Michael Manning - The Line of Illeniel

I thought for a moment he was making a joke, till I saw him bowing to Penny. I smiled and we took our places on the circle that would take us to our next observation point. I patted my horse gently to soothe it before we jumped. Sometimes the change in scenery unsettled them. A moment later we were in a grassy field on the valley side of the road, midway between Arundel and Washbrook.

I had chosen the place carefully. Almost a mile from the road it had lain in the tall grass undiscovered by their scouts. This circle had no natural concealment for two riders on horseback. Once the sun rose they would be able to see us clearly from the road. I rather doubted they would have much time to worry about us though.

Penny and I dismounted and I placed the largest sack on a flat stone nearby. The rock hadn’t been there originally, but since I had chosen this spot to watch the result of my work I had brought it to simplify my job. It’s a wonder I didn’t bring a supply of beer to enjoy the show with, I thought derisively. I lay the hammer down close by and took a seat to wait on the dawn.

Penny sat beside me in the dark. “How long do you think?” she asked quietly.

“As soon as we can see them clearly from here. I want to make sure they have enough light to run the right direction,” I replied.

“What if they don’t?”

“I don’t think there will be enough to be a threat to Lothion after this. We, however, may be in dire straits. I can’t be sure how many will survive but almost any fraction of that army would be enough to put an end to us,” I informed her.

“If they lose half their army and cannot win in Lothion wouldn’t they retreat?” she suggested.

“Possibly, if their commander is a rational man. I see three possibilities. One, their commander is a fanatic, in which case he will prosecute his war as far as possible, even if it is only vengeance against us. Two, their commander is a rational man, but the loss of half his army drives him mad, and he attacks us in vengeance. Three, their commander is rational and keeps a cool head, in which case he withdraws and it’s over,” I replied.

“So one in three,” she mused.

I sighed, “I honestly don’t know. I’m just going to kill a lot of people and see what happens.”

She caught my bitter tone and stayed silent after that. An hour passed and the sky grew steadily lighter. At first the enemy were just grey shapes across the plain, invisible except when they moved. Eventually their forms resolved until we could see them clearly. It was time… any longer and they’d come calling to ask us why we were watching them.

I picked up the hammer and felt its heft. Before I could strike Penny interrupted me, “Let me do it. You shouldn’t bear this alone.”

I shook my head. “You have a life to lead after this,” I said and brought the hammer down sharply, smashing the glass inside the bag. For a split second nothing seemed to happen and I almost wondered if I had made a mistake somewhere, but then I saw the light flashing on her face. Penny’s mouth opened slightly as she drew a sharp breath and then the sound washed over us. It was as if lightning had struck a thousand times, at close range, a tremendous crashing roar that swept everything before it.

Looking up I saw devastation on a scale that I could scarcely comprehend. Fire and smoke were blossoming outward from a thousand places along the road, stretching away from us for almost four miles in one direction. I had spaced my devices thirty to forty feet apart, buried along the road. From what I could see that had been overkill. The sound of it was gone within seconds, and in the silence it left behind all that could be heard were the screams of dying horses and men. Those that hadn’t been killed outright were horribly maimed, missing arms and legs. Most of them would be dead within minutes. Only those lucky enough to have been more than forty or fifty feet from the road survived, and many of those were badly burned or otherwise injured.

Smoke and dust obscured our view now, but I could see many of the survivors running away from the road, toward us. I assumed others would be running the other direction, so I set the second bag on the stone and repeated my action. Another roaring wave of sound, almost as great as the first, rolled over us as more explosions destroyed the other side of the road. Only those who ran toward the river would be spared. I took out the third bag, but Penny laid her hand on my arm.

“Enough Mort, no more, please…” she said and I could see her eyes were wet. I should have felt the same, but my own heart had gone missing, replaced by a cold void. Pushing her hand aside I smashed the third bag. It was too far to see, but Arundel was swept by a storm of explosions just as the road had been. I couldn’t be certain the enemy had left men there, but it paid to be sure. After a span of seconds we could hear the booms echoing across the valley.

It was time to go, I could see the survivors stumbling across the grassy plain toward us, but I realized that some of the glass stones in the first bag had survived. Not willing to leave the job undone I put it back on the rock and began methodically crushing them all. A few scattered explosions sprang up at distant points along the road. After several swings I had probably shattered all the glass jewels but I kept hammering, pounding the rock until fragments of stone began to fly away. I could hear someone shouting but I ignored them until finally Penny grabbed my wrist, halting the hammer in mid-swing.

It was proof of her strength, the hammer weighed more than ten pounds and she had stopped my swing cold. With her other hand she took it gently from me while I stared at her. Finally I closed my mouth, I had been screaming without realizing it. “We have to go. They’re almost here,” she told me calmly.

I nodded and stood up. A few steps and a moment’s concentration took us home. The castle yard was strangely silent as we walked among the people milling there. Everyone watched me carefully as I made my way among them to the main door. I could see the same question in every face, until at last one man dared to ask, “How did it go, milord?”

I drew myself up. It would not do to show them the pain I held inside. They needed hope, not a man torn by guilt and self-doubt. Taking a deep breath I spoke loudly that all could hear me, “It went even better than I expected. Most of them are dead; those that remain will be mourning their dead during the short time that remains to them.”

I paused and a shout went up. I waited for it to die down but they only got louder. Every man in the yard as well as those within the keep began to gather around me. The cheering swelled and became a chant as they repeated my name again and again. I was drowning in admiration. They cheered for a butcher. A hard lump formed in my throat and I knew I would lose control of my emotions if it didn’t stop.

Raising my hands for silence I stared at them until they finally wound down. Once the noise was such that they could hear me again I shouted for quiet. Eventually I got it. “We have taken the first step, but there is much you must do this day, and it will not be easy. Lord Dorian and Master Cyhan will be here in a moment to give you your assignments. Most of you will be sent out to watch the enemy. There are bodies strewn along the road for over four miles. Among them are wounded, men who will take a long time dying. Your job will be to show them mercy. You will also ensure that the enemy withdraws to the valley to regroup. Do not thank me until you see the bloody work that lies before you.”

I turned and left them there. I needed privacy as a man dying of thirst needs water. I never made it to my quarters however, Dorian caught up to me in the corridor. “Mordecai! Wait up! We need to talk.”