by Lee LaCroix
“Let us make haste back to the capital. Everyone needs to know of this great treachery,” Garreth commanded.
The remnants of the two Crown Aegis units kept a steady pace as they made their way south back to Amatharsus. They stopped once at a water spring to sup at the water and to clean at their fresh wounds. The soldiers came across many escapees who were too tired or out of shape to continue their venture. The Crown Aegis put the exhausted children upon their back and offered their shoulders to those who could walk no further. When Garreth, Novas, Domminal, Behn, and the rest of the troops got to the northeast gate of the capital, they were met with a line of armoured Crown Aegis and an announcer. The refugees from Bouldershade were trying to pour into the city from the Upper Quarter and were being redirected to the southern entrance. It still didn’t keep the refugees from massing up in protest, but when the regiment of soldiers appeared behind them, most of them went on their way in peace. Together with Novas and Domminal, Garreth and Behn dismissed their soldiers and went into the city through the northwest gate.
Chapter Fourteen
The four made their way to the Lower Quarter where the streets were filling up with the Bouldershade refugees. They had barely stepped into the city before they heard the whispers and exclamations about a shadowy army that emerged from the mountains. Like wildfire, news soon began to spread about the Vandarian ransacking. Calmer opinions prevailed though, and causing panic and mayhem came second to assisting with aid to the dislocated. The courtyard was a stir when Garreth, Novas, Behn, and Domminal arrived, and they found Berault and Eyrn in the rotunda alongside Tamil, Cern, and other concerned Crown Aegis. From the corner of his eye, Berault had sworn he had seen a familiar face. He looked up from his map and put eyes on it. As he pointed through the crowd surrounding him, a pathway opened up, and the four returning soldiers strode through.
“I’m glad to see you. I’d thought we’d lost some of our best in one fell swoop. Garreth, I should of listened to you. This Vandarian threat is much more real than I could have imagined,” Berault protested as he looked over a regional map.
“Bouldershade burns to ashes as we speak, but I’m afraid there’s little we could have done to prevent that fate. We had little knowledge of this massing previous, and their movement south was unexpected to say the least,” Garreth explained but kept silent about his fears that the Vemsdower jailbreak was the reason for this act of hostility.
“The men tell me you were able to hold long enough to allow the villagers to escape and cut down swaths of them in the canyon. This is a small victory, but a victory none-the-less,” Berault said.
“Indeed. We were able to subdue the Vandari long enough, but I fear we only put down a small fraction of their entire force. I could not see the end of their mass at any time in the battle,” Garreth replied with a grave tone. “With Bouldershade under occupation by the Order, they’ll have free access to the Great North Road, all the way to the gates of the city.”
“I see the dangerous implications of this, Garreth. This is the reprisal that we have feared and have all trained so long and hard for. No amount of preparation could make us ready for what is to come, but we must steel ourselves, our arms, our body, our hearts, and our will and see this through regardless,” Berault admitted, continuing to look around at the troops.
“I want a trio of scouts on every road heading north from here, and I don’t want you to come back until you’re relieved. I want riders to visit every village within a day’s ride and request additional arms bearers. I want every man and woman to go home and kiss their family and rest to their heart’s content. In two days, we march north with the renewed Crown Army!” Berault shouted after standing up, raising his fist to the air as he finished.
The sounds of clashing steel and quivering wood had ceased. With their swords across their shoulders and their bows gripped, a crowd had gathered with around the rotunda to hear Berault speak. Listening to the energetic rumble that ensued, Kayten watched from the entrance to the smithy as those soldiers smacked the flats of their blades against their shields and stomped their feet against the solid ground. Berault brought his other hand up and hushed the crowd down into a silence.
“You all have your orders. Now go forth, and we will meet again on the southern field on that fateful day at sunrise,” Berault bellowed and shooed them away with a waving of his hands.
Berault’s officers still stood around the rotunda as the rest of the soldiers returned to their drills, routines, or leisure. He sat down in the chair and continued to look over the map, moving strategic markers around its outlines.
“Well, that means you too. We’re going to need you at your best for the trials ahead. You might not know it, but you have blazed the trail for all these brave and idealistic men and women. You were here at the bleeding edge when we first stood up to the Blackwoods and demanded that things had to change. They look into the past and see your shining example of bravery and are keen to follow in your wake. They will look ahead for you now, in the days to come, to lead them to victory. Now go. Rest well and collect yourselves,” Berault addressed Behn, Cern, Domminal, Eyrn, Garreth, Novas, and Tamil.
There was a chorus of nods and waves, and the group went their own ways for the day but not before a round of well-wishing.
“I suppose I’ll be in the Salty Dog for the day, trying to drink until this jangling in my nerves goes away,” Domminal jested.
“Aye, I’ll be joining you soon enough, I reckon. I’ve never fought so long and hard in my life,” Behn boasted as he raised a pointed hand to Domminal.
“I’ll see you there!” Cern chimed in before striding away, raising his hand in a wave goodbye.
