The Fireseed Wars

III

Grand Master Soton gave the order to halt the column and turned to Knight-Lieutenant Sarmoth.

Sarmoth had been Soton's aide-de-camp for almost three winters; by now, he could almost read the Grand Master's thoughts.

"Lieutenant Sarmoth, I want you to take two Blades of Knights and find this village of Salis, locate the Duchess and her son and bring them to me."

"Yes, sir. Where will I meet up with you?"

"I do not want the Agrysi to know that the heir has been the object of our expedition so I'm going to make an attack on Glarth Town. According to our intelligencers, now that the Grand Host has abandoned the Siege of Thagnor, the Glarthi merchants have started supplying Kalvan and his people with victuals and other supplies. This attack will show how we deal with those who help our enemies. So join us at Glarth Town. I intend to make a statement that the Agrysi will never forget!"

"Yes, sir. But weren't their merchants helping us, too?"

"As part of your training, I will explain my reasoning. Now that Ulthor Port is in ruins, Glarth Town is the only large Great Kingdom's port remaining in the Sea of Aesklos. Since the Grand Host has been recalled to Tarr-Ceros, we no longer have a need for re-supply."

"Yes, Grand Master."

"However, Kalvan does. He needs all the victuals and armaments he can import. He has a lot of gold and is not miserly in its use. The amount of gold that he removed from Greffa City is almost equal to that of the Great Treasury of Balph."

Sarmoth's jaw dropped.

"Most of the towns along the southern border of the Sea of Aesklos have been destroyed by the war. Only Glarth remains a major shipping center. We intend to deprive Kalvan of this asset. You know the Agrysi, don't you? It is said they would trade with Ormaz himself for a bent phenig."

He nodded, thinking to himself that in that sense the Agrysi were much like merchants everywhere.

"Lieutenant, Styphon's House allowed the Agrysi at Glarth Town their freedom as long as they were of value to the Temple. This is no longer true. Do you see this?"

"Yes, sir. However, we may need their ships and docks when we return to take Thagnor City."

Soton patted him on the shoulder. "You are starting to think strategically. However, our plan is much larger than that. After Glarth Town has been punished and the countryside subdued, we plan to erect a new city in its place. We will leave the wharves and warehouses, but the town itself is expendable. In this new city, we will build our own fleet and destroy the Usurper's navy and harass his shipping. The Inner Circle may not have realized it yet, but the time is coming when we may need to expand into the Middle Kingdoms. Glarth Town will be our stepping-off point."

The operation to snatch the heir went off flawlessly, Sarmoth noted. It was almost too easy. The villagers were cooperative, but then what else could they do when faced with an armed party that outnumbered the entire village? They'd found former Duke Thalros' manor house almost undefended. The widow had died recently and the estate was being managed by one of the former ladies-in-waiting, a very capable looking woman who'd been the only one to put up any sort of fight after their arrival. He'd had to have her restrained when they took possession of the lad, Dementros. The boy had refused to leave his friends and Sarmoth had decided it was easier to bring them and Lady Tymolara along, ensuring Dementros' cooperation, rather than argue over it.

The boy hadn't appeared to be awed by the sight of two hundred Knights, Brethren and Oath Brothers. Sarmoth liked him for that show of spunk. He didn't envy Archpriest Grythos the job of making the boy his mouthpiece.

He would have to warn the boy, that if he showed too much defiance to the Archpriest, he might find himself a long-term denizen of Tarr-Agrys' dungeon, only to be brought out to show, like a trained panther, when ambassadors or other dignitaries arrived at the Palace.

The next morning they left Salis to rejoin the Grand Master. By evening Sarmoth could see a great blossom of smoke rising from where he estimated Glarth Town resided. Already parties of fleeing refugees were passing them on the Glarth Road. Some of them ran right into the bushes and trees when they saw their white flag with Styphon's black Sun Wheel.

It took another day before they reached the town. The road was clogged with fleeing townsfolk, some of them smoke-blackened or bleeding, and escaping animals. They ran one flock of turkeys into the ground, setting up a snowstorm of feathers. Soon it was hard to hear the cries of the wounded for the roaring of the fires. The sky overhead was gray and broiling black, while the air was filled with ash, making it difficult to breathe.

Sarmoth suspected the Upper Realm of Regwarn looked much like this.

It took them another candle to locate the Grand Master, who was still seated on his horse giving orders. The entire town was enflamed or in smoldering ruins.

Soton looked at him and asked, "Is it done?"

"Yes, sir. The boy and his party have been secured."

"Party?"

"Yes, sir. Young Dementros demanded we bring his woman servant and several boys along. I thought it best to give him his lead, at least, for now."

Soton nodded. "You did well. You succeeded where Archpriest Grythos, with more experience, failed."

"I see you have been busy, Grand Master." Sarmoth made a half-circle with his arm over the burning city.

"I want all to know the price for cooperating with the Usurper Kalvan and his subjects. I've had my men go through and pick out the best of the women and young men for the slave markets in Balph. We'll probably bring ten thousand of them back with us, more than enough to pay for this expedition."

"How long will we stay, sir?"

"We will leave when the last building crumbles and the last man alive is in chains."