The Kingdom of Liticea: The Sorcerer Prince

Chapter Forty-Four: The Battle of Talonwood

When the archers all took their place, he took his own at the end of their left flank. Here, he could give orders to fire but also communicate easily with Rengle who was perched in his balcony overseeing the hill. This reminded him so much of Brother's Crossing. Rengle and Argus just seemed to have stepped from one castle to another.

Things were strangely quiet at the bottom of the hill. The first hour passed and not one Morcar came into view. The smoke from their campfires were still visible and there were sounds as one would expect from an army this big. But there were no shouts, no horns, no marching. It appeared that Morcars had just decided not to attack today.

Soldiers were even starting to get bored. After an hour of waiting, several quiet conversations broke out in the ranks until Talonwood Keep was alive with chatter as if it were a tavern. Bart and Locke soon found themselves in their usual arguments. Locke was complaining about how bored he was and Bart scolded him and told him that this was what war mostly consisted of.

"I've heard of year-long sieges, and I wouldn't last a damn day!" he exclaimed, "Why can't those bastards just attack already?"

"The goal of the enemy is not to offer up themselves for you to slaughter. I know it's hard for you to accept, but you'll just have to deal with it."

"Hey, maybe if I throw you over the wall it will provide some excitement," the bigger knight mockingly threatened as he always had. There were a few times where the young knights could not tell if he was joking or not, like when he was ready to cut off Jon Maveric's manhood at the Tournament of Steel. But in the tone he was speaking in, they knew that none of them were in any danger. From Locke at least.

"Or Jon," Locke remembered the little twerp, "Where is he? Doesn't he usually follow around Eliza like a lap dog?"

"He stayed with Parendir Dayvey. He knows to avoid you around battlefields."

"What battlefield? Nothing is happening."

"Then run down that hill and attack them!" Bart suggested, "There Are seventy-thousand bodies down there for you chop up. Go and see how many you can kill before they stuff you with arrows. That way you get you precious bloodshed and I won't have to listen to you bitch anymore."

Jergan and Eliza glanced at each other in annoyance at the banter going on behind them. Ordinarily they would find it amusing, but out here they found it to be just obnoxious. Hordes of Morcars were on their doorstep and these two still bickered like little children.

Apparently, Rengle was having enough of it too, "Sir Bart. Since you are most anxiously waiting for an attack, why don't you down to the wall and wait for them there?"

"Oh," Bart knew that it was not a question. Accepting his dismissal from the balcony, he entered the tower.

"You too, Horcaster," Rengle said. Locke did not argue and followed.

And so there was silence once again on the balcony and Jergan hated it even more than the noise going on behind him. At least Locke and Bart helped take his mind off of the battle. But now all he had was the silence. Rengle hardly said a word and Eliza seemed to be following his model. A minute felt like an hour and Jergan tried to break the silence.

"Why aren't they attacking?" he asked his father, not expecting a long answer.

"They're planning something," Rengle replied, "They know that they won't take this position by just charging up the hill. No. If their commander has any sense, he'll try some trick to get us to attack him, or do anything to get us off this hill. But this is the only way up."

"Do you think they will turn around?" Eliza questioned. Jergan was correct. She admired Rengle and clearly was emulating his persona and figure. It may one day be her commanding soldiers against an impending force. Such as were the duties of the Sword of Eleanor.