Shades of the Past: The Morcyth Saga Book Six (23 page)

Relieved that Orry will get a decent burial,
he says, “Thank you.” Turning away, he returns to the others and
let’s them know what they plan to do.

“Fortunes of war,” Illan says after they ride
over to where the horses are picketed and dismount. “There’s no way
the soldiers here will have time to bury each soldier who died in
an individual grave.”

“I understand,” James tells him. “It’s best
to get them in the ground as fast as possible.”

Ceadric appears out of one of the tents and
makes his way over to them. “So what’s the plan?” he asks.

“Nothing’s changed,” replies James.

“We leave in the morning and play merry hell
with the Empire,” adds Illan.

Grinning, he says, “I like that plan.”

“See that everyone has a good night’s sleep,”
Illan tells him. “We leave at first light.”

“Yes, sir,” he replies.

Turning to James, Illan says, “You better get
some rest too. You look tired.”

“I am tired,” he replies. “But I need to see
about the others first.”

“As you will,” says Illan as he gives out
with a yawn. “I’m for bed however.”

“Good night,” James says as he makes his way
over to where Jiron and Delia are sharing a fire.

When he approaches, Jiron hands him a plate
of food. “Thought you might be hungry.”

Taking the offered food, he says, “Thank you,
I am.” Sitting next to them, he begins eating the beef stew and
Delia hands him a quarter loaf of bread to go with it. Nodding to
the slingers preparing Orry’s body for tomorrow, he asks, “How are
they doing?”

“As well as can be expected,” Delia replies.
“I think before yesterday they thought this would be a grand
adventure right out of a bard’s tale. Then when the reality of it
hit them, especially the death of Orry…” She trails off as her eyes
move to settle on the tent where they are preparing Orry’s body for
travel.

“They realized this is no game and war is an
ugly, horrible experience,” Jiron finishes for her.

“I’m sure they’ll be okay,” adds Delia, “it’s
just rough on them right now.”

James sits there in silence for awhile as he
finishes his stew. “We’re still leaving in the morning,” he tells
them.

“Then you better get some sleep,” Jiron
states.

“I will when I’m done with this,” he replies,
indicating the last couple bites of food left on his plate. As he
chews the last bite, he glances around the camp and finds everyone
winding down, many already asleep in their bedrolls. Devin and the
others exit a tent carrying a shrouded body and lay it in the bed
of a wagon. When Devin glances his way, James nods.

Standing up, he says, “I better get to sleep
too.” To Jiron he adds, “Make sure everyone is up before dawn.”

“Sure,” he replies with a catch in his
voice.

James turns to find him grinning at him.
Remembering the last time he awakened him, he adds, “No water this
time.”

“If you say so,” he says, his grin growing
slightly wider.

Shaking his head, James makes his way over to
his tent and enters. Things inside aren’t in their usual place,
testament to the worry and sadness on Devin’s mind. He didn’t come
and tidy up as he usually did. Checking his bedroll on the cot, he
finds it still damp so he throws it to the side as he thinks unkind
things of Jiron.

Lying on just the cot, he uses a pack for a
pillow and lets exhaustion claim him.

Early the next morning, the camp is quickly
disassembled and packed on the pack horses. The items James brought
from The Ranch were reduced by half during the raid on the
catapults and the subsequent battles that followed. Still should
have enough for all he plans, he hopes.

Brother Willim shows up with the rest of the
Hand shortly before they are ready to leave. The brother who was
injured during the battle now looks much improved, a night of
sleep, not to mention the healing from Miko, has done wonders. Miko
is still absent, no one has seen him since the battle. Word has it
that he’s still seeing to the injured, James sent Errin to find him
and to have him return before they set out.

The Black Hawk standard bearer takes the lead
as they move through the city streets. Near the front of the column
rolls the wagon carrying Orry’s body, his friends riding along
beside. Behind them comes Jiron and his group, then Ceadric with
the Black Hawk Raiders.

“I thought we lost many of your men during
the battle?” asks James.

