The Scarlet King Page 15

As they traveled east Heather took stock of her small army of those of the Forest. They traveled as a group of just over forty with a few scouts yet to join them. They traveled light and mostly at night to avoid the patrols of those from the East. She was still not walking well and rode the great white horse, which caused those of the Forest extra effort in covering their tracks. But they had no choice.

  Betty frequently rode with her and the pace was comfortable, with those of the Forest easily keeping up with their loping gait. The patrols seemed fewer, as those of the East concentrated with ever greater fervor on destroying the walls of the Great City. Heather found herself praying silently to the God of the Sacred Water for the strength and courage to accomplish their task, for if they failed it was likely that Jason and the others would not survive.

  She much wished for a chance to see the east headland and the machines of war which sat upon it for her planning. When Jeremy returned, he and Edna went ahead to scout the route to the headlands. Betty, who was sitting behind her on the great white horse, was unusually quiet. When Heather asked her why she was so quiet, Betty replied, "I hear Edna."

  "Is she okay?"

  "She okay. I see what she is seeing."

  Heather asked, "Can you make me see as Edna does?"

  "I try."

  As long as Heather kept her mind quiet she started to see images of the land that lay ahead of them. At first it was just a general image without much detail, but as she continued to work to calm her mind the images became much more vivid. Edna, being a hunter, noticed things that Heather would not normally see, such as small broken branches from feeding animals or a change in the height of the vegetation indicating a game trail. A small bird flushed off to the left, and Edna immediately froze before imitating a bird call that caused Jeremy to likewise freeze. He slowly worked his way back to where Edna was crouched, and she pointed towards where the bird had flushed. They both began to circle back towards that area, having said nothing and using only a few hand signals.

  Edna soon found the tracks of scouts who appeared to have traveled from the headlands where they were going. She listened intensely but could hear no other sound. She cautiously followed the trail, staying to the side and remaining hidden as much as possible. The trail seemed to just end near one of the few large trees. As a hunter Edna instinctively scanned the ground level for any sign of movement. Only after she had secured her area visually did she begin to examine the large tree. In amongst the leaves she noticed a small piece of rope hanging down. As she stared, something moved amongst the branches and she recognized the outline of a man. He had somehow attached leaves to his clothing and blended well with the tree.

  Edna produced the warning call of the small finch, watching the man for any response. He responded not and continued to shift his position occasionally. Jeremy responded with a similar call. Edna began to slowly retreat back to her last position and wait for Jeremy. She explained what she had found using only hand signals. They both withdrew into a more densely vegetated area before whispering their findings. A decision was needed on how to proceed. Jeremy suggested they continue their leapfrog but stay closer together and pay more attention to possible tree lookouts.

  Heather's concentration was broken when one of the Forest reported a scouting party on horseback. Heather asked, "Will they cross our path?"

  He responded, "They will cross behind us on their present course." He then added, "We have left much sign and even those of the East may see it."

  Heather thought for but a moment about the heightened patrols, for those of the East had been pretty casual about their scouting, so confident were they in their machinery of war. She told the scout, "Take a few others of the Forest and do your best to cover our sign in the area you think they will cross. Risk not encountering them directly, for we much need to maintain our element of surprise."

  When the scouts had departed Heather tried to again concentrate on the images that Betty had relayed, but her mind would not quiet enough to hear them. She had assumed they had traveled far enough to the north to have avoided any contact. She decided that they would now travel only at night. This would make for much slower travel, but they would still arrive in time for an assault on the headland at first light on the day of the crescent moon.

  In the palace preparations for the counterattack were proceeding, but it was not until the day prior that others in the palace noted the increased activity. During the war council, the one those of the Forest called the Pet Bird complained, "You are preparing for some sort of battle and have not advised the war council."

  Don the Great replied, "We are at war and fighting for survival. I have not time nor energy to explain every little aspect of my defense planning."

  His cousin the Pet Bird replied, "You have not answered my complaint. Are you preparing for some sort of counterattack?"

  Don the Great rolled his eyes and sighed before replying, "If we are to survive, at some point we will need to counterattack. We must be ready when the time comes."

  The complaining continued: "If you counterattack you will leave us defenseless. I demand to know the details and the risk." The Pet Bird waited not for an answer but continued to press, saying, "This new weapon sits idle while our wall is destroyed. It is as if you are assisting the enemy in our destruction."

