Fletcher

by P. S. Power

  Looking around, making certain that no one heard what he was doing there. Hiding the fact that he knew they might all die in the coming attack. They were outnumbered and from the list of what the enemy had with them, including a secret weapon that was being hidden somehow, that really did seem to be about right.

  Death was the likely reward for their troubles.

  Not for the first time, Anders wondered why they didn’t simply run away. There was no benefit to engaging in a battle that they couldn’t win. They had the mobile horse and could goad the enemy, getting them to chase them. Leaving the villages more or less alone if they did that correctly.

  Instead they were going to make a stand there. Bravely, no doubt. Farad could see many ways out for them. The old books in his head spoke of many such things having been done. Most of them being condemned because they lacked in proper honor.

  Which, he knew, was the true issue of the moment. They couldn’t run, because it would be seen as being cowardly by those that heard of it later. So, instead of using cleverness, they were going to stand their ground, even if it meant being ground down against the grindstone of the enemy forces.

  A thing he didn't even bother to argue against. It might mean his life but his place wasn’t to give away that Anders Brolly was more than he currently seemed. To that end, he glanced around, nodding.

  “I’ve been working on something, like we talked about. I have a few things really. Not all of them are all that… Kind.”

  Letting his stern face tick upward, the other man made a gesture with his head, indicating Anders should follow him. They walked to the one area of the camp where they were least likely to be overheard, which was, interestingly enough, directly in front of his little hut. Inside of it would have worked as well, except that might be noticed by Prince Alpert, who was watching from in front of his own place. Master Tolan was with him, looking at a map.

  “What do you have?”

  Looking away, Anders kept his voice low.

  “Traps. I worked it out for hunting but we can put out a line of spelled stones that will kill any large animals that are coming at us. It will take deer, elk and…”

  The other man chuckled.

  “Horses are in that same size? If we could unhorse their mobile forces that could aid us a lot. Can you do something similar for the fighters? I wouldn’t want to ask…” The man looked tense then. Conflicted.

  “I can. The problem with that is setting them up. Any man can drop a stone along a line that will only work on animals. The spell will have to be set however, to allow someone here to put them into place. That… Well, it will need to be me. I can set it to kill anyone larger than I am, for about a week. Maybe less than that. Three days, certainly. They’ll kill our own men and horses if they get too close.”

  A woman would also work, if they had one of those there. Working it by size would make it so any women with the enemy that tried to attack them wouldn’t live either. At least if the things worked right.

  “Damn. That… It’s too good not to use. On the other hand, I don’t want to risk you that way. We could send a guard with you…”

  “Only we can’t. I’ll have to leave the area to go and make the spelled stones. Once that’s done, we can’t let anyone go into the areas that are being covered. If I have a map, I can put them down where you want them. Both kinds? For people and animals?” It made some sense not to kill the horses, if the men were going to be dead. Before he could mention that, the Captain nodded.

  “Exactly. Their horses must be denied to the survivors and we can’t use many more than we have. It’s been a chore to keep them fed, so far as it is, adding more would mean some of them die of starvation. Better by far that we kill them and see about salvaging the meat later, if we can. That’s the normal way of it. How large of an area can you cover that way?”

  That took some discussion, though they knew roughly what would be needed. They could lay down a double line of each type of stone in the suspected attack zones, with a few others in the woods in specific areas to drive the lines to where they wanted them. A thing that was going to take a lot of work, since ideally, they’d space them to trick as many of the enemy into running up onto their traps as possible.

  Once they had that basic idea down, the Captain, not seeking to protect the information from Anders at all, not getting that he should for any reason, moved directly over to the Prince and worse, Master Tolan. Then, speaking easily, he gestured toward him.

  “Master Brolly has some things for us. More food, as well. Collected while standing inside the camp, as I ordered him to do.”

  The Prince, looking worried, nodded.

  Master Tolan looked confused.

  “How? Some fish from the lake?”

  The Captain shook his head.

  “Nah. He flew in greens and ripe apples from off in the woods. Different places. I couldn’t see how far that was from. You mentioned the other day that no one could do that. Apparently he worked a trick out, some others as well.” He tried to go on, with Master Tolan stopping him.

  “Again… how?”

  Feeling more than a little frustrated and like he might well be caught out, Anders stared at the man. He smiled though, not wanting to seem suspicious.

  “Really, it was Captain Horner’s request that got me thinking about how to do that sort of thing. I’d been able to speak, in a rough fashion, to Princess Aisla the other day, because I created a word that indicated her very closely. Having met her, I was able to be very specific as to who I was sending it to. So I tried making some more, similar phrases for specific things. Apples and fish. Only ones that are of a certain size, color and ripeness, or for the fish, those with enough size. That allowed me to replace that information for a sympathetic link, like hair or blood.” He grimaced a bit, meaning it. “Which will only work for someone I know. That I’ve met enough times to build a solid picture and sense of in my mind. The same with the fish or the apples. I couldn’t call something to me that I’ve never encountered before. Also, it was harder than doing things closer to me. It took a lot more effort.”

