Hand Made Mage

by James Haddock

  I walked forward touching each Knight, his warhorse, and his shield. All were changed, and their revised house sigil appeared. Theirs weren't as good as mine and the Princes' but they were much better than they had before. I walked the ranks of their men- at-arms touching their shields. House sigils appeared on their shields.

  When I finished the 'Close ranks' Command was given, I returned to the front of the formation. As I neared the front, I looked out across the field and there stood a large twelve-point Black Stag. I'm sure they named the place for this breed and coloring.

  It was almost as if he was looking at me. I stopped. He looked over the formation. No one made a sound. He looked back at me and bowed his head to me. Out at habit I bowed mine is return. He then turned and moved back toward the forest. It was quite a surreal moment.

  Master Sergeant Miller in his parade ground voice shouted, "Black Stag!"

  "Ah-ooh! Ah-ooh! Ah-ooh!" Was shouted in return by everyone on parade, and it echoed across the Black Stag Valley.

  "Master Sergeant Miller, Post!" He came to the front of the formation and faced me. "As of this moment you are promoted to Sergeant's Major!" I shouted so the whole parade would hear the promotion order. "Take charge of the formation Sergeant Major," and saluted him.

  "Yes, sir." He returned my salute. I walked away. I saw the Prince to one side and went to him. The Sergeant Major released the formation back to their companies.

  "Well done, my friend." The Prince said.

  I smiled, "everyone loves a show."

  He chuckled, "send a runner around, tell the leadership, Captains, Knights, and Sergeant Major Miller, there will be a meeting tonight at six in the great hall. Eat before they come."

  "Yes, Sire."

  ✽✽✽

  I raised a table up from middle of the floor in the great hall. It now showed a relief map of the North-West from Port West Gate north to the Northern Border then over to Vigil Keep. It also showed the route the Crown Prince was taking to Vigil Keep. I left my lands vague and covered in crags.

  The Prince looked at the relief map. "Is the pass still blocked?" I showed it open on the map.

  "It is at the moment, I'll open it before we get there, so we can follow behind them if we want to."

  "No, leave it closed we'll take the outside route and come in behind them after they've passed. I closed the pass on the map."

  "Can you make watering holes for us at the end of every day's travel?"

  "I can." I made watering holes at intervals along our route. He nodded.

  "Thoughts?" He asked.

  I was looking at the map. "I've read that when the Romans, at the end of a day's march, made quick forts. A circled moat of spikes and a timber palisade before they slept. That way they slept securely inside walls."

  "Yes, I've read that too."

  "What if I took a small scouting force ahead of the main force and did the same. Made us forts of stone so we could be secure behind walls every night. With water for us and the horses?" I raised little forts up on the map along own planned route.

  He smiled, "now that, I like."

  The Knights, Captains, and Sergeant Major Miller came in.

  "Gentlemen, this will be quick. Prince Kade is in overall command of our forces." I stepped back.

  The Prince stepped forward. Everyone bowed. "We have been tasked by the King to follow the invading Hinterland army to Vigil Keep. We are to cut their supply lines and harass them as opportunities present themselves. We will bleed them all the way to Vigil Keep. We will not directly engage them. The Crown Prince is approaching Vigil Keep from the South. We will join them for the main battle. You can see our planned route here on the map. We have or will have overnight forts and water for us after our day's march. We will be secure inside walls most every night. Our enemy will not."

  Everyone was studying the map. He gave them a moment.

  "Questions?" There were none. "We leave at dawn, we’ll eat on the move, and move until we reach the overnight forts."

  "I suggest we all get some sleep we won't rest for some time after tonight." They all bowed, "Good night Sire." They departed.

  "I think I'll go check on the Hinterland Army and make sure they are still moving where we think they are."

  "Good idea."

  "Good night Sire."

  "Good night Ghost," he said smiling.

  I fast-traveled to the north pass then flew on until I found the army. They were still on track heading north, which was the only way they could go.

  On a whim I fast-traveled to the capital and up into the castle. I went up into Princess Maddison's room wall. She was asleep. I went one of the windows and made it a double door. I grew a covered balcony outside the new doors. It matched the sitting room balcony, only a little smaller.

  I added sliding panels of clear glass with stained glass depicting climbing rose vines in full bloom. They could be closed during bad weather or winter so they could still enjoy the balcony. I added a small brazier and lit it to give warmth and light.

  When I was finished, I opened the double doors. After a few minutes the breeze and the light coming through woke her. She sat up looking around then she looked at the open door where a window used to be.

  She got up, wrapping a sheet around her and walked to the doors looking. "Oh, Ghost, it's beautiful." She lightly touched the stained-glass slides. "Truly beautify." I smiled. She giggled, "my father will have you hanged if he catches you in his daughter's bedchambers. But I supposed he'd have to catch you first." She sat on one stone couches looking out over the city.

  She held her hand out reaching toward the door. I knew she could not know that I was still there, but hoping… I stepped out of the wall onto the balcony, taking her hand bowing over it.

  "Thank you, my Ghost."

  "You are welcome my Princess."

  She held onto my hand. "My brother is well?"

  "He is Princess, we march north at dawn."

