Chapter 22

Year 163 – Summer – Quartus Mensis – 42nd day

Velika Forest, northern Vale

The Valmai soldiers had been walking through the woods for two-and-a-half hours when one of Derfel’s men came from between the trees about 400 feet away and waved his hands at Ethen. Ethen raised his hand and slowed the walking pace. They kept walking slowly in silence, awaiting Derfel’s return. As they were nearing the scout, another of Derfel’s men arrived, shortly followed by the scout leader, who joined Ethen and the army.

Derfel – “They are between 2,000 and 2,500 feet up the road. They are past the third meander. They are about a hundred or so. They are chopping wood. I don’t know where the rest of them are, but they don’t seem to have noticed our approach.”

Keeping his voice down, Ethen signaled for his second-in-command, who joined his side.

Marco – “Yes, my Eagle?”

The Eagle – “Marco. You’ll lead a hundred men west across the road with Derfel by your side. Take your time. We’ll be in position before you. When you’re in range for arrow volley, Derfel will make a strong nightingale whistle. It will be the signal. I’ll release my volley first, then I’ll blow my war horn and you’ll release yours. I’ll cover the road from the northeast to prevent their escape.”

Marco – “Yes, my Eagle. What about Morgan?”

The Eagle – “Morgan will be with the rest of our men near the south of the road. Once he hears a war horn, he’ll come. If one of us gets ambushed, Morgan will be there.”

Marco – “Good luck.”

The Eagle – “Careful on your step, or they’ll hear you.”

Marco gave a signal to the third line of soldiers as he walked west. They promptly followed his lead. The Eagle walked to Morgan and briefed him before giving a signal to the first line of soldiers.

The Valmai soldiers moved for nearly half an hour. Hiding behind bushes, shrubs, and trees, crouching and sometimes crawling, their advance was slow, yet remained unnoticed.

When they saw their enemy, the Eagle and his men lay on the ground and crawled a hundred more feet forward. They observed the Kalator men about 200 feet further as they awaited Derfel’s signal. Hiding within the dense forest, they could hear the Kalator talking.

Roberht – “We will need at least 40 more tree trunks for this wall.”

Kalator 1 – “Shouldn’t we use those four trees over there as part of the wall?”

Roberht – “No, the roots would be in the way. Just cut them down and clear the path. We’ll build this fort just like the others.”

Kalator 1 – “Awright!”

Kalator 2 – “Awright isn’t a word, you idiot! It’s alright!”

Kalator 1 – “You think you’re a scholar or wat?”

Kalator 2 – “It’s not my fault that you’re a fucking idiot!”

Kalator 1 – “Oey! I’m not paid to use smart words; I’m paid to fight!”

Kalator 2 – “Against the tree? What a hero!”

Kalator 3 – “If you have the time for chatter, you’re not working hard enough!”

Kalator 2 – “Hey, listen. We’re working while these other fuckers are having a walk in the forest! So don’t ask me to work harder!”

Kalator 4 – “They are also scouting the road to keep us safe.”

Kalator 2 – “Keeping us safe my ass. Half of them never fought in a war.”

Roberht – “They’ve got blades, and they are Kalator. That makes them soldiers. Now shut the fuck up!”

Kalator 5 – “Ooh! The boss’s mad!”

Kalator 1 – “I’ll go pee!”

Kalator 2 – “Don’t go too far or you might get lost!”

Kalator 1 – “Shut up, you gobermouch!”

Marco’s soldiers were now in position, but a Kalator was walking in their direction. He stood a hundred feet away from Marco and began peeing while watching the west side of the forest. He was paying too much attention. Thinking he would eventually spot them, Marco gave the order to Derfel, who then whistled like a nightingale, which caught the witness’s attention. The man frowned his eyes while looking toward them, and Marco rose up while pulling his bow and releasing an arrow. The Kalator tried to dodge, but the arrow pierced his arm. The man screamed.

Seven mules and most of their equipment were near the north of their encampment while the hundred Kalator were scattered around the woods. The situation would only worsen from there. He had to make a call before it was too late.

Marco – “ARCHERS!”

His soldiers dropped their shield and spear. They raised themselves up as they pulled the string of their bow, awaiting orders.

Marco – “RELEASE!”

The volley flew like a wave of steel, crashing on and between the many trees. Three Kalator died, and four more were injured.

Roberht – “TAKE COVER!”

Barely had the words left his mouth when another hissing of wind came from the east. A second volley wounded eight more Kalator. Roberht looked behind him, then up the road. A hundred more Valmai soldiers were blocking their escape route. The Eagle of Vale then took his war horn and blew it. A powerful sound reverberated through the forest for close to four miles around its source.

Kalator 2 – “WE CAN’T STAY HERE! WE HAVE TO RUN!”

Kalator 3 – “RUN WHERE?!

Roberht – “THEIR EASTERN ARMY IS CLOSER! WE NEED TO FORCE THEM INTO A MELEE, OR THEY’LL KEEP SENDING ARROWS.”

Roberht released a loud whistle as he reached for his two-handed war club.

Roberht – “CHARGE!”

