by D. L. Kramer
Nahtan looked up at Lady Bavol. "Will you ever get tired of flirting with me?" he asked her. She stood at the end of the row, unpinning her hair and letting it fall over her shoulders. Her red velvet dress glistened, the torchlight catching the gold threads woven through it. Nahtan remembered when her low cut gowns and flirtations made him uncomfortable. He had come to realize they were as much a part of her as Lord Bavol was.
"Probably not," Evaine said, walking down to sit beside him. "You're one of my favorite people." She ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it, then twisted it back up and pinned it again.
"But I'm in love with someone else," Nahtan told her.
"So I've heard." Evaine fixed her skirts around her. "Is that what you were concentrating so hard on?"
"I was just wondering what the next couple of years will be like," Nahtan said. "I have a feeling when I leave here next spring, I'm going to be gone for a long time.
"Probably," Evaine agreed. "But you won't be alone."
"I also won't be with Rena." Nahtan stopped himself from saying anything more when he felt his throat tighten with emotion.
"You really love her," Evaine studied his face. "Don't you?"
Nahtan nodded his head, not trusting himself to say anything. He realized he hadn't told Rena how he felt about her yet. He knew her empathy told her, but it wasn't the same.
"I'm sure everything will work out all right," Evaine assured him. "You have the finest generals history could bring you for advice."
Nahtan nodded his head. "I know Zakris has kept Mo'ani alive all this time to train the army," he said. "What's Lord Bavol's excuse?"
"He's a recalcitrant mule," Evaine smiled. "Matthios decided years ago that he wasn't going to die until he saw Nahtan--" she paused. "--You, on the throne."
"It does seem to be a personal goal of his," Nahtan noted.
"That's because the Archbishop had his first wife murdered," Evaine told him. "The merciful part of him died that day." Her eyes grew sad for a moment. "When Jayehl was killed, it nearly destroyed him."
"And you still love him?" Nahtan asked, surprised.
"I never said he was no longer capable of love," Evaine pointed out. "It took him some time to heal after losing his wife. I'd been running around as an apprentice watching him and Kile trade battlefield tactics, and decided he needed someone else to talk with. So one night I broke curfew, went to the keep, and found him alone in his study." She smiled at the memory. "We ended up talking about battlefield tactics until dawn. Two years later, we were married."
Nahtan studied her for a moment, then shook his head. "You're an exceptional woman, Evaine," he complimented. "You had your heart set on marrying him from the beginning, didn't you?"
Evaine's smile grew. "The thought occurred to me," she admitted. "But it wasn't my main goal."
"So what was?"
She shrugged. "At the time, it was to earn a cloak. Eventually that changed."
"Why didn't you finish earning one?" Nahtan asked. He knew how deadly she was with her longbow and that few other archers could match her skill. A cloak was easily within her grasp.
"By the time I earned my sash, I discovered I could do more for Matthios by leaving the training and supporting him as his wife," Evaine explained. "That doesn't mean I stopped practicing, though."
"Obviously," Nahtan agreed.
Evaine smiled. "You truly are a wonderful person," she told him.
"I try," he returned her smile.
"I don't think you have to try very hard." Evaine leaned over to brush a kiss past his cheek before standing. "They were wondering where you went, but I won't tell them."
"Thank you," Nahtan nodded. "I really didn't want to talk about burning battlefields tonight. I think I need one last night of quiet before the serious plans start being laid."
"Such is the way of men's souls," Evaine said gently, running her fingers through his dark hair as she turned and walked to the end of the pews. Without another look back, she left the cathedral as silently as she had come in.
Nahtan sat in the cathedral until well past the middle of the night. Before he left, he extinguished the few torches burning along the walls. Back in his room, Rena appeared to be sleeping quietly. Trying to move without disturbing her, he laid down beside her. He'd just settled when she stirred.
"You're in late," she said.
"I know," Nahtan said quietly. "I'm sorry I woke you."
"I was waiting for you," Rena said. "Kile came by looking for you, but I didn't know where you went."
