Deadly Wands (12 page)

The ten marathon battalions spread out to
seek out larger enemy forces, each followed by a division of
near-marathoners, who carried supplies. They killed and destroyed
until confronted by superior forces, who they’d lead to their
near-marathon division, who’d smash the exhausted Mongols. A few
times they combined a few divisions to ensure numerical
superiority. Mongols lost a few hundred thousand active-duty troops
simply by not sending them in force.

It took a week for word to reach the Khan in
Peking, a month before he could gather a quarter-million quads, and
another month before he reached the Americans. Genghis traveled
only as fast as his slowest fliers, over learning his mistake from
the previous year.

Billy had the marathoners stockpile food and
bombs every few hundred clicks in their path. Then he let Genghis
pass a few of them before bombing the Mongol armada. They struck at
midnight, hugging the terrain. Alert sentries sounded the alarm,
but those waking up couldn’t see them because they were not
highlighted against the night sky. At maximum speed, the Americans
dropped on the Mongols frantically forming ranks, then soared up to
battle their highest fliers. The marathoners disappeared before
dawn to destroy the Khan’s forward supply base.

Genghis naturally flooded his path north with
patrols, who found nothing, since Billy was killing his air mules
and enjoying his supplies to the south. The ten thousand
marathoners skipped a night, then struck from a hiding place while
the Mongols cooked dinner. Whereas the Americans slept all
afternoon, the Mongols spent the day flying. The ten thousand beat
the quarter million all night because they enjoyed height, wand,
and energy advantages.

The Americans bombed them most nights because
they found millions of munitions at the air bases they overran --
so they had to explode them anyways. Enjoying twice the range let
the Americans attack the Mongols without letting the Mongols attack
the Americans. The specialty units sent after the marathoners were
the first to get ambushed.

The Khan assumed the Baron wanted to weaken
his force to win a final confrontation, but all Billy wanted was to
slow him down to give the wagons more time. Because Genghis
misunderstood his opponent, the wagons got away and William’s
troops got another month to sack cities. Genghis lost most of his
force by the time Billy’s marathoners crossed the Strait.

More Mongols died violently that year than in
the previous three centuries combined. Not until the Baron released
a video would Genghis Khan learn that this counter-invasion was
planned before the capital was even sacked. The depth of the
Baron’s foresight shook Genghis to the core.

Battle forged links between warriors of a
thousand Indian tribes who historically warred against each other.
A few million Americans flew home rich, praising the Baron. Fear
from a common threat brought them together, but joint victory made
them blood family. Instead of seeing themselves as Apache or
Cherokee or Aztec, they saw themselves and each other as American.
That change in psychology was vital to uniting against the
Empire.

William sent a ship full of coins, armor, and
wands to the Free Europe Air Force with a video message from the
Baron that summarized their victories and inspired hope for a
continent.

William rebuilt San Francisco bigger and
better than ever. The entire city welcomed the quads as saviors and
the festivities lasted longer than either invasion. American
University used this time to put together an impressive public
relations video that documented their victory in patriotic terms.
William made sure they interviewed heroes from every tribe so
everyone shared the glory. They eventually went home rich heroes,
all singing the praises of the mysterious baron.

But the warriors also spread a deeper message
that William hammered home: Americans would never be safe as long
as the Mongol Empire survived. That was the real gift that Genghis
Khan gave William.

CHAPTER 13

Liz wanted a vacation, so William took them
to his ancestral home in Prussia for the first time. A forest had
largely taken back the farmland. The huge family cemetery stunned
them. The sight moved William to tears.

“And these are just the ones who died
fighting the Empire,” William lied. “Our family was among the first
-- after the Khan’s -- to reproduce strategically. The deaths of my
little brother and baby sister made me the last of my blood. My
father said our ghosts cannot rest until we punish the Mongols for
their crimes.”

Below a demolished castle, in a beautiful
meadow overlooking a valley, Liz and Billy watched William update
his dead parents on the last dozen years. Only warriors could
appreciate how much revenge worked as therapy. Putting their
success into words forced them to reconcile the enormity of what
they had accomplished. To make it real, the three of them dug their
own graves. Literally. Though they left the gravestones blank.

“You don’t want to be buried in England next
to your family?” William asked her.

Liz gazed upon the several thousand members
that her husband’s family lost and vowed to become stronger. She
had never loved him more, now that she felt what he felt.

“Record me!” she commanded with an authority
that made them both jump to obey. “This message is for my father.
Dad, you blessed my marriage, so I’m now and forever a Richthofen.
England wants me dead, so this is my family. Our decisions
determine our destiny, and I made mine with open eyes. I don’t
regret my life. I traded the life of a princess for the life of a
badass, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve seen the world, overcome
many challenges, and became a millennial in the process. I want to
be buried here, in my husband’s family cemetery. And I want my
husband and son to be buried alongside me because I’ll never be
alone as long as they’re with me.”

She suddenly leaned forward and Billy
instinctively retreated. His mother was the only person Billy
feared. “Father, there may come a time when my only son needs you.
When you, and only you, can help him. I expect you to do whatever
it takes to either save his life or avenge it. Even if it requires
declaring war on the Mongol Empire.” William started laughing at
tiny England challenging history’s mightiest empire, but Liz shut
him up with a look. “I’d have been queen if you only obeyed your
mother. Make it up to me by granting me this, my ultimate
wish.”

Billy stopped recording and kept looking at
his mother as if someone possessed her. And that someone kept
talking:

“I can’t do this half-way. It’s too late to
stop now, so let’s go all the way. If we must do bad things, let’s
do them good. The only thing that can justify killing tens of
millions is world peace enjoyed by people governed with their
consent. I say we spend the rest of our lives killing as many
enemies as we can, as fast as we can, for as long as we can. If we
can’t live in peace, then let’s live for war. But whatever happens
-- and we all know bad things will happen -- let’s never have
regrets. Agreed?”

