by RW Krpoun
Maxmillian complied, bemused at the change in the Seeress. He had no plans to try and rest; it would be far easier on his nerves to spend this period studying the maps of the liche’s stronghold. The wine she poured him was tart and strong. “Very interesting bouquet,” he observed a bit nervously. “Who’s going to relieve Bridget?”
Elonia licked a stray drop of wine from the rim of her glass before answering. “Henri; he’s in with Kustar at the moment.” She shot the scholar a significant glance. “Apparently he is very confident in Bridget’s maneuver with the poison. Of course, his point is valid: we could be dead in a matter of hours.” Her free hand trailed across the scholar’s thigh, bringing a burning flush of blood coursing to his face. “It would be a shame to waste this precious time, wouldn’t it?” she leered.
Chapter Seventeen
The misty field of the Orb deposited Agyra on a brush-covered slope; in truth, it dropped him there, as the egran had been a foot or so above the ground. His wizard had warned him that the Orbs were less exact than normal Gate structures, and that mid-air appearance of up to three feet were common, so the Anlarc was not overly surprised, catching himself and landing neatly.
Around him in the scrub figures stirred, alarmed by his sudden appearance; Agrya could see the night-camp clearly, noting with approval the careful positioning of the sentries. Bakmann, the burly Human Thane who had been entrusted with command of the twenty members of his retinue sent on ahead, hurried up.
“Curion, all is as you have ordered,” the Human saluted carefully, well aware that darkness was no cloak to his master.
“Report.”
“As ordered, myself and the twenty you designated traversed the Temples’ Gate and made contact with the Stone Adder Goblins, using the protocols laid out in the documents you gave me. I negotiated with the Goblins for current information on the target designated in my sealed orders, hired scouts, obtained pack animals and handlers, and hired additional warriors.”
“The information.”
“The Adder report that the mercenary garrison has in its ranks a troop of Threll who decimated a large war band of theirs well before they entered Badger territory; as a result, their scouts have given the area a wide berth until other commitments are resolved. Some weeks ago, the Purple Spider clan mounted a testing raid into the colony area and was repulsed after a pitched battle with the mercenaries and their local militia. The information included in my sealed orders is out of date, according to the Goblins. There is a growing colony of settlers in the area, with a substantial increase in the road network and, as noted, an organized and trained Militia.”
“Your actions.”
“Although it seems unlikely that there is a significant number of Threll working for the mercenaries, I took the precaution of approaching the colony from the northeast, some distance from where the Stone Adder force ran into trouble; the Purple Spider attack was from the south, which was another influencing factor.”
“Sound. How went your recruiting?”
“Ten yasaha, a Serao of forty jugata including leaders, a shaman with four guards, and a Goblin Baia, as a field commander, with a command group of eight. Additionally, I secured enough mules to serve our purposes, with Goblin handlers.”
“I indicated in your orders that I was not interested in obtaining magical support from the Goblins, did I not?”
“Yes, Curion.”
Agyra waited for a few moments. “Then explain.”
“The Goblins were interested in a nest of Titan spiders they believed were established in the territory we were to pass through. They cut the rate of pay for their force if we would pass close enough to this nest for them to examine its potential for eggs. The Shaman and his guards were not hired: the Goblins told me they would include, at no charge, an expert on the spiders. When we formed up for the first day’s travel, the shaman was there as the expert. I had no choice but to allow it or lose the Goblin support and the gold which I had given them.”
“Agreed. You were out-maneuvered, but it was unavoidable. Have you determined why the Goblins are so interested in this nest?”
“Indirectly, Curion. I made a point to converse with the leader of the scouts at every opportunity, and I have determined that the mercenaries we faced have been very active around the nest over the last two months.”
“What have they been doing?”
“Unknown for certain, Curion, but it would seem likely that they were exterminating the spiders.”
“So, knowing this, it would seem that the Goblins are lying to you about their interest.”
