The Dread King: Book One of The Larken Chronicles

by R. L. Poston

  “Well, wake me when the oxen decide to walk faster,” said Daniel, rolling into his blankets, more in an effort to stay warm than to sleep.

  “I’ll wake you at your first snore,” promised Tragen.

  It was three more days before they felt it safe enough to make a dash for the sea.

  “Are you sure that this is the way?” asked Daniel.

  “I’ve got a psychic bond with that boat,” said Tragen. “We hate each other.”

  As sure as his word, Tragen led them in a fairly straight line back to where they had beached their boat. It took them a few minutes to remove all the ice from the sails, deck, and ropes. Then they turned toward home, sped along by the northern winds.

  * * * * *

  “It’s worse than we feared,” reported Jaris to the Council. “We finally got a message from Tragen. He estimated twenty thousand in the force that’s approaching Norland. They will probably be there in a bit less than two months. Be thankful that the mountains will slow them down. They’ve got maybe three thousand Warders and about a thousand Healers. We’ll be lucky to field half that number.”

  “Then we’ll just have to fight twice as hard,” said King Andreas. “Gentlemen and ladies,” he added, addressing the Council, “it is customary during wartime to suspend debate in the Council. I am formally doing that now. Shropanshire is now at war. I will continue to listen to the Council, but I will not suffer debate or questioning. With all due respect, we have no more time for debate. We must move quickly. Are there any objections for the record?”

  Henkri spoke quickly. “Speaking for the Council, sire, there are no objections. The minutes will so note that, on my authority, we accept the war designation. We will follow, advise, and assist as we are able.”

  Andreas nodded, thankful for the support of the Council. “First, we will need to accelerate the building of our defenses. Commander Jaris and I are in contact with Norland and Grealand. By mutual consent, Shropanshire will take the lead in the defense.” Holding up his hand to cut off questioning, he added, “We will take the lead because we have the only effective mechanism of defense against the new Talent weapon that the Dark Forces are using. And, yes, we are going to officially call the invaders ‘Dark Forces.’ It’s the name we called them back in the Sarkan Pass, and the name has stuck. Besides, it helps to rally our people around the need for increased levies and taxes.

  “Second, Commander Jaris will take responsibility for recruiting, training, organizing and supplying the Three Kingdoms Alliance. That is the official designation that we will use for our united cause. ‘Alliance’ for short. He will be directly responsible for all forces and military supplies in the three kingdoms. He will assume the role of military director for the three kingdoms and will have authority in all things military. His authority will be second only to mine. This is necessary to mobilize and supply our entire military resources for all kingdoms. The entire success of our efforts will depend on the supply of men and staples. No one else has the experience to accomplish this except for Commander Jaris.

  “Third, although they haven’t been briefed on this since Jaris, Henkri, and I decided it last night, Sub-commander Larken is now Commander Larken and will assume tactical command of all Alliance forces. He alone understands the full nature of the threat that we face, and he best understands the capabilities of our Elven friends. Furthermore, he is our strongest Talent and has been directly responsible for our last two victories over the Dark Forces. He will be directly supported by Sub-commander Gahen and Commander Jaris. It will be his responsibility to plan our defense strategy and placement. He will make all decisions. I, alone, will be able to overrule him. To be perfectly clear, he has my total support until the Dark Forces knock on my bedroom door.”

  Larken was stunned. Too stunned, in fact, to react. Gahen turned slightly to him and raised an eyebrow in question. When Larken didn’t react, Gahen nodded and returned his attention to King Andreas. The fact that King Andreas, Gahen, and the rest of the Council attributed Larken’s lack of reaction to professionalism and maturity was a fortunate mistake. By the time that he could even blink, King Andreas had moved on to other topics.

