The Warriors of Valishna (Cartharia Book 1)

by Spencer Reaves McCoy

  "So they're cowards," Penny said with a shrug, "Don't defend them, Eldrin. They're in Valishna, probably sucking up to the soldiers as we speak."

  "Come on," Eldrin said. He reached out and nudged Penny with a shoulder, "Let's go back to the rooms. We can hang out in mine."

  Penny nodded, following Eldrin as he headed out of the park. He paused to throw away the plates of barely-eaten food on the way. A tall, hawklike woman gave him a disapproving look, but he didn't seem to notice or care. Penny offered an apologetic shrug towards her but hurried to keep up with Eldrin.

  As they walked back into the heart of the city, they saw several more recruitment areas. Recruitment officers were either giving speeches or chatting with new potential soldiers.

  "Are you going back to the infirmary tonight?" Eldrin asked as they pushed their way through a group of people gathered near the small hotel where their rooms were.

  "I'm not sure yet," Penny said, "I think so. It'd be nice to get a good nights rest though. Why? Are you going to be there?"

  "No," Eldrin said, "I worked there this morning. I can't take another shift. It's too depressing. Listen though, if you do end up working, check on Lucy, alright?"

  "Sure," Penny said.

  Eldrin sighed, "I wish there was more we could do for her. I thought about some sort of skin grafting. You know, if we could manipulate the skin, maybe we could help with some of the scarring."

  "We tried that," Penny reminded him.

  "Well yeah," Eldrin said, "But I was thinking more, if we moved the bones a little bit, we might be able to use some of the existing skin in a--"

  "You're talking about her facial structure," Penny said. She followed Eldrin's lead into the hotel.

  "Yeah," Eldrin said, "I guess so."

  "No," Penny said, "That'd be painful, Eldrin. Besides, it's too complicated. Think of all the tiny little nerve endings. You screw up even a little, and she loses function of her a part of her face."

  Eldrin sighed again as he reached into his pocket to dig out his key, "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. They both fell into silence, considering Lucy.

  "This is it," Eldrin said, stopping outside of a room near the end of the hallway.

  "Oh, nice," Penny said, "Matilyn and I are just a hallway over. We're not far."

  Eldrin nodded, slipping the key into the door and unlocking it. He pushed it open, and let Penny head inside first. He ducked in after her, closing the door.

  Janice and Sean were sitting on one of the beds.

  "What are you doing here, Janice?" Eldrin asked.

  Janice frowned at Eldrin, quickly standing, "What are you doing here?"

  "Well, it is my room," Eldrin said.

  Penny sighed.

  "Whatever. I was just leaving," Janice said. She straightened her shirt sleeves a little, "Sean and I were just discussing our new training orders. That's all."

  "Training orders?" Penny glanced over at Janice, "What do you mean?"

  "We enlisted today," Janice said, her voice rising with pride.

  "Good for you," Eldrin said. He headed towards the opposite bed, flopping down on it.

  "No, it's not good for her," Penny snapped at Eldrin. She turned her attention back to Janice, "You enlisted? What? Why? Why would you do that?"

  Janice crossed her arms over her chest and frowned, "Because there's a war going on, Penelope. You've heard, haven't you?"

  Eldrin rolled his eyes as he stretched out on the bed, "Yes, Penelope, didn't you know? Weren't you there when we fled from Valishna?"

  "You're a Priest," Penny said, her voice rising an octave, "You can't join the Guard. It's not right."

  "What are you talking about?" Janice asked, "Of course it's right. In fact, Priests are being recruited directly into officer training. Because of our leadership qualities and our experience in handling complex situations with violent criminals."

  "Violent criminals?" Penny repeated. Her voice rose again in disagreement, "You mean, we were in charge of finding out who vandalized a park bench or breaking up a bar fight. Those are soldiers out there, Janice. Those are trained soldiers that you're going to have to go out and kill. Have you thought about that?"

  Janice shrugged, "This is war, Penelope. People die in war. There's nothing wrong with defending our kingdom."

  "There are other ways you can help," Penny said, "You can help in the infirmaries. There are going to be plenty of injured sent back that are going to need us. There's going to be a lot of chaos here in ARinford as well. Our leadership qualities are going to be needed here too. Have you thought about that?"

