by Chris Bunch
Knighthood
of the
Dragon
Dragonmaster
Book II
Chris Bunch
Synopsis
Dragonmaster Hal Kalais leads three squadrons of Deraine's forces in a combined land and air assault to push the enemy back to their capital and end the war once and for all. But Hal is wounded and captured during the battle. Now, bound to a prison castle by dark sorcery, Hal plans a daring escape to secure not only his freedom, but also the freedom of his people...
For Philip,
a most decent sort of brother
Contents
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About the Author
1
The music crescendoed, then stopped abruptly; and the chatter was loud in the great hall, then swiftly muted.
Trumpets blared, and a leather-lunged herald shouted:
"Dragonmaster Lord Hal Kailas of Kalabas, Member, King's Household, Defender of the Throne, Hero of Deraine, accompanied by Lady Khiri Carstares."
The trumpets sounded again, and Hal bowed to Khiri, took her hand, and started down the long staircase to the dance floor.
"You barbarian," Khiri hissed.
"That's what the king pays me to be," Hal agreed amiably.
"You could have waited until after the ball," she whispered. "Or… or else seduced me earlier, and given me time enough to straighten up."
Hal leered at her.
"My lusty impulses couldn't be restrained."
"If the king asks why my hair's mussed—and… and other things are awry—what would happen if I told him the truth?"
"That you're a horny devil who can't keep her hands off me?" Hal asked. "He'd probably chuckle in the beard he doesn't have."
"You!"
"I love you," Hal said.
"And I you," Khiri said. "Sex maniac. And at least we got you bathed enough times so you don't smell that much like a dragon anymore."
They were halfway down the staircase, and Hal looked out over the bejeweled crowd, most of the men in dress uniform hung with medals and ribbons, the women, save for a scattering of ranking officers, magnificently gowned.
Kailas was six feet, brown-haired with green eyes. His face, when smiling, could be attractive. But he smiled seldom these days. War had hardened his features. Seeing, and bringing, too much death had made his face cold, watchful.
Hal wore black thigh boots, tight white breeches, a red tunic, almost hidden by decorations, with gold epaulettes and shoulder straps as befitted his rank, and a very practical-looking dagger at his belt. Against regulations, he was bareheaded.
Hal Kailas was just twenty-four.
Khiri Carstares was nineteen, as tall as Hal, dark-haired, with violet eyes. She wore a stylish gown, with less of a flare than common, ending a handspan above the floor, green with minimal white lace piping, elbow-length gloves, and white slippers. A jeweled necklace cascaded around her neck, matched by bracelets on wrist and ankle.
The trumpets blared again behind them, and the herald called:
"Lord Cantabri of Black Island," and a host of decorations, "accompanied by his wife, Lady Cantabri."
Hal looked over his shoulder, saw the tall warrior with the hard yellow eyes of a hunting tiger and scarred face coming down the stairs, in full dress uniform. His wife was small, a few years younger than Cantabri, and was dressed simply and expensively.
Hal continued on down to the floor, still limping from his leg wound at the battle of Aude, stopped Khiri until Cantabri joined them.
"You look wonderful, Lord Bab," Hal said, still not used to calling the man by his first name.
"Maybe," Cantabri snapped. "But what are we doing here, dancing to the king's command, when we ought to be across the water, killing Roche?"
"Bab!" his wife said sharply. "Behave."
Hal almost laughed.
"Why," he said, "we're doing just as you said, dancing to the king's command."
A baron came up, and Kailas and Khiri moved away, as other notables were announced.
"Does he think about anything other than slaughter, ever?" Khiri wondered.
Hal pretended to think.
"Yes, actually. I once caught him in a light moment, musing about maiming."
He fielded two cups of punch, gave one to Khiri.
But Cantabri had asked a good question.
Aude had fallen almost two months earlier, after a brutal siege. The Roche forces had fallen back from the ruined city in order, and taken fighting positions only ten miles from the battleground.
Hal knew why Deraine hadn't continued the attack—the siege had been most expensive, and the first line troops had been decimated.
Replacements had been rushed in, most barely trained, and with them came supplies, including new dragons for the dragon squadrons.
But the Deraine army still held in place.
Then came the surprise—more than thirty of the highest-ranking officers had been ordered to leave their formations in the charge of their second in commands, and journey, with all haste, to Deraine's capital of Rozen, "to await the king's pleasure."
That had sent Cantabri off. "What, for more medals, and leaving the damned Roche to keep rebuilding their damned army? That's plain foolishness!"
Hal agreed.
But King Asir's ways were set, and so the officers, with a scattering of enlisted men who'd distinguished themselves in the siege, obeyed.
Surprisingly, some of those summoned were Sagene, Deraine's not-always-wholehearted allies, with the written approval of the country's Council of Barons.
