The Fireseed Wars

THIRTY-EIGHT

Kalvan's Army of Greffa was now about two hundred marches into

Greffan territory. Between the Mobile Force, the Mounted Rifles, three thousand dragoons-mostly shot with a scattering of pikeman and halberdiers, about half the Royal Cavalry and two thousand Urgothi stradiots, Kalvan had over twelve thousand troopers and the flying batteries to throw at Greffa City. Not to mention the new thirty-two pound brass gun, Galzar's Mace, which was being towed on a long ox-wagon some fifty marches behind the army. General Alkides, who was staying behind at Thagnor City to man the walls, had argued that they should bring two of the rifled sixteen-pounders with Galzar's Mace.

Kalvan had disagreed; the two cannons were much more important to the defense of Thagnor. If he couldn't storm Grefla with two flying batteries of twelve guns apiece and Galzar's Mace, then it was a doomed exercise to begin with. Besides, his mission was more of a diversion than a serious attack, meant to draw off King Theovacar and force him and his army back to Greffa City.

For the first time since fleeing from Hostigos, Kalvan was beginning to believe that things were finally improving for him and his people. The Thagnor City defenses were almost complete and Lysandros, or whomever was in charge of the Grand Host, could spend all year battering them with round shot and still get nowhere. Chartiphon had raised and trained a substantial force in Rathon, enough men to maybe turn the war. If his forces could hijack the Styphoni supply trains or even keep them from arriving, the Grand Host would find itself in deep waters come fall. Let them eat shoe leather for a change!

Captain-General Errock came riding up from the van, his horse lathered. "Your Majesty, according to our scouts, there's a village ahead holding between forty and sixty militiamen."

"What's the name?"

"Vagnor, sire."

"Verkan, do you know anything about this village?"

General Verkan nodded. "Vagnor's a small outpost, population roughly three to four hundred. It's a road junction and trading center for local fur trappers and hunters. There are a few small farms for local greens and grains."

This part of Greffa, the other side of the Thagnori border, was mostly unsettled with first-generation forests, mostly of oak, sycamore, ash and maple trees.

Kalvan turned to Errock. "Any military to speak of?"

He replied, "A few guardsmen, probably a squad. Some local militiamen, most of whom could shoot a bow, crossbow or the occasional smoothbore. Nothing against Hostigi firepower."

"What kind of walls?"

"From the scouts' report," Errock said, "wooden palisades, towers and some blockhouses with a small gun or two, sire. Nothing we couldn't smash down in a day or two with our artillery."

Kalvan tugged his beard. "I'd like to settle our differences now before we have to come back through this way come summer. I don't like leaving combatants in my rear, either. Do you think we can negotiate a surrender?"

Errock chewed on his mustache for a moment. "I believe so, Your Majesty, as long as we allow them to save face. I'll talk to the representative of the town-moot and see if they're willing to play along. Theovacar's taxes in the marches are high and there's little love for him or his tax-gatherers."

The King's advance party arrived at Vagnor in about a candle. Kalvan was surprised to find the wooden palisade and blockhouses right out of American Colonial history. It wouldn't have surprised him if Daniel Boone had ridden out of the gates. There were a couple of farms in a cleared area outside the walls and some out-buildings, but all appeared deserted.

Captain-General Errock, Uncle Wolf Tharses and Grand-Captain Vanar Halgoth with twenty of the Royal Bodyguard formed a parley group and entered through the town gate. While he was waiting, Kalvan had his horse fed and watered at a nearby stream.

"Verkan, what sort of reception should we expect at Greffa?"

"Despite Theovacar's limited forces, he's probably left a good-sized garrison of several thousand men under a loyal commander. Five thousand at most. He has to keep a strong garrison in the City as the King has a lot of unhappy nobles who'd love an opportunity to rebel. The nomads are quiet and haven't been sighted in great numbers any closer than Lyros so far this campaign season. Still, most of his defenses will be aimed at stopping a barbarian incursion.

"Naval power has the most weight in the Upper Middle Kingdoms so Theovacar would never expect a land attack against his capital from Thagnor, which will give us the element of surprise. Morthron, by way of the Erkfryn River, has been the traditional Thagnori invasion route to Greffa City, which is why they are so closely allied. The only real problem we'll face is the Great Walls. With your guns, they shouldn't hold out more than a moon half."

"I pray to Galzar that you're correct, Verkan. If we can bag Greffa City in less than a moon, we'll be able to return to Thagnor and hit the Grand Host from the rear. Now that would be a surprise!"

Verkan grinned. "One the Styphoni are guaranteed not to like."

Kalvan heard an uproar, some shouts and cries, from within the village. He turned and ordered Verkan to organize a sortie party while they waited.

Suddenly the town gates opened and Errock and his party came riding out smartly with half-a-dozen of the villagers. As they approached, Kalvan saw that several of the villagers had been roughed up.

"Any problems?" he asked.

Errock shook his head. "Sire, when the headman here suggested they surrender the village, some of the Royal soldiers got upset and started pushing the locals around. Our men put a quick end to that. This is Headman Yagar. He has a request."

"Yes, Headman, what do you wish?"

The Headman jumped off his horse and fell to the ground to grovel. Kalvan shook his head in disgust and motioned for him to rise. If this is the way Theovacar and the Grefftscharri nobility treat all their subjects, the whole state is rotten to the core.

"Your Majesty, King Kalvan the Great, I would ask for only one thing. That you have your soldiers fire in the air one time and then we will surrender the town. I would not like it to be said that not a single shot was fired in our capitulation."

"That will be done. Anything else?"

"Only that you take the Royal Greffan soldiers with you as prisoners; otherwise, they will kill us all as soon as you have left."

"So it shall be. We will also leave fifty of our men to make sure that none of Theovacar's loyalists try to re-take the town."

"Thank you, thank you, Your Majesty!" the Headman said, bowing and scraping.