  "Of course I have," Janice said, "But Priests are the most able to call upon their Chakran. We're a definite asset to the armed forces."

  "I'd have thought the two of you would be enlisting as well," Sean said quietly, looking between Penny and Eldrin.

  "Why?" Penny demanded, immediately wheeling around to glare at Sean. "Because we're Priests as well? We're not that kind of Priest! Right Eldrin? Eldrin! Right?"

  "Right," Eldrin said, pushing himself up from his lounging position, "Wait, what kind of Priest is that?"

  "No," Sean said, "I only thought because you're close with Matilyn."

  Penny nodded, "Well, I am her girlfriend."

  "What does Mattie have to do with anything?" Eldrin demanded.

  "She was at one of the recruitment stations," Sean said, "That's all. I figured she was enlisting."

  Janice gave Eldrin and Penny a triumphant smile as they exchanged a long, troubled look.

  Matilyn took a seat after shaking the recruiter's hand. He was less intimidating up close than he'd been at a distance, when he'd been giving a speech about all the reasons to join the Guard. He'd introduced himself as Michael Hopkins and invited her to sit down with him.

  "Tell me a bit about yourself, Malevus," Michael said. He flipped to a new sheet in the notebook he was carrying and scribbled down her name. "How old are you?"

  "I'm twenty-two," Matilyn said, "I trained as a Priest in Valishna."

  Michael nodded, "Good. We need more Priest recruits. Did you finish your training? How long did you serve?"

  "I was in the first tier," Matilyn said, "I'd only been ordained almost a year prior to the attack, but I trained for eight years."

  "And what sort of manipulation are you versed in?" Michael asked.

  Matilyn frowned, "Healing, sir."

  "Alright," Michael said, "Well, we'll be able to cross-check your references as a priest with the record books kept in Strumwheel, but for now, let's talk about your health. Any medical conditions we should know about?"

  Matilyn shook her head.

  "How active are you?"

  "Moderately," Matilyn said, "As a Priest, we're expected to keep in shape, sir. So we can handle domestic issues when they--" She trailed off, peering past Michael. Penny and Eldrin were both approaching. "- When they, ah, arise, sir."

  Michael followed her gaze to Penny and Eldrin and then looked at her again, "Any experience in handling weaponry?"

  Matilyn thought of the knife she'd slammed into the soldier's knee and his howl of pain. She quickly shook her head, "No, sir. None. I'm sorry, can you excuse me for just a moment?"

  Eldrin and Penny began frantically waving to her, and she could tell by the expressions on their faces that neither would hesitate to approach. The recruiter looked over at them again and gave an understanding nod, "I just have a few more questions and then I'll need a signature. We can pick back up when you're ready. Remember, though, joining the Guard is the highest service you can give your King and Kingdom."

  "Right," Matilyn said, "Don't worry, I'll be right back. Sorry."

  She quickly hurried over to where Penny and Eldrin were waiting, "What are you doing here?"

  "No," Penny said, "What are you doing here, Matilyn? What were you thinking?"

  Eldrin scowled, "She's right, Mattie. What are you doing? You're not a soldier."

  "Not yet," Matilyn said, "Because you int
errupted me. Listen you two, I know that it's a lot to take in, but I've thought about this. Joining the Guard, I can make a difference. I want to help."

  "You can help in other ways," Penny said, "Matilyn, you're grieving about what happened in Valishna. I know it's hard, but we'll get through it together."

  "It's not about grief," Matilyn said, "Of course I'm sad, Penny. But hundreds of men and women were slaughtered and thousands more are going to die. If I can help put a stop to that, I don't want to be sitting at home."

  Eldrin sighed, "Well, if you're joining, I'm joining."

  "You don't have to do that," Matilyn said.

  "Neither of you are joining," Penny snapped. "Matilyn, I know that you think you have to save everyone, but you don't. You don't have to do this. It's wrong. You're a Priest. You've heard what they're going to be doing, right? They're going to be teaching basic manipulation to all soldiers."

  "I've heard," Matilyn said.

  "It's sacrilegious," Penny said, "Manipulation should be used by Priests alone."

