The Best Man: The Good Man Series Book Three (Wattpad Preview)

Chapter 14: The Empire

Fear was something that had taken over the bodies of the army as they marched south. It was like they had all come to the same realization at the same time: they were inside the boundaries of the enemy. It had all been for something, but now they had to make it count. 

Dreary weather had followed them south from Harthwait. Nethel had rejoined the group, flying overhead. They finally had left the North Region and had entered the large forests of the Middle Region. They came to a small village called Ectinart, a small wooded village, hidden deep in the Middle Region's vast forests. It had been overlooked by Borious's troops and left to its own devices. Now, it harbored the only ones fighting back. The villagers were very nice, allowing them to enter their homes and share their food. The governor made a decree that all men over 18 years of age would follow Morek in his fight.

The group met in the small meeting house at the center of town, rain tapping on the glass windows. Morek, Casaris, Selma, Governor Malias, who had also agreed to help, Agnotock of the Hergun Warriors, and a few other Guardians stood around a map. Their campaigns before had been easier than this would be. Morek knew the fight would be hard and many would be lost, but they had to go strong and fast. They had to make a plan.

Gesturing to the map, Morek began, "The fight has been long and hard. We are tired, but the campaign we are about to make needs to be strong. We have shown The Empire what we can do. Let us do it again. We go south, making ourselves known by taking Umard Woods. With the biggest city north of the capital gone, Borious will notice. He will send troops. Once we have it, I will leave some of you behind to defend. Make a stand because we cannot lose it. Once we leave, we sweep southeast. The Empire's food and supplies are coming from those eastern farms, without them, they will begin to starve. We call the Orcs to push up from the south, our men to push them down from the north, and we push west, bringing them to a standstill in Voriontu. Then, we force a surrender or fight." 

The group took a vote, all but one agreeing on Morek's campaign plan. Umard Woods sat only a few hours south. Morek and his army rested that night. At dawn, the sun broke through the cloudy weather and gave them a clear march to Umard Woods. It shone onto the now three flags waving behind the army: the flag of the Elf Empire, the Dwarf Republic, and now a new flag. The women of the village had made it just in case the Imperial cities ever were to get their own flags. It was half red, half blue with a bright yellow star in the center. The red symbolized sacrifice, the blue symbolized peace and prosperity, and the star represented change. The women thought it was perfect for Morek's army, so the men from the village carried it behind them. 

A clearing sat off the path just outside of the now heavily fortified city. This close to Voriontu, Borious could not afford to lose it. The city had a large wall around it. Two group of guards made a march around the city. Guard towers stood high above, bowmen ready to fire at any given moment. Morek and Casaris did an initial walk around of the city. There was only one entry point they could find. One tree branch stretched over the wall, and it was just out of sight of the guard towers. Morek and Casaris returned and decided to send in a spy to scope it out. An Elf Guardian named Simian was chosen. When it became dark, Simian climbed the tree and quietly slipped into the city. 

Morek and Casaris waited a day for the signal that never appeared to come lower a rope into the fortress. They waited until the next morning. Morek went out on the road to the city and found the body of the poor soul. He was gruesomely killed. A sword had gone through his abdomen, but then something had burned away the area around it, leaving a gaping hole in the center of his body.

"That is it," the Guardian mumbled to himself. "I said we would hit them strong. We are going to hit them strong."

An enraged Morek marched back to the camp and rallied his troops. Casaris approached and questioned Morek.

"What happened to the plan of attacking at night?" Casaris asked.

"Simian is dead. I found him on the road," Morek said, ending the conversation. 

When the troops were ready, Morek addressed them, "I am doing something different. We are splitting into units. Split down the middle. Casaris will lead one of you through the gates, and I am going to take the other through the back."

The army did as they were commanded. Casaris took the lead of what they called the Red Unit, and Morek took the Blue Unit. Morek told his brother goodbye and wished him luck. Morek led his troops around the back of the wall. In his mind, he called Nethel down into a clearing behind the wall. Morek mounted his Dragon and readied his troops. 

"This is for everyone we have lost so far!" Morek shouted, calling the attention of one of the bowmen in a guard tower. 

Morek fired an arrow into the sky where it exploded. He made a connection with Nethel and had the beast run head first into the wooden wall. Without Simian's information, they had no clue what they were about to go into. Thousands of startled Imperials roamed the streets of the large trading city. When the wooden wall fell and the gates burst open, they were caught severely off-guard. Morek charged in on his Dragon, riding the thing like a horse and firing down on the Imperial troops. An alarm bell sounded, calling the legion inside to action. The streets became too narrow for Nethel. Morek launched off the Dragon, firing an arrow into a soldier. Several more shots were fired as he sent Nethel into the skies. The Blue Unit forced their way into the small streets that held dozens of shops, now converted into armories and sleeping quarters. The unit began forcing the larger army farther and farther back into the city center. Morek pushed through the door of a house to find three soldiers playing games, completely unaware of what was happening. Two were Dwarfs and one was an Elf. 

"Do not shoot! Please, do not shoot!" cried the Elf, arms raised in the air. 

Morek lowered his bow.

"I need you to do something for me," Morek said.

Across the city, the Red Unit had unintentionally followed the strategy of the Blue Unit. They had forced all the soldiers into the small streets, pushing them to the city center. Casaris cried out to keep pushing forward. He made his way into an empty house, climbing the stairs to the second floor. He broke open the window and climbed onto the roof. He looked across the mass of chaos to the other side where his brother also stood. He looked down at their progress. They were only a small distance away, with Morek's unit around the same distance from the center of town. A cry broke out at the center of town. An Elf and two Dwarfs ran around screaming.

"Brothers in arms against our saviors, turn your weapons to those who oppress us!" they shouted again and again.

Like magic, swords turned against those loyal to The Empire. Humans, Dwarfs, and Elves turned against their own in a large display of bloodshed. Many threw down their weapons. The loyal ones ran to the city center and surrounded a single man. Casaris saw his brother's smile from across the city. 

Morek ran across the roofs and called Nethel. When he came to the end, he jumped onto the Dragon's back. Nethel landed in front of the circle of guards. Suddenly, a large group of former soldiers, Guardians, and Dwarfs surrounded them. The guards dropped their weapons and moved away from the man in the center. He drew his sword using a gloved hand, the blade turning red.

"I do not surrender," he said aggressively.

Morek dismounted Nethel and stood in front the man. With everyone watching, he held out his hand. The red glow faded as it was replaced by blue, and the metal began to warp. He held on until it dropped out of his hand, collapsing into a small metal ball. 

Morek smiled. "I accept your terms of surrender."