The Pinnacle Of Empire (Book 6) (33 page)

“He was prepared,” the general said to the aide later. “We weren’t able to surprise them. The commander has sent a warning to Hoya as I feared, I’m sure of that. We’ll overrun this outpost but, forewarned, Hoya will be prepared. They can hold out indefinitely, being Neuyokkasin’s most powerful castilyernov in the kingdom’s north and supplied by the river without hindrance. I fear, while we may control the eastern half of Talok, we’ll not gain control of the province now, not so long as Hoya controls the river and the western province.”

The siege at Talok Tower lasted nearly a week, much longer than Grekenbach had anticipated. Meanwhile, the young messenger alerted Hoya and another sent to Konnotan arrived just as the tower was overrun.

* * *

The muddy and exhausted courier rode recklessly through the streets of Konnotan to the palace, dismounting while the horse was still moving. He raced past the guards and through the palace, asking directions to Viceroy Vicksnak. The man finally reached the viceroy’s office. “I must see the viceroy at once!”

“Calm down, soldier,” the chatra’s aid said, “the viceroy isn’t here. He’s marched at the head of a Neuyokkasinian legion for Olnak to take ship to Malledar on the emperor’s orders.”

“I must speak with the chatra at once then.”

The aide saw the sweating, out-of-breath messenger’s alarm in his large, focused eyes. “Come with me.” The two men rushed through the palace to Chatra Lemnos, who was reading some official papers when the two men burst in.

“What’s this?” Lemnos asked his aide.

Before the man could respond, the messenger stepped forward. “Your lordship, Graushdem has invaded Talok and by now overrun Talok Tower!”

Chatra Lemnos jumped up from his seat, knocking his chair over behind him.

“Have you lost your mind, young man? Emperor Grekenbach is Emperor Saxthor’s close ally and his former brother-in-law. He wouldn’t think of invading Neuyokkasin.”

“I think there are a lot of dead Neuyokkasinians at Talok Tower that will verify the treachery.”

Lemnos slumped, holding himself up against his desk. He rubbed his brow.

“What are your orders, sir?” the messenger asked.

“Has General Sekkarian at Hoya been warned?”

“He has, sir. The soldier that first spotted the invading legions rode out ahead of me to Hoya to warn them.”

“There’s no defensive position between Talok Tower and Konnotan,” the chatra said. “The viceroy is away with the Neuyokkasinian legion. He dispatched the five eastern imperial legions west to reinforce Engwaniria. I issued the orders before he left. Those legions are too far west to summon back here to defend Konnotan now. We’re all but defenseless. Grekenbach must know of this. He’s taken advantage of the situation in the west to seize Neuyokkasinian territory and secure it before Saxthor can get here to prevent it.”

“How far south do you think he’ll invade?” the aide asked.

Lemnos shook his head and glanced at the messenger. He didn’t answer.

“Take this man to the kitchens and get him food. Find him a place to rest with the garrison at the city gates.” Lemnos looked at the messenger. “Say nothing of this to anyone for the present. Do you understand?”

The aide led the messenger out. When he looked back, before the door closed, the aide saw Lemnos return to his desk and take up his pen and paper.

* * *

Above Mendenow, two dozen massive trolls trudged down through the forest overlooking Mendenow City and the imperial Powterosian legions encamped around the walls. From his position in the city’s great gate tower, the Senoshesvasian general watched the trolls building their mounds of boulders not visible to the Powterosian legions sleeping below.

“Shall we begin an attack, General?” an aide asked, seeing the sinister smirk on his face.

“Not tonight or tomorrow. Trolls can’t be out in the sunlight. Let them build their stocks of boulders and sleep through the day. Tomorrow night we’ll signal them to begin their attack while the Powterosians sleep. Let them demoralize the enemy through the darkest hours. Then, in the confusion, we’ll take the offensive and attack with dawn’s light after the trolls retreat.”

“The Powterosians won’t expect us to attack,” laughed the aide. “They don’t expect any offensive, much less an attack from the cliffs above and certainly not from trolls.”

* * *

While the Senoshesvasian invaders prepared for their surprise offensive, the Powterosians encamped around the walls planned their attack on the invaders.

“Can we get help from the fleet lying off the harbor?” a Powterosian commander asked the senior general at the assembly in the general’s tent.

“Mendenow City is a Powterosian provincial capital,” the general said. “We can hardly have our own ships smash it with rocks hurled from their catapults, killing our own citizens and destroying their property in the process. We must take the city by going over the walls or through the gate in hand to hand combat. We must do this without delay. The emperor ordered us to repel this invasion. He’s short on men to counter an invasion coming from the north. He can hold them off with his five legions if he can reach Engwaniria in time, but he may be outnumbered and require these legions to drive Nindax back out of the empire. We cannot afford a prolonged siege.”

Another commander stepped forward. “The enemy hopes to tie us down here for as long as possible. They won’t risk losing the advantage of the walls by attacking us.”

“The Senoshesvasian invaders won’t have the support of the citizens behind them in the city,” the general said. “They’re outnumbered and must allocate troops to patrol the city to keep the citizens from attacking them from within.”

The general studied his map and pulled on his long gray mustache at the corner of his mouth. He looked up at the commander.

“The ladders and battering ram should be completed day after tomorrow. Then we’ll assail the walls and try to break through the main gate. With any luck, when we overrun the walls, they’ll see the futility of fighting and surrender, freeing us to return north to support the emperor at Engwaniria.”

“They’re on foreign soil,” another man said. “Not knowing their fate, they may not surrender without a prolonged fight.”

* * *

As the Neuyokkasinian commanders planned the details of their assault, the Senoshesvasian officer commanding the trolls on the cliffs above Mendenow identified the Neuyokkasinian command tent.

