Part 17 (1/2)
It isn't long before the enemy force comes into view. They've positioned themselves across the road, a ma.s.sive block of heavy infantry with several hundred crossbowmen protected in the center. No matter which direction a force attacks from, the crossbowmen can easily decimate them.
When the enemy sees them on the road, they form their ranks tighter. The soldiers at the leading edge have long spears to use against any cavalry units that attack.
Stopping just out of crossbow range, Illan turns back to his men and says, ”Form ranks, bows and slings to the rear.” As the men begin moving into formation for attack he takes his horse to the rear where the catapults are sitting.
The officer in charge comes to attention as he approaches. ”Captain,” Illan says, ”are we close enough to pepper them with grapeshot?”
”Yes, sir” he replies.
”Then as soon as you are ready, let them have it.”
”Yes, sir,” replies the captain. To his men he hollers, ”Get them catapults into position and bring those wagons closer! We need to soften them up a bit so our delicate soldiers can go and be heroes.”
His men break into a laugh and quickly get the catapults into position. Once they're ready, the men begin filling the catapult's bucket with the grapeshot from the wagons. As soon as they are filled and ready, the Captain yells, ”Let 'em go boys!”
Five arms fling their deadly projectiles into the air. All of Illan's forces hold their breath as the projectiles fly to their target and then let out a cheer as they begin ripping through the enemy soldiers. Even though most of the soldiers had lifted s.h.i.+elds to protect themselves from the rain of death, several dozen men fall. The crossbowmen, without the benefit of the s.h.i.+elds fall in droves.
A command is given within the enemy force and they surge forward to attack, not willing to simply stay in one position and be stoned to death. ”Once more if you will captain!” Illan hollers.
The catapult crews work quickly and soon have the arms back in position and their buckets filled. ”Now!” he cries as the five catapults let loose. The grapeshot flies over the heads of Illan's force and rips once again through the attackers. Men fall as stones smash heads, crush arms and legs, and just about every other portion of the body as well.
When their crossbowmen reach effective range, they stop and begin firing into the defenders. ”s.h.i.+elds!” cries Illan and his men raise their s.h.i.+elds to ward off the bolts. As the bolts fall, the majority are either deflected by the s.h.i.+elds or embed themselves into them. Some manage to find their target.
”Orry!” cries out Terrance as a crossbow bolt strikes Orry in the neck. Thrown backward, Orry hits the ground. His lifeless eyes stare up at Terrance as he reaches his side.
”Leave him!” Jiron cries out as he draws his knives.
”Ready slings and bows!” Hedry's voice sounds over the roar of battle.
Terrance, angered by the loss of his friend gets to his feet and puts a slug in his sling. When the command 'Fire at will' comes, he twirls his sling and lets loose at one of the approaching attackers. Maybe it is the anger at the loss of his friend, but his slug flies true and hits the man square between the eyes. In the heat of battle, he doesn't have time to be surprised at his skill, just places another slug in the sling, twirls and fires again.
”For Madoc!” the cry rings out as the two forces meet. ”For Black Hawk!” another voice screams.
Jiron braces for the impact and as the soldier directly in front of him strikes out with his sword, he meets it with his left knife. Then he strikes out with his right and the man falls to the ground as blood gushes from his neck. An instant later the dead man's spot is filled with another and the battle continues.
Hedry's archers target the enemy crossbowmen, taking them out with devastating results. Shorty again stays near the slingers, there to protect them should an enemy make it that far.
Scar and Potbelly stand shoulder to shoulder as they deflect and return attacks with the enemy. Scar with his two swords is devastating, as is Potbelly with his sword and knife. Neither ever cared much for s.h.i.+elds, figured they were for those whose skill was insufficient to keep the enemy away.
Atop his horse, Illan lays about him with his sword as enemy after enemy falls. From out of the corner of his eye he sees the cavalry he sent behind their force materialize. The enemy doesn't even realize their peril until they are upon them.
The shock of their charge mows down the enemy and are soon in among the crossbowmen, taking them out quickly. At that point, the battle is over. Over half the enemy lies dead and dying, encircled and outnumbered, men begin throwing down their weapons.