  Don the Great arose and just stared at his cousin, saying only, "My duty is to King and country." His tone was quiet but there was no doubt that he would allow no further challenges. He turned and walked to the door, pausing only to say, "There is much work to be done, for this battle will be decided in the next several days and our country and our King will live or die."

  Those of the Great City who lived near the east gate could not but notice the preparations, but yet when the trumpets began to sound before dawn they could not help but be surprised. The gates were opened and the Army of the Red, although much diminished, marched forth through the gates. Their mounted troops led the way followed by ranks of archers. When the last of the troops had passed through the gates they were again secured with only a small contingent of soldiers left behind.

  As the Army of the Red formed a defensive shield and began moving slowly forward, the new weapon which had been secured behind the city wall came to life. As he was commanded, the young navigator proceeded to target the area of the cooking fires visible in the dim light. He was unsure as to his accuracy, but agreed with Don the Great that the iron cannonballs would themselves be a significant disruption. As the light increased, those of the East began to reposition their machines of war to directly attack the forces under Don the Great. With the coming of the light the young navigator now had specific targets. The aiming was more difficult than he had expected. It was only after many misses that one of his cannonballs hit a machine of war. The destruction was easily evident even from the distance.

  The mounted troops of those of the East were now organized and began charging towards the Army of the Red. The young navigator shifted his targets to the approaching cavalry and was able to somewhat disrupt their formation. Don the Great had his much fewer mounted troops initiate a line of defense, but they soon fell back under the cover of the archers. Those of the East regrouped and prepared for a concentrated attack, but again the cannonballs partially destroyed their organization. Their counterattack penetrated into the line of archers, but the strength of the bows being used by those of the Red allowed their arrows to penetrate through much of their armor. They again fell back, awaiting the arrival of their marching troops for reinforcement.

  The battle continued throughout the morning, with those of the Red having established a firm foothold that those of the East had been unable to break. Don the Great knew that it was just a matter of time until reinforcements arrived from the northern and western fronts, and they would be overpowered. He hoped that whatever Heather with the Golden Hair had planned could be completed before that happened.

 

  Th
ose of the Forest had moved to the base of the headlands on the east side during the darkness of night. As the first hint of morning light became visible they advanced towards the machines of war mounted atop the headland. Heather knew they faced a difficult passage because the trail was well guarded with a six-foot wall and narrow gate. If those of the East had the wall manned, their only other choice would be to scale the cliff; then they would be exposed to the archers of those of the East.

  Shortly before they arrived at the gated wall, the scouts returned, reporting a few sentries only. As they moved forward and were about to begin scaling the wall, the sound of trumpets from the Great City could be heard. With the trumpets came an alarm from the forces guarding the machines of war based on the headland. As the troops from those of the East began arriving at the wall, Heather made the decision to push forward quickly. The first of those of the Forest who scaled the wall were met with a barrage of arrows.

  Reacting instinctively, Heather urged her great white horse onward. The horse leapt the gate, scattering those defending it. The horse was protected by the armor of those of the East, and attacked, rearing up enough to bring its hooves down on anyone in its path. Crouching low behind the great horse's neck, Heather continued her charge towards the rank of archers. Once she had broken through the line of defenders she turned the horse and attacked again with her sword. This created enough confusion that those of the Forest were able to follow quickly and their own arrows began to find their marks. As the light became full, those of the Forest gained control of the gate and wall.

  As those of the Forest regrouped inside the wall, Heather fell back and they began a more organized ascent. They battled with archers and a few swordsmen as they moved forward. Edna had stayed behind with Daniel and Betty, guiding them to high ground to the east of the headland. They found a vantage point where they could see the attack progressing. Daniel had protested being left out, but Heather would not hear of his arguments. Betty brought the discussion to a close by saying, "We not warriors. They need us after to fix people."

