Soul Under the Mountain (Legend of Reason Series) (10 page)

Zeke had been right. He had warned him that the army that sat out on the plains might come in and attack. He had dismissed the idea because there was almost no chance that
any Bhoor or Vindyri could know what he had planned. Suddenly he realized what had happened. There were four Medoran soldiers who had gone into Taburdum ahead of Rommus and his band of assassins, and those men remained unaccounted for. At least one of them had been taken prisoner and interrogated. At least of them
had revealed the Medoran plan, and n
ow Tannis stood inside the jaws of his enemy.

The gates behind him groaned as they slowly opened. Arrows whizzed passed in a blur as soon as the opening was wide enough. Before it was wide enough for men to pour out, Tannis ordered the battering rams into the small gap. Without being commanded, the Medorans
chocked the wheels and
set fire to the rams, bringing in
dry grass and tinder to help set the freshly-cut wood alight.  It took a long time, but eventually the rams caught fire and the gates were rendered impassable. Tannis hoped that enough heat could be generated to set the mighty doors on fire.

The Bhoors inside wasted no time and took to the walls. 50 or more archers lined up above the Medorans, but they were not willing to line up too close to the gate. None of them wanted to be close enough to be scorched by the fire if the doors could be lit. Arrows flashed by, but most of the Medorans were too far
away
to be struck by them. Medoran Captains ordered their own archers into position near the walls, and arrows began to fly in both directions.

The enemy hordes kept appearing from behind the hills. The Medorans attempted to shore up
the flanks and rear with phalanxes, but the enemy had already broken through the lines. Many Medorans were slaughtered, refusing to forfeit their spears and draw their swords instead. The Medorans took pride in their spear work, and it was always considered dishonorable to abandon one's spear or shield—even if it meant death. Tannis had gone to great lengths to get those silly notions out of his soldiers' heads, but the old habits died hard.

The enemy pushed hard, trying to pin the Medorans against the walls of the city where arrows could rain down upon them. Instead of backing up into the walls, Tannis ordered his men outward into the surrounding forest areas. There was nothing they could do out in that terrain, but it cushioned the blow to the Medoran troops, allowing some breathing room as the enemy forces caved in on them.

There was nowhere to run. The surrounding areas were simply too cluttered with trees to run through, and there was no way to get passed the army
collapsing in on them from the east. Tannis was filling with despair as he watched his men dying.

Vindyri inside the city had formed bucket lines ending right above the doors. At first they tried to put out the flaming rams, but when they saw that there was no effect, they poured water down the front of the doors in an attempt to keep them from catching fire. But the fire had grown and their attempts did little to stop it.

The doors crept open a few inches every so often as men from the inside
pulled
with all their might. The Medorans were quick to fill in the widening gap with flaming debris, making the opening of the doors as painful as possible for the enemy inside.

All of a sudden Tannis heard the thunder of cavalry booming across the battlefield. A thousand mounted
Vindyri
soldiers tore across the field,
cutting
through
the Medorans
with ease. The Medorans were trained to attack the horses when confronted with cavalry, but these were armored horses, and there was very little area to pierce to do them any real harm.

The M
edorans were being slaughtered, and T
annis was panicking trying to think of what to do. There was nowhere to go, no tactic to implement to turn back the enemy. All he could do was watch, frozen and helpless. He suddenly wished that he had invited Uritus to this battle. For as much as he hated his new Emperor and his vision of society, he desperately longed to have him at his side, shooting his magical beams at this relentless enemy.

The great wooden doors finally began burning, despite the Vindyri attempts to keep them wet. Men inside the gate began screaming, being pushed from behind into the hot doors. Flames licked in from the gap, singeing the Vindyri and causing panic in the ranks.
The screams were music to Tannis's ears, although he knew his men were still in great danger with no escape.

Black smoke curled up into the sky along with the souls of fallen men.
Horsemen swung their mighty swords, tearing through limbs and armor.
Enemy archers did their best to surround the Medorans
and keep them pinned between the city and the sword.

For hours the battle dragged on. Some Medorans were able to escape into the wooded hills, but most refused to let their fellow soldiers die while they ran away. Tannis did not reprimand those who fled, as the battle was becoming futile, and there was no point in remaining behind if escape was possible. He knew that the men who managed to get out would be there for the next battle; he knew that most of the men who stayed would not.

The huge doors had been reduced to
cinders. The Vindyri and Bhoors inside Taburdum had once again started to shower the area with water, putting out most of the remaining flames. In time they would be able to clear the debris
and strike the Medorans from
the open gate
. Tannis knew that once those gates were clear, his men would fall. He wanted to call out orders to turn around and fight their way into the city, but there would certainly be many thousands of men blocking the way. There was simply no way to fight the armored Vindyri in that relatively narrow pass. No matter how many they killed, there was always a man to take the place of the dead. Things were looking very grim for Tannis and his men.

More flaming wood was cast aside, and Tannis could finally see into the city. Vast swarms of men were arranged in lines, waiting for the path to be cleared. War chants began going up, and the thirst for Medoran blood was evident. The Medorans did their best to ignore the sound, but it still weighed heavily on them. They were beginning to realize that this was their final battle.

Tannis didn't even realize that he was fighting. He was so lost in thought about what to do that his sword swung on its own, without his knowledge. Every now and then he would hear screams or feel the jarring whack of a blade on his own, but his thoughts were hovering high above these personal fights and concerned only with the greater battle.

Then something unexpected happened. Just as all hope seemed to be lost, and all men were resigned to a gory fate, a great flash of crimson lit the sky. On the southern side of the battle, a commotion stirred and the enemy ranks buckled. Tannis could not see what was happening, but something was spreading the flames
of fear through the enemy army, and many began to run.

