Varna Ch. 11

Sezima returned, in person.

- "You won't believe it." he said, breathlessly. "The western end of the city is on fire. Nathal's men are sacking Whydah."

- "What?" That my brother should try to kill me, I could understand. But that he could set his soldiers to plunder his own people ... I knew, from the Chronicles and Histories, what happened when you let an army loose. Robbery, rape, and murder.

- "The mercenaries!" said Sanatha.

- "Ah." said Urbo. "Now I understand. This is Yavantay's reward from Nathal. Paying off old scores - and growing rich on the plunder."

- "That's not all." said Sezima. "There are two camps outside the walls. On the southern side, a smaller camp. A larger camp outside the western walls. I can't be certain, but I think that they're celebrating."

- "Drunk?"

- "Sounds like it. And from what I saw of the city, there are more than a few hundred mercenaries involved."

That was enough for me. My brothers were in the middle of an enormous mistake, and I intended to make them pay for it. Of all the possibilities I'd been considering on our march to Whydah, this was not one of them. But the situation had me salivating.

- "Call the captains. And find Naevys. I need Naevys."

That would take time, but I was able to issue instructions to key players right away, to move certain groups of our fighters into position. I was able to give Sanatha an inkling of what I was planning before everyone was gathered.

- "You're sure?" she said.

- "Oh, yes."

I was fairly certain that we had time, but I didn't want to waste the remaining light. The moment my audience was gathered, I explained what I intended us to do.

"Toran's troops are camped straight ahead of us. They're celebrating their victory. Many of them will be drunk, and they're making a lot of noise, which will cover our advance. Alissara - take your elves. Fire 3 volleys of arrows into the camp. High arcing shots - let the arrows rain down. Then move to the western camp. Naevys and the fey are already on their way. Rain more arrows on that camp, until help arrives."

- "Help?"

- "After your first three arrows, Chief Durgat and Yazgash will attack Toran's camp. Once they've crushed that force, they'll move west to attack Nathal. Our war-cry is 'Varna!' Try not to kill anyone who's on our side."

- "I like this plan." said the new chief of the Red Knees.

- "Go now. Start when you're ready. Expect support, and I'll send word when we're ready to assault the city."

- "What about the fire?" asked Hurmas.

- "The wind is blowing to the west. Unless it shifts, that should prevent it from spreading to the rest of the city. But if that does happen, we'll just have to watch it burn, and kill them all as they flee the flames."

Powered by the aether, my mind was functioning rapidly. I kept my instructions short, and to the point.

"Tir Caenog - you'll have Dergun, Ostro, Hurmas and Sezima, plus all of our mounted troops. Your task is to catch Nathal's men when they run from the half-orcs - which they will. Take prisoners when possible. Once the attack on the city has begun, it will be your task to capture as many of the enemy as you can, if they manage to escape outside the walls. Remember all of the refugees we met today? I want their refugees captured."

- "It won't be easy, in the dark." said Sezima.

- "I know it. Do your best - that will be enough. Gerdar Tanle, you will command the human infantry, supported by Gerdar Azren. You will act as the reserve, until we decide whether you should enter the city. Captain Urbo?"

- "Here, Lord Tauma."

- "You and your men have a little time left to decide if you want to participate tonight. Please talk it over, and let me know if I can call on you to attack the city, when the time comes." I felt an odd feeling, like a stirring in my chest. "The First Battle of Whydah was lost, yesterday. But we can win the Second Battle of Whydah, tonight."

I saw the flash of teeth, as my human captains grinned or smiled. They liked that. When they went off to instruct their various contingents, I was left with Sanatha, and my shadow, Osha, the former ostler now become standard-bearer.

- "I don't think that anyone will be able to see the standard, Osha."

- "They will in the morning." he said.

Sanatha was staring at me, an odd look on her face.

- "Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?" she said.

- "It's the aether." I said. "Magic. That, and the books that Aludar let me read. It's all come together, in my head."

- "You think we can win this?"

- "We've already won. They've handed us a victory - the only question now is how decisive it will be."

- "Can we save Aludar?" she asked.

- "I hope so." I felt bad, to be lying to my sister. "I'm sorry, San - unless he escaped, I don't think that Aludar is still alive."

- "And if we capture Nathal? What then? And if it's Toran?"

- "Toran needs a stern talking to. Nathal ... is different."

