Soul Under the Mountain (Legend of Reason Series) (9 page)

"
It also has information on where all of the artifacts of the gods are, but since you have found several of them, I assume you already know that. It also told us about the stone of Etheotis, but by the time we learned how to stop you from using it to rob Rommus of his power, it was too late."

Uritus rubbed his chin. "I see. So Rommus has not
been able to
restore his power, or to find any of the other artifacts?"

Alana's took her eyes from the floor and met his gaze. "We have been busy trying to save the entire world from the Bhoors, the Vindyri, and you. We didn't have a lot of time to go on treasure hunts."

"Ah.
But you had time enough to study it and discover what I was doing with the stone of Etheotis. What else were you able to discover? You see, my men and I can't read it so well. It's written in an older dialect and it can be confusing."

"Vohl can read it.
He says that you have to be extremely careful interpreting the words. A tiny variation in the translation ca
n mean vastly different things."

"Yes, I have already discovered that. But such can be said about any book; the reader either grasps t
he true meanings, or misinterprets the work entirely. What else?"

"The guy who wrote it was an old Emperor. He was one of the Medoran founders, and the book was apparently buried with him. But since you were the one to find it, I guess you knew that."

"I did know that. But how did
you
know that?"

"It's written in the book. The guy's name is Erratus Ridoria. He's one of the first Emperors of Medora."

Uritus stood and stared a while. "You do realize how preposterous that is, don't you?
How could you expect me to believe that a book mentioning itself ends up buried in the spot mentioned in the book? It makes no sense."

"I don't know. Why don't you write your own book and have it buried with you. Would that make sense?"

Uritus sighed. "I guess I have some studying to do. There's something strange about your story. Something doesn't make sense to me."

"I didn't say I understood it. I am just telling you what I know. Can I go now?"

"Of course. That is why I came down here. But before you go, I have something to ask of you."

Chapter
10

"This is a mistake," Zeke said.

Tannis eyed the man suspiciously as he bounced up and down on the horse beside him. "Why is this a mistake?"

"There's a greater army out there on the plains out of sight. If you attack this fortification you'll have men fighting you from the front and the rear. You are placing your men between a hammer and an anvil."

"I am well aware for your army out there on the plains. I understand the risk of this mission. What I do not understand is why you would alert me to
those
concerns. Wouldn't you prefer
to
have my Legion crushed here at the east gate?"

"It is not my army that waits out there, General Tirinius. I would prefer that those invaders and infiltrators go back to their own lands and leave the Vindyri and Medorans alone. I do as my superiors command, so I am forced to work with them, but I do not support any of this. And now that I have been captured, you are my superior."

"You would have me believe that you wish to help the Medorans in this cause then? Surely you must think very little of my intelligence."

Zeke fussed with the ropes binding his wrists securing him to his saddle. "I do not mean to insult you, General Tirinius. I am simply stating my feelings on the matter. We have some things in common. We both want the Bhoors and the Vindyri to go home. I would prefer it to be bloodless, but these invaders in your land are deserving of whatever end they meet. Even I am not guiltless. I am here in your land as well. I have brought blades to the fight. All I can do now is try to make it right."

"You did inform my men on where your officers slept. I can't say I am proud of you for delivering your own men to your enemy, but I am grateful that you have done so.
I am hoping that the blood of those men can save the blood of many others. If we push the army back, then no one needs to die."

Zeke turned to face his captor. "But when you drive them back, it will only be across the plains and into the cities of Vindyrion. They will still be a threat to my people, even if Medora is safe."

Tannis flashed the man a look of anger. "Listen to me, Vindyri. The Medorans already marched out to Burnhamheade upon your request for aid. While we came to rescue you, your army marched around us and destroyed Brinn and Taburdum. You have forfeited your alliance with Medora, and you will deal with the Bhoors on your own. We will kill any who remain here-Bhoor or Vindyri—but once our enemies are driven out of this land, you'll have to kill your enemies yourself."

"I am not asking for your help, General. I am simply stating my concerns. You wonder why I offer my assistance to you, and this is why. I see no hope for my people. If we do not fall to Medoran swords, we will fall to the Bhoors.  There's no reason to fight anymore."

Tannis sighed. "There is always a
reason
to fight, but there is not always the
will
to fight."

——————

The battle inside Taburdum could be heard from outside the heavy walls on the eastern side of the city. It had gone on for more than an hour, and Tannis was hopeful that it would soon come to an end, and the 40,000 Medoran soldiers waiting at the eastern gate could c
rush the resistance inside. They would surely
open the gate
soon
; if not to retreat from the 1,00
0 Medorans inside, then at least to send for reinforcements. Once those gates were cracked open, Tannis and his men would pour in, snuffing out the flame of the invading force.

In contrast to the battle within the gates, the forest surrounding Taburdum was quiet. The grip of winter kept the noisy animals in hiding, and the biting cold kept sensible humans indoors as well. The only people mad enough to be standing around outside in the cold were the men who chose to make war.

The clouds overhead were thin wisps, barely a threat to the beams of sunlight scorching through them.
The pinks and blues of dawn had given way to a more ordinary palette as the sun rose slowly in the sky. Tannis wanted the gates to open while the sun was still low, forcing the enemy inside to look directly into the sun as they faced the Medoran army. But the battle inside raged on for longer than expected, and soon the sun would be high enough in the sky to not be a hindrance at all to the enemy inside.

