Homecoming

by Tull Harrison

  He felt, rather than heard Rebenna's nodded response. Finally, they gathered themselves. She gave him one last squeeze.

  "Tymon will help provide for you, just make sure he gets his share too." Delmer turned his attention back towards the obstinate falcon. "I don't think you can be any angrier at me, so I might as well tell you. Rebenna is leaving now, and you are to go with her. Please don't be too stubborn with her." As if defying Delmer, with a few flaps of its wings the bird flew to Rebenna's hurt arm. She winced as he landed, his talons digging in.

  The king and the ambassador parted quickly. Rebenna mounted Trouble, with Tymon still on her shoulder. She shot one last meaningful glance at Delmer, and spun Trouble around. He could see her squeeze the horse's flanks hard. They took off at an instant gallop.

  He kept telling himself she would be all right, but he knew he might be sending her to her death. He might as well have painted her shield with words saying, “I make myself a target for your pleasure.”

  Savann was not a region anyone knew anything about. He was sure Rebenna could handle difficult situations, she had proven that, but Savann was a whole new battlefield.

  Not wanting to dwell on their departure, he readied himself for his own. First, he found Danielle, hoping she might have a small amount of food to spare. Unsurprisingly, she managed to scrape a small portion together. He thanked her wholeheartedly.

  After this he went and fetched his saddlebags. Morag didn't let his master out of her sight. She easily could have been the best guard dog in Malzepher.

  Delmer sighed as he went into the barn. He had spent entirely too much time traveling of late. Lancelet whickered when he saw his master. Unlike Trouble or Tymon, he had always been laid back. He led the content horse outside.

  He spied Senden and walked over to him. "Thank you for your hospitality, my friend. When I get home, I will make sure I do something to repay you."

  "I assure you, there is no need for that. We are perfectly fine. Besides I doubt that in your...um...situation there is anything you could do for us."

  "Thank you again, we must be going," Delmer replied hastily, hoping Senden wouldn't notice Rebenna's absence.

  He spun on his heel. While Delmer was striding towards his horse, Morag let out a howl. He started and turned towards the direction Morag was facing, spying three men on horses approaching the village. They had three extra horses.

  Delmer knew his own guardsmen. Senden spotted them too, and they waited together. He did not wait patiently. He paced back and forth, wishing that the men would hurry up.

  They arrived, traveling at a reasonable pace, considering their horses were drop-dead tired. The men themselves weren't in great condition either.

  The lead guardsman spotted Senden first. "Sir, we have traveled from Kingdom Cove in just over two days. Our horses are exhausted, as are we. Please, could you spare a small amount of food? Normally we would hunt, but I am afraid we are too tired to manage even that." The other two guards turned to Senden too, so Delmer was completely ignored.

  Senden laughed to himself. "Pardon my reaction, but we have not had so many visitors for as long as I can remember. I will personally see to feeding you."

  At these words the guard looked up sharply. "Who else has been through here?"

  "Why, just a man and his wife, weary travelers like you. Just look to my right, if you want to meet the man. I could not tell you were his wife is."

  Their heads swiveled towards Delmer instantly, and their mouths fell open. The look on their faces was so comical Delmer almost laughed out loud. "Yes, Travis,” he said to one of them. “It is me. Travis is your name, is it not?"

  The young man nodded, dumbfounded. The leader was the only one of the three that kept his composure. "King Delmer, a crisis has come up. We must leave now."

  "And what exactly is the problem, Captain?" Delmer had never liked this particular guard. His name was Anthony, and from what Delmer had seen, he was a bully. He normally didn't hold grudges, but Delmer didn't trust him.

  "The pirates, they have started an attack on Kingdom Cove."

  Delmer's greatest fears were confirmed. Though the navy must have been activated already, he thought wryly. “We must make haste. However, what will you do with your horses? I am surprised they are still living after an exertion like that. Why did you not use the extra horses?"

  Anthony scowled. "Majesty, our intentions were to save them for the way home. The problem was our current beasts wore out too fast.”

