“That’s what happens when you use the Alaran stone on a simple water elemental,” I said, more for Lilastien’s benefit than Alya’s. “It keeps the pattern from degrading. I don’t know how. It’s a unique effect.”
I explained the enchantment to Alya in more rudimentary form, and then let her get splashed by the watery spirit as it made waves in the small mill pond, much to her delight. We continued down the white cobbled road, past the new stand of weirwood saplings before we entered the town itself.
We spent the afternoon quietly exploring Sevendor Town, from the Street of Enchanters to the Market Square, the High Street, and the Temple Quarter, the Everfire. We ended at my brothers-in-law bakery, where I snagged a basket of pastries for luncheon. Alya devoured the big fluffy spirals that were a specialty, sweetened with honey and walnuts.
It was – excuse the expression – enchanting to sit in the Market Square at sunset with her, and watch Sevendor’s magical new skylights at vespers. Lilastien’s presence was not distracting in the slightest, and she hadn’t seen the display before. She seemed just as impressed as Alya was by the dazzling lights and beautiful tones.
“I love your people’s sense of performance,” she sighed, happily. “That was beautiful. Your ancestors would be proud.”
“Let’s hope I can ask them myself, someday,” I said, referring to our recent raid on Tavard’s tekka treasury. “When we get back to the tower, I’d appreciate you . . . doing whatever it is you need to do with that thing to get it working.”
“I will,” she agreed. “It’s worth the effort just to hear more jazz. But we may have to wait until after the new Beryen Council is constituted to delve into it in depth.”
“With the war heating up, that does take priority,” I agreed, soberly. I told her about the macabre message Korbal sent to Rard, and the plague that was beginning in the Westlands after the dragon attack. She shook her head.
“I told you he enjoyed drama. And he has an ego. I would prepare for another dramatic gesture at the Curia, when all the humani warrior-princes are gathered together to witness it at once. An opportunity to intimidate the entire ruling class of his foe? He won’t be able to resist an audience like that. Expect something big,” she warned. “Korbal is claiming sovereignty, and this is his chance to prove that claim against what he sees as alien encroachers.”
“Prove it to whom?”
“The Alka Alon council, mostly, but also to the smaller clans who he thinks will be persuaded to side against the council, if compelled to make a choice. Alka Alon work through persuasion and consensus. He’s going to use your people as an example of his rule, in the hopes that he can draw their support to his side at some future point.”
“They would actually find that persuasive?” I asked, skeptically.
“Goodness, no!” Lilastien scoffed. “They would no more follow an undead fiend like Korbal than your people would.”
“Actually, Korbal has plenty of human agents, we’re learning. Some are seeking him out.”
“And there will always be a disaffected element in society who is drawn towards such extremism,” she agreed. “But beyond that, the Alka Alon are no fools, Minalan. What Korbal offers them is not true immortality, it’s deathlessness. There’s a difference,” she assured me.
“But he will draw those who are easily fooled or pursue their own power,” I nodded. “Those who might already harbor a grievance against humanity. They might be impressed if he slapped us around a bit.”
“Unfortunately, I think you’re right. The Enshadowed have ever put their own kind at the pinnacle of our society in their ideology, but they promise an elevated status for the lower-status houses over the ‘lesser races’ after the old order is overthrown. Some find an appeal to that. Not enough to sway the Council, of course, but enough to embolden Korbal and increase his efforts.”
“Lucky us,” I sighed. “Once all this politics is settled, perhaps we can get back to the business of removing that pesky dark lord.”
“Let’s hope,” Lilastien said, rising. “But the sooner, the better, Minalan. He’s learning things about his new world and seeking ways to turn them against us. Once he figures out a plan, he will strike quickly. And unexpectedly.”
“I have to pee,” Alya announced, looking at both of us.
“Like that,” Lilastien nodded. “Let’s go, my dear. I think there’s a privy over there.”
