The room opposite to my bedroom has a table, the perfect size for my map of the entire island. It is full of details of mountains, forest, and even the layouts of towns and cities. What divides the island is a long strip of desert, a vast land of sand and boiling sun. The map dubs this place the Galire Desert.

I don’t know how a desert could be directly in the middle of an island. Maybe my Verns will explain this phenomenon to me.

I put down rocks to mark out where my forces are located, which for now is only Letharus Mine and this town. I place down sticks to mark out what I have control of and what the Cinari have.

From what I can tell, we don’t have enough land to pose any threat to the dammed beast. Eventually, we need to gain people and land to fuel my war effort.

Up north is that magic crystal mine, and to our west there is a mine and another farm, but I don’t know what material the mine produces. These mines can give us the raw metals and manpower, but it won’t be enough without the means to feed them.

For what feels like hours, I tried to come up with a plan to expand my rule.

I look at the map to see what may cause me problems. Natural terrain here and there that will slow down our movements, the likelihood of traps and enemy encampments. One of my Verns explained to me that the Cinari send scouts on horses to see what the main force might deal with. This information could come in handy later. But I might have to ask the Verns for more details.

I turn towards the door, but Alex barges through it.

‘What is the meaning of this?’ I shout at him.

Alex tries to catch his breath. ‘Th… They are coming.’

I grab him by the arm to walk him to the map.

‘Where?’

He points north of the town.

‘Your army should be ready before they arrive,’ Midrax speaks while leaning on the doorway.

‘But it won’t be enough by itself. We won’t have the element of surprise on our side. This will be our first frontal battle,’ Alex argues as he recovers from his run.

Midrax cheers. ‘That’s good! I want to take them on like that. We can easily crush them with our numbers.’

‘Are you insane?’ Alex yells at Midrax. ‘This battle could cost us the war. Even if we win, the casualties could be so many that we would be better off giving up.’

‘So what is your plan?’ I ask Alex.

‘We have to retreat from this town and attack when they least expect it.’

Midrax frowns. ‘So running away is your plan? How pathetic! We can’t always have the element of surprise. We need to fight them head on!’

‘No! We can’t just fight every battle head on! We need to make sure that we can win and not put our-’

‘Enough!’ I interrupt Alex. ‘Midrax is right. We can’t run away from this one. But that doesn’t mean we will fight them head on.’ Midrax smirk turns into a frown.

‘We need to split our army in two.’

‘What?’ Both Alex and Midrax say at the same time.

‘We can’t split our army, we will be weaker if we do so.’ Alex points out.

‘The runt is right, if this army is what I imagined. We would need to stick together.’

‘If you let me finish, I’ll give you my plan.’

Midrax crosses his arms while Alex looks eagerly at the map.

‘If they are attacking from the north. It will force us and them to battle in the wheat field. Already they have the high ground, and in my experience, fighting someone taller than you is a lot more difficult. I will have my men wait for them in the fields.’ I place a stick down to represent my force. ‘We make a line that covers the length of the field, dividing it into ten by ten men, in case we would need to change our formation.’ I place another stick down to represent the Cinaris army. ‘There, Alex and I will march our soldiers forward.’

‘And then what? Where do I come into this?’ Midrax retorts.

‘I will get to you when I get to it!’ I growl at him. ‘As I was saying, when we march to them, the Cinari will want to move forward to attack us and not get surrounded. That is where you come in, Midrax. You will hide out in the forest not too far from the field. When you can see the side of their flanks, you charge in and break their formation. Then we win the battle.’

Alex rubs his chin.

‘Any problems?’ I ask Alex.

‘Yes,’ he replies while tracing his finger on the map. ‘The battle line will be too long to control effectively. I say we shorten it.’ He grabs the stick and snaps it in half. Placing the other half behind the first stick. ‘We can place the other half of the line behind the existing one. If they break through the first, we won’t need to shift the entire line to counter them. We can just push up the second one.’

I nod in agreement. ‘That’s a good plan, and that is why I want you to manage the army from the rear.’

Alex’s eyes widen, his jaw dropping to his chest. ‘Wha… why can’t you do it?’

‘I need to be in the front. As you said, we’ve never fought in a battle like this before. I will make sure the lines doesn’t crumble. You make sure we don’t get surrounded.’

‘Well then, I will get my men ready and hide out in the woods while you two have some fun.’ Midrax waves to us sarcastically as he walks off.

Alex glares directly into my eyes like a worried child.

‘Dad, I don’t know if I can command an army of that size. I can’t shout that loudly and I can’t wave flags to get their attention if I am behind them.’

‘You don’t have too.’

I grab the horn off the wall. I blow on it to see if it makes a sound.

Brwwwwo!

This will do. If Alex can’t shout, they will hear the horn.

