The Forsaken Crown

by Christina Ochs

  “Thank you,” Georg said, smiling broadly now.

  Belsar Castle

  SONYA HADN’T SLEPT well, knowing it wouldn’t be long before the duke came to inspect the troops Countess Belsar had gathered. It had helped to talk through various scenarios with Fritz, but that only impressed upon her the magnitude of the difficulties. She knew she would be able to kill the duke, but had almost no hope of getting away once she’d done it.

  Fritz, in his optimistic fashion, thought it possible that some of the duke’s supporters would be happy to see him dead, and would be unlikely to pursue them.

  Sonya wouldn’t count on it.

  When she came into the castle courtyard just after daybreak, Countess Belsar was already mounted and ready to go.

  “Duke Desmond will be here in an hour or two,” she told Sonya. “You’ll want to round up your young rascals and prepare them for an inspection.”

  “They’re not ready for that.” Sonya had decided that honesty would do best with the countess.

  “I know, but it doesn’t much matter. The duke will only care about numbers, not spit and polish.”

  “That’s a relief,” Sonya muttered. If she got lucky, the duke might not come too near and she could buy herself more time. Or, he’d come just near enough and she’d take her shot.

  She wore a helmet she’d picked up in Kendryk’s armory. It came close around her cheeks, but the duke would still recognize her. And she could hardly hide behind the troops in her charge during an inspection.

  Her heart banging against her ribcage, Sonya mounted Zeki. She hoped he’d come to no harm, even if she didn’t make it. Zastwarian horses were always in high demand, and he was a particularly fine specimen. Perhaps he’d become a prize for the person who killed her.

  After her close call with Teodora, Sonya wasn’t too interested in taking stock of her life again. She wanted to get this over with, and survive the day, if possible.

  It was hard to act normal around her troops, but she found that the distraction of ordering them around helped calm her. With Fritz’s help she arranged them into two ragged lines on the countess’s parade ground, made sure they all wore helmets, with their weapons clean and at the ready.

  There was no point in bothering with fancy maneuvers, which they didn’t know anyway. She’d barely had time to show them how to manage a saber charge, which was all they’d be good for. In any case, she was unlikely to ever lead them into combat.

  They were such a bright-eyed and excited bunch, Sonya almost felt a little bad for planning to kill their leader. But that was no excuse to hesitate, and she realized she’d be grasping for those now. It was all she could do to keep herself from riding off into the deep woods that surrounded the Belsar estate.

  She spent the next hour riding up and down the rows, inspecting everyone’s weapons, and listening to the countess shout herself hoarse at the infantry.

  That was the harder job, since the vast majority were peasants who’d never held a weapon in their lives. They wouldn’t do well in a real fight, but Sonya might spare them that experience.

  Her own troops in the best order she could make them, she checked that her pistols were loaded and primed. Two shots ought to be more than enough.

  A trumpet tooted in the distance, and from out of the fog came horsemen bearing standards. The duke would be in front, and Sonya stared straight ahead, hoping to spot him as soon as possible.

  He rode at the head of a large group of horse, the sound of marching feet behind him. He was encased from head to knee in shining, thick, plate armor. And this was no fancy, light parade armor. This was a full suit of heavy steel, tested for battle, judging by the dents she spotted in the cuirass.

  Sonya’s heart sank. She swallowed down the dryness in her mouth. Pistol-shot might get through that plate, but only at point-blank range. He’d be close enough to recognize her, and she’d have to shoot before he reacted.

  Fritz’s horse shifted restlessly.

  She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He’d seen the armor too, and was looking pale. Sonya cursed herself for not considering that possibility. She’d only ever seen the duke draped in silk and velvet, and since they weren’t expecting to do battle today, she hadn’t thought to see him in armor.

  She took a deep breath and sat up straight.

  The duke had drawn up before Countess Belsar, then stopped, still well out of pistol range. “I’d planned to do no more than count and inspect you today,” he said, his voice cutting through the cold, damp air. “But we must fight sooner than planned.”