  That part was true. Much of his day had been spent panting and gasping for air already. On the nice side, that had ended as soon as the effort was over. Once he ended the spell, he was able to recover well enough.

  Tolan almost glared at him, then nodded.

  “Very good work, then. Impressive, in fact.”

  Captain Horner nodded then.

  “He also has some traps he can put out that will kill horses and… men. We can put out lines of the things, that will drive their forces along certain routes. Possibly, at least. If they don’t just march their people at us not caring about the losses. They don’t have a force nearly big enough for that, so it won’t happen.” The big man, his eyes sharp seeming in the moment, seemed very certain of that idea.

  Now it was the turn of the Prince to seem doubtful.

  “He has to set these himself?”

  Rather than lie, Anders simply agreed with the words. For the most part.

  “For the fighters, yes. Anyone larger than myself will die, triggering the devices. The ones for the horses can be set by anyone, as long as we keep our own animals away from the things. Deer and elk might trigger those as well. Once set up they’ll stay active for a week, in potential. Three to four days is almost certain.”

  For a long while no one spoke. Finally, Prince Alpert moved to a hand drawn map that showed the area right around their camp. Gesturing to the Captain, he handed a grease and charcoal marker over.

  “Show me what you intend for this.”

  They argued over the best placement, as well as stopping after a moment, Alpert making a face at Anders.

  “Can we also have lights out there? Things that will trigger when, say, fighters try to walk past them?”

  It would make for a lot of spells to hold at once. Most of them wouldn’t be active all the time and when the energy drain from them came, would last only a few moments.

/>   “Yes. I’m going to need some rocks for it. About the size of… Well, really, they just need to be big enough for me to hold on purpose. I can set things on trees as well. Some of both would be best. It’s harder to move a tree around if it isn’t where we want it.”

  That got the Captain to stand up, yelling.

  “I need a basket or bag of small stones, about the size of a coin. Quickly!”

  Everyone that heard him called that out again, then started to look around themselves, including the men who were still drilling. Not five minutes later a man walked up, quickly, with a decently large sack that had to hold fifty pounds of small, mainly rounded, rocks.

  “Here are those stones requested, Cap’n.”

  The man nodded, and then settled them on the ground next to Anders when they were waved in that direction.

  For his part, once the map was finalized, he memorized it, placing it in the halls of memory, which took about two moments. Then he started to stand, planning to get to that directly, only to have Horner hold a hand up.

  “You said you might have a new technique to pass more exact messages?”

  That got him to nod. It was going to be rather complex but he had the needed basics down. At least he’d been drilling and practicing with them for several days.

  Their army Captain grunted then.

  “How long can I make it?”

  That had been something that he’d been considering for a while. Since he’d started things, really. The limit wasn’t in what he could put out, as much as what the listener on the other end could recall. Even with repetition, most people would be hard pressed to recall more than a few lines, if they contained highly exact points.

  “Three lines at a time. If it works we can do more than one set of things.” That seemed to be enough for the moment.

  The others sat and went over what was going to be needed for it. The message itself was rather grim sounding. Dark and as if they would probably not be heard from again.

  Not even if the traps that Anders planned to put out worked.

  The whole spell took him several minutes to compose and he had to use a paper and marker to put it all down, using the symbols that he’d learned and come up with. Then, moving from one sound to the next, he translated the whole message into what, he hoped, would be a thing that would carry over well enough.

  It was convoluted and the men there looked at him funny, not realizing that most of what he was saying would sound like regular words in Istlan to Princess Aisla. When he finished, setting the thing for ten repetitions, he gestured to Master Tolan.

  “Now, if you could check and make certain that worked at all? I’m a bit nervous about it.” A lot of things could go wrong, after all. Including Princess Aisla not understanding what was happening in time to write it all down.

  Almost instantly the Wizard closed his eyes. Then, after a long while, his breath slowing and his eyes fluttering a bit, the man whispered.

  “She has it. The message is already being passed, as requested. The King is aware and wishes to send a message back. That will be ready in one hour.”

  The man sat there, observing it seemed, what was taking place off in the distance. Anders stood again.

  “I’ll go and get this work done now. That way I can be back to send another message if a reply is needed.” The work would take longer than an hour, he didn't doubt. He really didn't want to be doing it in the dark, later, as the enemy came to kill them.

  Master Tolan spoke.

  “Scouts will be in the area around the camp in four hours. Be back before that time.” It was both an order and in a whisper, showing that the man was still in his trance.

  Picking up the heavy sack of rocks, Anders nodded. It was going to take both hands to carry things that day.

  “I’ll be back by then. I need to hurry.” After all, the spells would take at least a minute to set up, each time. They couldn’t be started until he was in the right area, well far enough away that none of their people would try to ride through the area by accident.

