Army of the Dead (9 page)

General Manitow gazed once more at the harbor as he waited for the mages to prepare to leave. Some of the empty ships that had been using their catapults to pound the city were moving out of the harbor to make way for ships filled with troops. Suddenly, a catapult load smashed into the roof of the building. The general and the mages were thrown to the floor of the roof as a whole section of the building collapsed. The general rose and surveyed the damage.

“You have to leave now,” shouted SilverEdge as he appeared on the roof. “We cannot hold this building any longer. There are just too many of them.”

SilverEdge was a huge Sakovan from StarCity. No one matched him in size or strength except for Goral, who was even larger and stronger. General Manitow nodded as he helped the mages to their feet.

“Head out the back,” shouted SilverEdge. “We will delay the Motangans out front for as long as we can, but I urge you to hurry.”

SilverEdge did not wait for a reply. He raced down the steps and out the front door. In the street in front of the Imperial Guard headquarters, a small band of Sakovans were battling the Motangans, buying time for the mages and the general to escape. Two streets intersected in front of the building, creating three possible approaches that had to be protected. HawkShadow and SkyDancer blocked the street to the north, while StormSong and DarkBlade blocked the south. Goral stood alone facing east, and SilverEdge rushed to join him.

“Just in time,” Goral said to his partner. “Here they come again.”

The Motangans rushed the eastern approach first, and the two giants started swinging their long two-handed swords. Goral’s first swing cut a Motangan soldier in two, while SilverEdge decapitated a man. Seconds later shouting red-clad soldiers rounded a corner and came running towards HawkShadow and SkyDancer. The two Sakovans danced lightly on their feet as they swung at the enemy. As if choreographed, the couple worked their way along the street killing Motangans with every swing. Whenever one’s back was exposed, the other covered it.

“Bring it back, HawkShadow,” shouted StormSong as Motangans charged the southern position. “We also have company.”

HawkShadow issued a curt command to SkyDancer, and the duo broke contact and ran back to their original positions before spinning around and reengaging the enemy that had followed them.

StormSong and DarkBlade performed no dance for the Motangans. They stood their ground and used their strength to slay the charging enemies. Many of the Motangans, surprised to see a female fighting, mistook StormSong for an easy opponent. The truth killed them, as the female Sakovan slashed into their ranks.

Motangan body parts piled up in front of the two giants as Goral and SilverEdge held their ground. Goral turned for a quick glance at the roof of the Imperial Guard headquarters and saw that it was empty.

“We are through here,” he shouted as he severed a Motangan’s arm and followed up with a decapitation. “Time to move out.”

All six Sakovans started slowly backing up towards the steps of the Imperial Guard headquarters. They continued to battle the Motangans with every step until all six of them were crowded on the steps.

“Love birds first,” shouted StormSong. “Use your stars.”

HawkShadow and SkyDancer turned and raced into the building. They immediately sheathed their swords and grabbed Sakovan Stars from their pouches. HawkShadow pointed to the Motangans just beyond StormSong and DarkBlade. SkyDancer nodded, and two Sakovan Stars flew through the doorway and impacted into the foreheads of two Motangan soldiers.

DarkBlade faced no opponent and dove through the doorway. HawkShadow and SkyDancer repeated the throwing of stars and killed two more Motangans, allowing StormSong to enter the building.

“Secure the rear exit,” commanded HawkShadow as he and SkyDancer fisted more stars.

DarkBlade and StormSong nodded and raced through the building to the rear door. They threw open the door and stepped into the alley, their swords ready for anything. The alley was empty, and they waited for their friends to arrive. Moments later, the two giants came running out the back of the building.

“We will secure the gate out of the city,” shouted Goral as they sped across the alleyway and through the ruins of a demolished building.

Less than a minute after the giants, HawkShadow and SkyDancer exited the building and ran past. StormSong slammed the door shut while DarkBlade shoved a burning timber in place to jam the door. They turned and ran after their friends as Motangans appeared at both ends of the alleyway.

