by DAVID B. COE
"It's called a sept," Gries said quietly.
The others looked at him briefly.
"Well, whatev'r i' is, 't's small. Can' be more 'n hundred people."
"All septs look small to men who come from the larger cities of the sovereignties," Gries told them. "Most of our soldiers can only compare the settlements to their homes, and its not a helpful comparison."
"You seem to know a good deal about the Fal'Borna, Captain," Jenoe said.
"My father has taught me much, Marshal. Perhaps he knew that this war would come eventually."
"How big is the paddock?" Enly asked.
Cries looked at him and nodded approvingly at the question. The scout appeared puzzled. "Th' what?"
"The paddock," Gries said, facing the man again. "How many horses are grazing beside the… the village?"
The young soldier turned to his companion and shrugged. "I don' know. D' you?"
"A lot," the other man said. "Couple o' hundred a' least. Bu' we didn' see any white-hairs. No' one."
"They're there," Gries said. "They wouldn't flee the sept and leave their horses behind. More likely they spotted these two or learned of our approach.
They'll be ready for us."
"Do you have any idea how many warriors this sept might have?" Jenoe asked him.
"With that many horses, they'll have several hundred people in their sept."
Jenoe nodded. "So roughly half of them would be warriors."
"No," Cries said. "The Fal'Borna are as patriarchal as any clan in the Southlands. But you're about to attack one of their septs. Every person in that settlement who's old enough to carry a weapon is a warrior. And every one of them past his or her fourth four will be able to wield magic."
Jenoe and Tirnya exchanged a look.
The marshal faced the scouts again. "Well done," he said. "I need for one of you to go to the back of our column, find the leader of the Mettai, and bring her to me."
Before either man could respond, Enly said, "I'll get her."
Jenoe furrowed his brow. "Really, Captain, I was hoping that you'd remain here and help us devise a strategy."
"I doubt that I have much to offer, Marshal. I trust Captain Ballidyne to speak for me."
Tirnya couldn't have looked more surprised.
Jenoe, however, seemed to understand. "Very well, Captain. Please bring her to me as quickly as possible."
"Of course." Enly turned his mount and rode at a brisk canter back past the other soldiers to the small cluster of Mettai villagers. The villagers were all sitting on the ground, despite a light covering of snow from a squall the previous night. Seeing him approach, Fayonne rose. After a moment, her son did as well.
"You're looking for me, I assume," the eldest said.
"Yes. The marshal wishes a word with you. Our scouts have spotted a sept ahead. It looks as though we'll be facing the Fal'Borna before the day is through."
Fayonne didn't look formidable in any traditional sense. She was small, so thin as to be almost waiflike. The years had whitened her hair and left deep lines on her face. But at the mention of the Fal'Borna she didn't quail, or widen her dark eyes, or betray any hint of the fear that Enly himself felt. He couldn't help but admire her courage.
"I'd like to bring my son," she said in an even voice. "I believe he'll be of value in any discussion of tactics."
Mander's expression didn't change. He stared back at Enly as if daring him to refuse the eldest's request.
"Of course," Enly said. "Please follow me."
He turned Nallaj, his bay, and began to lead the two Mettai toward the front of the column. He noticed that soldiers from all the armies were watching them, their eyes seemingly drawn to the Mettai like moths to a flame. There was fear in the looks they gave the woman and her son, and hostility as well. Once again, Enly wondered if this alliance Tirnya and Jenoe had forged with the sorcerers would work. Allies were supposed to trust one another. And he saw no trust at all in the way Stelpana's soldiers regarded these two.
By the time they returned to the front of the column, Jenoe, Tirnya, and the others had dismounted and were standing in a loose circle. Seeing them approach, Jenoe stepped away from Marshal Crish and the captains, a smile fixed on his youthful face.
"Eldest," he said. "Thank you for joining us. Did Captain Tolm tell you why we stopped?"
She nodded. "He said there's a sept ahead."
