He got to his feet, a new purpose driving him forward. “I’ll do that. Thanks.” He left the tent with motivation in his steps.
Chapter 26
He got answers quicker than he anticipated, as it turned out that Emory Tallowen’s family owned several mines. His response was quick and confident. “Blasting powder. Once you’ve smelled it, you can’t forget it. We use it in the mines sometimes, though it’s expensive in Terabinia.”
“If it’s expensive, couldn’t you use spell-bombs instead?” asked Will.
The young nobleman shrugged. “I don’t know, but if that was cheaper, I’m sure Father would use those instead. We buy most of our blasting powder from Trendham, which is probably where the Darrowans got it as well.”
“Couldn’t they just make it?” Will had never examined the recipes for the powder so he had no idea how much it cost to make.
Emory shook his head. “A small amount, but they don’t have the sulfur in Darrow. Neither do we. That’s why everyone buys it from Trendham. They have all the raw materials.” He scratched his chin. “Even so, they spent a lot on that trap. The amount of powder it took to do that—it boggles the mind.”
“Twice as much if they did the same thing on the other road,” observed Will.
Emory frowned. “I doubt it. I can’t imagine even the Patriarch would be willing to spend that much on something that might not be used. I bet they knew we were coming this way.”
But no one knew the route I’d chosen, thought Will quietly. I didn’t tell anyone until the day before we reached the fork. They must have found out right then if they were going to reposition it, or there wouldn’t have been time. He chewed his lip, trying to make sense of things. Could there be a spy among one of the staffers to the senior commanders? Or even more unthinkable, could one of the senior officers be a spy?
He patted Emory’s shoulder. “Thanks for the information.”
“Anything else you need?”
Will thought about the six sorcerers who’d died, in addition to the three who were wounded, then said, “Keep me updated on the sorcerers who were wounded and send in Lieutenant Renly when you step out.”
Emory left, and Renly appeared a moment later. “You needed me, sir?”
“I need four scouts sent along the road we didn’t take.”
“It could take considerable time for them to backtrack, then follow the other road and return the same way again,” cautioned the lieutenant.
Will shook his head. “No, send them forward along with the scouts were we sending anyway. “Have them go almost to Klendon then head back up along the other road. They don’t necessarily need to return by dawn with the others, so it’s all right if they take an additional half day or more to get back.”
“What are they looking for? Do you think the enemy has hidden a force to come at us from behind when we reach Klendon?”
“No. We had scouts through there just a few days ago. I want them to look for signs of digging. Places where the Darrowans may have removed explosive caches like the ones that caught us today.”
“Very well, sir.” Renly started to turn, but Will stopped him.
“This is between us, lieutenant,” Will commanded. “These four scouts are to report to me alone and they aren’t to tell anyone else of the alteration to their orders. Understood?”
A flash of puzzlement crossed Renly’s face, but he hid it quickly, then saluted. “Yes, sir.”
***
The senior officers’ meeting started with a somber air that was soon replaced with tension once Field Marshal Lustral began making his thoughts known. “We haven’t even seen the enemy yet and we’ve already had one division decimated.”
Will ground his teeth. Technically the duke’s statement was true. While the Terabinian army as a whole was still relatively fine, First Division had effectively lost one-tenth of its fighting capacity. “We all regret the loss, but we have to move forward and make their deaths count—”
“We? Begging your pardon, Marshal, but the decision to take the southern road was yours alone. Their deaths are on your head. Did I not counsel you to keep to our original plan?” argued Lustral.
Angry, Will stared into the man’s eyes. “You did indeed. When this is over, I will take full responsibility for our losses.”
Mark Nerrow spoke before things could get worse. “Let us focus on tomorrow. Nothing will be gained by lamenting past mistakes.”
“Unless we repeat them,” said Lustral bitingly.
Will knew he couldn’t let the man continue, so he spoke up quickly. “Are you finished? We have work to do. When this is all over, you’ll have all the time in the world to make your complaints to the king.”
A faint smirk passed across the duke’s lips, but he acquiesced. “Please, let us continue.”
Will contained his anger and pressed on, “Tomorrow evening we will reach Klendon. From previous reports, we think that our enemy spent the past year fortifying and expanding the garrison there, but the city can still only contain its sparse count of citizens and three or four thousand soldiers at most. The Patriarch could conceivably plan to face us with his main army there, but they would have to fight us on the plain around the city, and given our almost certain numerical superiority that would be a foolish game.
“Because of this, we believe he will instead seal up Klendon and count on us spending time and resources trying to take the city stronghold,” said Will, finishing the summary.
Commander Hargast spoke first. “There are three bridges that connect Klendon to the rest of Darrow. I said this last time, but perhaps you would reconsider—we should ignore the city, cross the river, and destroy the bridges behind us. That would eliminate the threat from the rear.”
“And cut us off from our supply lines,” countered Sub-Marshal Nerrow.
