It was made abundantly clear that even if the mounted contingents from Bretica, Annenheim, and Poitaine contained warriors that were skilled fighters on foot, the necessity for cavalry in the coming fight was going to be most vital. Each and every warrior from the three key provinces fighting from horseback would be sorely needed.
Prince Aidan, who was not among those gathered within the tent, would be positioned behind the shield wall with a large, centrally positioned reserve. The reserve was to include a great number of the fierce, elite axe men that served in the royal household guard of King Alcuin himself.
Key margraves, counts, thanes, and other experienced warriors would be placed all along the front of the shield wall. Layers of lesser thanes, ceorls, and infantry would form ranks behind the initial shield wall, reinforced themselves by a dense mass of levied peasantry.
The warriors trained upon Himmerosen, the race of winged steeds found only in the northern reaches of Saxany, would have the difficult task of defending the skies above them. The numbers of Himmerosen at the camp, according to Aldric, was just over seven hundred strong. Aelfric knew that seven hundred was very few to send against what was coming.
It would nonetheless be the largest force of sky warriors ever gathered together in one place, in the young history of Saxany’s sky warriors. The winged creatures themselves, as with all manner of Skiantha, were far from being numerous in their native environments to begin with. The training necessary to master the riding of Himmerosen, and to fight from their backs, was anything but easy. It took time and painstaking effort to build a force of sky riders, and to generate seven hundred required an enormous effort.
While the number encompassed nearly all of the available trained steeds in the kingdom, there was one other concerted deployment of Himmerosen. Aldric had informed Aelfric that a small number of sky warriors had been placed under the command of a thane named Edmund in Wessachia, the mountainous lands that bordered Annenheim to the east.
The two groups, the large one under Aldric the Stormblade, and the much smaller one under Edmund of Wessachia, represented almost the entirety of the kingdom’s winged, mounted force. Very few trained steeds could now be found anywhere else within Saxany, and what scant few were left were mostly quartered at the palace in Aixen, serving King Alcuin as messengers.
The true purpose of Aldric’s force would be dire and singular in the coming fight: to defend against the fearsome Trogens.
Aldric assured Aelfric confidently that his warriors would not waver in their given charge. He had even boldly asserted that they would drive the Trogens right from the skies.
His deep voice nearly shook with the sheer fervor projected within it. The stout confidence of the sky leader appeared to lift the spirits of everyone in the gathering, as they stood a little straighter, with their heads held higher.
Aldric’s words set a good tone for the burdensome discussions that ensued, lasting deep into the day as various elements of the coming defense were proposed, considered, and examined. It was a quite arduous process, but by the time the assemblage finally departed the tent, their tasks and purposes were clear and understood.
For King Alcuin’s majordomo, nothing less would have been acceptable.
DARROKS
Outlined in the first rays of the rising sun, a number of massive, dark shapes climbed up slowly into the sky, in the close vicinity of Avalos. The titanic, airborne juggernauts cast vast shadows over the sprawling city, bringing the bustling of many outdoor markets to a complete halt as the winged monstrosities lumbered by overhead.
Thousands upon thousands of pairs of eyes looked up in awe and fear at the skyward behemoths. They found relief only in the fact that they implicitly knew that the creatures were of the realm of Avanor.
The gargantuan creatures had been seen in the skies before. They were commonly known to be in the service of the Unifier, though not a few startled individuals shrieked with fright, trembled in place, or ducked back inside homes and storefronts.
None that looked upon the winged giants would dispute an assertion that there was not a power in the known world that could even hope to wage war with the Unifier. In their minds, nothing could contend with a ruler that could put forth such incredibly formidable powers into the skies above.
The bold sights evidencing such an unprecedented amount of power helped the majority of Avanor’s populace put up with the annoyance of the increasingly heavier taxation that they had all been enduring. It also dampened resistance and objection to the many changes that had more recently come into their lives on the insistence of the Unifier.
Most felt that it was now quite futile to consider any form of opposition, even in outwardly expressing their displeasure at the ever-growing burdens. The vivid demonstration of sheer might flying above them did little to discourage that view.
As the hulking shapes gradually passed towards the far, eastern horizon, the people of the city began to turn their thoughts back to more immediate and mundane matters. The areas of the city that had come to a virtual standstill began to ebb and flow once again.
Before the winged forms had entirely passed from view, the people had fully resumed their focus on trade, pleasure, and progress within the streets of Avanor’s powerful and wealthy capital. Few bothered to consider the plight of those dwelling in the lands that were the destinations of the winged giants.
LEE
At long last, and with no small amount of grumbling, the hastily marching quartet accompanying Gunther finally reached the edge of his woodland demesnes. The sign of their proximity was embodied by the appearance of a couple of very large Jaghuns, which suddenly leaped forth from the brush to greet their returning master.
Lee and the others involuntarily flinched at the rapid emergence of the large, broad-muzzled beasts from the quiescent surroundings. Their tails wagged furiously, and their exuberant energy boiled over as they sprung about the ground excitedly on their wide paws.
The large, dog-like beasts quickly regarded the quartet of newcomers with great interest, just as the four Jaghuns that had been escorting the group through the forest also emerged from the surrounding trees.
The curiosity of the two new Jaghuns was certainly piqued, as they sniffed and eyed the newcomers carefully between their spirited bouts of bounding and leaping about Gunther.
Even though his mind urged him otherwise, Lee was gripped by a primal fear. He grew very still, and was quite unnerved by the scrutiny of the fearsome creatures as they set their attentions directly upon him.
Gunther warmly embraced his four-legged companions, vigorously rubbing their massive heads between his large hands. He picked them up by their front paws, such that they stood eye to eye with him, and engaged in many more forms of greetings and gestures of familiarity. Lee could perceive that the woodsman’s spirits were instantly improved by the Jaghuns’ presence.
Erin, Lynn, and Ryan appeared to be very relieved to see the stern man’s suddenly buoyed spirits. For his own part, Lee recognized another dimension to the ardor of the woodsman’s greeting.
The man’s fervent embrace of his creatures was such that he seemed to be reaching for the Jaghun that he had lost, even while seeking a little comfort from those who still remained. When he turned back to them, the sheen on the woodman’s eyes was unmistakable. The woodsman was rife with raw emotion, even though he was making an effort to stifle the expression of it in the face of Lee and the others.
Lee said nothing, not knowing what he could even possibly say at such a time. After a few more minutes, Gunther rose back up to a standing position, as his demeanor quickly grew more serious again.