  "That still does not answer my first question."

  Pierce, the third member of the party spoke up this time. He was experienced with the pirates and had a good head on his shoulders. "We will leave them in this village, if possible. They are good horses, even if they have never pulled a plow. Perhaps they could help."

  "That is an excellent idea." Delmer turned to Senden. "Would you be willing to care for these fatigued horses?"

  Senden nodded dazedly and took the leads of the three horses. The guards dismounted and remounted the other animals they had come with. Senden brought a small amount of food and put it in their saddlebags.

  Delmer picked up Morag and walked towards Lancelet. He swiftly mounted and settled Morag in front of him. Fleet hounds were known for their endurance, but she wouldn't be able to run for an extended period of time. He thanked Senden again and called to the three guards. They took off at an easy canter, but once out of sight, dropped into a trot.

  Chapter 13

  Hooves churned the earth. Delmer could feel Lancelet's tension under him. He wanted to gallop full out, not at the clipped pace they were currently going.

  Delmer tried to soothe the anxious horse, knowing that the other horses were too fatigued to go faster. Despite his words, Lancelet remained tense. It was as if he could sense what was going on. Morag was restless too; she often tried to leap from the cantering horse to run on her own four legs.

  If Delmer were to be honest with himself, he was in the same mood as his animal companions.

  For a few minutes, Lancelet galloped but soon settled into a comfortable canter and then and easy trot. He seemed to know that he was in for a long journey. There was no way Lancelet could have sustained a hard pace for two days.

  They swiftly left the hills, but still Delmer feared that he would not make it back to Kingdom Cove in time. The pirates could not successfully sack it without siege equipment, but they could certainly cause severe damage. It had taken him and Rebenna almost three days to reach the village. The fact that his guards had managed to do it in just over two days meant the horses had clearly been pushed to their limits.

  Strategies to fight the pirates occupied Delmer's head while he rode. He was still not used to thinking ahead, but he must learn.

  Whenever they came to a river Delmer would let Lancelet drink. He would also feed him dry berries and handfuls of old oats. Delmer knew this wasn't good for Lancelet because his bit was in, but he didn't have a choice. They didn't have enough time for him to unbridle the animal. He ate while he was riding, there was no time to stop.

  They rode through two nights, being eventually forced to slow down. Lancelet had been bred for speed and endurance, and he managed to keep going with only a few minutes of rest here and there, but there would be a limit to what he could do too.

  Finally, the great walled city came within sight. Delmer couldn't tell anything from a distance and forced himself to wait. He couldn't press Lancelet any harder, and two minutes wouldn't make a difference, although the sun seemed to blaze even hotter directly above their heads.

  An eternity and then some passed in that time. When they arrived at the gates, Delmer called for the guards to lower it, but nothing happened. The guards did not even ask who he was. The area remained silent, except for Lancelet's panting and Morag's growling.

  The situation was graver than Delmer thought. If there were no guards to watch the gate, then the city was in dire straits. There were also holes in the wall which made his heart plummet.
He wasn't worried about being able to enter, he could do that easily. He was just worried about the shape he would find it in, once he got inside.

  He would have to use the secret tunnel. He clucked to Lancelet, who took off at a slow trot, surprising Delmer; the horse shouldn't even have had energy to manage that.

  Impatient, Morag finally jumped down, and Delmer let her go. She could keep up for the short distance they were going.

  Lancelet seemed to know where they were going. They made their way towards a grove of trees in the distance. In that grove there was a tunnel, which led into the private training grounds of the castle. It was part of the secret escape route of passageways he had found years before.

  Inside the grove was a trapdoor covered with a thin layer of dirt and rotting leaves. Delmer fished the ring with the royal seal out of his saddlebag. He also grabbed his crown; its weight was heavy on his head. He had not missed wearing it.

  Quickly, he brushed aside the leaves and debris. Pressing the seal into worn groove in the wood, he twisted. Without hesitation, he grabbed the handle that appeared and yanked. Morag bounded in and turned to look at Delmer, to make sure he was following. He was, but he had to lead his poor horse.

