The Prophesy: Book 1 - Cave Lupus

Chapter 23 - The Run to Ka

 

The next morning at prime, the city of Vienna resonated to the calls of a Royal Proclamation placing the city under martial law. The city elders and the masters of the different orders and guilds were ordered to report to the ducal palace for tierce under penalty of death. The rumour mill had been going on all night, even if Enron had proclaimed curfew from dusk to dawn the previous day, so it was with shaky legs that the aforementioned individuals walked over the drawbridge and identified themselves to the guards at the gate.

The throne room was packed with elves that were unknowns to the elders and the masters. Mixed with them were wolves, dogs, coyotes, foxes, a couple of horses, a donkey, and an ass. All these animals seemed to act with a solemn dignity fit for a tragic event. In the front of the courtroom, near the throne, lay a hundred catafalques bearing, one an elf, another, a human, another a wolf, another a dog, another a horse, another a coyote, another a donkey, another a fox.

As the bell tower rang tierce, the portcullis was heard falling, closing the barbicans. Enron did not tolerate tardiness. Five minutes later, the great double doors of the throne room opened violently, almost coming off their hinges, bringing silence in the room.

"His Royal Highness, Prince Regent Enron of the Throne of Nature!" hollered the herald.

In walked Enron, looking straight ahead and ignoring everyone around him, escorted by four elves boxing him in, bearing ostensibly their bows tensed with an arrow. Once Enron sat on the ducal throne, the herald slammed his staff of office on the tiled floor, and proclaimed, loud and clear:

"Prince Paschal of the Throne of the Wolf, bearer of Mitsuko, the Sword of the Light!"

Paschal walked in, escorted by four wolves, Mitsuko in plain view. The huge sword was taller than Paschal and seemed to be emitting a bluish light; quite a few wondered how such a young boy could lift such a heavy-looking weapon. Again, Paschal ignored what he heard, or any other movement coming from the assembly. Paschal took a standing position to the right of Enron, facing the silent room.

For the third time, the herald slammed his baton on the tiles, bringing attention to his person.

"Prince Harp, of the Throne of the Wolf, bearing Mage Merlin's Magic Stave!"

As Harp walked in, the magic stave clearly seemed to glow white-hot, and yet did not burn the little boy's hand. Four huge warhorses, whose hoofs resonated in step to Harp's diminutive walk as he progressed towards the throne, framed him. Harp was as solemn as the other two boys and climbed onto the dais standing to the left of Enron, facing the grand hall.

Enron looked at the huge oak doors, which slammed shut. No one noticed that the doors had closed by themselves; they were too busy examining the strange company they were in.

Suddenly, two magnificent thrones popped out of thin air, one on each side of the one occupied by Enron, and perfectly aligned with it. Both showed fine workmanship, their tall backsides crowned by magnificent sculptured wolf heads. Both had eyes made of rubies of sizes never seen before, while their bared teeth were quite evidently made of ivory. The armrests were sculptured to reproduce the forepaws of wolves as well, and the claws were made of finely chiselled black granite. The heads were turned in such a way that their eyes seemed to look at a focal point located just below the first step of the throne dais. The black, shiny wood was unseen for thousands of years, but the Master carpenter immediately recognized it for what it was: ebony.

The ducal throne of Munster had its own definitive shape but the oak form of the Elven Throne's fetish tree suddenly replaced it. The wood of the throne itself was replaced with the rich colours of teak; the leaves of the tree took the rich colours of autumn, as they were plated with a thin layer of gold. Powerful roots seem to sprout from the dais to support the throne, creating the armrests and the seat. Again, the Master carpenter was taken aback by the nature of the wood; the last teak tree had been destroyed during the cataclysm, as the great forest of the Dark Continent burned in a deluge of fire. The same fate had beset the great ebony trees and the fabled baobabs.

«Harp is showing off again, Enron!»

«In this case, Paschal, I do not mind. These jerks need to think twice before considering any stupid action. I will not let them interfere with the solemnity of the events.»

