Dog broke away and went to pester one of the other clerks.
“Things are well in hand, I trust?”
“They are, sir,” the clerk said. “We’re just waiting on a few more items, including the braziers. Once we have those and a few lamps, I will drop the walls of the tent. With any luck, we’ll get a little heat in here. The same goes for your office, sir.”
“Sounds good,” Stiger said, rubbing his hands together for warmth. “We could all do with a little warmth, I think.”
“Your personal tent should be up within the next half hour, sir,” the senior clerk reported. “There was a problem with the wagon, a broken axle, sir. Apparently, it took some time to replace. The road has been murder on the transport. The wagon arrived a short while ago. It will be the next one unloaded.”
“That’s quite all right,” Stiger said, thinking, with his concerns and worries, a broken axle was a very minor issue. He could do without a tent for a few hours. Besides, he would not be able to retire until later tonight. There was just too much to do. There always was.
“I received a report from the chief engineer a short while ago, sir,” Nepturus reported. “He feels the camp’s trench and wall will be completed before sunset.”
“So, they are on schedule then,” Stiger said. He had expected no less.
“Yes, sir. Oh, I have a few people waiting to see you, sir,” Nepturus said. “Nothing terribly pressing. I have them cooling their heels outside. When you’re ready for them, just let me know.”
Stiger gave a nod.
“This, ah…” Nepturus glanced down at the table, which was covered over with tablets and dispatches. He sorted through the dispatches and picked one up, handing it over. “This came in about an hour ago, sir. It’s from the dwarves, a message directly from Braddock. I did not open it, as it was addressed specifically to you.”
Stiger opened the dispatch and quickly scanned through its contents.
“Anything interesting, sir?”
Stiger glanced up to see Salt striding into the tent. The prefect was just as dusty as the rest of them. However, he looked like he could march another dozen miles and then some. Despite his age, Salt seemed to have more energy than anyone else.
“I’d heard you’d arrived, sir,” Salt said. “Thought I’d stop by and answer any questions you might have before returning to oversee the construction efforts.” Salt’s gaze went to the orc. “Therik, staying out of trouble, I presume?”
Therik bared his tusks at Salt, in what was a grin for the orc. Dog padded up to Salt and brushed against the prefect’s leg. Salt absently reached down and rubbed the top of Dog’s head. A moment later, he came away with a wet hand from the animal’s lightning-fast tongue. He shot the animal a slight scowl.
“It seems,” Stiger said, tapping the dispatch with a finger, “Braddock’s army has encountered the enemy. They ambushed a supply column along the road that was moving toward Vrell. The column had a significant infantry escort, numbering several hundred infantry and light cavalry. The dwarves captured the train nearly intact, two hundred fifty wagons, all told. Hux had a hand in it as well.”
“That’s a good catch, sir,” Salt said. “I assume Braddock is adding that supply to his own train?”
“He is,” Stiger confirmed, “and Braddock is delighted about that.”
Stiger rubbed his jaw, feeling a stab of frustration. The letter had been written two days earlier. He reread the letter. There was no mention of prisoners having been taken.
“Braddock has sent forward our cavalry,” Stiger said, “along with his mounted soldiers to the north-south road.”
“The thane,” Salt said, “is moving to cut communications between the confederacy’s forces that advanced to the North. Braddock wasn’t supposed to make that move until his army was closer to the boundary of the forest. The cavalry will essentially be unsupported should they run into trouble.”
“It’s worse than that,” Stiger said, blowing out a long breath. “Though he doesn’t come right out and say so, Braddock apparently believes he might have been discovered.”
“Some of the enemy must have escaped the ambush,” Therik said. “At some point, the Cyphan were bound to discover the army’s presence.”
“I’d just hoped it would take a few more days,” Stiger said.
“You can hope all you want,” Therik said. “Assume the enemy has always known we are coming.”