Alya’s visit enlightened the mood of the castle folk tremendously, and whispered accounts of her increasing health spread throughout the domain and into the greater barony like a case of the flux. It gave everyone a reason to work extra-hard on the Sevendor Fair, as they knew how important the event was to their Baroness. Even the drudges and the Tal Alon scrubbed a little harder after the news.
I was glad they had the inspiration – I wasn’t able to provide much, myself. I was already beset by communications regarding the upcoming Royal Curia, and the question of the new tribute scheme.
I didn’t care about the shifting of financial responsibilities from the duchies to the counties – I wasn’t a count, and didn’t want to be one. But Count Dranus was, as Duke Clofalin of Remere had officially appointed him at the direction of the Council of Moros. He would be at the Royal Palace for the Curia, and wanted the benefit of my insight on the topic.
I feel uncertain of taking a position on the matter until I am better informed, and as I have a friend in the Royal Court . . .
I’ll tell you what I can, but there’s not much to tell. Rard and Tavard are struggling over control, so Kindine wants a better structure of finance to keep the Kingdom solvent in cases of intergenerational penis-measuring like this, I explained. Shifting the burden to the counts means broadening the impact of the tribute over a wider area.
That will inevitably mean a decline in the power of the ducal houses, in the long term, he reasoned.
That’s what I think, too. But it’s a good thing, in the near term. The ducal courts are responsible for too much bureaucracy and authority to lose power completely. The Curia will make Rard and his heirs in charge of the military organization of the Kingdom, directly. But it also gives Rard a useful piece of leverage against the dukes, if he has the oaths of the counts, directly.
I don’t mind the additional bookkeeping, Dranus admitted, but I am concerned about the devolution of power for one key reason: the disposition of Wenshar. There is a powerful movement amongst the Wenshari to separate from Remere, politically. As it is, the Wenshari counts rule without much regard to what happens at the capital, unless either are threatened. If the Wenshari are permitted yet-more independence from Remere, then they will push for full autonomy.
You don’t sound particularly opposed to the idea, I pointed out.
I’m not. Wenshar was ever a poor relation to the rest of the duchy, sundered by speech and custom from my ancestors. My position here at the frontier of the duchy gives my policies on the subject some weight. Traditionally, the Remeran court has used Moros as a counterbalance to Wenshar, adding to enmity on both sides. I prefer peaceful trade with a proud neighbor than insurgent attacks and uprisings on the frontier. The Wenshari are good folk, he concluded.
I know, I chuckled. I replaced you with one. I don’t see any particular reason Wenshar shouldn’t be independent, if it’s only nominally attached to the duchy. Particularly since there are a lot of magi from there. That’s where Alar is. As long as this isn’t a prelude to switching banners to Merwyn . . .
Not a chance. The only saving grace most of the Wenshari believe their affiliation with Remere provides is a counter to Merwyni aggression. If the Crown can provide that, then I think they would be among its most loyal supporters.
I’ll pass that along to Rard. Rumor has it that Kindine is proposing a kind of permanent mini-Curia, a high council of counts, to advise the Crown in return for its service as its tax collectors, I reported. Presumably it would be composed of the most powerful nobles.
Then I am safe from its grips,
he chuckled. Moros is a prosperous land, but minor, compared to the great counties of the south. My power is sufficient to keep my barons from killing each other, and that’s about it.
You will be nearly the only magelord in the body of the Curia, I pointed out. I do hope you will keep the interests and concerns of your fellows in mind when you are deliberating with the high nobility.
Oh, of course, Count Dranus agreed. To that end I’ve awarded four estates, locally, to warmagi who helped me win the title. I’ve also taken your lead from Sevendor and installed warmagi as court wizards with each of my barons. For security purposes, he added.
They think they’re spies? They’ll get over it. Mine have. Some of the most reluctant are now the most grateful I sent educated men with Talent to help them rule their lands. And it’s nice to have a body of wizards to add to your staff, at need, I said, recalling the great help Kedaran had been in preparing necromantic spells before Olum Seheri. And Heeth the Butler had been key to filling my cellars with quality wine.