  Lancelet and Delmer had gone through the tunnel together many times. At first, the horse had been hesitant, but once Delmer showed him that it was safe, Lancelet had followed willingly but slowly. The beginning of the tunnel was a reasonable incline, so he carefully watched his stallion's footing. The passage was fairly small. Lancelet barely fit, and Delmer had to bow his head. There was no light within it, yet Delmer knew the terrain.

  Morag came to the door at the end of the tunnel first and barked to let Delmer know. He reached it shortly after her and opened it as quickly as possible, stepping through. The door was part of the stone wall, and a heavy blanket of ivy covered it. He pushed away the ivy curtain and entered the desolate training field.

  The stables were right beside it, so Delmer grabbed his saddlebags and pushed Lancelet towards them. The horse could find his own way. Delmer had to get to the wall overlooking the sea. Nothing in the city seemed too different, except that it was deserted.

  The young king turned and sprinted towards the castle, his saddlebags thumping against his leg. Through the courtyard, through the entrance hall, bursting on to the battered terrace, he ran as Morag howled.

  Soldiers whirled to look at the intruders, hands on the hilts of their swords. When they realized who stood before them, a great cry went up: their king, with a filthy face and in tattered clothes — but his presence was still a miracle.

  Delmer immediately strode over to General Laredo Portam. The king did not even give him time to talk before he asked for a report.

  "General Portam, how is the battle going?"

  Portam pulled himself together. "The pirates' forces are more numerous than we ever calculated. Our navy has managed to hold them off; however, they seem to know every nook and cranny of the coast. Some of them have managed to come ashore."

  "Are we to meet them on the ground, as well as at sea?"

  "Yes, Majesty. At sea, they are more of a threat. But we have few troops on land inside the castle, and I have been trained in naval warfare. I know little of land command. Our soldiers are well trained, but they have no general."

  "Do they outnumber us on land?"

  Portam seemed exhausted and overwhelmed. "We are approximately equal in size, Majesty — but we have no more reserves of our own. Reinforcements from the merchant cities are only a few marks away. Borse and Rugerr forces are not here yet. We just never expected the pirates to attack from land."

  Silence hung in the air. The people on the terrace were silent, just staring at their king and general. Finally, Portam broke the silence, "Sire, you have been trained for land conflict. Lead our soldiers." His voice shook, and his words were barely audible.

  Silence settled over the crowd, encasing them in a shroud of stillness. No one moved.

  Tullister stepped forward and kneeled. "Sire...I pledge my life to you. I will follow you into battle or to the ends of the earth. If I must die, let it be protecting you and our city. Command me." At this statement, others also knelt.

  Gradually the whole crowd, including General Portam, knelt before their king.

  The king's blue eyes locked with Tully’s, who stared back at him unflinchingly. He wanted Delmer to know that he was serious in his pledge.

  Finally, Delmer smiled and spoke loudly enough for all to hear, "I accept your trust gratefully. However, pledging yourselves to me is a serious matter. All of you will be bound to your word and my will, and you cannot be discharged from this duty. Will you swear allegiance, knowing this?" His gaze swept across the sea of people before him.

  The crowd spoke as one, "We pledge ourselves to you, Sire.”

  The words were part of a ritual, but they affected Delmer. Hearing them, he spoke the ritual response, "I accept your submission, and pledge not to abuse my power." Then as an afterthought he added, "General Portam, we will meet these scoundrels on the battlefield tomorrow. Have everyone who owns a horse ride it. Every man who does not must be fully armored for hand-to-hand combat. I shall gather my own battle supplies and will meet you outside the gate at first light."

  The general nodded his assent and immediately began barking orders. The battlement seemed to shudder under all the sudden movement.

  Delmer spun on his heel, calling Tully to come with him. The man hurried to catch up, "Sire, should I not prepare for battle?"

  "Yes, but first I need a report of what happened while I was gone."

  The seneschal nodded. “When you left, the pirates attacked. We sent our navy out to meet them but did not realize another group had sneaked ashore. We had to call one-third of our ships back to protect the castle, but we have not defeated the pirates ashore.”

