The First Compact: The Karus Saga (The Karus Saga: Book Book 3)

by Marc Alan Edelheit

  “The High Priestess,” Serma added, “asked you come right away, sir. Apparently, the dragons bring news of the enemy.”

  “I will be right there. Thank you.”

  The clerk withdrew.

  “We have a lot to do in the next few days,” Karus said, looking between the three officers. “I am afraid we’re likely to get little sleep.”

  “No doubt, sir,” Felix said. “It won’t be the first time, nor, I suppose, the last I went without rest.”

  “Once we quit Carthum, do we have any idea on how far we’re going to be marching?” Flaccus asked.

  “No,” Karus said, feeling sudden frustration at the unknown. “And I think it’s safe to assume, once we do step off, the enemy will come after us.” Karus paused. “Gentlemen, make no mistake, we are their objective, not the city.”

  “The idea of a pursuit,” Felix said, “doesn’t sound very appealing to me, especially since it will be us that’ll be doing the running.”

  “I don’t like the idea of running either,” Karus said. “Perhaps at some point we will be able to turn and fight on our terms. But, right now … we simply have no choice. That said, we’ll have plenty of food for the journey. At least in the beginning. With any luck, Valens will have an impact upon the enemy’s supply and they’ll need to stop or pause their advance after a week or more to bring up additional food stores. That should allow us some breathing room.”

  “We might even be able to slip away,” Delvaris said.

  “We can only hope,” Felix said, “but we cannot count on that.”

  “It’s a shame we can’t bring the enemy to battle,” Flaccus said, “defeat them and then march without immediate worry. That would make things a tad simpler.”

  “I don’t see how,” Karus said. “They badly outnumber us and, as you heard, it’s likely they have their own dragons.”

  No one said anything to that. Karus felt the urge to move things along. It was time to end the meeting and go see the dragons. He could pick up with them later.

  “Right.” Karus slapped a gentle hand down on the table and map. “I will be back after I speak with the dragons and learn what they have to say.” He looked between Felix and Flaccus. “Have the assault plan ready for me when I return.”

  “Yes, sir,” Felix said. “Flaccus and I will be ready.”

  With that, Karus made his way to the door and into his headquarters. With no windows and packed with his clerks, a handful of officers, and messengers, the room was hot, almost stifling. The staff did not pause in their work, though the messengers lining the wall snapped to attention as he passed. There was too much that needed doing for his clerks to stand on ceremony, and Karus had issued orders to that effect. They were to ignore his coming and going, unless he said otherwise.

  He made his way by the headquarters’ guard, who both came to attention as Karus stepped into the corridor beyond. Just a few hours before, the corridor had been a scene of misery, suffering, and death. It had been cleaned, but like his office, it still smelled badly. The stench wasn’t going away anytime soon. The rubble from the ruined ceiling had also been moved out of the way for easier passage. Karus quickly made his way to the exit that led to the palace gardens.

  Farther down the corridor stood another pair of guards. These men were guarding the entrance to the great hall, where the legion’s standards were kept. That included the Eagle. Karus hesitated, for he had not seen the legion’s Eagle since he’d returned. It served as a powerful reminder that they were of Rome. Where the legion went, the honor of Rome went too.

  “Later,” Karus said to himself, promising to visit the Eagle’s shrine and give Jupiter thanks for all that he’d done for the legion.

  The light from the two suns was hot against his skin as he stepped out of the palace. The air was warm and humid. Karus felt sweat begin to bead almost immediately on his forehead. He stopped at the top of the stairs that led down into what remained of the palace gardens. Cyln’Phax and Kordem were there, as were two other dragons.

  The newcomers were slightly smaller. Both were red in color, like Cyln’Phax. In fact, they seemed almost identical to the larger dragon, as if miniature copies. They lifted their heads, swinging them around to gaze upon him.

  Still, though smaller, they were almost unimaginably huge beasts, and between the four of them, the dragons took up much of the garden’s available space. There would have been no more room for a fifth dragon.

