Chapter 40 - Dor-ko Attacks

“Please--get up, Your Majesty. I beg your pardon, but I plead with you to get up. You need to see this.”

Andres felt his shoulder being shaken, and he struggled to open his eyes. When he did, he looked up and saw a vaguely familiar face, barely illuminated by a lantern that the man was holding. Andres looked around and found himself in a strange room which actually appeared to be a small house. He shook his head back and forth in an attempt to knock loose the cobwebs of his mind. Finally, he recalled what had brought him here.

After the tussle by the campfire had been concluded, and after Pilch had diligently recorded all of the events that had transpired, the group hastily entered the village gates. Everyone had been exhausted and all were eager for some sleep; the only question was where to put everyone. Pilch offered to host Fred and Kaelanna at his house, as long as they didn’t make a mess. Old Ferd, who had the biggest home, invited Annala and Remma to stay in his guest chamber. Samek brought Andres and his companions--Pipes and Legs--to the home that he shared with Gregorex. Andres welcomed Gregorex’ offer to sleep on his bed. As he laid down, he’d seen Gregorex drag some blankets outside. But before he could think about it too much, he’d drifted into unconsciousness...

Andres again felt his shoulder being shaken and again heard the voice saying, “Your Majesty, you really need to get up!” He now recognized the face of the person who was waking him. It was Samek. And Andres, who was particularly observant about people’s mannerisms, noticed that Samek’s eyebrows were furrowed and that his voice was gradually rising. Andres took the hint and rolled out of bed. As he stood and started getting dressed, he thought to himself that his brother Cable would almost certainly have taken 10 times as long to wake up, and probably would have raised the ire of Samek in the process.

“So where did Legs and Pipes sleep?” Andres asked, as he noticed that there was no other bedding in the room.

“Why do young people have to ask so many questions?” Samek muttered under his breath. Then in a louder tone he replied, “They slept outside, at the entrance to the doorway. They...were concerned about Dor-ko launching an attack last night. But let’s hustle, son! Less talk and more movement!”

Andres hastily put on his cloak and grabbed his weapons. Samek then dashed out the door with a staggering Andres close behind. It crossed Andres’ mind that Samek, while certainly a brave soul, was not the most patient man in the world. As Andres exited the house, he looked about him and quickly got his bearings. It was dark outside, though there was a glow off to the east. Andres judged that it was about a half-hour before sunrise. His first thought was discouragement, as he recognized that he’d probably only gotten about four hours of sleep. His aching bones told him that he’d needed much more than that. But his second thought was of even greater concern. His father had always taught him that most attacks occur just before sunrise. Was this why Samek had raised him up, because they were about to be under assault?

Within a few moments, Andres and Samek reached the walls of the village. Andres noticed that some scaffolding had been erected at various points along the wall, allowing the men to stand and look over the walls in order to help defend the village from attack. As he glanced to his right and his left, Andres saw that men were positioned atop the scaffolding. Armed with bows and arrows and spears and shields, the men were all staring intently off to the south. Andres followed Samek as he climbed a small ladder and mounted the scaffolding himself. Standing tall and peering over the edge of the wall, Samek pointed to the distance and said simply, “Look!”

Andres looked and at first saw nothing but clumps of trees in the distance. But as he continued to stare, he noticed that these trees appeared to be moving in his direction. In fact, there appeared to be about three large groups of these “trees”, and they were all moving toward the village. Before Andres could speak, Samek answered his question.

“We’re about to face three companies of Black Knights,” declared Samek. “The wretches! They love the darkness, they gather in darkness, and they use darkness to cover their assault. But they’ve lost the element of surprise, thanks to your warning. While you slept, I rallied our men, and we are ready for them.” Samek then turned toward the open field to the south and bellowed, “Bring it on, you yellow-bellied good-for-nothing cowards! If you want to go to an early grave, that’s fine with us! We’re not afraid, and we’re not about to beg for mercy! But you will pretty soon!”

Samek’s voice echoed across the plain. It was answered shortly thereafter by the sound of a bugle. “That’s their signal to attack!” Samek yelled. “Be ready, be steady, and stand firm, men! This is why we were called here--to defend the Kingdom. This is our hour. Are you ready?”

The men rattled their weapons and shouted in unison, “Ready, Samek!”

