A loud argument ensued, with Lady Ivy on one side and Lady Bluebell on the other, while the others chose their sides. Thorn remained aloof from the finger-pointing and angry cries, but a tiny smile on her lips betrayed her satisfaction with the chaos she had caused. For a moment Karalyn felt a grudging respect for the young Sanang mage. She certainly wasn’t lacking in courage and self-confidence. Karalyn had assumed that Thorn would have been the last person to volunteer to sail directly into danger, yet she had snatched at the opportunity.
Nyane coughed. ‘Have you reached an agreement?’
Ivy and Bluebell glared at each other for a second, then the older woman turned. She began to speak in Sanangka.
‘Lady Bluebell says the following,’ said Agang. ‘She will go to Rainsby, accompanied by Lady Ivy and her three daughters, and by Lady Chestnut.’
The six women stepped forward. At one end stood Thorn, her eyes shining, then her two sisters, who looked fed up and angry. Lady Ivy was next to them, then Lady Bluebell, and at the far end of the line from Thorn was Lady Chestnut, another elderly mage.
‘We thank you all,’ said the Empress. ‘Rainsby has held out against countless assaults and we have no doubt it will continue to do so. Nevertheless, it remains a dangerous place to be. We wish you well on your mission, and know that the injured of that city will be greatly relieved when you arrive.’
‘The ship departs two hours after sunset,’ Nyane said. ‘Carriages will be here at dusk to escort you all to the harbour. Each hedgewitch may take one travelling companion with them.’
She bowed. Agang did the same, and the Sanang were escorted from the chamber.
The Empress chuckled. ‘I thought they were going to start fighting.’
‘I know,’ said Nyane, shaking her head. ‘Quite indecorous behaviour for the court.’
‘Thorn drives them crazy,’ said Karalyn, ‘but she’s got her mother wrapped round her little finger.’
‘She’ll certainly turn heads in Rainsby,’ the Empress said, ‘but she’ll also do a good job, I think. She’s out to prove herself, that lass.’
Nyane frowned. ‘Hold on; I forgot to ask Agang to stay behind. Apologies, your Majesty, I was carried away by the hedgewitches’ argument.’
‘It’s fine,’ said the Empress. ‘Go after him.’
‘At once, your Majesty,’ she said, and hurried off.
The Empress shook her head. ‘I wish she would relax. I push her too hard.’
Karalyn said nothing.
‘You alright?’ said the Empress. ‘You thinking about the funeral this afternoon?’
‘Aye, but not just that. Corthie’s being sent home, and now you want Belinda to leave. I feel as if everyone I love is being taken from me.’
The Empress nodded. ‘I know how that feels. Listen, if you need a break away, you only have to ask. You’ve been working hard without a day off for over a year, maybe you need to get away?’
‘Maybe,’ Karalyn said, ‘but not for a holiday.’
‘Do you have something in mind?’
‘Perhaps I could take Belinda away.’
‘Aye? Where?’
‘I was thinking Rainsby.’
The Empress said nothing, a trace of a smile forming on her lips.
‘I can’t believe you’re doing this,’ her father said as they stood out on the long stone pier, the harbour lights glimmering in the night sky.
Karalyn said nothing, drained from the hours-long ordeal of the funeral. It had been a state affair, with the Empress in attendance throughout. Karalyn had wept through the many eulogies, before the body of Laodoc was laid to rest in a crypt beneath the Great Fortress. After that, she had barely had time to go upstairs and pack her things. Belinda had been sitting on her bed waiting for her, crying over her cats. The Empress had agreed to let them live in the Great Fortress, but Belinda was distraught about leaving them behind. Corthie had also been tearful at the news of her departure, and she didn’t think she would be able to bear it if her father started.
‘Rainsby?’ he said. ‘Rainsby? What I am supposed to tell your mother? That you left the day I arrived? Not only left, but headed off into a fucking war. Sorry. I shouldn’t swear, but I’m just…’ He faltered and put a hand on her shoulder. ‘And who’s this going with you?’
‘A friend,’ Karalyn said, as Belinda stood behind her on the pier, a hood shrouding her face.
‘And what are you going to do when you get there?’
