Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm (45 page)

As the centaurs were moving through the enemy taking care not to become decisively engaged, the elves were picking off targets to reduce their numbers. As the fire and common giants finally started to get their forces organized, the centaurs began to withdraw into the forest on the path they wanted the enemy to use. The giants, angry at the loss of their leader and the surprise attack, took the bait and ordered all to pursue the retrograding centaurs. In the meantime, Dekeen had his elves move along the sides of the path and allowed the giants and remaining ogres and orcs to move past them deeper into the forest. From there, they began to pursue the slower enemy and deliver decisive arrows to their backs from the rear of their column, so as not to alert those in front while they were pursuing the centaurs.

While giants at full stride were faster than a man, they were nowhere near as quick as the quarry they were pursing. The centaurs kept just ahead of them, stopping to fire arrows and then moving again to allow the elves to do their work at the end of the enemy column. When the centaurs reached a larger clearing, they formed a battle line and several picked up prepositioned lances and shields, while the archer centaurs grabbed another quiver of arrows. The lead fire giants stopped to look at the forming centaur battle line and then realized that they were almost alone. All of their orcs and ogres and many of the common giants had been felled by the platoon of elves that now stood behind them, with Dekeen in the middle.

Confused, the largest fire giant ordered two of his comrades with three common giants to charge the elves and moved with two of his clansmen and several other common giants to attack the centaurs. As the giants lumbered toward Dekeen and his archers, Elm’s dragonstone started to glow brightly, and he drew and fired at the lead fire giant. The arrow exploded on the giant’s right shoulder where he had aimed to avoid the thick chest plate, rendering his arm useless, and a second arrow hit the giant in the left thigh knocking him to the ground. His elves were firing as fast as they could, trying to bring the giants down before they got to them, but they had to hit them where their armor was weakest. All but one common giant and the remaining fire giants made it to the elves, all riddled with arrows. They tried to swing their oversized weapons madly at the elves, who proved to be very nimble and difficult targets to hit. In the meantime, they were constantly being hit by arrows and quick sword strikes, and before long, they were felled. Four elves were injured, one badly. His comrades administered aloras on the wounds and began to carry him back to the legion’s assembly area.

The centaurs met the giants’ charge headlong with many lances finding their mark. The common giants were killed along with one of the fire giants, but two centaurs were hit hard by giant clubs. The other fire giant skewered one centaur and wounded another before he too was brought down. As Dekeen and the centaur chieftain reconsolidated, he conveyed to Mkel that the advanced guard was defeated and they were moving back to the legion meadow with their wounded. They also sent a group back to the main trail where the battle was initiated to drag the bodies of those enemy slain back into the forest so as not to tip the Morgathian main army off to the fact that their guard force had been eliminated.

The fire giant chieftain moved to the head of the gathered army and raised his immense black-iron sword, the blade igniting in flames, and roared a command to move out. This was echoed by all the giants of his clan, who raised their weapons in salute and echoed his cry for vengeance against the Alliance for their defeat in the Great War. Their numbers were in the fifties, which was a large clan, in terms of fire giants. This was a powerful force that could only be countered by dragons or very large armies. The armor-clad fire giants started marching, leading their company of common giants and battalions of orcs, ogres, and a company of orc-mounted fire hounds, the large, hairless dark-skinned canines the size of dire wolves that the fire giants’ orcs used as cavalry. As this conglomerate of an army began to move out, Molotoc was getting the Morgathian contingent of the army ready to march. Marlok intercepted him.

“Molotoc, what are you doing? I gave no such order to attack!” the Talon sorcerer screamed as he landed and dismounted his nightmare steed.

“Sire, Prefect Ashram ordered me to follow the fire-giant army in the attack,” the warlord answered.

“Yes, I ordered the march, Marlok. Tbok is under heavy pressure in Shidan and won’t last long against the Alliance dragons. We either attack now or simply go back to Morgathia,” Ashram stated, his staff at the ready in case the younger Talon sorcerer decided to challenge him.

“The army is not ready yet, and our dragons have not finished creating the zombies,” Marlok protested.

