“How so?”
“So, let’s say you use an ingram one night, then the next day you dispel your ward and collect your cloth strip. The next night when you go to do it again there’s still a residual imprint of turyn remaining within the fabric. You just have to pay attention and invest the turyn, but the ward will re-create itself. So long as you don’t go more than three or four days between using it, the residual turyn will be strong enough for it to work. If you have a lot of time, you can create a permanent ingram using certain artificing procedures, but since you obviously didn’t prepare, you’ll have to do it the quick and dirty way.”
Will sat in stunned silence, hardly able to believe how simple it sounded. Arrogan continued, “The last time I went to war, we used short, wooden stakes. The fabric was attached at intervals, and whenever we took the wards down, we’d just pull the stakes out of the ground and roll everything up. The next time we used it, we simply unrolled them, stretched everything out, hammered the stakes in, and invested the ward with turyn. With several hundred sorcerers, you should be able to ward even an enormous army camp like yours in less than half an hour, and most of that’s just setting up the stakes. The investing only takes a couple of minutes.”
The first thing that came to mind fell from his lips. “Why hasn’t anyone suggested this before?” He paused, realizing the answer even as he spoke. “The method was forgotten—but it’s so simple.”
“Sometimes the simplest things are the easiest to lose. There haven’t been any big wars since the Terabinian War for Independence, and I got rid of most of the top wizards afterward.”
“But this was something every wizard would have known, not just the most important ones.”
“If you don’t need to lay lengthy wards regularly, it would be easy to overlook. A few generations of security and safety, and the technique fell out of use,” opined Arrogan. “Combine that with the fact that there weren’t any real wizards after a short time, just lazy sorcerers. I wouldn’t put it past them to forget how to wipe their own asses.”
They ended the conversation there, and since Will was too wound up to sleep, he started making plans. He sorted through the simple wards he knew and chose one that would sound a loud alarm whenever someone crossed, but he added a small change. The original only reacted to living creatures, meaning creatures that used void turyn, like the undead and demons, wouldn’t trigger it. He was able to put specific provisions in for creatures using void turyn that he thought would cover those possibilities.
By the time the first horns were blowing to wake the slumbering soldiers, he was already calling in the student sorcerers, the division quartermasters, and the senior officers. Extra canvas they had in quantity, but paint and ink were in short supply. They actually had enough black thread to consider embroidery, but the time required was completely out of the question.
They managed to make enough to put wards around the officers’ areas the next night, but Will sent a messenger back to Klendon to let Commander Bradshaw know what they would need. He also added paint to the list of things that the daily foragers would be looking for in any farms or small villages they passed.
Hopefully, they’d be able to correct their deficiency within a few days. Now that he knew it was possible, he wanted the entire camp warded at night.
Chapter 34
The army didn’t move that day, so instead their focus was entirely on sending foraging parties into the surrounding countryside. Foraging was an important activity, and one that all armies relied on to different degrees depending on the situation and location. In the mountains, they relied mainly on the supply train, but some effort was still spent on obtaining wild game. Unless they were moving at a forced march, some portion of the army was sent out every day to procure extra supplies.
Once they entered more civilized farmlands, foraging continued, though the focus shifted more to obtaining fresh meat and other perishables from local farms and markets. Historically, depending on the war, foraging companies might simply confiscate or steal whatever was needed, or more commonly simply pay a tenth of the market price. Will had insisted that they refrain from outright theft. Given the huge quantities needed, they couldn’t pay market price (especially since that price usually doubled during times of conflict) but they would pay something close to a fair price. Specifically, he instructed them to pay at least three-fourths the ordinary price of the year before.
Naturally, the farmers and merchants were still unhappy about it, but given the alternatives and historical precedents, they knew better than to complain.
Every foraging company went out with an officer empowered to make bargains and sign local contracts, and although Will’s policies were considered excessively lenient, they had an immediate impact on the results. Vastly more goods were located and acquired than they expected.
In hindsight, the reason was simple. Given something close to a fair value, it wasn’t worth the effort or risk for the locals to hide or conceal their livestock and produce. The soldiers from Terabinia maintained professional courtesy and refrained from banditry, so shepherds and ranchers had no need to ‘run for the hills.’
Although the cost to Terabinia was still large, for feeding an army that size was no mean feat, even paying three-fourths of the previous year’s market price saved the nation considerable money, because for every pound of food purchased in Darrow, a pound didn’t need to be moved across the mountains.
Back in Klendon, Commander Bradshaw was able to save costs on what was shipped from home, and more importantly, was able to stockpile the nonperishable items in the event that local supplies dried up in the future. Will’s policy wasn’t popular with most of the senior command, but when all the numbers were totted up someday, the kingdom’s accountants would realize that he had saved Terabinia a massive sum on the price of the war.
It was in the evening two days later when they finally arrived at one of the largest and most central crossroads in Darrow. The road leading from Klendon split at that point, and the southeastern fork followed the River Lymsee upstream and through the hilly central portion of Darrow before reaching the capital of Myrsta. The other fork crossed a massive stone bridge, then followed the same river downstream. Downstream, the river met and joined the River Tyrafel just before it passed by the major port city of Maldon and emptied into the North Sea.
