Chapter 10: There's No Time Like The Present

Allan turns to Rax and says, "Rax, let's take a ride. Stren, if you and your band of merry men will be as so kind as to join us. Rax, get another hundred men. The best of the lot that I'm sure you have already picked out. I want to put an effective fighting force out in the field to see how our enemy reacts."

"Right." Rax starts barking out orders.

"I'll get our horses ready," says Emma.

Allan is proud that he doesn't even have to ask Emma, although his first reaction is still to say no, but better for her to get some hands on training with him around and while the danger is only mildly fatal.

"Thunderheart, if you will be so kind as to join us." He knows right away Allan's main intent.

Without a word, the gray-speckled dragon lifts his massive body off the ground and starts spiraling above until they are ready to pull out.

Two hundred and four mounted troopers pull out, heading towards the central enemy's front lines. Now they will see just what these intruders are made of. They ride through the first night without any contact. It is two hours into the next morning when they finally come across some advanced patrols.

In fact it is three different one hundred man strong patrols. They see them and start converging on their position.

"Alright here we go. We are going to find out what they are made of. Split our forces into five groups of forty. Emma, you are with me. Rax, you lead a force, and Stren, if you will, pick out your best commander to lead another. Thunderheart, you stay out of it until we see what kind of fighters these people are. Ready. Charge!"

Allan doesn't want to give Emma too much time to think about what is coming. Allan gives command of his troop over to a young lieutenant from the prince's own guard so he can see him in action, and so he can stick close to Emma. Allan makes sure to let several rows of soldiers get in front of him and Emma.

You can hear nothing over the thundering hooves of the horses. If the enemy thought that they had them dead to rights they don't know what to think at this point. The allies being outnumbered by a hundred men, and yet they are still attacking. The enemy ranks show momentary indecision, but soon follow the orders that their commanders are yelling. The enemy spreads out to twenty-five riders wide and four rows deep. Allan aligns his group to ten horses wide and therefore four rows deep.

"Emma, stay close."

At this point Allan has a sword in each hand and has to trust that Rax has taught Emma some real tactics, because in the initial impact things are bound to get chaotic and he might lose sight of her. Their lines hit full force, and the horses scream out and blood is once again flowing. This Allan knows. This Allan understands. Like a long lost friend come to welcome him home. The ring of steel pierces above the grunts of war.

As soon as Allan makes it through the lines he doubles back to find Emma and keep her from harm. She is doing well. She blocks several lunges and runs one enemy soldier through.

Emma is about to kick her horse into action again when Allan rides up next to her and shakes his head no to her. "Emma, you have to trust your horse. Put the reins in your mouth and steer with your legs. Now get your dagger in your left hand, and use that to block any blows that have made it through your initial defenses. When you are in close quarter combat you can sometimes use your horse to hit their horse to throw off their strike. Yeah like that, babygirl. Whoa, yeah. Go, girl, go. Use the rump of your horse to throw him off. Yeah, now run him through. Good job, wife. Whoa, watch it, watch it, watch it. To your right. To your right!" Two enemy riders are bearing down on her.

Something breaks in Allan and he goes wild. He takes a whole group of the enemy out as he positions himself between the enemy and Emma. With his sword in his right hand and now his dagger in his left, he fells both the enemy soldiers as they collide with him. As Allan is repositioning himself, another enemy soldier is coming up behind him and is going to run him through when Emma runs her horse into him and runs him through. On his way down to his death he slashes out with his sword, barely nicking Emma on the left upper arm.

When Allan hears Emma yell out, his head clears and he forces himself to calm down and return to her side. He motions for Emma to follow him out of the battle.

At this point, Allan is more interested in watching the fighting of both the enemy and their forces. He has already seen Emma in battle, and he is proud beyond description. Allan needs to know how both sides respond in battle. He and Emma watch from a safe distance. It doesn't take long for the enemy to turn and run. As Allan looks around at all the groups, the same is happening everywhere.

"Thunderheart, if you wouldn't mind." Allan whispers on the wind, as he had done with Stephen.

Thunderheart dives from the sky and attacks the retreating enemy again and again, until only a handful get away. It is true that they are retreating, but they are still able-bodied soldiers who will be put back into the fight at a later date.

"Better them now, than us later." Allan says to no one in particular.

They have a dozen wounded, with two fallen. They wrap their wounds as best they can and start heading back to their main camp. Allan knows by then that the other dragons will have much needed information for them. Emma did well, and Allan knows this short engagement will be the best thing for her, because even though you train hard so when things get chaotic you can fall back on that training, the most valuable aspect to a warrior is the ability to think under fire, and the only way to get to that point is to fight.

"How you doing, babygirl?" Allan says in his thick Scottish brogue.

"I'm okay." Emma says with a grim look on her face, still shaking.

Allan rides closer to her and rubs her shoulders and back for a second. "You did well. Though I would expect nothing less from you. Don't worry, the shaking will stop in a minute."

"It will? This is normal?" Emma asks, encouraged.

Allan turns to the troop and asks, "How many people are still shaking from the engagement?" About three-fourths of them raise their hands.

"You did well, Emm." and then Allan reaches over and puts his hand on Emma's hair and neck and leans over to her, as she leans over to him and they kiss.

"Hey where is my kiss?" one of the soldiers teases.

Everybody laughs and Emma smiles her beautiful smile, and then it fades as she turns to Allan, "Allan, I killed three people."

"I know, babygirl, and I'm sorry it has had to come to this. It will change you, but that doesn't mean it will change you in a life-shattering way. You must remind yourself that you did not start or want this. You did what you did out of love and survival, not hatred or malice. Fear not, wife, your beautiful aura still shines bright to me." Emma smiles and nods with tears in her eyes.

Kaleidoscope goes first; "When I reached the eastern lines our forces were in full retreat and in danger of being overrun, so I joined in on the fight. There was one demon dragon, but I made quick work of him and soon had the enemy forces in full retreat. The enemy force numbers twenty-five thousand easy, and we have maybe a thousand troops left still in fighting condition. I ordered them to slow up the enemy as best they can, but to start their way here."