General Clancy emptied the magazine in his rifle for the third time and filled it with the last bit of ammunition he could find in the one of the dead sentry’s gear. He walked over to his vantage point where he could see the entire northern end of the ranch and was just in time to see Hank making a run for it. He watched him as he ran through the large double doors of the blacksmith shop and then reemerged with an arrow in his bow, surveying the surrounding area.
Just north of the shop he could see a soldier well hidden in the brush up on the hillside looking at Hank through his scope taking aim. The General quickly drew up his rifle and placed the soldier’s head directly in the crosshairs of his scope and pulled the trigger—click. He pulled it again and again—click, click, click. “Damn-it!” He threw the rifle on the ground and was about to run toward the soldier who was over 400 yards away then stopped, realizing that there was a very good chance the soldier’s rifle wouldn’t fire either. The General’s heart was pounding with anticipation as he sat and watched the fate of his longtime friend rest upon a hope that his assassin’s weapon would misfire. Several long minutes passed but it was really only seconds until the General heard the relieving sound of—click.
The soldier was also equally frustrated with his weapon and the General saw him throw it behind him in the brush, then draw his knife and charge from his hiding place with a wild yell as he ran toward Hank. For never having been a soldier, Hank was the greatest warrior the General had ever known and in a hand-to-hand combat situation, the General would wager all he owned on Hank.
Before the soldier even started to yell and make his charge, Hank had heard the soldier throw his weapon down and had already turned to face the direction of the noise. Peering through the crack of the door jamb where the hinges meet the wall, Hank watched the soldier jump out of the brush with knife drawn and running toward him. Stupid fool! said Hank to himself shaking his head. He pulled back his bow and let the arrow fly. The arrow shot silently between the crack in the door and flew straight through the soldier’s neck, knocking him on his back. The shot was deadly accurate and the soldier struggled only for a few seconds as his jugular bled out.
The General laughed quietly as he shook he head, “Man I love that Indian!” just as he was hit from behind by the butt of a rifle, knocking him to the ground and he rolled down the steep slope several feet before lodging against a tree. He looked up to see a young soldier standing above him with a knife drawn, shaking with fear. The soldier didn’t speak and the General deeply respected his forced courage to obey orders and attack his enemy man-to-man. It was obvious that the soldier had no idea who his enemy was and upon seeing the General he was dumbfounded and didn’t know whether to attack or run.
“Crazy isn’t it?” he said to the soldier, “Who would have thought you’d ever be ordered to take out your own General?”
The soldier was frozen in speech and movement except for his involuntary shaking from the massive amounts of adrenaline coursing through his body. He looked at the General and in confusion slowly raised his knife.
The General stood up and looked the soldier in the eye. He could see even more how completely terrified and conflicted the soldier was, “Listen son, you are fighting for the wrong side, but the truth is, I don’t care. This conflict which is quickly turning into a very ugly war will have many casualties; you just don’t have to be one of them. You can come with us and help us try and restore order to the country instead of exacerbating it. Besides—do you really think you can beat me? I’m betting this is the first time you’ve ever gone hand-to-hand.”
The soldier lowered his knife but didn’t speak. He couldn’t have been more than 20 years old, probably only two years out of boot camp. This assignment was much too advanced for his training but who would have guessed that there would be massive weapon failure. After all, this mission was probably seen as a simple extraction of civilians and one military officer—at his home.
“You’re doing the right thing son,” said the General as he put his own knife back in its sheath. Just then, an older soldier, most-likely his captain leaped from the brush, “You trading SOB!” as he thrust a knife through the young soldier’s chest and pushed him down at the General.
The General caught the soldier and stopped him from sliding down the mountainside. The stab was mortal and the soldier was already dead in the General’s arms. He laid him down just in time to push the captain’s arm and the knife away from his face as he came rushing toward him. The instability of the slope caused both men to slide downhill several yards before coming to a small clearing where they stopped and immediately began an intense wrestling match. General Clancy was not only more experienced but also bigger than the captain and after the first few minutes, he pushed the captain away from him with his feet in an attempt to try and reason and save the captain’s life.
