by Kal Spriggs
He leapt backwards and kicked at the back of Quinn's leg, sending him to his knees. As Aerion lunged forward, arms extended to grab Walker, he shoved Quinn into Aerion's legs to trip him.
As Aerion went down, he saw Nakkiki step forward, but Walker dodged his outstretched arms and then raced past him and down the stairs. "Stop him!" Aerion shouted, but it was too late.
Walker kicked the legs from under the man guarding the stairs and then, at the doorway, he hesitated. He looked back
"Don't do it, don't run," Aerion said, half begging.
He could see the conflict on his friend's face. Yet as guards came his way, Walker just gave Aerion a solemn nod and then raced down the stairs. Just like that, Aerion's friend was gone.
***
Chapter XV
Duke Hector the Usurper
North of Seidlyce, Duchy of Masov
Tenth of Shallob, Cycle 1000 Post Sundering
Hector sighed as he watched his army march north, the columns of battalions arrayed to move independently. Five thousand trained fighting men, he thought, enough to defeat Armen... and routed by just the threat of uprising.
It wasn't a fair thought, he knew. He had ordered the army's retreat, not because he doubted their fighting ability, but because Seidlyce had become a trap. With Ember Castle secured and Katarina's army having a secure rear area because of it, there was no significant boundary until Seidlyce and the Ember River. When word of the Castle's capture reached the Baron of Redcoast, the rebellious lord had marched with his army.
If Hector had remained in Seidlyce, the Baron could have pinned his forces in the city while Katarina attacked from the south. While Hector felt confident of his men to defeat either army in detail, fighting them on two fronts at the same time was not a risk he was willing to take, not when he needed an army to defend the Duchy from the coming Armen raids.
"Go ahead, Kerrel, say it," Hector said with resignation.
The tall, redheaded woman gave him a level look, "It's done," she replied. "Not that it matters, but I thought your plan would work too."
Hector nodded. Like most of the bad news of late, it seemed he had been undone by Covle Darkbit. Now he ruins my plans even when he isn't involved, Hector thought with no little irritation. Word had reached him earlier that day, by one of his messengers. That messenger had carried Captain Wallace's official notice, as well as an unofficial message from the mercenary captain.
The official notice was hard enough to swallow. Captain Wallace was accepting command of the Ryftguard for "The Duchy of Masov." His words made it appear that it was a neutral move, even though he accepted the position from Lady Katarina. In reality, though, he was changing sides in all but name. He would free up whatever forces she had in position at the Ryftguard and he'd be taking her pay. His notice that Captain Correia had resigned from his duties and taken Katarina's offer of lands and title made it clear it could have been much worse.
Especially with the strictly unofficial message that Captain Wallace had sent regarding his sister, the until-recently believed deceased other Captain Wallace. Hector had known, in a vague sort of way, that Captain Gwendolyn Wallace was Captain Gregor Wallace's sister. He had also known that she'd been assigned to the South and he also remembered a report from Covle saying that she was "presumed dead."
What Covle hadn't told him, not until called before him and confronted over it, was that she had died fighting against Covle's mercenaries as they attacked Zeilona Gora. Only, it seemed she hadn't actually died. She'd been badly injured, it seemed at the hands of Grel, Hector's Hound.
Captain Gregor hadn't taken that news very well. His messenger to Hector made it abundantly clear that he held Covle Darkbit personally responsible. If he ever encountered Darkbit, he said he'd kill him, regardless of what side he found himself on.
Not that I entirely blame him, Hector thought.
"Well, it's done," Hector said with another sigh. "Now we'll just focus on what we can salvage of the situation."
Kerrel gave him a doubting look. "That's rather easygoing of you. In fact, this whole retreat... I half expected you to march on the Baron of Redcoast."
Hector gave a grim smile, "I was tempted, believe me. But Redcoast and Capulin Vale are among the most fertile farms in the north. Marching on those lands in early spring would guarantee famine throughout the Duchy." He shook his head, "I'm cold-blooded, but that's just asking for a disaster. I wouldn't be able to feed my own men."
