joined the sergeant in the intersection. Sergeant Carter was gazing southward, hoping to see his squad bringing his horse back.

“What if they can’t catch them?” asked Corporal Paulis. “I don’t look forward to walking back to camp.”

“We will double up,” shrugged the sergeant. “Stop worrying about every little thing. No matter what happens out here in the forest, we are a lot safer than we were yesterday.”

While the sergeant kept his eyes out for any sight of his men, Corporal Paulis spent his time gazing skyward. He suddenly stiffened and reached out to grab the sergeant’s arm. Sergeant Carter turned with a look of annoyance on his face and found the corporal gazing westward. He turned further and followed the corporal’s gaze.

“Merciful steed!” exclaimed the sergeant. “Quick, into the woods!”

The sergeant raced for the trees, and Corporal Paulis followed closely. The two Federation soldiers dove the last few feet and threw their bodies into the bushes alongside the road. They scrambled behind the bushes and peered upward.

“Flying horses?” cried the corporal. “What kind of people are these Alceans?”

“Quiet,” the sergeant commanded softly.

As the two Federation soldiers hid in the bushes, wave after wave of soldiers mounted on unicorns flew overhead. The unicorns carried the soldiers eastward towards the battlefield. After the flying army had passed by, the two soldiers remained unmoving and silent for several more minutes. Finally, Sergeant Carter rose, and the corporal rose alongside of him.

“They weren’t flying horses,” the sergeant said in awe. “They were unicorns. There were hundreds of them, maybe a thousand. I do not think the battle today will go well for General Askor.”

“Thankfully,” the corporal replied, “the battle will be over by the time we walk back to camp.”

“Actually,” the sergeant replied distractedly, “I wasn’t thinking of going back. Maybe it’s time we just disappeared.”

* * * *

Colonel Hildon watched the battle with satisfaction. Colonel Maxwell stood by his side, and he nodded as he watched the Federation soldiers climbing the wall.

“This is more like it,” Colonel Hildon said. “Already we have three pockets of men upon the wall.”

“And the catapults are tearing the center of the wall down,” agreed Colonel Maxwell. “All the men needed was some sleep.”