All of them, enlisted to generals, were cosseted in their journey north through Sagene to the Free City of Paestum, across the Chicor Straits, and upriver to Rozen.
They were ordered, to their great surprise, to take quarters in the king's castle, a high honor, and to stand by for further orders.
So far, that had consisted of being commanded to attend this ball.
Hal had thought wryly of his estates granted by the king somewhere north, next to Sir Bab's own holdings. They purportedly included several thousand acres, included dairy land, some islands, half a dozen villages, fishing rights, as well as a mansion here in Rozen. He'd seen none of them yet—the war was an all-encompassing beast. The closest he'd come was being notified of his monthly rentals and profits, paid into an account at a merchant bank recommended by Sir Bab.
Someday, before he was killed, he hoped to see his lands.
But those were thoughts for another day.
Now he and Khiri, who had been orphaned by the war and owned estates far vaster than anything of Hal's, were here, in the palace.
Allowances had been paid for new uniforms, and gowns for the ladies who might not be able to afford them. Tailors scuttled to the castle with orders to have their wares finished within two days.
Hal, who would have preferred to be back with his flight, training the new f
liers and dragons, had learned to keep his mouth shut on occasion, and so put aside his impatience, and passed the time sleeping or dancing close attendance on Khiri.
Speaking of which, as the band started playing again, he took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor.
He was intercepted by Sir Thom Lowess, the taleteller who'd decided, some time ago, that part of his duties were to build Hal's reputation.
Sir Thom had also introduced Hal and Khiri, and so was very large in both their hearts.
He greeted them effusively, saying how glad he was that Hal had lived through the battle, and "covered yourself with even greater glory."
Kailas was embarrassed. Khiri tried to change the subject, saying perhaps they'd have a chance to have dinner with Lowess at his cluttered mansion.
"You might," Lowess said, holding back a grin. "You might, indeed, Lady Khiri."
"And what's wrong with me?" Hal asked.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Lowess said, holding back a chortle. "Other than you'll notice the punch is remarkably weak, so even the hotheads won't have an excuse for their wits not being about them. Now, I must go."
He bustled away.
"That man and his trade are a perfect match," Khiri said. "He couldn't keep a secret if you threatened him with… with whatever you threaten a taleteller with."
"True," Hal agreed.
They both noticed something at the same time—equerries, in royal livery, were moving through the crowd, stopping here and there. Hal saw them pause at Cantabri, at Lord Egibi,
Commander of the First Army, Lord Desmoceras, Sagene Commander of the Second Army, other high-rankers.
One stopped at Limingo, the king's most talented sorcerer, who was accompanied by a lithe young man both Hal and Khiri agreed could only be described as beautiful.
Something besides a formal dance was transpiring.
Hal wondered how long it would be before he was told.
Kailas was rather astonished when one of the equerries came to him, bowed, and said, "His Royal Majesty summons you to an audience in the chamber beyond the green door."
He didn't wait for a response, but passed on.
"Interesting," Hal said.
"And there goes my dance… and romance," Khiri murmured.
2
The room was large, a grandiose living room, with comfortable chairs in a large semicircle, end tables next to them. Hal noted the tables had pitchers of iced water, nothing stronger.
Clearly the king had not summoned anyone for a celebration.
Around the room were the toughest fighters and most skilled commanders of Deraine's southern armies.
Something was very much in the offing.
Hal caught Limingo the magician's eye, raised an eyebrow. The wizard shook his head in equal ignorance as to what was going on.
The short, fat equerry Hal remembered from his ennoblement ceremony came into the room.
"All kneel for His Majesty," he ordered.
Everyone obeyed, except for the Sagenes, who, Hal was impressed to see, at least bent a knee as King Asir entered the room. It appeared the age-old enmity between Sagene and Deraine might be lessening.
Asir was short, stocky, and wore simple robes as was his style. Hal thought his eyes looked even more tired than the last time he'd seen him.
The war was grinding on everyone.
"Sit down," Asir said. "Thank you for attending me." Behind him, Sir Thom Lowess entered the room, waited by the door.
"What I'm going to tell you will, no doubt, displease some. As well as," and he pointedly looked at Hal and Sir Bab, "please others.
"This invitation was extended to all of you as part of a grand deception.
"I know that some of you have been loud in your unhappiness that I have not ordered our armies to follow up on their advantage at Aude." Again, he looked at Cantabri, smiled slightly.
"That was not accidental. First, it was necessary to rebuild the Deraine and Sagene units in the field, and give our soldiers a bit of a breather. Second, it took some ambassadorial conferring with the barons of Sagene until we were in full agreement as to the next stage.
"But now our forces are strong again, and our soldiers have had a rest.
"It is late summer, and the word is being spread that it is too late in the season to be mounting another campaign, and that we will be taking up winter quarters and securing the supply line from the ocean down the Comtal River to Aude.