Kerrel gave a nod, but she didn't seem entirely convinced. Not that he blamed her. In truth, Hector had become weary of the fighting. He had seized power to protect his lands and while the occasional need to make examples of troublemakers was one thing, the whole-scale looting and destruction that Covle Darkbit had done in his name was something else entirely. Damn that man, Hector thought, damn him to a sorcerer's experimentation pit or a demon's soul devouring.
"No, retreat is the best way to get on solid ground... and away from other threats," Hector's gaze went to the northeast, where the Dog House lay, just out of sight over the horizon. Word had reached him only a few hours ago that the Mongrels' companies on the Lonely Isle had deserted. Since Commander Zabilla Nasrat had found no signs of them, that meant they must have withdrawn from the island. If the Countess had recalled them, it meant she had chosen a side. With any other opponent, Hector would have marched on them to knock them out of the war before they were fully ready.
Yet with the Countess, she would have had all winter to plan and plot. Hector had enough knowledge of the Noric-born mercenary to discount any idea of catching her off-guard. She would have turned the Dog House into a fortified trap. With her companies of heavy infantry and heavy cavalry, she represented a very significant threat.
Hector wasn't about to descend upon her without significant preparations of his own. He also knew that Kerrel's loyalties were likely to be skewed if it came down to a confrontation with her old unit.
"Where will we stand?" Kerrel asked. "Oakley Rapids?"
Hector shook his head. "The river has too many ford points above the town. It'll be running high with spring melt, but it would still be possible to flank any defense of the town." He frowned, "No, I've already had my quartermaster arrange for supplies and quarters at Leizno."
He saw Kerrel's eyes go wide at that and he nodded, "I know, there's no major defenses there, but with the Dluga River to the west, we'll have a secure flank, which can also bring supplies and reinforcements downriver from Longhaven."
Since Longhaven had been the base of support for his campaigns on the Lonely Isle for cycles, there were sufficient stocks of weapons, food, and other supplies to sustain his forces. It would also leave him in position to respond to any early Armen raids. "Katarina will have to deal with towns who won't welcome her with open arms," Hector said. "I think her reception at Seidlyce will act as something of a wake-up call." He gave a grim smile at that. Seidlyce had prospered under his rule, the town's merchant and trade class had seen a great deal of growth since he had executed their last Count for corruption. Similarly, several towns in the north of Masov would support him, he knew. Chelm, the center of iron and steel production was solidly behind him, the smiths and miners vastly enriched by his constant orders for weapons and armor.
The cities of Ostrava and Kasovia had both been attacked by Armen raiders in living memory, while the town of East Reach had been sacked twice. All three would support his defense against the Armen.
And Longhaven had become a trading port to rival Boirton. They too would lend their support to him. Katarina's popular support would wane as her common-born marched further away from home, while their fields lay fallow and their children and wives grew hungry. The fickle nobles who had supported her cause would abandon her, soon enough, eager to sue for peace and get the best terms they could. "Her army will come to pieces if she marches north," Hector said.
Hector would rather a single, decisive battle, to crush those who had threatened the security of his lands.
.. but he would have to settle for watching Katarina's army fall apart.
"I only hope it happens before the Armen come south in force," Kerrel responded and Hector didn't disagree with her at all.
***
Lady Katarina Emberhill
Castle Ember, Duchy of Masov
Tenth of Shallob, Cycle 1000 Post Sundering
It pained her to see Aerion in such a downcast state. "We found this letter in Walker's quarters," Aerion said. He passed her the crumpled parchment and she read it, too weary to feel surprise.
Valdar,
My son, I must congratulate you in your rise within Katarina's army. Though I've allowed you your freedom until now, the time has come for you to follow my commands once more.
The rapid growth of her rebellion has made for a number of opportunities for us. You will act as my hand, there, with your first task to assassinate Baron Theodore's son, Lord Jack. That should set back the Baron's involvement in this rebellion and allow us to infiltrate additional positions.
