"No, I think this one was her idea. She's convinced that having a male heir will cement their new Throne in Thagnor and throughout Nos-Hostigos."
"She's probably right. Rylla's got great instincts. They're going to need all the support they can muster before this war against Styphon's House is through."
III
Even after their winter residence, Lysandros still looked around the high-domed audience room of the Nythros Palace with awe. The room was filled with beautiful tapestries and statues. Not counting the wealth in this room, they had filled almost five hundred large chests, filled to the brim with silver and gold coins, ingots, jewels, priceless jewelry and cloth-of-gold hangings; the accumulated treasure of centuries. All collected after Nythros fell. More than triple the loot they had reaped in all of Hos-Hostigos!
When I return with this treasure-well, my half, at the very least-I will be the richest ruler in the Five Kingdoms! He and Queen Lavena could turn Harphax City into the greatest capital of all. Yes, what a handsome pair we make. He would gift her the best and most costliest of the jewels; his consort should be adorned with only the best! He would be the sun of Harphax, and she would be his moon, a golden moon.
The clatter of boots on the mosaic tiles brought him out of his reverie. He saw Grand Commander Aristocles and two of his subordinates coming toward the throne.
"Your Majesty, we have a problem."
"Kalvan? Is the Usurper's army approaching?" I wouldn't put it past him to try and beard us in our own city.
"No," Aristocles answered. "It's those damn barbarian Ros-Zarthani. They're deserting! They're already several marches out of town. It appears they are headed for the Greffa Road."
The Greffa Road was a wide stone road that reminded him of the Great King's Highway the Usurper had built in Hostigos. It started in Greffa City and ran through Ragnar, and from there north to Morthron and across Baltor to the Nythros City States. He doubted that Greffa City was their destination; they were probably headed back to their home across the Sea of Grass and the Great Rock Mountains.
"They're already too far for our infantry to catch them," he said. "We can send the cavalry to chase them down."
"And then what, Your Majesty? Man for man, the Ros-Zarthani are among the finest troops we have. True, there are only eight or nine thousand of them, but they will take a lot of killing. They already have a half-day's march on our men. True, our horse could run them down, but at what cost?"
"What's that parchment you're carrying?"
"A dispatch from Arch-Stratego Zarphu telling us that we have failed to live up to our side of the contract and that they did not sign on to be part of a siege that was poorly planned and certain to be badly executed!"
"A coward's response."
"He seemed like a damned good commander and brave man to me, Your Majesty. He helped break the Hostigos line at Ardros Field and it was his men who led that attack against the Rathon City walls and spent their blood in folly for all their sacrifice bought for the Host."
"You sound like you'd like to join him." Lysandros said, as he worried over the thought that maybe Zarphu was the wisest of them all by leaving first. Well, not first. Captain-General Phidestros, at his order, held that honor.
"That is not true. I have my orders from the Grand Master and I will obey them to the death. However, we are leaking soldiers like a snowbank melting in the summer sun. At this rate, we'll be lucky to field sixty thousand men for our attack against Thagnor."
"That will be enough to do the job," he replied. To himself he thought, if we can force Kalvan to leave his city walk and fight us. Otherwise, we will be chasing ghosts all summer. It is unfortunate that the Usurper has no honor.
IV
"It is good to see you, Captain-General Hestophes," Duke Mnestros of Eubros said. They were seated inside a tavern in Eubros Town, a few marches from the palace. "I still get laughs with the story of the phony Agrysi invasion of Nyklos we staged for the Grand Host. We killed a lot of Styphon's dogs together!"
Hestophes nodded. While the young Duke had welcomed him profusely, he still detected a strong undercurrent of disappointment. Nor did Mnestros appear anxious to present him to his father, Prince Thykarses. Had the League of Dralm actually believed their plea would bring Kalvan himself to Hos-Agrys for their deliverance? If so, they were greater fools than anyone had previously believed.
"I must ask, Captain-General, where is the rest of your army?"
Now it comes. Hestophes held out his hands, palms up. "This is it. Great King Kalvan has just founded a new kingdom, Nos-Hostigos, and needs all his men to fight off the combined might of the King of Grefftscharr and Styphon's Grand Host. Two regiments of cavalry were all the Great King could spare."
Mnestros was still young and could not hide the disappointment that wrote itself on his face. "I know the League is not in the Great King's good graces at the moment, but now we are all allied in the fight against the False Temple of Styphon."
Hestophes nodded, "In the past, Great King Kalvan has been very disappointed in the League, as you know from your talks with him. Other than yourself, he has never received any military support from the League of Dralm. He is, however, a friend of yours, which is why he sent me and his regiments."
"But, we… had hoped that King Kalvan would give us enough support that the League might send Soton and his army back to the sea from which they sprang."
"Then the Styphoni haven't arrived yet?" Hestophes asked.
"No, but we expect them shortly. Thebra City is the only Harphaxi port large enough to hold all the ships Styphon's House has sent to support Soton's invasion. Styphon's House will ship Soton's Host of Styphon's Deliverance to Agrys Harbor supported by an armada of ships. Great King Demistophon has recently put the Home Fleet on active duty and has emplaced more guns at the harbor forts. However, the Agrys' Navy is small and underfunded; they will not stop Styphon's Armada. Nor will Demistophon's guns keep the Styphoni out of Agrys Harbor for long."
"With most of Hos-Harphax picked clean of soldiers for Lysandros' Army," Hestophes said, "I'm surprised the League didn't assemble a force to meet Soton as his army disembarked from their galleys. That's when Soton would have been most vulnerable. Has the League, at the very least, begun to build up an army?"
"Yes," the younger man said, looking sheepish. "But it will be another moon before most of them are gathered together. To date, we have only mustered about six thousand men."
Hestophes shook his head in disbelief. "It's been over five moons since the League sent Great King Kalvan its request for our aid. I had fully expected to be greeted by at least three times that number!"
Mnestros shrugged his shoulders. "Some of the Princes refused to believe that Soton would dare attack Hos-Agrys and did not call upon their liegemen for their levy. Several, such as Prince Phrynoss of Arbelon, are members of the Union of Styphon's Friends and have actively worked against us."
Where have these Princes been for the past four winters? Did they foolishly believe the Fireseed War would continue to be confined only to Hos-Harphax and Hos-Hostigos?
"Who is in command of your army?"
"Prince Vython of Agrys. He is Great King Demistophon's uncle and the Kingdom's most respected general."
"How old is he?" Hestophes asked.
"Over sixty-five winters, Captain-General."
"Then he knows nothing of the new art of war that Kalvan teaches. Soton has been a student for four winters. I will help you in your war against Styphon's House, but only if I am given command of the League's Army and can put my own man, General Halmoth, in charge of supplies and provisions."