  “Fourth, I will remain in Shropanshire to establish a government center for the Alliance and for mobilization of resources, intelligence, and evacuations if necessary. I will be joined here by King Frederick of Norland. We will accept any and all refugees from Norland with open arms. We will, however, maintain law and order. This center will become the hub for all communications. Commander Jaris will use this resource to help him supply our forces, but don’t underestimate the task of governing three kingdoms at war. This Council will be on-call by myself or Commander Jaris and must accept many tasks that might lie outside your normal responsibilities.”

  “Who will coordinate the secondary defenses, sire?” asked Henkri.

  “That will be part of Commander Jaris’ responsibility. He will have one of the sub-commanders from each of Norland and Grealand directly responsible to him for assisting with this. I should have mentioned, also, that the Warder command structures of Norland and Grealand will directly report to Commander Larken. Part of the Healer command will report to Commander Jaris, part to Commander Larken, and the rest will support the center here.”

  “What of Norland’s and Grealand’s Council?” asked one of the Council.

  “The Norland Council will join us here,” said Andreas. “We are going to evacuate a considerable part of Norland’s population in the next two months. That probably isn’t the best vote of confidence in our forces, but it seems the best course. Grealand, of course, will be supporting us, but we can’t expect the people from Norland to go all the way south, so most of them will be settling temporarily in Shropanshire. That’s going to strain us, and I’m going to depend on the two Councils to take a lot of that strain. The Grealand Council will be making plans in case the worst happens and we get overrun.”

  “We will do what we can to prevent that,” said Henkri.

  Andreas and Jaris then shared the detailed plans and assignments. When they finally adjourned in midafternoon, Gahen and Larken went at once to Gahen’s office for a private conversation.

  “Well, boss, what now?” quipped Gahen as he flopped down into an overstuffed chair.

  “Don’t start that,” complained Larken. “We’ve got a lot to do and no time to do it.”

  “Yep, kid, you’re right. What about getting Taz and Melona assigned to your command?”

  “Good idea. We can use their help.”

  Gahen grinned like a fox. “I was thinking more about payback. It’s about time that we were the bosses around here. That’s the one thing that I’m going to enjoy about this.”

  “Gahen,” said Larken, shaking his head slowly, “if you think that King Andreas’ direct order, the threat of total warfare, or the specter of the Dark Lord himself is enough to get Taz under your control, you’re sadly mistaken.”

  “Yeah,” sighed Gahen. “I guess you’re right, but I can always dream.”

  Chapter 21: Skirmishes

  “So, that’s the plan,” Larken concluded his briefing of the Three Kingdom Alliance’s command structure in his command tent near Norland’s capital, Strollie. “As we agreed, the task of the advance force will be to buy us another week. If they can delay the main force one week, we use that time to bring in enough additional supplies and troops to repay their work three-fold.”

  “I like it,” commented Commander Soran of Norland. “It’s risky for those involved, but it multiplies their effectiveness in the final count.”

  “I like it, too,” added Grealand commander Estron. “I have to say that I wasn’t looking forward to trusting my forces to a young commander, but I’m glad that you’re here. You have my vote.”

  “Thanks,” said Larken. “But this is the easy part. As you all know, this is going to get really messy. That’s why we’re going to use the Healer network for communication and coordination. I know the Healers have never
been used on the front lines for tactical communications, but we’re going to have to break some rules. Again, we don’t have a choice.”

  At this Soran spoke forcefully. “Damn the tradition! I’ve never understood why the Healers’ network was kept separate. I can’t believe that anyone will have a problem with that.”

  “Oh, they’ll have a problem,” said Estron. “Especially after we win this thing. Then the old rivalries will come back.”

  “We can deal with it after we win,” said Soran. “But I’ll still throttle anyone who objects. Have you decided who is going to lead the advance forces?”

  “Actually,” said Larken, “you decided for me.”

  “How’s that?” asked Soran. “I don’t seem to remember making that decision.”

