Forged in Fire (Destiny's Crucible Book 4)

by Olan Thorensen

  Culich patted her hand. “And yes, Breda chided me that there is always hope. I know she’s right—it’s just hard to grasp. Yozef, what does this mean for the plan for the clans to attack Preddi Province?”

  “I only see two options,” Yozef replied. “We could attack immediately, meaning as soon as we can gather the clans’ men and the supporting supplies. The intent would be to deprive the new Narthani army of a ready base of operations before they arrive. There are three main problems with this option. I don’t believe the clans are ready for such a commitment. Maybe in another two months, but not now. However, if we wait two months or longer, the new Narthani might have already arrived or they could arrive while we’re besieging Preddi City. We could find ourselves between a Narthani anvil and a Narthani hammer, which could also happen even if we could attack within the next few sixdays, because we expect a siege to last months.”

  Culich drummed his left fingers on the tabletop. “So we cancel the plans to attack Preddi. That means we’ll have to face both the Narthani already on Caedellium and this new army. Unless you have some other idea, I assume you will recommend the strategy that we discussed briefly. The one where we pull all the clanspeople into safer positions and try to get the Narthani to attack someplace where the advantage is ours. I confess I hadn’t thought much about this possibility, and when I did, I didn’t understand how it would work.”

  Yozef shook his head. “Like you, Culich, I spent most of my attention on the direct attack on Preddi option. However, there’s been a low level of planning, just in case we had to fall back on what, frankly, is almost certainly a desperation scenario. As you say, somehow getting the Narthani to attack us where our chance of victory is best. And let’s be honest, that might not be where we even have a good chance to win, only any chance.

  “We’ve already been preparing refuges for the people and storing up food and other supplies. That has to increase. Before, we had a ‘just in case’ reason; now it’s a necessity. We have to assume a time will come, likely sometime in the next three to six months, when we have to abandon every town, village, farm, ranch, and mine and the people gather where the Narthani can’t get to them—at least, as long as we have active clan fighting units.

  “Training, planning, and weapons production all need to increase even more than before. A Narthani army many times larger than we faced at Moreland City will be maneuvering on Caedellium soil. Somewhere we’ll have to fight it. The critical factors are when and where. Our map making is far along. I’ve used those efforts to also look for potential battlefields. A high priority is to go over those maps, reports from surveyors, and every clan’s knowledge of its province to find every site that might work to our advantage. We need to identify the most favorable sites as soon as possible to start preparatory work.”

  Breda Keelan had listened quietly, her arms folded as if hugging or protecting herself, her expression tight. “How long would the people of Keelan have to stay in the refuges, and will there be enough food and shelter for however long it will be?”

  “We’ve been preparing several high valleys in the Dillagon Mountains, Breda,” said Culich. “Other clans are doing the same, although most haven’t been as diligent as Keelan. I’ve told you of the work, though perhaps I haven’t shared all the details with you. So far, it’s been mainly food storage in deep caverns and clearing ground, in case we needed to house thousands of the clanspeople there. Now, we must step up our efforts. Food stores now kept elsewhere in Keelan will need to be moved there, along with whatever herds can be kept in the mountains for at least several months. All available materials for tents will be used to start setting up shelters, and we’ll cut trees for more shelters and firewood. Even if conditions will be difficult, the people should be kept warm and fed for months.”

  “And if the Narthani defeat our men, then nothing else matters,” stated Maera matter-of-factly.

  Breda shook her head and hugged herself tighter. “I just don’t see how this will work. I only hope that the three of you, and all the others doing the leading, planning, and fighting, know what you’re doing.”

  I truly hope that trust is well-placed, thought Yozef. I’d hate to have to put odds on our chances.

  Instead of sharing his thoughts, Yozef moved on to what he saw as the final part of a vision for how the clans might survive. “As difficult as sheltering the whole population of Keelan in refuges might seem, that’s the easy part. Once that’s done, we still have to meet the new Narthani army.”

