The Battle of Fruitridge.

Emily looked up into the sky with a smile she whispered to her group of inventors, "It's overcast tonight and they are making a lot of noise in their camp. Let's get the wagons into formation so we can get the machines set up. I want you all to light your boilers and to work with the teams with weapons ready to go even if your own weapons aren't ready to go. We can't use the lights during our setup so you'll be working in the dark, we also have to be very quiet, so do what you can to limit noise, if you make a mistake, don't panic just continue your work. When I give the signal we're going to light this place up with all of the spotlights on the wagons at once. I am not expecting you to have the results we achieved with the Beehive the other day, but I do want to see some shock and awe. Captain Alexander's archers have circled around behind their camp by now when our lights come on, they are going to rain death on them from the tree canopy at their rear."

Emily lead the wagons into the clearing and arranged them in a straight line parallel to the road blocking off any retreat to the road. The inventors worked quickly setting up their machines, plumes of black smoke started to rise above the tops of the wagons. The swordsmen from the Red Lion Battalion looked tense but remained alert on top of the wagons, crossbows at the ready. Hand signals started coming down wagon to wagon until the swordsman sergeant whispered to Emily, "All wagons report that they are ready to go."

Emily nodded and then whispered back to him, "Have the Beehive crew sound the signal."

A few seconds later the Beehive crew shouted out one at a time, "Ready to Fiiii-ire!"

At once the lights came on lighting up the field and arrows started to rain down on the Inquisition camp. The Inquisition's camp fell into chaos as fires started to spread from tent to tent and burning men with arrows in their bodies started to scream in terror, Seeing the line of black wagons was a nightmare to the men who had faced off against them before. A constant rain of arrows fell into their camp, officers shouted to the men to get into formation, War horns sounded in one long blast indicating these soldiers should gather. The war drummers started to play only to fall silent as waves of arrows fell on them. One of the officers pointed a saber at the wagons and yelled, "Charge out!"

A group of riders managed to group up leading the charge, every living man in the camp still able to fight ran straight behind the charging horses looking to kill the well-lit wagons. As they got with one hundred meters of the wagons a huge sound roared out from five of the wagons that went like SHOOSH! Several horses simply seemed to explode in a red mist the men running behind them screamed out as dozens lost their legs. The remaining horses drew to within fifty yards when the crossbow bolts flew out killing another dozen riders. At twenty yards forty metal poles at ten meters apart shot up one meter from the ground. A sound never before heard on the battlefield sounded out as the poles started to spin. A four-meter long lash with a spiked metal ball at the end began to spin around the pole faster and faster until a long low hum was heard. The soldiers and horses that got within range were hit by the spiked metal ball with enough force to shatter bone.

Once the charging men and horses realized the danger they started to turn around but were crashed into by the men behind them. Blood and body parts sprayed everywhere as the machines whirled away. The sickening sound of metal on flesh, screaming men, and dying horses were almost louder than the machines that ran the line of mechanical lashes. After a few minutes, the machines started to slow and then finally stop.

The Inquisition soldiers started to regroup and advance toward the wagons once more. The faces of the soldiers looked at the lashes in fear, ready for them to restart at any moment. As the soldiers walked past the lashes, they weren't even really looking at the line of wagons. They couldn't really be blamed for missing seeing James Duhan standing on top of a wagon with a grin on his face, "Your highness, would you mind stepping back a little, please?"

A huge roar erupted as a long tongue of flame shot forward over the advancing line of troops, instantly causing renewed chaos and panic through the once organized line of soldiers. Men rolled on the ground or raced in random directions hoping to get the fire out. Groups of soldiers that were packed shoulder to shoulder in the line felt pressure from every direction unable to escape from the deadly flames. Grown men in the path of the fire screamed for their lives and openly wept unable to escape the fate of being burned alive.

It only lasted for a couple of minutes before the tanks on James' back were empty. He turned to Emily and smiled, "What do you think, was that shock and awe?"

The remaining members of the Inquisition threw down their weapons and screamed out, "We surrender, we surrender!"

The Red Lion Battalion swordsmen quickly organized the defeated soldiers into groups of twenty and had these soldiers rest on their knees with their hands on their heads. The swordsmen quickly gathered up all the discarded weapons and created a pile behind the wagons. One of the men took a count of the confiscated weapons while another took count of the surrendered soldiers. About ten minutes later, Captain Alexander arrived with the Red Lion Battalion archers taking charge of the prisoners.

