Eight.
“Fire!” commands Ceadric as hundreds of deadly projectiles are loosed.
Seven.
Men fall as the hail of deadly projectiles find their marks. An answering swarm of bolts emerges from the rear of the advancing army.
Six.
“Ready shields!” Men up and down the line raise shields to ward off the attack.
Five.
The bolts fall and many are deflected by the raised shields. Two are deflected by the shimmering shield James erects around himself to ward off the attack.
Four.
“Nerun! Wylick! Now!” commands Ceadric.
Three.
Two bands of horseman charge forward, angling to bypass the advancing men. Those enemy soldiers on the fringes alter their course to intercept.
Two.
“Fire!” comes Hedry’s voice as another barrage of deadly missiles is released into the charging men. A hundred or more men fall as the missiles find their targets.
One.
The leading edge of the attack men is now no more than a dozen yards away. “Make ready!” Illan hollers as he draws his sword to meet the charge.
Crumph! Crumph! Crumph! Crumph!
Explosions erupt in the mass of charging men throwing hundreds into the air only to fall back to earth lifeless. The momentum of the attackers falters as the concussion rolls through them. Two seconds later, the second volley of crystals detonates and more men are taken out.
Knowing what was going to happen, James and the others are braced for it. No sooner than the concussion rolls by than Illan hollers “Charge!” The remaining line of horses bolts forward into the now somewhat rattled army.
“For Madoc!” riders yell as they wade into the ranks of the Empire’s soldiers and the fight is joined. Hack and slash, men strike out as each side tries to kill those of the other.
James takes slugs and begins peppering enemy soldiers as they become available in the churning melee. Jiron, now on foot, is a blur as his knives dance in and out. Blocking the attack of one only to turn and sink a blade into the exposed side of another.
Another rain of bolts falls from the Empire’s crossbowmen before the riders of Nerun and Wylick are among them. Riding them down, the Raiders soon halt the hail of the deadly bolts.
It isn’t long before the Empire’s commanders realize they aren’t going to win the day. Men begin throwing their weapons down in surrender only to be cut down by Raiders. Before the battle, Illan ordered that no prisoners would be taken.
With a slug in hand, James watches as man after man is slaughtered rather than allowed to surrender. What are we to do with them? Illan’s question returns to him. When he first heard that none would be spared, he came to Illan to argue the point. James quickly came to realize they didn’t have the manpower to supervise possibly hundreds of prisoners on their march back to Madoc. The only other choice was to let them go, but that would mean they would have to face them again. So the order was given to allow no quarter.
It doesn’t take the remainder of the Empire’s men long to realize surrender is not an option. Gathering his men in a tightly formed wedge formation, they set themselves to sell their lives dearly. James wonders how many more Raiders will die before the last man is slain.
A calm settles over the battlefield as the two sides face each other, one now completely surrounding the other. Easily three hundred battle hardened men now stand in a tight group as they face the inevitable. One officer stands near the center of the group, bloody sword in hand. He calls to his men, rallying their strength and attempting to keep their moral high.
Turning his back on what’s about to happen, he finds Brother Willim and the rest of the Hand there behind him. “Terrible things happen when one land goes to war with another,” states Brother Willim. He and the others all wear somber expressions. He turns to his brothers and says, “We have work to do.”
As the Hand begins moving among the wounded, lending what aid they can, James gazes around at the fallen. A group of wounded have already begun to grow around the spot where Miko is using the Star to save what lives he can.
Behind him, the thrum of bowstrings announces the beginning of the end for the lives of many Empire soldiers. Shaking his head, he heads back to the makeshift camp on the outside of the walls and tries to ignore the cries of the dying men.
Chapter Seventeen
During the aftermath of the fighting, Miko and the Brothers manage to save many of the fallen. The area where they healed the wounded reminded James of a scene right out of MASH as the wounded were brought to them.
Armor and weapons from the dead Empire soldiers are cleaned up as best they can be and then are given to the newly formed units of crossbowmen and fighters. By the end of the afternoon, what wounded that could be saved has been. Devin puts up James’ tent so the leaders will have a place to meet to discuss their next course of action.
“What do you mean you’re leaving?” exclaims a weary Miko. Exhausted and wearing a fresh clean shirt as his other had been stained beyond repair with the blood of the wounded, he gazes at James in disbelief.
“I’m taking Jiron and Jared further into the Empire while the rest of you follow Illan back to Madoc,” he explains. Even though he had told them that he would be taking everyone from The Ranch with him when he split off from Illan, he came to the conclusion that a small group would travel faster without attracting as much notice.
“I’m coming too,” he states very matter-of-factly.
Shaking his head, James replies, “Not this time.” When he sees Miko ready to begin another tirade about coming along, he holds up his hand to forestall him. “Illan will need the Star to keep as many of his men alive before they make it back to the safety of Madoc.”
“But…” he begins to say then stops.
“You are more than just the kid I found on the streets of Bearn now,” James tells him as he lays a hand on his shoulders. “There are times when duty, especially duty for others, will force us to abandon our own wishes. They need you.” Gazing into his eyes, James pauses a moment before adding, “I doubt if they will be able to survive to return to their families without you.”
Emotions war within him from anger to helplessness as he comes to grips with what James just told him. After a prolonged silence, he at last nods his head in defeat. Patting his shoulder once again, James turns to Brother Willim who nods as well. Just before the meeting, he had explained things to the brother.
Returning his attention to the others assembled there, he says, “I’ve checked the surrounding countryside and it doesn’t look as if any other forces are on the way. I plan on sneaking out once night has fallen when any searches done with magic will be less effective, I hope.”
“Now, what’s going on with Korazan itself?” he asks.
“Fairly quiet, all things considered,” replies Illan. “Ceadric?” he says.
“The foraging parties we’ve sent into the areas surrounding the slaver compound have met little resistance,” he explains. “There have been isolated incidents where bolts have been fired at us, but those are relatively few.”
“Since our presence has been kept here on the east side of town, our scouts keeping an eye on the north and south road tell us that some brave souls are leaving the city and making their way to safety.”
“Send Nerun and his riders to the north to halt any further people fleeing in that direction,” Illan tells him. “When we leave in the morning, we’ll be taking the north road. Don’t want a bunch of civilians getting in our way.”
“Yes, sir,” he says.
“Delia,” James says turning to her. “There are still several dozen crystals left that you will be taking with you. Make sure no one but you touches them until it’s time for their use.”