  “What we’ll probably have to do won’t sit well with the clans,” said Culich. “I know you and I have talked about it, Yozef, but even I cringe to consider it.”

  “Merciful God, Culich, and Yozef!” exclaimed Breda. “Now I wonder if I want to know exactly what you’re talking about, as if getting the people to safety wasn’t hard enough.”

  “The idea is to get the Narthani army to chase our men until we have them where we want to fight a battle,” Maera told her mother. “That may mean fighting smaller battles to keep the Narthani’s attention and allay any suspicions. Battles mean deaths. Hundreds, even thousands, of our men might be killed while this happens, and that’s only preliminary to a hoped-for final battle.”

  Breda looked even more stricken than before. “I’ve known worse times were coming, and I suppose Culich has tried to prepare me, though now, hearing the words makes it too real.” Breda unfolded her arms and sat upright. “It’s hard, but we’re Caedelli, Keelanders, and the hetman’s family. We’ll do whatever is necessary.”

  For the first time that morning, steel came into her voice and face. “I and every Keelander will do whatever’s necessary, in hope for the day when no other mother has to bury a daughter killed by Narthani because they want to enslave us.”

  After another day of meetings with the Fuomi and forming his own assessment, Culich said he would try to arrange an All-Clan Conclave in Orosz City, based on the news brought by the Fuomi. Balwis Preddi would stay with the Fuomi as their formal guide and translator, although Eina Saisannin had proved to be a prodigy at languages. In only a few days, she was carrying on simple conversations in Caedelli with Maera. The Fuomi woman acknowledged her own skill at new languages and said that Caedelli was related to the Frangelese language group of one of the southern landmasses and the origin of the main wave of immigrants to Caedellium some four centuries earlier. Naturally, she spoke several of the Frangelese dialects.

  By the end of a sixday, Culich concurred with Yozef’s and Maera’s impressions of the Fuomi, and the days and some evenings filled with meetings. Most clans had responded to the call for a conclave, and when agreement came from the final clan, it required mandatory attendance. The call went out for an All-Clan Conclave in three sixdays—time to allow all hetmen or representatives to reach Orosz City, including Seaborn, which would receive the announcement and the date of the conclave by sea.

  The Fuomi Also Assess

  While in Caernford, Reimo Kivalian visited the city and Yozef’s shops, observed Keelan military training, and spent time with the Kolskos. Maera had served as his interpreter during visits to the foundry and discussions with the workers. Kivalian himself was expert in the deployment and utilization of cannon; unfortunately, he knew little of their construction. After the first day, he mentioned that gunners on their ships knew far more than he and offered to send back to East Head Point for a few of them to come to Caernford. Yozef readily accepted, and a semaphore message went to Hetman Mittack, who, in turn, sent a rider with the message to the Fuomi encampment. Two days after the message arrived, a Fuomi sloop anchored at the fishing town of Rummeln on the eastern coast of Keelan and delivered three Fuomi naval gunners. Each of the men had worked in cannon foundries and had extensive practical experience in cannon casting. Within a sixday, although the three had been drained of all pertinent knowledge on improving Caedelli cannon casting, they stayed to work with the Caernford foundry as it continued a furious expansion.

  The three Fuomi leade
rs sat at a table under an enormous spreading tree on the grounds of a house where they had resided since arriving in Caernford. Their escorts and aides stayed in adjacent cottages and generous tented accommodations thrown up on short notice. The site was a mile from Keelan Manor, where all three Fuomi dined most nights. Rintala estimated that armed Keelan men were always around in greater number than whatever grouping of Fuomi were present—be they only the three top leaders or including the fifty escorts and aides.

  “I know we’ve discussed portions of this many times. Now, let’s put it all together,” said Rintala. “What do we think of the Caedelli?”

  Kivalian spoke first. “There’s no doubt there have been many surprises. The Caedelli are far more than we were led to believe we would find here. I expect the Narthani have also realized the islanders are not as easy to subjugate as they may have initially thought. While they have no central authority, so far my impression is that the clans do better than I would have predicted, as far as coordinating their efforts. Of course, all that is relative. They have to eventually pay a steep price for lacking that central authority. Yet . . . ” Kivalian hesitated. “Yet somehow I find myself not wanting to lay a wager against the islanders.”