«Where are dad and Harold? Or, for that matter, where is the rest of the family?»

«They decided to stay out of sight. Dunbar is organizing the movements out of Astor's capital, Delphi, while Williams is cleaning up Vienna's more seedy parts with the help of Greywolf. I suspect that Dad doesn't trust the mage ambassador any more than Harp does. Who can blame them, given our past experience with the group?»

«I thought the most seedy was the ducal palace? Are you telling me there are worse characters than those we disposed of?»

«I doubt it, nevertheless, the cleanup is in progress. I think Samson is using coyotes and foxes to do the same in Delphi, with the help of the Duke's forces.»

«Another busy day, I guess. Let's get this going.»

Enron stood and called the assembly to attention by slamming Mitsuko on the floor.

"Ladies, gentlemen. I have invited you to this meeting today with two objectives in mind. First, so that you can be tested by means of Mitsuko, the sword of Light, as you renew your vows of fealty to the Thrones herein present, namely, the Elven Throne, and The Wolf Throne, of which we are vassals. The second objective is to honour the memory of those who died in the battle defending Prince Paschal and me from the treachery of the previous duke. Please, notice that the ducal colours and symbols have been removed from this room when the ducal throne was reshaped to reflect the restoration of total Royal control over the duchy of Munster. The duchy has now reverted to the Throne. The second part concerns those that will survive the Mitsuko test of Fealty. I have two hopes today: first, that all those that were called are present, for, otherwise, they will have forfeited their life; second, that all pass the Test, for those who fail will be joining the absentees beyond the veil. Herald! Call the list of names! As your name is called, step forward and stand there!"

Enron pointed exactly where the two sets of eyes from the sculptured wolves were looking. At the same time, a red circle appeared, as if the eyes were emitting ruby light to bring the point to reality.

The herald called everyone from the list, and, amazingly, no one was missing. As each passed the fealty test, Enron began to feel better. Some were shaky on their legs, others fainted, and a few lost their bladder control, but, ultimately, no one died.

"Too bad, Enron. I think the stave wanted to show off too!"

"Knowing how you like to show off, Harp, I suspect your mind is contaminating that poor innocent stick of magic!"

***

The second part was very solemn. Enron, Paschal and Harp touched the cold body of each of their lost friends, covered it for half with the Elven flag and for half with their unit flag, committed their essence to the light, and then disintegrated the body hidden by the flags, which then took a flat, unwrinkled appearance on the catafalque.

The flags were then folded by magic into perfect triangles, and the nearest family member was called to receive them, along with the medals of honour that each had received before or posthumously, all contained in a silver box whose cover represented the Tree on one side and the Wolf on the other. Wolves, foxes, dogs, coyotes, asses, horses, ponies, humans and elves came forward, by name of the deceased, walking slowly to receive from the princes the boxes attached to a coloured silk band matching the unit colour of the deceased. Each casualty received an appropriate eulogy from the princes, and heartfelt thanks for services to the Thrones. The idea of the ribbon had come from Sitar, who reminded Enron that most of those that had given their life for the cause did not have hands to carry objects, but everyone had necks. No distinction was made between humans, elves, and the quadrupeds.

It took until sext for the entire process to unfold, and Harp, after disintegrating the now useless catafalques, created tables appropriate for each species, and food to match.

"Everyone is invited to partake in the celebration of life, freely given in our service, by sharing a communal meal. We are aware that many will have difficulty exchanging, we stand ready to translate thoughts and prayers for anyone."

Enron sat back on the throne, quickly followed by Paschal and Harp. Shyness seemed to stop most two-legged from soliciting the help of the royals in understanding what was exchanged between members of each species. Except for the elves belonging to the royal suite, none of the members of the guilds or orders were inclined to ask for such a service. It took the realization that horses and wolves were talking to each other via the royals to get them to move forward and ask for help in figuring out what was happening in front of their eyes.

