The Scarlet King

by Charles Kaluza

Chapter 9

  Heather and her troop of hunters from the Forest traveled quickly to the west into increasingly barren lands. Scouts spread out seeking water sources and food. Late in the afternoon as they passed by the region of farming, Heather took Stan aside and asked, “Would your people be willing to join the battle against the darkness approaching from the east?”

  Stan responded, “My people are few and not warriors; what is it that you would have us do?”

  “I expect a landing to the east and north of the Great City. This will create a long supply line which we need to disrupt. I would also have a messenger system to know the movements of the invading army.”

  Stan was quiet before replying. “If the invaders land far enough north, they would be in our traditional hunting area. My people know this area well and may be able to do as you ask.”

  Heather then said, “I would you take two of the hunters with you and leave us for your people. Those of the Forest can act as your messengers.”

  Soon Stan returned with two of the younger hunters ready to depart. Heather said, “May the God of the Sacred Water watch over you and the Spirits of the Forest travel with you.”

  On the second day they were met by one of the returning four original scouts. He reported that indeed the passage existed but was technically difficult. When Heather asked, “Can those not of the Forest make the passage with the help of the hunters?”

  The scout was quiet as he thought and finally responded, “With enough ropes it is possible.” He added, “Moving equipment or supplies may not be possible.”

  Heather thanked him for his report, saying, “Climbing supplies are on their way. I worry about water.”

  The scout reported, “In another day’s journey springs become available, but the hunting more difficult.”

  Heather said not, saving her breathing for travel. The hunters seemed to be able to sit by the campfire and tell their stories, but fatigue always forced Heather to her tent. Her sleep came almost immediately because of the fatigue, but was interrupted frequently by images of Daniel and their baby and of the upcoming war. As she was fighting the dream of war, an image of Betty formed and her mind calmed. Restful sleep returned.

  Heather and her group spent little time in hunting or making camp, for Heather had a sense that time was becoming critical. On the third day as they began climbing in earnest, the wagon was finally spotted with the promised climbing supplies. They had made poor time, for the wagon itself was not well suited for travel across the rough terrain. Those of the Forest unloaded the climbing supplies and stored much of the food which was provided.

  A scroll heavily sealed was given to Heather and she opened it not. She trusted that the Red Ambassador had indeed done as he had promised. Heather debated leaving a few of the Forest behind to watch their cache and care for the horses, but decided that it was far more important to have all the help available for moving the troops through the pass.

  On the fourth day the jagged mountains began to impose a restriction on their breathing as the air thinned with altitude. Jeremy now took charge, setting a slow but steady pace. He was adamant that they stop frequently and drink plenty of water. The springs were again becoming smaller and harder to find. The sun was fierce and any skin left exposed quickly turned red. The days were warm but the nights were cold and many shivered in their tents.

  On the fifth day the ravine they were traveling in narrowed to a thin slot just wide enough for a man with a pack. The walls were at least one hundred feet high and composed of polished stone that appeared as the marble in the Great Hall. Jeremy pointed to small logs wedged about halfway up, saying, “When rain comes this would be a most dangerous passage.”

  After passing through the slot canyon they entered a more open bowl with steep sides. The real climbing began, for the walls needed to be scaled and the ridge reached in order to cross the mountains. Those of the Forest had already been planning, and with but a nod from Jeremy set out with their ropes to scale the cliffs.

  Heather was happy to simply rest and watch as those most expert moved up the cliffs, anchoring lines for those to follow. Others followed, establishing three separate paths for assent. All too soon it was time for Heather to follow. Those of the Forest looped the secondary rope around her chest, saying, “We will help but it is best if you can use your legs to help move upwards and stabilize yourself.”

  The rope tightened; Heather grasped the primary rope, using her arms to help pull herself up the cliff face. Those of the Forest kept enough tension on the secondary rope to reduce her effort, but not so much as to constrict her breathing. Upon reaching the first ledge, the secondary rope was exchanged for another from above and again Heather began moving upwards. Four separate stages were required to reach the top of the ridge. Heather’s breathing was difficult because of both the altitude and the tightness of the rope. When finally gaining the top, she simply sat and rested trying to regain her breath. Jeremy was in good humor and pointed to the west, saying, “There is our great ocean.” He then turned to the east and far in the distance one could see the harbor of the Great City.

