Catherine smiled, "Not a child," she repeated softly, "No, perhaps you aren't, William, but do not compare us. I've done things in my life that you'll never live to even imagine. Or... perhaps you will. I could show you."
She began to lift her skirts, showing her legs first. They were a creme color, long and beautiful. Will tried to tear his eyes away but she was lifting her dress even higher now. He could see the flesh of her upper thigh, the place where her legs came together.
He was surprised to see that she was wearing nothing beneath her dress.
"Do you like what you see?" Catherine asked. She breathed out slowly, stepping closer to the cell, "Tell me you want me, William. I have the key right here. Just say the word. Let me make you a man, a true man, before your death."
She was beautiful, so beautiful, and sensual. Will had never seen so much of a woman before. He couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Say it," Catherine commanded.
"I... can't," Will said. He wrenched his eyes away from her and stumbled back against the wall.
Catherine dropped her skirt, her tone no longer soft and eager, "You're going to die here. You know that, right? My father will kill you! I'll kill you! I'll order the guards to take your head off right now!"
Will felt sorry for her suddenly. He realized she was just a child herself, really. He wanted to tell her as much, comfort her, change her even, but he knew it would be useless. She was just a girl, after all, just a child throwing a tantrum.
"I'll be Queen someday," Catherine said, regaining her composure. "And perhaps I won't kill you. Perhaps I'll keep you alive and force you to marry me and be my King. How would you like that, William? How would you like to be married to the woman who conquers your Kingdom?"
"Lamonte will not succeed. Your father will fail," Will said. His head had started to throb.
"My father," Catherine said. She laughed, long and hard, "You are absolutely right. My father will fail, that is a certainty. Because, William, I am going to kill my father."
It only took a quick glance at Catherine's face to know how serious she was. If he'd been alone, he might have prayed. He might have prayed to all of the Gods in the world to keep Catherine Sullivan from ever following through on her word.
"Good news, Daniels," Sullivan said, gesturing for his warlord to take a seat across from him. He poured them both drinks.
Eric took the seat, pulling the drink close to him, though he didn't drink from it. Not yet, anyway. He sat stiffly, looking worriedly at the King, "What's that, Your Majesty?"
"We have an answer from Terifille," Sullivan said, picking up a letter.
"What have they said?" Eric asked.
"I have not yet read it," Sullivan said, "I thought you'd like to be present for that. What do you say, Daniels? Shall we see what they think of our offer of a betrothal?"
"Yes sir," Eric said.
Sullivan broke the wax seal and unfurled the scroll. He sat back to read it silently. When he was done, he set the the letter down and clasped his hands gently in front of him.
Eric waited.
Sullivan considered what he'd read for a moment.
"Sir?"
"Sorry," Sullivan said, "I was just thinking."
"What'd they say, sir?" Eric asked.
"They heard of your work, Daniels," Sullivan said, "About the orphanages. They were very impressed. This led to a decision to reconsider aligning themselves with us. They've decided to be our allies. We will begin receiving aide from them immediately."
"That's wonderful," Eric said, 'That will really help in the war, your Majesty. We need more defense."
Sullivan nodded, "I know. I've been reading the reports. Your man, Frien, what's he up to? His last report was delayed. I didn't see it with the others."
Eric shrugged, "The Commander is under the command of Battle-Master Rhey. She would know better than I."
"Yet you do know something," Sullivan prompted.
"I heard he was setting up a trap for one of the military divisions that's been attacking us nearby. I'm not sure if he was able to follow through on it," Eric admitted, "He wanted the opportunity to meet with one of their commanders. I don't know exactly what was going on."
Sullivan nodded, "Find out. I want Frien back in the castle soon. I've a special job for him."
Eric nodded. "Sir? What did they say about the betrothal?"
Sullivan glanced back at the letter, "They wish to meet with Catherine first. They will begin providing aide immediately but they will not agree to a marriage pact until after a meeting has been set up."
