Chapter 17: It's Going To Be A Long Day

All that is seen the entire morning are several flights of enemy dragons off in the distance. The calm lasts through lunch, so Rax makes sure his troops have one last meal. It is about two o'clock when the first signs of why they are here make their appearance. At first it sounds like thunder off in the distance, but as the hours progress, you can start to pick out the sounds of a massive marching army.

"Thunderheart, can you sense them?"

"Yes, they are still a league or more away."

"Okay, by the time they reach us there should be an hour of light left. I changed my mind, we won't even let them set up. We will attack them immediately. We'll fight for about an hour and then we will begin our tactical withdraw. Thunderheart and Kaleidoscope, spread the word to our commanders."

The dragons fly into the sky and move with haste. A lot of times Allan finds it easier to let Rax take command of situations, because almost nobody will argue with him, but as he is looking down from atop his steed Allan has to admit Rax's commanding skills have escalated into greatness. If they survive this at all, it is going to be a testament to that.

The sounds of a massive marching army are many. Besides the thundering sounds of footsteps, you hear the jingle of armor and weapons. The yells as commanders give out orders so they can be heard above the din of chaos. The screech of the enemy dragons as they grow nearer preparing for battle. But the worse sound of war is the dead silence as both sides prepare for battle.

Now that the enemy has grown silent, the Allies know they are making that one last stop to solidify their lines, and making sure their reinforcements and supplies are within an affective range. If this evil army is anything like the other armies of intimidation and annihilation Allan has encountered, they will beat their weapons on their shields and yell out war cries both to intimidate their enemies and lift their own courage. Rax will not give them that satisfaction.

With strict orders to remain as quiet as possible through the whole battle, Rax gives the order to move forward. The cavalry is under strict orders to stay with the main force until actual contact is made, and then they will ride hard and fast deep into the enemy's formations, disrupting what they can and killing all who they see. Since the enemy has many more dragons than the Allies, their only hope is to get close in with the enemy so the dragons will be hesitant to attack for fear of killing their own soldiers.

Once night falls and the tactical retreat begins, the Alliance Forces of Light only hope of escape will be the magic arrows the wizards and witches enchanted for them, since dragons can see very well in the dark. After that, all they can hope for is Stephen to show up with reinforcements.

As Allan squeezes himself between two infantrymen so he can be on the first line of battle, he looks up and down the ranks. He sees stoic courage. He sees fear, and he sees a sort of trance that some people go into when they believe they are about to die.

For Allan it is an old feeling that makes him have to fan his face, because even in the chill winter and fading day his temperature rises. An old rage building and building until the only thing that can release it is the blood of his enemy.

The land is rolling hills of grassland as far as the eye can see. Sporadic groups or singular trees spring forth from the world in such a fashion that they will not help with the war effort, but they are there in all their glory to remind those who care to look that life is strong. The rolling grasslands then turn into the wheat fields where Allan first discovered Emma further south. His section comes over the top of a good-sized hill, and at the bottom, not one hundred paces away, is the enemy and they are not fully prepared. Rax gives the order and the archers begin sending volley after volley into the enemy ranks.

Rax raises his double-headed battleaxe into the air and spins it around, and the command is repeated down the line and out of sight. The Alliance Forces pick up speed to double time. Still not a sound is uttered, and Allan is impressed with their army's mettle. They grow nearer and the enemy arrows begin to fall. The last stage before they make actual physical contact is for the throwing spears to be launched into the front lines of the enemy, so the cavalry will have a chance to make it past their battle spears.

Once the throwing spears get launched, their battle spears, swords, battleaxe's, maces, and in even some cases mere farming tools, will come out and the cavalry will ride deep into the enemy forces and the battle will begin in earnest.

There go the battle spears. Their weapons are drawn, and the rest of the cavalry and Allan ride full force into the enemy lines, and in some cases such as Allan, jump right over the enemy forces. As Allan does so he swings his sword in his left hand down in a vicious arc and splits a man's head clean in half, helmet and all still attached to his neck. Allan lands on a pile of dead enemy soldiers. The allied archers did some damage. And then Allan begins swinging both of his swords wildly but with purpose.

Allan sees a group of his cavalry off to his left trying to form an effective fighting force, so he turns to join them. As a cohesive unit they cut a very deadly swath through the enemy ranks. At first all they have to worry about are arrows and spears flying past their heads, but the deeper they get, they start to encounter deadly bolts of magic from dark sorcerers and the dragonmen wizards.

The Allies have been riding and fighting for nearly twenty minutes, so Allan starts directing what is left of their cavalry group back towards the front lines. It is anyone's guess where they are at this point.

As they are riding back, Allan sees a dragonman commander yelling out orders, so he splits off from the group and rides straight for him. Allan raises his sword in his right hand and swings it with full force. Just in time the enemy commander raises his sword, and when their weapons meet a big purple arc of power flashes and Allan's sword shatters into twenty pieces and Allan feels and hears at least four bones in his hand and arm break. His right arm falls lifeless at his side.

Allan looks back over his shoulder in hopes of at least seeing the enemy soldier dead, but all he sees is the enemy commander pointing his sword at him, which a purple bolt of energy flies out of and barely misses him.

"Damn it."

They are wrong! It appears that the enemy dragons have no problems killing their own conscripts while trying to kill the Allies. The Alliance Forces of Light will be lucky to survive the hour. Every now and again you will see a demon dragon drop out of the sky as a magic arrow hits him or her, or a wizard or witch blasts him or her with their staff or wand.

Rax is on foot taking two and sometimes three enemy soldiers out with a single swing of his mighty battleaxe. His commands can be clearly heard over the din of battle. At first the units that stay the closest together fare the best, until the enemy dragons start picking them off in big groups. Hundreds of Allied Forces are dying every ten minutes, but at long last the sun completes its descent and darkness will hopefully become the ally they seek.

The battle has been raging for only forty minutes. The last twenty are going to be very confusing.

Rax orders that the battle be resumed with renewed vigor. "Fight, fight, my brothers and sisters, with all that you have left. Whether we live or die we will show these creatures of the abyss that The Way will remain, no matter the outcome of today."

At this point exhaustion has no meaning and fear has no place. You fight or you die. You keep your head about you or you are sure to lose it.

All the way down on the eastern end of the Alliance Forces of Light, they actually collapse the enemy line and wipe out their eastern flank. It appears the commanders of this dark army have ordered that the dragons remain more towards the middle of the battle. Their orders are most likely to protect their sorry butts. Allan is really beginning to hate these dragonmen things. It turns out that Prince Reginald, who Allan helped earlier, has taken command of that end of the battle, and of course his troops are probably the most professional on the continent.

The prince is still young, and he is a handsome man, Allan guesses, but the look in his eyes is one that Allan is well accustomed to. Of course, it doesn't hurt that this is his land being stained with the blood of his hated enemy and beloved people. He is mounted with a battle spear in his left hand and a two handed battle sword in his right. Sticking out of his leathers are three arrows, and it appears that all three have pierced his armor as blood runs down his body.

The enemy sends forth cavalry to stem the tide of defeat on the eastern end of the line. The prince leads his men straight for them in the dark. They only have seconds to react before colliding. An enemy horse impacts with his so hard it spins his horse around at a forty-five degree angle, and then an enemy soldier comes out of the dark and swings his battleaxe and cuts off the prince's right foot and ankle. The prince screams out and shoves his sword down into the neck of the enemy soldier. The prince does not falter, he continues fighting, but his horse has also been injured. At long last the sweet sounds of the horns ring out signaling the tactical withdraw.