by Brian Murray
“What was that all about?” asked Zane, frowning.
The Dark Brethren kept coming in a silent line.
“Can you not see the fear in their eyes now?” countered Dax, grinning mischievously.
Zane laughed aloud and the Dark Brethren halted.
“See, you fools, you made a mistake. You are now on foot and here come my friends,” hissed Dax with rage glinting in his eyes.
From the north came the distinct thundering of horses’ hooves.
“Come on you whoresons, let’s dance!” shouted Dax, charging at the nearest warrior. The man died without steel even clashing.
Within moments Thade, Tanas, and a company of Rhaurn horsemen were amongst them. Several Dark Brethren raced back, remounted their horses, and fled south. The ones who remained were dispatched without mercy.
Bloodied and tired, Zane slumped down next to the Gammel’s fallen form. Throughout the fighting, he had not left the blacksmith. Zane gazed at his blackened hands, which shook uncontrollably. He looked up to see the fearsome figure of Dax strolling towards him.
“We have no time to rest, Zane. We have to break back into Ubert.”
Zane frowned at him questioningly.
“From what Captain Waid tells me, the outpost is under siege and only wearing the Royal Lancers’ colours and mentioning your name that got these men here. The place is surrounded by Kharnacks and more of those warriors,” he said, gesturing to the dead Dark Brethren.
“Kharnacks to the east!” came the call from Captain Waid. “We ride now. Get the wounded and let’s flee.”
Zane and Dax threw Gammel across a saddle and Zane mounted the horse behind him. Within seconds the Rhaurns galloped north, back to Ubert.
The company of Rhaurn soldiers, Dax, and his friends rode hard and fast towards Ubert. No one had mentioned to Zane that the outpost was completely surrounded and ten men had died when the gates were opened for the company to ride out. By pure luck, Captain Waid and the two Royal Lancers had arrived at Ubert as the Kharnacks were retreating after another attempted raid. Bearing the Royal Lancers colours, they had been sighted and the wooden gates, reinforced with iron beams, were opened.
Now the Rhaurns charged through a group of Kharnacks, heading for the gates. Behind them more Kharnack horsemen were closing swiftly. The defenders opened the gates of Ubert and the riders streamed in. As the gates closed, a few Kharnacks entered the outpost, but Rhaurn riders cut down these men and arrows jutted from the bodies of others.
With a loud clunk, the gates of Ubert were closed.
Chapter 17
Ubert was an old, traditional Rhaurien castle-like outpost. The central building made of hard grey stone would originally have been the keep; now the officers’ quarters were surrounded by a communal mess hall, several barracks, a forge, and stables. A huge outer wall made of the same stone encased the inner, grey buildings. The wall had a small wood and iron gate, facing south away from the Great Mountains, and away from the outpost’s biggest threat – the Kharnacks. The builders had made the northern rampart wider, so defenders could more easily repel an attack. Now the Kharnacks concentrated their attacks on the northern facing wall, pitching their camp between Ubert and the Great Mountains.
Zane, Dax, Thade, and Tanas sat in the food hall waiting for news of Gammel. A healer walked in, looking extremely tired, as though he had been working for days without sleep.
“How is he?” asked Zane, rising to his feet.
“Your friend is lucky, he has a hard head! He will live.”
“That’s good to hear,” said Dax, voicing the thoughts of his friends.
The healer sat down wearily and gratefully accepted a goblet of water from Thade.
“Your arrival has been most opportune for us, your Highness,” he said, addressing Zane. “Our commander and captain were killed, along with two hundred and fifty men, as they tried to repel what we thought was a Kharnack raiding party. It has now proved to be more than just a raid, and all seems lost.”
“Who is in command now?” asked Dax.
“For my sins, I am the senior officer here now, sir, but I am a healer, not a warrior. I do not have a military mind. I have tried my best and we have held our own until now. But with your leave, I am happy to pass command over to you, Sire.”
Zane thought for a long while, then shouted his first command. “Captain Waid!”
