There was more laughter. B’Dang scowled, wrinkling the tattoos on his face.
‘Why don’t we just listen to what Lord Agang has to say?’ Drechtan went on. ‘At New Year he vowed he would deliver his plan for vengeance upon the Holdings. Let him reveal it now, on Summer’s Day as he promised.’
The chamber hushed.
Agang nodded to Hodang sitting on his right, and the man passed him a folder filled with documents.
‘This is my plan,’ Agang said. ‘A plan for the entire country, one that I urge us all to follow.’
He paused, scanning the faces of the chiefs, knowing that none of them were literate.
‘My chief minister shall now read out the salient points.’
Hodang nodded, and drew a single sheet of paper.
‘Dated Summer’s Day, year five-oh-five,’ he began. ‘This is the plan of the Lord Agang Garo for the restoration and reconstruction of the nation of Sanang.’
Agang could see the looks of confusion pass over the faces of the chiefs.
‘The plan proposes the following: the introduction of education across allied Sanang territories, the construction of highways and bridges to link all regions of the nation, the foundation of a national army and a unified system of laws…’
‘What about the Holdings?’ called out Toa Banga, a cousin of B’Dang. ‘Skip all this bullshit, and get to the part about us kicking their arses.’
Hodang looked over to Agang.
‘The plan,’ the high chief said, ‘contains no provisions for any military action against the Realm of the Holdings this year.’
Several angry voices cried out.
‘Why is anyone surprised at this?’ B’Dang said. ‘We all saw Agang’s cowardice at the wall, when he refused to renew the assaults. He doesn’t want to attack the Holdings, because he wants to be like them.’
Agang felt Mandalecht Naro on his left bristle at the insult, and raised his hand to calm him.
‘The Realm of the Holdings is wealthy, stable and powerful,’ Agang said. ‘It’s no secret that I wish Sanang to be these things also. Do you not wish that for our country?’
‘I want revenge, you book-loving fool!’ B’Dang shouted.
‘It pains me to say it, but he’s right, Agang,’ said Anganecht Bristang, the chief from the region between the Mya and Twinth rivers. ‘Four years of invasions, and each one ripped through my land, turning it into a desert. My people scream for revenge.’
‘The Holdings will never invade us again,’ Agang said, ‘now they know we can defeat them, and now their war-mongering queen is dead. Their new king has forsworn the idea of any further invasions. We must use this time to rebuild our country. Think of what we’ve achieved so far. When the Holdings first invaded, they smashed us to pieces. In the second invasion, they crushed us again, right here at the Fords of the Twinth. In the third year we pushed them back, and in the fourth we defeated them. We obliterated their field army at these fords, and sent them running all the way back to their wall.’
‘Yawn, yawn,’ B’Dang said. ‘Yes, we’ve all heard of your glorious victory, you tell us about it often enough, but you cannot be our high chief on memories alone. If you don’t give us vengeance, then another leader will. I nominate Anganecht Bristang. After all, as he said, it was his lands that were raped more than anyone else’s. He should lead us, if you, Lord Agang, cannot.’
The old chief snorted. ‘No chance, you shit-stirring little thug.’
‘The Holdings will never invade us again,’ Agang repeated, ‘but that doesn’t mean it would be wise for us to assault their wall. They have learned from their defeat, and their defences are lined with crossbows and catapults. If we repeat our mistakes, and charge as we did last summer, they will destroy us. It was only because I refused to sacrifice my army in the pointless assaults on the wall that we were able to resist their counter-attack in the autumn, otherwise our victory on the Twinth would have been for nothing.’
The chiefs looked unconvinced, and many sat shaking their heads.
‘We will leave you for a few moments,’ Agang said, standing. ‘Allow you to consider my plan. Think on it carefully before you cast your vote. Give me a year to rebuild our country, and let Sanang know peace for a time, I urge you.’
His advisors also stood, and Agang led the way out of the council chamber, to a small suite of private rooms.
A servant brought him a glass of honey wine.
‘Please, my lord,’ said Mandalecht, as he drew on a smokestick, ‘let me kill that little fuck B’Dang. Why you let him insult you…’
‘B’Dang’s a joke,’ Agang said. ‘It does me nothing but good when he speaks, because everyone knows how ridiculous he sounds.’