Novas and Garreth joined Kayten outside the smithy after the rest had left. Her thick smithing gloves were draped over the shoulder of her apron that was blackened with soot.
“I heard there was quite a brawl outside of Bouldershade. How did those blades treat you?” Kayten questioned with a smirk.
“Just amazing. It’s like playing with fire except you don’t get burned. You should have seen the faces of those treacherous curs… all shock and wonder,” Novas cheered as he tapped upon Dawnbringer’s hilt.
“And the blade is just as strong and light as any other I’ve wielded. It’s also sharp beyond compare,” Garreth explained with a smile and a nod.
“Oh I know, I know. Their formation and testing was a daunting process, but it was worth it. I’m almost done here for the day. Would you mind waiting around so we can sup together?” Kayten asked them.
Novas and Garreth agreed, and they leaned against the wall of the smithy and watched the combatants in the duelist’s ring nearby. They brought their attention to the two closest soldiers, who were sparring with two short swords similar to Domminal’s style. They leapt back and forth and side to side, meeting in a flurry of blades and brawn and separating again just as fast. Striving to overcome each other’s defenses, the two men breathed heavy and laughed at their efforts. They came forward again in a combination of stabs and slashes. Each of them performed swifter strikes and reflections until their blades, with tiny slivers of sunlight dancing off the edges, seemed a shifting blur like wind-bound mist. The enunciation of their strikes became louder and sharper until there was a battle cry, and the rightmost combatant raised his sword on high, cut downwards through the air, and then broke his and his opponent’s swords in two. The shattered blades careened into the dirt, and the two raised their arms to deflect the flying metal. When they thought it was safe, they brought their arms down from around their head, looked at each other with surprised faces, and then burst out into laughter. There was a round of applause from Garreth, Novas, and the other spectators, and the two fighters made their way to the smithy.
“So, where should we dine tonight?” Kayten asked.
“I was hoping we could go visit Fesstil. I haven’t seen him in some time. He would make us a fine meal,” Novas suggested.
Kayten and Garreth agreed, an
d they made their way into the Trade District where a solemn and slow tune wafted over from the stage. The shrill robin and the crying gull pierced the melody with their calls and perched on the poles and rooftops closest to the harbour entrance. The three found Fesstil there, who was dicing up some vegetables between orders and stirring a pot of gumbo over a tiny sizzling stove.
“Well if it isn’t Novas. How ya do, young one?” Fesstil asked as they approached.
“Fine, thanks Fesstil. I was hoping you could prepare us something fresh,” Novas inquired.
“Ah. I would give you some of this fair stew if I could spare, but the entire order has been claimed by another I’m afraid, business is business. How about a garden medley salad? I’ve got some chicken left over that would go quite well in it,” Fesstil explained.
Garreth and Kayten both nodded their head in agreement, and Novas ordered three servings of the dish. They waited to the side as Fesstil prepared the vegetables in front of them with fresh slices of tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce, broccoli, and cucumber. He added the vegetable mix to three wooden serving bowls that Fesstil had crafted by a local woodworker. The bowls were as wide as a tree trunk, as deep as a mead cup, and had been smoothed by an artisan’s touch. Fesstil took the sliced chicken from a pot behind him and divided it up across the three bowls. To finish, he added a vinegar dressing and gave the salad a quick toss. He pushed in three wooden prongs and the bowls towards them to indicate that he was done. They each passed him four tri, and a round of thanks was exchanged.
“Be so kind as to return the wood as you are finished. I could always have more made, but it helps keep my prices as low as possible if ya do. I know you won’t let me down,” Fesstil begged.
Novas agreed, and three took off down towards the harbour and passed through the gates. With the Vandarian ships patrolling the sea, there were fewer vessels in the harbour than usual, so the three had no troubles finding a place to eat at the edge of a pier. They found themselves sitting on some crates overlooking the water’s edge, and they began to consume their meals. Kayten, Garreth, and Novas found the salad to be light and refreshing, which was a welcome effect as opposed to the weight of Fesstil’s heavy stews. The vegetables were crisp and watery without being hard and tasteless, and the spices on the chicken complimented the flavour of the vinegar dressing well. They looked upon the water as the wind, brisk but not chill, pushed the shined surface into waves and ripples.
“It has been a long time since we left the cabin, Novas. And it has been a long time since you asked me of duty and its importance. By the things you have done, I don’t have to ask if you understand its need or my devotion to its cause. But let me regale you with my thoughts anyways,” Garreth began as he placed his bowl aside, and Novas and Kayten gave him their attention and fixed gazes while continuing to munch on their meal.
“I look upon the sea and wonder what lies beyond. Even when the Queen told us, it was hard to believe an army is hidden beyond the horizon somewhere. When I journeyed the land, I heard many things from sailors and seafarers, and some claimed to hail from different shores or had journeyed with a man who did. But of course, those were always the most grizzled and weatherworn of travelers, often drunken and delusional, providing little proof to their claims but surprisingly all agreeing on one thing… that the sea itself was endless.
