by Thomas Adams
Yfiria even took the time to help prepare a special set of clothes for Brandt. Her mother warned her that the boy would be in rough shape and he would have the guise of a distinguished gentleman at Reave Hall. There was no time or resources wasted on fine clothing or attire for those training in the Vesfalruk Halls. Yfiria understood this. She now realized the madness of Ridynar’s training regime for Brandt at Talfur really wasn’t all that crazy after all. There was a method and experience behind what Ridynar did to Brandt at Talfur. He was preparing him for the reality of life at Reave Hall.
Everyone knew the training at the Vesfalruk Guild Halls was brutal and demanding. There were stories of beatings, bullying and hazing, harsh and dangerous training regimes and austere living conditions. It was not uncommon for an occasional student to die at a Hall. Training for war was inherently dangerous. There was much debate and talk in Vesfalruk about abolishing the Halls. Some of this news did make its way to Radnja as well. Many people in Vesfalruk thought the Guild unnecessary now and a waste of funds. The Guild Tax in Vesfalruk was heavily resented by the wealthy Frey and merchants.
But, no one denied the professional ability of Vesfalruk’s warriors. Their army was still mainly comprised of krigers trained by the Halls. Her father, Prince Rudolph Hestvain, frequently said the krigers were the only thing holding the Imperium back from a full scale invasion of Radnja and Vesfalruk.
Yfiria wondered if the harsh training conditions had changed Brandt. Would all trace of the sweet, innocent and earnest boy be hammered out by the stark brutal life of the Reave Hall? She worried about what it would do to him but she would just have to wait and see when she got there.
In the end it was decided Yfellia would be her chief attendant and lady in waiting. Two other ladies from her mother’s court, both very good riders, would also attend Yfiria. Horses and tack were found and checked over, small light trunks and saddle bags were packed with all of the ladies’ required clothing, supplies and necessaries. And the prince selected a large experienced guard detail to protect the princess and her ladies.
They managed all the preparations just in time. Her father was not a patient man. But, it all worked out in the end. They would be travelling fast and light and her father warned her not to be a nuisance or slow down the embassy. He also warned her that he would brook no girlish foolery. He’d given her guard captain, Master Finglang, specific orders. She was to respect his command, cede to his vast experience and follow his direction in all things.
The day finally came and the embassy gathered in the courtyard next to the stables. Her excitement knew no bounds. Her mother smiled at Yfiria’s and said, “Young love coupled with such youthful spirit and exuberance! Daughter you are so full of joy. I pray to the gods it works out. A broken heart is one of the worst things to recover from.”
Yfiria made a face and gathered herself to mount her mare. Princess Helena leaned in and in a low voice advised, “Daughter, pay attention.”
Once Yfiria was focused her mother said, “Remember to listen to your father and Master Finglang. And, trust Yfellia, she can help you with matters of communication and coordination with the embassy and at each of the stops.”
Yfiria eagerly nodded.
“Now daughter, for the important stuff, when you finally meet Brandt you must not press him too much, just be your normal sweet, kind self. Let nature take its course. Ignore his rough condition. Think how hard this has been for him. When you get time with him focus on him and make him feel he has your full undivided attention. Do you understand all this?”
Yfiria nodded politely.
“Good, now, I have informed Yfellia on how to prepare your hair, your jewels and gowns and how to coordinate it all. Do not fuss with her too much. Trust my judgement and experience in this. You will look truly radiant and catch the eye of a certain young man. Your father is staring at us. Hurry, kiss me goodbye and go!”
They embraced and Princess Helena said, “Be safe and travel with under the gods’ divine protection.”
A few seconds later the party thundered out of the castle and turned west on the Trade Road, towards Tattlerhorn Pass. It would take the group four or five days to reach the pass and cross the border into Vesfalruk. But, they were on their way and that was all that mattered to Yfiria.
***
Wulfgar had returned so that evening Master Ivar, Erika, Wulfgar and Warden Bax met at the Red Harp again. The ale there was hard to beat. Since Wulfgar’s last visit he’d sent an occasional message to update the group on his progress. He’d visited the other Halls also. He kept Ivar informed on what he was doing and how his talks were progressing. The messages were carefully worded though. Wulfgar was not certain who would end up reading them so he made sure nothing too revealing was ever included in them.
After their supper was concluded, their tankards topped off and the serving girl had left, Wulfgar said to his co-conspirators, “I did speak to the Chancellor again, right before coming here. He is inclined to agree with us. Even more so now than before, he believes there is a great evil coming to our land and looks to the Prophecy for answers and guidance.
“He is not quite sure how to transition the government back to rule by a king and it concerns him. He wants to discuss how to do this, with a select cadre, with minimal impact to the kingdom and government. He will discuss options with the group here when he visits with the Crown Prince of Radnja in a few sennights. He also wants to see the boy in person. He will time his visit here with the state visit of the Prince of Radnja, later this summer. Prince Hestvain has desired to see the engineering of Cinder and Reave for quite some time. It will be the perfect cover for them to stop here. They will review the defenses and check on the boy.