  The wind was blowing and Heather soon chilled. Jeremy directed those of the Forest to begin moving off as the rest ascended the cliff, saying, “We have yet a few hours of sunlight; let us try for a lower altitude.”

  Heather followed those in the lead, but had trouble concentrating and stumbled several times. The ridge sloped downward, and after two hours of descending the air finally began to provide enough oxygen for Heather to breathe comfortably. The campsite was on an almost flat portion of the mountain with a tremendous view of the setting sun. Enough wind persisted that setting the tents was difficult, and the noise of the flapping canvas should have made sleep difficult. Fatigue, however, easily won out and after a meal of travel rations Heather was soon asleep. Morning came all too soon and Jeremy had everyone moving, for he liked not the clouds in the distance. As they descended the mountains, the travel became easier and water was more plentiful.

  On the eighth day those of the Forest arrived at the large encampment that had created for the Army of the Red. They had posted no sentries, and a great confusion arose when Heather and those of the Forest arrived. Their commanding officer needed a few minutes to dress formally before he would meet with Heather. They met in his tent with a formal guard standing outside. The guard was matched by an equal number of those of the Forest who simply milled around and visited somewhat aimlessly, but were acutely aware of any danger to Heather. The meeting started somewhat stiffly until the commanding officer finally asked, “What is the meaning of your visit?”

  Heather handed him the scroll and the commanding officer recognized immediately the imprint of Don the Great. With hands which were ever so slightly shaking, he carefully opened the scroll. As he read he said not, and when finished carefully rolled again the scroll. He simply stared at Heather, saying not. When he finally spoke it was in a humble voice, as he said, “I serve my King and my people and will do as Don the Great commands. I hereby pledge my allegiance to you as commander of what will be the army of the wilderness.”

  With that he stood and removed his sword, passing it to Heather. She accepted the sword, and as he knelt on one knee, she touched both shoulders with the sword. Heather said only,” I accept your pledge and wish to work with you to subdue this darkness arising in the east.”

  With a simple command others now joined them and listened to Heather’s plan. Many questions concerned supplies and weapons. The commanding officer quoted the scroll saying, “Don the Great is already providing us what we need. Our duty is to arrive as quickly as possible to take up arms.” Many questions were asked about the risk of crossing the mountains, and finally one of the senior officers said point blank, “It is well known that the mountains are impassable.”

  Heather simply smiled, saying, “There is ancient knowledge of passage and our existence should be proof enough that pa
ssage is possible.” She continued, “The trip is arduous and with some danger. I would only those volunteering freely accompany us on our return.”

  The discussion turned to more practical matters of moving an army without supplies. Heather’s plan was to station those of the Forest along the route, and have the army group into units of two hundred which would stream up the mountains. Those of the Forest could handle no more with their ropes. Those who crossed first would be charged with setting up the command, and camp in the wilderness to the north of the Great City. Those who came towards the end would be responsible for carrying more of the supplies.

  When asked when the first group should be prepared to depart, Heather replied, “At first light.”

  There was a general murmur of dissent—that it was impossible to prepare in such a short time. The commanding officer said simply, “Her wish is our order. Go prepare our best for travel at first light.”

  When the others had left, the commanding officer relaxed only a little. He asked Heather, “Would you join me for the evening meal and tell me your story?”

  Heather responded, “I would join you but ask that two others of the Forest join us also, for they are the storytellers.”

  “Most certainly.”

  The meal was the simple food of the military, but it was obvious from the spice that the Southern Kingdom was very much involved in providing their supplies. The commanding officer was most interested in the urgency that Heather felt. Hearing of the black ships far to the west, he better understood the urgency. When Jeremy told his story of the treatment he and Edna had received, a look of anger was evident on the commanding officer’s face but he said not. He had many questions about the navigational issues and the distances traveled. Jeremy did his best to answer the questions, but many of the specific details he knew not or could not figure out how to explain in the language of the Red.

