The First Compact: The Karus Saga (The Karus Saga: Book Book 3)

by Marc Alan Edelheit

  “I see.” Kol’Cara leaned forward to get a better look. “That does appear to be the river running through the valley, and these are the ridges surrounding the town.” The elf glanced over at Karus. “It seems you can read a map. I am so pleased for you. I might even admit to being slightly impressed.”

  Karus flashed the elf an amused grin. “Yes, I can read a map. A soldier who can’t is doomed to die an early death or wander forever … lost to his own incompetence as many junior officers learn to their own chagrin.” Karus grew serious and tapped the town with his index finger. “What I find particularly interesting are these other marks on the map. The lines under these X’s here, likely also towns and villages, could indicate enemy garrisons. If so, it marks the farthest advance of the Horde westward, which would be where we are now.”

  “Or they could simply be marking the towns and villages they’ve sacked, looted, scouted, or whatever. Have you considered that?”

  Karus scowled as he touched the map again with a finger. The elf had a point. Under one of the X’s was a strange, blocky script that had been penciled in. “Can you read this writing?”

  “I don’t read orc.”

  “Well,” Karus said, “that makes two of us. Still, I believe I’m right. See this circle under Carthum?”

  “I do,” Kol’Cara said. “Are you certain that is Carthum? Before we went into stasis, that city did not exist. It might have been a simple farming village. Human lives are so short and fleeting compared to ours.”

  “How old are you?” Karus asked, looking over at the elf, for Carthum was an old, even ancient city. He understood elves lived many lifetimes … but he had no idea how long.

  “Old enough to know better than to answer that,” Kol’Cara said. “Back to my question … Are you certain that is Carthum?”

  “Yes. I am sure. I recognize the positioning of the forest here, along with these other towns and cities. We found a map in the city that matches this one exactly.”

  “I’ll take your word for it,” Kol’Cara said. “All right, let’s say I am convinced.”

  “This circle, I believe … means the city is not occupied.” Karus touched two other X’s with circles under them. “This one here is clearly Caradoon. My men scouted the city before I left for the Fortress of Radiance. It was abandoned and, like most other towns and villages, stripped of food. Still, the Horde had not gotten there yet … hence the circle.”

  “You may be on to something.” Kol’Cara leaned forward again. All traces of boredom gone, he began studying the map more intently, then slid his finger back to the town the dwarves had been defending. “So, this town is indeed their farthest advance.”

  “It would seem so,” Karus said. “That tells us the threat is coming almost directly from the east. It appears we don’t have to worry about something coming out of the north and south. Though I believe the dwarven armies are somewhere to the west, and from my encounter with one of their generals back in Carthum, a dwarf named Torga, they don’t exactly seem too friendly.”

  “Dwarves by nature are not. Dennig seems the exception.” Kol’Cara gave a nod and then touched the map. “If you are correct, it means the orcs have a very long supply line. The nearest occupied town would be this one, way over here.” Kol’Cara trailed his finger almost halfway across the map. “That’s a long way, several hundred miles at best. It could explain why this advance force brought so much supply with them. I wonder how much the main body is hauling with them or if they are relying upon a system of replenishment trains.”

  Karus was silent for a long moment as he considered the elf’s words. It was a good question, one that was worth exploring.

  “You think the army that was here … was like a reconnaissance in force?” Karus asked. “Is that what you are saying?”

  “It is certainly possible. They might have been pushed forward to see if there were any hidden threats and then stumbled upon the dwarves and decided to act.”

  “The enemy’s line of advance seems like they’re making a beeline right for Carthum,” Karus said. “You may be right. The dwarves might have been too good an opportunity to ignore.” Karus fell silent again, then gazed back down at the map, his thoughts on the army they’d seen from the air. “Their line of advance is too much of a coincidence for me. Their objective is surely Carthum.”

  “Agreed,” Kol’Cara said. “This land is empty of its people. Barring Dennig’s dwarves, your legion is the only organized force about. They’re aiming to eliminate you, then move whenever they are ready and at their leisure to seize the rest of the region.”

