Siege of Pailtar
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Avera turned to one of the knights that now travel with her, “Signal for the rangers to return to Balta.”
Avera and Rose had been packing things to take to the castle. Now that Avera was queen it was necessary for her to stay there. Rose would stay with her in the castle as well. “Rose, we need to stop packing and head to the castle.”
Rose looked up, “More bad news?”
Avera gave a small nod, “Yes, that seems to be the only news we have gotten lately. Come, we will stop by the royal kitchens and have a sweet or two. There has to be some perks to being queen.”
“Okay,” said Rose. She had become distant and quiet since the attack. Losing Ava had been hardest on Rose. She had now lost her entire family. For such a young child, her expression was old. It pulled at Avera’s already hurting heartstrings.
Avera was determined that being queen would not interfere with her spending time with Rose. Rose would know that she was still loved and had people that cared deeply for her, blood or not. Avera knew Nathan and Sharon loved Rose, but they walked the path of the warrior. Conflict and danger followed them, and they too could be taken away from Rose. Life was a fragile thing, to be cherished and appreciated. Rose would learn from her to love deeply but also to accept that losses will come, that sacrifices will be made in order to bring peace and stability in the kingdoms
The news that King Ganus was attacking Pailtar presented both a danger to Balta and an opportunity. The danger was two-fold. Queen Avera studied her options carefully. Don’t commit to helping Pailtar and the Morthon forces would gain a strong foothold at the narrow strait and drastically shorten the distance needed to sail to attack Balta. Commit too large of a force to sailing to Pailtar and the ground troops headed towards Pailtar could be redirected to Balta. Coming up with a strong strategic response would be vital. Queen Avera squared her shoulders, and reached for Rose’s hand. Her strength was tempered with a gentle heart.
But by sending troops to Pailtar, Balta could strengthen its position with its nearest neighbors. If sending troops to Pailtar helped stop Morthon’s advances then King Ganus would have a harder time attacking Balta. So only sending a token force was not in Balta’s best interest. Avera pondered how to respond. Sadly, the two people most knowledgeable in this type of war were now dead. Avera would have to rely on her own instincts and those of those people she trusted.
Walking Rose to the kitchens, Queen Avera sent one of the castle guards to find Quinton and send him to the kitchens. He was going to have to help her with naval questions faster than anticipated.
“Hey, Rose, what you got there?” asked Quinton as he arrived in the kitchen.
“Strawberry and gibbons berry cake,” said Rose with a smile. The sweet yet tart dessert was one of her favorites.
“I don’t suppose you left any for me?” asked Quinton.
“Yes, I didn’t eat it all … yet,” said Rose. A sad smile replaced what usually would have been a giggle as she eyed up a second piece of the cake.
“Good, it looks delicious.” Quinton turned to Avera. “Queen Avera.”
“I’m still Aunt Avera, when we are in the kitchens. Save the formal titles for the throne room please, Quinton.”
“Sorry, Que—, Aunt Avera.”
“Quinton, I need to discuss the Navy with you. I had intended to wait a few more days before making any decisions, but we have run out of time. I need you to recommend two captains that you trust the most and think would be the best to run the Navy.”
Two commanders to run the Navy? thought Quinton, that was not the normal power structure, but then again Aunt Avera was not a normal woman, and she obviously had a plan. “I’ve sailed under a handful of captains, and know most about the rest. Dad spent a lot of time analyzing captain performance. If you want someone who is excellent in war strategy, Captain Cooke has been in more battles than any two other captains. He is older though and can’t sail as much anymore, but as a military advisor he would be top notch. I know Captain Singleton better than any other Captain and trust him explicitly, he is a smart and honorable man.”
“Thank you, Quinton. That is very helpful.”
“Are you planning on changing the military structure?” asked Quinton.
“Yes, I believe in having some degree of overlap. When you have a single line of command losing one link in the chain can be devastating. With war looming, I want multiple people we can trust at all layers of command.”
