by Kal Spriggs
Covle grabbed dead man by the back of his head and jerked the face up. Katarina stared into the dead eyes of Lord James. Oh shit, Katarina thought.
From his expression, Earl Joris's elder son had not died quickly... nor had he died well.
“Hard to believe that Earl Joris would send his son and heir in on an assassination mission without Lady Katarina's express support,” Covle said. He looked over at Earl Joris, “Unless you have another explanation for how your firstborn son came to be armed within the camp of your enemies?”
Earl Joris's face had gone pale. It wasn't the immediate anger that such an accusation should have drawn, much less the murder of his son. The fact that Joris didn't respond made it all the more damning. Katarina heard angry mutters and curses from Hector's supporters and even Hector's expression had gone hard.
Katarina's gaze went to Earl Joris. You fool, she thought, you demonspawn cursed fool. Whatever the reason he had sent his son to Hector's camp, it had gone horribly wrong in a way that had just destroyed their one chance at peace.
“Listen,” Katarina said, looking straight at Hector, “I don't know why he was there...”
“You murdering bastard!” Earl Joris finally shouted. Katarina spun and to her shock, Joris shouted at Hector, not at Covle. “This stinks of one of your plots. You had Covle lure my son where he could be taken, didn't you?”
Hector stared at the other man in surprise, “Why would I do such a thing?”
“A perfect circumstance to make yourself look better,” Earl Joris snapped. “You made every outward entreaty towards peace, but we know what peace means to you. You simply want to break those who oppose you, and this farce of justice gives you the free rein to do what you want.” He waved at the corpse of his son. “Look at his hands. Look what they did to my son.” For a moment, genuine emotion bled through Earl Joris's voice. This was a man who had just lost his son and that fact resonated with too many of Katarina's people. Many of them had lost loved ones to Hector... and Hector's coldblooded ruthlessness in his prior dealings made them trust him even less now.
“If they really thought he was a spy, they wouldn't have tortured him, not a nobleman, they could have ransomed him back,” Earl Joris shook his head, “No, Hector had Darkbit torture and mutilate my son for scraps of information and then killed him, so he couldn't speak to defend himself. I won't stand for this, I demand satisfaction!”
One of Hector's men spoke up, “You lying sack of--”
“Look at them, my Lord!” Covle said, “They already dissemble. We can trust nothing that they say!”
Katarina looked at her own people and grumbles had already turned to jeers and shouts. What should have been the moment that she and Hector settled their differences had devolved into something like a brawl. Here and there armed men from either side jostled their horses forward, hands on their weapons.
“We have to go,” Ferrakan hissed.
She saw Hector's guards move in protectively around him. For just a moment she met his eyes and there was a mix of calculation and cold anger there. He didn't know that she had sent Lord James to spy or possibly assassinate in his encampment... but he didn't know that she hadn't.
Katarina spun her horse and her armsmen drew in tight around her. The group of her officers and supporters turned away, following her as she rode away. Many pausing now and then to shout imprications back at Hector's withdrawing men.
Katarina shot one last look over her shoulder. Her last sight was Kerrel and her trooper, both staring at Katarina as her people withdrew.
***
Commander Kerrel Flamehair
Leizno, Duchy of Masov
Fourteenth of Inkar, Cycle 1000 Post Sundering
“How did this happen?” Kerrel snapped.
“I don't know,” Jay didn't look up. The spy had a weary expression and his head hung down with exhaustion. She knew he'd been out all the previous night, trying to learn anything he could. As far as they could tell, Covle Darkbit had captured Lord James within the encampment. They still didn't know why however... or how Covle had learned of the peace talks in the first place. Certainly the whole thing had been kept under general secrecy to prevent just such a thing from happening.
Kerrel smashed her hand against the portable stove. It clattered to the ground and she stalked past it. She ran a hand through her red hair. “There's no way to salvage this. Hector's hot heads all think that Katarina wasn't happy with their agreement and that she wanted to kill him in his sleep or something. The others...” she shook her head, “all the people who hate that ass Joris think it's brilliant. I swear I thought the Baron of Leizno was going to ask Covle to marry him.”
