Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm (43 page)

“That need not concern you, young upstart, but as for the battle plan, you can start by sending out flankers in greater numbers, as the Alliance knows our seams and the inflexibility of our attack formations. This can be countered by sending forces out farther to the sides of your marching columns and then utilizing these undead zombie warriors that a few of the chromatics are creating. Send them down under the river or over the mountain pass. They do not need air, and there is no concern for them about the cold. They will apparently attack without remorse or fear, just not quickly or smartly,” Ashram dictated.

“Ha! The Morgathian army always attacks forward. Our strength is in the numbers of our conscript army and the power of our charge, the dark wave of Morgathian might. This has brought us many victories,” Restregem snapped at the Talon sorcerer.

“Yes, but not against the Alliance’s legions, and usually only if there is a contingent of orcs willing to die as our first echelon,” Ashram answered curtly.

“Given your last meeting with the Alliance Army, Ashram, your handily defeated Northern Army is not an indicator. Nozok and Tbok led a Morgathian army group to a complete victory over the Arianans at Hasera. Our tactics were sound there; you know nothing of war, as your memory must be fading already, lich Ashram,” Marlok argued.

“Fighting the Shidanese is akin to fighting with dung beetles, and even with that, Nozok and Tbok lost half of their army. You have to engage the Alliance on their level, with their capabilities, their leadership, flexibility, and might. We need to send the dragons out first. Hunt them down and make them deploy according to our time and choosing. This is how we can defeat them,” Ashram launched another verbal attack.

“And getting the dragons to launch early is a task that who is willing to take on? Especially since our scouts and advanced guard have not encountered any Alliance forces?” Marlok asked.

“Infernex will convince Vorgash to attack ahead of their normal time. Remember, my lead dragon is senior to yours, and just slightly more powerful, as well as still seething from losing his brother to the metallic gold and silver dragons we fought,” Ashram said with a slight smile to which his rival provincial sorcerer grunted a response. “Then it is settled. The fire giant army will attack tomorrow morning, and as our army moves out, we will get the chromatics to fly soon afterward. A couple days hence, we will dine in the bowels of the Alliance weir as we count our riches. Oh, remember to tell the forward commanders to watch out for the Alliance lieutenant and to facilitate his fake capture for he has valuable information for us,” Ashram boldly stated, knowing this would likely not happen. However, even in Marlok’s defeat, if they could eliminate the weir’s legion, or even reduce the number of metallic dragons, then this misguided campaign would be considered a success, he thought. Along with weakening his rival sorcerer’s army, either way, this would be a victory for him.

As the Morgathian sorcerers and warlords were arguing over tactics, some of the local villagers were being forced by the orc lash to carry their dead in coffins from their graveyards to a gathering of chromatics by the base of the fire giant castle gate. As they deposited the bodies, the chromatics would pierce one of their talon pads and put a large drop of their greenish-black blood on the corpse. They would then utter an incantation in Draconic as the blood would seep into the rotting body and in a brief, dim glow reanimate the corpse, which would slowly rise and be charmed by the dragon. It would then be ushered by the orcs to be fitted with crude weapons and herded into a pen to wait for further instruction.

“Sire, the army is almost ready to march, but they need more supplies, for we only have enough food for one or two days and our fletchers are still making more arrows,” the Morgathian officer reported.

“What? I ordered you to prepare the army’s provisions yesterday! Why have you disobeyed me?” Marlok screamed, his dark crystal glowing purplish atop the black iron staff it was set in.

“Sire, I have been working all night trying to get the provisions. We have stripped all of the local villages of their stores and—” The officer’s sentence was interrupted by a magic missile streaking from Marlok’s hand and hitting the nervous Morgathian lieutenant in the forehead killing him instantly.

“Well, he won’t be a total waste. Guards, take his body to the dragons; he will be of more use to the empire as a mindless zombie than a foraging officer.” Marlok laughed, as did the other Talon sorcerers and death knights around him. “Ablomar, Sadok, since you both seem to have a renewed energy in this discussion of our battle plan, go and ensure this army is supplied by morning or else you will share the same fate,” he stated slyly.