“Yes, Sire,” answered the Royal Lancer.
“I want an appraisal of our situation within an hour. Number of fighting men, supplies . . . You know the routine.”
“Yes, sir,” answered Waid, saluting. “Calac, you’re with me,” he added, leaving the hall.
***
An hour later, Zane sat alone in the commander’s office, having been fully apprised of the situation at Ubert. Although morale was low, they had sufficient supplies and enough men to hold the outpost. After receiving the report Zane sat alone in the room, mulling over all that had happened to him in such a short space of time. Only a few weeks ago he had been in Teldor by the sea, now he was in Ubert, a cold, lonely outpost deep in the foothills of the Great Mountains. And he was at war.
A few hours after dawn, the attack alarm sounded.
Zane left the room having not slept, and walked to the main hall, where he met Dax and Thade.
“Morale is low, Zane. These men have been here defending for a long time and their hearts are not in it. They need the Rhaurn Prince to show himself on the wall, proud and strong, and stand with the men. Thade and I will also be with you. It is going to be a long day, and to make matters worse, by now, the Kharnacks will know you are here.”
“Dax . . .”
“Do not Dax me, you are the Prince of the Rhaurns. I have seen you as the prince the men need to see. Now get out there and be yourself.”
“Dax, I was going to say, let’s go get them!”
Dax smiled. “Now stay close to me and don’t get yourself killed.”
“Dax, have you been in a siege before?” asked Zane.
“Aye.”
“What should I expect?”
“Hell, boy. That’s the only one way to describe it. Hell and blood, lots of blood.” Dax’s eyes darkened as he held the prince’s gaze.
***
Captain Waid picked officers from the remaining soldiers. He arranged an alarm system, should the defences on the walls be breached, then ordered Calac to wait with the reserves in the open ground by the main hall to plug any possible breach. Zane, Dax, and Thade met Captain Waid and marched towards the north wall. When they appeared on the north wall, the Kharnacks attacked.
***
After several hours of sustained Kharnack attacks, Zane sat down on the rampart with his back against the crenulated lee, facing the interior of the outpost. The prince was sweating and bloodied but luckily, none of the blood was his own. He was exhausted. The Kharnacks had used scaling ladders to reach the high walls of the outpost. Several times they reached the battlement, but each time the defenders repelled them. The Rhaurns used arrows and swords to hold the walls, and suffered minimum losses. Having taken the brunt of the fighting and suffering the most casualties, the Kharnacks removed their dead and wounded from the base of the wall without any threat.
At one point during the fighting, Zane looked over the wall only to see wave upon wave of the barbarians charging with the black-armoured warriors patiently waiting behind them. It was a depressing scene – the strongest fighters had not joined the battle yet. But he was almost ready to give in to his fears when he saw a breach. He surged forward, the first man into the melee. This lifted the defenders’ spirits, seeing their own prince fighting with them to save their small outpost. Not only did he fight, he stood over an injured soldier, saving his life until the reserves arrived.
The sky darkened as night threatened and a bone aching cold closed in. Zane craned his neck, peering over the wall to see the Kharnacks retreating for the day. Looking back into the outpost, he saw Dax stride towards him.
Zane marvelled at the man; if not for his bloodied jerkin, he would have sworn Dax was out for an evening stroll.
“Dax, don’t you ever tire, my friend?” asked the young prince with a heavy sigh.
“Aye, I am tired, but now is not the time to show it,” he said, handing Zane a wooden canteen of cool water. Zane gratefully accepted the small cask and greedily drank its contents. Dax knelt down beside the prince.
“This is your time, Zane. You are in command and you need to see to your men. Your rest can wait. Your men need to see that you care, so let’s do the rounds.”
Zane nodded, accepting Dax’s advice, and rose with a grunt. The two friends walked around the wall, stopping to talk to the soldiers. Seeing the men’s faces light up when he approached and spoke to them surprised Zane. Most of them had never seen a member of the royal family, never mind talked to one. He made a difference to the men and their pride returned.
