The Battle of Zenan Bridge

"I still don't see what's the huge hurry." Chrono rubbed his forehead. Lucca's yelling had finally started to take its toll. "I mean, even if a messenger gets there before us, we can still figure out a way to make things better. We won't be destroying the earth, right?"

"I hope not," was Lucca's reply – thankfully, a soft reply. Her vocal chords must have started to wear out, especially after shouting the poor carriage driver out of his mind.

"Perhaps everything will cancel itself out until history reverts to normal." Robo piped up. "As I read in some of Miss Lucca's books, there is a theory about time travel that states that if the change made to history is small enough, the immediate effects may be noticeable, but eventually history returns to its original course. The larger the change, the longer it takes for time to correct itself. This explains why your first trip to this period left virtually no changes in the history books, and – "

"Stop. Please." Lucca shook her head. "We get it. But this is no small change. This is the outcome of a war. Which decides the living arrangements of two peoples for the next 400 years. That's pretty big."

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Their argument didn't last much longer. For the rest of the trip they had sat in silence, each wondering how the blunder at the castle had succeeded in destroying the human race. That was the primary thought as they ran up the hill now toward the general's tent.

Except it wasn't a tent. It was a log cabin.

The general stepped out to greet the newcomers, smiling at first – until he saw the women. Then his smile turned to a scowl. A scowl which pulled at a fresh scar along his cheek. "What is this? Surely you don't expect me to give a woman a sword!"

"Sir!" It was the carriage driver, who had followed them up. "They have but one message," he panted before tipping his hat to Lucca. She flipped him an extra coin.

"Speak, then."

Chrono sank to one knee. "Sir, sire, sir, we… er," he looked up to see a curious expression on the general's face. As if he were trying not to break out laughing. Chrono stood. "We bring word from the King… himself." Easy, just say what you planned to say. "He has been poisoned by the enemy, and he requests you give no mercy in destroying the enemy." There, he'd said it.

But the general didn't show any sign of listening. After a long silence, he spoke, his voice deep. "Come, let me show you my quarters." He swept his arm in a long arc, indicating the cabin door. Chrono meekly entered, followed by his friends.

Inside, sitting at a low table, writing on a parchment, was none other than Queen Leene. "Roland, who's there?"

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Toma couldn't stop laughing as he dressed Chrono. The new soldier was wearing a gold and blue breastplate, something in itself a comedic sight on such a dirty man, but even funnier considering he wore no other armor. Basically he was all chest, and his head looked about three sizes too small for him. Never mind his legs, which appeared no sturdier than two twigs. Chrono imagined he looked about the same even wearing grieves up to his knees.

"You were caught naked in an open field, that's what you were." Just to show he meant it all in good fun, Toma gave Chrono's back a good, hearty slap. Just in case the boy's bones needed some realigning. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to watch. Tell me, what was the look on the Queen's face when you said her husband was almost dead? Was she shocked?"

Chrono didn't care. His mind was elsewhere. Now what? The entire Guardian army knows the truth, and it may change the world… for the worse. If I had just stopped Nadia… where is she? Why did they make her leave? And why did I volunteer for this stupid – forget it. I should just take this off and leave. But then, if this is my fault, the least I can do is try to fix it. And fix it I certainly can. I hope the lightning won't hurt me in this metal suit. Toma had just strapped the helmet on. A plain gray, or black, or blue – Chrono couldn't tell in the dark – metal cap that covered the basics: the head, the ears, and the nose. Not the eyes. Why didn't they ever think to protect the eyes?

"There. That's how to dress for battle."

"Don't you normally do this, you know, when the sun comes up?"

"No. The general has decreed. We must surprise the enemy. What other reason have you that we dress as trappers and explorers and live around campfires? For our good health?"

"I just don't see the good in it. I mean, the mystics already know we're here."

Toma eyed the boy suspiciously. "How would you – "

"I'm guessing..."

Just then Robo arrived. He bowed to the others and spoke quickly. "The women are already dressed. I found them each a crossbow, like you said."

"I told you I could do it," Toma winked at Chrono. "Did I not?" He noticed the boy's worried expression. "Calm yourself. After fighting a few battles myself…" he grinned. "I know how to keep the mind at ease."

"No, it's just… Nadia and Lucca."

