Delayed in Transit: Second Blade

By D.N. Taylor

Empress Zira of Eri Dachi has spent the last two years preparing to reclaim her homeland. She has gathered many capable allies and built an impressive army. She balances politics and military affairs, turning down many suiters and looking for any advantage she can get, while not losing sight of herself of what must be done. Now, she declares war on the Kingdome of Polema, which destroyed her homeland. And she will not wage this war alone.

Grand Master Albert Lugot has been freed from his curse and has spent his time gathering a crop of capable Porters to himself. Now, those new Porters make their first Oaths as part of the Order. And their first mission? To aid the Empress in her quest and to bring honor back to their name.

This book shares an exciting adventure that reminds readers that the path forward is never easy and is frequently filled with unexpected challenges.

Zira and the Grand Master need to find a way to overcome a madman, The Prince of Polema, as he stands before them and blocks their path. This same man led to the fall of the Empire twenty years ago, and now he seeks to finish the job, by "conquering" the daughter of the woman he killed.

To actively seek another's death is not the way of the Porters – and yet, the Grand Master refuses to back down. He throws away the Code he has spent most of his life protecting and enters the fray himself, offering up his very soul for a shot at ending the nightmare that has plagued him for twenty years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098374297

Book preview

7

Chapter 1

And so, we have approximately twenty thousand verten troops who were able to make it to Balize, an additional forty thousand of new volunteers from Eri Dachi and Balize, and the hundred thousand supporting troops of the Balize Army, Empress. One hundred and sixty thousand troops plus support personnel are ready to move out, and we’ll have a few thousand more ready to join us from the trainers in a month or two. The reported manpower of The Western Army is estimated at more than three hundred thousand, so they outnumber us by a bit. They have a higher percentage of combat related blessings, which means the relative combat power is even more distorted.

A silver haired Knight, with old, tired eyes, and heavily armored with a long sword strapped to his hip, set some papers on the table, and rubbed his chin in concern. The cape on his shoulders was long, almost touching the floor. His silvery armor contrasted strongly with the crimson edged black cape. On his back was embroidered a coat of arms—a farmer’s hoe, a feather quill, and a long sword crossed behind a large and strong shield.

The Knight looked up and across the large table before him with a rather unhappy face. Honestly, ma’am, it’s taken us two years to get to this point. While I would place all my confidence in our forces during a defensive battle, the entrenchment of the west’s forces makes any offensive tactic rather foolish at this time. We’d need another five years to build up our forces to the right levels to fight them on even footing, but we’d run out of supplies, money, and people long before then.

But we have the allegiances of both the north and south kingdoms. said the woman on the other side of the table. Combined, they give us another hundred thousand or more.

The woman was wrapped in long sweeping robes of an almost blood red that showed off a little too much of her bosom and curves. She had a shawl wrapped over her arms that was as black as the deepest night—a perfect match for her hair, which hung down her back in an unbroken sheet of darkness. On her head was a simple thin Circlet of gold and silver, and her face was wrinkled with focus and thought as she looked down at the map in front of her.

That puts the force levels on an almost even footing, doesn’t it, General Erodon? Empress Zira asked.

Technically, yes, it does, ma’am. the general replied, resting his forearm on the hilt of his sword, and waving a hand at the map. "But as you can see, the west has built up substantial forces at the border to keep us from linking up with the north and south.

While we have allegiances with the other kingdoms, they will not commit their forces to an attack without assurance of victory. They have their own people’s lives and territories to protect. Until we can find a way to show them that we have an actual chance, they won’t make any serious moves to help us.

Hmmmmm. Empress Zira frowned at the table in front of her, resting one hand on its surface. She leaned forward, running a finger along several lines on the map, the runes on the Circlet on her head flashing for an instant as she accessed the memories stored within. She could find no direct parallels in the memories passed on by her ancestors. She wasn’t looking for anything specific, though, just something to give her an idea.

The room in which the pair stood was filled with several tables, at which people worked, filling out papers or comparing notes. Most of them wore uniforms of black and red to match the empress and general, but a good number of them wore the silver and green of Balize. The walls of the room were lined with books and scrolls and other records. It was all together a very dry and comfortable room, but the air was thick with focus and purpose.