"I was hiding in the cathedral," Nahtan told her. "I'm surprised he didn't think to look there."
Rena rolled over to look at him in the faint moonlight coming through the window. "Maybe he knew where you were, but just didn't want to find you," she suggested.
"Maybe," Nahtan agreed. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. Silence fell over the room and Nahtan was aware of Rena's steady breathing. For the last month, she spent nearly every night here with him. It was more private than the couple of nights they had spent in the stable each week for the past year. He wondered if he'd have the strength to leave her behind. "Rena?" He whispered her name, not sure if she was asleep or not.
"What?" she asked sleepily.
"I love you," he said quietly. "I don't want to have to leave you." Hot tears welled in his eyes and he became aware of every place she touched him; her back against his chest, her arms under his, her legs curved against him.
"I'll be fine," Rena assured him. "I have Meda and your sister, and Isak will be around from time to time."
"I still don't want to leave," he insisted.
"You have to," Rena's voice was barely a whisper. "I don't want this baby growing up with the Archbishop on the throne."
Nahtan didn't answer her and within minutes, he knew she was asleep. He really didn't have a choice. Halona had spent centuries preparing for him to overthrow the Archbishop. When dawn broke, he was still laying beside Rena, thinking.
Three - "You're making the first move"
The group had just settled into their day's planning the next morning at Herridon Hold when word came in that Jerai and Jaron were in the mountain pass and would be there shortly.
It took them all morning and into the afternoon to mark the Archbishop's supply lines for each garrison and waystation. Without Janec's previous experience as the Archbishop's Captain, they would have been forced to send scouts out from each hold and compiling the information would have taken several months.
While the others debated the supply routes leading directly to Herridon, Nahtan's attention was drawn to one specific map. Rounded hills covered much of it, with deep valleys between them. Near the eastern edge, the land seemed to flatten out, then simply disappear. The entire eastern side of the map was completely blank. The names on the map were unknown to him, but they were familiar sounding. He motioned to Bear.
"Where's your village?" he asked. The names of several of the villages were undoubtedly Mowik.
Bear leaned over in his chair and looked at the map for a second. "There," he pointed to one of the larger marks on the map. The village was nestled between two large hills.
Nahtan nodded. "Okay," he continued. "Now what's this?" He pointed to the empty side of the map.
Bear smiled. "I'd almost forgotten about that," he said after a moment. "That's the Miltaiye. It's a huge body of water."
Nahtan raised an eyebrow at him, then looked back down at the map. "How could you possibly forget something that size?" he asked, looking back at Bear.
Bear shrugged. "I haven't thought about it for over ten years," he defended.
A knock on the study door drew their attention. One of the Mo'ani opened the door and stepped into the room.
"Lord Jerai and his lieutenant," the Mo'ani announced.
Nahtan stood to meet Jerai and Jaron as they entered the room. Both wore the horsehide vests and breeches of the Dwellers, with woven tunics underneath and heavy, plain c
loaks. Jerai's face seemed to have aged significantly since the last time Nahtan and Bear had seen him at his wedding and entitlement during the summer. His square jaw was even more set, reminding Nahtan of Othon, Jerai's father. Jaron was unchanged, even his dark hair was the same length.
"Any sign of Lord Valin yet?" Nahtan asked the Mo'ani.
"No, sir," the Mo'ani answered, closing the door when Nahtan nodded.
Nahtan nodded at being called 'sir'. As much as he was uncomfortable with the word, the Mo'ani in the regular army and reserves had started calling him that when word of his presence reached them.
"Starting the party without us?" Jerai asked, dropping his travelworn cloak on the back of his chair as he sat down.
"Thy language is still deplorable," Jaron noted, sitting beside Jerai.
Nahtan smiled. Apparently not even becoming the Dwellers' lord would make Jerai use their traditional, formal speech.
"Lord Jerai, Jaron," Nahtan introduced. "This is Lord and Lady Bavol, Lord and Lady Corydon, Lord Devayne, Lady Takis, Lord Garyn and Governor Rylen from Garyn Hold." He motioned to everyone as he introduced them.
