Fall of the Last Dragon Rider - 068 - Battle Plans Discussed (Patreon)

“The ground is too wet and muddy to continue. We are done for the day.”

All of the guards and the students who had been practicing for the last hour nodded, no one complaining about not having to be covered in mud or soaked through their clothes anymore.

Kaen watched the students start to file away, moving toward their dorms so they could clean up while the guards began marching toward the city.

“Three weeks,” Phillip said. 

Kaen didn’t reply for a few seconds, considering what that timeline meant. The dwarves and wood elves would be preparing to march soon. Their journey would be much harder, but if his numbers were correct, ten thousand dwarven warriors were going to combine with one hundred wood elves.

“Kaen?”

“I heard Phillip. I’m just considering a few things. Your army will be moving soon, and I will send you out there in two weeks to meet with them,” Kaen replied. He finally turned and saw Phillip and the young man's confident look. 

“I’m ready, or as ready as I can be. Frederick and I still can’t believe our stats or the gear we have been given. It feels like it's too much.”

“I wish it was more… I really do, Phillip. I can’t prepare for what is coming. The news we got last week only made it worse.”

Grunting, Phillip nodded and glanced at the kids he had grown up with the last few years. Every week, he went over the names of the ones he knew who had died while they defended the walls. The thought of how many more he was going to add hurt.

“One more fight, one more battle. Even if they know we are coming, we will end this.”

Turning, Kaen nodded and held out his hand.

Phillip grabbed it and pulled Kaen close, giving him a quick embrace before stepping back. 

“I know you never wanted to be my father, but often I see you as the brother I wished I had,” Phillip said. “You have pushed me and Frederick to be the best we can be, and trusting us with our dragons was the greatest gift either of us could imagine…

“Helping us bond,” Phillip continued, his voice now lower, “helped Foros and me to get past some of the issues we were having. Things are better now, and I know we will both do what we must.”

Grinning, Kaen reached over and ruffled the short hair on Phillip’s head. “I guess if you’re my younger brother, I need to beat you up more often,” he teased. “Just know you both exceeded any dreams I had over five years ago when you two ran up to me. You’ve earned everything you have.”

Phillip nodded and then moved to where Racha, the Headmistress, stood. 

Kaen watched as he snuck up behind her and grabbed her, spinning her around while laughing.

They have grown up, and the time for us to go is now. We have much to do.

One day, I will answer for all our actions, and I pray the world sees what we did as necessary. Knowing how many will die still weighs heavy on my heart.

Pammon moved closer, and Kaen turned, letting Phillip and Racha have a moment to remember all the times she had caught him misbehaving and everything else.

Let’s go. Aldric is waiting for us.

-----

Pammon looked through Kaen’s eyes as they had moved the map indoors. The constant rain and cold weather threatened to ruin it, and finally, they gave up. Both Aldric and Herb were glad to know Pammon could still be an asset in planning.

“Only two of my spies made it back. That means the other eighteen must be dead.”

Aldric grunted at Herb’s words, and both men knew the cost those spies had paid. 

“As you can see, the final information we have from over a week ago suggests they are preparing to engage here. It’s a smart decision.”

Kaen studied the map, feeling Pammon’s desire for him to occasionally shift his eyes.

“That slight incline will make it hard on our troops, and if the fortifications the spies mentioned are finished in the coming weeks, getting through them will be difficult,” Aldric stated as he ran his finger near markers they had placed last week. “I’m not sure dragons will be that helpful against them. We can’t attack from a different side unless we want to end up in a forest, which would be even more dangerous for our men and women.”

Kaen grunted as he bobbed his head. 

We still need to try to engage Stioks as the battle starts, which means we are deeper into his territory. Surely, he would defend his own castle.

I’m not certain… that man doesn’t think like we do.

Pammon knew Kaen was correct, but the thought tasted bad in both of their mouths.

“Should I ask?” Aldric asked as Kaen’s eyes flickered across the map.

“Pammon and I are dealing with our problem of Stioks. Drawing him out is going to be hard. I’m not certain we can, and with two armies, we’re left trying to guess the direction he might come.”

“If you do fight, what is the plan?”

“Win at all costs,” replied Kaen. 

Herb scoffed at the answer to his question, but Kaen just shrugged.

“Even if it means Pammon and I die, we will not let that man get away. In three weeks, this ends no matter what.”

Both men saw the fire in Kaen’s eyes and knew he was not joking.

“Surely you and Pammon–”

“No,” Kaen said, cutting off Aldric. He turned his attention to the King, a man he had come to call a friend, and frowned. “You know there are times when the only choice is the hardest. I will not make this battle for naught. If it takes my life so that your children, my children, and Pammon’s children can live and grow, then if left with no other option, we will take it.”