"Chrono, they made this decision on their own." Robo had spoken the right words. Chrono relaxed – a little. "We all are a part of this, and we all are responsible to change history. They will be out of harm's way. Most likely, anyway."

Toma took this time to finish dressing Chrono. "This is the belt," he practically beamed, as if he possessed secret knowledge. "It holds all the armor… stiff… and keeps this protected." He tapped Chrono on the gut. It wasn't a hard tap, but it was enough to make the boy grunt. "All that is left is the sword."

"I have one, thanks," Chrono said awkwardly.

"Do you have a shield of some kind?"

"No."

"Then you'll have to raid the 'armory' for more. The sooner you get dressed, the better."

"When are you getting dressed, then?"

"I put it on as close to the dawn of battle as possible. Some soldiers never like to take it off. Such as your friend." He pointed to Robo.

"Oh no, I am not wearing – "

"And speaking of dawn… it is but two hours away." Toma paused, his eyes flashing. "Then we fight."

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Toma was right when he said there would be a fight. But he was wrong about the dawn. It didn't come in two hours. It came in twenty.

At least that's what Chrono felt laying in some bushes near the bridge. As the sunlight crept over the horizon, he saw more and more just what lay ahead. The bridge itself looked incredibly sturdy, despite being suspended almost thirty feet above the water. Right next to both ends of the bridge were steep cliffs, and as Chrono's eye wandered farther from the structure, the slope flattened out a little. Granted, it was still steep, but it wouldn't be too hard to climb up or down. A fact not lost on the general Roland.

He had gone over the plan once before everyone went to their places. According to the "script," dawn would break just as the mystics began to cross the bridge. They would not be expecting any armies because their scouts would find nothing and would instead report the false army they had stationed to the east. The mystics would be slaughtered on the bridge. Of course they would try to cross the river under the bridge, but they would be vulnerable as they went down the slope, as they crossed the water (in a boat – it was too deep to wade), and as they came up the other side. The mystics would be slaughtered in the water. Finally, the Guardian Army would surge across and slaughter the mystics on the other side of the bridge. The goal was to inflict many casualties and take few prisoners. Chrono wondered why everyone was so interested in taking few prisoners.

Then the army was dismissed. Chrono and Robo both hunkered down in the same bush, just twenty feet from the bridge. Toma was opposite them, licking his lips in anticipation. Nadia and Lucca had gone to the cliffs near the base of the bridge, where they waited with the archers. Who knew how long before everyone realized the army had acquired two women.

Chrono looked through the branches to get another glimpse of the bridge. Dawn had broken, and not a sign of stirring from the enemy camp.

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Ozzie, the imp, and The General waited at the other end of the bridge, just out of sight. Also with them was The Sorceress. Another person the general despised. Not because she was a woman, but because she was so unlike a woman. For starters, she had an impossible figure, something only a man could dream up. The rumor (which the general did not doubt) was that Magus had magically altered her to suit his particular tastes. Her figure wouldn't be such a big issue if she didn't always flaunt it – which was pointless because she had the body of a human in an army full of mystics. Did she really think anyone would stop and stare? The only one staring at her body was The Sorceress herself, as if it enticed her more than it could any man. The General chuckled to himself – she used to be called Flea. Of course she insisted it was pronounced "Flay-uh," he never hesitated to call her the parasite she was.

Now she was the one talking to the imp. "I command you to cross that bridge and report any enemy activity." Never mind that The General had issued the order. What did she care?

The imp visibly trembled. He knew he had no easy task. If the Guardian Army was indeed on the other side of the bridge, he would certainly be killed. But it was for the good of all mystics – a high honor. Besides, it was foolproof. If there was no army, the mystic would return unharmed and the army would move to the east. But if the imp were killed, then The General would know just where the army had attacked from and where they hid. Of course, if by some chance the imp were left alone, he would simply keep looking until he found a soldier hiding in one of the many shrubs and rocks around the cliff.

"Sir Slash?" It was Ozzie. "Are you sure this is right?" The General started. Had he just been addressed? By his real name, no less? He flashed Ozzie a dark look – he hated being called by his name. It was too personal… too real.

"Of course it is right. Do you have to ask after every decision I make?" Slash folded his arms as if to say I have said what I need to say. You should not be talking.