They’ll be in a better humor when the wizards use the new harvesting and mowing wands, this harvest. I purchased a gracious plenty, and I’ve been handing them out only to those estates who are entirely supportive of my regime. Come autumn, when the grain merchants come through, they’ll have a lot more silver in their purses as a result.
And some hungry peasants, if you don’t have any other way for them to make coin, I warned. We’ve been seeing the stirrings of some trouble, over in Sashtalia. You may have to spend some silver to keep order until things adjust to the new way.
Good suggestion, he agreed. And after the Curia, it seems I will have much more silver flowing through my hands. We can improve some of the local castles and towers, and perhaps the roads, he decided.
We discussed other means of distracting the peasants from their eroding livelihood, including increased military training, before he finished the conversation on a lighter note.
So, how goes your adventure in Enultramar? He asked.
Supplying Tavard? It’s no great burden. I’ve turned over most of it to Planus, honestly.
No, I meant your other adventure, he said. The one requiring all the warmagi?
I had no idea what he was talking about.
If you insist, he demurred. I just know that someone appeared at Morohall after I was confirmed by the duke and recruited nearly every mercenary warmage there. From the way she acted, I assumed it was one of your agents.
I’m not aware of any agents like that, I confessed. I don’t have anything going on in Enultramar, beyond keeping Tavard from eating his horses.
Well, someone does, he reported. She took eight of my best men. For a secret mission. Paid good coin, up-front.
Not me, I insisted. But it begs the question of whom. And what they’re doing. To be frank, I keep my meddling in Alshar’s affairs to sustaining Anguin’s rule, and that’s about it. But I’ll ask around and see what I can find. I’ll let you know what I hear at the Curia.
That’s in two weeks, he reminded me. Will that be enough time to learn anything of value?
I’m a wizard. I’m good at that sort of thing.
Before I could indulge in pursuing the matter, however, I was powerfully distracted by something else. Just before bed, while I was puttering around the tekka table in the workshop (my new late-night insomnia hobby), I got disturbing news. I was working on the issue of why the three lines of symbols had been replaced by a single line, now that Lilastien had fiddled with it, when Astyral contacted me.
Scouts just sighted a column of gurvani headed toward Tudry, he reported. Fell hound riders, light infantry, and at least a legion of heavy-infantry hobgoblins. And there might be more behind them.
You’re certain they’re headed in your direction?
Unless they’re just having a stroll down by the river, yes, he agreed. I’ve already sent the evacuation order. We’ll be ready to receive them, when they arrive. I just thought you’d want to know. Maybe even show up to enjoy the show. We’ve spent a lot of time planning for this eventuality. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Any sign of undead?
Just a few draugen, so far. And the Nemovorti overlords. But this seems to be more of a gurvani operation.
They probably found the gurvani’s tolerance of Tudry untenable, I agreed. The Nemovorti tend to be impatient, I’ve found. From what I understand from my conversations with the Alka Alon, we should expect some dramatic displays of force from Korbal, now. He’s raided the Westlands, inserted plague into the kingdom, and now he’s attacking Tudry. How long until they arrive?
At this pace? The scouts should be here in three days. The legions will be two days behind them. After that, I expect we’ll be besieged. I’ve asked the Timberwatch Wing to overfly the area, to give us a better idea of—
The Timberwatch Wing? Dara still has a wing in Alshar?
You did authorize it, he pointed out. They’ve been flying out of Timberwatch since the raid on Olum Seheri and the great liberation. I hope you don’t mind me making use of them. Captain Nattia has been most helpful. Local girl. She was at Olum Seheri.
I recall. I have no objections – I just thought Dara had reformed her wings.
She did. But she and Nattia had a falling out, so Nattia took her wing to Timberwatch.
How come I didn’t hear anything about this? I demanded.