"That's right. We believe it's a large one, with several hundred Fal'Borna warriors. Their paddock is full, but our scouts saw no people at all." Fayonne made a sour face. "You gave yourselves away."
The marshal bristled, and Enly wondered if he'd reply in anger. After a moment, though, he merely said in a tight voice, "So it would seem."
"That's unfortunate," Fayonne went on. "It will make this more difficult.
They'll raise a mist and I'd imagine they'll try to unnerve your horses with their magic. And when you're close enough, they'll use shaping power against you."
"What would you suggest we do?" Jenoe asked.
She looked at her son, who was staring at the ground, seemingly oblivious to their conversation.
But to Enly's surprise, he was the one who answered.
"There are about fifty of us," he said, "and I think we'd be best off dividing ourselves into three or four groups. One group can use fire against their shelters. Another can use a finding spell. And still-"
Enly held up a hand. "Wait. What's a finding spell?"
Mander grinned, clearly pleased with himself. "It's magic that seeks out other magic. We can spread it over the village and if the white-hairs are hiding, it will show where they are."
"Can it be used to find a specific kind of magic?" Gries asked. Mander and his mother exchanged looks.
"I don't know," the man said. "What did you have in mind?"
"Can it find Weavers?" Gries turned to Jenoe. "If we could identify the Weavers by sight, it would make fighting them much easier. We could have our bowmen concentrate all of their fire on the leaders. If we kill them, defeating the rest would be easy."
"Can you do this?" Jenoe asked the Mettai.
Mander looked uncertain. "We can try."
"There was more," Tirnya said. "You weren't done telling us which magics you'd use."
He nodded. "Right. The last thing we should do is conjure wolves, and send them in along with the army."
Jenoe frowned. "Wolves?"
The smile returned to Mander's face. "Not just any wolves. B-" Fayonne touched his arm and shook her head.
"Enchanted wolves," Mander went on a moment later, still eyeing her. "Intelligent, powerful, and immune to language of beasts. The white-hairs wouldn't be able to confuse them with their magic."
"You've done this?" Gries asked.
"We know how to do it," Fayonne said. "Some spells have been passed down for generations. This is one of them. It was used long ago, early in the Blood Wars."
Fairlea's captain shook his head. "I've never heard of such a thing." He looked at Enly. "Have you?"
"It doesn't matter if you've heard of it," Tirnya said before Enly could answer. "This is just what we've been hoping for. We've known all along that early in the Blood Wars things were different. The Eandi did well against Qirsi magic. Now we know that some of the spells used back then survive to this day. We should use them all."
They turned to Jenoe, who gazed toward the western horizon, as if he could already see the sept. He didn't look pleased.
"Father?" Tirnya said, ending a lengthy silence.
The marshal shook his head slowly. "I don't like this. Forgive me, Eldest," he added with a glance at Fayonne. "We brought you here to wield your magic, and wield it you will. But I have to say that I'm uncomfortable fighting this way. I've never had to rely on any form of sorcery, and I never thought I would."
"You can't defeat them without us," Fayonne said, her tone as blunt as her words. "We both know that. So I'd suggest you put your qualms aside and let us fight the way we k
now how."
Once again, Enly expected the marshal to react angrily. Instead, he laughed.
"I suppose I deserved that. You're right, Eldest. We need your magic, and we'll be grateful to you and your people for shedding your blood on our behalf."
Fayonne nodded solemnly. "Get the others," she said, turning to her son once more. She looked back at Jenoe. "I'm sure you understand, Marshal, that we can be most effective at the head of your army."
"Yes, of course." Jenoe looked at Enly, Tirnya, and the others. "Our archers will begin the assault; we should bring them forward also."
"Yes, Marshal," Enly said, speaking for the others before they all returned to their companies.
Enly found his lead riders in a tight cluster, talking quietly among themselves as his soldiers milled about. Seeing Enly approach, they turned to face him. Aldir Canithal, the senior man among his riders, barked a command to the rest of the company that instantly had them scrambling to muster themselves back into formation.
"It's all right," Enly called.
