Asgoleth the Warrior

chapter FIFTEEN

General Valshin scowled fiercely at the Hillman and growled,

‘How much further, dog?’

The man flinched and shifted uneasily in his saddle and Valshin looked at him with the contempt any warrior would feel for a traitor. The Hillman glanced up at towering crags that loomed above them and said,

‘One more hour, lord General and we will be at the mouth of the Valley of the Eagles.’

Valshin grunted and he too looked up at the masses of rock above. Behind him there waited three thousand cavalry, their horses hooves muffled with wadding and their own gear tied down to prevent any noise. Another five thousand foot soldiers followed behind them and Valshin growled wordlessly to himself.

This accursed gorge through which he was leading his soldiers was a perfect spot for an ambush. A few hundred hillmen up on those peaks could wipe out his entire army with a few well placed rocks. He did not like this situation one little bit. Every instinct warned him of danger and his nerves were stretched to breaking point.

By all the gods, if he ever found the enemies camp he would kill them all, men, women and children in punishment for forcing him to come into this disgusting wilderness. He gave the Hillman a sour look then waved his men forward.

The Akonites followed him reluctantly. Every man knew that their enemies could come upon them at any time and every eye fearfully scanned the menacing slopes above for any sign of life.

In this manner the army made its way through the gorge until at last Valshin saw it start to open out ahead of them. He turned to the Hillman and raised a questioning eyebrow. The Hillman nodded in return and Valshin grinned. He whispered orders to his junior officers and watched as they rode away to relay them to the men. Soon all was ready and Valshin drew his sword and raised it high. He would lead the charge personally. Those fools up ahead did not know what was about to hit them. The rebels would be crushed under the onslaught of his cavalry and any who survived the initial attack would fall to the foot soldiers coming up behind. The rebel menace would be destroyed and he, General Valshin, would enjoy a rich reward from Lord Demos.

Grinning widely he looked at the Hillman and said,

‘You have kept your end of the bargain dog. Now, as an extra reward you will be allowed to witness the results of your treachery. You will ride into battle with us and watch as we slaughter your people and as they die they shall know that it was you who betrayed them.’

The Hillmans eyes opened wide in fear.

‘You cannot make me do this, my lord. My job was only to lead you here, not to take part in the killing.’

Valshin laughed at him.

‘I can make you do anything I wish, Hillman, anything at all. If you refuse I will kill you here and now, choose.’

Valshin and his men sneered in contempt as the Hillman bowed his head in acceptance of Valshin's will. Then the general looked back at his warriors and saw that they were ready for battle. He turned his steeds head and spurred it forward, his sword held high. Behind him, three thousand cavalrymen urged their mounts to follow and a terrible rumble filled the air as the Akonites burst forth from the gorge and into the Valley of the Eagles, before them lay a mass of tents and huts, the living quarters of the Torran and Agar warriors. Campfires burned and the Akonites snatched up burning brands as they galloped past and hurled them into the tents and onto the roofs of the huts. Flames sprang up and smoke and soot blackened the sky and in a few moments the camp was a shambles.

Valshin reined his horse in and cursed viciously when he realised that the camp was empty and deserted. All around him his men milled in bewilderment and growing fear. Valshin glared at the Hillman and snarled in fury when he saw the mocking grin on the man’s face. It was a trap then and he had galloped right into it.

A loud rumble filled the air and the ground trembled beneath the horses hooves as the trap was sprung. Valshin looked back and his worst fears were confirmed when he saw that tons of rock had been released from the cliffs and was tumbling down with crushing force upon the foot soldiers who were still within the gorge.

Finally the rumbling growl of stone faded away and he saw that the mouth of the gorge was completely blocked and his escape was cut off. Then he saw movement atop the cliffs and he licked suddenly dry lips as thousands of warriors took up their positions. He saw them nock arrows to bowstrings and he knew that he and his remaining men could expect no mercy. He snarled at the Hillman and raised his sword.

‘You at least, will not live to enjoy your victory, dog.’

The Hillman laughed out loud.

‘I do not need to you Akonite pig. I have already avenged my slain sons and the name of Nythos will be remembered with honour. Can you say the same about yourself?’

