Paragon of Destruction

Under the watchful eyes of the steward, Lord Kadun's troops wasted no time in taking down their hastily erected camp.

And while they loaded their tents and supplies back onto the carts as fast as they could, the steward — Payam — watched them anxiously, shouting abuse at any soldier who so much as dropped a tent peg.

It was obvious that the man was on the verge of panic. Even while urging his men to move faster, he kept casting worried looks at Lord Rannoc's troops, as if he expected them to attack at any moment.

Yet when Arran looked at the hundreds of soldiers in the distance, he saw no indication of an impending attack.

While they weren't setting up camp, there was no sign that they were in a hurry, either. Instead, they appeared to be resting and eating, with no more than a few sparing either the mercenaries or Lord Kadun's troops any attention. And those who did gave them no more than a passing glance.

Arran frowned. Turning to Captain Kaleesh, he asked, "Do you think they'll attack?"

"Of course," the captain replied, his tone unconcerned. "That they will attack us is a certainty. The only question is when they will do so."

"Any idea when that will be, captain?" Lasha eyed Lord Rannoc's troops warily, clearly not as confident as the captain appeared to be.

Captain Kaleesh remained silent for several moments. Then, brow creased in thought, he began, "With the carts, it will take us roughly three weeks to reach Kadun's lands. Payam will already have sent out messengers, and they should move faster — a week and a half before they reach their destination."

He paused briefly, his expression thoughtful. After a moment, he continued, "If Kadun sends reinforcements, they will travel lighter. They might reach us as soon as two weeks into the journey." To Arran's surprise, the captain turned his eyes to Gar, and asked, "Gar, what do you think?"

The giant man hesitated no more than a second before answering. "They'll strike as soon as they can, without giving us time to prepare. Definitely within the next two days."

Captain Kaleesh considered the words, then shook his head. "An interesting thought, but I must disagree. They will need time to prepare their attack, and Rannoc's troops will not want to risk offending the church by attacking so openly. Sassun, your opinion?"

Where Gar had answered instantly, Sassun took several moments to consider the question. Finally, he said, "By the end of the second week. Kadun's troops will be weary with travel by then, and their attention will have started to slip after two weeks of constant worry."

Again, the captain shook his head. "They cannot risk waiting that long. After the battle, they'll have dozens of wounded to transport. If Kadun's reinforcements are only days away, Rannoc's troops won't be able to outrun them. They'll be hunted down and slaughtered. Arran, your turn."

Arran had already expected the question, but his heart still skipped a beat when he saw the others' attention suddenly turn to him.

Yet after several moments of hesitation, a thought suddenly came to him. When fighting, he'd always found that seizing opportunities when they appeared worked best. And perhaps the same thing held true for larger battles.

"They'll wait for an opportunity," he said. "Have several scouts watching us, then attack when the terrain is good and our forces are exposed."

Captain Kaleesh gave him an appreciative nod. "Very good," he said. "But still wrong. That could work for a smaller group, but with hundreds of soldiers, any opportunity they see will have long passed before they've readied themselves to attack. Lasha, you're up."

Lasha, however, merely gave the captain a flat stare. "Just tell us already," she said in an exasperated tone.

The captain sighed. "You take all the fun out of war. But very well, I will tell you."

He looked at the four commanders, then began, "They'll attack at the end of the first week — long enough for Kadun's troops to grow tired and careless, but not so long that reinforcements will be near. Even if Kadun sends Rangers ahead of the others, Rannoc's forces will be long gone when they arrive."

Lasha nodded thoughtfully. "So what's your plan?"

"Glad you asked," the captain replied, a broad smile on his face. "On the day of the attack, they will leave behind their supplies on the road, along with a small force to catch any of us who try to escape. The main force, meanwhile, will overtake us and lay an ambush — to defeat Kadun's forces, which they believe to be the biggest threat. And that mistake will cost them dearly."

He cast another look at his commanders, and sighed in disappointment when he saw only blank looks.

"Rannoc's main force," he continued, "will split into two groups. One to halt Kadun's forces, and another to flank them. But they will ignore us, believing that we will try to flee. Darians think little of outsiders, after all. And so, we will flank the flankers." A glint of excitement in his eyes, he added, "We'll tear through them like paper."

"That's all well and good," Lasha said, "but shouldn't you inform Kadun's steward of this?"

Arran nodded in agreement. From the sound of it, the captain intended to use Kadun's troops as mere bait, relying on his own forces to win the battle. But with their enemies all Body Refiners, he could not help but think the strategy a reckless one.

"Absolutely not," Captain Kaleesh replied. "It is essential to my plans that Kadun's troops are taken by surprise."

"I don't suppose you'll tell us those plans?" Sassun asked, only a hint of annoyance in his otherwise flat expression.

The captain shook his head. "You'll find out soon enough," he said. "But rest assured — the Wolfsblood Company has plenty to gain from this small obstacle."

Gar let out a loud laugh. "Just tell us when to fight, captain. My sword is eager to taste some Darian blood."

Lasha gave the giant man a sideways glance. "If you say that any louder, it might get the chance sooner than you'd like."

Indeed, Arran could see that several of Kadun's soldiers were eying them suspiciously. Yet before any more could come of it, Kadun's steward shouted, "Everyone! Get ready to leave!"

It took another quarter-hour before the large group of people finally set into motion, and as they did, Arran looked warily at Rannoc's forces in the distance.

If Captain Kaleesh was right, he would meet them again before the week was over.

The days that followed passed quietly, with the long column of soldiers and mercenaries making steady but slow progress. All those present might be Body Refiners, but that did not make the mule-drawn carts that carried their supplies move any faster.

