Where Darkness Treads: Book Two—Of Tears & Darkness

Chapter Thirteen: Strategic Withdrawal

Three weeks after the evacuation of Etria, found the flood of refugees still traveling towards Kandalare. In the early morning sunlight, wagons of all sizes and their teams, continued to roll steadily down the road. These were followed by a seemingly, never-ending torrent composed of thousands of men, women, and children. To Maska, what they had accomplished in the battle for Etria, was nothing short of a miracle.

The Caralonian Government had been crippled by the Darkbinder, and Caralon's military had nearly been rendered useless. The dark mage had been most effective, and Maska fretted about where he was now. The outcome had been far better, then they had a right to expect. King Aramus, though injured, was now traveling by wagon guarded by armed escort to Kandalare, ahead of them.

There, he would recover and assist in making decisions, which required his input. The thought that he would survive, made Maska smile. Far too many years ago, when they were children, they had played together, when their families met for matters of state.

Scattered among this massive flood of refugees from Etria, were a great many wagons, heavily laden with food, iron, lumber, weapons, and various raw materials. Many wagons were laden with all sorts of poultry, pigs and feed. Here and there, herds of sheep, and oxen of nearly every imaginable type, steadily meandered down the muddy road, towards Kandalare.

Other than a handful of wagons, which had broken down, everything appeared to be going amazingly well. A merchant's wagon had pulled off to the side, with pots and pans clattering. Various tradesmen arrived and worked tirelessly to get it back on the road again. They were proving to be a God send and it made him smile, to see everyone pitching in for the general good for all.

"Impressive, isn't it?" King Tarran asked, as he searched in a leather saddlebag for something to eat.

"What's impressive?" The question had stirred Maska from his train of thought.

"I said, all of this is impressive. General Anktar, must have planned in detail the invasion of Caralon and the subsequent sacking of Etria. By the grace of Elliana, we denied him the spoils of victory," King Tarran said, with a chuckle.

"Yes, I am sure he was rather disappointed, hopefully we will continue to do so," Maska commented jovially.

King Tarran nodded, while a wide smile crept across his face. They both knew General Anktar's campaign to conquer the five realms of Mankind, had been struck a heavy blow.

Four Centaur riders were approaching fast and pulled up in front of King Tarran and Maska. "As ordered, we have searched for any signs of the enemy scouts, they evidently have cleared out of here."

"That is certainly good to hear, maintain a constant watch for any signs of the enemy," King Tarran ordered. I will not accept an ambush on these vulnerable people. They have suffered more than enough, we must protect them," Donovan said.

"The general knows winter approaches, and cold and hunger, can cost him this year's campaign. If he would have been successful, his massive army could have wintered over in Etria. From there, they could continue to build-up and carry on the campaign during the following spring, invading Kandalare," Maska pointed out.

"We are participants in a complex game, played by Bemenah and Elliana. Subtle moves resulted in an ever-changing outcome. The battle for Etria was such a battle, to the victor goes the spoils," King Tarran said. "Time will tell how this will affect the survival of Kandalare. As mere mortals, we stand to serve the whims of Elliana, against those of Bemenah.

Maska reached into one of his leather bags for a small grain loaf, for his stomach was growling. At times, unforeseen victories tended to tilt the scales in favor of those, who acted quickly and decisively. He fully intended to take advantage of any opportunity, which presented itself.

King Tarran, paused to ride around a slow moving, heavily laden wagon. Crates, barrels, and cloth sacks were piled high. Maska was amazed the wheels and axels remained intact. "We'll need every bit of what this wagon holds."

"I understand General Anktar has been sending periodic scouts into the Dragon's Maw, to spy on what is there," Maska remarked, while swatting at a fly.

"Yes, General Anktar knows his forces must use the pass. The Centaurs stationed at Fort Belden, have proved to be invaluable, we are using them to guard the pass during the night. Two nights ago, I received a message by falcon, four feet of snow has fallen in the higher passes," King Tarran answered, while reaching for his waterskin. "By the sounds of it, the higher passes are now impassible, Bemenah's army will be forced to take the Dragon's Maw.

"The more snow, the better. How much progress has been made in building the new shelters, in the Upper Reaches?" Maska asked. He swerved to the side, to avoid a wayward lamb.

"I was informed, a great deal has been accomplished. With the arrival of more refugees every day, new homes are being completed quicker than ever before," King Tarran answered. He took a drink from his waterskin and replacing the stopper, and once more fastened it down.

King Tarran's order to build permanent dwellings in the upper reaches, showed how far ahead, that his friend was thinking. Maska felt inside, it would prove to be a pivotal decision. Offering a home, to those in desperate need, would halt the overwhelming sense of panic, which General Anktar needed, for a fast siege to succeed.

"How are we doing, with building a stronger militia?" Maska said, as he looked at the small-grain loaf he held with a frown.

"With the flood of refugees, our militia will be more than ready. Those individuals, who are too young to be wielding a blade in the front lines, are being trained to use a crossbow. Most of them, are requesting to practice every day; many are becoming deadly accurate," King Tarran answered, before tearing off a hunk from a stick of dried meat, he held.

"The real question, is how dependable will they be in battle?" Maska asked. He took a bite of the small grain loaf and looked at it, with distaste. He longed to enjoy a good meal, with Cearne, instead of the current fare.

"We are starting to use the Militia already, in dealing with raiding parties. Surprisingly enough, they have been giving a good account of themselves. I have ordered boiled leather armor, with a steel breast-plate," King Tarren said proudly. "Most of the militia have great morale, they realize there is no place to run to and they are fighting for a cause. I am considering promoting a few of the militia to the Dawnbreaker Mounted Brigade, they are that good. I have given orders, to convert all of our arbalesters to pavise arbalesters, for those who are on foot."

"Boiled leather and a steel breastplate? That is surely a worthy investment. I am sure it will be heavily needed" Maska was pleased to hear that his friend was investing in their men's survival.

"Well, the militia will only be as good as their weapons and armor. For them to fight, they must have a reasonable chance of surviving. I have ordered a number of crossbows to be converted to heavy crossbows, I figure the extra range will come in handy," King Tarran added. "We seem to have rid ourselves of the last of our traitors, those we commissioned to ferret them out, have proven to be most effective. We seem to have caught them before they could do much damage, the rest of the men have strong morale. Also, our spy problem for now, appears to be eliminated, freeing us from the enemies' prying eyes and ears."

Maska nodded, while thinking over the long list of things they had decided on previously, which still needed to be done. He fully understood what his friend was saying. "In their preparations for the coming war, they either paid wisely now, or they would pay fully, in the end."

"Many of the women, are working on fletching bolts and arrows. Others are gathering and preserving food, weaving winter clothes and blankets. Our food stores are growing daily," King Tarran said. "I have offered to pay our fishermen per pound of fish caught, so they can be pickled. So far, they have readily responded, and our fish stores are building daily."

"It appears, we are making great progress in our preparations for the coming war. However, I cannot keep from wondering if it will be enough," Maska said. With one last bite, he finished the small grain loaf and took a swallow of water from his waterskin.

"Time will tell, my friend. Time will tell. We are certainly facing our share of challenges. Thank Elliana for this victory," King Tarran said, with a thin smile.