Lanna's War

63

Lanna and Tanis passed through an obscure region of Last Fjord to avoid enemy detection. Tanis led Lanna to the opening of a not-well-known passage through the mountains. She learnt of the passage during her short time with army security.

The passage was narrow, and at times steep, but the Atrayeans failed to guard it. Despite this, the first hour of the hike was the most exhausting. More than once they were forced to scale a small cliff or soak their feet to cross the same creek over and over again. They switched taking the lead and stopped every two hours. Eventually the pass widened into a flat valley.

As they trekked, Tanis noticed Lanna looked exceptionally worried. She felt compelled to ask about it.

"It's my brother." Lanna explained. "I need to find him."

"How are you going to do that?" Tanis asked. Lanna could detect concern in her voice.

"I don't exactly know. But, I need to inform the army of the Atrayean stealth ship before I can do anything else."

Despite the circumstances of their trek, the scenery was breathtaking. Mist hung low in the jagged mountains. Mosses, lichens and shrubs had turned various shades of bright green in the recent spring weather, and the stream wrapped gently through the valley.

Hours later they reached the edge of the mountain ridge which overlooked the West Lands. Lanna was anxious to see the view, but when she did became paralyzed.

Far below was the main road to Last Fjord, and along it was a swath of destruction.

High in the sky, surveying the damage was an Atrayean battle cruiser. It gently drifted toward the blazing frontier line.

Lanna could hear the faint but distinct sound of a projectile ripping through the air. Tanis then approached from behind.

"What's that noise?" She asked.

"Coulee Town is being bombed by whatever destroyed Last Fjord last night. That's where half the Grasslands army was camped." Lanna said grimly. Tanis was quiet. "We need to find the other half of the army as soon as possible. It was last moving south toward the twin cities. We'll have to bypass the Atrayeans in the process. It won't be easy."

They quietly ascended the ridge.

Two hours passed when Lanna and Tanis ventured past the wrecked frontier line. They walked by countless burning Dragon Spear cannons and wrecked hedgehog towers. Murdered soldiers lay scattered everywhere, too. Tanis froze when she saw ten soldiers hung from a mangled tower. Lanna instructed her to keep moving. To her it looked as though the Lunar Army didn't stand a chance.

They changed direction several times to avoid enemy squads, which prolonged their hike. After another hour they were in sight of the wide coulee that the town named after it was located. Smoke billowed around the entire area.

Lanna borrowed Tanis' binoculars and saw that the camp in the open field was completely destroyed. She also spotted fortified enemy positions all around the edge of town, including some heavy armoured vehicles and tanks. What concerned her the most was the vast columns of Atrayean soldiers pouring out of the town toward the south. Lanna knew they were on a path of conquest.

"We have to keep moving south. Our forces aren't here." Lanna said to Tanis. Tanis, who didn't complain about her chaffing left ankle until that moment, let out a sigh and continued hiking.

They tracked the Atrayean forces further south. Armoured vehicles occasionally passed the infantry, each time leaving Lanna to wonder how many supported them in total. She decided to move in closer with her binoculars to understand their strength.