  The confusion at the headland was enough to distract the sentries, and they noticed not a ship approaching in the grayness of the early dawn with minimal sails. The ship rode the incoming tide into the harbor and was silent as any ghost ship. The crew had applied grease to all moving parts to prevent the normal sounds of the ship. When they had been free traders they had learned the ways of stealth. As the mist of dawn arose from the water, Jason and Captain Cook prepared for their attack. The ships of the enemy were no longer lined up as they had been during the previous war, but were still grouped fairly tightly together. The cannons had been readied, but Jason held off firing until they were quite near the first ship; the alarm was finally raised. The cannons fired and the ship was engulfed with the smoke of the powder.

  They sailed on towards the next ship without waiting to see the effect of their shots. The next ship was somewhat more prepared, but their catapults were set for attacking the city walls. Again they fired at close range and escaped in a cloud of smoke. The other ships were now busy pulling their anchors and trying to readjust their catapults. Captain Cook had the sails raised, and their speed built up somewhat as they positioned to attack the third ship. They fired from a somewhat further distance but could hear the cannonballs striking the ship, so they knew they had done some damage. The fourth ship had pulled its anchor and was raising its sails when it was fired upon by the cannons.

  Jason had given Captain Cook total responsibility for the ship; he spent his time observing the defensive reactions of the ships and trying to ascertain the extent of damage. Of the twenty or so ships in the harbor, only the outer ships could be reached with their cannonballs. That left five more ships as potential targets.

  Jason called out a change in course in order to maneuver closer to his quarry. Captain Cook responded with orders to his crew and they approached the next target. The ship had raised its anchor and prepared to flee, but the sails had not yet filled with the wind. They approached the ship from the stern, and when passing they fired. They moved on with the wind now abeam their course and their speed picked up. The next two ships were still struggling with their anchors and were relatively easy targets. The next ship, however, was now prepared.

  Captain Cook changed his course to provide some extra clearance and commanded those manning the cannons to raise the weapon slightly. Just as they were about to fire, the ship launched a counterattack with its catapult. Rather than a single large stone, they launched multiple small stones the size of a human head. Only one of them struck the ship, but when it struck it smashed Captain Cook's foot as it penetrated through the deck. Their cannonballs struck with much greater force, but it was obviously time to flee as those from the East were organizing and greatly outnumbered their single vessel.

  Jason left his position far forward and returned to the helm to find a very pale Captain Cook, who was bleeding profusely from his mangled right foot. Jason wanted Captain Cook to lie down but he refused, saying, "We must escape to the open sea if we are to survive." With Jason at the helm, Captain Cook took a piece of line and wrapped several turns around his lower leg, creating a tourniquet and cutting off the flow of blood. The crew brought out a chest and made a makeshift seat for their Captain, who continued to give orders. He told Jason, "You must sail as close to the east headland as you can." He added, "If those of the Forest have not secured the headland, we will have great difficulty escaping."

  Jason turned and looked behind them only to see several of the black ships now headed their way. Jason mumbled something and Captain Cook asked him to repeat what he had said. Jason replied, "It will be as is the will of the God of the Sacred Water."

  They had a lookout posted, trying to see if Heather had conquered the headland or not. The sun was now well up, and the lookout called down that he had seen a flash from the signaling mirror. Jason called up, "Can you reply?"

  The lookout did his best but the sun angle was poor. Jason then called up, saying, "Tell them to head east."

  The lookout did his best but was not sure if the message was received, for the counterattack from the headland on the west had begun. The large catapult initially fell far short of their position, but as they changed the weight of the projectile they were using, their aim was becoming progressively closer. It was now a race to see if they could round the cape before those of the East could adjust their weapons of war. Jason brought the ship to within a few ship’s lengths of shore. They could easily hear the breaking of the surf and the rocks seemed ever so close. The stones from the catapult on the west headland were coming ever closer, but Jason feared the rocks on the shore even more, for they were a certain death.

  In slow motion they seemed to finally make the turn around the cape and began to flee to the open sea. Jason's excitement was much tempered when he turned to speak to Captain Cook and found him unconscious. He gave the helm to the first mate, saying, "Continue to the south until well clear of the land and then turn into the wind."

  Jason and one of the crew carried the Captain to his quarters and laid him on his berth. The foot was still in the sea boots the captain was wearing. Jason feared to remove the boot, for blood was oozing over the top of the boot. The sailor said, "We must stop the bleeding."

  Jason responded, "Know you how?"