Then he launched himself from his saddle, his hands outstretched to grab the Akonites throat. Valshin gave an inarticulate scream of fear and rage and brought his sword down in a whistling slash that cut through Nythos’ shoulder, smashing through collar bone and ribs. The force of the blow stopped the Hillman in mid-air and sent him crashing to the ground in a spray of blood as the blade was torn free. He landed in a broken gasping heap on the ground and the life flowed swiftly from him. Even as he died his eyes shone with victory as he looked up at his slayer. Then he gasped and succumbed to death, knowing that he had not died in vain.

General Valshin spat at the corpse and began to scream orders at his men.

‘Form a square and ride for the other end of the valley, move!’

The Akonites hurried to obey but even as they did so a sinister sound smote their ears. Every eye stared upwards as a long, moaning, whistle became louder and louder. Cries of fear and alarm broke from their throats as they saw the sky grow dark as sheets of arrows flew down at them from the slopes above.

Then the deadly missiles were among them and cries, curses and screams filled the valley as the Akonites died under that deadly hail. The arrows found every crevice in their armour and men and horses crashed to the ground to be trampled under the hooves of their comrades. The Akonites turned and milled in panic but there was no escape from flight after flight of feathered death.

Valshin cursed and wept as he saw his army reduced to a smashed and bloody ruin before his eyes. A few managed to break free from the carnage and they galloped away but mounted Torran warriors awaited them and they were swiftly cut down.

Valshin raised his fists above his head and cried out in rage and anguish. His cry was cut short as a Torran arrow pierced his throat. He stared at the shaft in disbelieving horror, and then he swayed forward and crashed to the ground. He lay there, clutching vainly at the shaft as blood filled his mouth. Then he gave a drawn out gasp and died with his army. The last thing he ever heard was the loud roar of triumph from the throats of his enemies high above.

A silence fell upon the Valley of the Eagles then. To the victors on the heights above it was a moment to be savoured. Below then an Akonite army lay dead and they had achieved this great victory at the cost of only one man. It was unbelievable, yet there before their eyes lay the truth of what their barbarian leader had said. The Akonites were not invincible, they could be defeated. Slowly men began to make their way down the slopes towards their fallen enemies. There were trophies to be collected.

Bal Shoteb watched them go then said to the grinning Calthian beside him,

‘By mighty Solus, Asgoleth, your trap worked. If I had not seen it with my own eyes I would not have believed it. How did you know they would come?’

Asgoleth replied,

‘They were arrogant fools, Bal Shoteb. They were so secure in their might that they believed the tale I had poor Nythos tell. They thought there were only a few thousand ragged and hungry wretches opposing them. They were too confident of victory. Well their arrogance cost them dearly this day.’

‘What now, Asgoleth?’

Asgoleth grinned at his friend.

‘Now we press home our advantage. We must move against Demos before he learns of this defeat. Send some men to see if there are any survivors among the Akonites. If there are, put them to the question. We must find out where he intends to strike now that his hellish weapon is ready. If we can take him by surprise we may well be victorious again.’

Bal Shoteb nodded in agreement and told off some men to carry out the Calthian's commands. Agoleth urged his mount on and Bal Shoteb turned his horse and rode beside him as they made their way towards the caves where the women and children had been placed for safety. Amira would be delighted at the news of this victory and would be anxiously awaiting them.

As they rode they were surrounded by cheering warriors. All around them men raised their weapons in salute as their leaders passed. Bal Shoteb grinned widely and waved back at them but Asgoleth did not. He knew that very soon he would have to order these happy, cheering men into battle once more and many of them were going to die. Demos would not be destroyed as easily as Valshin had been. He was a cunning and evil foe and it would cost many lives to bring his plans of empire to destruction.

Asgoleth sighed; he did not relish the heavy weight of responsibility that had been placed upon him. He wished that he was once more just a simple mercenary soldier. Free to throw himself into the bloodlust of battle with responsibility to on one but himself. Free to gamble and jest around a campfire with his comrades. He sighed again. Temporarily at least, those days were behind him now. He had taken on this job and he would do his best to lead the Torrans to victory; when he had done so he would head off in search of fresh adventures. The world was wide and full of lands and peoples he had never seen. Out there lay mystery and excitement and, who knew, perhaps a kingdom of his very own.

He was brought back to reality by a slap on the back from Bal Shoteb.

‘Wake up, Asgoleth! The Princess Amira awaits your report.’

