The Scarlet King (20 page)

Those of the Forest but watched from the
height of their camp. Heather allowed small campfires, for their
presence was no longer a secret. She continued to hope that the
light of the fire would help those missing find their way. She sat
with Edna as the stories began allowing the companionship of those
of the Forest help calm the anxiety she felt. She responded but a
little when Jeremy told the tale of their wild wagon ride.

As the evening wore on, Edna became detached
and no longer participated. Even with the dim light of the
campfire, Heather could tell her mind was elsewhere. It was not
until a small scream escaped her lips and she began to cry that
others perceived the problem. Jeremy tried to comfort her but she
responded not. The fire had burned low before Edna began to respond
to Jeremy. She tried to explain and at first her words seem not to
make sense. With help from Heather she finally was able to explain
how she had heard Betty and then one of those missing. He had been
captured by those of the East and brutally tortured.

Edna explained, “It was as if I was actually
there staked to the ground with whip marks across my whole body.
They kept yelling at me wanting to know who I was, but I understood
only a little of what they said for they spoke only a few words of
those of the Red as did I. I knew not how to say that I was of the
Forest. They demanded to know who my leader was and I could only
say it was Heather of the Northern palace.”

Edna paused before continuing, “I watched the
glowing metal rod approach that they used to put out my right eye
and I screamed in pain. They continued to yell at me as they
reheated the rod. It was then that the Spirits of the Forest
rescued me and brought me home.”

Heather was quiet for some time as she
thought of the brutality and what it meant. Not knowing what else
to say, she told Edna, “May the God of the Sacred Water grant you
peace tonight as you sleep. The Spirits of the Forest wanted us to
know better our enemy.”

Before morning light Heather was up and
prepared for the day. She broke fast with the commanding officer of
those of the Red. Telling him of Edna’s vision produced a somber
look to his face. In reply he said, “I understand not your Spirits
of the Forest, but the torture you have described is what others
reported during the last war. Our enemy shows little mercy for its
own much less for those it attempts to conquer.”

They discussed battle plans for the upcoming
day. Those of the Red still expected a counterattack but Heather
was not so sure. She explained, “Those from the East will want to
delay not. I would expect only enough of a counterattack to stop
any pursuit as their army continues its march to your Great
City.”

The Red commander responded, “We have not the
equipment or men to mount a major attack on such a force.”

Heather said, “They know not our full
capability and will risk not their overall plan. I would expect the
mounted troops will be used to prevent any advance of your forces.
This would allow those on foot time to fully reorganize and move
forward without interference.”

The Red commander asked, “What would you have
our limited forces do?”

Heather thought for a moment before replying,
“Enough of an effort to advance must be made to keep the mounted
troops occupied for as long as possible. The horses are of no
advantage in the area of boulders that your troops control and they
will not be able to dislodge you. The more we deplete their
supplies the less effective they will be when they arrive at the
walls of your Great City.” She then added, “Those of the East who
fled into the canyon must not be allowed to rejoin the main
force.”

“What of those of the Forest?”

Heather shrugged her shoulders, saying, “We
have our dead to bury. It would be best if the scouts of our enemy
were no longer allowed free reign. I would send a message to the
one you call Don the Great.”

Several junior officers presented for orders
and each wore several blades of dried grass above the insignia of
the Red Army. They received their orders and departed. Heather
wondered about the grass but asked not. She watched silently as the
commanding officer started weaving strands of grass onto his
uniform. He finally explained, “The men started doing this and I
think it is a good idea. It signifies we are both an army of our
King and of Heather with the Golden Hair.”

Heather but nodded in acknowledgment and they
made plans for meeting again after the setting of the sun. Heather
returned to her camp and asked those of the Forest to return across
the river and begin the search for those missing. She added, “The
mounted troops may be patrolling; I would they not return. Inspect
the freight for that which we can use but leave nothing for them to
reclaim.” She needed not remind them of the dangers of discovery,
for Edna’s experience was warning enough.

The young navigator was sent back to the
Great City with the messages from Heather and the commander of the
Red. Two from the Forest would accompany him; they brought a horse
that had run wild during the fire. The young navigator objected
that he did not like riding, but Heather said, “Better for you to
ride so that the message arrives sooner.” She added, “I would know
if a landing to the east has occurred.”

Heather tried to get Edna to stay behind but
she refused, saying, “I need to retrieve the one with whom I shared
so much. He deserves a burial for having suffered so much.”

Those of the Forest came and went, reporting
to Heather, but at all times a half dozen were close to her. She
climbed the hill to the lookout that Edna had used and spent the
day thinking and planning. Those from the East had returned with
the mounted troops to attack those of the Red, but Heather could
see the larger column moving ever to the west and south. Those of
the Forest were rarely visible, seeming to blend in with the
landscape. By midday two of the missing had been found dead of
sword wounds. It was not until late afternoon that Edna and Jeremy
returned carrying the body of the tortured hunter from the
Forest.

As the sun began its final descent below the
horizon, those of the Forest held a burial service. Heather wished
for the help of the young priest, but did her best to give those
departed a blessing of safe passage back to the Forest. Each of
those attending said their own prayer as they shoveled dirt upon
the graves.

Heather left the others to their stories and
met with the commander of the Red. The day had progressed as she
had suggested, and those of the Red had repeatedly tried to break
through the lines of the mounted soldiers without success. Those of
the East who had fled into the canyon were being destroyed from
above. Heather said, “I would hope that we can delay them yet
another full day. We need to begin moving to the west, for I fear a
second landing is almost certain.”