They didn’t write it in blood, but they may
as well. Billy felt the shackles fall off. William hugged her so
tight she squealed.

“Billy, what do you want for your
9
^th
birthday?”

“Mom, dad, I already have everything I
want.”

With winter over, the family returned to
dueling with a vengeance. They didn’t raid that year because
William had given the Americans the time off. William took smaller
venues while Billy exhausted the larger arenas. Even Liz began
dueling. Along the way they updated their maps and documented the
size and location of enemy units. Billy finally studied the enemy
as a professional would. They stayed away from Europe to avoid
Uncle John’s bounty hunters and were as happy as terrified refugees
can be. The trick was disappearing frequently. They knew they
stayed too long when they couldn’t sleep at night.

The family entered Alaska just before winter
to check out their flight students. They invited all their
employees to a party in Anchorage in the spring.

Previously, students had to pay their own
way, then had few job prospects other than fighting Mongols in
Europe. In contrast, William offered full scholarships and super
wands to any American who could fly long distance, so the
University was now operating at capacity at fifty thousand
students. The University of Mongolia routinely taught five times as
many and rumor said the Khan recently expanded enrollment to half a
million.

William had kept the bomb factory in
Anchorage at full capacity. Now he had the students distribute that
inventory along the coast. He then divided them according to how
far they could fly and watched them choose squad, company,
battalion, and division commanders. Now William gave them a crash
course in bombing and basic formation flying. The University
already taught them this, but William had very specific things in
mind. When not drilling them in certain basics, like bomb packing,
he had Billy push their endurance. Daily. As if their lives
depended on it.

William didn’t employ those guarding the ten
lines of fortifications, but they sure listened to him when he
explained what Genghis Khan may do next. Some were skeptical.

“Put yourself in the Khan’s boots,” William
asked them. “Your job is to protect your people, yet some upstarts
robbed your capital, sacked your cities, and massacred your people.
News reports talk of little else. Power brokers are openly calling
for new leadership. To keep his head, much less his job, Genghis
has to do something big to show his people he’s fixing this. He
learned last time that regular quads -- even a million of them --
don’t meet the needs of a punitive strike. So next time he’ll
probably do what we did and use an all-marathon force, which takes
time to recruit and train. Your fortifications are spaced about
every five hundred clicks from the border so, as the second line of
defense, you’re more likely to be hit than the first forts. He
could simply fly past you, but his troops need food, bombs, and
shelter. Remember this when he tries to draw you out.”

“Baron, why do you look so happy?” one of
their smarter ones asked.

“Because Genghis Khan is about to piss away
his best quads.”

That spring, news agencies reported a record
number of newborns because, apparently, people with money
procreate. Genghis Khan was not amused to learn that thousands of
American babies were named Baron.

Fifty thousand of William’s fliers lived in
the area, and another fifty accepted his party invitation -- mostly
for a chance to get a picture taken with him. William suggested a
tournament, which would get them organized into units, then played
locals versus visitors. After competing for serious coin, he
suggested they teach the students how it’s done. So one hundred
thousand veterans chased the new guys across western Canada,
engaging in mock battles and highlighting the value of endurance
and height. Those with the lowest ceilings, on both sides, got
clobbered, which motivated them to take their relaxation and
medication courses more seriously. The 5% with the lowest ceilings
William kicked out of school, taking their wands as well as their
careers rather than lose their lives.

Meanwhile, William sent Billy to patrol the
Strait. He dressed after a hot bath and found his mother inspecting
his backpack.

“Mom, you know I like to pack my own
stuff.”

“But you never bring enough bandages.”

“Mom, you’re gonna make me late for
work.”

Liz sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t treat this
like a game.”

The boy laughed. “I’m a kid; what do you
expect? Relax! I’m just gonna find them, not fight them.”

Billy felt proud that his dad needed him so
much. His ability to fly farther and faster gave them a lethal
advantage.

Excepts weeks passed and the bad guys still
had not shown up. After a month, Billy left to find his dad in
Alberta.

“You were finally wrong about something,” the
boy cheerfully greeted him.

That made William smile. “Sorry you spent
your 10
^th
birthday alone.”

Billy lit up. “Oh, I wasn’t alone. I spent it
taking out their patrols, ambushing their air mules, and picking
off those fishing. It’s liberating to only have the enemy to worry
about.” In cities, they never knew who’d poison them for their
winnings. It really warped how they saw people. “I overhead them
say Genghis started a special academy for prodigies at a secret
location and that flight school has become mandatory for every
teenage quad. He also wants them to procreate as much as possible.
The Mongols I overheard think he’s moving every good young quad
from Mongolia for their own safety.”

William didn’t like that at all. “That’s a
smart move. I thought he’d give us more time before taking such
drastic actions. This makes our job -- killing them faster than
they can be replaced -- that much harder.” He paused, shaking his
head. “Well, I guess I better send the regular troops home and
throw them the party I promised. I thought Genghis would be here by
now. Your mom and I will meet you at the Strait.”

“Dad, it’s too late in the season to organize
a raid, so take your time. Give mom the vacation she deserves.
Don’t worry about me. I really like it here. Every week I’ll check
in at the first forts.”

Except when his parents finally arrived, two
months later, they couldn’t find Billy. And the Mongol camp was a
frenzy of activity. They patrolled for three days before Billy
showed up, as exhausted as they have ever seen him.

Many of the suddenly rich marathoners started
families. They didn’t want to raid Mongolia with babies at home,
but still wanted to contribute, so William asked them to patrol the
coastline from his fleet. William even paid to modify the merchant
ships to make them family friendly -- no one wanted babies to slip
over the side.