by Unknown
“Then we have the Coronation Committee which is concerned about the venue.” Britan added.
“Why?”
“My Lady, the Coronation will attract thousands. It will be impossible to police with a small force of lancers …”
“Hawkmoon, , what is your view?”
“If anything the General does not go far enough. I would rope off an area and allow a small number of people to attend. The Coronation site is out of question.”
“Dasatii monarchs have been crowned there for centuries...”
“It was open pasture then. A crossbow could be fired from any of a hundred windows”
“Close the building…”
“My Lady from the moment the Coronation is announced there will be assassins hidden there. They will only find those they are meant to ….
“What about the King’s pavilion? It is outside the city. We can announce the change on the morning of the Coronation” The suggestion came from Dwarfdale.
Hawkmoon nodded.“A good choice; away from the walls but not too close to the woods. Also it is on rising ground “
Under Dwarfdale’s house lay a system of tunnels to neighbouring properties . The servants had been instructed to light the house as if a large number of people were present. Bashir and the others waited at the safe house for an hour to allow Hawkmoon to escort Mira to the palace.
“My lady. I want the halfpint moved to Silverlode...”Mira nodded to Hawkmoon and turned to Dwarfdale:
“Go with them. She will want to see a familiar face. Ask Regina for her assistance help locating the wealth stolen by the former Queen. This was a rich country. Where did the money go? Wherever it is, I want it back. If you trace it to accounts in the Free Cities tell them to transfer it to the Royal Treasury. If they refuse, tell them I will blockade their ports.
It is difficult to know when war will come but when word reaches the North that Chandra is gone the invasion will commence. They cannot come now; winter is at hand. The earliest will be late spring or early summer. “
Norry was sitting quietly, listening. Mira gazed at him with affection, “I little thought when you fell from a tree you might be the mightiest soldier in our army” Norry blushed.” Not much of a soldier my lady, but I will serve as best I can”. Mira turned to her Chancellor.
“Leona, I want you to arrange a wagon to carry two balloons to Silverlode with one of the sisters to advise them. Whatever their merits as a form of transport, they will serve as observation platforms. General, sit by me .The rest of you may retire “
Hawkmoon went to the kitchen where he found Bekter regaling the staff with his exploits as a mercenary. Shula was cooking at the long stove. Hawkmoon she ignored. They sat at the end of the table. Bekter had a pitcher of ale.
“Remember the bridge over the Challon Gorge?” Taking a clean glass Hawkmoon poured ale from the pitcher.
“What about it?”
“I want to knock it down”
“Is that all?”
“Spare me the sarcasm. That bridge has to be destroyed”
“Why?”
“To buy time. Mira is right, the longer we have to prepare the better...”
“We can stop them at Shaleen’s Gate”.
“The army that’s coming will be bigger and better prepared. Shaleen’s Gate has protected us in the past but we cannot depend on it. The Reivers put a bridge over the Gorge because the river is too wide and too fast anywhere else.. If we can bring it down it could gain a year.”
”They could try crossing further up” Bekter lifted his tankard to find it empty.
“The river is in flood to the start of summer.”
“They will try, they don’t mind taking casualties”.
“It won’t work, they’re not river men, they will need pontoons and the engineers to handle them.. The destruction of the bridge gets us twelve months. A strong defence of the Gate brings us to the following year ..”
“Am I right in thinking you haven’t mentioned any of this to the Princess Royal? Any more than you told her what you planned to do about Chandra?”
“I couldn’t protect her.”
Bekter looked long at the Ranger“With few exceptions I have never faulted your judgement. However there are a number of points I want to bring to your attention” Bekter refilled his mug.… “From where we sit the Challon Gorge is a thousand miles.Seven hundreds of that is, if not Reiver territory, is land they control. With the onset of winter it will take several months of hard travelling. When we get there, how do we knock it?
“I was thinking we might do it on our own, just you and me”.
Bekter curled a fist around the mug.” I need drink. Wait. Don’t say a word”
He returned with a pitcher of ale. Shula brought plates of lamb stew with fresh baked bread.
“If memory serves that bridge was set in Granite, built of Oak and tied with iron cable.. If we had three companies I doubt if we could knock it in a week. Not to mention the Reivers who will not take kindly to us hacking away at it.”
Hawkmoon told Bekter about the fight with the revenants. “They were out of bolts. Another group came in. The Halfpint reached into his pack and took a glass He threw it into the mass of the Daywalkers. Everything disappeared . When the smoke cleared they were down, some on fire. I’ve never seen anything like it. “
“You think that, whatever it was, can bring down a bridge”
“Bekter, I crossed the ground before the fight started. It was strewn with boulders. After the fire they were gone. .”.
“You told me how to bring it down; you have yet to tell me how we get there. I am keen to know how you think we can cross the desert.”
Hawkmoon told him about the balloons. Bekter started to laugh. A low rumble rising to roars of mirth. Tears ran down his face. The servants stared at them, some were smiling. Shula glared.
