A Twist of the Tale by P R Glazier
Chapter 39. The Storm Clouds Gather
Thor stood amongst the soldiers of the T’Iea army of Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned. It was early morning; the sun had just risen across the moors. A gentle breeze blew the light wisps of early morning mist around and brief glimpses of the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran cordon of Startmektoken, a kilometre or so across the heather could be seen. The Startmektoken stood in but a single line and beyond them could be seen the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran army dressed in their black armour and tall helms, banners held high on the morning breeze. Thor counted fifty four banners in all, fifty four Ruen’N’Y’Thego each comprising of roughly fifty soldiers so in all an army consisting of roughly of two and a half thousand. Thor looked around him. Almost as a mirror image the T’Iea army that surrounded his position stood in their own armour, their banners also caught upon the stiff breeze. The only difference, they stood alone, no mechanical army stood as a forward front line, ready to take the battering of the initial assault when the muscles that wielded sword and shield were still strong, the mind focussed and fresh with excitement. The time when the true horrors of battle were not yet set to sap the strength, overrun the mind and drain all courage. He shook his head. Was this to be it then? This battle, this waste of life, it would end here on the whim of a madman? He looked into the faces that surrounded him. He saw his fellow T’Iea, their facial expressions set and grim, he wondered what they thought, did they have wives, husbands, sisters and families back in the west. Did they even remember them?
He stared once again at the single thin line of Startmektoken soldiers across the heather, he thought surely this puny cordon would not stop a determined attack; surely the T’Iea army of Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned would break through easily. He remarked as much to the soldier that stood accompanying him and also assigned by their commander to make sure that Thor did not desert the battlefield prematurely. The soldier explained that this single line was but a small part of the Startmektoken army that the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran controlled. They had attacked once before, the metal soldiers were tough to the extreme and very difficult to fell, only a lucky blow or accurate shot could cause any mortal damage. He also told how many of Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned’s army fell that day; he spat hatred as he spoke. But he also pointed out that the line of Startmektoken was regularly relieved every two or three days, so he thought that even these metal monsters needed some rest at regular intervals. Thor thought about the sarcophaguses that Nar’Allia described and how normally the Startmektoken stood dormant within them. How then were they to attack this impenetrable wall of mechanical soldiers? What real hope did they have against this indestructible foe designed in the ancient past to fight for mankind, because mankind had lost their soul and their will and could fight no longer.
A dark shadow fell over them. Something big blotted out the still gathering sunlight shining down from above them. As Thor looked up he gasped for there in plain view flying quite low an enormous shape drifted silently. He knew immediately what it was; he looked at the depiction of the serpent like dragon that adorned the side of the machine. It really was the great Leviathan machine. But what was it doing here? Then Thor had a thought. Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned had suggested that he had allied with another army. Surely he didn’t mean the army of Startmektoken that were on board the Leviathan. Thor had grave misgivings, had JDC allied with the renegade T’Iea army? The dark shape continued to fly slowly towards Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned’s encampment some five kilometres away. To those that were there to see it, the craft seemed to hover for a while and then descend slowly until it disappeared from view below the shallow rolling hills. As it descended, Thor could quite clearly make out the large doors in the underside opening. First one, then another, then all started to drop open. He watched until the craft disappeared beyond the horizon.
His T’Iea escort spoke with a hiss between his teeth, “but this day shall be different, victory is ours this day and we will avenge our fallen comrades at last.”
Within half an hour Thor thought he heard the heavy tramping of many feet. He hoped that the Startmektoken army from the Leviathan was marching to the battleground. He watched in fascination in the direction that he thought they would come. But as his ears became accustomed to the sound he became aware that this sound was not coming from the direction in which the Leviathan flew. But was in fact coming from the direction of the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran realm. Before he could turn he noticed the soldier’s faces around him frowning and looking intently at something behind him. Thor turned and there marching across the moor beyond the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran cordon came more Startmektoken soldiers. Many more, for their ranks eventually appeared to be several lines deep. He stood his mouth slightly open as he watched the monsters fall in line behind the cordon of their brothers that were already there. Still more came. The T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran had obviously witnessed the arrival of the Leviathan machine and decided that reinforcements would be necessary to counter this new threat.
The soldier that stood with him as if reflecting Thor’s thoughts said, “they have brought up reinforcements and the die is cast.” His hands slid around the thick shaft of the great double bladed halberd he held, they twisted this way and that as if polishing the wood, but the obvious nervousness the soldier felt came through loud and clear, as did the creaking of his leather gloves upon the wood.
