Reborn: War's Nightmare (3 page)

“The why did you make me one of your reapers?” Ash asked, a slight hint of anger and confusion in his voice.

“It was needed,” Altina said in a voice that carried sadness. “You were to become the next demon lord. When you were going through the rite, I saw this and understood that you would need strength. The humans, elves, and dwarves are like my children. I love them and have watched them grow, but the demon and beast tribe are like my grandchildren. I have watched them grow and endure great hardship. I have helped where I could, but my ability to effect the world is limited by the rules we gods have placed on ourselves. When I saw what you would become I gave you the greatest gift I could.”

“I see,” Ash said as he found no words to contradict her. “I still don’t see why you and I are here.”

“Since you are one of my chosen, I have some leeway and can show myself to you within limits. I have been watching you and seeing your dreams as of late, I thought it would be a welcomed change.”

“I must admit this is much better than the scene that I was watching before,” Ash admitted. “But couldn’t you get rid of my nightmares?”

“No,” Altina said with a look of pity on her face. “Your dreams come from your own mind and soul. It is not something that can be cured with even my power. I can only tell you that even though not everyone that has fallen by your blade was evil, you can only live by your own conscious. Not even I would hold you accountable for the deaths so maybe that can put your mind at ease.”

Ash didn’t know how long he talked with the goddess, but when he awoke the next day, he felt refreshed, but the weight that had been pulling down on his soul hadn’t lessened. Ash could still keenly feel the burden.

“My lord,” Lath said startling Ash.

“What has happened?” Ash asked his voice sounding slightly worried when he noticed Lath’s face.

“We just received news that the kingdom of Urie has crossed the border of Heluria and have started attacking. We haven’t heard from the person we sent there, but their forces seem to be headed straight toward us.”

“How long until we meet?”

“It is hard to say but at most five days. We should receive some information if they agreed to aid us by then, but if not there is a good chance they are hostile to both us and Heluria.”

Ash couldn’t help but cuss at the situation. There had been rumors that Heluria and Urie were going to war, but nothing had ever come of it. All they had done so far was build up the border forces. It could be that with the forces withdrawn Urie decided it was a good time to strike. The only real question was if they would aid or hinder the demon army.

“I want you to learn everything you can,” Ash ordered. “I want to know their numbers, abilities, skills. I want how many hairs are on each head if you can find out.”

“Understood my lord,” Lath said bowing before disappearing.

12-4

With each day that passed, tension started to raise among the troops. Ash didn’t hide the fact that there was a second force that was currently headed toward them. He needed them to know and needed their advice. With so little information anything could happen, but there were a countless number of possibilities that stood out, though most of them were not favorable.

The one that stuck out the most was that the Urie kingdom wanted to use the current war between the demons and Heluria to their advantage. Right now the main force of Heluria should be close to the demon main force, though so far they had kept back far enough and had not engaged them. If the Urie army were to wipe out Ash’s army then come up behind the Heluria army, it would force them to fight on two fronts without a chance to escape. After that, they could either attack the main demon army or sue for peace. Even if they only gained half the land of Heluria they would make great gains with only a few loses. Ash could only hope they would work with the demons and not against them.

It wasn’t until three days later that Ash got his first real information about the Urie forces. The King of Urie had tried to make a deal with the demon ambassador, but he was asking for more than the demon had the ability to decide on. Right now it was unclear about what their stance was, but from the sound of the report they received from Lath’s men, it was more favorable than unfavorable. Right now the Urie forces were pushing hard and from the latest reports, unless Ash’s forces changed direction, they would meet up close to midday. Even if Ash forced a change it was almost impossible to bypass the oncoming force, unless he wanted to head back toward the Heluria capital. It left him in a really tight spot. The Urie forces were ten times the size of his own and even with their skill, they would most likely be overrun. If they retreated then they would be cut off from reinforcements and supplies deep in enemy territory. Right now that had worked for them since the King had little time to prepare but the more time that passed, the more dangerous it would become. They only had one choice and that was to push forward.

Currently Ash was riding on the back of his horse at the front of the army while the sun was starting to reach its apex in the sky. Just in sight was another large force of people that looked like a moving sea. Ash tried his best not to the let the uncertainty that was currently coursing through his body show on his face as the two armies move toward each other.

Just when the two groups were about three hundred yards apart, both forces stopped. Tolarea handed Ash a long spear with a white sheet tied to it. Placing the butt of the spear in a small raised section on his saddle, Ash rode forward with Tolarea, Eun, and Li following close behind him. At the same time, four people from the other side raised their own white flag though it looked to be of much better quality and not something that was quickly thrown together like the one Ash was using.

