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

by Marc Alan Edelheit

  “Do you think I can trust him?” Karus asked Ugin.

  Dennig looked over at Karus. “You had best not be considering this. We formed a compact.”

  “No,” Ugin said to Karus. “He is an orc and of the Horde. Your people follow the High Father, his god’s enemy. He will not let you go, no matter what he tells you.”

  “I didn’t think I could trust his word either.” Karus glanced to Dennig. “I was just curious.”

  “You are killing me, my friend,” Dennig said. “Really.”

  “This is not your world,” Iger called, drawing Karus’s attention back to the orc. “You are not our enemy. The dwarves are. Give them to us.”

  “Do you honestly expect me to do such a thing?” Karus asked.

  “No,” Iger said. “I do not. But I thought I would make the offer anyway.”

  “Sir,” Felix said quietly. He jerked his head ever so slightly to get Karus to look eastward. A column of smoke was beginning to rise near the east gate. Those below could not see it, not yet. Karus’s eyes tracked to the north. There was smoke there too. He struggled not to smile as he turned his attention back to Iger.

  “You are correct, General Iger,” Karus said and his tone hardened as he let some of his anger loose. “This is not our world and we are not of it. But … you most certainly made yourself our enemy. Now, it is my turn to make you an offer. Would you like to hear it?”

  “You have a counterproposal?” Iger seemed intrigued.

  “I do.” Karus leaned forward slightly. “You will surrender the traitor, Logex, and then march away to the east. Go back to where you came from.”

  Logex made to speak, but Iger held up his hand for the man to keep quiet.

  “Or what?” Iger demanded. “I am not the one trapped behind those walls. What will you do if I refuse?”

  “I will destroy your army,” Karus said, “killing many thousands of your warriors in the process. On this, you have my word.”

  Iger laughed. It was a harsh barking sound and reminded Karus of a mad dog. The orc shook a big hand in Karus’s direction. “I do like you, Karus. I am told you are from your people’s home world, the cradle of humanity. I find that astonishing … truly.”

  Karus wondered how the orc knew where the legion came from.

  “You have brought together humans, dwarves, elves, Vass, and the taltalum,” Iger said, sounding impressed. “Such an alliance between races I don’t believe has ever been forged upon this world. You are so different than the humans of Tannis.” General Iger paused and gave Logex a long look that clearly showed disgust. “They are weak, pathetic. You are strong. Your actions show you to be the threat my superiors think you to be.” Iger paused and shifted his stance. “You have already proven yourself to be a worthy foe.” Iger paused again. “I decline your offer. Do your worst, Karus … come tomorrow or the next, I will do mine.”

  “That was a nice bluff,” Ugin said in a low tone that reeked with amusement. “Too bad it failed.”

  “Who’s bluffing?” Karus said, looking over. “I will destroy his army, just as I have said.”

  “You are a real bastard, Karus,” Logex hollered, apparently no longer able to contain himself. “You have earned what is coming, you and that whore of yours.” Logex beat his chest with a fist. “And I will be there to see your downfall.”

  Karus eyed Logex for a long moment, then looked over to Si’Cara. She raised an eyebrow at him.

  “It seems Logex did not lean his lesson the first time,” Karus said. “Kindly educate him.”

  The elf’s bow snapped up, and in less time than it takes for a heart to beat, her arrow was shooting away. It flew fast and true, taking Logex straight through the throat. He stumbled backward, eyes wide with shock and pain. His hands grasped the shaft that had gone clean through and tugged, as if to pull it free. Blood spurted out.

  “Nice shot, little sister,” Kol’Cara said.

  There was a moment of stunned shock, then Iger’s guards reacted, surrounding the general and bringing their shields up to protect him, while at the same time beginning to drag him backward toward their lines.

  Left behind, Logex fell to his knees, then forward onto his stomach. His legs twitched spasmodically as his blood flowed out in a gush upon the ground.

  “Dio has finally been avenged,” Karus said.

