The Truce - 24. Chapter 24

The prince of the Illjard heard his barrelman easily, despite his perch high atop the main mast. “Ship approaching! Clarion emblem!” He blew a shrill whistle, and multiple crewmates sprang into action. A large rush of people crowded to get below deck to access the armory. Adrian hoped that there wouldn’t be a fight, but he was fully prepared for one already.

Up here? It was improbable, but Adrian trusted Captain Bjornan’s crew. And they all seem to trust the barrelman.

“Where is it?” Kade asked from his side. “I don’t see any ship.” They had been on deck at the time that the alert was called, engaged in flirtatious conversation. When the alarm came, Kade had snapped out of their chatting quickly and began scanning the water.

Adrian could just barely make it out himself, but it was there indeed. He used a small spyglass that had been nearby, and pointed it in the direction of what he thought he saw. Sure enough, a huge sail bore a field of needles that indicated the vessel belonged to Yago Clarion. The sail dwarfed the boat, which was much smaller than Adrian’s. He could tell that it was designed to navigate calmer waters, ferrying goods back and forth on small trips. He was surprised to see a ship of that size on the ocean, but he supposed they weren’t too far off the western coast of the continent. What was more surprising was where they were. Adrian had just circled around what would be the edge of the Coyne territories in Ironia half a day ago. He estimated that he couldn’t be too much more than halfway down the length of Ironia, which was a considerable distance from Nabian waters.

I hope this doesn’t mean what I think it does.

“Here,” he said as he handed the tool to Kade. He stood behind the Nabian, and gently moved him by the shoulders so that he was facing in roughly the right direction. “Close one eye, and look through here. Find the horizon, and scan along it’s edge until you see it.” Kade struggled for a few minutes getting acclimated to the spyglass, but eventually located it.

“I see it!” he said excitedly. “Ah, yes, that’s definitely General Clarion.” His excitedness quickly devolved to a frown, and tension began to creep into his shoulders.

“Yes. That’s not a good sign.” Adrian had given explicit orders for the barrelmen and any other navigators to be on the lookout for Clarion vessels. He had expected that they may run into some once they got closer to the south of Nabius, but wasn’t mentally prepared for an encounter all the way out here.

“Does that mean… do you really think he has a network all the way out here? He’s established trade with Ironia?”

“It would seem that way, yes.” They paused for a moment before Kade asked another question, clearly catching up and running through all of the implications that this encounter brought.

“Why hasn’t your Order caught it yet?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they have. But it’s a bit more difficult to get things done in this part of Ironia. The Coyne and Monciet territories are the only lands left with formal monarchies, and government from the shore to Solstice Peak is practically non-existent. A lot of Ironia is comprised of farming and tribal communities still.” Kade nodded, absorbing the information.

“I see. So… there’s no telling how many people are already infected.”

“Exactly. Or how many have already died.” They went quiet at that for a little while, before Kade spoke up again.

“Lets hope this ship isn’t carrying food products.”

“Agreed.”

After about half an hour, Captain Bjornan raised a flag signaling the other boat to stop. Adrian knew that they would be able to see it by now, provided they had any navigators that were worth a damn. The two ships were plainly visible to one another, and it would be just another hour or so before they passed. Adrian and Kade spent the hour inspecting the ship and its crew, ensuring that they were ready for potential resistance.

Once the ships were close enough, they each dropped anchor. Captain Bjornan lowered a gangway from the massive Ironian ship to the smaller Nabian trading vessel, which formed a steep ramp downwards. Kade squeezed Adrian’s hand in a reassuring way, and Adrian marched down the pathway along with six Illjardi soldiers. When they were all aboard and lined up in a regal formation, Adrian called out to the people on deck, all of whom were staring at him in silent confusion.

“Who is the Captain of this vessel?”

“I,” said the voice of a man with long, filthy hair. “Who in all the hells are you?” The disrespect was obvious, but Adrian did not let his face falter. He knew that the ship had only stopped because of the size difference in boats, and the potential threat that came along with that.

“I am Prince Adrian Fray of the Illjard.” A few faces showed recognition at that, and Adrian felt that was a good thing. “Is this ship owned by Yago Clarion of the Thirteen?”

“Aye.”

“What are you transporting?”

“Foods. Are you looking to restock?” Adrian frowned. It was not the answer he had been hoping for.