  He paused as a murmur spread through the assembled ranks.

  “I received worrisome news this morning,” he went on. “It seems the traitor Prince Kendryk has assembled a foreign army, and is now sailing it up the Velta. They will arrive at Diessen harbor sometime around noon.”

  An excited chatter now spread through the ranks.

  “Silence!” Countess Belsar bellowed and a hush settled on the parade ground.

  “If we hurry, we can meet them there,” the duke said. “They are traveling on several boats, and will need time to disembark. We will attack while they are doing so. They won’t expect it and we will put an end to this invasion before it starts. Are you with me?” A smile spread across Desmond’s cruel, handsome face, and he lifted a sword into the air.

  A roar rose from the assembled troops, including considerable excited shouting from Sonya’s charges.

  She waved her sword around, cheering weakly, trying to think of what to do. It seemed unlikely she’d get a chance at the duke right now, but she needed to stop him before he got to Kendryk and his boats. He must have had success recruiting further north, and found the fastest way to get here.

  At a shouted order from the countess, the army marched down the road, Sonya’s cavalry moving into the middle.

  “What do we do now?” Fritz whispered once they were underway.

  “I don’t know,” Sonya whispered back, “but we have to stop them somehow or there’ll be a slaughter on the riverbanks.”

  The Velta River

  AS THEY NEARED DIESSEN, the last point where they could disembark, Kendryk grew nervous. From there it wouldn’t be far to Desmond’s estate. He hoped they could get there before Sonya tried anything. With any luck, she’d taken her time, planning the best way to attack, and was lurking somewhere in the countryside, awaiting her chance.

  There would be a fight—Kendryk was certain of that now—but he hoped it would be short. Count Faris’s troops were seasoned and disciplined, and it seemed likely they’d easily mow over untrained peasants. Kendryk didn’t want to kill so many Terraganders, but couldn’t think of what else to do.

  Unable to sit still, he took his concerns to Count Faris.

  “I feel like I’ve proven the duke’s slander true,” Kendryk said, after ducking into the count’s tiny cabin. “I’m bringing foreign troops, and they’ll kill Terragand citizens.”

  “Not all of us are foreigners.” Faris was calm as always. “I’ve already told my officers they are to take as many prisoners as possible. Desmond will have mostly militia, and they won’t be accustomed to battle. Most will run when things heat up, and we won’t kill them if we can avoid it. I expect few casualties on both sides. The duke’s troops already ran once, didn’t they, when you confronted them outside Heidenhof?”

  “They did. And we let most of them get away. Only those who insisted on fighting were killed or hurt.”

  “There will be those, since some close to Desmond won’t want to risk capture. But it’s best to get rid of them if we can. As to the raw recruits, you needn’t worry. I doubt any of them will fight too hard.”

  “I wish we didn’t have to fight at all.”

  “The only way we can avoid that is if Captain Vidmar succeeds before we arrive, and we can’t count on that.”

  Something occurred to Kendryk. “Will they be expecting us? Surely all of these boats on the river have attracted attention.”
>
  “They’ll be expecting us.” Faris smiled. “I’ve already planned for that. It would make sense for us to disembark at Diessen, but the duke’s estate is near, making it easy for him to attack us there. I propose we disembark a little sooner.”

  He slid a map across the table the two of them were sitting at, and pointed at a dot on the riverbank.

  “We’re less than five leagues from this village,” Faris said. “The captain says they have a small dock there and can unload two boats at a time. It’ll be slower, but we’ll be less likely to be attacked while we come ashore. I need calm to get the cavalry and their horses off the boats. We’ll do that first.”

  “You’ve thought of everything then. I suppose I’d better get ready.”

  “Put on your armor.” Faris was serious now. “And prepare all of your weapons. I’m hoping they won’t expect us, but we need to be ready anyway. Once we’re ashore, we’ll march straight down the road to Ebenstein. If the duke is anywhere nearby, we’re likely to run into him.”

  Kendryk nodded, swallowing down the dryness in this throat. He told himself he’d already faced far more difficult and dangerous situations.

  He went back to the cabin he shared with Georg. “We’re disembarking soon, though I’d like you to stay on board until this is over.”

  “Not a chance,” Georg said. “I’ve already spoken to Captain Danko. We’ll hire a cart for him to ride in, and I’ll go along.”

  “I suppose that’s all right, since you won’t be in battle.” Kendryk preferred to have Georg along, but didn’t want to put him at risk.

  “Oh, we’ll be in battle.” Georg was packing his quills and inkpot away. “Captain Danko will command from the cart. It ought to be very interesting. And Irena has assured me it’ll be perfectly safe.”

  “Oh, it’s Irena now?” Kendryk had to smile. “Have you had time to make friends?”

  “Well ...” Georg shoved his spectacles back up his nose, flustered. “We’ve talked a few times. She’s very interesting. Did you know everyone in her family is in the military? Even her twelve-year-old brother is a page in the emperor’s army.”

  “How fascinating.” Kendryk wouldn’t have minded learning more about Orician military families, but there was no time now. “Apparently she finds you fascinating too.”

  “It seems so.” Pinkness rose up Georg’s neck. “Though I can’t think why. Surely she meets more interesting men every day. Or at least ones who are more violent, and braver.”

  “You’re plenty brave. I wish you and Captain Danko wouldn’t go into battle, but I worry about the boats being attacked too.” Kendryk sat down on his cot. “Honestly, right now I’m worried about everything.”

  “You shouldn’t be.” Georg shoved a few clothes into a bag. “Count Faris seems highly capable. He’ll send the duke on his way in no time.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Kendryk said.

  The Velta River Road

  A THOUSAND DIFFERENT thoughts whirled in Sonya’s head. She needed to get close to the duke and finish this before he attacked Kendryk. But right now she was stuck in the middle of a long column of troops, the duke far away at the head of it all. The Countess Belsar was likely riding with him too, and Sonya tried to think of an excuse to go see her.

  “I’ll stay with the cavalry,” Fritz murmured. “You go up front.”

  “I need a reason,” Sonya whispered. “I can’t ride up there without orders.”

  “Will anyone question you before you arrive? And once you’re there, maybe you’ll get close enough.”

  “Someone might. There’ll be officers all the way up the column. They’ll want to hear what’s going on. If another fellow were riding past us, I’d want to hear his story.”

  “So we make up a story.” Fritz was undeterred. “You have news of some sort.”

  “Where would I get it? If I had it before, I should have told someone.”

  “You thought of something,” Fritz said. “Something I’ll come up with in a minute.”

  Sonya had to laugh. If Fritz wasn’t giving up, she shouldn’t either.

  The road slanted down sharply. They must be getting close to the river and Sonya still had no plan. If it came to a fight, her unit might be called forward, but by then it might be too late for Kendryk.

  “Anything?” she whispered at Fritz, who’d been riding along with a furrowed brow for some time.

  “Can the prince disembark elsewhere?” he asked. “What if he came ashore somewhere else and is marching straight down the river road? Our flank will be exposed.”

  “I don’t know this area at all,” Sonya whispered back. “And if he’s found another way, I don’t want to alert the duke.”

  “You’re not making this easy,” Fritz grumbled.

  “It’s not easy.” Sonya said it a little more sharply than she wanted to. She was frustrated, about to fail in her mission, and bring the brunt of the duke’s force down on Kendryk. He’d only have militia troops, and gods only knew what kind of officers to lead them. “Have we crossed the river road yet?” she whispered.

  “No,” Fritz said, “we would have noticed that.”

  Sonya wasn’t sure if it mattered when they crossed the road. Unless she diverted her troops somehow ... She turned and waved forward Marko Alsfelder, one of four junior officers riding behind her.

  “How far to the river road?” she asked him.

