Richard Tuttle - Army of the Dead

Xavo and Lady Mystic sat in their secluded hideaway in the jungle, a large picnic basket between them. The cool dawn air had already begun to give way to the rising of the sun. A gust of moist tepid air suddenly blew through the clearing, and Xavo shifted uncomfortably.

“It is going to be a hot one today,” he frowned. “How do you live on this jungle-infested island?”

“I have never known anything else,” shrugged Lady Mystic. “It doesn’t bother me.”

“I long for a nice sevemore forest,” countered Xavo. “The breezes are cool, and everything is not always damp.”

Lady Mystic smiled thinly, but she did not respond. She sat staring at Xavo in a curious manner.

“What are you thinking about?” Xavo asked after a long moment of silence.

“Us,” Lady Mystic said with a sigh. “What is going to happen to us when all of this is over? Have you thought about it?”

Xavo frowned and shook his head. “We have no future,” he said softly.

“What do you mean by that?” scowled Lady Mystic. “I thought you loved me.”

“I do,” shrugged Xavo. “I love you with all my heart, but it is foolish to speak of such nonsense as our future. My life is already given to this struggle. You will have to find someone else in the future.”

“Bah,” retorted Vand’s daughter. “How can you say such a thing? I will admit that our situation here is tenuous, but we can survive it. Vandamar will soon fall to the elves.”

“You give the elves much credit,” sighed Xavo. “While they have shown themselves to be tenacious warriors, there are still ten thousand Motangan troops in this city. Their attack on Vandamar will not be like the other battles. This will not be a case where the enemy is broken up into groups of two thousand soldiers staked out for slaughter. Santiock’s men will be ready for a battle. I had hoped that his men would get drunk at the festival, but Santiock prevented that. No, Lady Mystic, this will be a bloody battle. Many will die here.”

“That still doesn’t mean that we will be among them,” frowned Lady Mystic. “You are so pessimistic.”

Xavo shrugged and averted his eyes. He picked up a twig and began drawing figures in the dirt. Lady Mystic looked curiously at him, her lips pressed tightly together and her eyes narrowing.

“There is something that you are not telling me,” she eventually said. “What is it?”

Xavo looked at his lover and sighed. “It is Dobuk,” he admitted. “This war cannot end with the great demon still in control. He must be destroyed. I stayed on this island with hopes of killing Vand, but he has left and is no longer approachable by me, but Dobuk remains.”

“Dobuk?” gasped Lady Mystic. “You can’t be serious? Haven’t you learned your lesson yet? You are no match for such power. You are throwing your life away. I will not permit it.”

“What is the alternative?” asked Xavo. “Even after Vand is defeated, someone must face Dobuk. If not me, to whom then does the task fall?”

Lady Mystic’s brow creased deeply as she thought about Xavo’s words. Suddenly the truth became crystal clear.

“You are trying to protect your daughter,” she said accusingly. “That is what you are up to. You think Lyra will come to confront Dobuk after Vand dies. I will not allow you to throw your life away in such a manner.”

“I must,” Xavo said softly. “I am not so foolish as to think that I can defeat Dobuk, but I can wound him. If I can stay alive long enough to cause damage to him, it may save Lyra’s life. I have had a full life, several in fact. I want her to have a future. Is that so wrong?”

“No,” Lady Mystic said as she fought back her tears. “Your heart is in the right place, but it is still foolish. While I give you credit for having survived an encounter with Dobuk, I know that you are no match for his power. You will not even damage him.”

“I must try,” Xavo declared with finality.

Lady Mystic opened her mouth to speak, but sounds of shouting interrupted her. Xavo leaped to his feet, His head swiveling to catch the sounds coming from the city.

“The elves have arrived!” he announced with urgency. “We must get to the temple.”

He extended a hand and helped Lady Mystic to her feet as horns blared throughout the city. The two mages raced along the jungle path and into the city streets. Motangan soldiers were scurrying about as they reached the temple. They ran up the steps and stopped at the front doors. Xavo caught his breath and addressed the guards.

“No one is to enter the temple for any reason,” Xavo said authoritatively. “I want guards at each of the entrances to keep everyone out.”

“The elves will never gain entry,” promised the guard.

“I did not mean just the elves,” Xavo shot back. “I said no one is to enter the temple. That includes the army. Not even General Santiock will be permitted inside. Do you understand?”

The guard shook his head and frowned in confusion. “I do not understand,” replied the soldier. “I must do what General Santiock commands.”

“General Santiock in under my command,” spat Xavo, “and I am ordering that the sanctity of the temple shall not be violated for any reason. Carry out my orders.”

The guard stiffened at the rebuke. He saluted as Xavo and Lady Mystic opened the doors and entered the temple.

“Do you think that will work?” asked Lady Mystic as she raced up the stairs behind Xavo.

“I have no idea,” admitted Xavo as he headed for the roof of the temple. “It might just slow them down. We will find out before this day is done.”

The two mages emerged on the roof of the temple. They both fought to regain their breath as they gazed out over the city. The city streets were a sea of red uniforms flowing through the narrow channels between the buildings. Dozens of red-clad bodies bled into the dirt in the open area between the city and the forest. Xavo peered into the distant forest and saw elven archers hiding behind the trees.

“Their element of surprise must not have worked,” commented Lady Mystic. “I doubt that it was their plan to surround the city and demand its surrender.”

“I also doubt it,” nodded Xavo as he saw a column of Motangans leaving the city along the shore. “Even my orders to surrender would not be accepted by Santiock unless the army was assured of defeat. The Motangans are attempting to use the strands of jungle along the coast to get around the elves. Use an air tunnel to advise the elves.”

Xavo left Lady Mystic as she wove the air tunnel. He walked around the edge of the temple roof gazing down at the Motangans as they prepared to defend the city. The battle had quickly worked to a stalemate as the elves could not safely leave the forest, and the Motangans could not cross the open area to approach their enemy. The elves had far fewer men, but their archers had greater range and accuracy. Xavo wondered what would happen next.

As Xavo was walking around the roof, he saw catapults being pushed into position by the Motangans. Large fires were lit along the city side of the open strip. He grimaced, as he understood what Santiock’s plan was. The Motangans were going to start a forest fire to engulf the hidden elves. The sevemore trees would ignite easily, and the fire would spread quickly. He had to do something to stop the attack before it began. He rushed back to Lady Mystic and pointed towards the gathering catapults.

“We must destroy those,” he said emphatically.

Lady Mystic nodded. “The elves didn’t know who I was at first,” she remarked. “They almost didn’t believe me, but they have set up an ambush for the men traveling along the coast. What do you want to do about the catapults?”