Jay gave a tired snort at that. “You aren't far wrong there. The people who wanted to crush the southern nobility will use this as an excuse. The people who are gullible enough to believe Covle's story will want war. The handful who don't believe and don't want war won't be left with a choice. Either step aside and see it all come to war anyway or...”
“Or try to pitch in and finish it as quickly as possible,” Kerrel said. She shook her head, “It's the only course left, I'm afraid.” She imagined it was the same way on Katarina's side. Earl Joris's allies would be fired up for revenge. The gullible would believe Joris's preposterous theory, that Hector had murdered the idiot in order to improve his bargaining position. The rest, the ones who hated Hector would use it as an excuse to bring him down.
“There's no chance of ending this without bloodshed,” Kerrel said. “I'm sorry, Jay. You know I wanted to prevent it as much as anyone...”
“I know,” Jay responded. The spy finally raised his head. “It isn't your fault. No one could have seen this coming. If it wasn't so preposterous to suggest it, I'd even say that Covle Darkbit and Earl Joris must have worked together to pull it off, somehow.”
Kerrel's eyebrows went up at that, “You think Earl Joris would sacrifice his eldest son for this?”
Jay shook his head, “No... but maybe he wanted to work something out... maybe he sent his son as some kind of emissary?” He shrugged, “I don't know, I can't think of what might have been that valuable for such a huge risk. It's a mess, I wish I could say I understood what happened. I wish even more that I could have stopped it.” He shook his head again, “It's all just such a damned waste.”
Kerrel just nodded. That just about summed up her opinion entirely.
***
Lady Katarina Emberhill
Kasovia, Duchy of Masov
Fourteenth of Inkar, Cycle 1000 Post Sundering
“It's no good,” Katarina said staring at the map. She didn't see the flags that showed who controlled what town or fortress. She saw the angry faces of her supporters, heard the rage that swept through her army as the news reached them.
Most of all she saw the gloating face of Covle Darkbit. Every life lost from now on rested on his head... and on Earl Joris.
She looked up, “We're going to have to finish this. We have to take down Hector. We need to finish this war as quickly as possible. One all-or-nothing battle. We can't afford to string this out.”
Ferrakan stared at her with a neutral expression. At this point, she didn't care what he thought anymore. Eleanor had a resigned expression, but she gave Katarina a nod. Lord Theodore had a grim expression, but he too nodded. Kara and Solis both gave Katarina nods.
Katarina let out a sigh, “Kara, have you learned anything about why Lord James was in Hector's camp?”
Kara shook her head, “Nothing concrete. Earl Joris's senior people know something, but none of them are talking and Earl Joris never shared it with any of his allies that I can tell.” The spymaster paused and then bit her lip. “I did find one piece of information that, well, I wish I'd learned earlier.” She took a deep breath, “Covle Darkbit is Earl Joris's illegitimate son.”
“What!?” Katarina asked in shock. “How...”
“He's apparently quite the ladies man,” Kara grimaced. “At least, from what I can tell, w
hen he rides by one of his villages, most fathers hide their daughters so that he doesn't have them dragged off to be raped.”
Katarina's face hardened. “So we add serial rapist to his many crimes.” One day she wouldn't need Joris's alliance. On that day, she was going to see him executed.
“Apparently Darkbit's mother spoke up about the fact that Joris was the father of her child. It was inconvienient for him, so he had her thrown off the wall of his castle,” Kara said.
Katarina winced at that, but she met Kara's fierce gaze. She'd known from the beginning that Joris wasn't a good man... but the alliances he brought gave her a chance at ousting Hector. “And?”
“Covle didn't take it well, but Earl Joris pulled some strings and sent the boy to train under your father's Captain Zeno, to be an armsman.”
“That was after my time,” Ferrakan growled. “But I remember seeing him in training. Mean little bastard even then.”
