O Saga: Part One: Book of Origins
Chapter Seventeen: Battle

Tsar Miro had been on the battlefield before. When skirmishes broke out when he was young, he led the military in squashing unrest. Miro had been pupils by top Military tacticians since childhood. Miro had learned to fight and defend himself against the most skilled swordsmen in his lands. The alliance with the Coven would make this a different battle than he ever experienced.

Miro positioned two lines of three infantry divisions on both sides of the Southern gate facing the sea. Four divisions of archers were attached to each flank. The divisions on the Western flank had to traverse a river with all their gear to take up position. The bridge to get across was inside the city walls. It is a clever way to force traffic through the gates.

To cross the river, the soldiers had to kill livestock, stuff it with hay, and inflate the bladders. They crossed under the cover of night.

Miro’s forces had camped outside Teodor’s fortified walls for a few days. It gave Miro time to build siege engines for mounting an attack. It was a common practice to build siege towers, ladders, and battering rams before beginning an assault. Siege carpenters were ordinary among the auxiliary forces in Armies and were noncombatants. It took a little longer than Miro had hoped, as replaceing timber and livestock were scarce here.

Field Marshall Ramsey commanded the Eastern flank, and Miro had crossed the river to command the Western flank. It always earned trust and fealty when a commander suffered the same difficulties as the men.

Tsar Miro used flags, horns, and drums to communicate orders once a battle broke out. The field signal unit stayed close to Miro for quick tactical changes.

Tsar Miro was not showing his whole hand to the opposition. He wanted them to think the situation would resemble their last encounter.

Tsar Miro rarely left the saddle of his horse, Buca, during battle. Miro rode Buca for leisure back in the capital during peacetime. Miro often made an excuse to go to the stables and feed Buca.

Buca was a large white Percheron of stout girth and weight. His calm demeanor under battle conditions had long endeared him to Miro. Buca was dressed in battle armor, cutting a noble figure behind the men.

Signal torches ignited, and the drums and trumpets blasted loud above the chatter. The fleet in the harbor was well positioned, and it was time to begin stage one.

Miro was intentionally attacking in the late afternoon, as he wanted the people in the city to see his forces. As the siege dragged on, Miro could use the cover of night to bring out surprises. Tsar Miro raised his sword, and the battle began.

The archers on both flanks shot cover fire at the towers. The Eastern Infantry flank moved on the southern gate. The city had three gates, all with their drawbridges up.

The Infantry had made a column line moving to the gate. They put all their shield together to create a protective layer as they slowly moved down. Arrow fire from the city was striking their shield and some men. At the front, two men with spears were trying to throw at the raised drawbridge, but the mixture of stone and wood made targeting difficult.

The idea was that the spears would get stuck in the wood. Each spear had a rope tied to it on one end, and its end was connected to a long ramp. It would allow them to pull the rope and tighten the ramp to the other side. Once the ramp was secure, they could try the battering ram.

It never got that far, as too much fire came from the city. Arrows and energy blasts rained down on the men, forcing the retreat. Miro pivoted his strategy.

He pulled the Infantry back to their Eastern flank. The Western flank moved siege towers to the walls. They would try to get ladders from the siege tower to the city walls.

The crevasses and steep terrain slopes made getting the siege towers close enough impossible. As they tried, the energy blast from the city set some of the siege towers on fire. They had to retreat again.

Miro moved archers and catapults to cover three sides of the city. The catapults hurled large stones at the walls, causing minor fractures. The Tsar’s archers fired arrows recently at the city.

The signalman gave a sign to the fleet to begin their assault. Stones and arrows flew in all directions of the city, but the catapults were the only thing causing any real damage.

Tsar Miro saw two knights using energy blasts to protect the southern gate. They severely wounded his men. Two more were guarding the Western flank, but they didn’t have a good firing line on Miro’s troops yet.

Miro sent a courier to observe the fleet and assess what success they were having.

“My Lord, The fleet is causing damage to the North coastal wall, but they are also receiving damage. The golden armored knight from the previous battle is firing upon them again.” The Courier said, giving his report.

“Thank you,” The Tsar said. The Courier returned to his position and observed the fleet.

The Tsar was happy with the siege, as it was going according to plan. Miro sent three divisions of Calvary to try to draw fire. They weaved back and forth to the coast, firing arrows to get attention. It was only partially successful.

Miro ordered his force back and to cease fire. He would allow his troops to recover and regroup. It was also a ploy to let his opposition think they were winning.

Miro sent men to the river to draw water for his men. The auxiliary troops drove wagons full of reserve weapons to resupply. Physicians were allowed to tend to wounds. The Tsar summoned a Courier to bring a message into the city.

He offered a brief truce to allow his opponents to treat their wounded and deal with the dead. The Courier came back quickly, and terms were agreed. The Tsar called for the war drums to be silenced for now.

