Maria threw up her hands in frustration. “You could at least play along,” she said, pouting. “I swear, you don’t have one ounce of tact within your body. Yes, it was mostly good news. The elves have pledged to send as many soldiers as they can as well as put four boats out to help guard our harbors. The captain also brought news that the Miramer would also be helping guard the waters.”
“What’s the bad news?” Thad asked, knowing that she was holding something back.
“The elves have sent a little over two hundred soldiers right now, but the captain says the rest will not be coming until early spring. The elfin island seems to be prone to heavy ice drifts during the winter months, making travel nearly impossible.”
Thad cursed to himself. A contingent of elfin warriors would greatly bolster their strength, but it would do little good if they arrived after Farlan had already fallen.
“From the initial reports, Rane has already rallied far more soldiers than we had thought possible.” Nearly ten thousand soldiers had been gathered outside of their capital. The Rane army alone was over eight times the force Farlan could muster, but they didn’t want to simply conquer Farlan. They wanted to destroy it. Rane had petitioned other nearby kingdoms to aid them in their assault, claiming that Farlan had started the war by attacking the merchant guild and capital.
The first reports were vague, but from what Thad could tell, most of the kingdoms had pledged at least a small force to aid in the coming battles. “How are we going to hold out until they arrive?” Thad asked as his mind searched for answers.
“Don’t ask me,” Maria said, shaking her head. “All I know is that we have to win and that you better find out a way to make it happen.”
“I might have a bit of good news as well,” Thad said slyly.
“Did our eastern force triple since the last report?” Maria asked sarcastically.
“No, though I wish it had,” Thad said thoughtfully. “I have been in contact with the Ablaian queen, and she is willing to try and sell us ore and weapons as long as certain taxes are negated.”
Maria leaned forward, a look of shock plastered on her face. “I won’t ask how you came to contact the Ablaians, but are they really willing to come to an agreement? A few of the nobles might balk at the thought of opening free trade with Abla, but right now, I would even reverse the tariffs and pay them myself if it would give me even a small chance to win this war.”
“That’s good to know. I am sure that you and Eloen will be able to come to an agreement, then,” Thad said, holding back a laugh.
“Eloen? What does she have to do with this? I thought she got captured by the Ablaians when she foolishly went in search of you?”
“It seems the young captain was not only able to make friends in Abla during her visit. She made enough of them to crown her queen,” Thad said jokingly, knowing that Maria and the young captain had never gotten along.
“Eloen … that vile … how in the nine hells did she do that?” Maria stuttered, her face showing a look of complete shock. Thad waited as the queen mumbled to herself as she worked through everything. “It doesn’t matter. If I have to make a deal with that trumpet of Jezebel, I will. Tell her I will suspend all current tariffs and taxes on Abla as long as she can get me weapons and ore. Tell her if she can get me some of her soldiers, I will even call her a great queen in public.”
Thad found himself laughing as he walked back to his quarters that night. He had expected some resistance from the queen once she learned that Eloen was the new queen of Abla.
“Tuck, are you around?” Thad asked, sending his thoughts through the magical ring on his finger.
“Thad, so nice to hear from you again so soon,” Eloen’s voice said clearly in his mind. “I hope the news is for me, but if you really need the elfin boy, I think he is entertaining my husband and son.”
“Son,” Thad said, nearly choking.
“Yes, the bad thing about being a queen in Abla is they expect you to marry the king and sire an heir. For a male, he’s not bad—kind, smart, handsome—but he’s a little too flamboyant for my tastes.”
“The message is for you, but unless you dearly need him, I will need Tuck back shortly,” Thad replied, recovering from his shock. “Queen Maria has agreed to your terms and even more should you find it in your power to send us troops.”
“Maria,” Eloen said. This time, her voice was one of astonishment. “Even if I wanted to, Thad, I don’t think there is much we could do as far as soldiers. Farlan as a whole is not looked too kindly upon around here, and I don’t need any more complications to my already-tenuous hold. I might know where you can find some soldiers … that is, if you’re willing to pay good gold for them.”
“What do you mean?” Thad asked, intrigued.
“Have you ever heard of the Katanga?”
The word sounded familiar to Thad, but he couldn’t remember where he had heard it. “I can’t say that I have,” Thad replied, his mind still searching for the meaning of the word.
“They are a race of mercenaries. They travel a great deal, but they have a base in the desert northeast of Abla. They were of big use to me during the previous war. If you are willing to tell me how much gold you could afford to hire them, I could try and see if they would be willing to help.”
“Give me one moment,” Thad said, turning around and heading back to the throne room.
Thad barged into the room, paying little heed that the queen was meeting with someone else. “What in the blazes are you doing, Thad?” Maria asked, her face burning red.
“Maria, how much gold could you make available to hire mercenaries?” Thad asked, ignoring her complaints.
“Mercenaries?” Maria asked, her face bewildered. “I don’t know, Thad. I think I might be able to push for ten to fifteen thousand gold coins considering the current excess in the coffers … why?”
