The High King: A Tale of Alus (38 page)

The distant clangs of swords and the cries of wounded or dying men came from over the rise. The three men in black cloaks could have seen two of the warring armies below their hilly forested climb, if they had so desired. The leader looked back to the two men following to make sure that both men still followed low below the rise. The three were moving past the border of Maris in the hopes of finding one of the leaders of the western forces. The idea of seeing the battle only to give away their position was totally against the cloaked man's best judgment.

Looking to the steadily darkening sky, Terris scratched absentmindedly at his full beard. He felt that they had been lucky to make it as far as they had in the light of day. Several times he feared that a stray gargoyle scout would fly in their direction before they could make it into the cover of the next hill.

A horse patrol had caught enough of their movement to come closer, but, with the luck of a shallow cavern and a clump of bushes, the soldiers had given up quickly. One of the riders had nearly trod upon the very bush concealing their hole, but the men seemed unconcerned about the possibility of a single stray. What was one man when there were stone warriors and dragons to fear?

Bringing out a small spy glass, the former king crawled up the hill on his belly making sure to never bring his body to its peak. The next rise was nearly a half mile from them to the west and very few trees or bushes were in between for cover. Not even long grasses were of help, the darkened ground covered in the charred remains of grass and trees both proved that a fire had already taken root and destroyed nearly a mile of land to the south and north before stopping its destructive path. Whether it was rain or the local farmers banding together to stop it or the luck of a favorable wind halting its charge, Terris neither knew nor cared.

Tipping the glass over the crest of the hill while keeping a cloth as a hood over the glass to prevent reflection, Terris scanned the land to the south of them. A battle of lesser proportion was being fought there. Maybe a full battalion of foot and horsemen were involved from each side. Still numbering at least a thousand men all told, the death toll still was quite staggering.

The two forces had met in the wide valley between a nearly complete circle of hills. The fighting was beginning to break up as the two sides had found themselves too evenly matched for either side to survive. Terris could see no gargoyles in the air or on the ground. If they had been there, Merrick's men would have probably won, since there were none of the stone soldiers on Maris' side either.

He was about to start down the slope again when a hand tapped the heel of his boot. Terris looked down to see Lucas pointing towards their next goal. With his naked eyes, he scanned the far off hill. A glint of glass or steel glimmered in a pattern. A message, he thought quickly.

Scooting back down the slope, he spoke to the other man in their triad, "A message from Maris, Climon?"

The third man nodded. Even with his grey beard and the scar across his cheek, anyone could recognize the resemblance of the uncle to Lucas. "Yes, Lord Terris, I've already decoded the message and returned a quick hello back."

"Who are they? Did you give away who we are?" The older man smiled slightly, "The answers are I don't know and no I didn't, respectively. They're being as secretive as we are. I think that they must be Maris.

Merrick's soldiers would have stormed towards us, while these appear just as much in need of remaining quiet as we."

Terris frowned. He trusted the former captain's judgment enough, but he hated surprises on a mission as sensitive as this. Terris hated them almost all the time, he had to repeat the truth to himself. Climon was most likely correct though. Merrick's army used little in the way of subtlety most days. There was always room for it even in the most dense of men, so he asked, "Tell them we'll meet them there in an hour."

The grey beard gave him a curious glance from beneath his hood that the former king caught easily. Despite his unspoken reservations, Climon picked up his mirror and sent the message. Terris bit his thumbnail worriedly as they waited for the grey light of near dusk to envelope the valley before them. He hoped that these people were who he hoped they were. If they were actually some of Maris' soldiers, he might be able to get help and offer some to the kings of Sileoth and Maris.

When half an hour had past, Terris edged to the crest of the hill again. The fighting had stopped in the southern valley. Checking the hills and valleys nearest them, he found little in the way of movement. Campfires nearly half a mile to the east told him where the remnants of Merrick's army had moved to camp. An orange haze of light from behind one of the western hills maybe half a mile to the south identified where most of the Maris contingent was encamped as well. There were still torches moving about the former battlefield even now. They told the tale that there were still survivors needing help back to their respective sides of the conflict.

Terris retreated from the crest and waved the two men in his escort to follow. Staying low even when he had reached the valley floor, Terris moved as stealthily as he could. He didn't bother to check the other two. Both were woodsmen and Climon had served as a sniper for Caldor years ago in another war. Both knew how to move quietly and unobtrusively. To be seen or not, while still drawing no attention to one's self, could be difficult especially in times like these.