  It was not yet late when Heather announced, “I would rest, for tomorrow the hard work begins.”

  As Jeremy and Edna accompanied her to their camp on the edge of the military camp, she asked, “Trust you the commanding officer?”

  Jeremy replied first, saying, “He seems a straightforward type.”

  Edna was a bit more reserved, saying, “I sense that he is not comfortable with you as the leader. There seems to be no malice.”

  Heather asked, “Think you it is because I am a woman?”

  Edna thought hard before responding, “No, it may have to do with his previous pledge of loyalty to the Scarlet King.” She then added, “It would be better if Betty were here, for she hears others far better than I.”

  Heather’s sleep was again tortured by the absence of Daniel and their baby, as well as the upcoming war. As before, it was Betty appearing in her dream that calmed her and allowed her to rest. Jeremy had them up well before dawn. Heather completed her morning ritual and broke fast with those of the Forest. The mountains kept the campsite in shadows long after the sky showed signs of daylight. They had no sooner broken their camp than a column of military personnel began to present. In the lead was the commanding officer. He said only, “I ask not that my men do what I am unwilling to do.”

  Heather nodded in appreciation and simply moved off back towards the mountains. After just a few miles the terrain began to steepen markedly. Heather fell back to walk with the commanding officer. She complimented him on his troops, saying, “They travel well.”

  He was obviously struggling somewhat to keep up and his breathing was already difficult. He replied, “We have continued to work in order to be prepared.”

  Heather suggested that he allow those of the Forest to carry his pack. He responded, “I’m afraid that I’m no longer young. Maybe it would be best.”

  Heather but waved ever so slightly to one of the Forest, who fell back and willingly took the commanding officer’s pack. Heather continued, “For three days we will be climbing and the air will become very thin. Our travel pace will slow so that people can breathe. On the fourth day we will reach the crest of the mountains and will begin the descent.” After a short pause to catch her breath, she continued, “Those of the Forest will need to lower your troops on ropes. It will be the most difficult part of the journey.”

  The commanding officer replied, “We will be prepared to the best of our ability, but we are not of the mountains.”

  “Those of the Forest will need to take charge, and if your troops will do as they are told, the passage will be made.”

  The commanding officer asked, “Will you lower this entire group or will some stay on top to assist those of the Forest with those who follow tomorrow?”

  Heather responded, “It will be best that your troops regain a lower altitude as quickly as possible, for there is little air to breathe atop the mountains. It will be a most difficult task but those of the Forest will need to accomplish the work themselves.” The commanding officer said not, saving his breath for walking.

  Darkness was just beginning to show to the east when Jeremy finally gave the order to make camp. The sun was setting to the west and turning the sky red, but most were too tired to enjoy the scene. Those of the Forest stayed up to tell their stories for just a little while, and they too sought the shelter of their tents. Sleep came easily because of fatigue.

  Jeremy was up as the sky first began to lighten long before the sun appeared atop the mountains. The breaking of the fast was a simple meal of travel rations, and then they were again on the move, climbing ever higher. Water on the west side was more available than on the dryer east side, but still a constant problem especially because of the size of their group. Many of the troops began to remove nonessential items from their packs and discard them along the trail.

  Heather spent much of the day walking with the commanding officer and asking questions about the enemy they faced. He described them as fierce warriors who covered their heads and used curved swords which were deadly sharp. His explanations were always of just a few words with long pauses to maintain his breathing. Heather pushed him not, for she knew the need to breathe and for proper pace. It was the use of great war horses which impressed Heather the most. When she asked what they fed the horses, the commanding officer knew not. Heather asked, “What do they do with prisoners?”

  The commanding officer replied, “They take no prisoners.”

  “You mean every fight is to the death?”

  “When they conquer they conquer completely, sparing only women, some children, and the tradespeople who then work as slaves.”