Ozzie didn't pick up the hint. "Yes. As the one true intercessor, I – "

"Get gone!" Slash pulled his sword out, an action he quickly regretted. The weapon rang in the air. He could only hope that anyone who happened to be across the bridge hadn't heard. "And you!" he commanded the imp. "Move. Or we could carry out your prior sentence…" The imp was gone before Slash could sheath the sword.

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Chrono perked up. He could barely tell in the growing light, but he thought he saw someone (or something) crossing the bridge to their side. He couldn't see colors or anything, but it had the shape of a smaller mystic, perhaps an imp. There was only one. Other than this, there was no sign of activity from the other side.

That imp sure took its time coming over. It wouldn't have been so long if it hadn't given quick looks over its shoulder ever four or five paces, as if afraid of being tracked. As it got closer to the end, it would look every two steps.

"What's it doing?" one of the soldiers near Chrono whispered.

"Spying?" Chrono offered.

"Suicidal spy."

Robo tapped Chrono on the shoulder. "What happens to history if the plan fails?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"He is not moving."

Slash groaned. Not because Flea had stated the obvious so much as because he was impatient. "Every second counts. Make sure he doesn't turn around."

The Sorceress smiled, showing unnaturally straight white teeth. Ugly enough for a human. "Are you saying…"

"Yes."

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Chrono squinted a bit to make out the imp's features. The light had improved in the last five minutes and the imp had stopped at the foot of the bridge. As far as he could tell, the thing carried no weapons – not even a knife. And it wore no armor – just a loose brown (he thought it was brown, though in the low light it could have been more green) tunic and comically tight pants. Nothing else covered its blue skin. It was practically asking to be shot. Chrono almost considered killing it himself… though that would be exactly what the enemy would want.

Above all, he remembered, he could not expose their hiding place. But the fact that the imp was here already showed that the mystics had guessed someone was on this side of the bridge. If the imp was allowed to live, then they'd be exposed. If the imp was not allowed to live… maybe they wouldn't be exposed, but they would be discovered.

A sharp thunk! interrupted his thoughts. He looked to the imp again. The mystic was looking between its feet. Chrono followed its gaze, squinting some more. There was something coming out of the ground! It looked like the shaft of an arrow, buried deep in the wood but still quivering as if just fired – from the other side of the bridge.

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"He is moving now." There was no missing the glee in Flea's voice. She started to put down her bow.

"No," Slash raised a hand. "Keep it."

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The imp practically ran up to the first bush from the bridge. It stopped and then stared into the underbrush. Chrono winced. Any moment it would begin shouting or something, running around, drawing attention. But there was no sound. Chrono dared to look.

Of course – that bush didn't have any soldiers – just in case the mystics decided to fire into it to check. That was close.

But of course that wasn't all. Now the imp moved on to another hiding place. This time it actually held soldiers, most of whom hid behind the tree. The imp peered into the bushes around the tree but never actually checked behind it. Preservation instinct, Chrono thought first. His next though was Why hasn't the thing sounded an alarm?

He turned to Robo and whispered as quietly as possible. "Do those things have good eyesight?"

Robo just twisted the top of his head from side to side. Either that meant "no" or "I don't know."

Chrono repeated the question to some of the soldiers.

"Shh," was the only reply.

By now the mystic had looked at several hiding places – rocks, bushes, trees, a creek. Nothing. No sound. No alarm. No running back waving hands. Was the thing really that blind? It kept walking deeper and deeper, closer to the general's cabin. Chrono put a hand on his chest (or his armor… he had forgotten about that) – his heart was already beating heavily and there hadn't been more than two arrows fired! I'll never make it this time.

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"Has he seen anything?" Ozzie pressed.

Flea looked over her shoulder to the General. "Maybe there really is no one there."

Slash shook his head. "There is – I know. He must be blind!"

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Just when the imp reached the end of the camp, it stopped and turned around. It had to have seen them – but it hadn't made any indication that it had. No doubt the imp knew that the only thing keeping it alive was its silence. Now it was free to return to the mystic camp. That thing can just keep walking and we can't do anything about it…

Or can we? Some of the other soldiers looked restless. They were practically shaking with anticipation, wanting to kill the imp but waiting for someone else to do it and take the blame. Chrono could tell because he thought the same thing himself. Robo must have sensed it because he placed a strong hand on the boy's shoulder, holding him back.

