Mighty Hammer Down (42 page)

The man’s eyes had lost their fire.
His hands clung to the heavily muscled arm that held him. Rommus
gripped him even tighter, just to see what the man would do. He
panicked but said nothing, obviously fearing for his life. His
companion stood helplessly behind him, not knowing what to do.
After staring into the man’s eyes for a moment, he threw him
flailing and stumbling to the misty forest floor.

They watched as the frightened men ran
as fast as they could down the winding road. Rommus shook his head
as he watched them, his anger still boiling deep within him. His
jaw ached from being so tightly clenched. His muscles remained as
hard as those on a statue for quite some time before he calmed
down.

"I can’t believe that," Alana said,
shaking her head. "I can’t believe that they actually put it that
way. They have never said anything like that before; at least no
one has ever told me anything like that. The Bhoors have always
acted so peaceful and friendly."

Vohl sheathed his sword and
straightened his cape. "The thing I can’t believe is the fact that
somehow that all makes sense to them in their sick society. It’s
like rational thought is their true enemy. Somehow they truly
believe that murdering for the spread of their religion is
justified. Isn‘t it funny that the people furthest from success
seem to think they are closer to their god?"

Rommus found himself still staring
down the dark road, breathing heavily in anger. "It’s no surprise
to me at all. I already knew the dangers of those people. It’s the
foolish among us who need to experience all angles in order to gain
wisdom. The truly wise can see the ends before they come. I may not
be the wisest man, but I am no fool. I don’t need to experience
their infiltration of my culture before I realize that they are a
threat. I refuse to accept them and now you both see
why.

"There are some who would call that
blind hatred; hating without experiencing the truth first. But
blind tolerance is more dangerous than blind hatred. Hatred can be
controlled; tolerance cannot. Tolerance is the path that evil men
take to destroy you. It is no virtue, it is a disease."

They both stared at him as he
continued to watch the road. His anger never cooled, and he had to
find a way to shut it away inside himself before he could bring
himself to do anything but stand there in a fiery rage. Finally he
put his sword back in his scabbard and turned to his friends
standing by the fire.

"Are you angry with me?" he
asked.

"Of course not Master Rommus. I would
have done the same thing if you hadn’t grabbed him
first."

"And you?" he asked as he looked into
Alana’s eyes.

"No I’m not angry Rommus. I am just a
little confused that’s all. Taking such a stand against people who
I thought were peaceful just feels strange to me."

"Do you see it now? Were
the Medorans so wrong to keep the Bhoors out of Medora? Were we so
backwards and evil and unfair? You know there is an army larger
than any ever assembled waiting over there, and you now know what
these people want. They want you to join them or die. This nation
has greeted them with open arms and look at what has happened. Now
Medora--evil Medora
¾
must try to save it. The Bhoors are so
deeply entrenched that I don’t know if it can even be
done."

Alana took a step toward
him. "Rommus
¾
"

He jerked his arm away when she
touched it. "Get the horses ready and put the fire out. I don’t
want to be here if they come back with a few hundred soldiers
willing to murder and die for their god.

Chapter 28

"How long do you think it will take to
get the army into the center of Vindyrion?" Andrew asked over the
sounds of thundering hooves and supply wagons.

Tannis cocked his head and cracked his
neck. "There are only plains in front of us now, so we will move
swiftly. It has been a long time since I have been to your capital,
but I think we can be there in 15 or 20 days. It’s difficult to
keep such a large force moving. It might take longer."

"What will we do General? What is your
plan?" the man asked as he rode his horse next to Tannis under the
overcast sky.

"There is no plan Andrew. There is
never a plan. That’s something that men misunderstand. Military
strategy is not found on paper or carved in stone. Strategy is
fluid. It moves like water or fire."

Andrew looked shocked. "How can you
have no plan? You march with countless thousands of men behind you,
and you do not make preparations?"

"Of course we make preparations. Do
not take me for a fool, Vindyri. You simply do not grasp the
complications of war. Does it make sense to you to walk into battle
with a detailed plan on exactly where and when to swing your sword?
Do you think that a man who does that has a chance in
battle?"

"Well no, I guess he would have to
determine that on the field."

"Exactly. He has no chance unless he
makes his decisions based on the situation as it is presented to
him. Since I am in charge of the entire army, and not just a single
sword, I must apply this on a larger scale. I cannot tell where to
send troops or how to attack until I see the battle
myself."

"But doesn’t that allow the Bhoors a
chance to take advantage of you while you are thinking of a
plan?"

"No. The fact is that the Bhoors are
in the same position we are. The Zidaoz probably does not know we
are coming yet. By keeping mostly to the paved roads, we do not
kick up giant dust clouds to alert him of our presence. If he does
know that our Legions move, he cannot know what we will do until he
sees us do it. For the time being, all things are equal between
us."

Andrew repositioned himself in his
saddle in a futile attempt to get more comfortable. "Well isn’t it
a mistake to reveal your tactics to me or anyone else?"

Tannis turned to him and stared down
with his fiery gaze. "I make no mistake, Ambassador. Firstly, I did
not reveal any tactics, I merely defined strategy. A tactic is
something used in one’s strategy; the means that lead to the ends.
The strategy is the fluid, ever-changing plan.

"Secondly, one cannot learn strategy
from words or books. It is something that very few men can
comprehend. It is knowing your enemy and being able to correctly
determine his intentions. It is gauging his intelligence and will,
and fooling him so that he cannot gauge yours. There is no danger
in anyone knowing this, for all men who lead others have this
information burned into their soul."