  The sailor shook his head in the negative. Jason thought for some time about all he had read and finally said, "The books talk about tightening the line which they call a tourniquet until the bleeding stops. I am not sure how the foot survives if there is no blood flow."

  The sailor took his marlin spike, which was a small shaft of hardwood used to tie knots, and began twisting the line around the captain's leg until the bleeding seemed to stop. The sailor secured the end of the marlin spike. Jason thanked him and said, "We need Daniel the healer from the Forest, for I fear we may have saved the Captain's life but cost him his leg."

 


  The signal light those on the ship had seen was not from those who had taken control of the machines of war, but rather from Edna. She had climbed a tall tree and from her perch had watched the battle, relaying information to Daniel and Betty on the ground. The return signal from the ship had been poor because the sun did not lend itself to proper alignment for their mirrors. She had gotten only a few words, one of which was East. Daniel had many questions that Edna could answer not. The activity on the headland changed as those of the Red who had accompanied them took control of the weapons of war, and now used them against the black ships of the East. The pursuers of Jason were taken unaware when the ships began to be bombarded with stones from above.

  After the first few ships were badly damaged, the other pursuing ships altered course far to the west, but by now had lost sight of the attacking ship. Heather could hear the sounds of battle on the eastern front and worried about the progress of the Red Army of the north. The plan was for them to capture and control the access to this headland. If they failed, Heather’s small band had no hopes of maintaining control. Those of the Red were far more competent in manning the engines of war, and Heather left them this task. She sought out Jeremy and said, "I would we begin moving our injured to Daniel. I need information on the battle along the eastern front." She then explained, "If those of the Red cannot secure this headland then we must destroy the engines of war."

  Jeremy responded, "I will head east and report back as soon as possible." He then reported, "We have many with minor injuries, but have lost two of the Forest."

  A look of weariness passed across Heather's face and she thought a moment before replying. "I would we bring with us those we have lost and provide them a proper burial in the forest to the east. They have given so much I cannot leave them here on this barren rock." She paused and had a somewhat faraway look in her eyes before she continued, "I would you send another to meet with those on the eastern front. I sense your purpose is here."

  As the day wore on the sounds of battle continued, but for those on the rocky headland their battle was over. Heather had watches posted and scouts sent out, with all others to take a well-deserved rest. Heather spent time removing the dozens of arrows from the armor of her great white horse. The horse had many superficial wounds which she cleaned to the best of her ability. It seemed to respond favorably to her attention and the froth of war was gone. Heather understood not how the horse could be both the gentle giant that carried her without jarring her foot, and at the same time be such a ferocious animal. She knew it was the horse that had won the battle and saved many of those of the Forest.

  Daniel and Edna were both getting anxious, but Betty was content sitting quietly tying knots in a string. Edna wished to begin exploring to the east and Daniel was sure that his services as a healer were needed, but Betty said simply, "Not our time." So they sat and waited, with Daniel controlling his fidgeting by trying to draw a map of the lands to the east from his memory. He so wished he had brought along a real map.

  The sun had reached its peak before the first of the wounded arrived. Daniel heard but a small account of the battle. Hearing Heather was uninjured allowed him to concentrate more fully on his healing. Edna was anxious to begin exploring to the east and had others of the Forest stay with Daniel and Betty.

  The sun had continued its journey across the sky and was touching the headland to the west before the news reached Heather: the Army of the Red, which followed those of the Forest, had succeeded in penetrating to the base of the headland and was setting up a defensive perimeter. There had been no news from Don the Great, but the sounds of battle were enough to assure Heather that they had not yet suffered defeat and there was still hope for victory. She had the scout return to the commander of the Red Army of the wilderness, asking for a meeting at the gate wall. Those of the Forest who had rested were now sent out as scouts and sentries.

  Heather still had trouble walking, and although her great white horse was injured he seemed to mind not carrying Heather down the trail. She and the commander of the Red shared their travel rations and discussed the events of the day. Those of the Red had met intense resistance, but when the forces of Don the Great had attacked, the reinforcements were called off by those of the East. It was a hard-fought battle to break through the line of defense, but without the mounted troops those of the East eventually fell back. They continued to push those of the East as they rotated their forces, allowing the rear guard to assume the defense of the approach to the headland. This left them somewhat exposed to a counterattack from the northeast. It seemed to the commander that the risk was justified.

