The High Commander

By Scott Maynard

It is late summer when High Commander John Williams learns that raiders have attacked a nearby village and le only four survivors. Charged with protecting Baxter, a heavily fortified frontier town of nine thousand, Williams soon determines something is not right. Still, he has a town to protect and pushes aside his foreboding feeling.

When he learns enemies disguised as townsfolk have infiltrated Baxter, Williams stands with his fellow militiamen to defend his people from evil forces and prevent an apocalypse. But the stakes are high. If he fails, mankind will be erased from the world in crimson re. Now as a Prophet decides to take matters into his own hands, a mysterious old man sows the seeds of destiny as a Cult of Skulls continues their dark mission. Without images or wizards to rely on since their battle long ago with the Skulls along the western coast of Aldera, it seems Williams and his men have their work cut out for them.

In this fantasy tale, a High Commander and his militiamen must do everything in their power to protect their town that has lost its purpose to time and stop evil forces desperate to destroy humanity forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781532021053

Scott Maynard

Scott Maynard is a small business owner who is expecting his first child with his fiancé. He currently resides in Byron, Georgia. The High Commander is his debut novel.

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Copyright © 2017 Scott Maynard.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5320-2104-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-2105-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017906293

iUniverse rev. date: 04/21/2017

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 1

T here was a knock at the door just before dawn. It was late summer, yet there was a chill in the air. A young slender man stood in the open doorway wearing a dark blue jacket of the local militia, white shirt, dark brown pants and boots. The rank of private on his shoulder.

Sir, you are needed in the war room said the young private. There are some people here claiming that raiders have attacked their village and they are the only survivors.

Where were they from? asked the Commander.

Sir, they said they were from Ravens Bluff. said the private.

The commander was a young man in his late thirties by the name of John Williams. He was a muscular man standing over six feet tall with blue eyes and dark black hair. He sprang from his bed and got dressed. He had the same uniform but with the rank of commander on his shoulder and hat. He grabbed his gun belt and left the room in a rush, the young man following behind him.

Baxter was a large fortified town of over nine thousand people along the northern frontier of Aldera. Ravens Bluff however, was a small village of farmers with a small trading post and only ten miles north. They were poor and didn’t have much worth stealing for someone like raiders. And for them to have wiped them out didn’t make sense. Normally they would just harass the populace and demand that they get paid and leave.

Something wasn’t right and the Commander would soon figure it out. No one attacked his people and lived to tell anyone about it. As he and the young private left the room, the alarm bells began their ominous droning. They made their way outside.

High Commander Williams, Sir. the man said with a rigid salute. As the private has no doubt informed you, Ravens Bluff has been razed. There were only four survivors. We have sent scouts to discern the validity of the claim but I doubt they are lying. said Captain Aaron Sykes.

He was a tall man with a rugged looking face that was topped off with silver and black stubble on top of his head and chin. Deep wrinkles drew dark lines across his forehead and around his dark brown eyes from all the constant scowling. Seemed the man never smiled. But he was a hell of a captain.

Dire news indeed. said the Commander. We’ve never seen raiders work together well enough to overcome any of our outposts. Even a village such as Ravens Bluff. When are the scouts due to return? he asked.

We should have word back at any moment. They have been gone for two hours already. Also I’ve went ahead and ordered our patrols doubled. said Sykes.

Good to see you haven’t gone senile in your old age snorted John as he clapped his shoulder. Just then a runner arrived and shouted Sirs, we have raiders coming from the north!

Damnit said John. How many?

Hundreds sir. We couldn’t count them all. said the runner.

I think I know what happened to our scouts. the Commander said as he turned to Captain Sykes. Get the gunners in position and bar the gates. Move! shouted Commander Williams.

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To the south was the marketplace, the southern gate laid a half hour’s walk away. On the western side of the courtyard was the Baxter Militia Headquarters and to the east was a street leading to the militia’s training areas. To the north was the Capitol Building, past that was the Northern Gate.

Baxter’s gates were large stone and steel structures which was attached to two small towers. Each of the towers held a large cannon, and a gate house where a squad of militiamen carrying lever action rifles operated the opening and closing of the gate. Baxter was comprised of four barracks that were laid out at the north, south, east, and west surrounding the several rings of residential areas.

About this time, traders should be arriving to the southern gates at any moment. Commander Williams couldn’t allow them to be harmed by the likes of raiders.

Captain! Get to the southern gate and make sure we get the traders inside before it’s too late! shouted John.

Yes Sir! said Captain Sykes as he saluted and flew down the street to the gate.

John wondered how the raiders managed to get past the outposts undetected, or worse had they been destroyed. Something definitely wasn’t right. But now was not the time for distractions. He has a town to protect.

John hurried to the north gate to see what they’re up against. John grabbed a telescope and realized that the raiders were lined up shoulder to shoulder just in front of the dense tree line. Though they did wear the ragged leather and various pieces of scrap metal for armor. Their weapons spotted with rust. Each stood as still as stone apparently waiting for orders to march. John had never known raiders to wait for anything.