The pressure forcing the Medorans against the city walls was relieved, and Tannis was able to turn several hundred men around to face the Vindyri who would soon come out of the
hole where the gates once stood
. If he could hold them there, they essentially posed no threat. It was just as difficult for them to get out of the city as it was for the Medorans to get into it.

The war chants had stopped, replaced with the sounds of battle. Blood sprayed. Armor dented and caved in. Swords cleaved muscle and bone and spears shot through the enemy invaders. The Medorans were still greatly outnumbered, but the momentum had shifted into their favor, and an energy swelled in their hearts.
Not only was the pressure relieved from the lines, but the Medorans actually began to push back.

Then Tannis saw what had happened. The noonday sun sent its beams between the clouds, down to light the red armor of Arius. Rommus had joined the battle, swinging his golden sword from horseback
, and a
few hundred Medorans on horseback followed behind him in his wake. The enemy-being mostly Bhoors—were especially frightened by the red flash of magical light when Rommus called forth the full armor of Arius. Any Vindyri who saw it might have stood their ground, but the Bhoors were too frightened to put up much of a fight.

The golden sword Archenarius slid through swaths of men, killing them instantly instead of merely wounding them. Five or more men would fall with a single swipe, st
r
iking terror into all the men
who saw it. As Rommus galloped through the masses, his fellow horsemen finished off the terror-str
icken
Bhoors he had missed. Many were paralyzed with fear, but those who could run found that th
ere was nowhere to go. Their
fellow soldiers were in their way, and before they knew it they were struck down.

Rommus had cut a line from south to north
at the front line between the Medorans and the enemy. Beyond the panicking hordes, a new contingent was coming through the hills to reinforce the enemy ranks. With so many men already there at the battle, and hundreds of thousands more making camp on the plains, it was foolish to stand and fight. Tannis called for his horns and signaled the call to retreat. Banners were raised to inform the Medorans where to go, but most already knew that the southern side of the battle was the only area to retreat to.

Rommus heard the horns and doubled back. He would hold the enemy army back while the Medorans made their way off the battlefield. His men trailed behind him, slicing through the lines and
driving a wedge between the armies. The gap grew larger and larger, and the enemy was forced to give up the fight. Swords were lowered and the Bhoors formed lines but stood without attacking any further. The enemy had decided to let the Medorans retreat.

But on the west side, at the city gate, the snarling troops inside wanted blood. They had not seen the battle, and no fear
had
struck their hearts when Rommus had arrived. From their point of view, the battle still raged on. Only Desmond, and perhaps a few remaining officers inside would have been able to decipher the Medoran retreat call, and it would be a while before word would spread to them what was happening. Tannis had no choice but to leave phalanxes there at the gate until the rest of t
he army had retreated to Brinn.

The Medoran losses were staggering. Of the roughly 40,000 men that made their stand at the gates of Taburdum, more than
1
5,000 fell.

Chapter
12

Vohl paced back and forth across the room. The orange glow
of the evening sun
beamed in through the windows and fell across the table and floor. Aside from light, open books and papers covered the table in completely disorganized fashion. Unlit candles waited
for
their turn to bring light to the darkness after the sun fell behind the rolling hills of Medora.

A knock came to the already-open door. "It's Rommus, Vohl. Tannis said you wanted to see me?"

Vohl huffed in frustration as he turned to face Rommus. "I told him that yesterday. Why have you taken so long to—by the gods, what has happened to your face?"

"Oh this?" Rommus said as he touched his face lightly. "Most of this is from getting smacked in the face with a helmet.
Oh and some fists too. That's why I am here so late. I was caught up in the battle at Taburdum and there were several meetings and preparations for what to do next strategically. I'm not all that familiar with that part of war. I'd rather be swinging a sword than formally planning our next attack.
I'm also late because I had to have a wound reopened and cleaned.
What is it you wanted me for?"

Vohl pointed at the disheveled table. "What do you see missing, Master Rommus?"

"Order?" Rommus joked.

Vohl huffed.
"
The book. The book is missing. It is not here."

"You mean
The Book of Eternal Wisdom
?"

"Yes, Master Rommus. The only book we have that is any real help to us at all. It has been stolen."

"Stolen? How? Only the four of us have keys to this room. No one could have stolen it. Tannis would have told me if he took it, but he can't even read it. Neither can Alana."

"Alana is missing too, Master Rommus."

"Missing? Since when?"

"
Last I saw her was early yesterday. I have not seen her since."

Rommus ran a hand through his hair.
"
Alana is missing and you tell me about a missing book
first
? Why didn't you come find me if she was missing?"

"Master Rommus, we all go missing for periods of time. We are adults. It would be
ludicrous
if we panicked every time someone was out of our sight."

Vohl was glad that Rommus did not have the same ability he had to read emotions. In reality, Vohl's insides were
a turbulent mess
with worry for Alana. He could not explain this sudden, irra
tional feeling for her, and all he could do was try to hide it.
His worrying kept him from sleeping
the entire night before. Something in his soul was nagging him, telling him that
somethin
g was wrong this time, and h
e had a hard time deciphering this feeling. It was as if his awareness for her wellbeing had been elevated, or that her personality had triggered something within him that caused him to think about her in a different light. He had felt it for some time, but ignored it as much as he could. He could see when she looked into his eyes that she had feelings only for Rommu
s, but that did nothing to
quell
his own feelings. It all went back to that day after he had been shot with the arrows, when they stood holding hands for that brief eternity, listening to the new Emperor of Medora speak to the people of Brinn.