The Captain quickly got to his feet and stared down at the General and paused trying to catch his breath. The General pulled himself up on his elbows as the captain took a step closer, “Don’t even try to turn me you four-star traitor. “
The General laughed, “Is that what they are calling me now?”
The Captain took another step and pointed his blade at the General, “Washington just calls it like they see it.”
“I see. Then I guess you have placed yourself at a very deadly impasse soldier and it appears one of us will have to die in the next 30 seconds—that decision is all yours.” The General was still lying on his back with his knife in his hand but at his side as he supported himself up on his elbows.
Foolishly, the soldier advanced the last few feet toward the General and yelled, “It will be you!”
The General raised his arm and threw his knife landing it true and the soldier fell dead as his head landed in between the General’s knees. “Who taught you to fight so head-strong and fool-hardy?” he said as he ran his fingers through the soldier’s hair endearingly.
Looking up he thought he saw something move in the brush off to his right and he quickly got up prepared for another attack, but saw nothing. He slowly turned around and then placed his knife in its sheath feeling somewhat confident he was alone. He started to make his way down to the valley floor and back to the ranch when he distinctly heard movement behind him. Whirling around, he saw a creature about nine feet tall staring at him. There wasn’t anything that could be done defensively, he had no firearm, he could never out run it and his seven inch blade was worthless against such large opponent. He would never get close enough to inflict any damage.
He was out-matched in every way and he had no idea how intelligent it was, so for several minutes they only stared at each other. The General then slowly took out his knife holding it by two fingers and dropped it on the ground as a sign of nonaggression. He then lowered his eyes and bowed his head signaling that he acknowledged the Skanicum as superior. With his head bowed, he raised his eyes slowly to see how the beast responded. The Skanicum turned and looked at the dead soldier and then back at the General. It was impossible to know what was going through the Skanicum‘s mind but the General hoped it was realizing he was not his enemy.
The General lowered his eyes again, then after several minutes, he looked up to find the Skanicum and the dead soldier gone.
ddd
Matt was standing at the back door of the ranch house waiting for Hank’s cue to run. As he stood there he realized that the mad dash to the forest wasn’t going to be that big of a deal since they didn’t have to dodge bullets. Every foe would have to be within arm’s length to inflict any harm. Matt laughed out loud slightly as he thought how similar this was going to be to playing professional football, except with deadly force—this should be entertaining, he thought.
“What’s so funny brother,” asked Jess as he too was looking out the back door but with dread instead of amusement.
With a big smile on his face Matt put his hand on Jess’s shoulder, “Brother, this is going to be just like running defense in the Playoffs, except this time the g
uys I hit won’t be getting up. All I have to do is pretend like everyone out there is wearing an Oakland uniform.” Oakland had been longtime rivals to San Francisco and were the reason San Francisco didn’t go to the Playoffs three years in a row in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and even though Matt had been retired for several years, his hatred of their grey and black uniforms was still strong.
Jess shook his head, “Forever the joker.”
Matt put his arm around him in a reassuring gesture, “My dear Jess, I believe God gave us the ability to laugh so that we can defeat fear and right now, I’d rather laugh than cry; but I’ll tell you what, you cry and pray and I’ll laugh for both of us—I’ve got your back brother. Ha ha!”
Just then, Hank gave the sign and Matt, taking the lead turned to the group, “It’s game time people!” and he ran out the door with his sword drawn.
Thirty feet out the door, a soldier who was hiding behind the west side of the house ran after Matt with his knife drawn—the only weapon most soldiers had. Matt saw him out of the corner of his eye and turned around to meet him which caused the soldier to pause slightly when he saw Matt’s sword but then ran after him throwing all concern and fear to the wind. With both hands on his sword, Matt spun around just as the soldier lunged toward him and after completing a full 360 degree spin, his sword sliced across the back of the soldier’s neck, knocking him off his feet throwing him head first to the ground and he was dead before he hit the pasture.
