‘Then last spring,’ the king said, ‘came their greatest crime yet. Three hundred thousand Rakanese refugees, after having endured the tortures of crossing the volcanic wastelands, and hoping to make for themselves a better life, were instead annihilated by the Rahain army, who besieged them with a force of over one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers.’
The king paused, to allow the translators to catch up. Agang could see Hodang’s face darken as he listened.
‘As far as we know,’ the king said, ‘there were only three Rakanese survivors from this unparalleled atrocity. Three from three hundred thousand. One of them stands here today, as witness.’ He pointed to a dark-haired Rakanese woman, who was glancing at Agang with wary eyes. ‘This is Princess Shellakanawara. Her sister, the late Queen Oblikanawara, fell during the Rahain onslaught.
‘And now the Rahain are laughing at us,’ the king said. ‘Laughing because the only two peoples they have left to strike at are quarrelling among themselves, weakening each other, and only making their own job easier in the long run.’
‘The Rahain have no reason to attack us,’ Agang said. ‘From what you have said, I do not think the Sanang have anything to fear from these people. They invaded and plundered their weaker neighbour, isn’t that what you yourselves did to us? And then they confronted and destroyed a large group of incomers? Ruthless and brutal, no doubt, but were they not just protecting their own lands? I can also see why they bear a grudge against your realm. You have a history of conflict, and they may well strike if you are weakened by our presence here. But what is that to us? Should we care about your fate, should we weep for you if the Rahain deal you a death-blow?’
The king nodded. ‘I see that you have not yet understood the nature of the Rahain Republic, and its insatiable greed and ambition.’ He gestured to a hooded man standing to the rear of his advisors.
The man stepped forward.
‘This is Laodoc,’ the king said, ‘once a councillor in the government of Rahain. Sickened and shamed by what he saw, he defected to us here in Plateau City. His presence here today means that each of the five races of our world are gathered, for most likely the first time in history.’
The man pulled back his hood.
‘Lord Agang Garo,’ the old Rahain said, ‘for forty years I served as a politician in the capital city of Rahain. Alone, we are not an evil people, but once we started to meet with the other races that inhabit this world, we grew greedy, and arrogant. The Rahain look down on all the other peoples. To them the Kellach Brigdomin are animals, and the Rakanese vermin. I beseech you lord, do not think for a moment that the Rahain will not hold your people in a similar contempt. If you need to imagine a reason for them to invade you, then look no further than the cocoa, coffee and narcotics your lands produce. These are luxury items in my homeland, capable of commanding exorbitant prices. The Rahain government will not hesitate to plunder you for these, and more.’
‘As the Holdings did, old man?’ Agang said.
‘With all due respect to the realm,’ Laodoc said, ‘the Rahain surpass all others in the quality and size of their military. It is like a great machine that rolls over anything in its path.’
‘For this you betray your country?’ Agang said.
‘I am trying to change my country,’ Laodoc said. ‘I love Rahain, and I love its people. However, the rulers of my nation have lost all perspective, and believe themselves destined to be the masters of this world. To save my country, I would have them overthrown, by force if necessary.’
‘Thank you Laodoc,’ the king said, and the old Rahain man stepped back into the shadows.
‘And thank you Lord Agang,’ he said to the Sanang chief. ‘We asked for your forbearance while you listened to these other tales of justice, and you honoured that. We now wish to make a proposal.’
Agang stood, his heart racing, his hands almost trembling. He said a prayer to the war god.
‘We propose,’ the king went on, ‘to form an alliance of peoples, to resist the aggression and tyranny of the Rahain Republic. When our army from the realm approaches, we do not wish to see more lives wasted fighting the Sanang. Instead, the two armies should join as allies, along with the Kellach Brigdomin, both those already enlisted, and any more that volunteer. Once we have assembled the mightiest army the world has ever seen, we will march south, and destroy the Rahain regime.’
Agang staggered back a half step. The king’s words, just as the war god had foretold.
