Remnants of the Order

by Hamish Spiers

  “I can imagine,” the first man replied. “You’re not that far away from Wyvern’s Peak here.”

  The villager frowned. “That’s true but there have been more Angdar coming through here now than before. I think the Angdar and the human scum who help them are pulling out of Valahir and heading to the south and the east. They’re up to something.”

  “That’s helpful to know.”

  “Do you want to come back with me to the village? We don’t have a lot in the way to offer but we can give you a warm bed and fresh food.”

  “It’s kind of you,” the first man replied. “But I’m heading north.”

  The villager snorted. “The lion’s den?”

  The first man smiled. “Not that far.”

  Soon the villager headed on his way and the first man set off towards the north. However, it wasn’t long before he heard a voice in his head. “Tal.”

  Tal drew his steed to a halt and listened as Morgiana informed him of the new arrangement.

  VII. A Council of War

  It had been almost a month since Lorial, Ishtvan and Keld had arrived in Ensari and brought their news to Queen Heptapshu. But now a messenger from the queen’s palace had visited their quarters with news that the mages had arrived and would be holding a council of war that evening. And the queen hoped that the three of them would attend.

  The meeting was held in the main dining hall of Queen Heptapshu’s palace, a splendid round room enclosed by marble columns and leafy plants, with a large wooden table in the center and meals laid out on it for all the guests.

  Before they dined, Queen Heptapshu introduced everyone in the room to the others gathered there.

  First, she introduced Lord Ulycius Dae’ic and Lord Haladon Adeus of the Ilara army. Next, she introduced Lord Ali Bacara and Lord Lomar Avari, who represented the army of Ilara’s ally and closest neighbor, Maharei. After this, she introduced was a swarthy man dressed in the red and yellow cloth of the royal house of Khalahi in the south. “This here,” Queen Heptapshu said, “is my good friend Prince Nabahar, who has brought a small contingent up from the south.”

  “Queen Heptapshu sent word that the free lands of the Greater Realms were in danger,” Prince Nabahar said to the room. “When our friends are in need, my people come. Khalahi will stand with Ilara, Maharei, Erahil and Valahir in this fight.

  “However, I myself though cannot stay here long. My father, King Ashaki, believes that if your lands are in peril, our own could be at risk as well. We have built a garrison on the river near the border of Hellesa and have set up camps south of the forest there. And I am to be in command of them.”

  “Then they will be in good hands indeed,” Sól Eydís told him to nods of assent around the room.

  Next, the queen introduced the mages, beginning with Sól, followed by Tal Orson and Morgiana Kyndeera who were Sól’s apprentices. The queen added that Tal was from Erahil, perhaps for Lorial’s benefit since she had lived there for several years now. Then she introduced Karn Zell, the youngest of the group by many years. He was an apprentice to the whole group, rather than any one mage, although he had learned to master the gift largely by himself.

  Finally Queen Heptapshu introduced Lorial, Ishtvan and Keld to everyone present and then it was time for dinner to commence.

  “Now that we have finished eating,” Queen Heptapshu said, “let us sum up the situation. There is the immediate threat the Angdar army poses to Ensildahir before they head south to attack us here. The traitor Vlaxan is doing his part to aid them too, firstly by depriving Lord Asmundyr of a united city guard that he can rely on and secondly by attacking us from the north. This attack will probably be several attacks over a few days in order to wear us down before the main column of the Angdar army arrives. And finally, he will be attacking when we are stretched thin already, defending this city from an Aracean navy. And this is what we are facing, my friends.

  “However, it is not all bad news. We know from my spies that both Ilara and Maharei have far more competent navies than the eastern lands. All our soldiers have some seafaring experience and the same can’t be said of our attackers. And furthermore, it is clear that the orchestrators who planned these attacks are relying heavily on an element of surprise that they no longer have.

  “Now, the traitor Vlaxan. We know that he intends to steal the Ensildahir fleet and moor it at Berring’s Cove. And it is from here that he plans to launch his attacks. I have proposed that a small Ilara contingent intercept him there shortly after he arrives in twelve days’ time.” Queen Heptapshu looked at Ishtvan. “Since Captain Orlandor here has done much of the work in uncovering this conspiracy and is an experienced commander as well, I have assigned him to this group as joint leader along with Karn.”