“Yes, I am. Could you bring forward an example of your product?” The captain nodded, and two burly men carried a heavy wooden crate over to the area of the deck where Adrian stood. They opened the top of the box, and Adrian peered inside.

Meat. Adrian thought long and hard about how to address this, and had come up with a plan well in advance. Kade had been the first to suggest it.

“What kind of meat is it?”

“Cow,” the captain said without hesitation. The contents of the crate did look like steaks, but Adrian felt sick at the possibility of what it might actually be.

“I see. Where from?”

“The south,” the captain said vaguely. A tone of suspicion crept into his voice, but Adrian didn’t feel like playing shy.

“And where is this shipment headed? You’re a long ways away from Nabian soil.” The captain hocked and spit over the edge of the boat, keeping an eye fixed on Adrian.

“Trade’s allowed with Ironia still. The parts we ain’t fighting.”

“Indeed, it is. But don’t Ironians have their own cattle? An overabundance of them, I’ve heard.” The man gave him a long, hard look, and Adrian felt aggression thickening the air around them.

“Look. Are you buying, or not?”

“I am,” Adrian said with a smile, trying to deescalate the situation. That did seem to placate the man somewhat, and his body language betrayed signs of relaxing a little bit. “But first, would you mind sampling a piece? I always just like to make sure my men have the highest quality, and most tradesmen don’t mind demonstrating.”

“Sure,” the man said with a shrug. He pulled a knife out, and carved a tiny sliver of dried meat off of one of the slabs in the crate. He held it out to Adrian, indicating that he should take it.

“Oh. I’m sorry – I meant you. Would you mind sampling it? A tradesman that believes in his own product is a tradesmen that I would be more apt to trust.”

“A tradesman that samples his own wares is a shit tradesman,” he replied. The response came a little too quickly, and Adrian knew what he needed to do. He hesitated for a few moments, but then nodded.

“Touché. We’ll take three crates. If you could have your men bring them up to the gangplank, I’ll go and fetch my gold.” The Clarion captain smiled a nasty grin at that, and nodded. He shouted orders to have three crates of only the finest product to be brought up from below deck, and Adrian began walking back up the gangway.

Here goes nothing.

Once he and his soldiers made it back, there was only the briefest nod exchanged between Adrian and Sarah Bjornan. The second the last man crossed the threshold of the ship, she gave a quick, loud whistle.

Immediately, soldiers sprang up from where they had been crouched on the other side of the ship’s railings. Each armed with bows, they unleashed a torrent of arrows, killing the crewmates that were above deck with incredible precision. As the Nabians began to panic and run for cover, Adrian gave the second command.

“Burn it.”

Bags of pitch were lobbed over the water between the two boats, and a few torches were thrown as well. It only took twenty minutes before Bjornan had raised anchor again, and the ship was off. The remnants of a ship smoldered behind them, sending a thick column of black smoke into the air.

Adrian didn’t look back as wind caught in pristine white sails, and Kade came up from behind him, grabbing him by the hand. They said nothing, simply staring out over the waters that parted before them. After a while, Adrian addressed his fiancé.

“You’re sure you know how to get in?”

“I have a general idea.”

“Just general?”

“Good enough. I think.”

“Okay,” Adrian said with a sigh. “Either way, we have to try.”

“Agreed. I saw Yago once, when I was young. At the carnival. He hunted people for sport.” Adrian gulped, hating everything about that. “I can’t imagine a world where more people act like that.”

“Me neither.” Another long silence went by, and Adrian released Kade’s hand, grabbing him by the waist and pulling him close.

We’ll do everything we can to help. Onwards to you, Alexandre.

***

The destruction was much worse than anything Luca had imagined. Alexandre and other generals had used fire as a tactic in battle before, but never on a scale like this.

My gods.

Luca had understood the plan from the very beginning. Riderless horses – as many as could be spared – were saddled with bags of the very smelly powder that Marion had brought with her. When they reached the front lines, small slits were made in each bag so that powder leaked out in steady streams. The horses were sent into the fray, and had largely been ignored by enemies. They clearly hadn’t anticipated the move, and seemed more confused by it than anything. Most of the horses made it through the back lines, all the way up to the base of the mountains. Yago’s palace loomed down at them from above, and the wave of horses broke once the terrain became too hilly to climb.