The empress and general stood on either side of a table in the middle of the room, looking down at a huge map with small figures placed here and there. The map showed the entirety of the clover shaped continent, complete with small notations of the terrain and conditions of various regions. Each of the kingdoms was marked with different colored lines across their lands, each of which necked down as it approached the huge central area of what had been The Empire, squarely between all four kingdoms, separating them from each other. The figures that rested on top of the map represented the forces of the various kingdoms and estimated locations.

Empress Zira tapped a spot on the map and finally looked up. The Armies of Eri and Balize are stationed all along the border, correct?

They are.

Take half the total troops and move them as far south as we can.

To try and punch through the forces blocking us there? The west will see this and move its troops to block us. We can probably knock out a few spots before they reach us, but their higher level of combat blessings means they can make it very costly for us and then their relief forces will slaughter our tired troops.

Which is why we won’t be attacking. Zira said with a smile, We’ll just make it look like we’re about to.

A diversion, Erodon said after a moment, tilting his head, To force them to rearrange their forces southward… so we can strike at the north?

Exactly. The Plains Runners of the north are the most dangerous horsemen on the continent. They don’t have the ability to hit heavily fortified places, but they are fast and experts at hit and run tactics. We’ll distract the west into looking south, then punch through with a small elite team in the north. If we can create a large enough opening, then we can send the Plains Runners pouring into the highways of Eri Dachi. The Western Army may be strong, but an army marches on its stomach. The Plains Runners will focus on riding the highways, ignoring heavy troop locations. Instead, they’ll aim for the patrols and supply convoys.

To starve them. The General noted, tapping his chin in thought.

Yes. It’s not the fastest strategy, but it’s not intended to do lots of damage. If the Plains Runners can take out enough patrols or convoys, it will force the Empire to release more troops to strengthen the guards on the convoys and make the patrols harder to hit. This will weaken their other forces even more… enough for us to maybe punch a small hole to the south.

The Dwarven Hammer Falls.

"The heaviest hitting force on the continent. They aren’t very mobile, and they are better at defense than offense, but they are masters of the siege engine and other mechanisms.

The Plains Runners will be our raiding force, hitting at the light defenses and supply lines to starve the western armies. The Hammer Falls will be our heavy hitters and go straight for the fortified places the runners can’t take. Our Armies will be the clean-up crew, hitting the places the other two can’t and clearing out any forces left behind once the others have cleared the way.

Hmmmm. Erodon tapped his chin some more, eyes narrowed as he swept his gaze slowly across the map. It’s a good plan, ma’am, he said at last, looking up at her, And it should work. But if we can’t link up with the north, then we’re right back where we started. The west has made good progress blocking our fleets from traversing the oceans and rivers. We can barely keep our trade up, let alone move troops by boat.

I know. she said softly, straightening up and folding her arms under her chest, and I’ll admit, there are more than a few risks. But it’s the only plan that has an actual chance of working. The west is simply too powerful for any of the kingdoms to take on by themselves. We have to gather together with all of the other Kingdoms if we are to have any hope of pushing them back.

I realize that, ma’am, but it’s not going to be easy. The timing will be tricky. We’ll have to arrange our forces and leave them that way long enough for the west to redeploy, then attack and break the blockades before they can bring up any more troops from the rear areas. The plan is good, but it is complicated. And complicated plans have a few too many problems for my liking.

I understand, General. Talk to your staff, see what they think of it. Call in the king and his advisors, if you must. We’ll need all the help we can get to pull this off.

Yes, ma’am. The general nodded and picked up a blank sheet of paper. He pulled a quill and inkwell closer and started making some notes.

Zira watched him for a moment, then raised a hand and stifled a yawn.

Erodon glanced up and smirked.

Ma’am, it’s going to take a few hours before we can do anything more about the plan. Why don’t you take a break? You must be tired from all the meetings you had to attend today.

I’m alright. Zira replied, straightening her spine. Just because I have to rebuild the legal system of Eri Dachi before we even have a population for it to apply to doesn’t mean I can take it easy.

Ma’am, Erodon said, You aren’t going to be any good to anyone if you collapse from overworking. You’ve pushed yourself hard these last few years, harder than most could believe. No one will think any less of you if you take a few hours to get your energy back.

"I... guess I could walk around