The Chronicles: Notomol Ch. 13

NOTOMOL Chapter 13

Beghel, the Northern Duke, didn't want his son back.

We'd sent two of our Izumyrian prisoners as envoys, offering to trade Meldoi back to his father, in return for some of the men from the Hvadi castle garrison. We were also prepared to exchange the remainder of the soldiers we held.

The answer wasn't just negative; it was a flat no.

Notomol was disappointed. He had hoped to be able to string out the negotiations, to delay the opening of hostilities between Beghel's army and ours. Even a week or two would have been a clear gain, because new recruits were coming to join us every day.

The Northern Duke wanted to destroy us - and the sooner the better.

According to Cinna's scouts, he had over 1,100 men. Nearly 300 of those were Izumyrian heavy cavalry - armoured horsemen mounted on those massive beasts. The remainder were infantry, carrying spears and shields.

We had 850 fighters. Heras Koymil and a dozen of his friends rode Izumyrian horses. We had another forty mounted on Hvadi ponies, but they were mainly employed as scouts. In any case, they would dismount to fight.

We would bring Meldoi, the Northern Duke's son, with us. But the bulk of the common soldiers we had captured at Norwood would be left behind, under the care of Yadha Snakehand and his people. The Izumyrians were split up, and carefully watched. As an added precaution, Notomol had had the tendons on the back of their ankle severed.

This was done on only one foot. They could hobble about, and they could still work, but running wasn't an option. Was it cruel? Yes. But they were still alive, whereas many innocents in Hvad town - and elsewhere in Hvad - were not.

Notomol led the army several leagues north, still hugging the hills. There was no point in us remaining near the Gap; we wouldn't be able to lure the Izumyrian foot-soldiers into the same trap again. Notomol also wanted to move away from our non-combatants. Yadha Snakehand was leading most of them deeper into the hills. It was unlikely, we hoped, that Beghel would risk splitting his army into smaller forces in order to pursue them.

That would only come after he had crushed us - if he could.

Notomol had a very difficult task ahead of him. He had to avoid any type of situation where the Izumyrians could force us to fight - especially where they could bring their horsemen to bear. If at all possible, he meant to avoid a pitched battle altogether.

At the same time, he could not afford to let our men and women become complacent. If our own people started to believe that there wouldn't be a battle under any circumstances, they would get sloppy, or lazy. Or both.

But Notomol had to worry, too, that someone might sabotage him by failing to carry out his orders. Prosquetel, for instance. But there was also Velik of the boatmen, who loathed him. If they deliberately disobeyed, they might bring about the very battle that Notomol was trying so hard to avoid.

We had to outmarch the Izumyrians, and find daunting defensive terrain to protect ourselves with. But we couldn't simply stop in one place. The enemy would eventually find a way around one of our flanks, if not both.

Feint and move. Set up in a strong position, and pretend that we were ready to stand out ground. Then move again.

The Izumyrians were on open, level ground, yet they could not keep up with us as we tramped up and down the hillsides, or through the forests. I couldn't understand it - especially when over a quarter of their army was mounted.

- "They don't want to tire their warhorses. Especially if they expect to fight the same day." said Nafni the Chronicler. For such an un-martial fellow, he knew a great deal of useful information about war. "The foot soldiers can't keep up with you, because they march at the pace of their supply wagons. Food, spare equipment, even horseshoes - they carry a little bit of everything."

I was quite frankly amazed at the ex-guslar's stamina. He marched with us, and bore his share of the supplies that we carried. He kept up. And then, every night, he would read from Motekin's journals by firelight. Or he would be asking questions of people who been with Notomol the longest. He was patient and understanding, though; if anyone told him 'Not tonight', Nafni always accepted it with good grace. Even Senderra (who he questioned the most) didn't mind too much.

- "He asks good questions." she said.

Whatever the reasons, I was not the only one who was glad that the enemy moved so slowly. We marched north, along the edge of the hills, for two weeks. Twice, Notomol stopped, and allowed us a day of rest because the Izumyrians had fallen behind.

Then, when they caught up to us, he reversed direction and had us march back the way we'd come. There were quite a few grumbles at this, because we would have to once again face a couple of steep slopes, and some unpleasantly rocky terrain. I, for one, thought it was brilliant. It would keep the Northern Duke off balance, wondering what we were up to.

