Scales Of Justice

by C. R. Daems

  "Your Highness," the man said, and bowed low. "Your brother, the prince, is in Warring. He arrived there an eightday ago, and split his forces in three parts after he learned that Duke Chaney's main force of seven hundred is at Blueridge, with another two hundred in Greenridge. The prince sent three hundred to Cybele to attack Greenridge; hid another two hundred between Cybele and Warring in the hope that Chaney's spies will underestimate his force; and kept six hundred in Warring. He plans to attack Blueridge at your arranged time. I will return with any message you have for the prince and inform him of your arrival. If you hadn't been in Southgate, the prince planned to hold in Warring to await your arrival and my return. The details are in this message from the prince." He handed her the rolled up document and bowed. Regina opened Aquila's message, began studying it and then looked up.

  "Thank you, Captain. You have done well. Sergeant, see that the captain and his men are fed and given quarters to rest and refresh themselves. We have work to do." Regina went back to studying the message from Aquila.

  Jola felt uncomfortable about being included in the war council, even though the princess had requested that she attend.

  After reading the message from Aquila, Regina briefed the group. "Duchess Olinda joined the prince at Stag Bluff with four Horse units, and Serkan joined him in Essam with another four Horse units. His force now numbers eleven hundred. His scouts indicate that Chaney's army is less than one thousand, and divided between Greenridge and Blueridge. Aquila thinks the small force at Greenridge is just a decoy to draw him into the larger force at Blueridge. He's splitting off a small force to attack Greenridge. He intends to cross into Tasman with the main force two eightdays from today."

  Besnik grunted. "We're ahead of schedule, only six days from Greenridge and an eightday from Blueridge. I suggest we move immediately to attack Corvus. Chaney is unlikely to have left a large contingent there. He will have stripped his castles in order to field the largest possible force against the king's army. If we can capture Corvus, it'll cut off his possible retreat to the east."

  Regina smiled. "I like that idea. We'll have to move immediately to ensure that we arrive at Blueridge in time for the party." That raised quiet chuckles among the group.

  The next day the army swung south toward Corvus.

  * * *

  Chaney sighed contentedly. He had taken up residence in his small but comfortable Blueridge residence. Today, twenty of his commanders had assembled in the reception hall, which had been converted into a war room. A roasted pig, stripped down to the bones, was being cleared by some of the servants, as another refilled his wine goblet.

  "Gentlemen, to victory!" Chaney said. As he raised his glass, he was greeted with shouts.

  "We now know where the king's army is, and we know its size. Our scouts have reported in from Warring and Cybele. It's apparent that King Nicolas has sent his son, Prince Aquila, with a force of eighteen Horse units-about nine hundred troops. The prince has split his forces. He has six hundred in Warring and three hundred to the west of Cybele. For now, they aren't moving. I suspect they're waiting for information about our positions. If I'm right, when they find our deployment, they'll send the Cybele force against our Greenridge force in the hope that they can overwhelm the two hundred troops we left there as bait. We've an opportunity to decimate Aquila's main force. Send a messenger to Greenridge to recall three Horse units. That gives us an opportunity to overwhelm Aquila's main force advancing on Blueridge." Chaney paused to sip his wine.

  "But the one Horse unit at Greenridge will be defeated," one of his commanders said in the lull.

  "No, the Greenridge force will not engage the enemy, but will retreat east around the foothills and circle back to join us. That will keep Aquila's Cybele force occupied for ten to twelve days while we wipe out his Warring force. The old fool Nicolas has only sent nine hundred troops. I had expected more like twelve hundred to fifteen hundred." Chaney laughed. "When we wipe out the forces he's sent against us, he'll be left with a decimated army. He will have lost."

  * * *

  Princess Regina's force approached Corvus on the third day out of Southgate. Corvus was well fortified for an attack by a small army, but not by a force of a thousand. Regina's scouts had ridden back the day before with the news that Lord Chaney had only left twenty-five soldiers to defend the town. Chaney's flag was quickly lowered in surrender and the city gates thrown open. Two Horse units entered through the gates, followed by Princess Regina, Jola, the dukes and duchess, and their guards.

