The Chronicles: Notomol Ch. 09

Lemek was good as his word; he kept an eye on me. But he was also far more receptive to my ideas than any of the other Lowlanders, except possibly Gerimir. He and his men also provided me with a wealth of information about the geography of Mahuc.

- "We have to hit them." I said. "Just ... not where they're expecting it."

- "Go on." said the Ban of Mahuc.

- "Those two groups of 150 men - they're ready to move the moment they hear that we've taken the bait. But what if we attacked them, instead?"

- "150 men?"

- "We don't have to kill them all." I said. "But what if we stole their horses?"

- "Precisely what Borna would have done!" said Thuruar. The guslar was one of my strongest supporters. He was also rutting with Giedra - at every opportunity - he had to know what side his bread was buttered on.

We had to do something. Even Prosquetel couldn't argue with that. The audacity of such a move appealed to Lemek's fighters, who hadn't been able to strike at the invaders in any meaningful way for over a year.

I explained what I was thinking.

It was considerably easier to execute than it had been to conceive of. There were 150 Izumyrians, based half a league west of Uda's farm. They were waiting for some kind of signal, to rush in and trap us. They were not expecting an attack on their own camp.

Berilde and Sarine were clever girls. They were also quick on their feet, which was why I preferred to use them as runners. But they were, in addition, excellent sneakers and skulkers. They eliminated a guard on the edge of the Izumyrian camp. That allowed us to slip a number of fighters in close to the corral where the majority of the enemy's horses were kept.

Seva and four archers attacked from the east. They killed a couple of sentinels. The Izumyrian camp immediately boiled into action. Most of the soldiers poured that way. The officers, though, ran towards the horses - their mounts.

Lemek's warriors were waiting for them. It was no fair fight. Seven Izumyrians - all officers - died fairly quickly. One of the Mahuc warriors was wounded.

We got away with eleven of their horses.

There was quite a bit of chuckling among Lemek's fighters, as well as the Uplanders. We'd killed a dozen Izumyrians, for no loss on our side - and we had a bunch of their horses.

- "That isn't going to win the war for us." complained Prosquetel.

- "But it's a damned good start." said the Ban of Mahuc. Lemek was now completely besotted with me. He seemed to expect that I would repay his trust and confidence by sleeping with him.

- "I'm sorry, Lord." I said. "I ... "

- "Ah." said the Ban. "You prefer women? That's a shame. You're an attractive girl. But I've heard that even Payl, the Shining One, preferred her own gender."

- "I didn't know that." I said.

- "Oh ... that's well known." said Lemek. "But never fear: I'll support you - regardless of your ... inclinations."

- "Thank you, my Lord."

***

Lemek thought that I liked women? I probably should have told him the truth, but I took the easy escape. That led Liesma HorseFace to proposition me - after all, she hadn't seen me intimately involved with any other women. I let her down easily, and then steered her towards Eliv. The two of them had a short, but reasonably happy liaison.

It didn't harm my relationship with Gerimir, either. That was already beyond repair. He'd asked me to marry him, last year - and I'd turned him down. Now, he remained torn between his loyalty to the Duchess and his affection for me. This was far more difficult for him than it was for me. He was a fine young man, and I truly liked him. I just didn't know how to tell Gerimir that I didn't love him.

I'd lain with him, when we were alone on the journey to Nareven. We were being pursued by Seaglitz and his cavalrymen, our lives were in danger, and our romance had seemed like such a desperate, passionate thing. Gerimir was honest, and brave; he could sit at a table with Vingoldas and my father, and I wasn't embarrassed. I just wasn't ... quite as proud, or quite as excited as Tanguiste or Sulcen were. They loved their men without reservation.

Gerimir would always have trouble reconciling his affection for me and his oath to the Duchess; he was torn between inclination and obligation, though he would always choose the latter. As for me, I couldn't help feeling that there was someone better for me - and it certainly wasn't the Ban of Mahuc.

Lemek's warriors also considered me lucky, now - and so did most of the Uplanders. That meant that they had confidence in me, which was something Prosquetel couldn't ignore.

Our last attack had been cocky, and aggressive. That paid off, and attracted several important new allies.

Mailis was the wife of a Hospodar, from Yeseriya. She'd been married to the grandson of Mutimir LongRider (rumour had it that he was known as ThreeNipple, until Borna helped him earn a better name - a much better name). This Mutimir had been an Uplander, rewarded by Borna for his successes and his loyalty.

