The Fireseed Wars

FORTY-THREE

The day had started out so well, thought Grand Master Soton, as he watched the thin figure of Holy Investigator Roxthar, his white robes flapping in the breeze like some man-sized bird of prey, trudging toward his tent. The Host of Styphon's Deliverance had met the Agrysi sortie and defeated it soundly right before sunrise. We killed or wounded about two-thirds of the party, some three thousand men, and Roxthar should be completely in his element, torturing prisoners, rather than coming to see me. What does this madman want now1?

The Investigator arrived out of breath and took a moment to regain his composure before speaking. "Grand Master, one of the unbelievers I have Investigated tells of a great Army of Dralm that the League is sending against us-you must do something!"

"I am doing everything I can to level these walls, which is unfortunately much less than I wish. Let the League of Dralm send its army, but we will not go chasing after it. Whoever owns this City, owns the Kingdom of Hos-Agrys. And I would own it now if I had some proper guns."

"Have them sent from Balph!" Roxthar interjected.

His words were punctuated by the sound of four or five small cannons being fired in unison. The resounding crash against the walls of Agrys City was almost negligible.

"Hear that, Investigator? That is our main battery, three four-pound guns and two six-pounders. We have four larger iron-hooped guns, but they only fire every quarter to half candle. At this rate, Kalvan himself will have time to return from the Middle Kingdoms to do us mischief before these walls collapse. As far as guns from Balph, most of those guns that could be moved are already with the Grand Host and will not be returning for some time-if ever! This Fireseed War has been the death of big guns."

"Tell that scoundrel Phidestros to give us his guns."

"It was the Prince who sent us two of the large guns. He claims that the rest of his guns are back in Greater Beshta and that it would take two moons to have them sent to Agrys City. I would rather have his soldiers, but he hides them behind his Great King's cloak in Tarr-Dodra. Better that you order Styphon to have his fireseed devils fly guns to us from his Sky-Palace!"

Roxthar's face turned as pale as his robes. "Do not jest in the True God's name, Grand Master. Not even you are irreplaceable!"

A deep laugh started at Soton's toes and worked its way up through his mouth. "If you can find someone who wants my job, please tell me about him. I will gladly invest him as Captain-General! It is bad enough that I have been ordered to attack a Great King without justification, but in order to complete my humiliation I have to allow you and your butchers to terrorize the countryside!"

Roxthar sputtered, almost choking on his words. "Someday you will regret what you have spoken here today." He raised his arm to signal Xenophes, High Marshal of the Styphon's House Temple Guard, to his side. "I'm certain that Marshal Xenophes would relish taking this weight from your shoulders."

Xenophes, in his silver parade armor, trudged over to the hillock upon which they stood. The High Marshal was a florid man who appeared breathless from the walk. He never went anywhere without a flask in his hand. "Hail, Grand Master. I drink to your great victory this morning over the Agrysi rabble!"

"As Styphon wills it," Soton replied. "We were fortunate to have a traitor tell us when and where the sortie would take place."

"Yes, a very rich traitor! I wish our gold would have purchased us entrance through these daunting walls as well."

"They are much stronger walls than anything the Grand Host will find in the Middle Kingdoms," Soton said. "Agrys' City Walls have faced big guns before and are built thicker and stronger than any other fortifications in the Great Kingdoms. If we had some of the big guns we took from the Hostigi at Ardros Field, we could make even these walls shudder! Unfortunately, they are with the Grand Host and we are here at Styphon's Voice's command."

There was the echo of a gunshot and a sudden ping as a bullet struck a nearby rock and ricocheted. All three men and their guards dipped and weaved.

"Worse than Ormaz-spawned mosquitoes!" Xenophes cried.

"Much better these tiny mosquitoes, than Kalvan's hornets," Soton answered. "Unfortunately, I had to leave all the rifles with the Grand Host, or we could end this nuisance once and for all."

"I have heard of these rifles, but have not encountered them on the field of battle."

"Consider yourself blessed," Soton said. "Thanks to Kalvan's rifles we left the flower of the Grand Host on the killing fields of Ardros Farm. Some of Prince Phidestros' artificers and gunmakers are now making their own rifles, but they will not give or even sell them to us-"

"This upstart Zygrosi whorespawn will be called to account one day!" Roxthar sputtered, his face mottled in anger.

"True," Soton answered. "But first we have many other beards to trim, starting with that of Great King Demistophon's."

"Yes," Xenophes agreed. "Already Styphon's armies are fighting on too many fronts. Before leaving Balph, I had to send three Temple Bands to Hos-Bletha to support Great King Niclophon. There are now three armies and four claimants to the Silver Throne! The Kingdom is in such chaos it's as if Lyklos the Trickster has taken reign there."

"What the Blethans need is a good Investigation," Roxthar pronounced.

Soton spit on the ground.

Roxthar arched like an angry cat and did everything but splay his claws.

"I sense a disagreement, Your Holiness," Xenophes observed, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes," answered Roxthar. "The Grand Master is dissatisfied with his command and seeks another to lead the Host of Styphon's Deliverance. I believe that you, Lord High Marshal Xenophes, should relieve him of his command, Styphon's Will Be Done."

Xenophes raised his hands and stumbled backwards. "Oh, no, Your Holiness! I have not commanded an army in the field in over fifteen winters. Certainly, never one this large. Grand Master Soton has fought the Daemon Kalvan three times; I've never been on the same field of battle. It is the Grand Master who defeated the Daemon and earned the honorific Styphon's Hammer. Me, I know little of this new warfare. And, from what I've seen so far, I am not fit to command an army of this size. Nor do I want to."

Soton had to bite back a laugh. The chubby, red-nosed Xenophes was best at commanding banquets and brothels, not fields of battle.

"You will have to look elsewhere, Your Holiness."

Roxthar gnashed his teeth and glared at Soton. "So be it… for now!"