by D A Godwin
The procession ground to a halt. Tormjere reined in his horse and stood in the stirrups to get a better view.
It looks like we’ve stopped at the river. The city is on the far bank.
A rider approached at a near gallop, coming to a rapid stop and addressing the wagon driver.
“Lord Deurmark wishes for the clerics to join him at the van.”
The messenger didn’t wait for a response, spurring his horse off. All three carts containing the clerics and their belonging jerked into motion.
Shalindra worried that something had befallen Edward, but when they arrived at the van of the column Argus put her fears to rest.
“Given recent events, Lord Deurmark wished you in the safest place. He’s gone to confer with Lord Poloni.”
Let’s hope it doesn’t take too long, or the Ceringions will catch up.
Shalindra climbed from the cart to stretch her legs. I would not expect anything to happen quickly here.
Her appraisal was accurate, as it was hours before Edward returned. Judging from his expression, his meeting had not gone well. He called the commanders together, close enough to where Shalindra sat in the grass that she could hear every word.
“They have no space for us inside the gates.”
“You’re joking,” Argus said incredulously.
Edward shook his head. “Fidelis and Mannering have their men here already.”
“I’ll not die with walls at my back!” Argus roared.
“Nor will I,” Edward said. “We are to move to the north side and make camp just outside the walls.”
“Well, at least we can hide behind their city,” Argus grumbled. “How many men do they have?”
“A thousand horse, fifteen hundred mixed bows, and close to three thousand footmen, though most of those are levies.”
“So, they’re useless.”
“Lord Poloni seems convinced the Ceringions will lay siege, and that we will be able to wait them out. He has no idea what he will be facing, and I was unable to convince him.”
“We may not have to,” Argus said. “Their forward patrols will be on us by dusk, almost as soon as the end of our tail. If they decide to press through the night, we may be in the thick of it before our host sits at breakfast. Did anything good come of your meeting?”
“His lordship has graciously taken command of our army.”
“By what right does he claim that?” Argus bellowed.
“He’s a full baron, recognized by the crown, and I am not. It’s within his right, at least for half the houses with us, but I’ll be damned if I surrender one man more than I must to this peacock.”
“We look more like a rabble than an army by now,” Argus said. “I doubt one man in ten has a tabard at this point.”
Edward nodded. “Those that do serve under a banner other than mine are to be reassigned to Lord Poloni. There’s little I can do about that. Anyone not under a banner is to make one for House Deurmark. I want everyone across the river by nightfall.”
As the other commanders left to complete their assigned tasks, Edward stepped close to Shalindra.
“You and the rest of our healers are officially attached to House Deurmark, if anyone asks. Argus will join me at the baron’s strategy meeting in the morning. Perhaps Lord Poloni will listen then.”
You don’t believe that do you?
The Poloni family traces their lineage back to the Empire. They cling to their former grandeur, but the strength of their line has faded over the generations.
I’ll take it you weren’t impressed on your visit last year?
No, I was not.
* * *
The next morning Shalindra went in search of her cousin. He was not at his tent, but his squire informed them that Edward would be visiting the walls closest to the Ceringions that morning. She and Tormjere had followed the twisting streets to the southern wall and found it surprisingly easy to reach the top of the battlements, as open stairs were cut into the wall at regular intervals. The soldiers had been reluctant to allow her onto the wall, but after making clear that Lord Deurmark was to meet them there, they relented. Now she and Tormjere stood atop the wall near the south gate, watching as the clouds rolling across the sky mirrored the turmoil on the ground.
Rather than assault the city across the two bridges that spanned the river just beyond the eastern walls, the Ceringions were now crossing at two villages to the south. Farmland stretched from those villages all the way to the wall on which they stood.
“Marbridge is the closest one,” Edward said as he and Argus joined them. “Astonbridge is two miles downriver.”
“Would’ve been a great place to bottle them up, wouldn’t it?” Argus asked. “A few hundred men could have kept their entire army on the other side.”
Edward pointed. “I advised Lord Poloni that they should be reinforced, but his excellency was unhurried in his response.”
The gate beneath them creaked open, and they turned to see a column of horsemen riding from the city.
“Is he a fool?” Argus asked. “They’ll not make a dent in what’s already across the river now.”
Edward shook his head. “That’s Kelsto’s banner with the infantry. Those men were with us the entire time.”
Shalindra watched in silence as hundreds of men passed through the narrow gate and assembled in the field before the wall. The horsemen split into two groups, and the infantry took position in a line between them. They marched towards Marbridge, but by the time they crossed the distance to the occupied village, the Ceringions had already fortified their position.
The cavalry charge on the left was successful but still stopped short of the town. The infantry fared little better and were soon pinned in position.
In the distance, Ceringion cavalry from Astonbridge could be seen riding north towards the fighting.
Edward cursed in frustration. “I didn’t keep those men alive for weeks so they’d be squandered here.”
