The Powterosian War (Book 5) Read Online Free Page A

the hall. The soothing sound of great iron hammers smashing out iron blades on anvils deep in the forges beyond the audience hall was some reassurance.
    * * *
    General Vylvex marched his army southeast with four legions of orcs, their larger ogre commanders cracking whips. Goblins dashed between legions delivering messages. At the front of the force stamped the great whingtangs. Nervous at being exposed in the daylight, and probably hungry, the beasts thrashed about moving forward, prodded by the controllers on either side. Great muscled ogres jerked on the chains attached to the iron plugs hammered into the whingtang's facial plates, hoping to steer the thrashing monsters. Clouds of dust rolled out from the great claws that flipped up the ground beneath the plodding feet.
    Them ferocious whingtangs is an unknown, Vylvex thought. I think they’re still too wild for us to control in a battle. Their ogres can barely keep control of them in the march. I hope our forces is able to use one to open a tunnel under Hador and bring up the rest of my army before we attacks King Grekenbach at Graushdemheimer.
    Vylvex watched the army pass from atop his new miniature dragon on a ridge above the plain. The grounded and exposed dragon snorted flames impatiently. When the black smoke cleared, the general noted one of the whingtangs breaking out of control, its head whipping about. The ogre mahout, pulling back on the reins too hard, was suddenly jerked out over the orcs onto their spears. The whingtang slashed side to side, whipping the ogres holding its restraints on its right side. One landed under the whingtang’s clawed foot. The beast ate part of its handler and trampled a dozen orcs before others could bring it under control again.
    Those beasts must be hungry, Vylvex thought. We’ll need more orc corpses to feed them things if we don’t move faster to Graushdemheimer. Could be the dragon is scaring the beasts, too. The king don’t want Graushdemheimer burned so no dragons in the attack. I’ll send this dragon back to the Munattahensenhov and ride something else into battle I guesses.
    “Drag up another of the monster cave cricket carcasses and feed those things,” Vylvex shouted to his aide.
    “We needs to get to Graushdemheimer soon. We’re running out of them dead crickets, what the dragons brung with the whingtangs,” the aide said.
    On the plain below, orcs hauled an upturned cricket carcass through the scrub brush out in front of the whingtangs. Before they secured them, the beasts caught a whiff of the carcass. All six stamped free of their restraints and rushed to feed. They surrounded the giant cricket carcass, feeding ravenously on the insect, like piglets along a sow’s belly. Crunching carapace mingled with squishing leg muscles exciting the orcs, who then demanded to eat, too.
    The orc army, led by the giant armored brutes, marched over the plain through dusty brush and poor farms, through increasingly more wooded lands. Finally, they reached the heights above Graushdemheimer, the capital of Graushdem. By then their provisions had all but run out. The supply line, slight as it was since the tunnel under Hador collapsed, was destroyed by the rear guard attacks of Graushdem farmers.
    “We gots to take the city and fast,” Vylvex told his commanders in his tent when they drew up camps and the soldiers had settled in. “The supplies is gone. We gotta capture the city to get food. There ain’t nothing left behind us even for the march back to Dreaddrac.” The commanders nodded agreement to each other.
    * * *
    King Bordabrundese studied the Dreaddrac army from his vantage point that night in the forest behind enemy lines. The enemy legions began establishing camps, two north and west of Graushdemheimer, the third moved to close the road south to Castilyernov Tossledorn. The Tossledorn garrison arrived in the capital the week before General Vylvex did, so the city was as well defended personnel wise as it was