The Chronicles of Hvad Ch. 14

But Dulo ... Was Rasiph right? Had she made her choice clear? From the way she glanced at me, from across the room, while serving another customer, I suspected that the old man was right. He was sitting beside me, watching her too - and chuckling.

What to do?

Could I turn her down? Would any man in his right mind do such a thing? Could I continue to stay at the Marga if I did? But that last thought was an uncharitable one, unworthy of either of us. That was not the issue between her and me.

Dulo finished serving the round I had bought, and then announced that she was serving a second, as a reward for their swift response to the summons of the bell. "On the house!" she shouted, to a roar of approval.

Eventually, though, the excitement began to die down. Breakfasts were consumed, and the eyewitnesses had told their own particular version of the morning's events to everyone - at least twice. Dulo began shepherding people to the door, and even shoving a couple through it. She managed all this without saying an unkind word.

She thanked them, again, and then ushered them out the door.

- "Alright, alright." said Rasiph. "I can take a hint."

- "No, you can't." said Dulo. She helped - or pushed - him to the exit.

She returned to my table, and sat down opposite me.

Dulo was a remarkable and beautiful woman. Her dark skin was flawless. She was strong, in every sense of the word.

- "Well?" she said.

- "You saved my life." I said.

- "And you saved mine."

- "Hardly. I was risking a bloody nose, that night - at most."

- "You were the first to stand up." she said. "All I did was ring a bell."

- "I am still alive because of it."

- "Fine." she said. "We'll call it even - even though I think you risked more."

I didn't know what to say to say to that.

"Well?" she said, again.

- "I, uh ..."

- "There's an offer on the table, here, Priit."

She pronounced my friend's name perfectly. It was completely peripheral to what we were talking about, but it meant so much. I could feel moisture around my eyes.

"You have a woman? At home?" she asked. She said it very softly, very kindly.

I could only nod.

"What's she like?" asked Dulo.

She was a perceptive woman, to realize that my reticence - my reluctance - was motivated by feelings for another. And she was a proud woman, yet she was humbling herself to ask about a rival. Dulo was truly remarkable.

- "She is like you." I said. "A warrior woman. A leader. Fierce, and proud."

- "That doesn't sound like me at all."

- "Oh, but it does. Dulo the Strong, we would call you. For the power of your arm, for your physique ... and for the strength of your will. You would be a leader among us, as you are here."

- "A leader? I don't think so."

- "Do you believe that leading a warband is more difficult than what you do here, every day? I can tell you that it is not."

Dulo shook her head. "I find that hard to believe."

- "Believe it." I told her. "If Payl were here, she would punch me in the head. Or kick me. And she might challenge you - but it would be because she saw you as a worthy foe. As a rival. She might dislike you. But you would have her respect."

- "Is that what I am, Priit? A rival for your affections?" said Dulo.

I didn't have an answer for that.

"Because you're still sitting here." she continued. "I can tell that you love your ... Payl - the way that you speak about her."

"Yet here you are - talking to me. And telling me that I'm like her. I have to admit - this isn't what I expected. Every other man who found out that he was ... my choice - well, they -"

- "They leapt at the chance." I said. "They would have been mad not to."

- "See?" said Dulo. "There you go again. You compliment me - then you hold me back. At arm's length. You don't know what you want, do you?"

I couldn't say no. But I didn't want to say yes.

- "So here it is, Priit." she said. "If it's not you, then I'm not sure that I want someone else right now. It would also ... cause me a little embarrassment if the others knew that you'd rejected me. So ... it would help me if you could at least pretend to be my lover - for a while. Do you understand?"

"But I do want you to be my man. I'm not stupid. You'll be going home someday - maybe soon. And you won't be coming back. I understand that."

Dulo took a deep breath.

"So here's what I'm going to do: for the rest of today, and tomorrow, I won't bother you. I won't speak to you. I won't even look at you."

"But tomorrow night, I'm coming to your room. I'll be wearing my nightgown - nothing else. You can leave the door open ... or you can lock it."

Dulo stood up.

"Personally, I hope that you leave it open."

And then she left me alone.

***

My thoughts were cold company, for the rest of that day, and that evening. The next morning, I left the inn before breakfast, and rode to the training field. I found Ingram and his nephew Lir, and talked to them for a while.

When Barsam and his entourage arrived, he caught of sight of me. But he didn't look happy.