  “The bastard earned his fate,” Felix said, “that’s for sure.”

  “You violated the parley,” Iger shouted in outrage and pointed an accusatory finger at Karus. His guards continued to drag him back. “You gave your word of honor.”

  “I only guaranteed your protection,” Karus shouted back at the orc. “Not his, not a traitor, never.”

  Iger stopped and pushed his guards away so that he stood in full view of Karus again without protection. It was a risk to be sure, but Karus had to respect the orc’s bravery, for there was no doubt Si’Cara could easily shoot and kill him.

  “I would have killed him anyway.” Iger gestured toward Logex, whose blood was staining the ground. “Once a betrayer, always a betrayer.” He paused and looked back up at Karus. “I wish you had accepted my offer. We certainly don’t need to be enemies.”

  “No, we don’t.” Karus’s eyes flicked to the columns of smoke, which were becoming thicker, darker. “But nevertheless, we are enemies. And now, the parley is over. You may return to your lines … oh, and when you see him … give my regards to Vulcan, would you?”

  “Who?” Iger asked, clearly confused.

  Karus looked over at Amarra, meeting her gaze. He saw the warmth toward him in her eyes, the deep affection and love … along with their shared faith.

  “Sacrifice comes in many forms,” Amarra said. “This city was once my beloved home. No longer. My home is with you and the legion.”

  Karus loved her for that. He switched to Latin. “Felix, signal the bolt throwers. Give the order to fire.”

  “Yes, sir.” Felix turned to the legionary with the horn. “Sound the signal.”

  “What is going on?” Ugin asked.

  “Watch,” Dennig said, “and pray it works.”

  The legionary brought the horn to his lips and blew, one long blast. There was a slight hesitation, then one of the bolt throwers cracked. A bolt, trailing a thin stream of smoke, shot out from the wall to their left, over the orc army, and right through a building’s window. The building was three stories in height and situated right next to the main street.

  Two more bolt throwers cracked. Their bolts trailed smoke too as they flew outward and into the same building, through different windows. His best crews were manning the machines and their accuracy showed. Karus knew that on the other sides of the palace walls, and out of sight, the same thing was happening.

  Below, Iger looked on, almost mystified. Then comprehension of what was happening began to dawn upon him. He understood Karus was attempting to burn the city, with his army deep inside it.

  What he did not know was that the building the bolt throwers were shooting at was packed full of flammable oil, pitch, the strange black powder that burned and dried hay. He also didn’t know that the oil depots by the city gates, which the legion had never had the opportunity to use, were on fire too. Divius and his men had seen to that when the first horn call had gone out, just before the parley. Within a short while, all main exits out of the city would be blocked by raging fires. That was the endgame to Karus’s plan. He would destroy his enemy by fire.

  Iger’s speed at breaking into the city and moving up to parade the majority of his army in a show of strength was now working against him. He’d clearly not had time to search the nearest buildings, or if they had, the enemy had simply discounted what they’d found, considering it unimportant. The city was for the most part abandoned after all, and the defenders were newcomers.

  As he sought to extricate his army, Iger would find out soon enough what waited. Karus almost smiled with satisfaction as Iger turned and began sprinting for his lines. He was shouting orders a
t his officers in his own tongue. It would take time to begin moving the army. Time that Iger no longer had.

  The building had begun to smoke. Flames could be seen in the windows, first a little and then with growing intensity. The smoke quickly turned thick, ugly, and black, pouring out all of the windows.

  “I think—” Felix never completed what he had intended to say. There was a tremendous explosion as the smoking building disappeared in a massive flash of flame. The shockwave and trembling of the ground that followed was so powerful that everyone along the wall was knocked from their feet, which likely saved many from injury, as the stone battlements offered protection from what followed. A heartbeat later, debris—masonry, plaster, wooden splinters, and more—hammered against the wall in a killing spray.

  Ears ringing and shoulder hurting even more than before, Karus dragged himself to his feet. He looked around, fearing for Amarra, and saw Si’Cara helping her up. He breathed out a sigh of relief. She was fine.