  “Do you honestly think they can beat back the Narthani?” asked a surprised Saisannin, shaking her head.

  “My brain says no. My gut says . . . maybe.”

  “And why does your gut say something different?” prodded Rintala.

  “Perhaps three factors,” answered Kivalian after long thought. “One is that I see no lack of will in the Caedelli. When combined with their forcing the Narthani to withdraw at the battle in Moreland Province, their morale and determination are as good as any I’ve ever witnessed. Second is their response to the Narthani threat. They already produced cannon and our men advised making some improvements, and I’ve seen records of their production and how fast they’ve adopted things our men suggested. The speed with which the islanders have increased production is amazing. You can also see the response in other areas that I wouldn’t have expected, such as their medical corps. Their medicine is in some ways equal to or more advanced than our own. They also focus on using their strengths and Narthani weaknesses. There are more examples.

  “Then there’s a final factor—from my own impressions and from what Eina has found out about this Yozef Kolsko. Much of what gives me pause in thinking the Caedelli can’t win is at least partly due to his input. We’ve all seen and heard about what he’s introduced here. Things never heard of anywhere else on Anyar. Just who is he, and where does he come from?”

  Saisannin nodded vigorously and leaned forward in her chair. “As Reimo says, I’ve talked with many Caedelli—including high-ranking men, ordinary citizens, and Kolsko’s wife, Maera. The story that comes through is like some mythical tale. The stranger who suddenly appears and saves a people from the forces of evil. If we weren’t here and hadn’t seen some of the results and heard personal accounts, I’d have dismissed it all. There’s no question Kolsko played a major role in beating off the Buldorian attack on the abbey where he lived at the time and where he first appeared ‘mysteriously’ on a beach. Then, at the Moreland battle, it was his first cannon and tactical advice that led to the Caedelli victory. Fewer details are available about the attempt on Hetman Keelan, except that this Kolsko is supposed to have killed anywhere from five to ten of the Narthani all by himself.

  “I haven’t even mentioned all the innovations he’s introduced. No, there’s no question he’s a significant factor in resisting the Narthani.”

  Rintala had listened carefully to the other two. “I find myself in agreement with most of what you both say. Let me share what has struck me the most. It was how the clans handled the Moreland battle. Recognizing the Narthani tactic and devising a counterattack simply doesn’t match with what we know, at least now, of the island’s history. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Narthani suspect outside advisers, perhaps even us, of helping the Caedelli. It all seems to come back to Kolsko—and back to the question of exactly who he is and where he came from. None of us have heard of an ‘Amerika,’ and I’m skeptical it’s only a matter of different pronunciations. I also don’t believe the innovations introduced by Kolsko could have remained unknown to the rest of Anyar.”

  “That still leaves us with a more immediate question,” said Saisannin. “What is our course? It can be argued that we’ve already fulfilled our mission. We know what the Narthani are doing here.”

  “While that may be our specific assignment,” said Rintala, “isn’t the bigger issue to stop or slow the Narthani? I think we need to seriously consider what additional aid we might give the Caedelli, short of actively fighting with them against the Narthani, and continue to find out more details of the innovations we see here.”

  Saisannin shook her head.

  “A dangerous path. It’s not always easy to disengage. Even without intending, it could increase our risk of being drawn directly into the fighting between the Caedelli and the Narthani.”

  The discussion continued for another half hour, with Kivalian and Saisannin doing most of the talking and Rintala listening and asking occasional questions. Finally . . .

  “There’s enough unexpected happening here that I’ve decided we’ll stay as long as possible and provide what advice we can to the Caedelli. I’ll send a sloop back to Fuomon with a full report and my decision that the opportunity to impede whatever long-term plan the Narthani have for Caedellium justifies additional risk.”