Zane spotted Captain Waid. “Captain!” he called, waving.
“Aye, Sire,” answered Waid, saluting formally.
“Can I have your report on casualties and supplies in my office, say in one hour? And I think we can rotate the watch on the wall. I don’t believe they will attack tonight.”
“Aye, Sire,” he answered, rushing away to issue orders and gather information.
Dax and Zane walked round the length of the wall, finally meeting up with Tanas and Thade. The four walked back to Zane’s office. With great sighs of relief, they collapsed into the chairs. For the first time that day, the men showed fatigue. No one heard the knock at the door, and they jumped when a serving woman entered. She set down a tray containing seeded bread, cheese, dried meat, and watered wine. Zane thanked her and they all tucked into the food.
After they had eaten, there was another knock at the door.
“Come,” called Zane politely.
Captain Waid entered the room and closed the door. He saluted. “Sire, with your permission I can report.”
“Waid, you’re among friends here. Pour yourself a drink and sit down before you drop.”
Waid slumped down wearily in a chair opposite Zane, and Thade handed the Royal Lancer a goblet of water.
“Thank you,” he said with a tight smile.
“What can you tell me?” asked Zane after a moment.
“Zane,” he started, “luckily we arrived at the right time as the defenders were about to rotate. We have about five hundred men, of which four hundred and fifty can fight. Thirty died and twenty are wounded and cannot fight again. I understand you know how the other two hundred odd men died?”
Zane nodded. “What do you mean by ‘luckily’?”
“I have been told we are surrounded by some four to five thousand Kharnacks and our men were almost ready to break and open the gates. However, your arrival and your presence on the wall have given the men renewed hope. They now fight for you. There will be no weak spots, and no opening of the gates. They now want to hold. And I believe they will hold.”
“What of the farms and houses outside the walls?”
“Most of the families made it to the outpost in time and they are now housed in one of the barracks. There are fifty-two women and babes. The women are helping the healers and preparing the evening meals. The men from the farms are helping with the defence.”
“What about supplies?”
“Good news there; we still have plenty of supplies as the outpost was recently stocked for the snows. There’s plenty of food for everyone.”
“Weapons?” asked Dax.
“We are running low on arrowheads and crossbow bolts. Unfortunately, on the first day, the blacksmith died in the fighting.”
“Maybe I can help with that.”
No one had heard Gammel enter the room. His face was ashen and drawn but his smile radiated warmth.
Zane rose, walked around the table and hugged the big man, who winced. “Sorry Gammel. It’s damn good to see you up and about!”
Gammel returned the prince’s smile. “Zane, Gan-Goran told me what you did for me and I’m eternally grateful.”
“You would have done the same for a friend.”
“Aye, that’s true. Anyway, someone show me where the forge is and I will make your damn arrowheads.”
Everyone laughed, and the tension in the room evaporated. Zane returned to his chair and asked, “Do you have a good administrator?”
“For his sins, Calac has been educated in numbers and supplies, so I have appointed him. He is currently in his office checking the numbers for you.”
“Thank you Waid, it seems everything is under control. Any other news?” asked Zane.
“No.”
“Good, so now to the other topic on our agenda – strategy. From what I can see we cannot take the fight to the Kharnacks, we’re heavily out-numbered, so we have to hold our position. However, we must proceed with our mission and reach Kal-Pharina. From my calculations, the Kingdom’s forces at best can reach the edge of the Steppes in about one month. In order to join them we must be out of here by then, but we cannot just leave the outpost. When the time comes, Waid, you will be left in charge of the outpost. I will have my father formally write up your promotion when all is calm again.”
“Thank you, Zane,” said the captain, smiling.
“You deserve it. I feel this kind of outpost suits your leadership skills. Now back to the problem at hand. Does anyone have any ideas?” Zane looked around the room.
“The obvious answer,” started Thade, “is for us to sneak out of the outpost at night and pass the Kharnack camps.”
