Clearing the Web

by Cary J Lenehan

  Soon the increasing number of saddles became popular, so popular that people rode their saddle to the fields or out to the watch point. Even Astrid has had a try. I never thought that I would see that. She can use the saddle, but she cannot use her long bow from it nor her spear. “It is useless to me except as transport.”

  Rani is determined and seems to be using her army mind hard. Eleanor, who is the best of us with using a lance, is soon hard at work training flyers. Norbert is also soon hard at work, modifying mail and helmets while Fortunata, Astrid and Parminder are sewing uniforms for everyone.

  Rani wants to make a show of our visit, so that we do not appear to be below the notice of a mighty Empire.

  Eventually, Astrid has to admit that the saddles are fun, “Just like sailing, or a good run downhill on skis.” She is having less fun now Rani is insisting on us learning to fly in perfect formations, and be able to change direction as if we are one. We are not perfect, but lots of hard work will make us better. We are improving almost every day. Rani insisted on them moving just right, even above them learning to shoot their bows or use their lances from the saddles.

  “We hopefully will not have to be in combat on this trip, but presenting a good appearance is important,” she said. “From what Theodora tells me, the Darkreach heavy cavalry make ours in the west look like amateurs. We have to be able to impress them.”

  Hulagu dealt with the grumblers shortly. “She is treating us just as Haven treats their cavalry. They move as one and hit hard and can move quickly away and regroup. On our saddles, we can do it even better, and the cavalry of Haven do not know how to use bows or magic.

  “Some of you saw how good her escort looked arriving at Evilhalt. In a short time, we will look better.” His voice bore certainty.

  Soon, most of them were practicing in mail similar to that worn by Theodora. After a while, the seamstresses brought out a pile of folded blue cloth. The riders put them on over their armour as tabards bearing an image on gold of a mouse sitting up on its haunches over their hearts. Flowing from attachments on their helmets were streamers of blue cloth and their lances had, near their tips, pennons with the same mouse on them.

  Theodora

  They listen to Astrid in the air and it is all looking good.

  Rani had been working inside and came out for some fresh air in time to see the riders in their new panoply sweeping past in a row. “Where did the mouse come from?” she asked.

  “Fortunata insisted on it. She grew up in Freehold after all. That is one of the things she can remember from growing up as a beggar. The rich people, and the people who worked for them, apparently have badges on their clothes there. She thought that being rich meant you should have a badge. She is now rich, so she wants us to have a badge. She is working on banners for our walls now.

  Rani nodded thoughtfully for a moment. “Good idea,” she said.

  Chapter XLIII

  Theodora

  31st October

  We will leave for Ardlark straight after Astrid’s mid-winter fire. It doesn’t matter how cold the weather is when we travel, and that is the usual limit placed on any extensive travel in the mountains. My dark beauty has her warmed cloaks for all of the people who will be going. Now that we have my saddles as well as the carpet, we can take many more people if we choose to.

  Although the spell remains the same, the way the saddles are made is being changed as we learn more about how to use them, and now they all even have saddlebags, and some of the Mice have gotten Stefan to modify their saddles in special ways. Bianca has had a set of buckles put on each side of her usual saddle, so that she can carry her babies in what look suspiciously like baby quivers lined with wool and blankets. Astrid, Anahita and Kãhina have quickly copied her in this.

  Astrid

  2nd November

  In the early light of the morning we set off. Others accompanied them to the gate and Lakshmi went on to the lookout. As they left the lookout they climbed for altitude, Astrid looked back to Verily, who was controlling the carpet. “Try for more speed.”

  Except for our scouts, who can scoot around as they will, our experience so far shows that most saddle-riders feel very sluggish being tied to the carpet. In the van are Hulagu, Kãhina and Anahita, as scouts, flying a long way ahead of the rest and spread well out and having fun. The others ride with me.

