The Shadow Throne (Ascendance 3)

“How many men are coming?” I asked Mott.

He squinted. “I estimate at least a thousand already on the march, but I can’t see the end of their lines. You can’t expect to fight them all.”

“No,” I said. “I don’t expect to fight any of them.”

Once they were close enough to begin the battle, the order was given for the soldiers to run for the three of us. I made a loud comment about the unfortunate tendency of Mendenwal women to sprout warts on their faces, then turned and began riding away. Not too quickly. Just a bit faster than they could run.

“Our one hundred can’t handle them,” Mott said. “Some are very poor fighters.”

“That’s why they’re here, and not with the others.”

Mott quickened his horse to keep pace with mine. “I cannot believe that you would sacrifice these men for any reason. It’s not like you.”

I only smiled. “How many men are behind us now?”

He glanced back and said, “Their lines are in disarray. But the valley is quickly filling.”

By the time we reached my men, panic was clear on their faces. Most had drawn their swords, ready for a battle that was certain to end in devastating failure.

“Why do you all look so worried?” I asked, riding around them. “Have you seen the bright sun rising today? Is anyone else feeling warm?”

Judging by the sweat on their faces, they all were. Or maybe it had nothing to do with the heat. These men were terrified.

“Then let us ride,” I said. “Not too fast. But stay ahead of their armies.”

So we rode. With credit to the Mendenwal soldiers, some of them were excellent runners and seemingly tireless, so we moved faster than I would have liked. Behind us, the wide valley continued to fill, and their soldiers were becoming increasingly angry.

Finally, we were nearing the end of the valley. The Carthyan camp high above us was entirely empty now. We had no second chances, no support, and if things didn’t go well, no place to go to save ourselves. With Mendenwal at our backs and impossibly steep climbs ahead of us, I could never get everyone to safety.

Except I had no intention of getting to the top. Only to get a little higher than where we were now.

I rode to the rear of my men and raised my sword. Then I yelled out to Mendenwal, “Lay down your weapons now and live.” They only continued to run for me, which was unfortunate, but not unexpected. “Very well,” I muttered. To whatever end, it was time to unleash a plan I had anticipated for months. In the next few minutes, we would face either great success or a certain slaughter.

With my one hundred men less than a minute from being literally trapped against a sheer cliff wall, I increased the speed of my horse. Mott matched my speed and together we returned to the front of the group and signaled to the three men who had climbed down the hill in the darkness. They had been hiding at the base of the wall, and were now in place. Upon my signal, a flaming torch was held high. They lit a rope that led inside the opened wood-and-iron trunk, and then ran for the hills.

“We should ride faster,” I said to Mott.

“Is that what I think it is?” Following my lead, he said, “You told me the gunpowder at Vargan’s camp was all you had.”

“All I had with me,” I corrected him. “Not all I had.”

“You’re going to blow up that wall?”

My focus remained on the growing fire ahead of us. “It’s not a wall, Mott. It’s a dam.”

One of my first acts as king was to send every spare man to this area to dam up the Roving River. I had hoped for a barricade that would appear to be created by the natural flow of debris, and that vision had been executed to perfection. In fact, I’d heard that much of the dam was formed simply by sending large items down the river to clog the spillway.

Now, at full speed, I charged sideways for the hills with my men behind me. At first, the Mendenwal soldiers seemed more distracted by the fire at the base of the dam than the consequences of it. Once they realized what was happening, it was too late.

The explosion burst before my men reached the hills, and it shook the ground like violent thunder. Mystic panicked and tried to bolt, but in a battle of wills between us, I intended to win. It was the only way we’d survive. I dug my legs firmly into his side and urged him forward. My ears rang like chapel bells in my head from the noise while the disturbed air pressed in waves at my back.

The base of the dam burst with a fury I could not have imagined. Instantly, the walls above it collapsed, sending not only water, but also rocks and logs catapulting through the valley like a full-scale assault.

My men were drenched by the time we reached the hillside, but all of us were there. And the Mendenwal soldiers that had filled the valley like busy ants were swept away in the fierce waters. Falstan Lake was returning to its bed. Within a precious few seconds, more than half of their army was gone.

My men cheered, but the battle had only begun. Not all of Mendenwal had entered the valley, and they would be panicked now and need time to regroup and install new leaders. We would not allow any recovery. The remainder of my army had left camp and was already on their heels, advancing from the rear.

“The match is more even now,” I said to Mott. “We can win this.” Then I directed my attention to the men with me. “You have passed the test of courage, which is the hardest of all tests. Now is the time for battle, and I know you can do it. Stay on your horse to fight and keep moving. You hold swords in your hands, but remember that every part of you is a weapon. You have legs, and strong backs, and best of all, you have brains. Never stop thinking, never stop looking ahead and making your plans. As long as you think, you will survive.”