It did not take much persuasion on Matáo's part to have the captured lieutenants tell him what he wanted to know. Matáo learned that Claremont had three different locations in which he sent the prisoners. The men and women that were useful for crafting armor were sent to one location, while the smiths and such were sent to another.
The third location was unknown to the lieutenants. It was where Claremont kept those who served no purpose for him, other than as leverage to keep his armies loyal. It was supposed to be in an area of the realm that was set apart and away from most anything else.
Matáo now knew the locations of two of the prison camps. He and his men had brought the prisoners back to Oaken Meadow, where he began working with Master Kranthem to plan rescue attempts at the two encampments. The first one of them was two days' march from a Sentinel Tree or twelve days' ride on horseback.
He left the wardens, sent by the king and the elders of the Sanctum, to oversee the prisoners that were being kept in Oaken Meadow. He sent Thom and two others to search the first prison, while Matáo, Twiggy, and Sam made their way to the Sentinel Tree outside of Oaken Meadow along with Master Kranthem and several of his best archers and swordsmen.
Altogether there were twenty-five men at his command for this raid on the prison camp. They went through the portal that was created inside the tree and emerged on the outskirts of a small town that was completely empty. Most of the buildings had been burnt to ash, but there were a few that still stood considering the fires’ best efforts to bring them down.
They spent a short while searching the remains of the town before making their way to where the lieutenants had claimed to have sent the prisoners. It was a large fishing village on the northern shore of Tenroha known as Flatfish Bay. Matáo had learned that it was a vital port in the north and was responsible for almost half of the fishing trade in the realm.
Matáo set a quick pace for his men in hopes that they could arrive in Flatfish Bay before the sunset the following day. He and his men marched all day and into the night before the bitter northern winds made them stop and make camp. They had passed through another small village, no bigger than Echo, and found a barn that was still intact.
They cleared the dry straw from the middle of the dirt floor and made a fire to warm themselves. The men had been eating what they brought on the march, but Matáo thought that his men could use something warm to eat before they arrived at the prison. He and Sam ventured out into the surrounding woods and found a small herd of goats that had survived the slaughter of Claremont's forces.
It was dark, but the moonlight was all that he and Sam needed to collect two of the goats and bring them back to the barn. When they returned, they found that the men were already sleeping, but they began roasting the fresh meat for when they woke. Matáo and Sam took turns in the night sleeping while the other kept watch over the camp.
The men began to wake near sunrise and found the roasted meat hanging over the fire. They ate heartily and before the sun had cleared the tops of the trees, the meat was gone and the men were ready to leave. Their camp was lightly set, so they were quick in preparation for their march. By midday, they could see plumes of smoke on the horizon.
Near evening fall, Matáo halted the march and he, Twiggy and Sam went off to get a closer look at what they were dealing with. A primitive spiked wall had been erected around the town that had only one gate leading to an area that had been cleared of trees. The town was completely open on the side facing the sea. There were no watch towers on the wall, only a handful of torches lined the walls for the guards to see.
The three men climbed trees near the walls to see down into the town. Matáo saw many villagers preparing evening meals around fires scattered throughout the town. There were what seemed like hundreds of men and even more women in the town. There was also a small amount of children that he could see. Matáo only saw three men that were wearing the crimson that the enemy wore and carrying swords.
After watching the town for several minutes, the three men that were spying on the town returned to the others and compared what they had each seen. Altogether, there were less than a dozen armed men that they could see. Matáo assumed that there would be at least that same amount that were hidden away in a barracks somewhere in the town.
Matáo thought it best for them to attack in the night while the prisoners were safe inside the buildings and away from the danger. They waited until the moon was high in the sky before sending the archers to climb trees along the wall that overlooked the town. Matáo had seen from his perch in the tree that the gate had a single small beam that held it shut.
He and Sam had fashioned a ladder out of dried vines and fallen limbs to climb over the gate and open it from inside. An archer was placed in a tree on either side of the gate before they began to climb up. Matáo went first. As he neared the top, one of the archers signaled him to halt. A guard had begun to come near the gate. A silent arrow flew towards him and struck him in the back as he turned. He fell to the ground without a sound.
Matáo hurried over the wall and drug the body out of sight while Sam made his way over the wall. The two of them removed the beam and opened the gates for the rest of the men. Master Kranthem remained outside of the wall and sealed the gate shut with magic after the men were inside.
