"I think that would be an excellent idea," Nahtan nodded to him. "And Calan--" he called after him as Calan turned his horse to ride back along the army. "If it comes down to a choice between saving Korrie or Garren, you save Garren."
Calan paused. "How about I just don't let it get to that point?" he asked, spurring his horse into a gallop.
"Is he really that good?" Kenah asked Brijade as Calan disappeared from sight.
Brijade nodded at her. "He's had Mo'ani training," she told him. "But then he decided he'd rather run a tavern and inn than wear a cloak. In a fight, though? He's as good as any cloaked Mo'ani."
Kenah was quiet for a minute and when Brijade glanced at her, she seemed deep in thought.
"Da!" she called to Asher. "I'm goin' with Calan and the rest of them!"
"Ye absolutely are not!" Asher returned, turning to look at her. "Ye were already barely gettin' by with permission to come along as it was."
"Ye're the one that gave me permission to come," Kenah argued. "And I might as well be useful somewhere. I'm not goin' to be here watchin' ye're horse's arse, and ye won't need me helpin' the healers until ye start cuttin' each other up." She turned her horse and spurred it into a gallop, following Calan back along the army.
"That girl's got more thorns than a dozen bramble bushes," Asher frowned.
"Do you want me to go get her?" Brijade asked.
"Let 'er go," Asher told her. "She'll not stay now. Once that girl sets 'er mind, ye can't make 'er change it."
"She's been runnin' off on 'er own for the last year anyway," Ehren said. "So it's not like it's anythin' new."
"Ye should 'ave just married 'er off to Lord Onyn when he asked," Zara added, chuckling.
Asher glanced back at Zara. "Do ye 'ave any idea what kind of hell she'd 'ave made my life if I'd accepted that proposal?" he asked her.
"Aye," Zara nodded at him, grinning. "But the rest of us would 'ave found it damned amusin'."
"Lord Onyn?" Nahtan asked Asher. He didn't recall that name from the requests for help at Basiyr that Asher had sent out the other night.
Asher sighed and shook his head. "A boy of about fourteen summers," he explained. "His parents were killed a couple of years ago when Basiyr raided one of their villages and they got themselves cornered before Neyl or I could get there. The parents were good enough sorts, but the boy's a spoiled, entitled little sprig who thinks he's goin' to get one of my daughters so he can get in line for Olorun."
"And Darie scares 'im straight out of 'is fancy britches, so he's got his sights set on Kenah," Ehren finished. Nahtan remembered the one time he'd met Asher's third daughter. The girl was only about ten summers, but policed her younger brother with a stern watch and acted for all the world like a full soldier, right down to the way she dressed.
Nahtan turned to look at Asher. "I'm going crazy with one daughter who's been taken from me. How did you handle six children?"
Asher shrugged. "The first one's the hardest," he told him. "After that, it gets easier, cause they start to look out for each other, so ye don't 'ave to worry so much. We didn't let Ehren out of our sight until Zara was born when 'e was about five summers. Then all of a sudden we 'ad another babe to take care of, so he got some freedom. About the time she was four summers, he was old enough to be lookin' after her and Erith was expectin' Kenah. When Kenah was about four summers, we 'ad Maxsen and I swear that boy started runnin' by the time he was a year old so I was glad he 'ad three older siblings to help chase 'im down. He was barely three summers when we had Darie, and I don't think it was even two summers later when we 'ad Tharyn."
"I started young with mine," Zara added. "I 'ad my first boy by the time I was Kenah's age and my second boy a couple of years after that. Then I figured I'd better stop for a bit and let Ehren and 'is wife catch up and give da a chance to quit yellin' at me."
"I yell at ye because ye ran off and got married behind my back," Asher told her.
"Aye," Zara nodded. "Ye weren't goin' to let me otherwise."
"I'd just have to keep them all locked in the castle," Nahtan shook his head. The energy and chaos of Asher's house was something he found himself envying as well as wanting nothing to do with. The thought of that many children running around threatened to make his head hurt even now. What coming home to that must have meant to Asher, however, was something he found himself wanting. It made his resolve to get Valry back that much stronger, especially now that he was so close to where she was.