“Hawkmoon, you keep me young” Bekter said wiping his face… He started to hold up fingers. “Let me see if I have this right. You want to go a thousand miles in winter through some of the most dangerous, in a gadget that has never been seen before, to deliver a weapon that may or may not work, against a heavily defended target. Have I missed anything?”
“That sums it up” Bekter leant back from the table, a mug of ale in one hand and a fork in the other. “What are we waiting for?” They started laughing
Bekter stopped when Shula caught his eye. She was nervous when those two got together Shula knew that look. .Her husband was going to war. Sometimes she thought it would be easier living with an alcoholic.
Mira was alone when Hawkmoon and Bekter sat before the desk. They outlined the plan. She listened in awe at the daring of the plan. “We must have time to prepare…You have my blessing…. Bekter would you be so kind… I must speak privately with Hawkmoon”.
“My Lady” Bekter stood and bowed... When the door closed she came round to sit close. “The assassination of the Queen… I should have been consulted”
“My Lady …”
“I was in danger, you acted in my defence. I know. Yet Chandra was an anointed Queen. The decision to end her reign should have been made by one of Royal blood. I would have approved but it I should have been consulted…. When are you leaving?”
“After the Coronation. We have to get Norry away. Too many spies here…When we have the compound, we go north”
“They say that you have the Devil’s luck. You will need it for what you propose. I was willing to take a chance on crossing the desert but that was a single day”
“Your journey to the Elves is no longer a possibility”
“No , this is my life now…. If I remember, the Challon River flows by Elfhome?
“That is correct, my Lady. From there it goes east to the Steppe.
“I plan to renew diplomatic relations with the Elves. It will be an opportunity to invite senior members of their Council. Perhaps the King will come. He would not listen to a princess out of favour; he will listen to the Queen of the D
asatii.”
“The Elves may not prove the help you expect them to be…With your permission, I will retire. You should rest; you have had quite an adventure.”
“When will you return?”
“That is difficult to say, my Lady. We have three weeks before the North Easterlies, six before the first snows. If we reach the Gorge and destroy the bridge we will continue downriver. ”.
She remembered their first meeting in the Old Forest. He was tall. His hair was black, grey at the temples. The face angular, mahogany brown from life in the wild. His mouth was firm, the lips thin but expressive. Matching scars on both cheeks, blue eyes. His arms were bare, corded in muscle
“I will miss you…”
“My lady, Chatto will guard …”
“I had so many reasons to dislike you. Your high handedness. Your impertinence. No one is unaffected by you. Either they loathe you or love you…. I love you.”
Hawkmoon stared at her. He turned to look into the garden. In the garden people were talking, lighting pipes. Laughter drifted through the open window… If he were as naïve in the ways of war as he was with women… He left the thought unfinished. Rising he knelt before her, taking her hands into his own.
“When I thought of my death I saw myself on a battlefield or dead in a sewer, a knife in my back. Sometimes I have this dream…. I am sitting on a veranda. There is a tall girl, her hair in a heavy braid. Her back is to me. She is brushing a colt. There is a child…. Such peace. It happens seldom, that dream, as if it were frightened to show itself.
I am haunted by the faces of those whose lives have ended by my hand. I took away all they had, all they could ever have. The women who sleep with me never stay the night. They see demons lurking. Is that what you want?
I have no memory of where I came from. My life began at Holgun. You are my Queen. I am yours to command but when you marry it must be to a Prince, one who will work with you to make the Realm powerful...If I live through this I will leave the country, travel to somewhere they have never heard of Hawkmoon. I will find that girl and try to be happy for the time that is left. That is your gift. This country was on a path into Shadow. You have given us hope”
He took her hands and kissing them, went out into the courtyard . He lit a cheroots. Bekter stood beside him.
“What did she want?”
“Just talk about the Elves. She asked me how we plan to get back”.
“You have a plan?”
“After the bridge we go downriver. Spend time with the Elves”
“It has more to recommend it than the first part. Good food, drink and smoking; long evenings at the fireside telling stories…”
“Telling lies more like…”
“They don’t mind as long as they are well told .Incidentally, try to avoid my wife”
Children poured from the front door staring wide eyed at the visitors.. Reba walked by the wagon as it rumbled into the courtyard. Two boys climbed on the buckboard to sit beside Hawkmoon. Young women came out to scold the kids .An old lady sat on the veranda. She had iron grey hair ,under a white wimple. She nodded to Hawkmoon .
“How are you mother?”
“We are well, Hawkmoon, The children look forward to your visits.”
Reba took the babies from the wagon while Hawkmoon explained where they came from. “Where is Ilse?”
“In town buying food. These are bad times, so many fleeing to the city for protection. Most to find that life here is worse than what they fled from. Can you stay for dinner? ” He and Reba had gone in when Ilse passed through the archway. Recognising the wagon she started to hurry. She operated a pawnshop near the harbour. It made a tidy profit in goods and considerably more in the sale and purchase of information.They talked in the kitchen while dinner was being readied. A company was looking for him to train guards for a diamond field. Ilse made notes for a reply… She was bethrothed to a ships’ captain who Hawkmoon had informed , would be keelhauled under his own ship if he as much as passed a cross word to her.
