Where Darkness Treads: Book Two—Of Tears & Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Arrows in the Sky

General Anktar led his forces, which had captured Etria in a fast march, back the way they had come. The success of his battle plan had hinged upon taking Etria, whole and intact.

Instead, the enemy had taken most of the raw materials, weapons, and provisions with them and burned the rest. Those actions would have left his army to face the approaching winter, without any manner of shelter, or means to survive.

For a handful of hours, General Anktar thought about committing his army in an all-out effort to cross the Thunder River and continue the campaign towards Etmindor. However, his far-seeing glasses revealed an enemy force were encamped on the opposite shore. A Centaur was watching him through his own far-sight device, no doubt, to determine what the Giant General would do now. Before, he had received the amulet from the Master, he would have rashly chosen to commit his troops to cross the Thunder River.

Now, he had measurably changed. General Anktar saw things in a different light and saw inherent strengths and weaknesses in his forces position. The river was swollen, the current was swift and deadly, due to the seasonal fall rains. To build even the simplest of craft to cross with, would take a great deal of time they did not have.

The mighty river would slow the river-crossing down to the point, where it would be chaotic at best. Meanwhile, the enemy would be able to concentrate their fire and devastate any craft which managed to draw close enough. At best, the attempt would be a wholesale s*******r. General Anktar knew the enemy was waiting for him to make such a mistake, which he refused to do.

This left General Antar with only one alternative to spare him from the prohibitively high numbers. He would force his troops to march back beyond the Skargtooth Mountains towards the bulk of his army. They were now gathering, waiting for his return to command them. Once his forces joined those waiting, they would begin the march towards the narrow mountain pass. The rest of the mountain crossings were already drifted shut with snow. To go around the mountains would literally take months of travel, while battling the ravages of winter.

New information on the condition of the pass, as of late was sadly lacking. The alliance knew the importance of the narrow passage through the mountains and was doubly diligent about defending it. General Anktar had no doubt the enemy defenses had been heavily strengthened. The battle for the pass would be a hard-fought struggle, one which he felt supremely confident his army would win.

In the back of General Anktar's mind, resurfaced the memory of the demon Centaur, who had stopped his army's advance with ease. Would he be in command of the enemy forces which would be defending the mountain pass? The thought made him angry, as well as uneasy. This Centaur was a cunning force to be reckoned with.

General Anktar had been preparing to give the command to begin what he felt would be the final day's battle for Etria. Before the general could give the command, he was informed the great city was on fire. The devastating news had sent him reeling in shock, and his forces were forced to watch from a distance as everything was destroyed. Sadeene had been furious to learn what the alliance had done the move had been abruptly conclusive.  For, the general had gambled his ruse would work, and the city's vast stores would be available to tide his army over through the winter.

From the top of a hill to their right, a sudden flicker of light drew General Anktar's attention. He snapped out of his mental meanderings and watched intently. In the blackness of the cloudy night sky, the light seemed unusually bright. The glint of light quickly became many, arcing through the air towards his men.

General Anktar whirled around to warn his men of impending danger but was relieved when he saw the arrows would miss his troops. The archers were out of range and had simply missed their mark. Ordinarily, alliance archers were a lot more accurate, and would have presented a more serious threat.

The arrows all fell a great deal short, landing in the dry grass and brush through which they marched. Almost instantly, the dry vegetation and tinder caught fire. The wind was blowing directly from the hill towards General Anktar's army. The breeze whipped the small blazes into a roaring wall of flame. The burning brush and grass rapidly became a maelstrom of fire racing towards them, threatening all in its path.

In horror, General Anktar suddenly realized the enemies' full intent. There was no option, but to flee the flames or die. "EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF, RUN FOR YOUR STINKING LIVES!" General Anktar roared from atop his wyllith's back and rode hard for an expansive rocky saddle, which consisted of nothing but barren stone. Helpless, all he could do was watch, as the horrible scene unfolded before him.

It did not take long, before the advancing flames converged with his men who were fleeing on foot. The air was filled with the sounds of roaring flames, screams of agony and terror. In a sea of fire, burning men and horses blindly wandered about, before they finally succumbed to the flames. In the distance, more than a dozen carts laden with vital provisions were now ablaze. Siege towers and weapons were reduced to charred ruin. It seemed everywhere General Anktar looked, flames had enveloped various elements of his army.

Rage and frustration filled General Anktar to the point of bursting. He ranted at the hill, from whence this attack had come, for he knew those there were watching everything. Without knowing how he knew, he felt sure this was the work of the demon Centaur. The attack had been swift and precise, it had to have been planned by him.

With great relief, General Anktar realized many of his men had managed to escape the fiery inferno. They had managed to survive, by climbing atop rocky ledges, rock outcroppings, or running to the center of large barren sandy areas. Overall, their losses had been relatively minor in comparison to the size of the army which followed him.

The Giant general realized he could not expect their good fortune to continue, unless he changed his tactics. He ordered his men to space themselves and to keep watch for ambushes.

General Anktar motioned to Lieutenant Dete. He had managed to reach the same saddle of rock which he himself had used to escape the flames.

"What are your orders, Sir?" Lieutenant Dete asked.

"We can probably expect more of these night attacks, as we march to regroup with the rest of our forces. I want small bands of scouts to patrol our perimeter, to maintain a constant watch for any sign of further ambushes. We need to be ready for any sign of danger, as you can be sure the enemy will be looking for the next target of opportunity.

General Anktar waited a while longer, as the last of the flames passed by his position. He angrily rode out to inspect the damage. Spurring his wyllith forward, he gazed upon the corpses of his men smoking in the night air and it served to infuriate him.

The attack had cost them a fair number of Kang warriors. Which meant there would be fewer to send in the first attacking waves. He had planned on using those Kang, on blunting the alliances response from their front line. Fortunately, he had an abundance of the fanatical warriors, who were more than willing to sacrifice themselves while battling the enemy. They bred like vermin, and General Anktar cared not a bit for their numbers.

General Anktar looked in the general direction, of where the city of Kandalare stood, beyond the horizon. The thought of sacking the alliance city excited him. The destruction of the great city and the alliance were the sole reasons he existed. They would pay dearly for what they had done here this night.

Gripping the red amulet tightly in his fist, General Anktar roared, "Borne of rock and stone, my blood and bone, I pledge to thee!" From out of the darkness, a multitude of figures assembled, forming themselves into ranks. His men had not lost their spirit, and still marched as one.

Together, their voices echoed his chanting into the night air. "Borne of rock and stone, my blood and bone, I pledge to thee!" Slowly in numbers, his men salvaged wagons spared, and food that was undamaged, there was a great deal that had been ruined.

With the blare of a horn, General Anktar began to lead his army onward once more. The familiar feeling of the red stone's power filled his body with great heat, as it hissed loudly within his great clenched fist. "You have only succeeded in rousing my anger, Centaur."