The Fireseed Wars k-5

by John F. Carr

  "Secondly, the soldiers will be reluctant to report on any troop movements they themselves have not seen for fear of punishment. The Thagnor Army does not reward initiative. At worst, the conflicting reports as the Army moves to the city walls will only add to the confusion Colonel Tortha will be creating inside Thagnor City.

  "I want to get the Thagnori troops jumping around, not sure where and in how many places they are being attacked. As far as my agents have been able to reconnoiter, the Thagnori Army musters about six thousand men. Moreover, a thousand of them are out of Thagnor City proper, either as marines or at posts and towers outside the city walls. The city walls, for a city this large, have less than a quarter of the defenders they should have on post. The second wall is even smaller and weaker than the first wall; in some areas they've allowed entire sections to fall without repair. Prince Varrack, except for his own pleasures, is a skinflint on everything, including his soldiers' pay.

  "The outer walls are roughly two lances high and between two and three rods thick, while the inner wall is little higher than a lance," Vinaldos finished.

  A rod was a little longer than a yard, Kalvan thought to himself, and a lance would be three or four rods, depending on whether you were talking about a Harphaxi rod or an Agrysi rod. Note: Reform and standardize units of measurements.

  "The Army of the Saltless Seas will have both flying batteries," Kalvan said, "which should give them enough firepower to breach the walls in several areas within a candle, or maybe two. From the spy reports, the second wall should blow down with the first sneeze. Once the Navy has successfully captured or destroyed the Thagnori Fleet, they will hold the waterfront until we hear from Prince Phrames. Meanwhile, the rest of the Army will be held in reserve. Once word is received that Phrames has breached the wall, the reserve will disembark and hit Thagnor City about here," he said, pointing the tip of his blade at downtown Detroit.

  Kalvan nodded to his new spymaster, Vinaldos, granting him permission to speak again.

  "According to our sources, many of Varrack's best soldiers were killed two winters ago in Greffa in a battle against the Ros-Zarthani barbarians. Most have been replaced with untested troops. Many of the soldiers have not been paid in two, three moons. Morale is bad. Prince Varrack prefers to spend all his gold on his own comforts. The only time the Prince empties his treasury is when he needs the army to fight a neighbor. He hasn't done that lately, because Morthron to the south is too strong to conquer, while Ragyath to the north is allied with Greffa.

  "Finally," Vinaldos finished, "it is our Great King's plan to capture the larger part of the Army of Thagnor."

  "Remember to take prisoners whenever possible," Kalvan said. "Prince Varrack is the enemy, not his subjects or soldiers. We will integrate the prisoners into the new Army of Thagnor.

  "This attack on Thagnor is only the opening salvo in a long war of survival. We need a new home, a refuge, where we can lick our wounds and rebuild our forces. We still have Styphon's Grand Host on our heels. Hostigos is going to need every soldier and piece of territory we can take!

  "This invasion is not a battle we expect to lose. We will win; we outnumber the enemy, we have more guns, more soldiers, more experience. However, since we are planning to live here, we do not want to harm the real estate!"

  Kalvan took off his plumed helmet to cheers of: "Down Varrack! Down Thagnor! Down Styphon!"

  II

  Upon viewing firsthand the blackened ruins that had once been the thriving city of Ulthor Port, Great King Lysandros cursed Kalvan out loud, "By Styphon's Tool, let this demon-spawned bastard, who calls himself King Kalvan, spend all eternity in Regwarns deepest cavern!"

  Captain-General Demnos removed his high-combed morion and wiped the moisture off his forehead. "I had expected no less, Your Majesty, not after the barrens we've traveled through for the past moon quarters."

  "By the grace of the gods, I had hoped that the Usurper might have left this city undefiled. I was here over eighteen winters ago, on a diplomatic mission. There was talk of war with Hos-Agrys and my brother wanted me to inspect our western princedoms to see how vulnerable they were to invasion. Ulthor Port was a vibrant and impressive city. It saddens me to see it reduced to rubble. Have you noticed, there are no people here at all?"

  From the hillside, the only visible life in Ulthor Port were circling seagulls, cawing ravens and mangy dogs scavenging through the ruins for food.

  "It is as if Hadron and the Four Demons have taken residence in our world!" Demnos cried.