Matt looked around to make sure there were no other soldiers coming toward him when he caught Hank’s eye who gave him a head nod of warrior approval. Matt motioned to the others still inside the house frozen with fear to follow him. Slowly they all made their way out the door and after they reached Matt, they began to run toward the forest, Matt leading the way.
They cleared the blacksmith’s shop and made it to the first pasture fence before any other soldiers tried to stop them. Three soldiers then approached from the forest and five others from the west, all running toward them. Most only had their knives but some had made long clubs out of large pine tree branches and they came at them raised, with their courage completely wound. Hank began dropping them as fast as he could fire, his aim being brutally accurate, as always. As the group cleared the fence, more soldiers appeared from the forest as did the General who immediately began attacking the nearest soldiers with only his fists. His presence attracted more soldiers in his direction and Matt could see Hank shift his focus toward the General, signaling him to engage the soldiers who were approaching the group.
In a full run, Matt charged the on-coming soldiers, running the most devastating defense of his life. He knocked the first three soldiers down with his fist and then began slicing his way through the charging soldiers with one arm and knocking others off their feet with his other. While he was contending with the soldiers who were still standing, Ted was shooting the fallen soldiers at point-blank range with a bow. Matt had received a few superficial cuts so far but as he ran the last soldier through he thought to himself, “This is almost unfair, bringing a sword to a knife fight.”
Turning around and feeling satisfied that there were no more soldiers standing in the charging group, he look to see Jess and Gus clearing the last fence before the forest at the north end of the ranch. He motioned to Ted to follow and they both ran after them.
Matt then noticed Hank running from the blacksmith shop toward the General gathering arrows along the way pulling them out of dead soldiers as he went. The General was surrounded by four soldiers and while he was holding his own, there were a dozen more heading his way which is what caused Hank to run to his aid. Matt told Ted to catch up with the others while he went to help the General. Ted nodded and Matt ran toward the mob of soldiers with renewed strength. Matt, Hank and the General were greatly outnumbered by at least five to one, but their strength and skill were no match for most of the soldiers and the work of death increased as both Matt and Hank joined the General.
There were many soldiers in the army that did not fall in but stood watching in amazement and fear. Modern warfare was comparatively tame compared to the gross brutality, gore and mortal dread that hand-to-hand combat is and few solders could stomach the spectacle to say nothing of participating in it. The power and bloody display that Matt wielded with his sword kept many would-be joiners at a safe distance as they watched in horror as men were cut from limb to limb and fell like timber. Turning to be sure there were no more soldiers around him, Matt saw one last determined soul running toward him with a five foot club in his hand, swinging it in a determined frenzy. Matt quickly dodged the club as he felt the wind from the swing blow past his face and he landed a closed fist into the soldier’s head knocking him to the ground. He was about to plunge his sword through his chest as he looked down at the soldier but seeing he was unconscious, he sheathed his sword and turned to face the General and Hank.
Hank was knelling on the ground attending to a fallen soldier and Matt continued to scour the landscape looking for the General. There were over 30 dead and bodies and body parts spread all across the north pasture. It was a scene like nothing Matt had ever seen except in movies. The grotesque reality of it began to sink deep into his soul and as his adrenaline rush began to subside he groaned within himself at the senseless slaughter all around him. The nauseating rot in his gut reminded him of the first time he killed an elk with his uncle when he was 14 and his uncle insisted that he gut it and skin it himself. After the first cut and as the entrails of the animal were exposed and falling on the ground, he vomited several times before finishing the task. Over the years he had become desensitized to animal slaughter but today was different; today he had killed and dismembered men—MEN! It was then he realized that Hank was attending to the General and not some no-named soldier.
Matt ran over to Hank and fell on his knees, “Is he OK?”
