Chapter 17: Perseverance

Together we are stronger, but only if nature and creation are included in "We."

One by one people from all over the northern half of the kingdom of Owen are filing in to join the New Royal Guard. Some join because they have nothing left but the chance for revenge. Others join because they begin to understand that evil prevails when good men and women do nothing. And yet others join because that is who they are.

The fear of failure is heavy in the air, but the thought of continuing to live as sheep is truly horrifying. The darker the hour, the brighter the light of hope shines.

The latest attacks from Master Akmora and his Fire Dragons are taking a heavy toll on both the physical being and the psychological horror of war. At times it seems the whole world is on fire. Children are running around crying looking for their parents, only to find them burned to sometimes nothing more than a chard pile of ashes, with only a half melted family item to identify them.

Banyon and his group of Desert Clan Warriors call for reinforcements from their nomad villages in the far northern, western and central parts of the Desert of Origin of Owen. Their numbers still hover around seventy men strong, and they turn out to be a great asset in helping to train the new volunteers coming in every day. Stolks and the rest of the Shadow Riders set up camp just off and out of the way of the main Royal Guard encampment. They send out word that if there are any specialized forest guerrilla fighters who would like to join the Shadow Riders, now is the time. They are going to open the way for new bloodlines to enter the centuries' old closed society of the Shadow Riders, but only for a select few. Cantorso and his group of commanders are now making the final assessments of manpower and tactics. At last count, the newly reformed Royal Guard numbers about six hundred strong. Armed and mounted, the training is now underway for larger scale company sized maneuvers.

They are preparing for the attack to take the Cross Over Bridge, the city of Lancer, and advance into the southern side of Owen. Then finally to fight their way to the Rye Mountains, home of the evil Masters and their evil enemy of a god called Zarton, and at long last to bring the people out of the oppression of darkness.

The four leaders, Cantorso, Stolks, Maze and Banyon are having one final gathering of minds before the final decision to attack.

"Banyon, are your people ready to move on a moment's notice? Are you prepared?"

"Yes, we have been ready for this day for nearly two centuries. We are just helping train your people at this point. Yes, General Cantorso, we are ready!" "Great. General Banyon, I think it will be wise to pull your people out tonight. Just in case the Masters and Fire Dragons find our new base here and attack it in great numbers. We don't want to make our destruction too easy for them after all. Go to just this side of Lancer and the Cross Over Bridge and join up with our advanced scouting patrol already there. Stay out of sight, but make sure that no Clan Soldiers make it out of the city. We'll join you there in about three days time."

"Yes, General."

"General Stolks, are your men ready?"

"We have a couple of new family bloodlines in our guerrilla army, numbering about ten men. It will take another full day to get them up to code on horseback riding and combat tactics, but if they are not ready by tomorrow they will be cut from the roster. We will be ready to pull out by tomorrow noon."

"Fine, fine, General Stolks, when you are prepared to pull out, you will take your men to the west side of Lancer and wait there for our arrival. Your fifty men will attack Lancer from the west side. Banyon and his seventy men will attack from the east side, and finally a contingent of three hundred Royal Guardsmen will attack head on. We will take the north side of Lancer first, and then we will regroup to take the Cross Over Bridge.

"Once we have taken the Cross Over Bridge and have advanced into the southern side of Lancer, the Royal Guard will take control and hold the city and wait for the rest of the Royal Guard to catch up. Stolks, you will take your Shadow Riders off in a westerly direction and set up ambushes for any Clan Soldier reinforcements that might come along. Banyon, you do the same thing on the east side. Once all available forces are across, then we will regroup and advance on the Rye Mountains.

"Of course we will not hold down the Shadow Riders by having them ride with the main force. Stolks, once the advance to the Rye Mountains has begun, you are free to carry out your guerrilla warfare as you please. We will set a meeting place every so often so that we do not get too far apart."

"Yes, Sir." Stolks is pleased and impressed about that. So many commanders get caught up in leading, that they overlook the strengths of the very people that serve under them.

"Honored elder, General Maze, are your Stiefelian Foot Soldiers ready?"

"Yes, General"

"Good, good. Your one hundred soldiers have saved us once already, and will be a great asset. Will your foot soldiers be able to keep up the fast and hard pace?"

"Most assuredly, General Cantorso."

"Well then, are we all agreed?"

All the leaders are perfectly agreed on the tactics and plans. The final meeting of the minds is now over. With every true positive action and thought, the Power of Light grows in Owen, the world Serene and the universe.

The day is finally upon them. The battle for Lancer and the Cross Over Bridge is about to begin.

"Captain Zack, take your column of men and link up with General Banyon and the Nomadic Clan Warriors. Tell them the battle is about to begin. We'll be an hour behind you. Take up positions, be ready and wait for the signal.