The luncheon lasted until nones; by then everyone had been sated, and the family members came to thank the princes for their kindness and to get a transport back to their home per means of teleportation. An hour after nones, the throne room only contained the three princes and the members of the city council and guilds.

Enron stood, and caught the attention of the assembly.

"Before we proceed further, I will give you a very brief overview of the events since this spring. Please be quiet, as I will probably answer quite a few questions that might pop up when I tell the story. Needless to say, we will not enter into excessive details, as we would have to stay until prime tomorrow, and we do not have the time. Please be seated, you will find a glass of water in front of your seat; it will never run out of water. Just do not abuse, as you would then need to run to the water room and miss part of the story."

Everyone moved back to their place and sat down quietly. Enron, after taking a sip of water from his own glass, began with his capture by the orcs, the treachery of his cousin, the subsequent torture, the freeing by Harold, and the ongoing war up north. He reported on their progress and the treachery of the baron the previous day, and what had transpired.

"This concludes the situation report. I had given the mobilization orders to the baron, but he burned them in his fireplace, we found the residues. I have therefore recreated them. Here they are. As of now, this town, and all dependencies of the ex-duchy of Munster, are at war, and must convert to war production and status. Here are the expected quotas for each of your orders or guilds. We will be leaving behind a centurie of wolves to act as city guards. Be aware they have permission to kill. Everyone else that is able to battle and is not required to meet civilian and military production is being rounded up as we speak. Conscripts will be trained on the run, literally, and figuratively. Civil defence drills are mandatory for anyone not in diapers. If you can walk, you can fight! Tomorrow, at prime, we leave with the conscripts. Sadly we had to kill every enlisted officer, they fought rather than surrender. Let there be no mistake, we will survive, but hard times lay ahead. Please return to your respective chapter houses, and start on your assigned task. The conscripts and the royal units are leaving tomorrow at prime. Any issue can be forwarded to us via wolf or canine mail. Just tell the wolf it is for us and the package will be delivered. Our reply will come the same way. Believe me, it is very effective. Have a good day. The drawbridge is now down, the portcullis is up, and the throne room door are opening."

With that the massive doors opened majestically, on their own, not even creating a sound from tortured wood. The members of the orders and guilds understood they had been told to leave without further ado. The last one that left was the Master Carpenter; he came to the thrones and touched their precious woods, openly weeping, to the astonishment of Harp.

"Why are you weeping, Master?"

"I thought I would never see these woods; they disappeared before I was born. Oh, so many precious essences vanished during the Great War! Baobab, ironwood, ebony, red pine, teak, rosewood, to name a few! These thrones are worth their weight in gold!"

"Is that why you are so moved? Let me offer you this coffer. It is a sculptured piece of furniture; there are no nails, each piece imbricates in the others per means of the shape of the joints. It is a combination of the essences you just mentioned. The outside is ebony; the inside is teak; the bottom of each drawer is baobab, the cover of each drawer is red pine, and the partitions within the drawers are rosewood; the lock mechanism is sculptured ironwood."

As he described the furniture piece, Harp showed each part to the Master Carpenter, whose eyes grew ever wider as each marvel was revealed.

"The lock mechanism slides here, Master Carpenter, and to pop it open, you need to turn these parts in this specific order, otherwise the coffer will stay locked." Harp demonstrated the mechanism to the carpenter, and watched him do the sequence five or six times until he was sure the elf would remember it.

The master carpenter left the throne room, visibly shaken to the core by that royal gift.

"Well, here goes one elf that will work his ass off for us! It takes very little effort to make people walk a long distance."

"Ah, that is why you created the box, Harp. You are worse than Machiavelli!"

"You are jealous because you didn't think of it, Enron!"

"Let's get the kids to Elven Woods, brothers. I think mom is ready."

"Yes, I think I heard her talk to dad, and mention that things were ready. Enron, it's your turn to play taxi service for the kids. Paschal and I will relive you at each tiers."

