"Keep going! We have to lose them!"
A carriage and a wagon thundered down the hilly meadow. Behind them another carriage flanked with horsemen raced after them.
They bounced and jumped down the hill they were traveling down. There was no pathway, just grass and vegetation.
"There!"
The Master Marshal pointed to a river.
"We must cross it and make our stand!"
"Aye!"
Marcus, the rough older soldier who once fought with the Master Marshal nocked an arrow in his bow. He was the same one who rejected the idea of fleeing east.
The wagon they were riding jumped and then he fired his arrow once the wagon dipped back down.
Fhewwwwwww!
The arrow sailed and struck a pursuer through the gaps in their helmet and threw then off their horse.
Thwuk!
The body flew off the horse at high speeds and thudded on the earth.
The others continued their pursuit and raced past.
Andrew quickly chanted a light spell.
"Form! Earth!"
A greenish yellow glow started to gather from his extended palm and he pushed outwards.
A small lump of earth gathered in the light and flew towards the horsemen.
It didn't need much shove as they were firing backwards on a wagon which was going forwards. The momentum caused an illusion of acceleration.
The lump was not very deadly but it struck the face of the lead horse.
The horse buckled and wobbled, thrown from its delicate running momentum.
This caused the horse to try and shake it's head, disorienting itself and causing a momentum stoppage.
Stopping at this speeds caused all momentum to move forward and throw the horse rear over front, with the rider still on it.
The hodgepodge of rider and horse hit the ground hard and rolled over each other.
The enemy still pursued.
An gust of wind whizzed by Andrew's ear.
He put his hand to his left ear and felt blood.
"Guns! They are shooting!"
The soldiers in the enemy carriage appeared from the white tarps holding rifles.
Crack!
The discharge of the rifle echoed but a bump caused the shot to go wild.
"Master Marshal!!! Almost at the river!"
The young man at the reins of their horses screamed.
The carriage in front of them was racing towards the river, it would reach it first.
Andrew looked forward to see the back tarp of the open and Adriana peek out holding a crossbow.
She breathed in and out and stared down the crosshairs. Then she fired.
The bolt flew by Andrew's wagon and pierced the enemy carriage. The tarps blocked their view so they didn't know if it did any damage.
"Keep firing back! We must lower their numbers!"
The wagon launched a few more arrows with no effect.
A head popped from under the tarp holding a rifle.
The man aimed and paused. He waited for a dip down and fired the gun.
Crack
The sharp retort echoed as they approached the river.
"Ahah! I'm hit!"
One of the marshal's men cried out as his shoulder was hit by a round.
"Get ready!"
The carriage in front rapidly approached the river and splashed into it. The horses pulled forward and dragged the carriage to reach the other side. It was a rapid which rushed by but was very shallow it was not as dangerous.
The main wagon stopped in front of the river. The men jumped out and took cover behind the wagon.
Andrew readied another spell while the men nocked arrows and drew swords. They pulled the wounded with them behind the wagon and started to bandage their wounds.
The wounded gripped their weapons as well.
In total eight men including Andrew huddled behind the wagon. The children, Adriana and the women were fleeing to the other side. They were stopping to buy time for the carriage to flee.
"Sir Andrew, please catch up with the carriage. I cannot protect you here."
"No, I must stand my ground. I'm a disgrace if I flee now."
The Master Marshal raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to refuse but the enemy didn't give him a chance to reply.
"Come out from that wagon now or we will shoot at you."
The officer from earlier, Alex, was standing on the driver's seat of the enemy carriage. The men inside of the carriage disembarked and stood in a semi-circle around the wagon.
The riders started circling around behind the infantry, all held short carbines or long rifles.
"Well shit, they have surrounded us."
"Master Marshal, I can cast defensive magic for about 10 seconds, please move during that time."
The marshal smiled and patted Andrew's back.
"You stay here, we all will fight. Flee if we start losing."
"Alright."
The cornered defenders started to mentally prepare themselves and waited for Andrew's signal to attack.