‘The Rahain have built a tunnel through the Grey Mountains,’ the king said, ‘that will allow them to move troops to the Plateau in days rather than thirds. It is almost complete. We cannot permit them to send their armies through. That is where we shall strike.’
Agang felt a tug at his shoulder.
The king paused, and Agang turned to Hodang.
‘My lord,’ his minister said in Sanangka, ‘we must discuss this alone.’
Agang nodded.
‘Your Majesty,’ he said to the king, ‘I must now take counsel with those closest to me. A leader in Sanang must always listen to those he hopes to command.’
‘We understand,’ the king said. ‘There are chairs and cushions laid out to the side. Please, take all the time you need.’
Agang glanced at the other Sanang, and they walked to the edge of the awning, where the afternoon sun slanted through.
‘I want your thoughts,’ he said to the others as they sat. ‘Hodang, you first.’
‘This changes everything,’ his minister said, shaking his head. ‘Before, our options were to attack the walls, or flee before the Holdings reinforcements arrived, and neither of those courses would have furthered our aim of re-establishing Sanang as a nation in the eyes of the world. But now? If we marched as allies, accepted as equals by the other races, then we should accept.’
‘I don’t know,’ Mandalecht said. ‘It’s another delay, and winter is coming on. How long will the army be away for? We don’t know anything about these Rahain, except they don’t seem to take any shit. Maybe the king wants us as battle fodder? Still, it would be an adventure, and the boys would see some fighting. And didn’t the old man say that Rahain was rich?’
‘I can’t speak for the rest of the allies,’ Drechtan said, ‘but I’m in. Glory and war and plunder? The biggest raid in history? With the Clackdomyn savages on one side, and shiny cavalry on the other, no force in the world would be able to stop us.’
‘Is no one else suspicious of the king?’ Badolecht said. ‘This must have been what he’s wanted from the start. Even after we slaughtered his peasants, he’s still willing to pay us wagon-loads of gold, and offer to be our allies? They must be desperate for assistance, they must really fear the Rahain. If we go along with this, we must be sure that we, I mean you Chief, are treated as an equal.’
Agang nodded. ‘So with a few caveats, you agree we should accept?’
Hodang nodded. ‘You haven’t told us what you think.’
‘Destiny is being made today,’ Agang said, ‘the destiny of Sanang, getting up off its knees at last, and becoming a nation in the eyes of the world.’
‘With you as its king?’ Badolecht smiled.
‘If fate wills it.’
He stood, and led them back to the throne.
‘Have you come to a decision, regarding our proposal?’ the king said. ‘Will you join with the other free peoples of this world to overcome the growing threat from the south?’
‘Will I be an equal, your Majesty?’ Agang asked. ‘Will each of the leaders of the allies be equal?’
The king smiled. ‘You are not yet a monarch, Lord Agang, but we will always take majority decisions, made by all four peoples. We will set up a council of representatives, two from each race, with the Rakanese included because although they are unable to supply us with troops, they are tied to us in spirit. These eight will guide the alliance in its invasion of Rahain. Do you concur?’
‘I do,’ Agang said.
‘Then befor
e accepting your admission into the alliance,’ the king said, ‘we must clear up that unfortunate incident you referred to earlier.’
‘The massacre on the far bank.’
‘Indeed. We know of course that you did not personally take part, but nor did you try to stop it, as you watched from the rampart that day.’
‘It is deeply regretted.’
‘In the spirit of our alliance, we are bound to forgive and put it behind us, however our mercy does not extend to the commander who carried out the actions on the bank. A man named B’Dang D’Bang, if our intelligence is correct.’
‘It is.’
‘He and his men are forbidden from being any part of the alliance,’ the king said. ‘Our people, and our soldiers, would not accept his presence. The pain of that day will be hard to excise, and many are living who lost friends and loved ones. If you were to show in the strongest possible terms what you think of his behaviour, then we believe that sentiment would be duly satisfied. Of course, he is your man, and we would never presume to tell you what should be done with him.’
‘I will deal with B’Dang,’ Agang said.