The plan at that point was to follow the road to Myrsta and engage the enemy along the way if possible, or at the walls of the city if not. Given the lead that the Darrowan army had, there was no chance of catching them in the open, but Will had continued giving lip service to the idea that they would follow that route.
He went so far as to keep his actual plans to himself until the next morning when First Division began breaking camp, but at the last possible moment, he summoned Field Marshal Lustral and Sub-Marshal Nicht for a quick meeting. Will didn’t beat about the bush as he addressed the two men. “You’ll be advancing with First Division toward Myrsta, but Second and the rest will remain here for several days before following.”
Nicht’s face showed surprise, but Lustral’s cheeks immediately colored with anger. “That wasn’t what we agreed on,” spat the frustrated duke.
“Nevertheless, it’s what I’ve decided,” said Will flatly.
“How are we going to catch them if—”
Will shook his head. “We aren’t. You already know this. They’re too far ahead of us. We’re in for a siege when we get to Myrsta, and I don’t see any need to rush into it.”
Nicht broke in, “Then why send us with only the First?”
“To keep pressure on them. I’d rather they not make a leisurely trip of it. If they’re in a hurry, they’ll leave more supplies in the towns and villages for us to collect, which brings me to my second reason. While you’re keeping pressure on them to retreat, we’ll operate from the crossroad here to thoroughly forage central Darrow.”
“We already have enough supplies,” argued Lustral. “Bradshaw reaffirmed th
at in his last missive. Is your peasant stomach still worried you’ll starve?”
Nicht grimaced at the insult, then quickly spoke to break the tension. “What if the enemy realize it’s just First that is advancing? They might turn to engage. We won’t have the strength to carry the day if that happens.”
“First has more veterans and experienced soldiers than any of the other divisions—don’t sell them short. From our best estimates, the retreating Darrowan force is less than twice the size of one of our divisions and we’ll be close behind you if they show a taste for blood. The Patriarch can’t afford to throw away his soldiers in a costly field battle. Not when he’s got a fortified position that will cost us much more to assail.”
“This is ridiculous!” complained the field marshal.
Will continued to ignore the man’s unprofessional behavior and continued to address Nicht. “Keep sending out scouts and move cautiously. Let them know you’re coming and if there’s any sign they might be turning back, dig in and send word for us to reinforce you.”
Lustral started to say something else, but Will cut him short. “You’re dismissed.” He left the nobleman fuming. Replaying the moment in his mind as he walked back to the command tent put a smile on his face that he had to work hard to hide. He waited a full hour, until First was on the march, before calling the rest of the senior officers for a separate meeting.
Most of them already had questions on their faces, but they waited for Will to lay out his orders before making any comments. “Sub-Marshal Spry, you’ll remain here with Third Division to coordinate a comprehensive foraging effort as well as ensuring that both the road and the bridge here remain open to us. If First sends word of trouble, you’re to move forward to reinforce them, but otherwise you’ll hold this position for the foreseeable future. Feel free to fell some lumber and put the men to work building a more permanent camp. Second, Fifth, and Sixth Divisions will be heading north with me.”
That got a reaction out of them. Sub-Marshal Nerrow was the first to recover. “This is unexpected. Do you intend to strike for Maldon?”
Will nodded. “All our intelligence indicates that the main body of the Patriarch’s army has retreated to the capital, which leaves Maldon with a much smaller force to defend its walls. If we move quickly, we may be able to encircle the city before they’ve had a chance to prepare for a siege.”
Commander Lambel spoke up, “Begging your pardon, sir, but it will be at least a four-day march to Maldon. They’ll have plenty of time to prepare for our arrival.”
“We can make it in two days if we force march,” said Will. “Which is what I intend to do.”
“The men will be too tired to fight,” warned Commander Hargast.
“They won’t need to. Three divisions are enough to keep the local garrison from thinking about engaging us. It’s more important to get there quickly and force them to shut their gates before they can bring in supplies. We march in haste, herd them into their city, then we can let the men rest for at least a day before taking any action,” Will explained.
“It’s still a siege, even if they aren’t well supplied. Even with luck, we might take weeks or months to gain the city, and that still doesn’t accomplish our directive. The Patriarch is in Myrsta, and until we take the capital, Darrow isn’t ours,” observed Sub-Marshal Nerrow.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” said Will. “A nation isn’t its leader; a nation is comprised of its people. With Maldon in our hands, there will be nothing of substance left for the Patriarch except the capital. At that point we have only to wait, for there will be no relief coming to save him. Meanwhile, the nation will already be ours.”
Nerrow nodded in agreement, but Hargast spoke again. “That doesn’t make sense. If we don’t have the capital we haven’t won, and the nation isn’t ours. We’re invaders in a foreign land. Before long the locals will be poisoning the food they sell us.”
