Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,115

Goblin defenses. How much death and destruction being committed was beyond him, however, and he lacked the stomach to think long on it. He had his own task to perform and it was going to cost many lives. Nothing in the combined army arsenal was comparable to the new Dwarf weapons.

“What in the hells is that?” the catapult battery commander shouted as Vajna drew close.

Truthfully, the general didn’t rightly know himself. All he knew was he was glad to have the Dwarves on their side. “It doesn’t matter. Fire at will, commander. Let’s strike some of that fear from our ranks. We can’t let the Dwarves have all of the fun.”

“Yes sir!”

Satisfied, Vajna next headed for his cavalry. It had been too long since he had been given the ability to take his horse warriors into the field. Thousands of soldiers and horses milled nervously, riders desperately trying to calm their mounts as the artillery barrage continued. His company commanders were gathered, awaiting orders. One extended the reins for Vajna to snatch.

“My friends, this is it. Speed of horse is the key. We move fast and don’t stop until after we’re through their lines. I want three wedges for the attack. We go in directly behind Rolnir’s heavy infantry assault forces. Don’t stop. Aim for the center of the enemy camp. Drive them off of the front line and we break them on our steel. Questions?”

There were none. Not that he expected any. He nodded his unspoken appreciation for all that they had endured over the past winter and what they were about to go through in mere moments. These were the defining moments of a generation. None of them knew what was at stake, Vajna included, but that changed nothing. They had a task to perform. The end of the war was in sight. Plans had changed. Enemies had changed. The unexpected arrival of the Goblin army threatened to throw the entire campaign out of whack but Aurec and his command staff adjusted admirably.

Vajna reached up and stroked his mount’s dark neck. The horse snorted and rubbed its cheek against Vajna. Nerves ran high amongst them all. Not that he blamed anyone. The sheer madness involved in what they were about to attempt was staggering. The old general almost looked beyond the battle and to his well-deserved retirement. There was danger in that, looking beyond what needed to happen first. Fearful that his distractions might get his people killed, Vajna went over his instructions in his head.

Catapult rounds arced over the field and crashed hard into the Goblin defenses. Unlike the withering punishment doled out by the Dwarves, these were designed to crush and break. There would be no field of bodies to demoralize friend and foe alike. Vajna and the others accepted their place in the battle, secretly lamenting the amount of lives they feared were going to be lost. It was far too late to worry now.

He watched as scorpions were rolled into firing positions. The giant weapons were akin to crossbows but the similarities ended there. Each was capable of firing three six-foot-iron spears simultaneously. Cranked through a series of pulleys, the weapons could pierce stone as easily as armor. There was no safe place for the Goblins to hide.

Dust clouds rose up from the trenches. The catapults increased their rate of fire. Unlike the cannons on the Dwarf flank, Rolnir’s artillerymen had an infinite supply of ammunition. Heavy boulders went first, quickly followed by rolled balls of thatch covered in burning pitch. The fires had the potential of working against the infantry but it was a chance King Aurec decided to take.

The scorpions began firing. Spears whistled through the air before slamming into wood and flesh. Vajna flexed his hands. Massed ranks of archers marched to the front. They would cover the infantry approach and follow his cavalry into the breach. Normally cavalry wouldn’t attempt to break through well-defended lines but Aurec and Rolnir agreed that the greatest threat was the amount of reinforcements the Goblins could bring to bear from the parts of the perimeter that weren’t under siege. Despite having the luxury of open space, all three quickly decided that the enemy held the advantages.

Under the triple barrage of the combined army, the Goblins tried to dig deeper. They were an army made for rampaging across the world, not hunkering down in fixed positions while their enemies threw everything in their arsenal at them. Scores died in those first few moments, but nothing