Even at this distance, we heard the change in the noise. Drunken hoots and loud laughter from Toran's camp turned to shrieks and panicked shouts. We could even hear the moment that Durgat and Yazgash, leading nearly 400 half-orcs, crashed into their disorganized enemies.

It was all over very quickly. There was just enough light to see the massed half-orc infantry trample through Toran's camp, and then move off to the west.

- "Gerdar Tanle? Let's take your men down there, and see what's left."

Toran's camp was a shambles. There seemed to be dead men lying all over - although many turned out to still be alive.

- "Too drunk to stand up." said Gerdar Tanle.

There were only some 150 men in Toran's camp - dead or alive. The majority of his troops had to be in the city, then, joining in on the sack, looting and plundering alongside the mercenaries.

But there was no sign of Toran, nor of Tir Moksha or Tir Beksha. Where were they?

The aether sharpened my wits. Toran would not be with the looters. Neither would most of the noblemen. The only other place they could be was ... in Nathal's camp.

- "With me!" I shouted. "Gerdar Tanle - we're moving!" I sent a runner to let Captain Urbo know what we were doing. Then we led the human infantry to the western edge of the city.

There was noise inside the walls: screams, hoarse cries, and of course the wind-fanned flames in the western end. But as we approached, we could hear the clash of steel, and the shouted war cry 'Varna'!

I drew on the aether again, to keep my senses and my alertness at a peak. The fey had fired the first shots, followed by several volleys of arrows from the elves. Then Durgat and Yazgash would have attacked. But the sounds seemed to indicate that heavy fighting was still going on.             

It was Sezima who met us halfway there.

- "Durgat is down." he said.

- "What?"

- "It's Nathal. He's ... out of control."

- "What? What does that mean?"

- "He's killed four half-orcs. He nearly killed Durgat."

This was impossible ... until I remembered that Nathal had paid more attention to Durgulel's lessons than anyone except me. And he'd chosen the Body School of magic. It had to be magic - there was no way that Nathal could have stood up to Durgat without it.

The fighting in Nathal's camp should have been over. Most of his soldiers, like Toran's, were inside the city. His troops in the camp were defeated. Many had fallen to arrows - and there were more who were too drunk to offer resistance. But there was still a tight knot of men around the one enemy who was still actually fighting - Nathal.

Alissara was the first captain to greet me.

- "It's uncanny." she said. "We've fired six arrows - only one hit him. He's dodging arrows. We're afraid to hit our own people."

- "How's Durgat?"

- "Hurt - but alive."

Thank the Goddesses. After all he'd done, I couldn't afford to lose him.

There was an area in the center of Nathal's camp, with several fires, blankets strewn about, and quite a few dead bodies - many of them were friends. Some people were crouching down, while a determined-looking group of about thirty covered themselves with their shield.

And in the very center of that group ... was my brother Nathal.

They were surrounded by several hundred half-orcs, and by scores of elven archers, looking for a clean shot. But no one dared approach

He was practically shaking, so full of magical energy that his muscles were quivering. The power he'd called up was immense. I could feel it, even from where I stood. No, it couldn't last forever - but he could hurt many more of my allies before he grew too tired to keep fighting.

Nathal was hyper-alert. He caught sight of me immediately.

- "Brother!" he shouted. His eyes were bulging.

- "It's over, Nathal." I said. "Surrender, and I will treat you better than you would have treated me."

I would grant him a quick, honourable death. I wouldn't stoop to using assassins. That was all I meant.

My brother grinned. "The bathhouse, you mean? Gedere made a mess of that. I should have just killed you myself. But that can be ... remedied."

He jumped forward, and came for me, with a bloody sword in each hand.

I heard the little pause before 'remedied'. My senses were also augmented with aether. I wasn't about to face my magically-buffed brother without magic of my own.

Nathal came for me, with unnatural speed.

When he was only five paces away, he leapt into the air.

And I unleashed an aether spear, aimed straight at him. Into it I poured all of my resentment, all of my lingering hatred. I remembered every occasion he'd bullied or belittled me, and the fact that he'd tried to murder me - I used that anger to thrust the aether spearhead.

The moment I let it go, I knew that it was much more powerful than the magic that I'd unleashed in the bath house, against the second assassin. It was like a lightning bolt. I swear, I could see the lance of aether.

Nathal's chest exploded.

***

I can't explain what happened. The aether that Nathal was using to feed his superhuman power and speed did nothing to protect him from my aether spear. Instead, it was like thrusting a burning torch into a pool of oil.