  Ishtvan and the young mage nodded.

  “That is one front of the attack,” Queen Heptapshu continued. “Two remain. Next, the Angdar attack on Ensildahir. This is where we will stop them of course. We won’t wait until Ensildahir is overrun before defending ourselves. We will help Asmundyr defend the city.”

  She turned to the Ilara commanders. “Lord Adeus and Lord Dae’ic, I am entrusting you with this task. Prince Nabahar’s men will also go with you, although he will not be coming with them himself as he is needed elsewhere, as he said. However, your contingent will be large to counter the enemy’s and Tal Orson will be accompanying you as well.”

  Lord Adeus smiled. Tal’s fighting prowess, as well as his unbridled hatred of the Angdar, was well known.

  Queen Heptapshu then produced a map that had been rolled up beside her chair and placed it on the wall behind her. “Now, the final front. To stop the Araceans’ attack from the sea, we will intercept their ships with the Ensari fleet in the Strait of Hellesa. This way, we will fight them on our terms. And the Maharei fleet will trap them from behind.”

  She then turned to the Maharei commanders. “Lord Bacara. You are to lead the Maharei fleet and Morgiana Kyndeera will accompany you.”

  Then Queen Heptapshu addressed the whole room once more. “And that is that. However, one thing remains and that is that we also suspect that the enemy may attack Kalishar as well, possibly passing Ketchyin en route. There was no mention of this in the plans uncovered by Captain Orlandor but if our enemies are planning to attack both Ensildahir and this city, they may have also made designs on Kalishar. So be it real or imagined, we will prepare a response to this threat. Lord Avari?”

  “Yes?” the other Maharei commander replied.

  “You will take a contingent of your men to Ketchyin. If everything goes to plan, you will meet up with Sól Eydís, who will by that time have rallied the Ulak in the mountains. Together, you will evacuate Ketchyin and then return to Kalishar to build up the existing fortifications.”

  Lord Avari nodded. “It will be done.”

  Immediately afterwards, Lorial looked for Sól as she had wanted to see her but she left so quickly, she didn’t have the chance.

  “Is she leaving tonight?” she asked Ishtvan.

  “Most likely,” Ishtvan replied. “She’s been like that as long as I’ve known her.”

  “I wonder if I’ll see her again when this is all over,” Lorial mused.

  “You may,” Ishtvan told her.

  “And what about now? What shall I do? Or what I am permitted to do?”

  Ishtvan gave her a puzzled expression. “What would you like to do?”

  “I’d like to accompany you to Berring’s Cove,” Lorial said, “and then continue onto Ensildahir.”

  “Women do not fight in Ilara contingents,” Ishtvan said, “nor in the contingents of any of the Eirahir armies.”

  Lorial smiled. “Ilara women do not fight in Ilara contingents. And Erahil and Valahir women do not fight in Eirahir contingents, unless they’re royalty. But I hail from a small town in Arahir and neither Arahir nor that town exist any more. Besides, I have experience fighting men who allied themselves with the Angdar.”

  Ishtvan returned the smi
le. “You’re right. I suppose you’re free to make your own customs now.”

  “And I guess Keld will be going straight to

  Ensildahir?”

  Ishtvan shrugged. “That’s what he’s been saying. I think Adeus and Lord Dae’ic will be lucky to have him. That is, of course, if they accept his offer to accompany them.”

  “And Keld has had experience with the Angdar first hand.”

  “True enough,” Ishtvan said. Then he shook his head. “Horrible things. Raised from the cradle to cherish war. You know only the most violent and brutal of the creatures are chosen to breed, right?”

  “They sound like brutes,” Lorial said.

  “It’s a fair description,” Ishtvan agreed. “But we will prevail.”

  VIII. Berring’s Cove

  Keld found Lord Adeus the next morning. Crossing a rooftop garden and entering a modest sized room, he saw him inside along with Lord Dae’ic and a small group of men he didn’t know.

