Otto considered the two so-called mercenaries. They were both younger than him and Otto had just turned eighteen. They had also proven themselves his enemy. There was no reason in the world he should spare them. They didn’t know much, but it was enough to make his life difficult should they choose to do so. On the other hand, if he spared them, they would be grateful and potentially useful.
“I’ll let you live on one condition,” Otto said.
“Anything, my lord.”
“You two will come to work for me. I have a small group of loyal servants that handle things that must be kept quiet. I will see you fed and given a small wage and you will do whatever I need done. Should you make any trouble, the others in the group will cut your throats and dump your bodies in a hole so deep no one will ever find you. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Eric said.
Otto freed Erin’s head as well and raised an eyebrow.
“How do we know you won’t just kill us both later?” she asked.
“You don’t,” Otto said. “However, if you refuse, I guarantee you’ll die right here and now. If you try to run or betray me, you’ll wish I killed you today. You know who I am and the resources I can call upon. Not to mention my personal abilities. It’s your choice.”
They had a short staring match. It seemed Erin was made of sterner stuff than her younger brother. At last she looked away and nodded. “Agreed.”
“Excellent.” Otto moved around behind them. “Don’t move.”
They held their heads rigid and he carved a pair of tiny runes into the backs of their necks and empowered them. They both hissed in pain, but he ignored their discomfort. Mercy was one thing, but trust another altogether. Outside of his mother and to a lesser extent Wolfric, Otto had learned to trust no one.
“What was that?” Erin asked when he freed them from the binding spell.
“Marker runes. If you try and run, they’ll let me find you anywhere in the world and kill you in an instant. A simple precaution, in case you have second thoughts after we part company.” He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a handful of silver coins. “Here, your first payment. A reward for your wise decision-making. Get yourselves something to eat and some new weapons. Are you familiar with the Thirsty Sprite?”
“I know it,” Eric said. “They don’t open until afternoon.”
“True. I need to return home. Meet me across the street from the tavern in two hours. If you’re late, you’re dead. Clear?”
“Perfectly, my lord.” Eric bowed.
Otto looked at Erin who nodded once. It seemed that one hadn’t fully accepted her situation. She would soon enough and if she didn’t, well, mercenaries weren’t that hard to come by.
A stream of fire reduced Anders’s body to ash. With the blackmailer done away with, Otto became one with the ether and returned home. He had a great deal yet to do today and he had already wasted enough time.
Chapter 5
After leaving his two reluctant new recruits to fend for themselves, Otto traveled through the ether to the Franken estate. Back in his suite, he emerged from the closet with his mithril sword belted around his waist. He’d totally given up sleeping in the same room as Annamaria. She was liable to cut his throat in his sleep at this point. Only her friendship with Wolfric and his desire to keep things calm stopped him from doing away with the woman. Perhaps after her father died and Otto officially inherited the Franken estate and all its considerable wealth.
Otto put his horrid wife out of his mind, stepped into the hall, and made his way down the main staircase to the dining room where his father-in-law was busy devouring a meal big enough for five. Edwyn was dressed in his usual billowing white silk robes. He dropped a piece of fried bread as Otto approached.
“Hello, my boy. Did I hear you up early this morning?”
“Yes, I had an errand to run for Wolfric first thing. No big deal, but he needed someone he trusts to handle it.” Otto sat, made himself an egg sandwich, and poured a mug of wine. “So you know, the king has tasked me with sorting out the bandit problems.”
“Wonderful! As if we don’t have enough issues without the murdering scum making travel nearly impossible.” Edwyn took a huge bite of bread and nearly choked as he swallowed.
“I was hoping you could give me some hint about where most of the attacks have happened. At least a place to start the hunt would be helpful.”
Edwyn snorted. “They’re all over. Just ride around in a wagon loaded with goods and they’ll find you. Though now that I think about it, a third have happened in or around Shenk Barony. I intended to write your father but haven’t gotten around to it.”
Otto frowned, his food forgotten. Could the attack last year have actually been an attempt to assassinate his father? If Straken was behind the bandits, it would make sense to try and throw one of the central baronies into chaos.
“Thank you, Edwyn. You’ve given me much to think about.” He left his half-eaten breakfast on the table and marched outside.
As soon as he was clear of the house, Otto turned toward the training grounds. Leaving Master Enoch to oversee the trainees while he was gone wasn’t ideal, but he trusted his former master to cover the basics with them. Offensive spells, at least the few Otto wanted them to focus on, were simple enough and now that there was no danger to teaching them, they should have little trouble learning what they needed to know.
The wizards were staying in a hastily constructed barracks that had been built right next to the guards’ barracks. Otto doubted there’d be any trouble between the two groups and if there was, he’d deal with it quickly. With everything happening, he didn’t have time to waste on foolishness.
A quartet of wizards were standing around outside the front door chatting. As soon as they saw Otto they bowed and said, “Good morning, Lord Shenk.”
He nodded. “Is Enoch awake yet?”
“One moment, Lord Shenk,” Enoch said from inside. The old man emerged a few seconds later, his brown robe slightly askew. “I was just finishing breakfast.”
