The Powterosian War (Book 5) (40 page)

* * *

The four Neuyokkasinian legions were marching at dawn. They had fanned out and now came down the slight slope toward Heedra. Each legion attacked directly behind the orc legion moving toward Heedra’s walls. Only when the Neuyokkasinian legionaries got close enough for the orcs to hear the clanging of their weapons did the orcs turn to face the men streaming down on them.

Before the panicked orcs could react, the first volley of arrows flew into them, unprotected with their shields facing the archers on the city walls. A quarter of the orcs fell to the first two volleys.

“Keep firing,” the Neuyokkasinian general ordered. The command passed along the lines by the subordinate officers. More arrows slammed into the orcs trapped between the city defenders and the oncoming Neuyokkasinian army.

“Look at them scramble in all directions,” the general’s aide said. “They don’t know which way to turn. Their leaders have lost all control of the formations. If we continue like this, and keep them between us and the city walls, we can drive them back against the river. It will be a slaughter.”

“Ride there to the right and tell the fourth legion commander to bring his force forward to drive the orcs to the west around the city walls toward the river.” The aide galloped off and another aide rode up beside the general. Now the orcs and men were coming into contact. The sound of swords and shields banging on each other rose across the battle field.

“They’re retreating toward the river as you anticipated, general,” the aide said.

“Look there, at that last siege tower,” the general said, pointing at it. The last great tower began to topple to the left as many orcs had dropped the rope towing it and others were caught up in them, pulling the tower over as they fled.

The orcs retreated toward the city walls as the Neuyokkasinian legions pressed on, causing the orcs to form a tight cluster. Retreating, it moved around the city walls and began to back up against the river.

“Orcs don’t swim well,” the general said. His aide laughed. They watched the panicked enemy on the bank topple into the river, pushed by the surge of others behind them. More retreated from the fourth legion as the other three legions pushed forward, further compressing the orcs. The orcs in front could still fight with the wider line of Neuyokkasinians.

“What’s that?” the aide asked pointing down river.

“They’re shallow draft warships,” the general said. “They’re ours too, square sails.”

Half a dozen galleys were rowing up the river, their decks lined with archers. With the whole orc army bunched up on the river bank, arrows flew from the land legions, from the city walls, and now from the galleys that anchored in the river and fired on the orcs that fell or jumped into the swirling current. The slaughter was total. When the battle was over, the Neuyokkasinian general rode up to the city walls as General Socockensmek rode out to greet him.

“You came just at the right time,” Socockensmek said, saluting.

“It’s been a rough march, racing from the southern mountains to get here,” the Neuyokkasinian general said. They rode along the battlefield, checking for survivors and admiring their success.

“What’s that in the commander’s tent there,” Socockensmek asked, riding to the elaborate tent with a general’s flag flying. The tent flap fluttered in a ghostly manner. An aide dismounted and entered the tent with sword raised. When he came back out, his face was white.

“What is it man?”

“I think it’s a coffin, general.”

Socockensmek dismounted with the other general to inspect the tent contents. “It’s a coffin all right. It has the same emblem as the flag. Do you suppose it’s General Tarquak?”

“Quick, let’s drag it out in the sunlight before the sun sets. We’ve only a few minutes.”

The three men carried the remarkably light coffin outside the tent. They hesitated for a moment before Socockensmek turned the latches and pulled back the lid. Sunlight flooded into the casket. A sulfurous smoke filled the casket just as the sun set, then it drifted away with a sudden gust of wind.

“So ends a too long and disgraceful career for the second time,” Socockensmek said.

“Generals,” a man said, riding up to the men standing over the empty coffin. “The sailors killed the last of the escaping orcs in the river except for one, a goblin that was seen riding north.”

“The emperor will be most pleased,” the general said to Socockensmek.

“The emperor!” Socockensmek exclaimed with alarm.