  Amarra and Si’Cara were there, standing before Kordem. None of the other elves were present. They’d been assigned rooms in the palace, along with the Vass. Kol’Cara had placed an elven guard on Ugincalt. Karus had made sure to order an entire century to stand watch over him as well. The Vass was simply an unknown. Until Ugin proved worthy of trust, Karus would take no chances.

  With little time to waste, Karus started down the steps. As he approached, Amarra turned and shot him a welcoming smile. He marveled at how beautiful she looked in the sunlight. Her pure white hair was almost radiant under the light of both suns. She didn’t have Jupiter’s spear. Karus wondered what she’d done with it, but now was not the time to ask.

  “You call and he comes,” Si’Cara said, amusement dancing in her tone. “You can’t ask for more than that in a mate.”

  “Karus,” Amarra said, ignoring the elf as she held her hand out toward the new dragons, “may I introduce Mirdrone and Ketin’Phax.”

  My daughters, Cyln’Phax said, before Karus could say anything. There was a note of fierce pride in her tone.

  “Your daughters?” Karus found himself surprised by that. He had not considered that Cyln’Phax might have children. He looked briefly between the mother and two daughters. “It is an honor to meet you both.”

  It should be, human, Ketin’Phax said. It should be.

  Karus had no idea how he knew which dragon spoke in his head, he just did. A few months ago, as the legion’s senior centurion, the Ninth’s primus pilus, his life had been simple and ordered. Since then, things had become complicated … strange … wild even, to the point where he regularly conversed with dragons and other exotic beings. Karus had even spoken directly with a god. What a difference a matter of months could make.

  “You’re just like your mother,” Karus said, looking over at Ketin’Phax.

  More than you know, Karus. Kordem snorted loudly. More than you can possibly know …

  I will take that as a compliment, Ketin’Phax said, a puff of smoke escaping from her nostrils.

  “You brought news?” Karus asked. He had no desire to play verbal games with Cyln’Phax’s children. There was too much to be done and little time to do it, especially if he wanted to deal with the refugees before nightfall.

  The Horde is three days from the city, Kordem said. If they keep their current pace, your dwarven friends are just two days out. The advance force of the enemy’s army is slowly gaining on them too.

  Feeling as if someone had just gut-punched him, Karus ran a hand through his hair. Once the dwarves arrived, he figured they would need at least two days to load the food and supply the legion had accumulated over the last few weeks.

  It all came down to time. And now Karus knew, without a doubt, he was out of time. The enemy was just too close. They would be forced to leave much of the food stores behind.

  Worse, with the enemy so close at hand, the Horde would have no difficulty catching up with them when they marched. It would mean a battle, perhaps just a day or two from the city …

  That is not all, Cyln’Phax said. Five wyrms fly with their army.

  There is a good chance they have more, Kordem added.

  “Great,” Karus said. He would have to alert Valens, now that it had been confirmed. “Just bloody great. I ask you, could it get any worse?”

  It might, Cyln’Phax said. Fortuna seems to have taken a disliking to you.

  Karus resisted a scowl.

  My son, Kordem said, and his mate are providing cover for the dwarves. For the time being, t
he wyrms are staying clear of them. The enemy does not know how many of our kind are about. We think they do not wish to take the risk of facing us … until they must. That, in and of itself, might be an advantage.

  Six dragons, Karus thought furiously. They now had six dragons with them … against the enemy’s five. That was something … at least. But, as Kordem had said, the enemy might have more.

  Still, Cyln’Phax said, we both think it best if my daughters and I fly to the dwarves’ aid.

  “You believe they’re in danger, then?” Karus asked.

  We do, Kordem said. Our enemy may decide to take the risk and strike, rather than allow the dwarves to join with you Romans.

  That wouldn’t be good, Karus thought, for he had hopes of building an alliance with the dwarves. If they eliminated Dennig’s warband, it could ruin everything he had hoped to work toward.

  I will remain behind with you, Kordem said, to keep the enemy honest in the unlikely event they decide to strike at Carthum, instead, with a couple of wyrms.