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"Now he's coming back?"

Slash motioned to the Sorceress. "Right. And he has disobeyed orders by giving no signal. Remember I have already given him a second chance."

Flea understood the signal. She raised her bow again.

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The imp was so close now that Chrono could nearly touch it. One strike – that's all it would take. It's right there. I could jump out and kill it before anyone saw anything. Just a little closer. A little closer. It came to a stop and looked to either side. Right out of reach, too. Tentatively it lifted a foot for another step, the step Chrono would need to strike.

But the imp never took it. Instead, the mystic turned on its heels and ran. Chrono almost ran after it but checked himself. All of the other soldiers did the same. That is, all but one.

The imp barely looked to its left before a blur of armor came crashing into its side. A scream accompanied the blow. What surprised Chrono most was that the scream came from the Guardian – and it was no battle charge. The soldier crumbled to the ground, clutching his leg while the imp scurried away free.

A hush fell over the soldiers as they stared at the arrow protruding from the soldier's leg. No one doubted what that shaft was supposed to have killed. It was just the right height to strike through the imp's chest. Perhaps it was by dumb luck the man took the blow… if Chrono could call giving away their position and letting an enemy escape luck.

The hush didn't last long, though. Merely a few second later, the trees exploded with screams, curses, and the whip! of arrows flying through the branches. Chrono instinctively dove to the earth just as everyone around him did the same. No one there appeared hurt, so he wondered why exactly there was so much yelling. He guessed it was because there was nothing to lose by giving away their position.

Minutes flew by before Chrono began to wonder why the mystics were wasting so many arrows. As far as he could see they weren't hitting much other than the bushes. He nudged Robo. "Can you tell what they're doing?"

They reply was nearly instantaneous. "The mystics are using the arrow fire as cover while their main army crosses the bridge."

"A diversion?"

"No. If anything, we have diverted them. They have not guessed that our archers are in place along the ravine. It is obvious because their army is only shielding the front and not the sides of their ranks."

"Wait – you can see all that?"

"My eyes were made far superior to yours," Robo huffed, then added politely, "no offense."

"None taken. What do we do now? We're not just going to wait until they're on top of us to attack, right?"

"I was not aware they were trying to get on top – "

"Forget it."

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Roland rushed into his cabin on the heels of the imp. Why the thing had come in here, who could say? But it would certainly come out in a coffin. Or several coffins.

The thing was already cowering in a corner. "You'll not be the first to taste this blade," the general panted, pulling out his sword. "Just be thankful yours is the cleanest bite."

"Wait!" the imp screeched, its arms over its head. "I surrender! I surrender!"

The response halted Roland. "So soon. Mystic dog, get up. I can't kill a pathetic worm."

"So am I a dog or a worm?"

"Quiet!"

"I said I surrender. Please!" The imp got on its knees and clutched the general's ankles. "I swear loyalty to the throne forever – just please do not send me back!"

Roland shook his legs, trying to free them from the creature's grasp. This was different. He may be a ruthless general, but he couldn't kill in cold blood. Sometimes the rules of honor were inconvenient. "Loyalty from a Mystic? I require proof."

"Then I shall give it. Our army has prepared in every way for this attack. I was sent to reveal your hiding place."

"I have a three-year-old daughter. She would have guessed as well."

"The fight on the bridge is only the beginning. We – they – command sorcerers who will call on the dead."

"Don't be foolish! Magus himself – "

"No – others."

"If you are lying…"

"I am not. Whatever you do, keep your soldiers off the bridge. It was… tampered with… during the nights. They will retreat falsely to draw your army to the bridge and then destroy it in one instant. Mark my words and wait for the retreat."

Roland gripped his sword tighter. The imp must be lying. No mystic ever spoke the truth. But if this one did… what it said could tip the balance of the entire battle. The general spoke slowly and chose his words carefully. "Why I spare you, I don't know. But if what you say is true, I have no choice but to let you live. Nay, more. To honor you as an ally. But if you lie, you will be killed – and I have learned how to make death painful. Do those wretches give you a name?"

"Yes, sir. They call me Jarob."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes I updated! Okay, so it's been a while. You may all return from the edges of your seats. This is just a reminder to R&R. You'll have some time - I might not update any more this month (gasp!). But for those of you who like action, the next update should satisfy you... maybe.