The Chronicles: Notomol Ch. 04

Notomol swore us all to secrecy. We weren't to tell a living soul. But we could guess.

The Deadman's Bog took them.

***

I didn't like the killing at the end, but it was a tremendous victory. It came at a cost: Ermanar was dead, as was one of Doreg's friends. Four of Nelime's fighters and two of the non-combatants were lost. One of the locals and one of Vidrik's friends also perished.

But ten of ours, for over a hundred of theirs? We wanted to celebrate our deliverance - and if you ask me, it was all Notomol's doing. Yadha might have helped to find the bog, but I knew where the credit belonged. Most of our band agreed with me.

Still, our triumph was short-lived. The Izumyrians had already been preparing reinforcements; now those troops rushed into Stonje in their hundreds. A hundred to garrison the ruins of Dienik's steading, a hundred to reinforce Ansil's steading, closer to us, and two hundred new soldiers at the Ban's steading.

We had completely eliminated a hundred Izumyrian soldiers. Our reward was the almost immediate appearance of four hundred more.

These new troops didn't simply march in to Stonje. They announced their arrival with a string of 'reprisals'.

They were atrocities, really. Innocent men were hanged as suspected 'rebels'. In one village, and old man and a 12 year-old boy were strung up side by side.

Small hamlets disappeared, as whole families were murdered, in deliberate repetitions of what had happened at Dusova. In the village of Kremitza, an outraged father killed a soldier who was raping his daughter. The Izumyrians went wild, and massacred the entire population. Seventy-nine people were slaughtered.

It changed my mind about what had happened in the Deadman's Bog.

It also changed the minds of many people in Stonje. How could they trust the Izumyrians to rule, with respect for life and property?

More than a few Hvadi took to the forests, or to the hills.

- "It's our fault." said Senderra.

- "It's not." I said. "They did this."

- "But we caused it. If we hadn't ..."

- "No, Sen." said Notomol. "If we do nothing, then they win. That's what they want. They hold our people hostage. Our families. They want us to tamely submit."

"We've told you about Dusova. That was no 'reprisal'. It's what they do. Kolasovets is right: They did this. And they'll do it again - regardless of what we do."

***

One immediate result of the Izumyrian atrocities was a flood of people into the areas where we were sheltering - and hunting. Winter was fast approaching, and food would soon become a major issue.

On the bright side, a number of them were fighters - or people who could be trained to fight. We quickly recruited over a score of potential warriors, including three who could use bows. But Notomol wouldn't turn away the non-combatants - and almost 50 of them came to join us.

- "I don't know if we can feed them all." I told him.

- "We can teach them to gather food." said Notomol. "They can learn to fletch arrows. But I won't send them away."

I couldn't really argue. I agreed with him.

My family (and especially my Grandma) had taught me about famine foods. I knew how to find toothwort - you may know it as bittercress - and other edible plants. I could also teach children to hunt for acorns and walnuts.

Notomol put me in charge of two dozen gatherers.

- "What is this shit?" snarled Adser, Vidrik's friend.

- "Food." I said. "If you don't want it, I know someone who does."

- "Don't let him bother you." said Senderra. "I think you're doing wonderful work."

Only a few warriors helped out. Dusca, for one, wasn't too proud to get her hands dirty.

- "No." said Motekin, when I asked him. "That's women's work."

People complained about the taste, and quite a few suffered from diarrhea - for which they blamed me, of course.

By contrast, Notomol pulled off a major coup when a local herdsman named Bidar came to us.

- "They'll come for my cattle - I know it." he said. "It's just a matter of time. I'd rather bring the whole herd to you, if it's going to come to that."

That bit of information gave Notomol an idea.

- "Tell your neighbours that you're going to slaughter the entire herd."

- "What?"

- "Invite everyone you know. Tell them you're sure that the Izumyrians are going to confiscate everything. Offer them all the meat they can carry."

- "Someone will tell the soldiers." said Bidar. "There's bound to be at least one."

- "I know." said Notomol.

***

Fifty Izumyrian soldiers came. A dozen of them were cavalrymen, mounted on those spectacular horses. They arrived at Bidar's farm two days before the day he'd scheduled for the great meat give-away.

