Lords of Freedom 2 - Chapter 18
Introduction
Lords of Freedom is an exciting trilogy that includes adventure, realistic action, surprising insights, and a touch of romance. (Movie rights open)
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Lords of Freedom 2 - Chapter 18 - First Tactical Victory
Early the following morning, Sheba returned with intel on Banastre’s invasion plans. Xan and Hon lingered on Guardian’s bridge with her while the men ran through their morning routine. This entailed ten minutes of brisk calisthenics followed by a half-mile run to increase endurance and get their blood pumping for the day ahead.
There were several DFACs to accommodate so many men, with the original structure serving the officers' mess. By the time the officers were settled in, Xan, Hon, and Sheba entered the room. After dishing up plates, they took their seats beside Knox, Reece, and Lindsey.
All the officers quieted, and Xan began: “The Kingmen are escorting a 30-wagon supply train headed for their main battle camp. At a certain point, they’ll part company, and the army will continue toward Leighford to, they suppose, invade and occupy the city.”
“We’ll have to intercept them then,” Knox said.
“We will,” Xan said.
Knox furrowed his brow but nodded. As before, when they first learned of Banastre’s intent to invade Leighford, Xan’s easy confidence rubbed off on everyone, helping to ease their worries.
“Cargo on the 30 wagons will bolster our supplies and deal a hefty blow to the Kingmen if we succeed in hijacking them,” Reece said.
“Exactly,” Hon said. “And we’ll do just that.”
After breakfast, Xan and Hon returned to Guardian’s bridge with Knox, Lindsey, and Reece. Sheba curled up on the floor near the door, watching the group and listening.
After spreading a map out, Xan said, “According to Sheba, the supply train will pass what sounds like an ideal ambush point sometime tomorrow, given their travel speed and the terrain.
“It’s a mountain pass, atop which an ambush troop could assemble, concealing themselves behind rocks and trees. We’d hold the high ground, have the element of surprise, and employ a Rapid Retreat strategy if things go south.
“The road through this pass is flanked by a swift-flowing creek that turns into a small waterfall at the pass and then continues on its way. Are you familiar with this spot, Reece?”
“I know it well,” he assured them. “On the other side of the pass, the road splits; that’s where the wagon train and the army will part ways. The more-traveled road leads into Leighford, so the battle camp they were supplying is down the less-traveled way. That’s good to know, is it not?”
“Indeed it is,” Hon said. “We’ll have Sheba scope it out in the near future.”
Sheba agreed with an eager growl.
Reece leaned in toward the map and placed his finger on the spot where Safe Haven lay. Tracing his finger along, he outlined the quickest route to the mountain pass and then said, “We’ll have to assemble a squad quickly to be in position when the Kingmen and supply train near the pass, but we should be able to manage it.”
“Knox, you and Lindsey form a squad of 350 men, including Rising Moon and 50 natives, along with Reece and his Mountaineers,” Xan said, standing from his chair. “Once assembled, we’ll depart.”
*****
Within the hour, they set off, riding hard and stopping only once to rest the horses before they reached the creek. After slaking their thirst and watering the horses, they continued toward the pass. The wide road made the going easier, and soon, the two mountains came into view.
The road narrowed at the pass, and they saw a man-made dam that created the small waterfall. With the creek diverted, the road continued around the mountain bend and on through the pass directly. Reece explained that building the dam would have been much easier than cutting a new road through the forest and doing so decreased the distance travelers faced significantly.
It was a bit of a challenge to get camp set up in the fading light, but they managed it. Some saw to the horses, hobbling and rubbing them down, while the rest lit campfires and laid bedrolls out. Rising Moon dispatched a few braves to hunt, accompanied by Sheba.
The area was teeming with game, and given the hour, nocturnal creatures were venturing out. The natives snared several rabbits and one of them, a maid named Shania, bagged a three-point buck with an arrow. Sheba brought down another buck of similar size, which buoyed everyone’s spirits when they returned to camp.
Around campfires, the men told tales of adventure, in particular Reece, who had many a yarn with all the exploring he’d done. Xan’s story of how he and Sheba met amazed everyone, and how he and Hon found their way back to each other intrigued them all.
Marius and Lindsey entertained the group with a story of a canoe ride gone awry: Two tribal men, each with a teenage son, had visited Leighford to trade goods. They’d arrived on canoes via the Pee Dee River that flowed past near the city and left the two boys with the canoes. The native boys had been around the same age as Marius and Lindsey—fourteen.
They struck up a conversation with the tribal boys, and soon Marius sat aboard one canoe and Lindsey the other. The Indian boys shoved the canoes into the river and proceeded to teach their new friends the skill of canoeing. It was tricky to sail the odd boats, rowing back and forth in sync, but soon enough Marius and Lindsey caught on, schooled by the practiced tribal boys.
Then they hit an eddy, which caught all four of them unawares and swept the canoes downriver. By the time they managed to get the canoes to shore, they were miles from the city and had to hike back.
