by N. C. Reed
“Never thought I’d be glad to see this place as I am right now,” Harry James commented tiredly as the six men rode into the gate.
“True ‘nough,” Parsons muttered tiredly. He was filthy and exhausted. They all were. He dismounted and rummaged into his saddlebags for the book he’d used to keep his notes together, handing his reins to James.
“See to the horses,” he ordered. “Then fag out. All of you. You’ve earned it.” The men nodded dully, walking their mounts toward the stables. Parsons watched them go for a moment, then turned.
To find himself face to face with Parno McLeod.
“I see you finally remembered where we were,” Parno said, eying Parsons closely. “You look about done in,” he added. “I’m glad to see you back.”
“I’m sorry, milord,” Parsons told him. “We. . .we went a might further north than I’d planned and we had some horses play out on us. We made best time we could, just wasn’t good enough.”
“I said I was glad to see you back,” Parno reminded him. Parsons grimaced.
“That may not last, you see what I got ta tell ya.”
Parno nodded and turned to the nearest trooper. “Have Colonels Nidiad, Willard, and Master Feng report to my quarters at once. My quarters, not my office, understand?”
“Milord,” the soldier bowed slightly and hurried off. Parno turned to look again at Parsons.
“C’mon,” he ordered. “I’ll get you something to eat. Something hot.” Without another word he set off to his house on the small rise overlooking the inside of the fort. Parsons followed him, also without a word. Sprigs hurried from the Headquarters building to join his liege.
“We’ll have visitors momentarily,” Parno told him without preamble. “Inform the cook I’ll expect hot food as soon as possible and a hot bath ready to be drawn after the meeting,” he added, glancing at Parsons. “See to it that the Officer of the Day knows that the men who just came in are excused duty for the next two days and that they’re fed. Have a warm bath waiting for each of them as well, then return to the house. I’ll need you at the door, once more.” Sprigs nodded in acknowledgment then hurried to obey.
“I take it you bear bad news,” Parno said calmly to Parsons once no one was in earshot.
“I’m ‘fraid I do, sir,” Parsons agreed tiredly. “Mite worse’n bad.”
“I suspected as much,” Parno nodded. “You’ve made sure your men will stay quiet? Everyone else will know soon enough.”
“They know not to be runnin’ their mouths,” Parsons agreed. “Not even to each other. They’ll do what they’s told.”
“I have no doubt.”
*****
“So, there it is, milord,” Parsons finished. It had taken him over an hour to relay what he had heard and seen himself to the assembled command staff. There had been questions, of course…some he could answer, some he couldn’t.
“We’ll keep you no longer, Mister Parsons,” Parno said softly. “There’s a hot bath waiting and a new uniform.”
“Thank you, sir.” Parsons chuckled.
“Told you it was unseemly, man o’ yer station callin’ me sir,” he reminded Parno. The Prince smiled at that, and nodded.
“So you did, Lieutenant,” he replied. Parsons was so tired it took him a minute to realize that Parno had called him. . . .
“I ain’t hardly officer material, milord,” the former thief said quietly.
“I think I can decide that,” Parno rebuffed him lightly, “and you are as of now Lieutenant Parsons. You and the men who followed you here will now be separated from your current assignments and formed into a scout detail. We’ll discuss that later, however. For now, get cleaned up and get some rest.”
Parsons regarded the young Prince carefully for a moment, then saluted slowly. Once it had been returned, Parsons left the room. Darvo chuckled, despite the gravity of their predicament.
“You’ve made a lifelong friend there, lad,” he told Parno. Karls and Feng both agreed.
“Be that as it may, we now have another source of information to add to our map,” Parno replied. He slowly uncovered the map and the four of them spent the next two hours adding Parsons information to the map, then compiling the various reports into one.
Standing back, they studied their handiwork. They didn’t admire it, just made sure it was complete.
“Lord Above,” Darvo broke the silence at last. The others nodded mutely.
“This is bad,” Karls Willard spoke and the others laughed darkly at his understatement.
“So, what now?” Darvo asked, turning to Parno. The Prince studied the map for a while longer. Finally, he sighed, turning to face his friends.
“I will ride for Nasil on the morrow,” he told them.
“Want me to go along?” Darvo asked. Parno shook his head.
“No, none of you are going. Not this time,” he added, as they all three began to protest. “We can’t afford it. I may be gone for ten days or more. All of you need to use that ten days to continue training our men and preparing our stores,” he added. “There’s no time to lose. This regiment was designed for something just like this,” he reminded them. “To blunt a massive Norland assault. We’re considered expendable.”
“I don’t want our men unprepared for battle. If they’re thrown into a grinder like that only good training and better discipline can ensure that at least some of us survive.”
