by Unknown
“Is she ill?” Bekter asked. In spite of the warning Bekter needed to know .Hawkmoon shook his head. “Probably the worry of it all don’t you know, the times that are in it and you away. I’m sure she understands…”
“How is she?”
“The morning sickness lasts all day, can’t keep a thing down, not even water. The Queen comes by to see her. …There’s posh. Wanted to bring her up to the palace and have her cared for by her doctors. She said no, she would stay at home. That handsome captain of the Lancers is very helpful. Calls every day, he does. You don’t deserve her…. But then most men don’t” She shot a glance at Hawkmoon “There were food riots in the city last week”Her carriage was overturned…”
“That’s enough out of you” Hawkmoon pointed at her. “Any more and I will call the demon”
They finished the meal in silence. “There are hunters before you and behind”
“We know that”
“It has been years since Reivers came on Tarsis. They must have great urgency. Do they know who it is they hunt?”
“Not yet”
“If they did they would send an army… The Reiver who took your head would be given a duchy and a thousand slaves” She scratched an itch “…Their skulls make a wonderful sound… When will you reach the Elves.”
“A month, with the horses”
“Not with Reivers on your trail, you won’t. That is a Summer journey without the need to go round or fight your way through. You are deadly Hawkmoon and that one seems capable but you cannot get there in time.”
“In time for what?”
“Their King has called a Great Council.”The old one threw on more timber. “The Elves are an ancient race full of knowledge. But they are dying. They have been dying for centuries , so long a time that few are aware of their decline. They walk in their forests writing poetry, singing to the hills and the rivers. They look down on my likes. Hypocrites; it was their pride that brought the Vampire. It was right to banish the shaman. It would have been better to kill him. But no, they had to make the grand gesture. Send them north where they became infected. A curse on a land already cursed”
She poked at the embers, settling a black kettle. “You do not like me much Hawkmoon.I am not that fond of myself, but I won’t stand to see the country overrun by Wampyrhh…With the blizzards and the Reivers you would do well to get there before Spring. The elves might do it but you’re no elf. “She poured a dark wine made from sloes collected in the wildwood.
.“ There was talk that the Choke might be passable in the late spring. With the water from snow melt it might keep the worms at bay long enough to cross. We need help to get there.The alternative is to go east through the Khanate, south to the Chian , take ship at Hanzhou and a six month voyage round the continent “
“We could be gone for years” ”Bekter looked sombre at the prospect. His wife would think him dead.
“There is a way” The old one said glancing slyly from the corner of her eye.
Hawkmoon looked at her .
I am not going to like this. Bekter thought
“You must walk the Paths of the Dead”
“I have done so before .It has served me poorly. ”
“It will be different now you have the Soulbiter..”
Aillie stood and walked to the screen at the back. Bekter sat at Hawkmoon’s side.
“It’s a trap, you know it”
“When I get to Elfhome I will have a troop sent to bring you in.”
“How long do you think I will last Hawkmoon ?. An hour after you leave she will have me on a stake.”Hawkmoon looked at his friend, desperate to spare him the Void.”
The truth of it could not be ignored. If she brought no harm to his friend she might contrive a means of letting the Reivers find him.
"This will change you Bekter. No one goes through what you are about to see and returns the same.” The decision made they finished eating.
The witch led them to an inner gallery. A hole occupied most of the floor. Bekter stood on the edge.. With his foot he pushed at loose rubble. Several rocks slipped over the lip and fell into the pit. He waited but no sound came back.
“Stupid man. By the time they hit bottom you will be gone and I will be left to deal with the results of your carelessness.” She looked at Hawkmoon“ Bring the Soulbiter and lay it on the rock”.
She took water in a ladle and chanting, poured it on the blades. Steam rose in clouds of black smoke In a moment the damp of the cavern had turned to ice The smoke took on form, taller than a man. Its head was that of a wild boar; the body a mass of scales. It stood upright on massive haunches the feet of which were triple toed.. Its forepaws were tipped with talons.
“What is it you ask.”
“Don’t be coy. You were listening”
“The road has many enemies .They will seek your end and mine”
“Demon’s cannot be killed” Bekter interrupted. Soulbiter looked at him.
“Do not speak to it again.” Hawkmoon warned him.
Lifting a massive arm the demon pointed to the granite. The rock began to shift . A circle formed, and expanded .. Stooping its massive head it walked into darkness. Hawkmoon followed. Bekter stood, undecided .. A titter of laughter sent him forward. They had left her a goodly part of their supplies. Bringing an armful of wood from the side cave she built up the fire.. The flames leapt up driving back the chill. The wind rose and with it the screaming.
The Conclave.