All four fathers took the news in stride, though, and mounted horses, each man with their son riding behind them on their mounts. When they reached the canoes, the men boarded them as the boys had: one brave in a canoe with Lindsey’s father and the other riding with Knox senior.
Marius and Lindsey’s fathers had to get the hang of rowing in sync, but they mastered it to some degree, as their sons had, and then set off, back upriver. With two grown men rowing each canoe, the stiff current was manageable, and the canoes quickly moved out of view. The four boys rode the horses back to Leighford.
Rising Moon had heard this tale before but chuckled, nonetheless. He then recounted a legend common to the natives of a spirit bison who guarded tribal braves against attacks by roaming wolf packs.
“I was cornered by a pack of wolves as a teenage boy one winter,” Rising Moon began. “I used all of my arrows to fend them off and then made my last stand with nothing but a long stick.
“The clouds in the sky formed into a bison, and when the wind began blowing, it seemed to be running across the sky. This made the wolves restless and wary until, one by one, they slunk away.”
The Freemen were skeptical of this claim, but every Indian believed wholeheartedly. All of them had heeded Rising Moon in his call to arms, but now they viewed him as a man favored by the Great Spirit.
*****
The next morning, Xan and Knox left camp to scout the area. They plotted ambush positions and Rapid Retreat routes, should it come to that, while Sheba departed to assess the supply train’s progress and position.
Once the ambush formation was determined, the soldiers and Mountaineers concealed themselves across the lower halves of the pass among the many boulders and trees. Rising Moon and half his braves hiked up one side of the pass and fanned out amongst the trees. The remaining braves crossed the road and took position near the top on the other side of the pass.
In less than an hour, Sheba loped into view and joined Xan and Hon on the eastern tip of the pass. The men awaited her report, watching the trio from their various positions. Whether or not they understood how, they’d accepted the fact that Sheba was able to communicate with Xan and Hon. Since the tiger hadn’t been wrong yet, there was no cause for doubt now.
“The army and supply train will come into view shortly; stand at the ready men.” Xan’s voice was strong and clear across the pass, trapped by the facing mountain and echoing to silence.
All watched and waited without a sound until, at last, the first wagon moved into view. General Banastre led the procession astride his buckskin bay, looking confident and sure, not suspecting trouble of any sort, let alone an ambush.
When Knox raised a hand to signal Reece, half of the Mountaineers opened fire from the hillside trees. As they’d been trained to do, the other half sighted their targets and fired their rifles while the first men reloaded.
Knox signaled the soldiers next. They fired in like manner, focusing on the soldiers near the wagons, to open them up to attack.
It was utter confusion for the battalion of Kingmen, and those still standing sought to retreat. General Banastre bellowed at his men to regroup, prompting his stallion to rear and whinny viciously.
Knox and Lindsey exchanged a look at Banastre’s patent move. The buckskin bay was a fine battle steed, fierce and well-trained, the light streak in his mane streaming in the breeze. Had Banastre not been the enemy, the sight would have inspired them, neither cared to admit.
Shouting orders, Banastre waved some of his men back to defend the wagons and others to form an offensive line. They tried, inspired indeed, but volleys of arrows from both sides of the pass had them all, including Banastre, ducking for cover.
First Lieutenant Lindsey led a charge down the mountainside to head the rest of the Kingmen off. There were shouts of warning to the wagons not yet in sight to retreat, and General Banastre was galloping back to ensure they did so.
When Sheba leaped into view, despite their general’s orders, the men on the first wagons abandoned them and hastily fled. More Kingmen fell to bullets, arrows, and tiger claws, but those who managed to move out of range were not pursued. Capturing the enemy was not part of this mission.
Atop the mountain pass, Knox urged Bridger along, tracking Lindsey, Reece, and their men. Lindsey ordered half of his men to circle to the back of the supply train to prevent retreat while he covered those remaining in their attack on the wagons in sight.
Then General Banastre slipped into view behind Lindsey, having moved in unnoticed amidst the chaos. Knox tensed as Banastre raised his rifle and took aim. A shout in this chaos, from this distance wouldn’t reach his First Lieutenant, echo or not.
Warning him was vital though; as things stood, Lindsey was a sitting duck. Then a whisper trailed through Knox’s mind: the last lines of Hailey’s letter...You must heed Mercedes’ counsel, Marius, and carry the mirror into battle. My love and prayers are with you...
In that moment, Knox knew what he had to do—the only way to save Lindsey from certain doom. He eyed the shining sun as he fished the mirror from his vest pocket and then held it high. Angling the mirror just so, Knox projected a blinding ray of sunlight into Banastre’s eyes.
The general flinched, and his shot went wide as Sheba leaped, tackling Lindsey from his saddle. Redd whinnied and danced to one side, seeking to shield Lindsey as he gathered his wits.
The buckskin bay snorted and bucked when Sheba headed his way, seeking retreat and fighting the reins. Banastre scanned the mountainside, struggling to keep the stallion under control. When he saw Knox on the mountain crest, calmly watching, his expression darkened.