  Eldrin shifted uncomfortably, "Well, I don't really see how it's sacrilegious for us. Maybe for those that are calling upon their Chakran without permission from the Head Priest or proper training, but we've all been trained to use it. Maybe Matilyn's right. Maybe we should be out there helping."

  "You're just saying that because you follow her everywhere," Penny said. "Matilyn, please."

  "Penny," Matilyn said, "I have to do something. I walked away from Valishna. I could have done more, I could have helped more people, and I walked away. I can't do that again. I need to do this."

  "You don't have to be a hero," Penny said, "I wish you could see that."

  "It's not about being a hero," Matilyn said. "I'm sorry, my mind is made up."

  "I see," Penny said. She drew in a deep breath, straightening her shoulders. Matilyn could tell by her terse expression and rigid stance that she was upset and angry. But Penny only shook her head, "I'm going to go back to our room, Matilyn. I'll see you tonight. Maybe you'll have reconsidered by then."

  Eldrin ran a hand through his hair as Penny walked away, "Janice joined up too. With Sean. That's what's got Penny all upset."

  Matilyn watched Penny for a moment before looking at Eldrin, "Janice joined? That's good. It'll be nice to have a familiar face to train with."

  "We spent eight years training with her," Eldrin said with a long, dramatic sigh, "Does it have to continue?"

  "Janice is nice," Matilyn said.

  "Janice is a know it all," Eldrin retorted, "And a teachers' pet."

  Matilyn rolled her eyes, "Eldrin, you really don't have to do this."

  "Oh come on," Eldrin said, "We've been best friends since we were ...what, four years old? Do you really think I'm going to let you go off and have all the adventures on your own? You'd starve if I wasn't there to catch you fish. Let's finish that paperwork before your recruiter runs off with someone else. He's eyeing that blonde girl over there, you know."

  Matilyn nodded, "Okay then."

  As they walked back to where Michael was waiting, Eldrin slung his arm around Matilyn's shoulders once more, and she let out an appreciative sigh.

  SIX

  The Strength of the Enemy

  RICHARD SULLIVAN REACHED FORWARD, PICKING UP THE bottle of aging brandy. He poured it into two small glasses, each with a few ice cubes in them. Ice was a commodity, but it was a commodity that he couldn't stand to do without.

  He pushed the second glass towards Eric Daniels, his personal assistant and chosen Warlord for the Kingdom of Lamonte.

  "Tell me," Sullivan said, "How are the preparations for war coming along? Give me a brief summary, Daniels. I don't need a full war report. I have a council meeting soon."

  Eric, a nervous looking man with a pair of glasses a size too big, fidgeted a little in the chair. He picked up the glass of brandy, took a small sip and returned it to the table, "Arinford reacted in the way we expected. King Parnell called upon his council and they voted in favor of war. It was unanimous."

  Sullivan nodded, "And drafting?"

  "No," Eric said, "Not yet, anyway. We believe that he's waiting till there's more of a need of it. Right now, they have a huge number of potential recruits enlisting, feeling as though it's their patriotic duty. They're going to use that as much as they can to their advantage."

  Sullivan idly twisted the glass in front of him, nodding, "As we expected," he murmured, "What do we know of their Warlord?"

  "She's a woman named Deyneth Delanu, older than the King," Eric said, 'She served his father before him. She's also a Bishop in Arinford."

  "A bishop," Sullivan repeated.

  Eric nodded.

  "So they're going to use Priests," Sullivan said, "Do we know that for a fact?"

  "Yes," Eric said, "After a speech the King gave, it's been all over Arinford. They're recruiting Priests to serve as officers."

  Sullivan shook his head, "And to think, we tried to spare them in Valishna. We can no longer afford to ignore the danger they represent. As officers, they must be our primary targets. Let your battle-masters know."

  Eric nodded.

  "What do we know of their longships?" Sullivan asked.

  "Nothing yet," Eric said, "We're deploying more military ships in hopes of drawing them out, however. If we can get a clear picture of the resources they have at their disposal, we'll be better able to plan a strategy for securing the coast on both sides of the Sea, sir."

  "I want that to be a priority," Sullivan said, "We need the coast if we're going to prevent Arinford soldiers from crossing."

