Chapter 8

Signs of Treachery

Beckmin rode off with the scout group and was soon on the way to the nights camp site. He listened as the fist leader described the location of the camp. Beckmin remembered the camp it was not a ideal place to defend but it was almost directly on the path home.

As they rode the group talked about what had happened during the last few days. They sounded to Beckmin like school boys, the statements were part fear and part bravado. They were trying to show each other that they were not afraid, but with each statement it showed more clearly that they were afraid. Beckmin could not understand them, they were soldiers. An enemy is an enemy. A soldier is trained to fight and die. There is no question of one enemy or another. If these boys were the best of the group Beckmin lead no wonder they were sent back to cower at the base.

For a few hours they jogged forward towards the site of tonights' camp. Beckmin occupied himself with his plans for the next day. He would be able to lead an offensive unit while the remainder of the group ran for safety.

They reached the location for the next camp much faster than he anticipated. Beckmin looked around. It was much larger than they needed, as the camp was selected for the much larger group that was traveling towards the corrupted lands the week before. This had been a base of operations for the better part of four days before they set out to the town site.

Beckmin set the men to preparing camp and started to wander about the camp site. He watched the men go about the process of setting up the perimeter. They cleaned the area up and set up the cook fires but didn't light them yet. Lines were set up for tents. Areas were set up for slit latrines and for the animals to be tethered.

Beckmin was impressed with the efficiency of the men. They would have the camp ready with time to spare for the main group to arrive. Beckmin started to watch the trail expecting the scouting groups from the main group to show fairly soon. It was about an hour before dusk and the main group was expected just after full dark. The men started the fires and set up regular patrols.

Still no sign of the scouts, Beckmin started to regret leaving the main group. The healers had probably slowed the wagons again as soon as he left. He waited for the scouts until dark. When they did not appear he grabbed three of the men from the patrol group and headed back down the trail. If traveling the forest during the day was strange then traveling at night was down right eerie. Beckmin was going to have the healers beaten for their insubordination.

After an hour traveling the trail Beckmin was starting to fume with rage. Every passing moment made him more and more angry. Almost two hours after full dark they reached the first scout. He was long dead. His chest had been punctured with such force that the soldier's back was also broken. There was no signs of struggle, it looked like the scout had been taken by surprise. They started to find scouts at regular intervals after the first. They were all dead. They all had suffered horrible wounds. Only a few had even the time to draw weapons. No bodies other than the scouts were found.

Only three hundred paces past the last scouts contorted body Beckmin and his escort found the main group. A massive battle had taken place. It looked like a slaughter. The wagons had been used to create emergency barriers, but it did not look like the strategy had been very effective. Soldiers were found on both sides of the wagons. Wounded soldiers with weapons in hand were found hacked nearly apart. Beckmin surveyed the scene and was disgusted.

All these men dead and not a single enemy body! Where these soldiers or boys?

“Look for any survivors.” Beckmin said, waiving the men to fan out.

There were dead men everywhere, but Beckmin focused on a small group behind the wagons. The men had set up a cook fire. They had set up camp! Why had they stopped here instead of pushing forward to the agreed camp site.

The other men returned. They started to piece together the battle from the evidence they could see. The scouts had been killed by surprise so the main group did not have warning. When the enemy appeared the able bodies rushed forward but that was the worst thing that could have happened. A secondary force attacked from the flanks. They wagons were used to allow the force to fight one flank at a time.

The next part was confusing, a small group must have broken through and got to the wagons. The animals were killed. That was when things must have gotten desperate as the wounded were brought out and armed. The fighting seems to have been fiercest where ever a wounded soldiers body was found. Groups of five to seven dead men would be clustered with a wounded man.

The final battle took place as the men tried to retreat into the wagons. The healers were all dead at the end of the wagons. A dozen men, including the healers were all here with three more wounded men. The enemy had done exceptional damage. They had hacked the wounded men to pieces. The healers and the soldiers were in bad shape as well. Gaping holes in chests, arms torn form their bodies.

One of the men pointed out that there must have been a considerable amount of time between the first attack and the last stand. Some of the men at the last stand were bandaged. The men had survived the first wave and the healers had bandaged them. Then they were killed when the second wave struck here.

Beckmin sent the men to gather any supplies they could carry. Medical supplies and food are a priority. As the men spread out Beckmin started to look at the battle scene again. The men had not accounted for themselves very well. Beckmin went back to the first point of attack and started counting. The numbers added up pretty fast, it looked like his entire force was reduced to a single fist. He looked into the wagons and found that the battle had even taken place in the wagons. The men had gathered a large pile of supplies when Beckmin entered the last wagon. So far all but three of the main group were accounted for as bodies in the wagons or in the clearing.

Beckmin was shocked when he opened the last wagon. The last three men were here tow were dead, but one of the healers was there and alive. He was badly hurt. Beckmin moved into the wagon and over to the healer.

“What happened?” Beckmin asked the man.

“The wounded...” The healer began.

“They are all dead.” Beckmin told him, “what happened? Who attacked you?”

“The wounded, you see the wounded?” the healer spoke to Beckmin, blood bubbled out of his mouth.

“You fool! The wounded are dead! You slowed the caravan and allowed an enemy to slaughter you. The wounded are all dead! I counted them myself!” Beckmin bellowed at the healer.

The healer nodded his head, and started to smile. Then he coughed and died.
Beckmin turned to the three men he had brought back to this site and told them they were leaving. “These men were stupid, so they died. Hopefully you will be better soldiers than them. Lets get back to our camp.”

Beckmin turned to his group. “Gather up as much supplies as you can carry. When you have finished torch everything.”

The men nodded.

“Start with the wagons, start with this wagon.” Beckmin walked away from the wagon and gathered up the supplies he would carry back to the camp.