The Anvil is Struck

Dawn was an hour away. As such, the winter wind was really biting. ‘It must be below freezing’ thought Tanner Hawkwood. He stamped his feet in an attempt to warm them up. The fur lined boots kept him from freezing, but he was still uncomfortable. ‘Oh to be at the Green Dragon by the fire, with some ale in hand.’

Tanner had stayed up most of the night. He had tried to sleep when night fell, but he had managed only a bits and pieces. Finally he gave up. He prayed once more to Petain for courage and skill. Then he started to inspect the battle line one more time. The artillery was arranged in checker board fashion He went over to the three Salamanders. The original one ‘Malleus Malificarum’, or ‘Witch Hammer’ in the ancient tongue called Latin, stood in the middle. The two others that had been built in his absence were flanking it. On the right stood ‘Ghal Marhaz’, or ‘Skull Splitter’ in the miner’s ancient tongue. On the left stood ‘The Iron Bear’. That name had provoked some interested looks from some Anglians from the west who had known of that mercenary unit. When asked about it, Tanner replied that he had fought with such a unit and then returned a hard stare. Boulders and Sunfire were arrayed behind them.

The opening barrage would be with boulders, and the crews would switch to Sunfire when it the half-men were moving across the field. ‘Save some for the palisade’ he had told Lt. Mixon, who was in charge of the Salamander crews. ‘If we fail, the last thing we must do before our death is set the city on fire.’ Mixon saluted in agreement.

The Copperheads were in front of the Salamanders. Tanner had the crews place the Copperheads on wagons, so they would have elevated fire. ‘Any ape-man that comes near the line, shoot him through. I don’t want any of them making it near the line if at all possible. They are a match for me one on one. These Anglians couldn’t handle them.’ At that, Tanner and the crews chuckled. ‘You’ll have infantry to stop anyone who gets through, so concentrate on firing.

The archers were arrayed in three groups behind loose walls of stakes. The stakes were meant to slow anyone down who tried to charge the archers. They’d also have to depend on infantry. ‘Aim at the flanks. Herd them together. If they are bunched up, the rocks and Sunfire can work more effectively.’

When the first light appeared, the Frontier camp ate a light breakfast and prepared for battle. Tanner rode up, the Dragon Banner flapping in the cold wind.

‘Men and women of the South, our New Frontier Army faces a hard test today. Harder than I would have for our first battle together. If we don’t stop them here today, they’ll be in Brown’s Ferry and Cobb’s End in the spring. We’ve seen enough killing down there in the past that we want no more of it. Archers, artillery, infantry, mages: You all know what you are supposed to do. Prepare for battle!’

The troops dispersed to their assigned places. Faolan’s infiltration squad walked up. Following him were nine of the hardest veterans who had come north. Behind them came the combat mages. Arabella, Petra, Sheryn, and others. Tanner walked over to Faolan. ‘We’ll start the barrage, and then you go. We’ll give ‘em something to think about ‘til you get in place. Gahanna’s flank attack should make them think that they are only going to get hit in two sides, front and side. They seem a bit overconfident, but I can’t say as I blame them. Good luck.’

They gave each other the shoulder clasp. Tanner walked to his sister. ‘Good luck Sheryn.’ He kissed her on the cheek. Uncertainty wore heavy on their faces. Sheryn tried to say something, but couldn’t get it out. Finally, she spoke. ‘If you speak too long, you might bore the enemy to death. That might work’. Everyone laughed. Tanner hugged her and then climbed onto Sentinel and rode off for the front.

Tanner surveyed the line once more. In imitation of the artillery formation, the Allied army was ranged in a checker board formation. ‘If one unit starts to fail, another can rush to fill the gap’, thought Tanner. Tanner rode up to several of the Anglian lords. ‘We’ll begin the opening barrage soon. Prepare to hold them.’ Some of the loards had objected to the command being placed in Tanner’s hands, but Gahanna had quieted them down by sticking up for Tanner. Tanner rode back to an area in far in front of the artillery. A group of five young men rode up. Tanner figured they couldn’t have been more than nineteen. Sentinel looked at them curiously. ‘Yes?’ asked Tanner.

A slender young man with brown hair spoke up. ‘The Red Wolf said for us to accompany you today, Commander. One of us is to carry the Dragon Banner for you.’

‘Did he also tell you to keep me from getting into too much trouble? Tanner looked at the young man who had spoken.

‘In as many words, Commander. He said he wouldn’t be here to save your arse from ape-men.’ The young man looked nervous.

‘Did he? Well, he’s right!’ Tanner started to laugh, and the men joined in. ‘What are your names?’

‘My name is Nicolas Salz’, said the young man with the brown hair. ‘From left to right, these are Ralf Harz, Georg Kriegen, Wil Mueller, and Arnulf Schmidt.’ The young men saluted Tanner, who returned the favor.

Harz and Kriegen were larger than average and carried battle axes. The rest were of more average size. Salz, Mueller, and Schmidt carried long swords. All were armed in chain mail, steel helms, and kite shields. ‘Good,’ thought Tanner, ‘they are well armed and prepared. We’ll see if they have any training.’

