The Poisoned Quarrel: The Arbalester Trilogy 3 (Complete Edition)

by Duncan Lay

  Worse, if she went back in there, she thought she might burst into tears and she could not bear that right now. She rolled over on the bed, clutching one of the pillows to her chest. She could not even call for Kerrin, because he’d want to know what the matter was. No, better she just stayed here for a while, until she could get her thoughts together. There had to be a way to get the old Fallon back, the old Brendan, the old Devlin and the old Gallagher.

  *

  “Where is Bridgit?” Fallon asked.

  Nola shrugged. “She says she’s sick. She might be along later.”

  There was an awkward silence and Fallon was tempted to confess all, or to leave here and rush down to speak to her. But then he looked down at the message from Lunster, brought by a magicked bird, and shook his head.

  “We shall miss her advice. But we have to make decisions now,” he said.

  “Where is Padraig?” Devlin asked. “Should he not be here too?”

  “I am here,” the old wizard said, hurrying in, his face looking gray and lined. “I was just completing a task.”

  “And?” Fallon asked.

  Padraig shook his head. “Nothing for miles,” he said.

  “Well, do you want to stop being mysterious and tell us what this is about? Life or death, your message said,” Rosaleen asked sourly.

  “More death than life, I fear,” Fallon said grimly. “We received a message from Gannon, down in Lunster. A Kottermani fleet of more than fifty ships has entered the harbor and is taking over the town. The men Gannon tried to recruit to form a new company deserted and he was forced to ride out of Lunster as fast as he could. He estimates at least fifteen thousand Kottermani soldiers there, probably more.”

  He let the shocked and horrified noises die down before turning to Padraig.

  “So they are definitely not sailing for here?”

  “Not unless they are invisible. There is nothing around,” the wizard insisted.

  “We’ll keep the harbor on full watch anyway,” Fallon said. “We have sent messages to every other town. Any word back yet?”

  Padraig shook his head. “We should get a clear picture soon enough. They will all send out birds to search their areas, to see if there are any more ships approaching their areas.”

  “Why Lunster? Why not here?” Brendan asked.

  “Maybe they’ve seen what we’ve done. If they tried to force their way into the harbor we would have slaughtered them. This way they have a safe harbor in case of storms and can march their army here within a quarter moon,” Fallon said grimly. “But that is not the worst of it.”

  “How could it get worse?” Riona asked.

  “Munro was right. Swane is with them and his flag is flying on one of their biggest ships. Somehow he has persuaded them to fight with him, which means he must have Prince Kemal there as well, so we have nothing to use against them.”

  He looked around the table and took no pleasure in the horrified looks.

  “What can we do?” Rosaleen asked. “What do you need from us?”

  Fallon felt like laughing. Except he didn’t. “We have to march out and meet them because we can’t wait here. They would smash through the walls and slaughter the people. Our only hope is to somehow take out Swane and the Emperor, or whoever is in charge of the Kottermanis. With them in our hands, we can make them surrender, just like we did with Kemal before.”

  “But even if we recall every man we sent out, we wouldn’t have enough to try that,” Brendan said, his voice hollow.

  “We have to try it, and trust in Aroaril,” Gallagher said.

  Fallon bit his tongue. “We have to call the fyrd. I know I said we could not send untrained men in against the Kottermanis but we have no choice. We shall try and protect them with our trained men but we have to create the illusion of a big enough army that the Kottermanis will stop and deploy. Then a small party can attack wherever their leaders stand and capture them.”

  “And how will we know where that is?” Riona asked.

  “That will be the trick,” Fallon admitted. “We have to find somewhere between Lunster and here where we can hide a small party, enough to deal with any guards but not so big that they can be found.”

  “And who is going to lead that? If it goes wrong, they will be killed or, worse, caught and sacrificed,” Nola asked sharply.

  “It sounds like a task for me,” Brendan said.

  “No!” Nola cried immediately.

  Brendan shrugged. “It’s what I’m good for now. And I give them the best chance of succeeding.”

  Fallon held up his hand. “We need to call the fyrd first, and then find somewhere where this might work. Then we can think about calling for volunteers. Nola, can you and Riona send the word out for the fyrd to assemble. It is every man’s duty to be outside their closest city gate with a weapon at dawn tomorrow. Anyone who doesn’t turn up won’t receive their food ration. That should get them out of bed.”

  “But will they fight? Will they stand or just run away?” Devlin asked pointedly.

  “That’s where you come in, Rosaleen. You have to fire them up, explain this is a fight between good and evil. They have to march out there knowing they are fighting for their wives and children, friends and family.”

  “Of course. I know what is at stake.”

  “I’ll summon all our men back,” Padraig offered.

  “Make sure they call the fyrd too,” Fallon said.

  The old wizard’s eyebrows shot up. “Can we get that many men through the gateways?”

  Fallon grimaced. “Tell them to at least bring back a hundred men in their prime, all with some sort of decent weapon. We’ll hide the fyrd behind my men and maybe we can get away with this.”

  “We shall triumph,” Gallagher declared. “Aroaril will not let us down in our time of need.”