  “Ah, Keld,” Lord Adeus greeted him. “Welcome. What can I do for you?”

  “I wish to accompany your contingent to Ensildahir,” Keld replied.

  The older man looked at him with an expression of mild surprise. “Keld. I accept your offer,” he said. “But I wonder if you might be interested in taking a position of command. From your experience, you would certainly be entitled to one. How would you like to be a captain of one of our divisions?”

  Keld smiled and shook his head. “You must be mistaken. I’ve never held command. If you are looking for another captain, I’m not your man.” Lord Dae’ic looked as though he were about to ask him to reconsider but Keld continued before he had the chance. “I don’t want to join your army in any official capacity. I want to accompany you on my own terms. I don’t wish to be bound to any oath and I’m not asking to be paid for my service when all this is over. Just place me in one of your divisions.”

  After a moment of hesitance, Lord Adeus shook his hand. “Very well, Keld. We’re glad to have you.” He then turned to one of the other officers in the room, a large man with a pleasant face, dark skin, thick hair and a strong build. “Captain Tasutiki. May Keld accompany your men?”

  The man bowed. “It would be an honor.”

  “Keld,” Lord Adeus said. “This here is Captain Gandon Tasutiki. He’s been handpicked by Prince Nabahar to aid our forces. I needn’t tell you that the prince of Khalahi takes great care in choosing his people.”

  “No, indeed,” Keld said. He then shook Gandon’s hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Captain.”

  Later that morning, two hundred ships sailed away from the city for the Strait of Hellesa watched by crowds of people who lined the shores.

  Most of the Ensari ships were over thirty yards long. They were sleek in their construction but they were also highly practical for what they were built for, with steel prows for ramming enemy ships, mounted crossbows and catapults. Each ship had fifty–five men on board, who all had to be able to sail the ships and fight as well. It was no easy task but no more men could be spared as they were needed elsewhere. Eight thousand men were heading to Ensildahir and five hundred more were going to Berring’s Cove.

  However, it was well known that the men of Ilara were the finest mariners in the Greatest Realms and Cirreone and her allies, the Aracean Empire, would never openly challenge them at sea.

  A few hours later, Lord Adeus’ contingent left Ensari, marching across the plains on foot to the city of Ensildahir in the north. Keld walked with the men of Khalahi, alongside his new companion Gandon. He was a good man with an easy–going nature.

  As they walked, Keld observed small red tassels tied to the belts of the Khalahi soldiers. “I see your men are wearing Khalahi hope knots,” he said to Gandon.

  The other man chuckled. “Yes, we have always done so. Even on that day long past when we first came to the aid of Ensari and Kalishar. I don’t think they change our fortunes much but they bring us a little comfort.” He then gave Keld an odd look. “By the way, why did you lie about being a captain in the Orishelm guard?”

  Although he was fairly certain that nobody in Lord Adeus’ office had fallen for his story, Keld was surprised that Gandon knew how far it had been from the truth.

  “I was responsible for the lives of many men during the fall of Orishelm,” he told him. “And none of them survived. I don’t want that responsibility on my shoulders again.”

  “But you also led men to many victories,” Gandon insisted. “You’re well–known in the south. More than you realize. Lord Adeus and Lord Dae’ic know full well who you are. So do I.”

  “Clearly,” Keld replied, giving up the last pieces of his charade. “Well, all of those victories you’re talking about are in the past. And I’m not proud of them. When it came to fighting men who were driven to war out of desperation, I always prevailed. However, when our very homes were under the threat of the Angdar, I failed.”

  Gandon seemed taken aback. “But you’re a survivor,” he said. “That must mean something.”

  “Yes. It means I’m still alive.”

  “It means more than that,” Gandon told him. “It means you have a chance to right the wrongs done to your people.”

  Keld thought about this as they walked. He thought about it for a long time.

  Two evenings later in Ensildahir, Vlaxan and his men stole the Ensildahir fleet, unchallenged and without anyone realizing there was something wrong.