"General Stolks, take your men to the right side or west side of Lancer, and prepare to attack on my signal of the blowing of the war trumpets." "Yes, Sir." Stolks and the Shadow Riders mount and ride out. "Captain Moore, assemble the troops. We pull out within the hour.

"Colonel Ontire, you and your troops will follow a half an hour behind the main force, prepare your men."

"Sir, it has been almost an hour since the Shadow Riders and Captain Zack have pulled out."

"Soldiers mount your steeds."

The soldiers mount their steeds, prepared for war. No fancy uniforms, but they are well trained and have the spirit to win. In columns of four wide, two hundred and fifty men in perfect unison ride off to war. The remaining forces wave and wish them good luck as they ride past. Some wives are crying and the children want to go with their daddies, and yes, even on some occasions, their mommies.

It is still dark out and there is frost on the ground, but the adrenaline and rush of war warms the blood. Armed with swords, battleaxes, spears, bows and arrows, maces, lances and down right mean looking clubs, they ride off into the darkness.

As they near their destination, the sun is just beginning to break over the horizon. There they meet up with Captain Zack and his fifty men. He gives a quick update of the situation and informs that the Nomads and Shadow Riders are in position and waiting for the signal.

"Excellent, excellent. Line up the men. Blow the horn. Charge!" The Royal Guardsmen break through the tree line charging at full speed. Off to the left the Nomadic Clan Warriors have just broken through the tree line, and are headed for the riverbank to attack from the east. The tree line is much closer from the west, so without a doubt the Shadow Riders are going to reach the city first.

One minute, forty-five seconds, thirty seconds. Arrows start flying out of the city and into the ranks of the heroes of this generation. Some arrows bounce off the mail protective armor, while others bounce off the hand held shields, but as is always inevitable in war, a few strike home and the Royal Guard is now taking its first casualties of this engagement.

The Shadow Riders are now well into the city. The Royal Guard just reach the first building, and the Nomads are not far behind. All the forces are now in the city prime, going from street to street, house to house, making their way towards the Cross Over Bridge. There is only a small contingence of Clan Soldiers posted there. Most of them fall to their deaths, while the others hightail it back across the bridge.

At first Maze and his troop of Stiefel's use their powerful bows as artillery pieces in an attempt to keep the enemies heads down, while the other alliance forces ride into town, then they move in immediately behind the main forces and clean up any enemy stragglers so they cannot regroup and attack in force.

The battle for the northern side of Lancer is now over. The alliance has won a complete victory. After the city is secured and all the commanders have met to discuss the success of stage one, they plan for stage two. "General Stolks, what do you make of this easy victory?"

"It's hard to say for sure, Sir. It's either they don't have enough men left to guard both the city and the bridge, or they're up to something deadly. General Cantorso, have you seen the Cross Over Bridge? They have it barricaded like a fortress. It will take many lives to cross it. It also looks like they plan to burn it if we move to cross it" "General Banyon, any input will be greatly appreciated."

"Well, General Cantorso, I think if they did not have enough men to guard the bridge, there would most assuredly be Masters here. I have seen evidence of none. My guess is they let us take this side of the city while doing what damage they could to us, and then they plan on holding the bridge at all costs. We should be wary of booby-traps on this side, or maybe even the Fire Dragons are going to attack the city, hoping to catch us in a raging fire."

"I agree. I'm kind of surprised they haven't burned the bridge already. I also think they have many archers waiting for us to group ourselves together in tighter formations, which we will have to do to cross the bridge with enough men to be effective.

"Besides being prepared to burn the bridge, maybe they plan on blowing it up as we are crossing it. If I were in charge I would allow a third of the attacking force to cross, and then blow the bridge taking out another third of the forces. Then they can take their time destroying our forces that would then be trapped on that side. Are we all in agreement?" They all nod their heads.

"Sir, Captain Zack has just charged the first barricade on the bridge."

"Without orders, call him back!"

Just as Cantorso is saying that, a thunderous crackling noise comes flying overhead. It is a giant fireball launched from a catapult on the southern side of Lancer still held by the Clan Soldiers. The fireball strikes a building about fifty paces away. The building collapses under the weight and explodes into flames, also catching nearby buildings on fire. More fireballs are arcing through the morning air coming their way.

"It's a trap! Pull the men out of the city and back into the forest. I'll go get Captain Zack back. Now go."

"General Cantorso, it is very important that you regroup your people immediately and lead them out of the city. The Shadow Riders will retrieve Captain Zack and what is left of his men, and we'll be right behind you."

"Okay, General Stolks, but you get out of the city even if you can't get Captain Zack out, is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"General Banyon, pull your people out now. All Royal Guardsmen out of the city now. Send out the word for all civilians to leave the city at once. Sergeant Estire, take a patrol and help the people get out of the city safely."