  Why did Rani make me command while we are in the air? Damn her. I want to be with the others out front. I am at the point and Valeria, Fãtima, Ayesha and Bianca are formed up behind me. Oh, I know what she said about my experience with ships and ski…and I have to admit that skiing, rather than riding, is the skill that is closest to using the saddles.

  It is a pity that few in The Land, and no others among us, have the skill. The others use their reins. Mine are looped onto my saddle and I control my mount just by shifting my weight in the seat and the stirrups.

  Astrid looked around. I have two fliers on the same level as the carpet, and one rides above and one below. Behind the carpet are Basil and Bilqĩs, flying side by side. The scouts have their bows out and their lances tucked away in holders. The others fly with their lances at an angle.

  With no threat to be seen, and flying well above any bow’s range, even well enhanced, we all have the mail veils on the helmets raised. We will only fly like this when there are people who can see us, and Basil tells me that the Darkreach forts in the hills and Forest Watch, on its hill to the east will all, most likely be watching.

  Every now and then, to keep people alert and stop them getting bored, Astrid blew a whistle and waved her arms and changed from that formation from the square arrow, to a flat arrow with a point and two or three trailing from it or a line formation. She spread them out and then closed them up, moved them up and moved them down, and made their relatively slow pace through the air at least an occasion for practice, rather than a slow procession.

  Astrid led them east of Forest Watch, the most isolated of Darkreach’s watch towers. I once wondered why it was placed on its lonely hill. Now that I know where all the roads run through the area, its location finally makes sense. If the people there know where the roads run around them, and have the right equipment, they can watch for movement on the roads from Evilhalt to Mousehole and Kharlsbane, as well as the Mousehole road itself. They might even see the junction of the Mousehole road and the path up into Dwarvenholme.

  If all of these roads were clear and busy, it is a location that cries out for a watch garrison. It may be near useless now with how few people move through the area, but no major movement of people, or in particular armies, can take place near the Gap without the watchers knowing, if they are alert and know where they should look.

  As she looked at it, she could see a beacon fire had been lit on it. It glows briefly with just its flame and then throws up a column of black smoke. Our arrival at Mouthguard will now be expected.

  They stopped soon after that for lunch, to feed and change babies and to stretch their legs. Even with the carpet slowing us down it does not take much longer to sight Mouthguard and some traffic on the roads around it.

  Despite it being the middle of winter, so many Dwarves are still on the road trudging through the snow that their road can be seen from the sky as a dark strip laid across the white of the rest of the landscape. They have even taken to working on the tracks between Kharlsbane and Mouthguard, and making them into something more of a road. That will take many years to complete, but the long-lived Dwarves are never deterred by how long a project will take.

  Astrid called for a flat arrow formation, summoning the scouts back, with Hulagu to take her position and the girls to take the ends of the formation. I note, from the agitation I can see…an ant’s nest with water poured on it would be about right…that the keep has worked out what the beacon fire was about and has seen our approach.

  She halted the flight well out o
f the range of shot, even for a ballista. Soaring down closer to the ground, she flew on alone. She looked back. All the lances are held correctly. Ahead is a keep with a nervous collection of soldiers. Now, what is the name Thord told me…ah yes.

  She flew up to the keep at the level of a horse’s rider. “Greetings, I am here to see Mellitus to get some travel documents to go on to Ardlark. We are an Embassy from the village of Mousehole, the Dwarves may have mentioned us, and we are on the way to Ardlark for our Princesses to see His Imperial Majesty,” she smiled her toothiest grin at them and waited.

  A Kharl, a Kichic-Kharl archer, scurried inside and returned quickly with an Insakharl. He must have been waiting somewhere nearby, he is that prompt. “I am Mellitus,” he said, “and who are you? What do you want?”

  “I am Astrid the Cat, and we are going to Ardlark as an Embassy from Mousehole. I am in charge of the guard. We thought that, wanting to do the right thing; we would get travel documents here, rather than just fly in.”