Mandalecht shook his head, the vein above his eye-patch bulging, a sure sign his best commander was doing his best to hide his rage.
‘Well, my lord?’ Hodang asked.
Agang sipped his wine. ‘Do it.’
Hodang nodded and reached into his robes for another folder. He passed the documents to Mandalecht.
‘You know what to do,’ Agang said.
‘Yes, my lord,’ his commander said. He called to a pair of guards, saluted Agang, and strode from the room through a side door.
‘Well, that’s it then,’ Hodang said.
‘Did anyone believe for a moment that the chiefs were going to accept your plan?’ said Badolecht Nang, his high mage.
‘No,’ Agang replied, ‘but I had to try. I had to offer them the choice.’
‘Is that long enough, do you think?’ Hodang said.
Agang nodded, and led the way back into the council chamber.
‘We have come to a decision,’ said Drechtan Goe, as Agang and his advisors sat. ‘The chiefs reject your plan, Lord Agang. Some of us here agree with the noble aims of rebuilding the country, but the thirst for revenge over the Holdings must be quenched first. They cannot be allowed to invade us for four years and walk away unpunished. Once vengeance is ours, then we can turn to your ideas for peace, and consider them anew.’
‘Very well,’ Agang nodded. ‘I’m disappointed, but my resolve remains.’
‘You must be replaced as high chief,’ B’Dang said. ‘You have gone back on your word. You promised us revenge.’
‘And you shall have it,’ Agang said, rising. ‘I declare to you, Sanang shall have revenge. I wished to offer you an alternative, to give you a glimpse of another Sanang, but you have rejected that path, and so now you must follow me down a different one. I have already dispatched orders to my entire army to move out, all eight of my sword regiments. I will lead them to punish the Holdings, as you desire. And the allied chiefs will follow me.’
‘If we go to war,’ Drechtan called out, ‘we’ll be there.’
‘But what about the wall?’ Toa Banga said. ‘Didn’t you tell us earlier that you believed we would be destroyed if we attacked their wall? How can we trust a leader who thinks we’ll be defeated?’
Agang nodded to Hodang.
‘We’re not attacking the wall,’ he said, as his chief minister laid out an enormous map on the table. The chiefs approached.
‘Here is the wall,’ Agang pointed, ‘and here we are, at Broadwater.’
The chiefs crowded around the table, peering down at the map. Agang wondered if this was the first time some of them had seen one.
‘This is the mountain range,’ he said, ‘the Black Hills that separate us from the rich farms and towns of the Plateau. And here,’ he pointed at a thin red line that snaked through the mountains, ‘is the pass my army will take.’
‘A pass?’ Drechtan said.
‘My scouts have been searching all spring,’ Agang said, ‘mapping every ridge and valley, and speaking to every goat-herder, looking for a passage through.’
He paused, noticing the incredulous expressions on the faces of many.
‘And we found a way. It’s dangerous, and open only in high summer, but once we cross the mountains, we will be able t
o strike deep into the Holdings-owned regions of the Plateau, raiding their towns, and killing any who stand in our way.’
He let them gape and gaze at the map for a few moments, as smiles started to spread among the chiefs.
‘Here is my new plan,’ he said. ‘To be on the Plateau in a third and a half, spend the same time collecting our due recompense from the Holdings for four years of invasion, and then come back via here,’ he pointed at the thick line of Holdings fortifications. ‘We will assault their frontier wall from behind, and raze it to the ground as we pass.’
‘That’s more like the Agang Garo that I remember,’ Anganecht Bristang laughed, ‘back when you were a savage young warlord, before you got all civilised.’
‘I’m a bit more organised these days,’ Agang said, frowning at being reminded about his past.
‘This changes everything,’ Drechtan said. ‘Shall we vote on it?’
‘You may vote if you wish,’ Agang said, ‘but as I mentioned before, orders to my regiments have already been sent out. I will be invading the Plateau regardless of any further vote you wish to take.’
‘So you think you’re our king, do you?’ sneered B’Dang.