Quinton nodded, it made sense. However, in the field having two commanders presented its own challenges. “Might I make a suggestion?” asked Quinton.
“Speak freely, Quinton. I am relying on you to tell me everything you can on how to make our Navy stronger.”
“Overlap is good, but a clear line of command is still important. I would talk to Captains Cooke and Singleton, and get them to make a list of current commanders and captains, and find out their opinions. Have Captain Cooke, along with one more Navy man be strictly your naval advisors. Appoint Captain Singleton and one more captain to be in charge of the Navy. It’s the sailors at sea who have to make the most vital decisions. So keeping the most capable captains at sea will be wise.”
“Rose, would you be a dear and head to the throne room and request one of the knights there to fetch Captains Cooke and Singleton and have them meet us in the war room?” asked Avera.
Rose finished stuffing her piece of cake into her mouth, grabbed a third piece and took off. “I’m on it,” she mumbled through the cake.
Quinton laughed at Rose’s antics, and then gave Avera a questioning look. “Why all the way to the throne room? You have knights here, standing outside the kitchen.”
“I want Rose to get used to hearing most of my conversations without talking, but she doesn’t need to hear everything. If she knows too much we put her at risk.”
“Okay,” said Quinton, as he waited for the bad news that was sure to follow. Sending Rose away was a sure-fire indicator of trouble.
“King Ganus is attacking Pailtar, he has troops crossing the desert and a fleet coming up from the south,” said Avera, explaining the note she had received via carrier pigeon from her friend in Pailtar.
Quinton thought about what he knew of Pailtar. As port city, it was independent,not part of any kingdom, So it only had minimal naval vessels and a strong city guard, no army. It would have a hard time defending itself against a two-prong attack from Morthon. “You intend to send our fleet to assist Pailtar?” said Quinton.
Avera nodded, “Pailtar falling to King Ganus would be very troubling. It would give him a close port to launch attacks against Balta.”
“But we can’t send everyone,” said Quinton.
“And why not?” asked Avera.
“Because if Meron’s army is crossing the desert they will be only a few days march from Balta. The three cities are like a triangle, if they learned our armies were all at sea they could change direction and attack Balta instead of Pailtar.”
“My thoughts exactly, we need to minimize that possibility. We cannot hold back or Pailtar will fall.”
Quinton could see the dilemma that Avera faced. Send too many troops and Balta is exposed, don’t send enough and Pailtar falls, leaving Balta in more danger. “It takes longer to cross the desert than it does to sail to Pailtar. If we knew the exact location of Ganus’s army we could send a strong number of ships. A scout could signal our ships when Ganus’s army is past the point of no return.”
“What about the fleet coming up from the south?”
“King Ganus is likely timing their arrival with that of his army crossing the desert. If our fleet arrives before theirs we can block that attack.”
“And if we’re late?”
“It would be hard to retake Pailtar. Do we know how close King Ganus’s army is to Pailtar?”
Avera shook her head, “No, but I’ve had the signal to recall our rangers sent up. If they have started crossing, Verin will know.”
“Not all of our ships have re
turned from hunting the Darcarion ships, I’ll head to the docks and have all our ships in port notified to be stocked and ready to depart by morning.”
“Good thinking. I’ll head to the war room and meet with Captain Singleton and Cooke. By the time Verin and his rangers return we should be somewhat organized. When you are done at the docks come to the war room. You will be one of my military advisors.”
Following Rose’s lead, Quinton grabbed a piece of cake and headed out of the kitchen. “I’m on it.”
31
Balta
“I MISS WALKING IN THE WOODS,” said Sharon. “It is one of the things I miss most about home, walking down to the orchard and then going for walks in the forest and picking flowers in the meadows.”
“Me too,” said Nathan. “It seems like a different lifetime. I like the woods here, but they aren’t the same.”
