Mighty Hammer Down (27 page)

The Emperor put his hand on Andrew’s
shoulder. "My boy, in this great land you are free to make such
statements. There is no need to apologize. If anyone should
apologize it should be us for handling this matter in such a blunt
way. We are all going through a troubling time. Please forgive
us."

There was a hot flame raging behind
Tannis’s eyes. "I do not ask for forgiveness. You will accept my
views for what they are, or you will not. I do not care about your
feelings."

Andrew shrank back from the imposing
General. "I understand, General Tirinius."

Tannis walked over to the wall where
there were shelves holding books. He removed a few and flipped
through them until he found the one he was looking for. When he
returned to the table, he slammed it down on the wood a little
louder than was necessary. He opened the book to the first page
where an ornate map was painted. In the center was the known world
according to the Medorans, and surrounding it were the three gods
of light and Oderion in the center. In one lower corner were three
statues meant to be Inshae, Maeris, and Aedensor, the gods of
darkness and in the other corner was the Emperor’s Hall. All of the
figures were executed masterfully, and seemed to be coming off the
page. The whole map was surrounded by a brilliant blue sky and
delicate gold scrollwork.

"What a beautiful map!" Andrew said.
"How did the artist make the gold look so real? It’s
extraordinary."

"Pay no attention to the gold and the
figures. I show this to you because I do not have any other map
nearby," Tannis said. "I am showing this to you so that we can
determine the best plan of action. Where was the Bhoor army last
time you saw it?"

"I never saw the Bhoor army, only the
Vindyri army. But most of the Vindyri I saw were here, southeast of
Burnhamheade." Andrew pointed to the place on the map. "The ones
arriving in Burnhamheade were only the first wave of the retreat.
For the whole of my trip to Medora I could look to the east and see
the clouds of dust on the horizon. They started the retreat a few
weeks ago, and I am sure it has ended by now, but I have not been
able to see the sky from the room you have me staying
in."

"Why did they not all retreat at
once?" The Emperor asked as he leaned on the arm of his chair and
scratched his eyebrow.

"Well, so much of the army went off to
fight the Bhoors that there was almost no protection left for the
towns and cities. Many men stayed at the front and gave their lives
so that the rest of the army could return to Vindyrion and protect
the people. It had to be done in waves because the front line was
continually annihilated and had to be replaced by those farthest
east."

"That sounds reckless to me," Tannis
said. "Is your King so foolish that he would send his entire army
to war and leave none at home?"

"He knew that you would not agree with
the strategy, and he was not happy with the plan from the start.
But the Bhoor army was much larger than he thought. Like I said, I
never saw it, but I heard the scouts informing the King, and they
said that they blackened the land for as far as the eye could see.
There was no way to even guess at the number."

Tannis sat down in his chair across
from the other two men. "I have been in more battles than I can
remember, and I have never seen such a thing. Your scouts must have
simply panicked and overestimated."

"Well, that may be true, I really
can’t say. What I do know is that I saw some of them men returning
from battle and they had tears in their eyes. I have seen men cry
before, but not like this. These men were terrified."

Tannis looked to the eyes of the
Emperor. He could sense what he was thinking. He was thinking the
very same thing himself. "If the Bhoors are not stopped, they will
roll right over the Vindyri and invade Medora."

The Emperor scratched his head,
attempting to hide his uneasy feelings. "But surely the Bhoors
cannot have an army that could be that size. They are a poor
people."

"No," Tannis said. "They were a poor
people. They have had something like 20 years to trade with the
Vindyri and whoever else is on their eastern border; and last time
all of our nations fought each other. They are stronger now. They
might have recruited everyone in the lands around them. They have
had time to grow wealth and have sons who are now of fighting age.
All this time they have been preparing to meet us in battle
again."

"Tannis, you are overreacting. We are
safe here," the Emperor said as he tried to get comfortable in his
chair.

"I respect you Emperor, you know that.
But I must tell you that you are being foolish. Is closing your
eyes to this danger and pretending that it does not exist a wise
thing to do? Is your confidence in our safety enough to protect
your people? We must ride out and meet this enemy before he comes
to our borders."

"We have sent men. Soterus has 20,000
men with him and you sent another 20,000 behind him."

"I now regret doing so. We need to
send five full Legions into Vindyrion."

The eyes of the Emperor went wide.
"Five Legions? With only two to protect the cities? Did you not
just call the Vindyri King a fool for doing much the same
thing?"

"King Weryn is a fool for many
reasons, but he is not so foolish that he would send his entire
army to battle without it being necessary. I feel that we must do
the same in order to have a chance against the Bhoors. They will
not expect us to be so reckless, and we will take them by
surprise."

"Do you really think this is the best
solution Tannis?"

"Yes Emperor, I do. Now that I have a
little more information I feel that this is the best way to ensure
our safety. We will still have two Legions here at home, and we
will not have to fight on our own soil. The Bhoors will have to go
through all five Legions on the field before they can confront the
final two here."

The worried eyes of the Emperor looked
into the confident eyes of the General and softened. "I trust you
Tannis. I know you know what is best to protect our people. If you
need five Legions, you will have them."

"Guard!" Tannis shouted. A man threw
open the door to the room and entered, standing at attention.
"Guard, inform the Commanders of every Legion except Moon and Earth
that they are to gather provisions and be ready to ride to war. All
five Legions must be ready by sunrise. Send riders to all the towns
immediately to spread word to the soldiers there. Go at
once."

The guard did not even take the time
to salute, and instantly sprung into motion. His footsteps could be
heard echoing through the open door as he ran down the corridor.
Tannis turned back to the men at the table and slammed the book
closed. "I will not even bother to point to the place on the map
where I think the Bhoors are now. We don’t have much
time."