Hank just turned to Matt with his expressionless face and shook his head. Matt placed his hand under the General’s neck in an attempt to lift his head slightly when he felt blood, lots of blood. It was then he noticed as Hank did that the General had received a blow to the back of the head with a large tree branch-club and his skull was completely crushed. Matt was beyond enraged and immediately eaten-up with anger as he remembered the soldier he had just spared was carrying a large club and in his torment and rage, he got up and drove his sword through the unconscious soldier’s heart. He looked down at the soldier he had just killed and the painful nausea returned to his gut flooding in on top of his unbearable grief over the loss of the General. He fell to his knees while both hands still clung tightly onto his sword and wept.
After only a few minutes, Hank approached Matt placing his hand on his back, “We must grieve tomorrow, more soldiers are coming.”
Both men were covered in blood from the intimacy of the battle and Matt looked up at Hank, his tears streaking his bloodied face made him appear as if he were wearing war paint, looking menacing and very ferocious.
Hank helped Matt get to his feet, “You are a mighty warrior; very strong, brave—and wounded in your heart when you have to take a life.”
Matt looked past Hank’s shoulder and could see 40 or more soldiers running toward them. He reached down and pulled his sword from the dead soldier’s heart and ran into the forest looking for the rest of the group.
They knew the general direction that Gus, Jess and Ted had run but after a quarter mile into the forest they still found no trace of them so they continued to climb the mountain assuming that they continued towards the summit which was about a two mile hike. After another quarter mile they had the good fortune of finding the General’s horses that they had left behind earlier in the day when they made their descent upon the ranch. Wearily they mounted up and rode the remainder of the way to the summit obtaining a much needed rest.
After Matt’s heartbeat slowed down and he caught his breath he remembered the second army to the north of the ranch, the very direction they were riding, “It sure seemed li
ke there were more soldiers at the ranch than we initially thought. I wonder if the army to the north came around to assist.”
Hank was thinking the very same thing, “Maybe so.”
Hank was never much for words but Matt was hoping for a little more response to such an important question. So he continued to express more of his concerns, “I don’t remember if we mentioned to Gus that there was an army to the North and I worry that we have sent them directly to them—gift wrapped.”
Hank turned and looked at Matt as he just then realized Matt was probably right. He flanked his horse and began racing toward the summit with Matt following behind. As they reached the summit they still couldn’t see any sign of the group—until they came over the top and they not only found the other three members of their party, but the entire north army advancing toward the ranch.
Gus, Ted and Jess appeared to be alright; in fact they were being treated as almost dignitaries instead of prisoners. Gus and Jess were sitting on the ground and Ted was pacing behind them, still with his bow in his hand.
“What the hell?” said Matt as both men slowed their horses and entered the encampment.
Just then Gus noticed Hank and Matt approaching and he waved and then shook his head in a gesture suggesting that what was happening was a little beyond belief. As they rode in, no one confronted them or seemed the least bit alarmed at their presence and as they dismounted, Gus tried to explain what was going on. “We were as surprised as you were when we came over the summit. We thought we had escaped the army at the ranch only to run into the barrels of a larger force, but as it turns out, this is a Toprak army not a U.S. army.”
“What?” said Matt as he checked to make sure his sword was still at his side. “They look like a U.S. army. We actually saw them this morning back beyond that other ridge and we were certain they belonged to the U.S., even the General thought so.”
Gus stood up and with Matt surveyed the troops all around them, “They certainly do look like ours and I’ve yet to hear any one speak anything other than good ol’ American English. When they saw us, they approached us without weapons and shook our hands telling us that we were now safe. They then told us to stay right here while they brought their commander from the rear and assured us again that we had nothing to fear.”
Matt processed everything Gus had told him but was still confused, “So—Toprak, the same Toprak who tried to kill you a few months ago and the same Toprak who destroyed the embassies and the same Toprak who is supporting the President?”
“One-in-the-same,” said Gus as he sat down again just as a group of men on horses approached them.
Matt and Hank surveyed them closely fully anticipating an ambush. There were four men dressed as officers and one in particular was very largely built, probably close to seven feet tall and he rode a Percheron horse that was as equally large and standing over seven feet. It was the largest horse Matt or Hank had ever seen.