  "I will find this outlaw and bring him to justice," Lysandros said. "For his beastly actions in Our lands-if it's my last act on this earth! Let the Usurper feel the headman's axe sever his neck! Yathar, the Death Bringer, shall be the last thing he sees!"

  Grand Commander Aristocles, his helm open, rode up. "My scouts report no life, except a few scavengers-madmen, rag pickers and rummagers. It is as if all the Hostigi in Hos-Hostigos have fled their homes… or disappeared."

  "Our informants tells us that most of them left with Queen Rylla," Demnos said. "We shall close with them soon. They shall find little welcome in Hos-Rathon, unless the turncoat Nestros has sold out Styphon's House a second time."

  Artistocles shook his head. "He will not do that twice in one lifetime. Styphon's House has no mercy for traitors."

  "It will matter little to us," Demnos said. "Rathon City will not hold out long against the Hostigi guns, I fear. These Trygathi and Middle Kingdom walls and tarrs are not built to stop concentrated artillery fire."

  Count Hythar, Lysandros' Chief Intelligencer, said, "Your Majesty, Queen Rylla's army must already be at the City Gates."

  "Let us hope that the Rathoni can pin them down for a moon half."

  Demnos shook his head. "The Hostigi know we're sniffing at their trail; they will not tarry there for long. Nor shall we. Summer is dead and fall is upon us. Soon the rains will begin in earnest, and after that snow. We've wasted far too much time in Hostigos Town."

  Lysandros nodded, "Demnos is right. We must begin to look for a place to winter. Rathon City will do fine; they will not be able to hold the walls against our artillery. I fear it is already too late to bring Kalvan's army to battle, unless their Queen is foolish enough to think they can hold Rathon against our host."

  Aristocles laughed. "No, she is anything but foolish. I would not want to be King Nestros if Queen Rylla gets her talons into him! I just wish we knew where the Usurper was headed with the Nythrosi fleet."

  "My spies have found no one of consequence to interrogate," Hythar said. "The Hostigi could have many destinations, even Greffa City."

  "I doubt that King Theovacar would allow Kalvan and his army to rest so close to his own seat," Aristocles noted.

  "Kalvan won't stray far from his Queen," Hythar added, with a nasty little laugh. "They are rumored to mate like minks!"

  Lysandros gave his Chief Intelligencer a hard stare. Count Hythar was perched like a carrion bird on the back of his big horse. Lysandros detested the Count and referred to him as Chief Rat to his friends. However, Hythar s nose sniffed out news like a cur smelled a rival's markings. For now, he was useful. When this war is over, I'm going to grant him the smallest fiefdom in war-torn Nostor and order him to stay there until Styphon's next Revelation!

  "It worries me that we know nothing about the Usurper's plans," Aristocles continued. "Thanks to the Investigation the Hostigi are fighting us to the death, and the ones we do capture are nonentities. We are going to have to winter in this foul land, which grows colder every day."

  "What will we do for supplies?" Demnos asked.

  Lysandros nodded. "We have just enough victuals, fodder, spare wagon wheels, horseshoes and firewood on hand to get us to Rathon City and set up a short siege."

  Aristocles paused to take out his pipe and tobacco pouch. As soon as his pipe was lit, he began, "The Grand Master and I discussed a number of contingency plans before he left for Balph. I had hoped he would return to lead the H
ost, but the gods saw otherwise. It is good that Phidestros and his army did not continue with the Host, or we would soon be facing shortages of food and fodder.

  "We have enough supplies, if we're careful, for about another moon. There is a large supply train on the way from Hos-Ktemnos, and it should reach us in a moon half. If it does, it will give us another moon of victuals. Soton also purchased another two moons' worth of supplies in Glarth, but we will need a safe harbor on the Sea of Aesklos. Once we reach Hos-Rathon we should be able to forage for supplies, unless Queen Rylla has burned them out, as well.

  "It was Soton's plan to winter in one of the cities that could be reached overland by trails from Tarr-Ceros so that supplies could be shipped up to us. There is a water route, but it is too dangerous. Fortunately for us, none of these cities, except Greffa, have fortifications that would stop our guns."

  Lysandros nodded. "Won't taking over one of these cities make us new enemies?"

  "Yes, Your Majesty, so we must pick a city that is vulnerable with few allies," Aristocles said. "You must remember, it was not our original plan to travel this far west. It is Kalvan who has dictated the length of our march."