Andrew fidgeted nervously in his
chair. "What shall I do, General? Am I to return to Vindyrion
now?"

"Yes Ambassador. But you will not go
alone. You will come with us and we will escort you back to
Burnhamheade, unless it has already been overrun. If it has, I am
sure the King is not there, and we will take you to wherever he
is."

"Why can I not be on my way before the
morning? The Bhoors do not know that I am an
Ambassador."

"You don’t know that. Besides, none of
my scouts or any of our Ambassadors have returned from Vindyrion,
so obviously you are a target. It is in the best interest of the
Bhoors to disrupt any communications between Medora and Vindyrion.
Under different circumstances, I would have sent you back to your
King with our terms. We were going to tax you heavily for this war,
but now it seems that we have more important things to worry about.
You will ride with me, never leaving my sight."

"As you wish, General Tirinius,"
Andrew said as he bowed his head.

Tannis stood up, his towering form
throwing a long shadow over the table. "I must prepare for battle.
I will leave instructions for the Moon and Earth Legions. Andrew,
gather your things and be ready by morning." He turned abruptly and
walked away, his heavy boots making loud echoes in the room as he
made his way to the door.

"Tannis," the Emperor called out,
bringing him to a halt. "May the gods be with you."

Tannis said nothing as he calmly
walked through the door and down the corridor towards his
quarters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was an unseasonably cool morning in
Medora. The blue mists of daybreak clung to the fields in a futile
effort to avoid the coming rays of the sun. A few birds cawed
loudly as they made for their destination somewhere in the open
purple sky. Tannis never bothered with the superstitions about
seeing birds in the sky before a journey. He couldn’t remember if
it was supposed to be a good omen or a bad one. Either way he
thought it was ridiculous that people placed so much importance on
such trivial things. The way he saw it, the gods would decide what
ultimately happened to him, birds or no birds.

The ground was firm again around the
stables. The recent rains had turned the network of dirt roads in
the area into a sloppy mess of mud and muck. Aside from any paths
in the woods or random trails, the stables were the only place
where there were dirt roads in Medora. The neatly paved stone roads
were not only cleaner, but necessary for the army to move swiftly
if they were needed. Luckily the Vindyri had the sense to pave many
of their roads as well, so there would be little trouble in getting
to the front line in good time.

These particular stables were larger
than the ones deeper inside Brinn. Most of the ones in the city
were for horses that were owned by the people, and pulled carts and
wagons to keep the economy active. Here at the outskirts of the
city, the warhorses were kept. Tannis walked in through the broad
opening and was greeted with the smell of fresh oats and the sounds
of horses eager to leave their stalls. Most of the horses came to
their stall door to see who was coming. The one at the end snorted
and tossed his head erratically, clearly showing his
excitement.

Tannis didn’t show his own excitement,
but he had to fight the urge to grin at the beast. This horse cared
for no other being but him, and that loyalty made him feel good.
The only other person that the horse paid any attention to was his
son. Rommus had always said that the horse probably thought they
smelled similar.

He finally reached the last stall and
put a hand to the horse’s muzzle to calm him. He appeared to be a
midnight blue color in the muted light of the coming dawn, but the
horse was as black as the raven hair of the Medorans. His coat
shined like no other, accenting his enormous muscles. Rhodiir was
no ordinary horse. Like Tannis he was larger than normal, and his
whole body was meatier and fuller than the average steed. His
muscles were large and toned, and his legs were thicker and heavier
to support the massive weight. He was a proud animal, a great
warrior, and even a friend.

Some soldier had already come and
saddled and harnessed him, and Tannis was certain he was fed as
well. He opened the stall door and Rhodiir strode out in his
typical noble manner. Tannis ran his hands over his flanks,
checking him over for nothing in particular. It was all part of
their ritual, but he claimed to "check" the animal so that no one
would realize he was actually petting him. Rhodiir always stood
still and allowed Tannis to touch him for as long as he liked, so
he knew the horse enjoyed it as much as his master did.

Rhodiir cocked his head and snorted.
He obviously heard someone coming before Tannis did, but he could
read the animal’s thoughts. He turned to the entrance and waited
for someone to come into view. A soldier from the Star Legion came
around the corner, accompanied by Pirius Tecadelion, the younger
son of the Emperor.

"Gentlemen," Tannis said, "make it
quick. We are preparing for war and must be going."

"Of course, General," the soldier
said. "I am from the Star Legion, and I will be going as well. I
come because I have news of your son. You must forgive me for the
delayed news, but I was not the one to hear it, and I deliver the
message that was meant to come from another."

"What is wrong? Is Rommus all right?
Why are you bringing me this news and not the original
soldier?"

"Your son is fine, General. The first
soldier to hear the news was my brother, and he has had an
accident." The man stood tall, but tears fought to fill his eyes.
"He fell from his horse and was found by the roadside between here
and Taburdum. He was in bad shape, and he has died."

"I am sorry to hear that, soldier.
Find comfort in the fact that he died serving Medora, and no matter
how small the task was, it was important. What was his
message?"

"He was sent by Commander Soterus from
Taburdum before they left for Vindyrion. Rommus had passed through
there and met with Soterus. He sends news to you that you are
permitted to take the weapons you need from his forge, and that he
had some sort of encounter with Mages, but he is unharmed." The man
breathed in a few ragged breaths in an attempt to fight the tears
that were brimming in his eyes. "If there was more to the message,
I am afraid he died before he could tell us. I am sorry General
Tirinius."