“That’s fine. Let’s take a walk.” Otto led his former master away from the barracks and toward an open stretch of grass they’d designated for spell practice. “I’m going to be away from the capital for a while. The bandit problem has grown intractable and the king has ordered me to investigate. I had hoped to be here to help with training the new recruits, but it looks like the task will fall entirely to you.”
Enoch waved his hand. “I’m sure I can manage, my lord. I’ve spoken to most of them and they all have years of practice shaping the ether. They should have no trouble taking their existing skills and applying them to combat spells. I may not be able to use fire magic to amount to anything, but I can teach them to shape a fireball.”
“Good, start with that. Once they get it down, shift to defensive spells they can use against enemy archers.”
“Blinding Lights might also be valuable, especially against enemy cavalry. And perhaps some basic telekinesis.”
Otto hadn’t considered that, but it would be fast and use a good deal less strength than lightning or fire. “Good idea. And don’t forget to have them work at building their strength to their personal maximum. Good luck, Master. I leave them in your capable hands.”
They shook and Otto marched off to find his new soldiers. It was time to see if Allen was as good at gathering information as he claimed.
Eric and Erin were standing on the street corner across from the Thirsty Sprite when Otto arrived. The duo had new crossbows in hand which were drawing nervous looks from the occasional passersby. He didn’t know why the locals were so surprised, this wasn’t the nicest part of the city after all. Granted it might not be so bad that you needed to carry crossbows. Let them think what they wanted, Otto had more pressing matters to worry him than a few nervous city dwellers.
“Glad to see you didn’t run,” Otto said when he reached them.
“You made it pretty clear what would happen if we did,” Erin said.
“True, but there are plenty of people who, once I was out of sight, might be stupid enough to believe I didn’t really mean what I said. That you two weren’t among them speaks well of your future. Come along.”
They fell in behind Otto as he crossed the street. The Sprite was closed for another three hours so at least he wouldn’t have to worry about customers. Otto slammed his fist into the door three times and waited.
He was just about to send a shock into Allen’s rune when the door opened and Ulf glowered out. He’d trimmed his thin mustache, so it only hung down to his chin. A loose green tunic covered his thin frame. An odd, spicy smell wafted out the door. Not unpleasant, but different from anything Otto had ever smelled.
Ulf moved aside and Otto led the way in. The chairs were still up on the tables. Some concoction was bubbling on the small stove in the center of the common room. That had to be the source of the odd smell.
Once the door was closed Otto asked, “Where’s your employer?”
“Still in bed,” Ulf said. “I’ll wake him.”
Ulf went and yanked a pull cord behind the bar three times. A faintly muffled chime rang. Otto walked over to take a closer look at whatever was cooking. Ulf joined him.
“What is this?” Otto asked.
“Hangover cure. Simple alchemy but comes in handy.” Ulf bent over to stir the bubbling liquid.
As he did the ether swirled around in a way Otto had never seen. Ulf was clearly affecting the potion through the ether, but as far as Otto knew, the man wasn’t a wizard and he wasn’t working magic the way a wizard would. Otto would have to add alchemy to the list of questions he had for Lord Karonin. It seemed he’d barely left the Arcane Lord’s tower when more questions occurred to him.
The creak of a door pulled him back to the moment. He turned to see Allen emerge from the back room, shirtless, barefoot, and his hair in disarray. His eyes were closed and he was fighting a yawn. Seemed Otto had disturbed his beauty sleep.
“I told you not to wake me until an hour before opening,” Allen said.
“I’m sorry the timing of my arrival wasn’t convenient,” Otto said.
Allen’s eyes popped open and he stared at Otto before shifting his gaze to Eric and Erin. “Lord Shenk. I wasn’t expecting to see you again this soon. How may we be of service?”
“It’s time to see if your skill at gathering information is as good as you claimed. A man named Anders, a wizard, tried to blackmail me. He hired these two for muscle. You’re going to find out everything you can about him. Was he working for someone or was he acting alone like he said? My work is too important to risk some unknown enemy derailing things. These two will help you. Should they prove less than helpful, feel free to kill them and dump their bodies. I’m going bandit hunting. I want answers when I get back.”
“That’s not much to go on,” Allen said.
“It’s all I have. You’ll need to figure the rest out on your own. Oh, you might get a visit from Captain Kelten. He’s not fully convinced Lothair acted just at the behest of Straken. I’m sure the man will eventually learn Lothair knew you. I recommend you be circumspect.” Otto turned and stalked toward the door. Halfway there he stopped and turned. “When I return, you and I, Ulf, are going to have a chat about alchemy. The process is fascinating.”
Ulf bowed. “I am at your service, Lord Shenk.”
Otto nodded. At least one of his new servants knew how to show proper respect. Still, if Allen got results, Otto didn’t care a lick about his attitude.
Chapter 6
Despite Cobb’s prediction, Axel’s scout unit didn’t encounter the first sign of Straken’s soldiers until midafternoon on the third day of their march. And even then, it wasn’t men they encountered but an abandoned camp about two days old. Blackened fire pits were scattered around and judging from the numbers he guessed at most five hundred men had spent a single night in the clearing.
