Chapter 16

Even Shadow seemed eager to begin.

The Freedom Brigade rode for two hours into the night before they made their first stop. Here a hundred fairies met them. Apparently they had been doing reconnaissance all over the region, and now came with dark tidings. "There is a village about four stretches southwest from our current position, and there is an enemy force of about one hundred cavalry soldiers. They are torturing and killing the men for information, and they are enslaving the women and young girls."

As the silver dragon started to gather every one around to discuss the next move, Christopher kicked Shadow hard in the flanks and leapt forward heading southwest.

"I thought I had heard some protestations behind me, but I was in no mood for them to decide again whether or not it was time to do something."

The centaurs caught up with Christopher amazingly fast and fell in line. Christopher had no idea that the little delicate looking fairies were so fast. As they flew past they looked more like shooting stars than sentient beings.

As they were getting closer, Katarina warned Christopher, "There is a dark sorcerer with them."

Christopher stopped long enough just outside the village to motion for the centaurs to take the left flank. The forest was thick right up to the village, with a stream running north to south nearby on the east side. Just in that momentary pause the rest of the force catches up.

The highest-ranking human soldier came up next to Christopher and said, "Boy, you are going to get people killed."

Christopher looks at him with fire in his eyes and replies, "No shit." and then charges.

Christopher has no doubt with the speed of the centaurs that they are already in position just inside the forest by the time he breaks into the village at full speed. Many torches light the village. The first group of soldiers he reaches are loading the women and girls into several wagons. Christopher is getting real tired of seeing this world's most precious treasures being treated like cattle.

With a face distorted with rage, a yell that came from the bowels of the abyss itself, and his sword held high in his right hand, Christopher hit them hard and fast, and they scattered, forgetting their charges as the innocents ran for the woods, with some of the older girls picking the little ones up so they don't get dragged along.

In the direction Christopher saw the women and girls run into the forest, he hears a great collective scream from them, and the next thing he sees are the minotaurs charging in from that direction. As the enemy soldiers are preparing to form a line to combat this new and unexpected danger, a shower of arrows come out of the sky and decimated them.

Christopher was engaged with three horsemen when he heard Katarina scream behind him. Christopher looks and sees the black sorcerer pointing his wand at him gathering his dark forces.

Just to Christopher's left and behind him he hears a big booming, "NO!"

The dark mage hears it also and turns to destroy the new threat. The wizard, the youngest one Christopher has seen yet, points his wand and the two combatants let fly their powers at the same time. As the energy streams met in mid-air the night-sky lit up, and it is as if the village is on the sun. The heat is almost unbearable. One of the closest cottages catches on fire. Christopher can tell the young wizard is faltering under the strain. Just as it seemed the wizard was about to lose his battle, the sorcerer's powers dim and his face goes blank as he looks down and sees the horn of a unicorn sticking out of his chest. He slides lifeless to the ground.

By that time all the enemy troops are dead or running off in every direction.

Christopher turns to the centaurs and tells them, "Do not let any of them escape." They run off in all directions in hot pursuit.

"After things calmed down, the human warriors were aghast at my audacity of taking charge over the dragon. The dragon himself didn't seem to mind, because I would find out later that the magical creatures knew that I had already been fighting for some time, and that I had saved many of their kind and would-be slaves. If they knew anymore of my actions they did not speak them aloud, and I did not offer any myself."

They found themselves in a little village of about a hundred people. By the time the Freedom Brigade got there seven adult men had already been killed.

Immediately the human warriors ask, "To survive this growing darkness we need volunteers to join our ranks." Twenty men and seven women step forward.

The highest ranking human, a major called Leon with gray hair and a thick gray mustache, Venloring by his uniform of medium gray and blue, ignores the women and tells them, "You women hold your place and take the elders and the children deep into the woods and hide out until this is over." Christopher can see the disappointment on their faces, but they are about to do as told.

Christopher steps forward and tells him, "Bullshit, they have every right to fight for those they love as much as any man."

"Boy, what do you know of battle? The instant the horror of it takes hold they will run and cry." This soldier is starting to annoy Christopher, and if the recent past was any measurement, it is not a good idea to annoy him.

A full-blown argument ensues. "Is that right! So that trait belongs to women only?"

"Of course not, but..."

Christopher cuts him off, "Listen up, you pompous son-of-a-bitch. My father and brothers died fighting in the war in this land. I notice you are still alive."