Some of the horses had bags of oil as well, and others were burdened down with dried leaves and sticks that would make for excellent kindling. It had taken almost half an hour, but the animals had run through the crowds and spread their various accoutrements through the battlefield. A large number had been sent towards the body collectors, and Luca could smell the sulfur from where stood in the war camp. Eamon had been beside him, and Luca was faithfully describing the scene.

When Marion gave the order, a wave of archers with flaming arrows loosed destruction into the sky. The first few arrows fell without too much drama, but when the right ones connected, the noise was deafening.

Displaced ground rocketed into the sky, and flames and smoke roared to life. It spread rapidly through the enemy lines, and friendly soldiers that had strayed too close were caught in the pandemonium as well. Luca felt sorry for the people who would die this way – especially the friendly ones. They hadn’t anticipated that this new weapon would be so effective, and had strayed too close. Luca didn’t blame them, though. I wouldn’t have known either.

The rebelling Nabians, Tomacians, and Ironians on the field stayed far back, and continued to shoot flame into the corpses. Luca could tell that the smoke produced would haze the air for days, and Yago’s mountaintop palace began to be obscured from view in no time at all.

Luca watched for half an hour, stunned into silence. Eamon had pestered him with some questions about what was going on, but had caught on based on the sounds and smells that hung in the air. Immediately, Luca knew that this would pave the way for new standards of warfare. He mulled over what this meant and the sheer destructive force of it all, all the while keeping one eye on Marion. All in all, he knew one thing for sure.

She has too much power. We need to reclaim Jezebel’s territory after all this is over. Luca smiled wryly to himself. All of the other Generals looked down on Jack Du Vance and his lands – those mines were considered worthless before this. Now, whoever controls those mines becomes a superpower. He smiled genuinely now, reflecting on what this could have meant in another reality. At least Jezebel won’t be alive to realize that. And she threw such a fit at being handed the Du Vance territory in the first place. It is kind of funny.

He grabbed Eamon’s hand, and began to guide him back towards the tent.

“Lets go. I don’t want to see this.”

***

Eamon was certain that he wasn’t the only one who had broken the rules, but that on top of the regular pressure made him nervous as he took his place at the next meeting of the rebellion leaders. The knife he had stored inside a leather bracer was pressing into his skin, so he moved his arm gently while trying to make sure he didn’t accidentally cut himself. It probably wasn’t completely necessary, but being armed at least helped to take the edge off.

If anything goes wrong, I get Luca and myself the hell out. He cared for his friends, but he cared for Luca more. And they can handle themselves. It was mainly Marion Monciet and Jared Coyne that Eamon didn’t trust, especially after the attack of a few hours ago. The stink of burning flesh filled the air everywhere, and Marion had continuously sent wave after wave of flame accelerant into the midst of the battlefield. The audacity of the attack was staggering, and Eamon knew that even Alexandre had been impressed.

Anyone who can pull something like that off shouldn’t be trusted. He frowned, thinking to himself about how he would escape if there were an argument between the generals and monarchs. It would help if I was better with a knife, but Luca brought his walking stick. I can use that to fight our way out of this. Luca was the only one permitted to bring a weapon to the table, being that he wasn’t a fighter and he really did have to rely on a staff sometimes, on account of the various injuries he had accrued while feuding with Jezebel Di Coteau. I’m sure all of the others have hidden weapons as well. Anyway, today wouldn’t have been a high alert day if it weren’t for Marion demonstrating what she’s capable of earlier. Best to just be prepared.

Around the table, the same group of leaders congregated to discuss a new issue. They were summoned for another meeting by Luca, which had surprised everyone. Part of Eamon’s tensions were that Luca would be in the limelight, and he only had a faint idea of what Luca was going to say. If its bad news, who knows how they might react? When everyone was settled, Luca began to speak.

“Thank you all for coming.” He cleared his throat awkwardly, and Eamon could practically feel the anticipation rolling off of the world leaders in waves. “I’ve called you all here today to discuss another contingency plan that has recently become available to us.” That caught the attention of everyone there, and they remained silent. “As most of you know, Prince Adrian Fray has been a close ally of mine for some time.”

That’s one way to put it.

“He recently informed me that he, at the behest of both the Hallowed Order and his pending groom, is assisting in dismantling what General Clarion has set up.” Eamon shifted in his seat at that, and thought what he was sure was on the minds of everyone else there.