Because you’re the reason they had a row, Astyral offered. Dara is angry at you and Gareth, for some reason, and Nattia doesn’t think she’s being fair. Then it escalated. The Riders chose sides. Now they’re at Timberwatch. It sounds as if there is a split in the henhouse, he observed, wryly.
I sighed. I’ll look into it. I know she’s upset with me, but she’s still my apprentice. And my vassal.
Don’t hurry about it, Astyral urged. I’m enjoying having giant hawks in the air overhead. It keeps the men’s morale up. Especially when they drop goblin scouts into the square from five hundred feet in the air.
Use them, then. And make certain all the locals understand what’s happening. I don’t want anyone to be surprised by this.
The only ones who will be surprised are the goblins, he assured.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
The Storm of Tudry
The gurvani of the Penumbra fell on Tudry like a storm.
The first sprinkle of attention came in the form of hundreds of scouts on fell hounds. The shaggy, vicious canines ran throughout the fields and forests of the largely-unpopulated western lands, searching for traps, sentries, and isolated settlements.
They quickly occupied the abandoned cottages and barns deserted years before, like raindrops filling puddles. They found little resistance, but little plunder, as well. Nor did they find many scouts or sentries. They were there, but the Kasari are adept at obfuscation.
The trickle turned to torrent when the light infantry marched up the weed-grown western road with dark banners and fell hound skirmishers guarding their flanks. They halted at a wide meadow just beyond sight of the city, stopping short of attacking until their full number had arrived.
The light infantry were largely spearmen who carried clubs and bows, trained tribesmen who were the backbone of the gurvani army. They were far more confident and disciplined in their advance, compared to the attacks of years past. They had learned how to fight humani, often by adopting our means of warfare – including discipline.
The infantry spread out across the western side of the city, establishing the roots of three large camps as the scouts scoured the country around them for signs of resistance. Archers were posted at the periphery, while brutish-looking canines patrolled further out.
They made no secret of their approach. The morning after their arrival there was a small redoubt built two bowshots away from the city’s outer defenses, a forward observation post.
Then came the rumble of thunder, the footsteps of thousands of iron-shod goblins and hobgoblins marching in formation up the road. If the light inf
antry had improved since the initial invasion, the hobgoblins and veteran gurvani who’d risen in the interim had benefitted greatly by their experience and guidance from their humani confederates. The hobgoblins, in particular, seemed well-trained and disciplined. Most carried long pikes or axes suitable for pressing a breach. Indeed, that was precisely what they intended.
The heavy infantry were well-armored, with thick plates of cast iron riveted to heavy leather harnesses or gambesons. There were few make-shift suits on the field, now, nor captured weaponry. The gleaming steel spears and swords the hobgoblins bore were their own make, in their own fashion. They did not move nearly as quickly as the lighter-burdened goblin infantry, but they retained their fellows’ fondness for drumming.
Every formation of hobgoblins that marched against Tudry contained a line of drummers, carrying huge barrel-shaped copper drums and beating them with throbbing rhythm. As the legions broke formation, the drums were placed in a massive circle around a bonfire where they continued a non-stop staccato night and day.
Behind the infantry came the siege train. Wains the size of manor houses were pulled by the straining limbs of huge, horned-nosed siege worms. Others bore miniature wooden castles or siege engines on their backs. Eight of the monstrous beasts were driven down the road pulling their burdens.
The gurvani weren’t taking any chances, this time. Three of the worms pulled siege towers that were more than sufficient to overcome Tudry’s walls. Two more pulled catapults capable of hurling mighty stones. Other wains were filled with arrows and supplies for an extended stay.
The howls of the beasts joined the unending pounding of the drums, as the army pooling outside Tudry’s locked gates churned with activity. More redoubts were established closer in, until the first brave skirmishers began menacing the gates by chancing within bowshot.
Necromancer: Book Ten Of The Spellmonger Series Page 103
