The Ghost Army

Chapter 1

You can learn a lot from history books in the cities of the East.

They say people were brave and strong when they settled the Sylvan Frontier. The books do not talk about the storms with sulfur in 1782.

They do not say what happened when the air became bad and guns stopped working. Nobody knows why the gunpowder became unstable and exploded before it could be used. The people who lived on the frontier found a way to adapt.

They stopped using guns. Started using swords. For fifty years the law of the woods was kept by the strength of a persons arm and the weight of the sword they carried.

Captain Robbin Vance knew this history well. He had a scar on his face and neck that reminded him of it.

Elaine said, "The air smells like pennies." She was talking quietly. You could barely hear her over the sound of their boots on the ground.

Robbin stopped walking. He put his hand on the handle of his sword without thinking about it. He took a breath. Smelled the air. It should have smelled like pine trees. Instead it smelled like copper and old pennies. It was like the taste you get when you bite your tongue.

Robbin asked, "How far is it to the Blackwood Mining Settlement?"

Elaine said, "It is than half a mile from here." She moved the swords on her back. Looked around. "The supply wagon from the settlement was supposed to arrive at Fort William three days. It has never been late not with winter coming."

Robbin said, "Keep your sword ready." He was talking quietly. He had a feeling in his stomach. "Something is wrong here."

They walked quietly through the forest like ghosts. The Sylvan Frontier was never quiet. There should have been animals making noise, like squirrels and birds. Today the woods were dead. The only sound was their boots on the ground.

After ten minutes they reached the top of a hill. Saw the wagon. It had not been attacked; it had been destroyed. The big wooden frame was broken into pieces on the ground. The two horses were lying in a ditch their eyes empty.

Robbin went to look at one of the horses. He was frowning. "Elaine come see this " he said.

There were no arrow wounds or cuts from swords. Instead the horses skin was covered in a crust that looked like metal. When Robbin tapped the horses side with his sword it made a sound like hitting a metal anvil.

Elaine knelt down beside him. She was breathing heavily. "This is not possible " she said.

Robbin said, "This is not a disease and it is not an animal attack." He stood up. Held his sword tightly. "This looks like something."

Robbin looked down the hill, where the trail went into a clearing. The bad smell was stronger here. "Lets go to the settlement " he said. "If the wagon was attacked this close to the mines the people in the settlement might already be dead."

Elaine finished his thought. "They might already be dead." Her jaw was tight.

They started running. They did not care about being quiet. The bad smell got stronger with every step. They reached the clearing. Saw the Blackwood Mining Settlement.

There were thirty log cabins around the entrance to an iron mine. Smoke was still coming out of some of the chimneys. There was no sign of life. No children were playing. No hammers were ringing. No dogs were barking.

Then Robbin saw them. Five miners were standing in the middle of the square not moving. Their heads were still. They were still in the fog.

Robbin stepped into the clearing his sword raised. "Hey!" he said. "What happened here? Are you hurt?"

Slowly the miners lifted their heads. Elaine made a sound beside him like a gasp.

Their eyes were not human. The white part of their eyes was completely black and where their pupils should have been a cold blue light was shining. That was not the part. Their arms were split open and thick black iron wires were coming out of the wounds. The wires were wrapped around their pickaxes and axes fusing the tools to their bones and muscles.

The miners moved, making a sound that was not human. It was like metal scraping against metal. They lunged forward in rhythm.

Robbin said, "Defend yourself!"

The first miner attacked Robbin before he could react. The pickaxe was swinging towards his head. Robbin moved to the side quickly. The pickaxe hit a post. Broke it into pieces.

Robbin swung his sword in an arc using all his strength. The blade hit something. Sparks flew everywhere. The vibration shook Robbins teeth and bones.

The miner did not flinch. It pulled the pickaxe out of the post. Swung again. Robbin parried the attack. The impact numbed his arms.

Nearby Elaine was fighting another miner. She moved quickly. Hit the miners knee with her sword. A thick black fluid came out of the wound like oil.

The miner did not fall down. It got on its knee. Started crawling towards Elaine, its pickaxe hacking at her boots. Its dead eyes were fixed on her face.

Robbin was fighting another miner. The creature was very strong pushing Robbin back into the mud. Robbin saw a crystal in the miners chest, where the ribs met.

Robbin punched the miner in the face with his sword handle. The miner stumbled back. Robbin stepped forward. Drove his sword into the crystal.

The crystal. The blue light in the miners eyes went out. The body fell to the ground. Became a block of rusted iron.

Robbin said, "Hit the chest! The blue light in their chests!"

Elaine turned around. Hit the miners chest with her sword. The creature made a pitched sound. Fell down.

For a moment there was silence. Then the ground started shaking.

The tremor was very strong; it knocked Robbin and Elaine off their feet. Robbins sword was torn from his hand. He heard a loud sound coming from the mine like a horn. It was vibrating through his chest and bones.

All the windows, in the settlement shattered at the time. Glass flew into the fog like tears.

From the entrance of the mine hundreds of glowing eyes appeared. They were moving in rhythm like a drumbeat of destruction. At the front of the army a big figure emerged from the darkness. It was wearing armor. Carrying a greatsword that was humming with an evil power.

Robbin got up. His fingers finding the handle of his sword. The lost army had come. The war was just beginning.