Axel ordered Colten’s cohort to find their trail and report back. It shouldn’t take the talented young man long. They needed to keep moving lest the rest of the army catch up. The three companies under his command were riding about two hours ahead of the main body of the First and Second Legions. It was their job to find the enemy and give plenty of warning to the units behind them. So far all they’d found was a lot of trees and empty road. It was impossible to think Straken’s army hadn’t made it this far given the complete lack of opposition they’d faced.
The Northern Army was formidable, but Straken wasn’t known for their cowardice. They’d want to fight soon enough. The only questions were where and when.
Cobb guided his mount up beside Axel. “Figured we’d have at least bloodied our swords by now. What are the bastards waiting on?”
“I wish I knew. Have the men make a thorough search of the area. Given the hour, once the rest of the army arrives, it will be time to make camp.”
Cobb nodded and rode off, bellowing orders. To listen to him you’d never guess Cobb could move so quietly he could cut your throat before you knew he was there.
Axel watched as his men dispersed to carry out his orders. The worst thing about being in charge was not knowing what you were supposed to do while you waited for information.
The answer came five minutes later when Colten came racing into the clearing, his horse whipped into a lather. No way would he have abused the animal like that if he hadn’t found something important.
The scout reined in and saluted. Behind him his men came rushing in behind their leader. Axel ignored them and focused on Colten. “Lieutenant, report.”
“We found them, sir,” Colten said between gasps. “The Straken army, a good chunk of it anyway, is dug in about five miles up the road. They picked a good spot, sir. The forest is thick on either side of their position, so we’ll have to funnel through a narrow entrance to the field where they’re set up.”
“Numbers?” Axel asked.
“We didn’t hang around to count. As soon as I saw what they were up to we hightailed it back.”
“Okay. Get a fresh horse from one of the men. I’m going to have to take a look myself. Cobb!”
His second joined him while Colten went to find a fresh mount. “News, my lord?”
Axel gave him the gist of Colten’s report. “If it’s as ugly as it sounds, the Northern Army is in for a tough time. Send a squad to inform the general we’ve found the enemy and not to advance past the clearing. You, Colten, and I are going to take a closer look.”
Cobb relayed his orders and once the squad was on its way, the three of them rode out, Colten in the lead. As they moved further down the road, the forest on either side grew thicker, especially the undergrowth. It would kill the infantry to force their way through that mess of briars and thickets. The Straken general clearly knew what he was doing.
Eventually the forest opened into another clearing. They reined in well back and dismounted, tying the horses to a handy tree. On foot, they snuck out to the edge of the trees. Axel slipped between a pair of trunks to better avoid detection. What he saw did nothing to reassure him.
The enemy had dug in and built a crude earthen fort, with deep trenches and rows of spiked barricades to force their movement into tight killing fields. They’d built the fort right in the middle of the road. There was no way past them that wouldn’t expose the legions to archery fire. Worse, even from a distance a trio of catapults and two ballistae were visible. The heavy siege weapons would shred their formations.
Axel took his spyglass out of a padded case he kept in his satchel. The soldiers were moving around too much to allow a truly accurate count, but Axel guessed at least half a legion guarded that fort and, given the strength of their position, it would be an expensive proposition to wipe them out.
And they had to wipe them out. The army couldn’t leave such a large force at their rear. The trick was going to be doing it without incurring so much damage they couldn’t continue on and face the remaining Straken forces.
“Don’t
look good,” Cobb said.
“No, it doesn’t.” Axel put his spyglass away and scratched his chin. “Colten, can we find a way around them?”
“Small groups can manage the forest easily enough, sir, but not the whole army. Not unless we want to move five miles a day. There are other roads, but we’d have to backtrack almost to headquarters and who knows what we’ll find.”
“And in the meantime, this lot will be improving their position. Okay, I’ve seen enough. It’s the general’s call. Let’s go report in.”
They slunk back to the horses and returned to the clearing to wait for the rest of the Northern Army. Axel didn’t envy General Varchi this decision. Whatever he decided, there was going to be blood and dying, much of it on the Garenland side.
Axel finished his report while General Varchi paced in his command tent. The two-room tent was dominated by a folding table covered with a map of the northern province. There was little in the way of comforts beyond a cushion for his camp chair. The general took pride in living rough in the field like his men and everyone respected him for it.
The news of a large blocking force in a rough fortification wasn’t exactly a shock; they’d been expecting resistance for over a day now, but an open battle had been seen as more likely. Axel wasn’t as well versed on the history of war between the two countries as the general, but he knew enough to understand that Straken wasn’t famous for its defensive actions. In every war since the fall of Lord Karonin, they’d been the aggressor. Finding they were skilled defenders came as a surprise.
When Axel finished his report he added, “I wish I had better news, sir.”
The general stopped pacing and faced him. “It is what it is, Commander. We knew they’d try something, now it’s up to us to overcome it. I want a scouting party sent out tonight. If there are hidden pits or other traps, we need to know. If possible, I’d like you to grab a prisoner. We know far too little about what Straken has planned.”
The Great Northern War (The Portal Wars Saga Book 2) Page 3