  “Not far.” Alsfelder’s boyish face was puzzled.

  “Our orders are to follow it,” Sonya said. “Just the cavalry. The duke wants us to watch the river, in case the boats don’t come when planned.”

  “Oh,” Alsfelder said. “Why didn’t we learn of this earlier?”

  “Secret orders,” Sonya whispered, waving the other officers near. “The duke didn’t want the infantry to know we wouldn’t be staying with them. He thought they would be afraid to go forward without our support.”

  “Of course they would be,” Gabryela Kolnitz, a young woman with a chubby face and haughty air said. “We’re the only true military types in this whole army.”

  “Exactly,” Sonya said. “That’s why the duke needs us to find out what’s going on. Once we’ve located the boats it’ll be easy enough for us to track them and tell the duke where and when they’re landing.”

  Kolnitz’s eyes brightened. “Perhaps they’ll land at one of the other villages instead. That would be terrible for the duke.”

  “Yes,” Sonya said. “And we must warn him if they do. So when we reach the river road, we’ll peel off from the column, all orderly. If anyone questions you, send them to me.”

  “No one will question us.” Kolnitz tossed her head. “They’re just peasants.”

  “Quite right,” Sonya said, stifling a chuckle.

  They soon reached the crossroads, and Sonya stopped Zeki at the corner, waiting for her column to turn off.

  The young officers were happy to have an important task and issued several sharp orders more loudly than Sonya would have liked.

  As the last of them turned down the road, she met the puzzled gaze of an infantry sergeant who’d been marching behind them.

  “Special orders,” she said, putting a finger to her lips.

  “I understand.” He winked. “We’ll see you at the river.”

  As she urged Zeki to a trot so she could get back to the head of the column, Sonya realized she still had no plan. Getting away from the duke wasn’t helpful in itself, but perhaps she could find Kendryk and warn him somehow.

  In the fog, she couldn’t tell how late it was. If the boats reached Diessen at noon, perhaps they were already too close to be stopped. But she’d try anyway.

  In the worst case, she’d return and fall upon the duke’s rear as he attacked Kendryk. She wasn’t sure how many of her troopers would go along with it, but in the confusion of battle, she might have a chance.

  “So, what are we doing now?” Fritz asked, when she caught up to him.

  She waited until they’d p
ut the other officers a few paces behind, then said. “Hopefully running into Kendryk.”

  The Velta River Road

  IT WAS QUIET HERE ALONG the river. They’d disembarked as planned, on a tiny dock next to an equally tiny village.

  A few dozen villagers came down to gawk, and Count Faris put them all to work, helping get all the supplies off the boats that came up to the dock, two at a time.

  Kendryk was one of the first off, then thought he might crawl out of his skin with impatience, waiting for everyone else to come ashore.

  A villager brought up a small cart, and Captain Danko climbed in, accompanied by Georg, who carried a writing desk.

  “I’ll record an account of the battle,” he told Kendryk. “For posterity.”

  “If we ever have any,” Kendryk joked, though it wasn’t too funny. At this rate, he was unlikely to live long enough to father children. It was a pity, because he’d like to have some. So he passed the time wondering who he might marry, how many children they would have, and how many would be boys and girls. He’d just come up with ten suitable names and formed a picture of their mother in his mind—beautiful, naturally, though he couldn’t decide if he preferred red or black hair—when Count Faris rode up to him.

  “We can get going,” he said. “All the cavalry is on shore. The rest can catch up to us.”

  Kendryk looked around, surprised. While he’d been daydreaming, all of the Oricians had gathered around him, looking fearsome in their long red coats and black hats. He was glad they were on his side, even though they were foreigners.

  “They’re eager to retrieve Captain Vidmar,” Faris said. “After her confrontation with Teodora, she became a hero to them. That reputation was enhanced once they heard what happened with you. If she kills the duke, she’ll become legendary.”

  “That seems a fitting reward,” Kendryk said, “though I’ll give her more concrete honors.”