  Before we go, we thought to consult with you and Amarra first. Cyln’Phax sounded incredibly grudging.

  “I thank you for that,” Karus said and looked to Amarra in question. “What are your thoughts?”

  “I think the dwarves need their help,” Amarra said, “more than we need theirs right now.”

  “I am in agreement,” Karus said and turned back to Cyln’Phax. “Protect the dwarves if you can. To survive what is coming … we will all need to work together, to form a greater alliance of races. Otherwise, I fear we will all fall to the Horde.”

  A sort of compact, Kordem said, swinging his head to look at his mate. Karus, such an alliance has not been attempted for a very long time. It might work, or it might just as well fail. That is a lofty goal for the future, one I think unlikely to bear fruit. Regardless, the Horde is coming and is nearly on your doorstep. You must prepare for their arrival, for with the enemy’s wyrms … we alone cannot save your legion.

  While we deal with the wyrms, Cyln’Phax said, you will likely need to face the enemy’s might with shield and sword.

  Karus had suspected as much.

  “What will you do?” Amarra asked Karus.

  “I don’t know,” Karus said. “We’re outnumbered on the ground, and greatly too. I fear it will probably mean a fight, sooner rather than later. That the Horde is so close … means it may not be wise to give up the city and its defenses. We may be stuck here longer than I anticipated.” Karus glanced at the two new dragons. He turned to Kordem. “How many more of your people are coming?”

  We do not know, Kordem said. The call went out. Those that remain on this world will come. We are sure of that.

  “Do you have any idea on when they will arrive?” Karus asked.

  You’re asking if they will arrive before the Horde gets here, Kordem said. Do I have that right?

  Karus gave a nod.

  I seriously doubt any will, Kordem said. My people have scattered to the far winds and corners of Tannis. It will take them time to get to us.

  Karus rubbed at his eyes, feeling intense frustration. “Time is something we’ve run out of.”

  It would seem so, Kordem said.

  “It never gets any easier,” Karus said.

  No, Cyln’Phax said, it most certainly does not.

  Chapter Twelve

  The heat of the day was beginning to lessen. At least Karus thought so as a light breeze blew down the wide street. The buildings, mostly warehouses, in this part of the city had been constructed next to one another. They ran the length of both sides of the street, acting like unbroken walls to either side. There were few alleys and side streets within view.

  That was likely why the refugees had moved and taken this part of the city for their own. Three streets led into and out of the area where they had settled, and this was one of them. The warehouses along each street were mostly two to three stories in height, which made the refugees’ position very defensible and limited avenues for assault.

  In his armor and under the direct light of the two suns, Karus was hot and sweaty. It was not a good feeling. He felt like a loaf of bread inside an oven and that he was being baked alive. He also was in a disagreeable mood. The breeze gusted again and was more than welcome. He wiped sweat from his eyes with the back of his forearm.

  To his left stood Pammon, the senior centurion for First Cohort and now by default the legion’s primus pilus. Pammon had served in Karus’s cohort for many years. He was a reliable and steady officer, not to mention a superb combat leader, whom Karus also considered a friend. Behind them, a few feet back, arranged in six ranks, was Pammon’s cohort. Shield bottoms resting on the ground and javelins in hand, the men were grim-faced and silent as they looked on. They stood ready to do their duty.

  But what was to come went beyond duty. Karus understood the men wanted revenge and aimed to get it. They were in a murderous mood, one of which Karus had rarely seen the like. Dio had been a popular and beloved officer. The refugees had no idea of the storm they had brewed with his killing.

  The legion’s temporary field headquarters was in an abandoned tavern just past where Pammon had formed his cohort. Serma, along with Delvaris and a handful of clerks, had set up shop there to help Karus better prepare and coordinate an assault.

  The tavern was a run-down, seedy establishment that had likely catered to the extremely poor. It had been well picked over by the time the legion had arrived. However, the tavern did have a large, open common room, along with tables, benches, and stools … nearly everything his clerks could have asked for.

