Sergeant Dilney was not so foolish as to stare at the blinding light. His eyes scanned the Alcean ring to measure the strength of the enemy, but they stopped when he saw the same golden-haired warrior that he had seen at the western perimeter. The sergeant had a gut feeling that he was looking at the leader of the Rangers, a feeling that was strengthen by the three odd people surrounding him. Two red-headed men and one woman sat on unicorns near the golden-haired warrior, and none of them carried a weapon. Sergeant Dilney found himself drawn towards them and did not realize that he was actually walking until he bumped into General Kozinski who was also heading towards the area of the shield wall opposite the four unique Alceans. The sergeant quickly apologized to the general, but Kozinski did not even acknowledge him. The general was staring intently at the Alceans.
“Your men will cease wasting their arrows,” the golden-haired warrior demanded in a loud booming voice. “I am Alexander Tork, General Kozinski, and I have come to demand your surrender.”
General Kozinski did not respond immediately. He turned in a slow circle gazing upon the enemy surrounding him. Eventually, he returned to face Alexander Tork.
“You are bold, Tork,” stated the Spinoan general, “but no army can breech a Federation shield wall once it is properly situated. You seem to have more men than we had anticipated, but not enough to demand our surrender. I suggest you take your flag of truce and depart. I will not yield to you.”
Sergeant Dilney shuddered as the golden-haired warrior actually smiled at the general’s words.
“There is no flag of truce here, General,” Alex retorted. “Let me explain the situation to you. Your men are not only surrounded by Alcean Rangers, they are also trapped inside a magic shield. That shield will prohibit the movement of anything physical through it. That is why your arrows failed to escape your circle. You cannot harm us, and you cannot leave. You are trapped until you surrender.”
“We have no intention of leaving,” countered the general. “This is a Federation shield wall. It is meant to stand against our foes, and stand it will. If your words are true about this magical barrier, then you have managed to outsmart yourself. If we can’t leave, neither can you attack us. We merely have to wait for the 7th Corps to arrive to break this deadlock.”
“Deadlock?” echoed Alex. “You truly do not understand. We are seeking your surrender to avoid killing all of you, but you are too stubborn to understand that. You seem to think that everyone should kneel before the all-mighty Federation, but it is time for you to learn the truth. Allow me to introduce you to one of the Tyronians whose country you recently savaged. I do not think you will enjoy his form of welcome. Theos, explain to General Kozinski what it means not to surrender.”
“Gladly,” replied one of the red-haired men.
Sergeant Dilney cringed as the Tyronian raised a hand and pointed it at the shield wall to the left of General Kozinski. Flames shot from the Tyronian’s hand and passed through the invisible shield. An entire squad burst into flames. Sergeant Dilney watched in horror as the men screamed and tried to put out the flames. Some of the men ran into the clear area behind the shield wall where others tried to extinguish the flames. Those were the lucky ones. Others tried to run the other way, and they ran headlong into the invisible shield, falling to the ground and screaming as the flames took their lives. None of the other soldiers were willing to leave the shield wall to go forward to help their stricken comrades.
“Our mages have no problem with sending spells through the magical wall,” stated Alex. “It only affects physical objects. So you see, General, there is no deadlock here. You will surrender, or you will die.”
“Before you stubbornly respond,” the woman said quickly, “think of your men, General Kozinski. If you surrender, they will be fed and cared for until their eventual return to Spino. King Arik truly does not wish to kill them. Do not let your stubbornness deprive them of a return to their homes and families.”
The words had been said to the general, but immediate murmurs broke out throughout the shield wall. The general frowned as he turned and looked at his soldiers. Each man he focused on immediately averted his eyes when the general looked at him. Kozinski sighed. He could almost feel the aura of defeat hanging over his army. Still, the 7th Corps was only a couple of thousand paces away. Surely he could figure out a way to stall until help arrived. As he surveyed his army, a small whirlwind appeared in the center of the circle of soldiers. The whirlwind started to grow in strength and size, and the general whirled around to glare at the Tyronian mage, but it was the woman whose arm was extended towards the Spinoans.
“You seem to have trouble making up your mind, General,” she said, her voice loud and clear to the entire 17th Corps. “I will help you come to a decision. Any man who wishes to surrender may do so by throwing his weapons into the whirlwind. We will not harm anyone who does so. Those who keep their weapons will die before dawn.”
Several soldiers did not hesitate. They immediately threw their swords and bows into the whirlwind, drawing cries of outrage and scorn from other soldiers. One of the offended soldiers drew his sword and ran towards one of those surrendering, shouts of vengeance on his lips. Theos raised his arm and sent a ball of fire into the sword-bearing soldier. The stricken man screamed in pain and fell to the ground, the flames devouring him. For a brief moment, the entire 17th Corps remained frozen. No one stepped forward to help the burning man, and no one else tried to threaten those surrendering.
“The most despicable act known to man,” scowled Theos, “is to kill a brother who only wants to live to see his home and family again. I will not see harm come to those who wish to surrender. If you think a soldier should fight to the death, you merely have to hold on to your own weapons. You will get your chance to die in the service of the Federation.”
The Tyronian’s words seemed to break the frozen mood of the 17th Corps. A few soldiers stepped out of the shield wall and threw their weapons into the whirlwind. Those few brave men seemed to open the faucet of reality. Within seconds, entire sections of the shield wall broke, the men tossing their weapons into a constantly growing whirlwind. General Kozinski watched helplessly as his army fell apart. He thought briefly about berating his men to get them to comply with his orders, but he sighed instead. His words alone would never overcome the hold that the Alceans held on the 17th Corps. With a heavy sigh of resignation, he drew his own sword and held it high over his head.
“The 17th Corps of Spino surrenders,” he said loudly. “Each and every man will throw his weapons into the whirlwind. I will stand for no exceptions.”
The general walked towards the whirlwind and threw his sword into it. As all of his men began to mimic his move, the general returned to face the Alcean leaders.
“We are surrendering honorably,” he said to Alex. “I demand just treatment for my men as prisoners.”
“And you shall have it,” promised Alex. “As was said before, your men will be fed and cared for until their eventual return to Spino.”
* * * *
Colonel Shellard slid off his horse and stood next to the fire. He was not sure how the horse had managed to move closer to the burning barricade, but he was thankful that it had. The ice had taken a long time to melt, and he was now drenched with wet clothes, but the warmth of the flames felt wonderful. He watched as steam rose off his clothes and wondered about drying the horse. He looked at it and shook his head, fearful that the exposure to ice might have harmed it. Beyond his horse were several others belonging to men of his regiment who no longer needed them. He tore himself away from the warmth of the fire and snagged one of the other horses. He pulled himself up and kicked the horse to life. Galloping southward along the Coastal Highway, the night breeze chilled him like it never had before. He pushed the discomfort from his mind and concentrated on reaching General Bledsoe. When he finally saw the Baroukan general, he sighed with relief.