The Fireseed Wars

IV

Ranthos watched as the scouts went around and cut the throats of the seriously wounded Knights and stripped their corpses. There was going to be a fair profit from used armor and arms to be made out of this expedition. But the big prize was lying on the ground unconscious before him. An Archpriest of the Inner Circle-talk about a big fish! The question was: What to do with him?

He kicked him in the breastplate with his foot. The Archpriest groaned, but his eyes remained closed.

Captain Reme rode over. "We got most of them. Maybe five or six got away, several with wounds. Should we chase them down, sir?"

His sudden respectful demeanor said more than his words. Ranthos hadn't led his troops in battle since they'd left Greater Beshta; there they'd fought mostly against lightly armed border reivers with a few real soldiers as backup. This had been a real dustup. Plus, they'd killed Knights, Styphon's House's handpicked troops, among the best this time-line had to offer.

"The men did well, even with orders they didn't like."

"Sir, the men have soft spots for horses, not for Styphon's spawn. And we killed a good lot of them, sir!"

He smiled. "That we did. Let's move over here, where we can talk in private."

Ranthos found a shaded spot under a big hemlock. "Who's in the coach?"

"We found a young girl, says she's eight winters old, and her father, another Duke. He's still shaking from his time with the Knights. Claims he wants nothing to do with his cousin Demistophon or the Styphoni devils. He overheard the Archpriest saying that Soton would have him beheaded and his daughter put on the Throne, if her cousin Dementros couldn't be found. Apparently, the Styphoni said some things they shouldn't have in his presence."

"Great Galzar's Mace!" Ranthos said, as he took his pipe fixings out of his breeches. "It's hard to believe Styphoni arrogance."

Captain Reme nodded. "That Archpriest Grythos is Styphon's Voice's handpicked man. He used to be a Knight Commander in the Order of Zarthani Knights. He was sent to the siege of Agrys City to watch over Grand Master Soton and Archpriest Roxthar."

"How did you find that out?"

"One of their Agrysi scouts told me. He overheard most of it from two drunk Knights, after they sacked a small village for victuals, who were bragging about their commander. He hates the Styphoni and would have deserted but for the oath-brothers. They captured one Agrysi deserter and skinned him with their knives, then they staked him out in the hot sun screaming until he died. The Knights and their oath-brothers thought it was marvelous fun, and the scouts stopped deserting. But it cost the last of their loyalty."

"That's very interesting," he said as he lit his pipe with his tinderbox.

"There's more, Grand-Captain. This Grythos is supposed to be the new Regent of Hos-Agrys, after the City's taken and Demistophon is beheaded for his crimes against Styphon's House and his subjects."

"Hmm." He drew long on his pipe, taking in a lungful of smoke. It would be a real coup to return to Eubros City with a live Archpriest trundled up and ready for questioning. On the other hand, this Grythos might do more good as a Regent than as a prisoner. Also, if they captured Grythos, Soton would have to conclude they'd put him under torture to get to the truth about what the Archpriest was doing in the hinterlands of Hos-Agrys, which would foul up all the good work he'd accomplished today.

"Captain, toss the Archpriest into the pit with the rest of the dead. Let him think we thought he'd been killed, not knocked out. Throw a couple more of the badly-wounded in with the dead ones. The Archpriest will be so busy thanking Styphon he won't question his good fortune, if it's done right!"

"Yes, sir," Reme said with a big smile. He shouted over at the scouts, "You can stop cutting throats now! Scouts get back out on patrol. The rest of you have another candle to strip the dead and search for loot."