What could he possibly do? He has almost no military.

“Prince Fray recognizes the danger that Yago Clarion places us all in, and has pledged to destroy as many trading vessels of Clarion’s as he can. His naval strength is unparalleled, so this should be a great asset to us.” A small murmur of approval went around the table, but then Marion spoke.

“That’s great, but why summon a meeting just to tell us that? Couldn’t we have all been informed by courier?”

“I’m not done yet,” Luca said, a slight edge to his voice. That quieted the queen, and he continued. “As I was saying, in addition to this, he’s offering another contingency. He believes that he can get a team into Yago’s home by sea.” The group was silent for a little while before Marion spoke again.

“What? His lands don’t even extend to the coast.”

“He’s thinking of using the same pass that General Di Coteau informed us Ysabel is targeting.”

“She might be able to make it through the provinces, but a whole team won’t surely?”

“Actually, Prince Fray seems to think it’s quite possible. He’s got information about a smuggling route up the coast that comes out directly near the entrance to the mountain tunnels.”

“And where,” growled Devan Di Coteau, “did he get this information?” Luca turned to him calmly, and Eamon heard no trace of fear in his voice when he addressed the General.

“Your son. Apparently, Kade Hawkins has quite the compendium of knowledge about smuggling routes throughout Nabius, learned at his time in the academy.” Eamon was floored by the statement, but realized that it was indeed possible.

Kade did say he was going the thievery route in the academy when he was there. I don’t know what they teach, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were maps of trading routes involved. Actually, I don’t think hardly anyone knows about what they teach there. Thievery and smuggling was not a common elective choice in Nabian academies, given that it was often seen as less honorable than other tracks. It was also inherently more risky to rise to power through stolen wealth, as Nabian law allowed for retribution against anyone who got caught. General Di Coteau sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I tried to keep him away from all of this shit. He was so close.” Alex responded then, his voice softer than normal.

“Sometimes destiny can’t be avoided, Uncle. Especially when you’re in our family.” Devan just sighed again, and the group looked to Luca again expectantly.

“Adrian will be at a port in southern Ironia in a few hours. He’ll pick up anyone that wants to make their way through the tunnels with Kade’s guidance. If we can get the right team in, we can take him out.” Eamon felt a few people look around at each other, but eventually spoke up to break the silence.

“I’ll go.”

“What? No,” Luca blurted out, faltering in his formal elocution.

“I’ll go,” he says again. “I owe a debt to Talia. It’s the least I can do to try and save her.” Eamon was truthfully unsure of whether he really should embark on this mission or not, with his main hesitation being leaving Luca behind. He was hoping that his eager bravery would spur the group of leaders on.

“I will dedicate myself to this mission too,” Carl volunteered. Even though he was blind, Eamon could picture the Tomacian prince standing valiantly, annunciating his intent to go grandiosely.

“No you won’t,” Alexandre said, and Eamon knew that he either rolled his eyes, or made a conscious effort to resist doing so. “I need you here. In my current state, we can’t risk you either.”

“But I – “

“NO.”

“Alexandre is right,” Laura Nandra said, speaking up for the first time. “While he is injured, you should be here. It makes no sense to risk you. On top of that, we still don’t know how Yago is going to respond to the latest turn of events. You two started this war, and it’s your responsibility to stay here and finish it.” Carl stood in stubborn silence for a few moments, before Eamon heard him sit down again.

“Fine.”

“That being said,” Almanita spoke up coyly, “despite my own wife being injured, I also have a duty to go. Yago Clarion stole knowledge from me many years ago, and has been using it to inflict suffering on people for too long. It’s why I formed my group of girls and taught them how to defend themselves in the first place. I will go.”

“Nita…” Laura Nandra said with hesitation in her voice.

“It is done. I will go,” she insisted. Laura didn’t say anything after that.

“I will also go.” The husky voice was Devan Di Coteau’s, and Eamon didn’t have to guess his reasoning.

His son is on this mission.

“Very well,” Elsa Torne said with an air of finality. “Reinforcements for Ysabel Clarion will be on their way courtesy of the Illjardi prince. This, at least, gives me a little more hope for the future of this fight. I suggest you each take a horse and head to the coast as soon as possible – we’ll want to end this before anyone catches wind of it.”