John stood atop the ramparts looking down at the soon to be battlefield. He ordered the cannon teams to load and signaled the mortar teams to set their ranges to four hundred yards out. If they were foolish enough to attack, they would mow them down with cannon fire and those who continued the charge would be blasted to bits by the large mortars. Not to mention the rifleman on the walls. Neither side moved.

Send runners to the other barracks and make sure they are prepared. They don’t have enough firepower on just the northern side to take the gate. said John. Also I want an update on the status of the southern gate. Captain Sykes should have arrived by now.

Yessir! the men saluted and carried out his orders.

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Captain Sykes made it to the southern gate to find it wide open. There were no guards on the walls despite the alarm bells ringing. There was a considerable amount of blood on the ground yet no bodies to be seen. Even stranger there were no wagons or travelers. As he made this realization, raider poured into the street from the alleyways, screaming their fanatical war cries and waving rusted swords and axes. Thankfully Sykes had gathered fifty riflemen to accompany him.

Form up! yelled Sykes. Don’t let any make it past us! We have to close that damn gate! FIRE!

Thirty crazed raiders charged the riflemen. Though these particular raiders were ferocious, they weren’t too terribly smart. They had sprung their ambush too early and were quickly cut down by Sykes’ riflemen.

Sykes ordered they clear the immediate area while he and ten men shut the gates. They met no further resistance.

Private, take five men and send word to the commander. Tell him that the southern gate is secure and that we have enemies in the town disguised as townsfolk. And you, he said pointing to another young man, go and get some reinforcements. The rest of you will take up positions on the wall. I’ll be damned if we let some flea ridden madmen take this town!

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By this time the southern barracks had heard the alarm bells and ran to shore up the walls only to meet a band of raiders within the walls already. The southern barracks held five hundred men. Same as the rest of the barracks. Today however, none of the militiamen were prepared for what came next.

As the bulk of their force made the main road, rifles at the ready, stood hundred of ragged looking men. Some holding bows, others crude swords and axes. Before they could take aim, the raider loosed their arrows with deadly precision. Those who survived were quickly cut down.

Take the dead into the barracks. When you’re done, put on their clothes. We’ll spread through the town and disable their defenses. Any questions? barked Rat.

Rat was a strange looking man. He was just shy of seven feet tall and was covered head to toe in scars. They looked like the man rolled through several hundred white hot branding irons. He wore a mask to hide his face which no doubt was also a playground of distorted flesh and horrible burns. A long blonde ponytail hung over his chest which had pieces of bones woven in. Trophies of past victories. He wore a tattered leather vest with trousers and boots. Both he and his war hammer was covered in gore. He strode out of the southern barracks after stealing a clean shirt, and cleaning his hammer. Rat smiled a wicked smile and started towards the northern gate.

Chapter 2

Sir! Sir! Commander Williams! The southern gate was breached. Captain Sykes has retaken the gate and sealed it. Though they may have already infiltrated the town! said the runner.

Shit. muttered John. How the hell did they get inside before anyone noticed? Could they have been here all along? Was it the refugees? There were a thousand terrible questions all screaming for attention. And none of the answers were good ones. Alright, here’s what we have to do. Commander Williams listed his orders to all the militiamen that weren’t on the wall or needed to reinforce the southern gate, to sweep the town of raiders. He also made it a point to have all militiamen coming from the south to be checked in case they were in fact raiders.

It didn’t take long to realize there was a sizable force already within the walls and they were running rampant across the town. Gunfire and the sounds of swords and axes clanging in battle were thunderous. Fires were starting to burn throughout. Things were not going well for the town of Baxter.

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Rat was filled with glee.

Go find the armory and burn it down. whispered Rat to his small band of disguised raiders. It would be shameful to be found out by simply talking too loudly. Make sure that no one escapes to warn the rest of the town. We have the element of surprise but that won’t mean anything if they stop us before we take out their cannons. Now go.

Rats men scurried off in all directions, torches in hand. This was almost too easy. He couldn’t help but wear a wicked grin. Too long has the Baxter Militia thwarted his efforts. Lost too much influence. Now things would be different. He had an army. Bands of raiders don’t typically like working with each other. They would rather kill other gangs on sight. But now they have a common goal. Rat knew that they snake charmer of a bandit known to them as The Prophet was no normal man. There was something off about him. Made Rat squeamish and that doesn’t happen. Ever. In the end he planned on killing the so called Prophet of the Skulls once they had taken Baxter.

Rat was almost taken unawares when reinforcements bound for the southern gate marched down the street. It was a wide street and was host to several small dark alleyways. And being that the sun hasn’t quite risen yet, it was easy to hide in the shadows.

Rat caught himself before he strode into the open. He pressed himself into a side door in the alleyway hoping they weren’t the thorough types. He was wrong. The militiamen stopped and spread out to cover the street and sent five men down the alleyway towards Rat.

Figures. muttered Rat. He stayed motionless until the second man noticed him. He charged into the small group of men and began swinging his large hammer. Though with the alley being only wide enough to walk in a single file line, he couldn’t manage a proper swing. It didn’t matter. His sheer size and strength was enough to overwhelm them quickly.

