Reborn: Demon's Heritage (3 page)

After the sun went down, Ash returned to his tent to find Allice still sleeping soundly. With a light smile, he crawled back in the bed and covered them both with the warm blankets and drifted off to sleep.

8-3

It took twenty days before they reached the first border fort. Thanks to the large river that separated the Hawkwing duchy from its neighbors, there were limited places they could face attack without warning. One of those was the Reinhorn Plains. It was over a hundred mile stretch of open rolling plains.

When Ash thought “fort”, he was expecting something large and imposing. Instead what he found was nothing more than a wall made of logs surrounding a group of tents. The logs were soaked in a black liquid making them nearly impervious to fire, but a strong mage could still easily open up a hole in the wall. When Ash asked about the small forts, the knight captain gave a knowing nod.

It seemed that the log forts were common and spread out every ten miles. Each one contained no more than a hundred soldiers and two knights at any time. They were not meant to hold the line, just delay the enemy. Larger forts further back were built using earth magic.

Unlike the fort being built outside the duchy capital, the ones made by the knight mages were not meant to last centuries. However, they would hold off for years against standard attacks. Each fort was given one earth mage and each day he would spend his time building and reinforcing the fort. Once again though the forts were nothing more than a wall with tents inside. If the war lasted long enough, that would change, but that would take years for a single mage to accomplish.

At each small fort they dropped off supplies and troops until Ash’s inventory had grown light. Once they were down to only twenty normal troops and four knights they started making their way to their assigned post.

Ash and the others were assigned to the forward group. Unlike those in the fort who stayed within a limited area looking out for enemy approach, the forward group stayed close to the border constantly moving looking for any signs of impending attack. While the forts were the shield, the advanced group was the dagger that struck from the back.

While there were only ten small forts, four advance groups and two larger forts in the Reinhorn Plains there were a total of eighteen small forts, seven advance groups and four large forts throughout the entire duchy. Ash’s group was in charge of twenty-five miles of open land. It was at the edge of a small canyon and one of the areas that was unlikely for an attack, but it still had to be watched. Ash believed that it was Emelia’s hand trying to keep him safe. It bothered him somewhat, but she was the duchess so he had little say in where his group would be stationed.

The group of knights that Ash worked with had a knight captain who was in charge of the group, and three sergeants who were each assigned a small number of regular soldiers. Normally there was an additional knight who would be ranked a lieutenant. The lieutenant would normally be in charge of supplies and rations so that duty had been given over to Ash. It wasn’t a hard job, he just had to make sure that when they started to run low on supplies to make a supply request at a local fort to get them refilled. Thankfully Ash could carry a large amount of supplies without being burdened which made the captain very happy.

Most the time the group would have to make small caches of supplies so that they wouldn’t be slowed down. With Ash around now they could carry it with them and didn’t have to worry about running low though they still hid some caches just in case the worst came to pass.

Each day the group moved a few miles. The plan was to dig out a series of encampments that would hide them from site. Normally this would take a great deal of time and effort. Thankfully though, Ash’s ability to manipulate the earth made it fast. Instead of months of digging, each time they reached one of their designated spots, Ash was able to dig what the knights called badger burrows.

Each burrow was only big enough for one person, or in Ash’s case two. They would start as just a hole large enough that when laying down you couldn’t be seen from the distance. From there they would be dug out enough that you could stand in them with only your head sticking out. At this stage, a lean-to would be built, hiding the hole using wood and shrubs. Once it was deep enough to stand in, a small pit would be dug so that a person could sleep laying down. Finally tunnels would be dug, connecting the different burrows.

They would only stay at one place for three days before moving to the next. As the weeks passed, they decided to make more and more burrows thanks to Ash’s useful abilities. It wasn’t until they had been stationed at the border for three weeks that they caught their first signs of any enemy troops.

It was after midday and Ash and the others were taking a small break when one of their scouts rushed back. “Report,” the captain said in a low yet stern tone.

“Sir, more than five hundred troops coming from the west. They are comprised of mostly foot soldiers, but more than thirty of them are on horseback,” the young scout said as he still struggled for breath.

“Were you spotted?” The captain asked as his hand drifted down to his sword hilt.

“No sir,” the scout said a nervous twinge in his voice. “I was in a small corps of trees…Making water sir…That is when I caught sight of them.”

“Sargent Tennian, I want you to keep track of the enemy’s movements,” the captain barked to one of the older knights. “We will be moving out to bunker five and wait until nightfall so that we can access the situation. Barker, you are to head back to Gort Yewell and report our findings.” 

Everyone moved quickly as the captain gave orders. The closest burrow was still more than two miles away and every moment they sat around increased their chances of being found. Their main job was not to fight against large forces, but smaller scouting parties if they were found. In the case of larger forces they were to report and if possible delay their supply line.

It took less than an hour to reach the burrow where the knights and soldiers quickly found succor. Under the captain’s orders, Ash started to clear out a large center area where all the tunnels between the burrows came together. It was not a hard job, though it did take almost half of his MP. When he was finished, the area was just large enough for all of them to sit within the room though only with a fingers width between them. The room became even more crowded when the captain pulled out a rough map of the surrounding area.

They only had an estimate of where the force was and where they were going but that was more than enough to make a few plans. They couldn’t do much, but if Ash could get to their supplies, he could carry them off without much trouble. The earlier scout hadn’t got to take a long look at the force, but there had to be wagons either with the group or behind it.

Everything seemed to be going well until a loud voice echoed through the tunnels. “Report scout,” the captain said as soon as the man sent to watch the advancing army rushed into the small manmade cavern.

