Smith Imperium

1. Auflage 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5439-8090-5
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet/DL/kein Kopierschutz

E-Book, Englisch, 666 Seiten

The Empire of Pilth Rabour is run by a tyrant, but that might be about to change. Assassins, rescue two orphan children from their would be murders. While they attempt to safely escort the children to a long lost uncle, a three-way war for control of the Empire of Pilth Rabour threatens to tear the empire apart. As the empire tries to settle into a new norm murderous trade factions, warlord prophets, demons and assassins constantly threaten the tenuous peace.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Smith, Jon

Leseproben

IX
  The Orcs of CTU-3 sat by the shores of Ice Lake. They had remained hidden outside the watchtower in order to preserve the secrecy that their commander wanted. Corporal Veltgar had assumed tacit control in the absence of Major Orak. This morning however, had given him reason to worry. The Paladin host had issued force from their lands and was nearly upon them. He faced a tough choice. Corporal Veltgar feeling he wasn’t technically in command left it up to each member of the team to choose and the most popular would be accepted. They could remain in place and die with honor, break secrecy and enter the tower to probably again die with honor, or they could withdraw to Portgrad on the far side of the lake. Going to Portgrad would give him a chance to report in to Headquarters about the status of CTU-3, but linking back up with the Major would be difficult, not that it was very likely anyways. They all thought it over and decided that their mission to capture the Singh children had nothing to do with fighting the Paladins. They all unanimously voted to head to Portgrad. Corporal Veltgar and the others headed off around the southern bank of the lake.   …   Athnor and his commanders looked over the battlefield. He gave each General a portion of the battlefield to control. He didn’t give Quathnor a section because he wanted him to be by his side for the assault. They decided that they would attack the main gate with Lorna Vittenmore’s VI Corps. Athnor considered Lorna Vittenmore, the only woman to achieve the rank, to be the Paladin’s greatest General. Though younger than her peers she maintained a record of extreme excellence. He valued her so much that if the code of succession hadn’t prohibited women from assuming the senior most position he would have gladly picked her over his son, the most capable male General he had. Of course he never mentioned that to anyone, but he often thought it. Once the tower was surrounded and the surrender demands refused, they all got into place. Everyone knew when they were to advance and the air assumed an unnatural quiet and calm. Athnor, Quathnor, and Vittenmore all drew their swords and rode to the front of their infantry column. “Sire, I know you desire to lead your men into battle, but if you should fall before the gates it would do much to bolster the moral of the enemy and would leave us without you excellent leadership.” “I fully appreciate your concerns, Lorna. However, I will not ask my men to go where I fear to tread. If it is my time to fall then I go to a warrior’s death with honor. Only Paladin, The Protector, knows when and how we shall perish. Let us leave that in his hands.” Her concern towards her troops and the good of the Paladins were just more reasons she would make a formidable leader of our ranks he thought. With that she had said her piece. Turning over her shoulder she commanded, “For Paladin and for honor, forward at the quick step! March!” The host began to advance on the field of battle. With each Paladin clad in a royal blue tunic it appeared as if the very ocean itself advanced upon the tower. As they reached the range of the archers Lorna Vittenmore ordered the charge. Once at the gate she used her knowledge in magic and prayer to create a magical barrier a hundred feet around herself. This provided protection from arrows to her battering ram team, Athnor, Quathnor and herself. Unhindered the ram team was making quick work of the gate. Athnor turned to Lorna and his son and said, “I leave this in your capable hands. Come Quathnor, we must learn how well the battle is going elsewhere.” He then turned and spurred his horse on. In the excitement of the moment Athnor had absentmindedly forgotten to spread his magical barrier. Lorna screamed, “No! Wait! You’ll have no barrier!” It was too late. The archers on the wall saw the head of the Paladins leave the magically protected space. Several of them loosed well aimed arrows and before he realized his mistake he lay dead and riddled with black feathered shafts. Quathnor turned to Lorna, “Your magic will soon be exhausted. Go to him and take him from the field. I’ll expand a new field