Red Wolves' Might III

In a candle-lit room within the castle, three men sat around a table, silently observing a map lined with wooden pieces in various formations. The room’s double doors swung open, interrupting their quiet contemplation.

“Chief Allen, a report!” a robed man shouted as he barged in.

“What is it?” Allen asked, his eyes still fixated on the map.

“On the northwestern shores, the battlefield has erupted into a sea of flames. I—it seems likely Commander Giro and his men are…” He stopped, glancing nervously at Valblin and Gambell.

“Continue,” Allen said, stone-faced.

“They are likely lost, sir, having taken out the enemy in the process. No scouts have sighted any warships at the site, so the area should be clear for now.”

Valblin and Gambell gave each other a sullen look. Allen’s lip quivered as he gnashed his teeth.

“Dispatch a unit of Knights to secure the area.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And what of Samuel?” Allen asked, regaining his composure.

“Sir, as you expected, the enemy has thrown their largest army at General Samuel’s northeastern shores. We’re continuing to divert what troops we can to his headquarters, but—”

“How many? And what general?”

“At least forty thousand Wolverines, to General Samuel’s twenty thousand. The commander is Faron, the Wolverine’s third highest-ranking general. General Samuel is successfully defending the wall, but Faron’s men are slowly chipping away at his defenses.”

“Faron at the helm of forty thousand…” Allen muttered, lip curled. “What of Hydrick?”

“Sir, General Hydrick’s army of ten thousand, along with Commander Al’s three thousand, held the advantage over just ten thousand Wolverines, but…”

“The commander?” Allen asked, eyes narrowed.

“It’s uncertain right now, but it seems General Hydrick has engaged in a duel with the enemy commander, and Commander Al has entered into a battle of encirclement around them. It’s difficult to tell from the reports, but…”

The man gulped, pausing as the men eyed him with anticipation.

“The Commander seems to be losing the battle of encirclement by a wide margin, and the enemy is beginning to smother General Hydrick’s men.”

Gambell dropped the glass he’d been holding. Valblin bowed his head with a deep sigh, while Allen’s face burst with exasperation.

“Al is… losing a battle of encirclement…?” he spat, fists clenched in an attempt to control his emotion.

“Yes sir, that is all we know at the moment. The battle lines are completely centered around the duel at this point, so—”

“Continue sending our garrison and reserves to Samuel, and go as far east as you need to,” Allen said firmly, his expression having returned to its previous state of focus.

“Yes, sir, but... what about General Hydrick?”

“Leave it be. However, have Ogal come here immediately.”

“Yes, sir!” the man shouted while rushing out, shutting the doors behind him.

After a brief silence, Valblin chuckled. “Why disturb your first officer right now, Allen? Surely you wouldn’t think of something as crazy as calling out your off-duty Knights hours before they change shifts, would you?”

“Valblin, I’m sure you’re well aware just why I would,” Allen answered, standing to his feet. “Several things are strange, here. The last report spoke of the Wolverines pulling ships out of the smallest northwestern battlefield, and now that the battle has ended in stalemate, they aren’t following up with an invasion unit.”

“Yes, the place closest to the forest and volcano,” Valblin answered, clasping his hands. “It would stand to reason that they might want to keep attention away from there right now, perhaps to allow any Red Wolves already past the walls to escape quietly with the sword.”

“Yes, I agree,” Allen said with a nod. “But if we assume their leaders want to direct our attention away from there, we must assume they’ve brought big enough bait to do so.”

“Wouldn’t the forty thousand against Samuel’s twenty be big enough?” Gambell replied, standing up and pressing his spectacles. “Two battlefields away, at that?”

“You’re right, it should,” Allen responded. “But they allowed it to be known that Faron is heading that army, and it’s well-known that Faron has never led an army of that size. To add to that, he has faced off against Samuel quite often in the last few months to no avail, so they are well aware of our second highest-ranking General’s strength. They also know we have the option of sending thousands of reinforcements from wall garrisons. This setup is just enough to put pressure on Samuel and keep us from directing reinforcements elsewhere.”

“Which brings us to the middle,” Valblin said slowly, remaining seated.

“Indeed. The middle is always crucial, even with the distance between battlefields. Here they’ve only sent ten thousand, yet they’ve hidden the identity of their commander. And now, they’re outdoing two of our most promising commanders. Hydrick, for one, has a very keen sense for the overall flow of battle. I don’t believe he would thrust himself into a duel without confidence in the direction of battle around him…. unless…” Allen stopped, stepping away from the table.

“The one in command… is Pursia,” Valblin followed.

“Yes, the presence of their second highest-ranking General would be enough reason for Hydrick to put everything on the line. He’s been living with the mistake of letting him get away six years ago, when Pursia was stupid enough to break into the walls on his own. I’d imagine both of them feel they have a score to settle.”

“But that isn’t it, is it?” Gambell hurriedly asked, slamming his fist onto the table. “It’s Al losing the encirclement, right?”

“You’re absolutely correct,” Allen replied, narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips. “Al, with his elite cavalry unit of 3,000, is not one to lose that kind of brute force battle—in fact, he’s never come out of an encirclement battle without crushing his enemy. So, for him to be losing, especially leaving his best friend vulnerable—I can think of no one else…”

“You believe they are very sensitive to timing and information, don’t you?” Valblin said, finally standing from his seat with a serious look.

“Yes, I do. They know the castle isn’t far from the northern shore, so they probably even considered the time it would take for us to realize it. By the time we send anyone there, they’ll have killed Hydrick and fled to Faron’s army for safety. That must be part of their goal, at least.” Allen turned his back to the men as he finished his speech.

“Hoho, a heavy weight to place on the young commanders, wouldn’t you say, Chief?” Valblin said, a mix of humor and aggression in his voice.

“Like the Chief said, Master, there isn’t enough time to send anybody,” Gambell cut in, wearing a frustrated look. “They’re my former students too, so I’m also worried. But we need to believe in those two, just as we believe in the boys.”

“You aren’t wrong, Gambell,” Valblin replied softly, crossing his arms. “However, the scale and odds are much different with actual war, and most importantly, the boys have the Heir amongst them. The influence of the Heir’s Will is something I can put more trust in than the wills of two who failed to be the Heir.”

“Master, you know… sometimes, you put too much faith into the Teuton Will,” Gambell responded, prompting Allen to turn his head back, brow raised. Valblin, however, narrowed his gaze and hung his head.

“You know as well as I do how much those two gave to try and live up to your expectations,” Gambell continued. “The Teuton Will is sacred, yes, especially that of the Heir. But just because they are young, and their Teuton Will was not strong enough for them to be the Heir, does not mean that we should hesitate to have faith in their own will to fight for their people.”

“Mm, you are right, I have seen just how exceptional their will is,” Valblin answered earnestly, before turning his gaze to Allen. “But, Allen, I assume you have something in mind?”

“Yes, I do,” Allen answered with a short nod. “Half of the state’s renowned 100 Teutonic Knights are stationed on this side of the mountains, and under my command. Of those fifty, twenty-four are out leading patrols. If we take the twenty-five currently off-duty, along with my three hundred personal reserves, we might be able to make it in time with enough force.”

“But the 100 Knights are last resort forces for the purpose of protecting royalty,” Gambell cut in with an inquisitive stare. “Only the King can approve their deployment in battle.”

“Yes, I’ll have Ogal take care of the King,” Allen replied, gripping the door handle. “But this is an opportunity we cannot pass up.” He paused, looking back at Valblin with a fiery expression. “Will you come with me? After all, we have in front of us the opportunity to end the war tonight.”