Arranging her notes on a side table Morah looked over her spectacles. “Before we begin I wish to apologize for the measures we have been required to put in place. Protocol requires me to call upon Her Majesty to open the conclave however the Queen has declined preferring that we proceed directly to matters at hand. She has asked that I welcome the deputation from Silverlode and its Queen. His Majesty is at sea and sends his apologies. Due to the measures we have taken it was not possible to provide Her Majesty with a reception commensurate with her Royal status.. The number of people in attendance has been reduced and when we proceed to particular topics only those people with a direct interest will remain. The exceptions will be their Majesties, the Chief of Staff and his officers, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
But first, we have had welcome news. The bridge at the Challon Gorge has been destroyed”
This was greeted with surprise and pleasure. General Britan stood.
“Might I ask ….” Morah broke in.
“Your pardon, General, I am not in the habit of interrupting senior officers. I cannot tell you any more than that. I cannot even tell you who accomplished this, though you can probably guess. ..”
Britan sat down, muttering.
“The next item is an Intelligence Estimate of the forces assembled against us, their strength, combat effectiveness and logistical support. We received the new intelligence only this morning and have not had sufficient time to consider its implications. General Britan, if you would be so kind…”
The old campaigner limped to the bottom of the steps leading to the stage. As a cavalry officer he had come unscathed through many wars only to be wounded twice in the course of a minor skirmish An arrow had pierced his right knee and a bolt chipped the bone of his hip where the tip remained. It pained him during the Winter..
“Your Majesties, my Lords , Ladies and Gentlemen, my fellow officers. There are many who consider that I am overly cautious in preparations to engage an enemy. Where others believe that thirty thousand will suffice I bring sixty. Where others plan for a months’ campaign I plan for a season. Where they plan for a season, I plan for a year. And so on…?
Britan paused, looked at the faces. “I have to tell you that the size of the armies that will be sent against us exceed even my most pessimistic expectations.”
The crowd murmured... Britan was known and trusted. He had lost battles; he had never lost a war.He was pedantic, patient and cautious .He had fought Reivers, from small unit actions, to battalions, to armies. If he
said it was bad then, in all likelihood, it was worse.
“I have said armies. It is not a grammatical error. The estimated size of their forces is sufficient to tackle several objectives at once. We are faced with dividing our strength to counter a number of threats or keeping the army together to maintain a force sufficient to defend the city. Since their main objective will be the capital we will have little to support a defence of Shaleens’s Gate .. We will not have forces to spare to maintain the defence of Silverlode”
The Dwarf Queen became pale.
Placing a protective arm on the Queen Mira spoke from her seat. “General Britan, your news is grave. However we are determined to honour our commitments to Silverlode and to maintain the defence of Shaleen’s Gate. The loss of either is unthinkable. Silverlode has fallen to the Reivers once; it will not happen again. As for Shaleen’s gate, if it is lost they will be free to rampage across the north. You must take measures to prevent either eventuality.”
“Your Majesty, I am a soldier. It is my job to provide the best solutions or at least those solutions that I consider to be the best. That is what I have done”
“I want to hear the numbers on which you base your proposals.”
Britan sifted through his papers. “Historically the usual complement of a Reiver army is between forty and sixty thousand . The number varies but it was seldom less and never much more. They tend not to have large logistic support preferring to live off the land. This has been a problem for them; one we could exploit.
This time they will have baggage trains of food and weapons.And siege engines.”
The general paused. “The size of the force coming against us is estimated at a half million. This does not include cavalry plus a contingent of engineers and support units. Almost six hundred thousand “
“We are lost” Mira put her hand on the Queen’s arm. She stared at her senior general “How is it possible for an army to increase tenfold in fifty years?”
“There are three factors, Your Majesty. They are offering manumission to slaves fit for military service who return alive. They have recruited females to serve. Their combat effectiveness may be limited-they do not have the bulk of the males but they are more intelligent, and skilled with light weapons. They will be used in subsidiary roles to allow combat troops to be deployed in forward units. The strongest factor is population. It has exploded. They need living space. The leadership are aware that new lands must be found or they will face rebellion. Finally there is the matter of the Wampyrhii.
To all intents and purposes the Reiver High Command is in their hands. The vampires are wealthy. They have deployed their wealth to build and support reiver armies. Wampyrhii gliders are free to roam south and there is little we can do about it. They are providing gliders for special operations and long range reconnaissance, an advantage no Reiver army has ever possessed.. How well they use such an advantage remains to be seen.” Britan gathered his notes.
Morah returned to the lectern. “Thank you general. The next segment will mark the end for today. It comprises a report on weapons development .”
A young dwarf came up.
“Thank you Director. Your Majesties, members of the Army, my Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Porter Dan. Great progress has been made in the months since Norry ben Arfa came to Silverlode. We have developed a weapon that, properly deployed, will have a devastating effect on the enemy. We are delighted to hear of the successful operation against the bridge. Since Hawkmoon left we have refined the agent to enhance its destructive power.”
Britan lifted his hand” Pardon me young dwarf, I have had reports on this new device and it seems impressive . However armies are not bridges. They do not stay in one place and wait in groups while they are attacked. I would like to know how you propose to use this weapon in combat”
Dan bowed to the general.“ When Norry first came to Silverlode I was in charge of the forge. Dwarves have long been makers of tools for mining. It did not require too much work to change to the manufacture of weapons.
