stories,” I said loudly. A few men chuckled. I took that as a good sign.
“A good friend of mine explained to me a while back that true power, doesn’t come from money or magic. I thought he was a fool! Do you know what he told me?” I paused again before continuing, “He told me that true power lies in the people that follow you.”
“But there’s a damn sight more people on their side!” someone shouted from the back.
“You’re right! But those men down there aren’t our real enemy. They’re people, just like you, men trying to carve out a living for themselves. Do you honestly think they want to be here? They’re conscripts, forced to serve by the theocracy that rules Gododdin now. We have a hell of a lot more reason to fight than they do. The real enemy is Vendraccus and the dark god he serves. Forcing those men into this fight is what really pisses me off. Do you know why?”
No one spoke. The room had gone utterly silent as I spoke and I could see the question in their eyes.
“Because I am going to kill every damned soldier that marches into our valley! I have never been a man that likes bloodshed, but today will be the day history remembers me by. The day Mordecai Illeniel became the greatest butcher the world has ever seen,” I stopped, staring at them for a long minute.
“There’s something I need you to do for me,” I cast my gaze across the crowd. “When today is done thousands upon thousands will be dead, but there will be more. The dead will pile upon themselves from one end of this valley to the other, but some will remain. Those that do may well be driven to assault us here. They may still outnumber us. Our women and our children wait on us in Lancaster. I will not be able to protect them. I leave that trust to you. Can I count on you to do that for me?”
The room was silent for a long moment before one man near the front answered, “Yes my lord.”
I put my hand to my ear, “What did you say?”
“Yes my lord!” he repeated more loudly.
“I hear your voice, are there any others?” I replied.
“Yes my lord!” several men shouted.
“Louder goddammit!” I admonished them. Soon the room was echoing with cries of “Yes my lord!” They took it up and it slowly became a chant. At some point it changed and before I realized it they were chanting my name. Another day I might have been embarrassed, but not today. They needed hope, and I needed their trust. Chances were that I would lead many of them to their deaths, and for that I certainly needed their trust.
They were still pounding the tables and shouting when I left the room. I stood listening in the empty corridor and each booming cry reminded me of a marching drum, driving me to my doom. Penny walked up behind me, “You were magnificent Mort. They truly believe in you.”
The emotions swirling through me were too much, and I began to laugh. An ugly hysterical laugh, a reaction to the tension coiled inside me. “You really think so?” I choked out.
A worried frown creased her brow, “Yes I do.”
“We’ll see how they feel when the crows and vultures come to feed. We’ll see how the survivors feel once they’ve gained some perspective, ” I replied.
“You really worry me sometimes,” she responded suddenly.
“You’re not the only one. Come on, let’s go see how the enemy is progressing,” I said and we headed for the teleportation circles I had prepared.
We sat on two tall destriers near the manor house of Lord Arundel. A large circle was etched in the cobbled patio behind the house. I had created several throughout the valley. With a diameter of fifteen feet they were large enough to allow me to bring both of us along with our horses. Not having access to a better means of viewing the valley I had placed them at spots I thought would prove useful in observing the enemy. The circles that matched them were placed in a large barn we had constructed near the stable in Cameron Castle. I would need good information on the enemy’s position to use my iron bombs most effectively.
I had taken us there knowing that the soldiers of Gododdin would already be passing by Arundel… or scouting it. There was a high possibility they would divert to make certain there was no enemy waiting to flank them from the baron’s estates. As we rode around the side of the house I spotted two men on horseback in the front yard, their eyes grew wide when they saw us.
I thought for a moment they might charge us, but being scouts they spurred their horses and rode away. Information was more important than engaging and unknown enemy I supposed. I dismounted and plucked two stones up from where they lay. The riders were less than a hundred yards away. A word and a sharp puff of breath sent the stones flying after them. After they had fallen from the saddles their horses continued running. I decided to let them go, they would send a message for me.
I caught Penny watching me. “You seem rather calm,” she noted.
“No point in getting worked up over two men. I’ll have much worse to atone for later,” I replied coldly.
“I don’t like what’s happening to you,” she said.
I remounted and rode close beside her. Leaning over I gave her a kiss. “I love you Penny, but it doesn’t matter what happens to me. I won’t have long to regret my actions.”
She gritted her teeth, “What if I was wrong?”
“Do you think you were wrong?” I asked smoothly.
She didn’t reply to that so after a moment I turned my horse and we began riding for the road. I wanted to see the reaction the riderless horses would provoke. As we rode I rechecked the shields around Penny, myself, and our horses. The events of a year ago had taught me a valuable lesson about shielding my horse.
We had covered most of the mile that separated Arundel from the main valley road when we caught sight of the enemy. They were marching five abreast toward us, with small groups of cavalry fanning out to the sides. “What now?” Penny asked me.
I laughed at the question and did what seemed most natural. Standing up in my stirrups I began waving at the approaching soldiers, a broad grin on my face. They came to a halt and I saw their commander ordering the crossbow men to come forward. “Time to go,” I told Penny. We turned and began riding hard for Arundel. A few bolts flew by as we rode but the distance was too great for them to have much chance of hitting us. A glance back showed me that their cavalry had decided not to give chase.
They probably thought it was a trap. I couldn’t blame them for that.
We returned to Cameron as soon as we reached the circle in Arundel. From there we took another circle to a spot in the valley, on the other side of the road as it passed by the baron’s lands. I had been careful to position it slightly more than half a mile from the road. My biggest fear had been putting one somewhere and finding myself in the middle of the enemy when I used it.
From there we had a clear view of the column of soldiers. It stretched now from where the road left the mountains all the way to Arundel. I could see that the last part of it consisted of wagons and what I presumed were camp followers. That meant the column of soldiers was nearly five miles long. “Slightly over thirty thousand men,” I mused aloud. Glancing over I could see Penny’s mouth agape as she stared at them. “You alright?” I asked.
“There’s so many,” she said softly.
“Doesn’t matter,” I reminded her. “Ten, twenty, thirty… it just means more will die.”
“Stop it,” she replied.
“Stop what?”
“Stop pretending it doesn’t matter. You know damn well it bothers you,” she told me.
“I can’t afford to pretend otherwise. I have to keep my heart hard. If I don’t, I’ll lose my resolve,” I said determinedly.
“But all those men… they must have families, loved ones, people waiting on them,” she said.
“Shut… up,” I said quietly. Thankfully she did. We watched as they set up a defensive line on the road leading toward Washbrook and Lancaster, while the main column continued to progress into Arundel. They were making sure they weren’t surprised while they secured the baron’s land. An hour passed while we quietly observed them.
“I think they’ve noticed us,” Penny said casually.
Glancing along the line I realized she was right. A contingent of cavalry was detaching from the main force and riding toward us. That surprised me; our location was well hidden by tall grass and a copse of trees. Perhaps
