The Chronicles: Notomol Ch. 10

He was good. I was right: he did know his people. A loud cheer erupted at his words, and it was sustained for a long time. Not everyone liked it, of course - especially those who had knelt only moments before. Prosquetel was positively fuming. But I also looked over at Ban Lemek, and at Mailis. A Ban, and the wife of a Hospodar - their positions rested on birth, or marriage, just as Temara's did.

Lemek was clever enough to find the middle ground.

- "I think that we can reach an accommodation." he said. "The Lady can be a symbolic figurehead for us. I am not sure that it is wise, however, to appoint a political leader over a military leader at this time." I could only shake my head at the weasel's flexibility. He agreed with Notomol and the majority, but left open the possibility of supporting the Duchess later.

But I was very impressed with Notomol's handling of the situation, and said so to Senderra.

- "He's good. He's very good."

- "Does he have a woman?" asked Giedra.

Senderra only laughed. "He's with Nelime." But she was more serious with me. "Don't be fooled, Guenna. He's not what you think. That's the best I've ever heard him speak to a large gathering. Normally he just relies on reason, and logic. Today, though ... I think he caught something there."

There were no further objections. Prosquetel could feel the direction of the prevailing wind. Notomol would be our leader. The matter was settled - for now.

Senderra went to talk to her brother. Giedra and I returned to our camp, to see how our people were faring. There had been one incident: one of the Hvadi had spit at Berilde. Fortunately, Liesma had been nearby. She made the fellow see reason, by slamming his head into the bole of a tree.

Everyone else was reasonably well fed, and fairly well rested.

I was surprised - we all were, I suppose - when Nelime and her big Hand, Orsho, came to see us.

- "Are you being supplied?" she asked. "Have you all eaten, today?"

- "We have, thank you."

- "May I ask you something?" asked Giedra. That was unlike her; I couldn't ever remember her asking permission. That made me worry that she was about to say something rude.

- "Of course." said Nelime. She was quite pretty, I have to say. Older, yes, but still fine-featured. And her genuine kindness only made her more appealing.

- "Did it bother you? What Notomol said?" said Giedra.

- "How so?"

- "Well, if he won't serve the Duchess, he definitely won't serve a Ban - or a Hospodar."

Nelime smiled. "I'm only a Hospodar's daughter, Giedra. Even if we win the war, things will go back to the way they were. Men will occupy all of the traditional posts."

At that moment, we were interrupted. It was Kolasovets, the little archer.

- "Borna made Nanaidh a Hospodar, in Yeseriya." he said.

- "Did he?" she said.

- "You'd make a wonderful Hospodar." he said. "And an even better Ban."

Nelime blushed. Here was one, I saw, who was considered a leader because of who she was, and what she did - not because of who her father was.

She tactfully changed the subject. "You should come back to the gathering site, at dusk. The guslars will be performing. You won't want to miss it."

- "We'll be there." said Giedra.

As it turned out, it was one of those days that was simply destined to be the opposite of dull.

We heard a shriek, not too far off. It was a woman's cry - not of fear, but of anger. Giedra and I both recognized that voice.

- "Seva!"

Seva (and Odma) had stuck close to the Duchess and her party from the moment we left Nareven. They'd made their preference quite clear. We still consulted them, and invited them to participate when we had a purely Uplander meeting, but we'd all begun to think of them as firmly part of the Duchess' entourage.

But we'd gone through a great deal together, and she'd been on Prospal Hill before we arrived. I owed it to Seva to look out for her if I could. Giedra and I ran towards the noise, with Rion, Eliv and Liesma at our heels.

There were a dozen or so curious onlookers to push through before we could take in the scene. Seva was standing at bay, with a long knife in her hand and a wild look in her eye. Iduallon was curled up on the ground, on his side, with his knees pulled up to his chest and both hands between his legs.

Big Dusca stood between them, keeping Seva away from him with her spear. Senderra and Evane had arrows nocked, though they weren't aiming at Seva.

- "Seva, stop!" I shouted.

- "She's not dangerous." said Giedra. "Well, to him, maybe. She's carrying his child."

- "Ah." said Senderra.

- "Seva, put the knife away." I said. "You've done enough for now."

- "Wait till you can get him alone." suggested Giedra. "When no one is watching."

Senderra turned to look at her.

- "She's joking. Mostly." I said. "This has happened before. Was Iduallon ...?"