  “It was when you mentioned that there was some grumbling about Shropanshire getting special treatment.” Larken held up his hand quickly to stifle objections. “I know they are unfounded, and you know they are unfounded, but they still are there. Therefore, we’re going to have a three-part force. We’ll need it anyway. You, Commander Soran, and you, Commander Estron, are each going to pick a leader for a third part of the force. Tragen will be in charge of the Shropanshire third. Each of them will, in turn, handpick one hundred and fifty men each and fifteen Healers. You will each be assigned ten Elves. That will be our advance force. I know that it is an unusual composition, but something tells me that we should deploy a tactic that hasn’t been used before.”

  “And what is that?” asked Estron uncertainly.

  “Well,” said Larken, “first, consider the problem of engaging a superior force. The moment that you lose the element of surprise, the sheer numbers start to overwhelm you. Right?”

  “Right. Go on,” said Soran. “Where are you going with this?”

  “In a minute, you’ll see. Now, there are a lot of strategies in using two smaller forces to attack a large force. Most of these strategies use one force to attack and then retreat. This usually draws a much larger pursuing force out after them. Then the other force is used to ambush the pursuers.”

  “And there are also a lot of strategies to defeat those strategies,” growled Soran, his frown showing his disgust at Larken’s mention of such an elementary tactic.

  “And most are based on a second set of pursuers,” said Larken. “Any seasoned commander will send a second force out after the first one in case of ambush. That’s where the opportunity lies.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Estron with some exasperation. “Why is that an opportunity?”

  “Because a hidden force can catch the second pursuing force by surprise. It can at least shock the force into confusion, allowing the first two to escape.”

  “Whoa,” complained Soran, standing up as his irritation grew. “I know that you just finished some great strategy discussions at Sarkis, and that your head is filled with strategy and tactics and games, but this is the real thing. The fastest way for something to fail out here in the field is for it to get complicated, and, if we can’t understand it in this tent, there ain’t no way for it to work in the field. You’re talking about perfect timing between hundreds of men separated by miles of wilderness. Also, the ‘surprise’ force will damn well have to be invisible to be a surprise. It has never worked, and it never will.”

  “Suppose that the two forces can use telepathy?” asked Larken.

  There was a moment of stunned silence. Then Estron exploded, “The Elves! That’s why you want them! They can read each other’s mind! They can coordinate things down to the second.”

  “Yes,” said Larken. “Properly placed Elves can serve as perfect spy posts. The advance force will know exactly when and where to strike. It won’t be perfect, and I’m sure some will get caught. But it will save many more.”

  “That’s a great plan, but they will still have to be invisible,” responded Soran.

  “And they will be,” said Larken.

  “How?” asked Soran and Estron together.

  “Elves,” said Larken. “They have a natural Talent to make themselves almost invisible. It’s kind of like convincing someone else’s mind that they aren’t there. That’s why you won’t see an Elf unless he wants to be seen. They can’t fight with us on horseback, but they have agreed to teach our Healers how to make our advance forces almost invisible. Using it, our forces will seemingly appear out of nowhere.”

  “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” said Estron. “You really are full of tricks. Healers and Elves cooperating and Healers fighting with us. That’s amazing!”

  “You’ve neglected the one fatal flaw!” said Soran.

  “What’s that?” asked Larken.

  “They won’t do it! Healers have never used their Talent in battle before. And Elves won’t be around Healers. They just won’t do it!” concluded Soran.

  “They will now,” answered Larken.

  “Why?” asked Estron suspiciously. “Why would they do it now?”

  “Well, maybe we taught the Elves a better way to shield their minds from the Healers,” said Larken. “Maybe, in exchange, the Elves agreed to find a way to transmit long-range messages to the Healers. As for the Healers, I really don’t know. Maybe because my Talent is being tainted, and that makes them afraid of what else could happen. Maybe because they know we can’t win without them. Maybe because I threatened to give in to my urges to destroy everything myself. Or maybe because I threatened to teach every Warder to read their minds. I don’t know why they decided to help, they just did.”

