Omrai watched the army pile out in front of the city. Here. Of all places. At this city. The one place that should have been safe. Hidden.

He heard steps and turned. Shifra and Kaiato approached.

“Shifra,” Omrai said, “you should be with the evacuees.”

“I have to see this,” Shifra said.

“Omrai Abaddon!” a high voice shouted from below.

Omrai looked down. Princess Densal Valen sat on the back of a tyranno about a hundred paces from the front gates. She wore a greedy smile, a sword extended in his direction.

“What do you want? I’m just an old general, going for a trip to visit the mountains,” Omrai said, feeling uncharacteristically sarcastic.

“I’m not here to mince words, Omrai, I’m here for your surrender.”

“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately,” Omrai said, almost growling. “Is it so you can kill me?”

“No!” Densal Valen shouted. She looked at the city with a wicked grin.

Omrai’s eyes widened. He suddenly felt afraid.

“I’m not saying that I won’t,” Densal Valen said, “But that’s not why you need to surrender.”

Densal Valen surveyed the city, and grinned. “If you don’t, I’ll kill every man, woman, and child in this city. But, if you come now, we’ll leave without attacking.”

“She can’t be serious,” Shifra said quietly.

“She means it,” Omrai said.

Shifra cocked her head, “She’d really murder a whole city?”

Omrai looked at Shifra seriously. “It wouldn’t be the first time she’s done it.”

Shifra looked mortified.

“What do we do?” Kaiato said.

“I’m going to surrender myself,” Omrai said.

“What?” Kaiato said, his calm exterior breaking, “You can’t do that!”

Omrai looked at Kaiato and Shifra. “Revin saw something in the metal warrior’s mind. A walking ship where the metal monsters are made. You must get him, and my personal guard, and go after it…”

His mind wandered to that day of pain, deaths all around him. He hated feeling his men die in battle. And those metal warriors… they would bring the sensation of being crushed a thousand times. Slowly. Painfully. He wouldn’t subject anyone to it if he could help it.

“Jebuthar refused to let the Sendevalians hurt the innocent,” Kaiato said.

“Jebuthar isn’t in charge of this army,” Omrai said, “at least not directly.”

He looked down into the city, seeing worried faces. Everyone looking afraid. Crying mothers, fathers, and children.

“Follow my orders. Now!” Omrai shouted.

He jumped down the steps, turning around a corner, several soldiers staring at him with confusion. He heard shouts of concern from Shifra and Kaiato. He opened the gate and stepped out.

He ignored the shouts from behind him, and he cast a reproachful glare at the soldiers stepping out from the gate.

“Close the gates. Do not follow me.”

With looks of concern, the soldiers obeyed. Shifra stepped into view, fear in her widened eyes. And then, the gates shut with an ominous thud.

He approached the princess atop her tyranno. She looked down on him with a smirk of pride. She considered this a great victory.

It would be her first against Omrai. She had been soundly defeated in Sendeval’s second invasion five years ago. Despite her ability with a blade, Omrai had thought it stupid of her father to let an eighteen-year-old lead an army.

He shot Densal a glare he wished would burn.

“Fine,” he said, “You have me. Let’s leave.”

“My father will greatly appreciate having you as his prisoner,” Densal Valen said.

Omrai cocked his head. “I thought I was being taken to Jebuthar.”

Densal glared and looked away. She turned to the other Sendevalians. “Bind him,” she said. The Sendevalian soldiers complied.

They marched back toward the army, the automatons dividing to let them pass.

“Densal,” Omrai said, “I know you hate him. Work with me, we can stop him if our nations work together.”

Densal shook her head. “No, we can’t.”

Omrai glared. “Why?”

“Anyone who fights him, perishes.”

She looked back at the city, and then at Omrai.

“But your people, they’ll fight to the last. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to make them comply.” She smiled. “But, now that I have you, I can finally subdue your rebellious nation in the way I please.”

Omrai frowned.

Densal turned to her men, “We attack now . Kill every last man, woman, and child inside.”

“No!” Omrai shouted, he pushed against his restraints, but the men holding him were strong.

“Time to make an example! One strong enough that your people will not deny Sendeval again!”

Densal turned to the automatons and shouted. “Charge!”

The automatons moved as one.

✦✦✦

Shifra’s heart jumped in her throat. Her father had left. To protect them. Why hadn’t she tried harder to get him to stay? What was getting captured going to achieve?

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

She looked around for Revin. Maybe he still maintained his telepathic connection with Omrai. She saw Kaiato. His forehead furled in pain; his eyes wide.

“I should go out there,” Kaiato said.

“We’ll get him back,” Shifra said.

Shifra heard the rhythmic thumping of marching feet even before she looked. The massive force of metal warriors surged toward the city, climbing the massive hill that led up to it. Other people on the walls let out gasps and screams. Those who had once been frozen at the sight now turned and fled.

It turned out Densal would not stay true to her promise.

✦✦✦

Something stirred in the back of Narazoth’s mind. The plan had worked. Omrai was in their clutches. But his command to follow Densal’s orders… an echo of discomfort rippled through the automatons and into Narazoth. Something was wrong…

He reviewed their recent memories. Only a moment ago Densal had detained Omrai, and then ordered the automatons to attack. That was to be expected. Narazoth and Jebuthar were running an experiment of trust with the princess. What was unexpected, was that she had said “every man, woman, and child.”

“Jebuthar!” he thought. “Densal is betraying us!”

✦✦✦

Revin called Birdy to him, attempting to keep the chirping creature calm as he ran to the front gate.

