Mighty Hammer Down (43 page)

"It was certainly a mistake to do so.
We have always had to deal with Vindyri rebels who are not
interested in peace with Medora, but this was a stupid move. They
attacked only after we passed them, so they know that five full
Legions head this way. They must have known that attacking us meant
certain death."

"Well then why risk it? I don’t
understand."

"There are two possible reasons. The
first is that they are being used to distract us, and the second is
that some hot-headed rebel leader sent them to attack us where he
thought we were weak. Being that I understand strategy, I can
determine that the latter is most likely the case. Wasting 30 men
for no reason at all is not the work of a true leader; it’s the
work of a fool, and therefore I am not at all concerned about the
attack having any serious meaning behind it. The hunting party
alone was more than triple their number, let alone the troops that
protected them and others who were responsible for transporting the
meats back to the army. I am amazed that they were able to kill
seven Medorans."

Andrew rubbed one of his temples. "But
why on earth would Vindyri attack you when you are coming to their
aid?"

"Like I said, some Vindyri are not
interested in peace with Medora. However you must also consider
that the Vindyri army does not know that we are coming to their
aid. You were the only messenger that would have known that, and
you have not told the King our plan yet. It’s likely that the
Vindyri soldiers we killed were simply trying to defend their
nation against people who they thought were their
enemies."

Andrew was suddenly shocked. "What a
horrible fate for those men! How awful that they should die so
needlessly."

"I agree that the loss of life is sad,
but how can they possibly justify attacking us when 400,000 men
just marched past them? It was certain death and they must have
known it. You cannot blame the Medorans for protecting
ourselves."

"No, I do not. I know that you and I
have discussed our different opinions on things, but I know that
you have our best interest at heart. It makes me sad to think of
those 30 men and the families that will never see them again, but
if the Medorans do not ride to war to help us, the Bhoors will
destroy us."

"Ah then you do understand the need
for war. Perhaps you are smarter than I thought."

A gust of wind caught Andrew’s long
hair. "Honestly, I don’t know what to think anymore. Everything has
become so complicated lately and it seems like the more I focus on
one thing, the worse everything else gets while I am looking the
other way. It’s like trying to plug holes in a boat while other
leaks keep springing up."

Tannis nodded his head as he looked at
the road ahead of him. "Life can be like that. There was no
guarantee that things would get easier as we got older. All we can
do is work together to plug all the holes we can, and hope our
children don’t sink after we are gone."

"Is there any hope of a time when
there is only peace? Is there a chance that one day we can all
learn to live together in some kind of harmony?

"No, there is no hope for that. The
moment that men decide to be peaceful is the moment that someone
seizes the opportunity to do harm to those who have given up
violence. I’m sorry Andrew, but war is eternal. This cycle will
never end."

The gray light of the day seemed to
deepen and darken as they marched across the plains. Soon there
would be nothing to see in the empty lands between the populated
cities of Medora and Vindyrion. It would not be so desolate for
long though, for after they crossed the River Eloria the world
would come to life again in all its beauty. That beauty might be
dimmed, however, if the irritating clouds and mist did not flee
from the bright rays of the sun before they got there. Tannis hoped
that those clouds would move past them and not trouble them with
rain. Although the army could move in wet weather, it was not
pleasant and the soldiers’ spirits would be as dampened as their
boots.

Another concern that weighed more
heavily on Tannis was the time of year. There was still another
three months or so before the snows of winter fell, but there was
no telling how long they would be at war. Being that the Bhoors had
assembled such a large army, he couldn’t see the conflict ending so
quickly. For most of the winter they would need to avoid fighting
when they could, but they could not risk returning to Medora and
leaving the Bhoors free to march right up to the Medoran border.
The Legions could be prepared with sharp weapons and well-trained
soldiers, but lack of food and bitter cold temperatures were things
that were difficult to remedy.

"There is a crossroads ahead General,"
Andrew said. "This road stays much the same, but the road towards
Burnhamheade narrows some. It will slow your Legions if you take
the narrower road, however if we remain on this road, we will stay
to the south of Burnhamheade. It would be faster to stay off the
roads and march across country."

"No it wouldn’t Ambassador. We have
heavy supply wagons to deal with. We also take less risk to the
horses if we keep them on flat land. And I have already told you
that we do not want to kick up dust clouds by leaving the road. We
will take the road to Burnhamheade and I will decide where to go
once we get close enough to the capital."

"Allow me to test my knowledge of
strategy if you would General. If these clouds brought us rain,
couldn’t we leave the roads? Wouldn’t the rain keep the dust
down?"

"Well at least you are trying to use
your head to understand the world around you. Unfortunately if you
were to march an army across a wet, muddy plain, you’d probably get
your wagons stuck. Aside from that, the wet weather might only last
an hour. What do you do three hours later when the sun has dried
the ground again?"

Andrew laughed at himself. "I suppose
I would pray to the gods that a General smarter than me comes to my
rescue. I’m thankful that I don’t have to deal with these things.
Life is complicated enough as it is."

Tannis stared off to the north, barely
aware of Andrew’s answer. He felt an odd feeling and it seemed as
if his horse could sense it and mirrored the uneasiness he felt.
The mighty animal tensed and bucked slightly, changing the rhythm
of his hoof beats. Tannis was beginning to think that there was
something more to this story and it was frustrating him that he
could not comprehend it. There seemed to be some hidden network of
forces at play, and he thought he might be losing his mind every
time he considered the idea.