“Yes, Curion, that would seem to be the case.”
“Have you made any progress in uncovering the truth of the matter?”
“No Curion, I have not; I have established that neither the Baia nor the chief yasahe knows the reason for the deception. The shaman has not yielded a bit of information, and in fact refuses to speak with me.”
“Very well. How are the Goblins armed and equipped?”
“The jugata are well-armed, for Goblins: iron caps, small shields, and armor of studded leather, either jacks or shirts. Arms are bladed polearms, and an impact weapon as a sidearm, either small axes or clubs; most carry a bundle of three or four javelins. The yasahe have short bows or slings, and lead four lizards which they employ in the manner of tracking and sentry dogs; the lizards are of the seko breed, I believe.”
“You estimation of their fighting capacity.”
“As a whole, as good as you can expect for Goblins. They’ve seen action as individuals and as a unit, and have decent leaders. They aren’t too worried about the Purple Spider’s setback, but they are nervous about the reports of Threll amongst the mercenaries. As you know Goblins fear Lanthrell, especially Cave Goblins out in the open.”
“It is a pity we couldn’t have hired Orcs,” Agyra mused. “Very well; you have done what was expected of you, and competently so. Do you have anything to add? You will act as my liaison with the Baia, and retain general command of the retinue troops. Advise the Baia that I will meet with him at dawn, just before we set off.”
“By your command, Curion.”
The Anlarc found a suitable stump and sat down to wait for dawn. Both he and the Goblins could easily travel at night, but his Human Thanes would be hampered by the darkness, and in any case the force needed rest. So the twisted Threll sat in the darkness and waited with the patience of one who has seen centuries pass.
His force would be weak for the task at hand should the Badgers be in garrison, but the Anlarc doubted that this would be the case: the Badgers were mercenaries, and the bulk of their force would either be soldiering in someone’s pay or undertaking some task whose completion would involve both profit and bloodshed.
His plan of revenge was simple, as all good plans should be: he would enter the Badger’s area and seize Oramere if possible; if it was not possible (seizing any fortified position, no matter how thinly garrisoned, was always a difficult proposition), he would establish a suitable base elsewhere, and set about putting the colony to the sword. That would force whatever garrison the Badgers had left behind to come out and face him, or risk losing all.
That accomplished, he would use the gold he had brought with him to maintain his force of Goblins (and perhaps hire more; loot was always a draw) until the Badger’s main body returned. These he would destroy, completing his revenge. It mattered not a bit to him if the Hold Master of Alantarn or the Pargaie ever discovered the Badger’s part in the first raid; he simply wanted to atone for the defeat he had received at the hands of this upstart Company. He himself had been wounded, and his retinue mauled, as were the Direbreed assigned to his command. He could not allow this to go unpunished.
Agyra had always been a warrior, leading bands of Direbreed and Temple troops in the wars with the Hand of Chaos, on incursions into Felher holds, against marauding Orcs off the Blasted Plains, and in action against bandits, brigands, and raiders of every race and description. Only rarely had
he faced troops of the Human nations, or the Dwarves of the mountains; Arbmante’s conflicts within his lifetime had been over dominance within the community of the Dark One, and in efforts to retain what they had won. He looked back, now, and marveled as he always did at the vast expenditure of wealth, andern, and lives his nation had put into these conflicts.
Always a field commander, never promoted to the ranks of the power structure which determined who should be fought and for what should war be waged, Agyra had only an idle speculation as to the forces which drove his nation along its path to the future, but he knew all too well that the bulk of Arbmante’s power was directed at watching and defending against other followers of the Dark One, leaving only a fraction of the total force to be used towards expansion; and all too often, in his opinion, the expansion Arbmante made was obtained at the expense of other Void-worshippers, not the minions of the Eight. He had hoped when Alantarn was founded that the fortress would eventually become a springboard for to raid and harry the Human lands. Instead, it had become a bottomless pit, drinking away gold and troops as his masters poured resources into this far-off (from the homelands) bastion that someday would provide a crop of andern.