“Careful, my liege, I wouldn’t go down so easily.” The younger Talon sorcerer scowled at Marlok as he bowed to him with his staff faintly glowing to show he was ready for a contest if it was presented to him. He motioned for his death knight partner, Ablomar, to leave with him. His black, red, and purple cloak fluttered in the mountain breeze as he and the black-iron-armored knight started to walk over to their steeds to engage in this difficult task. While Marlok was clearly a more powerful sorcerer, it would not have been easy to defeat the younger magi, without some cost. This also typified the Morgathian army’s inability for sustainment in their planning. It was also a result of their neglect and overly centralized system of both government and leadership.

“He’ll get it done somehow, if he knows what is best for him,” Marlok stated with a grin.

The fire giant king then stormed over to the gathered Morgathian leadership and started to argue that it was time to attack now, for he wanted revenge for his brother’s death during the Great War and his kin’s defeat. He almost roared that his clan would swarm into the eastern Alliance dragon fortress by the lake and plunder and destroy it. The talon sorcerer and death knight told him to be silent and the attack would proceed as planned, but they needed to convince the dragons to attack with them and not wait. They offered to let him negotiate with the chromatics, which he sheepishly declined. The sorcerer and death knight stated that a straight march to attack Eladran Weir was the plan, but the army needed supplies.

“The Alliance forces are not expecting us to move with so large an army, and this is coordinated with the well-planned feint attacks on all the coastal weirs, and their Capital Wing isolated in Shidan. This leaves only Eladran Weir and the Gate Weir to stand in our way, with a legion and a regiment and maybe a dozen or so metallics. We just need to get a foothold on Alliance territory to topple their government!” he shouted back at the fire giant chieftain.

“Sorcerer, we have already taken the available food from our serf villages; they have no more. If any more is taken, they will not be able to tithe us next spring, so we must attack now!” the fire giant chieftain growled in his deep, gruff voice as he looked down at the Talon sorcerer. His yellow-brown teeth ground together in anger, as was apparent even through the dark reddish-black skin of his grotesque face.

“Then winter provisions await at the Alliance Weir, you large oaf. Maybe that will motivate your overgrown simpleton clansmen,” Marlok snapped back. The sixteen-foot-tall stout giant chieftain growled and grasped his oversized great sword’s four-foot pommel and pulled the nine-foot black-iron blade partway from its sheath. The exposed metal was engulfed in flame as he puffed up his broad chest stretching the overlapped black-iron chain-mail shirt he wore.

“I would calm down if I were you and concentrate your energy on getting your fellow giants and army together for this march. You wouldn’t want your clansmen to have a new leader just before battle with the Alliance, now would you?” Marlok stated as his staff glowed intensely in the eerie purplish light of the dark crystal mounted on its end.

“Ahhrrr,” the large fire giant snorted and lumbered back to his fellow giants and gathered army.

“You were lucky there, Marlok. I think he wanted to eat you,” Ashram said sarcastically with a smile on his pale face.

“He knew better. Restregem, how are the reapers and those giant dragon hybrids?” Ashram asked.

“They are getting restless but still holding. I feel they will not be able to do so in another day or so. The dragon giants are incredibly strong, and we feel they will have enhanced protection with their dragon-like skin, and as for the reapers, just stay away from their multiple arms, each of which is wielding a weapon of some sort. They were the bane for the Kaskars in a small skirmish a few weeks ago. They waded into battle whirling and slicing the plainsmen. It was a terrific sight to see,” the demon-armored death knight stated with a sort of glee.

“Well, keep them in check for now until we need their fury unleashed. I’ll have Sadok put a sleep spell over them until the battle if necessary. Vorgash, what of you and the dragons?” Marlok spoke into his dark crystal.

“We are ready, Sorcerer, as soon as the other worm decides whether or not he will join us or nurse his sorcerer,” the senior demon red dragon hissed. Infernex growled back at him.

“Then we march before morning’s light, and the Alliance treasure will be ours by the following week,” Marlok predicted.

“May Tiamat’s merciful shadow cast over you, my powerful sorcerer,” Ashram added sarcastically, which angered his rival.