I have sent Mari to support you. Your sister will be your second in command for as long as you need her.
If you disobey me, I've given Mari some very different instructions. She and Konstantin will not hesitate to carry out my orders.
--Father
Katarina passed the letter to Baron Theodore of Nine Peaks. He and the rest of her trusted council had gathered to hear Aerion's report on what had happened at Harken Tower and what he and Quinn had found after searching Walker's room.
"It seems clear that Walker belonged to some group of assassins or criminals," Katarina said. "Perhaps he left them, but it seems they pulled him back in once they rediscovered him."
Lord Theodore's face had gone pale. "The Gray Man," he said.
Katarina cocked her head, "I'm sorry?"
Lord Theodore looked up, "The Grey Man," he repeated. He gave a nod at Eleanor who had begun to curse. "He's the reputed leader of a group of assassins." Lord Theodore held up the broken wax seal. "His symbol is a grinning skull. He recruits young boys and girls, raises them as his 'children' and trains them to be remorseless killers, loyal only to him."
"He's a myth, nothing more," Bulmor grunted.
"I've encountered his people before," Eleanor hissed. "He's no myth. His people run several organizations under different names: the Order of the New Moon, the Sons of Laren... he has ties to criminals, assassins... it's all about money and power for him."
"How will he respond after his failure here?" Katarina asked, looking between the two of them.
Lord Theodore frowned, "I'm not entirely certain he did fail here."
"He lost almost twenty people," Aerion said. "He didn't capture Lady Katarina, that's got to be a failure, right?"
Eleanor shook her head, "Walker was forced to rejoin his people. That itself will be a victory. Walker will have nowhere else to go. He'll know we can't trust him. The Gray Man won't have to worry about his other 'children' thinking about striking out on their own, not after he punishes Walker."
Katarina bit her lip at that. She felt bad for Walker, yet if he had come clean about his past, he wouldn't have put himself in such a predicament. The very fact that he had hidden his past had been a danger sign from the beginning. "Thank you, Captain. That will be all." She waited as he left and then looked around at five of the people she trusted the most. She wished that Gerlin had returned from his scouting mission, but the halfblood was with the rest of his scouts, far to the north. She didn't expect him to return for at least another week.
She wished even more that Arren Smith hadn’t died when Covle Darkbit and Grel betrayed the truce at the Ryftguard. The old man’s wisdom and intellect would have been very useful. She felt certain he would have had some story that would have made everything seem simpler, somehow.
Katarina looked at Bulmor, "How long until the armsmen arrive?" She had accepted his rebuke without argument when he confronted her just after the kidnapping attempt. With dedicated armsmen, there wouldn't have been the confusion that allowed the kidnappers to surprise her escort. Also, Bulmor would have been able to coordinate and trust sworn armsmen to spend the entirety of their time training to watch her, rather than balancing other duties.
"Soon," Bulmor grunted. She restrained herself from commenting on that. For one thing, it wasn't Bulmor's fault that it was taking time for them to arrive.
"Very well," Katarina said. "We've received messengers from the Baron of Redcoast. Between his people and other sympathetic nobles, he's put together an army of around a thousand soldiers." She saw Baron Theodore's eyes go wide at that.
"I haven't brought that up with our other allies yet, because after what happened with Lord Marcel and now with Walker, I'm nervous about that information leaking to the Usurper," Katarina said. She took a deep breath. "The other reason is that I just received a note from Grand Duke Christoffer Tarken." She felt odd to say his name aloud. It seemed the alliance they had formed after Southwatch had paid off in more ways than one.
As the others leaned forward, she took a deep breath, "It seems that he's learned of a large Armen force, led by a southern wizard, which plans to attack here in Masov. He also seems to think that this wizard plans to take advantage of our fight with Hector." Katarina gave a slight shrug, "He also informs me that he can't help us, he has issues of his own with Lord Admiral Hennings' occupation of Freeport."