“Oh, in all the confusion, I forgot to tell you. King Saxthor brought something terrible, a blue arcing thing out of the Helgenstat that swept over the mountain. It destroyed imperial legions and Emperor Engwan. From what we were told at Konnotan when a messenger caught up with us, the imperial army proclaimed King Saxthor, emperor!”

“You don’t mean it,” Socockensmek said, his eyes electric in his old whiskered face.

“That’s what we heard.”

“The imperial army, what’s left of it, is supposed to come with us to drive out the Dreaddrac forces.”

* * *

Saxthor stood on Konnotan’s main gate tower with Memlatec, Lord Lemnos, and military commanders staring down at the imperial legions fanning out in formation to attack the Neuyokkasinian capital. The Crown of Yensupov rested firmly on Saxthor’s head, jewels radiant.

“We spent so much of our lives for this crown; I’ll wear it this day in battle for the kingdom’s survival,” Saxthor said. “Go back to the palace, Lord Lemnos; there’s nothing you can do here. See to it the civilian population takes cover away from the walls. We’ve only a single legion to man the ramparts against the enemy’s six, but we’ll fight to the death and hope our own army can come to our aid in time,” Saxthor said. His voice was weary but resolute. The chatra, seeing a second of despair, bowed and left without a word. “General, did you find any sabotage done by that scoundrel, Rakmar?”

“No majesty, we searched thoroughly.”

“Well, we’ve that to be thankful for.”

A rider rode up from the imperial army under a flag of truce. “His Imperial Highness, Emperor Engwan IV of the Powterosian Empire graciously offers to accept Your Majesty’s unconditional surrender if you will put down your arms and abandon the city totally,” shouted the envoy, trying to steady his jittery horse that sensed the strain. “Your Majesty has the night to think it over. If you have not accepted his generous offer by dawn, the Grand Imperial Army will sweep over this insignificant city, wiping out all life before it.”

The messenger waited for a moment then turned his horse back to the imperial tent.

“What shall we do?” the general in charge of the city asked Saxthor.

“Fight, of course,” Saxthor responded without hesitation. “You don’t seriously think that arrogant emperor would allow any men to survive or women and children to remain out of the worst conditions of slavery, do you?”

The general nodded agreement. Memlatec stood by but held his tongue. Aleman came up the tower stairs with a tray.

“Anyone want something to eat? That man of yours, Belnik, said to bring you this tray of food. Looks too fancy to eat to my way of thinking, but he’s near as obstinate as I am, so I brung it like he said.”

“Food at a time like this,” Saxthor said, shaking his head.

“That will be all, thank you, Aleman,” Memlatec said. “I’m sure the food is excellent.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Aleman said “Why you talking so nice now?”

Memlatec nodded his head toward the legions fast surrounding the city walls. Aleman looked out to see the impending doom marching to close the noose except at the river.

“Oh.” Aleman put down the tray and turned to leave. “How you going to get us out of this one?” he whispered to Memlatec, who waved him away. The old man hobbled back down the stairs, wiping his hands on his apron, his boots scuffing on the stone steps.

“Any ideas, Memlatec?” Saxthor asked, but there was no answer.

* * *

Next morning, with the imperial army surrounding the city walls, the messenger again approached the gate, demanding an answer. Before Saxthor could respond, a soldier on the wall threw a rotten vegetable at the envoy, startling him. The horse shied, causing him to fall sideways almost off his horse before regaining his saddle. He jerked his horse’s reins and galloped back to the emperor.

“Does Your Imperial Majesty mean to exterminate the entire city?” General Occtec asked, sitting astride his horse beside Emperor Engwan. The emperor laughed at the envoy who rode past splattered with rotting vegetables and still muttering obscenities.

“We do,” Engwan said. His eyes narrowed in his reddened face. He rode out ahead of his army, riding up and down in front of his legions.

He means to plant greed for plunder in the army so they’ll be willing to destroy all the inhabitants, thought Occtec.

“You men saw the insult thrown at our imperial envoy. Will you allow this unlawful king to insult your emperor and our empire? You must storm the walls and overrun the city before the sun sets. This pitiful capital can offer little resistance to such a might army as ours. Go now, and kill all within the city. The spoils shall be entirely yours except the royal palace and its treasury,” Engwan said.