  Vlaxan had planned it very carefully, organizing the duties of all the guards so that only his men would be at their posts that evening. In the morning, there would be a lot of confusion as people realized that the fleet was missing and wondered where he and six hundred of the guards were. His integrity would be questioned, his office most likely ransacked, and his treachery would be brought to light.

  This did not concern him however, for in a few days an army of Angdar warriors would storm the city and slaughter every last inhabitant. And if he did his own job well, he would be given a large province to govern as he pleased. The Angdar were a brutal people but they could be negotiated with by those who knew how. By those who gained the trust of the handful of mages who commanded them.

  Vlaxan’s men, a group including members of the city guard and other men who had been moving into the city during the past few months, met him at the harbor where the fleet lay waiting.

  Ensildahir didn’t have a large fleet, only nine ships in all, the reason being that there wasn’t much of a need for a bigger one. There were no enemies to the west that the people of Ensildahir knew of, just ocean as far as they could see, and the only ships sailing between the city and Ensari were those of merchants. However, for Vlaxan’s purposes, nine ships were enough. Soon, they set out for Berring’s Cove where they would wait until the time was right for their attack.

  During the next few days, the Ilara fleet practiced blockade maneuvers in the Strait of Hellesa while Lord Adeus and Lord Dae’ic’s forces arrived at Ensildahir. The Ilara commanders met with Lord Asmundyr and explained the situation to him. He was of course surprised and angered by Vlaxan’s betrayal but he didn’t dwell on it. He summoned his remaining guards and together, his men worked with the Ilara contingent to prepare for the attack.

  In the meantime, Morgiana waited with the Kalishar fleet for the Black Circle fleet to sail past, watching the seas from one of the city’s high towers.

  To the north, Vlaxan waited at Berring’s Cove while the main column of the Angdar army set out from their garrison and the Aracean fleet sailed west along the coast of Maharei.

  The days passed quickly and soon, it was time for Ishtvan’s contingent to go to Berring’s Cove.

  The cove was a small inlet in the coast surrounded by low cliffs and the remains of an old fortress that had been built over three thousand years earlier by traders from Ensari. At the time, Ensari had been at war with a small city just south of the present site of Ensildahir. And ships from that city had sailed down the coast to attack its sea trading
ports.

  The people of Ensari had therefore built a fortress at Berring’s Cove and had docked warships there that would sail out to attack any enemy vessels that entered their waters. Now however, all that remained of the fortress were a few scattered crumbling walls and some old stairs and pathways.

  Concealed in the darkness of the early evening, Ishtvan’s group used these ruins for cover as they approached the cove. They were quiet as it was almost certain that Vlaxan had sentries posted around the place. Keeping out of sight, Karn led a few men ahead to scout the area. They saw a few guards as expected and took them out without a sound.

  “We’ve dealt with the sentries,” Karn told Ishtvan when he and the scouts returned. “And we’ve also had a look at the cove. There are nine ships there and all Vlaxan’s men are aboard. The whole inlet’s very small too and the ships are pushed up hard against each other so it would be impossible for them to launch quickly.”

  “Are they anchored?” Ishtvan asked him.

  “No, they’re just loosely tied together.”

  “If you could get on board the one nearest to the entrance of the cove and lower its anchor, would the other ships be able to get past?”

  “Again, no,” Karn told him. “And it wouldn’t be much trouble either.”

  Ishtvan considered the young man in front of him. He had only known him for a few days but, from what Sól had told him, he was a very capable and mature young man not given to idle boasts.

  “All you have to do is place your archers on the cliffs above the cove,” Karn told him, “and take out as many of Vlaxan’s men as you can. Then be ready to prevent them from escaping on foot. Leave the rest to me.”

  Ishtvan nodded. “All right.”

  Everyone then got into their positions, lining the cliffs above Vlaxan and his men, and prepared to strike. Now, it was all a matter of timing.

  While the archers waited, Karn prepared to board the ship closest to the entrance of the cove. Crawling over the ledge of the cliff in front of it, he wedged himself in a groove a few yards down in line with its mast.