Silverlode.
The days before the Coronation went by in a whirl of activity. The Coronation speech carried a number of proclamations. Every knight was to present himself for service To reconstitute the army every Baron would contribute three quarters of his men at arms. Part of the trading fleet was to be converted into armed merchantmen. Slaves to be freed on condition they joined the army. Prices were to be frozen. Speculation would be punished. Any property seizures carried out under the aegis of the former queen were void. A Royal Mail Service to be introduced. Express stations would be established. Interference with the Mail would be a capital crime.
Revenant and Vampire infestation would be dealt with by a number of measures:
“We will establish in law a statute that a person immediately after death, and with allowance to appropriate religious ceremony, be cremated . There will be no exceptions. Failure to do so will be regarded as a crime. Cavalry patrols are to be reinstituted, beginning in those areas most heavily affected. Funds are to be released from the Exchequer to assist with the protection of rural communities..After the war those who have flocked to our capital are to be encouraged to return to their homes and farms. Hunting in the Royal forests will be permitted until food supplies have been reinstituted.. “Wampyrhii infestation is the product of low rank vampires sent to create fear in the populace. We have contracted with the Noridin Clans to provide Dhampirii to root out vampire infestations. Harassment of the Travelling People is to a crime…
We have seen how dangerous it is to allow the well being of a country to depend on the temper of one person... We are resolved to appoint a Privy Council to advise the Monarch and to which the best minds in the Realm will contribute their talent.
We will establish Courts of Justice in which all will stand equal. These will be by Royal appointment and subject only to Royal Authority.”
The speech ended with commendations of service and fealty to the people.
Hawkmoon arranged for the preparation of the Coronation seat.. By the morning of the Coronation two assassins had been arrested. Both of them died before they could be interrogated.
Workers were up at daybreak assembling the marquees for the nobles and the long tables of food for the ordinary people. Britan was concerned about riots but the crowds were well behaved. By the time Mira stepped into the Royal carriage the crowd and most of the nobles were cheering rapturously. Lancers rode at both sides but no attempt was made to impede the Royal progress.
On the morning of their departure Leona brought Sharon who would demonstrate the balloon. Dwarfdale could hardly contain himself. It was years since he had seen his home. Bekter was standing with his wife who held face averted..
The Tavern on the Green stood quarter of the distance between the city and their destination. Bekter’s mood improved with the prospect of food and drink. In three days Silverlode mountain was looming in the distance. Most of those who passed them seemed to know Dwarfdale. The rest of the company attracted curious glances.
The mountains of Silverlode provided wealth but little in the way of food. The merchants of the Royal City and the farmers of the Southlands were getting providing corn, vegetables, meat, and timber for mine support At night Siverlode gleamed like a gem encrusted throne. Unlike their homes, which rested in the mountain the dwarves had built a palace for their queen in the open air. It backed onto a tunnel through which the occupants could escape in the event of attack. As the company rode into the main courtyard Hawkmoon spotted a group of dwarves at weapons training Another group was practicing archery. Feared because of their skill with battle axes they preferred to fight as individuals .
“What do you think of our army?” A dwarf in light armour stood on a dais.
“It is unusual to see dwarves in formation. It is even more unusual to see them taking orders. How many are you”
“Over five thousand… There is a new law. Every dwarf old enough to go down the mines is old enough to fight. There have been ch
anges since you were last here “
“I can see that”
“Maturin, at your service. I am in charge of Training. I was assistant to Melan who died in a rockfall.”
“Would you inform the Secretary of our arrival?”
“There is no need. We have known for days. You will be presented to the King and Queen in due course”
“No one in in the city is aware you have a king”
“That is because no one is interested in the affairs of dwarves; which is how we like it”
The lancers were installed in quarters close by the training grounds. Maturin brought them to the main hall . The Queen arrived without fanfare . It was said of dwarvish females that if it were not for the lack of facial hair they would be indistinguishable from the males. In fact they were handsome if not delicately featured.. If Bekter were small he might have passed for a dwarf. They waited until the king arrived.
“You are welcome Hawkmoon...”
“Your majesty. May I introduce my friends. Bekter you know. Bashir, Commander of Lancers. This is Sister Sharon. She has been sent to advise in the use of a recent invention”.
“Elmund has told us of it . This burning agent… Our engineers are in quite a dither …”
“ Your majesty, it does more than burn. I have seen rocks smashed and boulders crushed . Those at whom it was directed were destroyed”
“It sounds gruesome.”
“Indeed your majesty. A weapon to be used only against an invader.”
“Why bring it here?”
“It could not be kept in the city. . There are parties seeking either the formula or to lay hands on its inventor. On the other hand Siverlode has the finest chemists and engineers in the Land. I believe it could multiply the fighting capability of an army by a factor of fifty”The King leant forward .“That is quite a statement”
“Your Majesty. Devising a means to deliver it onto the enemy without damaging friendly troops will be the key to its success...”
“It might extend fighting capacity of a ship”.
“Indeed your majesty. Enemy ships could be destroyed before they reached effective range”.