His heart rattled his chest as he jogged. His mind screamed at him to stop. To run. Don’t go towards the pain and death.

Men barked retreat orders and ushered their families to the rear of the city, escaping through the winding canyon.

Revin ran between the massive gates which were still half open on either side of him. Soldiers shouted for him to stop, but he ignored them.

Looking down the hill, he saw thousands of the metal monsters marching toward the city. His chest contorted. His arms and neck tensed painfully. He closed his eyes and tightened his fists until he was able to convince his body to stay.

He saw Omrai walking away, bound, surrounded by Sendevalians. What had happened?

“Omrai, what are you doing?”

“Revin? Get out of here, he’s going to kill everyone!”

Revin looked at the army, fear welling up. He’d felt his saurians die before. And the thought of feeling that again terrified him. He heard the rumbling of rock and looked up to the sides of the valley. There were crumbling cliffs on either side of the valley where the metal monsters were arrayed. A plan formed in his mind.

But Omrai is still down there… he thought. What could he do? Could he get Omrai out of there?

✦✦✦

Densal Valen climbed down from her tyranno. Finally, she could get the glory she deserved, get back at Omrai for years of embarrassing wars. Her father would be pleased.

“What are you doing?” Omrai shouted, pushing Densal’s guards aside. “You have me ! Leave them alone!” One of her soldiers tried to stop him, so Omrai swung his bound fists, smashing a Sendevalian’s jaw and sending him sprawling.

“Control him!” Densal shouted.

A soldier jumped for Omrai, sword forward. But Omrai slid to the side, using the man’s swinging blade to cut his bonds. The move was impressive and enraging all at the same time.

“Stop this!” Densal shouted, her frustration mounting. Why couldn’t he just accept defeat?

Several soldiers with blades approached Omrai, surrounding him. “You don’t think I can’t beat a few of your men,” Omrai said, “Even unarmed?”

“I’m sure you can,” Densal drew her own sword, marching feet still thundered around them, “My father will have to take you as a corpse instead.”

Densal raised her sword but stopped. Above the beating of her own heart, she heard no sound. She and the Sendevalians looked around. The automatons were standing still, facing the village. No longer marching.

“What are you doing?” Densal Valen shouted, “Wipe them out! I want their children’s corpses as examples! I want-”

As one, the entire army of automatons turned to Densal Valen, emotionless eyes focused on her. She breathed in sharply as panic filled her. The kind of panic that froze you in place.

The automatons marched. Slowly at first, then quickly. Her men fled back towards the ship and she turned to follow. A great fear welling up inside. She’d seen what those things could do to a person.

The earth rumbled as the automatons converged on her position. She lost track of Omrai in the chaos.

She was ahead of some of her men, and she heard screaming as the automatons trampled them. Her heart pounded. They were coming for her and she knew it.

She ran even harder, dropping her royal sword.

She didn’t think twice about it as she ran.

She made it to her tyranno, climbing up the leather ladder and loosening its bonds. She kicked it to go and heard the explosions of automaton gunfire. Her mount was hit, and her weight multiplied. She crashed to the ground with a scream but managed to roll and draw her knife and pistol, breathing hard, wiping mud and blood off her forehead.

As the automatons neared her, her weight increased further. Her knees buckled and she fell to one. She looked up as a swarm of metal men surrounded her.

“No! Stay back!” She screamed.

She fired her pistol at the eye of one automaton, but another knocked it out of her hand. It stepped in front of her, looking down.

Her eyes opened wide as a metal fist came for her face.

✦✦✦

Omrai yanked a Sendevalian soldier off his gallimai and leaped on, leaving the soldier groaning on the ground. He’d likely be trampled by metal warrior feet. Omrai had charged through the gap, metal monsters grasping furiously and narrowly missing each time.

If he’d been any slower grabbing that gallimai, he’d be dead.

Omrai held his chest, still breathing hard. He was washed over with immense feelings of relief as he trotted through the opening front gate. Revin stood in the opening. Why weren’t they closed?

Revin approached. His hand was bandaged. It looked like a hasty job.

“What were you doing out there?” Revin said, “Someone said you turned yourself in?”

Omrai nodded. “Densal threatened to kill every man, woman, and child if I didn’t.”

Revin’s eyes widened. “So, how’d you get back?”

Omrai looked at the people in the city, some of whom looked exhausted and emotional since the army had turned around. “Perhaps, Jebuthar is telling the truth when he says he doesn’t hurt the innocent. I think Densal broke Jebuthar’s code of honor.”

Revin scowled. “He doesn’t make any sense. You’d think we could make peace with someone like that.”

“Unfortunately, not.”

Omrai hopped off his mount.

Someone pulled him into a tight embrace. It was Shifra.

“You shouldn’t have gone,” Shifra said. Looking up at him with eyes that shone, “Don’t do that again.”

“I promise I will always do what is right, Shifra.”

She gave him a half smile. He still felt that she was frustrated, but he did his best to ignore the feeling and embraced her in return.

The ground trembled in an endless cacophony of metal feet on stone and soil. Omrai tensed, releasing Shifra and turning around. Down below, the army was on the move again.

They were attacking anyway. Why? What were they going to do?

His heart sank. Could they not have one moment of rest? He didn’t even have time to get his men out. This was a lost cause. A false hope. Maybe he should surrender himself? Would Jebuthar let these people live?

Someone tapped Omrai on the shoulder. Revin stood with a sly smile on his face.

“I have a plan.”