After the officers approached and dismounted, the largest man knelt on a single knee in front of Gus and placed a closed fist to his chest in a type of ancient military salute, “My Lord, my name is Horsa, your protector and servant. I and my men have come to assist you in bringing order to your country if you will bestow us with your will.”
Gus looked around at the group confused, not knowing what to say. It was then that he realized that the General was missing. He looked at Matt with a worried look as Matt just responded quietly, “He didn’t make it.”
Horsa stood up upon hearing Matt’s whisper, “Pardon me my Lords, you have lost one?”
Matt nodded, “General Clancy.”
Horsa bowed his head in great respect, “I am very sorry to hear of this loss. He was a great warrior and I too honor and grieve for him as you do. He was a man of great reputation.” He then turned to Gus, “My Lord, I beg you to give me and my men leave that we might destroy this army that has taken the life of one of your own and seeks to destroy the liberty of your country.”
Gus was at a loss of what to say. On one hand he knew the army back at the ranch would eventually make their way this direction and without supplies they would not last long in the wilderness and on the other hand how could he deny Horsa? He knew he could not trust him but given the impossible situation he had no choice but to accept his offer and he couldn’t help but think this was Toprak’s plan.
Still uneasy and confused, Gus nodded, “Do as you will, and—thank you?”
Horsa climbed back atop his massive horse as did his officers and he gave an unsettling yell, “BIZ YOK!”
The whole army came alive with cheers and yells many of them repeating Horsa’s words, “BIZ YOK, BIZ YOK!”
They marched over the summit and down the slope to the ranch fearlessly and within 30 minutes their movements could scarcely be heard leaving Gus and the rest of the party alone.
“Biz yok—what does that mean?” asked Jess.
Gus stood up and started pacing, “We destroy—it’s Turkish. What the hell is the Toprak army doing in northern Montana and how did they get here and what could they possibly want with me? I don’t believe for a moment they are here to help us.”
Everyone looked at Gus in equal confusion as Hank walked back over to the crest of the summit to watch the movement of the Toprak army. It wasn’t long before they began to hear gun fire and a mighty battle ensue.
Upon hearing the gun fire, Matt ran over to the ridge next to Hank, “Well their bullets still work; this will be a very lopsided battle,” and he was right. The Toprak army cut down the U.S. army without any resistance and they gave no quarter and showed no mercy just as the Toprak army was famous for. They continued until every last man was dead, then they scoured the surrounding hills and forests looking for stray soldiers in the darkness. Every once in a while a shot was heard as evidence the Toprak army was extremely thorough and disciplined. As Matt watched, it became evident why Toprak had the most feared forces in the world. Every soldier gave complete and unquestioning obedience to Horsa and every last man was fearless as well as ruthless.
Matt then noticed a light behind him growing brighter and he turned to find that Hank had made a fire and the group was warming themselves by it now as the cool autumn night descended upon them. Gus had considered escaping into the mountains to avoid being a captive of Toprak but he knew there was nothing between their current location and the North Pole and nothing for at least 100 miles in any other direction. As always, Toprak’s plans were flawless and perfect in both conception and execution.
It wasn’t long until they could hear someone approaching and they turned to see Horsa riding up on his massive Percheron. He dismounted and came and sat by the fire with the group, more casual than he was previously but still very respectful of Gus and the others.
After a few minutes, Horsa broke the silence, “Permission to speak freely my Lord?”
Gus shook his head, “Of course, but you need not address me as Lord.”
Horsa turned to Gus and respectfully corrected him, “Are you not recently made Lord—my Lord?”
Gus was taken aback—how could Horsa have known such a thing. The ceremony was strictly private and he had told no one. He looked at Matt incredulously as Matt slowly shook his head and the others in the group looked at them both confused.
Before Gus could speak Horsa continued, “I’m very sorry; I have spoken out of turn. It appears your friends here were not aware of your ceremony in England, except for Sir Matthew here of course. But it’s time they knew, don’t you agree? It is my desire to make you Lord of this country.”
Ted and Jess both turned to Gus, “What is he talking about? You a Lord and Matt—a something, whatever Sir means.”