Not wanting to dwell too much on the past, especially once Sharon realized that thinking of the forest surrounding Elderwood would remind Nathan of Ava, Sharon changed the subject. “So teach me about being a ranger. What makes a ranger different than other warriors?”
“I don’t think rangers are really that much different. Ranger’s train and fight the same as knights or other soldiers, they just hone other skills as well.”
“What kind of skills?” asked Sharon. She had meant to distract Nathan, but the truth was she was curious about it. The only rangers she knew were Verin and Nathan, if you considered Nathan a ranger. He trained with them and hunted like them, but he was a northerner and a fledgling mage.
“Rangers know the woods. How to walk silently, how to track, and are usually excellent hunters. A ranger spends most of his life in the woods. That is probably the biggest difference between rangers and the other warriors of Balta.”
“Verin doesn’t spend that much time in the woods,” argued Sharon.
“Verin is also royalty. He has other obligations that keep him out of the forest.”
“Like what?”
“Like traveling to Elderwood to find his nephew, and then training him to be a ranger… those sort of things.”
Sharon suddenly understood, Verin stayed in Balta more than the other rangers because of Nathan. “He’s a pretty good uncle.”
“Yes,” said Nathan in agreement with Sharon. “He and Avera have been very good to me, well to all of us. They have changed their lives around to be there for us.” Nathan often thought about how lucky they were that Verin had arrived in Elderwood. Coming to Balta had been good for all of them.
“The forest is starting to thin out,” noted Sharon as they kept walking.
“Yes, we are coming to the edge of Hocton forest. Pretty soon we will be at the desert.”
Sharon frowned, “I thought we’d be hitting jungle.”
“No, the jungle is south of here and gets bigger as it goes farther south. The area we are coming up to is desert, just like we went through in Pailtar.”
“Are we going to scout into the desert?” asked Sharon.
“Only a little ways, it’s pretty easy to see for a long ways once you’re in the desert, we’ll go to the first big hill and look from there. If we don’t see anything interesting we’ll head north along the edge of the forest and then make our way back to Balta.”
“I don’t like the desert,” said Sharon. “It’s so barren. It seems like it wants to parch the life out of you and leave your remains as a warning.”
Nathan nodded in agreement. He didn’t like the desert either.
From the edge of the forest they only had to walk for twenty minutes till they found a suitable rise to survey the land from. The hill wasn’t much to speak of, but it was the highest point outside of the forest. Neither Nathan or Sharon could see any tracks or indicators that any scouts from Morthon had passed through this area.
When they reached the top, they could see for miles. The hot sun beat down on the golden sands and grey rocks making them shimmer with heat waves. “Do you see that?” asked Sharon.
“What?” asked Nathan.
“Straight out in the desert, almost to the skyline. There’s something moving out there.”
“It’s a wagon,” came a voice from behind them.
Nathan turned to see Verin coming up from behind them.
“How the heck did you get so close without us noticing ?” asked Sharon.
“I was just north of you when you crossed over into the desert. I followed a ravine that offered a little shade, I only came behind you in the last hundred yards. You wouldn’t have noticed me without coming to high ground.”
“That is scary that everything looks so open and visible yet you were that close,” said Sharon.
“The desert is tricky that way,” said Verin. “Dunes and shallow spots can hide a lot.”
“Did you see whatever was out there?” asked Sharon. “The wagon?”
“I only saw it for a moment, but I’m sure it’s a wagon heading north.”
“Should we go closer?” asked Nathan.
“Yes, we’ll veer north, keep to the dunes. We’ll keep out of sight, but I want a closer look.”
Nathan and Sharon followed Verin through the dunes. Nathan noted how Verin never allowed himself to be sky-lined against the horizon now that they knew something was out there. The hot sand shifting under their feet was a sharp contrast to the hard forest floor. Walking through the desert for great lengths of times would be rather unpleasant Nathan decided.