  To Karus’s front, thirty yards ahead, was a rough-fashioned yet stout-looking wall that cut straight across the street. It had been well-made and would be difficult, but not impossible, to overcome. First Cohort had brought ladders for that effort, which had been stacked out of view, behind the cohort.

  Thirty men, standing on a platform behind the wall, manned it. They were all armed with javelins and swords. Undoubtedly, just beyond them and out of sight, additional men waited to mount a defense of the wall when the time came.

  “Our weapons?” Karus asked with a slight scowl. He gestured toward the men on the wall and the javelins they carried. Before he’d left for the Fortress of Radiance, Karus had issued orders for the newly formed auxiliary cohort to be armed with the stocks of weapons that had been found throughout the city. That the enemy carried some of the legion’s weapons, and potent ones at that, was troubling. He would have to speak to Felix about that.

  “Yes, sir,” Pammon said. “We armed them, but I don’t think we gave them the javelins. They might have just taken them. The blacksmiths were making them in the city and had amassed a good number when we fell back to the palace district. That could have been where they got them from. Heck, I would take a javelin over the long spears the city guard left.”

  Karus gave an absent nod and rested his hand on his sword hilt. The tingle raced through him. His anger, like a thunderhead about to unleash its might, mounted. He felt terribly bitter about Dio, to the point where he wanted to draw Rarokan and take on the enemy all by himself. Karus almost took a step forward as the hate and fury within him surged.

  Only with effort did he restrain himself. Karus took a calming breath and let it out slowly through his teeth. He wondered if the sword was feeding his anger and frustration. At times, when he held it, his anger seemed to have no bounds. He removed his hand and glanced down at the hilt. There was no lessening of the anger, the mighty angst. Karus gave a quiet grunt. Perhaps he was just simply pissed off.

  “They’re intentionally keeping us waiting,” Pammon said. “We’ve been standing here for at least a half hour. I wish they’d stop dicking around with us and get on with it.”

  “They’re intentionally wasting our time,” Karus agreed.

  “I tell you,” Pammon said, “they’re only serving to piss me off, sir.”

  “Me as well,” Karus said. “They believe we’re here to negotiat
e. This delay is really just an attempt to establish a position of strength.”

  “I see, sir.” Pammon glanced over at him. “Will it work?”

  “They’ve miscalculated,” Karus said.

  It was Pammon’s turn to grunt. They fell silent, neither saying anything for a time. Karus looked up. On the rooftops, near the enemy’s wall, he could see refugees posted there too. Karus also had men on the roofs, enough that the latest report indicated the enemy were concerned enough to start fortifying their positions up there, hastily working to build a makeshift wall in the event the legionaries came at them over the rooftops.

  The other two streets leading into the enemy’s camp were sealed off too, as were the rooftops. Felix and Flaccus were commanding and overseeing those efforts. There was simply no way the enemy could break out.

  The sky was clear, with only a handful of puffy white clouds. High above, Kordem flew in clear view. The dragon appeared small, like a bird of prey hunting … insignificant, until now, ignored by those below. But there was no mistaking what he was … a dragon.

  “How many fighters are in there?” Pammon gestured with his chin toward the enemy’s camp. “Did you find out from the prisoners?”

  “At least five hundred fighters,” Karus said, “maybe as many as six hundred.”

  “Really?” Pammon looked over at him, eyebrows raised. Sweat beaded the centurion’s face. He pulled a small wool towel from behind his armor and wiped at his face with it. “Gods, it’s bloody hot.”

  “It seems,” Karus said, “after the recent fighting and kicking out Xresex’s people, that’s all they’ve got left. At least, that’s what the prisoners told us.”

  “Any idea on where Xresex and his people went?” Pammon asked, in a mildly interested tone.

  “No,” Karus said, unhappily. “It’s possible they fled the city, or they might have been wiped out. Those of our people doing the questioning barely speak Common. They had to call me in to get detailed answers and, unfortunately, those we had in custody knew little about the Adile.”