When I met Norry I thought that here was a potential weapon that could augment the fighting power of a dwarf. The key to success lay in having a means of projecting the weapon over distances….I am not a soldier , I do not have the proper military vocabulary.”
Britan spoke up. ”You are making sense, please continue.”
“To approach Silverlode an invading army has to come through a series of passes. If we held the heights we could direct fire on their forces . One of our blacksmiths suggested we mix the agent with lead balls .. We have a catapult capable of launching to five hundred paces. I have drawings with me for General Britan’s staff. I am instructed by her Majesty to remain here to assist with training”
One of Britan’s officers raised his hand.
“The weapon is ideal for defence and that is how you have developed it. However perpetual defence does not last, nor does it win wars. You can hold off a Reiver army but sooner or later they will find a way in. If I remember my history when they last came to Silverlode the Reivers infiltrated the tunnels and caves that honeycomb those mountains. Sooner or later you will have to come out and fight. Food might run low, even water. What plans have you for offensive warfare?”
No one spoke.
The officer , his name was Gan Baris broke the silence.“What is needed is a system for a war of movement. I can think of places along their invasion route, where if we succeed in drawing them in we could annihilate the enemy.
I suggest you attend the War College. You can take lectures on force concentration, the use of weather, night combat and fire attacks. What we are planning is a new form of warfare against an enemy that vastly outnumbers us, is brave and knows how to fight. Their preferred means of attack is the massed wave. Against that we have an untested weapon We have to develop the skills to use it. I look forward to working with you.”
Morah nodded to a young girl at the back who rose and came forward.
“This is Sister Sharon . For the past two years she has been working on a means reconnaissance.. Sister if you will…”
Sharon brought an easel from the back. She began to place drawings on it.
“Your Majesties, Colleagues, Members of the Army, Ladies and Gentlemen. As you know hot air rises. You see that when you sit by your fire. When you force hot air into an envelope the tendency is for the envelope to rise. If the envelope is large and the air is hot enough it will leave the ground carrying whatever is attached to it.”
She put out a drawing that drew gasps. It was of a balloon rising, a light basket underneath holding two people.” I am delighted to hear that Hawkmoon and Bekter reached the bridge for they travelled there in one of these”
People were talking in animation. Morah called for quiet and nodded to the sister.
“There are a number of advantages but I will start with the disadvantages. There are two. First it is expensive. It is powered by heat stones which are expensive in themselves but pale compared to the cost of concealment spells.
The balloons have several advantages. Given favourable winds they can be used as a means of transport It is almost a thousand miles from Silverlode to the Gorge. Hawkmoon established a record for a balloon flight; one that will not be surpassed any time soon.
Norry has refined a compound based on the explosive except that it burns rather than explodes. We have perfected a means of lighting it under a balloon. Tethered balloons have been kept aloft for weeks. There are problems with storage on board and several accidents have occurred. Since we have dispensed with the need for magic stones we have no requirement for concealment spells. This is a significant cost saving. We plan is to build a two hundred” Morah had to ask several times before silence resumed.
“Balloons are vulnerable to attack. They can fly high enough to avoid projectiles from the ground but cannot be defended from glider attack. If they approach where the pilot can see them they can be shot but they can attack from above from which direction they cannot be see
n. The other disadvantage is their dependence on the wind . We are considering a number of designs to construct dirigible balloons but nothing practical has emerged. As matters stand the most practical military application is the ability to communicate over distance. The management of a balloon becomes far easier when it is tethered to the ground. It can be left to rise to considerable heights. By day this enables it to operate as an observation platform. Depending on the presence of clouds we have been able to reach heights of six thousand feet. With telescopes it is possible to observe and record movement on the ground within a diameter of two hundred miles.”
The Military were smiling.
“At night it functions as a communications platform. We have designed a metal box with a mirror. In the box is a flame. When the shutter is opened the light shines on the mirror. At night it can be seen from a considerable distance. We have devised a code and with that we hope to be able to communicate over hundreds of miles. I will be travelling out to the plains for final tests. We hope to send and receive signals within fifteen minutes.”
Sharon thanked the audience and came down. Morah was about to adjourn when General Britan rose to his feet.
General Britan stood.
“I might have given the impression that no assistance would be sent to Silvelode. That was a mistake on my part. When the time comes we will help to the best of our ability.”
The Watcher.
Crouching inside the treeline, face wrapped in cloth to catch the vapour from his breath’ he studied the cabin.. The walls bore the marks of fighting.. The ground outside littered with bones and rusty armour. Winter had come early and frost was in the air It stood on a south facing slope, roof gone, weeds choking the earthen floor. Most of the ground clearcut at the front and sides had been reclaimed by the forest.The back was protected by a cliff. Chandos was gone.
When he came out there was a wolf standing by his horse. He had a moment to wonder why the beast had not warned him before an arm circled his neck, a knife picked his throat.