When they got closer, Ash looked over the four men. Ash quickly used analyze and noticed that all four of the men were well trained and high level soldiers. The one at the forefront who had misty white hair and the one to his immediate left who still looked to be in his early thirties levels were so high that Ash couldn’t even tell what level they were at.

“I am General Anderson of the great Urie Kingdom,” the older man declared proudly though not in such a tone that left a bad impression.

“I am the demon Maoh Hawkwing,” Ash said giving his own greeting.

“Maoh,” the man younger man said. “I don’t think I have heard of that term before.”

“It would easiest to equate it with the term king though there are some differences,” Ash said in a way of an explanation.

“Then you are the person we are looking for,” Anderson said. “I am unsure how to call you though. Would your majesty suffice?”

“Please spare me from that,” Ash said shaking his head. “Lord Hawkwing would work the best I believe.”

“Then Lord Hawkwing it is,” Anderson said keeping his face passive. “I will get straight to the point. We would like to work with the demon army to subdue Heluria, but we don’t wish to work for free. I doubt we will be able to settle the decision in a short time, so if it is possible I suggest we both set camp and then talk. For now we can at least agree to a non-aggression pact…I hope.”

“Agreed,” Ash said nodding his head while inwardly heaving a deep sigh. It was going better than Ash could have expected though there was still plenty of ways for things to go wrong.

After returning to his own group, Ash ordered them to move in and set up camp while the Urie army did the same. A large tent was set up in the center while the two forces each took to fanning out on either side with the Urie army taking the largest portion of the ground, but seeing how their size was much larger it only made sense.

Once the camps were set up, the officers of both camps set up their tents in the center as if they belonged to the same group. Once everything was ready, general Anderson called everyone to the large tent were a large feast had been prepared. Before eating, everyone introduced themselves which took quite a while. The Urie officers were staring at his wives at first, especially Celina and Li until they learned they were his wives. Most the eyes drifted away at that time, but there were a few soldiers who couldn’t take their sights off the two charming women. Ash didn’t really mind as he knew that they were beauties and he himself had times when he was caught just staring at them endlessly.

Once the meal was finished and the plates were cleared, the meeting started in full force. Anderson didn’t take long and stated the Urie Kingdom’s demands without delay.

“The Urie Kingdom wants three fourths of the land?” Ash almost yelled.

“Yes,” Anderson said calmly. “We had been planning this war for a long time, but the demon army seemed to get a head start. We believe that without our assistance it will be impossible for your side to win, but with it the war will be over in months instead of years. I think three fourths is a fair price for such aid.”

“I think you misunderstand something,” Calen said showing his sharp fangs. “The current force that we have brought to subdue Heluria is mostly our younger troops to give them a bit of training. If the demon kingdom truly wished to destroy Heluria we could do so in a matter of weeks.”

“Calen,” Ask said admonishing the commander for speaking too freely. The truth was that Ash didn’t have the full demon army move because he didn’t want to show the full strength that they could muster thinking that it might cause panic in the other kingdoms. It was better to win with the least force possible and lose a few than to cause a larger war and lose everything. “I don’t mind giving up the southern half of Heluria which borders Urie, but only so far as the Thren duchy. That will give us each half of the country.”

“Half,” Anderson said his eyes going slightly red. “How do you see that as half? That give you about six tenths of the kingdom.”

Ash was baffled for a moment then began to understand. “You are mistaken. The Hawkwing duchy is no longer part of the Heluria kingdom. Before the start of the war, it already had withdrawn and became its own land, so it can’t be calculated as part of the Heluria kingdom as far as this conversation goes. I have already said I am willing to give up half of Heluria but no more. If you truly wish to find out the might of the demon kingdom then I will let you, but I promise if you go that route we will not stop after conquering Heluria.”

“Are you threating me?” Anderson asked.

“Yes, I am,” Ash admitted. “I am not here to play games. We declared war on Heluria and currently it can only be seen as you butting in on our affairs. If you push it too far, no one would blame us for pushing back even harder.”

“I see,” Anderson said pushing himself back from the table. “Let us discuss the topic and we will have an answer for you at daybreak.

“Very well,” Ash said getting up from his seat. “I hope that it is good news,” Ash said before leaving and returning to his own tent.  

“Lord Ash, do you think that was wise?” Lath asked, stepping out of the darkness of one of the tents as soon as Ash away from the Urie officers.