"I thought of that," Asher nodded. "But didn't want to deal with the yellin' when I got home."
"I suppose six children yelling at you would be too much," Nahtan agreed.
"It wasn't the children," Asher shook his head. "It was my wife."
Calan reined his horse in when he reached Lady Caya's wagon. Trey was sitting on the front, leaning back as he held the reins of the two horses pulling the wagon. He gave a faint nod as Calan rode past, but didn't say anything. He recognized Yenene and Gaurel's horses tied behind the wagon and Calan found Garren and Korrie riding behind those.
"How would you like to get away from His Majesty for a while?" Calan asked Korrie.
"I would steal you the Star of Zakris if you could arrange that," Korrie told him.
"Korrie!" Garren stared at her.
"Well I would!" she told him. "That man scares me to death."
Calan turned when Kenah pulled in her horse next to his and turned it to fall into step with them.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked her.
"Comin' with ye," she said. "Ye're not leavin' me here with the lot of them." She motioned to the front of the army.
"That is really not a good idea," Calan told her.
Kenah waved him away. "I can take care of myself. And ye're goin' to need every set of eyes ye can get there."
Calan stared at her for a long second. "Never mind the fact that your accent makes you stand out like a thorn bush in a flower garden, if you end up hurt, your father will kill me."
Kenah grinned at him. "What accent?" she asked, all trace of her accent gone. "I've never been to Olorun in my life."
Calan stared up at the sky. "I swear to Halona, you are determined to be the death of me," he said. After a second, he looked back at Korrie. "His Majesty wants you to ride on ahead to Basiyr, get into the city, find wherever Thorvald is running things from, and see if you can steal him any information on troop numbers or battle plans."
"Is that all?" Korrie asked, staring at him.
"He's asking too much," Garren frowned. "I'll go tell him no." He started to turn his horse out of the column, but Korrie stopped him.
"No, Garren," she shook her head. "It's my fault Valry was taken," she said. "And he's right, I am a thief." She frowned. "Though walking into the middle of Basiyr isn't really something I'm thrilled about..."
"Which is why I'm going with you," Calan said. "I'm sure Garren won't let you go alone, but we'd all feel better if you had someone else along as well so I volunteered. I might be able to get us in with a merchants' caravan or something."
Korrie nodded at him. "Thank you very much," she told him. "Stealing things I can handle, but fighting off people who might catch me, not so much."
Calan nodded, then turned to Kenah. "I know you can chop carrots and potatoes, any other skills I should know about besides your ability to try to get me into trouble?"
"I can use a sling and a bow," she shrugged, her accent still gone. "And you know I'm not going to back down."
Calan rolled his eyes as she continued to grin at him. "All right, let's go," he said. "Losing the army, we should make decent time and hopefully get there a few days ahead of them." He moved his horse away from the column as Garren and Korrie came out of the procession to join him and Kenah. Once they were clear, they broke into a gallop, heading back up towards the front, eventually passing Nahtan and the others and heading out on the road to Basiyr.
Two - "How doth thou even map that?"
"I like my wal
l," Lieutenant Cace said, leaning against the grey stone. "And those blue cloaked bastards are going to try to tear it down." She wore her armor and shield as usual, her red Mo'ani's cloak once more draped in front of one shoulder. She'd shaved her head again that morning, and the late fall sun was warm even through the padded hood she wore.
"Thou hath built a very sturdy wall," Jaron agreed. "And I hath noticed church guards doth not like it when Mo'ani build such walls." His heavy horsehide armor was a stark contrast to the plate and chain Cace wore. The Dwellers were given to using everything they could from their horses even when they died, and many of them preferred their style of armor over anything from the southern holds of Herridon.