They continued watching helplessly as the Ceringions swept around the right flank of Poloni’s forces. The remaining Kingdom cavalry consolidated and drove north, punching a hole through the encirclement. Once clear, they did not slow, galloping back towards the safety of the city. Ceringion cavalry gave chase.
“Draw!” the captain beside them called out. He watched with his arms raised until the retreating knights crossed some invisible line.
“Loose!”
Archers along the wall let fly. Their arrows fell into the ranks of the Ceringions, killing dozens, and the pursuit broke off.
“Well placed, Captain,” Edward said.
“Thank you, my lord.”
A squire came hustling to them. “Sir Deurmark? Lord Poloni requests that you join him in council this morning.”
“Inform Lord Poloni that I will come immediately.”
The squire ran back towards the keep, and Edward turned to Shalindra. “Perhaps he will listen better after that debacle. I’d like both of you to join me at this meeting. His lordship doesn’t believe there were demons, and your accounting will be far better than mine.”
Shalindra glanced nervously at the soldiers around them and lowered her voice. “I was here just last year. What if…?”
“If I cannot produce the people who defeated them, no one will ever listen.”
You’re a cleric dressed in white this time, with short hair and a mystic weapon at your side. Who’ll know, unless you tell them?
Shalindra considered that, then agreed.
“By nightfall they will surround the city,” Argus said, watching the Ceringion army pour across the river. “With both crossings firmly in their control, it will take little effort to solidify their hold on the countryside.”
“See to our defenses north of the city,” Edward told him. “Dig in to the west, and don’t worry about our host’s affection for his manicured pastures. I’ll join you as soon as this council is finished.”
Edward led Shalindra and Tormjere from the wall and
through the city. The three were met with little notice from those who lived within the bustling mass of buildings, and reached the keep in short order. Once across the lowered drawbridge they entered the castle proper through a heavy double door, and then continued up a sweeping stair to the second level.
Lord Poloni’s council chamber was tucked just off the main hall. The room was richly appointed, with dark paneling wrapping the lower half of the white walls and matching wood beams that supported an arched ceiling. A suitably sturdy table dominated the middle, though it was devoid of maps or markings, and a thick rug covered the floor, which felt oddly soft and squishy compared to the ground Shalindra had become accustomed to. Though she had been in countless rooms similar to this, the chamber felt dark and closed in.
Four men were seated at the table. Edward joined them, but Shalindra took a position against a wall in the farthest corner, determined to speak only if needed.
Their host kept them waiting, and while Edward made several attempts to begin the session, the assembled men were loath to start without him. Eventually, Poloni strolled in, followed by another man.
Unlike the baron, the taller man had a stern countenance and squared jaw with a dark moustache that curved below his mouth. His hair was matted to his head, and he still wore his armor of plates over mail. His was a commanding presence that immediately drew the attention of those in the room.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Poloni said. “Lord Birion is fresh from the field and brings news of the raid.”
Birion stepped forward. “We sallied with three hundred foot and an equal number of horse in an attempt to take and hold Marbridge. The Ceringions had already overcome the guard and were in control of the town. They were still fortifying the perimeter when we approached but held firm against our assault. Reinforcements were seen coming up from Astonbridge, and we broke engagement and withdrew rather than risk being cut off.”
“Would another attempt be prudent?” a man with dark, scraggly hair asked. “Those crossings are key.”
Birion shook his head. “At this point, we do not have enough men to dislodge our enemy from those towns.”
Poloni cut the discussion short. “Thankfully, we have our walls around the city and ample men here to defend it. We shall bar all the gates and make them wait.”
“My men are outside the walls,” Edward said tersely. “Perhaps we could leave the gate to the north open?”
“You all may have noticed that we have with us Captain Deurmark, who has wisely brought the army here to us after the tragic loss of Marshal Brouchard.”
Shalindra’s hands clenched at her side at the callousness of his tone.
Poloni turned to another man with a slight build and grey streaks in his hair. “Lord Kall, what is your evaluation of the additional forces?”
“They are tired and beaten,” Kall said, speaking with the confidence of one used to his station, “but we can use them.”
“We have been fighting for weeks,” Edward said defensively. “They held their own until the demons, and they will do as good a job as any.”
The men around the table shared amused glances but said nothing.
“I have alerted our sentries to await their emissary and allow him entry. I should expect them to announce their intentions by nightfall.”
“We have seen little this past week to indicate they have patience,” Edward replied. “Were they to announce their intentions with another assault and demon, I would not be surprised.”
Poloni chuckled. “Come now, Commander. You tell stories that seek to frighten us. I would expect such tales from your men, but here we must deal in facts.”
Most of the men assembled around the table hid their smiles poorly.
Birion, notably, did not share in their amusement.
Shalindra’s fists clenched at her side. How could they not believe him? Half the army had seen the creatures, and the other half had certainly heard of it.
Do you see any of those people here?
“I wish they were stories, my lord,” Edward continued, “but sadly they are not. My descriptions would do no justice to them, so I have asked Sister Shalindra to—”
“A cleric?” Poloni scoffed, noticing her for the first time. “Women know nothing of warfare! If you accept her council, perhaps that is why you have been unable to hold the field.”