There was no sense in denying it now and before Gus could formulate a response, Matt dispelled the confusion in a very matter-of-fact way as only Matt could do, “Yes, yes—it was no big deal. Gus was made Lord Guiscard and I was knighted. It was a mere formality and bestowal of the King’s trust upon us should things t
urn sideways here in the States—as apparently they have. It was nothing more than an honorary bestowal, like an honorary degree you can do nothing with but hang on your wall.”
The titles given to Gus and Matt were much more than honorary but Matt hoped his explanation would pacify everyone until they could explain in detail and speak more freely and privately.
Horsa interrupted, “The important thing is, Lord Guiscard is Toprak’s recognized leader in the U.S. at the moment and we have placed our support behind him, in an effort to restore the republic of the United States. The fact that he was made Lord only means that we can now also expect Mother England to assist us if we should need it.”
Gus could still see questions in the eyes of Ted and Jess but rather than launch into a lengthy discussion involving his rationale for possible treason, he concluded the discussion with, “I’ll explain later.”
It had been an exhausting day and the group one by one all fell asleep around the fire including Matt and Hank leaving Gus and Horsa still awake. Neither of them spoke for quite some time as they sat looking into the fire, mesmerized by its flicker and flare. Gus was lost in his grief, sinking lower by the minute as he thought about the body of his dear friend General Clancy laying in the pasture below.
“You will be destroyed by it if you continue to feed it,” said Horsa as if he could perceive Gus’s thoughts.
Gus turned to Horsa pretending to not to know what he was referring to, “Excuse me?”
Horsa got up to place more wood on the fire, “I can see you are treading the winepress alone my friend that is a bitter path that starts with sorrow and ends with rage and then more death. I know I have followed that road to its deathly end. It is not a place you want to go.”
“What do you know of sorrow and remorse? You have a certain reputation that would seem to negate anything you could possibly say about such things,” said Gus irritated then realizing who he was addressing added, “With all due respect of course.”
Horsa took a deep sign and he sat back down, “Touché—I do have such a reputation but in my line of work it is a necessity for both my men and my enemies to understand. However,” he paused and swallowed twice before continuing, “I met a beautiful woman in Russia during an invasion,” he sighed and then continued, “An invasion of a town I didn’t even know its name. They all look the same when they’re on fire, “he said smiling slightly.
Horsa stared up into the star filled sky as he continued; “We met by starlight, very romantic. I first looked into her eyes as I turned around to see who had just stabbed me in the back. She had long black hair and to see such beauty while all around you is death and war was like seeing an angel. She fully expected me to kill her I think and if it would have been anyone else I would have but she had a power over me and in time she knew it. She never loved me in return of course and I never forced her to do so. I only forced her to travel with us as a sort of admired pet. After we sacked the town of Tejen in Turkmenistan I was tired and according to my brother, poisoned. I wanted to return home to Germany. Then we were attacked by a small band of rebel fighters the next morning and it seems their only goal was to kill Afet—that was her name.” Horsa chuckled, “It actually means catastrophically beautiful, and she was certainly that. You know, the Muslims make their women cover their hair and faces to hide their beauty so men will not sin in their hearts while looking upon them—If only Afet had been wearing a veil that day she might still be beautiful. ”
Gus was both surprised and engrossed in Horsa’s story not knowing that someone so coarse could have such feeling, “So what happened?”
“The rebels skinned her from the neck up and hung her from a tree, no doubt punishing her for not wearing a veil,” Horsa was silent for several long minutes, lost in a painful memory.
Gus finally, but slowly responded, “I’m sorry Horsa. I think that is the saddest story I have ever heard.”
Horsa stirred the fire with his sword as sparks flew up into the midnight sky, “So—as you can imagine, I swore eternal damnation and hellfire on all the nations of Islam and I marched my troops to the borders of India laying everything waste I came in contact with. When Russia commanded us to stop our march I was left with an insatiable hunger for more revenge and nowhere to direct it. So that is why I tell you, don’t feed your rage my Lord. Let me, my soul already belongs to the devil.”