  The defensive wall itself had cracked. A gap more than a foot wide had appeared as if by magic, just inches from where he’d fallen. It ran from one side to the other. Karus stepped over it as he staggered to the battlements and looked out.

  Five hundred yards away, a cloud in the shape of a mushroom was rapidly spreading skyward. The building itself was gone and those immediately around it had been flattened. Structures farther out were fully engulfed in flame and burning violently.

  The army that had been arranged in neat block-like formations, particularly those positioned directly before the gate, had caught the brunt of the blast. Unlike the legion, they had not had a wall to shield them from the worst of it. The enemy’s ranks had been thoroughly devastated. Thousands had been felled, with many having been ripped apart by the blast. Arms, legs, heads, torsos, and indescribable lumps of what looked like ground meat had been blown clear across the legion’s killing field, all lying haphazardly about on the scorched ground before the city wall.

  There was another booming explosion in the distance, from the other side of the palace district. It was followed shortly after by a strong gust of hot wind. Clearly one of the other buildings had gone up too.

  Those of the enemy who were still alive began to pick themselves up or rolled on the ground, horribly injured, maimed, burned, all crying out in agony and torment. The formations in the distance that had not been directly impacted by the blast seemed confused, dazed even.

  All sense of organization was gone. Karus could not see Iger anywhere. It was quite possible the enemy’s general was dead, for he had been directly in the path of the blast.

  Where before there had been an army, now there was only a mass of individuals seeking safety from the growing inferno, which was spreading rapidly from building to building. There would be no safety, for the city would burn. The heat from the conflagration could already be felt five hundred yards away on the wall.

  “Blessed Gods,” Felix breathed, taking in the sight and shaking his head in clear dismay. “That was unexpected.”

  “What?” Karus asked. His ears were still ringing. He rubbed at his left ear with the palm of his free hand. It was only then that he realized he’d lost his helmet. Where it had gone, he had no idea, but it had been ripped free from his head. The strap holding it in place had clearly snapped.

  Felix shook his head and then leaned close as he gazed out at the growing inferno. “Can you hear me?”

  Karus nodded.

  “When I was a child in Rome, there was a fire that broke out. It burned several blocks, killed lots of people, and I mean lots. After it was over, they found people untouched by the flame. A doctor later said they died of asphyxiation. The fire sucked out all the air or some such thing like that.”

  “Now you tell me this?” Karus asked, looking over at his friend, wondering if he was being serious.

  “I just remembered it,” Felix said. “Besides, my family survived, and the fire burned all around us. The smoke was real bad and we almost choked to death, but it did not kill us. And it did not suck out the air like he said … not for us anyway.”

  “Was it as big a fire as the one we just started?” Karus asked, doubting it was.

  Felix shook his head. “No. We’re talking about burning an entire city here, Karus. There’s no telling what will happen. The smoke might kill us all or the heat. Gods … it’s already too hot. I am being singed just standing here. Have you ever done anything like this?”

  “No,” Karus said. “I don’t think anyone has. Well, what’s done is done. We now have to live with it.”

  “It’s no doubt gonna get hotter.”

  The heat from the growing blaze across the way could be keenly felt, as if he’d stepped too close to a campfire. Karus shook his head slightly and worked his jaw. The ringing was beginning to subside a little, though he suspected he would be hearing it for days to come. He looked around the walls as men were picking themselves up or were just staring out at the destruction and growing fires in shock. Debris lay all over the wall and beyond it, far out into the parade ground. Pieces of wood and plaster were scatted seemingly everywhere.

  It was time to reassert command.

  “I think you’re right,” Karus said to Felix. “The heat’s likely to increase as more of the city burns. Let’s get most of the men off the walls and into shelter in the dungeons and underground spaces.”