  Soran and Estron looked at each other for a moment. Then both broke into gales of laughter. “Damn,” said Soran after he got his breath back. “No one has ever threatened a Healer before and won.”

  “Someone has now,” replied Gahen.

  * * * * *

  After Soran and Estron had left, Larken and Gahen were alone in the tent. “That went well,” said Gahen. “I think that you won them over.”

  “It wasn’t that hard. It was mostly their ideas anyway,” said Larken as he flopped down on a chair, covering his face with his arm. “Gahen, I’m not doing anything but listening to the experts and agreeing with them and then either threatening or cajoling everyone else into cooperating. Everyone knows more about what they do than I do. How am I supposed to get through this?”

  “Aren’t you getting tired of these attacks of self-doubt?” Gahen grumbled. “Look, Larken, if you were the expert, you wouldn’t be the leader. Leaders don’t know everything, and most don’t know anything better than anyone else. They have learned one secret though, and you’ve already learned that.”

  “What’s that?” asked Larken.

  “To listen to the experts and agree with the ones that make the best suggestions,” said Gahen. “You now know all there is to leading. So, you lead, and I’ll go make sure that the subs know what they need to be doing. See you in an hour or two.”

  “Have someone wake me in one,” said Larken as he lay down on his cot.

  “Three,” murmured Gahen as he left. “Even you have to sleep sometime.”

  * * * * *

  “Ride!” yelled Tragen, even as he gave the arm signal that made the words unnecessary. Spurring his horse, he raced away at the head of his forces. It made a strange sight. It seemed that a band of one hundred Warders, cavalrymen, and Healers were fleeing for their lives from nothing. They had raced halfway across the plain before their pursuers appeared on the narrow plain between the rocky slopes.

  There were at least two hundred mounted pursuers, many of them Warders. Only after they had passed and the dust settled, was another force visible—nearly three hundred cavalry following rapidly behind the pursuers. It was a classic maneuver designed to prevent the ambush and decimation of the first force sent to chase an attacking band away. It would have worked except for the fact that there were watchers in the surrounding hills.

  Hidden in cracks and crevices along the way of the retreating band were Elves spaced at approximately two-hundred-yard i
ntervals. They were hidden well, not only by their stone-colored clothing, but also by the aura of nonexistence that they projected. Through other Healers that rode with Tragen’s force and received telepathic information from the hidden Elves, Tragen knew the exact location and progress of both pursuing forces. So did the Grealand and Norland forces that waited under an Elven-Healer shield until exactly the proper moment to join in the fray.

  Thus, it was no surprise to the watchers to see the Grealand and Norland forces catch the following force in a pincer trap at precisely the right moment. Nor were the watchers surprised to see Tragen wheel his forces around at precisely the right moment to cut through the back of the group that had been chasing him when it turned around to go to the aid of their trapped forces.

  * * * * *

  “My Lord, that felt good!” enthused Thaddeus of Norland, meeting Tragen and other leaders in the middle of the carnage that lay about the plain. “Nothing like a good massacre to cure the winter ails.”

  “I would not have believed it if I had not been here,” said Tragen. “We’ve killed over a three hundred men. How many did we lose?”

  One of the Healers spoke up. “About thirty is our best guess.”

  “That’s too bad,” said Estron’s man, Doron. “But it isn’t as bad as it could have been, thanks mostly to that Elven shield thing that you and the Elves came up with. I still don’t understand it, but it really helps.”

  “Thanks,” responded the Healer. “It’s really not that complicated, it’s just a mental shield to cover our presence. With a half dozen of us working together, we can hide our entire force. Keeping our archers hidden during the battle allowed them to stand right out in the open. And our cavalry was making their first cuts even before they were visible.”

  “And it works wonders,” said Thaddeus. “Like you said, they didn’t know we were there until we were right on them. It probably saved another hundred of our men. My eternal gratitude, Healer.” Then, turning to Tragen, he said, “Well, are we ready for part two?”