‘Yes, my lord.’
‘Everyone else, gather your forces, we’re going to encircle the city and bring it under siege.’
His officers ran off to their units leaving the allied chiefs standing around him.
‘A siege?’ B’Dang cried. ‘You want Sanang warriors digging ditches like slaves? We should be fighting.’
‘We’ve been through this,’ Agang said, getting angry. ‘We tried to engage them in battle. That failed.’
‘Then we need to assault the walls,’ B’Dang said.
‘We encircle the city first,’ Agang said. ‘If we see any weaknesses, then I’m open minded about an immediate attack. But if the walls are all like that,’ he pointed to the front gates, ‘then an assault would be suicide.’
He pushed his way through the chiefs, and strode towards where he could see Lomecht organising the four regiments under his command.
The officer saw him coming, and the ranks of soldiers set off when Agang was level with him.
‘Fucking B’Dang,’ Agang said.
‘He’s not the only one, my lord, who would like a crack at the walls,’ Lomecht said.
‘You weren’t at the frontier last summer, were you?’
‘You left me in charge at Beechwoods, if I recall,’ his officer said, frowning.
‘The only reason I have an army today,’ Agang said, ‘is that I refused to persist in attacking that wall. My first and only assault cost the lives of five hundred soldiers in twenty minutes. I watched my warriors fall, amid a blizzard of crossbows bolts. I will not do so again.’
Lomecht nodded, his face lowered.
They reached the corner, and saw the eastern side of the city for the first time. There was a great tower where the wall turned, with high battlements, then the wall stretched south, just as high as before, before ending after several hundred yards. Below the wall at this point, there was the beginning of a large, raised earthen rampart, which curved in a wide semi-circle, first away from the wall, and then back towards it.
‘Do you see that?’ Agang said. ‘Maybe their wall isn’t complete. Come on. I want our men in front of that rampart before the allies catch us up.’
‘Yes, my lord,’ Lomecht said. He turned and called out orders, and the warriors of his four regiments quickened their pace. Behind them, Agang could see thousands of his allied warriors following, B’Dang’s force in the lead.
As they ran, Agang scanned the land ahead. Where the rampart ended, he saw the course of a river flow. Agang halted halfway along the front of the great earthen bank. Behind it, he could see the wall turn away west, running in a continuous line to another, older wall which turned south to the edge of the river.
‘The wall is unbroken, my lord,’ Lomecht said, ‘but it looks like they threw up that middle section in a hurry.’
‘Then what’s the point of the rampart?’ Agang said.
There was a low rumble and Agang looked up. Hundreds of figures were appearing from the other side of the rampart’s earthen slope. They reached the top and stood there, with swords, spears, shields and bows, waiting. Like the Sanang, their skin was pale, and they were tall, taller than any of Agang’s people.
‘Who are they?’ Lomecht said. ‘They’re not Holdings.’
‘I’ve heard reports of a race of mountain giants from the far south,’ Agang said. ‘Some scouts even claimed to have seen them. The Clackdomyn.’
‘What the fuck are they doing here?’
‘Truly, I have no idea.’
There was a great noise from behind, and Agang turned. Behind the stationary ranks of his own soldiers, the allied warriors were running towards the river at the far end of the rampart. As the warriors began to splash through the wide ford, Agang noticed another section of wall on the far bank, standing isolated and alone. Between the abandoned wall and the river was a long, wide strip of land, occupied by hundreds of tents and huts. Thin plumes of smoke rose from chimneys and campfires, and there was a blur of movement and faint cries of terror as the people there began to see the approaching danger.
B’Dang’s forces were first to cross the river, and they turned to follow its bank towards the mass of tents. In their way was another rampart, lower than the one that ringed the Clackdomyn, and bereft of any defenders.
‘Stay here, Lomecht,’ Agang said. ‘I’m taking a company across the river.’
‘Yes, my lord.’
‘Keep your position unless the Clackdomyn assault you,’ Agang said. ‘Do not attack first.’