Then they heard it. The self-same sound as before, identical it was to the sound of the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran Startmektoken soldiers marching to the battle front. But this sound came from the direction in which the Leviathan had disappeared. Sure enough a second army of Startmektoken marched up from the other direction appearing over a slight rise in the moorlands. The ranks of the T’Iea parted to allow them through. Ten or twelve abreast they marched and once they had reached the foremost ranks of the T’Iea army, the Startmektoken spread out like an opening fan until they also formed a cordon before the T’Iea army of Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned. Thor could see smiles of relief upon the soldiers around him, he also felt relief for the Startmektoken that fought for them would give them an equal advantage and perhaps things did not seem so hopeless after all. When the Startmektoken had finished their march and all was silent again the two armies of abominations faced each other, expressionless, in unison and with a sound like thunder they drew upon their various weapons and stood each in a stance dictated by the weapon they bore.
The mists drifted in from across the moor as did the silence, Thor thought it almost suffocating, only the few small sounds, the odd creak of leather armour, the occasional sigh of breath, the odd muttering of a soldier perhaps saying a prayer, a curse, or even wording the lyrics of a song.
The level of expectation felt amongst the T’Iea warriors of both sides was high. Every one of them stood staring at the two armies of Startmektoken soldiers as they faced each other waiting. The minutes ticked by and seemed like hours. Then suddenly both at the same time the armies started towards each other. It was impossible to tell which if either started to advance first. Thor thought that he looked into a mirror. The marching army of Startmektoken warriors that belonged to Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned and the army of the same soldiers belonging to the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran if belonged was the right word to use.
The sound of their feet upon the heather was loud, the very earth shook with the rhythmical pounding, every boot was lifted and dropped at exactly the same time. Once the cordon had moved off, the heather behind them lay crushed, stamped into the very earth upon which it grew, a few clumps here and there had miraculously survived, the purple flowers still shone defiant in the ever increasing sunlight, it made Thor glad somehow that even these unstoppable warriors could not completely destroy the Makers creation.
Suddenly the two armies clashed. The noise was deafening in contrast to the comparative silence that prevailed before. The ferocity of that first engagement was astonishing. Thor actually stepped backwards a few steps,
They watched in horror as the two front lines of warriors fought a close hand-to-hand battle. As one fell another would step up from behind and continue the attack. It was clear that neither side defended, the only tactic at least that Thor could tell was an all-out offensive from both sides.
Towards the rear of both ranks there appeared warriors with large odd-looking tube like devices strapped to their backs. Some sort of projectiles that looked like bright globes of orange fire were fired high into the air from these tubes, Thor remembered Nar’Allia’s descriptions of the bolts fired from the energy cannons mounted within the Leviathan machine. These mortars tossed their energy projectiles high above the warring sides and over the front line to land amongst the enemy in the rear most ranks. Thor could not see the effect that these mortars were having because of the close packed ranks of soldiers. If any of these projectiles flung from both sides caused any destruction he could not see. The only apparent effect was that thick palls of grey smoke started to rise and drift across the battlefield from the area in which these balls landed engulfing both armies hiding them form view.
A soldier a few ranks from him shouted something, it probably wasn’t a word, just an exclamation of something. Thor looked up in the direction the soldier pointed. To the east upon a hillock there appeared figures of some kind. Short stunted figures bearing long sticks, or they may be spears, Thor could not tell from this distance. More and more figures joined with those already standing there. Goblin men thought Thor. Have they come to witness this battle, to gloat perhaps, come to see who the eventual victors would be, perhaps even hoping to benefit from the spoils of war. Or had they come to take a side, be as allies to one or other of the opposing forces that now fought below. The goblins had suffered probably from both parties in the past. He doubted they would have an interest in the survival of either force. Perhaps then they had come in the hope that both sides would perish or be diminished to the extent that they could deal with the remaining forces and oust the T’Iea from their lands once and for all.
Then he was surprised to see taller beings, human men standing amongst the goblins. Easterners he guessed. He knew of these people again from Nar’Allia’s tales. So they two had come to witness the shame of his people. The shame of T’Iea fighting against T’Iea. All of a sudden he felt a need to be away from here. What he witnessed he did not want to be part of. He wanted to be back in the west. Back amongst his people. Away from this desperate act born of hatred and malice. But he could not tare his eyes from the pitched battle that went on before him. For the only thing that kept the two T’Iea armies at bay were the front line of Startmektoken warring below. What good would it do anyway, both armies were identically matched. Neither could possibly win, all they could do was to destroy themselves and remove, or at least diminish the threat of the Startmektoken to both sides. Thor shivered. For once that had been accomplished, then it would begin. The real battle would start, the battle he feared the most, not for his own safety, but for the continuing sanity of his people. He was sure now that the two T’Iea armies would eventually meet on the field and they would fight. Above everything else, it was this he feared. This he did not want to be a part.
The armies of men and of goblins stood upon the rise gazing down at the two armies, they would witness Thor’s shame, the shame of the T’Iea.