StormSong saw other Sakovans racing for the exit from the city as she and DarkBlade dodged burning debris. Suddenly, an arrow raced past her head, and she knew that their retreat was cutting things a little close. The Motangan archers should not have been in the vanguard of the attack unless one of the flanking armies had managed to reach the city already. She wondered how many friends were still in the falling city. She immediately began running erratically to foil the archer’s aim. DarkBlade needed no encouragement to do likewise. They slowed down as they approached the gates to let other Sakovans who were ahead of them have time to get through. StormSong’s eyes focused on the gates as she continued to weave as she ran. She saw Goral slam one of the gates shut and prop something against it.

Another arrow sped by StormSong’s ear and imbedded in the gate that Goral had just closed. A shiver raced up her spine as she dashed through the open gate. DarkBlade followed her through and shouted for the gate to be closed. SilverEdge moved to close the remaining gate while Goral bent over to pick up a huge log that had been placed there to secure the gate. He wrapped his large arms around the log and lifted it. As he turned to shove it into place, he saw the gate was not fully closed.

Goral turned and looked for his partner. SilverEdge’s large body was sprawled on the ground, an arrow piercing his neck. His lifeless eyes stared up at Goral. Goral slammed the log into the gate, forcing the gate closed and jamming it from being opened. He groaned as he bent and lifted SilverEdge’s body and threw it over his shoulder.

* * *

The Star of Sakova stood staring at the map in the farmhouse just outside of Breele. Gathered around her were her generals and advisors.

“I thought they would follow us into the Sakova,” frowned Lyra. “Why aren’t they?”

“They are consolidating,” explained General Didyk. “Doralin suffered larger losses to take Alamar than he had anticipated. He will need to heal the wounded and replenish supplies. He might even send for reinforcements.”

“He has no need of reinforcements,” frowned General Manitow. ”His army is larger than anything I could imagine.”

“He has access to supplies at Duran,” frowned Lyra. “I did not think that he would need them so soon.”

“Are the supplies guarded?” asked Temiker.

Lyra’s eyebrow rose as she stared at her uncle. “What if they are not?” she asked. “We cannot get at the supplies there. Your knowledge of geography surely must be better than you are letting on. Duran is unapproachable from the land, and we have a huge fleet of enemy ships sitting off our coast. Why would you ask such a question?”

“For the same reason that I ask any question,” shrugged Temiker. “I hoped to get an answer and expand my knowledge. Are the supplies guarded?”

“I don’t know,” answered Lyra. “When Marak saw the city, three ships were unloading. There were seamen scurrying around the city, but I have no idea if it is guarded. Satisfied?”

“Somewhat,” smiled Temiker as he turned and ushered a sailor forward. “I think you should hear what this young man has to say before you write off the supplies at Duran.”

Lyra frowned at the hint of mystery, but she recognized the sailor as having been on her voyage to Duran and smiled at him.

“Chargo,” greeted the Star of Sakova. “What do you have to tell me?”

“I have a plan against the enemy,” Chargo replied. “I want your permission to execute it.”

“And what is this plan?” asked Lyra.

“I noticed that the Motangan ships are languishing offshore,” explained Chargo. “A bunch of fishermen and shipyard workers were talking about capturing some of them. We could use them to attack the other ships.”

“Or to raid the supply depot in Duran,” interjected Temiker. “Why not liberate the Motangan supplies?”

“That would hurt Doralin a great deal,” nodded General Manitow. “His armies will depend on those supplies.”

“You are just going to swim out to sea and steal a Motangan ship?” frowned Lyra. “You can’t be serious.”

“Not just one,” grinned Chargo. “I think we could get several. We wouldn’t have to swim out. Many villagers brought their boats up to Breele when they heard that the Motangans were coming. We could go down the Maritako River at night and sail up to the huge ships. It would be pretty easy.”

“And what about the crews of the ships?” asked Lyra.

“We could overpower them,” shrugged Chargo. “Some of the crews might even go ashore. We could sail away in the dead of night, and the Motangans won’t even miss the ships until morning.”

“They might not even be alarmed if the ships are missing,” General Didyk interjected. “If no crewman survives to give details, there are many possibilities for missing ships. They could have sunk, returned to Motanga, or gone to Duran for supplies. I think the plan has great merit.”

“And we could use the ships to ferry civilians to Khadora,” added General Manitow. “What have we got to lose?”

“Our people,” frowned Lyra as she shook her head. “How many people are in on this scheme?”