and remain here until we’re through the gate. Now go!” She didn’t hesitate. She obeyed the new Supreme Palladian Knight Commander as obediently as she would have the old one. Grabbing the Paladin banner she raced to his fallen body. Dismounting she hoisted her dead leader onto her horse and then rode to the headquarters area. Tears streamed down her face the whole ride back. By night fall everyone knew Athnor had died in battle. Quathnor was officially named their new leader. The fighting had been hard all over the field and a great price had been paid to take the keep. The defenders had fought to the last man and no prisoners were able to be taken. Some wondered if any would have been taken anyway after the fall of Athnor. Quathnor wept in his tent that night, but when he stopped he bitterly swore he’d never weep tears again. Of the two hundred thousand troops in the Paladin army fifty thousand were dead and eighty thousand were wounded. Ten thousand of the wounded would never be able to return to combat. That left him seventy thousand combat ready troops and one hundred and forty thousand after a month. He severely doubted the world would stand still for a month while he licked his wounds. The next morning was cold, cloudy and threatening to snow. Quathnor called his commanders into the briefing tent marked by the new ten star standard. Lorna had gone over intelligence reports all night and very much looked like it. She reported that the main army of the empire was camped at Bezel and should likely be engaging the “Rosy Knights” in a day or two. She had sent a warning to Liet Blackstone concerning this very point. Quathnor smiled. “Good. That leaves the door open for us to take Portgrad and then occupy Intervine. Once the monetary supply of the empire is cut they will have to act quickly and rashly with whatever is left. The empire will prevail over Liet. I’m sure of this. His numbers are too few to deal in open combat against the whole of the empire’s forces. However, he should greatly reduce their ranks in the process. Then ordered on a force march to the south and to immediately engage an entrenched enemy should be the undoing of the empire.” “A bold plan sir. What are the contingencies?” The speaker being one of the junior ranking Generals present. “Our only worry is going to be the supply lines. Protecting them while pushing forward will be paramount. Our ability to maintain those lines will determine our rate of advancement.” Lorna grew irritated, but she thought it was from lack of sleep. “Excuse me sir, are you proposing we abandon our allies and break with the honor of our Order. Shouldn’t we be heading to Bezel for a joint pronged attack as Athnor promised?” “General Lorna I think you forget you place. I will not allow us to fall into disgrace like you tried to do yesterday.” The rebuke was wrong and unfair. She took it in stride though. She knew her Corps was fanatically devoted to her. She mentally declared to abandon her leaders in favor of the honor of the Paladins. She also knew that the price for such disobedience was death. Penalties be damned, VI Corps was going south to Bezel, authorized or not. She wondered if honor or exhaustion had led her to this conclusion. She mentally returned to the briefing. “Due to our diminished numbers at present I’m going to reorganize the army. VI, VII, and VIII Corps will be disbanded and used to bolster the ranks of the other five. Their commanders will also be redistributed amongst the corps. I’m sure there won’t be any objections. That is all for now.” As they dispersed Lorna’s spirits fell further. Now she had no command to take the field with. How had she gone from being one of the most valued Generals to being without a single Paladin under her command? She doubted now that there would be any place for her in the “new” Paladin Knights. She returned to her tent and retrieved the nine starred banner she had born the day before and mounted her white stallion. She shed a tear for the last great Paladin leader, turned, and galloped off. She alone bore his standard to the South. Her honor would not be sullied by greed. It had finally started to snow.     …   Liet Blackstone read over General Vittenmore’s report sent the night before from the Paladin camp. He was genuinely saddened by the loss of Athnor. Quathnor he felt certain would abandon them to their common foe. At least he knew what to expect to encounter tomorrow. Fortunately, Knast Viptor had relented to the unconditional surrender demands without an arrow fired or sword unsheathed. They had apparently gotten word that the forces gathering at Bezel would not be made available to them if hostilities broke out. With no hope of reinforcements, battle seemed a waste of good lives. Upon hearing this Liet sent Boryni to the garrison commander with a letter. It read:   My dear former adversary, I rejoice at...