- "Where were you, yesterday?" he snapped.

- "I beg your pardon, Lord?"

- "I sent for you, but you were nowhere to be found."

- "I am sorry, Lord, but a group of my countrymen tried to kill me yesterday morning. I thought it wiser not to give them a second chance." I said.

The Duke dismounted, and handed his horse to an attendant.

- "Come with me." he ordered.

Inside his tent, with Barons Voss and Kaim, Barsam addressed me again.

- "Is this true? Your own countrymen? You mean Fadi?"

- "Yes, Lord."

- "Were they Ban Dagnis' men?" he asked.

- "They were. I recognized three of them. And there was one that I believe might have been his Hand." I felt like a small child, telling tales to an adult. But it seemed the best way to prevent another attempt on my life.

- "Have Ban Dagnis informed that I want to see him." Barsam told Kaim. "This afternoon." He huffed and puffed for a few moments more, and then returned to business.

I found out why the Duke had wanted to see me yesterday. He had a new map, or rather, a diagram, spread out on his table. It was a representation of Hvad town.

- "Is it strongly defended, Preet? Is there a wall?" he asked.

- "In places."

- "In places? Not everywhere?"

- "No. But the town is between river and lake. The water protects two sides." I explained.

- "Difficult to besiege, then." said Voss. "We may have to storm the place."

Barsam rubbed his chin. "That could mean heavy casualties."

- "Let the adventurers lead." suggested Baron Voss. "We'll have enough of them. Let them earn their keep."

- "How many are pledged?" asked the Duke.

- "Twelve hundred, as of now. If you prefer, though, we could use the mercenaries to storm the town."

I managed to keep a straight face. Twelve hundred men, coming to swell Barsam's army? And mercenaries, too. Keptel had been right: they could have 4,000 men - or more.

- "But the mercenaries would insist on sacking the place, if they had to storm the walls." said Barsam."

Kaim spoke up. "So would the adventurers, my Lord. Even our own troops would be difficult to restrain, if they had to fight to enter the town."

- "It may be beneficial, my Lord, to sack the place." said Voss. "A salutary lesson, to others, of what will happen if they don't surrender. Promptly."

- "It could be used as a reward, as well. For the adventurers and the mercenaries." said Kaim. "They will expect money, if you deny them loot."

- "And it's a good way to let the soldiers blow off steam. Let them have some sport." added Voss.

- "You're probably right." said Barsam.

I had an uncomfortable feeling, but I wasn't entirely sure. They had used a few words that I could not translate. When the Duke had finished with me, I sought out Captain Ingram.

- "Ingram, please: what is 'sacking'?" I said. It was not the first time that I had asked him to translate an unfamiliar word.

- "Sacking? It's ... coarse cloth. For making sacks."

That made no sense at all. "No - sacking, when in a town."

- "Oh. Sacking a town? That's ... looting it. Plundering. The soldiers are let loose, to do as they will."

My worst fears were confirmed. "Killing?"

- "Yes." said Ingram. "Towns or castles under siege often surrender, to be spared a sack. But if they are captured by storm, they cannot expect mercy."

- "Rape?"

Ingram had the decency to blush. "Yes."

- "Thank you." I said. Then I walked away.

Barsam and his Barons were discussing a sack as a matter of policy. They were planning to let their soldiers loose on Hvad town, to loot, to kill, to rape - to send a message. And for sport. As a reward to their men.

Borna needed to know this. War is a horrible business, and Hvadi warriors were capable of great evil - as Manahir's grandsons had shown. But these Izumyrians were prepared to unleash an entire army, and to permit - or even to encourage them to commit atrocities, on a massive scale.

I rode back to the Marga, considering what I must do. There was the danger to Hvad. And there was Dulo.

I stopped, and dismounted, more than a league from the inn. Behind me were the walls of Lacine, which enclosed a teeming mass of people, numbering more than the population of Hvad town and Adarion combined.

The northern Duchy of Izumyr alone was more populous than all of Hvad. Barsam could field thousands of soldiers, and he would be joined by volunteers and adventurers from further south.

They were vastly wealthier, too. Not only could the Duke hire mercenaries, to further swell his numbers, but his soldiers would be better armed and armoured than even the best Hvadi warriors.

I looked off to the north-east. Borna knew what was being prepared; he was busy trying to unite Hvad, to prepare for an invasion which most people had no idea was coming. Many who should have known better still didn't believe that it would happen.