"That's enough debating. Surrender now and come out."
Andrew lowered his voice and muttered to himself.
"Yeah, we will come out alright."
Then he yelled.
"NOW!"
Andrew raised his hands and casted the magic which he was preparing. The delay had given him enough time to cast this higher tier magic.
"Reactive Earthen Armor!"
Earth and dirt started to gravitate towards the Master Marshal and his men. The dirt then stuck to their cloths and skin forming armor. The dirt around their feet loosened and propelled them forward at abnormal speeds.
Andrew was moving the Mashal and his men using the earth to propel them without them actually using energy to move.
"What!? Fire now!"
The soldiers who formed a ring around them all discharged their guns.
Bullets tore through the wagon and impacted against the earth armor of the men led by the Master Marshal. The earth however cushioned the bullets which were not curved but round like mini-balls used during the American Revolution.
The lead lost momentum as Andrew manipulated the earth to shift in the opposite direction of their spin and stopped inside the armor.
The soldiers panicked when their guns failed to kill but it was too late.
The Master Marshal and his men crashed into their lines and began slaughtering them with swords and daggers.
They crashed into the left wing of the encirclement and pushed through the infantry and reached the calvary.
They tried to turn and run but were caught by mud and got overrun by the fast moving defenders. Within a few seconds half on the pursing force was eliminated. By then the numbers were even on both sides.
Just then the spell ran out and the armor slipped off the Marshal and his men as Andrew could no longer control the earth.
"Master Marshal! The time is up!"
Andrew called from behind the wagon as the wounded who remained lay down supporting fire with crossbows.
The remaining enemies dove into a ditch next to the river bank and behind the carriage and began firing at the exposed men.
Crack! Crack!
Two shots rang out and two of the marshal's men fell down dead. Enraged, the defenders charged without armor at the carriage and cleared it with ease, killing several of the soldiers and scattering the remaining few.
Marcus went down after the officer shot him with a pistol as he stood on top of the carriage.
However the officer staggered when an arrow pierced his firing arm and caused him to drop the pistol.
"Ugh! Retreat! Fall back!
The soldiers abandoned their carriage and started to run.
The surviving cavalry turned and fled, only after picking up their wounded commander.
"Let them run."
The Master Marshal stabbed the tip of his sword into the soft ground. His right side of his face was bloody, probably from a rifle butt to the face during the melee fight in the carriage.
The battle lasted only less than a minute but about a dozen people were killed.
The carriage with the women and children was already across the river. They left it and ran across the river to the survivors.
"Oh Michael! Michael!"
The driver of the carriage, the same one who talked to Adriana, ran to her husband who was bleeding from his shoulder.
He lay next to the wagon with a crossbow across his lap.
She ripped her blouse and applied pressure to his shoulder.
"Its not that bad Carla. I can still feel this arm."
She laughed while tears were streaming from her eyes.
The other women held their children as they approached the dead bodies of the fallen.
"Oh Marcus."
The Master Marshal kneeled next to the lifeless body of his old comrade. He was shot in the lungs and died from blood loss.
"You served me well old friend."
He closed his eyes and stood up.
Andrew was busy vomiting into the river. The gore and blood was a bit much for his sheltered mind.
"Ugh…. bleuch."
Then suddenly a warm grasp wrapped around his neck.
"Shhhh, keep going brother. You did well. No one will shame you."
Andrew started to cry while vomiting while his sister held onto him. He didn't understand war well as he was the 4th prince and he does not have the combat experience.
In total three of the eight men were dead. Two had brought their families and Marcus was alone. Every other man was wounded except for Andrew. Of the carriage two were wounded from stray shots. One was a woman and the other was a five year old who was shot in the leg.
They captured the abandoned carriage and searched it for goods.
Luckily it contained rations and water meant for the soldiers as well as ammunition for the guns.
They took what they could from the dead, cloth, guns, metal pieces and coins… anything of value.
