The Fireseed Wars

by John F. Carr

  “That’s what I expected. We’ll send a herald and offer the castellan terms. If they refuse, by mid-winter they should be down to shoe leather and harness belts. Then they’ll be eager to parley.”

  Vinaldos frowned. “The fort will keep our new fleet tied down to the shorefront, Your Majesty.”

  Kalvan smiled. “We’re not going anywhere this year, Count. Winter is on the way. It’ll give us an opportunity to make repairs and refit the Thagnori fleet.” He paused while the Ptosphes fired another broadside. The ship shuddered and then, when the last gun went off, slowly rocked back and forth, the rigging creaking and gun crews shouting hoarsely aboveboard.

  “That will give us time to put more guns on the ships. Plus, we’ll be busy repairing and rebuilding the city walls. I want bastions, palisades and gun emplacements along all of the outer walls, as well as earthworks and bigger and thicker walls--maybe even a third outer wall to protect some of the outlying farms. They probably won’t come this winter, but by next spring I expect to find the Grand Host knocking on our gates. I want the walls strong enough that they’ll repulse anything the Styphoni can throw at us. I want them to gnaw on trees and chew rocks while we toss them cannon balls and shells from safe behind our walls.

  “But first, we have to win over the Thagnori people.”

  Count Vinaldos smiled. “Former Prince Varrack has made that easy for us, Your Majesty. Varrack is the worst sort of tyrant, one who cares not one whit for his people and parades the wealth and goods he has stolen from them right before their eyes! The Thagnori taxes are so high that the City’s population has been in decline for years. The poor and wretched number over half the Princedom’s population. Many are free men in name only. Most of the work is done by slaves and indentured servants. Even the nobles and merchants are disgusted with his highhanded ways and misuse of City Treasury funds. It will not be difficult to win their loyalty, even their love.

  “However, Your Majesty, the same will not be true of his neighbors.”

  III

  Prince Phrames had not expected much in the way of opposition once the Army of the Saltless Sea had blasted a breach in the city walls, but even he’d been speechless when the Thagnori contingent cowering behind the walls had immediately surrendered. He’d left the prisoners, numbering over a thousand, under guard and split the Army of the Saltless Seas into ten divisions, each one taking a different route through Thagnor City.

  The narrow cobblestone and brick city streets were mostly empty of people with only an occasional barricade at the larger intersections. After a musket volley or two, the Thagnori soldiers behind the barricades would put their helmets on their swords and cry out, “Oath to Thanor!,” the Urgothi war god. He’d have their weapons confiscated and send the prisoners back to the breach under guard, where they’d be gathered together.

  Every once in a while someone would fire a crossbow bolt or old arquebus out an upstairs window and they’d storm the building, but overall casualties were very light. It wasn’t until they reached Old Town, which held the Prince’s palace and several civic buildings, that they ran into any determined opposition.

  IV

  “What can we do to stop the Usurper Kalvan?” Duke Osthwuld asked. The sound of gunfire echoed through the palace walls. He peered out a narrow window and saw several companies of Hostigi soldiers taking command of the streets; one company had several small artillery pieces drawn by horses they were moving into position.

  He jumped back when a shot went thwaack just short of the window slit!

  “What was that?” Osthwuld asked.

  “Must be from one of Kalvan’s firesticks the Hostigi call a rifle,” said Captain-General Errock. “I’ve read reports on them; they’re supposed to have three to four times the range and accuracy of a musket.”

  “Why aren’t your men stopping them?”

  Captain-General Errock shook his head, then held out his hands as if beseeching the gods. “Even if I stripped Vart-Thagnor of the Prince’s Housecarls, I would have less than fifteen hundred soldiers to face Kalvan’s host. The rest are stationed at the city walls and are probably prisoners now. From the reports coming in, the Hostigi have thousands of soldiers coming from the west, the north--everywhere, it seems. Now the Hostigi soldiers are inside Old Town and banging at the palace doors!”

  “I know our Army is badly outnumbered,” Osthwuld said, “but we have a far superior Navy. Why have they allowed Kalvan’s soldiers to land? They have to be coming from somewhere!”

