The High King: A Tale of Alus (50 page)

She smiled contentedly. At least her friends had finally found their love for each other. Alyanna wished that she could do the same, but the queen feared that would only happen if Simon and his brother truly could destroy Merrick and his armies.

Leaving the two asleep in each other's arms, Alyanna dressed in her scarves and jewelry before meeting with her maidens to go to dinner. She would have the servants bring some food up to the door later, Alyanna decided. One cannot live on just love alone after all, though they could try.

The city of Camerton was bustling with more activity than ever. Excitement and tension rode the air as well. Three fleets of enormous numbers filled the harbor to overflowing.

The main fleet of the king of Rhearden, eight midsized klereon and scereons as well four pirate hunters known as trereen, all sat filling with soldiers and supplies. It was the pride of Rhearden and nearly a third of its entire fleet.

In comparison to the Aramathean fleet, it paled in scope. Two new trereens built to hold two hundred twenty men each had been completed for use by the time Gerid had returned. Two more scereons and three klereon had also been added between naval victories and purchase. The total number of warships now totaled twenty one and more than a dozen merchant ships joined with the main fleet as they would take men and supplies to Marshalla as well.

The third fleet sailed under various flags and served to bring much of the tension into the city. Though many a slave trader had found their way to Camerton, a fleet of twenty warships of the Quardi pirate clans was still somewhat alarming.

All gathered by Gerid, the White Haired Demon, admiral and Knight Protector of Rhearden. He had spent enough gold to nearly make Simon and his accountants cry. Gold had gone to the king for the hire of nearly two thousand men which was his third legion. More had gone to Carter and the Holteins who had worked to amass nearly a thousand of their own mercenaries and another thousand from other mercenary camps throughout Rhearden and even Tolmona to the south.

Between his regular forces arrayed in his fleet, the hired soldiers, and those joined by the pirates both in Rhearden now and those that would sail from the islands directly; the Aramatheas could land nearly eight thousand men. Their target was Hala itself.

While journeying, Simon had made contact with the resistance and Alyanna had said she would do even more. The commander hoped even more would join his army there. The queen would also send word to Maris and her father. Organizing such numbers of troops while Merrick’s armies remained out in the field, would not be an easy task. They were also under a time crunch. They needed to reach Hala before the end of summer and before Maris and Sileoth fell.

Gerid spent much of his time at the Holtein farm with Catiya and his son, Simon. The toddler had grown so much. He had also missed his fiancée terribly.
This would, Gerid hoped, be the last time he had to leave his loved ones. Once Merrick was defeated, the man prayed that he could finally settle down to a life of peace. Time spent in a home and with his family. That was his fondest wish.

Their final night together was spent holding each other long into the night. They talked of his return and their wedding. Catiya was so beautiful Gerid thought nearly every moment he had with her. Her silky auburn hair, green eyes and wondrous lips that were on one of the most beautiful faces he had ever seen always caused his heart to race. The couple knew that they would wed soon if all went well, but a certain amount of panic took them. That and their love for each other. For the first time, the couple made love to each other. They spoke of their future and expressed their love over and over.

Gerid watched the sun’s light illuminate her face breathtakingly as the morning came without the two ever sleeping. They would cherish it and pray that many more nights like it would be in their future once he returned.