“I will have to explain later,” Thad said before leaving the room as quickly as he had entered. “Eloen, I can offer fifteen thousand in gold coins. Will that be enough?” Thad asked, his mind whirling with possibilities.
“Fifteen thousand gold coins … that would pay my whole army for nearly three years. I will talk with Darryl and see what we can arrange. Given the amount you’re offering, I am sure you can expect the Katanga to be knocking on your door even if they have to walk over the mountains during a snowstorm.”
As soon as Thad was back in his room, he went straight for his desk. If he was lucky, more than five hundred mercenaries would heed his call. If he was extremely lucky, more than a thousand, and that still wouldn’t put a dent in the force they needed to stand against Rane.
Currently, their reports put their entire western force at just over eighteen hundred. The elves and mercenaries would bolster that force, but he still needed at least three times that number before they even stood a chance. Even if he could get ten times his current force, it would be a long, hard, and bloody battle.
Thad had still not heard from Crusher, but that didn’t surprise him. If the dwarves were near where he had left the caves, there would be little chance he would hear anything before late winter or early spring. Thad was sure at least some of them would come to their call, but he couldn’t make plans without knowing for sure what forces would be available to him.
The first thing he needed to do was to find a way to thin the charging ranks. Traps would work well, but he was sure Rane had people watching their movements. If they made what they were doing too obvious, it would all work out to nothing.
Leaning back in his chair, Thad let out a loud groan. What he needed was advice, but who in Farlan had fought in a real war? Every battle for the past few hundred years had taken place at Southpass from a highly defensible position. This war was going to be completely different.
Almost all of the major kingdoms had been at relative peace for the past few hundred years. There hadn’t been an invasion of this size since the Succession Wars. As soon as the thought popped into his head, Thad grab
bed his cloak and dashed for the door.
CHAPTER VI
As Thad rushed outside the palace and into the city proper, the sun was still well in the air. Within moments, he reached the royal school, which nobles all around Kurt had been known to attend. Now, though, most of them had pulled back for the winter and were not expected to return.
It had been years since Thad’s last visit, but his mind keenly remembered where the large library had been. If he couldn’t find an experienced person in the present, then he would just look to those of the past.
As the heavy library doors loudly swung open, the few people inside turned to look at him. “Can I help you, sir?” an older woman in her late fifties with light brown hair streaked with small bits of gray asked, her tone harsh and reproaching.
“I need everything you have on battles fought during the Fae War and the Succession Wars. In fact, I’ll take anything you have that has to do with wars. I don’t care if it is just about small border disputes,” Thad replied frantically.
“One moment, sir,” the woman said, her tone still cold and unforgiving. The woman called three younger students over and briefly explained what Thad wanted. “Might as well have a seat, sir,” she said, motioning for him to sit in an uncomfortable-looking chair in front of a large oaken desk. “While we wait, we can discuss your complete lack of manners while in an institution of learning.”
Thad let out a heavy sigh and took his seat. As the students continued to bring armloads of books to the desk, Thad was regaled with a long lecture of proper manners. Whenever the older woman thought his attention might be waning, she rapped his knuckles with a long wooden stick a little over an inch thick. The first time she had done so, Thad had moved his hands to his lap, and the next blow struck him soundly on the top of his head.
Why are you even allowing her to hit you in the first place? Thuraman asked after Thad returned his hands to the table after being struck in the head.
“I need the books,” Thad replied honestly. “Not to mention she has a point. There is seldom a need for rudeness. It’s not like the few seconds I saved running in here like a madman really helped to save the country.”
It’s not as if being hit with a piece of wood will help you remember to act more rationally in the future either.
Smack. “I think you might be wrong there,” Thad replied as he rubbed his bright red knuckles.
The pile of books continued to grow as Thad waited. Soon, the stack was so high that the mounting task of reading them started to overwhelm him. “Miss,” Thad said, interrupting the older woman as she explained the proper manners for when one was in the presence of royalty from southern Radan.
“Yes, young sir?” she asked, her voice polite, but her eyes cold and icy.
“While I consider myself well-read, the sheer amount of effort to scour these books for the information I require will take far longer than I have available to me. Do you think there are any students that have a passion for such things?”
The woman called over another one of the students and spoke to him briefly. They young man left in a fast walk, returning quickly with three other students. “These are a few of the better scribes present within the school. Alicia and Natasha are Farlan-born, while Fredrick is from the island nations. I am sure, given the present circumstance, they would be more than willing to offer their aid to Her Majesty.”
“That would be a great help,” Thad replied.
It was nearly sundown before Thad along with the three scribes and a host of other students carrying the load of books returned to the palace. At first, Thad had thought to simply have the books taken to his chambers, but given the sheer volume of them, he decided that one of the less-used lower dining halls would be better suited to the task.
“Master Thad, if we had a better example for what you are looking for and why you are looking for it, then our time will be much more productive,” Fredrick said as the books were being piled on one end of a large table. “All we know at present is that it has to do with the upcoming war. That is scant information to go on.”
