by Thomas Adams
Our future he thought to himself? Whatever does she mean? He looked over at her, sly like, trying to be unobtrusive. She called it ‘sneaking a peek’. It rarely worked and she usually caught him and scolded him. Her black hair had waves and curls and cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. It was a very unusual color he thought. It looked very soft and the light from the fireplace made it gleam.
Where did hair like that come from? What did it mean? He had never seen hair that color until she arrived at Talfur. He wondered about it a lot. He was sure it was not typical in Vesfalruk. But, he knew they were not in Vesfalruk. The Druid called this land the Shadow Lands, wherever that was. He’d spent all his life in the Shadow Lands. Well, that was all he could remember at least. He still did not understand where they were. It was far from Vesfalruk though.
The girl had arrived at their small castle only a few moons ago. It was very different since she had come. Everything had changed and he was not always happy about the new routine and the bossy new princess. She was maybe a year or two older than him but she acted like she was grown. He asked her soon after her arrival how old she was but she refused to answer. Instead he had received a scalding retort on the unsuitability of such an inquiry to a lady. He was very confused by that exchange still. What was an inquiry and what lady was the girl talking about?
“My grandmother was a Princess of Osterider, descended from one of their Great Ancestors!” she said suddenly in a very grown-up manner, “Many high-born ladies and priestesses from Osterider have this color hair. It is not all that unusual there, so I have been told. Is it not very beautiful?”
He was stunned by her response to his silent questions. Was she reading his mind? How did she know what he was just thinking about? It was very pretty hair he had to admit to himself. He would never tell her that though. He wanted to touch it and see if it was as soft as it looked. “I will take that as agreement that my hair is beautiful. And yes, it is very soft. Thank you. But, I don’t know what is in your mind unless you project it outward from yourself. You have a very strong ability to project. I am sure it is a family trait.”
He stared at her with his mouth hanging open, “You should close your mouth before a bug flies in and you swallow it. That Druid or Ridynar need to teach you to curb your tendency to project unless it is something you intend to do. It is very frustrating to me. It is like you are silently shouting at me all the time. It would be much better to learn to control your archania then it would be to spend so much time on those silly games or thinking about my black hair,” she concluded.
The boy fled from the room in a panic. He had no idea what the girl was talking about but she was obviously a witch. He had heard about witches from Ridynar and those stories never ended well for the children in them. It was not safe to be around witches. Witches took little boys from their parents and ate them. Sometimes they cooked them in giant pots or tied them up in dark evil forests and fed them to their animal or plant friends. He must find Aravin at once and tell him. He hustled down the hall but the lilting laughter of the girl chased after him. He ran even faster.
***
They rode hard the next few days. Erika pushed them every day and the fear of an early winter drove them. She said, “It is best to make good time now while the weather is in our favor. Once it turns we will be lucky to get ten skots a day.
Alfaar, Bosse and Erika continued to keep a watchful eye out for pursuit and frequently took steps to mask their trail. Horace was as vigilant as ever and his taciturn behavior was baffling to Brandt. But, the others seemed to accept his silence and let him be.
One day when Horace was on guard duty, Brandt asked Bax about Horace. Bax glanced up from the campfire and said, “There is a lot of rumor about Horace. No one really knows him well except Master Ivar. I do not know where he came from or even his clan. I think he used to be an officer in the army and he was the personal guard of a previous chancellor. I do know he has known Ivar for a very long time. Ivar trusts him. He is here to keep you safe. So, let him be. He has a job to do.”
Later, as Brandt prepared to turn in, Fridya came up to him and asked him to follow her. They walked over to the edge of the camp near where the horses were picketed. It was late and had been a trying day and everyone was tired, except Fridya apparently. Brandt had no idea what she wanted now.
She stopped and turned about and pulled him into a hug, her lips pressed to his cheek and then sought out his. He was shocked and just stood there initially but then he placed his hands gently on her shoulders and pushed her back as step.
He was still reeling and she said, “You don’t want to kiss me Brandt?”
He was getting angry; they had just talked about this a few days ago when she had kissed him. He took a deep breath, “It is not that. We talked about this and I asked you to not do this again. I am not comfortable with it right now.”
Her eyes flashed and she exclaimed with considerable heat, “Why not? I have made it clear to you how I feel, can’t we at least see where this will take us and how we feel about one another? I want to know and I am tired of waiting. You have had plenty of time to sort out your feelings for Yfiria.”
He winced. She was not shouting but her words clearly carried across the campsite. Erika had heard and was watching them closely. He said, “This is not the time or the place for this Fridya.” He turned and walked back to his sleeping furs.
***
Thane Corvalsun of Nordhöm sat his horse at the head of his volkhird’s column. The column had halted at his command when he spied three riders approaching fast from the south. The riders were still a ways off but Corvalsun could see the red and gold banner of the Emperor of Osterider born by one rider. He was sure he knew what tidings these men bore and he was not ready for this summons. He had hoped he would have until spring before the missive arrived.