Lustral interceded, “If we take up a more aggressive campaign, we could take what we need from the Darrowan citizenry…”
“No,” said Will firmly. “We need an intact supply line. We’re trying to annex Darrow, not burn it to the ground. While the fortified city is a potential thorn in our side, it would be an even greater asset as a staging center for logistics on this side of the mountains.”
Commander Lambel spoke next. “We could spend a year on that endeavor! The city is old and well supplied. There’s no practical method to take it other than a siege, and to do that we’d need to cut the bridges.”
Mark Nerrow nodded. “Meanwhile the Patriarch’s main army will be harassing us continually. Even with the bridges cut, they can ford the river in small groups at multiple points. With a well-defended city in front of us and continual attacks from behind we would die a death of a thousand cuts.”
“What do you suggest then?” asked Will.
“Annihilate the city,” said his father without hesitation. “The city garrison is a tenth our size and their complement of sorcerers is very likely also a tenth of ours. Bring our elementals to bear on the city and destroy it entirely. No strategy, no fighting, no losses, we raze it to the ground, and if it turns out the city has some defense to protect it from brute magical attacks there are rituals we could use.”
Will felt a shiver run down his spine. He remembered his one occasion to be part of a ritual, and despite himself he wanted to do it again. The feeling of power had been unlike anything he’d experienced before. It was addictive. In his mind’s eye, he could imagine it already. The currents flowing around him while he wielded powers beyond imagining to wipe the enemy city from existence. Closing his eyes, he got his emotions under control and tried to reply with reason, “While that is an attractive option, I would prefer—”
“We have the necessary knowledge with us,” interrupted Sub-Marshal Nerrow. “The king allowed me to bring full documentation of the strategic rituals we might need, as well as an advisor to help us implement them.”
Will felt his face flush as his temper rose. His father hadn’t mentioned any of that previously—and he should have. “An advisor?”
Will’s words had a hard edge as he replied, “In future, I’d appreciate it if you kept me informed of such important matters beforehand.”
“You have to admit the idea has merit, though,” interjected Lustral.
Sadly, it did, but Will had other ideas. In fact, he’d spent most of his time thinking about the problem from the first time he’d heard it put to him at one of the early planning sessions. He gave Lustral an earnest look, then asked, “Assuming we don’t do that, how do you see the enemy reacting when we approach the city?”
“They’ll leave the bridges intact, since that’s where their relief will come from. They’ll hope that we waste our time and men besieging the city, but if we bypass it and move on to cross the bridges, they will sally forth to sabotage our supply lines. They might even burn the bridges behind us to strand us within Darrow,” said the duke.
“And if we do lay siege to the city, while leaving the bridges intact?” asked Will.
“That’s the best outcome for them,” said Lustral. “Their main army will arrive to attack us from the rear, pinning us against the rock of Klendon. In the best case we might annihilate their army, but our own losses would be so great we would have no choice but to withdraw back to Terabinia afterward.”
Will nodded, then asked, “And if their army came over the bridges to attack our flanks, what would the city do?” He’d already thought it all through several times and discussed it with Arrogan, but he wanted to hear what the experts thought of the situation.
Lustral became hesitant after hearing the tone in Will’s voice. “They might decide to play it safe, but—”
Commander Hargast broke in, “But they would be foolish to miss the opportunity. With their main army on one side they could maximize the damage to us by attacking us from the other side when we turned to face them. Our losses would multiply quickly. We might even be driven into a complete rout.”
Which is exactly what I was thinking too, Will told himself silently. “I’ve made up my mind. We’ll set up a cordon around the city, but we’ll position our main body in front of the city gates. Let them think we intend to try a frontal assault.”
Sub-Marshal Nerrow frowned. “If we’re going to use a ritual, it would be best to do it from the western side. The main gate is on the east side of the city, in the direction of the bridges. It’s not a particularly defensible position with the possibility of their relief coming in behind us.”
Commander Lambel, usually quiet, spoke for the first time. “Unless you’re planning to destroy the bridges and you have some way to bring down the gates.”
Will looked around the room, feeling the weight of thousands of lives descend on his shoulders. Did he trust the men in the tent with him? Some, yes, he thought, looking at his father, but definitely not all. His plan for Klendon only had one chance of working, and if the enemy guessed his intention, it would fail with no effort on their part required. The downside of keeping the officers in the dark was that they might refuse to accept his orders if they thought he was being deliberately suicidal.
If he had a reputation, or experience, they might trust him to play his cards close to his chest, but Will had neither. He would have to lie. Give them enough that they’ll agree, but not enough that they might guess the plan. He met Lambel’s gaze as he answered, “No, we need the bridges. I have something else in mind that will force the city commander to surrender.”
“And what miracle would this be?” asked Lustral in annoyance.
“You’ll see in due time,” Will answered curtly, then directed his attention to Mark Nerrow. “Sub-marshal, I’d like you to remain behind so we can discuss certain items in private.”
Hargast and Lambel’s eyes went wide with shock. Then Hargast asked, “You intend some secret strategy, but you won’t include us in the planning? How can that work?”
Lustral jumped in immediately, “After the debacle on the road today you think we’ll trust you?”