‘Then we pronounce this holy alliance founded,’ the king said, raising his slender arms. ‘The Realm of the Holdings, the exiles of Kellach Brigdomin, the city of Arakhanah, and now the Forest Realm of Sanang, for realm we call it, and we name Lord Agang Garo its king-in-waiting.’
Courtiers and soldiers all bowed low to Agang, and his heart swelled. Praise be to the war god.
Chapter 18
The Leftovers
Outside Plateau City, The Plateau – 16th Day, Second Third Autumn 505
Keira looked up the length of the grassy field, aware that two burly Sanang were closing in fast.
‘To me!’ yelled Leah, her arms waving, the high walls of the city towering in the distance behind her.
Keira drew back her hand to release the ball just as the weight of the Sanang warriors hit her. She was flung off her feet, and slammed onto the cold earth. One of the Sanang rolled over her, his elbow digging into her side.
‘Ooft,’ Keira gasped. She swung her fist, and struck the Sanang in the face.
She got back to her feet, brushing the dust off her shorts and vest. ‘Fang, ya fucking wee prick, that was a foul.’
‘The Sanang’s tackle was a fair one,’ the Holdings referee shouted, as he stopped play. He picked up the ball as Fang groaned, holding onto his chin. ‘However, striking an opponent is against the rules. Keilyn, you’re off.’
‘No fucking way,’ she protested. ‘He hit me first.’
‘You had the ball,’ the referee said.
‘So it’s all right to tackle someone who has the ball?’
‘That’s correct,’ the referee said. ‘The rules state…’
Keira thumped him on the nose.
She stood and smiled as both teams began to fight each other. Holdings troopers ran onto the field, trying to pull apart the Kellach and Sanang warriors.
‘You!’ one of them shouted at her. ‘Get off the pitch. You’re a disgrace.’
‘Shite game anyway,’ she said, and walked from the field.
She approached Kylon in the line of spectators.
‘Don’t start,’ she said.
‘I’m surprised you lasted as long as you did.’
‘We’re leaving in two days,’ she said, ‘and this is what they’ve got us doing. Running around after a pig’s insides.’
‘I think the Holdings officers thought it would be fun,’ he said, glancing at her as she raised an eyebrow. ‘After all the training together, they probably thought we’d appreciate trying one of their sports.’
It started to rain, and a chill autumn wind gusted across from the Inner Sea. Enormous waves crashed into the city’s harbour walls, soaking the new Holdings vessels tied up at the docks.
‘It’s going to be winter by the time we arrive now,’ Kylon said.
Keira gazed off to the south, over the miles of wind-ruffled water. Half a third before, the main body of Holdings cavalry, Agang Garo’s Sanang regiments and the Kellach Brigdomin regular forces had left Plateau City, on their way round the coastal road, bound for Rahain.
‘Are we stupid for going back?’ she asked.
‘Maybe,’ he said, ‘but we have to. There are at least a hundred thousand of our people enslaved in Rahain. Freeing them is essential. We could start to rebuild.’
‘It’s too late, Kylon,’ she said, spitting onto the wet grass. ‘Our folk are spread over half the fucking world. How are you going to bring them all back together? Even if we destroy the lizards, what difference will it make? We can never go back to the way we were before.’
‘No, but we can make a new life.’
A line of horses with mounted troopers moved onto the field to separate the battling players. The warriors began to organise themselves back into their companies, and the members of the squad both she and Kylon belonged to gathered round them.
The major of the battalion trotted up, observing them from under his helmet, the rain now falling steadily.
A sergeant next to him bellowed out a call for silence, and the warriors and troopers stilled.
The major waited until everyone was quiet while he sat up proud on his enormous horse. Keira was impressed with the size of the cavalry mounts, and more impressed still with the tales that the Sanang had defeated them on foot.