He looked back over the column of his people. Nordhöm was a large volkhird and controlled a huge swath of the north central steppes of Osterider. The volkhird was moving south, away from their summer pastures to Esmhan, the clan’s winter quarters. Esmhan was the only winter location they had that could accommodate all of the clan. It was situated in low wooded hills that surrounded an ancient volcanic crater. The crater contained a lake that stayed warm year round and was mostly ice free in winter. Fish were plentiful and the clan’s diet was pleasantly varied over winter at Esmhan.
There were also hot springs and pools scattered throughout the hills that were quite enjoyable to relax in during the long dark freezing winter days. Over the centuries many wooden halls and cabins were built around these pools and his volkhird had made a tradition of their use whenever they stayed in Esmhan.
The hills of Esmhan also offered some relief from the harsh north winds and the winter storms. So, Esmhan was a good winter refuge for his people and their animals. Over the centuries, the volkhird had constructed many huge wooden barns to store feed for their herds and food for the clan, these supplies would feed them over winter. The volkhird worked hard to stock the barns and their underground store rooms for the winter. They were guarded year round by rotating bands of the volkhird’s youngest warriors. Watch towers on the hills and roving patrols were used when the volkhird was in residence to protect themselves from wolves, wandering tundra bears and from other clans. The harsh winters of the north usually brought out the worst in their neighbors and Esmhan was a rich but defensible target.
He gazed out across the rolling plains of his beloved land as the emperor’s messengers came closer. The snows would come soon and cover the steppes. The land would wither and die for the cold season. Fodder for the herds would be a daily challenge. Life was a struggle in the winters of Osterider. It was always this way. He would not have it any other way though. This was their land.
The Emperor’s riders reigned in their horses in front of him and saluted. The emperor’s messenger pushed his mount close and held out the imperial missive. It was a leather tooled scroll tube, the ends sealed with wax.
The imperial sigil was carved and highlighted in green and gold in the dark brown leather. The long graceful tassels at each end were black horsehair. A green band was also tied around the tube. It was as he had suspected, the Conclave was called. The emperor was dying.
Chapter 29
Ambush
SwordBreaker was an infamous and cursed sword. It was a war sword of very plain adornment with excellent balance, strength and light of weight. Few knew how to invoke its archania though and fewer still were actually able to wield it. Supposedly, the sword was very selective in who it allowed to bear and use it. It was purported that a wielder could use its archania to miraculously shatter an opponent’s sword with just a strike and a thought.
Legend tells us the strongest wielders of SwordBreaker could employ the same technique to break multiple opponents’ blades all with one strike. This same legend said one wielder was so powerful he broke one thousand enemy blades with a single blow. The blow was so powerful it cut the wielder’s opponent in twain and also broke the sword arms of hundreds of enemy soldiers.
Grand Master Talgarth, Reave Hall
***
The Emoire legionaries, a cohort led by Centurion Antoninus, went street to street through the slums and slave quarters of Rola. Rola was a large city in southern Emoire and its’ main industries were agriculture and textiles. There was a large slave population in the city and in the surrounding farms to provide the manpower needed for such labor intensive industries. About half of the population of the city and the surrounding towns and estates consisted of slaves.
The local garrison was ordered by Crestia to begin rounding up slaves of military age, sixteen to thirty five years old, and press them into service. Once formed, cohorts of the new slave soldiers would then be escorted north to the capitol for training. Eventually they would form new legions and be used for the invasion of Vesfal or to replace other legions pulled from key frontier or coastal defense roles.
For over a year now the government had told the citizens and slaves throughout the Emorie that Vesfal was evil and had provoked war by their aggressive military actions and restrictive trade policies. This was a common enough justification for an invasion, it had been used many times in times past, but it had even been suggested that Vesfalruk was behind the assassination of Emperor Titan. Many did not believe it but they were powerless to do anything about the coming war.
It was not the first time the people of the Emorie of the Imperium had heard such things. Hawkish posturing of the political elite had always escalated tensions with Vesfalruk. Vesfalruk was the one major power left in the west that had resisted the Emorie and had led to centuries of cold and hot conflict, with the Emorie always on the losing end. Untold thousands had marched into those mountains to never return. The citizens of the Emorie had been conditioned to this state of affairs and none had any love for the barbarians of Vesfal.
However, the current situation was bad enough and the ensuing action by the Rola garrison to enforce the latest imperial edicts ripped families apart. Sons and husbands were taken from their families. Daughters were also taken to be used as slave courtesans for the army and its officers. It was a common long standing Emoire practice to provide large camps of whores for the soldiers during protracted campaigns. Many families resisted and were murdered outright in the streets. The soldiers were ordered to brook no defiance from the people.
Many slaves tried to flee but the city’s gates were closed and those trying to escape were captured as well. One in every ten trying to flee was executed on the spot. The streets around the gatehouses were awash in blood and gore from the executions.
Over the next few days the free citizens of Rola strenuously objected to the city magistrate over the forced conscription of their slaves and even many of the poorer free citizens. These worthy citizens claimed they needed the slaves and lower classes to work their farms, produce their textiles and run their shops and businesses.