The afternoon was spent digging a large grave for the dead soldiers and single graves for the fallen.
After a short moment of silence in front of the graves and a meal of rations they continued east to the new land.
The sun was starting to set as they traveled down an unmarked trail in the forest which bordered the river where they fought off the pursuers.
The caravan was now three long with the wounded piled into the first carriage and supplies and children were in the captured one.
Andrew rode with several of the woman and the Master Marshal in the open wagon.
"It doesn't seem real. People who were just around me just before are dead. I barely got to know them too. It hurts to look at the family that they left behind."
The Master Marshal stared into the distance.
"The hardest part of being a soldier is losing your comrades. As royalty you should acknowledge their sacrifice and hold your head up high and live for their sake."
Andrew stared at the Master Marshal.
"What were their names?"
"My friend and old comrade Marcus perished, as well as Steven and Jonas who were some of those who decided to flee with us. Both of the latter left children and wives behind."
Andrew silently sat. He wobbled with the wagon as they passed over unpaved terrain.
"How many more people have to die for me?"
The Master Marshal raised en eyebrow. He had severed the royalty since his early 20s. This was the third generation of the Wallace family he had served and not one every questioned why people were dying for them.
"My young prince, you are a fully fledged adult. Even if you were sheltered and never really experienced battle, you must hold your head high. We exist to serve the royalty and you are part of it."
Andrew was not truly satisfied with the explanation of the Master Marshal. He turned around and faced the sky above him. The sky was a mix of purples and oranges, a beautiful sunset even if those who died could not enjoy it.
""No Andrew. They resolved to die to allow their families and myself to flee. I must work at my highest capacity to end the Junta.""
They continued down the unpaved trail when a rock hit Andrew in the forehead.
This jolted him from his semi-daydream state and he turned around to see Adriana yelp then hide behind the tarp in the carriage behind them.
"Fucking hell?"
The Master Marshal opened an eye and then closed it.
Andrew rubbed the red welt growing on his forehead. Only his sister would dare harm him with a prank.
"Master Marshal sir! There is a large wall ahead of us!"
The Master Marshal was jolted from his rest and leaned over the side of the wagon to see past the carriage in front of them.
"Oh my gods. There really is a large wall… Everyone stop!"
The caravan of carriages and wagons stopped. The mean who could move grabbed swords and captured guns while exiting their respective carts.
"Gather up. There is an unusual wall in front of us. My prince, please use your vibration magic to map how large this wall is."
Andrew usually did not do this kind of work but he was the best magical caster in the whole caravan.
"Will do."
He hurdled the wagon with one arm and ran to the firs carriage.
Adriana watched him from her position in the rear carriage.
He raced to the first carriage and sat on the shotgun side of the driver.
"Oh hey Michael."
"Hello my prince."
The bloody bandages on his shoulder were still visible but his ex-noble wife knew basic healing magic so he survived. He was using his brawn to control the horses.
"Vibrate… locate!"
Andrew thrust his palms forward and used the carriage to magnify the sound of his vibrations. The wooden wheels and structure easily transmitted the vibrations which resonated all around them.
This was highly taxing magic with limited range so specialists were required to do these jobs. Andrew was no specialist so his proficiency and range was poor.
Even if his range was poor he had taken magical supplements in the past which boosted his magic stamina.
"I don't believe it. I know I don't have the best range but this wall filled my entire scope!"
Michael raised an eyebrow. He was a physical fighter so this terminology wasn't familiar to him.
Andrew got up and ran to the gathering of the men.
"This is strange! I need to get closer, this wall is larger than my range!"
"What!? No!? The prince should not get near the unfamiliar wall!"
"I can manage!"
"No. I know how taxing location magic is. Stop, I understand the severity of this situation."
With this wall to their front they cannot go farther. They cannot return the way they came from and if they camp here the pursers will catch them with reinforcements.
The collective gaze of the group was grim.
"We do not have a choice. We must approach the wall."
Several of the men protested against the Master Marshal.