Each side had until complete darkness to rest. Miro sent soldiers to retrieve their dead and move them away from the battlefield. Scavengers had already started on many of the bodies and harassed the soldiers as they dragged corpses away.

Tsar Miro usually waited until victory to force the opposing side to clean up the dead bodies, but he was stalling for time. He could have taken the city quickly and revealed all his plays, but he also wanted to strike a psychological blow.

——-

“Why do you think they asked for an armistice, Master?” Malaika asked Chaska.

“My senses tell me it isn’t to be friendly. The Tsar is up to something. I can’t tell what it is yet.” Chaska replied.

“It will be the night before long; the Tsar seems to want this.”

“You suspect the siege will continue as soon as it is dark?”

“Almost certainly.”

“They haven’t posed much of a threat so far. Whatever they come up with, I’m sure we can handle.” Malaika tried to buffer the threat.

“Don’t be so sure, Malaika,” Chaska said measuredly.

Malaika and Chaska positioned themselves on the Western gate battlements and spent most of the battle watching Gaia and Elisapie withstand the Tsar’s attacks. The opposing Cavalry had tried to get their attention, but Chaska figured it was a diversion.

Rovan and Olafur impressively subdued the attacks from the fleets in the harbor. Malaika thought that the fleets posed the most danger so far.

The sun had fully set, and twilight had pulled down the darkness from between the stars. The light of the Gods, given to the celestial world, had been stolen from them. The seeing had become sightless in the depths of the blackness. The enemy camps had dowsed the torches and made the battlefield an abyss of the unknown.

Malaika could barely make out her hand in front of her. Malaika knew predators. She was practically a member of a wolf pack. She recognized a carnivore hiding in the dark, wet for blood and thrilled by the hunt.

There was no light, even from the ships in the harbor. What unnerved Malaika the most was that the natural world went still. She sensed the same danger that had made birds flee their perches. Not even a mosquito wanted to be a part of the bloodbath to come.

Out of the unknown, the drums began to beat again. A slow, deep pounding rang like a wave thrashing a rocky shore. There is no flame or light in view. The pounding of the drum grew louder, but the rhythm was steady.

Malaika turned to her Master to see if he was hearing this. Chaska was looking sternly to the South. His gaze was almost meditative. Malaika was closer to a torrent of rage. She was coiled up and in need of release.

——

Olafur had almost fallen asleep while waiting for the battle to restart. He sat slumped against a wall. He wasn’t nervous about the siege. His Master was the difference in the last fight; now they had seven more with the power to connect. Olafur figured the enemy would give up eventually.

Olafur saw his Master meditating on the edge of the bastion wall. Rovan was the picture of calmness under pressure. Olafur knew little about Knights but wanted to be just like his Master.

Olafur heard the pounding of a drum, which startled him from his wandering mind. It had also broken his Master. Rovan had spun around to look southward.

“Get up, get your sword out,” Rovan commanded him.

Olafur saw torches ignite on the vessels in the harbor one by one. The enemy was ready to attack, and half of the city seemed asleep. That was likely part of the opposition’s strategy, to let them develop a false sense of security. It had worked either way.

In the battle of Kwento, Rovan had passed out due to exerting himself too much. It seemed the respite in the struggle had allowed his Master to regain his strength. It could prove a costly mistake by the enemy.

During the brief pause, the people in the city had made makeshift repairs to the defensive walls that were showing stress. The enemy would indeed be targeting those areas again.

The pounding of the drum was growing louder, paired with soldiers grunting in chorus. It was a war chant. Olafur could not see the soldiers but could make out the sounds of swords beating against armor in harmonic patterns.

The enemy was using the shadows to mask their position and drive up the fear in the city. Olafur was sick of waiting for them to make their move, which is precisely what his foe wanted.

“Olafur, stay by your ship’s crew and archers. When I give the signal, I want you to send volleys of flaming arrows at the fleet. Target the ships nearest to the furthest. If they bring siege towers to the walls, lead the charge to hold them back. I will concentrate on the fleet. And most of all, stay where I can see you.”

“That almost sounded parental. I’m touched.”

“This isn’t a time for jokes.” Rovan scolded him.

Nope, that’s more of what I should expect, Olafur thought.

——

Malaika squeezed the handle of her sword in nervous anticipation. The enemy had been banging drums and making a racket for hours. They refused to come forward and show themselves, and it seemed they intended to drive them mad waiting.

A low, rumbling horn blew from what sounded like the bowels of Hell and shattered the monotony. Malaika could hear the sound of armor clanking as heavy feet stomped in the night.

Malaika had a keen vision, something she gleamed from the wolves or the luck of the draw, but she could see shadows moving into the light.

“They’re coming,” Chaska told her, breaking his serene calm.

Stepping out of the edges of the gloomy murk, soldiers emerged. These were not the soldiers they had been fighting earlier in the daylight. These soldiers oozed menace and threat.

The new soldiers had black armor that covered them from head to toe. They held long spears and moved sequentially, drawing nearer to the walls.