  The Tasman guards were quickly disarmed and brought before Princess Regina, where they were asked to take an oath of loyalty. Jola witnessed the oaths and rejected two she detected lying. Those two were imprisoned, to preclude them from alerting Chaney of Regina's force and the capture of Corvus.

  That night at dinner, Commander Besnik outlined the next steps in the campaign. They had twelve days before Prince Aquila planned to engage Chaney's force at Blueridge. Once Aquila set out, it would take his force an eightday to reach Blueridge. In Corvus, they were less than ten days from the city. Regina decided to rest the army for two days. The delay should get them to Blueridge about the same time as Prince Aquila.

  "Commander Besnik, I've no military training, but won't Chaney retreat to Tarquay as soon as he discovers the size of the king's forces?" Jola said, somewhat embarrassed. Besnik stood motionless for several moments. Thinking he was mad that someone like her would enter the discussion, Jola sat wishing there were a place to hide. She reached up and stroked Tenzen's viper, which helped to calm her. "If it's anything like Stag Bluff, it'll be difficult for us to extricate him," she said.

  "You're correct," Besnik said. "The problem is, Aquila will certainly need our forces at Blueridge. That precludes an attack on Tarquay."

  "Corvus was poorly defended. Wouldn't Tarquay also be poorly defended? Maybe Duke Kontar, flying the Sattah banner, could get past the gates. He could claim that Waller has decided to back Chaney, and that Chaney has sent him to reinforce the city and the castle," Jola said.

  "It just might work," Besnik said. "What do you think, Duke Kontar?"

  "I'm willing to try. I believe there will be little risk, as Chaney can't have left more than a token force behind. They should be happy to see reinforcements." Kontar chuckled.

  "My only concern is the number of Horse units that would take. I can't allow our force to be much reduced for the attack," Regina said.

  "If it is going to work, we shouldn't need a large force," Kontar said.

  In the end, Regina decided that she could spare seven Horse units-Jola with her Horse guard, Kontar's four Sattah Horse, and an additional two Horse units. Once Kontar had gained access with his Sattah soldiers, he would hold the gates open for Jola and the additional troops. Regina and Besnik would take the remaining thirteen Horse units to meet Prince Aquila, as planned.

  * * *

  "What!" Chaney shouted at the noble who stood in front of him, and at the other nobles who had assembled to hear the report out of Southgate.

  "Your Grace, Princess Regina arrived in Southgate over twelve days ago with twenty Horse units." He cringed as he watched Chaney's flushed face and angry scowl.

  "And you?" Chaney turned to the noble who had reported Aquila entering Warring with only twelve Horse units. "How do you explain this report that claims Aquila is two days from us with sixteen Horse units, with six converging on Blueridge?"

  "He only had twelve Horse units in Warring, Your Grace. He must have split his force before he entered Warring."

  Chaney stood thinking for several minutes, his nobles in turmoil. He smashed his fist down on the table and then took a deep breath to calm himself. He smiled.

  "We still have all the advantages. They're fighting on our soil, they're exhausted from over a season on the road, and they've limited supplies. Prince Aquila has only sixteen Horse units. We've our original fourteen Horse units, plus the three Horse from Greenridge. We have a slight numerical advantage." C
haney paused, deep in thought.

  "What about Regina's force? We'll be crushed between the two armies," a nobleman with a wrinkle-seamed face said into the silence.

  "If we stayed to fight. Instead, we'll do the unexpected. We'll go out to meet Aquila's force in a surprise attack. One full day with everything we have. Our objective is to cripple his force. While he prepares for the second day's engagement, we'll retreat to Tarquay. We can hold out against Regina's force indefinitely, since she can't sit outside the city walls for long without supplies. And when they leave, we'll attack them from behind and wipe them out," Chaney said. "The war is ours to win. Gentlemen, prepare your Horse units to ride. We attack tomorrow night."

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Tasman Province

  Jola watched from the top of the hill as Duke Kontar rode at the front of the Sattah formation, his captains and a soldier flying the Sattah banner, a gray shark on a field of blue. Each of his Horse units rode four abreast and twelve deep. Together, forty-eight rows deep, they were an impressive sight. The formation did not conjure a feeling of danger, but of troops on parade-a parade of victorious troops returning home.