Herb and Aldric stood there quietly. Both weighed the words, and each knew the mantle of leadership and its costs.

“Fiola understood that.”

Wincing, Herb nodded. “She did, and you’re an arse for using that to prove a point Kaen Marshell. Have you told Ava yet?”

Crossing his arms and filling his lungs with air, Kaen let it out slowly and shook his head. 

“She knows my commitment, but I have not said those words. I’m not even certain she will be able to help in this fight, and a part of me is thankful for that. Unless she has the children soon, she will not be ready in time.”

That is a lie, and you know it. Amaranth will do what Ava asks, and unless you command my mate not to help, Ava will be there.

Growling, Kaen turned his attention back to the map. 

“Here! This is where the armies of Ebonmount must attack. I’ll have Frederick lead the middle, but put your best men and women on the edges. We must overtake one of their sides and crush them from the back.”

“What if they do that to us?” Herb asked, tapping the number of tokens on the board. “They outnumber us three to one.”

“Three to one and with defenses and elevation. It feels like suicide.”

Kaen picked up the two dragon tokens and set them between where Frederick’s army would be and Stioks’s main army. “I’m giving everything I can with these two. Together, you have the fastest dragons with lightning attacks that will arc between their armies. While it won’t scorch the earth, they may be able to use it to destroy the fortifications without leaving a burning patch of land that we can’t cross either.”

Scratching his chin, Aldric slowly nodded. “That is good. What about the dwarves, though? They have a limited range, and while I expect them to build some siege weapons, can a hundred archers really do that much?”

“If you saw them shoot as I have, you’ll come to appreciate the power of their archers. Most of them take abilities that allow for multiple targets. If Sedel fights like I hope she will, she alone can cut an army down as long as she is protected.”

“I wish I could send some mages to help up there, but the distance is too far, and the dragons couldn’t support them all.”

“Herb, you're fine,” Kaen replied. We’ve done everything we can. Our armies are leaving in a little over a week, and we will march toward Stioks’s kingdom. Pammon, Glynnis, and Tazorath will stay to protect the army as you move. Once you are in place, if I haven’t seen Stioks, we will search for him.”

“With only two arrows?”

“There was no more ore, so each army shall only get one. Sedel will get the one for the northern army, and you two can pick your best archer to have it. If Stioks appears, they will call for Pammon and me, and we will come.”

Each of them turned their attention once more to the map. 

What if we got there early and tried to take out their defenses?

Kaen understood what Pammon was thinking, but getting that close and not knowing what Stioks might have planned left Kaen worried about the unknown.

It is an option, but the real question is, at what risk? If we fly in low and do that, and Stioks comes in from above…

Pammon was groaning, and Kaen knew it.

Everything depends on where Stioks is… even when we are attacking. I can snap his dragon in half with one bite, but if he hits me again with that spell like last time, it will be harder to fight and stay with them.

How strong were you a year after you hatched? Can you even remember that time? 

The walls vibrated slightly, and Kaen sighed as both men looked at him.

“Yes… Pammon is laughing.”

They chuckled and nodded, paying attention to the map and leaving Kaen alone.

That seems like a lifetime ago. I was stronger than my children by quite a bit, yet that was due to your lifestone. I’m not certain we can know how strong that whelp is now. Even if Stioks used magic of some sort, there is no chance he could match me one-on-one.

And yet it isn’t a one-on-one… I’d like to think I’ve grown, as have you. Stioks, as always, will be the greatest test.

Together, we shall end this. 

“...at least with their armor, those two should be safe.”

Kaen caught the last part of the conversation Herb had been having. His mind wandered back to the suit of armor in the guild hall.

“Herb, can you take me to the guild vault tomorrow?”

The shorter man turned and nodded, raising his eyebrows at that question. “Have you figured something out?”

“No, but I just realized there might be a clue I’m unaware of now that I can see that I couldn’t before.”

Do you really think that will work?!

Kaen could sense the excitement Pammon felt at his idea. 

Maybe, but let me finish talking here.

“I can do that first thing in the morning if you want. Just meet me inside the hall, and we can go down to it.”

Kaen nodded, stretched, and then let out a yawn. “I don’t want to be rude, but as you both can attest, it's been a long six months. I need to go check on my wife, who looks ready to give birth.”

Both laughed and nodded, turning toward the map so Kaen could leave.

As he walked toward the door, Kaen wondered what tomorrow might bring.

Perhaps… Tomorrow, we shall see.