‘Men and women of the King’s Combined Battalion,’ the dark-skinned major said, looking around at the field filled with soldiers and warriors, ‘the day after tomorrow you, the first mixed-race units of the allied expeditionary force will be setting sail across the Inner Sea to join up with the main army. We are the leftovers, the companies cobbled together from the Kellach militia, warriors from Lord Agang Garo’s Sanang allies and those Holdings who arrived too late to leave with the others.
‘The three proud armies awaiting us on the far reaches of the Inner Sea will probably try to look down on our motley battalion of four thousand, not understanding how hard we have trained you. Any such arrogance will cease when they learn that you have been selected to lead the first assault on the port of Rainsby.’
He paused, scanning the faces gazing up at him.
‘His Majesty the King has personally chosen you as the tip of his spear, representing the three races lending their strength to the expedition. You are honoured indeed.
‘For all your hard work,’ he went on, ‘the battalion commanders have decided that you deserve the rest of today and tomorrow off, to rest before embarkation. The curfew is set for tomorrow at sunset, when you will be confined to barracks until dawn, when the new Holdings fleet sails.’
He raised his arm as the crowd cheered.
‘Remember the rules,’ he said. ‘Alcohol consumption is confined to the Kellach Brigdomin camp, the city is off-limits after dark, and no smoking weed or fighting with the locals. Or each other. We want you to be proud of this battalion, and we want the king to be proud of you. Do not let his Majesty down.’
He spurred his horse, and trotted towards the gate in the city walls, the mounted cavalry following.
Sergeant Bury stepped before Keira’s squad. The Kellach stood together, as did Fang and Brecht, the two Sanang, while the Holdings troopers mingled round them.
‘I’ll keep this simple,’ she said. ‘This is our last proper night before leaving, and I’m the sergeant, and I say we’re all going to the Kellach camp to get drunk.’
Leah mimed drinking to Fang and Brecht, who remained unable to understand Holdings. The battalion had made them all take lessons, in large tents set up where the Sanang army had been, and the Kellach had attended frequent long sessions. The Sanang had joined later, once Agang’s allies had been persuaded to enter into the spirit of the alliance, as the king’s pronouncements had put it.
Keira didn’t care what the king said. All she wanted was revenge on the Rahain.
It had been easy for her to remain hidden as Keilyn. Nobody had
ever asked her anything, or looked at her funny, or hinted they knew who she was. She hadn’t recognised anyone among the thousands of older and injured folk who would be remaining behind in the camp, partly due to there being so few Kell.
The squad set off in the same direction as many of the other units of warriors, towards the rampart of the Kellach camp. It was no longer defended, and they strode over it, trying not to lose any ground to the other squads.
‘The taverns will be rammed,’ Keira said.
‘I need to get away,’ said Leah. ‘Can you cover for me?’
‘Where are you going?’ Kylon asked.
‘I’ve managed to track down Bedig,’ she said. ‘Turns out he’s been in the fucking city the whole time, staying with the Holdfast family.’
‘Why?’ Kylon said.
Leah shrugged. ‘I’ll ask him when I see him.’
‘I wish I could come,’ Keira said. ‘Be good to see that big red-haired bastard again.’
‘But, Keira…’ Kylon began.
‘Aye,’ she said, ‘I fucking know I can’t. I’m only saying, but.’
‘I’ll say hello to him for you,’ Leah said, ‘and see if he knows anything about Baoryn. The Holdfasts are important, they might be able to help him get released.’
Kylon frowned at Leah. ‘Be careful.’
She nodded.
They glanced around, and saw through the drizzle that the sergeant was well out in front. They waited until they had passed the first line of houses in the Kellach camp, then Leah sprinted off to the right, and disappeared into the rainy afternoon gloom.
Keira glanced at Kylon. His brow was furrowed, and he looked as grim as he ever did.
‘So,’ Keira said, ‘who are the Holdfasts?’
‘A rich Holdings family,’ he said.
‘And how does Bedig know them?’
‘We met one of them, back in Rahain when we were escaping.’
‘Is that who gave you the money?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘A man from the embassy did that.’
Bronald, the other Kellach in their squad, joined them as they followed the sergeant through the muddy camp.
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