Matáo and his men scattered out along the wall and after his men were in place, they began to make their way to the center. Arrows began to fly silently into the unknowing guards. As the guards began to fall, a horn sounded in the camp. Matáo and his men had cleared the guards from around the town and they waited near the center for the reinforcements to arrive.
From a ship that was tied to a pier, ten men with swords ran into the town, followed by a portly man who was rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Matáo and his men attacked the soldiers running into the fray. He slashed at one, cutting him down the middle, and dodged an attack from another. He spun around and knocked his attacker's sword from his hands and stabbed him in the gut.
The portly man stopped when he saw all of his men laying on the ground, dead or dying. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees in surrender. The battle was over quicker that it had begun. Matáo had his men load the dead soldiers on the now empty ship and tied their leader to the mast after he was unable to learn anything of use from him.
Master Kranthem healed the wounds of the soldiers that weren't fatal before they were loaded onto the ship as well. Matáo waited until morning before speaking with the men and women that were held there. He thought it fitting that they decide the fate of their abusers. After an extremely short talk with the women.
Matáo learned from the women that most of the guards were loyal to Claremont and that many of the women had been regularly beaten and raped by the guards. The portly leader was the worst of them. One of the more prominent women in the camp demanded that he be stripped naked and beaten for all the things that he did to her.
Matáo wasn't a cruel person, but after hearing the stories of the women, he and his men went outside of the walls and waited for the women to join them. Once the women returned from issuing their form of justice up to their guards, Matáo returned to the ship where he untied it from the pier and set it adrift with its sails raised. Sam and Twiggy sent flaming arrows towards the ship before the wind caught the sails.
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The women and their children packed what they could carry and by the time that they left the town, the ship had been engulfed in flames. A smile of relief crossed the faces of the women when they saw this and heard the faint screams coming from the men on board. They made their way back to the Sentinel Tree and from there, to Oaken Meadow.
Matáo estimated that there were close to two thousand men, women, and children that made their way to Oaken Meadow. It took them three full days before they entered the gates of Oaken Meadow. He was relieved that they were safe, and overjoyed when he began to see families reunited. His joy was short lived once he became curious as to how he could feed that many more people.
*****
Jeremiah and his men arrived at the crossroads nearly a fortnight past. He had met with the elders at the Sanctum to relay the status of the war efforts before rejoining his men at the crossroads that led to the capital city. When he returned, Prince Erík and Lieutenant Commander Jameson Truwood had already prepared an assortment of traps and other things to slow the enemy's advance. The solstice was drawing near.
In advance of where the two roads met, the king's road traveled from the northwest, through a narrow canyon with cliffs on either side. During the preparations, large boulders and logs were positioned to be released to fall into the gorge at various locations. There weren't many places for their men to hide, so they were unable to set up another arrow assault as they had done on the road that came from the northeast.
In other sections of the northwestern road, the men dug trenches and filled some of them with mud while leaving others empty. They knew that the traps wouldn't stop the advancement of the army, but they hoped that it would at least slow them down. Jeremiah had most of his men assist with finishing the projects set out by the prince, while he and a few of his fastest riders scouted the road ahead of the crossroads for the enemy army.
When he and his scouts had left, the solstice was still fifteen days away. They wanted to stall the advancement of the soldiers and catapults as much as they could. It took them three days to locate the forces. Matáo looked down the road as far as he could see. The enemy approached in columns of fifteen men wide and went beyond his sight. They prepared as many obstacles that they could to hinder the army. They fell trees and rolled large stones into the road as they worked their way back to their encampment.
It took them five days to try and sabotage what they could before returning to the rest of the forces, and after seeing first hand the size of the enemy horde, Jeremiah knew they wouldn't stand a chance out in the open. He called for Prince Erík and Truwood to inform them of what they had seen, and to formulate a course of action.
"They outnumber us at least six to one. Maybe more," said Jeremiah. "They are but farm hands and miners," retorted Prince Erík, arrogantly. "They have had months if not a year to be trained," mentioned Truwood. "We cannot stop them here," said Jeremiah, "We are too exposed."
"We must stand our ground. These peasants pose no risk to us. We are better trained and more disciplined," stated Erík, matter-of-factly. "Those are only factors when the numbers are equally matched," stated Truwood and then he said, “Plus these men fight for fear of their families. We cannot fight that.” "The fact is," began Jeremiah, "Claremont's men will overwhelm us if we stay here."