‘Blow into the horn once, and we will go forward. Blow it twice and we’ll stop.’ I hand the horn to Alex.

‘What if I need to give more complex orders?’

I give him a gentle smile. ‘I think you’ll come up with something. Now get our men ready and follow the plan.’

‘Yes, Dad.’ Alex attaches the horn to his belt as he runs out of the room.

I head across the hall to my sleeping quarters to see my armour at the corner of my bed. The helmet stares directly at me, if to welcome me for more battle.

I pick the helmet up, staring back into its eyes. This will be the first, the first time we fight the monster’s head on. But this will not be the last.

I step outside wearing my black armour, thirsting for the battle ahead. The Dogs inside the town herd and throw the Cinari into small compact buildings, barricading them so they can’t cause any trouble during the impending battle.

My Dogs escort our elders, children, injured and those unable to fight to the town centre.

Dust runs up to me, still in his smiths clothing. ‘They are coming, are they?’ His words echo with worry.

‘They are. But we will beat them.’

Dust grabs my arm before I can leave. ‘Promise me you will come out of this alive, boy.’

I sigh. Deep down, I know I might not survive this. The fear that my march for freedom, for revenge, will end here, in this sorry excuse of a town.

‘I will, friend. Promise to keep our children safe.’

Dust nods as he gives me a pat on the back before heading to the town centre.

As I step in front of the gates, Dogs rush around the walls, manning every station. Every square inch of space is covered by Dogs, their weapons thirsty to draw Cinari blood. I notice these are our youngest soldiers, barely old enough to be called men or women, but big enough to wear our armour and to carry our weapons.

‘Open the gate!’ I command. They turn the wheel that lifts the barred cage of iron.

I look out to see my army waiting and in formation, facing north for the eventual battle.

‘Close the gate. Until we win, the gate stays closed. Do not let anyone in under any circumstances!’

One acknowledges my orders while they close the gate behind me.

I step into the fields, there are fifty columns at the front and forty columns behind them.

There is a wide range in equipment between the soldiers, from everything to barely anything at all. Some wear armour, while others wear their clothes. A Dog might have a sword and a shield, a spear, a bow, or just a pickaxe from their mine.

This lack of uniformity will cost us, but for now it is all we can muster.

Alex stands on top of a rock overlooking the whole battlefield. ‘How long do we have?’ I ask him.

‘Any minute now!’ He gulps. ‘Do you really think I can do this?’

I smile. ‘If I doubted you, I wouldn’t trust you to keep an eye out for us.’

Alex stutters. ‘I… I won’t let you down, Dad.’

I rest my hand on his shoulder to pull him close for a hug. ‘Win this battle for us,’ I whisper into his ear.

He looks back at me, unable to speak. I sink into the crowd, emerging into the very front of my army.

The faint sound of plated armour rustles in the distance. The thunder of marching of boots colliding draws near. They are close! This is going to be a good fight.

‘They are coming!’ I shout towards my people. ‘The Cinari army is marching here to stop our quest for freedom. They dare demand that we go back into their shackles of oppression. They demand we serve their false Gods again! And I say no!’

My army snarls and growls, revealing their fangs.

‘No more will we serve them! No more will they scar our backs with their cursed whips. No more will we have our children exterminated! No more will this continue! Now we have a chance to fight. We will choose our fate! We will become free men!’

My army howls their war cry, stomping their feet and banging their shields in excitement. They want to be heard by the Cinari. We want to show them our anger, our drive to fight.

The Cinari army emerges over the hill. They run into their formation, into columns like our own. On the right, I can see a few on horses. Lightly armed, and in a box like formation. Whatever plans they have with them, we can stop it.

‘Stay in line with me! When you hear one blow of the horn, march with me! If you hear two blows of the horn. Stop with me! We will win this battle if we all work together. Let’s build our future today! For today we are free!’

My people burst into a thunderous roar, their cheers and cries rings across the yellow field.

I walk to the centre of my army. ‘Brace yourselves!’ I shout.

The Cinaris battle line made up of soldiers, all wearing the same armour, carrying the same equipment. Their spear’s point towards us, their shields face our lines.

The sound of a blown horn rings through our ears. It is time. Time for battle.

We take our first steps forwards, keeping ourselves in formation and lined up. In the distance, small black lines fly into the air behind the Cinari. Two blows of the horn in quick successions signal us to stop our movement.

‘Brace!’ Someone yells.

I raise my shield above my head as arrows rain down upon us. From all sides, screams of Dogs being hit spread through the lines. One next to me gets an arrow between the eyes. His blood splatter all over my face and helmet. The Dog behind them push their lifeless body to the ground to take their place.

A single horn rings across our lines again.