  Lysandros, being a king himself, knew that Theovacar-even were he only half as ambitious as rumor had it-would not welcome another major player in Middle Kingdom politics, especially one like the Usurper Kalvan with over sixty thousand soldiers. On the other hand, the Greffan king might view the Host as a counter to Kalvan's obvious ambitions in his territory.

  "So be it," Lysandros pronounced. "If Rathon City does not fall within a moon half, we will move the Host to the Sea of Aesklos and find a city to winter in."

  III

  Xenophes, High Marshal of Styphon's Own Guard, stared at his subordinate in disbelief. "What do you mean that in all of Hos-Ktemnos you could only find one hundred and eighteen recruits for the Temple Bands?"

  "Most of the good recruits, at least those that aren't fighting with the Grand Host, have joined Styphon's Voice's Sephrax Guardsmen."

  "Marshal, you mean Anaxthenes' private army!" Xenophes cried out, pounding on the table top.

  "Yes, sir. The war with the Usurper Kalvan has dragged on too long. All the good recruits are either in the army or dead. We need to raise our enlistment bonus in order to compete with the Sephrax Guardsmen."

  "And here, after all these years, I thought we were Styphon's Guard."

  "True, we were until Anaxthenes was Elected as Styphon's Voice. He has found our support of Investigator Roxthar unacceptable."

  "Before the Fireseed Wars, this would never have happened," Xenophes declared. "In those days we had almost twenty thousand men in scarlet. Now we field less than half that number, and most of those are either with the Grand Host, or supporting Investigator Roxthar's work in the False Kingdom of Hos-Hostigos. I had hoped to muster enough recruits to put at least three Bands back on the rolls. We have lost the 2nd, the 4th, the 9th and the 12th Band and on and on… Why so many? Has this been Grand Master Soton's doing?"

  "No, High Marshal. The Temple Bands always fight in the thick of the battle; we are also renowned for never surrendering and, if captured, our men are tortured or hanged. I learned this at Ardros Field. The Hostigi call us the Red Hand of Styphon and cry, "No Quarter! No Mercy!" when fighting us. Our casualty rate is much, much higher than other units. Nor has it helped that this cursed war has dragged on for many winters. Our support of the Holy Investigation has further incensed our enemies."

  "Yes, but this Investigation has been extremely profitable."

  "Not if we lose our power base, sir." Marshal Stratos said.

  "By Styphon's Beard, there is truth in your words."

  "Maybe it is time to recall some of our Bands, sir?"

  "And announce to all the world of our weakness? Then, Commander, you will see the wolves really come out of the woods."

  "What else can we do, High Marshal?"

  "I will not accept defeat at the hands of some stepped-up Archpriest. We will leave Balph while we still can, heads up and our glaives held high. We will tell Grand Master Soton that we are leaving in support of his advance into Hos-Agrys. He will not like it, but he cannot refuse our help, nor will Anaxthenes allow him such a liberty. It will please Styphon's Voice to see us leave."

  "But isn't that a retreat?" the Grand Commander asked.

  "No, it's a strategic withdrawal, while we still have the upper hand. We will establish a new base of operations in the Northern Kingdoms. It is time they learned of Styphon's real fist! After we have rebuilt our forces, we will return to the Holy City."

  "What about the Investigator? Won't he be displeased?"

  "Roxthar is our tool, not the other way around, Commander! Remember that. I will send him a letter telling him of our efforts to lay the groundwork for the Investigation of the Northern Kingdoms, and request his aid. If I know our man, he will bolt out of the Grand Host like one of Kalvan's rockets?'

  NINETEEN

  Prince Phrames looked through the farseer at the distant watchtower through the tree and brush cover, then at the horizon. The sun, a glowing red orb, was slowly rising above the distant horizon and he could feel the tension building in the waiting soldiers. It was almost time to initiate the attack. Last night they had subdued the area between the village of Prumfyld and city walls, mostly farms and small villages, and taken over a thousand prisoners. He had taken care to see that the captives were well treated, at least, those who surrendered. For the rest, the King's victory brought a harsh price. Since there was no Thagnor militia, the farmers and fisherman had mostly fought with pitchforks, scythes, half-pikes, farmer's bills and crossbows. The Army had fought back with swords and halberds, not wanting to raise the City Watch with musket fire.