The magistrate heard their pleas but dismissed their concerns and rebuffed their rights as citizens under Imperium law. The empire’s needs, claimed the magistrate, were greater under the law. The war and invasion of Vesfalruk was the top priority. He affirmed new slaves would be taken from the captured lands and provided to the citizens to compensate for their losses.
The magistrate’s ruling enraged the citizens of Rola. Many took to the streets to protest and demonstrate against this new policy of the central government. The magistrate, under orders from the new emperor to maintain order and guarantee the flow of slaves and materials to the army, directed the soldiers in the city to forcibly put down to protests.
Some of the more vocal opponents and demonstrators were killed during the street protests. Others were beaten and left injured, lying in the streets. Quite a few were rounded up and tossed into prisons or conscripted into the army. A few wealthy citizens and their families were also enslaved, their lands and estates, wealth and titles confiscated. The magistrate was not above adding his list of personal enemies to the purges.
Rola, like many cities and towns throughout the Emoire of Imperia, was now under martial law. The magistrate and his friends were suddenly wealthier and owners of much larger holdings. The garrison’s officers also suddenly found themselves as the new owners of local estates and businesses. The magistrate rewarded his friends and the garrison’s officers very well.
By the end of the operation over ten thousand new slave soldiers and courtesans were marched north to Crestia from Rola and the surrounding estates and farms. Additionally, vast wagon trains of supplies and materials, seized from local households and warehouses, were also sent to support the army. Rola was a ghost town. More than half of the population was dead, enslaved or now rotting in local dungeons. Those that remained were primarily the elderly or married women with children.
The local businesses had to make due with reduced and unskilled artisans and laborers and the farms and estates struggled to get the fields ready for the fall and winter plantings. Many would be unable to get their seed in the ground in time to take advantage of the full harvest cycle.
Centurion Antoninus refused all rewards from the magistrate. He followed his orders but it sickened him to no end. In his own mind he could not justify the orders no matter how he tried. His jaded outlook and opinion of the government of the Emorie and its leaders sunk to a new low.
***
Borghild was a vinni or captain in the King’s Army and for the last year he had commanded a mixed detachment that garrisoned Tower Twenty on the East Road in the Pass of Fire. Tower Twenty fell under the jurisdiction of Fortress Cinder. He had just completed his tour overseeing the patrols and repair teams for a section of the East Road. The previous year he’d been stationed at Fortress Cinder and led a heavy infantry companie assigned to the lower defensive belt.
Now, he was in Kimera and he was to receive a two sennight furlough before going back to Fortress Cinder. It was the first personal time off he’d had in two years. Before taking his leave, he was ordered to drop off several dispatches to Chancellor Rumborg and Jarl Induron, the Senior Drottain of the army. This was an unusual order. He’d never been directed to do this previously. So, with a bit of apprehension, he reported to the chancellor’s office and handed off the dispatches to an orderly. The orderly directed him to a seat and asked him to wait, then disappeared into Rumborg’s office with the dispatches.
Unusual again Borghild thought to himself. What military person, from the lowliest kriger to the highest captain, did not fear the unusual and non-standard routines? Procedure and normalcy were welcome. Changes to that structure led to apprehension in most soldiers. Although the Guild Halls taught krigers otherwise, it was human nature and hard to get out of the habit, especially for soldiers.
As Borghild waited, Senior Drottain Induron stepped out of the chancellor’s office and said, “Captain, glad you came, please step in and update the chancellor on the latest from Cinder.”
Borghild sensed this was more than just
a routine briefing. He stepped into the office and saluted then waited until the chancellor looked up from his papers and signed he should start, “Chancellor, it is still pretty quiet, nothing serious to report from the Fortress when I left. We still had free reign of the valley beyond Castle Skem. But, according to recent reports from our scouts and spies, a couple legions, the advance guard, are moving into the valley and building camp fortifications, winter quarters, and normal typical legion practices. Others were moving north from Crestia towards Cinder. It will take them a couple moons to arrive. They are taking it real slow, the weather has worsened and the roads are a mess, winter is coming. The main body of the Imperium army was still assembling near Crestia. Our scouts also reported that the siege train at Kitar is moving. Several advance elements with their support wagons are moving north. The rest are preparing to move. It is a massive force though and will take many moons to move the entire train north to Cinder though.”
Rumborg said, “Captain, what strength are they estimating at Crestia now?”
“Chancellor, last told, including the legions already in the approaches below Cinder, about one hundred thousand, with another ten thousand just arrived in Crestia and being formed into units and trained. Though about half of them appear to be conscripts and slaves, untested with only basic training and simple gear.”
Jarl Induron exclaimed, “Blast, Vidarr curse the filthy Erhand bastards! I did not think they would continue this folly once Titan was gone.”
Rumborg said, “It is what we planned for Induron. And, we now know a large part of that number is new untested legions made up of slaves and conscripts. They will run like sheep once they are pressed a little. I expect most of them to fold under the walls of Skem. I will be surprised if they can even take Skem.