The commander of the Red listened as Heather
told him of the black ships far to the west. They were fewer in
number and their purpose unknown, but she suspected a second site
of invasion. After thinking a bit more she said, “If I was invading
by both sea and land, I would split my forces and have the smaller
force attack first to distract the defenders as much as
possible.”

The commander of the Red sat and rubbed the
stubble growing on his chin as he thought. He asked, “If the
landing to the west is the smaller force, they would need to be
making their way to the city as we are here trying to delay the
force which landed to the east. Should we not be repositioning our
army to meet this new attack?”

Heather struggled for the right words in the
language of the Red before saying, “Our forces are not sufficient
to simply overwhelm those of the East. We must always use the
element of surprise to our advantage. If this second invasion is as
I envision, then our best chance is to wait until they are fully
occupied by their attack on the walls of your Great City. Then we
attack from the rear.”

“Will not this greater force from the East
simply move against us?”

“Possibly, but if they do then they lose
their advantage of the surprise attack on the city walls.” She went
on to discuss her vision of their plan and how depriving them of
supplies was still their best option.

They finished their planning, and as Heather
was preparing to leave she remembered the arrow tip that those of
the Forest had found. She brought out the partially burned arrow,
which had a tip made of fine knife blades joined at right angles,
which produced a weapon that would slice as well as penetrate. The
commander of the Red felt the sharpness of the blades and the
lightness of the tip before saying, “I would not want to be on the
receiving end of one of these.”

Heather responded, “I will have those of the
Forest search the destroyed wagons for more of these tips. They
must have had a backup supply, and if it is the will of the God of
the Sacred Water, we will find it amongst the debris.” She then
added, “I wonder how long those of the East will continue with this
cat and mouse game?”

The commander the Red was quiet for a moment
before responding, “It would seem that their main troops are safely
on their way, but yet the campfires of the mounted troops are
visible on the hilltop. The question may be why are they still
here.”

It was Heather’s turn for a moment of quiet
reflection before she responded, “If I was waiting for a supply
shipment I would need to protect it from attack.” With but another
minute of thought, she said, “We must head east and intercept the
shipment. I would those of your troops who have traveled before
with those of the Forest again join us. I would you and your
remaining troops do all they can to keep the mounted troops
occupied.” She added, “We leave two hours before sunup, and if the
God of the Sacred Water is willing, those of the East will notice
our absence not.”

The commander of the Red but nodded his head
before replying, “The troops will be ready and we will do our part
to keep the mounted troops of the East occupied.”

When Heather returned to the campfire of
those of the Forest, she told Jeremy, “We must head east. I would
leave two hours before sunup.”

Jeremy replied, “We will be ready, but some
are out scouting.”

Heather replied, “They will find us. I would
some go ahead when the moon arises and scout our way.” She then
added, “We are looking for a supply caravan which I expect is
headed this way.”

The remaining night passed quickly, and in
the light of the half moon those of the Forest prepared to depart.
Those of the Red who had marched previously with them arrived ready
to travel, and they moved off to the north in a silent, somewhat
disorganized column. As always those of the Forest came and went,
keeping Heather informed of what lay ahead.

They traveled for several hours before
stopping along the river. Heather felt it was safe to cross the
river, for they had put many miles between themselves and the
mounted troops of the East. The river cooperated not, and it was
not an acceptable place to cross. Heather and the others rested
until the scouts found a suitable crossing a few miles
upstream.

After crossing the river they headed east
until they came upon the unmistakable track that the army from the
East had left. With scouts ahead, they simply traveled back along
the same track. It was nightfall when scouts brought back word of
an approaching convoy of wagons guarded by about thirty mounted
troops.

The evening meal was without any campfires,
for Heather wanted no chance of discovery. They told their stories
in a circle as always, but without the campfire they brought little
joy. Many had already retired to the tents when one of the scouts
returned, accompanied by Stan of Those Left Behind. Those of the
Forest welcomed Stan as a long-lost family member, and it was some
time before he was allowed to tell the story.

As Heather had requested, Stan and Those Left
Behind had mounted a series of delaying attacks on the column from
the east. The mounted troops were formidable and several of Those
Left Behind fell victim to the swords and spears of the mounted
troops. For the most part they worked by distracting as many of the
troops as possible and then attacking the rearmost wagon. Those of
the East had learned to circle the wagons when attacked, which
limited their success but did slow the progress of the column.

Heather asked what they had found in the
wagons. Stan explained, “We have only captured a couple of the
wagons and they contained strong wooden tubes with metal bases and
many metal balls.” He added, “The wagons are heavy and their
progress is slower than the normal pace of those of the Forest
despite the four horses pulling each wagon.”

Heather asked, “A cannon like Daniel’s?”

Stan scrunched up his face as he thought
before he replied, “The balls are bigger and made out of some sort
of black metal. The tubes are almost twice as long as Daniel’s
cannon and have a small chamber on the back.” He then added, “We
have found no supply of powder, and instead of the packing rod that
Daniel uses it had just a bunch of sticks and small boards with the
tube.”

Heather was lost in thought and let the
stories continue around her. This was obviously a weapon like
Daniel’s cannon but she could figure not how it worked. Those from
the East were expending significant resources in the transport and
protection so they must be of great value. She interrupted the
stories to ask more questions about the lay of the land. There
seemed no easy approach for a surprise attack.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a scout
returned and reported that a large group of mounted troops had
separated from the main force and were camped a half day’s journey
to the west. She thought for but a moment before announcing, “We
attack with the rising of the sun. I would we approach from the
southeast and use the sun as a shield. Those of the Forest will
launch the attack with the sun at their backs, and then those of
the Red must move in from the south.”