Parno's Gambit: The Black Sheep of Soulan: Book 3

by N. C. Reed

  “The enemy will likely burn the storehouses anyway,” Memmnon mused. “At least that is what I expect.”

  “That was my understanding as well, which is what made me think of this, Sire,” Roda admitted. “If they're going to be lost no matter what, why not make use of it?”

  “And if they do not enter the warehouse, would you be able to prevent the explosion and fire later?” Memmnon asked. “Disarm the trap, so to speak? That we might be able to make use of the storehouse and the stores within safely?”

  “I can,” Roda looked surprised. “I hadn't considered that a possibility to be honest, but . . . it will take longer to do, and you must make sure that no one other than myself or my assistants enter those storehouses until they are cleared, but . . . yes, Sire. I can.”

  “Mister Hubel, do you think this will work?” Memmnon asked his father-in-law-to-be. “Is it worth doing?”

  “Aye, milord, it is,” Whip nodded. “Roda is a little fussy at times, and temperamental as an old mule come harvest time, but . . . his gadgets are something fierce to behold. If you think the enemy 'll be firing the storehouses, might as well let him do it. They 'll at least pay for everything they get.”

  “Then you may proceed, Mister Finn,” Memmnon said after a moment of silence. “Show me what it is that you do, assuming the enemy behave as we believe.”

  And so it was that Roda was setting the 'spring' for his ninth trap that evening, now into the wee hours of morning. Whip was watching anxiously as the little inventor was beginning to show signs of strain and fatigue, and this really wasn't a job you wanted to be distracted in.

  “And there,” Finn stood, his back popping and cracking as he did so. “All finished. If they open these doors, and they shall have to open at least one to gain entrance, then the mines will go off. Where to next?” he asked.

  “Back to the palace,” Whip said flatly. “We're finished, Roda. You're too tired to keep doing this and you just sent Carl and Billy both away to see about placing mines around the palace itself. We're done. Can't risk you getting yourself blowed up. Prince be like to take my fool head off for allowing it.”

  “But we aren't done!” Roda protested. “There are at least six more storehouses are there not?”

  “And when any of these go off they probably won't bother trying to get into them,” Whip was shaking his head. “We got all of the ones between us and the bridge, and around us out to the edge of the city. They're either empty, or you done set a trap in 'em. And you're just flat too valuable to lose to something like this, Roda. Now stop arguing and get up in that wagon. We're finished I tell ya. You done good, mind you,” he slapped the smaller man on the back. “You did real good.”

  “Thank you,” Finn mentally checked his back for broken vertebrae. “If you insist then we shall return. I admit I am weary.”

  “Then load up, and lets get outta here,” Whip ordered.

  ~*~

  The two Imperial scouts stood inside the tree line overlooking the target bridge leading into the Soulan capitol. They had ridden the last ten miles in the dark, picking their way on foot to get here just at first light. Behind them the rest would be already in the saddle and riding toward them.

  “Is it just me or does that place look deserted?” one asked, sweeping the city with his glass.

  “It's creepy,” the second agreed. “Like a ghost town.”

  “You know there has to be people down there somewhere,” the first remarked after a minute of continued sweeping.

  “Got one man, riding away, left side to the bridge,” the second reported. “Headed for their palace it looks like.”

  “That's the palace?” one asked. “How do you know?”

  “General said it would be the biggest building in the city,” two shrugged. “That's definitely the largest building.”

  They continued to watch but saw no one else. After ten minutes they exchanged a glance.

  “I have to assume they're all in that. . .that palace, then,” one decided.

  “I don't see anyone anywhere else,” two agreed.

  “We better go tell the General.”

  ~*~

  Not everyone was in that. . .that palace. There were several men hidden around the bridge with orders to stay hidden and make no movement that might attract attention until and unless they saw something themselves.

  One of them observed the two Imperial cavalrymen riding out of the tree line and back down the Trade towards the north.

  “Time to go lads,” the senior sergeant told his men. “Our job to sneak back and let them know what we've seen. The others will remain behind to sound the alarm when the time comes.”

  Ten minutes later the group of five were walking their horses toward the palace, waiting to mount up until their movements would be shielded by buildings. They avoided the Water Gate and instead made their way to the Eastern Gate, riding inside the fortress from a direction that could not be observed from across the river.

  “At least two scouts looked us over sir,” the Sergeant was reporting a total of twenty minutes after the fact. “Slipped out and away afterward, straight back down the Trade. No idea if they twigged to anything or not, but they did watch over us a bit. May have been others we didn't see, but them two was dressed as Imperial soldiers.”

  “Very well,” Stang nodded. “Rest your detail and get fed. You won't be called to duty unless there's an attack, so if you can get some sleep, do so.”

  “Sir,” the sergeant saluted and went his way. Stang pursed his lips for a second in thought then turned to his aide.

  “Order all scouts other than the Eastern Road and the bridge detail inside,” he said. “We know they're coming, and where from. No sense anyone being caught outside.”

  ~*~

  Stone listened to the report in silence, allowing his subordinates to ask questions as they saw fit. Finally, as they grew quiet, he spoke.

  “You saw no one other than the one rider?”

  “No sir,” the senior scout shook his head. “I'm sure there were people there, sir, as we could see smoke from cooking fires and what have you, but there was no movement in the city. That palace was too far away to be able to note people moving.”

  “It looked deserted you say?” Stone wasn't liking that.

  “Yes sir, though as I say we could see smoke from fires.”

  “Very well,” he nodded a dismissal. When they were gone he looked at his division heads.

  “It sounds as if they know we're coming,” he said without fanfare.

  “I don't see how, but I also don't see how it matters,” Silas Weir shrugged. “Their army is far to the north, at least three days hard ride. That bunch we were facing back there,” he waved in the direction they had come, “could be here, or at least close by, but if they had the strength to face us in the open, they would have done it then.”

  “I would expect no more than two, perhaps three regiments in the city,” Blake said. “They have Royal regiments, but they're mostly for show.”

  “I wouldn't place too much faith in that,” Baxter was shaking his head. “Their Royal Regiments are elite guards, General,” he said to Stone. “Chosen from among their very best. They may dress flashy and serve as guardsmen, but they didn't start out that way.”

  “How do you know all that?” Blake demanded.

  “I. Can. Read.” Baxter grated the words out, tired of being asked that. “There are intelligence briefings available on this kind of thing, and history books speak of how Soulan is organized, at least so far as we know. We know more about their social structures then their military, but we aren't completely in the dark.”

  “Enough,” Stone decided to head that argument off before it officially started. “Even if they are 'elite' regiments, if there really are only three or so, we'll have the numbers on them.” He paused, clearly thinking things out.

  “We're going across, assuming the bridge will carry us,” he declared suddenly. “It's just too good an opportunity to pass u
p,” he raised a hand when Baxter appeared about to object. “If they have withdrawn into their palace, then they're all in one place. We can have the run of the town and do as much damage as possible. Even just the morale boost of knowing we attacked their 'royal city', plus the damage it will do to southern moral, is enough reason to attempt it. We've never been this close before, and may not be again for some time. This is a perfect opportunity to show the Emperor we've been worth the money spent on us, and to show that infantry general that we can get the job done when he uses us right.”

  All of his division heads agreed with that sentiment, including Baxter. Wilson's disparaging had struck deep among the northern horsemen. This was a chance to prove him wrong.

  “Scouts out, flank and van into position!” Stone called once he was mounted again. “Flankers and vanguard will cross over ahead and form a bridgehead for the rest of us. Exercise caution and do not be led into a trap. Wait for the rest of us before you try to seek out the enemy. Let’s go!”

  After days of hard riding, losses and no small amount of ridicule, Norland 1st Imperial Cavalry Corps was about to make a definite impact on the war effort.

  ~*~

  “You know, there's a chance they won't even hit the city,” Hildebrand remarked as he and Chad made their way to the ramparts over the palace walls to take a look.

  “Why wouldn't they?” Chad asked, more to pass the time than anything. Two-and-a-half hours of sleep had just made him more irritable than rested.

  “Well, think about it,” Hildebrand shrugged. “If they're in this part of the country to draw forces away from the main war effort, then attacking and running won't do that. If the attack is over and the enemy is already moving out of the area then what good is sending troops here?”

  “Point,” Chad nodded. “But until and unless we verify that the enemy has in fact moved out of our territory all together, then they remain a threat to us. Which means we still have to dispatch units to make sure they're gone, or to run them to ground.”

  “We both know that unsupported cavalry can't operate indefinitely in enemy territory,” Hildebrand argued.

  “So long as they can raid our stores and use them against us, they can keep going for a good while,” Chad shrugged. “I don't know how much they managed to save, but there are over twenty storehouses in and around this city alone that will be filled with grain, smoked meats, dried fruits and vegetables, even corn and oats. Feed man or beast with almost any of it and keep them going for a good while.”

  “I had overlooked that,” Hildebrand sighed. “So I guess they can pretty much stay here until the food runs out.”

  “No,” Chad shook his head. “Wilbanks has about nine thousand men, all trained to Black Sheep standards. Add in our group and the two Royal regiments and we're looking at about thirteen to fourteen thousand men, plus however any that Brigadier, Pierce, has with him. Those are good odds for us on our own ground. When he gets here, we drive them out or kill them. We just have to make sure we preserve our fighting strength as much as possible to add to his while protecting the palace and the King until Wilbanks and his men can get here.”

  “Easy then,” Hildebrand snorted.

  “Exactly.”

  ~*~

  Stone's cavalry were across the bridge and into the city in good order and short time. The scouts still deployed along the river almost waited too long to escape, running from the van of Imperial troops just as they entered the city.

  Seeing the enemy before them, the Imperial troopers gave chase, forgetting their orders for a moment. They followed the southern troopers right up to the main palace gate, where the scouts wheeled suddenly and fled around the palace walls. Thinking they had their enemy trapped, the Imperial troops tried to follow.

  ~*~

  “Here they come,” Chad said gently. “Ready to fire on my command and not before,” he ordered as he walked the ramparts behind his men and selected others from inside, including Whip and Winnie Hubel.

  Stang had asked Chad to head that part of the wall and command the first encounter as he watched the overall battle develop from the bell tower. Moore, meanwhile, had spread the remainder of his and Stang's troops along the remaining walls, supported by Winnie's auxiliary archers, the City Guard, Constables, Watchmen and any and everyone else that could shoot a bow even marginally well. In the center of the palace grounds were two companies of Chad's men and three more from the two palace regiments. Five hundred men in the reserve along with another seven hundred civilians who might last two to five minutes in combat.

  With them were Roda Finn's two trebuchets and his 'gadgets'.

  Something else Roda had brought to the palace were a wagon full of his mines. Production of the mines was running wide open when news of the attack came so there were a surplus of them available. The squat clay containers ringed the palace grounds now and each wall had twenty sharp-eyed troopers with crossbows loaded with the flint tipped bolts, waiting for the order to fire.

  Stang had doubted the mines ability to make a difference but both Winters and later Chad had been extremely happy to hear that the fussy inventor had them and assured the Palace Guard commander that they were well worth the effort to place and fire. He had acceded to their advice even as he clung to his belief that the mines and trebuchets would be useless in the coming battle. The trebuchets were normally used against infantry, or against fortifications, using large stones as ammunition. The iron balls that Roda had brought would probably do some damage he admitted, but nothing like enough to deter a cavalry charge. Still, it didn't take that many men to man them, and any help was appreciated, so again he allowed it.

