Kalvan tugged his beard. "I'd like to settle our differences now before we have to come back through this way come summer. I don't like leaving combatants in my rear, either. Do you think we can negotiate a surrender?"
Errock chewed on his mustache for a moment. "I believe so, Your Majesty, as long as we allow them to save face. I'll talk to the representative of the town-moot and see if they're willing to play along. Theovacar's taxes in the marches are high and there's little love for him or his tax-gatherers."
The King's advance party arrived at Vagnor in about a candle. Kalvan was surprised to find the wooden palisade and blockhouses right out of American Colonial history. It wouldn't have surprised him if Daniel Boone had ridden out of the gates. There were a couple of farms in a cleared area outside the walls and some out-buildings, but all appeared deserted.
Captain-General Errock, Uncle Wolf Tharses and Grand-Captain Vanar Halgoth with twenty of the Royal Bodyguard formed a parley group and entered through the town gate. While he was waiting, Kalvan had his horse fed and watered at a nearby stream.
"Verkan, what sort of reception should we expect at Greffa?"
"Despite Theovacar's limited forces, he's probably left a good-sized garrison of several thousand men under a loyal commander. Five thousand at most. He has to keep a strong garrison in the City as the King has a lot of unhappy nobles who'd love an opportunity to rebel. The nomads are quiet and haven't been sighted in great numbers any closer than Lyros so far this campaign season. Still, most of his defenses will be aimed at stopping a barbarian incursion.
"Naval power has the most weight in the Upper Middle Kingdoms so Theovacar would never expect a land attack against his capital from Thagnor, which will give us the element of surprise. Morthron, by way of the Erkfryn River, has been the traditional Thagnori invasion route to Greffa City, which is why they are so closely allied. The only real problem we'll face is the Great Walls. With your guns, they shouldn't hold out more than a moon half."
"I pray to Galzar that you're correct, Verkan. If we can bag Greffa City in less than a moon, we'll be able to return to Thagnor and hit the Grand Host from the rear. Now that would be a surprise!"
Verkan grinned. "One the Styphoni are guaranteed not to like."
Kalvan heard an uproar, some shouts and cries, from within the village. He turned and ordered Verkan to organize a sortie party while they waited.
Suddenly the town gates opened and Errock and his party came riding out smartly with half-a-dozen of the villagers. As they approached, Kalvan saw that several of the villagers had been roughed up.
"Any problems?" he asked.
Errock shook his head. "Sire, when the headman here suggested they surrender the village, some of the Royal soldiers got upset and started pushing the locals around. Our men put a quick end to that. This is Headman Yagar. He has a request."
"Yes, Headman, what do you wish?"
The Headman jumped off his horse and fell to the ground to grovel. Kalvan shook his head in disgust and motioned for him to rise. If this is the way Theovacar and the Grefftscharri nobility treat all their subjects, the whole state is rotten to the core.
"Your Majesty, King Kalvan the Great, I would ask for only one thing. That you have your soldiers fire in the air one time and then we will surrender the town. I would not like it to be said that not a single shot was fired in our capitulation."
"That will be done. Anything else?"
"Only that you take the Royal Greffan soldiers with you as prisoners; otherwise, they will kill us all as soon as you have left."
"So it shall be. We will also leave fifty of our men to make sure that none of Theovacar's loyalists try to re-take the town."
"Thank you, thank you, Your Majesty!" the Headman said, bowing and scraping.
II
The League of Dralm Council met at Tarr-Kryphlon to formally declare war on Styphon's House. General Hestophes was given a seat at the foot of the long plank trestle table that ran down the center of the Great Hall. Along both sides sat eight of the eleven Princes of Hos-Agrys, including Prince Aesklos of Zcynos who had lost a leg fighting for Styphon's House several years before. Also seated were Duke Mnestros and his father, Prince Thykarses.
The latest news was that Grand Master Soton and his fleet had reached Agrys Harbor and defeated the Agrysi Navy. It was hardly a surprise, even to Hestophes, since the Agrysi Navy was small, poorly fitted and undermanned. Those Princes whose realms were closest to Agrys City appeared somber or nervous. He suspected that they were worried they'd find their princedoms at war or overrun before they had time to return.
After the Highpriest of Dralm made the opening invocations to Dralm, Speaker Kyphanes, Prince of Meligos, addressed the assembled princes. Kyphanes was a tall man bent by age and worry. There had been rumors in the past that he was in the pay of Styphon's House, but a team of three intelligencers had been unable to uncover any link to the False Temple. In truth, he was a chronic worrier and resistant to change. In many ways, Kyphanes was the embodiment of the worst features of the Agrysi nobility, overly cautious and distrustful.
"My fellow Princes, it is only with great reluctance that I open this meeting of the Council of Dralm. I had prayed to the Allfather that we might avert the coming conflict, but the hounds of war have been unleashed. Grand Master Soton and his army are invading Hos-Agrys without provocation. It is up to the League to help our King and stop the Styphoni before they sack the City and hunt us down one at a time."
There were nods of agreement from most Princes, but a few looked askance.
Prince Kyphanes looked as though he'd just bit down on a bitter seed. "It is my recommendation that we declare war on Styphon's House and send an army to support our Great King."
Prince Ptophlos of Orchon jumped to his feet. "Where was Demistophon when Orchon was invaded by Prince Nador of Pellor? I had to spend my last gold piece and mortgage my palace to get enough mercenaries to keep that Zygrosi cur from adding my domain to his holdings. The King refused to even answer my pleas. As I recall, none of the rest of you were eager to help, either!" Ptophlos plopped back down in his seat, his face set in a grimace.
Hestophes was beginning to resent all the time he'd wasted sailing to Port Glarth and the long overland journey that had followed. I would be a lot more useful back in Thagnor fighting the Grand Host than refereeing this bunch of wastrels.
Prince Thykarses rose to his feet. "We can argue over past mistakes and feuds, or we can concentrate on the crisis at hand. No one here, Oath of Galzar, has more reason to distrust and dislike our Great King than myself. Demistophon sent gold and money to my younger brother to foster a rebellion that only ended when he died in battle."
The assembled Princes nodded as they recalled the rebellion twenty winters ago that had almost split the Princedom of Eubros in half.
"However, I ask that we do not turn away from the hard light of day. Styphon's House will not be content with taking Agrys City and the surrounding territory. No, they want to put one of their puppets onto the Throne of Light and in the seat of every House in Hos-Agrys! If we do not pick up arms to defend our Kingdom, Styphon's House will roll up our Princedoms like a Lyrosi rug. Remember what happened when we dithered over supporting Great King Kalvan of Hos-Hostigos? Now the war has come to our Houses.
"If Styphon's House defeats Demistophon, those Princes who are in the Union of Styphon's Friends will retain their titles but lose most of their powers. The rest of us will be planted in the soil and badly remembered by our subjects, or we will face Investigation by Archpriest Roxthar!"
Everyone at the table paled at the mention of Roxthar's Investigation.