"Why is that?" Eric asked with a frown.
"I can't be certain," Sullivan said, "The letter was not detailed in regards to that. It said simply that they wished to meet the Princess. If I had to wager, I would guess that rumors of Catherine's decision making have reached beyond our walls. We must control her, Daniels."
"She had a guard kill the girl in the cells," Eric said with a sigh.
"I know," Sullivan said, "I've passed a temporary order that will not allow any guards to follow her commands. She will be powerless here."
Eric nodded, "A wise idea."
"What else can we do?" Sullivan asked. "I don't like where she's headed, Daniels."
"I'll think on it," Eric promised. "For now, we should celebrate, Your Majesty. Terifille is joining us. We have one more kingdom willing to fight for your vision."
Sullivan nodded, "It's not enough," he said, "But it's a start, Daniels."
FORTY-ONE
Learn to Lie
CORI LAID BACK NEXT TO MATILYN. THEY were both sweating and breathing hard. "Tell me more about yourself," Cori invited. "Some days I feel as though I know you, but other days, I feel as though there is still so much left unsaid."
"What do you want to know?" Matilyn asked, "You already know the basics. You know I'm a Priest. You know I'm a Commander, and that I just sort of fell into the position. You know my father died."
"What of your mother?" Cori asked.
Matilyn shook her head, "She died when I was young," she explained, "I hardly remember her. I know she wouldn't have been happy with me if she'd lived though. So, in a way, I'm glad she'd not alive."
Cori stared at her.
"I'm sure you have people you wouldn't want around to see you when you mess up," Matilyn said, "Don't look at me like that."
"Your mother would be proud of you," Cori said, "Why in the world would you think otherwise? Are you still upset about the villages that you raided?"
Matilyn stared up at the top of the tent, "They were so poor, Cori. They hardly had anything, and what they did have, we took."
Cori reached over to take her hand. "I know," she said, "But you have to understand. That's Lamonte. Lamonte has always been poor. The people here aren't educated. They can't do much besides farm and fish and it doesn't work too well for most of them."
"I just never saw it before," Matilyn said, "I don't know if I can do it anymore, Cori."
"What do you mean?" Cori asked. "Of course you can."
"No," Matilyn said, "I can't. I feel like we're fighting for the wrong side."
Cori dropped her hand and sat up, clutching a blanket to her bare chest, "Do not say that," she hissed out, "You do not mean it."
"I think I do," Matilyn said, "They say the Black King is trying to end poverty. How can that be a bad thing?"
"He is doing it the wrong way," Cori said, "You know this. He has a thirst for power and he hides it beneath glamorous words. You have heard the stories of what he does to people."
"I have," Matilyn agreed. She let out a sigh, "How can I lead our men when I hardly know what I believe most of the time?"
"You must make yourself sure," Cori said.
"I can't!" Matilyn exclaimed. "I can't. You don't understand." She rolled away from Cori, looking at the side of the tent. She felt her skin crawl. Everything seemed so wrong.
"Matilyn," Cori said.
"No," Matilyn said.
&nbs
p; "Please listen to me," Cori said, "You cannot trust what the Black King says. He hides behind pretty words but that is all they are. They are just words. There is no honesty in what he tells people, no hidden truths that the rest of us are too blind to see. Do you think if he was a good man that I would be fighting for Arinford?"
"I don't know," Matilyn admitted.
Cori sighed.
"I don't know what we're doing here anymore," Matilyn said.
"We are fighting against--"
"I meant here," Matilyn said. She turned back to Cori and gestured at the tent, "This. Us. I don't know why we're pretending we can make this work. This is war. This is wrong."
"No," Cori said, "No, it is not."
"It is," Matilyn insisted. "You're right, we barely know each other. I had a girl back home, someone who loved me. What am I doing here with you?"
Cori looked as though she'd been slapped, but Matilyn couldn't make herself feel bad about what she'd said. Instead, she reached over to grab her clothing.
