The Wicked and the Witless
Page 45
The enemy was not to know that those scars were but scratches which had been diligently enlarged by salt. The enemy was not to know that rumours of Sarazin's military success were at best misleading — since he had never won victory without Thodric Jarl at his elbow.
The enemy commander would not meet the great lord Watashi in single combat. Sarazin was sure of that.
But, nevertheless, he was in high spirits as he made his way back to the Lesser Tower. For, while Sean Sarazin was not one of the world's military geniuses, he had been around soldiers for most of his life, and had been taught to use his eyes. He knew what to look for and how to interpret what he saw.
His foemen had endured summer rain, summer storms, threefold defeat, and onslaughts of nightmare and illusion courtesy of Epelthin Elkin. They were cold, hungry and dispirited. Sarazin had seen no evidence of tents. Also, if he was any judge, the enemy was right out of rations.
Logistics, that was the thing!
Sarazin had been general enough to deny all com- fort to the enemy, burning villages rather than let the enemy have them. The invaders had exhausted their rations. They were cold, wet, hungry, defeated and frightened. In contrast, those in the tower were warm, dry and fed.
He said as much to his commanders when he got back to the Lesser Tower and assembled them in conference.
'If we can hold out for but a few days more,' said Sarazin, with enthusiasm, 'they're done for. Finished.'
'Good stuff to tell the troops,' said one of his com- manders, "but don't expect us to believe it. We're finished.'
That's treason!' said Heth the loyal, Heth the thick- witted.
But he was shouted down, and Sarazin finally brought the conference to an end lest it end in mutiny. Yes, Sean Sarazin had been around soldiers long enough to know when mutiny threatened.
He brooded for the rest of the day.
He had been ready to abandon all hope because he thought the enemy sure to conquer. Then he had tried the single-combat ploy, but had failed. But had discovered, in the process, that the enemy were on the point of breaking. If he attacked, the enemy would break and run. He was sure of it.
But he was equally sure that his own men would not attack if he ordered them to. Rather, they would mutiny.
—But Douay would have managed it, damn it!
Sarazin was sure of it. Douay was a piece of low-bred trash, but he was a wily survivor. He would have found a way to motivate his men to attack.
—Kill someone?
No good. That would mean mutiny.
—Call for volunteers?
He would not get any. Except Heth.
Night came on. A stormy night of windhowl and thunderclap, of lightning startling. Sean Sarazin peered through an arrow slit and saw lightning writhing around the dragon of the Greater Tower of X-n'dix. Almost persuaded himself he saw that dragon move.
Outside were the enemy. Cold, by now. Chilled to the bone. Any fires extinguished for certain by the driving rain. No tents, no food, and doubtless little sleep under the conditions. Fear eating at their bones. Fear of the magic of nightmare which had thrice been used against them. Fear of the warlord Watashi.
Many would be sick, all homesick.
And their commander was afraid.
That doomed them for certain.
—One attack. That's all it takes. Something to rouse the troops out to battle. Fear or temptation, need or desperation, pain or . . . or . . .
—Magic?
Sarazin went looking for Glambrax, and, at midnight, found him. Glambrax was happily toasting half a dozen centipedes over a fire. A midnight snack.
'Glambrax,' said Sarazin, 'have you by chance the remains of my magic candle?'
'Of course,' said Glambrax, and produced it.
Moments later, Sean Sarazin was rousing the Lesser Tower with a battle-lung voice.
'Gather gather gather!' he shouted. 'Gather to me, for I have great news, great news.'
Slowly, grumbling and cursing, men began to wake. A few stalwart souls like Heth set themselves to kicking those who pretended to be asleep. It took a long time to get them all together, for sleeping men were scattered in rooms and corridors throughout the Lesser Tower, and even on stairwells.
As they gathered, bringing their weapons with them from habit, Sarazin had a little wine issued. They would be glad of the warmth of the liquor once they were out in the rain. And, fondling the stub of magic candle which was left to him, he knew they would soon be glad to be escaping to the rain.
The rest, of course, is history.
THE END
About this edition
This ebook was scanned from an old paperback on the month of August, 2011.
The paperback had to be torn so as to get as clean a scan as possible. May he live forever in digital form.
“Memoria et Verbum”
Table of Contents
Title Page
THE WICKED AND THE WITLESS
Maps
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
CHAPTER FIFTY
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
CHAPTER SIXTY
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
CHAPTER SEVENTY
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
About this edition
Table of Contents
Title Page
THE WICKED AND THE WITLESS
Maps
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
; CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN