Fortress of the Forgotten: Book One of the Swordmaster Series

by Rutger Krenn

  “Where’s the army?” said Talon. “Even if it isn’t close by we only need a few hundred more men to hold the castle until it can return. There must be at least that many soldiers left in Aren Daleth?”

  Mecklem fidgeted uncomfortably and the Duke exhaled loudly. “No one has told you son, have they?” he said.

  “Told me what?”

  There was a silence that nobody seemed keen to fill. Arell answered as it seemed clear the others would prefer not to. She took on a tone of lecturing, as though she were talking to someone very simple. It set Talon’s teeth on edge but he listened without interruption.

  “As everyone knows Aren Daleth often sends soldiers to help fight in the war against Eruthram. The war isn’t going well at the moment and the Dwarves, who we help, sent us urgent messages. They were desperate for aid as their lands in the Stone Mountains were under fierce assault.”

  Arell paused as though even she were reluctant to continue. Talon couldn’t tell if it were because she was loath to incriminate Mecklem further or if she just dreaded what had to be said.

  “The king made a choice. So desperate were the Dwarves that he took the risk of sending not only our army but all of our able-bodied men. They are now nearly two hundred miles away and cannot return in time to help. All the fortresses along the Battlemark, as well as elsewhere, are stripped to bare necessity. Those that remain in the capital are women, children, and the elderly. Thromdar, the most vulnerable entry into the kingdom contained the only reserves and were to be deployed wherever needed in case of attack. Needless to say that was thought unlikely. There had been no indication of a massing of Goblins near the Battlemark for years. But now we have only two hundred men. Enough, perhaps, to defend the castle for a few days. After that we’ll be overrun and the rest of Aren Daleth must fall soon after. There’s no one left anywhere to put up a fight.”

  Talon went cold with shock. This was the vital piece of information that made sense of all that had transpired since he’d neared Thromdar. His homeland, to which he’d only just returned, was about to be overrun by Goblins. His dreams of establishing a new life, of building a home and someone to share it with had withered in a matter of seconds.

  The others remained silent. They all, Talon among them, contemplated the ruin of the kingdom and the unspeakable tragedy about to unfold for thousands of people. The fortress, and the whole realm, would be erased from history and forgotten.

  Arell went on to explain that riders had already been sent to the king and the army. But these must by necessity travel back through Aren Daleth and then down to the plains. It was the long way to the Stone Mountains but the only way available. The quickest route led straight into the massing army of Goblins, who would spread a wide cordon since their discovery to block any messengers.

  Talon knew the army would return but there would be nothing left by the time they did so. The soldiers’ wives and children would have been slain, their parents slaughtered. Some men might chose to fight for revenge, even for the false hope of reclaiming their kingdom, but many would scatter to the southern kingdoms in despair.

  Talon’s mind continued to work. Not only would the loss of the kingdom be a death sentence for the Northmen, it would also be a vital stroke against the freedom of the entire land. Eruthram held sway in the far south. If his servants held the north also the free peoples of Andoras would be caught in a trap. Sooner or later the stranglehold would tighten further, like a noose about a condemned man’s neck. What hope would then exist for anyone?

  Talon saw that Arell’s mind was working too. No doubt she had also seen past the obvious to the greater consequences. She was looking at the men about her and Talon began to study them also.

  The Duke, of whom all the stories that Talon had ever heard showed him as indomitable, now sat crumpled in a chair and appeared downcast and beaten. Not beaten he corrected, but hopeless. He would fight till the end even if he saw no way to change it.

  Mecklem appeared, so far as Talon could tell, to be his normal self. Their predicament was his fault, but he didn’t show it. If the patrol had not been lost Thromdar would have stood a much better chance of survival.

  Cadrafer was the type of man who’d faithfully do his duty and Talon sensed his great loyalty toward the Duke. The other captains were harder to judge.

  Amid these thoughts he noticed that he was now the subject of Arell’s attention. What would she make of him? Of all in the room he knew that he would be the hardest to read. She obviously thought him a rude and abrupt commoner, and yet he was here now, helping them. She would know that he could just as easily leave and go somewhere safer. He wasn’t bound to the Duke, and he couldn’t deny that the idea was tempting.

  In truth, he admitted to himself, he had been a little rude to her, though she didn’t really seem to mind all that much. Had she realized that he was only like that to provoke a reaction from her? That it was his way of putting her in her place for the way she looked down her nose at him? Or did she only do that in order to provoke a reaction from him?

  Talon, his mind filled with worry and swamped with a range of what appeared to be insurmountable problems, noticed that Arell was frowning at him once again. She straightened in her chair and the others looked at her.

  “Gentleman,” she said in a clear voice. “You are all warriors of the north. You have a problem, and I know you will solve it. The people of Aren Daleth are relying on you and you won’t let them down. There is sure to be a solution and I don’t doubt you’ll find it. Whatever it is will not be easy though. I sense change for our kingdom, but I don’t believe it will be destroyed. I feel, somewhere in my heart, that you are the men who can save it.”

  The others looked at her after these words. Talon was taken anew by how beautiful she was, especially when she wasn’t frowning at him. Also, he liked her spirit. It was people like her who had built this kingdom in the first place. As long as her kind remained there would be some chance that it wouldn’t fall.

  Suddenly, Talon smiled. He turned the full force of it on Arell and she pretended not to notice. Mecklem shifted uneasily in his chair and Cadrafer, noting what was passing, grinned to himself.

  “I have an idea,” said Talon. The others looked to him with varied expressions but no one spoke.

  The army of Aren Daleth is too far away to help us, correct?”

  “We’ll be overrun before they can return,” agreed the Duke.

  “The army may not be able to return quickly either,” added Cadrafer. “If they’re in committed positions it will take some time to replace them without throwing the Dwarves into complete turmoil.”

  “Very true,” said Talon. “So there are no longer soldiers left in Aren Daleth nor any hope of the army returning in time?”

  “Yes, you now know it as well as the rest of us,” snapped Mecklem.

  “Well,” said Talon ignoring him. “You have dismissed the possibility of a messenger taking the quick route to our army at the Stone Mountains. You rightly expect that the Goblins will have spread out a cordon to prevent any message reaching them, but there may still be ways to slip through.”

  “What do you mean?” asked the Duke, the first hint of hope appearing in his voice. His daughter had stirred something to life.

  “I learned much from Chow and fighting was only a part of what he taught. His skills included many things and stealth, hiding from enemies and scouting were among them,” he said.

  “Stealth?” repeated Mecklem. “Bah. That’s foolish. You think you can hide from two Goblin armies who will be spread out and looking for the likes of you?”

  “Such things have been achieved in the past,” said Talon. “It’s possible. I do not say it’s likely.”

  Kenrik looked wary. He’d been given hope, but now seemed doubtful. “That sort of thing can be done Talon, but the chances of success are so remote as to be negligible. I considered sending men earlier to make the attempt but decided against it. It would be suicide and we need to keep as many m
en alive as we can, for as long as we can, to defend the walls. I can’t throw lives away.”

  “You believe you can make it though, don’t you?” asked Arell, her bright eyes focusing on him intently.

  “I do. I have the skills. I have received training that your soldiers have not had the benefit of.”

  “Well,” said Mecklem, “you’d be the only one to think so. You seem to have a very high opinion of yourself. Anyway, who’s to say that you’re not in league with the Goblins? Once you left here you could meet them and tell them all you know about our plans. It’s a fool’s errand and can only end in failure or treachery.”

  Talon stood and fixed him with his eyes. “Too often you have insulted me, Mecklem. I have never given you cause to doubt my word. I believe I can get through, and though it is true that it would be a dangerous journey, I offer to undertake it. I may die on the road, but if not, you had better show greater courtesy. You do not know who I am nor my past. It’s a temptation to me to cut your pompous head from your shoulders, though I doubt the rest of your body would notice the loss.”

  The others looked on in astonishment. It had been a long time since anyone had openly quarreled with Mecklem. His face drained of all color, then grew a livid red. He stood up, his body trembling with fury.

  “Do you challenge me, boy?” he hissed. “Shall I give you the lesson I promised you? Think carefully, because it’s you who will lose your head!”

  If the others were astonished before, they were more so now. Talon struck him on the face. It was a casual, open-handed slap but the power of it rocked Mecklem to his heels and sent him sprawling to the floor. It was a challenge delivered with utter contempt.

  Mecklem scrambled up and would have drawn his blade but the Duke, springing from his seat, head and shoulders above them all, brought his hand down heavily on Mecklem’s sword arm.

  “Enough!” It was a command, and the Duke was used to being obeyed. The room went still and his words, when he spoke again, were deathly quiet.

  “Whatever quarrel exists between the both of you must be put aside. There’s more at stake than yourselves. If by some chance Thromdar castle is still standing in a few weeks then you can sort this out however you like. Until then, I need you. I need you both. The first of you who takes this up again will be locked in one of my cellars. The deepest and darkest I can find. Is that understood?”

  “Yes,” said Talon calmly and unabashed. The Duke turned to look at Mecklem. His face was still flushed and angry.

  “So shall it be, my Lord Duke. But when this is over that man will surely die,” he said stiffly.

  “Be still, Mecklem,” said Arell. She shared her displeasure equally by glaring at them both and for once Talon thought it prudent not to smile at her.

  Arell turned to her father. “If Talon goes to seek the army who shall help him? It’s too much responsibility and danger for one man alone. He must have someone to share the burden.”

  “I travel best alone,” said Talon promptly. “I can move with speed and stealth by myself. Someone else will only be a hindrance.”

  Arell glared at him even more fiercely than before and her eyes suddenly darkened. He didn’t know what he’d said to upset her this time so he turned toward the Duke and ignored her.

  “I should leave as soon as possible,” he said, “but my horse needs rest and so do I. I have enemies outside the castle besides the Goblins, and they know his tracks, but I’ll not find a swifter or more enduring animal in all of Aren Daleth. Anyway, it will be best to leave under the cover of darkness tomorrow night.”

  “Hold on a moment, son,” said the Duke, running his hand through his hair. “This needs a little thought. If you go it’ll be your mission and I’ll leave the details to you. From what I can judge of your story you’ll have more chance of success than anyone else. That’s small comfort however for the odds are stacked against you. But I haven’t decided anything yet.”

  Kenrik looked at the others in the room. “We know what Mecklem thinks about this idea, and Arell’s thoughts are clear. What about you, Cadrafer? Are there any alternatives?”

  Cadrafer stirred on his seat and studied Talon for a few moments. “It’s likely that Goblin scouts are everywhere now and it’s doubtful that anyone could slip through. Should our army by some chance be reached and help secured it’ll probably arrive too late anyway. It’s a near impossible task but it’s the only chance we have. It must be attempted and I think Talon is the man to try.”

  Talon nodded brusquely. “You’ve summed it up. “There’s little chance of success yet it’s the only chance.”

  The Duke hesitated for some time, considering his words very carefully. When he spoke his voice seemed resigned.

  “Very well, Talon. You can make the attempt and our thoughts, and our hopes, will go with you.”

  The Duke sat down and let out a long breath. “Tell me son, if you succeed in this mission, what will you take for a reward? I offer anything that’s in my power to give.”

  “I want no reward, My Lord. I have skill in certain things and it seems as though I’m useful when my homeland needs it the most. I’m content with that.”

  “Nevertheless, a reward you shall have,” said the Duke. “Name it and it will be given.”

  In truth Talon didn’t want a reward. He was doing what needed doing because he was the most suited to the undertaking. These people had no way of knowing about all his training; about all the things he’d practiced through many hard hours of study with Chow. They didn’t know, but he did, and he now realized all his effort might serve a purpose. Chow hadn’t known at the time what that purpose would be but he must have hoped that one day his teachings would come to fulfilment in such a goal. Could he really do it though? Had he learned well enough? Was he worthy of the high arts Chow had shown him?

  Talon looked about him. He struggled for something to say to the Duke but no words would come to explain what he was thinking. He looked at Arell, who studied him impatiently, frowning at him and looking superior while waiting for the answer to her father’s question. He looked at Mecklem, of whom he had made an enemy he didn’t really want, but the man had asked for it any number of times. Even now hatred flashed in his eyes and his beard seemed to bristle. His mouth was curled down in contempt, as though no reward should have even been offered at all, as though it would be best indeed if Talon went on this journey and never returned.

  Something shifted within Talon. He wanted to do something to upset him, to make him feel less sure of himself. It was perhaps a combination of the unexplained enmity he felt and the effects of the weariness and stress of the last few weeks he had endured.

  “Very well, My Lord. Since you have pressed me to ask for a reward, I will do so. It is this, and this only. I wish no money; neither do I want gold or silver. This alone I desire. I wish, should I ever return, permission to ask your daughter for her hand in marriage.”

  Before he could think better of his impulsiveness the words were out of his mouth. He had intended to unbalance Mecklem, and he couldn’t guess from what corner of his mind this idea had come from, but for whatever reason the words had been spoken now and it was too late to back away from them.

  The room was hushed. No noise came from the open windows and the night beyond. The fire flickered silently, mysteriously in the hearth.

  Cadrafer, apparently unable to still himself, eventually chuckled quietly in his chair. He looked to Mecklem and then shifted his glance away as though he didn’t like what he saw. His freckled skin turned white and he veiled his thoughts behind green eyes.

  “You are aware,” said the Duke slowly, “That my daughter is already betrothed to Lord Mecklem?”

  Talon was not aware of it, but he had certainly guessed Mecklem’s interest in her. Her interest in him seemed less obvious. “They are betrothed, but not yet married. I only ask to win the right to pose the question. She can, and no doubt will, marry Mecklem. I offer no impediment.”

  Arell leapt
up. “You most certainly do not!” she screamed. “I’ve never been so insulted. How dare a commoner think himself fit to propose to me? You don’t even possess a minor title. It’s preposterous!”

  Talon simply smiled at her, knowing something that she did not. “I didn’t argue the case that it was fitting. I only wish the opportunity to ask. You can, and you will, say no. That will be the end of it.”

  The Duke gave Mecklem and Talon hard stares. “I don’t know what trouble is brewing here, or how such hostility could possibly have come about between two strangers in such a short time, but we have enough problems as it is. Anyway, if that’s your wish Talon, you shall have it. You may ask Arell, but what she says is her business, and it seems plain what her answer will be.”

  “And my business too,” said Mecklem. “Very much my business.”

  “We’re done, then,” said Talon, suddenly weary. “I’ll rest until nightfall tomorrow and then leave.”

  “Very well,” agreed the Duke. “Cadrafer, will you find some quarters in which Talon can rest and prepare supplies for him to take tomorrow?”

  “Yes, My Lord. Come along Talon. I’ll find somewhere for you to sleep, if you can get any. You have a lot to think about.” His back was turned to the others so they couldn’t see the hint of a smile on his face or the sparkle in his green eyes.

  Talon followed the captain out of the room and felt everyone’s eyes on his back all the way. He didn’t know what had possessed him to make such a request and he wished that he never had. It was embarrassing, but still, in its own peculiar way, amusing. The look on Arell’s face was worth more than all the gold in the world.

  “I don’t know what you’re trying to do,” said Cadrafer when they were down the corridor a little way, “but you’ve made an enemy tonight. There was murder in Mecklem’s eyes and he’s not to be taken lightly. Still, you’ve given me a rare evening of entertainment. If ever a man needed to be put in his place it was Mecklem, and you’ve hit him with two strokes. A challenge that he can’t answer for a long while, assuming Thromdar is still standing of course, and a proposal of sorts to his betrothed. It was a grand evening for me, but it means only trouble for you. You must be very careful, I warn you, for Mecklem is a vengeful man.”