Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm (42 page)

“Thank you, Master Dragons. We, as always, have faith in you and your riders,” the 29
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Legion commander stated. “However, this large path through the east side of the mountains concerns me,” he continued. “This could actually lead a battalion or larger unit behind our planned defense line.”

“We need a blocking force there just in case, a small but strong group just shy of battalion strength, that is highly capable, very mobile, independent, and stubborn. The Draden garrison possesses a force such as this,” Wierangan stated pointedly and turned to look at Mkel, as did all the other officers in the tent. Mkel paused and quickly realized what he was saying.

“Sir, while my garrison was looking to be on the line or lead a counterattack, with the dwarves to anchor on and my infantry company, elves, and other assets, we make a very effective striking force,” Mkel explained.

“That is precisely why you and your combined weir need to be at that pass. You are the only truly mixed unit in most of the Alliance. With your combined arms makeup, you could hold that pass against a division for hours, and if no force attempts a bypass, you will be our exploitation to break their backs. Captain Mkel, I know your soldiers and friends are up to this task,” the Draden Regiment commander affirmed to his younger weir counterpart.”

Mkel paused for a few seconds and then spoke out. “Sir, I understand the importance of this and agree to put the weir garrison there, but if the opportunity presents itself, you all can call on my soldiers,” he responded.

“Yes, it will be integral to our success,” Wierangan replied.

“Oh right, sir, but on one condition, that my elf clan leader Dekeen and a platoon of his clan go with the centaurs of Eladran Weir for their strike against the fire giant advance guard. They are almost as fast as centaurs and can keep up with them with their stamina. They will be able to whittle down the orcs and other creatures in that small army to allow the centaurs to hit the giants with everything they have. Plus, if Dekeen is with them, he could tip the odds in their favor. Upon the completion of this mission, they will move back to the rear of the garrison and assume a reserve role,” Mkel answered.

“Then it is decided. Our defensive line is here,” Lordan moved the small representations of the gathered Alliance forces on the projected map to the choke point between the forest and the graduating wall of the mountains. “We will position our catapults here, here, and here to mass their fires on the giants and their army and to limit the damage they can incur from the enemy’s throwers. The sappers will emplace a hasty obstacle in front of the line, and we will man it with our archers and the elves until pressed and then quickly assemble the legions to defend it. The Eladran Cavalry will move through the path that the centaurs have found and strike from the rear of the enemy column with the 29
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legion’s cavalry defending the flanks of the infantry.

“Gallanth will lead the Eladran Weir’s dragons and all of the aerial forces for the attack tomorrow morning as they will likely be on the march. The centaurs and a small contingent of Draden Weir’s elves will hit the advance guard late this afternoon and then fall back through the forest and become our reserve. The supply wagons will consolidate here in this meadow, which will be the main wounded treatment point. We will move catapult stones and resupply to these points as well as arrows for the archers. If we are pressed and the dragons cannot teleport the supply corps out, they will move behind the legions as they fight a retrograde. If the legions are successful and we break the enemy’s advance, the reserve will exploit the success reinforced by Draden Weir’s garrison. With the Creator willing, we will route this swarm of evil heading to our lands,” Lordan summarized the attack plan.

“Yes, but remember that the Morgathians will be emboldened with their recent victory in Ariana and the razing of the city of Hasera. We are still trying to figure that one out, but it was not without cost on their part. All agreed?” Colonel Wierangan looked at all the gathered officers.

“Yes, Colonel, and I, Eladran’s, and the 29
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legion’s wizards will see to the Morgathian sorcerers to best protect your soldiers,” Jodem stepped up from the back of the tent to address the group.

“Thank you, Master Wizard Jodem, we trust in your and your associates’ powers to keep dark magic at bay,” the 29
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Legion commander stated, and the wizards nodded a response.

“Sir, I’ll move my garrison to the mountain pass tonight after they’ve eaten the evening meal,” Mkel offered.

“Good. Well, Gentleman, may we be victorious, and may the Creator watch over us and our soldiers,” Wierangan said, and they all agreed and broke up the meeting.

They then proceeded to their respective units. Mkel, Gallanth, and Jodem walked past the thousands of soldiers and mounts moving all about preparing for battle as they got back to the Draden Weir garrison and pulled everybody in to give them their briefing. He stuck Kershan into the ground and let its dragonstone project the terrain they were going to fight in. He then explained the legions’ plan of attack and addressed their part in the fight.

