Dragons' Onyx (18 page)

“Armies are meant to take casualties,” dismissed the general. “I doubt that Emperor Hanchi cares what happens to his men as long as he achieves victory in the battle.”

“Unless he needs them for a greater purpose,” interjected Captain Orteka.

“Which means that Trekum is not what he is after,” nodded the general. “That is what has been gnawing at me. We have heard for some time now that Emperor Hanchi wants to rule the world. It now appears as if he has the army to accomplish that goal, yet he seeks to avoid a confrontation with us. He cannot be fool enough to think that he can afford to bypass Trekum and ignore us. We are the greatest army opposing him. He should want to crush us completely.”

“We may not be the greatest threat to his plans,” posed Captain Azule. “I have heard of a new country up north. It is called Alcea. It is made up of the old pieces of Targa from before the Collapse. Tagaret is where the king resides.”

“Targa is a long way from here,” retorted the general. “Emperor Hanchi would have to get through us and then through Melbin before he got to Tagaret.”

“Tagaret!” exclaimed Captain Orteka. “That was the last thing he said to me. I asked where we should run. He said far, far away, anywhere but between him and Tagaret.”

“And Melbin is part of this new Alcea,” added Captain Azule. “It appears that there is some conflict between Emperor Hanchi and Alcea.”

“And we are just in the way,” nodded General Mobami. “Now things begin to make some sense, but how can Lanoir expect to control Alcea if they leave us behind them? They are not exactly neighbors unless Emperor Hanchi rules over Sordoa as well.”

“If we were to flee,” Sergeant Musaraf pointed out, “controlling Sordoa would not be much of a problem.”

“But flee to where?” questioned Captain Azule. “If what I heard about Alcea is true, we are caught between two great enemies. There is nowhere for us to go that will keep us out of this conflict.”

“Perhaps they seek to make us take sides?” questioned Sergeant Musaraf.

“No,” General Mobami shook his head. “Hanchi would not allow us to join with Alcea if he already considers them more of a threat than us. That might make sense if the emperor has some plan to ensure that we join his side, but I cannot think of anything that would coerce a loyal Sordoan to join with Lanoir.”

“The chance to live?” posed Captain Orteka. “Do you think that is what Hanchi is trying to do? Leave us with only two options? Join him, or die?”

“That sounds like something a Lanoirian would say,” nodded General Mobami, “but joining Emperor Hanchi will not happen in my lifetime. I would rather die than serve as a Lanoirian slave.”

“Lanoirian Rider approaching,” announced Sergeant Musaraf.

“Let’s go see what he wants,” the general responded gruffly. “You men will accompany me.”

The general strode briskly and the three officers followed. Captain Orteka felt a moment of apprehension as the large gates were opened and the Lanoirian rider became visible. General Mobami strode out of the gates proudly and the others followed.

“I have a message for General Mobami,” announced the rider. “Fetch him here.”

“I am General Mobami,” scowled the general, “and it is I who give orders to these men, not you.”

“Very well,” responded the rebuked rider. “Emperor Hanchi is issuing you an ultimatum. Surrender Trekum and live. Refuse and die. It is that simple.”

General Mobami’s first instinct was to draw his sword and cut the rider down to size. He restrained his emotions as he glared at the rider.

“I will think about Emperor Hanchi’s gracious offer,” the general spat.

”Your stalling has been anticipated,” retorted the rider. “You really have no choice. Emperor Hanchi is being gracious in extending you this offer. Should your men try to flee the city at this late date, they will be slaughtered. You have three days to accept this offer. After that, the time for talking will be over, and nothing but complete annihilation of your men will please the emperor. Use your time wisely.”

The rider did not wait for a response. He whirled his horse about and galloped towards the Lanoirian camp. General Mobami watched the rider depart and then turned and stormed into the city. The gates were closed after the small group was safely inside.

“It will probably take the emperor a full three days to get his men assembled for the attack,” commented Captain Orteka. “He is not offering us anything but the chance to surrender.”

“The part about us escaping the city bothers me,” commented Captain Azule. “Did anyone else notice that the Lanoirian army that we saw approaching had no cavalry?”