Illan glances behind them at the throng of
men at the rear and replies, “We did. These are others who have
decided to join us.” He glances to James with a grin, “Seems they
want to ride for glory.”

“Glory!” scoffs James. “There’s nothing
glorified about what we’re doing. They just want revenge.”

“Maybe,” agrees Illan. “But for whatever
reason, we can use them.”

James nods his head and continues riding
through town.

The streets are lined with many soldiers and
civilians who are there to see them off. Every once in a while, a
cheer would erupt when they turn a corner and appear to those who
are waiting for them.

At the gates they find Errin with a tired
looking Miko. Eyes all but closed with heavy bags under them, he
sits on his horse as if he’s about to fall off. When he takes
notice approaching, he perks up and rides forward with Errin beside
him.

“Found him still among the wounded,” she
says. “Had to practically drag him away.”

“Save many did you?” James asks his
friend.

From behind them, Lord Pytherian replies,
“Many? I would have to say there are a hundred or more who owe
either their lives to him or the use of a limb.” He glances to
those following behind with the Raiders and adds, “I see many of
the ones he saved are among your men.”

“We didn’t ask them to come,” James says
apologetically.

“It’s alright,” he says quietly. “You can use
the help and another hundred or so here won’t really make that much
of a difference.”

“Any reports of the enemy?” Illan asks.

“Not so far Black Hawk,” he replies. “From
what our scouts are reporting, the forces to the east and west of
us are maintaining their positions. They may not yet know of what
transpired here.”

“That won’t last for long,” Jiron says as he
comes to join them.

“Just remember you promised to build the
temple,” reminds James.

“We will, I assure you,” Lord Pytherian
states. “Good luck to you.”

“Thank you,” replies James. “You too.”

Getting their horses moving, they ride toward
the open gate. When they pass through, the men on the walls give
them a cheer.

As they cross the bridge, they take note of
the men still working to remove the dead from the field. The
soldiers of the Empire are being heaped together in one big pile
while the men of Madoc are laid out more carefully. Far away from
the banks of the river, two work forces are digging out large holes
for the bodies, one for the Empire and horses, and the other for
the men from Madoc and the alliance. Already a stone plaque has
been commissioned to memorialize the men who are to be laid to rest
there.

Taking the road south, Illan sends out riders
to scout ahead and to their flanks for any enemy presence. After
Lythylla disappears behind them, they locate a copse of trees near
the road and take a momentary break while Orry is laid to rest.

Unwilling to allow others to dig his grave,
Devin, Nerrin and the others who were closest to him take shovels
and find a spot beneath a large tree. James and Illan stand nearby
until they have it deep enough, then watch as his body is
transferred from the wagon and laid within the earth.

Once they cover him with dirt and place rocks
atop the mound to prevent animals from digging him up, Brother
Willim comes forth and says a few words. While he speaks of life
and how death is but another path, each reflects upon how Orry
enriched their lives and how he will be missed.

Those standing nearby remain quiet in respect
for the dead until Brother Willim winds to a close. Then with a
last goodbye, they remount and resume their journey. One of the
newest additions to Black Hawk’s Raiders is given the duty of
taking the wagon back to Lythylla.

From the head of the line, Illan glances back
at the rest of the recruits and comments quietly to James, “Wonder
if any of us are going to survive this?”

“I don’t know,” he replies. He misses Orry as
does the others, though he never really had a chance to get to know
him well. Few of the recruits have had much personal dealings with
him other than Devin. Glancing back at Corbin’s son, he feels
saddened for his loss and can see his emotions are barely kept in
check.

He spies Scar and Potbelly riding not too far
behind him. “Scar!” he hollers. When he has his attention, he asks,
“Didn’t you and Potbelly once face a band of thieves all by
yourselves?”

“As a matter of fact,” Scar says, “we did. It
was several years ago during…” As Scar continues on with his
narration, Illan glances to James and asks, “Have you heard this
one before?”

Giving him a grin, he shakes his head and
says, “No. But knowing those two, I figured they would have a tale
of some sort to go along with it. Besides, this will give everyone
something to think about other than Orry.”