“Draden, the plan for us is to guard this pass through the lower eastern mountains here.” He had the area of the pass highlighted in his sword’s projected image. “There is enough room to move a regiment through this path, and the legion commanders and Colonel Lordan are concerned that if any part of the fire giants’ army gets behind the main Alliance line, they could break us. We are to prevent that from happening. Lupek, take a section of the rangers and secure our site, for we have to be in place in a couple of hours to allow the sappers time to prepare a hasty defense.

“Dekeen, I need for you to take a platoon of your elves and accompany the Eladran centaurs on their attack of the fire giant army’s advance guard. They know the woods here from before the Great War when they were driven off. They will need help though, and with your kin’s foot speed and stealth in the forest, you’ll make an ideal force to attrit the enemy as they pursue the centaurs after the initial attack.” Dekeen nodded; Mkel knew he already had been listening to the senior commanders discuss the operation in the tent from several hundred yards away with his elf ears.

“Lieutenant Willaward, I see your throwers positioning here to take advantage of the sloping terrain and also protect you from any lucky giant-hurled boulders. Remember, you don’t need horses to move now,” Mkel explained. He nodded but stated he would like an alternate position down farther on the mountain slope in case he had to shift his fires to the main battle. Mkel agreed. “Lenor, I will keep you back between the garrison company and the catapults as our reserve just in case of surprises and to pursue any fleeing attacker. Gallanth and I will teleport the garrison, the dwarves, and the remaining elves to the positions this evening. We will array ourselves in standard battlefield formation with dwarves in the center, infantry on the flanks, but with two platoons on the side of the dwarves away from the mountain. This will force them to attack to the left, right into the sites of our new sharpshooters with the repeating crossbows.

“Senior Sergeants Gemorg and Hartsean, I want your shooters placed right here in a trench that the sappers will make for you about one hundred fifty yards up the slope. This will give you good standoff from an assault and with plunging fires and maximum cover. Your section will lead the fires on the enemy attack as they enter the kill sack. Hit them first at your longest range, for the more attrition you and the garrison crossbowmen give them, the better. Ordin, your dwarves are our anchor as always. I have faith in their tenacity. Dekeen, your remaining elves will provide the dwarves archer support and plug in any holes in the line as usual. Clydown, once your sappers have finished preparing the defense, fall back to the catapults. Wheelor, the land dragons will be on the flanks of the garrison to strike and prepare for any giants that might get close.

“Pekram, Lieutenant Ablich, you have command on the ground while I, Gallanth, Weir Sergeant Toderan, and Jodem provide top cover and hit the Morgathian army hard, then engage the chromatics. Captain Vicasek, your wagons will use this route to ferry any supplies and wounded back to the legion assembly area, which will remain here in the meadow. Since Silvanth can’t be here, Beckann, Watterseth, I need you to accompany them if something gets through. A copper dragon and her rider from Eladran Weir will also be providing support to you in case any chromatics break through.” The seasoned cleric and elf wizard nodded in acknowledgment.

“Lawrent, I’ve accepted risk in letting some of the elves go for two reasons: first, we have dramatically increased range and firepower with the new dragon-sinew repeating crossbows, and two, I have your raiders. Split your men into two groups, one right with the sharpshooters up on the ridge and the second in behind the platoon facing the enemy beside the mountain, just in case. Tegent, you’re my wingman tomorrow. Keep the little ones off,” Mkel said with a smile.

“If we are not engaged, we will be an exploitation force for the legions. If you are surrounded, go to the turnstile formation until I can send the rangers as reinforcements or break from the battle in the air. We will be teleporting out after the evening meal, so I want all pre-battle inspections performed before we move to the pass. Are there any questions? . . . Thank you, and I will be talking to you all again tonight with hopefully a little more information about the enemy. I also want to get the plans from the platoon leaders on their ideas for the fight after we get to the pass once you have walked the ground,” Mkel finished, and the garrison began to prepare for the movement to the mountain pass and the battle to come.

“Why hasn’t the main body of the army left yet?” the Morgathian Talon sorcerer Marlok demanded of one of the officers of his senior death knight Restregem.