The fighting in Yeseriya, and then against Adarion and Yelsa, had claimed the lives of hundreds of warriors. Khoren, Priit, Dirayr ... aye, and Berit and Durra, too, wouldn't be there to fight the Izumyrians.

Yes, we'd discovered women warriors, the foresters, and the Uplands - previously untapped sources of fighters. But could they stand against armoured Izumyrian cavalry?

I felt ... lost. Worse than that, even: hopeless. I had come to spy, as Borna asked. I had learned a great deal. But I just couldn't see how this knowledge benefitted us. Hvad was doomed. The people of Hvad town were going to be raped and slaughtered.

Then I shook my head. This what came of being alone, among strangers, for so long.

Had I been at home, I could have talked to Borna. He would've listened to my fears and my worries. And he would have identified them - correctly - as the products of loneliness and despair.

I knew what his advice would have been.

- "Do what you can tonight, Ljudevit. Leave the rest for tomorrow."

I could do that. There was one question that I could resolve this evening.

***

Dulo was true to her word. She hadn't spoken to me since the previous morning. I could feel her eyes upon me, though. I tried very hard not to stare at her too often.

Others were watching us, as well. Rasiph seemed a little confused. To distract him, I asked a question which had been in the back of my mind for some time - before I had even crossed the Grey River, in fact.

- "Why is it, Rasiph, that Izumyr has never invaded Hvad - until now?"

He gave me a curious sidelong look.

- "Seriously?" he said, with a tilt of his head in the direction of our hostess. "That's what y'wanna talk about?"

- "Indulge me, please." I said, with more calm than I felt.

Rasiph rolled his eyes. "No 'countin' for taste." he said. Then he coughed, and reached up to massage his throat.

I took the hint, and ordered drinks for both of us.

Dulo delivered them to our table. She glared at Rasiph, and ignored me completely.

- "What was yer question, then?" said the old man. "Why we hasn't invaded Fad afore now?"

- "Yes. Is it because we are too poor? Too remote?"

- "Too bloody cold, maybe."

- "Not such a great prize, then." I said.

- "Just playin' with ye." Rasiph took a sip of his drink, and then tapped the side of his forehead. "If an Izumyrian noble thought he could tame you folk ... turn yer farmers and herders into taxpayers, an' yer warriors into sojers fer him ..."

- "Ah - a source of manpower. But we are so few. And relatively poor."

- "Money, fightin' men ... every little bit helps. Then there's prestige - reputation."

- "You seem to be giving reasons why Izumyr would invade. I am wondering why they have not."

- "Jest buildin' up to it, friend. Jest buildin' up." said Rasiph.

- "I believe that you are deliberately stretching out your answer, in the hope that I will buy you another drink."

- "Could be. Oh - will ye look at that?" He picked up his cup, and shook it. "Almost empty."

He was incorrigible. But I had plenty of Barsam's coin to spend, and it would end up in Dulo's strongbox anyway - which was all to the good.

- "Alright. Now tell me. Why, in your opinion, has Izumyr not invaded Hvad before now?"

- "Simple answer, Preet: we've been far too busy fightin' each other."

- "Really?"

Rasiph was a fountain of knowledge. I had to replenish his fluids several more times, but once he got going, the old man was only too happy to tell me the stories of the 1st and 2nd Succession Crises, the dynastic wars of the Halsa family, and the War of the Four Cousins.

I couldn't keep up with all of the names, and the myriad details he insisted on including. But once Rasiph got into his story-telling stride, he attracted a small audience from the other tables, who came over to join us.

With the encouragement of the other patrons, Rasiph launched into the tale of the 1st through 4th Torinthian Wars, and the Glorious Day of Etternmoor, when they'd triumphed over the Great Eastern Empire - wherever that was.

I absorbed two main ideas from Rasiph's extended history lesson. The Izumyrians did indeed love to fight each other, especially in family quarrels over who was to rule the Kingdom. But they also had greater concerns, and powerful enemies, far to the south and south-east.

Rasiph had also told me more than he knew. No Izumyrian King could even begin to think about invading Hvad without the active participation - or at least the cooperation - of the ruler of the Northern Duchy.

Yet the Northern Dukes had frequently chosen the wrong sides in the civil wars and dynastic struggles which characterized Izumyrian history. Divided and weakened by costly wars against their own kin, they'd had little time to consider attacking Hvad - which might not even be worth the trouble.