Andrew paused a while in thought. "But
what if the Bhoors are preparing the field for our arrival? What if
there are traps set?"

"There is an advantage to choosing the
place of battle, and yes, preparations can be made ahead of time.
But remember that we came at once and we are moving as fast as we
can. It is nearly impossible for the Bhoors to know that we are on
our way, and they would not think to place traps for an army that
they do not know is coming.

"But if they are aware of us, then
they are also aware that we assume there might be traps set.
Knowing this, we may attack from another angle, or wait at a
distance until they are forced to come to us. We might try to
surround them or make it appear as if they are surrounded. We might
force them to do something foolish and show us a weakness before we
ever set foot near a trap. It is all part of strategy and there is
no way to know for sure what your enemy will do until he does it.
The General that guesses best is the one who wins the
war."

"So you are saying that war is little
more than a guessing game?"

"Perhaps I should have used another
word. Nothing is done at random. A General never decides on a
tactic based on his feelings or a passing thought. If your enemy
appears to have made a random decision, it is most likely him
trying to fool you into thinking he is less intelligent than he
really is. It is foolish to believe that a fool is in
charge."

"I think I understand the concept
General. It is not very different from my dealings in the world of
politics."

"Oh but it is far more complex
Ambassador. It’s true that the basic rules of strategy can apply to
any subject, but war encompasses all subjects. Many would have you
believe that my mind is focused only on war, but in reality, I have
simply come to understand that war is everything."

Andrew smiled at the comment. "Well
General, you certainly do a terrific job of making it sound like
you are not obsessed with war."

"You misunderstand me. Politics are a
part of war, but war is not necessarily part of politics. Economics
and psychological forces are involved in war, and yet those things
may also stand on their own. Even love is a part of war. These men
march to Vindyrion to protect the nation and the people they love.
There are women and children back there that already miss these
men. There is no subject that is unaffected by war. No other topic
is so enmeshed in human nature, and yet we have learned to be
appalled by it. I do not enjoy war or killing, but I do understand
that it is necessary."

Andrew’s shoulders swayed with the
stride of his horse. "I agree with that General Tirinius, but only
if it is in self-defense."

"You are a greater fool than I took
you for Ambassador. The Vindyri are dying at the hands of the
Bhoors because they believe that nonsense. War is how you got every
freedom you ever had. War is what secures and preserves the peace.
Freedom is not natural; it must be constructed carefully and
maintained. You cannot defend yourself from attack after your enemy
has already struck you. You must ensure that you are in a position
where he is unable to strike in the first place."

"What do you mean peace is not
natural? It’s the way things are meant to be. How can you possibly
say that war is natural and peace is not?"

"It is simple Ambassador. Look at
animals or children. Do they think about what it means to take
something that does not belong to them? No. They are interested in
doing the things that benefit them, not others. The entire world
works that way. It’s survival of the fittest. The wolf does not
care about what is fair; he cares only to fill his belly. We must
not be rabbits when there are wolves in the mists.

"But as we grow older and find our
place in a civilized society, we learn that the way of the wolf
does not exactly suit us either. To be truly civilized, we must
examine what our civilization deems appropriate. These things will
differ from culture to culture, but when these differences clash,
we must settle them with some sort of conflict. We can only hope to
win these conflicts and secure the safety of our value system. In
order to protect this value system, we must be willing to fight for
it. We must always be ready to kill an enemy who wishes to destroy
it."

"Well I believe that war is an evil
thing that men do. There are more civilized ways to solve
conflicts, General. I am quite offended that you take me for a fool
when all I desire is peace."

Tannis rubbed a finger over the scar
above his eye. "We all desire peace, Andrew. Don’t be fooled into
thinking that we are evil men. It is true that there are less
violent ways to settle things, but you must understand that while
you are preaching to your enemy about how fair you are, he will
most likely run you through with his sword. I have always said that
the more civilized war becomes, the more uncivilized the tactics
will become."

"You’re saying that two leaders can’t
settle things without going to war?"

"No, that’s not what I am saying. I am
saying that you cannot trust your enemy to be as peaceful as you
are. If you play the role of the rabbit, he will play the wolf.
It’s the nature of things and it will never change."

"Well perhaps it all comes down to
absolute power. It is power that corrupts men and makes them harm
others."

"No Andrew. Absolute power is not what
corrupts; it is weakness of will that causes corruption. A strong
leader who understands power does not do damage to the world, but
enhances it, even if he must go to war to do so."

"Lord Tirinius!" a scout yelled as he
galloped up behind them. "I bring news."

"What is it scout?"

"There was an incident with a rebel
band of Vindyri. They attacked the hunting party and killed seven
of our men."

Tannis shook his head in disbelief.
"How many were there and where did they attack from?"

"We counted 30 bodies when it was all
over. They attacked from the rear. The hunting party wanted to
restock some rations before we advanced too far into the plains, so
they headed westward in hopes of finding more game."

"Did any Vindyri escape?"

"I’m sorry Lord Tirinius, but I don’t
know. I asked the men if any had escaped, but they were
unsure."

Tannis took in a deep breath. "You’re
dismissed soldier."

After the man saluted and rode off,
Andrew cleared his throat. "What does that mean General? Why do the
Vindyri attack you?"