Around him, Illan sees Madoc soldiers striking out at the unarmed men. ”Enough!” he cries, his voice piercing through the noise of battle. Men pause and the fighting comes to a stop. To his right a Madoc soldier strikes out and kills an Empire soldier that has already dropped his weapon in surrender. Illan rides over and kicks the man in the head. ”Next one I see kill an unarmed man will get my sword!”
He spies one of the leading officers of the Madoc force and says, ”Take your men and escort the prisoners back to Lythylla.”
Next he gets the attention of one of the cavalry officers and has him send scouts in all directions to see about any further enemies either in the area or on the way.
Another unit is put in charge of collecting the wounded and taking them back to the city.
From somewhere the cry goes up, ”Black Hawk! Black Hawk!” The men begin joining in until the very air resonates with the cry. It finally begins to die away as the various units start returning to the city.
Illan glances over to where Jiron and Delia stand near Orry. Saddened by the loss he dismounts and joins them. ”Let's take him back,” he says. ”He died a hero's death.”
”He did, didn't he?” Terrance asks as he turns his red rimmed eyes toward him.
Illan comes over and rests his hand on his shoulder, ”Yes son, he did.”
Terrance, along with the others from The Ranch put Orry over a horse and begin the trip back.
Chapter Twelve.
”Our scouts have reported no other hostile forces in the immediate area,” Lord Pytherian tells those a.s.sembled in the meeting room.
James and Illan, as well as Brother Willim, are among those gathered to a.s.sess the ramifications of the events earlier in the day. They had an informal meeting with Lord Pytherian shortly before where they laid forth their plans to push deeper into the Empire. Thus far, the only one other than those directly a.s.sociated with James' group who knows is Lord Pytherian.
”My Lord,” a grey haired officer says as he gets to his feet, ”shouldn't we press our advantage? With the help of Black Hawk and his mage ally, wouldn't this be the best time to drive out the Empire?”
James notices several heads nod in agreement. For over a year these men have accomplished little to remove the Empire from their lands. Rather, they've been pushed back as town after town falls to the enemy. Brothers, sisters, mothers, all have been taken as slaves into the Empire and they feel it's high time for some good old fas.h.i.+oned retribution.
Lord Pytherian turns his attention to the officer and replies, ”Black Hawk and his force will be leaving us in the morning.”
”What?” one young officer cries.
”You can't be serious!” shouts an older soldier, a member of one of the alliance's factions from the north. A general murmur spreads throughout the conference room as they comment to those sitting next to them on what they just learned.
Lord Pytherian lets it run its course for a few moments then raises his hand, at which the room becomes silent once more. ”He and his force are leaving in the morning, that's true. However, they will be forging on into the Empire. They plan to cause such mischief as to force the Empire to draw a portion of its army home to deal with them.” Glancing around the room, he sees many heads nod in understanding.
”During which, we will be coordinating with our armies to the east and west,” he continues. ”We still have two sizeable forces, one at the base of the Silver Mountains to the west, and another to the southeast. Our success here does not mean victory until we have dealt with those.”
”Wouldn't it be wiser to consolidate our forces and strike at the force at the base of the Silver Mountains in one fell swoop?” a cavalry officer asks from the back of the room.
”To do that,” explains Lord Pytherian, ”we would have to take all but a small force from Lythylla. We dare not risk leaving our capitol open to the enemy. If they were to get wind of it, they could come and raze Lythylla to the ground.”
”So what are we to do?” comes from the side of the room.
”We let Black Hawk do his thing,” he replies. ”You've all heard of his exploits in the War of Barrowman's Field. He will do that once again, though this time he doesn't go alone. James the mage, as well as the brothers of Asran will accompany him.”
”They'll be slaughtered!” a younger officer hollers out from the side. At that, many of the old timers who had been around during the War of Barrowman's Field give out with guffaws. ”Hardly,” and ”Not likely,” are the responses some of the other officers give to the young man. They remember what Black Hawk had accomplished before.
”We let them soften up the enemy,” Lord Pytherian says when the a.s.sembled officers quiet down, ”then we take the battle to them up here. No reinforcements will be on the way, they'll be too busy hunting down Black Hawk. There's no way they'll allow him to once again roam free, burning and destroying their towns.”
”They have a lot of confidence in our ability,” James comments to Illan who only nods in reply.
For the next several hours, plans are made, changed, then revised again detailing various strategies to be implemented once the effect of Black Hawk's push into the Empire is felt.