The Union 243 Divide, Surround And Conquer

The cry of the beasts shook the earth. Every single one of their steps seemed to bring a fatal omen. One step was all it would take for a man to die, even an armored Castonian cannot survive.

Such was the horror Brent faced. His breathing was low, like a newborn sleeping. Cold sweat skidded on his face. Down, down, down it went to the shaking ground. He tried to still his heart but courage escaped his senses. He was going to die. He was going to get trampled. It would be painful. He needed to run. To live.

No, he thought. His duty is to the Union. He would fall and Goldentooth would fall. But not after bleeding the enemies first. Running was for the cowards. He wasn't a coward. n.o.ble blood flows through his veins- n.o.ble Castonian blood.

He raised his sword, aiming at the sky. The silver steel glinted. He felt a sudden surge of courage. He is a Castonian, he repeated. The enemies would have to face him, crush him, before they could taste victory.

"Hold the line! Never falter! Never fear. The Omniscient is with us!"

Brent's shout was met with silence from the ranks. They hate him, he thought. Well he was not a person to be loved. He was strict, as strict as he could be. It was his duty as a n.o.ble to be strict with them.

And he was somehow stupid. This was his fault, he must admit. He was the one who insisted to sally from Mythrille. He should have stayed. He should have listened to Lady Ash and King Harold.

Who would love an incompetent and strict leader? None. Brent knew that he was unloved. His very being was condemned by many. It was alright. It was fine. He didn't care anyway. He was doing his obligation to the Union by his own way.

The men at the front line stood strong. Brent could see their trembling bodies. He could smell their p.i.s.s. He could feel their fear. And yet they stood like stones, unmoving against the intimidation of the armored elephants.

And then the elephants halted slowly. The trainers bearing whips and spears on top made the beasts stop. It took a while and it took quite a distance. An elephant's charge was not an easy thing to discontinue after all.

The enemy commander has sense, Brent thought. Resuming the charge would probably trample the men of Goldentooth. Over a hundred armored and trained elephants was nothing minor. Such a charging force would crumple anything it would encounter. But hitting a wall of Castonians would also be catastrophic for the elephants. A Castonian's halberd was designed to pierce through armor. The elephants were armored but not thickly due to weight considerations. Several dozen elephants would die in the charge.

One of the elephants turned to one side. Soon a rope ladder was lowered from its back. A person armored in full plate descended the ladder, slow and with grace. Soon, several Wismarines joined the person in full plate. Brent's heart clenched. How could he forget Falconheads? Those things were eerie to look at. And he knew the only person who would use Falconheads as guards.

"Greetings friends" Sarah Wismar upped the visor of her helm.

It was truly her, Brent thought. In flesh. Sarah Wismar, the enemy that even the monarchs couldn't defeat. Not yet, anyway.

He had the urge to order an attack. The Falconheads numbered only to a hundred at most. They could cut the serpent's head and they could serve it on a platter to the monarchs. But no. Sarah Wismar was a smart woman. She should have thought of the possibility already. Attacking would break the line and the elephants could charge again. Maybe that was what she was hoping for.

"You are early" Brent said, eyeing the subtle movements from the forest on both their sides. Those people who ambushed them earlier were again surrounding them.

"Father gave me an army right away. I am daddy's girl. More are coming General Brent. A huge Wismarine army is marching here from Malzan as we speak" Sarah breathed the air, an overacted gesture "And smell that? The flames raging. Flames of rebellion General. Inextinguishable. Eastern Canton would forever be mine. You cannot subjugate them after killing all their family members during our last battle"

You murdered them, Brent thought. He had seen the enemy camp back then. His stomach still protests whenever the memory comes back. Thousands were butchered in their sleep and the act was blamed on the Union. Such wa Sarah Wismar's ways.

"We have you surrounded General" Sarah smiled "I don't want more blood to drip onto this pleasant land. We can be friends. Oh the Omniscient wouldn't smite you. Surrendering is not betrayal. A man's got to survive right? Save the lives of your men General. Be wise"

Brent smiled. His reply was a spit to the ground.

***

"A blunder" Timothy said.

The inside of their tent was illuminated by several beeswax candles. The light was clear and the smoke was without odor. It was cool inside, despite the raging summer season. It was good.

And yet their meal sat uneaten. The stew had gone cold. The sweetened wine was starting to draw fruit flies. Lucia sat without words beside her husband.

"A blunder indeed" She finally said. "She has returned huh?"

"She has. Even if she tries to hide it, all of this cannot have happened without her. Rebels cannot take forts, especially not in a single day. Sarah Wismar was the one who led the attacks" Timothy was staring at one of the beeswax candles. It burned without noise, without thought. And yet it was as if the candle had less problems than them.

"I failed. It was a mistake on my part. I thought we had more time. I thought..."

Lucia stopped him with firm grip on his hand. It was not his sole burden, Lucia thought. She also failed in her own way.

"And that thing about General Brent was mine"

General Brent wasn't the smartest of the Generals. He was one of the least competent in fact. General Brent was a Castonian Earl and him being in position could help placate the n.o.bles. It was a decision made to balance the Kingdom. Another n.o.ble revolt would be disastrous.

But General Brent wasn't just put in the position of a General just because of his n.o.ble blood. For all his shortcomings, Brent was a loyal man. Lucia had seen the General's pa.s.sion. He would never betray the Union. With the lack of capable leaders, Lucia thought that a loyal but a little incompetent man would be better than a competent one with questionable loyalties. That was especially true for Eastern Canton where Sarah Wismar could just bribe a Castonian General.

It was probably a mistake. She never thought that General Brent would be too naive to bite into Sarah's trap. Little mistakes here and there would be worth having a loyal General. But Brent made the worst decision he could. Lucia also overestimated Ash and King Harold. They should have stopped Brent though underhanded methods. Now both Mythrille and the Goldentooth Legion were in danger.

"Can we make it?" She asked.

"To Goldentooth?" Timothy asked back and then shook his head after. "No. We cannot cross the Long River without making peace with the King of Hadea. The closest crossing point is the Bacharan Bridge. King Corey has fortified the crossing with a large army. It would be both foolish and futile to fight through that army. We will be victorious but by the time we reach Canton, we would be too weak to face Sarah"

"I have been thinking about this, Tim" Lucia said, lowering her head.

"And?"

"King Corey brought his daughter along right? That's what the scout told us"

"Yes" Lucia saw the moment the realization hit Timothy. He first frowned. And then looked at her with questioning eyes. "Are you certain about this?"

"No" Lucia said. "But we need to cross immediately"

Timothy grew silent for a while. In those deep dark eyes, Lucia saw him contemplating decisions difficult to make. Timothy raised his head.

"Let's.... let's have Shadow do it"