  Their discussion turned back to the horses, for Heather wanted to know how they were used in battle. The commanding officer explained, “Our last battle was mostly a sea battle. The one landing they made included horses which were used to break through our outer defense lines with a rapid charge.” He added, “The horses wore armor.”

  Heather asked, “The wilderness to the north of the Great City seemed very dry except along the river; does this dryness extend to the east also?”

  The commanding officer but nodded his head in the affirmative, saving his breath for climbing. They visited but little more and Heather left to talk to the young navigator, for she needed to know more of the land.

  On the fourth day many were complaining of fatigue and headaches, which Heather knew was from the lack of air. She said only, “We must move on and descend to a lower altitude.” Jeremy set a pace that seemed to have them moving in slow motion, with a single step followed by a short pause before another step. Even with the slow pace, breathing was difficult and complaints of fatigue and headache became ever more commonplace. The view from the crest of the mountains was awesome but few were able to appreciate it. It was midday before they finally arrived at the cliff face and began lowering the troops.

  The commanding officer watched with great interest as Jeremy demonstrated the technique. He commented, “I expect the doing is much more difficult than the watching.” After repeating the demonstratio
n a second time, Jeremy asked for a volunteer. The commanding officer stepped forward, saying, “If you can make this work with me, the others should have no problem.”

  Jeremy secured the secondary rope under the commanding officer’s arms and had him grasp the primary rope. He helped the commanding officer step backwards over the edge of the cliff using his legs to help control the descent. The commanding officer made slow progress moving down the side of the cliff, and when he finally reached the first transfer ledge a cheer went up from those watching above. One of the Forest helped him release the secondary rope and attach the next one. Again the commanding officer stepped over the ledge and made his way down the cliff face. By the time he finally reached the bottom of the cliff with the four separate transfers, his chest hurt from the tightness of the rope and he had blisters on his hands. He released the rope and gave a wave to those who could see him from atop the cliff.

  The other troops then began the descent with the three separate sets of ropes, lowering three at a time. Darkness was evident by the time the last of the troops was lowered. Heather remained until the end for her own descent. The descent was far easier than the ascent had been, but in the fading light she felt as if she was being lowered into a bowl of darkness. Most of those of the Forest stayed atop the crest to help the next group of soldiers. Those few who descended pitched their tents between Heather and the soldiers of the Red. Breathing was a little easier, but the stories were few and fatigue forced all to seek the shelter of their tents early.

  On the east slope of the mountains the sunrise seemed to come even earlier, and Jeremy had everyone moving fairly quickly. Their pace was better but Heather found again that moving downhill was harder on her legs. She sought out Edna and asked about her knee. Edna simply replied, “My knee is.” She then mentioned, “I heard Betty last night. She seemed well.”

  Heather could help not the tears that formed in her eyes, and but smiled at her friend before again falling back to visit with the commanding officer. She said, “I would a dozen of your soldiers who travel the best go forward with two of those from the Forest and return with the supplies that are cached ahead.”

  The commanding officer turned towards one of his junior officers and but nodded his head in the affirmative. The junior officer fell back amongst the troops to select those who would move forward. Heather continued, “Those of the Forest travel without leaving sign but an army cannot. We will need to stay far to the north and west of your river. Those of the East will need to travel along the river for water and feed for their horses. I would they not know of our presence.”

  “Our enemy will most certainly travel with food for the horses. Why do you think they will follow the river?”

  Heather but smiled and said, “I intend to make sure that they have food not for their horses. We need to control their movement and make the battle occur on our terms.” She then added, “Your soldiers have traveled hard and I fear will have limited arms. I doubt we can face a charge of their horses as you have described.”

  The commanding officer asked, “Where would you do battle?”

  Heather chewed on her lips lightly before answering. “The young navigator says the river flows through a canyon before entering the agricultural plain. I would expect somewhere along the canyon.”

  “How do you force the enemy into the canyon?”

  Heather responded, “As we did on the ice field, by giving them no other choice.”

  The commanding officer was silent for some time as he recalled the stories he had heard from those who had crossed the ice field. He finally replied, “There is no ice, only desert.”

