The Union 188 Sand and Fire

He and his comrades were marching towards the enemies. Side by side with spears and shields overlapped, the formation stood strong. But the soldier knew that a formation is only as strong as the will of the men in it.

"Are we going to die tonight?" Asked the young lad beside him in a quivering voice. Just like him, the lad had a gambeson coif, a short spear, a shield and gambeson armor. Marked on their chests was the coat of arms of King Brice.

"The Omniscient favors the righteous" the soldier made an attempt to quell the lad's fear.

"Aye" voiced a man from behind "But attacking diplomatic convoys is not righteous, is it? Also the enemies have the famous First Spear as their leader"

"And Castonians. Damn, armored and angry Castonians. We will be dead men before dawn" said another.

"We are the King's men lads" The soldier pushed on although the thought of facing First Spear and armored Castonians terrified him "God is with us. Grand Master Tobias is with us"

"Grand Master Tobias? The cuckoo? I've heard he's gone mad"

"Hush brother" The soldier reprimanded. He looked around "The Punishers might hear you"

"I just wanna see me Mum again" said the young lad beside.

"We all wanna live boy. But we ain't gonna live by whining. Just hold your spear and point it towards the enemies"

Horses sounded from behind. Their trots were heavy and powerful. A few hundred horsemen went past their Century. They were knights- a special breed of knights. Their capes were black as night. Their helms were angled and crooked. The armor of their steeds have thorns. And their eyes... as one of them glanced at him, he saw the knight's eyes. They were filled with fanatical fervor. They were crazed.

"Punishers" Said the lad beside, his voice was low and his posture bending "They look terrifying"

"Trust me lad, their acts are more terrifying than their looks" Said the wide-mouthed person from behind "I've seen them execute a serf just for praying to the Great Rider in public"

"Fanatics. Damn them"

"Hush!" The soldier reprimanded again. "If you want to live, shut your mouths. One wrong word in their presence and we will all lose our heads"

Luckily the Punishers didn't mind them. The soldier heaved a sigh and looked forward. The enemies were positioned on top of a hill. He and the few thousand recruits needed to fight Castonians while climbing the hill. It would be bloody.

Distant cries, neighs and clash of steel confirmed that the battle had started. In a few moments, bloodied and broken horsemen came retreating towards them. They were not the Punishers but King Brice's cavalry. Some of the horses were limping.

The soldier just gulped and steeled his heart. His comrades were visibly shaken by the sight.

Finally they reached the foot of the hill. The Centurion ordered a slow and steady march- keeping the formation intact was the goal. Their Century and the others made the ascend.

It was slow. The loose sand in the hill disrupted the integrity of the formation. The soldier looked up. It should be the perfect time for the Castonians to make their attack.

But there was only silence in the enemies' side. The darkness elevated his fear. He knew the Castonians to be masters of land warfare. They wouldn't waste a precious moment like this.

And then there were lights- no, flames would be a better word. Hundreds flaming pots came rolling down the hill. The first of the flaming pots then hit the front line.

They exploded. The pots exploded after slamming against their shields. It wasn't a powerful explosion but the pots broke and spread its sticky flaming contents onto the front line. Night turned into day. It was so bright that the soldier was blinded for a few moments.

The burning gel-like substance stuck to armor. It was hot. Screams of burning men echoed in the Deadland Plains. The sand below turned into a carpet of fire. The soldier was lucky enough to escape the flames. He was lucky to be positioned near the rear. The lad beside him was cowering under his shield.

The formation was broken. The officers were trying to rally everyone. Some Centuries were successful, some were truly broken.

And then the soldier heard uniform steps from behind. His sweat turned cold upon realizing that only Castonian heavy infantry's march could make that sound.

And sure enough, the Castonians attacked them from behind. The Castonians' long halberds could cut through gambeson with ease. Chaos reigned. The soldier didn't bother fighting after making one look at the Castonians.

He grabbed the young lad and ran. They were not alone in their cowardice. The whole formation rotted. It was a full rout. Those fools who stayed were butchered. They had lost.

"Help me find the King's banner"

"The King would execute us for running away" reasoned the young lad.

"He won't" The soldier looked behind. They numbered in the thousands earlier. Now they were scattered. All the infantry had lost morale. "He cannot execute what little army he have left. It would be better than getting lost in the desert anyway"

The young lad stayed silent. After a while they saw the King's banner and ran towards it. Many people had the same idea. The King's banner became a meeting point of those who ran.

The soldier slumped in the sand. He was breathing heavily. The young lad was also lying in the sand. It was a horrible night.

The King was on top of his horse. His old wrinkly face was further wrinkled with a frown.

"Cowards! All of you are cowards!"

The King dismounted and went to him. He was unlucky enough to catch the King's eyes.

King Brice yanked his collar. "What happened!?"

"Fire sir! And Castonians!"

"Fire and...."

Several horsemen approached. Their knight armors were bloody. The soldier immediately recognized the angled and crooked helms. The one at the front wore a white robe.

"Oh the devils play cruel games. Henry has sold his soul. Look at the flames they used. Henry is lost"

"This is your fault Tobias!" King Brice let go of his collar and sneered "I told you to wait for reinforcements but you wanted to attack them immediately!"

"The Omniscient demands a quick resolution to the infidels' transgression Your Majesty. Divine judgement cannot wait"

"Aye and I cannot wait to break your nose either!"

King Brice rose and trudged towards Grand Master Tobias. The Punishers drew their swords and threatened the King.

King Brice looked behind towards them. "Fools! Your King has a sword pointed towards his neck. Are you just going to sit there and watch?"

The soldier knew it was his duty to protect the King. But he was too tired. Having his collar yanked earlier also didn't help. He just watched. The others also didn't act.

"Don't tell me you are losing your faith Your Majesty. I will ask you again, whose fault is this?" Tobias asked with a smile.

King Brice gave a friendly but nervous chuckle "It was Hellfire Grand Master. The Castonians and Henry deal with the works of evil. The caltrops and spikes were also works of cowards. It was nobody's fault. We fought bravely but lost because of their trickery. I didn't mean to blame you Grand Master"

Grand Master Tobias smiled. "Oh I was afraid for a second that you've lost your faith King Brice. I'm glad you are still in the light. Now we have lost. It is not our fault. But our defeat only means one thing. The Omniscient demands sacrifice"

The soldier's eyes bulged. He couldn't believe what he heard. The others and King Brice were also the same.

He had heard about how pagan tribes to the west would make sacrifices to their God. But the Omniscient was different. The Omniscient demands only faith and kindness unto others. It was barbaric to even think about such a thing.

And now the Grand Master himself is proposing it. The soldier's body shook beneath his clothes. He realized that he was fighting on the wrong side. Lunatics and cowards- that's who these men are. He wanted to get out of here.

The Grand Master gestured and several chained men in armor were brought to them. From their armor, the soldier guessed they were knights.

"Luckily" Grand Master Tobias said, grinning "We have captured some heretics. These knights supported the evils of Henry. That makes them evil. Isn't that right Centurion Stan?"

One of the captured knights spitted towards the Grand Master's boots. "You are a disgrace! I am ashamed knowing that I squired for you once"

The lunatic held the knight's face "Oh don't be hostile boy. You should repent for your sins. Don't worry. I shall cleanse you of your darkness"

The Grand Master turned towards King Brice.

"Now let's go back to Vuono and praise the Omniscient. We shall make an offering to gain his support for the wars to come" he smiled, sinister and crazed.

"For he is good"

Chapter end