As they worked their way north, Verin, Nathan, and Sharon could hear the wagons. Teams of six large oxen were pulling the heavy wagons. The oxen brayed and cried when the drivers used the whip to spur on the beasts of burden. Peeking over edge of a dune, Nathan could see the wagons were loaded with water barrels and other supplies. The wagons were surrounded by warriors.
Not wanting to be spotted by the warriors, Nathan slid back down the dune.
“What did you see?” asked Sharon.
“Supply wagons, filled with water and food, and heavily guarded.”
“The Meron army is on the move,” said Verin.
“Are they coming to Balta?” asked Sharon.
“I don’t think so,” replied Verin. “The wagons are headed toward a water hole north of here. If Meron were marching towards Balta, they wouldn’t be heading so far north. They look like they’re heading to Pailtar.”
“I thought King Ganus was obsessed with conquering Balta,” said Sharon. King Ganus had hired the Darcarion mages to attempt to steal the tomes of the Red Order in order to attack Balta, had he changed his mind now that the tomes were gone?
“King Ganus is obsessed with conquering Balta. You’re not wrong about that, but conquering Balta is not his end goal. Ganus wants to rule all of Mithbea, and if rumors are true, Solotine as well. Balta is the richest kingdom in Mithbea, it is also one of the strongest. That is why he desperately wanted the tomes. If he could take Balta first, the rest of Mithbea would fall easily. But now it would appear he is taking the more cautious route. Pailtar is nowhere near as well fortified as Balta. However, its ports would give Ganus a good military stronghold to sail from. Attacking Pailtar first makes sense.”
“What should we do?”
“We return to Balta. Tell Queen Avera of the situation. She will decide what needs to be done,” said Verin.
“You two start heading back. I want to take a look myself, I’ll meet up with you in the forest.”
While Verin continued north to get a closer look, Nathan and Sharon made their way back into Hocton forest. Nathan was grateful to be back among the trees and in the shade. Out in the desert he felt exposed and alone. The forest was like an old friend.
“What do you think will happen?” Sharon asked Nathan as they made their way home.
“I don’t know. It’s possible that nothing will happen. Pailtar is not part of Balta. Yet, I do know that Aunt Avera has friends in Pailtar. I imbued a stone for someone from Pailtar for her. Perhaps Pailtar will be an ally against King Ganus.”
“Sharon … don’t say anything to Rose, or anyone else yet, but I’m not sure Ava is dead. I don’t want to raise false hope.”
“What? What do you mean? How could she have survived that explosion?”
“When the attack happened I could see some of what Ava saw. She was sending me her thoughts. It was confusing as she was hurt in the initial attack - some sort of shock wave. Balthazar knew they were in trouble and burned the tomes. He also used magic on Ava. The last memory Ava shared, she was covered in blue magical energy, right before the Darcarion mages killed themselves to make the explosion.”
“Are you sure? Nobody found anything, the place was so badly burnt they couldn’t find any remains. How could she still be alive?”
“I don’t know, and to be honest I’m not sure if I’m right or not. I can’t feel her anymore, our magical connection is gone, but it never felt like she died.”
“It’s magic, how does anyone know how it’s supposed to feel when you lose someone. Doesn’t not feeling her mean she’s gone?” asked Sharon.
“I don’t know, and with the war coming I can’t focus on it. However, someday soon I am going to research it. I’ll find someone who can tell me about the blue energy, what kind of spell Balthazar was using. That might tell me something,” said Nathan.
“Tell us something? If there is any chance she is alive I will help you as much as I can. I don’t do magic, but I’ll go anywhere with you to find out.”
“Thank you, Sharon. It means a lot to hear that.”
“Nathan, if it weren’t for you and Verin, Ava, Rose, and I would have been sex slaves or dead right now. I won’t ever forget what you did to save us. And Ava is my best friend in the world, I’d do anything for her. So if you find anything that suggests you are right, you had better tell me.”
“I will,” promised Nathan. “First, we have to survive this war with Morthon. I can’t leave the rest of my family to go searching for information about Ava.”