  “From what I could see from the top of the keep, our Navy was completely surprised by the Hostigi attack. Many of the sailors were on shore leave and most of the ships were at anchor or tied to the docks. The patrol ships were outgunned by the Hostigi, who made quick work of them. I know their Navy is small, but they had many small boats that were hoisted over the sides of the larger ships. They were mounted with small cannons! I’ve never seen their like before. They swarmed all over our patrol ships, distracting them with their gunfire, while the larger ships shot them to pieces.

  “The engagement was over before most of our ships could find enough crew to pull up anchor. We must have lost six ships in the first quarter-candle of fighting. The Hostigi are now swarming over the rest of our ships; it’s a complete disaster!

  “As for their army, they must have landed downstream. By some trick, they avoided detection.”

  “Varrack will have our heads for this debacle!” Osthwuld cried.

  “It’s not our fault, Duke. We had no reason to suspect a Hostigi attack was imminent, or even possible! For all we knew, Kalvan’s men were still in the Great Kingdoms. The last report I received said his army was headed for Rathon City. As ordered, most of our forces were set to defend against a Greffan adventure.”

  “Don’t expect our Prince to swallow that excuse; he will blame us for his negligence and lack of foresight. Regardless, we must attempt to repulse the Hostigi invaders.”

  “How, Your Grace?” Captain-General Errock asked. “Just give me orders and I will follow them.”

  Osthwuld threw up his hands in despair. “My mind is blank! May the gods smite Varrack for leaving me undermanned and without allies!”

  “The gods will do as they always do when it comes to man’s affairs: nothing. Meanwhile, we are losing our overlord’s princedom. Our choices are few: either we surrender the castle and the city, or we defend this vart--for a few candles.”

  “Is that all we can do, Captain-General?”

  “The other alternative is to flee with as much of the treasury as we can carry and those of our retainers that we trust. And hope that Kalvan’s patrols don’t pick us up and hang us for looters, or common thieves.”

  Duke Osthwuld shook his head. “I’m too old to start over again, and having been Varrack’s liegeman will not serve me well with any other ruler. I was born here and could not survive exile. As a mercenary, you will have no difficulty finding work.”

  Errock smiled. “I suspect there will be a lot of work for men-of-arms for as long as Kalvan tarries in these parts. However, this Great King with his new martial tactics and strategies intrigues me; I could learn a lot from such a general. Let us surrender the castle to Kalvan and ask for terms. I suspect they will be generous. I’ve heard good things about this Great King from my brother, who met with his henchman, Trader Verkan, in Greffa City. If we arrange this properly, we may emerge from this affair with clean blades.”

  “Do you believe there will be a position for me?” the Duke asked.

  Errock shrugged his shoulders. “For one of Prince Varrack’s top advisers you have acquitted yourself well. You have not mistreated Varrack’s subjects, which I understand counts mightily with Great King Kalvan. You know the Princedom and the City. The Great King is no fool; he knows that he needs local support--and not just from the tradesmen and peasants. You could aid him greatly in gaining such support. I think you could do well for yourself and your House.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  Ev
en Kalvan was surprised at how quickly armed opposition had collapsed in Thagnor City, when Prince Phrames and the Army of the Saltless Sea reached Vart-Thagnor. It had reminded him of that old cliche-- “it fell apart like a house of cards.” Duke Osthwuld, Varrack’s Chancellor, had surrendered the castle and the realm just moments after the sappers blew off the castle gates.

  Except for mopping-up operations, the conquest of Thagnor was finished. He doubted there were more than a hundred Hostigi casualties from the combined operations. He was still waiting for Highpriest Mytron’s casualty and damage report, which probably wouldn’t be completed for a couple of days.

  The biggest problems he faced was trying to find room and habitation for the hundreds of thousands of Hostigi following Rylla’s Army of the Trygath within Thagnor City. In time, many would settle in the outlying farms and villages, but until the threat of attack was over they would have to be protected within the city walls and, according to the letter he’d just received from Rylla, they would be arriving shortly.