Not that Agyra would ever refute the need for andern, not when it had provided him the essence of his elevation to an Anlarc, and the very foundation of his arms and armor, but he thought that the lure of the black variety was costing too much for the return. Arbmante had other, lesser, verax producing the lower grades of andern, enough for both its needs and export; only black andern had to be purchased, and the Dark Star were always ready to sell to any foe of the Hand. In his estimation, Alantarn had become a vessel that contained too much of Arbmante’s wealth, a very dangerous luxury that focused his masters’ attentions ever further from what Agyra considered the primary fight: the final confrontation with the followers of the Eight. It would come, this ultimate accounting, and Agyra felt that not enough was being done to prepare. He knew all too well the amazing ambition and energies of the shorter-lived Human race, and he felt that every year they spent unmolested by major war they grew stronger. The answer, in his opinion, was a war of attrition, using the Direthrell advantages of long lifespans and the expendability of slave troops to wear the Human realms down to the point where outright occupation would be possible. Once the followers of the Eight were finished, Arbmante could deal with the Hand and any other upstarts, not before.
This was why he took this revenge so seriously: he had suffered worse defeats in more important engagements, but these were servitors of the Light who had the daring and audacity to raid into Alantarn itself, killing Direthrell and their loyal servants in the very heart of Arbmante’s greatest outpost. Such activity could not go unpunished; such expertise could not be allowed to remain as an example and giver of instruction.
The council of war in Oramere’s Grand Hall was small, secret, and somber. It consisted of Axel, Kroh, Starr, and Rolf; in short, the only four in the area who knew of the Badger’s involvement with the raid on Alantarn.
“The Anlarc from Alantarn,” Starr shuddered. “He just walked out of the bushes like he was strolling out of his own front door and took charge; all he had on him was his axe, no pack, mount, or equipment. Does this mean they know about us?”
“If the ruler of the Hold knew, it would be an army, not a handful of Temple guards and Goblin mercenaries,” Axel shook his head. “No, our secret is still at least partially intact. This Anlarc is here without his full Talon of personal retainers; we can safely assume he’s here for revenge, not as the vanguard of Arbmante’s response.”
“I bet the Temple doesn't even know,” Rolf offered shyly. “There aren't any Direbreed with this group, and Direbreed are the exclusive province of the Temple in Dark Threll nations; if the higher-ups knew, they would have sent a Darkhost or two along. I bet this is just the Anlarc on his own.”
The wizard grinned. “Clever lad, Rolf. Yes, I don’t think it is quite as bad as it might seem: win here and we’ll have some leeway to work with; the very nature of Chaos is on our side: the eternal competition and division amongst factions within the ranks of the Dark followers.”
“Of course, facing this Champion of the Dark One and his troop will be no simple matter,” the Lieutenant continued thoughtfully. “We’ll pass it off as just the random raid to the others, which serves to cover our tracks, but we are still left with the fact that there is a sizeable band of Human warriors, led by an andern-enhanced Direthrell, and supported by a Goblin raiding force, heading straight towards us. We have to stop them, ensure the death of the Anlarc, and if possible kill everyone else in that band.”
“Easier said than done,” Starr shook her head. “The Ravenmist is pretty much recovered from the raid, but these are tougher Goblins, not to mention the Thanes. And this is the Anlarc who killed Dimitri: he won’t be easy to put down just by himself.”
“What do we say when a dead Anlarc turns up?” Kroh rumbled. “Halabarian would know what he is.”
Axel shook his head. “We don’t explain anything: we act as confused as anyone else.”
Starr nodded. “But it will take more than cunning to carry off a complete massacre; after all, we barely defeated the Purple Spider raid.”
“That’s true, but we’ve more options than we had when facing the Spider, because the force we now face is made up of two separate and distrusting factions. Victories have been made with smaller advantages.”