Stiger did not like that possibility, but the fact that they’d sent a large supply train argued against that. The question now was what local forces could the enemy pull together to oppose them? Were there any other enemy armies within easy marching distance from the end of the road?
“Nepturus,” Stiger asked, looking over to the clerk. “Do you have a map of the South handy?”
“I do, sir,” Nepturus said. “Give me a moment please.”
The clerk went to a good-sized chest and opened it. He rooted around inside for a moment before pulling out a large folded parchment. It had yellowed and looked quite old, which meant the map was not a copy that one of the camp scribes had made. The clerk moved around the table he was working at and over to one that had nothing on it. Stiger, Salt, and Therik followed him over. Nepturus carefully unfolded the map on the table and then backed away, returning to his work.
Stiger handed over the dispatch to Salt, who began reading. Placing his palms on the edge of the rough planked wood of the table, Stiger stared down at the map and studied it for several long moments, then looked up. He waited until Salt was finished with the dispatch. The prefect set it down onto the table.
“I believe you are right, sir,” Salt said. “Some of the enemy must have escaped the ambush. Otherwise, there was no reason to push the cavalry out so far, so soon.”
“If I had to guess, I think Braddock’s column is about here.” Stiger tapped the map. “I’d say about a week’s march to the edge of the forest, maybe a day, more or less.”
“That sounds about right, sir,” Salt said and blew out a long breath. “The thane may push his boys harder and shave a day or two off if he can.”
“He might,” Stiger said and then decided the thane would.
“Knowing Hux,” Salt said, with an abrupt chuckle, “now that he’s been freed, he is probably already on the north-south road causing all kinds of havoc.”
“Just the thought of it makes me wish horses and I got along,” Therik said. “I could be with him. It sounds like fun.”
“I can get you a horse,” Stiger said. “You can catch up with Hux, if you like?”
Therik bared his tusks at Stiger and barked out a laugh. After a moment, he sobered, gaze locking with Stiger’s. “I will stay with you. I can’t let anyone else kill you. Never forget, your life belongs to me. I alone have that honor.”
“That you do”—Stiger grinned at the orc—“that is, if you can take me in a fight.”
Therik’s hand went to the hilt of his sword. “Care to spar and find out?”
Salt looked between the two of them and then shook his head. He gazed back down at the map and ran a finger along the north-south road. He stopped at the city of Aeda, around two hundred miles to the north. The prefect cleared his throat, drawing their attention.
“Aeda,” Salt said. “This was a little town in my time. Is it still there?”
“It’s a city now,” Stiger said.
“A city, really?” Salt asked. “Of how many?”
“About fifty thousand,” Stiger said.
Salt whistled. “You don’t think Hux will go that far, do you?”
“No,” Stiger said. “Braddock likely gave him orders to remain close to the Vrell road, at least until he arrives with his army.”
“You know Hux, sir,” Salt said. “He will push those orders a bit.”
“Yes,” Stiger said, “but even he knows what’s at stake. He won’t go that far and leave Braddock blind. Hux knows his duty to the army.”
Freed from the leash, Stiger’s cav
alry commander was likely very active along the north-south road. To say Hux was enthusiastic about his work was an understatement. Any isolated enemy within at least a thirty-mile range of the end of the Vrell road was likely not safe, perhaps even as far out as fifty miles. Still, he hoped Hux did not bite off more than he could chew before Braddock arrived. They could not afford to lose the cavalry. Hux and his mounted soldiers were the eyes and ears of the army. Without them, they were blind.
“What is the name of this road?” Salt asked, pointing at the north-south road. “It did not exist in my time.”
Stiger felt himself frown as he tried to recall the name of the road. It had been so long. He snapped his fingers. “It’s called King’s Highway.”
“I assume there was a kingdom in this area at some point?” Salt asked.
Stiger gave a nod of confirmation. “No more. The empire annexed it about a century ago, though politics and greed in the senate have kept this area being fully absorbed into the empire. Hence our troubles now with the rebellion.”