‘I can’t tell you, father. I’m under orders from the Empress.’
‘Shit. Then it’s dangerous. I would walk onto that ship right now and go with you if I didn’t have to look for Keir and Kelsey.’
She smiled. ‘Thanks.’
‘Wait!’ cried a voice.
Karalyn and her father turned to watch a Kellach man run towards them down the pier, a large bag over his shoulder. He squeezed through the crowds and stopped before them.
‘What are you doing here, Calder?’ said Karalyn.
‘The Empress sent me. She had second thoughts about you two going off on your own. And this way, I can continue the training.’
‘Who are you?’ said Killop.
Calder turned, and bowed. ‘Lord Killop, it’s an honour to meet you. I am Calder ae Kaldie ae Kell, and have worked for the Empress for over ten years; as a soldier, a lawyer, and lately as one of her council advisors.’
Killop nodded. ‘And you’ll look after them?’
‘With my life, sir. I know my way around a fight.’
‘Good,’ said Killop, ‘because my daughter might be many things, but a warrior isn’t one of them.’ He turned back to Karalyn. ‘That eases my nerves slightly.’
A sailor approached. ‘Lords and ladies, the ship is ready to leave.’
Killop pulled Karalyn towards him and embraced her. ‘Take care, wee bear. And come back.’
‘I will, father.’
He kissed her on the forehead and she picked up her bags. She nodded to Belinda and Calder, and they ascended the slim gangplank up to the ship’s deck. The volunteer hedgewitches and their aides were already on board, and many of them were lined up at the railings, looking out over the lamp-lit city harbour. Killop stood on the pier, gazing up at his daughter. Nyane joined him, after speaking to the ship’s captain. They waved as the dock workers untied the ropes and the ship cast off, the full sails drawing them out towards the harbour entrance. Karalyn waved back as the pier receded into the distance.
‘I miss my cats,’ said Belinda.
‘We have a job to do,’ said Karalyn. ‘The cats will be safe in the fortress, waiting for us to get back.’
‘I need to have a word with you about that,’ said Calder. ‘Her Majesty was a little vague on the details. You’re going to have to fill me in on what exactly our job is.’
‘In good time, Calder. For now, I want you training Belinda at every available opportunity.’
Calder nodded. ‘You’re the boss.’
‘And,’ said Karalyn, glancing over at the hedgewitches, ‘try to keep her away from Thorn.’
Chapter 14
Re-assigned
Coastal Road, Southern Plateau – 19th Day, Second Third Spring 525
The Army of Pyre spread for miles along the shore of the Inner Sea, marching amid a convoy of gear and supplies. A little under three thousand, four hundred soldiers remained, according to the army’s official count. Of those, several hundred were being carried on wagons, too injured to walk. One in three had been killed, with many bodies still lying unrecovered behind the great walls of Rainsby. The losses at Stretton Sands had been hard to take, but at least that struggle had ended in victory. The defeat at Rainsby had knocked the confidence of the Army of Pyre, and their long journey back to Stretton Sands had been a miserable affair.
The march had been made with the strictest discipline, rising at dawn and forced on until sunset each evening with barely a chance to rest. Lennox’s squad had become convinced the army was being punishe
d for their failure to capture Rainsby, and they weren’t alone in their feelings. After fourteen relentless days, the army had allowed the soldiers to march at a slower pace since that dawn, with Stretton Sands only a few miles away. The road had veered north. To their left were the long, golden sands that stretched for miles up the coast of the Inner Sea, and to their right rose a series of low grass-covered hills and meadows.
Clouds scudded overhead, and there had been a shower at dawn, but the sun had come out afterwards and dried the soldiers as they marched.
‘Do you think we’ll get our old apartment back?’ said Libby as she walked alongside Lennox.
‘I hope so,’ he said, ‘but the Sanang have been running Stretton Sands since we left. Right now, I’ll be glad if they’ve left the place standing.’
Leisha spat on the ground. ‘Fucking savages. It should have been them getting slaughtered on the streets of Rainsby.’
‘I’ve been watching the other squads,’ said Carrie, ‘and I can’t see any that haven’t lost at least one soldier.’ She lowered her voice. ‘Apart from us.’