  Kalvan was in one of Prince Varrack’s recently vacated audience rooms writing his reply:

  It appears that Prince Varrack owned few loyal retainers. Even the Duke who ruled in his stead was more interested in finding a place in the new regime than honoring his loyalty to his former ruler. Many of the Prince’s subjects appear eager for a change of ruler. Duke Osthwuld, Varrack’s Chancellor, has even offered to negotiate the surrender of Vart-Burgult. The big fort that sits astride the River of Thagnor and commands entrance and exit to Thagnor City.

  In exchange for retaining his lands and title, Osthwuld has offered to work for us and help head the new municipal government. The intelligence and background information he is proving on our new subjects will prove invaluable. This is actually quite a coup since we knew so little about Thagnori politics and the local movers and shakers.

  We have decreed that all Thagnori nobles, except for those members of the Court who have already sworn fealty to Nos-Hostigos, will be stripped of their titles, rank, possessions, wealth and lands. Loyal Hostigi will be given their estates and patents, with preference to those of similar rank, or to those who have proven their worth to the Throne.

  The unsworn Thagnori gentry will remain incarcerated in the dungeon until they swear an oath of loyalty to Nos-Hostigos. Osthwuld will provided our new Intelligence Officer Vinaldos with an extensive list of Varrack’s ‘favorites,’ as well as a list of those with divided and other loyalties.

  With his help and Vinaldos’ agents, we will also closely examine the mercantile houses and large landowners, removing those who retain special ties to their former Prince, or who owe their position to the corruption which has been ripe in Thagnor for many years. Those who are guilty of past crimes will be punished. All estates and possessions will revert to the Throne. Those who refuse to renounce their former Prince will be sent into exile.

  I find the Duke to be quite likable (a valuable survival trait in Varrak’s Court), good company and quite accommodating. He will be useful.

  However, I am much more impressed with Captain-General Errock whose army was the only thing keeping Prince Varrack on his throne. Count Vinaldos learned that he did a very good job of fighting off the nomads for Dorg during Ranjar Sargos’ uprising. Secondly, Prince Varrack, in one of his more intelligent moments, deliberately hired as the commander of his army a man who hated Theovacar’s guts and therefore could be counted on not to sellout to the Grefftscharrers.

  Errock, along with Osthwuld and a third of Varrack’s Court, have already sworn oaths of loyalty and fealty to Nos-Hostigos. This will go a long way toward smoothing the path for our takeover of the Princedom. Being short of competent generals and having none familiar with Middle Kingdom politics and personalities, I intend to make Errock a General in the Royal Hostigos Army and will keep him close-at-hand. Not because I distrust him, but because I value his knowledge.

  It turns out he was born in Grefftscharr, of all places. His brother is a captain in service of King Theovacar. This is a real unexpected boon. I don’t expect him to suborn his brothers loyalty (nor should I ever ask), but this personal relationship will prove invaluable in future negotiations with Theovacar and in our dealings with his subjects.

  I will shortly send an embassy, to be headed by General Klestreus, to Grejfa. I would like to cement an alliance with Grefftscharr before the Grand Host of Styphon’s House arrives. To that end I have proffered Theovacar our friendship and an offer to pay Varrack’s arrears in taxes, with the understanding that in the future Thagnor will be independent of Grefftscharr and will pay no further tribute. If Theovacar accepts, that will further legitimize our Throne, both in his eyes and those of the other rulers in the Middle Kingdoms.

  Therefore, I have decided in favor of your idea of my becoming King of Thagnor; I will keep the territory for ourselves and crown Phrames Prince of Gytha. The realm of Thagnor is ideally situated between the two Great Saltless Seas and quite defensible. It is the best home we are likely to find until we put an end to the House of Styphon once and for all and return to our Great Kingdom. With great earthworks, great walls and proximity to relief by sea, Thagnor will be almost impossible to assault and thus provides the protection of our subjects that concerns us both so greatly. It’s also ideally situated for trade, and has been a major trade center. We could do far worse. .. Praise Dralm!