He raised his large hand and quieted them.
"I will go alone. Wait here until sunrise. If after sunrise I do not return, please try an find away around the wall."
Andrew stepped towards the marshal. He was still shorter but he grimly spoke to him.
"If they are not the enemy, you must call for me so I can negotiate our asylum. Hopefully this is the Empire of Kursk, they must have claimed the new lands."
The Master Marshal smiled at the prince's new resolve.
"Good, good. Use this experience to help yourself grow as a person. I leave these people in your hands."
The Master Marshal gathered what things he had including his sword.
"Salute!"
Andrew called to the other men. Several of the wounded in the wagon perked up and saluted with the able bodied men.
The women were watching the men from their carriages.
"Best of luck."
"Thank you my prince."
They watched as he walked in the direction of of the wall. After he disappeared from view they set up camp.
Tents were pitched which were taken from the soldiers. The carriage was used to sleep in and hold their remaining goods after they had a rationed supper.
Andrew lay inside the last carriage which reeked of blood leftover from the battle.
They spread blankets taken from dead soldiers. They really couldn't complain since it was that or the wood planks which made up the floor of the carriage.
Since the wall was relatively close to the river they had used the last remaining hours of light to wash them a bit. They were a bit damp.
"Brother, is it okay to drop honorifics?"
Andrew stared at his sister. If they were back at the capital she would never ask this as it was against proper etiquette.
"We are on the run anyways. I guess it's fine. No one would know."
"Okay Andrew."
Andrew knocked Andriana's cheek his the knuckles of his hand.
"Rude."
Adriana laughed at the petting. It was okay to raise his mood after he was still not yet over the recent bloodshed.
"Go to sleep Andrew. The Master Marshal will be alright."
"I think so too."
_________________________
Andrew got out of his carriage with Adriana. They walked over to a fire set up by some of the men and women who traveled with them.
"My prince, take some stew."
One of the wives handed Andrew a wooden bowl with a dried meat and vegetable stew.
Andrew graciously took the bowl and watched Adriana also take a bowl.
They walked back to their carriage where several other children were already eating.
"Prince! Do you wear expensive jewelry?"
The children were buzzing around them and asking questions because they were royalty.
"Only sometimes."
"Princess Adriana, your golden hair is so pretty."
One of the little girls was reaching to touch Adriana's hair.
Adriana laughed and nodded her head.
Delighted the little girl touched the tips of her hair.
They ate their food and talked with the other children.
After they handed their bowls back to the people at the fire, they decided to walk around the perimeter of the camp they had set up.
"When will the Master Mashal get back?"
Andrew paused midstep.
"I don't know. Hopefully he brings back more food."
They continued to walk along the outskirts. Large trees stretched very high into the air. Along the roots of these massive trees were shrubbery and many other small plants.
As they walked by a large tree with a large amount of moss growing on it a small rabbit like creature peeked from a space between the roots.
"Ah look Andrew."
Andriana cooed at the small animal which peered at them.
Andrew watched Adriana try to pet the small rabbit but it fled into its burrow when Adriana approached.
After a few more failed attempts to pet the rabbit they returned to the camp.
Andrew volunteered to help to tie rope and add more structure to the wagon which was shredded during the fight the other day.
"Hand be that hammer will you?"
One of the men asked for a hammer which was next to Andrew. It was a stick with rope tying a flat head to it.
Andrew passed the hammer and then bent over to pick up a board taken from a barrel which they cannibalised.
Suddenly there was a rumbling. The ground was shaking.
Andrew looked up. Everyone around them tensed up.
"Quickly take the children and hide!"
Michael appeared next to Andrew and directed the people to behind the last carriage.
"Andrew! What's happening!"
"I don't know! Something large in coming!"
"Reinforcements?"
"I don't know!"
Suddenly a sleek grey object appeared from the direction of the wall. A strange black, red and white flag was billowing behind it.
From the back of the object which was moving without horses the Master Marshal poked his head.