"I wish you would not go," Cori said, "Especially like this."
Matilyn got dressed in silence.
"You are not wrong," Cori told her. But Matilyn couldn't believe that. She kept seeing the looks on the faces of the men she'd taken the food from, imagining the way they must feel that night, with their empty bellies and empty coin purses. The thought filled her with disgust.
Once she was dressed, Matilyn got up to take a walk. Cori watched her go.
The camp was mostly quiet. Matilyn walked through it, observing the different stations they had set up. Occasionally, she nodded at one of the men or women who saluted her on her way past. Then she thought of ELdrin. Eldrin would have known what to do. But he'd abandoned her. He'd died, and left her all alone, and now she'd never know his thoughts on the matter.
She didn't know, but she knew that she didn't have that luxury. There were thousands of men depending on her. She thought of Samuel Frien, saying she could make a difference. She had already made one though; she'd done plenty for Arinford. What if Arinford was wrong?
Matilyn felt sick to her stomach. She felt that way a lot lately. Sean kept trying to talk to her, but she kept brushing him off. She knew he was concerned, freaked out even, over the way she'd broken down over Rory's body but she was allowed to have a moment. She was allowed to mourn.
There hadn't been time to mourn Eldrin when he'd died, not really. They'd been forced to flee so quickly. There hadn't been time to properly mourn her father either, and there wasn't time to mourn her officers' boy now. But she needed that time. She needed time to be alone, and to heal.
Unfortunately, in the sea of soldiers, that was something she wasn't going to get.
Cori was waiting for Matilyn near one of the large tents in the center of camp the next morning. There was a table inside covered in maps, diagrams, and notes.
"I thought you would be here soon," Cori said. She gestured at an empty chair, which Matilyn took. If she was upset about what had happened the night before, it didn't show in her face.
"Well," Matilyn said, "I didn't hear about this particular attack till this morning. I thought you'd want to update me."
With the number of troops in the camp, it was impossible for Matilyn to go over each battle plan with every lieutenant or captain in charge. She had to rely on her men to take care of some things for themselves. This was one of Cori's plans, though.
Cori looked Matilyn over for a minute and then pushed a map towards her. It was crudely drawn but Matilyn recognized a few of the land markers, including their camp. Cori tapped an area to the left of it with her finger.
"There is a camp here of four hundred men. From what we discerned,t hey are a group of high-ranking officers specialized in military tactics. They have been stationed in Arinford before, but we believe Sullivan has grown concerned and drawn them home."
"We think we can surprise them with our Charge and wipe them out before they have a chance to fight back. Our plan was to take enough men to wipe them out. We want to make sure none escape. I'd like to go with Lieutenant Mason's Charge so we have plenty of men."
Matilyn listened to this while taking a look at the amp. She nodded, "It's a good plan. This is our..."
"Fourth this week," Cori said, "We have managed to kill more than two thousand men this week alone. Our numbers over all are staggering, but Lamonte has too many men to pull from. Arinford is tiny in comparison."
"How many men have we lost?"
Cori considered, "About six hundred."
"Good ratios, but we need more support."
Cori nodded, "You received a missive from Battle-Master Rafinnel. I took the liberty of opening it. They are supporting your plan. They will be sending twelve thousand men next month."
"Why that many, and why all at once?" Matilyn asked, "It'll give away our plan to Lamonte."
Cori shook her head, "Battle-Master Marius is working with Rafinnel. They're going to send twenty thousand men to Mastin as a diversion tactic. When they arrive, we can begin the march to the castle."
Matilyn sighed, "I'm not sure we'll have all the information about the castle that we need by then."
"I am not either," Cori admitted, "We may have to go in blind."
"Well, we'll make it work," Matilyn told her.
Cori nodded. "We should be able to take out this force was well. There's another that's about two hundred men, about two days away. They're all trainees. If we send seventy men, they'll be fine."
