The Chronicles of Hvad Ch. 11

The fighting around the horse pens was utter chaos. The men from Adarion were around the pen, and some were inside it. In the dark, it was difficult to tell friend from foe. Now we began to shout, yelling 'Borna!" so that our own fighters wouldn't strike us by mistake.

I came across one man, struggling with the strap of his shield. He wasn't yelling, so I drove my spear into his groin. He staggered, and fell. I followed through, and pinned him to the ground. He screamed, until I pulled my weapon free and plunged it into his chest.

Borna was climbing into the horse pen, where there was more fighting going on than we had expected. He helped despatch a warrior who wasn't shouting his name.

Eventually, we gained the upper hand. The chaos was confusing for us, but it must have been a nightmare for the men of Adarion. Attacked by surprise, shot at with arrows, fighting what they could only assume were superior numbers ...

They had a hundred friends inside the steading. But it was those men that Borna had planned for. From what others told me afterwards, the enemy commander responded much as Borna or I would have.

First, he sent reinforcements to the threatened north gate. Then he gathered fifty of his warriors, and ran out of the south gate, intending to circle the steading, and catch us in the flank or the rear. If we were already defeated or repulsed, he could cut off our retreat.

Finally, he sent the remainder of his men on foot to the gap in the wall. Once they passed through there, a sharp right turn would bring them into action on our flank. They would be able to support the men who had been sleeping outside.

Kawehka and his foresters were there. So were Tsoline, Aare, and Payl's friend Irija, one of the only Uplanders participating. A dozen skilled archers opened fire on the first men through the gap in the wall. Several were killed outright, and two more wounded. The remainder, caught off guard, put up their shields, and pulled to either side, seeking cover, dragging their wounded with them.

A leader began to shout orders, trying to organize a rush. Unwisely, he showed himself for a moment, and went down with two arrows in his body.

There were thirty men there, but with four dead and two wounded already, they were understandably less than keen to step into the gap, shields or no shields.

Meanwhile, the enemy commander sallied from the south gate. He found a large mounted party facing him. Many of our riders bore torches, to make absolutely sure that they would be spotted. Hravar led this group.

This put the enemy leader in a quandary. He could not proceed towards the horse pens, leaving the south gate undefended. There appeared to be more than fifty of Borna's riders, so he was outnumbered. If he attacked them, and was defeated, the steading could be lost. Unknown to him, they had orders from Borna to retreat if they were challenged.

The enemy commander did the cautious, sensible thing. He pulled his men back, closing the south gate behind them.

Kawehka's archers could not hold the gap forever. If the enemy found their courage, and charged, or if enemy fighters already outside found the foresters, in the dark, it could go ill for them. They didn't wear armour, or carry swords or spears. When they heard the shout 'Borna Vrej! Borna Vrej!", they were free to withdraw.

Meanwhile, we had overcome the resistance outside. Most of the enemy had not been killed, or captured. Many had simply melted away into the darkness. We emptied the horse pens as swiftly as we could.

- "What's taking so long?" hissed Borna. "Where's Aigars?"

- "Dead." said Lovro. "Over this way."

Borna cursed. "Bring him. Bring all of our dead."

We got away with 61 horses, and two prisoners. It cost us Aigars, and seven more killed. Three of the bodies weren't recovered.

- "We hurt them a lot worse." said Lovro. "Shame about old Aigars, though."

***

The Uplanders were delighted. Many of them had never owned a horse before. To be given one outright, when they hadn't fought yet, was nothing short of amazing.

They were impressed, too, by Borna's daring, and his cleverness. Horse theft was a time-honoured tradition in the Uplands, as it was elsewhere in Hvad. But a horse raid on this scale was well beyond their experience. They could appreciate Borna's skills, and his courage. The loss of a few Lowlanders was of no concern to them.

It mattered to me, though. True, we had inflicted heavier casualties on our foes. But we didn't have the manpower to engage in a war of attrition. Aigars, for one, was irreplaceable.

The two prisoners turned out to be a valuable prize. They told us that we were lucky.

- "Another day - two, at most - the army would've arrived. That's why we weren't expecting trouble."

- "The army?"

- "The Ban. Both Bans. They're meeting at the steading. With a shitload of men."

When Borna learned this, he couldn't have been happier. He immediately called a select group of captains together.