"What is it General? What do you see?"
Andrew asked him quietly.

"I see nothing out of the ordinary
Ambassador. It’s just that I have been having strange dreams
lately, and the scene I see now was one I saw in them. To see such
a familiar sight makes my soul dizzy, if that makes
sense."

"Perhaps you are just dreaming of when
you had been here last."

"You don’t understand. I don’t dream.
Until a few weeks ago, I had never had a dream in my entire life. I
was always confused when people told me about them. It was hard to
understand such a thing when I had never experienced it. But even
still, I know that there is something strange about these dreams.
It’s as if fate or the gods whisper to me."

Chapter 29

Five days had passed since Piro
Tecadelion’s funeral. The Empire was filled with a heavy sadness
for the loss of their beloved Emperor. Even people who had never
met him wept in the streets, grown men unashamed to show their
grief for a man they truly admired. His funeral was a grand one,
and every Medoran would recall the day for the rest of their lives.
The mourners had all come dressed in white, and stood silently
during the entire ceremony. When Piro’s body was finally laid
inside the cold stone building and sealed away from the world of
the living, the streets erupted with contagious weeping.

Uritus yawned as he thought back on
it. He was tired of feigning sadness and was ready to move on. The
Emperor’s Hall was full of petty people and servants who absolutely
dripped with annoying condolences that filled his ears with
aggravating echoes of pity. He was finding it hard to find places
where he could meet with people without the bland repetitions of
these people ringing in the hallways around him. Finally he was
able to sneak away from the people and the Elite Guard for a while
and meet with Battus Gredda in one of the formal dining rooms. He
ate as they spoke.

"What is the next move
Uritus?"

He finished chewing the roast duck
before he answered. "Well, everything is in place and going
according to plan so far, but I am not sure what I will do next. I
have considered faking my own death, but I don’t know if that’s the
best idea."

"I don’t understand how that would
help us anyway."

"It would harm us as much as help us.
The reason I considered it is because everyone in Medora knows that
my younger brother would make a terrible Emperor, and they would be
more comfortable with the idea of letting the Mages take control of
the Empire. The reason against it is that the people might think
that the Mages killed my father and me in order to seize control.
They would not trust the Mages."

"Well, Emperor," Battus said with a
grin, "the Mages really are the ones behind the plot. You can’t
blame the people for being wise."

"I know that. But I can blame myself
for failing strategically. Right now we need the people calm and
easily influenced. I also need you to keep the Earth and Moon
Legions busy. Have them searching for assassins or something; I
don’t care what it is. There is a major change that needs to take
place and it has to be timed perfectly. I want the control of this
Empire in the hands of the Mages just as the other five Legions are
slaughtered in Vindyrion. When news gets back to the people that
the army has been annihilated, they will be more open to such
change."

"I understand. And you were thinking
that the people won’t accept this change as long as you are alive
and functioning as Emperor."

"Right. That’s the complication that
is bothering me. I need to be able to hand the reigns to the Mages
and I can’t do that without it being suspicious. If I fake my own
death, they will not trust the Mages. If I grant them power while I
am alive, they will not trust me."

Battus bit his knuckle as he looked
down at the table. "Yes that makes sense. I must admit that I am
still concerned about the loss of those five Legions. Regardless of
who our allies are, we will be greatly weakened and vulnerable for
attack."

"I would not worry too much about
being attacked Battus. Remember that we have Inshae on our side. No
other god has stepped in and done anything, and as far as I can
tell, they are either ignorant or indifferent to all these matters.
I also have strengthened my power significantly. Even if the whole
world turned against us, I am fairly confident that we could defend
ourselves."

"But why risk it? I still don’t
understand why you are willing to let all those men die out
there."

"It’s all part of the plan Battus. It
will cause a commotion here at home. People will be very afraid,
and they will want an answer to solve the problem. The Mages are
that answer. Aside from that, I can do little to remove power from
the Nobles. I can’t simply have them all killed, and I can’t just
tell the people that the Nobles are no longer allowed to represent
them. It will cause an uprising, and we cannot handle that,
especially in our weakened state.

"The Medoran system needs a total
change. We can’t have the Nobles in our way, and the best way to
remove them is to make the people not trust them. It will be
obvious to them very soon that things are falling apart. At the
precise moment that happens, the Mages will step in and assume
control. Once we have that control, we will rebuild Medora the way
it should have been built in the first place. It will be a land of
fairness to all, no matter who they are. We will then build our
power and take over the rest of the world."

Battus leaned back in his chair and
rested his chin in his hand. "Your scheme seems a little too grand,
don’t you think? Taking over the world is asking for too
much."

"Not at all Battus. There is no sense
doing anything if you do not intend to take it all the way. You’re
forgetting that the Vindyri and the Bhoors already share many of
the beliefs I hold. They know the way of equality among all is the
only just and fair way; even if their systems are not exactly
perfect. Regardless of our differences, we all understand that no
man should be allowed to stand above the rest. Each man must be
raised up and made great with him.

"In addition to that, I remind you
again that we have a god on our side, and I possess his sacred
robes. We are stronger than any other nation, and those nations
will soon be aware of that fact. They will accept me as their ruler
in time, and if not, I will simply persist. I am immortal so long
as I wear the robes, so their attempts to resist me are futile. I
cannot lose. Once we hand the rule over to the Mages, I don’t see
why I’d ever take the robes off."