  Karus gave an absent nod, suddenly feeling ill at the thought. As if he did not already have enough problems, the enemy was coming for him.

  “If that is the case, when we pull out of Carthum, they’ll likely follow us,” Karus said.

  “Again, I agree. If the destruction of your legion is their objective, they will follow. A pursuit may already be a foregone conclusion.” The elf paused and glanced back down at the maps. “Do any of the maps detail the west, beyond Carthum?”

  “This one here.” Karus pulled a small map from under the one they had been studying. It had clearly been hastily sketched and seemed to be as basic as they came.

  Kol’Cara examined the map for several long heartbeats. “This map is far from complete. It’s missing two mountain ranges that I know of and an extremely large lake with an island at the center.” Kol’Cara paused. “It was likely drawn by a team of scouts who did not do a thorough job of exploration or lacked the time to do so.”

  “Their picture of the west is incomplete,” Karus said. “We might be able to use that in some way to our advantage. That is, if we can find detailed maps ourselves.”

  “I know the terrain beyond Carthum quite well,” Kol’Cara said. “Land does not change that quickly over a few hundred years.”

  “A few hundred years?” Karus asked. “Is that all?”

  Kol’Cara pointedly ignored the comment. “Cities, towns, and villages, that’s another story. When we get to Carthum, I can sit down with one of your scribes and help build a map of the west all the way to the Barrier Ocean.”

  “An ocean?” Karus asked. “How far westward from Carthum?”

  “It’s a long way,” Kol’Cara said. “Maybe a thousand of your miles.”

  There was so much of this land Karus did not know. It was incredibly frustrating. And it put him at a serious disadvantage. He needed to correct that deficiency, and as rapidly as possible.

  “This map tells us there is a good chance their advance scouts have penetrated a little beyond Carthum,” Kol’Cara said, “but not much farther.”

  “As we move west, my cavalry will have to be on the lookout for additional scouting attempts,” Karus said. “If we can keep them off the line of march, we might even be able to slip away at some point.”

  “Cavalry?” Kol’Cara said, looking up, his gaze intensely focused on Karus. “You have horses?”

  “We do,” Karus said.

  “This world is without them,” Kol’Cara said. “Do you have many such mounts?”

  “Yes,” Karus said, “and I intend to use that to my advantage.”

  “The orcs of this world may not be prepared to counter them or comprehend how dangerous cavalry can be,” Kol’Cara said.

  “Based upon an encounter with an advance force we caught foraging, they’re ignorant of how to handle or face cavalry.”

  “My Anagradoom might be able to help you uncover enemy scouts,” Kol’Cara said. “That is, if you will allow me to send out a couple of my best with your cavalry.”

  “Are they good?”

  “Good?” Kol’Cara asked. “They are the best.”

  Karus gave a grunt at that. He’d seen the elves in action. If they were as good scouts as they were fighters, he did not see a downside.

  “We might even be able to teach your scouts how to do their job better,” Kol’Cara said.

  Karus eyed the elf for a long
moment. “Very well. If you believe you can help, I have no problem with letting you try. Can your boys ride a horse?”

  “If they can’t,” Kol’Cara said, “they will figure it out easily enough.”

  Karus turned his gaze back to the map as something occurred to him. “From the air, we only saw part of their army, but I bet the main body’s line of advance is quite long, stretched out over many miles, perhaps a hundred or more.”

  “Most likely,” Kol’Cara agreed.

  “It’s an opportunity for the cavalry,” Karus said.

  “How so?”

  “Well,” Karus said, “we could strike at their supply train. Or, if they’re relying upon a replenishing system, as you suggested, ambush their resupply trains. An army can’t march very far if it can’t eat.”

  “Interesting,” Kol’Cara said. “Deprived of sufficient food, they would then seek to forage what they can from the countryside. That also presents an opportunity.”

  “As we move westward, we will need to destroy any food stores we happen across and cannot take with us,” Karus said. “We can also ambush their foraging expeditions.”

  “I would recommend burning everything,” Kol’Cara said. “Leave nothing for the enemy, including shelter. Make life as difficult as possible.”