  Fallon nodded, not entirely agreeing with the words but the sentiment was good, and at least nobody was arguing. They were all doing their best to help. Unlike the events of the last moon. If this was what it took to get them back on side, he could not help thinking maybe it would have been better if the Kottermanis had turned up a moon ago.

  “We cannot lose now, not after all we’ve been through,” he said.

  CHAPTER 65

  Dina shuddered as she looked at her former home, the manor house of Lunster.

  “It is a solid building,” Durzu said.

  “It is a pus-filled boil on the arse end of Gaelland,” Dina corrected him. “I made it almost acceptable but there are far better places to live. The sooner we are out of here, the better.”

  Durzu chuckled. “Sadly, we have to take our time. Your streets are too small and your port too badly designed. It will be two days to move everyone through. At least the cold is helping us in one way, for the road north is nice and hard.”

  “It’s a mud pit during spring and autumn,” Dina agreed. “And the smell! It’s bad enough as it is but add in some warmth and it is impossible to live with.”

  Durzu did not answer but instead his gaze flickered over her shoulder, towards the front gate of the manor house.

  “What’s that noise?” Dina asked, turning her gaze on the disturbance that had been growing louder while they spoke. “Kane, go and find out what it is.”

  The guard captain hurried off, returning with a merchant and a bishop, both of them dressed in clothes that looked too big for them. Dina could not remember their names and couldn’t be bothered to try.

  “What do you want?” she snapped.

  “We are glad to see your grace back again in Lunster,” the merchant said, bowing floridly, his clothes flapping around him.

  “Are you sick? Or have you stopped eating?” she asked irritably.

  “That accursed Fallon put us on rations,” the bishop replied, adding his own bow. “We had to eat exactly the same as ordinary people!”

  “How terrible for you,” Dina said, feeling bored. “Now, we are busy, so tell me why you are here and then go.”

&n
bsp; “Your grace, we have welcomed you with open arms. So, we pray that you will help us with what is happening,” the bishop said.

  “Do I have to ask?” Dina hissed. “Get on with it!”

  “All the town’s food was in a series of warehouses. Your allies have been helping themselves to this food.”

  “We face a march to Berry through uncertain weather if we are to destroy Fallon and free you all from his tyranny,” Durzu said. “Of course my men need food.”

  “But, your grace, the people will starve,” the merchant said. “That is all our food.”

  “Sacrifices must be made,” Dina said.

  “And this order that all women must present themselves in the town square tomorrow—what is that for?”

  “My men have been on board a ship for more than half a moon, and away from their families for twice that. They need female companions before they begin,” Durzu said. “Tell the women to bathe before tomorrow.”

  The merchant’s face went white. “But, you cannot be serious!”

  Dina snapped her fingers and Kane was at her side a moment later.

  “Take these fools into the town square and flog them to within an inch of their lives. Then they will see how serious we are. We don’t have time for foolishness. Anyone who does not obey our orders will die.”

  The shrieking merchant and bishop were dragged away and she turned to Durzu with an apologetic smile.

  “Everything will be ready for you,” she promised.

  CHAPTER 66

  Bridgit tried to ignore the hammering on the door but it refused to go away. Finally she unlocked it and opened up, ready to slam it in Fallon’s face.

  “Thank Aroaril you opened up when you did, because it felt like my bloody hand was going to fall off,” Padraig said, wringing his fingers.

  “What do you want?” she demanded.

  “A fine greeting for your father!” He gave her a half-smile but then it faded. “You look terrible but I’m afraid we need you.”

  “Why? What has Fallon done now? And why do you think I can do anything about him?” She swallowed hard at those words, for she could not bear to face her husband at the moment. In fact she could not think of a time when she did want to face him.

  Padraig looked, if anything, even grimmer. “It’s not about Fallon,” he said softly. “Swane is here.”

  She felt as though someone had thrown a bucket of cold water into her face.

  “Where? When?”

  “He’s landed at Lunster with thousands upon thousands of Kottermani soldiers. And our men at the other ports are reporting the same thing. Eight ships at Lagway, a dozen at Meinster—they are landing everywhere.”

  For once there wasn’t a chill breeze whistling down the corridor but Bridgit shivered nonetheless.

  “What are we doing?” she asked.

  “Everything we can. But we need you.”

  She grabbed a cloak from the hook beside the door. “Then we are wasting time, old man. Hurry!”

  Padraig snatched his hand back as she made a grab for it to hurry him along.

  “That’s my door-knocking hand. Do you know how sore it is?” he complained.

  Bridgit ignored his attempt to make her smile. All of the confusion, frustration and anger of the past few moons had melted away and in its place was a steely focus. Nothing else mattered more than stopping Swane. It was just like she was back in Kotterman, utterly determined to escape and bring her people home. Whatever it took, Swane would be defeated. Already her mind was racing for ways to stop him. It was a good feeling. She almost wished Swane had come earlier.