So it was that the army, fleet and their commander set sail for the north.
The commander and all the might he could raise in such a time set sail. The weather was glorious as if all the stars had aligned for their trip.
Alyanna stood before her full length mirror brushing her long blond hair. The reflection of the queen revealed her resplendent in the scarlet scarves which barely covered her body. A flower pattern worked through the nearly see through top. The material tied in back barely covered her chest as was the intent. The crimson of the hip scarf tied at her waist only served to heighten her feminine curves and concealed her secrets marginally. Gold bracelets, a necklace with a large ruby, and a pair of gold ankle bracelets were the remainder of her outfit.
The woman knew she wanted to be more proper in her dress. Simon had revealed the silliness of it all, and yet this was truly not the time. She would be more covered, but barely so, because Alyanna feared to change too suddenly would alert Krulir and the other spies in the castle. She had her own spies working within the castle and the queen prayed that her trust in them was well founded.
This was a time for change. Merrick was half way to Oapril by now. The forces of Sileoth and Maris continued to harass his forces. Their major defeat had incurred losses on both sides, but her father had let her know that the bulk of the armies had slunk away. As the High King tasted victory, the combined forces had fallen back as a screening force bought them time. The Cadmene knights had also joined them now.
Smiling into the mirror, the queen lay down the brush. Alyanna knew that her maids would have done her hair, but this morning she had wanted to do it herself. When the door opened letting Serra and Baitrum into the room, the queen was ready for the day.
Dressed in blue scarves of her own, Serra wore silver jewelry Alyanna thought looked quite pretty on her. She also carried several folders in her arms. Very important folders, the queen knew. The contents would decide many things about Hala and its future.
Moving to the bed to deposit the folders, Serra paused letting her queen sit on the bed with folded legs. The queen opened the first folder and glanced at the contents.
Looking at Baitrum, Alyanna questioned nearly rhetorically, “We’re sure on these men?”
The captain of her guard nodded, “As certain as we can ever be. With Krulir still in the picture the men may be a little less certain of themselves. The rumor from Rhearden will make a definite difference as well. If they show at our doorstep, then we will see.”
“Simon seemed certain that his brother would bring something. How many is always hard to figure.”
The queen moved to another folder. She nodded at the answers within. “Merrick seems to have forgotten not everyone is happy with his style of rule. The numbers are hard to guess at in Marshalla, but the network seems pretty organized. I assume father had a little to do with that.
“Have a messenger to sent to my brother Relnar. He can’t be directly involved but I am sure one of our cousins can find Cadmene’s resistance. We need numbers gathered if this is to happen.”
The last folder held a simple note. “Father’s well. It sounds like the resistance in Maris is strong enough to last for a time, but they could really use help.”
Agreeing, Baitrum added, “How sure are you of Rhearden?”
Serra spoke up, “If Simon says Gerid’s picked up a fleet and an army, and I think you can assume the truth of it. How many men and ships is the only question because there may be more than when he was here. An unfortunate event like a storm could change all that, but otherwise expect a good force. They know Merrick’s forces from when Simon was here. They won’t come unprepared, but we need to have help for them here.”
The queen nodded, “Maris and Sileoth need the help. Their wizards are reduced to almost nothing and against Merrick that means they have little enough to hold off the High King’s wizards let alone the gargoyles and dragons.
“I just wish we could convince those already in his army to leave. They don’t have to join us, but if they would just move onward with those that snuck through the north portal we might have a good chance. There’s still no word that says Kar’esh will change his mind?”
Baitrum shook his head, “Fa’Makel’zer made it sound like the commander is bound by his honor to stay until Merrick fails on his end or until he dies. Even if he dies, the soldiers in the army will be committed until death.
“If we get lucky, the High King will do something to lose them, but we can’t count on it. Merrick’s no fool. He knows that, without the gargoyles and dragons, his army is merely evenly matched with Sileoth and Maris combined. Or at least when they first met on the field.
“That may be our one hope. If Merrick thinks the fight is all but over with Maris, he might get careless and ruin his alliance with Kar’esh. We could set up a surprise and trap him without their power.”
Alyanna arose. The folders in hand, she debated whether the papers could be hidden from Krulir until the information could be used. “Is the plan in place for the vizier?”
Her captain of the guard merely nodded. They prayed that the walls did not have ears. If Krulir knew of any of their plans, it would mean disaster.
Pressing on a key stone, a piece of the wall released. Inside was a small area with other hidden papers, the folders joined the others before Alyanna closed it once more.
“Well, time to put in an appearance,” the queen stated leading the other two from the room.

The castle suite seemed colder than usual. Wall hangings and the summer sun outside couldn’t warm the old man as he sat at his desk. Papers sat mostly untouched as his mind wandered. Something was wrong and Krulir felt it.

Alia and Okostre moved around quietly cleaning, while keeping their ears and eyes on the vizier in case he should need them. If he was unsettled, they felt it as well.