Lomecht nodded as Agang rushed off. He gestured to a young captain to gather his men, and they ran to the rear of their lines, joining the mass of allies surging towards the river. Agang reached the bank, his boots ankle-deep in the water. The ford was long and wide, and already churned up by the thousands of warriors crossing.
Agang heard screams, and knew that B’Dang had reached the tents between the abandoned wall and the river. He sprinted now, pushing others out of his way, until he reached the top of the low earthen rampart, which gave him a view down to the sea.
The main walls of the city ran along the opposite side of the river, and a large gatehouse had been constructed above the water, over a wide bridge. Its gates were open, and he could see Holdings people streaming through in a panic, fleeing into the protection of the city.
At the other end of the camp, B’Dang’s forces were ripping their way through the lines of tents and huts, slaughtering any in their path. The Holdings peasants were trapped between the abandoned stretch of wall, the river, and the sea, and other Sanang allies were rushing into the narrow strip of land, to join in the carnage. On the walls of the great city, the eyes of countless Holdings troopers were looking down at the massacre of their people, and where the city walls ended, thousands of Clackdomyn were lining the river bank, watching, their faces grim.
Agang stood motionless, and said nothing. He guessed there must be at least ten thousand Holdings civilians between the wall and the river, and though they were fleeing through the open gates as fast as they could, he knew the majority would be slaughtered by his allies in a blood frenzy, led by B’Dang D’Bang.
He turned, and began walking back to Lomecht’s position, his company following after him.
‘A good first day, my lord,’ Drechtan said as he entered the command tent. ‘We have cleared the eastern bank of enemies, and surrounded the city.’
‘The Holdings camp had nothing worth taking,’ Badranga said, walking in with the other allies, ‘but the boys had a good run out. We guess about three thousand Holdings made it through before the gates were closed. The remnants were still being put to the sword when we left.’
Agang frowned from his elevated chair, his officer and advisors beside him. ‘Where is B’Dang D’Bang?’
‘My lord,’ Drechtan said, halting before his chief and bowing his head, ‘he has occupied the coastal tower at the far end of the abandoned wall, in order to hold that flank.’
‘That,’ Agang said, ‘or he guessed my anger at him.’
‘Anger, my lord?’ Badranga said.
‘He attacked the civilian camp without orders.’
‘But my lord,’ Drechtan said, ‘didn’t you say that we should attack if we saw a weakness in the enemy’s lines?’
‘We did hear you say that, my lord,’ Badranga said.
‘Slaughtering civilians gets us no closer to the inside of Plateau City,’ Agang said, staring down at his allies. ‘We could have captured them, and demanded a ransom from the king for their return. B’Dang D’Bang should have waited for orders.’
Badranga and the other allies glanced at each other.
‘You have brought us this far, my lord,’ Drechtan said, ‘what do you now command?’
Agang paused, suppressing his rage.
‘We dig in, from the sea where Mandalecht is positioned, all the way to the ford,’ he said. ‘On the far bank we will hold the abandoned wall, and rebuild the rampart between it and the river.’
&nb
sp; ‘Then what, my lord?’ Badranga asked.
‘Once our lines are secure,’ he said, ‘we will send out raiding parties to the east and south, raze every farm and village to the ground, and strip the land. A city this size is fed by its hinterland, so we shall destroy it, depriving them of supplies. We’ll starve them out.’
‘And how long will that take, my lord?’ Drechtan asked.
‘That depends,’ Agang said, ‘on whether the Holdings king pays us to leave. I intend to demand ten million gold sovereigns from this realm, as a just compensation for their crimes. If they pay us this sum, along with the horses and wagons to transport it, then we will leave their land.’
‘Gold is not revenge,’ Badranga said. ‘We came for revenge.’
‘Then be prepared for a long wait,’ Agang said. ‘I estimate it will take six thirds to bring this city to its knees through a land blockade alone.’
‘We cannot wait that long!’
‘Those are our choices,’ Agang said, amid cries from the chiefs.