As they charged into the woods toward Marco’s army, six more were struck by arrows and fell to the ground.

The Eagle – “SPEAR FORMATION!”

The Valmai soldiers dropped their bows and arrows and picked up their spear and shield.

The Eagle – “FORWARD!”

The army walked onto the Velika road from the northeast as the Kalator were charging west. Marco released another volley, striking them like an earthquake and wounding twelve more.

Marco – “SPEARS! HOLD THE LINE!”

When a short 50 feet remained between the two armies, the Kalator pulled their latchet crossbows and released tens of iron bolts, deeply wounding seven Valmai soldiers. When Roberht arrived close to the south side of Marco’s formation, he cleaved his war club and shattered five spears apart. Following his motion, he bashed the shield in front of him with his 300 pounds, launching a Valmai soldier two feet in the air as if he had been charged by a ram. As the soldier fell to the ground, a massive wolf-looking dog passed Roberht and leapt onto the stunned soldier.

The northern side of Marco’s formation was holding the charge and injured a few more Kalator soldiers, but when the southern flank broke, Marco ran south to help his men.

Marco – “TIGHTEN THE FORMATION! TIGHTEN THE FORMATION!”

As he arrived at the southern breach, a large man with a club broke apart the skull of one of his soldiers.

Marco – “TIGHTEN THE FORMATION AND DRAG THE INJURED BEHIND!”

Further away from the battlefield, a few newcomers had gathered up north yet remained hidden as they observed the battle. The large man was butchering the Valmai soldiers like pigs at the slaughterhouse.

Danovic – “That Roberht truly is a beast. What will we do if he gets out alive?”

Atilos – “Don’t worry, he won’t. He’ll get tired eventually . . . Besides, the other army of House Valmai will reach them soon.”

Seeing his soldiers being crushed by the large monster, Marco took him on while his men were trying to get back in line.

The mad man was swinging his war club around so fast even his own soldiers were keeping their distance. Marco threw a spear into a dog, which was above one of his fallen allies, and saw the wounded man was still alive. Marco grabbed the man’s shoulder and pulled him. Hearing his dog groan, Roberht looked to his side and saw Marco and the wounded man. Roberht cleaved his war club. Marco jabbed his shield into the ground to strengthen his hold, hoping to block the incoming hit and protect his soldier, but the war club crushed his shield, merging the impact into Marco’s arm. The pain was atrocious. His ears were ringing, and he felt his blood boiling in his broken arm.

Roberht raised his war club above his head, and as he was about to strike, Marco’s adrenaline kicked in. He grabbed the wounded man and pulled him up with all his might as he threw himself and his injured companion toward his allies. As he was ascending, the war club landed, crushing both of them to the ground. The Valmai’s formation was falling apart, but reinforcements from both north and south were closing in.

Taken by bloodlust, Morgan was outrunning his men toward the brawl. The Valmai soldiers were losing their morale and were frozen in place in front of Roberht when a seven-foot-tall giant emerged from the south, running as fast as a bear.

The beast welding the war club turned around to see someone even taller than him leaping over 20 feet forward before cleaving his halberd in front of him. The heads of two Kalator soldiers flew in the air under the weight of the large iron halberd as the eyes of both monsters crossed.

Driven by their instinct, the two fierce beasts were observing each other. Both the Kalator and the Valmai soldiers were looking at them. Afraid of losing their lives, none dared to enter their reach.

Morgan – “IRA ARCUM! MAY YOUR WATCH BE BESTOWED UPON ME!”

Roberht was waiting for his foe, ready to strike, when the one-eyed giant attacked. Morgan ran swiftly for two steps and thrust his halberd forward, adding his weight to his strike. Roberht struck his heavy war club in a downward motion. Roberht’s strike was about to connect first.

In the blink of an eye, Morgan crouched and pivoted to his left, dodging the incoming strike. Doing so, he gained momentum and turned in a whirlwind to cleave his halberd in Roberht’s guts.

Roberht saw his mistake. As his club would land, the halberd would deliver a deadly strike on his waist. Roberht dropped his club and jumped away. Morgan’s hit barely reached his target, leaving a light scratch in his opponent's armour.

One of Roberht’s dogs jumped on Morgan's leg. Morgan had yet to recover his stability, so he sank his halberd into the ground to stabilise his stance. At the same moment, Roberht charged Morgan. Morgan grabbed the dog’s neck and crushed it before throwing it on his opponent, but as the dog was leaving his hand, the 300-pound man bashed him to the ground.

Roberht tried to reach his war club, but a large hand grabbed him by the foot and dragged him behind so fast that he fell on the ground and was now cornered into a brawl of strength. Morgan grabbed the 300-pound man by the belt and the leg and got on his knee. Roberht punched him in the face, only to realise his fate was coming to an end when his last dog jumped on Morgan’s shoulder, attempting to rescue his master. Morgan released his grip and grabbed the dog’s jaw with both hands. Roberht got back up and reached for his war club. As Morgan forced the dog’s jaw open, he released a war cry so loud that every soldier stopped fighting as shivers crawled on their skin. Pulling the dog off his shoulder, Morgan held it in front of him and slowly pulled the jaw wide open, shredding it in half.