“The general’s tent may be within range for the strongest troll if he can lob a large enough rock to do damage,” the commander said to his aide.

“Looks like Powterosians will complete their ladders and that ram by day after tomorrow,” the aide said.

“We’ll need to attack tomorrow night if the trolls are to be effective. I’ll assign the positions for them tomorrow while they sleep.”

With the invaders manning the city walls the night before the Powterosian attack, the trolls awoke at dusk and came out of their cave. They took up their assigned positions beside their rock piles. About midnight, when the Powterosians were sleeping before their attack, the trolls began their assault. The general had just left to walk through his camp, assuring himself his men were resting and would be prepared for the dawn attack. Suddenly, boulders rained down on the cliff’s slopes, bouncing off and rolling through the tents. The first boulders slammed into the commanding general’s pavilion, killing an aide. Chaos ensued. The Powterosians were startled awake by the sound of boulders smashing on the cliff slopes and crunching as they rolled through the camps, crushing anything in their paths. Screams of the dying and maimed intermingled with the cacophony of smashing boulders creating a macabre symphony in the camp.

“Looks like the trolls are doing an excellent job,” the aide said to the trolls’ commander.

Looking down on the rolling boulders, smashing tents, and soldiers running in every direction, the trolls’ commander smiled.

“It’ll be sunrise soon,” the aide said. “We must start the trolls back to the ships now if they’re to get out of the sunlight before dawn. They’ve done their job.”

“Leave them; let them continue as long as they can. We’ve no further use for trolls. If they turn to stone, that’s less trouble to manage.”

“Abandon them to the sunlight?”

“You heard me, now pack my things. Let’s get back to the ships.”

With that, the commander and his aide departed, leaving the trolls, who continued to rain boulders off the cliffs.

* *

In Mendenow, the invaders watched the chaos unfolding beyond the walls.

“It’s total mayhem out there,” an aide said to the Senoshesvasian general. “We’ve caught them totally by surprise. They never suspected an attack at all.”

“Yes, it’s a rout beyond our expectations. We must take advantage of this now, can’t wait. The trolls will have to seek shelter before the sunrise strikes them. Order all available troops to the city gate. As soon as assembled, throw open the gate, charge, and slaughter the Powterosians while they’re panicked. Order it now.”

Still in his sleeping attire, Hedrak came rushing up to the general, stumping his toe in his slippers and howling. “What’s happening?” Hedrak asked, still hopping up and down.

“We’re destroying your fellow Powterosians.”

Hedrak looked over the wall at the hail of boulders showering down on the army camped beyond the walls. The color drained from his face and he began to sway. “I hoped they’d give up and go home.”

“They’re not like you; they won’t run and hide, though they’ll soon retreat when they realize they’re defeated. Go back to bed, Governor. I’ll send for you when I need you.”

“But you’ll need me here to proclaim your victory to my citizens.”

“Shut up and go back to your palace. The last thing these defeated citizens want to hear is your proclaiming their defeat. Get out of my sight.”

Hedrak backed away, hesitated, then turned and crept away.

“What a fool,” the general said to his aide. With that, he turned back to the wall and ordered his troops to attack. The Senoshesvasian invaders took the offensive and streamed through the city gate. They fell on the Powterosians as many scrambled about without weapons in the sea of pandemonium.

*

The battle continued for two hours before the Powterosian general sounded retreat. His surviving forces withdrew north, fighting an uncoordinated defensive withdrawal. The Senoshesvasians broke off the attack at the provincial border and returned to the city. By the time the Powterosian general collected his troops and reestablished order, he discovered he had lost a full legion. The two armies were now near equal strength. The Powterosian ladders were taken by the invaders back into Mendenow while the battering ram burned where it stood, facing the gate it never assaulted.

“The most we can do now is keep the status quo,” the Powterosian general said. “We can’t hope to assail the walls and take the city with our remaining, demoralized troops, many of whom are wounded. If I remain here and contain the invaders in the city, I won’t be able to aid Saxthor at Engwaniria. If I abandon this campaign and go north to support the emperor, these Senoshesvasians will further entrench themselves. If reinforcements come to bolster their numbers, they could potentially strengthen this front beyond what our defenses could contain.”

“You mean we could lose Mendenow Province permanently?” the aide asked.

“I’m afraid that’s what we’re facing now. Send word to our fleet; they must keep the Velstorbokkin ships at bay at all costs until I can determine the best course of action.”

“There’s no good option now, is there?” the aide asked.

“I’m afraid not, but don’t repeat that to any commanders.”

* * *

Nindax led his six legions southeast, racing to reach Engwaniria before Saxthor. They plundered the countryside wherever possible, but as the supply lines stretched, provisions began to run out. In his tent, he questioned his commanders once again.

“How many days of supplies have we left?” Nindax asked his supply officer.

“Three days at most if we limit rations. If the foraging parties can’t bring in additional supplies from the countryside, we’ve only three days provisions.”

“Then perhaps two more days before the troops’ hunger drives them to mutiny,” a field commander said. “At first they’ll desert in small numbers, but without food the whole army may well mutiny.”

“How much longer before we reach Engwaniria?” Nindax asked.

“We have a patrol out now to ascertain that estimation, Imperial Majesty,” the senior general said.

A man came running up the rise to the imperial tent.

“Admit that man,” Nindax shouted, seeing the soldier struggling up the slope. The man rushed in and dropped to his knee with head bowed, sucking air.

“What is it?” Nindax asked.

“Imperial Majesty, Engwaniria is just two days march from here. The city is panicked.”

“Any sign of imperial legions defending the city?”

“Our scouts report there’re perhaps two legions, recruits it appears, training on the field outside the city walls, but no sign of experienced legions except those in the fortresses guarding the entrances to the valley.”