‘I am high chief,’ Agang said, staring B’Dang in the eye. ‘And I command the armies of Sanang. Do any here refuse to follow me?’
He looked around the table. No one spoke.
‘Good,’ Agang said. ‘Now, I suggest you send out messengers to your forces. We leave in the morning.’
The celebrations stretched into the night, and Agang made his way up to his private apartments much later than he had intended. As he passed the soldiers guarding the stairs, he heard voices coming from his study, and he turned along the passageway and entered the small room.
Inside, Chane was sitting with Gertrude, Rebecca and Giles, three young and pretty Holdings slaves in his possession. Despite everyone believing that they were part of his harem, the two girls served no use to him other than to keep Chane company. When she had selected them from the market, she had told Agang they were skilled and knowledgeable about cavalry tactics and planning. He had guessed at the time that she had been lying to him, but had gone along with the fiction. He knew she had chosen all three to save them from a harsher fate, and didn’t begrudge her that, since she had on the same day picked out Stratton, a sturdy Holdings blacksmith who, after thirds of gentle persuasion and good treatment, had agreed to help Agang build Broadwater’s forge. The slave stayed down there, in a dedicated building close to the hall, inside the walls of the citadel. He had Giles to assist him, and though the boy was almost useless as Stratton’s apprentice, as a male, he was allowed to live with the blacksmith in the forge.
Chane was sitting on a cushion by a low table. She looked relatively sober, he thought.
‘Lord Agang,’ she said, ‘congratulations.’
He poured himself a drink from a jug on the table and sat down between Chane and Giles, who passed him a stick of dreamweed.
‘I’d be far happier,’ he said, ‘if the chiefs had chosen peace.’
Chane frowned. ‘You knew they’d pick war.’
‘Yes. I knew. It was about planting the seed, putting the idea into their heads over and over. Now, when they see the farms and towns on the Plateau, hopefully they’ll realise that we can build the same here.’
Gertrude snorted out a laugh.
Giles tutted.
‘Don’t mind her, my lord,’ Chane said. ‘She’s drunk.’
‘I’m not as drunk as you,’ Gertrude said. ‘You just hide it better.’
‘Then what’s bothering you?’ Agang said.
‘You need to ask?’ Gertrude replied. ‘In the morning you’ll be setting off to invade my homeland, to burn, kill and destroy my people, and you’re treating it as an educational experience for your stupid chiefs.’
Chane frowned and opened her mouth, but Agang silenced her with a look.
‘Firstly, Gertrude,’ he said, ‘I’m not attacking the Holdings. The Realm is safe from our army. We’ll be raiding the Plateau, and the settlements along the shores of the Inner Sea.’
‘But the folk living there are from the Holdings,’ Gertrude said.
‘Yes, they are,’ Agang replied, ‘and it will be a time of tears for them, when we arrive. But we’ll be moving fast, sweeping north to the frontier wall. We’ll be back by the second third of autumn. One short raid, Gertrude, weighed up against four years of invasion and occupation. I could not have devised a revenge attack that was less harmful to your country.’
‘But what if the Holdings decide they want their own revenge, my lord?’ Rebecca said. ‘The wars will start again.’
‘Yes,’ Agang sighed. ‘That is a risk.’
He took a long drink and sat back, gazing at his inebriated slaves.
‘Chane,’ he said, ‘try not to get too drunk. I’ve decided you are to accompany the army tomorrow, as part of my personal retinue.’
She looked up, her face split with a broad smile. She reached her arms round his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘You won’t regret it, my lord.’
He smiled.
‘What about us?’ Giles said.
‘You three and Stratton will be staying here,’ he said. ‘I’m leaving Gadang in charge to rule Broadwater while I’m gone.’
‘Your nephew, my lord?’ Rebecca asked.
‘I know he’s young, but he’ll have the garrison here to protect the town. You’ll be safe.’
‘Safe to be bored out of our minds,’ Gertrude muttered.
‘Maybe you shouldn’t drink so much,’ he said, ‘or smoke all day.’
‘What else is there to do?’ Gertrude cried, slurring her words and close to tears. ‘At least Giles and Stratton get to walk about outside, while Rebecca and me are stuck in here day after day. And now Chane’s getting out.’ Her voice broke.