“I have over a hundred volunteers,” replied Chargo. “I could easily get more if I need them. These fishermen are not warriors, Lyra. They will be of no use tromping through the forests fighting the Motangans. This is a way that they can contribute, a way to strike back at the Motangans. They all understand that they might die in the attempt, but they still want to do it. All we need is your blessing.”

“And how will we contact you?” asked the Star of Sakova. “Not one of you can weave an air tunnel. We will never know if you succeeded or died trying.”

“I will go with them,” volunteered Temiker. “I assure you that I can weave an air tunnel.”

Lyra stared at her uncle with disbelief. “You really feel that strongly about this?” she asked.

“I am an old man, Lyra,” smiled Temiker. “I may still be able to wield the power, but I do not look forward to a long campaign of running through the forests. Besides, I think it will demoralize the enemy. We must continue to do what is not expected. I also think there are innumerable uses for a Motangan ship. We can infiltrate their navy. We can impersonate Motangans. We can transport people or supplies, and if need be, we can attack.”

“What if Duran is guarded?” asked the Star of Sakova.

“We will have uniforms from the crewmen that we kill,” answered Chargo. “We will pretend to be from Doralin and tell them that we have come for supplies. We will even let them help us with the loading,” he added with a grin.

“You both are incorrigible,” Lyra smiled as she shook her head. “You have my permission, Chargo, with one condition.”

“Anything,” smiled the sailor.

“Make sure that my uncle is not hurt,” stated Lyra. “The Sakovans still have a need for such old men.”

“He will not be hurt,” Chargo promised excitedly.

Chargo and Temiker left the farmhouse to plan their mission. Lyra watched them leave and then turned her attention to the map.

“How do we get the Motangans to come towards us after they have rested?” asked Lyra.

“You need not worry about that,” replied General Didyk. “They want to come after us. This war is not about gaining territory. They seek to annihilate us. They have to come after us.”

“Then let’s start planning a reception for them,” responded the Star of Sakova. “Who wants to be first to present ideas?”

Premer Doralin sat at the long table in the dining room of Temiker’s schoolhouse in Alamar. It was one of the few buildings in the city that had somehow managed to withstand the bombardment unscathed. General Valatosa stood before the premer, looking rather uncomfortable.

“All I know is that the report was from a mage spy that Clarvoy managed to insert into one of my armies,” scowled the premer. “If it wasn’t so obvious that the mage had died before finishing his report, I would be hunting for him right now.”

“You should avoid saying such things,” advised the general. “I know how you feel about the mages, but they do have a voice that reaches to the Emperor. It is unwise to vocalize your feelings about them.”

“Your warning has been noted,” sighed Doralin. “Valatosa, I need your help. These Sakovans are a wily bunch, and the other generals do not recognize that.”

“Wily?” frowned the general. “In what way?”

“In every way possible,” replied the premer. “Do you think it is purely accidental that there is not a scrap of food in this entire city, yet there are stockpiles of ale? I should be pushing towards Breele to keep the Sakovans off balance; instead I have a city full of drunken soldiers. This is no accident. The Sakovans have planned well for this invasion.”

“The ale is a problem,” agreed the general, “but I am not sure that I agree totally with your assessment. We took Alamar in one day. If the Sakovans had planned well, we would still be trying to get ashore.”

“Would we?” the premer asked skeptically. “I don’t think the Sakovans want to fight us in the city. I think they plan to lure us into remote terrain that only they have any knowledge of. Look at this map Clarvoy supplied. It shows exacting details of every city, village, and road in the entire country, but what do you see in the center of it all?”

“Nothing,” shrugged Valatosa. “It is all forest. What is there to chart?”

“How about individual mountain passes?” prompted the premer. “Rivers? Lakes? Where is this famed StarCity? There is nothing in the center of this map.”

“Over the past few years,” responded General Valatosa, “when it was clear what sector I would be assigned to, I made a point of reading everything I could about Omunga, as the country was called at that time. It consisted only of the coastal cities. The interior of the country was a void, as it is on this map. It was known as the Sakova, but no one dared to enter it. Omungans who tried to were never heard from again. I can well expect the same held true for Clarvoy’s spies. I am troubled somewhat by a lack of geographic features, but I think we can overcome that deficit.”