New Commander

"Dave!"

William touched David’s shoulder and pointed at the sky.

David squinted. Something flew in from the sunset. He looked at William. "There be dragons," he said. "I better tell the general."

The captain made his way to the general’s tent as the serpents grew closer. He hesitated a moment, waiting to see if they flew colors, then went inside and told the general.

"Plural?" asked the general.

"Two," said David.

"Are they ours?"

"The one with a rider flies our flag."

"Alright," said the general, his brow furrowed. "Wave them down and send them in."

David went outside and waved upwards. The dragons' serpentine forms spiraled downward in wide arcs. One had scales the color of blood; the other had bands of blue alternating with red.

"Give them room," said David to the gawking soldiers around him. Everyone stepped back a few paces.

The dragons landed with grace a few yards from the tent. The rider dismounted. His insignia revealed him as a general. David bowed and stood aside as the general and his red dragon entered the tent. The other stayed outside. The soldiers gave it space.

Inside the tent, the new arrival handed the current commander a short scroll. He read it and nodded.

Nahash’s avatar appeared. "I’m in charge of this mission now," he said, "but I have a few questions for you before you go."

"First," said Nahash, "how did your previous commander die?"

"Uncertain," said the general. "He flew off into a thunderstorm. We found his head on a pike outside the woods the next morning."

"And why did he fly into a storm?" asked Nahash.

"Impatience," said the general. "For nearly a week, the storm began each day before dawn and ended right after dusk. He grew weary of waiting for the weather to be right for my troops to move in."

"Hmf," said Nahash, "That sounds like youth."

Nahash pondered a moment, silent.

"There have been other attacks since I sent the message," said the general.

"Do tell," said Nahash.

"A few days after the dragon died, a massive pack of wolves came out of the forest to harass us. Accompanying them were creatures I don’t understand. They glowed with their own light. One took the form of fiery skull and set parts of the stockade on fire."

"That sounds like sorcery," said Nahash.

"Sounds like," said the general, "but the fire was real enough. You can still see the scorch marks."

Nahash’s avatar narrowed its eyes. "So they have a mage."

"Seems so. Then moths and bats flew in and blinded us. A group of raccoon-like creatures snuck in while the men were distracted and sabotaged numerous things. They stole or despoiled a lot of food. We still haven’t tracked down every horse they set free."

"Go on," said Nahash.

"Days later, men with bows snuck toward our camp and attacked our men. They raided us twice within a few nights. We lost a few soldiers, but think we killed more of them."

"Think?" asked Nahash.

"They took their dead and injured," said the general.

Nahash thought for a moment. "New plan," he said. "I want you to take most of the brigade back to Dalton. I’ll keep only the most experienced company and a handful of cavalry. Take the rest back — including all of the chariots."

"Some have been sabotaged in the raids."

"Leave those," said Nahash. "We’ll use them for firewood. They’ll be more useful in that capacity than for invading an old-growth forest full of hills."

"Yes, sir," said the general.

"Leave the food, water, and fodder," said Nahash. "Forage your way back."

The general let out a breath. "The men won’t like that."

"The peasants whose villages they sack will like it even less," said Nahash. "Unfortunately, we need those supplies. We may be here for some time. When you reach Dalton, send us whatever else is on hand."

The general nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Get started right away," said Nahash. "I want you prepare to be gone within two days. Bring in the captain in charge of the company I’m keeping." His avatar vanished.

The general left the tent and returned with David. "This is David. He’s captain of the most seasoned company of veterans here." He turned to David and introduced the new general. "This is your new commander. I’m taking most of the force back to Dalton."

David bowed to the stranger. "At your service, commander."

Nahash whispered into his pet general’s mind: Tell him what we have in store.

The new "commander" looked at David and said, "New plan."