Two days later, he reversed direction again. We actually lost contact with the Izumyrians, who lagged far behind. We couldn't even see the light of their campfires, that night.

- "Every day that we march, every day that we don't fight," he told us, "we're winning. Every day, more Hvadi in the provinces are losing their fear of the invaders. They're gathering, forming druzhinas. They're making life difficult for the Izumyrians. One day soon, they'll attack a steading. Who knows? That may already have happened. The Northern Duke is here, chasing us, instead of holding down Pitve and Yeseriya, Yelsa and Mahuc."

I don't know how well his message worked. The Uplanders and the female fighters believed in him, because Giedra and Liesma and Dusca did. I wasn't sure how much influence I myself had any more, since I was no longer the chief strategist, and I hadn't distinguished myself in battle as Giedra and Liesma had.

But I kept my eyes and ears open, just in case I might learn something that would help Notomol.

And I did, purely by accident.

Nafni had stuck close to me all day. He was waiting for another opportunity to ask me about my great-great grandmother, and about my paternal uncles. I'd fobbed him off twice already, but he was persistent.

- "I have to go speak to Notomol." I fibbed.

- "Perhaps I could accompany you." he said. "I could ask you a few questions on the way."

- "Fine." I gave in. He wasn't going to let me off the hook. So with only Berilde and Nafni for company, I went looking for our commander.

- "How well did you know your paternal uncles? Your father's brothers?" asked Nafni.

- "I didn't. They left Asphodels - our home - before I was born."

- "Oh." He sounded disappointed. "What did you know of them?"

- "Only that they went to serve Duke Richwin. I found out later that they were killed at the battle of the Gut, along with the Duke."

- "Did your father ever speak of them?"

- "A few times."

- "Oh? What did he say?"

- "That they were idiots."

Nafni was clearly taken by surprise. "What? Why would he say that?"

- "My father had to fight the Nadestis because they were stealing our sheep, and killed a shepherd. My father killed the culprits, and the Nadestis came after him. Then he was betrayed by his own brother-in-law, who had suborned some of our fighters. My mother and my brother were murdered. None of that would have happened if my uncles had stayed home, where they belonged."

Even as I said the words, I realized that I had more in common with them than I'd ever imagined. Were my family safe? Was everyone in the Vale of Nareven better off, now? I'd never be able to forgive myself if something bad had happened to them while I was away.

- "There he is." said Berilde.

Notomol was conferring with Orsho and Nelime, Ban Lemek, Cinna, and a couple of men I didn't know. They must have been recent recruits. The pair had just finished talking. Notomol thanked them. As they turned and began to come our way, Nafni suddenly dropped to one knee directly behind me. I turned around, to find him with his head down, adjusting his footwear.

He didn't want those two men to see his face.

I turned back around, and nodded at the strangers as they passed by. They didn't even glance at the Chronicler. Both of them were ogling Berilde - one was practically leering.

Nafni didn't stand up until the two men had gone their way.

- "Care to tell me what that was about?"

He did. I took him straight to Notomol.

- "Pardon the interruption." I said. "May I ask what those two men were talking to you about?"

- "They were born near here." said Notomol. "They were telling us about an excellent defensive position that we should reach the day after tomorrow. A place called Probstheida."

I pulled Nafni forward. "Tell him." I said.

- "Sir - those two men - I've seen them before." said the Chronicler. "In Hvad town. In the house which Duke Beghel took for his own use."

- "What?" said Lemek.

- "Admittedly, they were seated well down the table. But they were definitely guests of the Izumyrian Duke."

***

I didn't see Notomol at all, the next day - or the day after that. But I was busy enough on my own, organizing a rotation of Uplanders and female fighters to keep an eye on the two men from Hvad town, while keeping Nafni as far away from them as possible.

- "Three men." said Paksyalta.

- "Are you sure?"

- "Yes." Berilde agreed with her. So did Kressika and Aira.

They'd identified the first two men as Beardy and Creepy (the latter for the way he leered at any woman who crossed his path). Their friend was Shorty. None of us could be bothered to remember their real names; our descriptors were more accurate, in any case. There was no confusion among the watchers over who was who.