“I noticed,” the general nodded glumly. “I suspect that we will find the cavalry to our north and west. If Captain Orteka’s report is accurate, their cavalry is greater than our whole army. They can effectively close off our escape from Trekum.”

“My report is accurate,” assured Captain Orteka. “Our options may not be good, but they are clear.”

“Perhaps,” the general responded thoughtfully. “Captain Azule, I want you take a few men out of the northern gate and verify that we are cut off from the world. Get me an estimate of their strength and see if there are any holes in their noose around us.”

“You are thinking of fleeing?” questioned Sergeant Musaraf.

“One of my plans was to fight a delaying action here in Trekum while our forces slipped out to the north,” nodded the general. “Most of our men are used to fighting on the run. It is what we are good at. We might be able to hold this city for some time and inflict great damage on the Lanoirians, but our victory could only come from attacking them while they are on the move. Defending Trekum was meant to bloody them badly.”

“And now it has become a siege,” frowned Captain Orteka. “Can we hope to beat them by defending this city?”

“No,” General Mobami replied. “Even if we could keep the Lanoirian horde outside the walls, which is problematic, eventually we would run out of food. I fear we may have underestimated Emperor Hanchi.”

* * *

King Arik and his small group entered the Council Chamber in the Royal Palace of Tagaret. General Gregor, Prince Oscar, Colonel Nolan, and Larc were standing before a large wall map.

“Welcome home,” greeted Prince Oscar. “Was your quest successful?”

“Not quite, Father,” replied King Arik. “I have made contact with the dragons, but I am in pursuit of Gorga, the dragon who has stolen the Dragons’ Onyx.”

“In pursuit?” questioned Zackary Nolan. “Do you mean that this dragon is running from you?”

“Actually,” frowned King Arik, “I believe he is leading me to a place of his choosing. Gorga is in league with Sarac. According to the Sword of Heavens, Gorga appears to be heading towards Mount Kalas.”

“You think he is trying to get you to go to the Dark One?” asked General Gregor.

“I do,” nodded King Arik. “I am sure that Gorga can fly faster than he has been. He is not fleeing from me, but rather leading me somewhere. I suspect that he is under orders from Sarac to deliver me to Mount Kalas.”

“Surely, you would not be so foolish as to allow that?” asked Prince Oscar. “Better we should forego the Dragons’ Onyx than have you captured by the Dark One.”

“Alex always taught me to be unpredictable,” King Arik shook his head. “I will not fall for such a ruse. The Sword of Heavens will always direct me towards the Dragons’ Onyx, so I can afford to not follow Gorga for a while and see what he does. What is the state of my kingdom?”

“General Gregor and I were just discussing that,” replied Prince Oscar. “The news is disturbing. King Devon has forbidden the use of magic at the Castle of Man.”

“Forbidden?” echoed the king. “Does he not realize that the very survival of his people depend upon the skills of the people that we sent?”

“Evidently not,” sighed Prince Oscar. “Bantam says that Alex and Jenneva are depressed. The odds against them are overwhelming even if they use magic. Without it, there is no hope.”

“Send word to them immediately,” instructed King Arik. “I did not send our people up there to be sacrificed. If King Devon refuses to accept our help, as it has been offered, the Knights of Alcea are free to leave.”

“I will send word immediately,” offered Prince Midge.

“Bin-lu has penetrated the Lanoirian camp,” declared Colonel Nolan. “Unfortunately, the Lanoirian army is kept uninformed as to what is happening. He has been unable to turn up any useful information. He is going to try to penetrate the emperor’s inner circle.”

“Where is Emperor Hanchi now?” asked King Arik.

“The Lanoirians are massed outside the walls of Trekum,” reported General Gregor. “The battle has not begun yet, but it will soon.”

“What of the men we sent to infiltrate the Sordoans?” inquired the king. “Have they had any success in turning those men towards service to Alcea?”

“Some,” answered the general. “They are dealing with the lesser officers and small groups of soldiers. They have not approached the higher officers yet for fear of being evicted from the city, but some of the Sordoans would welcome a chance to join with Alcea.”

“That mission may be in vain, though,” interrupted Larc. “I have reports that say that Trekum has been sealed off by the Lanoirians. Even if we managed to recruit the Sordoans, it is too late now. If General Mobami’s men can hold the city, they will run out of food before too long. Trekum is doomed to fall in the coming days.”