  She stood, drawing close to me. "Stay safe, my Ghost." She kissed me, our hands lingering together, as she went back into her room.

  I watched her walk away. "No hunched back." I smiled. "Yes, my Princess." I stepped back into the wall and fast-traveled back to Black Stag Keep. I slept in the earth to restore my strength.

  Chapter nineteen

  I rose early and ate. I dressed in my light armor and dressed Mare in her new armor. I put my bow in its saddle scabbard, and arrows in the saddle quiver. It was then I found out why the quiver didn't look right. It was a "blessed" quiver. I put two hundred arrows in it and could have put more. I put both types of arrows in it. We did not put armor on the war horses.

  Thatcher helped the Prince get ready. He would carry the Prince's banner when we rode out. Another trooper would carry the Company's Black Stag banner. We marched at dawn. A squad of scouts, and I moved out early. The Black Stag Banner stayed with the company.

  As we rode flankers were out scouting. There was little need, I could feel everything around me for hundreds of yards. But why take the chance, and they were following established orders. We kept a steady pace up of riding, then walking our horses throughout the day. When we reached a good camp site that our companies should reach well before dark we stopped. The scout set out scouting the surrounding area.

  I stepped down looking around. I pictured in my mind what I wanted in our overnight fort. Concentrating I raised an eight-foot wall with a watch step on the inside so the guard could see over the wall and the archers could fire over it. The fort was a square that took in enough land for everyone to be inside, with all of our horses and wagons.

  I pushed the woods and brush back two hundred yards so we'd have open ground approaching the walls. I raised fifteen-foot-tall covered watchtowers in each corner, and then added one in the middle of each wall, giving us eight watch towers.

  I raised a gated four-foot wall inside, and across the back for the horses. I lowered a watering hole in that area. I lowered a well, and raised a covered kitchen with
worktables and ovens, in the cook's areas. I made the ovens and cook grills hot and kept them that way.

  The moat that surrounded us was full of spikes. There was a road over the spike moat, and a large gate to close us in. The scouts acted like they saw this every day. The only thing said was, "wished you had been with us before, Captain."

  When the companies arrived, the spare horses moved in first to the walled off watering hole. Then the mounted companies, then the wagons. Once everyone was inside, we closed the gates. Camp was set up, guard duties assigned. The cooks went right to work, as I already did the hard stuff for them.

  The Prince stopped where I was standing inside the gate. "Well done Captain, Well done."

  I bowed, "Thank you Sire. We'll see how this design works and make improvement as needed."

  He nodded, "see you at dinner, then." I bowed he rode on in.

  When I saw the Sergeant Major, I motioned him over.

  "Yes, sir?"

  "Look over the camp layout and design and tell me where I can improve it."

  He looked around nodding, "Yes, sir." He walked away shouting orders.

  It wasn't long before they served dinner. I walked through the camp as I ate looking over everything. I made my way back to our Command Wagon where the Prince was. Thatcher, and the wagon driver were taking care of the setup.

  "Good idea this fort." The Prince said.

  "Yes, I think it will work out well."

  "Have you thought about leaving them up when we leave? We could use them as caravan stops. It would help with the trade route."

  "That's an option, and if it helps trade, it will improve all of our lives."

  ✽✽✽

  As we left the next morning no improvements to the fort were requested. I left the fort standing as a new caravan stop. The scouts and I left out early as we had done the day before. And just as the day before we rode and walked our horses eating on the move. Short of our time to stop we came to a small river. The crossing was at a ford. The land around was all fields, it was a good place for an overnight fort.

  I raised an overnight fort like the one the night before. But this one I made a little bigger. I had it in mind to come back at some point and raise an Inn. I raised the land to make a low hill on this side of the ford. In case the river every flooded the fort would be safe and dry. As an afterthought I raised a wide low stone bridge, over the ford.

  All was ready when the main body arrived. The Prince looked everything over, seeing the bridge, He smiled. "Show off," and move into the fort.

  This became our pattern. Scouts out, move all day fort up at night. At the end of the sixth day, we had reached the end of the crag divide. The Hinterland army had passed this point the day before. Or so it appeared. We forted up for the night and sent scouts out to see how close the enemy was. I could have done it, but they needed to stay in practice. Plus, I didn't want anyone else knowing all I could do. They had already seen too much as it was.

  The scouts reported back late that night the Hinterlanders were a half-day march ahead of us. We decided that in the morning, the wagons and support people would stay here in the overnight fort. Our cavalry would go forward to harass the enemy. Then we would withdraw back here for the night.

  We ate and checked our personal weapons and gear. More than likely we would fight tomorrow. We did not dress our horses in heavy armor, tomorrow would be hit and run harassments. That was the plan anyway.

  We moved out before dawn the next morning. I sent two scouts ahead to find the enemy. I led the scouts and the archers. The Prince and the five Knights led the vanguard of our main body.

  Three hours later our scouts reported they had found their rear guard. There was also a bend in the road in two miles. I sent them back to keep watch, while I reported to the Prince.

  "Sounds like a good place for our first combat. Set your archers in the woods at the bend. Scouts go forward to harass, when their rear guard gives chase fall back around this side of the bend. We'll be waiting for them here. Archers to engage as soon as the enemy see us. That will add confusion in their ranks."