“And perhaps my father needs to find a new ruler of Tiridon,” Shalindra snapped back, unable to contain herself. “Because you are doing a poor job of defending his lands right now.”
“How dare you! I care not for who your father is!”
She pulled her ring from the pouch around her neck and thrust it in the baron’s face. “Perhaps you recognize this symbol?”
Poloni’s eyes almost crossed to look at it. “Where did you get that?”
“It was presented to me by the Priests of Imar during my fifteenth-year celebration. If I am not mistaken, you were in attendance.”
Everyone in the room could see the wheels turning in Poloni’s head, as it took him a moment to comprehend her meaning.
His face brightened into a huge smile, like a child presented with a candied treat. “Your Highness, we had no idea you were here or there would have been better quarters made available. Your father will be most pleased that we have found you. He has been so concerned for your safety, as have we all.”
“I am more concerned with the army outside our gates.”
“We have withstood sieges before, Your Highness,” Poloni said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “They cannot cut our water supply, and we have ample stores here in the keep.”
“What of those in the city?” she asked.
Poloni signaled a page. “Have rooms prepared and inform Lady Dirensi of our guest.”
“But—”
“I shall hear no more of it. We have faced the Ceringions before, and they will be defeated as easily now as they were then. We will await their emissary and do nothing further to provoke them. I must see that everything is prepared for you, Your Highness. That will be all gentlemen.”
Poloni hurried from the room, and his commanders filed out obediently behind him. Edward shot her a questioning glance as he followed.
Is everyone in the nobility this stupid?
Shalindra gave Tormjere a black look, reminding him that she was included in his unkind assessment.
He responded with a lopsided, thoroughly unapologetic grin.
The sound of someone clearing his throat brought her attention to where Birion stood waiting by the door.
“Your Highness,” Birion said with a short bow. “It is an honor to meet you in person. I must apologize for being away during your last visit.”
“It is my pleasure to meet you as well, though no apology is needed.”
“If I may, I would like to hear about these… creatures you are said to have faced.”
“You believe us, then?”
“Wizardry has no place on a civilized battlefield, and while the northmen may employ strange beasts in their campaigns, we have never seen such. Yesterday, however, Sir Deurmark gave a detailed assessment of events which did not ring false, and his house is known for their competence in battle.” His eyes went briefly to Tormjere. “And neither of you appear the type to spin tales. I will form my own opinions. He said you would know what they are capable of.”
“They are brutish creatures, roughly as tall as a man on horseback, or slightly larger. They have carried no weapons, and attack as an animal might.”
“How were they vanquished?”
She thought that Tormjere might field that question, but he seemed completely comfortable with her explanations. “Ultimately, it was Eluria’s strength that allowed us to prevail, though many of our men died in the attempt. Their hide is thicker than the armor you wear, and ordinary weapons do little against them, even in their most vulnerable areas.”
Birion’s brow knit. “You’ve been the only one to kill them?”
“Yes, To
rmjere and I are the only ones who have had success.”
To his credit, Birion did not laugh at them. “You will forgive me, Your Highness, if I remain skeptical.”
Shalindra grinned. “You may consider yourself forgiven, good sir. I remain skeptical of it myself.”
“I apologize for keeping you here, but thank you for speaking with me,” Birion said with a bow. “By your leave?”
Shalindra inclined her head, and the knight departed. Now alone with Tormjere in a room she hated, she led the way out the door.
“Should I have kept it secret?”
“Someone was going to find out eventually, and your timing was good. It also deflected some of the attention from Edward’s command.”
“You think he has done a poor job?”
Tormjere shook his head. “I’m not the best judge, but he’s probably done as good a job as could be asked of him, though few here seem willing to believe that.”
“I want to find Kayala and Enna. They will likely relocate to our temple, though Edward will be loath to lose them.”
“And you’ll need to tell them.”
That brought her to a stop. How would Kayala react when she found out?
“Ah, Your Highness, there you are,” came a woman’s voice.
They turned to see an imperious woman coming down the hall, followed by two girls who kept their gaze focused on the floor.
The woman came to a stop stiffly and looked down her long nose at them with all the warmth of a stone wall. Her hair was draped with sparkling stones and curled in tight rings that didn’t reach her shoulders. Her skin was stretched tightly across her bones, and she had obviously taken pains to hide any hint of wrinkles beneath an abundance of makeup.
Shalindra inclined her head politely. “Lady Dirensi.”
“We are so honored to have you guest with us again,” Dirensi said. “If only we had been told, we would have prepared earlier.”
“It has been an uncertain road that led me here again, but thank you.” She could feel Tormjere rolling his eyes at the understatement.
“It is so good that you’ve shortened your hair as I suggested, Your Highness. I have always considered long hair to be a ghastly fashion—makes one like a serving girl in a brothel. But your clothes! You must have suffered terribly. We shall see things set right.”