Mailis herself was no warrior. But when her husband and his Hand were arrested by the Izumyrians, she'd raised his supporters, intending to join the rebellion. She had reddish hair, freckles, and 37 fighters in her druzhina - including 8 women. It didn't seem so strange to Yeseriyans: they'd been brought up on stories of Borna, Berit, and Nanaidh.

My family had no doubts whatsoever that Borna would never have succeeded without the support of female warriors. Payl was my great-grandmother, after all.

Mailis was, all of a sudden, leader of the largest contingent in our force. Prosquetel immediately began to kiss her ass, and the Duchess was surprisingly ... pleasant.

- "Almost human." whispered Giedra.

Fortunately, Lemek of Mahuc spoke highly of me. Mailis might have been a woman of rank, as the wife of a Hospodar, but she was no courtier. She seemed uncomfortable with the Duchess and Prosquetel, with their insincere courtesies and blatant attempts to manipulate her - who wouldn't have been?

She was a simple girl at heart, who began to gravitate towards Giedra and me. Her female fighters felt at home with Liesma HorseFace and our warriors. It didn't hurt, either, that Mailis had no prejudice against Uplanders.

We didn't ask anything of her; Mailis could just be herself.

The next arrivals were another kettle of fish entirely.

For one thing, they all rode their own horses - Hvadi ponies, not the great Izumyrian beasts. For another, they looked exactly like what they were: a group of well-off young men from Hvad town.

Their leader was a former Guardsman named Heras Koymil, whose claim to fame was that he'd carried news of the Izumyrian invasion to Duke Richwin. He'd also survived the Battle of the Gut. Koymil had long blonde hair, a straight nose, and a neatly trimmed little beard. He carried himself very erect, with a manner which suggested that he thought quite highly of himself - and that we should, too. I disliked him on sight - an attitude which was confirmed when Koymil immediately became chummy with Iduallon.

Prosquetel and the Duchess were inordinately pleased to have 'such a stalwart group of men' join us. I don't think that Lemek and the men of Mahuc were impressed by the implied slight. Nor were the Yeseriyans.

On the positive side, Koymil and company confirmed a rumour that we'd been hearing: many of the Izumyrians had gone home.

- "Perhaps 2,000." said Koymil. "They brought in mercenaries last year, but less than 1,000 of those. And more of the Izumyrian barons seem to be preparing to leave - that's what we hear."

We had over 120 fighters now, and that meant a change of strategy - or tactics. Whichever one it was, Giedra and I still weren't invited to the discussion among the leaders. We went anyway.

There were more people now with a voice in the proceedings. Even Iduallon was emboldened to speak - perhaps he was trying to impress his friend Koymil.

- "Attack!" he said. "We must seize the initiative, and attack. Again, and again, until there are no more invaders defiling our sacred Hvadi soil!"

- "Idiot." muttered Giedra. I'm pretty sure that Mailis heard her.

Everyone who spoke advocated action.

Lemek thought that another success would bring in even more fighters - they were still trickling in, in twos and threes, every day. He recommended caution, though: "After all, we narrowly avoided falling into a trap, last time."

- "And whose fault was that, my Lord Ban?" said Iduallon. He made a point of glaring in my direction. Now, considering that Iduallon had been 'guarding' the Duchess at the time, far from any of the fighting, it was pretty stupid of him to throw a veiled accusation at me.

Lemek looked at the Lieutenant as if he had two heads. "I have no idea what you're suggesting. You are aware that it was Guenna who saved us from that trap ... aren't you?"

Now, I wouldn't have slept with Lemek for all the gold in Hvad (and Izumyr). But at that point, I might have been willing to kiss him on the cheek. Briefly.

He'd succeeded in focusing all eyes on me. I'd been wise to hold my tongue until the majority had said their piece.

- "I agree that we should attack." I said. "And then we should be prepared to move - because it will be like hitting a hornet's nest with a stick. They already know that the Duchess is in Mahuc. If we show that we have over a hundred fighters, the response will be immediate."

- "What do you mean by 'move'?" asked the Ban.

- "The Izumyrians will come looking for us. In numbers we cannot face. So we should move somewhere else - temporarily, at least, where we can gather more support, and avoid being surrounded."

- "We could drive on Hvad town." suggested Heras Koymil. "Hundreds of men would come out to join us."

