The Ruins of America

The Ruins of America Part Two

It so happened that the scouts were correct. Standing on the high walls of the Montreal, Joseph did not get the impression he was invincible that had so often filled his psyche on these battlements. There were outside factors to consider, of course. The approaching Innu army, for instance, so large in number that they blotted out the bleak landscape with their fur clothes and the roaring of their machines. Joseph, like most of the educated world, could not understand how the Innu had managed to get their great machines, which they called “snow mobiles” to function. Scientists in Yorkae and Potomac had discovered that the hideous, wheeled monstrosities that clogged the roadsides and decomposed in the cities had similar engine designs and principle, but still only the Innu could use them. But that hardly mattered to Joseph.

            He had his men load the barrels onto the battlements and towers. Below he saw the Lord Saputo, Duke of Montreal and Ceo of Quebecia having a less than congenial chat with Nikamu, the Grand Chief of the Innu. Nikamu would offer to spare the city for a princely ransom, and Saputo would tell him to piss off. Then Nikamu would challenge Saputo to do battle in the open. Joseph was worried about his answer. Saputo wasn’t known for his audacity, but his brains were not of much acclaim either. As long as he remained behind the walls and forced Nikamu to siege, their forces would be able to slowly pick off the Innu and finally finish them off in a month or so. In a full out battle, it was difficult to tell who would be victorious. From the wave of Saputo and the war cry of his trumpets, Joseph realized that idiocy had reigned supreme again and he was already making plans to replenish his lost troops before he had crawled down the walls and had the barrels of oil follow him.

            Saputo fled behind his walls, allowing for Joseph to command the entirety of their two armies. Joseph, Earl of Scotia and Ceo of Acadia, was under the impression that his entire force had been left to die. He marshalled his armies and had them march into their proper formations, but although the thunderous clops of their boots was reassuring, it did little to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies who were at least twice to three times their number.

            “Sweet Messiah,” cried out one of Joseph’s ruder lieutenants. “There must be at least twenty thousand of them.”

            “And barely eight thousand of us. The least that ninny Poltron Saputo could have done for us is bring his legions in the South here to help us fight.”

            “That will be enough of that talk,” growled Boucher, the Premaie of Acadia. His thickly accented voice cut into the younger lieutenants like a whip. Although usually considered men devoted purely to god, the Premaie and his lowers, the Congri had a rather unprecedented lust for violence in Acadia and the Irvings rarely went into battle without them. Boucher had already traded in his white, ecclesiastical robes for a suit of battered, but faithful armour. His Congri followed him, still dressed as their positions allowed, giving blessings and sharing prayers to soldiers to crush their enemies.

The soldiers were all lined up with shields in the front ranks and rifles in the second. There were around two thousand farmers and peasants carrying a menagerie of farming implements hastily improvised into weapons. Such additions to armies were common and gave each side welcome recruits to push head first into their opponent’s meat grinding formations.

All around him soldiers were mingling about. Some were gathering in prayer circles, looking for divine intervention. Other more arrogant souls were acting as if the army ahead of them had already been defeated and discussed what they would do with the gold they plundered from the dead Innu. Only a few hundred yards away, the Innu began to grow impatient and Joseph realized it was time to start the battle. He called attention to his marshals and had his trumpeter sound his instrument three times to gather the army into proper formation. Joseph rode forward on his stallion and walked in front of the troops.