  Out in no man’s land, cinders were already on the air, carried by the wind. There had been no wind a short while before. Now there was a strong, hot breeze beginning to gust, almost as if a storm was brewing. Had the fire created it? “We need to make sure the fire brigades are watchful. We can’t have the palace district burn around us, understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” Felix said. “I will see to it.”

  Felix left.

  “I am thoroughly convinced,” Ugin said, awe in his tone as he gazed outward at what Karus had wrought, “if there is ever a human that has some Vass in him, it is you. I pray that we never have to cross swords upon a field of battle.”

  Karus looked up at the big Vass. Ugin had meant that as a compliment. He gave a nod, accepting it for what it was. “I hope so too, for I would not want to fight you or your people.”

  There was another booming explosion off in the distance toward one of the gatehouses. Karus turned his gaze back out to no man’s land. It was a mass of confusion, with orcs running this way and that, or milling about, thoroughly dazed. The enemy officers seemed to have lost complete control.

  Crack.

  The bolt throwers had begun to fire at the enemy, adding to the confusion. There would be no safety in the killing fields of no man’s land. The bolt throwers would drive them away. He wanted the enemy forced out into the city proper and into the mounting inferno.

  His gaze traveled to the growing columns of smoke toward the city’s southern gate and his thoughts shifted to Divius. He hoped the optio and his men survived. Karus returned his attention to the enemy and his anger surged once again.

  “Burn,” he said.

  Epilogue

  With Dennig at his side, Karus stood a few yards outside the palace district’s gate. They were both staring out at the destruction before them in awe. Thaldus stood a few feet behind his warchief, looking sour. He was likely mourning the loss of Martuke.

  The gate had survived the blast when the building had gone up, but it was charred, blackened, and deeply pitted from multiple impacts. They had been unable to open it, as several of the hinges had melted. A team of men, using axes, had been forced to chop a hole through the wood to allow egress. That work had taken more than an hour.

  The fires had raged for four long days before, for the most part, burning themselves out. As it devoured the city one building at a time, the blaze had turned into a true storm, a firestorm. It had generated its own fierce wind, which wailed and screamed about the palace district like a banshee.

  When the wind wasn’t howling, the cloying smoke was so bad, it burned at the lungs of those
who had rotated aboveground in shifts to patrol and stand watch against the fire spreading to the palace district.

  The heat generated from the flames had been brutal, hotter than the hottest day Karus could ever remember. Those who went outside could only do so for short periods, and even then, several men and dwarves had been overcome by the heat or smoke and needed medical attention.

  Cinders carried on the wind had started several fires in the palace and administrative building. These had all been successfully extinguished. It was one of the reasons they had gathered all the buckets and containers throughout the city and filled them with water ahead of time. It also helped that the roofs of the buildings were tiled. And though the legion had wrecked the aqueducts and water sources, for fear of the enemy fighting the fire, they need not have bothered. Once started, in the way it had been, no amount of effort could have stopped the fire from consuming the city. That much had become clear.

  As the storm raged, burning all in its path, the legion, dwarves, and camp followers had huddled in the lower levels and underground spaces of the palace district, including the dungeons. It had been tight, with little space for each person, but there had been no choice other than to make do.

  The smoke from the fires had inevitably found its way to them, but it hadn’t been too bad. Not once had breathing proved a real problem, though it irritated many people’s lungs and there was much coughing and hacking. Karus wondered if that was due to the palace district being situated upon a large hill that overlooked the city. Or was it because he had pushed the city back five hundred yards from the palace walls, creating an effective firebreak? Regardless of the reason, they had weathered the storm and survived. He could not say the same for the enemy.

  The city was gone, now nothing more than a charred and blackened ruin. All that remained were the stone walls, foundations, the occasional chimney, and a half dozen buildings that for some reason had been spared. And even those had been thoroughly gutted and were shells of their former selves.

  Though the city still smoked and smoldered, Karus and Dennig had thought it safe enough to send parties out to reconnoiter. Their mission was to find out what had happened to the enemy, both in the city and beyond in their encampment.