Ashram was enticing Marlok to attack as soon as possible, he thought, to help him just a little bit, feigning anger at the Alliance for his defeat and for the greater good of the Morgathian Empire collective. Ashram wanted to see Marlok defeated to bring him down a notch so he wouldn’t present a threat to his province, at least until he could replace the destroyed portion of his army and his lost chromatic dragon squadrons. However, he still wanted to inflict as much punishment on the Alliance as possible, and if he could manipulate Marlok well enough, he could achieve both ends.

In the meantime, several Talon sorcerers on their nightmare mounts were teleporting back and forth to reinforce the groups of Shidanese and Arianan pirate ships that were sailing toward all of the Alliance’s coastal weirs. This was all designed to keep the weirs busy so as not to allow the reinforcement of Eladran and Draden weirs against the fire giant advance. Stalenjh had arranged for these attacks with the promise of backing by sorcerers, the saragwin, and the chromatics—a promise he had no intention of keeping. However, he still needed them for the diversion, if anything as a denial of Morgathian involvement and a sacrificial lamb. He knew the Alliance naval and winged patrols would spot these squadrons and move to intercept and destroy them. At present, they were all within a day’s sail from their destinations and all flying the standards of the archipelago island kingdoms as a ruse, to be followed by either the Shidanese or Blood Wolf flag.

Mkel had gathered his weir garrison together at the widest portion of the mountain pass that they were now in place to defend. He wanted to give them a pre-battle talk before the events that were about to unfold and the ensuing chaos that would take place. This was the first time that the whole garrison with the Draden elves and the weir dwarf clan would go into battle together; it was not a drill. Mkel was impressed by the several hundred soldiers that had gathered around him and Gallanth—over three hundred of his own combined arms company, not to mention the over one hundred twenty elves and an equal number of dwarves. An impressive sight, it almost made him feel as good to be in front of them as to be beside Gallanth and his friends of his weir council. He did miss Dekeen and his one platoon of archers, however.

“Please, all of Draden Weir, gather close,” he motioned as he stepped up on Gallanth’s outstretched forearm to give himself a little height, so he wouldn’t have to talk quite as loud and all could hear. The entire garrison tightened their group as they shuffled closer to Mkel and Gallanth. Toderan, Jodem, and the rest of his council were behind him, and his officers were to the side, but several of the support corps sections were still back with the legions preparing to support the weir in the battle.

“Soldiers, elves, and dwarves of Draden Weir, I wanted to gather you together before we face the challenges of tomorrow. We face a fierce and determined enemy, but if we work as one, one sword, one bow, one mind, we will be victorious. Like in our training, know the men beside you, their strengths and weaknesses, the style of their sword swing or shooting technique. Complement each other like the Capital Wing, which flies as one powerful soul, making them almost invincible. I want all of you younger soldiers to know it is all right to kill those we will be facing in battle. Those we will fight are evil, such as the orcs and their cousins, or have evil in their hearts, like those who serve a dark regime that celebrates death. So even if they are human, do not hesitate, for seconds in a close fight could mean the difference in your life or theirs, and in getting that quick thrust or blow. We are soldiers of the Alliance, so always give quarter if it is asked, and it will not endanger you to do so; for we are an honorable army, even if our enemy is not. Crossbowmen, I know you will make your aim true and your cadence swift, especially with your new weapons. Gallanth and I will be with all of you, as will all of the weir council.

“It is said that among most armies, out of every one hundred men, ninety are nothing but targets, nine are soldiers who can be depended on when it counts and who carry the battle, and one, one is a true warrior to whom all others look for courage and who can turn the tide of battle. For most armies, I would agree with this; however, we, as brothers and sisters in arms, are all soldiers and warriors, worth many times our numbers. You have all trained hard, fought well, and I know we will be victorious!

“You can all have faith that Gallanth and I and the weir council will do the utmost to support and protect you as well. I am proud to say that you soldiers of Draden Weir are those who, when fortune frowns, do not become discouraged, but seek the challenge. For this, I am the most proud of you. This fight will test our mettle, as the battles our veteran brothers of the Great War had to endure, but I know you all will pass this test. Remember above all else, to fear no evil, for light casts away the shadows, and you are that light,” Mkel finished his speech to the cheers of the garrison.