‘We were blessed,’ said Libby.
‘I hope you haven’t been spreading that round the camp,’ said Cain. ‘Looks bad on us, as if we think we’re something special.’
‘No,’ said Libby. ‘I agree with you for once.’
‘Look,’ said Lennox, who had been gazing out to sea. ‘Ships.’
The others turned. In the far distance a cluster of masts was visible on the horizon.
‘They’re watching us,’ said Leisha. ‘They know we’re back.’
‘So what?’ said Carrie. ‘Let them. If they didn’t attack Stretton Sands when it was only the Sanang guarding the place, they’re highly unlikely to do it once we’ve moved back in as well.’
‘This is humiliating,’ Cain said. ‘Those imperial bastards are laughing at us.’
The squad said nothing, their gazes lowered.
Up ahead, the convoy slowed, then halted. As the soldiers around them complained, Lennox climbed up onto the nearest wagon.
‘See anything?’ said Libby.
‘Aye,’ he said. ‘There’s a junction ahead, where the coast road meets a highway coming up from the south. Must be the road to the tunnel. It’s filled with soldiers.’ He glanced down at the squad. ‘Looks like reinforcements for the Army of Pyre.’
The rest of the squad scrambled forwards, jumping onto the wagon to have a look. The armour of the soldiers lining the southern road was glinting in the sunlight.
‘There’s hundreds of them,’ said Loryn.
‘They look like bairns,’ said Carrie.
‘What’s that at the front?’ said Libby. ‘Looks like a regimental banner.’
Lennox squinted. ‘They must have formed a new regiment, rather than bring the rest of us up to strength.’
‘It’s so they’re untainted by defeat,’ said Leisha. ‘They’ll be the only regiment that’s never been beaten, and by Pyre’s balls, you can be sure they’ll use it against us.’
Carrie smiled. ‘They’re getting made to wait so we can pass first.’
They jumped down from the wagon as the convoy started to move again.
‘Somebody should warn the new recruits about the Sanang,’ said Libby.
‘No way,’ said Cain, laughing. ‘Let them find out for themselves what their new neighbours are like.’
‘I thought you were friends with them?’ said Carrie.
‘There are certain aspects of their culture I admire; their war-spirit, for one.’
‘And what about the way they treat women?’
Cain shrugged. ‘They have a point. I mean, Lennox and me are the strongest in the squad; and the weakest two are Loryn and Libby. Is that a coincidence?’
‘Fuck you,’ said Leisha.
‘What a load of shite,’ said Lennox. ‘Do you need muscles like an ox to loose a crossbow? Discipline and training are more important than brute strength.’
Cain frowned as the squad glared at him. ‘What about babies, then? If women didn’t fight in the army, they could be helping to increase the numbers of Kellach Brigdomin, and wouldn’t that be more useful than getting killed in battle?’
‘Is that all we are?’ said Leisha. ‘Baby-making machines? You don’t get to control my life just because you have a cock between your legs. Arsehole.’
‘And,’ Cain went on, smirking, ‘women tend to get emotional.’
Leisha clenched her fist, but Lennox and Libby got in her way.
‘He’s just trying to wind you up,’ said Lennox. ‘He doesn’t actually believe any of that bullshit.’
Leisha spat on the ground, as Cain chuckled.
They reached the junction where the southern road met the coast, and got a closer look at the new regiment.
‘I was right about their ages,’ said Carrie. ‘Not one of them looks over sixteen.’
Lennox agreed, but said nothing. The army must have raided the training camps and schools for the latest batch; there would surely be no more coming. They marched past the fresh faces and clean uniforms, and continued on the road to Stretton Sands. In the distance, the tall, rocky promontory came into view, with the bulk of Stretton Castle on its summit.
Libby sighed. ‘I’ll be so glad when this march is over. I might actually get you to myself again.’
‘Aye,’ said Lennox, catching her eye for a moment.
There was a noise behind them and he turned to see what was causing it. A woman on horseback was cantering up the side of the road, while soldiers rushed to get out of the way.
‘I recognise her,’ said Libby.
‘It’s the Holdings agent from Silverstream,’ said Lennox. ‘I wonder if she remembers us?’