  *

  Fallon swallowed a mouthful of water and wished he could just pour it onto his head. Anything to keep him awake. The energy that had filled him at the news of Swane’s landing was draining away after a full day of preparation. They had found two possible sites to meet the Kottermani army and he planned to ride out tomorrow to inspect them himself. Meanwhile everyone was getting a better picture of how the Kottermani net had been thrown around the country. Every port either had Kottermani ships moored in their harbor or a small fleet closing in on them.

  Padraig and his wizards were hard at work bringing men back from across the country, as well as keeping an eye on the Kottermanis at Lunster. As far as Fallon was concerned, they could land as many troops as they wanted at Meinster and Lagway and the like. There was no way those troops could get to Berry soon enough to affect anything. It was all about the main fleet at Lunster. And the news was horrifying there. Padraig’s watchers were reporting ugly scenes in the town, with people trying to flee and being dragged back and slaughtered. Bodies were staked out across the town square, while theft, fire and rape was rife as the Kottermanis were turned loose on the people.

  It was terrible to hear but the news could also be used. There was no doubt this was not a force to free Gaelland, as Munro’s persistent rumors claimed, but to punish it. There was nothing they could do for Lunster but at least its example could be used to inspire the rest of the country to rise up and fight.

  Already Rosaleen and her priests were preaching that message at every church up and down the land. The forces of evil were here and it was time for all men to stand up and defend Gaelland. Similar scenes, albeit on a smaller scale, were taking place at the other ports where Kottermani ships had landed. Roads away from the coast were choked with refugees, heading inland to an uncertain future. That was going to be difficult to deal with later but they could not spare time to worry now.

  There were some people leaving Berry already, but these seemed to be mainly the richer merchants and Fallon was happy to see them go. They could slink back later and beg his forgiveness. He did not trust them and did not need them. It was the ordinary people who would save the day here. Besides the message going out from the churches, town criers were striding through the streets, announcing that an army of darkness was coming and it was every man’s duty to defend the capital. The fyrd was being called and they had to live up to their oaths.

  He stared again at the map, trying to decide which of the two sites would be best to choose for the ambush. They needed time to get there and of course the better site was further away. But the Kottermanis were tied up in Lunster and maybe there would be time—

  “Look who I found,” Padraig announced, walking into the room.

  Fallon looked up and his tiredness fell away as he realized Bridgit was with the old wizard. He walked over, his mouth dry despite the water he had just drunk. He was very conscious that everyone in the room was watching them.

  “Bridge, I am so sorry—” he began.

  She lifted her hand. “We can talk about that later. Now we need to destroy Swane. Where are we?”

  Even though they were in a terrible situation, he could not stop the smile that filled his face.

  “We are much better, now we have you,” he said.

  She smiled briefly. “You have lost none of your blarney, I see! Where are the Kottermanis and how are we going to send them packing?”

  “The same way you beat Kemal,” Fallon said.

  She smiled again, more broadly this time. “Well, at least you have a good idea. Now let’s see what I can do to help.”

  He was going to take her arm and show her to his seat, but then he could not stop himself and hugged her instead, to the cheers and claps of their friends.

  “See, trust in Aroaril and He will make sure all is right,” Gallagher declared loudly, while Devlin laughed and patted him on the back.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Fallon even saw Nola lean over and hold Brendan’s hand.

  “This isn’t helping stop Swane,” Bridgit whispered in his ear.

  “Yes, it is. It is helping me,” he said thickly.

  He felt her arms tighten around him.

  “Why did we fight?” he murmured. “I am so sorry. For everything.”

  “As you should be,” she said. “But we can talk about that later. Now let me go and let’s see what you have been
up to.”

  He hugged her for a heartbeat longer and then let go. Everything would be fine now, he could feel it.

  *

  Fallon shivered a little in the pre-dawn chill and reached out to put his arm around Bridgit as they walked down to the castle stables with Kerrin and their friends. Saddled horses and a pack of trusty Baltimoreans were already waiting for them. This was the moment when they would rally the city and ready the fyrd to take on Swane and the Kottermanis. Everything they had worked for had been for this moment. Dawn was a little way off but Fallon had not slept much that night, although not because he’d been allowed back in Bridgit’s bed, much as he would have liked that to be the case. No, they’d been up all night planning instead, trying to work out how to organize the tens of thousands of men who would make up the fyrd. It would be almost impossible to direct and they would have to divide them up into rough companies, led by an experienced man. That sounded easy enough but every man they took out of the front line to look after the fyrd made it more likely that the fyrd would be needed to fight. He thought they had it worked out and they had snatched a few hours of sleep, although he reckoned it was only a matter of time before he and Bridgit could apologize to each other where it really mattered, in the bedroom. As far as he was concerned, the argument was not over until then.

  Having Bridgit beside him again was the best thing about that morning but a close second was the crowds packing the streets as they rode to the north gate. It was a fantastic display in the pre-dawn darkness.

  “Why are there so many women and children here?” Bridgit asked.

  Fallon looked around at the crowd. “They’ve probably come to give their men support. A good thing too, because they need to be thinking of their families when they march out to face the Kottermanis,” he replied.