  I took the archers and placed them. All the scouts were also archers, we had our bows ready as we moved forward. We caught up with the rear guard quicker than I expected. We kept a steady pace closing on them.

  They must have been sleeping. We were almost upon them before they realized it. We loosed arrows into them as we galloped past. We did the same into the last three wagon drivers. The wagon's horse teams panicked and ran from the road causing the wagons to roll over spilling supplies.

  The rear guard was finally reacting and gave chase. We headed back toward our main body to spring the ambush. They were fast on our heels. As soon as the Prince saw us rounding the bend they charged, lances down. They left a gap in the middle of their line, which we galloped through in single file. The fifty rear guardsmen never had a chance. The Prince's charge decimated them, and our archers finished them.

  Our archers remounted and set up a blocking force on the road. We took no prisoners. We picked up our dead and wounded and fell back toward the overnight fort. Most of their now rider-less horses followed right along after us.

  I saw that the Prince was alright. I set scout behind to wait for at least six hours to see if we would be followed and if so, by how many. We made the fort by mid-afternoon. Once everyone was inside the gates were closed.

  At nightfall our scout reported in. They followed us with a force numbering one hundred light and heavy cavalry. They turned back after two hours. Their heavy cavalry could not keep up the pace.

  We lost six troopers, and fifteen wounded. Most of the loses and wounded were from the Knight's men-at-arms. They weren't professional soldiers, so were unused to real, life and death fighting.

  The Hinterlanders lost fifty troopers and forty horses. We'd keep the horses. We tended our wounded and buried our dead. We rested the next day with scouts going out.

  Our whole force pulled out the following day at dawn. We moved forward a day's march. They had recovered all of their supplies lost when their wagons rolled over, and the wagons as well. We forted-up again before sundown. We sent scouts out to make sure we did not come upon the enemy unprepared. Or they did not sneak up on us.

  As we ate that night we talked, "How far too Vigil Keep?" I asked.

  "I'd say ten days march from here." The Prince answered.

  "What are they thinking?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, they know, or should know, that there is no resupply caravan coming or its late. If it's late, why did he push on? Why not wait? He's got to be getting low on supplies."

  The Prince nodded thinking," He might think to live off the locals, or to resupply by taking Vigil Keep."

  "That is not a sound strategy, and if I can see it, certainly he has a General that can see it."

  "Perhaps the Prince overruled his General, it happens."

  I shook my head, "I suppose, but it bothers me when things make little sense, it makes me nervous. I think I'll go check on our friends." He nodded his head.

  I went to our wagon, out of sight and dropped into the earth. I flew under until I reached their rear guard. It now numbered over a hundred. I moved forward up the supply wagon line. I started getting an uneasy feeling. There were more wagons with them than there were before. Did they get a message through somehow?

  I found the Prince's Pavilion. The Prince was in his cups. He was pacing, venting to his General.

  "Relegated to guarding the supply wagons. He could not stand to let me fight my way. No, I might be victorious and take his glory."

  "Sire, the King did not come to take your place, he was marching on Vigil Keep as a separate front. He did not know about the earthquake and the blocked Pass."

  "Yet still he blames me for the delays. Said I should have used the outside route around the crags." The general said nothing.

  "That's not good, a second army led by the King of Hinterland himself." I move up the line of
march to find the Kings camp. When I found it, it was at the head of a twenty-thousand-man army, and one hundred Knights. "Not good. Not good at all. I don't think he intends to stop with just taking Vigil Keep. He intends to resupply then push south."

  I went back to the supply wagons. I needed to slow them down. I went to the rear wheel of a wagon and hollowed out three spokes on one side of the hub. as long as the wagon sat in place nothing would happen. When the wagon moved forward putting those spokes on the bottom or top, they would collapse. I did the same thing to the same wheel on every wagon. "That should hold you for a bit."

  I fast-traveled back to our overnight fort. I came up at our Command Wagon and went to see the Prince. He was inside looking at maps.

  "We've got a problem."

  "Only one?" He chuckled.

  "Well, it's a big one."

  "How big?"

  "Twenty thousand big,"

  He lost his smile, "Tell me." I told him what I had heard and found. I told him what I had done to the wagons to slow them down. But it would not hold them long. "That means a total force of almost twenty-five thousand men. You are right, they will gain a foothold at Vigil Keep and push south."

  "And the Crown Prince is heading straight into them, thinking it's only four thousand men. Hopefully, he makes Vigil before they do."

  "It hardly makes a difference. I doubt Vigil can hold long against twenty-five thousand men. Did you see any siege engines?"

  "I did not."

  He nodded. "You must go to the King with this news. He will decide what they should do. He will probably have you take orders to the Crown Prince. Return as soon as you can, we'll hold here for orders."

  "Yes, Sire."

  I dropped into the earth and fast-travelled to the Capital and up into the Kings office wall. He was not in his office, he, the Queen, and the Princess were in their quarters in discussion. I stepped from the wall and knocked on the door to their quarters. I stepped back in plain sight. The King opened the door dagger at the ready.