Asgoleth grinned at his friend.

‘Then by Ragnar's beard, I shall not keep her waiting, come.’

He spurred his horse forward and soon they arrived at the entrance to a large system of underground caves.

He saw Amira run from the cave towards them and he grinned as he leapt down from his steed and strode towards her. Bal Shoteb came clattering up behind him and Amira checked her headlong rush as she remembered who and what she was. She was no longer just a frightened girl. She was the Princess Amira, the future queen of the people all around her and she must behave as such, even though all she wanted to do was throw herself into Asgoleth’s arms. She drew herself up regally but she could not keep the tremor out of her voice as she asked

‘What news of the battle, my lords? ‘

Asgoleth, mindless of her royal dignity, swept her up and swung her around like a child then he set her down and cried out,

‘Hear me now! This day the Torran army has won a great victory. Our enemies lie slain in the Valley of the eagles and soon their master will be dead too. We are victorious!’

Cheers and applause greeted his words and Amira cried out,

‘Thank you, Asgoleth. When word of this victory spreads, men will flock to serve under our banners. Torr will be free again and it will be thanks to you.’

Asgoleth held her at arm’s length and looking into her eyes he saw the devotion shining in them. He knew at that moment that she and her realm were his for the asking if he so chose. He could be a king and his name would live on in song and legend, all he had to do was ask. He tore his gaze away, he was not ready to be a king just yet and besides, when he decided he was, he would take what he wanted. He looked at the happy faces all around and said,

‘Hear me, people of Torr. The victory today belongs not to me but to a man named, Nythos. He it was who gave his life to lead the Akonites into our trap. He and others like him destroyed the enemy. More like him will die before this war is won but they will not have died in vain. Nythos knew the value of freedom from tyranny. He rode into that valley today knowing that he was going to die but that did not stop him.

He did this because he was a Torran and he wanted Torr and its people to be free. I lead our soldiers but it is they and they alone to whom you will owe your thanks when victory is ours and have no doubt in your hearts, victory will indeed be ours as long as we have men as brave and noble as Nythos among our ranks.’

The crowd burst into roars of approval at his words and Bal Shoteb slapped him heartily on the back.

‘Well said, my young friend well said!’

Amira was in his arms once more and the cheers grew louder as she kissed him with fierce passion. Asgoleth groaned inwardly. He had meant only to impress upon them the knowledge that they held their destiny in their own hands. He had done so but somehow he had made himself an even greater hero to them. He was almost glad to be disturbed by the urgent voice of the warrior who came galloping up to him.

‘My lord, I bring grave news. We learned from the prisoners that even now, Demos is on the march with an army of thirty thousand men.’

Asgoleth and Bal Shoteb glanced at each other in dismay. Their own army numbered only fourteen thousand men and many of them were poorly armed.

‘Where is he headed?’ Asgoleth demanded. The warrior replied.

‘Toward the Draskian border, Valshin's men were to meet up with him after we had been destroyed and together they were going to invade and conquer the Draskians. Even with the men he has left he may still succeed.’

With that hellish weapon of his, powered by the Heart of Ra, he would succeed Asgoleth thought. Then the Draskians too would suffer as had the Torrans unless the tyrant was stopped before he reached the border. Asgoleth pursed his lips in thought then said,

‘Return to the valley and summon the commanders here at once. Order our men to don the armour and weapons of the dead and hold themselves ready to march at a moment’s notice. Go!’

The warrior turned his horse and galloped away to relay his orders and Bal Shoteb shook his head.

‘We will be hard pressed to defeat an army more than twice our strength, Asgoleth.’

‘Not if we have the advantage of surprise on our side, my friend.’

‘What do you mean? How can we possibly take him by surprise?’

Asgoleth grinned and said,

‘There is a way and with a little luck my plan will work and we will be rid of Demos for good.’

‘But…!’ Bal Shoteb was silenced by Asgoleth’s upraised hand.

‘Wait until the commanders arrive. Then we can work out the details.’

Asgoleth took Amira by the arm and walked with her into the caves. Bal Shoteb stared after them in bewilderment. He knew that Asgoleth's quick and agile mind had come up with a plan. He just hoped for all their sakes that it was a good one. Shaking his head he followed them into the caves to await the arrival of the Torran commanders.