“I recall an aged man who used to frequent the Salty Dog when I was new to the Crown Aegis. He seemed to always take up his place in the corner where we sit nowadays, and I swear I can see his ghost all the same. He could recollect the most about this land, from times before the great walls of Amatharsus stood. He told us of the very beginning when there was nothing but hamlets and tiny villages separated by vast distance. There were no maps then and little trade… Outsiders were shunned and treated with suspicion. These towns were like families, not all bound by blood but purpose. And with purpose came power. Leaders arose from between the folks like the people of the longest bloodline, the most successful trade, or the most influential word. Over generations, the structures of industry arose in the most well-managed places. Livestock, farming, fishing, mining, logging… each town was known for something, and each took their work to be their pride, their moniker, their existence.
“Today, we sit on the most successful ventures in the entire kingdom, for it was here that the fisher folk turned their vision away from the sea and dreamed of something more. As Amatharsus is near the center of Malquia, the first merchants and tradesmen, as radical as they were, would find themselves conceding on this place of meeting that was not far from where the original village once stood. The first fisher folk opened their hands and their hearts to these peddlers and outlying villages and opened up a place of trade not far from their docks. The ancestors of the King were the elders at the time, and they explained that they should create the first docks, build the first inns, clear the trees away, and lay the first pavilion. The Trade District was formed a ways from shore, and eventually the merchants began to live here as well, and early Amatharsus was born.
“But not all was as harmonious as it would seem. The outlying villages became cross and angered at these unfamiliar conventions. The elders saw that this new trade city would rob them of their labour and resources, would steal from them their youths, and would move the focus of industry elsewhere. And for a time, there was discordance. Traders and merchants were being robbed, families were torn asunder, and towns declared blood feuds on each other. It had seemed the golden age of cooperation and exchange had ended in Amatharsus, but these industrious merchants, in cooperation with the elders of the city, sought to pacify these tensions between folk. And as the men and women fled their homes and gathered in the one safe place, an army was raised to protect them. But not before a king was crowned.
“The first king rode with the army to every town. It was a force unlike one that had ever been seen in this land, and together they met with each elder. He decreed that this senseless violence would end, so that he would make the roads safe once again, and that every village would be open to trade within his walls. And the age of the king began, and peace resided once again.
“Now, Novas and Kayten, with your often youthful and passionate inquisition, you must wonder how the Crown Army differed from the Vandari who move to claim our sovereignty now,” Garreth asked before pausing to take a bite of his salad, and Kayten and Novas nodded.
“Well, the way I see it, the Crown Army never strived to rob the people of what was rightfully theirs. Every village and their elders were afraid of change because they thought they would suffer losses. But in truth, the King just wanted to bring all the villages together in prosperity and harmony to end the bloodshed and to sustain safe and peaceful trade. But as we have seen, the Blackwoods, puppets of the Order, have plundered the wealth of scores of people. The rich have had to hoard their coins to stay in their ancestral homes, and the Lower Quarter was reduced to a slum and was filled with the destitute and the murderous. With the death of the King and the abolition of the Crown Aegis, the land once again became unprotected as the highwaymen freely roamed the roads again in search of goods to pilfer. Perhaps it is as the Queen has said… she would be left to rule if we paid our costly and devastating dowry to the Vandari. But it would not be the same kingdom, this would not be the same land, and the people, descendants from hundreds of years of peace, would be changed irrevocably.
“I humour myself to think of all those ships… the hundreds of ships that supposedly sail against us. I do not know how large their land is or how many people it holds, but I can only assume that all those ships had a cost. And if the Order burdens its people as they have tried to do here, I have no reason not to believe there are people just like us who are impassioned and ready to make change and call out for revolution just as we did. Perhaps, one day, we shall meet them,” Garreth concluded.
“Wow, did that really all happen?” Kayten inquired with wide eyes.
Garreth nodded in response.
“Well, t
hat would be something, I’d imagine. We can only hope and wait,” Novas added. “Thank you for explaining it to us. I believe I do understand.”
“Good. Now, let’s get moving,” Garreth quipped before he finished the rest of his salad.
They continued back through the harbour gates and entered the Trade District. As Novas looked at the spread of vendors, stages, seating, buildings, and people, it was almost as if he could see through time. He could imagine what the area had looked like all those years ago, what the housing had looked like, and how the people had dressed. Novas snapped out of this daze as they reached Fesstil’s stall, and the chef thanked them for the return of his goods. They turned around once again and headed back into the harbour and through the gate of the Lower Quarter.
Chapter Fifteen
As they arrived at The Salty Dog, the dark in the sky was just noticeable, and the tavern was soon upon its most busy hour. A pair of young lads in long-sleeve shirts and brown overalls played a fiddle and a lute, sat on some stools next to the corner of the bar, and seemed to have no trouble keeping the more merry patrons of the bar singing or mumbling along to their well-known melodies. Domminal, Cern, Eyrn, and Behn were at one of the long tables working their way through their ales and pointing at each other, recollecting victories of the past in attempts to bolster themselves for the trials ahead. With the other three with their backs to Novas, Garreth, and Kayten, Cern waved them over and bid they have a seat.