  There was a pause at the gate before they disappeared behind the walls. Jola chewed her lip as she waited. This was the plan. If it went wrong and someone died because she'd been wrong, she'd have to live with the guilt. She pushed the idea out of her mind and nervously stroked her viper as it rested its head on her shoulder. An hour later, the Sattah flag flew above the city walls.

  "Captain Rankin, I think we can now enter the city." Jola pointed to the blue flag that flapped in the wind.

  "Yes, Mistress. You must be very careful. Many will be glad to get rid of Chaney, but he will have loyal supporters who would like to see us all dead. You and Kontar will be prime targets," Rankin said. Jola could see that he was concerned; he had motioned her guard more closely around her.

  As the three Horse units entered the city, the reaction was mixed. Half cheered at the sight of a judicator, and half stood silent. Jola understood the mixed emotions of the city's citizens. The merchants and commoners always paid the price, whether they supported old rulers or new ones. Life on the streets never changed.

  That night, Duke Kontar sent word that he and Judicator Jola would hold an open audience the next day in the castle's great hall. He, Jola, and Kit were in the middle of a hurriedly prepared meal when one of Kontar's captains entered the room.

  "Sir, Mistress. One of my soldiers discovered the body of a dead noble in his room. He said there was a viper on the bed," the captain said. "From his description, it sounded like your vipers, Mistress."

  "It's Narette's viper. Your Grace, please have your men search the entire castle. I suggest they start in the dungeon. Captain, can you have someone show me the room?"

  "Sergeant Willis will show you, Mistress."

  "Rankin, come." Jola headed for the door. Excited, she had for a moment forgotten Kit, but as she turned back, Kit stood behind her with both hands filled with food.

  They followed the sergeant down several halls and then down a level. The door to the room was open, and two soldiers stood outside the door. Jola walked past them into the room. There on the bed lay a golden viper, and a dead man lay on the floor at the side of the bed. Jola reached down, and the viper wrapped around her arm. She raised it to her face. Her viper and Tenzen's flowed to meet the new viper.

  "Sergeant, do you know where the dungeon is?"

  "Yes, Mistress, the stairs at the end of the hall lead down to the lower level, which leads under the castle to the dungeons."

  They were only halfway to the dungeon when they saw several guards supporting a slender, olive-skinned woman in rags. Her hair would have been lustrous if it weren't filthy and knotted.

  "Sister Narette? I'm Sister Jola." Jola walked up to her and held out the viper she had found. The woman reached out, and the viper flowed onto her arm. She hugged the viper to her face, and tears ran down her cheeks.

  "Thank you... Sister. Yes, I'm Narette." Jola put her arm around Narette's waist and supported her as they moved up the stairs into a bedroom. Jola helped her wash while the guards searched the empty rooms for clean clothes.

  Afterward, Jola had food delivered, and a healer fetched from the town. She left hours later, after Narette had fallen asleep. Kontar assigned several soldiers to guard the room.

  * * *

  Narette joined Jola and Kontar for breakfast the next morning. She was emaciated, but a little color had returned to her face. For the next hour, Narette explained her confrontation with Chaney and her subsequent imprisonment. For the first couple of eightdays, she had been raped and abused by most of the guards Chaney had left behind when he left for Corvus. As one after another died from the still-unfound viper, her treatment had improved. The guards began to share their food with her, warm blankets appeared, and the abuse stopped. The guards had been unwilling to do more, though, for fear Chaney would return and find her released.

  Narette declined Jola's offer to join her and Kontar for their meeting. She chose to retire instead.

  * * *

  The reception hall was beyond opulent. The vaulted ceiling soared over their heads, decorated with murals that depicted the Tasman forces defeating armies, with support by exotic beasts. The immense tapestries covered almost every bit of the walls with scenes of knights in battle and victory feasts. Chaney's cat-carved throne perched five steps above the floor.