I shouldn't have used so much magic in one go. Rhigen was right: it was too much for my system. I fell backwards, legless and limbless, to slam against the ground. I passed out.

***

When I finally opened my eyes, I saw my wife's grey-blue eyes, and her ridiculous ears, which I'd come to love.

- "Oh, Tauma." she said. "You had us so frightened." Then Saska drew a deep breath. "HE'S AWAKE!" she shouted.

Within moments, Glasha was there, and Sanatha, too. I was hugged and kissed. Gerdar Tanle arrived, and saved me from death by suffocation.

- "Let him breathe!" she said. "One at a time!"

- "What happened?" I asked, when they finally let me speak.

- "You've been sleeping for a day and a half." said Saska.

- "But Rhigen thinks that you'll be alright." said Glasha. "Even stronger, afterwards - it that's possible."

- "No - I mean ... the battle."

- "The city is ours." said Sanatha. "What's left of it."

- "The last thing I remember is ... Nathal." My brother was dead. I'd killed him.

- "The rest of his camp surrendered. Then Gerdar Tanle got our fighters re-organized, so that we could enter the city."

- "Yazgash was instrumental - don't forget that." said Gerdar Tanle.

- "Perhaps you should pick up the tale - you were actually there." suggested Sanatha.

- "If you wish." said my wife's mother. "Yazgash led Durgat's half-orcs. We supported them with human troops. I was leery of bringing the elves into the city - I feared that they would suffer, at close quarters, but Alissara had a wonderful idea: half of her archers followed us, and then took to the rooftops. They were able to fire at the enemy without being drawn into melee fighting."

I smiled. I was very fortunate in my allies.

- "The looters were almost oblivious until we began to drive them through the streets. I don't believe that they had the least idea of what had happened outside the walls. We had very little trouble, at first. Our biggest problem was individual looters stumbling out of houses where they'd been plundering ... or worse."

- "Worse?"

- "There was a lot of rape, Tauma. Murders, too. You were right about the wind - the fire remained in the western quarter, and burned itself out. But I fear that the people of Whydah suffered a great deal in the sack. There are over a thousand bodies to be buried."

I didn't know how to respond to that. Could we have prevented it? I hadn't felt a strong sense of kinship with the people of Whydah. This was the home turf of the Esins - my mother's family. But if I was fighting to become the next Duke, wouldn't that make them my people? If I was the Varyan ... wasn't it up to me to protect them, too?

I was too tired to think about this, right now. Nor did I dare to draw on the aether. It was easier to simply lie back and listen.

- "Go on."

- "Resistance began to stiffen as we pushed them back towards the harbour. Alissara's elves were invaluable, when it came to breaking up enemy formations. And Yazgash was everywhere. You should really consider how best to reward her - I don't believe that money is enough."

- "Mmm. Noted."

- "Once we'd pushed them back to the docks, the elves had clearer lines of fire. Also, many of them - the mercenaries, in particular - seemed more intent on escaping to their ships. Some of Nathal's and Toran's men might have gone onto ships, but several hundred surrendered to us. We also captured two of the mercenary ships. Four of them escaped, towing prizes behind them. I'm afraid that they took your friend Urbo's ship."

- "The First Light?"

- "I believe so, yes. But the mercenaries left tons of loot piled on the quays. They didn't have time to load it on their ships."

Gerdar Tanle had told me what I needed to know, for now. She'd done it calmly, and dispassionately. But she had left several questions unanswered - and they were the ones I most wanted to hear.

- "My brother? Aludar?"

Gerdar Tanle inclined her head. "I believe that we should leave them alone, now." she said. She was speaking to Saska and Glasha.

- "You can stay." said Sanatha. "You're family. You're ... the only family we have, now." My sister sat down on the edge of my bed. Saska and Glasha sat on the other side, while Gerdar Tanle remained standing.

"Aludar died fighting." said my sister. "So did Uncle Esin."

That was oddly comforting. I would have preferred my brother to be alive, but there were infinitely worse ways to die. And yet ... from Sanatha's tone, there was more to come, and I wasn't going to enjoy hearing it.

"Gerdar Corig was captured while trying to escape. They killed him out of hand. We're still not sure who was responsible."

Poor Benaz. We would have to tell her that her father was dead. And poor Bathene; she'd lost husband and father on the same day.

"Mother was captured when the city fell. So was Viken Esin. We found their bodies in the cellars. Tauma - they were strangled to death."