The room had gone silent and Katarina turned her gaze from one person to the next, evaluating their responses. Bulmor had a grim look to his face, for this was exactly what he and she had worried about from the beginning: that someone might take advantage of chaos and disorder within the Duchy of Masov.
Baron Theodore of Nine Peaks looked worried. The first noble to offer her his support, long before she could muster any kind of army, he was one of the handful of nobles that she trusted. She knew that his concern lay for the Duchy as a whole. Despite his worry, he met her gaze without flinching. Whatever came, he had given her his loyalty and he would stand by her.
Solis, her Quartermaster had a resigned expression. The former innkeeper of Watkowa Village continued to pull off one feat after another in keeping her army supplied and equipped. His ability to think ahead had saved a considerable fortune, to the tune that what she planned would actually be possible in large part thanks to him. From what she knew of him, most of his resignation came at the knowledge that whatever she had planned, it wouldl require a great deal of late nights.
His daughter, Kara, on the other hand wore an intent expression. She was the only one who had known the information, mostly because Katarina had asked her to confirm whatever she could about the Armen and to give her an estimate of what Hector planned to do. Kara looked eager, because what Katarina had proposed was just the kind of thing that suited her.
Lastly, Eleanor, also of Watkowa Village, had a calm, confident expression. Aerion's mother had a mysterious past of her own, but she had also saved Katarina's life on more than one occasion. She had also made it abundantly clear that she was in this to defeat Hector, both for his crimes against her people and to restore rule of law to the Duchy of Masov.
"What that means for us is that time is running out," Katarina said. She nodded at Kara who unrolled the map of the Duchy. "Hector has most likely begun to withdraw his forces to Oakley Rapids or possibly to Leizno, with the intent of drawing out our supply lines and forcing us to forage, creating hostility here in the lowlands."
Heads nodded around the table and Katarina knew she didn't have to mention ambitious noblemen like the Earl of Olsztyn or the now-imprisoned Baron Marcel, who would be all too eager to betray her for their own ambition if the war dragged onward.
"What I plan to do," Katarina said, "is march through Capulin Vale, up along Redcoast, north to seize or bypass Kasovia... and then to force Hector to meet us in battle by marching on Longhaven."
Eleanor simply gave a shrug, "It's not the worst plan I've ever heard."
She wasn't surprised to see Bulmor
's face cloud over, "That's stupidly risky. He'll have a larger force, with plenty more combat experience and better equipment. They'll also be closer to his supply chain..."
"The Baron of Redcoast has offered up the entirety of his grain stockpiles to feed the army," Katarina said. She nodded at Solis, "It may come as something of a surprise, but apparently the Baron has stockpiled his excess grain as a means of controlling the price and keeping his farmers content."
Several eyebrows went up at that. It wasn't just a morally gray thing to do, but under Hector's rule, it was also illegal. Hoarding of food, much less price gauging his quartermasters, was punishable by death. "I understand he's done the same for refugees who have flocked to his lands, so apparently he's not as heartless as you might think."
Baron Theodore gave a slight nod, "He always did put a lot of importance on protecting his people and food in general." He smiled crookedly, "He sets a fine table, as well."
"It's still many hundreds of miles from Castle Redcoast to Kasovia," Bulmor grunted. "And even with the good coastal road, that's a long distance to move supplies."
"The captured Armen sloops that Grand Duke Christoffer gifted us will go a good way to helping with that," Katarina said. "They can each move a hundred tons." She saw eyes go wide at that. Few of her advisers were used to thinking of moving cargo by sea or river. Hardly a surprise since the south was girded by mountains and had no real ports. The one navigable river ran through the Tucola Forest and then into the Eastwood. While loggers, charcoal makers, and Olsztyn's coal miners used the Debber River to move their cargoes to the town of Lower Debber, they had to move overland from there, since the Wold didn't allow anyone to trespass on their lands.
"That could work," Solis said with a nod. "I mean, I'd have to look at the numbers, but..."
Bulmor still shook his head, "So what if you can feed this army? We're still taking less than four thousand new soldiers against five thousand of Hector's battle hardened army."