Will had two options for dealing with that remark. He could take Lustral head on and threaten the man, something he would probably have to do eventually anyway, but it was too soon. He didn’t have the respect of the others yet. If he started a fight, it would undermine his own position. “I’m sure all of you trust Mark Nerrow. The magical support he mentioned will be key, so I’d like to keep it on a strictly need-to-know basis, just between the two of us. If he doesn’t like my plan, he won’t go along with it. Even if you don’t trust me, trust his judgment.”
The field marshal started to open his mouth to protest, but Commander Bradshaw put a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Felix,” he said, using Lustral’s first name. “We’re all nervous, but I trust Mark’s opinion. If he thinks the plan won’t wash, he won’t stay silent.”
Will saw Lambel and Hargast relax slightly as Bradshaw spoke, and he felt sure he’d gotten past the hard part. After a bit more grumbling the meeting was adjourned and the officers returned to their men, leaving Will alone with Sub-Marshal Nerrow.
Before Will could say anything else, Mark said, “Thank you, for the regeneration potion. They told me Laina would surely have died without it.”
He nodded. “It wasn’t even a choice. She’s probably the most important person to me in this army currently.”
“Then our personal priorities are aligned,” said Will’s father. “Although we have to subordinate them to the army’s needs. I hope you have a good plan after all the drama you created during the meeting.”
“I do.”
“Should I call for Scholar Sundy then? She has all the details regarding the rituals we can use.”
Will nodded. “I would like to look at them. Just to see what is available in the future, plus it will help reassure those who doubt me.”
His father’s eyes narrowed. “It sounds as though you don’t intend to use them.”
He hoped honesty was the best course. “That’s correct.”
“Despite our connection, I’m still going to need more information,” said the baron. “Thousands of lives are at stake. I won’t pretend to believe in something if I don’t know what it is. First, let me ask, you think we have a spy among us, don’t you?”
Will nodded again. “The less said about that the better.” He quickly constructed a force-dome around them and spent a minute examining the area around them, to be sure no astral witnesses were present. “I have suspicions, but I don’t want to talk about them until I know something concrete. I’ll tell you what I plan for Klendon, though.”
“I’m guessing this means I’m the only one you trust,” said the sub-marshal ruefully.
“We’ve had our differences, but I don’t doubt your intentions,” said Will.
“Trust is a rare commodity for someone in your position, William, but be careful in giving it out. I’m glad you trust me, but in your place, I’m not sure if I would have done the same.”
“If I can’t trust you then I have even bigger problems. Now, down to brass tacks. First, I have to insist that even after I confide in you, I’ll want you to keep the plan secret even from your own staff. I don’t want any instructions issued or officers brought into this until the last possible moment, which will probably be after we’re in position at Klendon.” He began explaining, slowly and carefully.
Mark Nerrow listened seriously, and though he asked for clarification several times, he didn’t argue or debate. At the end he made several suggestions, which Will thought might help refine his idea, so he agreed.
“It’s a sound stratagem,” said his father, “with a fair chance of success, but the potential risk is high. If it falls apart, the losses will be extreme. We probably wouldn’t have the resources left to continue the campaign, and after returning to Terabinia the blame will fall squarely on your shoulders. Have you considered that?”
“Not only mine,” Will pointed out. “As the person who vouchsafed for me
, there might be serious consequences for you as well.”
The sub-marshal raised one brow. “Are you trying to talk me out of supporting you?”
“Just giving you the same consideration,” said Will, smiling faintly. “Though it’s clear you’ve already made your choice.”
Mark Nerrow grinned. “I’d say the chances are better that we’ll succeed. The potential risk is great, but the reward justifies taking the chance. Let’s call Scholar Sundy. You still need to see the rituals she’s brought.”
“And we need her advice about the bridges,” Will reminded.
“Even so.”
Chapter 27
It was late by the time Elizabeth Sundy and Mark Nerrow returned to their own tents and Will was finally left to his own devices. It had been a long day and he was exhausted, but tired or not, he still had more to do. He’d planned to have Laina and Darla guard him for his forays into the astral, but both of those notables were still recovering, so he made do with letting Lieutenant Renly know he wasn’t to be disturbed and setting an extra guard outside his tent.
Then he settled comfortably onto his field cot and closed off his senses. He was steadily improving, and it took him only a minute or so before he felt his spirit come free from his body. As was often the case, he found himself hovering beside Selene, though she wasn’t the target for his activity. The heart wants what it wants, he thought.
She was sitting at the dressing table in their bedroom, combing out her hair. Will allowed himself a moment to watch her, but before he could focus his attention on his actual target, Selene glanced up with a curious expression.
“I shouldn’t,” she said aloud, her hand stopping over her heart. “But what if something’s happened?”
Curious, Will continued to watch, and after a second, he realized what she was doing, for he felt a sudden warmth in the region he would normally associate with his chest. She’s trying to talk to me through the heart-stone enchantment, he realized. Did she sense me somehow? Did my presence make her think of me?
Disciple of War (Art of the Adept Book 4) Page 24