The three men in front of him nodded their agreement. They’d never expected this.
“I’m sorry,” Parno told them all. The weight of their lives as well as the others suddenly forcing him down. “I never thought that something like this might happen. This was supposed to be a nice, calm garrison post.” Darvo snorted.
“No such thing in this army, lad,” the veteran told him. “That’s the lot of soldiers, Parno. You train for something you hope never happens. Then, when it does, you wish it happened somewhere else. It’s no different for the men in the Nor ranks, I assure you.”
“I suppose not,” Parno agreed. “Well, all of you have work to do and I have a visit I need to make.”
*****
Parno hated coming here.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like Roda. He did. The fussy little man was a constant source of amusement.
He was also dangerous.
Some of the ‘concoctions’ that he came up with were spectacular…even moreso when they ‘concocted’ unexpectedly.
“Hello, Prince,” Roda smiled, seeing Parno walk into his workshop. “What beings you out on such a cold day?” Parno looked first left, then right, very carefully while replying.
“I need to speak with you, Roda,” Parno told him. “In private.” Roda nodded, and led the way toward his personal office, shouting instructions to his two assistants as he went.
“Carl, you damned buffoon, put that down! Carefully, you idiot! Unless you want to spread yourself all over the valley. Billy, you half brained ape! How many times do I have to tell you never touch that!”
“Sorry Professor,” the two chorused, eyes rolling. Parno almost smiled but the effort was just too much for him at the moment. As the two men entered the office, Roda took a chair and motioned Parno to another.
“What can I do for you, milord?” he asked. “Bear in mind, that the time we spend here is directly proportional to the possibility that one of those cretins will kill us,” he added.
“We will be swift,” Parno assured him. “I wanted to know how your weapons research is faring.”
“Very well, at the moment,” Roda assured him. “I believe I’ve solved the problem with the mines and will start testing them in another day or so but I still need to tweak the design a bit so that we can make them in large number.”
“The ballista rounds?” Parno asked. Roda frowned.
“They work,” he admitted, “but they are more unstable than the mines, milord. At least once in twenty, or perhaps twenty-five shots, they explode prematurely. Once on the delivery system itself.
Had there been an actual crew they no doubt would have been killed.”
Parno nodded, disappointed.
“Is there any hope of making them work better? Reducing the risks?” he asked. Roda shrugged.
“Perhaps, milord. I am experimenting now with a system similar to that of the mines. I don’t know that it will fire correctly as yet. It’s just in the planning stages.”
“Trebuchet rounds?” Parno asked.
Here Roda smiled. “They perform wonderfully,” the inventor enthused. “Far outdoing my original estimates, in fact.”
“And we can use the same rounds for the catapults?” said Parno.
“Yes, yes, I told you before that would work,” Roda agreed irritably. “Why?”
“As of today, your experimenting takes a back seat to production,” Parno ordered without answering the question. “I want as many of the mines, catapult and trebuchet rounds as possible. I want people working on them every possible minute. Do you understand?”
“No, I don’t,” Roda looked confused. “Why would you. . . .”
“I don’t need questions, Roda,” Parno told him flatly. “I have given you your head since bringing you here. Now I need you working on something I need and need badly. I’ll send a work detail up here later today to start digging you new bunkers...safe places to store the weapons as you ready them…and a guard force to ensure that no one gets too interested in what you’re doing.”
“How many of them can you make in the next three months?” Roda blinked like an old owl at that.
“I. . .I don’t know, milord,” he replied honestly. “It will depend on how quickly we can get a means of mass production set up and, you understand, there are inherent dangers in hurrying this sort of thing.”
“I do,” Parno nodded. “Proceed as quickly as is safely possible, Roda,” he ordered. “I want as many of those particular rounds ready as quickly as is safely possible.”
“Milord, is there a problem of. . . .” Parno halted his line of inquiry with a raised hand.
“You know all you need to know for now, Roda,” Parno told him sternly, though not unkindly. “You don’t want to know, anyway. Trust me. Just see to it that things are moving. Whatever you need, I’ll see to it that you get it. Understand?” Parno seldom took on Royal ‘airs’ here or anywhere for that matter, Roda knew. When he did, it wasn’t wise to argue.
“I will get right on it, milord,” Roda promised. “I’ll begin laying out new bunkers now so that the work crew can start immediately.”
“Excellent. Make no mistake, Roda,” Parno told him, looking the inventor directly in the eye. “The work you do, and are about to do, is vital to the kingdom. In ways I cannot yet tell you. Trust me and work well, work safely, and above all else, work swiftly.”
