Chapter 13: The Resurrection

"Charge!" The command goes out from Banyon, the leader of the Nomadic Clan Warriors.

Hearts pumping, fear being embraced, and freedom being welcomed back into the blood of Owen's people. They have risen from the ashes of light to once again shine. The strength in their eyes will only be equaled by the desire in their hearts to be free of the bonds of darkness.

The Nomads and a handful of men who are heading south to join up with the newly formed New Royal Guard have to first get past the Clan Soldiers encampment at the city of Thort, which guards the Toro Pass. The Clan Soldiers at one hundred men strong take up their defenses inside the city. Banyon and his sixty men, along with fifty other people heading to join up with Cantorso and the Royal Guard, are poised to attack. Banyon, being a natural leader, takes charge over everyone until they join up with the rest of the forces, providing there are other forces to join up with once they make it to the Maloose River, they are responding to week old intelligence.

So from the command of Banyon, the ragtag army charges into the city of Thort with the purpose to set it free from any evil rule. From this day forth, providing the Heavenly Gods are smiling upon the people, Thort will be free to make its own decisions. However temporarily, depending on how bright grace and form shine on the brave.

With swords, bows and arrows, battleaxes and spears at the ready, the first group of Nomadic Warriors hit the line. While the first wave of Nomads trample over the Clan Soldiers' line, the second wave comes up and dismounts and fight them hand to hand. While yet the third wave stampedes past, taking out whom they can to go forth to the next engagement of battle. Banyon and the point guard hit the secondary clan soldier line full force, taking out who they can on their way to attack the final enemy line. The third wave of future Royal Guardsmen engages the secondary Clan Soldiers' line in full battle.

Banyon and his group of twenty-five men are searching the city for the last contingents of Clan Soldiers. Just when they think there are no more, they turn a corner and there, sitting atop their horses so sure of their supremacy, are thirty Clan Soldiers dressed in full battle gear waiting to attack. When both commanders notice each other the command goes out for battle. Both sides give their best impressions of a battle cry, and then the two forces collide. With the sound of metal striking metal ringing all across the city of Thort, the war is on.

The people of the city, realizing that just maybe the rumors of an uprising are more than just rumors, start running out into the streets and taking the weapons of the fallen Clan Soldiers and attack the remaining ones from behind. It is not long before the battles are over and the people, at least this time, are the victors.

Cheers ring out, and children hear the sounds of freedom for the first time. They are excited and feel their little hearts pumping, though they are not entirely sure why, but they know it just feels right.

Banyon gathers the remainder of his forces and the Royal Guardsmen, and takes count of how many both groups have lost. He then organizes the city people so that they can defend themselves and the Toro Pass. Much to his delight, forty more men volunteer to ride with them so that they can also join up with the New Royal Guard.

Banyon knows they cannot spend too much time in one place, because they do not know how things are going for the Alliance of Light, who are rising from the shadows like a sun reborn. Plus, they do not know the positioning of the fire dragons and the Masters, so they head off deeper into the Toro Pass.

Cantorso and his force of two hundred men, along with the sixty Shadow Riders, have finished their short but thorough training, and have split up into patrol sized bands ready to ambush any unsuspecting Marauders or Clan Soldiers.

Cantorso and forty of his men are patrolling deep in the Blackheart Forest when they come upon a little village, and there they find a group of twenty Marauders terrorizing the people. Calmly and without fear, the New Royal Guard rides into town and confronts the Marauders. At first the Marauders do not know what to think or how to react, but Cantorso does not give them the time to figure it out.

After gaining enough ground by gently strolling up to them, he yells, "Attack!" and with precision, the Royal Guard advances on them with weapons of war drawn and ready.

The battle lasts only five minutes. The Marauders who try to get away are hunted down and killed before they can get word to the Clan Soldiers and the Masters.

Taking advantage of every situation, Cantorso takes the horses and weapons from the dead Marauders and distributes them amongst his fellow warriors. He knows they will have a better chance if they are all mounted with speed and mobility on their side. They clean up the little village and accept any volunteers who now want to join with them. Then they head back down the road of war.

Stolks and his former bands of Marauders, now known once again as Shadow Riders, have a greater variety of operations they can undergo at this time, because as far as the other Marauders and even the Masters know they are still on their side.

