Hodang and Badolecht were to his right. His chief advisor was in a foul mood, still smarting from being left in the dark about Agang’s thinking. Chane had been the only one to whom he had told the truth, no others knew that he was being guided by advice from the war god.
They would just have to trust him.
Agang gazed at the great gates in the distance, closed and unyielding.
He could soon be leading an assault on the walls.
No. He breathed. No. He must have faith. A fear leapt into his mind that perhaps the young war god was using him for another purpose, leading him into a trap that would fulfil some other desire.
No. The war god was the only true god. The other, older, gods had abandoned Sanang generations before, and only the war god had not betrayed them. He would not betray Agang now. He had chosen Agang as his right hand, to lead the Sanang back to glory. Unity and glory.
Agang praised the war god under his breath, while Hodang glanced at him.
‘My lord?’ his minister said.
‘Yes, Hodang?’
‘The King does not appear to be coming.’
‘Have a little patience,’ Agang said.
Badolecht frowned. ‘At least they haven’t attacked us.’
‘We probably just caught them by surprise,’ Agang said. ‘We’d given no indication that we were likely to accede to their condition for talks. I imagine they’ve been holding urgent meetings, discussing how to respond. If they don’t appear by sunset, I’ll take that as a rejection of our offer to negotiate.’
‘And then we attack the walls?’
Agang nodded.
‘Look,’ said Drechtan, pointing and smiling.
The great gates started to open, to the faraway notes of trumpets carried on the wind.
Mandalecht tensed, and Agang felt the warriors in the company to either side pull themselves into a tighter formation, as they waited to see who would emerge from the city.
The gates shuddered to a stop, wide open like an invitation to enter. Flags and high fluttering standards were raised, and a company rode out from the gates, their armour gleaming, and the sound of their hooves on the road echoing up to Agang. The ranks of shining cavalry fanned out into an arc, and a line of carriages emerged from the city gates, each pulled by horses decorated in fine regalia.
‘They’re sending somebody important,’ Badolecht said.
‘The King himself is coming,’ said Drechtan. ‘The second carriage is flying the royal crest. You were right, my lord. The King of the Holdings will be here. He will have to listen to our demands.’
‘How did you know, my lord?’ Hodang asked, his eyes dark.
‘I didn’t know,’ he lied. ‘I took a gamble.’
Hodang bowed low. ‘My lord, your wisdom astounds me again, your royal leadership, your purest acumen and foresight. I am not worthy to serve you. But please, next time, I beg that you tell me what’s going on before it happens.’
Agang smiled.
‘I still don’t believe the King will agree to your demands,’ Hodang said.
‘Let’s listen to what he has to say first.’
They watched as the cavalry approached. The troopers were taking their time, and keeping perfect formation. The afternoon sunlight glanced off their steel armour, and the light breeze kept their standards raised.
‘Who are they?’ Badolecht said. ‘The ones in black robes, walking next to the carriages?’
‘Mage-priests,’ Agang said. ‘Each will have battle-vision powers.’
Mandalecht drew in his breath. ‘I remember fighting those bastards.’
‘They were the only ones who could stand up to us,’ Drechtan said. ‘Without battle-vision, the feeble Holdings race would never have beaten us.’
‘I imagine many of the cavalry will have it too,’ Agang said. ‘After all, they’re escorting their King.’
A hundred yards away, the Holdings troopers came to a halt. The carriages came forward, and formed into a line, five abreast. There was a flurry of activity as poles and canvas were unloaded, and within minutes a large awning had been erected. Rugs, seats, tables and other items of furniture were placed under the great canvas covering. At the rear of the shadow created by the awning a throne was set up, facing the Sanang.
The doors of the central carriage opened, and Agang watched as several figures dismounted onto the road and grassy areas to each side.
‘There he is,’ Badolecht said.
Agang scanned the people emerging from the carriages. A man, not much older than he, was walking toward the awning, surrounded by mages in black robes.
It was him. Guilliam.
The man stepped up to the throne, his long robes trailing to the ground. Once he was seated, the cavalry began withdrawing, until they were as far away from the awning as the Sanang.
Agang stood.
He nodded to the four by him, and they began walking down the road. Following them were heralds and a few selected warriors, similar to the number of black robed mages who had stayed behind when the cavalry withdrew.
Agang cleared his thoughts.
So far, everything the war god had said had come true.
As they approached the awning, Agang saw other figures assembled, standing by the King’s throne, dressed in uniform, or the black robes of the Holdings church. A trio of Clackdomyn towered over the others.
Agang raised his hand to the squad that had accompanied them, and stepped into the shadows, his four advisors following.
‘Welcome,’ the King said. ‘May the Creator bless this meeting. By your regal bearing may we assume that you are the renowned Agang Garo?’
‘I am,’ he replied, striding forward over the rich carpet.
‘We are pleased, Lord Agang,’ the King said, gazing down at them, ‘that you have seen fit to withdraw your forces in order to begin negotiations.’
‘My army waits a few miles away, your Majesty,’ Agang said, ‘as eager as ever for justice.’