‘We should attack,’ Badranga said. ‘The wall that joins the new to the old is the weakest part of their defences. If we mass our warriors and strike there…’
‘Come, my good man,’ Hodang said. ‘To get to that section of the wall, we would need first to clear the camp that lies in the way.’
‘Then we clear it!’ Badranga called out, to cheers from the allies. ‘We push those savages aside. Most of them are old, and many of their warriors are women.’
‘We have no fight with the Clackdomyn people,’ Agang said.
‘They are obviously allies of the Holdings.’
‘Then why are they outside the protection of the city walls?’ Agang asked. ‘Whoever they are, it’s clear that the Holdings do not regard them as equals. And in any event, we don’t need to assault them. They will be the first to suffer the deprivations of our blockade. We can look again at our options in a third, once hunger has bitten deep.’
‘Very well, my lord,’ Badranga said. ‘A third is about as long as it will take to raid the surrounding area, and keep the boys busy.’
‘Then we are agreed,’ Hodang said, bowing to the chiefs.
Most of them nodded and departed. Drechtan remained, taking a mug of ale from a servant.
‘Well handled, my lord,’ he said, as the last of the allies left the tent.
Agang said nothing, cursing himself. He knew the army couldn’t wait six thirds, but if the Holdings sat tight, and refused to pay, then he would have to assault the walls to appease the other chiefs. And this time they would insist that he joined in.
‘My lord,’ a regimental officer bowed to him from entrance of the tent.
‘Speak.’
‘Three of the giants have left their rampart, and approached our lines, unarmed and with their hands raised. They weren’t speaking a tongue we understood, but they signalled to us that they wished to see you. We are holding them under guard, shall we allow them into your presence?’
Agang looked up at the officer.
‘Send them in.’
Agang turn to glance at Lomecht, Hodang and Echtang beside him. ‘This could be interesting.’
They waited a while, until the entrance flap was pushed aside and a pair of warriors backed into the chamber, spears held out. Following them came three of the Clackdomyn, flanked by more Sanang warriors.
Everyone stared at each other for a long, silent moment. The three tall, pale-skinned Clackdomyn stood a dozen paces from Agang. Two were female. One was an old woman, and even with her shoulders hunched over she was taller than any Sanang in the room. The other was younger, not far off middle age, a sturdy, broad woman, with fists the size of rocks, and scars down her hard face. The male was wide-shouldered and the tallest man Agang had ever encountered. His age was somewhere between the two women, and his beard and hair reached his waist.
‘Are you in charge?’ the Clackdomyn man called out in the Holdings tongue.
‘I am Agang Garo,’ he replied, ‘High Chief of the Sanang. Have you become on behalf of your people?’
‘Aye, we have,’ he replied. ‘I’m glad you can speak Holdings, you’re the first Sanang to have understood us since we walked into your camp.’
Agang turned to Echtang. ‘Go fetch Chane.’
His nephew nodded, and went off through the back of the chamber.
‘I’ve sent for another who can speak Holdings and Sanangka,’ Agang said. ‘Would you care for a drink while we wait?’
They nodded.
Agang gestured for servants to give mugs of ale to the Clackdomyn, and they drank until Chane and Echtang appeared by his side.
Chane’s eyes widened at the sight of the Clackdomyn.
‘Translate everything I say for the others,’ Agang said to her.
‘Yes, my lord.’
Agang turned back to face the three Clackdomyn, a ring of warriors surrounding them.
‘So,’ he said. ‘What have you come to say?’
‘Is it not obvious?’ the old woman said. ‘We saw what you did to the folk on the far bank, and we want to know if you’re going to try the same with us.’
‘Would we have cause to attack you?’ Agang said. ‘Are you allied to the Holdings Realm?’
‘The horsefolk helped us when we arrived,’ the old woman shrugged. ‘Gave us food, and work, and allowed us to settle here in peace, which is more than anyone else has done for us.’
‘Yet you are outside the walls.’
‘You arrived before the walls could be finished,’ the old woman said. ‘We don’t blame the Holdings for that.’