"The major started drawing his sword and I happily followed suit. Everybody took an involuntary step or two backwards. The next moment everybody was covering their ears when the white dragon let out a piercing roar that could no doubt be heard leagues away."

"Stop!" orders the silver dragon.

Both of them grudgingly put away their weapons.

"No matter, this force has become too big to be an effective guerrilla force. I will split off from here, and any girl who wants to fight for their freedom may do so at my side, and I will be glad for it.

"I may be young comparatively in my years, but necessity makes men, and I have been lucky to be around amazing women that taught me many things without ever saying a word. You ask why a woman would want to serve, since when if taken prisoner truly horrible things can be done to them. I ask you the same question about men. The answers are of course honor, courage, duty and the willingness to sacrifice for others. Women are not so different that those traits do not apply to them, to you. It will be the greatest honor of my life to fight and die beside you." Christopher says this last looking at the women. They are beaming.

Christopher then motions for the women to gather horses and weapons from the fallen enemy, and then he turns to the rest of the force, "Any who care to come with us may do so. We will head back to my country. The remaining force can stay here in this land and cause trouble."

The major draws his sword again and positions himself to stop the girls and says, "These horses and weapons will be needed for real fighting men, and you will not take them!"

Christopher started to dismount Shadow, but before he was halfway down, the unicorn walks between them and says, "I will gladly go with your force, young sir."

The white dragon speaks up next, "As will I, but us dragons will help keep the lines of communications open between all our groups."

Even the centaurs and minotaurs agree to go with Christopher.

He thanked them dearly, but suggested, "We will be more effective as fighting forces if one group stays here and the other goes with me." The silver dragon agrees for everybody.

As the Shadow Brigade, as they are to become known, pulled out, they brought one of the wagons, which was full of supplies. Ten of the human male soldiers chose to come with them also. The youngest girl that Christopher would allow to serve was Caitlin, who was only sixteen at the time. Christopher gave her charge of the wagon. She is a long raven haired, blue-eyed, five foot six mark, hundred and ten stoneling beauty, wearing a simple brown short sleeve peasant style calf length dress, whose sharp mind is only equaled by her golden heart. Her accent is definitely Venloring common, but it sounds very similar to a tribe in the deep south of Christopher's country of Hisperia. The other remaining six ladies were mounted and armed.

"We would train along the way."

"We will train along the way."

"Yes sir!"

Christopher glances over his left shoulder as they are pulling out and laughs to himself, "It is going to be very difficult to remain stealthy with a white unicorn and a white dragon, but still, I like our chances."

Of course it didn't hurt that the eleven minotaurs walked with them. Even if Christopher had wanted to, he couldn't have kept Katarina away, and she brought twenty of her kin with her.

"Plus the young wizard and all five witches came with us, too."

Several hours before the sun comes up Christopher sends the fairies out to find a safe place to hole up for the day.

The white dragon warned them, "There is a flight of black dragons patrolling the sky, but at the time being they are going away from us."

The shelter the fairies find is even big enough to make Kara the white dragon comfortable.

"Man could she snore."

Christopher expects the enemy to break through at any moment, but Katarina assures him, "Our magic will not only hide us visually, but also muffle the sounds. Now that there are enough of us fairies, our combined magic will be strong enough."

Just as the sun was about to disappear behind the world, they gathered themselves up. The seven women had shown remarkable endurance, as they did three straight hours of training before getting some sleep. First and foremost they were always ready to show their worth.

"That thought brought Sarah and my mother back to me full force. However I would not cry for them yet. I would continue to avenge them. Then the most curious thought dawned on me. Sarah, or in the later stages, Sarah's eyes, had not been coming around. Not even in my dreams."

Christopher figures she will only put forth the effort to cross over from the next existence if he was in danger of losing his soul or something.

Christopher shakes his head as dark thoughts remind him, "My soul is already lost, and nothing I do now will change my crimes against the innocents."

Christopher accepts that, and it will not detour him from this current path. It all leads, or at least he hopes, to the same place, death to his enemy.

"Even surrounded by these decent courageous people I felt alone."

Every village, town or single cottage the Shadow Brigade come to, they warn them about the growing dangers and welcome all who want to join their cause. Their ranks swell at a workable pace. Christopher is most surprised and pleased to see another unicorn fall in.

They only have one opportunity for an ambush, but by the time the main force arrives it is subjugated to mop-up duty, because four minotaurs and a witch had the enemy patrol of ten wiped out. With what has been building and who is now involved, Christopher knows ten soldiers would not be out in so little numbers unless they had serious reinforcements nearby.