Sheba, meanwhile, bared her fangs and roared, which did the trick. Like a skittish colt, the stallion bucked again before bolting back down the road. Banastre barely managed to stay in the saddle, though he was forced to drop his rifle to manage it.
Sheba padded over to Lindsey as he sat up, stunned from the fall. Even from the lip of the hillside, Knox could see he was wary of the tiger all over again, scooting back and struggling to get to his feet. Sheba leaned in to touch her great head to Lindsey’s before licking his cheek.
Lindsey gaped at her a moment before shaking his head and reaching to stroke her neck. Then, he stood and walked over to retrieve General Banastre’s rifle. With it in hand, he looked up at Knox, who saluted him sharply. In reply, Lindsey raised the general’s rifle high.
*****
General Banastre rounded up his remaining men, 487 of the original 1,000. This was disastrous, especially given the wagons they’d lost. The supplies and ammunition were critical to the Kingmen army. Also, he hadn’t seen a single Freemen soldier or native fall.
The ambush was brilliant and perfectly executed, he had to admit. It might have been more of a battle had it not been for the natives; Banastre couldn’t fathom how Knox had convinced so many of them to fight alongside him.
The natives were savages, primitive and uneducated, yet ferocious and unruly. They were a plague to the land that needed to be driven off, if not exterminated. Yet Knox, clearly general now, had tamed them, for lack of a better term.
Banastre ground his teeth, recalling the sight of Knox astride his palomino atop the mountain pass just after his shot at Lindsey missed its mark. Something had blinded him for a critical second in his aim, and he had the feeling Knox was behind it...but how? After taking out General Stumps, shooting down Lindsey, likely First Lieutenant now, would have been a grand prize, yet Knox had snatched it from him.
The huge black tiger’s second appearance was particularly unsettling. This time she’d come right at him, sending his battle steed bolting like a sheep before her. Of course, the stallion was no match, but still. Topping it all off was the loss of his rifle, and again Banastre ground his teeth.
The Kingmen soldiers were murmuring amongst themselves but fell silent at once when General Banastre cleared his throat. They were demoralized in their defeat, with many among their numbers facing desertion charges. The Freemen’s alliance with the natives was devastating, not to mention the black nightmare on paws they’d faced.
"It appears the ambush attack was led by a most clever fox. Our aim now is to trap and depose Knox Fox. After that, we’ll win this war and return triumphant to the king!"
Banastre added a sneer to make his point, and before long, the nickname took hold. Among friends and enemies alike, Marius became known as Knox Fox.
*****
Back at Safe Haven, once the supplies and munitions were stored and organized, Xan and Hon called a special meeting in the briefing room. Only Knox, Lindsey, Reece, and Rising Moon were invited to join, but of course, Sheba took her place at Xan’s side.
“The ambush attack was a great success. I’ve told you and the men that already, but once again, well done. We did not suffer a single casualty,” Xan began.
He looked at Lindsey and continued, “You had a very close call, but thanks to Knox’s quick thinking and Sheba’s swift intervention, you’re no worse for wear.”
Lindsey smiled faintly as his rather wary gaze trailed to Sheba.
“It was Hailey’s letter that inspired me,” Knox said. “I intend to keep the mirror on my person.”
“The one critique I have, looking back, is the men’s accuracy. Too many shots were missed,” Xan said. “The timed shooting and reloading, however, was most impressive.
“Knox, you, Lindsey, and Reece will set up more accuracy training over the next few weeks.”
The three nodded assent. They’d noticed the same thing in the battle’s course.
Xan turned to Rising Moon. “Your comrades fought bravely and their aim was true by and large. However, they were not as steady in the fight as we needed them to be. It was a whole new experience for them I realize—fighting black powder weapons with arrows while maintaining position rather than moving in and out of range.
“This was to be expected. No amount of practice can prepare for what a real battle entails. Having experienced the noise and confusion of facing black powder weapons, you and your braves will know what to expect now. Those fighting with bows must trust those with rifles to have their backs. Bowmen, in turn, are an effective overguard.”
“You are correct,” Rising Moon said. “I will relay your words to my braves.”
Xan turned to Reece. "We need to construct more battle camps to cover more territory and accommodate new recruits. Map out advantageous locales; then, one by one, we’ll erect and man them."
“I have a few ideas already,” Reece said thoughtfully, looking at the map mounted on the wall.
Xan continued, “Once our numbers increase sufficiently, we will divide them between infantry and cavalry, with others to join the navy force. Each land battalion will include squads of scouts, snipers, and archers. The Kingmen may outnumber us by nearly half. Using the Fabian Tactics, do you think we can triumph?"
All four replied in the affirmative. The ambush victory had proven that to all of them. With more men, continued drills, and shrewd tactics, the Freemen would become a force to be reckoned with and emerge victorious in the end.
Copyright 2025 Gene Van Shaar