  Maera and Eina

  It was hardly surprising that a close relationship developed between Maera and Eina Saisannin. Each was the only woman high in her respective leadership circles in a sea of men. In addition, they served as each side’s primary translator, which ensured constant interaction. Maera’s status as a new mother provided an easy avenue for less political discussions. Saisannin was a mother of three, ages ten to eighteen. Although their children afforded a natural topic of conversation and allowed a degree of instant rapport, neither woman forgot she came from a society with a different history and goals.

  Eina had been uncertain about coming on the Fuomi mission, because she would be away from her family for upward of a year. Yet duty and opportunity prevailed, once Eina was assured of her husband’s and children’s support. It was during a leisurely glass of wine at the end of a long day of meetings that Saisannin broached a difficult question to Maera.

  “Maera . . .” Eina said gently, “do you really believe your people have a chance against the Narthani?”

  Maera looked pointedly at the Fuomi woman.

  “I take it you don’t.”

  “It’s just that Caedellium and its people are so small, compared to a vast empire like Narthon. It’s all that Fuomon and the other nations allied against them can do to keep them contained. Even we are not sure about the future.”

  “However, it isn’t the whole Narthon Empire we face,” said Maera. “I think it will depend on how much they want Caedellium—what they are willing to pay to conquer us.”

  Eina’s countenance was grim. “If our information is correct, and they send an army of sixty to seventy thousand—how can you hope to stop them?”

  “I doubt that the Narthani still understand exactly what they face here,” she said in a firm voice. “The foolish Preddi clan gave them the impression that all the clans would be as easy. They should know by now that isn’t the case, but even now they will underestimate us. Even if eighty thousand Narthani do eventually conquer us, those already here and the more coming, it will be after fighting they haven’t imagined even in nightmares. And as my husband says, even eighty thousand is not enough to totally control the island. The surviving Caedelli would move into the mountains, and it would take five or more times the number of Narthani to dig us out. If the Narthani think they can force conquered clans to hunt down the others, they are fooling themselves. So it comes back to how bad the Narthani want Caedellium.

  “And then there’s
Yozef. Even I don’t know exactly what he will come up with next, but the very fiber of my being says that with Yozef, the Narthani are outmatched. Although it may not appear rational, every instinct I possess tells me that he will find ways for us to win.”

  Eina’s eyebrow rose at the last statement of faith, so she leaped into a question she had not brought up with Maera before this day, a question even more sensitive than whether the Caedelli woman thought they could win.

  “And who exactly is Yozef?”

  “I assume you’ve heard the tales of how he came to us—washed up on our shore. You asked who he is. All I can say is that he is my husband, father of my child, and there is none other like Yozef Kolsko. There are even moments when I almost pity the Narthani. Yozef is a mild-mannered man, which reminds me of the Landolin story about the dog that assumed it was chasing a coney. When it caught up, the coney turned out to be one of the merstors endemic to that continent, and the dog was never seen again.”

  CHAPTER 9: CHANGE OF PLAN

  Caernford

  The Keelan leadership and members of the Military Intelligence Unit (MIU) met at the clan headquarters at the Caernford Grand Plaza. The morning sun gleamed on the gold-colored veins lacing the white marble of St. Tomo’s Cathedral and the Grand Hall of the Keelans. All meeting attendees saw the two impressive structures, the many Keelanders passing through the square, and the bustle of working shops and stalls. What would ordinarily have been a scene of pride was instead one of trepidation. Each attendee knew the Fuomi news about a huge reinforcement of the Narthani already on the island. Though they didn’t know when the additional Narthani forces would arrive, all despaired to different degrees.

  The meeting room was unusually quiet—minus greetings and conversations among the men and women. All eleven boyermen had been hastily summoned, and the last had arrived only half an hour earlier. Six other clans sent representatives: Cadoc Gwillamer, his son Cirwyn, and two senior leaders; Aelard Mittack, who had accompanied the Fuomi to Caernford and stayed as his father’s representative and an adviser; and a son and one adviser each from Hewell, Adris, Orosz, and Stent.