Chapter Five
A Battle at the Camp
It was a casual but weary day at the camp. The negotiations with the imperial forces had not gone too well. However, the Apachenegs had one advantage over the imperial army: they were dispersed throughout their vast hunting grounds. If one band was destroyed, the other bands would not be affected. So, Itza-lupan, Tayunko, and Itza-shalla spoke of what to do in case of an attack. "It would be best to gather all of the bands and burn out the imperials as soon as possible." suggested Itza-shalla. Then Tayunko said, "My brother Geronimo had exceptionally good relations with the other bands. Maybe I can gather them around us." "That must be done. Ride out to them today with all haste." said Itza-lupan. With that Tayunko mounted the swiftest horse and rode out.
Then, suddenly, the roar of a cannon boomed through the camp. Itza-shalla shouted, "Warriors, fight for your tribe!" and the Apachenegs mounted. They rode out against the infantry and cavalry, desperately attempting to keep them away from the women and children. When he ran out of arrows, Itza-lupan draped on his wolf skin and charged. The cavalry's bullets missed him as he mauled many of the Imperial cavalry. The Apachenegs rode circles around the cavalry and infantry, but the artillery proved to be too powerful for their few thousand warriors and several fell to the blast. Itza-shalla brandished his tomahawk and with Cyrus, he charged the cannons. Shot after shot missed them by sheer chance as they got closer. The Imperial infantry attempted to stop them, but Itza-shalla's tomahawk was too close and Cyrus' carbine was too fast. As Cyrus ran out of bullets in his rifle, he drew two of his revolvers and fired off rounds in quick succession, killing a man with every shot. When the revolvers ran out, he threw them at his foes in desperation and drew his third revolver alongside his saber. Then, he heard a shot more terrible than all the rest and he saw who fell: Itza-shalla. The great chief lay on the ground, clutching at his stomach. Cyrus saw a warrior riding towards him, and as he threw the chief onto the warrior's horse, he cried, "Ride him to Sonsee-array! Save him!" He saw the man who fired. It was General Arnold. The infuriated general drew his saber and he swung savagely at Cyrus. Cyrus met him with his own saber and the two exchanged in a furious blur of cut and thrust. They exchanged feints and changed directions but nothing seemed to work. They both swung furiously but the longer the duel dragged on, the more frustrated General Arnold became. He grabbed his sword in both hands and hacked viciously at Cyrus. Cyrus dodged and parried but his defense was already exhausted from hours of combat. His grip on his saber seemed to slip and with a vicious power stroke General Arnold slammed the saber from his hands. The general punched him with the guard and Cyrus fell. Time seemed to slow, but then he looked at Geronimo's tomahawk. He grasped it as Arnold prepared to execute him. Some arrows whistled as a vicious battle cry rang out. The arrows hit General Arnold and he fell to the ground. Cyrus rolled to the side and stood up. He viciously swung it at General Arnold's head in a great cry and blood spurted from the general's corpse. Cyrus looked out and he saw that Tayunko had fired those arrows as Tayunko led the warriors of the other bands. They had arrived in time.
But Cyrus was not joyous at the sight of the relief army. He could only see the corpse he had wrought. As the warriors rode past him, he collapsed in a lake of tears. The sounds of battle seemed to disappear. He collapsed onto the general's bloody body in a lake of swelling tears. All he could see was the burning house. He did not kill a random soldier. He killed his second father. He held General Arnold's corpse as he wept.
Then, he felt a warm, brotherly tap on his shoulder. It was Itza-lupan. Cyrus collapsed into his arms. For a long time, they just sat there with Cyrus lamenting. He wished he could save General Arnold but he was gone. Then, the two heard Tayunko crying, "Itza-lupan! Cyrus! Hurry!" They rose and they raced to the tent of Itza-shalla, hoping that he could be saved.