  “You could be a threat,” Mellitus looks and sounds very unsure, he is stalling. I am sure that the only other entrants into Darkreach from the outside world have been a few merchants. Most of the traffic that he has seen so far will have been from Darkreach traders going out and passing Dwarves. According to what Basil has told me, few outsiders will be going in and none so strongly armed. “I am not sure if we should let you in.”

  “Oh, you cannot stop us if we do want to go in. We can just fly over you if we want to. As for being a threat…” She turned and made the arranged hand signal that would bring Basil forward, “I think that I would like you to meet my husband.” She waited, refusing to say more. When Basil came up to join them, she introduced him.

  “Mellitus, this is my husband, Tribune Basil Akritas of the Antikataskopeía. He reports directly to Strategos Panterius, I believe,” she smiled sweetly. “You do know who he is, don’t you? Husband dear, please say hello to the nice man who is about to give us travel documents.”

  “Hello,” said Basil. “What is the delay?” he asked in his best military voice. “Do you wish to see my sigil?” He reached into his pouch and started pulling it out. Mellitus swallowed. He is caught like a fish on a hook and he knows it. Basil showed it to him. Except for sealing letters, I don’t think that he has used it since he was given it.

  “I will just be a moment,” said Mellitus very quickly. He is glancing nervously at the sigil in Basil’s hand as he goes. He turned to go back inside and then remembered something, turned again and obviously started counting.

  “In case you are having trouble, there are two and a half hands of adults and a hand and one of children.” I am enjoying this. “Do you want our names? No, we are diplomats, it should not be necessary.”

  Theodora told me, and I happen to agree with her, to avoid any mention of the presence of the Princess. I cannot lie while I do it though. Offering names and then arguing against the idea is a good way to achieve both objects.

  The Insakharl headed inside and came back in a few minutes with a piece of paper. Astrid drew nearer and took it and, without looking at it…after all, I still cannot really read more than a few words of Darkspeech the silly way that they write it...she handed it to Basil.

  He looks at it, “That seems to be in order, but you have who is in charge of the Embassy wrong, still that is no moment. Let us go.”

  Astrid took the paper back and tucked it in her pouch. She then waved her hand in the air in one of her hand signals and pointed up the pass. Verily turned the carpet and the others wheeled with her. Basil sped back to his position and Astrid flew ahead of the rest at her best speed.

  With that piece of paper to be shown, I will take the lead until Nameless Keep, at least. She indicated more height and they rose to half way to the level of the forts, riding a thousand paces in the air above the Methul River. It is flowing underneath us in the centre of the broad valley that cleaves the mountains in two, like an axe-mark though a fallen log.

  Directly below, I can see the light winter traffic on the river and the activity of the hamlets springing up along its cold length. Even I am glad of the warmth of the cloaks. I note that, if the bright winter sunshine high up in the pass momentarily fools a rider into throwing a cloak off, the speed of our passage makes the wind cut through our clothes in an instant and soon prompts us to put them back on.

  Chapter XLIV

  Astrid

  2nd November

  Theodora has decided that we should spend the night at some little hamlet that was springing up at the head of navigation of the Methul when she first came through. That must be it. I hope that Theodora remembers the disguise for her eyes. Basil tells me that this took three days and we have done it in a few short hours.

  My husband didn’t mention crops, but there are some stone-walled fields now on the north slope of the valley, where the hard-pressed crops can catch some sun, and I can see a small flock of sheep let out into one of them with a bale of hay. A few small houses, some of them still being added to, a couple of large barns, as well as what looks like a warehouse by the water’s edge, make up the rest of the settlement. Theodora thought there would be an inn now, and there is. It has a sign with a head painted on it and water flowing out of the open mouth. I cannot read the writing. From behind Basil said, “The River’s Head.”

  While the others stayed mounted, Astrid went in calling loudly for the innkeeper. He was obviously not used to such large and loud Insakharl women and seemed terrified. “It is winter, we don’t have enough rooms ready,” he said wringing his hands.