“Pretty words,” Kroh sneered. “Cut through the old chestnuts and get to the plan.”
“As I said, we have an advantage in that we face two distinct groups, each with their own aims and goals,” Axel began carefully. “All we need is a wedge to drive between them, a scratch of a suspicion we can turn into a festering wound.” He looked down at the map laid out between them. “And I think they’re going to make it easy for us.”
Agyra sat on a stump in the night camp after his first day with the assault force, thoughts shifting in his mind like ivory game pieces arranging themselves on a frost-touched marble table. Things were not going as well as they might have, but difficulties were to be expected in any operation, and problems existed to be surmounted. The Goblin shaman, a wizened little ape dripping with bits of bone, mummified body parts, and various carved charms and amulets, had steadfastly refused to divulge what was so interesting about the den of a now-defunct spider colony. The refusal had held in the face of all of the Anlarc’s ability to intimidate and challenge, and short of splitting his force, Agyra had been forced to accept the situation.
He was above resenting such petty setbacks, but the lack of knowledge gnawed at him, carrying with it as it did the possibility of treachery and deceit. The Adder were intimidated by the Badgers, at least for the moment, not simply for the defeat of a single patrol, but also for their fighting prowess, amply demonstrated in years past against other foes, and because the Badgers were not ones to let a raid go unpunished. Not for the first time did Agyra wonder whom was using whom: did the Goblins simply want an escort into Badger territory to explore the colony site? Perhaps they planned desertion or outright murder once their goal was accomplished. It was well within the realms of possibility: the Goblins were no fools, and had likely deduced that his mission was a personal one, kept secret from the higher authorities in his Temple.
As a precaution, he had advised Bakmann to have the Thanes remain on alert for treachery from the Goblins, an order which had been followed a bit too exactly by the Human; the obvious suspicion exhibited by the Thanes had prompted an equally hostile reaction from the Goblins, the situation further exacerbated by the disappearance of three Goblin yasahe sent off for water when this camp was made. A joint search party had found signs of a struggle and the place where bodies had been dragged to a sink-hole; in the grass near the area where the fight had taken place had been found a Temple insignia broach.
Agyra had pointed out to the Baia that the broach was of the type worn by Direbreed in Temple service, not Thanes, a
nd that in any case his had all their insignia in their packs. The Anlarc had calmly declared the badge to be an attempt by shadowing Badger scouts to create a division within their foe’s camp. This had mollified the Goblin leader somewhat, but the yasahe leader had proclaimed the concept to be a false one: if there were scouts trailing them, his people would know about it. Not, Agyra had pointed out, if they were the Lanthrell reported by the earlier patrol. That had terminated the yasahe’s arguments, but had had a severe effect upon the morale of the Goblin force as a whole as the news made the rounds. The Cave Goblins, already nervous outside of their element and opeateing in close proximity to non-Goblins, now had their dread of the Threll refreshed, and further honed by horrific tales told by the survivors of the first patrol of screaming hordes of murderous Lanthrell, and clouds of arrows that shadowed the ground beneath them.
The probability for success of his venture was now growing leaner; unless he or the Baia, who was not a bad sort, could do something to bring the group back together, their fighting efficiency was going to steadily deteriorate. It was possible that this mission would fail, requiring a second effort in order to obtain revenge, a second effort which might not be possible once Kustar returned and delivered the proof of the Badger’s involvement in the raid.
That, of course, was one possibility he had considered: he was ever mindful that in the prosecution of military efforts the possibility of a defeat must always be a consideration. It was with that axiom in mind that he had briefed ‘Coke’; when the wizard returned to Alantarn, he was to break an enchanted rod, which would signal the Anlarc; should Agyra break an identical rod, the wizard would arrange for Kustar to die of ‘natural causes’ and for her report to disappear. It always paid to have a contingency plan.