Salt nodded and went back to studying the map, then chuckled lightly again. “Hux and his boys are likely having the time of their lives.”
“I would agree with that.” Stiger felt his frustration mount. It was maddening. He had no idea what was going on outside of the Sentinel Forest. There had been no word from Menos either, which was even more frustrating. Stiger took a calming breath. He understood that it was likely too soon to hear from the noctalum. He rubbed his tired eyes and decided there was no helping it. He shouldn’t worry about what he could not influence, but it gnawed at him no less.
“Any word on how the artillery train is faring?” Stiger asked. The reports he’d received over the last two days had been discouraging. Due to the state of the ground to the west, the train was moving at a snail’s pace. He’d hoped the farther east they moved, and the more the ground improved, the fewer problems the artillery would have. So far, it had not played out that way. The road had been seriously torn up by Braddock’s army, and now his legion and supply train were distressing it further. The artillery wagons and transport were heavy and slow, which made their movement much more difficult.
“We received a report from them an hour ago, sir,” Salt said. “As you know, the engineers are having to repair parts of the road before they can move forward. The process is taking significant time. It is possible that when we exit the forest, the artillery train could be a week or more behind us, perhaps even two weeks. It’s a shame the enemy did nothing to improve the road.”
“A little thoughtless of them,” Stiger said.
“Yes, sir,” Salt said. “If we have to fight a proper battle, we may have to do it without any artillery.”
“That’s far from ideal,” Stiger said, rapping his knuckles on the table lightly, “not ideal at all. We’re going to need the artillery before this is all over. Do you think there is anything that can be done to speed things up?”
Salt shook his head. “They’re doing all that they can, sir. The problem is the road. It was never meant for such traffic, not in my time and certainly not in this time, where it has degraded and seen little maintenance.”
Stiger gave a nod.
“At least the supply train is making good time,” Salt said, “and keeping up.”
“There is that,” Stiger said. “It means we won’t be starving, at least.”
“Yes, sir,” Salt said, “too true.”
“More salt pork,” Therik said in an unenthusiastic tone.
“You’re the one who passed up on a moose,” Stiger said.
“Who needs moose when you have pork, and plenty of it too?” Salt said. “I’ll take that any day. Pork builds the constitution, sir. The legion marches on it.”
Stiger regarded his prefect for a long moment. “I guess it beats hardtack.”
“That it does, sir,” Salt said.
Stiger blew out a long breath. With the news from Braddock, it made his next decision even more difficult.
“I am thinking of resting the legion a day,” Stiger said. “I am not happy about it, but the legion needs at least a day’s break before pushing on. Do you disagree?”
“No, sir. The boys could use a rest,” Salt said. “Even a day will do wonders.”
“It’s settled then,” Stiger said. “We will remain here for a day.”
“Very good, sir,” Salt said and then looked over at Stiger’s head clerk. “Nepturus, we could use some good news. Do you have the tally of the haul from the battle? Not the estimate, but the detailed one from Ikely you showed me earlier.”
“The one that arrived this morning, sir?” Nepturus asked.
“That’s the one I want,” Salt said.
Stiger’s clerk stepped over with several tablets in hand. He set them down on the table and backed away.
“This should brighten your mood, sir,” Salt said, sorting through the wax tablets, searching for the one he wanted. “It took some time to tally it all, but we scored quite a haul. Ah…here we go. We captured three hundred wagons, of which at least one hundred are in excellent condition. The rest need some work or refurbishment. Twenty-four have been deemed of no value, other than spare parts, wheels, axles, and such. Five hundred and two mules were captured, along with seventy-three horses. Of the horses, twenty-one were marked with imperial brands from the legion.”
Stiger felt sour about that. Had the enemy captured them in battle or had some enterprising supply officer sold them for personal gain? It had been known to happen, and from the state of General Kromen’s Southern legions, he would not have put it past the supply officers to be corrupt.