“So Covle had more than reason enough to kill Lord James,” Katarina growled. “And no reason at all to deal with his estranged father.” She shook her head, “Well, my betrothed is now Earl Joris's heir... which no doubt makes things more interesting as far as my dynastic marriage.”
“Oh,” Ferrakan growled, “that reminds me. Bulmor stopped an attempt on your betrothed's life, the same night that his brother got himself killed by Covle.”
Katarina's eyebrows went up at that. “A serious attempt?”
Ferrakan nodded, “Bulmor noticed someone had poisoned his food. Your Lord Garrel would be as dead as his older brother if he hadn't had protection.”
“Both in one night,” Katarina shook her head. “So either Covle decided to really stick it to Earl Joris or something else is going on...”
“I'd guess something else,” Ferrakan rasped. “Though I did confirm with a healer that it was the same poison as was used against Swordbreaker. Stuff is nasty, Lady Eustasia said it would have taken him weeks to die.”
“You think the Gray Man is involved?” Katarina asked in surprise.
Ferrakan shrugged, “Maybe... or maybe the poison and those kidnappers weren't linked.”
Katarina's head hurt. There were too many plots and counterplots. She rubbed her temples and the pain eased a bit. “We'll need to look into that more when there's time. For now, we need to get ready. We have to throw everything into finishing this war before the Armen arrive.” She looked over at Solis, “You'll have the most work, I'm afraid. We'll march on Longhaven immediately. Hector will be forced to respond...”
Katarina sighed. “I didn't want it to come to this, but we have no choice at this point.”
“We're ready,” Eleanor said calmly.
Katarina just hoped that she was right.
***
Chapter XVIII
Duke Hector the Usurper
North Hill Village, Duchy of Masov
Twenty-Eighth of Inkar, Cycle 1000 Post Sundering
Hector rubbed at his lower back, or as much of it as he could reach, anyway. He felt as if his spine had been pounded with a hammer. Probably because I haven't been in the saddle that much in far too long, he thought. Fightin on the Lonely Isle had been limited in scale, with most campaigns taking place within thirty or at most sixty miles. His army had covered hundreds miles in the past week. The past two weeks had been a mad, furious scramble since the aborted peace attempt.
Katarina's army had moved up to threaten Longhaven, an attack that he could not allow her to carry out. It was a smart, dangerous move... and one that he respected. Hector had realized that she wanted to end this fight quickly, win or lose, in order to prevent a long, dragging civil war. With how far and fast she had marched, her army had no choice but to take Longhaven or they'd starve. If they were defeated they'd be forced to surrender.
At the same time, Hector could not sustain any kind of army without the vast stockpiles of supplies, weapons, and food at Longhaven. He had made it his central supply node and the key to his continued survival. The loss of Ember Castle, in comparison, was merely an inconvenience.
“My Lord?” Kerrel asked from the entryway to the tent.
“Come in,” Hector said. He turned and as he saw her, he felt some of his tension ease. “No need for formalities, Kerrel, not here and not at this point.”
She gave him a nod, but as she came forward, he saw that her green eyes seemed clouded. “What's wrong?”
She embraced him and his arms closed around her. “I just keep wondering what I could have done differently.”
Hector could feel how tense she was and he sighed as he held her out at arm's length. “There's nothing more that you could have done,” he said. “We've done everything we could. It was foolish of me to think that they would play fair anyway.”
“What?” Kerrel asked. She narrowed her eyes, “You're not saying that you actually believe that crap that Covle spewed?”
Hector sighed, “No... but there has to be some element of truth to it. I know that his men found Lord James here in the camp the night before we were supposed to sign the treaty. Either he was here with Katarina's permission... or else he was here without it. That would mean that nobles like Earl Joris have far more authority and freedom than Katarina let on, so either she's not in control and this whole treaty would have fallen apart or else the nobility made some move against her, in which case, the treaty would have fallen apart.”
Kerrel frowned, but she didn't disagree. It was hard enough to keep his army of mercenaries and loyal nobles together, Hector didn't want to imagine how the fraticious alliance of selfish nobles, idealistic followers, and angry commoners worked. Certainly they all had plenty of antagonism to his rule... but they also had plenty of reasons to hate one another.