- "Hravar, Dirayr and Kawehka will take everyone north. Leave plenty of tracks for the first day, and then, on the second, you veer east. Move fast. Hravar, I want you behind the ridge. If the enemy come after you, run for our forest. I don't want a battle yet."

"Payl, I want you there, too. Try to keep the Upland chieftains in line. No free-lancing, no going off on their own for plunder. I'll speak to them now, but I need you to remind them."

- "Where will you be?" asked Hravar.

- "Paying a social call." said Borna.

***

Borna shaved my head.

In Hvad, criminals and miscreants have their heads shaved. It's humiliating, and degrading. It also reminds everyone who sees you of your offence. It's surprisingly cold, too.

He shaved his own head, too, so I couldn't complain as much.

Lovro and Mutimir were able to find some of the routes they had taken the year before, on their long ride. On that occasion, they had come within sight of Indrek's steading. Now we were deliberately heading straight for it.

We had 75 riders, both men and women, with Mutimir's Uplanders. Nanaidh was here, and Modri was with us, too; Borna had taken a liking to the big ex-Hand.

His luck held. We didn't even see signs of Indrek's druzhina. More important, they didn't see us. When we arrived, and Borna explained his plan, there was a near mutiny.

- "You're not serious!" said Nanaidh.

- "Borna, no." said Modri, more quietly, but no less emphatically.

Lovro looked stunned. Mutimir was grinning. I wondered if he really understood what Borna was proposing. Those of us who did were appalled. But there was no arguing with him.

Large steadings always have more people than food. Warriors, smiths, craftsmen, servants - all need to be fed, yet they produce nothing edible themselves. So the farmers in the surrounding countryside regularly bring in their produce to sell: eggs and vegetables, fruit and fattened animals. Hunters bring in game, and herders a spring lamb or a goat.

Every day, then, it is perfectly normal to see people arriving at the main gate of the steading. Some days, it's only a trickle; other times, there is a steady stream. Borna's plan was simply to join this stream.

We stole a wagon, and hitched it to a pair of decrepit Uplander ponies. Nanaidh and one of our men would drive it. Without her armour and weapons, Nanaidh could do a passable impression of a shrewish farmer's wife. Our man's disguise was quite clever: he pulled on a tattered hooded smock. Then he slipped his left arm out of the sleeve, inside the garment. When he hunched over, he looked like an old, one-armed ex-warrior.

Modri, with two others, would go as what they were: warriors on ponies. But no one would look too closely at them. Because tied to the pommels of their horses were two prisoners, in filthy clothing, their heads shaved. Yes, Borna and me.

Nanaidh drove the wagon straight towards the main gate. The ponies were labouring. They went so slowly that a woman on foot, with a basket of eggs, passed them.

Modri was supposed to time our arrival. But it was impossible to tell if the wagon was going to make it at all. "Go." said Borna.

Somehow, those poor ponies hitched to the wagon found a hidden reserve of energy, and with a burst of speed, arrived at the gate. They were fifty yards ahead of us, three horsemen with their two prisoners on foot.

Nanaidh was going to arrive too early. Their simple disguises would not stand close inspection. And if the guards looked closely at the back of the wagon, we were lost. So Nanaidh halted the ponies twenty yards from the gate, and began to yell at her 'husband'. He retaliated - loudly - and soon the two of them were screaming at each other.

The guards at the gate were highly entertained. They were curious, of course, and paying far too much attention. But being male, they were looking more at Nanaidh than they were at her filthy, one-armed husband.

Then the prisoners drew near, to provide a new distraction. Guard duty can be awfully boring, and this was something that you don't see every day. Borna and I didn't need to keep our heads down. None of this lot was going to recognize us. There were quite a few guards, but they didn't look unduly alarmed.

Nanaidh screamed at her partner one last time, and then drove the exhausted-looking ponies the last few yards towards the gate. The guards stepped into her path, and held up their hands, ordering her to stop.

That was when everything happened at once. The one-armed man pulled the smock over his head, revealing a second arm. His wife reached back into the wagon bed, where someone passed her two swords. She gave one to her 'husband'.

Two men stood up in the back of the wagon, and then jumped to the ground, one on either side. Lovro went to the left, Mutimir to the right.