‘Do you have any experience?’ Tanner asked.

‘We fought at the Pyramid and against Red Legs’ answered Kriegen.

‘Good. Then you know what to expect. Salz, carry this!’ Tanner tossed the Dragon Banner to the young man. To his credit, Salz grasped it firmly. Tanner then raised his sword and looked back at the artillery. He got Lt. Mixon’s attention. The sword dropped and Tanner yelled ‘Fire!’ A second later the thwack of Copperhead bolts filled the air, along with the whistling of arrows. A moment later, the heavy thud of the Salamanders came through the air as boulder were sent crashing into the enemy line. A moment later, Tanner smelled something like burnt air. ‘Faolan’s away. And so it begins.’

The artillery barrage was having its intended effect. Some Underworld units were moving away. Others were preparing to move up, but in a confused manner. Far off in the distance, Tanner saw fire and stone fall from the sky, striking the rear of the enemy encampment. ‘They’ve made it through.’

The artillery kept on firing. Enemy units began make contact with the Allied army forces and the fighting was fierce. Still, none of the Allies gave ground, and the archers poured in close fire that took some of the heat off. ‘Mixon! Sunfire! Now!’ Lt. Mixon saluted in agreement. A few moments later, green fire began to appear amongst the Underworld troops. Panic started to set in among the half-men. At the same time, Gahanna’s cavalry made their initial contact with the Underworld flank, and began to plow into them.

Tanner watched with satisfaction. The battle was going well, better than he had hoped. The advantage was still in the enemy’s favor, but the odds weren’t as bad as they had been. The strike in the rear seemed to have worked, as the enemy leadership wasn’t doing much leading. Gahanna had bottled up the flank and seemed to be pushing the enemy army to the barricade, if only slowly.

This kept on for awhile, until Tanner noticed that the stone and fire strikes from the air seemed to be getting less and less until they stopped all together. ‘Mages must be getting tired. Time for them to come home.’ After awhile, the enemy began to press forward against his men. The Southrons were holding, but the Anglians didn’t look good. Tanner yelled at Mixon, ‘Get the barricade on fire now. Then burn them.’ A few moments later, the palisade was on fire. Tanner then surveyed the situation.

The New Frontier Army was holding its own. They were hard pressed, but the archers kept a steady hail of fire, and the infantry’s shield wall was holding. Elsewhere…The left flank of Anglians was holding, but barely. The right flank was starting to break. Time to get moving. Tanner looked at the five men sent to guard him. He readied his sword. ‘Let’s get moving. They need our help on the right flank.’ The men spurred their horses on. Sentinel led them out, with the Dragon Banner close on his heels.

Shortly they came upon about 100 Anglians starting to flee. Tanner stopped Sentinel in front of them. ‘Hold the line dammit! Follow me!’ He wheeled Sentinel around and moved towards the enemy. His companion noticed that the Anglians followed him. Further on out, they ran into another unit of Anglians in retreat. They took notice of him and the Anglians and turned around. Coming towards them was a large unit half-men led by several ape-men. ‘Time to break this advance’ he thought. Tanner looked at his guards, pointed at the enemy with his sword and yelled ‘Charge!’ Immediately they followed, and the Anglians followed quickly.

The six horsemen slammed into the front of the Underworld advance. Half-men heads went flying. As the Anglians caught up and engaged the half-men, Tanner and his men made straight for two ape-men. They quickly went down under a hail of sword and axe blades. At that moment, Sunfire exploded 40 yards away in the rear of the Underworlders. They began to break.

He couldn’t have known it at the time, but the rest of the army rallied and stiffened when they saw the Dragon Banner go forward into the fray. The Allies began to advance at an angle and drive the enemy back. Arrow fire helped stop any enemy who might have thought about moving against them. Gahanna’s charges pushed the enemy flank into the palisade. Tanner began to notice the Underworlder’s catching on fire. ‘Their leaders are dead or fleeing. Crush them now!’

The rest was mop up action. After another hour, the battlefield was littered with the burned corpses of men of the Underworld. Tanner had stepped back when he heard a loud noise from the direction of South Gate. Something was on fire in town. Tanner hoped that it was the portal. He met up with the leaders, including Gahanna. The Anglians would investigate the scene in the city, and signal if help was needed. Tanner went back to the artillery pieces. He climbed up on ‘The Iron Bear’ and drank some ale with Lt. Mixon. A campfire was started for a bit of warmth. His guards relaxed but kept an eye on the situation. He had dozed a while when familiar voices were heard.

‘He always gets a nap after a large battle.’

‘When he was 12, he could sleep for hours. Father once reckoned he could sleep behind a plow.’

Tanner stirred and saw Faolan and Sheryn walk up. Tanner jumped down and grabbed her in his arms. He shook hands with Faolan. ‘Looks like you survived.’

Sheryn remarked, ‘Hello Commander Obvious. Here’s your sign!’ She embraced him again.

‘Where’s Arabella?’ Tanner asked.

‘Tending to Petra. She’s in bad shape. Magic.’ Faolan responded.

‘We’ll need to see to her. And your guards need a nickname.’