  "And if they choose to go through the mountains, sir?"

  Sullivan considered the mountain range that separated the joined land between Arinford and Lamonte, "They won't," he said. "The march would be a death sentence for either of our kingdoms. The mountains are too high, and too far."

  Eric nodded again.

  "What of our enlistment numbers?" Sullivan asked.

  "With the draft I imposed, we've nearly four percent of the population going to fight," Eric said, "That's hundreds of thousands of men. We can increase the draft number to ten percent if necessary but I--"

  "What of the men from Serjya?" Sullivan interrupted, "We want a higher draft there."

  "Imposing a ten percent draft there will certainly make up for any shortage of men," Eric assured Sullivan, "But as Arinford is waiting, it is my belief that we can wait too. We want to focus on the shore right now, not use our longships to bring men and women from the island to the main shore."

  Sullivan nodded his consent, "We wait then."

  "Yes sir."

  "Now, tell me about Valishna," Sullivan said, "How strong is our hold?"

  "Strong," Eric said, "We've had many noble families pledge their support to us within the city itself. We've a few of them that are helping report on what's happening outside of Valishna--we're allowing certain families to send family out, or allow family back in."

  "You're not concerned about the possibility of false information?" Sullivan asked.

  Eric shook his head, "No," he said. "We're fairly certain the families there aren't going to risk their lives by planting false information. Nobody knows who the other families are that are reporting. If one report doesn't match the others, we'll know immediately."

  Sullivan nodded. "On the subject of Valishna, I want you to bring in Peter Sterling."

  Eric nodded, rising to his feet, "Should I get him now?"

  Sullivan nodded.

  Eric bowed slightly at the waist and then hurried from the room. A few minutes later, he returned with a tall, dark haired man.

  "Peter," Sullivan said, rising and extending a hand.

  Peter looked surprised at the candidness of the gesture, but took the hand, offering a firm shake, "Your Majesty. What can I do for you?"

  "Please, sit," Sullivan said, extending a hand towards the chair next to Eric's. "Both of you. Can I get you a brandy, Peter?"

  "No, tha
nk you," Peter said.

  Sullivan nodded, and motioned again towards the chairs. Peter glanced over at Eric and then took a seat. Eric sat next to him.

  "I asked you in here to speak on the subject of Valishna," Sullivan said. "You are aware of the situation there?"

  Peter nodded, "Yes, sir."

  "Good," Sullivan said, "Then I won't waste time. Did you hear about what happened during the attack?"

  "During the attack, sir? I'm not certain," Peter said cautiously.

  "During the attack, I ordered that children and Priests be spared, along with a good group of survivors," Sullivan said.

  Peter nodded.

  "And yet," Sullivan said, "I've heard plenty of rumor that many children were slaughtered, mothers raped, and Priests butchered. Did you know of this?"

  "Unfortunately," Peter said with a bow of his head, "Yes, sir, there has been talk about the way the situation was handled."

  Sullivan glanced at his untouched glass of brandy. The ice had started to melt. "Give me your thoughts on the situation, Peter."

  Peter looked surprised again, but nodded. "I think the problem was with the officers, sir. Men who have no respect for the man that commands them will do what they will. And an officer who can't get that respect has no place on the field.

  "Some of the men sent there were from Elijah," he continued, "The Kingdom has very little resources and most of what they do have, they took by conquering smaller islands surrounding them. They're used to pillaging and looting."

  "With a stronger officer, they can be controlled. But the officer out there wasn't strong, and he fell almost immediately, if I have the facts straight. Caught in a burning bakery, the men say. The left the rest of them without proper guidance and they reverted back to the ways they knew before."

  Sullivan nodded. "And what would you do now?"

  "You can't punish them all," Peter said, "There's too many, and there's no real way to tell who was involved. Normally, I'd execute any man under my watch who killed a child or raped a woman, but if you do that, you're not going to have any men left in Valishna."

  "So we let it go," Sullivan said.

  "No, sir," Peter said, "You can't punish them all, but you can punish the leaders. Take all of the commanding officers that are left live, and have them executed in a public square. Then put a new officer in charge with several of his own, trusted men beneath him. Make it clear that anyone who is caught engaging in such activity can expect the same treatment."