“My young compatriot, the time for attack is now, not when we would like. Our dragons still have a little more time, for it will take both armies a few days to reach the mountain pass. Our aerial battalions also have a day to launch as well. I think you are a little frightened of leading this army into battle, if I’m not mistaken,” he said, deliberately antagonizing Marlok.

“I fear not the Alliance, nor battle, nor you, you mummified lich!” he shouted back, his sorcerer’s staff glowing. Marlok knew how powerful Ashram was and knew that while he might get lucky, a contest between the two would not be easy.

“Fine then, my good lad, we prepare for battle. Get your dragons ready, as I will mine, and in a few days, we will be sharing Alliance treasure,” Ashram stated to give Marlok a way of saving face and also to prompt him to ready the forces for battle. Marlok snorted and turned to mount his black demon steed as his staff’s glow faded.

The fire giants led the combined armies on the road away from their fortress toward the distant pass through the Gray Mountains. The chieftain’s and his lieutenants’ eight- to ten-foot swords were blazing in the early evening darkness. Behind them, their powerful army and the Morgathian divisions of black chain-mail-clad infantry, cavalry, orcs, and other assorted creatures marched in a long line of evil spreading across the valley.

The two elf rangers were still in their hide position and watched the large army pass by in the near darkness, the giants’ flaming swords and the torches of the army illuminating the valley floor. One grabbed his seeing crystal to warn Lupek and the legions and quietly whispered into it, “Fire’s march.”

“Infernex, you must motivate your kin to fly to the mountain pass to cover the army. They have been marching all night and will be there by midmorning,” Ashram told his lead dragon to make the others move.

“This is not our way. Let the army contact the enemy first, then we will strike,” the demon red dragon replied.

“We discussed this. That tactic will not work against the Alliance. You remember what happened to your brother in the unsettled lands, because he waited to attack the Alliance legion; the metallics were waiting for them and ambushed them,” the sorcerer reminded the red dragon of his brother’s fate at the claws of the metallics.

“Yes, Sorcerer, I remember my brother’s fate. I will rouse Vorgash and his wings and get them into the air,” Infernex replied, remembering his quest for vengeance against the large gold dragon who had killed his brother. He turned and walked over to the resting squadrons of chromatic dragons. Vorgash, get your dragons up. We must take to the sky and move ahead of the army to the mountain pass,” he ordered gruffly.

“By whose lead, Infernex?” Vorgash snapped back.

“Yours and mine, worm. This isn’t like Hellstrafe’s and Traxsus’s fight against the desert monkeys of Ariana; we are up against the Alliance and our ancient enemies the metallics. So if you don’t want to end up like the three wings that were decimated in the unsettled lands, we must take to the air now!” Infernex roared.

“Still a little temperamental about Thurex’s defeat?” Vorgash snarled back.

“We will settle this after the battle, upstart, but now we need to get into the air. We won’t have a chance if the metallics catch us on the ground,” Infernex shot back.

Vorgash and Infernex stared at each other for a couple of seconds in a stalemate, but then the younger demon red dragon turned and roared to his squadrons, “Dragons of Morgathia, rise and to wing! We have death to deal out!”

With that, the two demon red dragons backed away from each other and leaped into the air with the dozens of chromatics behind them all roaring their battle cries, ready to seek blood.

Toderan had alerted the Draden Weir’s leaders, and they gathered around Gallanth and Mkel in the predawn darkness by the ridge of the mountain pass. Lupek had alerted Mkel, who had let the legion commanders know the fire giant and Morgathian armies were on the march. It would be well into the morning before they would be able to get to them, but small preparations still needed to be finished. Mkel wanted to talk to his weir and garrison leaders one more time before he and Gallanth took to the air and led the Eladran Weir dragons and the combined aerial forces to attack the enemy’s marching columns before they reached the Alliance battle line.

Mkel could sense his lieutenants’ anxiety, especially Howrek, for this would be the first time they would lead men into such a major battle, and he wanted to address their fear. Just then, a copper dragon emerged from teleport just overhead and glided to a gentle landing behind Gallanth. It was Caraeyeth and her rider Heathiret. She dismounted, and both she and the large female copper dragon saluted Mkel and Gallanth.