Tannis gripped an unfamiliar hilt at his hip as he waited for the gates to open. Somewhere inside, his black blade that had served him for decades was in the hands of another man. There was no doubt who the man was who now held it. Desmond Afornn
would hang that sword on his wall as a trophy; even if he didn't take it from Tannis himself. That man had always been a thorn in Tannis's side. No matter how many times they met in battle, neither
man
could kill the other. There was a certain respect for such an adversary, but there was a kind of hatred as well. Tannis understood that hating your enemy was pointless, but this man's existence just rubbed him the wrong way.
While there was a mutual respect between the warriors, there was also a more powerful mutual desire to see the other dead.
Tannis wanted nothing more than to put a sword-any sword—through the man's gut.

Ever since Rommus had told him about Desmond being in Taburdum, Tannis had wondered why. Taburdum was certainly an important element in the Vindyri/Bhoor strategy, but Desmond, like Tannis, was not a man content to sit and wait inside a fortification. They were men of action who desired to be out on the battlefield where wars were won; not sitting on their hands inside thick walls waiting for orders from above. Any number of other Vindyri officers could have been chosen to oversee matters at Taburdum, so the fact that Desmond was sent was of concern to Tannis. It would be the same as Tannis himself being sent to watch over a captured Vindyri city.

But Tannis was becoming even more concerned with the length of the battle going on inside the city. The clanking
of
swords and shields was not dying down. He knew that the Medorans inside were not responsible for most of the racket, since they were fighting in phalanx formation. Their strategy was to orient themselves in a position where it was difficult for the enemy
to attack their flanks, and attack only as men came in to attack them. Unless it was absolutely necessary to move, the phalanx would remain stationary and let the enemy attack their shields. The
Medorans
would not attack with their swords, and instead stab over their
large round metal
shields. Swords were a last resort, only really used if the phalanxes had been broken and there was no more order in the lines. Tannis could hear the thumps of sword on shield, and not the ring of sword on sword, and this told him that the lines still held.

But suddenly the song of war inside Taburdum changed its tune. The thwacks of sword on shield had diminished just as an exuberant battle cry had gone up. It was clear that it was not the Medorans who cried out as they fought, but the Vindyri and the Bhoors. Soon the yells died down and the piercing ring of sword fighting began.

Tannis was not expecting this to happen.
He found himself unprepared for the turn of events, and searched his mind for wha
t to do. It crossed his mind to try to set fire to the gigantic wooden gates, but they had already been treated for resistance to flame. They were also so large that even if they could be set afire, they would burn for such a long time that the Medorans could never get through the
fiery
passage in time to sav
e their fellow soldiers inside.

Tearing down the wall wasn't an option either. All of the stones making up the wall in this area were stolen stones from marble buildings inside. They all fit together tightly, and there was no way to pull them apart short of climbing the wall and starting from the top down. Going over the wall wouldn't work, as even with several ladders only a few men could make it to the top at a time. Even then, they would be stranded at the top of the wall with no way to get down the other side.

"Trees! Battering rams!" Tannis yelled.

He knew it was probably futile, as the gates were far too large to be affected by simple rams. But when the enemy inside heard them
pounding
at the gates, at least they would realize there were more Medorans to contend with than just the disintegrating phalanxes inside. With any luck they would rush to the gates and see the massive Medoran force waiting for them. The
y would be forced to either surrender or fight. If they chose to fight, it would have to be with arrows from the walls, but that would only last for so long. Eventually they would have to open the gates and fight man-to-man.

The soldiers had three large trees on the ground in a matter of minutes. Teams of men hacked away at the limbs and fashioned handles. Others tore apart wagons for wheels and axels. More than 100 men hacked and sawed and fastened parts together in order to complete the heavy rams as quickly as possible. While their hacking and hammering of wood and steel went on, the hacking and hammering of flesh and armor inside the city droned on.

Finally the rams
fell upon the gates. Great booms shook the ground as the mighty oak beams slammed into the doors. Dust from hewn marble blocks and dirt was kicked up into a choking mist. Splinters from ram and door flew through the air.

The armies inside had heard the clamor and the battle seemed to fade. Eventually all sound from inside the walls turned to silence, and Tannis called for his archers to come to the front line. Soon there would be Vindyri or Bhoor archers lining the tops of the walls, and a new battle would begin.

But after a long wait, only a single Vindyri soldier came to the top of the wall. He scanned the enemy before him, and then removed his helmet. The man locked eyes with Tannis for a moment, and then brought a horn up to his mouth and blew. A loud blast echoed through the
morning
air.

Tingles of fear shot up Tannis's spine. A deafening battle cry roared behind him. As he turned to face it, he couldn't believe what he saw.

Chapter
11

Any screams of warning
had gone unheard or unheeded, and t
he massive contingent of the enemy army crashed into the Medoran rear. All had been taken by surprise, as the army made up of Bhoors and Vindyri had positioned themselves behind a set of hills and crept closer as the Medorans readied to strike the foe occupying Taburdum. The majority of this contingent was Bhoors,
but
about twenty percent of the force was Vindyri. Although Tannis could not see the entire enemy force, what he could see appeared to be more than double the men he had at hand. It was a dark cloud of Bhoors numbering 100,000 or more.