“Where is Emperor Hanchi getting his food from?” asked King Arik.

“Caravans are regularly supplying the Lanoirians from Lanoir,” answered the general. “We were discussing a strategy of having the gypsies interrupt those caravans. Without proper food supplies, the Lanoirian army will begin to slow down and falter. The emperor cannot feed that many men from the land of Sordoa. He needs those supplies.”

“How much of an army does he have guarding the supply routes?” questioned King Arik.

“Not much,” replied the general. “He does not have much of an army left in Lanoir. Just about ever able-bodied man is with his main army. I am sure that the gypsies can handle disrupting the flow of food somewhat.”

“Somewhat,” King Arik repeated distractedly.

“What are you thinking about?” inquired Prince Oscar as he sensed that that his son was deep in thought.

“We were hoping that the Sordoans would delay the Lanoirians,” posed King Arik. “Every day that they delay Emperor Hanchi is one more day for us to get ready here in Tagaret. What would happen if we were able to cut off the Lanoirian supplies completely? How would his army survive?”

“That would depend upon how fast the army could move,” answered the general. “They would be able to get some food locally as they progress northward, but a starving army is neither efficient nor happy. If we were able to cut off his supply caravans completely, the emperor would be forced to address the problem. There are two ways that he could address it. He could move the army faster towards Tagaret in hopes of a speedy victory here, or he could turn around and secure his supply lines.”

“If he turns around and is unable to secure his supply lines,” Colonel Nolan pointed out, “his army dies. It is a long march from Trekum to Tagaret. I think this might be the answer that we have been looking for. No army can fight for long without food.”

“He would still be able to get enough food locally to feed his men,” argued Larc. “While they may not be fully fed, they are still a massive army. The emperor can afford to lose many men before he is down to a size that we could beat.”

“Unless there was no food between him and us,” countered King Arik.

“His generals would recognize the problem quickly,” interjected General Gregor. “The first burnt field that they came across, they would send men south to open those supply lines. Lanoir is rich in farmland, unlike Sordoa.”

“What would you do in their place, general?” quizzed King Arik. “If you found the fields burned and discovered that the gypsies were disrupting your caravans. What would you do?”

“The information that I have is that their cavalry is larger than our entire army,” answered the general. “I would send them south to secure the supply lines while the infantry continued northward. Infantry is all he needs to sack Tagaret.”

“Why not cut off his supplies at the source?” asked Prince Oscar.

“What do you mean?” asked the general.

“What if,” posed Prince Oscar, “while the gypsies are stopping the caravans, we go into Lanoir and seize the food?”

“Do you suggest that we burn the Lanoirian fields?” asked the general. “While he may not have left much of an army behind, the people of Lanoir would not allow that. They would fight you with their rakes and hoes. Besides, Lanoir is a very large country. You cannot send a dozen men down there and expect them to destroy the food supply.”

“No,” smiled Prince Oscar, “but we could send five to ten thousand men down there and make sure that all of the food is diverted to the ships of our shipping companies. That food could then be shipped up here.”

“I see where you are going, Father,” grinned King Arik. “We could send the Army of the West out of Dalek. They could seize control of Lanoir while the gypsies halt the supplies. When Emperor Hanchi puts enough pressure on the gypsies to halt their activities, there will no longer be caravans heading north. The caravans will be heading west to load our ships at Marchek.”

“I would say that that is a brilliant maneuver,” frowned General Gregor, “except for a few important points. We cannot afford to send the Army of the West to Lanoir, and send our own men south to destroy the Sordoan fields. We would leave Alcea totally defenseless. Add to that the threat of the Castle of Man falling to Sarac’s forces and you will have given up your kingdom. Remember that Sarac’s forces are as large as Emperor Hanchi’s and the ogres and yaki will eat their own dead before they starve.”

“One army at a time,” sighed King Arik. “Right now there is something that we can do to halt the advance of Emperor Hanchi. Let’s concentrate on that. I was not thinking of sending our forces south to burn the Sordoan fields. I was planning on using the Sordoans to do that themselves. With the exception of the Army of the West, our defenses would remain the same.”