- "He was ... flirting with me." said Senderra.

- "Propositioning you, more like." said Dusca. "Then this one came running up and kicked him in the crotch, from behind. It was funny, at first - but then she pulled a knife."

- "Seva." I said. "If you put the knife away, this doesn't have to go any further. Please."

Rion and Eliv were very wise. They put their hands up, revealing that they carried no weapons, and approached her slowly. Whatever quarrels Seva thought she had with my family and me, she had none with Giedra's friends. They spoke to her softly, turned her around, and led her away.

- "This has happened before?' said Senderra.

Giedra was happy to relate how Iduallon had groped her breast, whereupon she'd broken his nose. A subsequent attempt on his part led to Giedra breaking his wrist.

- "It's not the first time she's tried to kill him. I just wish that she was showing some kind of improvement. She missed with an arrow ... and now this."

Senderra had a small grin on her face.

- "I'll take your word for it."

- "Actually," said Giedra, "while we're here, I just might take the opportunity to step on his nuts on more time ..."

At that, Iduallon groaned and pulled up his knees again.

"He's alright." said Giedra. "Shame."

***

Rion and Eliv came back after having a long talk with Seva.

- "It was what he said to the Duchess, earlier, that set her off." said Rion. "'I'm your man, body and soul'? That's what he said to Seva, only a week ago. She followed him, to give him a piece of her mind, and then saw him sweet-talking Senderra."

- "He deserved it, then." said Liesma.

- "He deserves much worse." said Giedra.

Well before dusk, Senderra and her companions came to get us.

- "It won't be dark for a while yet." I said.

- "Everybody will be there. We have to go now to get a good spot." she said.

Senderra was right; it did seem as if absolutely everyone was there. It made the morning gathering look sparsely attended. We were actually late, but people recognized Notomol's sister, and made space for us to move to the front. We sat down on the grass, so that folk could see over us.

- "You're quite popular." said Giedra, to Senderra.

- "My brother has spent as much time trying to feed everyone as he has fighting for them. They know it."

I'd only ever seen one guslar - and that was Thuruar, just a few weeks ago. He came out first now, to great applause. We'd heard him before, but it was still a treat. He performed some old, traditional favourites - his stock in trade. I'd been half expecting him to try out his new song, about our horse raid, but I imagine that it wasn't quite ready - especially not for an audience as immense as this one.

Adrastas and Obran followed him. It was getting dark now, so we could only see them by firelight. I'd heard a guslar; now I was about to hear two together. Giedra and I grinned at each other. Adrastas played the first song, while Obran sang a song of his own composition. He had a good voice, and it was interesting for us to hear a tale of the fighting in Stonje from last year.

I recognized the second song almost immediately. It was Borna's Bucket. We all knew the words, but it was a huge thrill to hear them from a guslar. The crowd stamped their feet and clapped their hands after that one.

The guslars changed places. Obran sat down, to play the gusle. Adrastas sang the song. It was slow, almost mournful, and concerned with the women who waited for their men to come back after a fight. We weren't those women, of course, but I could easily imagine how my sister Tanguiste or old Guen Nadesti felt when we were fighting.

The audience were appreciative, though. They'd heard this one before.

The next song, though, made me catch my breath. From the very first words out of Adrastas' mouth, I knew that I was hearing something special.

Wind and water, 'pon the stone

Wear them down, wear them out

Leave their bones to feed the land

Borna's like will walk again

Thank goodness, the crowd remained silent - reverently silent - so that I could hear the words. Only when Adrastas picked up the chorus a second time did they join in. Once again, I felt that tightness in my chest. It was that powerful.

I half expected Giedra to make some clever remark about how this was the guslar she needed. She turned her head to look at me, and I realized that she was just as stunned, just as much in awe as I was. We all were.

***

I was surprised to be shaken awake at the crack of dawn. Giedra and the other women were already on their feet, all facing the same direction. I sat up, and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

Notomol. He carried a bow, and wore a hood over his long red hair. An old man and a younger fellow were with him. The younger fellow bore severe scars, and wore a very severe expression. The older one was simply odd. He had bright white hair and a full beard. He wore a bizarre piece of headgear which seemed designed to conceal his receding hairline more than offer protection against the elements. He carried a bow as well, but I wondered how he could pull it, with arms as spindly as his. On one bare arm he bore a bright blue tattoo of a serpent, with the head reaching past his wrist.