To ease the task on Annabelle and her team in Elven Woods, the children and their families were divided into groups of approximately fifty each. Furthermore, each group was brought separately into the throne room before one or the other of the prince teleported them to Elven Woods and the care of Annabelle. The idea was to prevent fear and panic to propagate any more than necessary, and seeing fifty people disappear into thin air was very conducive to such a state of mind. It took fifteen minutes per group, for a total of two hours and a half to move everyone to destination. By then, vespers was past, and the princes were furiously hungry. Enron took his turn at materializing their food, and the three sat at a table in the throne room to a well-deserved meal. As they were finishing, Williams and Greywolf walked in, looking harassed. Their looks told the prince the day had not been a piece of cake, so they were offered seats at the table, and fed by the princes.

"So, how was the day?" Harp asked, as the two relaxed after eating their fill.

"We had some skirmishes with left-over regulars that had not been at the castle; we found a temple in the seediest part of the town, which we reduced to dust. The mage, what's his name?'

«Ferriday, I believe»

"Yes, thank you, Greywolf. Ferriday helped us by blowing up the temple from the outside. He made the ceilings collapse inward. Unfortunately we started at the wrong end, and the crocodiles escaped the temple into the lake. Last they were seen, they were swimming upriver."

"Ah, that was the use of magic we felt today. We were too busy to investigate. Do not worry; it's only a question of time before we get the crocodiles. In fact, I hope we will meet them at the ford! It would be nice to send them flying upriver to rain on their enemies, the orcs!"

"I must be contagious, Paschal! Now, you are not only talking like me, but thinking the same way!" Harp piped up.

"Are we ready to leave tomorrow?"

"Yes. We collected a wide range of seedy characters, about twenty-five centuries of elves. The dogs and equines are also ready to leave by prime tomorrow. I have informed my counterpart, Dunbar, of this. You know, telepathy is marvellous!"

"Twenty-five? That is a three out of four citizen!"

"Not really, that includes farmers. One of them will have problems running tomorrow, I would wager. We found him in a compromising position trying to feed a lamb!"

"Oh! I see!" Harp said, laughing hysterically. "Did the poor lamb get his treat?"

"I doubt the man could feed the poor sod."

"Which head was redder, the one below or the one above?" enquired Paschal.

"Difficult to tell, your highness. We were having so much fun at his expense we forgot to compare colours."

"I wonder, which head was bigger than the other? I suspect that vacuum would make it grow in size!" Harp added.

"Probably, your Highness, however we didn't have comparison charts like a before and after drawing!"

"Stop it, you two! I'll pee my breeches if you continue!" Enron commented.

"We didn't lose our time either. Things are settling in at the city council, and the guilds and orders have been tested. The children are now in the care of Annabelle," Harp informed Williams.

"Let's go to bed. I feel wiped out, and prime comes early," suggested Paschal.

"Agreed! For safety reasons, even if we cleansed up this rat nest, I want all of us to sleep here. Any objections?"

'"No, Enron, it's logical. Here are the beds!" Paschal declared, as he created them out of thin air.

"And here is a water room, hot and cold water. The water closet is there, in the corner," Harp added.

"I'm setting a ward around our area. There may be secret passageways we haven't discovered. The sickly green glow makes sure it's a killing ward."

"Thank you Enron, I had not thought of that. Bedtime! Finally!"

***

The night passed without incident, and by prime, the royals were ready to move. Duke Poudaropoulos took the lead of the army, guiding them along the lake and the river to the ford. As the army was getting ready to cross the river, Harp felt a deep unease and called a halt.

"There are crocodile priests hidden in the tall grass. They are watching us and waiting for our troops to be engaged in the river to attack."

"I see nothing, prince Harp, but the silence of the waterfowl is indicative of something fishy. What do you suggest?"

