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

Not even his wife.”
“Why didn't one of you guys tell him about the castle?” asked Zebulon.
“Because Garnock had us select few who knew about it, swear that as long as we lived we would not utter a word about it if he died before it was revealed. I've kept my word till now, but, you know, I didn't think that meant till several decades down the road.” They all laughed. “Well, shall we go down and see it?”
They all agreed and before long were trooping down the mountainside angling towards the castle.
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“Sir!” a scout rushed into the room, where Mardoc was.
Mardoc rose to his feet, ready to order his guards to throw this intruder out. “What do you want?” he snarled.
“Forgive me for intruding,” the scout said bowing, “but I have something very important to tell you.”
“It'd better be important for me to forgive your intruding.” growled Mardoc.
“Yes, sir,” said the scout bowing again. “But I believe I've found where the centaurs are hiding.”
“You what?” asked Mardoc coming forward a couple of steps.
“I believe I've found where the centaurs are hiding.”
“Really now? You expect me to believe that?”
“Uh...actually I do.” Mardoc glared at the scout, who hastened to explain, “I can show you to, if that's what you want...sir.” Mardoc looked at him for a full minute, then finally nodded and strode from the room to the temporary stables followed by his body guards who were watching the scout warily.
Within twenty minutes of hard riding, they reached the end of the forest and came out upon the open plain.
“There.” said the scout pointing with his finger at the huge hill in front of them.
Mardoc gave him a strange look. “You don't mean....”
The scout nodded. “Yep, somehow, someway they got into the hill.”
“And how do you know that?” challenged Mardoc.
“Because I witnessed first hand somebody or something emerging from the rock slope on top of the cliff in front of us. I'm not sure if it was a human, because it went on four legs. It had a human head, but knowing them, you never know what sort of strange creatures they have in there with them.” he shuddered involuntarily. “It looked almost like an overgrown ape.”
One of the bodyguards looked at the scout with fear showing in his eyes. “Probably a man-eating ape, too.”
“With rabies,” chimed in the second guard.
“That they got from Katmandu from the World's Fiercest Fighting Apes Society.” chimed in the third guard. The fourth, the youngest, just listened in his eyes wide with fear. Mardoc turned to scowl at them, but they could see what they had said was working on him too. Suddenly he whirled his horse around, and, not trying to look hurried, headed off into the woods in the direction of camp with his bodyguards and the scout almost tripping on each other's heels in their haste to get away from there.
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Skandar, Garth, and Nikkelon practically rolled on the ground in laughter. They had been sneaking around in the woods, looking for excitement and they had stumbled upon Mardoc, his bodyguards and the scout that Skandar had seen earlier. Of course they had eavesdropped, and what they heard said was enough to floor anybody. Especially Skandar, who knew that it was him the scout was talking about.
They ran back into camp and told Garnock and his generals about it. They to had a hard time to keep from bursting out into too loud of laughter. Now they had a weapon on their side—the soldiers fear of the alleged man-eating, rabid ape that they had with them. By evening the story had spread throughout the whole camp.
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The next morning, Garth, Skandar, and Nikkelon were out once more looking for excitement when they stumbled upon a scout. They could see, just by the way the scout carried himself, that he was expecting at any moment a giant overgrown ape to jump out of the brush and attack him.
Skandar grinned at Garth and Nikkelon and quietly cut a big branch from a tree. Then he went about hitting the brush with it making it sound like something large coming through the brush. The guard froze and faced the direction of the noise. Nothing. Of course this was where the brush was the thickest. The noise continued. The guard, not about to risk his skin to find out what it was, took off like an arrow through the trees towards his camp. The boys followed in hot pursuit.
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All heads turned as one towards the scout charging into camp like the centaurs overgrown, rabid ape was after him. Maybe it was, only the scout knew. Panicked he pulled his horse to a stop so fast that it reared, then jumped to the ground beside Mardoc, who jumped back startled.
“What is it?” this time Mardoc wasn't mad, he was just as surprised as everybody else in camp at the sudden and very panicked arrival of the scout.
“The....a...ape.” the guard finally managed to get out between gasps for air. His horse stood, sides heaving, beside him. Fear went like a wild fire on a windy day through the camp.
Mardoc, his face white, stood up and took a step back, his eyes big. It was the first time, his men had ever seen him truly afraid of something. “Where?”
“In...the brush...around the....hill. I...heard it.” Fear showed on every soldiers face. “It was...right beside me!” Mardoc took another step backward at a loss for words. They sat there. Suddenly there was a crash in the brush and a loud roar filled air. The youngest body guard actually fainted.