‘And would you stand in our way if we asked you to clear a path,’ Agang said, ‘to allow us to attack their new wall?’
‘We would,’ she replied. ‘After what your men did this morning to the peasant camp, we don’t believe you’d be able to control your forces. If you cross our rampart, we will fight.’
‘Then you would all die.’
‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘Who knows? We’d certainly put up a better fight than the folk your men slaughtered over the river. Why don’t you try it? There’s plenty of us who’d be more than happy to kick your monkey arses for you.’
Agang simmered with rage. He could hear Chane repeat everything they said to the other officers and advisors, and he was humiliated that a Clackdomyn woman was speaking to him in public in such a manner.
‘Do not test me, woman,’ he said.
‘Now that you mention it,’ she said, ‘where are all the women? Do the big boys of Sanang not let the girls play with them? The only woman I’ve seen in your camp is your pet Holdings traitor, standing by your shoulder.’ She looked over at Chane. ‘Hey you,’ she cried. ‘I thought you were meant to be a soldier? The rumours say that you’re a lieutenant or something. Now you’re all dressed up, like a perfumed princess. Did you watch your new friends rape and murder your own folk, or did you look away?’
Chane fell silent at the old woman’s words, her mouth open.
‘We will not attack you,’ the Clackdomyn man said before Agang could respond, ‘if you do not attack us first. You have our word. But if you decide to assault our rampart, then know that, while you may win in the end, after all many of us are old, or crippled, the Kellach Brigdomin will chew your army up. The Holdings have given us plenty of swords and crossbows to defend ourselves. By the time we’re through you’ll have no one left to attack the walls, and you will have to skulk off home, with empty pockets and shame in your hearts.’
‘The Holdings invaded our land,’ Agang said, his face red with anger. ‘Four times! Each time they killed our people, stripping our land bare. They humiliated us, until we learned to fight back. These are the people you’ll be defending.’
‘We know about your troubles with the horsefolk,’ the old woman said. ‘We know you have a case against them, just as we do with the Rahain, who ravaged our lands. But if you attack us, you’ll be fighting folk who have never done your people any harm.’
‘We’re here to negotiate,’ the man said. ‘And offer a truce.’
‘That is the only reason you’re still alive,’ Agang said. ‘You’re my guests, and I would be shamed if I had you torn to pieces.’
The old woman smirked.
‘We agree to your offer,’ Agang said, forcing the words out. ‘We will not attack for a third from this day, unless you initiate hostilities.’
The Clackdomyn nodded. ‘We swear the same,’ the man said.
‘Now,’ Agang said, his eyes dark, ‘get out of my sight.’
He switched to Sanangka.
‘Guards, escort them back to the rampart.’
The guards moved forwards, and they herded the Clackdomyn out of the tent.
The hall fell into silence.
‘Those filthy swine,’ Drechtan said. ‘If they hadn’t been your guests my lord, I would have struck them down myself.’
Agang ignored him, and stood.
‘Chane,’ he said, walking to the rear of the tent, ‘with me.’
He didn’t wait to see if she followed him, and went through the outer tent to his quarters. Once there, he picked up a bottle of looted Holdings rum, and poured himself a drink.
Chane came in and sat on the bed, her legs crossed beneath her. Agang passed her his drink, and got himself another.
‘They are nothing but savages,’ he said, ‘they don’t know anything about you.’
She snorted, her face twisting in anger. ‘Really? Let’s see. I’m your pet, I’m a traitor, and you’ve dressed me up like a princess doll. They said I was a soldier, they got that bit wrong. After all, you made it clear this morning what you thought of that idea.’
Agang clenched his fist, but Chane didn’t flinch.
‘You are in the court of the most powerful lord of all Sanang,’ he cried, ‘who will one day be king. I have raised you higher than any other woman, and you’re still not satisfied. I should give you to Lomecht and have done with you.’
She kept her gaze steady, a slow smile at the corner of her mouth.
An urge to strike her flashed through his mind, followed by a wave of regret at the folly of having told her some of the truth about his father.
The Severed City Page 18