  Phrames biggest obstacle had been keeping battle-crazed Hostigi soldiers from raping and looting the Thagnori peasants. After losing the biggest battle of their life and being thrust out of their homes, the Hostigi Army wanted someone on whom to take out their fear, shame and anger on. Phrames' job had been to convince them that it was best held in reserve for the coming battle with the Grand Host, who would deserve every atrocity the men could conjure.

  "After fourteen winters of Prince Varrack's rule, these poor churls deserve a chance to prosper under Hostigi rule," he had told them. "And, I mean to give them that opportunity. Any man jack of you who finds that distasteful, can leave now and return to Hostigos!"That had shut up the quibblers.

  It's good policy, too, he thought. Rylla and some of the older nobles, like Prince Sarrask, Pheblon and Chartiphon, thought that leniency was equal to weakness. Fortunately, Kalvan believed otherwise; so far events had proven his wisdom. Certainly, the Thagnori villagers, for the most part, had quickly set down their weapons and asked for quarter. Of course, it hadn't hurt that he had nine thousand soldiers at hand. Still, one day these crofters and fishermen would be subjects of Greater Hostigos, as Rylla liked to call it.

  Phrames only hoped that the Thagnori soldiers were as sensible as the farmers had proven to be. Kalvan planned to offer all those who surrendered and were willing to swear fealty to Hostigos and join the royal army a five gold crown signing bonus. Plus, pay some of their back wages. Since many of these soldiers hadn't been paid since the beginning of last fall, he suspected there would be a lot of volunteers. In lieu of pay, many of them had become accustomed to stealing victuals and goods from the farmers and villagers; they would have to be taught that practice was at an end. After they hanged the first handful or two, the others would learn that it was best to obey their Great King in all ways.

  One of his Beshtans, Captain Jephros, said, "The First Battery's guns are primed and loaded, Captain-General."

  "Hold fire until we hear the ship's guns."

  "Yes, Your Highness."

  "Our Great King wants us to coordinate our attack with the naval attack on the Thagnor Fleet. Colonel Tortha of the Militia will be starting an uprising inside the city after our guns open fire. It would be far e
asier just to destroy the Army of Thagnor, but Kalvan wants us to spare them for the fight against Styphon's House. We are to take as many prisoners as we can. The conquest of Thagnor isn't going to win us any friends in the Upper Middle Kingdoms. The Great King says we'll be lucky if every princedom and kingdom within five hundred marches doesn't declare war on Hostigos."

  "Not if we beat them first, sir!"

  Phrames laughed. "That was Queen Rylla's advice. It's one thing to conquer them all; it's another to hold their loyalty and risk having them change sides every time we move the army. King Kalvan believes our best strategy is to take a formidable stronghold and use that as our base of operations. Thagnor will give us such a place, a stronghold in which to rebuild our munitions mills, arsenals, foundries, stills and factories, and the University of Hostigos. Thagnor also has the advantage of being the choke point between two major Seas, which will allow us to control local trade and keep our enemies at bay. Any princedom that opposes us, we will conquer and add to our new Kingdom. The others will quickly see the folly of allying against us."

  Jephros looked puzzled. "What happens when Styphon's Grand Host enters the mix?"

  "It will force everyone in the Middle Kingdoms to take one side or the other. If we have done a good job in Thagnor, that is, if we haven't abused our new subjects and have provided new prosperity and jobs, honored our treaties and kept our shirts clean; then, by Dralm, the other princedoms may decide that we are preferable to Styphon's devils. Especially if Investigator Roxthar travels with the Grand Host."

  In the distance there was a sudden brilliance of a signal rocket.

  "The battle has begun. Give the order!"

  Jephros rode off, shouting "Fire!"

  The batteries' guns sounded like rolling thunder and for a few moments Phrames was temporarily deaf. The stone watchtower fell apart, stones and men flying every which way. A couple of Thagnori heads rose above the parapets but quickly went down when the riflemen opened fire. The second volley took down the watchtower base and a good portion of the City Wall with it. There was no mortar between the joints, making the wall especially vulnerable to massed gunfire. Great King Kalvan would change this, put good mortar between the stone, build strong bastions and earthworks and make the walls two to three times their present thickness.