Hargast had been one of the most outspoken against Will’s foraging and recompensation policies. Unperturbed, Will responded, “You’re looking at this in the wrong light. The civilians here aren’t our enemy. They’re citizens of the new Terabinia. Paying the farmers for their goods is just the beginning. From what we’ve seen, the people aren’t that enamored of the religion of the Prophet. Take that away, treat them fairly and tax them justly, and they’ll become loyal citizens faster than you realize.”
Commander Hargast started to say something else, but Will held up a hand and continued, “Speaking as a former peasant, the people don’t really care who’s collecting their taxes so long as they’re being treated fairly. With the majority of the nation under our control, all we need do is show them some kindness and the Patriarch’s rule is over, whether or not we ever root him out of his fortress.” After a second, he added, “That being said, I do intend to take Myrsta as well, but that’s the last item on my list.”
There was more discussion after that, but nothing of substance. Eventually the officers ran out of things to say, and Will brought the meeting to a close. At the end he asked Sub-Marshal Spry to remain behind, and once the others were gone, he gave the man some additional instructions. “Don’t inform First Division of our change in plans. As far as they are to know, we’re simply doing some extended foraging.”
The young count gave him a knowing glance. “You mean don’t let the field marshal know, don’t you, sir?”
Will feigned innocence. “I trust all of my officers. I said it as I meant it.”
Spry winked, then answered, “Understood, sir.”
They marched hard that day, keeping up the pace for a full fourteen hours before stopping. Most civilians had the impression that a forced march involved the soldiers increasing their pace, but that really wasn’t the case. The reason they covered more ground was because they marched longer, cutting out the time required to set up a proper camp, minor earthworks, or even cook. They marched until there wasn’t enough light to see by, and then they stopped for a cold supper of water and dried rations. The wards were set, watches organized, and the men settled down to sleep. Although they would be rising eight hours later, due to the watch schedule, most of the men got only four or five hours of sleep before beginning another fourteen hours on their feet.
It was a tough schedule, but one the army was fully capable of for a week or longer if necessary, so long as no one expected them to stop and fight. Weariness and fatigue were the enemies of morale, and engaging in a battle while the soldiers were that tired would inevitably lead to disaster.
Fortunately, they only had to do it for two days, and as Will predicted, the smaller garrison forces left in the region near Maldon didn’t dare poke the bear once they saw the size of the Terabinian force. They were in sight of Maldon by the end of the second day, though it would be the next morning before they could encircle the walls and set up a proper siege. Will smiled to think of the panicked movements that would be going on during the city’s last free night as people crowded in and everyone scrambled to gather in what they could. Haste would cost them, but he hadn’t given them any choice.
While the camp was settling in, Will received the final reports from the scouts he’d sent out during the afternoon, as well as an urgent message that had come in from Sub-Marshal Spry. He read Spry’s missive first:
Marshal, I trust this finds you well and nearing Maldon already. Unfortunately, I must report that Field Marshal Lustral has sent word of a fierce counterattack by the Darrowan military. First Division has come to a halt and may be facing a superior number of enemies. Per your standing orders, I have already ordered Third Division into motion, and we are moving to reinforce the First. I am leaving only one company at the crossroads to facilitate messenger relays. I have also sent duplicate messages to Cmdr. Bradshaw in Klendon to keep him informed.
I will continue to send messengers every twelve hours to keep you advised of the situation. Please advise if you wish me to adjust my current course in any way.
Sub-Marshal Spry
Will’s fist tightened as he read the letter, and he had to work hard to refrain from swearing. People were watching him. Any sign of worry or distress would filter down through the entire army. “Wait here,” he told the rider. “I’ll pen a response for you.”
Lieutenant Renly spoke up. “Let him rest, sir. It will be a different rider that takes your response.”
Another stupid mistake, but Will kept his face calm. “Of course.” He nodded to the messenger. “Dismissed.” Then he went in to write a reply. He had no sooner sat down at the camp desk when Renly entered.
“Perhaps you should listen to the scouting reports before you send your reply. It may affect your decisions,” said his assistant.
He suppressed his irritation and took Renly’s advice. The scouts’ reports didn’t improve his mood, though. They’d seen little sign of the enemy as the army marched, but they’d been instructed to make note of farms and villages so that the foraging parties would have a good idea of where to start once the army had settled in around Maldon.
What they reported was bleak. Whoever was in charge of the region surrounding Maldon had adopted a scorched-earth policy. Livestock were found slaughtered and left to rot, fields had been burned, and in some cases even the farmers had paid with their lives, apparently while protesting against the destruction of their livelihood.
“Son of a bitch,” Will muttered. Even if his plan for Maldon worked quickly, people were going to starve if the first spring harvests didn’t come in—not his people, but the citizens of Darrow. He glanced up at Renly. “Send for Sub-Marshal Nerrow. I want to see him immediately, and in private.”
His father showed up less than fifteen minutes later, followed a moment later by Laina and Darla, despite Lieutenant Renly’s protests. Will stood and began issuing commands before they could even exchange greetings. “Find Janice,” he told Laina. “Tell her to get Emory and Bug together. I want them to begin their assessment tonight.”
Disciple of War (Art of the Adept Book 4) Page 31