“Furthermore, he has confirmed there are several factions within the Council of Jarls that are working against him and he thinks they may also be colluding with agents of the Emoire. He has no solid proof though. It is a dangerous and uncertain time in Kimera now.”
Bax snorted at this new development. Ivar shook his head and muttered, “Jarls colluding with the Emoire? What could be worse? No one has ever heard of a Jarl of Vesfalruk working with the Erhand against their own people. This is disastrous!”
Wulfgar said, “I agree Ivar. The chancellor has his work cut out for him. Moreover, since the boy’s presence here is still a secret he does not think this faction tipped of the Emoire and the Narasists. They must have learned of the boy’s location through some other means. We need to track that and plug that leak.”
Bax jumped in, “I will check on that. I have been thinking about this since the attack and I have a good idea what happened. The Narasist was seen at this very inn. He must have learned of Brandt’s presence from one of the people he had contact with before he went Above. I can chase them to ground and question them.”
Wulfgar said, “Good Bax. That would help. Keep Erika up to date on all developments. Hopefully the Narasist had not made a full report to Crestia yet but we should plan for every contingency.
“This is beginning to become tiresome. I grow weary of this task Master Ivar.” Erika sounded exasperated.
Ivar calmed her, “Aye, I know. If there is no change in a sennight or two we will discuss a different arrangement?”
Erika reluctantly nodded her agreement.
“We have made good progress but we have more to do. How does the young prince do?” Wulfgar asked.
Ivar laughed, “No worry there. He will be ready. He frequently trains with older boys and my Masters now. They are the only ones that can stand up to him. Fridya still does all right but she is totally outclassed now. He will make Master himself earlier than any other ever has. I stake my sword on it.”
***
Warden Bax spoke with every person that Brandt had told him he had contact with when he’d first arrived in Tanic. It only took him a few minutes to discover that Vader’s son Janus, from the stables by Tanic’s front gate, was the Narasist’s primary source of information. After he confirm
ed the information he told Janus to never speak of Brandt again to anyone. And, if anyone came around asking questions about the boy, Fortress Reave or the Guild Hall he was to report it to Bax immediately.
Janus looked suitably chagrined for gossiping with an Erhand about the boy. He told Janus to tell his sister the same thing and then headed back to the Harp for supper. As he walked he had a great idea. Rather than only relying on wardens, soldiers and military patrols to alert them to Narasist activity Bax could expand the net and use those that would likely be sought out by the Narasists for information. He could enlist their help fairly easily and if they were forewarned they could be on the lookout for spies and maybe even divert the Narasists and then report to Bax.
Two could play at this game. He would also discuss his plan with Erika. She likely knew all about arranging for informers and how to set it up. All he needed was a list of likely candidates and a few extra silvers from Jarl Gustave and he could build his own little network of helpers to help watch the town for Erhand spies.
Bax changed course and headed for the Low Fort and an impromptu visit with Jarl Gustave Greyvale. Maybe he could get a free meal at the Jarl’s Hall tonight also. That would be nice he thought to himself. The Jarl of Ost Graense typically set a good table for his family and oath men.
Chapter 12
The Decision
War has a subjective and objective nature and chance weighs heavily on both. So, cast the die and see what follows. None really know for sure.
Ortus, First General of Vesfalruk during the Troll Wars
***
Several sennights later, the special detail Erika had arranged met in an unused storage room in the Sun Tower of the High Fort. The group she selected consisted of Erika, Bax, Ivar, ten fifth year students that Ivar handpicked to help them and Gorgrin, the Captain of The High Fort Watch. Erika started the impromptu war council off by providing some background on the first Narasist assassination attempt on Kyrr. She didn’t go into details about who Kyrr was. She only said he was an Erling and the Imperium wanted him dead for various reasons.
She then asked Bax to update the group. Bax covered his part in the loose defensive plan they had put in place a fortnight ago. He was in charge of intelligence and the first line of defense outside Castle Reave. He worked with the commander of the royal troops at Castle Reave to update and brief all the patrols around Tanic and those scouts and messengers coming to Reave or going to Fortress Cinder.
He told the group, a moon cycle ago, he had recruited a score of boys and girls in Tanic to watch all the gates and report on all strangers entering Tanic, especially those asking odd questions. He’d also recruited several maids, serving girls and barkeeps and he instructed them to focus on merchants and tradesmen and anyone looking like they were from Imperia, or Erhand. He said that based on the previous attack they had developed a fairly good set of criteria on how the Narasists were operating.
Bax indicated, “Two days ago I had a report from one of my spies. She told me a foreign looking man took a room at the inn where she worked and started asking questions about the students at the High Fort. He wanted to know how he could get permission to visit one of students, his nephew. She said that it was strange because everyone knows you cannot just show up in town and visit the students. And, if you had family at Reave Hall, you have to arrange the visit through the Guild and not just come to Tanic unannounced.
“So, based on her report, last night, Erika and I followed the man to a camp in the woods about ten skots southeast of here. He met three other men there. They are assassins, Narasists, for sure. From what we could hear, they plan to scale the cliffs and enter the High Fort to kill Kyrr. They have weapons and provisions. They also just happen to have packs full of climbing gear, lots of rope and pitons and such. I think they are ready to go at any moment.” he concluded.