  Karus glanced back down at the maps again and was silent for a long moment. “I want to take all of these maps with us to study them further when we’re back at Carthum.”

  “Tek’Deeth,” Kol’Cara said to an elf who was standing a few feet away, just outside the tent. There were no other elves in view, but Karus knew they were near. “Gather up the maps. See that they go back to the dragons and are safely secured.”

  Slinging his bow over his shoulders, Tek’Deeth replied in Elven and stepped into the tent. He began rolling up one map after another. There was string on the table, which he used to bind the rolls of maps, or if they weren’t meant to be rolled up, he folded them.

  Karus turned his attention to the rest of the command tent. It reminded him very much of his legion’s mobile headquarters. He scanned the worktables, not for the first time wondering how his legion was doing. He’d been away for almost three weeks now, a near eternity and much longer than he had initially anticipated. Worse, when he’d left, disease had been burning its way through the ranks. He wondered how bad it had gotten. What would he find when he returned?

  Rapping the table lightly with his knuckles, Karus eyed something strange on the next table. He stepped over and picked it up. It was a long wooden tube, about two feet in length, and larger on one end. The wood was etched and carved in flowing geometric patterns that were so intricate, they were almost mesmerizing. A closer examination revealed a piece of shaped glass affixed inside the tube on either end.

  “What is this?” Karus said to himself, turning it over in his hand.

  “I have not seen one of those in a very long time,” Kol’Cara said. He took the tube from Karus and looked through the smaller of the two ends, then handed it back. “If I am not mistaken, it is gnome-made and very rare.”

  “Is it dangerous?” Karus asked, still wondering on the device’s purpose.

  “Dangerous? No,” Kol’Cara said. “Well, not to its user anyway. A spyglass is what I believe it’s called. You use them to see far distances up close.”

  “Really?” Karus was intrigued.

  He put the device to his eye, just as the elf had, and pointed it out the side of the tent. He blinked in surprise and took a stumbling step back. The next tent over appeared incredibly close, almost on top of him. He pulled the spyglass away and saw the tent at its proper distance, then brought the telescope back to his eye.

  “Magic … wonderful magic,” Karus said, looking over at the elf.

  Kol’Cara seemed amused by his reaction.

  “No, just a clever invention is all,” Kol’Cara said. “It has to do with the shape of the glass, a trick of the eye is all, I think. We do not have much use for such things. Though, before the Last War, there were elves who made devices like this one to gaze up at the sky, particularly at night.”

  Karus studied the device a moment more, fascinated. “This may come in handy. It is small enough that perhaps Valens might find a use for it when he scouts or raids the enemy’s supply train.”

  “Valens?”

  “He’s the commander of my cavalry, one of the best horse soldiers and mounted commanders I have ever known. I think I will bring it with us and give it to him.”

  “If you wish,” Kol’Cara said.

  Using a thin leather strap that had been lying on the table, Karus tied the device onto his sword harness while Tek’Deeth worked behind him. Once it was secure, Karus gazed around, searching for other interesting items.

  His eye was next drawn to an elegant dagger that had been left lying on the same table, half concealed by a tablet. It was beautifully made, clearly a master’s work. The hilt was bejeweled and must have cost a fortune. He moved over and reached for it. Kol’Cara’s hand snapped out, grabbing his wrist in a vice-like grip.

  “I would not touch that,” Kol’Cara said. “That dagger is a priest’s holy symbol. It may be dangerous.”

  Karus found the elf’s grip so hard, it was almost painful. Kol’Cara released him after a moment.

  “Is this one of the corrupting things you mentioned?” Karus asked.

  “It is called an athame.” Kol’Cara gazed at the weapon as if it were something vile, like a venomous snake. “Castor’s priests use them for ritual sacrifices. And yes, the dagger might be … dangerous … very dangerous. I think it better to be safe than not, don’t you agree?”

  “Right.” Karus blew out a breath as he gazed about the command tent once more. His mood had soured and he felt the itch to go, to return to his legion. Things had been so much simpler before they had been transported to this world. “I’ve seen enough. Shall we go?”