  After Heather had summarized their attack, the conversation shifted to a discussion of future plans. Heather commented, "We must keep control of this headland and restrict the access to the ocean to those of the East." She then explained, "The attack by our ship not only destroyed many of the black ships from the East, but also has made them concentrate on defense." She continued, "If the one you call Don the Great can maintain his position, then those of the East will need to shift their forces from the west. That is where the greatest weakness will be for those of the East."

  The commander was quiet for a moment as he contemplated her thoughts, and then replied, "I would agree with your assessment but know not how you would attack the western front."

  Heather had a pretty good vision of the upcoming battles, but had not spent much time on planning the logistics required. She shrugged her shoulders, saying, "I know not how but know that the God of the Sacred Water will assist if it is to be. I would that as this position is secured and your connection to the forces under control of the one you call Don the Great occurs, that your forces rotate back to the west."

  In a rare disagreement, the commander said, "Splitting our forces which are already strained seems not a wise move."

  Heather squinted her eyes ever so slightly and her lips pouted just a bit as she considered this comment. She said, "If those of the East know not that the forces have been split, they will wait for the reinforcements before beginning the counterattack." She then added another big “if,” saying, "Attacking from the west will make those invading from the East think that we have a much greater army than we do. This will encourage them to sue for peace."

  The commander responded, "You know not our enemy. They will not sue for peace."

  "Then they will die of starvation, for we will have cut off their supply routes."

  The commander was obviously struggling with this nonconventional approach. After much thought he finally agreed, saying only, "I and those who serve under me are under your command and will do as you say."

  Heather asked, "Would you maintain your position here at the headland with a portion of your troops, or transfer this responsibility to the one you call Don the Great?"

  The commander of the Red responded, "We have many who are no longer able to travel quickly. I would assign them this task, for I fear that if we cannot be prepared in a short time your plan may fail." He then added, "It would be much shorter to travel through the city."

  Heather had a surprised look on her face and replied, "If you and your troops could travel through the eastern gate and exit the city through the secret passage, we would maintain the element of surprise and reduce travel to the western front by two days."

  At this point their conversation was interrupted by Jeremy, who reported that Edna had gone east based on the partial message she had received from Jason. He had followed her and arrived at a small cove just as their ship was setting anchor. Edna had signaled and they acknowledged her signal as they lowered one of the boats. In the boat was Jason, who asked before the boat even landed, "Is Daniel here?"

  Jeremy replied, "The healer is working on our wounded about two hours from here."

  Jason's anxiety was almost palpable as he replied, "We need his services, for I fear without them we will soon lose Captain Cook." He added, "It is all my fau
lt and I wish not his death to be in my hands."

  Edna kept watch as Jeremy raced back to get Daniel. Daniel had not yet arrived when the boat again approached the shore. Daniel immediately stepped into the boat, but before the boat had gone far he began asking questions about the injury. When he realized the amount of blood loss, he thought of his transfusion to Heather in their first battle for the Sacred Water and yelled to Jeremy and Edna, "Find me a long slender reed that is hollow."

  As Heather listened, a new plan began to form in her mind. When Jeremy had completed his story, she turned back to the commander of the Red, saying, "It would seem that the God of the Sacred Water wishes us to move quickly. We of the Forest will travel with our ship to the west of the Great City and from there prepare our attack." She continued, "I would you and your troops travel yet tonight through the eastern gate into the Great City. With a rest and the gathering of supplies, you should be prepared to attack at dawn on the day following."

  There was a discussion about how much to involve Don the Great with the planning. Heather responded, "We need him and his troops to hold out for another day and a half. I have sent a messenger asking him to meet with us tonight if possible."

  The Red commander knew that Heather trusted not those of the palace. Her plan was dangerous but he understood the need and the risk. He spoke up, saying, "My troops can hold their own against the invaders from the East, but I fear their mounted troops."

  Heather nodded in agreement and said, "We of the Forest will plan a defense against the mounted troops, but I need to see the lay of the land. Their ferocity is also their weakness."

  The commander of the Red had a questioning look on his face, for he could imagine not how those of the Forest, being hunters not warriors, could take on the mounted troops from the East. Before they departed Heather spoke up, saying, "I would you travel with the great white horse which has carried me, because I will travel aboard ship and the horse cannot."

