Realms of Tomorrow by Robert H. Fleming

Author:Robert H. Fleming [Fleming, Robert H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
Published: 2021-01-20T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

They decided on the positions for the various divisions of the newly combined army. Much of Duroc’s Kurakin regiments had only taken light casualties at Bourg. Lannes’s corps would need a little more rest, but there were plenty soldiers in reserve who could strike out and defend against the next enemy attack for now.

Both leaders worried that the Ascended One would renew the offensive quickly and aggressively. They worried he had more of his Host army waiting in the north. To hear Duroc tell of the initial invasion on the coast, there were plenty of transport ships that unloaded troops onto Erlonian shores.

Lannes leaned back and looked up at the tent top with a sigh. He and Duroc had spoken through the morning, pulling chairs up to the map table and hashing out marching orders for every single soldier on both sides of the army.

The afternoon brought company. Aides had joined them and various officers rushed in and out as the two leaders called for them. Marshal Lauriston appeared frequently, as did the other Erlonian and Lakmian generals.

Lannes allowed his head to fall back forward and rubbed at his eyes. Normally, he had more stamina than his colleagues, but Duroc was quickly proving to be his match.

It had been an early morning and they’d fought all during the previous day. Yet Duroc never yawned or showed any sign of slowing. Lannes had to hold back a smile at the idea that this man truly was his equal.

They were both great leaders, that much had been clear from the very start of these wars. But now, in just a few short hours of planning together, Lannes could confirm that Duroc was a master statesman, general, warrior, and tactician.

There was also the common northern rumor that the Kurakin Horde never slept. That was always a possibility. Lannes hadn’t personally seen Duroc at rest. But the other part of Lannes’s mind knew that to be a myth. The Kurakin were men just like the rest of the citizens of the Continent, if only with thick beards and hair and pointed teeth.

Whatever differences had stood between their people in the past, now was the time to set them aside. The sole focus should be fighting the Ascended One.

Lannes looked up from the map. Duroc stared at the northern coast of Erlon, where his main army had been defeated weeks earlier. There was a brief lull in the commotion of the command tent and the two leaders sat alone again. The emperor had called a command council and they had a few moments before the officers arrived.

“How did you know the Ascended One was coming?” Lannes rubbed at his eyelids again, trying to tear out the fatigue that threatened to pull them downward.

Duroc looked up and showed the points of his teeth while shaking his head. “That’s also something you wouldn’t believe.”

“I’m married to a sorceress,” Lannes said with a shrug. Even so, Lannes couldn’t begin to fathom Duroc’s coming answer.

“There are other gods out there besides the Ascended One.

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