Heritage of Cyador

XV

Only a handful of senior officers remain in the private dining room on sixday morning-Lerial, Ascaar, Valatyr, Klassyn, and Majer Waell.

As they near finishing their meal, Lerial says to Ascaar, “I wish you and Subcommander Klassyn a pleasant and uneventful ride to Shaelt.”

“With the arms-commander accompanying us, one hopes for an uneventful journey even more than a pleasant one.”

Rhamuel hasn’t told him? Or have I been deceived? Lerial manages just to nod, but also feels glad that he has told his officers to say nothing about when the Mirror Lancers will be departing and what their plans may be.

“You will be leaving shortly, I presume.” Ascaar’s voice is cheerful, at least as close to cheerful as it ever is in the early morning.

“Tomorrow or eightday,” replies Lerial. “I don’t want to hurry the wounded.” What else can you say? His eyes go to Valatyr, but the operations commander’s face betrays nothing, one way or the other.

“Can most of them ride? I know you have some wagons, but…” Ascaar’s voice shows honest concern.

“Those that survived have broken arms and slashes, mostly. Three have broken legs, but with three wagons … we should be able to manage.” Lerial actually plans to send one wagon back to Ensenla with the wounded.

“Sounds as though you’ll manage.”

“So will you,” Lerial replies with a smile.

Since almost all the senior officers are leaving-except for Valatyr, assuming that Rhamuel has not deceived Lerial-there is no senior officers’ meeting. So, after breakfast, Lerial makes his way to the Cigoernean tents. More than half of those that had filled the area south of the main house have been struck and carted off, presumably to some form of storage, and the tents serving Lerial’s forces now stand quite separate from those that remained to shelter Ascaar’s now-departing battalion.

“Ser…” ventures Kusyl, “word is that the arms-commander-”

“Is leaving with Subcommander Ascaar’s battalion,” finishes Lerial. “We’ll have to see if that’s true, but why don’t you mount up Twenty-third Company in case they need some maneuvers exercise.”

“Yes, ser.”

Lerial strongly doubts that such “maneuvers” will be necessary, but … anything is possible. Rather than walk back to the house and have to summon an ostler or stableboy to saddle and bring his gelding, he borrows a horse and saddle from the few spares they have brought and joins Kusyl as the company forms up, reining up a few yards away.

“You don’t think they’ll double-cross us, do you, ser?”

“No. But it’s better to be prepared.” Lerial glances to the east, where rankers with carts are clearing the toppled stones from the breach in the wall and others appear to be digging around the base of the wall, as if to ready the foundation for reinforcement before masons rebuild the damaged section.

Lerial and Kusyl continue to wait and watch as Ascaar’s first battalion forms up. Then, Lerial sees a dark-haired figure that can only be Rhamuel ride around the north side of the country home and rein up beside Ascaar. After a time, the arms-commander rides back to the main entrance, where he dismounts and hands the reins of his mount to an Afritan Guard and then walks through the main entrance.

A tenth of a glass or so passes, and then the column begins to move, riding toward the north entrance and the river road. Lerial continues to watch, but then sees an Afritan ranker riding toward him.

The ranker reins up several yards from Lerial. “Overcaptain Lerial, ser?”

“Yes?”

“I have a message for you, ser.” The ranker holds up a folded sheet, apparently sealed at the edge.

Lerial checks his shields, but they are firm.

Kusyl eases his mount toward the Afritan Guard. “I’ll give it to him.” He takes the extended envelope and rides the few yards to Lerial, handing him the sealed sheet.

Lerial takes it.

Kusyl looks to the guard. “He has it.”

“I’m supposed to wait until he reads it, ser.”

After using his order-senses to check the seal and the paper, and finding no chaos, Lerial breaks the seal and reads the few unsigned lines of Hamorian script.

You’re likely to have an eventful ride, especially if any of the arms-commander’s personal guards “vanish.” My condolences.

Lerial has no doubts who wrote it, but the words tell him who is more likely to be trusted and why Rhamuel has staged the withdrawal from Lubana in the way that he has. He looks up. “I’ve read it. Convey my thanks.”

“Yes, ser.” The Afritan turns his mount and rides back north.

“Ser?” offers Kusyl.

“Some friendly advice. We should be wary of any of the arms-commander’s personal guard that attempt to … shall we say … reach Swartheld before we do.”

Kusyl’s expression says more than the unspoken expletive that he is doubtless thinking.

“Exactly,” replies Lerial. “You can take the company on a tour of the hunting park, then return.”

“Yes, ser.”

Lerial continues to watch, still mounted, until it is clear that all of Ascaar’s battalion has indeed left Lubana.

A glass later, once it is clear that the only forces that remain at Lubana are the battalion under Majer Chorazt, Lerial’s companies, and the arms-commander’s personal squad, Lerial rides back to the country house, past a company of rankers striking the remaining Afritan tents, since the single battalion is clearly quartered in the permanent barracks at Lubana. Once back in his chambers, he seats himself at the desk and begins to compose the necessary dispatch to his sire. He takes his time in composing the text. Almost a glass later, he reads over what he has written.

Ser-

As you had thought, the Heldyans did attack at various points around Luba, including Lubana, the walled grounds surrounding Duke Atroyan’s country house south of Luba itself. The attack began early on the tenth twoday of winter, with more than ten flatboats landing south of the duke’s hunting park, slightly more than a kay south of Lubana …

He nods at the pedestrian description of the first landing and then the beginning of the attack on the east wall, then concentrates on the next words.

… with our archers on the narrow pediment of the wall, a Heldyan white wizard began to throw chaos-bolts at them in order to stop them from loosing more shafts into the boats that held the Heldyan archers supporting the attackers. Some of those bolts were diverted, and steam shrouded the riverbank. The Heldyans tried an attack with an earth-magus, but after one section of wall collapsed, there was a tremendous explosion of steam and water amid the Heldyan flatboats. When it cleared, only three boats remained, and they departed immediately.

That allowed us to take two companies to the Luba trading piers in time to repulse an armed attack on the town. More than two-thirds of the attackers died, and we managed to capture roughly one hundred prisoners, whom we turned over to the arms-commander. All in all, we lost ten rankers in the fighting and suffered twenty-two wounded. Of the wounded, despite all efforts at healing, four more succumbed to their injuries, and the remaining wounded are accompanying this dispatch to Ensenla.

While a battalion of Afritan Guards remains at Luba, the other three battalions are moving north, one to Shaelt and two to Swartheld, perhaps because Duke Khesyn appears to be building up forces at Estheld.

The reason why I and the remaining Mirror Lancers are not immediately returning is that Arms-Commander Rhamuel has requested that we escort him to Swartheld to receive the personal thanks of Duke Atroyan. Under the circumstances, it seems wisest to accede to that request.

I do not know if word has reached Cigoerne, but Duke Atroyan’s eldest son, Traeyen, died of a violent flux last fall, and Natroyor, the present heir, has not enjoyed excessively robust health. As a result of these events, Arms-Commander Rhamuel is, of course, most protective of the duke and his family, as I feel we should also be, and for that reason as well, believe I should take into account the desires of Arms-Commander Rhamuel. Then, too, perhaps I might even have an opportunity to again see the duke’s eldest child, the Lady Kyedra, when I am in Swartheld, and it would certainly be good for me to see the duke and the rest of his family as well.

We will, of course, return to Cigoerne as expeditiously as possible once we have paid our respects to the duke and met any other obligations, although I am unaware of any such at present.

Lerial reads the dispatch once more. Then, finally, he signs it and waits for the ink to dry before he seals it.