“Honestly, I don’t know what I am looking for,” Thad replied as he picked up one of the thick books. “Soon, a large battle will be upon us, and my troops will be greatly outnumbered. The fighting grounds are relatively flat, and the officers we have are completely bereft of the experience in fighting under conditions such as those we will face.”
“So it would be safe to say that you are looking for tactical data of wars where smaller forces fought against larger odds in similar conditions?” Alicia asked, her voice dry and unassuming.
“That would be a great help. If you see anything that you think might help me, I will listen,” Thad said as he sat down and began reading. “Shall we get started?”
The first book Thad grabbed gave details about the Fae War, but mostly from the side of the empire. It was lacking in any real detail of the battles and spoke of them only in passing, focusing more on the overall outcome and aftermath.
Setting the book aside, Thad picked up the next and continued his search. Thad had spent many hours in study before, and history and war strategies had been one of his best subjects back at the slave academy, but the flipping through dusty pages trying to garner any small nugget of useful information quickly began to wear on him.
It wasn’t until shortly after the evening meal that Alicia tapped on his shoulder, holding a small leather-bound journal. “I found the journal of a man belonging to the southern army of Goriel during the thirty-year invasion by the much-larger Talan kingdom. It goes into great detail about how they were able to hide their forces and attack unnoticed all across their kingdom.”
Thad took the small journal from the young scribe’s hand and began to read.
It has been a long day, and me and my men are once again safe within the confines of our tunnels. The Talan soldiers had thought this would be an easy fight, but they are quickly learning otherwise. For years, we have had to fear invasion from our larger neighbors and have always been prepared.
The Talan armies march into our cities and find them empty. They scour the forest for our people but find only leaves and rock. They never think to look closer, and that is their folly. Now we live under the earth in large tunnels that snake their way below our beloved Goriel. At night, we strike, killing their soldiers and taking their supplies, though it seems endless. For every soldier we kill, another seems to take his place, but we will not relent.
As Thad continued to read, ideas began surfacing within the recesses of his mind. “This is perfect, Alicia,” Thad said excitedly. “I will be away for some time. Please continue to search through the tomes and mark anything that you might find of use. If it is urgent that you find me, find the queen. She will know where to find me.”
“You expect us to just politely ask the queen of your whereabouts should we need you?” Fredrick asked, his brow furrowed.
“Yes,” Thad said, nearly laughing. “Don’t worry, she doesn’t bite … hard.”
Thad wanted to go straight to Mage’s Roost, but he knew that by time he reached the small settlement, everyone would have already retired for the night. Instead, he headed for his chambers, where he began writing out the details of the plan that was forming in his mind. They would have to work fast and hard, but if they could manage it, then they might have a chance to hold off the Rane armies long enough for some of the other forces to arrive.
As soon as the sun peaked above the horizon, Thad had Lady saddled and was headed for Mage’s Roost. The ride wasn’t long, but it did give him plenty of time to think about what he was going to say to the elders should they make an appearance, though if everything went smoothly, he would only be dealing with Horus.
When Thad reached Mage’s Roost, the sun was almost fully in the sky. Thad rode straight to Horus’s house that was situated near the center of the small village. Dismounting, Thad knocked loudly on the thick wooden door, hoping that his friend was home.
After Thad’s third k
nock, the door swung open, a red-eyed and tired Horus on the other side. “Thad, what brings you out at such an early hour?” Horus asked between yawns.
“I thought older men tended to wake with the sun?” Thad asked teasingly.
“Only if they’re married and don’t have the luxury of a warm, silent house to their lonesome,” Horus replied, a slight smile creeping on his face. “Well, come in. I don’t feel like standing in the doorway in my long clothes.”
“How many mages do we have whose skill lies with the earth?” Thad asked as soon as he and Horus were seated by a small fireplace.
“If we count everyone in the village, I think close to thirty. If we’re only counting those who are currently training for the war effort, then less than ten,” Horus replied, his face showing his confusion.
“I need you to get everyone you can to the new fort being built near the Rane border. Talk to anyone whose skill lies with the earth element. Beg, plead, even bribe them if you have to.”
“What do you have in mind?” Horus asked, leaning forward slightly.
Thad started detailing his plan for Horus. The more he spoke, the more Horus began to nod along. “Sounds like a good idea,” Horus said after Thad had finished his explanation. “I will see what I can do about getting some mages to that fort of yours.”
“It would be a great help,” Thad said, shaking his friend’s hand. “Now I have some other things to attend to if I am going to make this workable by spring.”
Once he was back on his horse, Thad headed back the way he had come with great speed. Roger and Marcus should be awake and in the workshop before he arrived back at the palace. At least he hoped they were. He didn’t fancy having to search the city for the two enchanters or wait all day for them to make an appearance.
His stomach growling, Thad made a quick stop by the kitchens before heading out to the tower. The rest of the residence had already broken their fast, but thankfully, there were more than enough leftovers for Thad to have his fill.
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