“Welcome to Draden Weir, Lieutenant, Lady Caraeyeth. You’ve come at a good time. I will introduce you to Captain Vicasek, the weir’s support corps leader, whom you will be escorting. Gallanth and I were right behind you and Auroranth during the dragon race. You were very impressive,” Mkel did the introductions.

“Yes, Lady Caraeyeth, your agility, tenacity, and strength were well demonstrated. I know you and your rider will serve the weir and its soldiers well,” Gallanth added to his rider’s comments.

“We are at your service, Captain Mkel, Gallanth, and hope to prove ourselves to you,” Heathiret replied.

“Just do your best; that is all I can ask for from the both of you. This is Captain Vicasek. You two will work out the details of the support corps movements and defense after I address the weir’s leaders, which will be a good introduction for you to everyone now that you are a part of our team, our family,” Mkel stated as he introduced her and Caraeyeth to all his assembled leaders.

Once all the introductions were made and all his junior leaders were around him, he looked over to Jodem, Toderan, and Lupek, who gave him a nod. “Leaders and Soldiers of Draden Weir, I wanted to gather you together before Gallanth and I lead the other dragons and aerial battalions into battle to talk to you as our friends. The only enemy that can defeat you today is fear, for you and your soldiers’ swords and arrows will cut the orcs and Morgathians down. I have faith in your abilities.

“We have trained hard for this, but as good as we are with our weapons, they cannot defend against fear. You must embrace this emotion you feel and use it as a shield to protect yourselves and your brothers and sisters who fight beside you. While hope is not a good planning tool to go into battle with, faith in yourselves and your fellow soldiers, as well as in the Creator, will carry the day. Remember that no arsenal, no magical weapon of power is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free citizens. Use this strength, lead your soldiers by example, and you will be victorious. Gallanth and I will be there for you as the battle begins to rage, but trust in your own abilities as well each other,” Mkel told his leaders.

“Mkel, the chromatics are inbound, attacking earlier than expected,” Gallanth said out loud as he sensed the rise of the chromatic dragon squadrons from many miles away.

“Luck to you all,” Mkel said as he started to mount Gallanth.

“Luck to you, soldiers of Draden,” Gallanth added, as he gave his challenge roar to his ancestral enemies and to signal the dragons and aerial forces to take to the predawn sky. The echoes of his roar seemed almost to shake the sides of the narrow valley, and with a leap, they were airborne, rising to meet their ancestral enemies. Tegent, Lupek, and the rangers mounted their s and also rose up and into the near darkness. They all had the special seeing crystal visors pulled over one eye, which allowed them to see in the dark. It was not as good as a dragon’s vision, but good enough to guide their mounts to keep in formation and not crash into each other.

They all angled up to meet the Eladran dragons and two battalions of mounted hippogriffs, griffons, giant eagles, and winged horses coming from the legion’s assembly area. Lupek then guided Razorclaw and the Draden rangers to move in front of the winged forces, and the Eladran dragons lined up behind Gallanth. Fieranth and Killenth, the two lead Eladran Weir bronze dragons, formed the first part of the two prongs of the V formation behind Gallanth, and they all flew slowly and quietly above the valley trail toward the Morgathian army. Jodem told Mkel that they shouldn’t teleport above the enemy columns, as it would trigger the chromatics to move faster and not allow them to hit the army below before becoming decisively engaged.

As they glided toward the inevitable battle to come, Mkel closed his eyes and enjoyed the brief seconds of calm before the storm of battle. Gallanth, sensing his rider’s feelings, spoke to him telepathically, “
The
tide
of
battle
today
will
go
in
our
favor,
my
rider,
but
victory
will
not
come
easy
.” Gallanth’s words and encouragement always gave Mkel confidence and was especially appreciated now. This battle had been prepared for with days of rehearsal, unlike the fight in Handsdown, which was fast; their part there was much simpler too. Now he had the whole of Draden Weir, his infantry company, as well as the rest of the garrison along with his elf and dwarf comrades—so many he and his dragon were responsible for; it weighed heavily on his mind. “
Fear
not,
my
rider;
we
will
do
our
best,
and
that
is
all
your
soldiers
expect.
As
for
the
elves
and
the
dwarves,
they
need
no
convincing
.”