  “I thought you would never ask,” Kol’Cara said.

  They stepped out of the tent and back into the sunlight, which seemed intensely bright. Both suns were now up, having climbed high in the sky. The day was beginning to grow warm, hot even. To their left, down the street that led toward the gate they had entered, came a harsh shout. It sounded like an order.

  Karus saw Dennig approach with an escort of two warriors. Behind them, farther down the street, was a formation of dwarves, several dozen strong, that had been marching in a column. They’d come to an orderly halt and were dressing their ranks. The officer in command moved to the side of the column and shouted another order. The warriors in the formation faced left, toward the officer.

  The dwarves had clearly come to salvage what they could from the enemy’s camp before they moved on. Karus’s gaze shifted back to Dennig. He studied his friend as he stopped before them. Dennig’s face was grim, hard, and his eyes bloodshot. He appeared much older and worn than when Karus had last seen him the night before. It was apparent he’d not gotten any sleep.

  “Karus,” Dennig greeted, the exhaustion plain in his voice. “Kol’Cara.”

  “Dennig,” Karus said, “I want to express how very …”

  Dennig grimaced and held up a hand, forestalling what Karus had been about to say.

  “I do not wish to talk about it, Karus,” Dennig said. “The hurt is too fresh and there is much that needs doing before the warband can march. Perhaps, at some point in the future, we can talk about … my son, but not this morning, please. Give me that, if you will.”

  “I understand,” Karus said.

  “Thank you,” Dennig said, gazing briefly over at the command tent and Tek’Deeth securing the maps. He scowled slightly, then turned back to his guards. “Give us some space to talk.”

  Both guards stepped back several paces.

  “Where is Amarra?” Karus asked.

  “She and Si’Cara are back with the dragons,” Dennig said. “They are waiting for you. Kordem said you had gone into the camp. I told them I’d find you.” Dennig paused. �
��I take it you will be flying back to Carthum?”

  “That was my intention,” Karus said.

  “And you plan on leaving Carthum, just as soon as you can?”

  “We have your supplies there,” Karus said, “but transport is a problem. We’re short on wagons and carts. When I left, my boys were building them as quickly they could. That said, with the enemy army on the march, we’re out of time. We will, unfortunately, be leaving a lot behind.”

  “Well, there’s transport here,” Dennig said. “We’ll be taking every wagon and teska the orcs brought to carry our wounded and as much food as we can. We’re out of time here too. Much of the enemy’s stores will be left behind. I estimate that more than half of the wagons will be empty when we go.”

  “What are you proposing?” Karus asked, cautiously hopeful.

  “That you wait for my warband,” Dennig said, “and together we move westward. With what’s coming, I am thinking strength in numbers will be more important than anything else, at least for the foreseeable future.”

  “Are you suggesting an alliance?” Karus asked. “What will Martuke think?”

  “Martuke?” Dennig said, with a heavy breath that was filled with exhaustion. “He will hate it and so will my people. It might even cost me my head were I to enter into such an arrangement.” Dennig paused and blew his breath out through his teeth. “No, there can be no alliance. I am simply proposing we travel west together. You have my supply in Carthum and I have the transport you need. Think of it only as a brief marriage of convenience, nothing more. We collaborate as long as it suits both our interests.”

  Karus thought for a moment, considering the proposal. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted, or the alliance he badly needed … but perhaps it was a start. By working together, they would begin marching down the right path.

  “Dennig,” Karus said, deciding to press a little further, “you know what we face. It makes sense to ally.”

  “That is not my decision to make,” Dennig said firmly, then softened his tone, lowering his voice. He glanced at his escort, which waited a few paces away. “After this fiasco, I will be lucky to keep my warband, that is, if I can make it back to the army. I have no idea how the Thane will react to our losses. Karus, I have barely five hundred warriors capable of fighting and another thousand that are either walking wounded or thoroughly incapacitated. We left Carthum over four thousand strong and I have a fraction of that remaining. I should never have left my post there. The price … even to save our own, has been too high.”