"You have too little faith in our men," said the prince. "Your mind is filled with aspirations of grandeur that these too few men cannot fulfill. You will get them all killed," said Truwood, stubbornly. "My orders from my father, the king, are simple, " started Erík, "We are to stop them here, no matter the cost."
Jeremiah paused for a moment as he thought about what the prince had just said. "The price we will pay is the life of every man out there and the lives of the men who are being forced into this war against their will. When they all die, will the price that you make them pay, be worth it." He turned and walked out of the tent to keep himself from saying or doing something that would surely get him killed before the battle began.
He climbed up on his horse and rode out of the camp, heading up the northwest road. As he neared the gorge, approximately a mile from the camp, he noticed that the sides of the road sloped upward toward a higher elevation that formed the canyon. He rode his horse up one side and began to survey the traps that had been set in place.
As he rode and looked out over the canyon, he began to form a plan in his head that could save the lives of many of the men. He turned his steed and raced back to the camp. He entered the prince's tent, and found that he and Truwood were still arguing. He waited for an opening in the conversation before he laid out his plan to them.
Their planning session lasted well into the night before they settled on a final plan of attack. Jeremiah feared for the men, but it was the only path they could take without suffering the wrath of the king. They had to fulfill their duty as best they could. At dawn, Jeremiah and Truwood ready their men to take the fight to Claremont.
Truwood led his men up one side of the canyon on foot, while Jeremiah led his men up the other with horses. The two groups gathered every arrow in the camp and divided them among themselves. Erík led his men up the road to the last of the traps and waited for the enemy to arrive.
Jeremiah and his men rode as hard as they could until they caught sight of the enemy. They dismounted their horses and prepared to fire on the men in the canyon. As the enemy approached a fallen tree that lay across the road, Jeremiah and his men peeked over the edge of the canyon walls and waited for Jeremiah to signal them.
Jeremiah raised his hand as a group, down in the canyon, began dragging the tree out of their path. Jeremiah's men had spread out along the side of the canyon further than he could see. He lowered his hand and they all began firing into the enemy below. They targeted the horses and the legs of the men, trying not to kill the men that were scattering below them. They shot arrow after arrow until their supplies ran out.
The men below broke away from their formation and began running forward, trying to dodge the arrows. The ones that hadn't been shot by arrows, made their way through the traps that were meant to slow them down. Many of the men were left behind by the rest as they made their way towards the capital city and away from the danger.
Before Jeremiah and his men departed the top of the cliffs, he saw hundreds, if not a thousand men laying on the ground below. Most of them were still moving, trying to get out of the way of the men running for their lives, but there were many that weren't. Jeremiah never saw Claremont. The line of soldiers in the enemy army stretched further down the road than he could see even from his high elevation. He and his men raced back to the crossroads to wait for Erík and his men to return. As they rode, he saw Truwood and then the prince readying their positions.
They arrived at the camp after midday and began their wait. He calculated that Truwood and his men would break away from their engagement shortly after they arrived at the camp, and true to his calculations, Truwood and his men arrived back at the camp near mid-afternoon. They waited for Erík to arrive. Erík was supposed to engage the forces after the final trap, and break away and return to camp before sunset.
Jeremiah and Truwood waited at the entrance to the camp at dusk for the arrival of Erík and his men. Dusk came and went, but Erík nor his men arrived. Jeremiah and Truwood rode towards the battlefield with five hundred riders. They rode as hard as they could as fear swelled inside them. As they approached, they could hear the clashing of swords.
They readied their swords to attack. The moon was less than a quarter full, but it gave them enough light to see that Erík's men were surrounded. Jeremiah's biggest fear had come to fruition. The Luna Stala were in the field of battle and one of them held Erík in his grasp. The creature raised him over his head for all to see, and ripped the prince in half. His men quickly surrendered their weapons and fell to the ground and hid their faces.
Jeremiah shouted to the riders, "There is nothing we can do." He turned his horse and began racing back to the camp. He ordered the men there to pack light, but leave nothing the enemy could use. With the moon high in the sky, the men on foot carried only their weapons while the others carried what they could. They left the camp and rode as hard as they could to the capital city, only stopping twice to rest the horses. It was a three day ride to the capital city, but the riders arrived there in only two. Bringing with them the news of Prince Erík’s fate to the king. The men on foot arrived two days later. There were only six days until the solstice, and they hoped that they had done enough to slow them down.