‘Yes, quite,’ the King said. ‘Justice. Speak to us now of justice, Lord Agang Garo. Tell us of your grievances against us. Leave nothing out, for we acknowledge that our crimes against your nation were heinous.’
Agang heard Hodang gasp in surprise as the words were translated for his advisors.
‘Your realm invaded our lands four times,’ Agang said. ‘Each year you stripped our forests bare, slaughtered thousands, and left tens of thousands to die of famine in your wake. Hundreds of square miles of forest were devastated, and many are still uninhabited wastelands. You took advantage of our lack of government, our lack of an organised army to rob, rape and murder. And then, when we learned to fight back, you ran away, and proclaimed peace.’
He swallowed, fighting down his rising temper.
‘I am here to remind you that you cannot walk away from what you did to my people, to my nation.’
‘And we shall not. These chests to your left,’ the King said, flourishing his hand towards a row of wooden trunks, ‘contain twenty million gold sovereigns, as a payment towards your loss. We have, as you are no doubt aware, reversed the policy of our late, beloved sister’s rule, and foresworn any further infringement of the territorial integrity of the Sanang forest region. We would also be prepared to recognise Sanang as a fellow kingdom and realm, if any such king were to be crowned.’
‘On behalf of the people of Sanang,’ Agang said, ‘I accept this partial payment as compensation for some of the damage your nation has wrought upon mine. I have other demands.’
‘No doubt you do,’ the King said, ‘but before you speak them, please have some refreshments and, as we listened to your tale of justice, we would beg you do the same.’
‘Are you referring to the massacre of your people on the far bank of the river?’ Agang said, as servants with trays began circulating.
‘We were not,’ the King said. ‘We will speak of that regrettable incident later. For now, we wish to speak of a greater matter. For all the terror and horror of th
e conflict between our nations, it is nothing compared to the war that is to come.’
Agang said nothing.
‘To the south,’ the King went on, ‘the rich and powerful nation of Rahain plots to control us all. They have an army greater than all of the other four peoples combined. Our troubles with the Rahain stretch back decades, long before our conflict with your nation. However, in recent years, the perfidious Rahain have struck at two of the other races living in this world, dealing them blows that have crippled them. Next, they will come for us, and for you.’
The King gestured to the trio of Kellach standing to his right, and Agang noticed that they were the same three that he had met with when the Sanang had arrived at the walls.
‘The Kellach Brigdomin people were first,’ the King said. ‘A massive Rahain invasion, with over a hundred thousand soldiers deployed, destroyed the mountain people’s land and culture, ripping the survivors from their roots and displacing them, either as slaves being worked to death in Rahain, or as refugees squatting in camps like the one outside our walls.’
The King then gestured to his left, to a group of people of short stature, with big eyes like children.
‘Then last spring,’ the King said, ‘came their greatest crime yet. Three hundred thousand Rakanese refugees, after having endured the tortures of crossing the volcanic wastelands, and hoping to make for themselves a better life, were instead annihilated by the Rahain army, who besieged them with a force of over one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers.’
The King paused, to allow the translators to catch up. Agang could see Hodang’s face darken as he listened.
‘As far as we know,’ the King said, ‘there were only three Rakanese survivors from this unparalleled atrocity. Three from three hundred thousand. One of them stands here today, as witness.’ He pointed to a dark-haired Rakanese woman, who was glancing at Agang with wary eyes. ‘This is Princess Shellakanawara. Her sister, the late Queen Oblikanawara, fell during the Rahain onslaught.
‘And now the Rahain are laughing at us,’ the King said. ‘Laughing because the only two peoples they have left to strike at are quarrelling among themselves, weakening each other, and only making their own job easier in the long run.’
‘The Rahain have no reason to attack us,’ Agang said. ‘From what you have said, I do not think the Sanang have anything to fear from these people. They invaded and plundered their weaker neighbour, isn’t that what you yourselves did to us? And then they confronted and destroyed a large group of incomers? Ruthless and brutal, no doubt, but were they not just protecting their own lands? I can also see why they bear a grudge against your realm. You have a history of conflict, and they may well strike if you are weakened by our presence here. But what is that to us? Should we care about your fate, should we weep for you if the Rahain deal you a death-blow?’
The King nodded. ‘I see that you have not yet understood the nature of the Rahain Republic, and its insatiable greed and ambition.’ He gestured to a hooded man standing to the rear of his advisors.
The man stepped forward.
‘This is Laodoc,’ the King said, ‘once a councillor in the government of Rahain. Sickened and shamed by what he saw, he defected to us here in Plateau City. His presence here today means that each of the five races of our world are gathered, for most likely the first time in history.’
The man pulled back his hood.
‘Lord Agang Garo,’ the old Rahain said, ‘for forty years I served as a politician in the capital city of Rahain. Alone, we are not an evil people, but once we started to meet with the other races that inhabit this world, we grew greedy, and arrogant. The Rahain look down on all the other peoples. To them the Kellach Brigdomin are animals, and the Rakanese vermin. I beseech you lord, do not think for a moment that the Rahain will not hold your people in a similar contempt. If you need to imagine a reason for them to invade you, then look no further than the cocoa, coffee and narcotics your lands produce. These are luxury items in my homeland, capable of commanding exorbitant prices. The Rahain government will not hesitate to plunder you for these, and more.’