We'd been lying in wait for three days. We had plenty of warning that the enemy were on their way.

Seventeen archers opened fire on the horsemen, all at once. Two horses threw their riders, two more panicked, and bolted. Three more riders were struck by arrows and unhorsed.

Orsho and twenty-five fighters charged from one side; Dubek and Vidrik attacked from the opposite side (Doreg wasn't present; his wound had become infected, and he was still weak from the resultant fever).

Another volley at the horsemen emptied five more saddles. It was remarkably good shooting. We directed our next arrows at the foot soldiers. Four of them fell. It may not sound like much, but this occurred just seconds before our fighters charged home.

It was hard fight, in places, but the Izumyrians were disorganized, and their officers were too busy getting shot from their ornamented saddles to influence the outcome. Orsho and Dubek were also unstoppable.

I don't mean to underrate Vidrik. I've admitted that I didn't like the man, but I have to say that he fought well once again. He simply wasn't in the same category as Orsho and Dubek. Those two were elemental forces. You might as well try to stop the wind, or the rain. They were coming - and woe betide you when they got there.

It's possible, too, that these weren't first-rate Izumyrian troops. I hadn't learned to tell the difference, yet. Their line held, for a moment - and then Dubek crashed through. On the opposite side, Orsho felled a man, opening a gap. Another soldier stepped in, to fill the hole, and Orsho promptly smashed that man to the ground.

The centre of the Izumyrian line gave way. Those to the right pulled together, trying to form a tight knot of men, with overlapping shields. The men to the left, however, saw open ground. They broke formation and ran for safety.

They had to run past us, first; three were killed by our arrows, and another wounded. Our second volley killed two more, and wounded one.

The massacre at Bidar's field, they called it.

Twenty-four Izumyrians died there; eleven more were killed trying to escape from the killing ground. After the fight, we butchered six of those huge Izumyrian horses, and all of Bidar's cattle. We carried away all of the meat, and all of the gear we could use.

Then we did our best to obliterate all of our tracks, so that the enemy couldn't follow us back into the woods.

***

More people fled to us, almost every day. We took them to remote parts of the forest - partly out of need, and partly to prevent them from giving away our location. I hated the precautions we had to take, but everyone understood how necessary they were.

That was when Doreg and Dubek announced that they were leaving.

- "I'm still a little weak." said Doreg. "The prospect of a winter in the woods is rather daunting. But that set me to thinking: we won't do you any good over the winter; just more mouths to feed. But what if we returned home? We could find out what's been going on in Hvad town."

- "And maybe return with a few more men." said Dubek. "Unless you're planning something big during the winter."

- "No." said Notomol. "We'll be busy enough feeding everyone, as you say - and hiding our tracks. Your idea sounds good. You'll be careful?"

- "Of course." said Doreg.

I wondered if there was one more reason for their departure. When Doreg and Dubek had first joined us, they'd come with six friends, and our band still numbered only eleven. Now there were over 150 people in our camp - and only two of Doreg's friends were still alive.

Four days later, two new men arrived to join us. I hadn't seen anyone quite so colourful since Yadha Snakehand.

The first was old (though not so ancient as Yadha). He wore a curious felt hat atop his head, with flaps to cover his ears. His bushy eyebrows were grey, as were his full sideburns, but he shaved his chin, throat, and upper lip. It was a curious combination.

He wore a bright red tunic, and a thick leather belt. He also wore thick leggings and an expensive pair of fine leather boots. To the delight of absolutely everyone who saw him, he had a gusle strapped to his back.

The second man was younger, and less colourful - though he wore pointed shoes, and his leggings were cut short, for no reason that I could see, other than to reveal the extravagant tattoos on his ankles. He too carried a gusle, a long-necked, single-stringed musical instrument, resembling a lute. The sound box was usually a single piece of maple, or chestnut. The neck was long, and often intricately carved. The player, called a guslar, held the instrument vertically, between his knees, and drew a horsehair bow across the string.

The older man had a great sense of his own importance. He waited for people to notice him - which happened very quickly.

- "A guslar! A guslar!" they cried.

