Battle for Peruna by Josiah Boss (book club suggestions TXT) 📕

Caevon, Nicholas, Jarek, Riordan, and Nathaniel.”
“I have a question.”
“Fire away.”
“Is Centorius your real name?”
Centorius grinned and winked at the other three leaders, who grinned back. “That's kind of an inside joke that you wouldn't get, but no, my real name is Avelignese.”
“Okay, Avelignese, how do you propose getting out of here?”
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“Silence!” thundered Mardoc. Instant silence followed. “Thank-you,” he said emphatically.
“What's all this about?” asked Felgor.
“Yeah, anyway,” put in Forester.
“Shut up, oafs,” growled Mardoc, glaring at them. They shut up.
“Now what do you think of--” he began.
“Yeah!” cheered Felgor.
“Sounds good!” chimed in Forester.
A withering glare from Mardoc kept any further comments from coming. “As I was saying,” said Mardoc forcefully, with clenched teeth. “What do you guys think of attacking the centaurs?”
A lusty cheer went up along with the ringing of swords being drawn. Almost before he knew it, Mardoc found himself facing a sea of waving swords.
“How does...” he paused to think, “three days sound?”
Another yell just about shook the room. Suddenly one of the soldiers put his sword down and gestured that he had a question. “Uh...yes, you there.” With his sword Mardoc pointed at the soldier.
“Well, I was just wondering. How do you know that they're still around? I mean, they disappeared six or seven months ago? How do you know that they haven't just, you know, like left and gone somewhere else? It'd almost seem like the most logical conclusion, since we haven't seen any sign of them for near seven months.”
“Good question! A most excellent question indeed! How do I know they haven't left, you ask? How do I know that they're still around, you ask? To answer your question, my dear soldier, I would like to-if I may-turn it around and ask you a question.” Upon receiving the go-ahead signal, he continued, “If you were in their shoes, or hoofs as the case may be, and you were fighting for what you called your freedom, would you just up and leave, letting your alleged enemies to just take your land? Especially if you'd lost all battles prior to this?”
The soldier shook his head.
“I didn't think so. And it's for that very reason why I think-dare I say know-that they're still here.”
The soldier nodded, making it clear that he now understood.
“Now, everybody,” Mardoc paused for dramatic effect, “break out the beer!” A loud cheer went up. Mardoc glanced at his generals. “Well? What are you waiting for, you fools? Christmas? Get on with the program!”
“Yes, sir!” they said, somewhat startled. They jumped up so fast their chairs toppled over. They saluted smartly and went to get the beer barrels.
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Skandar and Nikkelon came galloping into camp, past the “gossiping girls”, cooking women, playing children or foals, and past the countless men and boys fixing up armor or weapons or just sitting around talking. Destination—Garnock. As they rode up to where Garnock was chatting with Gardenia and Garnet, they saluted with their swords.
“Sire—er, Garnock. We have some grave news,” Skandar said sheathing his sword and coming to a stop in front of him.
Garnock glanced at his wife, then got up, and took the two teenagers to the side. “What is it?” he asked, looking Skandar straight in the eye.
“They are back again,” he said in a firm tone. He knew he didn't have to tell Garnock who “they” were.
“Where?”
“We'll have to show you. Come on.” The three turned and galloped off.
*********************************
Five minutes later, they stood on top of a knoll overlooking a small wooded valley. “Right down th—ere.” Skandar stopped in a way that made Garnock suspicious.
“What is it?”
“Right there, he's there again. See? No, on this side of that rock and three trees back. He's mounted and coming this way. From the way he goes, it appears that he has no idea that he's being watched.”
“Ah, yes, I see him now.” He paused and appeared to be thinking. Then, “Can I borrow your bow, Nikkelon? I'm gonna leave our friend a reminder that even the trees have ears.” Skandar looked confused, and Garnock grinned. “That's a way of saying something like, that wherever they go, they're gonna be watched and also they're being watched right now.” With that, he let fly an arrow which buried in the arm of the soldier who jumped, yelled, immediately turned his horse, and galloped back to camp.
Garnock turned to leave. “Keep a good eye out for anybody else and let me know. Though, I don't think they'll be back in your area anytime soon.”
************************************
That evening the long tent was set up and all the lanterns were lit. All the soldiers stood and cheered as Felgor and Forester came stiffly up the aisle and sat at the makeshift table in front of the stage. Felgor motioned for silence and instant silence fell.
The the back of the tent parted as Mardoc strode onto the stage amid the wild cheering and saluting of his men. He bowed to them several times with a smug look, then raised his hand for silence. He cleared his throat, then spoke, “Thank-you, thank-you. You may all, except for...” here he paused and searched the crowd, “...you there may be seated. And you may come up here.” He'd drawn his sword and was brandishing it as he usually did when speaking. The soldier came on stage. “Be seated,” commanded Mardoc pointing to a chair on stage with his sword.
He then directed his full attention to the young soldier. “At our meeting two days ago, you wished to know how I knew they were still around, am I right?”
“Well, yes, but...”