They stood on top of the ramparts, watching the church guards slowly pick their way through the marshes far in the distance. With the help of Jaron, his cavalry and the herd of Dweller's horses he'd remained at Valin with, the combined Mo'ani from Valin and Garyn had finished the wall securing Valin Hold ahead of schedule. The thick stone barrier had been extended from the existing wall by the tower down around the southern end of the main hold, then back up and around to rejoin the wall on the north side. It enclosed a large portion of the keep and central hold, allowing for protection of a large number of people, as well as staging for the armies and defenses. A heavy wood and stone bridge sat over the river a short distance below tower, with guard posts on either side and metal grates on both sides of the bridge that could be lowered to block anything underwater from going up or downstream.
The gate into Valin sat below where Cace and Jaron stood, wide enough for a half dozen horses to ride through at once when fully open. Rial had left orders for modifications there, too. The main gate that lowered from the top was a heavy, reinforced steel with barbed spikes that could be deployed on the outer side. There were also solid wood and steel plates that could be pushed out from the sides and locked into place to make the opening smaller. Even with the main gate fully open, two men inside the walls could still create an effective bottleneck to restrict the flow of the enemy through the gate.
Every few feet, loops in the upper level of the wall allowed for archers to fire steadily down at an enemy below while remaining protected. Plenty of room on top allowed more archers as well as other soldiers to repel those trying to get over the top.
"Thy lord doth not plan battles like the others," Jaron noted. "His orders for thy preparations hath more elements of subterfuge than the other holds doth use."
Cace nodded. "Lord Rial doesn't think like any man I've known," she said. "It's all those books he reads. Most of the lords, ladies and governors plan head on battle, and that works for them. Lord Rial thinks about how he can take out as many of the enemy as he can before it even gets to a battle." She gave a slight shake to her head. "I'm old enough to be his mother, and most days I think I'm smart enough, but once his head starts wrapping itself around an idea, he makes me feel like I should be sitting back in lessons."
Jaron gave her a quick smile. "At least my Lord Jerai hath not gotten that bad," he noted. "He still tries to defer to his elders on occasion."
"I don't think Lord Rial knows what the word 'defer' means," Cace smirked.
Jaron nodded, then pointed to where a half dozen church guards and their horses suddenly disappeared into the marsh. Even from here, the faint screaming of the horses as they surfaced, struggling, could be heard before they were pulled under again.
"Sinkhole," Cace said. "You can't see them, and if you step in the wrong spot off the trail, you go right down." She grinned. "Apparently they didn't get the most current map of the marshes with the safe trails."
"How doth thou even map that?" Jaron asked. From here, it was almost impossible to tell what was marsh and what was trail aside from the markers that lined the main road leading up to the hold. Open areas of what looked like solid land were intermixed with what looked like nothing more than puddles of water. Large-stalked plants mixed with wide-leafed ferns grew intermittently across the area, leading to larger areas of water.
"Some you can't," Case replied with a shrug. "It's always changing. But when you live here long enough, you learn to recognize certain elements out there. The water or mud will look a certain way, so you know when a hole's starting." She nodded towards the river. "You get more holes by the river than over by the woods, but the mud's stickier by the woods. You can get trapped hip deep within seconds over by the woods without even trying."
Jaron glanced at her. "I hath heard thy men say thou art one of the few who can travel the marsh at night," he said. "And who can rescue those that hath become trapped there."
Cace shrugged. "I grew up here," she said. "My father was a Mo'ani and my mother was a weaver in a village across the river. My brother, sister and I used to spend our days out there fishing and chasing lizards. I learned a healthy respect for the marshes from an early age."
Jaron watched the slowly advancing army for several seconds. "I think I shall stick with my valley and frozen tunnels," he decided.
"Now there's a thought," Cace grinned. "If we stall them a little longer until winter hits, they'll just freeze in place out there when the marsh ices over. Then we can pick them off at our own pace."
"Doth it freeze that heavy?"
"Heavy enough to make things difficult, not heavy enough to ride over," she said. "So you end up cold, dirty and miserable by the time you get to the other side."
"As compared to just dirty and miserable during the warmer months," Governor Rylen said, joining them. He wore his full armor, his red cloak draped behind his back. "Any guess on the number yet?"
