“Behold Dragon Heart upon my back!” bellowed Wyka. “Kneel and yield to him or die!”
King Arik drew the Sword of Heavens as Wyka soared towards the reserves once again. When she reached the beginning of the line, she spied a soldier who had managed to mount his horse. The man was desperately trying to get his horse to leave the area, but it was too crowded for him to make progress. She adjusted her path straight towards him. She snapped her jaws shut around the man, ripping him from the saddle. She then sunk her talons deep into the horse and lifted it off the ground, tossing the soldier’s body aside. With her powerful wings propelling her forward, she dragged the horse into the crowd. Man and beast alike were plowed out of the dragon’s path as the horse carcass smashed everything it met with an explosive force. King Arik, on Wyka’s back, reached out with the Sword of Heavens. The magical sword’s blade sliced through the necks of anyone who had managed to just miss being hit by the horse carcass. Together, Dragon Heart and the Queen of the Dragons cut a swath through the reserves of the 7th Corps of the Empire of Barouk.
Small groups of soldiers, who had managed to split from the column during the initial pass, nocked arrows and waited for the dragon to come within range. Before they had a chance to fire their arrows, lightning bolts shot down out of the night sky and struck in the middle of each group, the soldiers’ bodies flying through the air and creating even greater chaos among the reserves. As Wyka neared the end of her pass, she tossed the horse at the last of the men and shot upward. That was when the Red Swords arrived on the battlefield. As the Red Swords tore into the Federation reserves, King Arik sheathed the Sword of Heavens and glanced down at the battlefield. He saw a squad of soldiers standing tensely apart from the others and saw General Bledsoe in the middle of them. He roused Prince Midge from his pocket.
“I need to be warned of the approach of the men from the shield wall,” instructed the Bringer.
“You will be able to see them easily from up here,” replied the fairy prince.
“I will be down there,” declared King Arik as he pointed to the group around General Bledsoe. “Warn me in time to make preparations.”
“You will know of their arrival before they do,” promised Prince Midge. He flared his wings wide and let the air current whip him off the king’s shoulder.
King Arik signaled Queen Tanya, and both dragons dropped into a steep dive towards General Bledsoe and the twenty men guarding him.
“Shall I even the odds?” Wyka asked as they shot downward.
“No,” answered Dragon Heart. “I cannot afford for General Bledsoe to die, even by accident. You and Rylana will return to harassing the reserves. Keep their attention divided between the Red Swords and you. When the Rangers arrive, return to the sky and watch for the men of the shield wall. I may need for you and Rylana to slow them down.”
“As Dragon Heart commands,” Wyka replied, “but one seldom dies of fright.”
While King Arik was still puzzling over the dragon’s comment, Wyka’s wings suddenly beat faster, and the dragon leveled off just above the ground. She flew straight at General Bledsoe. The general’s bodyguards quickly pushed the general to the ground and covered him with their bodies, but the dragon did not attack. Wyka flew over the small group of men and landed, King Arik quickly sliding to the ground. Rylana landed next to Wyka, and Queen Tanya quickly moved to stand next to the king. The dragons immediately returned to the air. The king and queen filled their hands with Lanoirians stars and ran towards the soldiers. While the bodyguards were still rising to their feet, the Warrior King and the Warrior Queen halted their advance and attacked by throwing their stars. Their practiced aim was deadly. The falling bodies slowed the rising of other soldiers, but eventually enough of them rose to dictate a change in tactics. Arik and Tanya drew their swords as some of the soldiers raced towards them.
Striding slowly forward in a well-rehearsed battle dance, Arik and Tanya met the enemy, keeping just enough space between them to allow each to maneuver without hindering the other, yet not enough space to allow the enemy to come between them. The Alcean warriors met the enemy confidently, their long, two-handed swords reaching out to slay their foes before the soldiers could reach their target. As the Federation bodies piled up, an arrow slammed into King Arik’s chest, its impact driving the Warrior King back a step. The arrow, instead of penetrating deep into the king’s body, struck the Breastplate of Alcea, worn under the king’s tunic, and fell to the ground. The three remaining swordsmen attacking the royal couple gasped and their attack faltered for just a moment. The pause was long enough for one of Queen Tanya’s hands to leave the hilt of her sword and send a magical projectile at the archer behind the soldiers. His lifeless body flew through the air and slammed into a tree. The faces of the attackers paled as they stared at the queen. They backed away from the Alceans and stood directly in front of General Bledsoe, who also held his sword ready.
“Yield, General Bledsoe,” King Arik said as he and Queen Tanya slowly strode forward. “End this unnecessary bloodshed.”
“You have only moments to live,” the general replied. “Flee while you can.”
King Arik extended the Sword of Heavens before him and moved closer to the general. The three remaining soldiers tensed, ready to spring forward and sacrifice their lives to protect the general. King Arik glanced at them and shook his head in warning.
“Enough blood has already stained these grounds,” scowled the Warrior King. “Do not add yours to it. I am seeking a surrender, not a massacre.”
General Bledsoe glanced over at the reserves and the Red Swords battling as if wondering when his troops would come to his aid. Instead he witnessed the arrival of the Rangers and the Men of Tor. He knew the battle was now lost unless…
“General Kozinski and the 17th Corps have already surrendered,” stated Queen Tanya. “The only thing you have left is the men of your shield wall, and they will be destroyed just as easily as the rest of your armies. Must all of your men die to satisfy your ego?”
The general whipped his head towards the queen and glared at her. He was about to call her bluff, but as he gazed into her eyes, he knew that he was hearing the truth. At that moment, Prince Midge swooped down and landed on the king’s shoulder.
“The men of the shield wall will be arriving in moments,” announced the fairy prince. “Should I order the attack?”
The Baroukans gasped and stared at the tiny man. All night long, the Alceans seemed to know everything the Federation was doing. Suddenly, the source of the Alceans’ knowledge became clear. The general pushed aside his men and stepped forward. He grasped the blade of his sword, extending the hilt towards King Arik.
“Allow one of my men to sound the surrender,” he pleaded. “Enough have died.”
King Arik accepted the sword and nodded. General Bledsoe instructed one of his soldiers to sound the surrender. The man dropped his sword and ran off in search of a horn. Moments later, the sound of the horn pierced the air. The fighting stopped almost immediately, and a stillness pervaded the battlefield for a moment. As the true significance of the horn dawned on the members of the reserve regiments, they stabbed their swords into the ground and walked towards the general. They quietly formed ranks and stood silently, awaiting the general’s orders. Moments later, Colonel Sawar led the vanguard of the shield wall into the clearing. The men had clearly been running hard for some time, but now they walked slowly. Alexander Tork met them as they entered the clearing.
“The swords stay here,” Alex said to the colonel.
Colonel Sawar nodded and stabbed his sword into the ground. He then stepped out of the column and stood alongside the Knight of Alcea, instructing his men to leave their swords and form ranks. By the time the end of the column entered the clearing, dawn was already lightening the sky. The thirteenth day of the War in Alcea had begun.