“In any case,” Hector said, “we need to focus on what we can accomplish.” He sighed and rubbed at his back again. “From what my scouts have reported, her army has prepared to meet us tomorrow. He pointed at the map, “We've the North Hills to anchor our right flank and my skirmishers and scouts will cover our left flank if they march that way. I'll go into a bit more detail later tonight at the staff meeting, but I'm going to want you on the right center, where you can hit their left flank. You'll be in position to hammer them and then drive around.”
He saw her nod, but she seemed reluctant. Not that he could blame her. They were fighting his people. While some of their leaders were corrupt and self-centered noblemen, the vast majority of their soldiers were simply men who had signed up for what they saw as a good cause. This was far different prospect from killing Noric bandits or Armen raiders.
This war is my fault, he thought, I am the one who misjudged Covle Darkbit and gave him command of the south. If not for that, perhaps his rule would have continued without issue. A small voice reminded him that he had resorted to violence with his cousin, Lord Estrel, and then again with his uncle, Duke Peter. He quieted that voice for now. He would have to win this fight, for the good of the duchy. If Katarina could not control her alliance now, under the very real threat of Hector's forces, then she clearly couldn't control the Duchy in the face of their many threats.
“We will win this,” Hector said confidently. We have no choice, he thought to himself.
***
Lady Katarina Emberhill
“Countess, I'd like your forces on our right flank. The open terrain there should favor your cavalry,” Katarina said. The old woman gave her a single nod. Katarina swept her gaze around the tent. “In the center we'll have Samen's battalion backed by Baron Redcoast’s Battalion.”
The jovial Baron gave her a smile and a nod. Samen, on the other hand, looked tired and grim. He and the others from Ryftguard had arrived after two weeks journey by ship and a week of hard marching. She knew they were ready to fight, though. The core of Samen's force was made up of survivors of Watkowa Village and the mountains around it. Most of them had lost families and friends to Hector's men when they lost the village. The reason she wanted them at the center, more than anything, was t
hat all of them were familiar with the bows they carried, mostly from hunting. The longbows they had would be a dangerous threat to Hector's armored infantry, especially with the armor-punching heads that they'd produced in mass over the winter.
“On the left flank we'll have Baron Theodore's battalion, backed by our Zielona Gora and--”
“I object!” Earl Joris said. He and several of the other southern nobles stepped forward, “Time and again, our houses have been denied the opportunity to prove ourselves honorably on the field of combat!”
Katarina's face went hard, “I want my proven units in position to hold the left flank, Joris.”
“These commoners may be proven, but only because you have undercut our authority and given them the chances at glory that we have been denied!” Lord Otylyk shouted. The grumbles from several other noblemen made Katarina clench her jaw.
“This is not some social gathering,” Katarina snapped. “This is a fight for our very survival. If we lose the left flank, they'll be able to turn our entire army. We'll have no terrain to back us, we need a solid, dependable unit on our left flank. There will be plenty of 'glory' to be earned today, elsewhere on the battlefield.”
“My spies have confirmed to me that Covle Darkbit will have their right flank,” Earl Joris sputtered. “Surely you won't deny me the chance to avenge my son.”
Katarina clenched her jaw. She saw that most of the tent had gone quiet. He had played his trump card and she knew it. If she denied him this, all those others who had suffered from Covle Darbit's crimes would think that she'd deny them their justice too. It didn't matter that someone like Aerion or Baron Theodore could fight Covle Darkbit more capably... the perception was that Earl Joris did it to seek justice.
What is your real game, Joris? Katarina stared at the man, but his expression was too falsely earnest for her to guess. “Fine,” Lady Katarina said. “Lord Otylyk, Lady Paulina, and all of Earl Joris's companies save the one commanded by his son, Lord Garrel, will deploy on the left flank to secure that side.” She looked over at where Aerion, Jarek and Baron Theodore stood. “The rest of our forces will form our reserve.”