I already knew that Koymil was just as vain as Iduallon. Now he revealed that he was equally stupid. I hadn't expected much from the man, but it's disappointing to have low opinions so immediately and so completely confirmed.

- "There are a thousand Izumyrians in Hvad town." said Giedra. "Why not just hand the Duchess over to them, and be done with it?"

That led to a bit of an uproar, because Iduallon had trouble recognizing sarcasm. He leapt to his feet again, and began shouting. Gerimir flinched away, protecting his other ear with his hand. Prosquetel finally had to tell his idiotic aide to sit back down.

Lemek still wanted to know what I was thinking.

- "Strike, and then move towards Yeseriya, or towards Stonje. There are risings against the Izumyrians in both provinces."

- "Not in Yeseriya." said Mailis. "Not any longer. Twenty-five men were hanged near the Ban's steading, including Orich, the leader of the rebellion. This was ... not two weeks ago."

The Duchess and Prosquetel both looked disappointed. Yeseriya would've been their first choice, for the simple reason that they believed that baby Borna's name would bring in tremendous support. I already knew that - just as I knew that Orich and his followers were dead: Mailis had told me so.

- "Didn't they ask you about it?" I'd asked her.

- "No. They were too busy talking. I don't think they gave me a chance to answer any questions - much less say anything."

Stonje was the obvious choice. There had been fighting there for the past two years, and the rebels hadn't been conclusively defeated. A certain Vidrek and his band had been crushed, but the Izumyrians had sent hundreds more men to Stonje thereafter. Then they'd organized a supply caravan to feed their beleaguered garrisons.

That all sounded very promising to me. Best of all, people told me that Stonje was all forests and rocky hills - much better than wide open Mahuc. The fighters there had been winning, which told me that they knew how to use their land against the invaders - and advantage I did not have in Mahuc.

Lemek was looking my way.

- "You have something in mind, don't you?" He was a scrawny little weasel, but the Ban of Mahuc could be shrewd.

- "You have a plan?" asked Mailis. I hadn't told her much, to this point.

- "We're going to take the Duchess into Yeseriya." I said. Then I explained my thinking to a very small group of leaders: Lemek, Giedra, Mailis and Prosquetel.

Thuruar sang for us that evening. He really did have a wonderful voice - he just wasn't much for original compositions.

- "If you want a song about yourself, Giedra, you might have to write it for him." I said.

- "When does he have time to compose anything?" asked Rion. "Giedra never lets the man sleep!"

It was a good night for our band, as we shared our delight in the traditional stories and songs. It was also a bad night - or perhaps a good one again, depending on your perspective.

Two of the men of Mahuc were caught trying to leave our camp well after dark. They were free men, of course, and could come and go as they pleased - except that the timing of their departure was suspect.

I'd remembered how the Izumyrians seemed to be ready and waiting for us, twice now. There were too many strangers, too many people I didn't know. The possibility that we had a spy, or traitors - plural - among us was too strong to ignore.

That was why I warned Lemek, Mailis, and Prosquetel to watch their folk. Lemek's men caught the two ... deserters? The fighters who questioned them were rather brutal - but one of the pair broke down and confessed. They were taking the news of my plan to the Izumyrians, who were holding their families hostage.

I felt for these poor men, but I couldn't object when Lemek had them hanged.

Meanwhile, one of Heras Koymil's companions also disappeared during the night. No one saw him leave, with his horse.

Lemek was furious. Mailis, I think, was relieved that there were no traitors among her followers (yet). Prosquetel was annoyed, and blamed Heras Koymil, who was embarrassed.

- "Our plan is ruined!" shouted Lemek. "They know which direction we're going."

- "Actually, Ban ... they don't." I said. "We're not going to Yeseriya."

- "What?"

Giedra actually whistled. "We never were going there. Guenna - you lied to me. You little fox." She didn't seem upset. I think that she was more impressed than angry.

Prosquetel was angry, though. "You lied to us?"

- "You lied?" Ban Lemek, on the other hand, just sounded hurt.

- "I didn't know how else to ferret out the traitors. I had no idea who they were."

- "But you suspected that we had some." said Mailis.

- "Yes. Ban Lemek's men did an excellent job catching those two." I said, to mollify the little weasel a bit. "But it's not a bad thing that one of them got away - because he'll be telling the enemy that we're going to Yeseriya."

- "Which ... we're not?"

- "No. We're going to Stonje. Today. But it's a long way. We'll need horses - which is why we're going south, first, towards the lake. We're going to steal horses from the invaders."