Borna and I slipped the loose ropes from our wrists. Modri's men passed us swords, while Modri dismounted and joined us as we ran to the gate.

There were four guards at the gate, and four more lounging in the shade nearby. They weren't taken completely by surprise, or even flat-footed. But they were caught on the wrong foot. Within a few moments we had nine armed fighters within the gates.

Nanaidh had a close call, as one of the Yelsans nearly stabbed her with a spear before she could get off the wagon. Her 'husband', too, had to defend himself. But then Lovro and Mutimir went into action, and none of the guards could stand against them.

These weren't elite warriors. The best men were off with Indrek, on their way to join Leho's army. These fellows were young, untrained neophytes, or they were veterans who had grown a little too long in the tooth. They fought back, but they simply couldn't match the skill and ferocity of LongArm and LongRider.

Nanaidh was no slouch, either, as she proved once she managed to get off the wagon. When Borna and I arrived, three of the defenders were already down, and the rest were giving ground. We didn't pursue.

The rest of our force arrived, on horseback. The moment we had reached the gate, they galloped to join us. With 75 fighters, the gate was ours.

A few of the defenders surrendered, but most withdrew towards their great hall. We secured the gate, and then followed. Instead of a defiant last stand, however, we were met by a tall woman with thick, dark hair. It had to be Armine, Ban Indrek's wife.

She was still a handsome woman; I imagine that she would have been striking, if not outright beautiful, when she was younger. A score of warriors stood behind her, but they did not look particularly ready to fight. Armine alone showed true composure.

- "Who are you?" she shouted.

Borna grinned. "I think you know very well who I am, Lady."

- "If we yield, will you spare the people?" she called out.

Borna stepped forward, and they studied each other for a moment. He seemed amused and impressed, in equal measure.

- "What do you offer?"

- "We will lay down our weapons. Take what you came to steal, but without harming our folk." she said. "I assume you came for horses. Or gold."

- "Very well." said Borna. You could see the men behind Armine breathe a sigh of relief. Had she ordered it, I think that they would have tried to sell their lives dearly. But they were plainly happier with this turn of events.

"I accept your terms - on one condition. I will take what I came for, and spare your people. We won't harm anyone. But I am also here to speak with you."

- "With me?"

- "With you." confirmed Borna.

Armine seemed surprised by this request. I could have sworn that she was curious to learn what Borna had to say, but she also appeared reluctant. She appeared to be weighing her options. Finally, she conceded.

- "If we must. This way." She led us into the great hall. She seemed to want to keep a few men nearby, but Borna insisted that what he had to say was for her ears alone.

"I've promised not to harm anyone." he reminded her.

Armine gave in, and let us sit at their high table. She kept her distance from Borna, but she also ordered her warriors away. Remembering her manners, the Ban's wife had a servant bring a jug of ale and a flagon of wine.

That alone was unusual. But I had already noticed that Indrek's hall was larger, and more comfortable than Manahir's. There were woven tapestries hanging on the walls, and the long benches were smoothly finished. Armine's clothing was tastefully expensive, and if her husband served wine to his guests, then he certainly enjoyed his luxuries.

- "Izumyrian wine?" asked Borna.

- "Of course." Armine gave nothing away. She was an intelligent, strong-willed woman. Though she was certainly more accustomed to dealing with her social inferiors, she didn't seem unduly flustered. Even with Borna's troops occupying her steading, Armine was prepared to wait us out. She would not reveal any impatience or curiosity.

I glanced around the hall again, noting how attentively her servants waited. They looked as if they were prepared to jump the moment she called. Or perhaps they were curious to see Borna in the flesh. If so, he didn't disappoint them. Borna casually removed his helmet, and set it on the table.

He succeeded in catching Armine off guard. "You shaved your head?" she asked.

- "A useful ploy." he replied, with a dismissive tone.

- "It makes you look like a petty criminal." said Armine.

- "I don't care how it looks." said Borna, rather abruptly.

- "Is this your way of trying to show me that you'll go to great lengths to win?" she asked.

- "No, Lady. I will go to any lengths to win." replied Borna. "I didn't choose this fight. But I will win it. Whatever it takes."

If Armine was at all shaken by that statement, she didn't show it. "Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

- "No. I came to ask you a question. Does your husband know about the invasion from Izumyr?"

That shook her. "The what?"