Nodding, Illan says, “Good thinking.”

“No, no you got it wrong,” Potbelly
interjects. “We weren’t hired by the Baron of Falsberg, it was the
Duchess of Twyst.”

“That’s right, now that you remind me,” Scar
says. “We were on our way through…” For the next hour or so, they
regal everyone with their tale of daring do and for a brief time,
the death of their friend is forgotten.

Not to be outdone, Uther and Jorry begin a
tale once they’re through of how they single handedly slew some
giant that had taken an entire village captive. After listening to
the narrative for several minutes, James turns to Illan and asks,
“Are there giants here?”

“Not that I’ve heard,” he says. Despite the
improbability of their story, it is rather entertaining.

They continue following the road for the rest
of the day. The scouts would return periodically to give a report
then would switch to a fresh mount and ride off again. During one
such time when a scout returns, the scout tells of a caravan
approaching from the south. “Looks to be supplies for the army that
was at Lythylla,” the scout says. “It is but an hour away.”

“How many soldiers accompany it?” Illan
asks.

“Three score,” the scout replies.

“Keep an eye on it,” Illan says. The scout
salutes before changing to a fresh horse and gallops back down the
road.

“Ceadric!” he hollers.

“Yes, sir,” Ceadric replies as he brings his
horse closer.

“We have an approaching caravan,” he tells
him. “Three score guards. Take your riders and capture it.”

“Yes, sir!” he says.

Before he rides away, James says, “Don’t kill
the drivers.”

“What about the soldiers?” he asks.

“Do what you have to,” he states.

Turning to his Raiders, he says, “We got a
caravan to liberate!”

A cheer erupts as he and his men break into a
gallop and race down the road.

“So it begins,” James says under his breath
as he watches Ceadric and his Raiders disappear down the road.

“Indeed,” comments Illan from beside him.

It isn’t long before they arrive at the
captured caravan. Off to one side, a pile of dead Empire soldiers
riddled with arrows stands testament to the battle which raged
here. Many of Hedry’s archers still have arrows to string as they
keep the drivers from attempting to escape. Several wagons are
without drivers and the bloodstains on the benches show they didn’t
give up easily.

The wagons are filled with food, weapons and
supplies needed by an army on the move. A string of horses were
also captured, spare mounts for their cavalry.

Ceadric meets them as they arrive and says,
“All secured. No losses.”

“Good,” states Illan. “Have some of the men
escort the caravan back to Lythylla.”

“Yes, sir,” he says and then begins assigning
those new to their force to escort the caravan. Some grumbling
arises from those who believe they’ll miss out on the glory of
accompanying Black Hawk, but do as they are told.

As the wagons begin rolling back to Lythylla,
their force once again resumes their advance on the Empire.

Over the course of the next several days,
that scene is repeated three more times as they capture caravans
and send them back to Lythylla. After the first day, James was
sufficiently recovered from his fight with the creatures that he
could again use his mirror to locate enemy patrols. If they weren’t
very large, Ceadric and his riders were dispatched to take them
out.

During their third day from Lythylla, James
locates a force of at least five thousand men heading north, most
likely to reinforce the force that used to be at Lythylla.

“Should we take them on?” Jiron asks.

Shaking his head, James says, “That’s not the
idea. We are to draw them after us and out of Lythylla, avoiding
any direct confrontation with large forces for as long as
possible.”

“Besides,” adds Illan, “the force remaining
at Lythylla will be able to handle them.”

By the fourth day, any caravans they raid are
no longer sent back. Instead, what they need is transferred to
their pack animals and the rest is destroyed. Axes are used to chop
the wagons apart, the supplies they aren’t taking are destroyed in
one manner or another. Nothing is to be left that will be able to
aid the Empire. Any civilians with the caravans who aren’t killed
in the initial assault are allowed to go free. James simply can’t
bring himself to slay innocents. Plus, they’ll begin to spread the
word of what they’re doing which is precisely what he wants.