"We will box the army in a ward. Enron? We will create a killing ward like the one you used last night. However, I cannot do it alone. You will take the front; Paschal the downriver side; and I will handle the upriver. I doubt the crocodiles will recognize a magical ward until it is too late to call back their attack. We need to keep moving, because the dads are already on the move towards our junction point. I figure the depth of the crocodile line to be thin; they are few; this means that as soon as the advance guard has broken through, Enron, be ready to help either me or Paschal to reinforce the side wards. When the last unit moves towards the river, close the rear with another ward. Everyone understands what is expected?"

"Yes, Harp, Simple, effective, and probably the best solution," agreed Enron. "Here goes nothing."

The ward rose on the river's shore to a height of eight feet. Harp made a similar wall on the northern, upriver side of the column, and Paschal repeated the process on the downside.

"Let's not forget to leave water pass through as well as air; we cannot afford the energy required to stop the river flow, and the sudden appearance of the river bottom would be a sure give-away!"

"Thanks for reminding me, Harp, I was wondering how much energy a river carries! So we let water pass, block objects such as rocks, crocodiles, and life?"

"Exactly. Everyone ready?"

"Yes!" replied both Enron and Paschal.

"Let's get moving. Paschal we will stop mid-river while Enron continues forth. I want us to be anchors for the wards."

"Fine. Let's go."

The army followed the boys in the water, well aware of the danger of the crocodiles. As Enron neared the western bank, the crocodiles, numbered about forty, launched their attack, some from upriver, and others from downriver. As each collided with the ward, a spectacular arc of lightning stuck them senseless. Paschal, Enron and Harp then sent them in a long parabolic trajectory that brought them down smashing right into the orcs camps at the base of the dams upriver. The river's fish were less dumb or less obstinate than the crocodiles as the wards stunned few. As Enron set foot on the western shores of the river, a group of crocodiles emerged from the tall grass and tried to assault the beachhead. The result was similar to the events being observed on the river: flying crocodiles headed north! Enron followed the duke to the meeting place, four miles off the river, and, once the two armies had merged, turned back on his step to help Harp and Paschal with the crossing. By the time he returned to the river's edges, the attacks had all but faltered, but Paschal and Harp kept the defences up. Enron crossed the river and waited on Williams to come with the closing centurie, composed mainly of wolves led by Greywolf. As the last men engaged themselves on the slope leading to the river, Enron closed the rear warding. Just in time, it seems, as a group of crocodiles tried to assault the last wolves climbing down to the river. They too took unexpected flying lessons and joined their acolytes in decorating orc camps. By sext, the army had rejoined and was moving northward again. The lunch break was spent exchanging information as to the situation in the two towns.

As the royals met for lunch, Enron talked to his dad about the events in Munster.

"I learned an important lesson, dad."

"And what is that?"

"That even the best-thought plan can go awry."

"That is experience making its painful entry into your life, son! But do not blame yourself unduly. That creep hid his plans well. And who would have thought there was a crocodile temple in Vienna!"

***

The rest of the day passed on the run north and found the army forty-four miles further up north. Munster's recruits from Vienna were the worse off, having had to put up with a fording right at the beginning of their training, and a run in the woods, Sore feet, twisted ankles and bruised posteriors were numerous, but healed rapidly by the healers, or the royals.

"I wonder if Solon's troops will be there? We have been moving faster than expected, dad."

"I have been monitoring the assembly of the duchess' army; it is now moving east and should turn northward towards the meeting place tomorrow. I do not think she can make it in time, and we cannot wait for her."

"Thank you, Sitar. Dad, given my blunder in Vienna, do I still have your trust?"

"Yes, son. I wouldn't have done any better, probably worse. By the way, Harp, prince or not, I am recommending that you be in command of your own army. First, our troops are getting too big for a single commander; second, you have proved your strategic sense over and over."

"Samson, do that, and I go see mom! Anyways, it is our combined work, and our willingness to bounce ideas off each other that gives us strength, not a single totally perfect strategist."