We reached Probstheida in the afternoon of the second day. It looked to be an excellent defensive position. We stood on a grassy meadow, with a stream flowing from north to south, between us and the open plain where the Izumyrians were.

The stream was only three feet deep, and only ten or eleven feet wide, but it had extremely steep banks on both sides. Anyone wanting to cross from west to east (our side), would have to climb down into the water. There they would discover hundreds of smooth, slippery stones. Then they would have to climb onto the eastern bank. This would be nearly impossible to do while carrying a weapon - especially a spear and a shield.

It was impassable for heavy horses, and extremely difficult for infantry. To make the position even better, our flanks were secured by woods on both sides.

The Izumyrians would be able to see us, but they wouldn't dare to attack. If they did, the stream would be running red with their blood. They'd have to climb over heaps of their own dead to get at us.

Except that there was something more to it than that.

Shorty - the third man - deserted that night.

- "He crossed the stream." said Berilde. "Headed west."

Notomol let the entire army rest the following day. As usual, the Izumyrians were slower, and their infantry only began arriving after midday.

I was summoned to a small council in the morning. There were only eight of us, other than Notomol: Dubek, Kolasovets, Mailis, Aldur, Adrastas, Orsho, Ban Lemek, and me. He explained to everyone what Nafni had discovered: that this place had been recommended by two men who were most likely traitors.

- "I rode ahead, with Cinna, two days ago." said our commander. "We saw that Probstheida is a good defensive position - so we knew that there had to be something more to it. The stream remains a serious obstacle north of here. There's also a sizable hill two leagues north, on our side of the stream. We would be able to see if the enemy tried to cross the stream between here and the hill - long before they made the attempt."

Notomol then turned to Kolasovets.

"But Kolasovets reminded me of how the Izumyrians won the battle of the Gut so easily. We met survivors of that fight - including Doreg (Notomol said this with a nod to Dubek). They told us that the Izumyrian horsemen were behind the Hvadi army before the battle even began."

- "You think they'll try that again?" said Dubek.

- "Beghel commanded at the Gut. Yes, I think he'll try the same thing again. Less than a league north of the hill is a second hill - more of a ridge, really. It's higher, too. And on the other side of that hill, the stream changes direction, from north... to east. And there's something there. A bridge."

Notomol gave us a moment to digest that.

"There's a clear path, along the bank of the stream." he continued. "Wide enough for a cart, or one or two of the Izumyrian horses. The path is hidden by the ridge, and then by several groves of trees, and finally a small wood. If the enemy use this route, they could move their mounted men behind us. Roughly three leagues away - but ready to fall on our rear, while we stand in this open meadow."

It was just as we feared. Beardy and Creepy had led us into a deathtrap.

"But we can turn this to our advantage." said Notomol. "If we're wrong, we can still escape to the north. But if we're right..."

Each one of us received our instructions. Dubek, Kolasovets, Aldur, Mailis, Adrastas and I were told exactly where to set up camp for our fighters. I was surprised to see Adrastas being included as a Captain, but the guslar took it in stride. Notomol had assigned almost a hundred of the previously unaffiliated fighters to him and to Obran

- "Make sure that your people are well rested." he added.

Orsho and Ban Lemek would be left in command of our warriors guarding the stream at Probstheida.

"We want them to think that their plan is working." said Notomol. "They'll try to keep us there - that's when we'll know for sure that the trap is being set. Don't be surprised if they offer to negotiate. You can delegate that task to the Duchess and Prosquetel."

He had a great deal more to say. I was impressed - no, beyond impressed - by the number of contingencies he had considered. He even found time to ask me to apologize to Giedra, on his behalf, for not inviting her to this meeting - just as he hadn't included Nelime, or Senderra... or so many others.

I kept Paksyalta, Tugan, Krissika and Aira with me. Normally they would have joined Kolasovets and the other archers, but given the task assigned to us, I thought that we might have greater need of them.

With Giedra's help, I got our folk and the female fighters moved away from the main camp, with a minimum of fuss. Everyone was told to get what rest they could, because they would be called upon to exert themselves on the morrow - if not sooner. That was more information than they needed, really, but not enough to give away Notomol's plan.