“We seized a herd of two hundred head of cattle, seventy goats, and another fifty-odd sheep.” Salt put the tablet down on the table and picked up another. “The enemy was kind enough to provide us with two hundred and eighty tons of flour, over three hundred barrels and large casks of salt pork, about fifty barrels of salted beef, another couple hundred tons of potatoes…the list of food stores goes on.” Salt set the tablet down and picked up another. “Moving on to armaments seized, we have secured twenty-one thousand swords of various types and quality, ten thousand spears, forty-six thousand daggers, one thousand bows that are considered useful, two thousand slings of various sizes, fifteen thousand entrenching tools, ten thousand breastplates, another seventeen thousand assorted pieces of armor, such as grieves, bucklers, shields… You name it…it’s here. We’ve also seized twenty-three hundred and four communal tents, and another two hundred individual tents of varying sizes and quality.”
“We could equip an entire army from that,” Stiger said, thinking it indeed an impressive haul.
“No doubt,” Salt said, picking up a tablet and studying it. “I also received a thorough report from Tribune Ikely on what we’ve learned from questioning the rebel officers. Would you like to hear a summary now? Or would you prefer to review the report yourself?”
“Give me the summary now,” Stiger said. “I will study the report itself later tonight.”
Salt glanced down at the tablet a moment.
“Zoc was, as we thought, the highest ranking officer to survive. The commanding general, a man named Pintak, died in the fighting. Ikely was able to locate and identify his body. The prisoners we’ve questioned, mostly officers… including Zoc, know little of what is going on beyond the Sentinel Forest. What information they did have was weeks old and is now likely useless. To make matters worse, the Cyphan did not see fit to confide in Pintak and his officers on their overall plans. They apparently didn’t trust the bastards and kept them, for the most, part in the dark.”
“I see,” Stiger said. This was not good news.
“In addition,” Salt said, “despite promises to the contrary, the confederacy has treated the rebels poorly. They’ve occupied the cities supporting the rebellion, from which Pintak’s army was drawn. Apparently, the Cyphan have been very hard. There is a detailed list in the report itself of things they’ve done to the rebel civilian
s, including the public execution of all teachers, tutors, philosophers, and anyone who spoke out against either Valoor or the confederacy. They also went out of their way to kill priests of the High Father and raze any temples not dedicated to Valoor. Belief in any other god has been banned. Food and stores of all kinds, along with draft animals and transport were confiscated. As you can imagine, this has led to mass hunger in the rebel held areas.”
Salt paused and glanced back down at the tablet.
“It should come as no surprise that morale amongst the men of Pintak’s army was in the sewer. Had the rebel army not marched to Vrell and been so isolated, I expect they would have suffered terribly from desertion. There was simply nowhere for disaffected men to go since no ready sources of food were available in the event they wanted to leave. That said, two days before we attacked, Pintak put down a partial mutiny of his men, killing several hundred. It seems he was fond of making examples and publicly tortured several of the mutineers to death. Zoc felt it was only a matter of time before the entire army revolted against its leadership and the Cyphan.”
Stiger gave a nod and let out a long breath, feeling thoroughly dissatisfied by what he was hearing. He had already received preliminary reports on the questioning of the enemy. Beyond providing a little more color on the conditions in the rebel-held lands and their army, the report was also nothing he did not already know or suspect.
“Concerning intelligence of the goings-on beyond the Sentinel Forest, about all they knew after turning toward Vrell was that the confederacy’s main army marched after General Kromen’s legions.” Salt stopped for a heartbeat. “There were rumors of a battle and victory for the confederacy, but no solid confirmation could be corroborated. Unfortunately, none of the Cyphan survived the battle to be captured. They were either killed in the fighting or ended their own lives before we could get our hands on them.”
The Tiger’s Wrath (Chronicles of An Imperial Legionary Officer Book 5) Page 22