“Sir, they somehow know where we are,” the scout said in a hurried voice. “At first I just thought it was coincidence that they turned in this direction, but then I noticed who their scout was. They have Lord Gats as the scout and the leader is Lord Quirelen.”

“How many troops do they have?” The captain asked, his face paling.

“More than originally thought,” the scout reported, his voice trembling. “The group first encountered was only the tip of the spear. Less than a mile behind them were another thousand troops at least. I couldn’t get too close and only noticed them when they appeared behind the forward party.”

The captain started cursing. “Looks like the king wants the war finished quickly.”

“What is going on captain?” Ash asked from the side.

“The men that the scout saw are the kings own elite knights. They might be wearing the colors of other nobles, but they only listen to the orders of the king. It seems that since the king couldn’t stop the war he decided to help behind the scenes. The duchess must hear of this. Everyone, we will split up here, each going our own way. They have horses and we are miles from the nearest fort. Everyone try to reach a town or fort and send word back to her grace.”

For the next half hour Ash handed out rations to each soldier before they disappeared into the darkness. The captain wanted Ash to be the first to leave, but he refused knowing that each person would need some of the items that he alone carried.

Just as the captain had tried to get him to leave, Ash had tried to get Allice to leave but she refused to leave his side. It left Ash in an odd position. He wanted Allice to be safe, but he had his duty as well, so in the end he could only pray that they had enough time.

The soldiers were well trained and it took less than a half hour for all of them to disperse, leaving only Ash, Allice, and the captain. As the three exited the tunnel, the sun was already starting to set and they could hear the thundering of the approaching army in the distance. With a slight bow, the two men each ran in different directions.

Allice had been following Ash’s training, but she was still not strong enough for prolonged runs so Ash was forced to carry her while he ran. They were heading north, hoping that the soldiers wouldn’t skirt their territory.

After running as hard as he could for three hours, Ash was forced to stop. The sky was overcast with clods that covered much of the sky. Ash could still see thanks to his abilities, but he was tired and that coupled with carrying Allice made his stamina reduce at a far greater rate. With little choice, Ash found a nice spot and quickly used his magic to make a shallow pit for them to rest in.

The wind was bitterly cold, but Ash was afraid that if he brought out his large tent that it would draw the wrong kind of attention. In the end, he could only use the blankets to try and stay warm. Ash was forced to sleep with Allice close to his body in order to conserve the heat.

The next morning when Ash woke, he found the ground covered in a light dusting of snow. Looking up at the sky, he found that it was still overcast and looked as if more snow would fall at any time. Sighing, Ash nudged Allice with his boot. She rolled over and opened her eyes weakly giving him a sleepy smile. “Morning master,” Allice said in a groggy voice.

“Get up, we need to keep moving,” Ash said as he rubbed his hands to try to warm them against the morning chill.

Ash pulled out a piece of dried meat and stuffed it in his mouth before handing some over to Allice. She gave a disgruntled whine, but she stared to chew on the meat. Before they had a chance to leave, Ash heard the sound of hoof beats in the distant. Cursing, Ash picked up Allice who had the dried jerky still sticking out of the corner of her mouth and started to run.

Ash at his fastest could outrun most horses, but not even he could keep that pace up for long. Ash looked behind him after he had started to run to see three men on horseback wearing the dark green colors of the enemy duchy. The men gave out a loud series of shouts and one of the men raised a copper rod into the air and a red flash of light shot into the air. Ash didn’t have to guess what it was since he had something similar in his own inventory. Ash was given one in case he was out scouting and found himself surrounded. It was to warn others that they enemy was near.

Cursing, Ash put more strength into his legs and pushed himself running as fast as he could. After he had run more than a mile, Ash could feel his lungs start to burn. No matter how strong he was, his lungs still needed air to breath. It was one of the many factors that limited the people in this world just like in his last.

Looking back over his shoulder, Ash noticed that he had widened the gap between him and the horseman, but they were still within sight. Ash knew that no matter how hard he ran, he would run out of breath long before the warhorses did. “I am going to set you down,” Ash said to Allice who was clinging tightly to his chest. “When I do, keep running.”

“No, I will stay with you master,” Allice said.

“Allice, I can’t fight and keep you safe at the same time,” Ash admitted. “We both have a better chance of surviving if I can fight without protecting you at the same time. I promise I will catch up to you as soon as I am done.”

Allice didn’t reply, but she did nod her head and mumble something that was too soft for even Ash to hear. As soon as she conceded, Ash came to a sudden stop and placed Allice on the ground. Just as he had commanded, she took off running though to Ash she seemed awkward as she ran. Looking at Allice one last time, Ash gave a wry grin then turned back to face the two oncoming horsemen.

Seeing Ash stop, the two men lifted their lances from their holders and leveled them at him. Ash gave a wicked laugh and sent him magic into the ground. A thin, yet sturdy six foot wall rose from the ground and at the same time, Ash’s MP was reduced by almost two hundred points. Ash couldn’t help but smile when he heard a string of curses followed by a loud series of bangs as the horses collided with the wall. Ash felt a twinge of guilt for the innocent horses, but he had too little options available to him.

Pulling his sword from its scabbard, Ash rushed forward and found that the two men were already back on their feet. Ash quickly used analyze, hoping to get a glimpse of their strength. One was level 24 while the other was level 28 and while they both had above average stats, nether were close to his. With a somewhat evil grin, Ash advanced on the two knights.

“Hold and surrender,” one of the knights yelled as he pulled his own sword free. “If you surrender now, I guarantee your safety.”

“I think I will take my chances,” Ash said in a growl.

“Lord Ash, I will give you one more chance,” the man said. When Ash stopped his advance the man gave a slight sneer. “Yes, we know who you are. We have more than a thousand men headed this way and their only mission is to take you alive”