  "I am still not sure how the scoundrels coming ashore posed a problem. Do we not have arrow loops?"

  “We did use the arrow loops, Sire, but the pirates have siege weapons. We have managed to take down only a few of their men, while they slowly destroy the city. So far we have been lucky, and our losses have not been heavy. However, if this siege continues, we will lose the whole city."

  “Why is there a break in the siege? Do not tell me they attack at night."

  "No, Sire, they usually attack during the day — but today they did not. The battle still goes on at sea, but the land attack has stopped. No one knows why. We could have taken the field, but we didn't have anyone to lead us.”

  "How has the city reacted?”

  Tully shook his head but did not spare Delmer the truth. "Not well. They couldn’t understand why you left us so soon after your father’s death, when we were facing a threat. They want us to counterattack.”

  Delmer let out a short laugh. "The Low-born had fathers fighting in the Revolution. Even today they maintain the tradition of street fighting. They don’t want to see us cowering inside the castle. We must recruit them.”

  "Why, Sire?"

  "They probably know land fighting better than our trained guards. Do not forget that my grandmother was at one point a commoner. She had to earn her spot as queen, as did the nobles, even if they have forgotten that fact."

  Tully gave his king a slight smile. "I shall notify the guild masters that every man, whatever his position, should join us.”

  "Every man? What about the women?"

  Tully was shocked. "No women have served in the army since Princess Delilah."

  "That does not mean that they cannot serve.” Under his breath, Delmer added, "Although High-born women will no doubt decline."

  "Shall I recruit the women as well?”

  "Yes, if they are streetfighters already. Recruit everyone older than fifteen and younger than fifty. Now we should all get some sleep. We will meet them on the battlefield in the morning.

  Tully nodded and turned to leave. Before he was out of sight, Delmer called out to him, "My kingdom has been in good hands.
Thank you, Tullister.”

  By the time the king reached his chambers, Morag was waiting for him by the door. He fished the key out of his saddlebag. Inside, he stripped off his clothes and collapsed on the bed. Delmer did not expect to sleep, but as soon as his head touched the pillow, he drifted off.

  He was up before the sun rose, and he had slept well. Striding towards his dresser, Delmer pulled on a clean tunic and breeches. Next, he went to his personal armory. Near the back was the royal armor, and he smiled fondly before donning it. His father had given it to him when he had graduated from his training.

  Buckling his sword and slinging his bow over his shoulder, he surveyed himself in the mirror before turning to Morag. Malzepher's dogs were trained for fighting from puppies. A few of the birds of prey also fought alongside their owners. But Morag would not fight with the master of dogs’ group. Sergeant Chadran would understand if Morag stayed with the king. Delmer had had a leather plate made especially for her. It was not as effective as his mail as defense, but it worked and was reasonably comfortable. Looking up at her master and friend, she growled. He patted her on the head, and began walking towards the stables.

  Standing next to his second-favorite horse, the king looked over his new troops. The soldiers stood in straight lines, staring attentively at their leader. New jagged lines of peasants who were steadily arriving also began to form.

  They stood amidst low hills near Kingdom Cove. Late the previous night Delmer's officers had set up a rough camp. His idea had been to draw the pirates' attention from Kingdom Cove to the military camp set up outside the city.

  Fror's Minion, Lancelet's son, shifted next to Delmer uneasily. The younger horse was overexcited for the coming battle. He had not had much exercise recently and had already broken a sweat. Morag didn't help the situation by winding through the animal’s legs. Patting the high-strung horse, Delmer whispered reassuring words in his ear.

  People had stopped wandering in through gate. General Portam went to stand next to Delmer. "Sire, it seems we have all the men we are going to get. We have approximately one thousand troops. According to my sources, we outnumber the pirates’ land forces easily, and our reinforcements have arrived from the merchant cities of Tropia, Tacram, and Maioc. They have collectively brought another four hundred men, who are camped outside the walls. Our victory should be guaranteed."