  Jola had two chairs placed in front of the throne platform, for her and Kontar. Her only concession to formality with the new arrangement was to place the chairs on a large embroidered rug; it formed a visual boundary between them and their guests similar to the one the platform normally provided. Guards surrounded them. Kit clung to Jola's side until she motioned for the child to sit at her feet.

  A delegation of twenty merchants was the first group admitted.

  "No disrespect, Mistress, but are you a real judicator?" a man asked as he stood with his hand clutched in front of him, his eyes downcast.

  "Merchant... ?" Jola waited for a name. A name meant respect, and he deserved that.

  "Ionel, Mistress."

  "Yes, Merchant Ionel, I'm Judicator Jola. It is not my clothes that proclaim me a judicator, but my viper." Jola raised an arm with a viper wound around it.

  Ionel looked up and nodded. "Yes, Mistress."

  "I'm accompanying Princess Regina. She and her brother, Prince Aquila, are here to restore order and maintain your rights under the king's edict and the Seven Provinces' Treaty. The former Duke Waller has been stripped of his lands and titles and replaced with Duke Kontar." Jola gestured to Kontar. "Duke Greer and Duchess Kambiri are with Princess Regina. Duchess Olinda and Duke Serkan are with Prince Aquila. Chaney has lost his title and lands, and will be sentenced to the iron mines or executed when his force is defeated."

  "With respect, Mistress, if he's defeated," the merchant said.

  "With respect, Merchant-when. The king and the other province rulers have sent more than two thousand troops against Chaney. He'll be defeated today or tomorrow, and his grand scheme of rebellion will fail," Jola said, as her viper returned to its favorite spot in her hair.

  "Two thousand... Mistress?" Several in the delegation murmured.

  "Yes, and I'm here to identify and sentence those noblemen who support Chaney in his treason."

  They received several more delegations in the course of the afternoon. Jola could tell they welcomed the idea of Chaney's defeat, but had no confidence that he wouldn't return.

  It remained only to wait for Prince Aquila's or Chaney's arrival-which depended upon the outcome of the battle at Blueridge.

  That night, Jola, Kit, Kontar, and Narette dined in one of the dining rooms in order to accommodate Jola's and Kontar's security guards.

  "You don't think they might poison us, Mistress?" Kontar asked as he watched a servant put food on his plate. Kit had almost cleaned hers.

  "No, Duke Kontar, I tasted t
he food before it was served. Although I can't be poisoned, I'd know if the food were. As you can see, my ward couldn't wait to eat." Jola nodded toward Kit.

  "Where does she put it all?" Kontar asked, and then laughed. "She eats more than I do."

  "She's a growing girl and she can use extra fat on her." She gave Kit an affectionate smile. "Besides, she's eating as much as she can, so when the food stops coming she can survive until she can find more."

  "But the food won't... oh, I see," Kontar said as he studied Kit carefully. "You and she have given me much to think about when I return to Sattah."

  "No one can solve all the problems, Your Grace. But it would help if we solved the ones we can." Her eyes were moist as she remembered her dead sister. She picked up Tenzen's viper and pressed it to her face. "You promised she was at peace," she murmured to the viper.

  "Pardon me, Mistress. I didn't quite hear that," Kontar said.

  "A small prayer to anyone who is listening." Jola dismissed it with a wave of her hand.

  * * *

  Someone poked her arm and she managed to mumble, "What?"

  She rose up on an elbow. Through the window, only a little gray light filtered in. Captain Rankin leaned over her.

  "Pardon, Mistress, a large army from the north. They're about a league away, and no sign of the royal banners."

  Jola pushed back the coverlet and jumped out of bed. Kit rolled over.

  "Is it time for breakfast yet?" Kit asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

  "Yes, Kit. I'll have one of the soldiers take you to the kitchen. The cook will fix you something." Jola hugged Kit and then turned to her ever-present captain. "Send a couple of guards with her. The rest of us are going to the city wall to welcome Chaney to his judgment."

  Jola threw her clothes on, hurried to the courtyard and mounted up with her entire guard, minus the two guarding Kit. As they clattered through the streets, not a single citizen was in sight, and the doors and windows they passed were closed and barred.