Mardoc interrupted him. “I now have proof.” A dead silence enveloped the room. “'What is it' you all are wondering, huh? I'll show you what.” Here he pulled out an arrow and slammed it point first into the table. The young soldier jumped and all the others flinched. Everybody stared.
“This was found in the arm of one of my generals,” he said, pacing the stage with drawn sword. He stopped and made eye contact with every soldier in the room. “This,” he pointed to the arrow, “is their way of saying, 'We're here; we got you first; and we're proud of it.' Do we take that kind of trash off those junkies?”
“Yes!” said Felgor to Forester.
“What was that!?” yelled Mardoc, glowering at them.
“I said...uh—no, sir!” replied Felgor.
“That's the spirit!” said Mardoc smacking his fist into his palm. He drew his sword again. “I say--” he was cut short when his sword banged him on the helmet. He swore before going on. “I say we strike back hard.” He emphasized the last word by hurling his sword into the stage floor point first. He walked back and forth across the front of the stage outlining his battle strategy. Then he savagely jerked his sword out of the stage floor with the words, “Then we fall back to defense and see their puny offense at work. What say you?” he asked scanning the crowd.
The soldiers shouted and cheered and only stopped when they grew hoarse. They then parted ways for the night.
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Outside the tent, Skandar looked at Nikkelon worried. He raised an eyebrow. Nikkelon nodded. They both wheeled and galloped off.
Within ten minutes, they were thundering through camp. When they reached Garnock's tent, Nikkelon tucked in his back feet and slid to a halt in front of the tent; mostly to show off to Gardenia who happened to be sewing by the light of a lantern outside.
“Your pop home?” he asked Gardenia.
“Yep,” she said, looking up from her sewing and shaking her head.
“What?” asked Nikkelon.
“Oh nothing much. Just that one of these days, you're gonna miscalculate your slide and go crashing over the edge of a cliff or something.”
“Right, like that would ever happen.”
“You never know.”
“Hey! Quit your romancin'. We got business to do, or did you forget, Nikky?” interrupted Skandar, poking Nikkelon in the hip.
Nikkelon made a face at him. He knew that Skandar knew that he hated to be called Nikky, and that was exactly why Skandar had called him that. “Okay, okay.” They entered the tent and told Garnock all that they'd heard.
“That would be bad,” he said.
“Would be? What do you mean?” asked Skandar.
“Just that. It would be bad-had you not-overheard. As it is, we can now get ready for their 'hard hit' and retaliate faster than they'll expect. Then we can catch them off guard by following up their attack with a sooner-than-they'll-expect attack, which'll hopefully knock 'em good.”
“Sounds good,” both agreed as they turned and left to go to their tent for the night.
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Later that night, Garnock could not get to sleep. Every time he tried, he always thought of his decision to fight despite poor position and fewer troops than normal. Finally he rolled to his knees and prayed about it. While he prayed, he dreamed, or had a vision, or something like that.
He thought that he was standing on top of a hill and in the distance there was a splendid castle. Glass windows filled the one wall every four or five feet. Each window was reflecting the sun and looking like great golden eyes set in a wall of silver polished stones.
From the top of each battlement flowed long, red and gold banners. On top of each battlement, underneath the flowing banners, stood sentries, tall and unmoving. In their right hands they held a long spear decorated with a smaller red and gold banner. Their left hands rested on the hilts of highly polished swords. Their faces held an unspeakable joy.
He heard the sound of a bugle signaling the coming of a king from the sentry in the right front battlement. Looking down, he saw the drawbridge land with a soft thump. Out of the gates flowed two lines of heavy centaurs. Heavy centaurs that weren't even around anymore, if his eyes didn't betray him. Their silver armor flashed brightly in the evening sun as they lined the drawbridge and raised their swords, forming a sort of tunnel over the drawbridge.
Out from the crowd stepped three centaurs whom he recognized as himself and his family minus Garth. A few steps after them came Zebulon leading a bunch of unfamiliar centaurs with a blue and gold banner flowing over them. After him came Atherton leading his battalion with a black and white banner. Next was Tace holding a green and light blue banner leading his battalion. Next was Skandar holding a black and red banner and leading his battalion. Then last, but not least, came Aubin with a brown and blue flag leading his archers, most of which were ladies—much to Garnock's surprise.
After them came a bunch of prisoners herded along by—Garth? Yep, it was Garth and on the other side of him was a mounted human wearing the same kind of armor as Garth. Also helping to herd the prisoners were another teenage and adult centaur who were unfamiliar to Garnock. Following the prisoners came the generals' families.
Suddenly the scene changed. This time it was where thy were camping at this very moment. He, again, appeared to be on a mountain overlooking the valley. Looking down into the valley, he saw a gruesome sight. Centaurs' bodies were strewn all over the valley. In the setting sun, he could make out some of the bodies. At the bottom of the valley was Mardoc's army—victorious. Raising his eyes to the sunlit mountain top across from him, he saw Zebulon with a battalion of unfamiliar centaurs behind him. Zebulon stood there, sword unsheathed, weeping.
The scene changed a second time. This time he was back in the tent, kneeling beside his bed, face wet