Emily and the inventors started the breakdown of the steam weapons and repacked the wagons. Captain Alexander pulled Emily aside and asked her softly, "What would you like to do with these prisoners? As a soldier myself, I have to tell you, killing them all leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but I am worried that if we leave them alive, they will return to the kingdom and bring back a force we really can't stop. Further, marching prisoners will cause our speed to drop and our food and medical supplies to be stretched thin."

Emily thought for a moment and then said, "Since these men were brigands pretending to be Inquisition forces, what is the common method to deal with such men?" Her face was deathly serious as she stared into Captain Alexander's eyes.

Captain Alexander thought for a moment and then answered, "Brigands who masquerade as Church officers are to be killed on site. The Kingdom's policy is also to kill any brigands on site. However, there is a code phrase that the true Inquisition should give in the event that they are captured. If that phrase is given then the church officers are to be rearmed and released."

Emily nodded and then walked fiercely over to the man claiming to be the officer in charge of the Inquisition forces. She stopped in front of him and stated, "By order of the Kingdom of Windsor, I Princess Emily Windsor-Smith am charged with the execution of you Brigands masquerading as the forces of the Holy Church. What do you have to say for yourselves?"

The Inquisition officer started to stammer, "Your Highness, I didn't know, none of us knew... We were ordered to kill a caravan of heretics, not attack the Windsor Kingdom's Princess!"

Emily turned to Captain Alexander, "Did he give the proper response?"

Captain Alexander dropped to one knee, "No your highness, these men must then be Brigands."

Suddenly an older fat man dressed like an ordinary soldier stood up from the center of the formation and cried out, "Sit Deus noster, quem colimus luceat in populum suum!"

Emily looked at the man who claimed to be the leader and asked, "That fat pig, he's the real commander?" The soldier only looked down and didn't respond. Emily walked over and motioned for the Red Lion soldier to pull the fat man out of the line.

Once in front of her, he stammered, "I am General Alpern, we were ordered by Cardinal Windsor to dress as brigands and kill Your Highness and the members of this caravan for possibly being heretics."

Emily nodded and said, "In other words, the Cardinal had no proof, but he just didn't want for me to left living, and all of these other people's lives were simply collateral damage?"

General Alpern looked down without responding. Captain Alexander spoke up once again, "We are still within the Windsor Kingdom, Your Highness, as you are still a member of the Royal Nobility by law these men have to be put to death for the crime of threatening your life."

General Alpern cried out, "You may kill these men, but I am a consecrated officer in the Inquisition, I have legal immunity!"

An uproar started through the ranks of the prisoners as they spat insults and called for the death of General Alpern. Emily turned and addressed the Inquisition army, "How many of you are citizens of Windsor Kingdom, just a quick show of hands, please."

Almost every soldier raised their hand. General Alpern spoke up in an incredibly entitled tone, "These peasants from Windsor are not consecrated by the Church, they are just disposable mercenaries we pay to fight for the Church. Their deaths are insignificant."

Emily shook her head and then called out, "Men of Windsor, go home. Think twice before you choose to offer your lives to this Church. If you follow this road south, you can return to your families. The road north will take you to the city-state of Connaissance. Those of you looking to escape from the Church or who just want to help build the future, go north. This battle ended all enmity between us." She then pulled the sword from the scabbard at her waist and walked over to General Alpern and slit his throat, killing him quickly.

She walked over to the head wagon and climbed up to her normal position on the roof and called out, "Let's roll!"

The inventors and Red Lion Battalion soldiers quickly mounted up and after a chain of hand signals between the wagons started to move out. The soldiers stayed on their knees until the last of the wagons left. Then the men there either collapsed on the ground or got up and started to walk south. Captain Alexander rode alongside Emily's wagon and then handed the reins to one of his men on the wagon before dismounting and climbing up to join her on the roof. He kneeled down beside where she was sitting and whispered to her, "We are out of ammunition and the inventors tell me they have nothing left as well." She nodded and then brushed the hair out of her eyes, it was then that he noticed she was shaking like a leaf and her eyes were bright red with tears rolling down her cheek. "You've never killed anyone before, have you?"

She nodded again, it looked as if she wanted to talk but her bottom lip just quivered. He took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders before saying softly, "You are an incredible leader. I had two minor injuries from my group and one of the inventors injured himself touching hot machinery. The men that were killed in these battles, they had to die so that those of us following you and even you, yourself, could live."

She nodded and then softly replied, "I thought it would be easy to kill someone that wanted me dead, but the look in his eyes as the life I took away from him.." She started to cry harder and harder unable to finish her thought.

He pulled his cloak tight around her shaking body and held her close to him, "I know, it's ok. I would only be worried if their deaths meant nothing to you. Us soldiers understand that what we fight for, is so that good honest people like you don't ever have to."