The soldiers slowed, though they still returned to their positions. "What's happened?" Aldir asked in his usual clipped tone.
"The scouts have spotted a sept ahead. The marshal wants us to bring the bowmen forward. We're about to have our first battle."
Several of the other riders blanched at these tidings, but not Aldir. He was actually several years older than Enly, and might well have made captain already had Enly not requested that the man remain under his command. He'd explained as much to Aldir, who had dismissed his apologies with a wave of his hand.
"I'm a soldier," he'd said at the time. "I'm in no hurry t' be a captain. You boys never get yar uniforms dirty."
Enly had laughed, thinking at the time that the man was right: He was a warrior to the very core. He definitely looked the part. He had a high forehead and a broad, homely face. His nose had been broken so many times in battle tournaments and training sessions that it always looked swollen and bent. His eyes, clear blue like lake waters during the Snows, were small and widely spaced. He wasn't particularly tall or broad, but he moved with an efficient grace, like a wolf on the prowl. There was no one else with whom Enly would have felt more at ease going into battle, except perhaps-and Enly never would have admitted this to his father-for Jenoe.
"We saw ya go past with th' Mettai," Aldir said now. "We suspected th' scouts had found somethin'."
"What are th' Mettai goin' t' be doin'?" asked Jinqled Savlek.
"Magic," Enly said. "Which is just what we brought them to do."
Jinq looked away, but nodded, his lips pressed in a flat line. He was, in many ways, as different from Aldir as any man could be. Tall, handsome, with red hair, green eyes, and a smile that had charmed many a barmaid into his bed, he was the youngest of Enly's lead riders. He was a good soldier. Someday he'd be a great one, but for now he was too reckless, too prone to mistakes. He'd made clear to Enly on several occasions that he didn't like the Mettai and had no interest in riding into battle beside them.
"There are other ways t'-"
Aldir silenced Jinq by laying a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Let it be, lad."
Jinq looked away again.
Enly stepped closer to them. "If it makes you feel any better, Jinq," he said, dropping his voice to a whisper, "the marshal isn't too sure about this, either."
"Then why are we doin' it?"
"Because as much as we don't feel comfortable with sorcerers, we're going to war against them, and having magic on our side balances things a bit. Do you really want to face the Fal'Borna with nothing more than arrows and steel?"
Jinq gave a grudging shake of the head.
"Divide the men-archers and swordsmen. Aldir, you'll command the archers, and I expect you'll answer directly to the marshal. Ilyan, you'll lead the swordsmen. The rest of you go as your talents dictate. If you've any skill with a bow, follow Aldir. Archers will be most helpful against this enemy." He looked at Aldir again. "The Mettai will be performing what they call a finding spell. It'll enable us to identify their Weavers. Listen for the marshal's command and concentrate your volleys where he tells you. The Weavers are the key to all of this. If they can be defeated, the rest of the Qirsi army won't have a chance."
Aldir and the other riders nodded to him and Enly started away, intending to walk among his men.
"What kind o' spells will they be doin', Captain?" Jinq asked, stopping him. "Th' Mettai, I mean. Aside from this findin' spell."
Enly turned to face him. He'd evaded Jinq's question the first time; he didn't feel right doing so again. "They'll be using fire on the shelters." He hesitated, but only for a moment. "And they'll be conjuring wolves."
"Wolves?" Jinq repeated, the blood draining from his face.
"Apparently the Mettai who marched with our people during the early years of the Blood Wars did this, to great effect."
The young rider nodded, but he looked even more unsettled than he had before. Enly left him, knowing there was nothing he could say that would ease his mind.
It didn't take the soldiers of the three armies long to rearrange themselves, and soon they were ready to march again. The Mettai villagers now walked at the van beside Jenoe, Hendrid, and their captains. They were followed by nearly fifteen hundred bowmen. The balance of the army, some twenty-five hundred swordsmen, brought up the rear. For all his doubts about this war, Enly couldn't deny that his father and the other lord governors had put together an impressive force. The Fal'Borna might have been prepared for an attack, but he found it hard to believe that they were ready for an army of this size.