“I don’t know if it was or not,” Ash replied honestly. “But there is no way I am going to hunt the beast just to have the meat taken. Keep a close eye on them. If they decide to turn on us, I want to know it with enough time to mount a suitable response.”

“I will be done my lord,” Lath said before disappearing once again into the shadows.

After returning to his tent, Ash met with his officers to plan for the future. The first thing that was decided on was to secretly move a number of troops away from the camp under the cover of night. This way if things turned sour, Ash could use his dimension door to escape and still have some soldiers for guards while the rest fought to hold off the Urie army. Ash didn’t like the idea of sacrificing so many just so that he could live, but it made less sense for him to die alongside them when he had so many other lives resting on his shoulders.

With so many things up in the air, there were few choices they could really make. They would either be fighting the Urie army along with the Heluria army or be fighting alongside them. Though there was little they could decide on, they still talked late into the night about every small detail that they could think of. Ash knew that what they decided on wouldn’t make much of a difference, but it seemed to ease the minds of the officers.

After countless hours of endless arguments, Ash was finally able to get the Calen and the other officers to leave his tent so that he could try to get a little sleep, though he was not looking forward to what his dreams would bring.

“Lord Ash,” Tolarea said entering the tent.

“Tolarea, I thought it was Celina’s turn tonight,” Ash said looking over his wife.

“We thought it would be best if someone trained in fighting was by your side. Celina is skilled, but she is no good in close combat. She is currently watching the tent along with the others.”

Ash didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. Though he felt like his wives were treating him like a child again, he also could feel the warmth and dedication in their choices. With a warm smile, Ash raised the blanket and signaled for Tolarea to take her place beside him. With a nod of her head Tolarea placed her massive sword next to the bed and lay beside Ash.

Ash woke up before the sun rose, his brow dripping sweat. Unlike the night before, Altina did not come to his dreams to comfort him all that awaited him were the faces of those that had met their deaths at his hands.  As soon as Ash sat up, Tolarea bolted up her hand going straight for her sword that lay on the ground beside the bed. Within the time it would take for Ash to take a breath, Tolarea was on her feet looking around for anything that moved. Seeing how Tolarea reacted, Ash forgot about his troubled night and couldn’t help but smile.

Ash quickly dressed but since the sun had yet to rise, the army cooks had yet to prepare anything to eat so Ash made due with dried meat and bread that was only a few days from being able to be used as a club. One of the female soldiers under Tolarea’s command offered to prepare something for him to eat but Ash refused. The soldiers took turns preparing the meals and if he allowed only one group to do it then it could be seen as either favoritism or punishment depending on who was looking and no matter how it went would cause trouble within the forces.

Not long after Ash finished eating, he received a summons from General Anderson. After double checking that his clothes were in good order Ash resituated his sword and walked toward the large tent that was situated in the center of the camp.

When Ash entered the tent with his guards, he found that Anderson was alone. “Lord Hawkwing, if it would be possible, could you send your guards outside to wait.”

“Understood,” Ash said as he waved his hand to dismiss Tolarea and the others.

“My lord,” Tolarea said looking at Ash with a disapproving glare.

“Tolarea, I have given my order,” Ash said doing his best to make his voice sound commanding.

“We shall wait outside my lord,” Li said as she pulled Tolarea out of the tent.

“Please have a seat,” Anderson said, his voice much calmer than the day before. “We have decided to take you up on your offer,” Anderson said as soon as Ash was seated.

“That is good,” Ash replied. “Then we should break camp and get moving.”

“Not so fast,” Anderson said hiding a smile. “It seems that demons don’t understand human politics. Do you know the reason I have called you here alone?”

“No,” Ash said as his hand moved to his sword expecting some sort of foul play.

“Calm down, it is nothing of that sort,” Anderson said with a slight chuckle that didn’t seem to fit his previous stern demeanor. “My men know me as an overbearing leader with an iron will. I have spent countless years cultivating that way of thought. If I had the other officer’s here, they would expect me to argue and refuse you. Most the time I have my wife alongside me just as you do and it is her role to play the intermediary but sadly she is currently with child and could not make the journey. Due to that, I had to find another way to make our arrangement work.”

“And that was for us to talk alone,” Ash said as he started to understand.

“Right, though it is not as though we can walk in then immediately leave,” Anderson explained. “None of my men would believe I had folded that quickly. So we will just have to spend a few hours and I will have to yell a bit. I just didn’t want things to go astray so I thought I would be upfront with the reasons behind my actions. Now would you like to have a drink of wine before we start our yelling match?” Anderson said offering Ash a glass of a slightly pale peach colored wine.