Halt! You there I said halt! bellowed the militiaman. He was average height but was built similar to a brick outhouse. He was a red faced man with dark hair and held the rank of Sergeant. After him! Don’t let him escape! he pointed to another small group of men and sent them after him through the alley where their brothers had fallen. You, you, you, and you, head down that alley and head that raider scum off at the next intersection! His men were already running by the time that he turned and barked the next set of orders. Sound the horn. We have some hunting to do boys! said Sergeant Kindall.

Chapter 3

C ommander Williams heard the horn. Then the next and the next. They have made contact with the enemy. God how did they get that far?

We don’t know Sir. said Lieutenant Higgins. We still don’t know how many there are. Smoke has been seen coming from the eastern and western barracks.

John made a fist and brought it to his chin weighing his options. The men on the wall will remain to prevent them from opening the gates here. Strange they haven’t moved. There’s no chance they will be able to break it down. What the hell are they planning? said John looking at the statuesque force looming in the north.

It would have to be a small force to slip past unnoticed. said Higgins.

You’re in charge of the wall Higgins. said John.

Higgins was in his mid forties and had a crooked nose from being repeatedly broken in multiple bar fights. A bald head and face. In fact the only aspect of him that stood out were his eyes. They were the color of burning charcoals. Which was fitting since he could manipulate fire in any form.

Though he could conjure a small fireball and fling it at an opponent, he wasn’t a battle mage. Unfortunately Baxter didn’t have any battle mages or wizards. Not since they were redeployed to fight the war with the Skulls along the western coast of Aldera. They had gotten in a whole lot of trouble on a regular basis and spent a lot of time cleaning the latrines together.

Don’t worry about a thing Commander Higgins said.

John gathered some two hundred men to accompany him to the eastern barracks.

John turned to face his men and said, We have some raider scum within our walls. I don’t have to explain how many innocent lives are at stake here. We cannot allow them to gain any more ground. Set up a perimeter around the gate house. The rest of us will head into the town and sweep them from the streets. They will bleed for every inch, every step! They will know fear! Are you with me?!

The men shouted their war cry and pounded their chest in response. Then they were off. They marched at a rapid pace but not so quick as to be sloppy. They found group after group of disguised raiders. None survived. The Commander at the head of the line waded into any conflict just as the rest of them. He was very skilled with firearms and swords alike. Despite his bulk he moved like lightning. He carried a large revolver with two barrels and a rapier that was adorned with gold around the pommel and hilt. It was razor sharp and deadly accurate in his hands.

They came close to the block that the horn blast came from. Many bodies lined the alleys. Set up a firing line here, here, and here. I don’t want them coming from behind or taking us unaware from one of these alleyways. said John. The rest of you are with me. We will take the alleyways and find who is responsible for this. he said pointing to the crushed heads of the men in the alley. Move out!

They found more and more dead comrades and no dead raiders. How many men had done this he wondered. They continued out of the series of twisting alleyways to come to a small residential area. They heard the shouting and clanging of steel coming from one of the small houses. There! Come, we have to aid our brothers! ordered John.

The outside of the house was littered with dead militiamen and blood flowed over the cobblestone road like a small stream. He heard his men growl with fury and curse at the sight. He couldn’t blame them. It was a grisly scene, most if not all of them, have ever seen. Through the broken doorway they saw a large masked man swinging a massive war hammer. Both the hammer and its wielder were covered in gore. He was fighting what was left of one of the platoons sent to scour the town for infiltrators. That’s when he saw Sergeant Kindall fighting the giant in one on one combat. Worse, he was losing.

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Commander Williams burst through the doorway with as much speed as he could muster to aid Kindall. John got about three paces from the hulking monster when the behemoth swung his hammer looking to crush him in one blow. John dropped to one knee and slid under the blow while drawing his sword and opened a long deep gash along the giant’s torso.

Rat bellowed in pain as the Commander opened his abdomen. He let loose a guttural roar and swung his hammer. John was able to sidestep and push the shaft of the hammer just far enough away to not turn his foot to pulp. The heavy hammer was a powerful weapon but it was far too heavy to move quickly. John was very quick. John stepped into Rat’s guard and stabbed him with all his strength. His thrust was aimed for the giants heart but he twisted and the blade raked his ribs leaving his side a bloody mess. Before Rat could react, Sergeant Kindall unleashed all his fury on the man. After all, he did kill almost all his friends and comrades. Kindall wielded a less ornate version of John’s sword, but it was just as effective. He opened four more long wounds in as many heartbeats. Two across the big mans left leg and two across his left shoulder.

Rat’s leg buckled and dropped to a knee. I yield! I yield! cried Rat. This wasn’t a fight that he could win and he knew it.

You’ll have no mercy here, not for all the lives you’ve taken! shouted Kindall.

Before Kindall could move John stepped between them and asked, What’s your name?

Rat struggled to his feet, using his hammer