The real proof that the Shadow Riders are really going to fight for the people comes on a back trail near the eastern ocean shore. Stolks and his sixty men come face to face with another band of Marauders numbering about forty. At first they greet each other with open arms. As they are doing so it gives Stolks' men enough time to surround the Marauders, but they can do it without suspicion.

The two leaders ride up to each other and the Marauder leader offers his hand to Stolks, but Stolks just sits there on top of his jet-black horse.

As the Marauder leader starts to say, "What is wrong with you, Stolks?"

Stolks pulls out his sword, and runs the man through as he is saying, "This is for the children."

The other Marauders, stunned at first, quickly draw their weapons, but it is too late, for the Shadow Riders already have their weapons drawn and are closing in. They do so until the last man is dead.

Noticing that the other marauder leader is still alive, Stolks dismounts his horse and walks up to him with sword pointing at his black heart. Stolks then turns to the stunned people and says, as the waves of the ocean lap against the shore, "Here today, my brothers and sisters of Owen, we make a stand and will no longer watch our children and loved ones be tormented and killed by the forces of darkness. Here today, light once again shines bright." The people cheer and do not turn away as Stolks ends the tyranny of an evil man.

Finally they drag the bodies out of sight and take the horses to where he knows people are waiting for them, and they accept all volunteers.

Banyon, with his contingence of one hundred and thirty men, are progressing through the Toro Pass. They ride for several hours without an encounter, until they ride through a part of the Toro Pass at which point the gap closes so narrow and the walls of the Pheminol Mountains are so rocky and rigid that if a stand or attack is going to happen this will be the place.

And so it is that the Marauders have the same idea. They are hiding in the cliffs behind giant boulders, and when the rebels are in range they let loose with arrows, spears and rocks, and bombard Banyon and his men. Noticing that the attack is coming from both sides, Banyon orders his men to dismount immediately and advance into the cliffs and surrounding hillsides.

The encounter lasts nearly an hour, for they have to flush the enemy out of the mountainsides. In the end the cost is great. Out of one hundred and thirty men, ninety-five now stand. But the important thing at this time is to make sure that all the Marauders are rounded up and killed, because if any get away to get a message back to the Masters and the rest of their forces, Banyon knows they will never make it out of the Toro Pass. Also the biggest weapon they have on their side at this time is going to be surprise.

Cantorso, still patrolling the forest once again, comes upon another little village that is being terrorized, but this time by Clan Soldiers numbering about fifty. Cantorso and his men number about forty. They are not sure if they should attack at this time, but the Clan Soldiers make up their minds for them when one of the Clan Soldiers pulls a child out of a home and moves to kill it. Before Cantorso can give the order to attack, his men take the initiative and let loose with dozens of arrows, and then charge, giving a war cry that will get the Clan Soldiers off the people and onto them.

Since Cantorso's men are outnumbered the battle is just about even. Men are falling on both sides, until finally the people of the village have had enough of evil oppression and take whatever weapons they have, and attack the Clan Soldiers with hoes, chopping axes, shovels, sickles and pitch forks.

It is not long before the battle is over, but as soon as the Clan Soldiers see the people attacking, they try to retreat. Most do not make it, but some do, and that is the last thing Cantorso wants at this time, because if they make it the element of surprise will be lost. He sends men to go after the one's who ran, and eventually most are found and killed, but several get away.

Not realizing it, but when the people start standing up for themselves they send positive vibes into the Web of Existence, and the guiding light that fuels the forces of light becomes all that much more stronger.

Now the time is nearing for the major make or break battle, because the Clan Soldiers will not be caught off guard any longer. They will travel in larger numbers and trust no one. The countryside is about to be turned upside-down, but before that happens and hundreds of innocent people die, the war is about to explode into a fury that this kingdom has not seen since the last Great War.

The word goes out to all the sub-commanders and Stolks and his Shadow Riders, to report to the designated area to prepare for the major battle. The area for the conference is a hard to reach spot on the eastern side of the Triton Marsh, between there and the Pheminol Mountains. All forces of the Shadow Riders and the Royal Guard are to report there within four days time, and at that time they will assess their numbers and capabilities. From there they will move out and attack the mainstay of the Clan Soldiers' encampments.