‘As the Holdings did, old man?’ Agang said.
‘With all due respect to the realm,’ Laodoc said, ‘the Rahain surpass all others in the quality and size of their military. It is like a great machine that rolls over anything in its path.’
‘For this you betray your country?’ Agang said.
‘I am trying to change my country,’ Laodoc said. ‘I love Rahain, and I love its people. However, the rulers of my nation have lost all perspective, and believe themselves destined to be the masters of this world. To save my country, I would have them overthrown, by force if necessary.’
‘Thank you, Laodoc,’ the King said, and the old Rahain man stepped back into the shadows.
‘And thank you, Lord Agang,’ he said to the Sanang chief. ‘We asked for your forbearance while you listened to these other tales of justice, and you honoured that. We now wish to make a proposal.’
Agang stood, his heart racing, his hands almost trembling. He said a prayer to the war god.
‘We propose,’ the King went on, ‘to form an alliance of peoples, to resist the aggression and tyranny of the Rahain Republic. When our army from the realm approaches, we do not wish to see more lives wasted fighting the Sanang. Instead, the two armies should join as allies, along with the Kellach Brigdomin, both those already enlisted, and any more that volunteer. Once we have assembled the mightiest army the world has ever seen, we will march south, and destroy the Rahain regime.’
Agang staggered back a half step. The King’s words, just as the war god had foretold.
‘The Rahain have built a tunnel through the Grey Mountains,’ the King said, ‘that will allow them to move troops to the Plateau in days rather than thirds. It is almost complete. We cannot permit them to send their armies through. That is where we shall strike.’
Agang felt a tug at his shoulder.
The King paused, and Agang turned to Hodang.
‘My lord,’ his minister said in Sanangka, ‘we must discuss this alone.’
Agang nodded.
‘Your Majesty,’ he said to the King, ‘I must now take counsel with those closest to me. A leader in Sanang must always listen to those he hopes to command.’
‘We understand,’ the King said. ‘There are chairs and cushions laid out to the side. Please, take all the time you need.’
Agang glanced at the other Sanang, and they walked to the edge of the awning, where the afternoon sun slanted through.
‘I want your thoughts,’ he said to the others as they sat. ‘Hodang, you first.’
‘This changes everything,’ his minister said, shaking his head. ‘Before, our options were to attack the walls, or flee before the Holdings reinforcements arrived, and neither of those courses would have furthered our aim of re-establishing Sanang as a nation in the eyes of the world. But now? If we marched as allies, accepted as equals by the other races, then we should accept.’
‘I don’t know,’ Mandalecht said. ‘It’s another delay, and winter is coming on. How long will the army be away for? We don’t know anything about these Rahain, except they don’t seem to take any shit. Maybe the King wants us as battle fodder? Still, it would be an adventure, and the boys would see some fighting. And didn’t the old man say that Rahain was rich?’
‘I can’t speak for the rest of the allies,’ Drechtan said, ‘but I’m in. Glory and war and plunder? The biggest raid in history? With the Clackdomyn savages on one side, and shiny cavalry on the other, no force in the world would be able to stop us.’
‘Is no one else suspicious of the King?’ Badolecht said. ‘This must have been what he’s wanted from the start. Even after we slaughtered his peasants, he’s still willing to pay us wagon-loads of gold, and offer to be our allies? They must be desperate for assistance, they must really fear the Rahain. If we go along with this, we must be sure that we, I mean you, Chief, are treated as an equal.’
> Agang nodded. ‘So with a few caveats, you agree we should accept?’
Hodang nodded. ‘You haven’t told us what you think.’
‘Destiny is being made today,’ Agang said, ‘the destiny of Sanang, getting up off its knees at last, and becoming a nation in the eyes of the world.’
‘With you as its king?’ Badolecht smiled.
‘If fate wills it.’
He stood, and led them back to the throne.
‘Have you come to a decision, regarding our proposal?’ the King said. ‘Will you join with the other free peoples of this world to overcome the growing threat from the south?’
‘Will I be an equal, your Majesty?’ Agang asked. ‘Will each of the leaders of the allies be equal?’
The King smiled. ‘You are not yet a monarch, Lord Agang, but we will always take majority decisions, made by all four peoples. We will set up a council of representatives, two from each race, with the Rakanese included because although they are unable to supply us with troops, they are tied to us in spirit. These eight will guide the alliance in its invasion of Rahain. Do you concur?’
‘I do,’ Agang said.
‘Then before accepting your admission into the alliance,’ the King said, ‘we must clear up that unfortunate incident you referred to earlier.’
‘The massacre on the far bank.’
‘Indeed. We know of course that you did not personally take part, but nor did you try to stop it, as you watched from the rampart that day.’
‘It is deeply regretted.’
‘In the spirit of our alliance, we are bound to forgive and put it behind us, however our mercy does not extend to the commander who carried out the actions on the bank. A man named B’Dang D’Bang, if our intelligence is correct.’
The Magelands Box Set Page 68