"In fact, shovels, canvas and other pioneering tools have been loudly dispatched to Aude.
"Because of this planned inactivity, I decided to have a grand award ceremony for my victorious soldiers.
"There shall be medals awarded, but all of what I just said is a crock of shit."
There was a mutter around the room, a bit of laughter, a bit of shock. There were those who weren't familiar with the king's bluntness.
"My intentions are, in fact, to mount an attack on the Roche positions beyond Aude, striking in a great crescent with heavily guarded flanks. I intend to smash a hole in their lines, then turn left and right, turn loose my heavy cavalry and force their surrender.
"With that gaping hole, the way will be clear to the Roche capital of Carcaor, and the war's end."
There was a stir of excitement.
"Forgive me, Your Highness," a general said. "I applaud your audacity. But what does this attack have to do with us being here instead of with our troops?
"Did you want personal contact, to make sure we understand your orders?"
"Hardly," Asir said. "By this stage of the war, those who have trouble understanding are either serving in a rear echelon somewhere… or they're dead.
"You are the centerpiece of my deception.
"For those of you in this room, there'll be no comfortable rest here in the palace, although no one beyond these walls will know of it.
"The celebrating and feasts will go on, and those men still outside, and your ladies, will be my guests until the battle is mounted.
"Sir Thom, here, for those of you who aren't fortunate enough to be his friend, is probably the best, and most trusted, taleteller in either of our two kingdoms.
"I'm afraid that his credibility may be a bit shattered by what I'm requiring of him."
Lowess smiled, clearly not worried about that.
"He'll be putting out stories on a regular basis about the men and women he's interviewing, particularly our most steel-fanged heroes, some of whom are relaxing, more of whom are talking about their plans to wreak havoc on the Roche come spring.
"All—or as many as Sir Thom can connive—of your names will be taken in vain.
"Meantime, those of you here will be leaving before dawn tomorrow, back for Sagene and your soldiery. Since the weather is portending storms, which Limingo and his wizards shall be casting, you'll travel in covered omnibuses, as if you were just another convoy of replacements, if a bit more heavily escorted than normal.
"My equerries have already gone out to your units, and have provided them with written orders, which they are then instructed to return to the bearer, which shall give them an understanding on what is planned.
"I want the attack mounted within two days, no more, after your return to Aude."
A general whistled.
The king nodded. "Not long at all. And we shall attack without warning, without any probing attacks.
"This is the chanciest part, that the Roche may have prepared surprise defenses, although I'll have Limingo, and a small task force, journey south with you, with orders to magically search the Roche lines."
"But won't we be missed here?" an elderly general asked, a trifle plaintively.
"No," the king said. "There'll be soldiers wearing your uniforms, accompanying your wives or… or friends, that'll be seen from a distance."
The older man looked worried.
"I'll add," the king went on, "that all of them have been ensorcelled so there won't be any possibility of… problems."
Eviden
tly the older man had, or thought he had, a wandering wife, for he visibly relaxed. Again, there was a bit of laughter from those who seemed to know.
"Obviously," the king said, "you can tell your wives, since we need their cooperation, although you must swear them to complete secrecy, for millions of lives, and perhaps even the fate of the kingdom, depend on this deception being carried off."
"I'll add," Sir Thom put in, "that there'll be no chance—or almost no chance—for any gossip to spread the tale. The king has officially told me that this gathering is intended to give his generals complete relaxation, and they are not to be burdened with any cares of the outside world."
"Easy to say, Sir Thom," a lord said. "But you don't have my wife, who'll kill anyone who tries to stop her from shopping, now that we're in the capital."
"Some of our most exclusive shops will be bringing their wares to the castle," Sir Thom said. "I doubt if anyone will be angered by the fact the tradesmen with them may not be as knowledgeable about silks and such as they should, because in reality they're disguised members of the royal household, since the items offered will be heavily discounted."
"Also," the king said, "the humbug will only last for five, perhaps six days, until you've returned to Aude, and battle is joined.
"I shall not keep you from the dance. Enjoy yourselves as best you can, but please don't tell anyone until you've returned to your quarters.
"You'll have enough time on the journey to study the plans that've been drawn up for you.
"Oh. One small thing. I know it won't alleviate your ladies' rage at me, but there'll be large amounts of leave after the battle. That's all."
He stood, and again the soldiers knelt or bowed.
"Lord Cantabri, Lord Kailas, if you'd remain for a moment?"
The king waited until everyone had left.
"Your orders are a bit different from the others.
"Lord Cantabri, I require you to remain in readiness at the armies' headquarters. Your unit has already been turned over to your subordinate for the nonce.
"Your duties during the battle are to watch closely for any hesitation, malfeasance or loss of command in any of the units, including the Sagene.
"You will have written authorization from me, and from the Council of Barons, to take over any faltering unit, Derainian or Sagene, and to relieve any officer you see fit.