‘I doubt it. What was her name?’
‘Sable.’
The squad pulled to the side as the Holdings woman flew past, her mount gleaming in the spring sunshine. She paid them no attention, her gaze focussed on the sight of Stretton Castle in the distance.
Clouds gathered overhead as they continued onward, and the first light drops were falling as they neared the fords of the river that led to the town. The settlement seemed quiet as the army pounded across the fords, splashing through the shallow waters. The road turned left, and led to the River Gate. The walls of the town were silent and dark as they approached. The gate was open, and the convoy slowed as the lead companies began filing through the arched entrance and into the town. The process seemed to take forever, with soldiers waiting while wagons were hauled through the gates, and the light was dimming as the Fifth neared the entrance.
Raised voices were coming from beyond the gates, and as the squad passed under the arch, they saw a group of officers arguing with Sanang warriors. Ahead, several companies had come to a halt in the street, and were spilling into the nearby square. Others were fanning out through the narrow streets of the Rahain district. Lennox glanced at the nearby rows of houses. Glass covered the streets, and the broken windows revealed nothing but darkness within.
‘Where are all the civilians?’ muttered Leisha as they followed a dark side street, the main road too packed to get through. ‘This district looks like it’s been looted.’
‘Where are we supposed to go?’ said Loryn. ‘There are no officers anywhere, except back at the gates.’
Cain spat onto the ground ‘Just another army fuck-up.’
The rain grew heavier as the soldiers halted in the street. The way ahead was too narrow for some of the wagons, and tempers were lost as dozens of squads stood on the road getting soaked. Lennox managed to get their wagon turned round in the confusion, and they slowly extricated themselves from the packed street, urging the oxen down a different, wider, lane that led towards the Rakanese district. They emerged onto a square and stopped, their gazes drawn to a large mound of corpses. Piled onto the muddy grass were dead women, men and children, all Rakanese civilians by their ragged and stained clothing.
‘So that’s what the smell was,’
said Cain.
Carrie covered her mouth. ‘They look like they’ve been here for days.’
‘Fucking animals,’ said Leisha. ‘Don’t they know anything about how disease spreads?’
‘Keep moving,’ Lennox called out to his squad.
Carrie glanced at him. ‘Where we headed, boss?’
‘Kellach district. Let’s see if our old apartment’s still standing.’
They set off again, passing derelict houses and smashed-up shops. The wind intensified, sending down lashing torrents of rain. Most of the street lamps were unlit, and the two squads stumbled in the wet darkness. They crossed a main road and came to an area where the tenement blocks were higher, and Lennox recognised a street corner. He raised his arm and the squads stopped by the edge of the road, the noise of the rain drowning out everything else. Lennox gazed around in the darkness. Many tenement windows were shuttered, while others were smashed and broken. One building had been gutted by fire, and the ground outside was strewn with blackened debris.
‘We should pick the nearest empty building and get out of the rain,’ said Lennox, his face and hair dripping.
The squad nodded.
‘Alright.’ He pointed at a nearby tenement. ‘Leisha, you stay out here with the wagon, and the rest of us will go inside and check it out.’
He lifted the covering from the back of the wagon and withdrew a crossbow from where the squad had stored them.
‘Take one each; keep them dry until we’re indoors.’
He gestured to Cain and the two of them ran to the front door of the tenement. Lennox eased it open with his boot, aiming his crossbow into the darkness. Cain overtook him, rushing into the building towards the stairwell.
‘Hallway’s clear,’ he said, keeping his voice low.
Lennox entered and the rest of the squad followed, their crossbows ready. There were two apartments on the ground floor, each with heavy, wooden doors. Lennox nudged one, and it creaked open, its lock broken.
‘Carrie, Denny; with me,’ he whispered, and entered the dark apartment. He listened for movement, but could hear nothing but the sound of the rainstorm outside. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Lennox moved through the entrance hall, and opened another door into a larger room, where the scent of candle-smoke lingered in the air. He gestured to Carrie and Denny to halt, his eyes scanning the almost pitch darkness of the room.
The Magelands Epic: Storm Mage (Book 6) Page 20