  I had wanted to move farther from Styphon’s rattlesnake nest, but as you put it--”if we go too far, it only shows the world how greatly we fear them.” The Grand Host is almost as isolated in the Upper Middle Kingdoms as we are. They have no local allies, their army is of a size to frighten any and all of the Middle Kingdom states, their reputation is horrible and no one in their right mind would trust them. Therefore, I’ve come to the conclusion that making Thagnor the center of Nos-Hostigos is necessary and reasonable. This will give us an instant presence in the Middle Kingdoms and we shall quickly be able to sort out our potential enemies and allies.

  With the new earthworks in place around Rathon City, I believe you leave the new kingdom of Rathon and our subjects as safe as anywhere in this new land. I welcome your return to my arms--

  Kalvan’s writing was interrupted by a knock at the door.

  “Who is it?”

  “Cleon, sire. Prince Phrames has arrived.”

  “Good. Show him in.

  “Shall I bring a cask of Ermut’s Best?”

  He was tempted to have a cup, but remembered his promise to Rylla. Besides, he wasn’t sure he could stop after one drink. “No. Some ginseng tea will be fine.”

  Phrames, his long face covered with grit and lined with weariness, came into the chamber, removing his dust-stained cloak. “I must apologize, Your Majesty, for my late arrival. However, I’ve been busy trying to secure the city and temporarily house all the prisoners. In addition, I had some patrols I wanted to send out before I could answer your summons.”

  “Don’t worry about it, my friend. Congratulations on your great victory! Have a seat.”

  Phrames shrugged his shoulders modestly. “It wasn’t much of a battle, Your Majesty. It was as easy as shooting drunk turkeys with a musketoon.”

  Kalvan shook his head. “There are no small battles, Phrames. The conquest of Thagnor was won through a combination of surprise, overwhelming superiority and good timing. And you had a lot to do with all three. Why do you think Osthwuld surrendered Vart-Tnagnor so easily? He discovered he’d lost the battle before he even knew there was one. Our victory over the City was so complete that he was able to surrender the vart without loss of face. Do you believe the loss of thousands of men would have made our victory any larger or more complete?”

  Phrames shook his head. “No, Dralm be praised, Your Majesty! I’m just not used to fighting in battles that follow our plans as closely as this one did. We needed this victory; the men are rejuvenated. I thank the gods that we took so few casualties, as did the Thagnori forces. Already, many of them have asked to join our Army.
Even the populace is celebrating our victory!”

  Cleon removed the Prince’s cloak. Kalvan couldn’t help but notice Phrames wince when Cleon bumped his shoulder where he’d taken a bullet wound at Ardros Field.

  “How is your shoulder feeling?” Kalvan asked.

  “Much better, Your Majesty, but it’s still sore.”

  Kalvan didn’t doubt it as Phrames had been riding horseback for almost twenty-four hours. “Let me look at it.”

  “Yes, sire.” Phrames said as he walked over to the fireplace, while taking off his breastplate and padded gambeson. Kalvan examined his shoulder: The slug had entered and exited the muscle leaving a keloid scar the size of a quarter. It was red and inflamed, but it didn’t appear as if sepsis had set in.

  “Have Uncle Wolf Tharses look at this before you leave the castle.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Phrames said, as he warmed his hands before the coals.

  Kalvan tried to find the best way to frame the news he was about to impart. Phrames was as loyal as the day was long, but even the most trusted paladin might be sorely troubled when a promise was revoked. Sorry, old friend, but “realpolitik” has reared its ugly head.

  “I asked you here for several reasons.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “First, how did the attack go?”

  “The operation went almost as planned, Your Majesty. It was very successful. The men fought admirably; we had less than a hundred casualties, many with minor wounds. We also took almost three thousand prisoners. More are being rounded up as we talk. I have a list with me of officers and soldiers who deserve promotions.” Phrames removed a folded-up parchment from his trousers and presented it to Kalvan.

  Kalvan set the parchment on his makeshift desk. “I will go over it later and we will then discuss all promotions and prizes.”