  They both arose to prepare, and the commander of the Red startled Heather by formally saluting her, saying, "It is a great honor to serve under the One with Golden Hair who is known in our myths. I pray to your God of the Sacred Water and to our Scarlet God for our success."

  Heather but nodded in her acceptance of the salute and said, "I would expect that we use different names for the same God, and if it is to be, the Spirits of the Forest will help us." She was quiet for a moment before adding, "In the upcoming battle I will need you to retreat in apparent disarray before the mounted troops."

  Those of the Forest had built a small fire, which Heather and the commander of the Red sat by while waiting for word from Don the Great. Their wait was not long when the messenger from the Forest returned, saying, "The envoy comes accompanied by a few dozen soldiers."

  Heather replied, "I would those of the Forest scatter into the darkness and be prepared." The commander of the Red was obviously nervous but said not. Time went by slowly until even the commander of the Red could hear the approach of Don the Great.

  When the envoy approached he held his soldiers back and dismounted from his horse at the outer ring of the circle of light. He found Heather, as at their last meeting, bending over the fire tending the coals with a stick. She now sat on a rock, for her foot let her not sit on her haunches as normal. At first the envoy did not even see his commander, who was now standing behind Heather. Their greetings were brief and Heather summarized in a few words their control of the headland and the damage done to the black ships. In turn the envoy reported moderate losses, mostly from the mounted troops.

  Heather asked, "Can you hold your position for another full day and part of the following morning?"

  The envoy was silent as he thought, before replying, "If we fell back tighter against the great wall of the city we should be able to hold out, but with reinforcements coming from the west we will be greatly outnumbered. I doubt we can stand even two full days of attack."

  The commander of the Red spoke up, saying, "It would be enough for Heather with the Golden Hair to complete her plan."

  The envoy looked up sharply at the commander but said not, turning his attention back to Heather, whose hair did indeed look golden in the light of the fire. He asked her, "What is this plan?"

  Heather looked up not from the fire and responded, "I would your forces occupy those of the East while the commander and his troops set up a counterattack on the western flank. They will travel tonight through the eastern gate with a day of rest before exiting again the city through the secret passage, prepared to attack at dawn."

  The envoy began to pace as he thought, and finally replied, "You would have us split our forces, and those who would be attacking from the west would have no protection from the mounted troops of those from the East."

  Heather replied not and the commander finally spoke up, saying, "Those of the Forest will be responsible for neutralizing the mounted troops of the East."

  The envoy just stared at Heather, wondering how their small band could possibly disrupt the mounted troops. Then he realized that they must have with them some of the powder. He asked, "You will use the powder against the mounted troops?"

  Heather again responded without looking up, "We will do as the God of the Sacred Water directs us."

  The envoy asked, "What if I refuse to split my forces?"

  Heather poked at the fire for some time before looking up and replying, "Then we of the Forest will return to our ship and set sail for our homelands to prepare for the battle which will surely follow, for your city will fall."

  The envoy responded not and finally quit his pacing and sat staring into the fire. He finally spoke up, saying, "I learned a great deal of inner peace as a captive with you of the Forest sitting around your campfires. The flames tell me to trust you, but my military training argues against splitting my forces." He stood and said, "We will hold our ground for up to two days before again retreating through the gate. I will prepare a message for those guarding the gate and for the palace guard." He then added, "I hope your God of the Sacred Water can help in this plan, for there is great risk for all."

  Heather replied only, "It will be as the God of the Sacred Water wishes."

  As the envoy turned to leave Heather moved not, concentrating on the flames of the fire. Only after those of the Forest reported the departure of all the soldiers did she stand again and stretch. She turned to the commander of the Red and said, "Do as you must, but at sunrise following the morrow you need to begin your counterattack. When one of the Forest appears and tells you to fall back, retreat as quickly as possible to set up a defense line. We need to have the mounted troops of the East attack in full fury."

  The commander of the Red replied, "It will be as you have ordered."

  With that Heather stood and limped back to the great white horse that was waiting for her. She mounted the horse, saying, "I will have one of the Forest guide the horse back and would have your troops care for it until the time of the attack." She then turned and, with those of the Forest, disappeared into the night.