- "Good morning." said Notomol.

- "Morning." I replied.

- "I wanted to ask your advice." he said.

- "About what?"

- "Planning our next fight."

- "Me?"

He cocked his head to one side. "I was told that you're a very good strategist."

- "She is." said Giedra.

- "Prosquetel says that I'm only a tactician." I said.

Notomol smiled. "Well, a tactician is probably what I need today. That, and a good judge of the fighting ability of the folk you arrived with. From what I've seen of Master Prosquetel, I don't believe that he is either of those things."

- "Ha!" said Giedra. "I like him! I'm Giedra."

- "Your fame precedes you." said Notomol.

- "Not far enough." she said. "I haven't earned my second name yet."

- "Ah - speaking of second names ..." Notomol introduced his companions. The old man was Yadha Snakehand; the intense young man was Marmos.

Giedra presented most of our companions: Rion and Eliv, Liesma, Paksyalta, Berilde and Sarine.

- "Will you accompany us, Guenna?" asked Notomol.

- "Are you sure that it's me you want?" I said - and instantly regretted it. Where had this sudden hesitation come from? Giedra was frowning at me.

- "Thuruar says that you're the real leader among the newcomers."

That was interesting. "You asked the guslar?"

- "Yes. Did he not tell me the truth?"

- "No - I mean, it's not that. I just got the impression that you already knew Heras Koymil."

- "I do. We were Guardsmen together, with Dubek and Kolasovets."

I was tempted to smile. It was what Notomol was not saying that I found amusing. He knew Heras Koymil, but rather than ask his advice, Notomol had chosen to consult our guslar instead.

"Mailis and Ban Lemek said much the same thing, if you must know."

- "Enough talking." said Giedra. "Let's get moving."

- "Giedra the Impatient?" I said.

- "Giedra Friend-Puncher." she retorted, giving me a solid shove.

Old Snakehand led the way, with Notomol and me only a few steps behind. Giedra and most of the girls followed just out of earshot, along with Marmos.

- "You trust them all?" asked Notomol.

- "With my life."

- "It's just ... we've been betrayed before. From unexpected sources."

- "They can follow at a distance, if that makes you more comfortable."

- "Thank you."

It was a damp, humid day. I hoped that it wouldn't be raining if we had to face the Izumyrians; it was quite obvious that Notomol's band relied on their archers just as much as we did - if not more.

"Are you familiar with the Sting?" he asked.

- "The Sting?"

- "A sudden, sharp attack, to goad the enemy into pursuing you."

- "Oh. Of course." I said. "I'd just never heard it called that. The Sting. It fits."

- "Yadha is taking us to a good spot for a Sting. I hope you'll approve of the terrain."

It was a good location. The hills and the trees ahead looked like a barrier - not an impenetrable one, but certainly an obstacle to visibility and movement. But there was clearly an opening of sorts, a gap, if you will, which drew the eye. It would immediately appeal to the enemy - especially if they had horsemen with them.

We weren't the only ones heading in that direction: there was a group of fifty or sixty people just ahead of us, with two ox-drawn wagons. Notomol was sending the non-fighters on first, in case the Izumyrians arrived sooner than we expected. These folk were moving quite slowly, though. We soon passed them. I noticed many more tracks; these weren't the first non-combatants to pass this way. The invaders would have no trouble following this trail.

We eventually reached the gap. It wasn't quite as large as it had seemed, from far away. There were fewer trees, but more rocky slopes, including a few that I would not have wanted to climb unless I absolutely had to.

Yadha Snakehand waited for us to catch up to him.

- "Probably here." he said.

Notomol had a good look around. From the way he acted, though, I guessed that this wasn't the first time he'd been here.

- "Archers up there." he said, looking up at a rocky outcrop to our left. Perhaps a group of apparently frightened non-combatants just ahead."

- "Non-combatants who are actually fighters?" I asked.

- "Of course." said Notomol. "And then we set up the Hammer and the Anvil."

Even I could easily guess what that meant. "So, a force up there, behind those rocks, prepared to hold their ground when the Izumyrians come around that corner -"

- "There's a bit of a slope, too." he said. "Studded with rocks."

- "Even better." I said. But I pointed off even further to the left. "Can they go around that way? Get behind us?"