Jerai nodded to everyone, including Mo'ani and Kile.
Bear picked out several maps and handed them to Jerai and Jaron. "We've marked the church guards' supply lines that might apply to you," he pointed out.
Jerai nodded and accepted the maps.
Nahtan watched everyone for a moment, then caught Mo'ani's eye. He sighed and nodded at Mo'ani's unspoken question, then shrugged. If they wanted everyone to have a chance to get out of the mountains before it snowed, they'd have to start now. Nahtan found himself wishing Valin didn't hold such an important position. Without Rial there to approve of their plans, they'd run the risk of losing church guards as they escaped to the southern lands.
"Shall we begin?" Mo'ani asked, interrupting everyone. "When Lord Valin gets here, we can finalize Valin's part." As everyone nodded their heads and fell quiet, Mo'ani looked at Nahtan. "You're making the first move," he pointed out.
Nahtan stood and pulled the map of Bear's homeland to the center of the table where everyone could see it. "On spring thaw," he began. "Sewati and I are taking a small army and heading for the Mowik villages. It's three month's travel, so I don't expect we'll get there until early summer. My intentions are to burn out the garrison and clear out the BishopLord and church guards. I won't know for certain until I get there how many people I can count on from the villages."
"How many men do you want to take?" Lord Bavol asked, studying the map.
"I'm taking however many volunteer," Nahtan answered. "I won't order any of them to leave their holds or their families for that long. All I ask is if someone from one of your holds wants to go with me, you let them." He looked around the table as everyone nodded their agreement.
"How long do you think you'll be there?" Brijade asked.
"I'm hoping we can have the BishopLord's manor and garrison siege-locked within the first month of our arrival," Nahtan answered. "Then it'll just depend on how well built everything is and how many stores they have on hand."
"All manors and garrisons are built by the same rules," Janec mentioned. "They're meant to withstand heavy sieges for years. You'd have better luck trying to sneak a small group or even a single person in to open the gates for you."
"What about lurin' 'em out?" Kile asked.
Janec shook his head. "They're under direct orders from the Archbishop himself that once they know they're in danger of a siege, those gates are not to be opened until they receive a dispatch from a church officer."
Nahtan turned to look at Adie as she sat between Mo'ani and Kile, listening. She met his gaze, then slowly tilted her head.
"I don't know if I could," she said thoughtfully.
"Like you said yourself," Nahtan reminded. "You were only an average apprentice, but you're a damned good assassin."
"Aye," Kile agreed with Nahtan, looking at Adie. "Ye'd stand the best chance of gettin' in and openin' the gates for 'em."
Adie looked to her grandfather when he cleared his throat. Mo'ani met her gaze, and when he spoke his tone was even.
"You know how I feel about assassinations," he said. "But even I have to admit it would be the best way for Nahtan to get into the garrison."
Adie nodded slowly. "Does that mean for one campaign you wouldn't compare me to the Archbishop?"
"It's still the same thing," Mo'ani said, his dislike for the tactic obvious. "But we also can't drag this on forever."
Adie turned to Nahtan and nodded her head. "All right," she agreed. "I'll go with you, and unless one of the gods wants to personally stop me, I'll get you into that garrison."
"Thank you," Nahtan nodded, settling the issue, then continuing. "There are a lot of mountain ranges and hills around those villages and I don't want to risk losing any church guards back in there. After we clear out the garrison, we'll spend the autumn and winter watching and clearing out the mountains. We'll begin to head west again when the mountain passes clear of snow."
"That gives us a year to pull our armies together and get them into position," Lord Corydon noted.
"That garrison behind us is almost bigger than Corydon Hold now, even when we call in all the reserves," Sevanha pointed out to her husband. "Gahrit suggested some rather costly accidents to even the numbers. We can plan most of them through this winter and the next one."
"We can spare a few Mo'ani," Lord Bavol told them. "I don't dare divide my armies by too much since they'll be needed for the siege against Herridon."
"As will mine," Mo'ani added.