- "The Izumyrian invasion. You didn't know?"

- "What invasion? There's no such thing." said Armine. I got the impression that she was telling the truth - as she saw it.

- "When the Duke of Izumyr finally dies, or cedes full control of the Duchy to his son, Barsam will lead an invasion of Hvad." said Borna. "He'll have between 4,000 and 6,000 men."

- "How could you know this?"

- "We captured his military engineer. He was scouting locations in Adarion. Studying the walls of our steadings, looking for good sites to build Izumyrian-style stone towers."

- "I don't believe you." said Armine. "One man does not mean that Izumyr is planning an invasion."

- "There are dozens." said Borna. "Izumyrian merchants. They travel all over Adarion and Yelsa, and to Hvad town. They bring you your Izumyrian wines. And everywhere they go, they count our warriors, examine the state of our defences - and then report back to Barsam."

"He knows who all of the Bans are, how many fighters they have, their wives and children ... he knows that you and Indrek have no sons, and only a single daughter.

Armine blinked, and I saw her left hand form a fist. But she didn't respond.

"I wanted to ask your husband if he knew these things. Because I'm convinced that Leho of Adarion does. I believe that your future son-in-law has been in contact with Barsam several times. My guess is that his brother Dagnis is the go-between."

"Stop me if you've heard this before."

- "Go on." said Armine.

- "I believe that Leho will assist the invaders. In return, he will be allowed to keep whatever lands he holds. That's why he's in such a hurry to take Yeseriya from me."

"And Yelsa from your daughter."

Armine didn't reply. But Borna had her complete attention.

Where is your daughter, by the way?" he asked.

- "She's with her father. With the army." Before she had even finished saying it, I knew that Armine was lying.

I raised my arm, and pointed behind her.

- "She's right there." I said.

While Borna was talking to her, I had watched the Ban's wife. But I was also keeping an eye on the servants, in case one of them posed a threat to Borna. I noticed that one girl continued with her chores, collecting soiled straw. All of the others were completely still, attentively watching their mistress as she confronted the warlord who had just captured their steading.

But this girl continued to bend over, picking up pieces of straw, moving gradually closer to the high table. That was odd enough. But she was one of only two serving girls wearing hoods. If she had been working outside, she might very well have worn a hood. But her clothing didn't match the task she was completing.

When I spoke, she knew, instinctively, that I was pointing at her. She couldn't help it - she looked up. The hair under her hood was bright orange.

Ahli was fifteen years old. She was still more girl than woman, an impish, elfin creature. At the moment, she was simply embarrassed to have been caught.

Borna stood up. "Please join us, Lady. After all, it's your future we're discussing."

- "You won't hurt her?" asked her mother.

- "I gave my word." said Borna. "We are almost done, in any case. I ask you this - Ladies. Between Barsam of Izumyr, and Leho of Adarion, what are the chances that Ahli will be allowed to rule after her father?"

"All I ask is that you pose the same question to your husband, Lady Armine. Who is the greater threat to Ahli? To Yelsa?"

- "Is that really all that you wanted?"

- "That's all I wanted to say. But now it's time to go. Lady Ahli - please put on some travelling clothes. You will be coming with me."

- "You said you wouldn't harm her!" protested her mother.

- "I said that I would take what I came for, and not harm any of your people."

Borna spoke to Ahli directly. "I came for you, Lady. But I will take horses as well."

Armine would have protested again, but her little red-haired daughter touched her arm.

- "It's alright, Mother." she said. "I don't think he'll hurt me."

- "I would never harm you, Lady." said Borna. "You are the future of Yelsa. All I want to do is prevent your marriage - or at least delay it ... until I've killed your betrothed."

***

Borna didn't take all of the horses from Indrek's steading; we stole only a dozen, leaving several behind. If Armine wanted to send a messenger to her husband, she would have the means to do so. This was deliberate, because Borna wanted the Ban of Yelsa to know what had happened as soon as possible.

- "What would you do, Ljudevit, if you were Indrek?" he asked me.

- "Hmm. Try to cut you off, I suppose. Keep your forces divided. Fall on one of the halves, and crush it."

- "Really?"

- "It's what I would do." I said.

- "No - I meant, what do you think Indrek will do?"

- "Oh. Well ... he might do that. Try to recapture his daughter."