‘We’ve been over this,’ Agang said. ‘If I let you girls wander about on your own, then your safety would be at risk, and your honour would be in grave peril.’
‘Fuck our honour!’ Gertrude shouted, her face red. ‘Sometimes I’d rather go outside, and find a quick death, instead of enduring the slow one trapped in here.’
The room fell silent. Agang felt his rage rise.
‘That’s enough, Gertrude,’ Chane said. ‘You’ve no idea what Agang has done for you, you ungrateful bitch. I should slap your face.’
Rebecca stood, and took a hold of Gertrude’s hand. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Bed.’
‘That sounds wise,’ Agang said, feeling Chane lay a restraining hand on his thigh.
Gertrude rose to her feet, and allowed Rebecca to guide her to the door leading to their rooms.
Agang watched them go.
‘She’s getting worse,’ Chane said as the door closed behind them.
‘She’s just drunk,’ Giles said. ‘I’m sure she didn’t mean it.’
‘Hearing a woman speak to her master so,’ Agang replied, ‘is a disgrace worthy of punishment. She’s lucky I’m leaving in the morning, otherwise I would have her flogged.’
Chane touched his arm. ‘Come to bed.’
‘You go,’ he said. ‘I want to read for a while.’
Chane opened her mouth, but said nothing. She kissed his cheek and got to her feet, slipping a bottle of something into her robes.
Agang pretended not to see, picked up a book, and settled down on the cushions, Giles at his side.
Chapter 3
The Long Way Round
Coastal Road, Rahain Republic – Summer’s Day 505
Daphne vomited over the side of the lurching wagon, her long brown hair flying in the ocean breeze.
‘You all right, ma’am?’
She looked up at the sergeant. She was riding Daphne’s horse just a few paces to the left of their convoy of three wagons, each protected by a guard loaned from the Holdings embassy in Rahain. Daphne nodded, and slumped back into the carriage, holding her stoma
ch. She missed her stallion Jamie, but the smell of him made her even more nauseous. She had given him to the sergeant to ride, while she had to endure the constant motion of the wagon, as it wound its slow way along the coastal road to the Plateau.
‘Oh dear, miss,’ said Laodoc from beside her on the bench, ‘still no sign of it passing?’
Daphne shook her head, unwilling to speak.
‘Miss Holdfast’s got a bit longer to go,’ said their guard from the front of the wagon, where she held the reins. ‘When I had mine, I was sick from the middle of the second third, right through to the end of the fourth.’ She looked over her shoulder at Daphne. ‘Yours does seem worse, though, ma’am. Mine used to fade each day by the afternoon. You seem to have it all the time.’
‘Fascinating,’ said Laodoc. ‘This child sickness, it does not exist in Rahain. I wonder if your condition is worse, miss, because the father was not from the Holdings?’
Daphne frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well,’ he said, ‘of the five races inhabiting this continent, it would seem implausible that any two should be able to interbreed. I certainly cannot imagine a Rahain successfully mating with a Rakanese, or indeed someone from the Holdings. Yet your people, and the natives from the Kellach peninsula do share the most in common. After all, you are both descended from apes. But there are still differences, and these might be the cause of your heightened symptoms.’
‘The bigger the baby, the sicker the mother, my ma used to say,’ said Bedig, ‘but it’s different for us. Almost every pregnancy in Kellach Brigdomin results in twins, singles are very rare.’
The guard’s eyes widened. ‘Ma’am, do you think…?’
‘No,’ Daphne said. ‘Shella’s checked. There’s only one.’
‘Just as well,’ Bedig said, laughing, ‘our babies are huge.’
She glared at him.
‘Sorry, miss.’
Daphne puffed her cheeks, the sickness rolling in waves through her. ‘This isn’t helping.’
She turned, and pushed her head back through the gap in the side of the wagon. She felt the dry wind against her cheeks, and could smell the sea air. Fifty paces to the left of the convoy, the mountainside terrace fell away, a line of cliffs slicing down a hundred feet to the crashing ocean below. To the right the foothills of the Grey Mountains loomed, the higher peaks shadowed dark blue against the evening sky.
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