The agonizing dog was shrieking in pain. Roberht cleaved his war club toward the seven-foot giant with all his might. Morgan positioned the dog to his side to protect his ribs and held the strike. As the war club crushed the dog, Morgan charged Roberht and grabbed his shoulder as he struck his opponent’s face with his elbow. He then passed his leg behind Roberht’s leg and tackled him to the ground. Morgan stepped on Roberht’s head and pulled his arm upward in a single heavy motion until Roberht’s neck broke.

Regaining hope, the Valmai soldiers chanted for the Bear of Vale.

The Valmai soldiers – “THE BEAR! THE BEAR! THE BEAR!”

The remaining Kalator tried to flee, but Ethen and the rest of the army cut their escape and killed them until the few remaining dropped their weapons and surrendered.

Morgan grabbed his halberd and chopped Roberht’s head off. He raised it at the sky, letting Roberht’s blood drip off his neck onto Morgan’s face.

Morgan – “THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE WORTHY, IRA ARCUM, HEAR MY REQUIEM!”

Further away, hiding within the forest, the traitors were now about to leave the area.

Danovic – “Is that a real preacher of Ira Arcum?”

Atilos – “It seems like it is. Let’s get going. We need to find Mundric before he gets here. We can’t have him die now.”

Silas – “Understood!”

Once the battle was over, Ethen walked between dead comrades and foes.

The Eagle – “Marco?”

Searching between the many soldiers, he couldn’t find him.

The Eagle – “Morgan.”

Morgan – “Yeah?”

The Eagle – “Do you know where Marco is?”

Morgan placed his hand on Ethen’s shoulder.

Morgan – “I’m sorry . . .”

The Eagle – “I see . . . Take your remaining soldiers and prepare for a potential ambush.”

Morgan – “Understood!”

Ethen took a deep and slow breath.

The Eagle – “CARRY THE INJURED IN THE MIDDLE SO THE FIELD SURGEONS CAN TEND TO THEIR WOUNDS! TAKE EVERYTHING FROM THE DEAD! PILE UP THEIR EQUIPMENT. SPEAR, SWORD, AXE, MACE, SHIELD, BOW, CROSSBOW, ARMOUR, SUPPLY, ANYTHING WHICH CAN BE USED!’’

The soldiers were tired but answered all together.

The soldiers – “YES, MY EAGLE!”

Derfel – “What about the prisoners? There are 11of them.”

The Eagle – “We’re short on food. If we keep them, they’ll starve to death, and we can’t let them run away.”

Derfel – “I’ll take care of it.”

The Eagle – “Let them pray before sending them to the gods.”

Derfel nodded and left as Judec came toward the Eagle of Vale.

Judec – “Marco has fallen; I’m the next in line.”

The two men looked in each other’s eyes with bitterness.

The Eagle – “Judec, go bring their mules and use their tents to build large bags and carry the supplies.”

Judec – “YES, MY EAGLE!”

A quarter-hour later, Morgan came back.

Morgan – “The area is safe for now, but there’s another problem.”

The Eagle – “Talk.”

Morgan – “A large smoke is rising from the west. It could be where the rest of their scouts are. Should we go find them?”

The Eagle – “It’s most likely Thorkel’s doing.”

Morgan – “What do you mean?”

The Eagle – “We are returning to Avem.”

Morgan – “Understood.”

The Eagle – “Are you injured?”

Morgan – “I’m fine, why?”

Ethen patted his friend on the back before walking toward the piles of equipment.

Ethen – “That’s good because I’ll need your help carrying all this shit.”

Morgan – “Ah, c’mon! Mules are over there.”

Ethen – “They’ll help you, don’t worry.”

Morgan – “Ah, you bastard.”

The Eagle – “Maelly, what’s the situation?”

She finished wrapping a piece of tight cloth around the leg of a soldier before turning around. Her hands were stained with blood, and her eyes were full of tears. Seeing Ethen, she raised her hand to slap him on the face, yet refrained as she stared at him with anger before lowering her arm down.

Maelly – “Second-in-command with no battle in his account? You knew this would happen.”

Ethen – “He was the bravest soldier I knew aside from Morgan. I knew everyone would follow his orders. I took the risk and am solely to blame, but here and now isn’t the time. Even if you’re a girl, you’re a soldier! Act like one.”

Maelly – “Sorry, my Eagle . . .”

The Eagle – “What’s the report, soldier?”

Maelly – “Seventeen dead. Thirty-two wounded, eight of which are in critical condition.”

The Eagle – “Will they survive?”

Maelly – “Maybe, but they won’t be able to fight for a few months.”

The Eagle – “How soon can we move them?”

Maelly – “Most of them could be carried right away, but if we move them too much, their wounds might reopen, and their blood loss would be beyond recovery.”

The Eagle – “Alright, we’ll create eight carrying beds out of the shields.”

Maelly – “Yes, my Eagle!”

Half an hour later, the Valmai soldiers were on their way back to the town with more equipment than before their arrival and fewer heads from when they had left.