‘Keep moving!’ I shout as we continue our advance, getting closer to the Cinari. They haven’t moved, they just sit there. Come on, dammit. Come to us!

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As fast as lightning, their horses charge towards our left flank, crossing the centre of the battlefield in a triangle formation.

Alex sounds two horns to halt us, but it is pointless. The enormous beasts crash into our left flank. I watch as it shatters through three front columns.

Soon after, the horsemen retreat back into the centre of the field. Dogs with bows launch their arrows at the riders in hopes of taking them out, but miss every time.

Some Dogs from the left flank run away, fearing the beast that attacked them. I can’t blame them, though it is a shame that they will run away from this fight.

The second file behind them rushes in to take the place of the shattered line. But from here I can see they are also fearful.

The horses turn around, facing the centre.

‘Brace yourselves!’ I shout as I raise my shield for them.

The horses charge towards us; the beast galloping like bloodthirsty predators.

One horse runs towards me. I step to the side to swing my sword directly into the middle, cutting the monster in half. The creatures and their riders almost got through us, but the second line halt their advance before they can go any further.

Some Dog’s spear any rider that gets too close. I swing my sword at one rider, but I unfortunately miss it.

The second attack costs us, but it bruised them as well, only two-thirds of their original force escaped.

We run back into positions, ready to face their charge again.

The horses attack the right flank, this time almost breaking through. Yet again, the second formation behind them drives them off. The horses make their escape, running back to their Cinari comrades.

‘Cowards!’ I shout as I raise my sword into the air.

My men bark and snarl at them. We shout our war cry from the top of our lungs, to show who are the true rulers of these lands. The horn rings out again for us to march forward, the Cinari launch their arrows at us, but we keep moving.

With nothing else to do, the Cinari march towards us. The men in the second row rest their spears on the person’s shoulder in front of them.

A man looks down on us, resting on his horse. However, his armour is different and strange, having more gold and jewels while his common soldiers only have a plain silver plating.

He has to be their leader. The coward he is watching while his people do the dirty work.

Perfect! We have a chance to win. How can they expect to win if they don’t fight with their men? How can they expect loyalty if they will let their men die?

I can’t contain my smile. This will be easier than I thought.

Their horses gallop towards our right flank in a large arc, hugging the edges of the forest. The horn rings twice again. I brace my shield again to face them once more. Come closer, you bastard!

From the forest comes the sound of bloodthirsty cries. The Cinari stop their march in confusion, staring at the forest to figure out the if they are friend or foe.

The horses break their ranks and run to the hill to regroup. The men with spears change their formation to have half of their army facing the woods as Midrax and his Dogs charge towards them. Grinning from ear to ear as the both armies clash in brutal melee.

This is our chance!

‘Charge!’ I raise my shield as I sprint towards the Cinari soldiers. I break out of formation, but I don’t care. This is our time!

Other Dogs join in as we dash towards them, thirsty for blood.

I smash my shield into one soldier, breaking into their lines while I swing frantically at them, blocking and parrying their attacks.

What became their organised formation now turns into a chaotic brawl. It is something I desire most from this battle, a chance to fight the monster’s head on.

I throw myself into them like a rampaging beast, slicing them in into bits and biting their throats out. Their blood spills all over me as I rip them apart.

I love it! I love every bit of it! I am so glad these monsters are stupid enough to attack me and my people.

The Cinari break down and panic as we gut through their comrades. Their blood will fertilize the soil. The smart ones flee to the hill, dropping their weapons as they bolt away.

So, for fun, we chase after them, thrusting our swords into their backs or decapitating them from behind. We won’t let them escape.

The horses and their leader retreats west before we can get to them, marking the end of our battle.

As there are no more Cinari to fight, my people cheer in glee that it is over. I turn around to see Dogs raising their weapons in the air in triumph. Midrax picks up two Cinari bodies and waves them around, screaming ‘Weaklings! Weaklings!’

Behind everyone stands Alex, not cheering or celebrating, but standing over the body of a Dog. Alone and quiet. I walk up to him, almost tripping over corpses of the Cinari beast.

‘Are you okay, son?’

Alex stands there silently. ‘This was too much,’ he whispers.

I look down at the body. It was Jen. Her bottom is jaw missing. Her eyes void of life.

She severed me well. Her death will be the first steps for a better future. I feel no sadness for her sudden end. Only that she did her duty.

‘Pass me the horn, Alex.’ I reach out my hand for him to pass it to me without making eye contact. I blow on it and wave my army to come to me. Midrax throws the bodies onto the ground as he laughs with his men.

‘This battle isn’t over. More will come from the north and the west.’ Their cheers end as their faces shift to dread.

‘We won this battle. We’ve showed them will fight for freedom and not bow to their so-called Empire. You all deserve your rest, but there is still work to do. The leader of that army ran away like a coward and so he will die like a coward! I need help to hunt him down, and to free our people from the west.’