"I can spare Dwellers," Jerai offered. "There's only one garrison and manor between us and Herridon. After we clear it out, I can send a cavalry unit further south to Corydon Hold while the rest of us head toward our positions on Herridon's north walls."
"A Dweller cavalry unit could even things nicely," Lady Corydon nodded. "Thank you, m'lord Jerai."
Jerai nodded and looked to Jaron. "I don't suppose your sister would mind leading it, would she?" he asked.
Jaron smiled faintly. "I hath no doubt she would be honored," he nodded.
Nahtan caught himself smiling at the thought of Tosia leading a cavalry's charge. Most cavalries were built of heavy horses and heavy men. Tosia was quite the opposite, and her presence would undoubtedly make the church guards underestimate her.
"You realize once he knows what's going on, Kiril's going to leave his garrison to go after you," Lady Bavol pointed out to Kile.
"I'm countin' on it," Kile nodded. "That'll take 'im out of Jerai's way and leave his doors wide open." He smiled. "I was even thinkin' of sendin' 'im our schedule."
"You'll do nothing of the sort," Mo'ani told him, shaking his head. "If Kiril moves, it has to be on his own."
"I know," Kile leaned back in his chair. "Doesn't mean I can't want to."
"Can you have the garrison behind you destroyed by late summer?" Nahtan asked Lord and Lady Corydon.
"With the Dwellers' aid," Dahlos said. "And Gahrit's 'accidents', I don't see a problem."
"All right." Nahtan turned to Brijade and Tamnor. "Your turn."
"Don't worry about it," Tamnor assured him, leaning back in his chair. "The garrison behind me won't even see us coming."
"You're sure about that?" Nahtan asked.
"Of course," Brijade shrugged. "If this is timed right, they'll be waiting to intercept you and your army on the way back from Bear's village. Tamnor's armies and half of mine will just have to come up on them from behind after we make them think we have problems to deal with elsewhere."
"Good," Nahtan decided. "I imagine once word spreads of what we're doing, we'll have to fight our way back home."
Brijade leaned over and said something to Tamnor. He turned to look at her for a moment before nodding his head.
"I assume you're sending the other half of your armies to Garyn Hold?" Nahtan asked Brijade.
Brijade nodded. "Rouvin will be taking them," she sai
d. "Then they can approach that garrison from two sides for the siege."
"Now what about Valin?" Nahtan asked, looking around the table. "Adie's last count put them at just over five hundred Mo'ani, but three hundred of those are already from Takis."
"That's not very many," Lord Bavol considered, looking at the map with Valin Hold on it. "But we did a pretty good job decimating the garrison the last time the Archbishop tried taking her."
"Unless his troop rotations built up their numbers again," Rylen pointed out. He looked at his father with a raised eyebrow.
"I'd count on it," Janec agreed, nodding to his son. "He probably took them from the garrison behind Garyn Hold."
"Kile's got his wolves," Bear reminded. "They keep the woods pretty cleared out."
Nahtan sighed, wishing Rial would arrive. He didn't like making these plans without the young lord's presence. The fading light told him it would be nightfall soon.
"Let's give Lord Valin until tomorrow," he suggested. "He'll know what he can and can't do better than any of us. If he's still not here in the morning, we can go ahead and lay the plans for the siege on Herridon."
Having spent nearly the entire day in the study, everyone agreed to quit for the night. They rode back to the stronghold in small groups, and Nahtan overheard most of them still discussing their respective parts of the battle plans. He kept to himself, letting Bear and Brijade talk quietly between themselves as they rode just behind him.
There were so many details left to plan. He was hoping they could have all the major decisions made within a couple of weeks, but now it was looking like it would take closer to a month. The garrisons were only the large targets. Countless guard outposts followed all of the main roads, acting as waystations for rotating troops. While none of these outposts were as heavily manned as the garrisons, they would still have to be dealt with as they made their return from Bear's village and as the others moved their armies into position.
Word seemed to spread quickly from one village or town to the next and Nahtan was betting each outpost would be alerted to their approach. They would follow cross-country routes to hide their passage to the east, but their return home would be in full view as they marched straight for Herridon.