- "Not easily. And they can be contained there."

Notomol was a good host; he took me over to the area I was worried about, and let me see for myself. I was quite reassured. The Izumyrians weren't going to win the fight if they tried to outflank us here.

Yadha, Notomol and I retraced our steps, and then climbed the slope to where our first force would be positioned. I found myself slightly winded just from that short ascent.

- "Is this the Anvil?" I asked.

- "That depends on them." he said. "The better-trained the troops, the more they follow their officers. The mercenaries were more cautious, and began to anticipate our traps."

- "Will there be many mercenaries?" I asked.

Notomol shook his head. "I don't think so. Most of them are dead."

We reversed direction again, and returned to the gap. From there we turned right. If the enemy chased our 'fugitives', we would lead them to the left - to the Anvil. Here, though, we would conceal the Hammer: the force that would smash into them from behind.

Notomol and I discussed the possibilities. What if the Izumyrian commander suspected a trap? What if he sent troops both left and right? Or might he keep a strong reserve which could prevent our hammer blow from landing?

"If that happens," he said, "then we have to be prepared to reverse the roles. The Anvil would become the Hammer."

- "But where do you see our people?" I asked. "We could be the Anvil, but we don't have the numbers to make a good Hammer."

- "We can provide support." he said. "But that's why I need to know what Lemek and Mailis - and your Uplanders - are capable of."

Yadha Snakedhandhad wandered off somewhere. Giedra and the others had given us space; they were seated on some rocks fifty yards away. Notomol sat down, and I did the same. He unwrapped a blanket that he had tied behind his back - in it was a piece of bread, and a small hunk of soft cheese.

"I'm sorry. It's not all that good." he said.

I had to laugh. "You think Uplanders live on strawberries and cream?"

- "I don't know much about Uplanders at all." he said. "Except from the songs, maybe. Are you really Payl's great grand-daughter?"

-" Great great. My grandfather was Payl's grandson."

- "That must be ... difficult, sometimes."

- "It can be. There are those who can't believe that I'm not six feet tall, or an incredible warrior, like Giedra. And some people still seem to be waiting for me to perform miracles in battle."

- "They expect too much." he said.

- "Somehow, I get the impression that you know what that's like."

Yes, I liked Notomol. Planning this upcoming fight was exactly what I wanted to do, and to find a kindred soul who didn't put on airs, who asked my opinion and then altered the plan accordingly ... I knew from Senderra that he was with Nelime, and that he was far too intelligent and good-looking for the likes of me. It didn't spoil the day for me, though.

I was doing what I'd hoped to do all along.

***

Our plan ran into trouble before the Izumyrians had even arrived. Prosquetel demanded 'the position of honour' for the Duchess' troops. Position of honour? In an ambush?

- "All positions will be dangerous." said Notomol. "There will be enough honour for everyone."

Maybe it was the slight emphasis he gave to the word 'honour'. Or perhaps it was the fact that he had me standing beside him - or the fact that he referred to our plan as 'the stratagem that Guenna and I have worked out'. Whatever the reason, Prosquetel did not look pleased.

I think that Notomol was trying to reassure our fighters. They didn't know him, but they had confidence in me. He just hadn't accounted for Prosquetel's bias against Uplanders - or against me, personally. Nor had he accounted for Heras Koymil.

- "My companions and I can act as cavalry." said Koymil.

I tried not to roll my eyes. Ten Hvadi morons on captured horses, against a hundred or more trained Izumyrians? How could that possibly end well?

Notomol, though, was more diplomatic. He found a role for everyone, and made them feel like they were an important part of the plan.

Heras Koymil and his mounted men would provide the first bait for our trap. They were to ride out a few hundred yards and await the arrival of the Izumyrians. When sighted, they would retreat in haste, leading the enemy directly into the gap. Cinna and a small group of archers would be waiting there, along with some lightly-armed fighters. If necessary, they could apply the 'sting'. Either way, the Izumyrians should be tempted into pursuing them.

On the Izumyrian left, a wide but rocky path led upwards, into the forested hills. Orsho and Dubek, with most of their best fighters, would be waiting at the top of the slope. They were to be the Anvil. Notomol and a group of archers would be nearby, ready to pour arrows into the exposed flank of our attackers. I had attached Seva, Paksyalta and Tugan to that group, so that they could work with Senderra and her friends.