Fall of the Last Dragon Rider - 079 - Phillip and Foros I (Patreon)

Phillip couldn’t help but stare across the battlefield and wonder what Frederick was facing. Looking at an army of thirty thousand created a twinge of pain as the enemy roared and mocked them across the six-hundred-yard expanse between them.

“You certain we can take out those fortifications, sir?”

Turning to look at the officer assigned to him, Phillip nodded. “Seargent Pulak, we don’t have any other choice. For now, we wait for the orders to attack.”

The man and the other warriors shifted nervously behind him, each comforted only slightly by the dragon circling above them.

“Understand, sir. I'm just making sure I understood the assignment.”

Nodding, Phillip turned his eye to where Foros was at. His dragon flew high above the clouds, scouting the area the cavalry were attempting to cross.

Two loud horn blasts sounded, and then a pause came, followed by a repeat of the two.

How are they doing? Any trouble yet?

I find it strange, but no. The path is clear, and when I scouted early this morning, I saw no one and no traps. There appear to be a few remnants of orcs and goblins near where they will come out, but not enough to stop them. If all goes well, Mother should descend and roar in ten or fifteen minutes.

“Sergeant!”

“Yes sir!” the man replied.

“Send word to King Aldric that we expect the battle to start in fifteen minutes. The green dragon will roar when the time has come.”

From the corner of his eye, Phillip saw the sandy hair colored man glance up at the sky before nodding. “On my way, sir.”

I wish I had learned to see through your eyes like Kaen can through Pammon’s. Remember to be safe. I can’t lose you.

Through their bond, Phillip felt the satisfaction of his words. It had changed after their bond had deepened, and the emotions and feelings that came now were sometimes jarring. 

I will do what I must to help us win this battle. You need to focus on your goals. Once my job is finished, I will do what I can. 

Phillip tried to center himself, breathing deeply as he gripped the axe in his hand. 

I’ll see you soon enough.

-----

Time felt like it stretched on as the sound of shouts and roars from both sides of the battlefield echoed every so often. Phillip could sense the change in his dragon and as Foros began to dive down toward the ground, signaling that the action was about to start.

They are charging now.

Phillip turned to the man on his left, who had different flags laid out on fifteen-foot poles before him.

“Wave the yellow ones four times and then the blue ones twice!”

He watched as the man grabbed the massive pole with the giant yellow banner and started waving it.

A horn blasted behind him, and then it did it again after a four-second pause.

A long horn sounded when he dropped the yellow flag and began to wave the blue one.

Cheers and shouting began to erupt from the men, and Phillip pointed the axe he was holding toward the barriers and fortifications the opposing army had set up.

“SLOW! MARCH SLOW!” he shouted, his command echoed multiple times down the line both ways.

His group took a step and then another, not racing toward the area they knew would mark the attacks from the siege weapons.

Horns and roars came from the other side, and Phillip could see the enemy shifting in place as they began to move forward. There was movement from the far left of the enemy army, and a massive boulder launched into the air as someone had fired a siege weapon.

The line of Ebonmount warriors froze as the boulder, which was larger than most horses, arched high into the sky and plummeted toward the ground. It landed a dozen yards before the fortification on the enemy side and bounced and rolled toward King Aldric’s army.

For over forty yards, that rock bounced and moved, destroying a massive section of the enemy's defenses until it finally stopped, a long, deep furrow through the field where it had hit and rolled.

“Goblin shite!” someone cursed behind Phillip, and others mimicked the man's words with a few different variations.

His own heart had skipped a beat when he saw the rock and the destruction it brought. No matter who one was, getting hit by that would squash them like a bug.

“Don’t be afraid!” Phillip roared. “Follow me!”

A few men roared, but more than half could not muster up the same courage as they had moments before. 

Looking to the left, Phillip saw that the boulder had stopped about sixty to seventy yards from the army's line. 

Tell me something good, Foros. Things are going to get nasty out here soon. We have seventy yards before their weapons will reach us.

They are minutes from the side of the line. Twenty or thirty orcs are dead, and an ogre is as well. Three of the men are down so far. I know you can tell where I am. I will strike once they have taken out the weapons that can hit me. Mother is moving down as well and into position.

Looking up into the sky, the green dragon circled downward, her shape growing larger as she descended. Phillip snorted as he had always considered Pammon large when he was young, and Amaranth was bigger than Pammon had been in those days, yet compared to Kaen’s dragon now, they were so small.

“Be ready, men! Everything is about to change in a moment!”

Phillip did everything he could to keep the men’s spirits high, practicing what Kaen had told him. When he turned around and pumped his fist and axe into the air, he could see the fear in the warriors. They knew the battle was necessary, but most were aware they would most likely not make it home.

Yards slowly disappeared as they took a step every few seconds, a drum beat signaling another step. Ten seconds passed, and another. The sound of armor and weapons echoed across the clearing with each step.

Phillip’s heart took off like a racehorse when Amaranth roared only a quarter of a mile above the field. 

The men cheered as she announced her presence in full, and Phillip could sense what was going on near Foros.

They have broken through the sides and are cutting a path through the enemy. Some have noticed, but the majority have not, as Mother timed that roar perfectly.

The drum increased its tempo, now only five seconds between each step.

Amaranth dove across the battlefield from the north to the south between the two armies, roaring again as she faced the ogres and orcs that Phillip could only imagine might be less anxious in the coming moments.

One weapon is down, but a third of the cavalry is gone. Their army is noticing them!

Nervousness and concern flowed through their bond as Phillip knew Foros was anxiously awaiting the outcome of the sneak attack. 

Like a mindless creature, Phillip kept time with the drum, stepping as he was supposed to, but his mind and heart were focused on the rush of emotions surging through their bond. It was impossible to keep his own held back when Phillip realized Foros had gone in to attack.

Are they down?!

No reply came, and Phillip stared where he knew his silver dragon would appear over the tops of the trees in a moment.

One is, and the other is almost, but there is no time left to wait! The Calvary is almost gone, and five are left trying to push for the last one!

He wanted to plead with Foros to stop and wait, but there was no time. His dragon came over the tree tops, dropping near the ground, and fire began to pour out of his mouth in controlled bursts. For a moment, Phillip stood there, unable to move or obey the instructions of the drums as he watched his dragon create chaos to his right. Two massive siege weapons were on fire already, and a different part of the army was burning.

A long gust of flame shot out, and Phillip saw a third weapon on fire.

Then, the roar across the battlefield and the pain in his heart made him stumble.

FOROS!

No answer came, but Phillip saw his dragon desperately trying to fly toward his side of the battleground.

Amaranth roared again, and Phillip saw the flash of green as Foros’s mother tore across the battlefield toward her flailing dragon.

Pain lanced through his body as his dragon fell toward the earth. The silver scales were covered in blood, and even from this distance, Phillip knew that his partner was gravely injured.

The army had stopped moving as the silver dragon lay on the battlefield, halfway between both sides, floundering like a fish on the bank of a river.