As the soldiers stared at the approaching enemy, Samek turned back to Andres. “Son,” he said, “I wanted to show you what was about to happen. But I cannot leave you here. You...you are an heir to the throne, the son of the great Maximilian himself. If you were to die, I wouldn’t be able to bear it. Who knows--you might be the only one left! We’ve not seen the king, or Prince Dorian, or Prince Cable. If Slumbutter targeted you, he very well set his sights on the other royals as well. I simply cannot let the prince stay in harm’s way. I beg you--follow me back to my home. You will be safe there, until we sweep these vermin from the field of battle.”

Samek then grabbed Andres’ arm and started to lead him over to the ladder that would descend the scaffolding. But Andres, who had a stubborn streak that revealed itself from time to time, refused to budge. He planted his feet and shook his head. After pondering his words for just a moment, he replied, “No, Samek...I can’t do it. I can’t just leave. With all due respect, sir, I must stay.”

Samek’s voice elevated as he bellowed, “But your Majesty, you don’t understand! We’re about to get assaulted! The arrows will be flying within a matter of minutes! I cannot leave you in this kind of danger!”

But Andres was unyielding. “Look, Samek. If you absolutely insist, I will obey. You’re the man in charge of this village. And if my dad has taught me anything, it’s that I need to listen to the men in authority. But my dad has also taught me that my job isn’t to stand around and let other people serve and protect me. My job is to serve and protect others. He has told me that again and again and again.

“And so here we are, with the enemy about to attack us. If I sit back in safety, what happens if you defeat them? I will have done nothing to help you. I’d feel ashamed. And what happens if you get overrun? Then they will capture me and use me as a trophy of their conquest. Again, I’d feel ashamed. Either way, I bring no honor to the family name, and I do nothing to help the people. So if it’s all the same to you, Samek, I’d really rather fight. If I stand and am killed, someone else will fill my shoes. The kingdom will go on, Samek. Just let me do my part to throw back the miserable creatures that are coming our way.”

Samek shook his head but said nothing. He himself was a stubborn man; he knew an unyielding soul when he saw one. Finally, he mumbled, “Have it your way, Prince Andres.” Then he turned to the soldiers gathered round the city wall and declared, “For Maximilian!” His cry was echoed by the men in a shout that Andres figured must have been heard clear back to the castle.

Andres grabbed his bow, notched an arrow, and stared in the distance. Pipes shuffled around some of the men and positioned himself next to Andres. He bent over and whispered, “Your Majesty, if you’re not going to listen to good sense and get out of harm’s way, then at least allow me the honor of standing by your side in battle.” Andres just nodded. He knew that Pipes had protected him in the past, and would do everything in his power to protect him today.

The light was gradually brightening, and he could better make out what was about to unfold. He saw the three companies march toward the walls and begin to merge together. They formed a great line about 100 yards wide and several ranks deep. They marched toward the walls slowly but relentlessly. And as Andres looked beyond them, he thought he could see still more soldiers emerging from the distant wood line. Andres feared that this was to be no small skirmish; rather, the small village of Cliffton was about to feel the weight of the entire army of Slumbutter and Dor-ko.

The men of Cliffton notched their arrows and got poised to launch their first volley toward the approaching army. But Dor-ko’s forces stopped their advance just outside of range. For a few minutes, they simply stood still and rattled their weapons. Then they started chanting, “The king is dead! The king is dead!” Over and over, for what seemed like an eternity, the army repeated this chant. At first, Andres rejected the thought that his father was indeed dead. His father would never allow himself to be slain by those worthless rebels! But as the chant droned on and on and on, he began to doubt. What if it were true? What if his father truly had been killed? Should he flee to safety away from the village walls, as Samek had urged him?

As Andres entertained these thoughts, he noticed that the chant was dying down. At the same time, the middle of the enemy line of soldiers parted. A hooded man riding a horse slowly came through the gap and stood in front of the army. In his arms he was holding what appeared to be a body wrapped from head to toe in some sort of garment. The hooded man stood in his stirrups, hoisted the body high in the air, then tossed it to the ground. He then bellowed out, “This is your king! Prepare to join him in death this very day!” He then uttered an eerie, devilish laugh that seemed to penetrate to Andres’ very soul. But before Andres could even process what had just happened, the army of Dor-ko launched its first assault. The battle was under way.