“I agree,” said Waid, “but that would be devastating to the men’s morale. They are fighting to save their prince now, not just some lonely outpost. This must be considered. They have been defending here for over a month, it seems since the fall of Evlon. You, Zane, are the reason they will now fight on.”
Zane nodded, but Dax added, “Well, we only have one choice open to us. We stay here and fight with the men, and when the time gets closer to leave, we decide then. In the meantime, we need to resurrect the men’s pride in Ubert again.”
“Agreed,” said Zane. “Now it’s late and I think we need some rest. Waid, can you and Calac meet me here an hour before dawn? I don’t think the Kharnacks will attack before then.”
“Aye, Sire,” replied Waid formally.
The others bade Zane good evening and filed out of the room.
With the room empty, Zane leaned forward, resting his head on his arms. Within a few heartbeats, he fell asleep.
***
For the next three weeks, a murderous routine established itself in Ubert. Just after dawn the Kharnacks would attack the north wall. Using axes, spears, and swords the Rhaurns repelled wave after wave of attacking clansmen in dirty, matted furs. Each time Zane, Thade, Dax, and Tanas stood at the centre of the attacks, while Gammel worked the forge, making arrowheads and mending broken equipment.
Zane began to show the strain of fighting, and leadership. Dark smudges ringed the young man’s eyes and as he fought, his mind drifted to thoughts somewhere else. He spoke to Dax about this, seeking advice.
Sitting alone in his office, he said glumly. “Dax, I don’t think I can continue.”
“What’s wrong, boy?”
“I’m more tired than I could have ever believed possible. So tired. When I fight on the wall, my mind is thinking about supplies, home, and better times. I am not actually thinking about killing or saving Ubert. What is happening to me?”
“Well, I don’t know about you but I had the same thing happen to me during my first siege. The healers say it is some kind of denial that occurs in some people when they are exposed to continuous killing. Your mind has had enough of death. You have been fighting and killing the same way for the past three weeks; I think you should change positions during the next attack. Instead of being on the wall, stand with the reserve unit and see what happens. But be prepared, the shock may hit you before long.”
The next day, the p
rince took Dax’s advice and stood with the reserve unit. He charged his unit twice, to prevent breaches of the wall, and began to understand Dax’s warning.
That night, alone in his office, he cried. Tears rolled down his stubbly cheeks as he thought about the killing, the wounding, and the crimson fluid that flowed down his jerkin during battle. Injured men, their screams, and the death of others he had become familiar with deeply touched Zane.
That day he had met a man named Rhombus in the reserve unit. The two men spoke for most of the day and during the first breach they fought side by side. During the second breach, Zane responded first, followed by Rhombus. Sometime during the fighting, a crossbow bolt caught Rhombus in his rib cage, puncturing his left lung. Though injured, for the next hour the man stayed at his prince’s side, acting as his shield, blocking several murderous lunges, twice using his body. When the reserves could retreat Rhombus slumped to the ground, exhausted. Zane sat down next to the man, and passed him a water skin.
“Your Highness, it has been a pleasure to fight next to you. You are a good man and you will be a great leader.”
“Thank you, Rhombus,” said Zane, turning to face his new comrade. But only dead eyes stared back at the young prince. Zane closed the man’s eyes desperately fighting back tears.
One hour before dawn after a sleepless night, Zane called Dax to his office.
Dax knocked on the door and entered. Seeing the prince’s reddened eyes, his mood darkened. “You wished to see me?”
“Dax, I need to leave this place,” muttered the prince in an empty tone.
“When?”
“Now.”
Dax stepped forward to lean on the table, his face inches away from the prince.
“Now you listen to me, Zane. I have no time for your sorry tales of woe and grief. It upsets me to see you like this, but remember one thing; you are the son of our king, heir to the Rhaurien throne, and you will start to act like him. This small, insignificant outpost is on Rhaurn land and thus under your protection. You will give this your all, or nothing. If you want to leave, then leave. But note, I will not be a party to the heir to our throne running away from his duty with his tail between his legs.”