Rasiph was still chugging along.

- "They say there was 150,000 Easterners at the Etternmoor that day - an' near half of 'em perished, put to the sword, or drownt in the marshes."

Exaggeration. Of course it was. But even if I divided that number in half ... and then in half again ...

The conversation took on a life of its own. Rasiph had forgotten the original question, it seemed, as he turned to tales of the south. Others among the older patrons began to contribute their own versions of the old stories. I bought a round for everyone, to keep the talk flowing, but I didn't learn anything else of value.

I sat there, nursing my drink, for the rest of the evening. I simply waited until the last customer had left. Dulo didn't chase anyone out, but many of her friends could tell that she was preoccupied.

When the common room was finally empty, except for the two of us, I called her over.

- "Dulo, may I speak with you?"

She came, but not very happily.

- "So it's a no, then?" she said.

- "Will you sit down, and have a drink with me?"

- "Are you drunk, Priit?"

- "No. I have only reached the point of clarity, Dulo. But you should relax a little."

- "You don't have to soften the blow, Priit." she said. "I'm not some blushing maiden."

- "Please." I repeated. "I ask as a friend."

She sat down, but folded her arms across her chest.

"I apologize." I said.

- "You don't have to -"

- "I do. I was a fool. You are much wiser than I. Thank you for giving me time to realize it." I said. "You are a beautiful, wonderful woman, and I am sorely tempted."

- "That still sounds like a no." she said.

For some reason, I suddenly remembered something she'd said the day before: 'You'll be going home someday - maybe soon. And you won't be coming back. I understand that.'

- "You were right, Dulo. I must return to Hvad. Whether I shall return ... I cannot say. It would not be fair for me to promise what I may not ... fulfill."

Dulo sighed. "This is going to be awkward. Especially after what Rasiph said."

- "That is why I apologize." I said. "I have caused you difficulties. I am sorry. If it helps - if it would make things easier for you ... I need not say anything, if you wish to ..."

- "Pretend? I don't know, Priit. I suspect you're not much of an actor. It might be better if I just let everyone think that you broke my heart."

- "I am sorry."

- "Not your fault." she said. "I put you on my list, and you didn't even know there was one." She rose to her feet.

"Still friends, though?" she asked.

- "You saved my life, Dulo."

- "You saved mine."

"See you in the morning." she said.

***

She didn't see me in the morning, though, because I left early once again. Dulo had planted several ideas in my head, and they were already bearing fruit.

'You'll be going home someday - maybe soon.'

I had to go home. Borna needed to know what I'd learned, and there was no one I could trust to deliver a message. It had to come from me.

That meant that I needed Barsam's permission to leave. And an idea had occurred to me, which could achieve that end - and another - at the same time.

I was waiting outside the Duke's tent when Barsam arrived with the two Barons and their guards.

- "Ha - Preet." said Barsam. "Bright and early." He could tell, from where I was standing, and from the expression on my face, that I wished to speak with him.

"You needn't worry about those other Fadi. The matter is settled."

- "Thank you, Lord. But I have an idea." I spoke quickly.

- "Oh?" Luckily for me, the Duke was in a good mood this morning. "Alright, I'll hear it."

The noblemen dismounted, and their horses were led away. I surrendered my knives, as usual, and followed them into the tent.

"What's this idea, then?"

- "To help you at Hvad town, Lord. So you do not lose so many men." I said. "May I see that map again?" I had my fingers crossed. Barsam must have liked me, because he acceded to my request without question.

"Here, Lord." I pointed to a spot just inside the western wall. "There is an inn, called The Drake. I could stay there, before your army arrives outside the town."

- "Wouldn't you be with me? With the main army?" he asked.

- "I can be, Lord, if that is your wish. But if I went ahead, into the town, I could gather my friends, and a few allies ... and at night, we could easily overpower the guards, and open the gates to you."

Barsam was surprised by my suggestion, and perhaps even a little intrigued.

- "Could this work?" he asked Kaim. The Baron frowned.

- "Who are these friends of yours?" he asked. "Could you not use Ban Dagnis' men?"

The Duke turned to me. "You would be willing to fight beside these men? After they tried to kill you?"

- "It would be in your service, Lord. On the same side." I said. "But ..."

- "But?"

- "They may be known, in Hvad town. They would also have to pass across Adarion - they could easily be recognized. I would prefer to rely on my friends."