“Take this to my wife.”
The soldier took the paper, saluted, and ran off. Rabia would pack an overnight valise for him, since he would spend the night in Rocklyn. He didn’t fancy riding even in a comfortable carriage the sixty-mile round trip in one day.
Next, he wrote a memo to his senior commanders to alert them that the Buldorians had arrived. There was nothing for them to do at the moment, but he assiduously kept his immediate subordinates apprised of everything relevant. He turned and pulled a different cord. This time, a clerk came in.
“Copy this memo and send copies, except the last paragraph, to Commanders Zulfa, Metin, Erdelin, and Ketin. Send the complete copy to Assessor Hizer.” The added words “invited” Hizer to accompany himself and Kalcan to Rocklyn. The assessor wasn’t formally a subordinate, so Akuyun couldn’t order him to accompany them. The Buldorians would coordinate with the Narthani navy, and Hizer would provide intelligence on targets for the Buldorian raids.
The three Narthani leaders left Preddi City at first light. The morning sun vanished behind a weather front that blew in, and light rain began falling halfway to Rocklyn. Heavier rain didn’t come until they were within a few miles of the village; otherwise, the dirt roads would have turned to mud. As it was, they made the thirty-mile trip in four hours. Akuyun used the time to go over every detail of the mission plans and the Buldorians’ role. Not that either Kalcan or Hizer didn’t already know everything, but Akuyun never missed an opportunity to reinforce every man’s position and duties. Even so, they talked it out within two hours, followed by an hour of conversation about home and families. The final hour was quiet, as they crested a low hill and saw the fishing village.
“There they are,” noted Hizer, pointing to three Buldorian vessels docked at the village harbor, while the other four anchored two to three hundred yards offshore.
“And there we are,” responded Kalcan.
Two Narthani sloops and three frigates were anchored seaward of the Buldorian ships, ostensibly to provide protection when the Buldorian crews were ashore, but also reminding the Buldorians in whose waters they sailed.
The village itself consisted of two dozen structures assumed to be meeting houses, warehouses, shops, and homes of more prominent Preddi. Surrounding this cluster were forty to fifty smaller houses and huts, enough for an original population of four hundred. Though the village citizens had avoided most of the harsher consequences of the Narthani conquest, the last three hundred had been forcibly moved to allow the village to serve as the isolated base of operations for the Buldorians.
The two carriages and fifty Narthani cavalry escort covered the last mile to the village and stopped at one of the larger structures, where a Narthon banner flew from the roof and where several soldiers waited for the new arrivals. Major Saljurk dismounted from his horse, spoke with an awaiting junior officer, and came back to Akuyun’s carriage.
“The Buldorian commander is at the dock. Shall I send for him right away?”
“No,” said Akuyun, “tell him we’ll meet him here in an hour. That’ll give us a chance to stretch our bones after the trip and get something to eat.”
Exactly one hour later, Major Saljurk ushered Musfar Adalan into a room where Akuyun, Kalcan, and Hizer waited. Akuyun smiled and rose to greet the Buldorian commander. The smile was genuine, since he appreciated punctuality and sensed it boded well for these mercenaries’ coming performance. However, the smile was the closest they came to contact—clasping of hands or arms was reserved for close associates, not between a Narthani general and Buldorian raiders.
“I’m pleased to see you, Captain Adalan, and right on time, as we agreed. I take this to mean a good start to our relationship. I hope your voyage here went well.”
“Thank you, General. Yes, everything was smooth. No weather or other problems, and all seven ships and crews are ready to begin.”
“Fine, fine. And you will begin soon, but after spending a couple of days meeting with Assessor Hizer.” Akuyun used an arm to indicate the man sitting next to him. “He is in overall charge of information gathering and will be selecting targets and coordinating the raids. Also, Admiral Kalcan will want to inspect your ships, and you’ll be meeting with him to go over coordinating naval issues.”
Adalan was a master at concealing his thoughts, a talent that served him well to hide his exasperation. By all the Gods that might be, these Narthani loved to hear themselves talk! He thought they just liked to be sure everyone else knew they were in command. Not that the Buldorian commander didn’t appreciate good intelligence information, but he had dealt with the Narthani before and anticipated being told the same information over and over and over.
Patience, Musfar. They’re paying for your time by setting this up for us, so you shouldn’t complain too much.
“No problem, General. I look forward to our meetings.” To the facile lie, he added a flamboyant gesture touching forehead, lips, and chin, assuring himself the Narthani didn’t realize the order of touching was reverse a standard Buldorian gesture of respect and indicated the target should do something quite rude with the member between his legs.
Akuyun was thorough in everything he did. There were three ex-Buldorians among the tradesmen brought in to resettle Caedellium, one of whom was a clever and fervent convert to the Narthon Empire and a willing tutor in the more relevant Buldorian customs.
The general’s pleasant demeanor never wavered. So, our good captain tells me to go fuck myself, Akuyun thought, amused, though he showed no emotion. Never mind. As long as he does what we brought them here for, I don’t care what he thinks to himself or what he thinks he’s slipping past me.
“Then, if it’s agreeable, let’s begin the briefings right away. I’m sure you and your men are eager to start.”
Adalan barely managed to hide his surprise. He had been prepared for the Narthani to blather on. He recognized a different kind of Narthani than he’d dealt with before. This one was not one to be underestimated. While it didn’t quite rise to the level of worry, the Buldorian wasn’t as sure as he had been moments earlier that the Narthani didn’t know he had been insulted.
“In that case, General, I need to send for my captains, if we are to begin immediately. Shall we reconvene in half an hour?”
It was near sunset when Hizer and Kalcan finished summarizing what they believed the Buldorians needed to know about Caedellium, including general topography, clan structure, types of weapons, most likely defenses the raiders would face, and enough detail of the coast and the nearby waters to begin. Sets of maps had been distributed, and the Buldorians asked many questions. Adalan, his second-in-command cousin, and the other ship’s captains were attentive to every detail. Akuyun was satisfied the mercenaries knew their business.
Hizer ended the briefings. “And that, gentlemen, is our overview for you. Now, I’m sure you’re interested in the first target we’ve selected.”
Saljurk handed each Buldorian another map showing an expanded view of a section of the islands making up Seaborn Province off the northwest coast of Caedellium. A settlement was prominently marked.
“This is your first target, the fishing village of Nollagen on the southernmost island of Seaborn Province. The population is about 400, and, as far as we know, the Seaborn Clan doesn’t maintain a regular militia or security force of any kind. They believe their isolation and relative poverty protect them from such needs.”