They arrived at the far hill about the time he had specified. Watching for traces of the enemy, Terris let Climon lead the way around the base of the hill. They drew no weapons, though even now Terris could see no one. A sniper's arrow would be his only reward for drawing his sword, he knew however.

"Halt!" a voice ordered from the darkness above them. "Identify yourselves as friend or foe."
Terris smirked and replied, "It depends on who you are, sir. You have us at the disadvantage. Please identify yourselves first."
"Yeomen for King Greggor. Now identify yourselves or feel an arrow through your cloaked chest."
The former king pushed back his hood hoping the man had not lied. "I am with the resistance out of Marshalla."
A flutter of movement from above him signaled the appearance of an archer in black. He motioned to Terris saying, "Produce the talisman that will identify you as a rebel."
Forehead crumpling in confusion, he replied, "What are you talking about? We don't have a special talisman, medallion or even a birthmark, man. The king would have the resistance slain in days if we did."
The archer smiled and raised his hand. Terris feared a flight of arrows would end their mission when he lowered his hand, but a rustle of movement from the trees around them proved his fears wrong as a half dozen archers came into the little clearing. The spokesman grinned, "Of course, you don't, but do you think that Marshalla's spies would know that?" The other men chuckled around him. The archer continued, "You would be surprised how many of his spies fall for that one. Either that or they chicken out entirely and look for somewhere else to try.
"Some have the balls to try and bluff us. I've seen loaves of bread, tattoos, scars, and even more tries over the past month. You're the first to arrive that we didn't know that got that one right."
He nodded, "It pays to know that the resistance has no tell-tale signs then. Being a rebel gives me that knowledge as you have guessed."
The yeoman nodded and gestured for them to follow. A rustle in the trees above him alerted Terris to the fact that these half dozen were not the only ones still watching him. He had to admit that these men seemed prepared for treachery, even after passing their tests. The archer had begun to speak again, "I am Iylin, sergeant in the Maris armies. Who are you my rebel friend that I might speak with you more appropriately?"
"Terris. These are Climon and Lucas," he made sure to say no more than that. The man had asked for only names anyway.
Iylin noticed his reply for the minimal answer it was, but asked conversationally, "Terris, like the former king of the Cadmenes?"
"Spelled the same, but they say that Merrick had him disappear," Terris replied cryptically. The former king would hardly give away that he was one in the same. Even if the man had been his people's closest ally, the rebel would have been loath to reveal himself and this man was still unknown to him.
"A good answer," the sergeant stated simply. The man's eyes strayed to the others often as they walked through the quickly darkening light. The sounds of night birds were already making themselves known. No night animals were likely to be heard with the battle having been so near. "Why have you come to our land, Terris?" he stressed the name slightly though the former king couldn’t identify exactly why.
"I come with news that may help your king and the desire to set up relations that may help both our peoples in their struggle against Merrick's oppression."
The man stopped and gave him a questioning look. "Our peoples? We are Marisian. We allied with the armies of Sileoth and harbor thousands of their refugees. These are nations of people, but aren't your people the same as King Merrick's people?"
Terris frowned at the accusation. He knew that it was meant to bait him. If his lands were in identical peril, he may have said the same as well, but Terris knew better. "Don't confuse the people living under his heel with being Merrick's people, Iylin. Every day more groups of resistance fighters try to find ways to help those being oppressed by the demon king. If it weren't for the gargoyles, dragons and those soldiers believing in his conquest, I think that the populations of all he has conquered would have risen up against him long ago. Unfortunately, many men look up to their king as leading them on an almost holy crusade to unite the world under one man. Peace and prosperity are one of his promises to the people."
"Did you fall into one of those traps, Lord Terris?" the man asked with a smirk.
He looked at the man calmly, "I never said I was a lord. I am not after all. Are you just a sergeant, sergeant?"
The archer smiled and answered equally evasive, "As much as you are just a rebel, Terris."
They said no more as the men moved steadily deeper behind Maris's army lines.

Simon paced inside of Catiya's room impatiently. He hadn't believed what his younger brother had been drawn into this time. More incredible had been that, once he was made Allisand's protector, his brother had promptly left her alone with her ill father. Gerid had requested that Simon come along with him to the farm to discuss matters more thoroughly.