They hadn't gone far when they topped a gentle rise and looked down upon the sept, which sat on a large, wedge-shaped piece of land at the confluence of two small streams. As the scouts had said, the paddock at the far end of the settlement was crowded with horses-greys, blacks, sorrels, bays, and whites. Enly couldn't remember seeing so many horses in one place.
But while the paddock was full, the sept looked to have been deserted. Except for a few narrow plumes of pale smoke rising from shelters, Enly saw nothing to indicate that there were any people in the settlement. In fact, several of the shelters appeared to have been destroyed. Some of them were blackened, as if by fire, while others simply looked like they had been crushed.
"What do you make of it?" Jenoe asked, his voice low.
Enly turned to answer, but then realized that the marshal had been speaking to Tirnya. She was eyeing the sept through narrowed eyes, her brow creased.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say they'd already been attacked," she said. Enly shook his head. "Not attacked. Struck by the plague."
Tirnya looked at him quickly, then faced her father again. "Of course. He's right. This is what the plague does. It robs them of control over their magic before it kills them. They destroyed their village themselves."
"So are all of them dead?" asked Marshal Crish.
"No," Gries said. "There are fires burning in the shelters that remain. Some survived. I think the eldest was right. They know we're coming and they're prepared to fight us."
"Then we'll hold to our plan," Jenoe told them. "Eldest, you and your people can begin at any time."
Fayonne shook her head. "Not from this distance. We need to be closer for our magic to work."
A look of annoyance crossed the marshal's face. "Very well." He raised a hand and indicated that the army was to resume its advance. A moment later they were marching again.
When they had covered perhaps half the remaining distance to the sept, many of the horses, including Enly's, began to act strangely. Nallaj swished his tail and began to fight against Enly's efforts to steer him toward the sept. Several of the others, Tirnya's sorrel among them, actually reared.
"They're using language of beasts!" Gries called out. "We need to leave the horses here!"
The marshals and captains riding up front dismounted, and word began to spread back through the ranks that other captains and lead riders sho
uld do the same.
"Will your magic work now?" Jenoe asked.
Fayonne offered a noncommittal shrug. "I'd like to be closer."
The marshal, it seemed, had reached the limits of his patience. "Yes, Eldest, and I'd like to be on my horse still. But this is war, and we can't always have things just as we'd like. Can your magic be effective from this distance?"
"Not very," the woman said in a flat voice.
Jenoe cast a look at Tirnya that seemed to say, What's the use of having these people with us? But he held his tongue, and they started forward once more, all of them now on foot.
They hadn't gone far when thin tendrils of white mist began to emerge from the ground around the shelters, spidery and ghostlike. The mist coalesced slowly into a dense fog that would soon obscure the Fal'Borna shelters. "Will the finding spell work through this mist?" Gries asked.
"The spell will work, but naturally it will be harder to see the results."
"Then what good is it?" Jenoe asked, his voice rising.
"I told you all of this would happen, Marshal," Fayonne said. "I predicted that they would go for your horses first. I predicted that they would call forth a mist."
"Yes, and you also made it sound as if your magic could overcome these things. Now it seems that it can't. We don't know for certain, of course, because you haven't shown us any magic yet!"
The eldest smiled thinly. "Very well. Blades!" she called to her people. "Start with the finding spell. Use the wording Mander taught you."
The Mettai pulled their knives from their belts and stooped to grab handfuls of dirt. Then they sliced open the backs of their hands. Even knowing that these people wielded blood magic, Enly couldn't help but wince at the sight. He wanted to ask them if it hurt, but like the others from Stelpana, he kept silent and watched. The sorcerers deftly gathered the blood from their wounds on the flat sides of their blades, turned over their bleeding hands to reveal the earth they had gathered, and tipped the blades so that the blood mingled with the soil. Enly heard them begin to mumble to themselves. They all seemed to begin with the words "Blood to earth, life to power," but after that he had difficulty making out what they said. Too many people were speaking at once.