The surrounding Dogs nod as they speak to each other, some questioning whether they should go or stay.

‘If you come with me, I will promise battle. We lost many good men and women today, but their deaths will not go in vain. For they paved the road for our freedom!’ The Dogs cheer in excitement, but Alex stands there in silence.

‘I need you to stay here with Midrax,’ I whisper to Alex.

‘Why?’ He asks.

‘We have lost too much today. While I am gone, I want you and Midrax to train our army so when we face the Cinari again. We won’t repeat our mistakes.’

Alex looks up and smiles. ‘I… I will do my best.’

I give Alex a hug. ‘I’ll be back shortly, son. Stay safe.’

I walk westward. With a mix of my own and Midrax’s soldiers, pursuing the horse riders and their pathetic leader.

When the town is almost gone from sight, I look back to see what we have achieved. This isn’t just a town. This is the beginning of my Empire.

For three long days and three long nights, we followed them. Our thirst for their blood drives us to keep going. To hunt for the men who ran from battle. The longer they hide, the more furious we become.

We almost catch them multiple times during our pursuit of the horse riders, but the bastards always slip away. Yet they are getting sloppy.

This is our fourth day. We have met no other Cinaris soldier, or any Cinari, come to think of it.

The battle a few days ago still plays through my mind. Wondering if we can counter the horses, and why would the Cinari hold spears on top of each other? These questions plague my mind for hours. The what if’s paint the battle differently with every possibility. Could we have still won if we followed my original plan?

I know Alex’s plan was the better one. If they went through one line, they would have had an easy time shattering a single battle line. Alex’s plan prevented that from happening.

As the wind blows around us, I raise my hand, halting my men as the scent of blood drifts through the air. I draw my sword, readying it by my side. The Dogs get closer to me, our shoulders rubbing as we form an outward facing circle. We point our blades at the forest shadows.

Suddenly the bushes rustle, and a womanly figure emerges from the shrub like a dancer. Leaves and sticks covering her body to hide her form.

She has the figure and body of a Cinari, but something is off. The scent from her is different from any normal Cinari.

An archer aims his bow at the woman. I grab his arrow before he looses it upon our shadowy guest.

The woman stops at a few meters from us. She firmly places her hands upon her helmet and takes it off. It’s a Dog! Her fur as white as snow, her facial features smooth and fine.

‘And who are you?’ She asked, smiling at our surprise gaze.

I lower my weapon, but my gut tells me she isn’t the trustworthy sort.

‘How did you get out of your mine?’

‘Onda Mine?’ She raises a brow. ‘That place was abandoned for decades. We mainly worked on the farms.’

I take a step towards her, having my shield still facing her. ‘So how did you escape?’

‘Well, we heard news of you, of course. You must be the black beast of the south?’ She smirks.

‘That’s what they come to call me?’

The woman laughs. ‘Well, what else would they call you?’

I frown, not amused by her response. ‘You didn’t really answer my question.’

‘It’s simple, really.’ She snaps her fingers.

Figures emerge from the shrubs, hidden holes in the ground and down from trees. They all wear the same bush clothing. In mere moments, the army of leafy warriors surrounds me and my Dogs, a legion armed and ready to pounce if we make the wrong move.

She continues. ‘When we heard the rumors that you broke out, we took a chance and followed your example.’

‘By doing what?’

She smiles. ‘We killed them! Why should we serve a master that fears us? Maybe we should be their rulers.’

I chuckle. ‘So what now? You are going to rule this specific region?’

‘No, my friend. I took it for you.’

‘Excuse me?’ I raise my brow. What does she mean by that? What game is she playing?

‘You proved something that was thought to be impossible. We took this place over in the hopes of serving you.’ She pulls a medallion from her pocket covered in blood. ‘They came through here recently. I assume you were after them?’

I nod my head, hiding my smile. So she took down the horse riders and the coward of a leader. That is impressive.

I regain my composure, straightening my stance. ‘I am glad to hear that you’ve done this for me. But are you willing to follow me?’

She takes a knee and tilts her head down. ‘We will master.’

‘Get up!’ I bark at her.

She looks up in shock at my response.

‘I am not your master. I am not here to replace your enslavers. From now on, you are free. A free people. So I will ask again, will you follow me?’

She pauses, unable to speak a word.

‘What is your name?’ I ask her.

‘M-Max,’ she stutters.

‘Well, Max, you and your people are free. Don’t treat me as a master, but as a friend. You will lead your people and you alone. The only thing I ask in return is that your people help me free our race. So, I ask one last time. Will you follow me?’

Max looks around, nodding to her people. She stands up, brushing the dirt off her. ‘We will, ma-’

‘Call me Marak.’