Tapping the sheet of paper from one of his eyes and ears, the man wondered what Alyanna was up to now. Her maidens had been active in the castle and had even taken rides outside the city on occasion. He was getting used to her antics. First, the women were running around with nothing on which included his own maid that she had stolen from him. Then they would wear a scarf or two on occasion that hardly added to their modesty. The women still could often be found leaving the city nearly bare as they rode their horses

Now the women had remained in the city for nearly three weeks. They still roamed the castle though they were more covered with their scarves than they had been. His sources had noted the maidens running errands, but they had always done that to a point for the queen. Still there was something going on, Krulir could feel it.

His maid Serra seemed to go with the captain of Alyanna’s guards quite often. The two had even been seen leaving the walls of the city on occasion.

Half growling, the vizier had Okostre go get a man that was one of his best spies. Though he acted a mere clerk, if there was something going on he would find out. If there was a plot by the queen against Merrick, the vizier would make sure that the girl would get the punishment she deserved even if it meant her death.

Simon arrived in Alistaire aboard the Vengeance well ahead of the main fleet. His mission was to make contact with both the resistance in Marshalla and Alyanna in Hala. The fleet was figured to arrive within ten days.

He stopped briefly to greet his friend Cardy and have the old man send messengers for him to Cadmene and ahead to the contact in Hala that would get the message to the queen while he prepared the resistance forces.

The ride to Casmus went by quickly. With only two guards to ride with him, Simon could move quickly. When he arrived at the White Horse Inn, the young man felt a bit of the emotion he had felt that night long ago. It had changed their lives beyond any comprehension at that time.

Entering the Inn, Stephen’s grin at seeing him was from ear to ear. “Simon!” he exclaimed joyously. “It seems so long since I’ve seen you.”

Simon had met the inn keeper after sending a messenger when he had come back to Marshalla. Meeting in Bearden to try and prevent notice by any that Merrick might have on the lookout for disgruntled men, the two men had met and discussed plans. The resistance remained, but it had gone underground soon after the Aramatheas’ had been forced to run. Every pocket had someone who knew two other pockets’ leaders. Only Stephen knew most of the leaders and he had sent word immediately to begin to rouse his people.

The two men exchange brotherly hugs and handshakes. “Hello, Stephen, are we ready?”
Gesturing for Simon to follow him inside, Stephen replied, “They will begin traveling from the furthest reaches tomorrow. Each group has it’s set day to travel so that it won’t become readily apparent that any real numbers are heading there until they meet up.
“It’s probably more secrecy than is needed, but it’s hard to tell if Merrick has a spy set until it’s too late. We lost a couple cells over the years, however, so I’d rather be more safe than sorry.”
“Once the fleet arrives, your men will have a big distraction for the army to notice,” added Simon as he concurred. “It will be impossible to hide that many men and ships. We could try spreading them out, but we figure the quickest route is the smartest way to do this. If we get the help we think we will, then a quick strike will cause the right pain for Merrick.”
With a sigh, Stephen replied, “I hope you are right. I can’t imagine that you aren’t about this. There is no way Merrick or his generals could possibly see this coming and, as far into Maris as they are, I sincerely doubt they can respond to the threat in time to prevent the capture.”
The two men moved to Stephen’s study and closed the door. They concentrated on avoiding specific names and places even though there was unlikely to be anyone in the inn that could be a spy. Even if there were no spies, idle talk in front of a gossipy patron could certainly ruin things if their talk got to the wrong ears.
Spending the evening in last minute planning and then just idle chit chat over dinner, Simon stayed the night and, by morning’s sunrise, he and his guardsmen were riding once more. The north and Hala drew the man like a moth to a flame.
Nine days. It would truly start in just nine days.

Three days. Three days until landfall and Gerid found himself pacing the deck with pent up energy. Taking the spyglass out once more, he let the magnified view search the waters around him. More than sixty ships cut through the ocean. The winds had been favorable as they had hoped for this time of year. They were so good that the commander guessed they were a bit ahead of schedule. That was why the time table had been set the way it was.