  Heather nodded, saying, “Then it is the desert that we must use as a weapon. I wish I knew the land but perhaps it is better that we trust the Spirits of the Forest to guide us.” They talked for some time about the Spirits of the Forest as the commanding officer tried to make sense of this unknown force. Heather finally explained, “The God of the Sacred Water works through the Spirits of the Forest. Many of the Forest are very sensitive to the Spirits of the Forest.”

  The commanding officer wanted to know if Heather was sensitive to the Spirits of the Forest and she replied, “Only a little. I depend mostly on others to sense the will of the Spirits of the Forest.” She then told the story of her grandmother’s visit that sent her on this journey. The subject then came up about Daniel and his powder, with the commanding officer wanting to know if they could expect such power to help them in the upcoming battle. Heather was quiet for some time before saying, “I trust not your politicians and have sent Daniel back to our own lands with the envoys.”

  The commanding officer thought of Jeremy’s story of how the ruling class had interfered with the negotiations for peace and threatened their lives. The look of anger on his face was fleeting but evident enough to Heather. He finally responded, “I live to serve my King and my people, but at times those who would rule make my commitment difficult. It is a great loss not to have the power of the powder but I must agree with your decision.”

  The discussion turned back to planning for the battle which they both knew was coming. Heather explained how she foresaw those of the Forest working mainly as scouts and a quick strike force. The main battle would need to be fought by the army of the commanding officer. The initial goal was to force any invading force into the river canyon. The commanding officer remained uncertain how that would be possible, saying, “If I was the commanding officer of the invading force, I would at all cost avoid being trapped in a canyon.”

  Heather asked, “Would you risk the canyon if the choice was dying of thirst?”

  “They will most certainly have a supply system to support their troops.”

  Heather responded, “It is this supply line that must be our focus. Our hope depends on cutting off this supply line.”

  The commanding officer replied, “Don the Great has instructed me to trust your judgment and I do as ordered, but I fear that cutting this supply line will be very difficult.”

  Heather nodded in agreement and responded, “I would you plan our defenses for a battle in the canyon. I will plan for the attack on the supply line.” She added “We of the Forest are few in number and I will probably need some of your soldiers as backup.”

  The commanding officer thought for a few minutes before replying, “You of the Forest travel fast. I doubt even the best trained of my troops can keep up.”

  “I would expect that the invading army will give pursuit whenever we attack. I would have a backup force ready to ambush any pursuing troops. At times it may be important to leave not any sign of our movement and if so your troops will need to be kept separate.”

  The commanding officer now had a pretty good picture of Heather’s plan and said, “Your plan is most unconventional but might work. I will seek out volunteers to accompany you and the others of the Forest.” He then asked, “And if your plan works not, what then?”

  Heather shrugged her shoulders and said, “Then the battle will be on the open plain and I would expect those of the East to be victorious.”

  The commanding officer asked, “Would it not be better to retreat to the protection of the city’s walls?”

  Heather again chewed on her lip and looked off in the distance before replying, “Being trapped in the city will be a slow tortured death as those from the East gradually choke off the city completely.” She then added, “I cannot ask those of the Forest to accept such a fate.”

  The commanding officer but nodded his head in agreement saying, “It will be as you say.”

  Heather corrected him saying, “It will be as the God of the Sacred Water and the Spirits of the Forest decree. We can do but our best.”

  The conversation was interrupted when one of the Forest who had accompanied Stan approached them. He had traveled hard and his fatigue was much evident. Heather insisted they allow him to rest and drink of their water before hearing his story. Others moved forward to
set up their camp while Heather and the commanding officer waited with the messenger. His message was brief: “A fleet of over thirty black ships has landed just to the south of the hunting grounds of Those Left Behind.” He then added, “Those Left Behind have agreed to follow Stan and work to disrupt their supply line.”

  While the messenger rested, Heather and the commanding officer discussed the military implications. The black ships were of a larger size than the ships of those of the Red and could carry close to two hundred troops each. It was obvious they were facing an army about three times their size.