exactly what he was doing was giving the frightened and confused Ben confidence. And he sorely needed it at this point in time. The Gerada obviously had a plan, he was in control of the situation and all those around him knew their part in his plan. Ben began to feel a little better about things, despite the vast numbers of enemy that still opposed them.
* * *
The entire first wave of Northern Army soldiers were now deep within the forest. Many of their colleagues lay dead and wounded on the forest floor. Ambush after ambush had been mounted by the rebels but still they kept coming on in huge numbers. There seemed to be no end to them!
The rebels were now rapidly running out of space and weapons. They were falling back gradually and as planned to a position which Knesh had chosen as their ‘last line of defence’. Their constant attacks on the enemy forces had been very effective so far and inflicted many casualties but, in some areas, particularly the centre-right where they fought against the Falorians, they hadn’t been able to stem the enemy advance sufficiently, and they were now in imminent danger of being caught and overrun. The Falorian Spearmen seemed to be able to ‘soak up’ the rebel assaults without stopping their advance, each of them having the ability to sustain numerous wounds whilst still remaining an effective fighting force and driving forward. It was a development that Knesh hadn’t allowed for in his original plan. He had no reserves with which to strengthen the defence, and the situation was now critical! Runners came to the centre camp to deliver the news to Knesh and the King.
To ensure that an escape route remained open to them Knesh had issued orders that the ‘last line of defence’ would be held until the Rhuaddan Geslaq sounded (A small wooden device with holes cut into it which, when whirled rapidly around the head on a piece of vine, emitted a high pitch shrill that could be heard for miles). Upon hearing the Geslaq, all of the rebels would detach themselves from battle and fall back quickly to form a pre-determined rectangular shaped formation, centred on their original camp deep in the forest. This rectangle would end at the western exit to Erriard forest and therefore create a ‘corridor’ for escape, leading to the Ipson River and the T’Nesc Moorlands beyond, with the rectangle protected on all sides by soldiers who could collapse the ‘corridor’ once the majority of the army had fled. It was a tried and tested plan that had worked well on previous occasions.
Knesh had allowed for the enemy pursuing them. But by retreating into the T’Nesc Moorlands he was moving into familiar territory which he knew the Northern Army would be loathed to enter. The moorlands were comprised of treacherous mud flats and sandbanks, with quicksand and steaming hot geysers that were deadly to all who didn’t know the safe routes of passage through. The Ruddites had learned the routes over many years, through painful lessons when they entered to evade capture on numerous occasions, and many of their soldiers had been lost.
Knesh’ plan was a good plan that should have worked. All was going well, until the news came to Knesh about the Falorians. Even the mighty Thargws had been held at bay until now. But the very real danger of encirclement if the Falorians broke through, was too great to ignore. And they were advancing way too fast! Knesh knew that he had to give the order to fall back to form the ‘corridor’, though he also knew that it was far earlier than he had expected. He’d wanted to inflict far more casualties on the enemy than they had, and he knew that this development could potentially have drastic consequences for them all!
Chapter 24
Morning of 15th August – Heron Getracht Fortress - Rhuaddan
Jake stood motionless in the courtyard of Heron Getracht fortress, gazing up in awe at the mighty structures that now surrounded him. He was astounded and amazed by their size and magnificence and, now that the action was over, he couldn’t believe that his small rebel force had taken the imposing fortification so easily, with so little loss of life. He was still looking up at the tower when he was approached by Princess Zephany.
“You are a complete mystery aren’t you, Jake?” she said. “It is like… Cha! I cannot work you out. I do not mean to offend