Request was the polite term. Virtually ordered was more correct. `They had important things to discuss' Gerid had said. The first part of the evening he had seen almost nothing of his younger brother. The first hour had been spent at a family dinner, but Gerid and Catiya had excused themselves before it had truly begun and had their meals sent to the woman's suite.

Feeling almost like a complete stranger, though the two families were soon to be united by marriage of the couple, Simon had sat quietly speaking to Finneas and Karma on one side of the table while the rest of the family and guests ignored him or gave brief stares. The news of Gerid's knighting had been shared. Carter seemed pleased that his daughter's future husband was becoming much more than he had ever hoped after the first declaration of their love.

Catching snatches of the conversations swirling around the huge table, the discussion of how this affected everyone seemed to be foremost on everyone's mind. Simon saw the hypocrisy in their words. When he was a slave, he had been less than nothing. When his brother rose out of slavery to become commander of the fleet, he still wasn't good enough for Carter's daughter, but the man couldn't refuse his youngest. Gerid was powerful and rich enough to bear the mark of the family name now, Simon guessed.

Now Gerid was a knight and admiral. Questions of whether Sama should marry him as a forced marriage was brought up. He held his tongue knowing that love was Gerid's foremost concern. Trying to make an alliance with the family through the eldest sister was out of the question.

Simon had excused himself from the table at the earliest possible time trying to not look too rude. Arriving at Catiya's quarters, he had been let into their
discussions of how to handle the new situation. Gerid nearly threw him into complete shock when he discussed some of his decisions.

The elder sibling nodded slowly, "You know that I am here to help you, Gerid. It's what brothers do."
The younger man returned the gesture and stated, "Good. I need you to arrange a shipment to go to Marshalla or somewhere else near to our homeland."
"Why?"
"I was hoping to send you or someone else to spy out what is going on in the land. I have heard rumors that Merrick has conquered Cadmene and Sileoth. He seems bent on taking the whole continent or at least the southern peninsula. If there are pockets of resistance or kings that we can offer to unite with there, we can do more damage without taxing our resources too far. At least, that is my goal."
"What about Princess Allisand?"
"The princess? I need to work out some details with Carter and Karma yet, but I plan to bring some of his best men into the castle to act as extra security. Maybe Karma himself can come and act as her personal bodyguard, while I'm gone."
"What? Where are you going? Don't you have to stay and help the royal family?"
Gerid shrugged, "I have muscle and a large fleet. I can give her some protection, but having Karma there is probably as good as anything else that I can do. Magic isn't something that I can stop or even track down. I'll hire a wizard and talk to those the king already has in the castle. On my travels, I'll see if I can find more help, but we both know that this threat came from Kloste or one of its allies."
"Gerid," he began to argue, "You have a duty to the king and princess."
"And one thing that I have been ordered to do is to try and put an end to the pirates, brother. I can't be everywhere at once, so I have to do what I believe will help the kingdom and my own goals best."
They had argued for hours. Catiya had stayed almost completely out of it. She wanted him to stay, of course. Gerid's son was growing quickly and his father was missing everything. The toddler considered the giant a stranger. Catiya was his mother and that was all he knew. She wanted him to be there for both of them, but the woman knew who she was marrying and all that went with him.
His brother had been caught up in a unique destiny, Simon thought to himself. Everyone believed that the gods themselves must have intervened to have put him into such a life. Gerid conquered cities, built armadas, fought champions and rose ever higher in rank among a people that were not even his own. The fact that he was undying and perhaps immortal took the argument beyond basic human luck.
The evening had ended and the knight had decided matters. Karma would serve the princess and Carter would provide any men that he needed. Both would gain favor with the royal family so Carter would be pleased with the idea and never question him. He was a knight and admiral now anyway. How could the man refuse?
Simon would have protested his part in all this more, if he hadn't already been planning a trip to the north anyway. The elder brother would go himself and leave Leoltus in charge of the merchant's office. The former slave master had been removed from Carter's employ months ago and worked with Simon. The man was trustworthy to a fault and knew how to generate money almost as well as Simon now.
The fleet would break up under Gerid's subcommanders while he sailed a smaller merchant vessel towards the pirate islands. Any conquests they made would only serve to strengthen them for a proposed attack on Merrick. That was not set, of course. Gerid wouldn't push things that far until he knew better about Rhearden's fate.
With all that settled, Simon found himself in the smaller room in Catiya's suite. Pacing and muttering that things had gotten too far out of his control, the man wore himself out enough to finally lay down on the single sized bed. With his head still churning with the day’s events, Simon slept.