Erika took over. She outlined the plan to the group, “We can’t just double or triple the guards. That would spook them. We don’t want them to run, we want to eliminate them. So, we will let them come. Let them get in close. And, that is also when they are most vulnerable. When they are climbing or coming over the wall we attack them with bow, spear and sword.
“Don’t close with them unless you have too. They are excellent fighters. Captain, make sure you have your best men on shift for the next two evenings. They will come soon. We should also have a band on standby in the gatehouse. They can deploy to the courtyard when we spot them and cover our rear if any break through.”
The Captain nodded and began thinking about how to reorganize his duty roster for the next sennight to handle these changes. Duty rosters were always a commander’s worst headache. The soldiers watched over them like hawks and were quick to complain at every perceived sleight, even when totally unintended.
Erika went on, “Students, half of you will go with Warden Bax. He will cut off their retreat and attack them from below once we sight them. Use your bows’ and shoot them as they climb. The other half will be with me for archer support, patrolling and setting the signals.
“The signal they are moving up the cliffs will be a lantern over the Low Fort gate. It will be colored red, white, blue or green. The colors represent north, south, east and west respectively. That way we will know where they are climbing.”
Erika also added, “We will move the boy as well. Just in case. We won’t make it easy for them if they can sneak through us. Master Ivar, can you see to it?”
Ivar replied, “Of course.”
They quickly finalized the rest of the details and broke up to get to work on their assigned tasks. The next few nights would be long dull affairs unless the surprise attack from the Narasists came. Erika was certain it would. There really was no other way into the fort without a decent capable support network on the ground in Tanic. She’d discussed it with Bax previously and they were both certain the Narasists did not have that type of network in place yet.
***
Master Ivar pulled Kyrr out of the evening meal line and walked him to a quiet corner in the kitchen. Ivar’s face was impassive but something about his rigid posture and set expression worried Kyrr. He intuitively knew there was bad news. “They are coming again Kyrr, maybe as early as tonight. Four or more of them this time, it is a very serious effort.”
Kyrr was immediately unsettled and afraid. One would be stupid to take lightly an imminent attack by assassins like the Narasists. Four of them! He’d fought one and barely survived. At least this time they could mobilize help and meet them with better odds. Be ready for the attack.
“Erika and Bax are organizing a welcome. But, to be safe we will hide you someplace safe tonight.” Ivar said.
“Hide me? I would rather fight them than hide.”
Master Ivar chuckled, “I knew you would say that. What kriger would want to hide like a scared child, afraid of ghosts and Dokköndi?”
Kyrr was perplexed. Why should he hide? He wanted to face these men coming to kill him. Face them and make sure they could not come back for him ever again. “Master Ivar, it isn’t right that others stand the walls and take up guard while I hide. I want to do my part as well.”
“Well said young man! I will tell Erika to take you with her. It could even be good training for you. And, they will not expect you to be out there watching with the others. It is not their way. Their own nobles would be hiding behind steel doors, enchantments and a host of armed guards. Let us go talk to her now.”
***
The trap was set and everything was ready. In her head, Erika went over the plan one more time then quickly went through a mental checklist. She had to make sure all contingencies were covered. She had one student on the Low Fort gatehouse with the lantern and another stood next to her with another lantern, ready to signal the band as soon as the assassins were spotted. The lanterns used moveable colored glass lenses that could be switched in seconds to change their color. They were common Vesfalruk army issue and should not raise any suspicions with the Narasists, if
they were observing the fortress. She felt good about this plan. Now, all they needed was for the Narasists to play along and show up.
She didn’t like that the boy was tagging along behind her. When he’d shown up she’d told him, “I am not certain you should be here now but since you are I want you to stay close but out of my way. I have a job to do and don’t need any distractions.”
Erika didn’t mind the other older students though. They had definitive roles. The boy just irritated her for some reason. He was dressed in his ragged student clothes and mismatched leather armor. He carried a real short sword at his waist and a single bit skeggaxe in his left hand. He’d admitted his bow work still left much to be desired so she said, “Just leave that to the others. You are only here to observe.”
She knew from her observations of his practice sessions he was just as deadly with his sword and axe as the older students were. She was not worried about him and realized it spoke highly of his character that he refused to sit this out and let others do the dirty work. So why was she so frustrated with him and this current assignment? She could not put her finger on the reason but she knew she needed to figure it out soon. He was not like any other Erling she’d ever met before. And, if she was honest with herself she expected he would make a fine leader for Vesfalruk someday. But, and that was the real question she knew, if he could live long enough to wear the crown. That was why she was here, supposedly.
Captain Gorgrin had his best men with night eyes out on the walls tonight. They were instructed to be especially watchful. It was tedious duty but the captain himself was out making periodic slow circuits of the walls as well. His men would be vigilant. Erika and her small band of students kept out of site on the highest tower of the keep. They could see two sides of the High Fort well from their vantage point. The other walls, well she had to trust Captain Gorgrin and his guards to cover those.