Guslars are honoured guests in a Hospodar's steading, or a Ban's hall, especially over the long winter months. They are generously rewarded (and they often sing of a lord's largesse for years afterwards). They are respected - even revered - by the people. No one dares to offend a guslar, unless they want their misdeeds immortalized in song. While he plays, the guslar can sing, but most often, he recites an epic poem. We love heroic tales, and the old legends. I especially love the songs about Borna, because so many of them take place in Yeseriya.

This old guslar was especially proud, and very patient. He waited imperiously until Notomol came out to greet him, with Nelime and Orsho.

- "Adrastas?" said Nelime.

- "One and the same, Lady. Old Adrastas of Stonje." said the guslar. "At your service. And yours, Master Orsho. May I present my apprentice, Obran?"

- "You are both welcome among us." said Notomol.

- "Ah - this must be the warrior we've all heard of." said Adrastas. Notomol advanced, and offered his hand to both guslars.

The news that not one, but two guslars had arrived spread all over our camp. Nearly a hundred people gathered just to see them. Everyone hoped that they would perform for us, but old Adrastas begged off, claiming fatigue. He would perform the following night, he promised.

The truth of the matter was that he had important information to share. Guslars could usually travel anywhere, unmolested. They collected snippets of information the way a sheepdog collects burrs. Adrastas had been to Hvad town - and he hadn't forgotten a word of anything that he'd heard.

- "The invasion was organized by the Northern Duke, Beghel. Apparently he didn't want to split his lands between two sons. He saw Hvad as a fine fief for his younger son - his favourite, Meldoi."

- "What's a fief?" asked Vidrik. He was sitting as close as he could, determined not to be left out of the proceedings.

- "A domain." said Adrastas. "The lands belonging to a single Lord, who then swears fealty to the King of Izumyr. Now this King - Gerlak the First - was informed of the Duke's plans, and wondered what his vassal was up to. Gerlak has sons of his own, you see."

I was already confused. What was a vassal?

"That's why the invasion force was so large." said Adrastas. "The Duke gathered over 5,000 men on his own. Then the King sent 2,000 soldiers, to 'safeguard his interests'. Once the King became involved, several southern Izumyrian barons decided to join in. The total force was closer to 9,000."

- "So many ..." said Nelime.

- "Yes, Lady. Now you understand why the Battle was such a disaster. Voivode Richwin had barely 2500. It was madness to fight there. In addition to the Voivode, the Bans of Adarion, Yelsa and Pitve were also killed. The Ban of Yeseriya was captured."

That was no great loss, I thought. I was leaning forward, to hear what the old Guslar was saying. Motekin was directly in front of me, scribbling in his journal. Notomol had gotten him a good place, expressly so that he could take notes.

"I tell you these things," said Adrastas, "so that you will understand that our enemies are not united. The King does not trust this Duke. Gerlak sent a representative, named Conbrit, to watch Duke Beghel - and no doubt to report on his doings. They do not trust each other, these Izumyrians."

Nor should they, I thought. Now that I knew what I knew, I wouldn't trust one of our own Hospodars - and definitely not a Ban.

- "It is even more complicated than that." continued the guslar. "The Duke has been adept at out-manoeuvring the King's protégé, this fellow Conbrit. The southern Lords have also become disgruntled. They have not been receiving the spoils which they believe they are entitled to."

- "Spoils?" asked Nelime.

- "Plunder. Grants of land. New titles. Duke Beghel is promising the Bans that they can retain their lands if they cooperate with him. But many Izumyrians are clamouring to be made Hospodars ... and even Bans, in their own right. Your Baron Harke was one of these."

- "Harke?" said Notomol.

- "An ambitious man." said Adrastas. "Vaulting ambition, allied to too little talent. He was described to us as a 'pompous ass'."

Obran, the apprentice, spoke for the first time. "One Izumyrian officer said that Harke's saddle was smarter than he was."

- "Indeed." said Adrastas. "Some of these barons are unhappy enough that they are taking their men home."

- "Are there many of them?" asked Notomol.

- "Quite a few." said the guslar. "The King is recalling most of his troops. The majority of the southern barons are leaving - and even some of the northern Duke's supporters are looking to home."

- "How many men would that be?"

Adrastas smiled, enjoying the attention.

- "Thousands, Master Notomol. Thousands of the Izumyrians could be leaving Hvad."

*****