“Black Legion,” Chaska said out loud, but primarily to himself.

“Aren’t they loyal to the Witch Coven?” Malaika asked, trying to understand.

“They do.”

“Why are they here?”

“They must have allied with the Tsar.”

“I don’t see the red robes with them.”

“They are out there somewhere. I can feel it.”

Malaika can see Gaia and Elisapie standing, ready to signal to the archers. Malaika barely spoke one word to the Ijani Knights, but they acquitted themselves well in battle.

The deep rumble of the enemy horn blew again, and the Black-armored soldiers sprang forward with vigor, charging to the city. Malaika could see archers from the earlier battle running behind the new soldiers.

Calvary burst from the flanks to take up positions on both sides of the river. The Tsar’s Infantry followed the Cavalry, pushing siege towers and ladders. It was a full-out assault by the enemy.

The enemy was firing arrows from all directions to provide cover fire for the black armored soldiers. The vessels launched stones from catapults. Elisapie and Gaia were ducking and waiting to time a countermeasure.

Malaika and her Master had to take protected positions as arrows whizzed past their heads, fired from the Western flanking Calvary. Malaika had her back against the wall and was facing towards Gaia and Elisapie. It was a much more coordinated attack.

Malaika watched as Gaia and Elisapie took turns sending energy blasts at the attacking forces. From her position, she could see what effect they were having. The battlement walls were doing well to protect her from the arrows, but Malaika needed to see what the enemy was doing. She was against the merlon and peeking through the crenel to assess and make a plan.

“You and I will alternate using our power to attack them,” Chaska instructed. “We need to target siege towers. Set them on fire if you can.”

“Yes, Master.”

Malaika crouched with her knees bent and waited for her Master to fire. He took his opportunity to aim his sword and fired a shot of energy. Malaika waited until he took cover, then unleashed her volley. She had to locate a target quickly. A tower caught her eye, moving to her left. She was able to cause it damage. She went back to crouching. Malaika and her Master kept alternating back and forth. They had success damaging the siege towers and slowing the Western assault. Chaska gave the signal to their assigned archers to start firing so they could get some rest, as it takes a lot out of them to use the power. Malaika hoped the others were being as successful.

Malaika saw one of Gaia’s archers take a spear to the chest and fall to the battlement. Malaika looked through the crenel and saw a siege tower close to her wall. Soldiers were climbing up and bringing a ladder. She stood up, summoned all the power she could, and sent a wave of energy. The siege tower exploded, and the middle support beams snapped off. The soldiers flew backward. Some looked to have shrapnel wounds from the debris.

Chaska gave her a thumbs up. He then sent three pulses of energy to the Calvary. The enemy was choiceless to withdraw. Chaska gave the signal for his archers to stand down for now. Chaska threw himself to the ground and took a deep breath. They must wait for the next wave.

Malaika observed Elisapie trying something similar to her Master and was rapidly firing from the Southern wall. Gaia had moved further to the East and used his archer in tandem.

The city’s center was deserted as the reserve forces were all with the Chiefs in the citadel tower. The remaining citizens had left on the boats or by foot long ago.

Malaika saw Rovan targeting boulders flung from the ships in the harbor and shattering them before they could hit the walls. Rovan’s Apprentice was organizing archers, who sent flaming arrows sailing high into the night. They try to ignite the hulls of the vessels with mixed success. The arrows were dipped in oils to make them more challenging to put out. You could mix vinegar and water to counter the flames quickly.

To Malaika, it looked like all the Knights were tired from the constant drawing of their powers. She stood up to see how the battle was looking. In all directions, it looked like the enemy was kept at bay.

The start of this night battle was more intense and complex, but it ended the same. The Tsar’s forces and the black armored soldiers were regrouping, and everyone inside the city was taking a quick breather.

Malaika didn’t see many wounded or dead in the city. The enemy had retaken heavy losses. Would they ask for an armistice again and wait until morning?

The best Malaika could hope for was that they realized that even with the Black Legion, they were no match for seven Knights with the power to connect.

Unfortunately, Malaika got her answer quicker than she had hoped. The enemy had reformed their lines.

The Ishvaran Cavalry and Infantry were heading for the flanks again, and the Black Legion marched for the southern gate as well. Did they need to learn their lesson?

“There,” Chaska said with a finger pointing at something.

Malaika squinted her eyes to see what he was on about. Malaika caught a glimpse of two red-robed figures walking causally onto the battlefield. They were going past the Western flank calvary and in the lead position. Witches, members of the Shadow Coven, and Sorors, though Malaika didn’t know which ones they were.

Chaska again pointed, but this time, he showed Malaika that the Southern flank had two Sorors and the Western flank. Chaska had been right; they were waiting in the shadows.

At last, the Tsar revealed his entire hand. He was wise to hold these women warriors back until the Knights had exerted themselves. The enemy would benefit from it.

Malaika could sense in her stomach that it would be the final charge in some way or another.