Cace shook her head. "At least two thousand, but I can't see the end of them either," she replied. "If too many more show up, we may need the reserves."
"We won't have room for that many outside the hold there in a battle," Rylen observed. "We built your wall too far out from the keep."
"Exactly where My Lord wanted it," Cace nodded. "I was just following orders." She looked between the two men. "Valin is not going to fall," she assured them.
"I wish I could be that confident," Rylen said. "I'm glad I sent my lieutenant to Garyn Hold and called my reserves. I have a feeling we're going to need them."
Cace nodded. "I'll call ours from the minor holds. That'll get us another five hundred or so men." She looked at Jaron. "I'm more than willing to let you take the cavalry," she told him. "I can lead the Valin Mo’ani while Rylen takes the Garyn Mo'ani. I'm not fool enough to insist on leading the cavalry when I've got a Dweller lord standing here."
Jaron bowed his head to her. "Thy words honor me, Lieutenant," he said. "Though my sister is the one truly gifted at such things, I would gladly lead thy cavalry's charge."
Cace bowed her head to him in return. She found Jaron's humility almost amusing. He was easily as old as she was, and his reputation and experience with the Dwellers' horses and in battle had become almost legendary through the Mo'ani's ranks over the years. He had been instrumental in the Mo'ani's fight against the Archbishop before Nahtan took the throne in Herridon.
"All right then," she said. "Let's get ready for a fight. They're going to be here to try to take down my wall by the end of tomorrow." She turned and led them over to the trapdoor that led down inside the wall, then down to the ground.
As soon as they reached the ground, they separated and started issuing orders and getting men, horses and supplies moved into position. Cace sent riders out to the minor holds to call the reserves while Jaron started getting the cavalry formations sorted out and their horses ready to be outfitted with their barding. Rylen worked on getting supplies moved into position by the walls, so the archers and ballista would have a steady supply of arrows and spears.
"Either these men failed siege tactics, or something else is going on," Rylen said.
Cace nodded at him. They were standing on the ramparts again, watching the church guards camped below their wall once more. The army had stayed a respectful distance back and not moved for two days. There ha
d been no aggressive tactics taken, and no other advancements made. They hadn't even tried to surround the rest of the hold.
"I suppose it's too much to hope they just came to surrender," she said.
Rylen chuckled at her. "You always were the optimist," he said.
"Riders," she motioned to two men who were riding towards the wall, one carrying a flag marked with an unfamiliar purple and black insignia. She waited until they were close enough to hear her. "That's far enough!" she ordered them as four of the archers on the wall immediately trained drawn bows on them.
"I carry orders from Lord Rial d'Valin to be delivered to his lieutenant," one of the men called up to her. "Bearing his seal and mark, confirming an alliance between Valin Hold and his Majesty King Thorvald of Basiyr."
"Could he be serious?" Rylen asked Cace.
Cace shook her head and chuckled quietly. "Oh, Lord Rial, you arrogant son of a bitch," she said. She looked at Rylen. "I'm sure he's carrying exactly what he says he is," she told him. "But it's not what he thinks it is."
"So it is what he says it is," Rylen stared at her. "But it's not what he says it is?"
Cace nodded. "Exactly." She turned back to the two riders. "We'll be down in a minute," she called down to the man. "How well can you swim?" she asked Rylen, leading him away from the wall. "We need to change armor, lose our cloaks, and find Jaron. We've got a change of plans."
She led Rylen from the wall, unbuckling her heavy armor as she went. A quick stop in the armory and the two of them changed into lighter leather armor. She then led him to a small building just inside the northern gate where they stowed their heavier armor, weapons and cloaks. After that, they went to find Jaron.
They found the Dweller with the cavalry, making a double check of the horses. Besides those with riders, all of the extra Dweller's horses he'd brought down with Tosia had also been outfitted with barding and would be going with the cavalry as well. Even without riders, their heavy bodies and his ability to direct them in battle would be a benefit.
Basiyr: Chronicles of Nahtan: Book 6 (The Herridon Chronicles) Page 3