The Fireseed Wars

II

Upon viewing firsthand the blackened ruins that had once been the thriving city of Ulthor Port, Great King Lysandros cursed Kalvan out loud, "By Styphon's Tool, let this demon-spawned bastard, who calls himself King Kalvan, spend all eternity in Regwarns deepest cavern!"

Captain-General Demnos removed his high-combed morion and wiped the moisture off his forehead. "I had expected no less, Your Majesty, not after the barrens we've traveled through for the past moon quarters."

"By the grace of the gods, I had hoped that the Usurper might have left this city undefiled. I was here over eighteen winters ago, on a diplomatic mission. There was talk of war with Hos-Agrys and my brother wanted me to inspect our western princedoms to see how vulnerable they were to invasion. Ulthor Port was a vibrant and impressive city. It saddens me to see it reduced to rubble. Have you noticed, there are no people here at all?"

From the hillside, the only visible life in Ulthor Port were circling seagulls, cawing ravens and mangy dogs scavenging through the ruins for food.

"It is as if Hadron and the Four Demons have taken residence in our world!" Demnos cried.

"I will find this outlaw and bring him to justice," Lysandros said. "For his beastly actions in Our lands-if it's my last act on this earth! Let the Usurper feel the headman's axe sever his neck! Yathar, the Death Bringer, shall be the last thing he sees!"

Grand Commander Aristocles, his helm open, rode up. "My scouts report no life, except a few scavengers-madmen, rag pickers and rummagers. It is as if all the Hostigi in Hos-Hostigos have fled their homes… or disappeared."

"Our informants tells us that most of them left with Queen Rylla," Demnos said. "We shall close with them soon. They shall find little welcome in Hos-Rathon, unless the turncoat Nestros has sold out Styphon's House a second time."

Artistocles shook his head. "He will not do that twice in one lifetime. Styphon's House has no mercy for traitors."

"It will matter little to us," Demnos said. "Rathon City will not hold out long against the Hostigi guns, I fear. These Trygathi and Middle Kingdom walls and tarrs are not built to stop concentrated artillery fire."

Count Hythar, Lysandros' Chief Intelligencer, said, "Your Majesty, Queen Rylla's army must already be at the City Gates."

"Let us hope that the Rathoni can pin them down for a moon half."

Demnos shook his head. "The Hostigi know we're sniffing at their trail; they will not tarry there for long. Nor shall we. Summer is dead and fall is upon us. Soon the rains will begin in earnest, and after that snow. We've wasted far too much time in Hostigos Town."

Lysandros nodded, "Demnos is right. We must begin to look for a place to winter. Rathon City will do fine; they will not be able to hold the walls against our artillery. I fear it is already too late to bring Kalvan's army to battle, unless their Queen is foolish enough to think they can hold Rathon against our host."

Aristocles laughed. "No, she is anything but foolish. I would not want to be King Nestros if Queen Rylla gets her talons into him! I just wish we knew where the Usurper was headed with the Nythrosi fleet."

"My spies have found no one of consequence to interrogate," Hythar said. "The Hostigi could have many destinations, even Greffa City."

"I doubt that King Theovacar would allow Kalvan and his army to rest so close to his own seat," Aristocles noted.

"Kalvan won't stray far from his Queen," Hythar added, with a nasty little laugh. "They are rumored to mate like minks!"

Lysandros gave his Chief Intelligencer a hard stare. Count Hythar was perched like a carrion bird on the back of his big horse. Lysandros detested the Count and referred to him as Chief Rat to his friends. However, Hythar s nose sniffed out news like a cur smelled a rival's markings. For now, he was useful. When this war is over, I'm going to grant him the smallest fiefdom in war-torn Nostor and order him to stay there until Styphon's next Revelation!

"It worries me that we know nothing about the Usurper's plans," Aristocles continued. "Thanks to the Investigation the Hostigi are fighting us to the death, and the ones we do capture are nonentities. We are going to have to winter in this foul land, which grows colder every day."

"What will we do for supplies?" Demnos asked.

Lysandros nodded. "We have just enough victuals, fodder, spare wagon wheels, horseshoes and firewood on hand to get us to Rathon City and set up a short siege."

Aristocles paused to take out his pipe and tobacco pouch. As soon as his pipe was lit, he began, "The Grand Master and I discussed a number of contingency plans before he left for Balph. I had hoped he would return to lead the Host, but the gods saw otherwise. It is good that Phidestros and his army did not continue with the Host, or we would soon be facing shortages of food and fodder.

"We have enough supplies, if we're careful, for about another moon. There is a large supply train on the way from Hos-Ktemnos, and it should reach us in a moon half. If it does, it will give us another moon of victuals. Soton also purchased another two moons' worth of supplies in Glarth, but we will need a safe harbor on the Sea of Aesklos. Once we reach Hos-Rathon we should be able to forage for supplies, unless Queen Rylla has burned them out, as well.

"It was Soton's plan to winter in one of the cities that could be reached overland by trails from Tarr-Ceros so that supplies could be shipped up to us. There is a water route, but it is too dangerous. Fortunately for us, none of these cities, except Greffa, have fortifications that would stop our guns."

Lysandros nodded. "Won't taking over one of these cities make us new enemies?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, so we must pick a city that is vulnerable with few allies," Aristocles said. "You must remember, it was not our original plan to travel this far west. It is Kalvan who has dictated the length of our march."

Lysandros, being a king himself, knew that Theovacar-even were he only half as ambitious as rumor had it-would not welcome another major player in Middle Kingdom politics, especially one like the Usurper Kalvan with over sixty thousand soldiers. On the other hand, the Greffan king might view the Host as a counter to Kalvan's obvious ambitions in his territory.

"So be it," Lysandros pronounced. "If Rathon City does not fall within a moon half, we will move the Host to the Sea of Aesklos and find a city to winter in."