  “That is all right,” Take a conciliatory tone. I shouldn’t tease someone who is about to prepare my food. “We will wait here and feed babies and have something to eat and drink before your fire. That will give you time to prepare, we are early for the meal anyway and would appreciate a chance to just rest.” He tugged his forelock and scurried away.

  Astrid called the others in to where she waited. The saddles had been made to fit through most doorways and so, when the landlord returned into his main room with a girl servant, some tables had been moved aside and the saddles were lined up along a wall. The carpet was rolled up on top of them and under Ayesha’s watchful eye. If he is taken aback by soldiers, having doffed their mail, then breastfeeding, he didn’t show it beyond a widening of his eyes. Good boy.

  Tactfully, and nervously, he cleared his throat, “I have to ask to see your papers please.”

  “Of course.” Astrid dug the piece of paper out of her pouch.

  “You are not from here then?” he asked inanely as she was doing this.

  “Most of us aren’t, but the two with black eyes are. I am an Insakharl from outside the Empire. We don’t all have the eyes where I am from.”

  He inspected the paper. “That is in order, thank you. Just let this girl know what you want and I will see about rooms. We may not have enough for all of you to sleep in. I am afraid that you will have to make do with barracks.”

  “A barracks will do for us, but if you have five rooms for us, well then that will do as well. If you have six, then four will share one. Most of us are small.” I talked with Basil about costs and can now just pay. She pressed some money into his hand. He is obviously pleased with what he sees. He smiles, touches his forehead again and hurried off. It is nice to have people defer to me. Soon there was a bustle and the clatter of noise from above them that signalled efforts to make more rooms ready as they gave their orders for drinks.

  “I am going to have a look at the kitchen,” said Basil in Hindi. “Some of these places are acceptable and some aren’t. We didn’t stay the night here on the way out, so I don’t know.” He wandered out the back following the waitress.

  The food is acceptable, given the short notice, but not what we are used to. “It is fairly normal Darkreach tavern food,” said Basil. “The kitchen is clean though, and that is the most import
ant thing.”

  They spent a quiet and fairly comfortable night and headed off after Astrid had paid the innkeeper the rest of his bill. His eyes went wide at the sight of the ancient and unfamiliar golden coins he was handed, and he could not resist biting one before obviously deciding that gold is gold, regardless of what it looks like.

  They came up to the huge bulk of Nameless Keep well before lunch on the next day. As it grows in front of us, I can see that it might be impregnable to any normal army, but unless its defences are augmented, it is as open to slaughter from the air as a baby seal lying on the ice. The castle behind its walls is as vulnerable to us as the spread-out surrounding village would be to an army on the ground.

  Still, she obeyed Theodora’s injunction and flew down to the entrance to be polite. Christopher has indicated that he wants to check here for one of the Master’s pentagrams. We can do little now if he finds one, but due to its key spot for trade, it would be a good place for the Masters to have placed an agent, at least.

  Astrid flew up to the gate of the keep and produced her papers. They are handed back with barely a glance. The looks are reserved for the saddles. This garrison seems much more casual than the one on the border. It is marvellous, once you are inside. If you have the right papers, everyone is much more relaxed and they don’t ask questions at all, even though I can see that several want to.

  As they had lunch and fed babies in a village inn, Christopher performed his miracle. He finished and shook his head. “There is one here in the village,” he said. “Do you want us to do anything about it?”

  Theodora and Basil looked at each other. “I am on detached duty,” said Basil. “I could do something if I wanted to, but it might get the local officers upset with me. I haven’t even checked in with them, and I won’t. I think it is best to report this to my Strategos first, and allow him to take it from there. Such news is a good gift for him.” Theodora and Rani concurred and they flew off after eating. Christopher discretely pointed out the building he had found to Basil as they rose and Basil made a note of its location.