  That was still a danger, since they couldn’t put out signs saying not to go a specific direction. That would help the enemy too much. Their people didn't understand to be careful either. If their soldiers or horse troops went the wrong way, they were going to die. On the good side, Captain Horner called for the word to be passed before he was outside the gate of the camp.

  Then, his arms aching from the heavy weight of stones, he started to set things up. He stopped in place, every ten paces, doing five spells each time. Four on different rocks, pulled from his treasure of them and one on the closest large tree. Those would, he hoped, light up as bright as the sun, as soon as they were triggered by a man or woman walking past.

  They would have to be taller than he was for it to work, by at least a head. That part was complicated and slowed down his spell making. Over and over he did it, moving from one area to another, leaving gaps along the major trails they used every day.

  There were five areas that he had to cover, with the last two being finished a bit breathlessly. Not because it was hard to hold the magic. It wasn’t in use yet, so not a problem at all that way. It was raw fear that drove him.

  Both boy and man inside him were dangerously close to soiling themselves, knowing that the enemy could be upon them at any moment. That spurred him to hurry, rather than to not get all the work done.

  It did occur to him that if they came upon him, they’d die, from the traps. Unless they stood back and lobbed arrows at him. In that case he had to notice them first, in order to get his shield wall up in time. He could stop arrows and even a sword blow from a man or a spear thrust, with a single hand gesture. If, of course, he knew to do it in time. Also, as long as he knew where it was coming from, since it could only be put up in one direction at a time.

  The idea seemed horribly flawed now that battle was possibly coming soon.

  Still, inside the time that he’d been given, Anders Brolly was back inside the picket line. There were guards on it, though not all of them by any means. Farad understood that, having had information about what was expected to come, from the Captain and Master Tolan.

  The main force wouldn’t be there until late that night or early in the morning. The scouts weren’t going to attack, since they’d be foolish to take on two hundred men with less than twenty, broken into small groups. Historically, most battles started at daylight, or before that, if a sneak attack was desired. It would be hard for a large force to do that part. A thousand men didn't sneak well.

  That didn’t mean a smaller, more careful group might not be set on them first, to try and soften them up. That, or assassinate the leaders. No one had spoken openly about those ideas. They were used commonly enough in ancient battles for the idea to be known.

  As soon as he was back, covered with sweat and shaking in fear still, Prince Alpert set him to creating a new message.

  “The attack is planned for tonight, in the dark. There is a trick, which Master Tolan has heard of. What that is, we haven’t uncovered as of yet. I wish to send a message to Aisla. To say goodbye, just in case.”

  A similar thing should have been sent to Lyse. Except that Anders hadn’t thought to come up with a name for her yet. Instead, rather openly, he tacked a line to the end of the message from the Prince. Asking her to send their regards to everyone else there, if they didn’t make it back.

  Then they had dinner, with everyone going off to attempt to sleep, if they could. Anders knew that wasn’t really going to be happening for him. Instead he laid in his little hut, walking the halls of memory, going over everything he’d learned of archery, spear work and magic. Over and over again.

  Night came, growing quiet and dark. Nothing went off in the forest, as far as traps went. In fact, it seemed nearly like they were going to make it all the way to daylight, the attack not coming at all.

  It wasn’t until he heard hushed voices speaking that he realized that wasn’t going to be happening. Their voices were norm
al enough and could have been his people talking while on guard duty, making certain that they didn't disturb anyone. Except that they were all speaking in the Yansian language.

  Anders was no master of that tongue, as of yet, though he caught enough to understand what was happening.

  “There, those three places, next to the special privy. They hold the high ones. Kill them all, then back into the water. If we are discovered here, we die.”

  Freezing, unable to move, he tried to listen in case there was more. There wasn’t. After ten breaths, coming fast, with fear, he rose from his bed on the dirt floor and moved out, his eyes barely catching the men that moved in the darkness. Almost instantly, something sharp touched his neck on the side.

  “Don’t move woman, or I must slay you.”

  Anders turned, the sharp knife slicing the front of his throat. As the man stiffened behind him, to end his life, Anders pointed his fist at the fellow, mainly unseen in the dark. Then, he opened his hand, rapidly. Making the center of the man explode, internally.

  “Ahhhg!” The man made a decently loud noise as he fell to the ground.

  Cutting Anders on the arm as he struggled with his left hand to get the knife away from his neck. From the sense of burning and dampness there he was bleeding. He also still breathed, so took a deep breath and yelled.

  “Attackers! From the water! To arms! To arms!”

  Then he ran, since the other men had vanished. Probably into the cabins, to kill their prey. Sleeping men that couldn’t defend themselves at all. No one else was there to reach them in time, so Anders would have to do it.

  If he could.

  Chapter twenty-five

  It was impossibly black inside the little hut of Master Tolan. Without being able to see at all, it was going to be impossible to hit anything on purpose. To that end, Anders just pushed his right palm out, activating one of his defensive spells with his mind. It would most likely hit the Master, pushing him back. At the same time it should do that to anyone in the small space as well. There was at least one grunt, and then a man-sized shape attacked him, with a sword.