Even now, I couldn't find it in me to shed a tear for my mother. Viken, Bathene's brother, was an ass - but no one deserved to die in that manner.

- "Find out who did it." I said.

- "We have." said Sanatha. Her lip curled in disgust. "It was Tir Pyera."

Nathal's ally. The man Nathal wanted his sister to marry.

- "What happened to Pyera?" I asked.

- "He was captured, inside the city."

A murderer, and a looter. "We hang him." I said.

- "You'd hang a Tir?" said Sanatha.

- "Oh, yes." I said. "What about the other Tirs, and Gerdars? And ... you haven't mentioned Toran."

Sanatha sniffed, close to tears. "He's dead, Tauma. He died fighting. In Nathal's camp."

I was partly relieved, to tell the truth. What would I have done with my little brother, as a prisoner? Could we have trusted him, after what had passed? I might feel some guilt for not coming to Aludar's aid any sooner, but Toran had directly contributed to his elder brother's death.

Sanatha had more to tell me, a mixture of personal loss and political gain. I certainly had mixed feelings about what had happened.

Nathal was dead. Tir Albo died early - appropriately enough, he was killed by an elven arrow. Talanassa Albo, now a widow, was a prisoner - and wounded, struck by a fey arrow. Gerdar Kegen was missing, and still unaccounted for. So was Gerdar Khuter. Tir Pyera was our prisoner, and he would hang. I was set on that. Gerdar Aspar, Meghra's father, was a prisoner.

Toran's ally, Tir Moksha, was dying of an infected wound. Sanatha was perhaps the one person who might have saved him, with healing magic, but she'd used her skills to help Durgat, who was recovering nicely.

Adjan Moksha, Toran's wife, was also dead, struck by a stray arrow in Nathal's camp. Gerdar Candre was captured, inside the city. Another looter ... he could hang with Pyera.

Tir Beksha had escaped. He'd fled by sea, with the mercenaries. What mischief would he get up to, with his illegitimate claim to the throne of Varna?

On our side, nineteen half-orcs had died in the fighting, along with four elves and 12 humans. Our enemies' casualties were in the hundreds - with hundreds more taken as prisoners. It was a ridiculously complete victory.

And yet ... my brothers were dead. Aludar, Nathal, and Toran, within the space of a few days. I could barely wrap my mind around that. The Second Battle of Whydah had taken place a day after the First - and the results of both encounters were incredibly decisive.

Aludar's faction was gone. Nathal's supporters were dead, or prisoners. And of Toran's faction, only Tir Beksha had escaped. Many of their men had fled outside the city. The lucky ones were captured by our mounted men; the unlucky ones were caught by the fey, who were not at all merciful.

I wondered how many of the fugitives would make their way south to Elmina, to join Merik. Certainly the surviving conservatives and those who detested non-humans would probably end up there.

Merik could wait. Gerdar Tanle sent out many scouts, to make certain that we were not surprised in turn. There were too many things that needed to be done, and I was in no shape to attend to them.

- "Leave it to us." said Sanatha. "We'll deal with it."

***

My first interview was a painful one. I'd put her off once before, and wouldn't do it again. She deserved an answer.

Bathene Esin had lost her husband, father, brother, aunt, and numerous friends - not to mention two cousins fighting on the opposite side. Her home city was devastated. Hundreds of people she'd known since childhood were dead.

I was sitting in bed, propped up with pillows. She stood at the foot of the bed, with Sanatha beside her.

- "You asked me a question, Bathene. I promised you an answer."

She nodded. There was no need to repeat it. "Why didn't you come?" she'd asked. "Why didn't you join us?" Benaz Corig had outright accused me of being responsible for the fall of Whydah. Bathene's question suggested much the same thing - only more politely.

- "I loved Aludar." I told her. "Toran was too young, when we were growing up, so Aludar and Sanatha were my only friends in the family. Aludar shared his books and his thoughts with me. It was a gift. But he'd changed, when San and I returned from our travels. I put it down to something that Father said to him - most likely that he wasn't going to name Aludar his heir."

Bathene remained silent, and let me continue.

"He no longer asked my opinion. He told me what I should do. And then he tried to manipulate me. When you and the other candidates to be our brides came to Elmina, Aludar deliberately tried to sabotage my efforts to get to know the women I preferred. He told Saska Tanle and her mother that I had a mistress, and that I would never give her up. That was true: but shouldn't he have left it to me to tell them? Thankfully, Saska let me tell her, before revealing that she'd already known."