Roda sat motionless for a few seconds after Parno departed. There was only one thing that could necessitate the need for the weapons he crafted here. Soulan was going to war.
But with who? They were at peace with the Nor and there was no one else. Yet Parno had been most insistent, almost desperate, and certain that Roda’s inventions would play an important part in protecting the kingdom. He shook himself.
Regardless of the reasons, Roda had his orders from Parno McLeod himself and Roda owed Parno his life and much more besides. He rose from his chair and scurried out of his office.
“Carl, you moronic imbecile! Bring the strings and come with me. Get the hammer and some stakes! Billy, you’re coming too. I can’t afford to leave you in here unsuperv… don’t touch that you idiot!”
*****
Parno was in the saddle before sunup. Berry and his men were with him and no
one else. The trip would be a hard one.
“Snow on the wind, milord,” Berry commented as they made their way down the road slowly in the growing light.
“I know,” Parno nodded. “No help for it, I’m afraid. We have to get to Nasil.”
“We’ll get there, milord,” Berry promised.
There was no more talk as everyone concentrated on the road. Riding in poor light was treacherous enough without distractions. Parno was concentrating on the road with only part of his mind, since he was also thinking about what he would say to Memmnon once he reached Nasil.
Would Memmnon at least hear him out? Probably, Parno judged. Would he believe him? Possibly. Much of that would depend on how convincing Parno was in his explanation.
“What will I do if he doesn’t believe me?” the young Prince wondered. “And what will happen if he doesn’t? Will I be removed from my position? Punished in some way? What can they really do to me, anyway? I’m already basically ostracized. There’s not much more they can do to me, save banish me, and if they do that then at least it won’t be my problem anymore.”
Even as that thought occurred to him, he shook it off, angry at himself.
“Of course it will still be my problem”, he chided himself. “This is my home. My people. My friends in some cases, though there’s all too few of those. Whatever happens, I can’t just walk away, washing my hands of any obligation.”
He almost stopped the trip at that. Maybe waiting was better. Waiting and gathering more information.
No, Darvo had been quite clear about how much time, minimal time, the Army would need to prepare for an invasion the size of the one the Nor were apparently planning. Three months at a minimum and they hadn’t much longer than that now. They had five months at the very outside, depending on how strong the spring rains were and when they relented.
That’s all the time we have, Parno thought bleakly. Once that’s done, the Nor will attack us in greater strength than ever before and with an army better equipped and trained than ever before in their history.
No, it had to be now. There was no choice.
*****
The trip was difficult to say the least. They had been in saddle most of the first day when the snow began falling, and it fell swiftly.
“Likely be this way until we’re off the plateau, milord,” Berry told him. “I don’t know that we can get down today. Not before dark.”
“We need to if we can,” Parno ordered. “I don’t want to risk the men’s lives but as long as we can proceed, we will. We cannot afford to be caught out here, Sergeant. Not like this. Once we’re down, we’ll likely still face rain, but the snow and ice will be gone. If we can make it off the mountain then we’ll stop at the first inn we come to and stay the night.”
Berry nodded and sent a man ahead to scout the way.
The going was slow and in some cases treacherous. More than one time a horse and rider fell. One horse had to be put down, his leg broken in two places. The rider had managed to escape injury, for which Parno was thankful. They had brought a few remounts for just such an emergency and one was immediately pressed into service.
The small column pressed on.
Finally, just at dark, they reached the trail leading off the mountain. Berry eyed the snow covered roadway with no small trepidation. Parno sat beside him, considering for only a moment before giving orders.
“We’re going down,” he ordered. “We have some light and the road is a good one beneath the snow. Let us go now and we’ll stop as I promised. We cannot delay and be caught in the weather.” Again Berry nodded and the small column began easing its way down the mountain.
*****
It was long after full dark when the weary group of men rode into the small village of Cenevil. Berry knocked at the door of the inn, waking the owner.
“Who are you?” the sleepy eyed owner demanded.
“My name is Parno McLeod,” the Prince himself said, appearing out of the snow. “My men and I need lodging and food for ourselves and our horses.”
“O. . .of course, milord,” the owner was instantly co-operative. “Please come in. I’ll have my man awakened to see to your mounts.”
“We can do that ourselves, milord,” Berry spoke softly. “Won’t take a bit.” Parno nodded and stepped into the inn.
“If you haven’t enough rooms we’ll sleep on the floor, near the fire. We will require breakfast well before dawn, as we need to be in the saddle again at first light. Will that be a problem?”
“No, milord,” the inn owner replied, “and I’ll have something going for your men in just a moment.” Parno nodded and took a seat by the fire. He almost felt guilty, warming this way, while his men were. . . .