That, at least, gave Arran some hope for the war between the Ninth Valley and the Imperium. The Darians might be strong, but their lack of void bags and rings would be no small hindrance when war erupted.

Still, with another battle only a week away — assuming Captain Kaleesh was right — the thought brought Arran little comfort. If he died in battle or was forced to expose his powers, the Ninth Valley's advantages would do him little good.

Yet if Arran was frustrated at the sluggish pace, he could tell that the soldiers had it even worse. Constantly, they looked at the forests and hills along the road, with eyes that plainly expected to see enemies emerge at any moment.

And in the evenings, when they made camp for the night, the soldiers did not relax in the slightest. Even while eating or resting, their hands never strayed far from their weapons.

Arran felt much the same, but he distracted himself by training with the mercenaries under his command.

At first, several of the mercenaries complained about his command. They were all newcomers to the Wolfsblood Company, and not all of them were happy to have another newcomer be put in charge.

A few sparring matches, however, were enough to show exactly why Arran had been chosen to lead them. While some of the newcomers were surprisingly strong, none of them came even close to being a match for Arran.

That was enough for the men and women to accept Arran's command. For Body Refiners, the easiest way forward was to learn from stronger Body Refiners, and Arran's strength filled his troops with hopes for their own progress.

But although Arran booked steady progress in training his group, most of his thoughts were still focused on the battle ahead. Although Captain Kaleesh was confident in their chances, Arran found himself frustrated at how little he knew about their opponents.

While he was certain there were no Knights, the captain had informed his commanders that Rannoc's troops held several Rangers. And after having faced a Ranger in combat, Arran knew that most of the mercenaries would be no match for such a foe.

Yet the days dragged on relentlessly, and before long, the first week of their journey was nearing its end. And as their group set up camp for yet another night on the road, Captain Kaleesh gathered up his commanders.

"I've had a look at Payam's maps," the captain said, "and I'm certain the attack will come tomorrow. In the afternoon, most likely."

Arran gave the man a curious look. "What do you want us to do?"

"You?" the captain faced Arran, then shook his head. "Nothing. You are to keep your group behind, away from the battle. While you are strong enough, the other newcomers lack the training to be useful. Only move if you come under attack."

Arran nodded silently. Though he didn't like the idea of remaining idle during a battle, he knew that his group still lacked practice and discipline. In a large battle, chances were that they'd get in the way rather than help.

At Arran's nod, the captain turned to his other commanders. "The rest of you," he began, "will do nothing until I give the order to move. We want Rannoc's troops fully occupied when we attack them. Understood?"

The three commanders nodded in response, though Gar did so with significantly less enthusiasm than the others. While the other mercenaries and soldiers might be filled with worry, the giant man's only concern seemed to be that he might miss part of the battle.

"When I give the order," the captain continued, "I need all of you to move immediately. Gar, you are to charge straight into the enemy's flank while they're fighting Kadun's troops. Lasha, you back him up. I will move my group around and attack from behind. Sassun, you cover us and strike where needed."

The orders were simple, but again, the three commanders nodded in response — though this time, Gar showed far more enthusiasm than before.

Yet Lasha frowned as she looked at the captain. "What if they don't do as you expect?"

"Then we'll adapt to the situation," Captain Kaleesh replied. "But all of you, get some sleep while you still can. Tomorrow will be a long day, but we should all be richer at the end of it."

As the commanders moved to their groups and began to give them instructions for the next day, Arran spent another two hours practicing with his own group. Even if they weren't supposed to take part in the battle, he needed to get a feel for their strengths and abilities.

Yet after two hours, Ervin approached him. "Sir," the old man said in a cautious tone, "you should let 'em get some rest, with a fight ahead tomorrow and all."

At once, Arran realized the man was right. While he did not feel the least bit tired, he could see that his troops were tired. And although Body Refiners would recover quickly from the exertion, they would need to be fresh the next day.

He quickly dismissed the mercenaries, with most of them taking the opportunity to have another evening meal before seeking out their bedrolls.

Arran, however, turned his attention to his sergeant. While they had spoken several times over the previous week, he still knew little about the old man.

"Have you fought at the captain's side before?"

Ervin nodded. "Many times," he replied. "Been with him for a good twenty years, and not once seen him lose a battle that could be won. There's no need to worry about tomorrow — if the captain is confident in our chances, then you should be, too."

The man's words reassured Arran, though only partly, as he still felt some unease at putting his life in the hands of another. Yet there was nothing for it but to hope for the best.

He awoke early the next day, well before dawn. And as he looked around, he saw that he wasn't the only one. Several of the mercenaries were already awake, eating their breakfasts and sharpening their weapons.

The group left shortly after dawn, and Arran could see that the mercenaries weren't the only ones who felt tense. While the soldiers did not know what was to come, it was as if the mercenaries' tension had spread to them as well, and they looked even more alert than they normally did.

Midday came and went without anything of note happening, with Arran and the other mercenaries following quietly behind the long column of soldiers and carts. And as afternoon came, Arran felt some small hope that the captain had been wrong.

Maybe Rannoc's forces had decided not to attack, realizing that with the mercenaries there, they only barely held the advantage in numbers. Because while they had easily twice the numbers of Kadun's forces, the mercenaries almost completely negated that advantage.

Yet Arran's hopes were short-lived.

By late afternoon, they entered into a wide valley, with densely forested hills on either side of the road. And as soon as the column of soldiers and mercenaries had fully entered the valley, Arran heard panicked shouts ahead. A moment later, the shouts were joined by the clatter of weapons.

It seemed Captain Kaleesh had been right.