Though he hesitated, at Engwan’s nod General Occtec slowly raised his arm, with sword in hand, and gave the signal to advance.

“What’s wrong with Occtec?” Engwan asked an aide, intending the general should hear. “That old general shows no enthusiasm whatsoever. He’s just going through the motions of command. I’m going to replace him after this slaughter.”

The imperial legions marched slowly forward with little zeal, almost reluctantly. Though they outnumbered the defenders six to one, they failed to overrun the walls after a day of anemic attempts. There were few defenders even wounded. At dusk, General Occtec ordered them to pull back for the night.

Occtec watched as Engwan grew angrier by the hour, through the day and into the evening. During the night, he heard the emperor tossing and turning until near dawn. Eventually, Engwan went before his troops late in the morning, though they had been standing in the hot sun for three hours waiting for his command to begin the attack.

“Yesterday, you legionaries failed in your duty to the empire and failed us, your emperor. Your disgrace can only be erased by total victory over those pitiful defenders there who have no will to fight. If you disappoint your emperor this day, we shall have one in ten of you flogged at sunset.” Engwan turned to General Occtec. “Begin the attack! What are you waiting for?”

General Occtec hesitated.

“Begin the attack!” Engwan screamed to all the army. He looked around to monitor the legions advance. No one moved. “How dare you fail to respond to my command!”

“It’s you who have no honor, Engwan,” said a grizzled veteran soldier nearby in a legion’s front line. “It’s you that’s a treacherous coward, not them as fought so bravely yesterday. And as for your having us flogged…” The army stood transfixed. The soldier hurled his spear at the emperor, piercing him through his golden armor and chest. The emperor gasped at the shock, froze in a death mask, and toppled from his horse stone dead. There was a long silence everywhere; no one moved.

General Occtec rode his horse out in front of the legions, turned, and faced them. He pointed to the old soldier who’d killed the emperor.

“This man has redeemed the honor of the legions and the empire,” Occtec shouted. “Today we pay homage to our true emperor, Emperor Saxthor I.” The general turned to Saxthor in the gate tower. “We beg his forgiveness for this coward’s deception.”

The whole army erupted in a chorus of, “Long live Emperor Saxthor I.” At first, a few soldiers stepped forward marching to the walls of Konnotan, then others followed, until the entire Grand Imperial Army stood before the Neuyokkasin capital’s walls in legion formations.

“We pledge our loyalty and lives to Emperor Saxthor I!” General Occtec shouted up to Saxthor standing atop the tower over Konnotan’s main gate. In an radiating wave, the imperial army dropped to one knee and repeated the pledge.

The entire Neuyokkasinian defense force fell to their knees repeating the proclamation, “Long Live Emperor Saxthor I, our emperor!” The chant was repeated by every military person within and without the city walls. The civilian population took up the chant and only Saxthor’s raising his arms to quiet them stopped the repetitious acclamation.

“We thank you all for your support and hope this day will bind the empire and Neuyokkasin as one that we might fight side by side to bring peace to our world. Let us overthrow the evil darkness that would now shut out the light of that peace. Let us deliver hope and prosperity to all our citizens,” Saxthor shouted to his people.

Cheering erupted within and without the city. Saxthor ordered the gates opened, and then, when done, Neuyokkasinians welcomed the imperial army with increasing enthusiasm, especially the merchants.

* * *

At Heedra, the battle was concluding just as the imperial drama was ending at Konnotan. After a day to treat the wounded and organize the troops, both imperial and Neuyokkasinian, and refurbish the supply train, Saxthor marched ahead of the combined legions toward the relief of Heedra.

Before the day was out and the fallen buried, a rider came to the generals with the news about Emperor Engwan’s treachery, his demise, and the subsequent proclamation of King Saxthor as Emperor Saxthor I of the Powteros Empire for the second time.