  Stang was extremely conscious of the fact that his King was standing beside him in the bell tower, observing the action below. Of course the King's attention was focused primarily on the front gate where his betrothed and her father had joined the defense.

  And the argument which had preceded that decision would be long remembered in the palace.

  ~*~

  “You can't do that,” Memmnon said flatly. “I refuse to allow it.”

  “Excuse me?” Winnie's eyes narrowed. “I thought I heard you say 'allow'. But that can't be right.”

  “I did and it is,” Memmnon refused to balk. “There is no reason, none, for you to engage in this battle unless we are faced with being overrun. Placing you on the fortifications is dangerous and unnecessary and I will not allow it.”

  “You know, we aren't married yet,” Winnie told him flatly. “I've been training those women for weeks, and my father will be there as well. Most of those men up there I either taught to use a bow, or taught them to use it better. There is no way that I will allow them to stand there and fight while I do nothing. I have listened to you, to Stephanie, to Parno, to Edema and everyone else about how us women didn't belong in battle. How we were a distraction. Weaker, more delicate, unable to cope with hygiene issues and the list just goes on and on and on.”

  “Well, this time we're facing an attack right here at home! And something you men seem to forget is while you may think us women can't handle a fight, we can damn sure still die in one at the hands of an enemy. Do you think them Tribal Warriors who are fighting with them heathen Nor will care a damn that we're women? From what I hear they be more like to enjoy the fact that we're women, not to mention that we can't fight back cause we're weaker and more delicate.”

  “You done as much as admitted that we prob'ly can't hold this place for more 'n a few days unless we get some help. I might as well fight now as fight when we're all but beat. And since you ain't my husband as yet, it ain't your place to tell me what I can and can't be doing. You could have asked me not to, and I might have listened to that. But you can't make me stay here and not fight when you already done got women standing on the wall, bow in hand. Even a King can't deny his people the right to protect themselves!”

  “Are you aware that your accent really comes to the fore when you're angry?” Memmnon smiled suddenly and was reward
ed with a furious blush from his bride-to-be.

  “Don't try and be all cute and get around me,” she all but growled, trying to keep her gruff determination in place.

  “So you admit you think I'm cute?” Memmnon asked, his smile widening. “I don't think you've ever told me that.”

  Winnie's face had grown even redder at that but she would not be distracted or deterred.

  “Stop that!” she bellowed. “Don't change the subject! The simple fact is that the only person in this whole place who's a better shot than I am is my Pa! They need my help, and the fact you don't like it won't change that!”

  “And what do I do if something happens to you?” he asked her suddenly, all pretense and humor now gone. “Have you thought of that?”

  “Reckon you find someone better suited to be a Queen than I am,” Winnie shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable with his attention. “That's all.”

  “That's all, is it?” Memmnon nodded absently. “Well, if it means so little to you then by all means, do go and join the battle, Miss Hubel. You are quite correct that even the King cannot deny someone the right of self-defense, nor would I if I could.”

  And just like that it was over. Memmnon walking away, leaving Winifred Hubel to watch him go, gawking at the sudden change in his behavior.

  “What's wrong with you now?” she demanded to his back.

  “Not a thing,” he replied without turning. “I was wondering where things stood I suppose, and now I know, don't I?”

  She didn't think of anything else to say before he disappeared into this offices, the doorway firmly blocked by four heavily armed troopers.

  Now dejected despite her 'victory', Winnie went to the apartment she shared with Stephanie and changed into her buckskins, collected her weapons, and headed for the main gate to be with her father.

  ~*~

  “Open fire,” Chad said calmly as the pursuing Imperial troops rode into range.

  Almost one thousand bows released an arrow into the oncoming battalion that rampaged down the avenue toward the palace. Having seen the only opposition so far in the city, they were following with a little too much zeal and not near enough caution. Despite the warnings of their commanding general and their division commander, they were being very careless.