"We should send them immediately then," Matilyn said, "Which troops need the most leadership?"
"The ones going after the four hundred," Cori told her, "I will be there too, but it would be good for morale to see you on the battlefield. I chose some of our less experienced men. They are going to need more direction."
Matilyn blinked, "Why?"
Cori shrugged, "They are going to be fighting with us during our siege on Sullivan's castle. I would rather they get the experience now. It is a smaller force, in comparison, and we will out number them."
Matilyn nodded, "How are we with finding locations? Have you spoken with Stini recently?"
"Lieutenant Stini has been very busy locations decent relocation options," Corin informed her. She shifted around some of the papers on the table till she found another map. This one and multiple circles on it, in a variety of different ink colors.
"This one," she said, tapping a grouping of blue circles, "these are all about the quarter of the size here. As you can see, though they're located close enough we could still communicate between them; it would take five hours of travel between each and a runner could make the journey faster."
She tapped another circle, "Now, this is much larger than here. There is room enough for everyone who would be joining us. However, it is a lot closer to Sullivan's castle, which means we would need to move slowly, quietly, and with a lot of care."
"How close?"
"According to our estimates, we are about eight days march away from the city right now; that is eighteen hours a day, traveling at full march speed. This place is about three full days away."
"That's far more ideal for attacking from," Matilyn said.
Cori held up a hand, "Let me get Lieutenant Stini to discuss this with you, Commander. I need to make sure our troops are ready for tonight."
Matilyn nodded, "Send him in."
Cori stood, snapping off a salute.
It took only a few minutes for her to return, Stini in town. Matilyn had been looking over the map while they were gone.
"Afternoon, Commander," Stini offered a quick, informal salute before taking a seat, "Lieutenant Cori informed me you wanted to discuss our positioning."
Matilyn nodded, "I do. What can you tell me about these circles?"
Stini leaned over to look at the map. The circles she was gesturing at were dotted along the pathway from the shore to their current location and then along to another circle. "These are smaller camps then the one we're currently in. They could f
it everyone but it would be uncomfortable for longer than a night or two."
Matilyn tapped the large circle again, "Cori told me this one is close to Sullivan's castle."
"It is," Stini confirmed, "It is a nice size and location, which is why I'm considering it."
"What's the location like?" Matilyn asked.
Stini shuffled through some papers on the desk, looking for something. When he isn't find it, he sighed, "I had a sketch, but I can't find the copy. I can go get the original from my tent--"
"It's fine," Matilyn said, "We don't have the time for that."
"Alright," he agreed, "Well, this location is actually a cave."
"Of course," Matilyn said. She thought of the ones they'd spent weeks in when she'd been on the run, after Eldrin's death. "Of course it's a cave."
Stini nodded. "From what I was able to tell, it was originally just a rocky hillside. However, from constant rain, sleet, and other elements constantly driving at it for the last however many centuries, it's become a large enclave. The inside is very large, but the tunnel to enter is very hard to find. It's small mostly covered by down-hanging vines and other plants that have grown there over the years. It's moist and chilly inside."
"How hard will it be to filter men into it?" Matilyn leaned back, contemplating.
Stini held up a hand, rocking it back and forth, "I won't lie. It's probably not going to be easy. Right now, at most, ten men could enter at a time. I'd like to send a few men to start widening it."
"So we'd need to move at night," Matilyn said thoughtfully.
"With sentries posted all around the area to make sure Lamonte doesn't know we're moving to it," Stini continued.
Matilyn tapped the green circles, 'What we could then is stagger the move of the men--"
"--Let them sleep in these camps for a period of time--"
"--Until they're all moved to the cave, yes."
"Exactly," Stini said with a smile, "And it's a great place to a track Lamonte from."
"We need to start making plans to get our soldiers moved then," Matilyn said, "I want you to work with Executor Sweeton on this."
The Warriors of Valishna (Cartharia Book 1) Page 45