The Zulani Empire: The New Chronicles of Elemental Magic by Andrew Wood Page B
Authors: Andrew Wood
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side of the street, overseeing the surrender went smoothly and without incident. It was clear many of those being disarmed, were not pleased at being ordered to surrender to the Zulani.
In a command tent a short way from the city, the Zulani priest stood with his military officers, listening to the reports. The attack on the palace by the ape like beasts had proved successful, killing the cities leaders. Even as they spoke, the people within were surrendering to the glorious empire. With the main southern city in their grasp, the smaller surrounding towns and villages would fall under their rule. Within just a short space of time, the entire southern part of Murati had been taken. Now they would re-access their position before moving forward again. The priest told his men that they should soon be hearing news of the other Zulani raids, something that was needed before they could progress much further. The conflicts in Murati had been swift and decisive, but not without casualties. The using of his beasts to kill the leader in the city had seen most of them killed in the process, a gamble and cost that had proved worth it.
In Besemia, Lord Willem had spent the past day writing and sending messages. Two of the lesser lords of the country also supported him in the action he was about to undertake. His raising of an army was in direct opposition to those that governed, yet he felt it the right thing to do. Even adding to the fact that he would be dragging his country into a war they could ill afford. He was however, smart enough to know that it was only a matter of time before Besemia would be attacked, just like its neighbours.
Already, supplies were rolling in on wagons and soldiers called to arms were making camp on his lands. When enough of both had amassed, he planned to ride headlong into Murati. He had already heard several reports of a massive army, with all manner of strange creatures, sweeping across the land defeating anything it encountered.
In situations such as this, Lord Willem was always dubious about the accuracy of such reports. If what he had been told was true, then the enemy numbered several thousand. Amongst their number apparently were giants. If these reports were anything to go by, these ranged from between ten to twenty feet tall, depending on what you believed. He had also heard rumours of an entire Murati army being massacred in an attempt to halt the enemy. If indeed this was true, then it was clear his neighbours and old friends, needed every bit of help they could get.
In Corlan, Luca and Oliver had made good progress. The previous day had seen them travel much further than they had both thought possible. Taking regular stops to rest the horses, had meant they had been able to ride until dusk the previous evening. A similar day today would see them reach their objective sooner than anticipated.
The weather remained fine as they resumed their ride, having taken a short respite. The column moved swiftly along the well-maintained roads, passing through countryside and villages. When they rode through or nearby areas of civilization, they naturally became something of a talking point. This was something Luca could tell Oliver was lapping up. With the Elite Royal Guard banners fluttering as they rode, it was clear for those looking on, to know the two young riders at the centre, must be people of great importance.
Dane held a hand aloft to bring a halt to his men behind. As he sat atop his horse, looking over the brow of the hill he could see the ruins of the old capital. Quite a strange sight it was. From his slightly elevated position, he could see the outline of the destruction that had taken place there. He could see an almost perfect circle several miles in diameter, that was now nothing but dust and rubble. He thought how strange it was that nothing had ever grown there. The only movement within, were the small dust clouds that lifted occasionally as the breeze blew.
His gaze moved from the
In a command tent a short way from the city, the Zulani priest stood with his military officers, listening to the reports. The attack on the palace by the ape like beasts had proved successful, killing the cities leaders. Even as they spoke, the people within were surrendering to the glorious empire. With the main southern city in their grasp, the smaller surrounding towns and villages would fall under their rule. Within just a short space of time, the entire southern part of Murati had been taken. Now they would re-access their position before moving forward again. The priest told his men that they should soon be hearing news of the other Zulani raids, something that was needed before they could progress much further. The conflicts in Murati had been swift and decisive, but not without casualties. The using of his beasts to kill the leader in the city had seen most of them killed in the process, a gamble and cost that had proved worth it.
In Besemia, Lord Willem had spent the past day writing and sending messages. Two of the lesser lords of the country also supported him in the action he was about to undertake. His raising of an army was in direct opposition to those that governed, yet he felt it the right thing to do. Even adding to the fact that he would be dragging his country into a war they could ill afford. He was however, smart enough to know that it was only a matter of time before Besemia would be attacked, just like its neighbours.
Already, supplies were rolling in on wagons and soldiers called to arms were making camp on his lands. When enough of both had amassed, he planned to ride headlong into Murati. He had already heard several reports of a massive army, with all manner of strange creatures, sweeping across the land defeating anything it encountered.
In situations such as this, Lord Willem was always dubious about the accuracy of such reports. If what he had been told was true, then the enemy numbered several thousand. Amongst their number apparently were giants. If these reports were anything to go by, these ranged from between ten to twenty feet tall, depending on what you believed. He had also heard rumours of an entire Murati army being massacred in an attempt to halt the enemy. If indeed this was true, then it was clear his neighbours and old friends, needed every bit of help they could get.
In Corlan, Luca and Oliver had made good progress. The previous day had seen them travel much further than they had both thought possible. Taking regular stops to rest the horses, had meant they had been able to ride until dusk the previous evening. A similar day today would see them reach their objective sooner than anticipated.
The weather remained fine as they resumed their ride, having taken a short respite. The column moved swiftly along the well-maintained roads, passing through countryside and villages. When they rode through or nearby areas of civilization, they naturally became something of a talking point. This was something Luca could tell Oliver was lapping up. With the Elite Royal Guard banners fluttering as they rode, it was clear for those looking on, to know the two young riders at the centre, must be people of great importance.
Dane held a hand aloft to bring a halt to his men behind. As he sat atop his horse, looking over the brow of the hill he could see the ruins of the old capital. Quite a strange sight it was. From his slightly elevated position, he could see the outline of the destruction that had taken place there. He could see an almost perfect circle several miles in diameter, that was now nothing but dust and rubble. He thought how strange it was that nothing had ever grown there. The only movement within, were the small dust clouds that lifted occasionally as the breeze blew.
His gaze moved from the
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