“Sire, we are getting the orcs in formation now, and the fire giants have been slow to move as well,” the nervous officer stated. While not a death knight, he was of somewhat importance, as indicated by the polished status of his black-iron armor.

“I want that oaf of a fire giant king brought here at once!” he demanded. The officer quickly acknowledged, turned, and almost ran to where the hundreds of giants were gathering on the far side of the shallow valley of their mountain castle.

“Now we must finalize these battle plans or we will be desynchronized with the feint attacks being conducted in Shidan and on the Alliance coastal fortresses,” he directed Restregem and his war council.

“Yes, my liege,” the death knight answered as they looked over a map of the Gray Mountains and started to argue over the plan of attack. “The advance guard is well on its way to clear the path of any rogue elf or centaur clans, as well as the Alliance outposts in the mountains. They will establish a foothold on Alliance soil on the enemy’s side of the pass. From here, our main army will thrust quickly toward their dragon fortress called Eladran. Our six wings of chromatics will overwhelm the twenty or so dragons there. This will allow the reserve of the army to seize and breach their gates once the main part of our force and the Alliance fortress legion both destroy each other. The plan is simple,” he explained.

“What of the catapults and their cavalry, not to mention their land dragons—each of which alone is deadly much less when they’re synchronized?” Sadok asked.

“Our catapults will move through the pass and then establish their firing groups behind the army to prepare for firing on both the Alliance legion and then the mountain fortress itself. As for their land dragons and cavalry, the giants and the behirs will silence them,” Marlok theorized.

“I wouldn’t be so confident,” Ashram’s voice came through his mind-eye spell, which materialized just above and behind the gathered group. Just at that moment, the dozens of chromatic dragons that were perched at the base of the fire giants’ mountain castle looked up, and the lead red dragon bellowed out his challenge roar to Ashram mounted on his province’s senior red dragon, Infernex. The large red descended quickly and landed by the gathered dozens of chromatics, with a commanding, ground-shaking thud and looked over to the other demon red dragon with a slight hiss to his breathing. Ashram carefully and slowly levitated down from the chromatic’s crude saddle and walked over to the group of other sorcerers and death knights, as Infernex began a heated debate with Marlok’s lead red dragon Vorgash. Ashram’s nightmare steed landed behind Infernex and carefully moved away from the arguing dragons.

“Well, to what do we owe the honor of the mighty sorcerer of the lost battle of Handsdown?” Marlok spat at him.

“Keep your fangs together, worm. I am here to warn you of what you are about to face,” Ashram countered.

“Oh, I would have thought that you were here to either redeem your embarrassing defeat by three dragons and one simple legion or for your chance at the Alliance dragons’ treasure to make up for them pillaging the hoards of your lost squadrons of chromatics that were taken,” Marlok again insulted him.

“If that is what you think, fool, then send your army out ahead of your dragons and see what will happen when the Alliance chews them apart. But then your army, with the aid of the fire giants, is so much more powerful than the portion of my army that had to face the Alliance. Please go and seek the victory you so rightly deserve, as Nozok and Tbok have done in Ariana against the desert vermin. But this would be a victory against the Alliance. A defeat over our vaunted and ancient enemy and the strength of their metallic dragons, not to mention the untold riches that lay hidden in those weir fortresses of theirs that would be yours for the taking. But you already know that you will easily defeat the two squadrons of metallic dragons at Eladran Weir and easily handle the cavalry legion garrisoned there as well. So who am I to offer you humble advice, oh wise Marlok?” Ashram offered his explanation with a chastising tinge.

“Then what would you have us do different, my dear Ashram? And speak quickly, for it looks like your conversion to being an undead lich sorcerer is setting in,” Marlok said in a very condescending manner. He was referring to Ashram’s overuse of his dark-crystal staff for greater magic and those evil stones’ tendency to extract the life force from their users. The end state of most Talon sorcerers who used their dark crystals to a greater extent was their conversion to an undead zombielike creature called a lich. As the sorcerers slowly transformed into this hideous state, their flesh started to rot and they could only sustain themselves through the drinking of blood or ingesting of human flesh. However, even this practice only delayed the inevitable, and the sorcerers eventually succumbed to the evil soul-draining power of their crystals, being absorbed by it. Likely, this side effect was from the power derived from the dark crystal through Tiamat’s or a powerful chromatic’s blood and its fully evil propensity to destroy life.