- "Absolutely not." said Prosquetel. And from that stand he could not be budged.

- "Why not?" I asked.

- "Because we need to move west. We can gather hundreds of men in Yelsa and Adarion."

-"So can the Izumyrians."

- "I've said it before, Guenna: you have no head for strategy. I will concede that you are very good at planning an ambush, or a small-scale raid. But this is war, and you must leave these types of decisions to experienced warriors. Men of these lands."

I'd heard enough. I stood up.

- "Alright." With that, I turned and left the council.

Giedra didn't rush after me - that would have been undignified. She stood up slowly, glared at the Lowlanders, and then stalked off.

She caught up to me closer to our own campfires.

- "What the hell was that!" she exclaimed.

- "Keep your voice down."

- "Tell me you're not just going to give up!"

- "Of course not." I said. "But it may be time to reveal ... what we know."

Giedra knew what I was referring to. We had discussed it several times before.

- "Really? You mean ... now?"

- "I think it's time."

- "I'll get Rion and Eliv."

- "There are a few others we should invite." I said. "Your guslar, for one."

- "Thuruar? He's not my guslar." Then she grinned. "Yet."

***

The darkness suited my purposes quite well, so we didn't wait until morning. We approached the Duchess just as she was settling down to sleep. Prosquetel was still on his feet, with Iduallon and Gerimir.

- "What do you want now?" said old Whitehair.

- "A word or two."

- "It can wait until morning." he said.

- "No, it can't. It concerns the timing of her pregnancy."

For all his age, Prosquetel could still think - and act - quickly. He hissed at Gerimir, and jerked his head in the direction of Heras Koymil and three of his companions, who were seated nearby.

Then the old warrior looked back at me. Giedra stood at my side. Liesma Horseface and another woman were behind us. I think that even Prosquetel was momentarily taken aback by Liesma's towering bulk. But then he attempted a disarming smile.

- "Could we not discuss this at a better time?"

- "No." said Giedra.

- "If you insist. Let me see if the Duchess will receive you."

- "I can hear them." said the lady in question. "Bring them closer, Prosquetel."

- "Keep your voices down." said Whitehair, in a whisper that halfway to a snarl.

Temara, Duchess of Hvad was a remarkably attractive woman. Her beauty was spoiled somewhat, though, by her arrogance, and by her tendency to sneer. Holding the baby Borna in her arms wasn't quite enough to make her appear maternal.

She was seated on a blanket, and reclining against a small saddle which served her as a pillow. Yet the woman behaved as if she was sitting on a throne in an audience chamber.

- "You have something to say to me?" she demanded.

Iduallon and Gerimir had returned to stand beside her. I didn't have to look around to know that no one else was close by - within earshot.

- "I believe that it's time to clear the air between us." I said. "To state a few facts that appear to have been ... forgotten? Overlooked?"

- "Are you certain that you want to do this?" asked Prosquetel, his voice laden with menace.

- "You haven't given us much choice, otherwise. Bend the knee, or go home. After your time among us, you really should know Uplanders better than that."

- "Say what you came to say." said the Duchess.

- "You escaped the castle in winter, Lady, and arrived in the Uplands in summer. You gave birth in the autumn of 938. But your husband died in battle in the summer of 937."

Even by firelight, we could all see the colour drain from Temara's face.

- "How dare you?" she hissed.

- "Really? How dare you present the child to your new supporters as if he was legitimate? Borna isn't the Duke's son."

- "You don't know what you're talking about." said Prosquetel.

- "Uplanders can count, old man." said Giedra.

- "You should be very, very careful."

- "Why?" I asked. "Because you'll try to murder us, just as you plotted to kill my father? Veran took you in, sheltered you from the Izumyrians, and then fought to protect the Duchess and her unborn child. He led you to safety in the Vale of Nareven, and you repaid his hospitality and our sacrifice by planning to murder him."

- "There are greater things at stake, here." said Prosquetel, through gritted teeth.

- "You're wrong. And you're being foolish, as well. You can't keep a secret like this. Too many people already know."

- "Uplanders." he said. "I think you will find that your words count very little in Hvad. Who's going to believe you?"

- "Seva knows. So does Odma. And if no one will listen to Uplanders, what about the castle garrison? It won't stay a secret forever. The longer you pretend - the longer you lie, the worse it's going to be when the truth finally comes out."