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The crash had been Nikkelon tripping over a log, the loud roar was when Nikkelon found out that he had landed right in the middle of a ground wasps nest. Like a flash, they lit out through the woods, the wasps right on their tails. Finally, in desperation, they dove into the river and held their breath as long as they could while submerged. When they could hold their breath no longer, they burst to the surface. The wasps were gone, but Nikkelon's pain from the wasps stings weren't. Thankfully, he wasn't allergic to stings so it wasn't as bad as it would've been had he been allergic to stings.
Finally, later that evening, they staggered into camp, worn out from tramping around in the woods all day, ate supper, and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.
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The next morning at noon Mardoc was having a luxurious dinner with his generals and a select few soldiers and was standing with the knife poised over the huge turkey preparing to take a huge slab of meat off for the first soldier to his right, when suddenly a arrow appeared in the turkey right between his meat fork and the knife. He gasped and jumped back with everybody else around the table. The cook, who was coming in at that moment, jumped also and almost dropped the platter of potatoes and gravy.
Mardoc, his hand shaking somewhat, reached for the arrow, when he saw the piece of paper tied to it with a leather thong. He paused then untied the note and read it silently to himself. As his guests watched, his face turned from one filled with fright to one filled with rage. “The blithering idiots!” he screamed, his face red as a beet. He jerked the arrow from the turkey and flung it with all his might at the tent wall.
“Uh...If I may ask.” ventured Felgor. “What does it say, o most honorable sire?” he knew that the only way they'd get to hear it was if they used flattery.
He looked at each of his guest, rage written all over his face, then held it up and read aloud:
Hey Mardoc,
Thought I'd drop in for a friendly visit, but since I didn't think that would be too welcome, I thought I’d drop a note by you instead. Just to let you know, we're watching you; we know where you are and we're ready for you, just bring it on.
Sincerely,
Guess who
P.S. There is no man-eating, rabid ape, though that was a good joke. Ha Ha
P.S.S. Gotcha last!
The soldiers and generals sat there in a stunned silence. Felgor blinked, this guy had some nerve. Dropping in a note, indeed. Who did he think he was anyway?
“Who wrote the note?” asked the youngest bodyguard timidly.
Mardoc glared at him. “Who do you think it was, you little idiot?” The guard stared at him blankly. “It was the idiot who we've been fighting for the past two years, you....” he screamed at the guard, spittle flying from mouth. “Duh!” He rolled his eyes, then finally taking control of himself set about serving up the meat. The rest of the meal was rather quiet and subdued.
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Garth and Nikkelon raced side by side through the woods heading back towards the hill, mission successful. That morning Garnock had taken them aside and given them an arrow with orders to shoot it into Garnock's special eating tent, he didn't say what the note said or anything. They had done that then got back to camp as fast as possible. When Garnock asked them if they had done what he had said they told him that they had and he told them that he was pleased and that he would soon expect activity from the army.
That night, Garnock called a meeting of the army. When they had congregated, he told them to be ready for action with in the next week at least if not earlier. He said that he had gotten tired of all the waiting around so had sent Mardoc a note that hopefully would spark the last battle of this long and drawn out war. He just wanted it to be over, he wanted to win, but he knew that if they had too many losses, they'd lose but still the war would be over. He didn't want them to think that he didn't care if they lost because he did, but he also knew that it'd be better for both sides if this war was over.
They understood and agreed with him. The next day was spent in anticipating the coming battle.
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Mardoc's army, too, was spent in preparing for the coming battle. They polished their armor and sharpened their swords, spears, arrows, and knives. They tuned their bows and polished them till they shone. Then they polished their shields so that they mirrored your reflection.
By that evening, they were ready to march in a die or do situation.
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That night Zebulon couldn't get to sleep. He tossed and turned half the night. Finally at midnight, he rolled out of bed and went out into the fresh air on top of one of the garrets. The clear, cold air soon had his mind clear.
“What do you want me to do, God?” he asked facing the moon. Suddenly he felt this sudden urge to go. Where, he didn't know, but he just felt this urge to go. He went out down the drawbridge and down to the river. He walked slowly along following the river just wandering not going anywhere in particular.
Suddenly he heard a rustle in the brush. He stopped, pulled his bow out and strung it waiting for something to happen. He started walking, suddenly he heard a command to stop. He froze and swung around to see a horse and rider charging at him. Before the other guy could even move, an arrow was planted in his neck and he was laid out on the ground.
Zebulon froze searching with eagle eyes for any sign of movement. Upon seeing no movement, he crept forward