- "What if he's wrong?" asked Giedra. "Not that I'm saying he is, but..."

- "Then we scramble to retreat to the east, and then north. If that happens, we may end up as part of the rearguard - so let's hope that he's right."

Of course I couldn't sleep a wink. I was trying to imagine what our assigned position would look like. How dangerous would it be for our fighters? It was a key spot - that much I knew, from the short exchange I'd had with Notomol out of hearing of the other captains.

- "I need you there, Guenna. I know that Giedra and Liesma can hold a line, and Tota should be a help to them. But I'm relying on your judgment, most of all." And then he told me, specifically, what he was asking us to do.

- "We can do that." I said.

It wasn't just bravado on my part. I had confidence in the fighting abilities of our Uplanders, and of the women we'd trained. But that didn't mean that I slept soundly. The damn sun was too bright, too.

Maybe I did doze off for a little. I woke to find Berilde shaking me.

- "Time." she said.

- "Call everyone to me."

There were just over 60 of us. I wouldn't have to shout if they all came close, in a tight circle around me. I pulled them even closer, so that we were all cheek by jowl.

"The Izumyrians are trying to send their horsemen around our flank." I began. I outlined the situation just as Notomol had explained it to me.

- "How do we know all of this, for certain?" asked Tota.

- "Traitors. They led us here, and then told the Izumyrians where we'd be. But Nafni recognized them. We told Notomol, and he was able to discover what they're up to."

- "Where are these traitors now?"

- "They're dead. They were killed just before we woke you up. Can I finish now?" No one else interrupted me. "We have some ground to cover, in the dark. We have to be in position before first light. There will be other groups marching alongside us - I don't want to hear any loud challenges. We're going to move quickly, and quietly."

Our first task was to move away from the main body of the army, which would remain in position behind the stream, facing west. We wanted to do so without making too much noise, so as not to alarm them. Two of Cinna's scouts arrived, to lead us where we had to go.

It would have been foolish to climb the first hill - and then descend the reverse slope - in the dark. None of our people knew these lands. The scouts led us around the hill. It was a longer, but much safer route.

The long grass was cold, and wet. The night sky was clear, revealing all of the stars, in all of their glory. Our party almost bumped into Aldur's men, who were marching alongside us. Adrastas and his contingent would end up closer, once we had reached our destination, but they weren't going to move until the half-dawn.

To Aldur's right were Mailis and her Yeseriyans, then Dubek, followed by Kolasovets and the archers. Cinna and the rest of his scouts were already watching the very edge of the wood where the Izumyrian horsemen would emerge - if Notomol was right.

We circled the first hill, and parted company with Aldur and his fighters. They went forward, to the north, while we turned west. We still had a long walk ahead of us. It was easy going, though - at first.

The scouts called a halt, and then came to me.

- "We're here."

Once again I gathered our fighters into a tight knot around me.

- "So far, so good. Now we have to climb a hill. In the dark. Without making so much noise that the enemy know we're here. Go slow. I don't want any of you stepping in a hole, or poking your eye out on a low branch. No talking. We don't have far to go. If you can do this, there may be some more names won, tomorrow."

Once we entered the woods, I couldn't see a blessed thing. Then we started to climb. Mindful of my own advice, I tested the ground ahead of me with the tip of my bow, and waved my other hand in front of my face so that I wouldn't suddenly impale myself on a low-hanging branch.

Our progress was glacial. Time passed, and I felt as if I had only taken a dozen steps.

Someone tripped, and cried out. We all froze in place. No one dared breathe. At this point, I don't think that any of the Izumyrians were within 500 yards of us - but I hadn't told our people that. If it made them more careful, then that was all to the good.

Some moments are forever etched into my memory. I can remember almost every step of our journey from Prospal Hill to the Vale of Nareven, for instance. Logic suggests that I should not; my mind was totally occupied, then, with trying to figure out what we could do next - and I was thinking of Gerimir, my first lover, at the same time.

But I can barely recall climbing that hill at Probstheida, in the dark. I was worried about my companions, dreading the possibility that one of them might fall, and cry out. I was also wondering what the reverse slope would look like, and whether we could conceal ourselves there. The very last thing I thought of was where I was putting my own feet.