"I would concur with prince Harp, your Majesty," duke Poudaropoulos intervened. "I watched them at work. They debate options between themselves, accept suggestions, even from those under their command, and implement them as a team. I wish my own command were as well oiled. Needless to say, I am inviting every member of my staff to take example and learn from them. Unfortunately, they have yet to see the gains and their tainted view of the princes due to their youth is blocking the light from reaching their eyes."

"OK, I get your point."

"By the way, boys, why are the men digging latrines? Couldn't you do that with a twist of the hands?"

"First, dad, you have grown into your power, you could do it too, you know. After all, teleporting yourself and Samson and Sitar to our location was the breaking point. Second, dad, I consider that the necessity to dig their latrines creates teamwork. Everyone works and does his share or they sleep in their output!"

"'I see your point, Harp. We seem to forget that an army's unity is created with hard work shared, victories, and miseries."

"Anyways, back to the duchess. We will reach the Astorian village of Dante tomorrow at sext, if not earlier. We are around thirty miles away. We will pick up whatever forces we can there, and stay the night. It will give the duchess a half-day to get closer. I also think we need to stop in Dante to spend the afternoon training the conscripts. Finally, the distance from Dante to our next big objective, the city of Munich, is sixty or so miles. I want to get there around vespers, take the city by storm, and replace the baron. I will not take chances again with trusting appearances. He swears fealty under the glare of Mitsuko, and succeeds, or he dies on the spot. We will clean up Munich the next day, giving another full day for the duchess to catch up with us. By the time we leave Munich, she should be two days behind us."

"What's the name of the village across Dante?" Sitar enquired.

"Last I heard, it was called something like Salmonella."

"No, prince Paschal, it is named Salamanca," corrected duke Poudaropoulos.

"And I would add, prince Paschal, that salmonella is a bacteria that causes the flu and food poisoning," completed the healer.

"By the way, mage, I heard you were of help in destroying the crocodile temple. Thank you, in the name of the crown, and in my personal name as well."

"That's nothing, prince Enron. We stand to gain as much as you from their disbandment."

***

The next day went as planned and by sext the army had reached Dante. The units in Dante and Salamanca were incorporated into the regular army and a few more centuries of conscripts were added. An appropriate group of wolves were selected to take charge of security, under the command of the countess of Salamanca, who was expecting, and therefore couldn't accompany her husband to war.

The afternoon was spent training, and the barons' men, who had not witnessed the proficiency of the princes with weapons, were suitably wowed. Their ability to command and dispose forces strategically was also demonstrated during drills and military dry runs of battles. The final straw was Sitar's fine control over the wolves and the similar control exercised by Harp on warhorse and packhorses. Mentality finally began to change, especially after one big redhead giant took the beating of his life from Harp, who used the stave very effectively to bring the man down. So effectively, in fact, that Mitsuko was required to heal a couple dozen broken bones.

"When I think he didn't even use magic to do that," commented Ferriday.

"Who said he didn't? But, yes, in this case, my little brother just used his innate ability," replied Sitar, looking at the mage with a critical eye.

"I have left the marching orders for the archduchess to the care of the countess, as we leave tomorrow. It seems she is pushing her army hard, and is gaining on us. By the time we are done with Munich, she will be only one day behind us."

"I hope she doesn't push them too hard, Enron," replied Sitar, "Tired men are useless in battles."

"Do not worry, by the time she reaches us, we will still be some distance from the first major confrontation, and we will need to take a break, if only to incorporate the added units," Paschal informed them.

The next morning found the army on the run, headed north at best speed. By nones, the city was in view, and the army stormed the drawbridge before they could even figure out who hit them. The fight was brief, ferocious, and with a predictable outcome. By vespers, the Elven Throne's flag flew over the citadel's highest point, and the baron's head was sticking on a pole in front of the moat separating the fort from the city proper.

The princes began the process of cleanup, and took their time cleaning up the military units found in the city; they disposed of corrupt and treacherous elements and regrouped the residual units into four centuries commanded by newly appointed centurions. A further twelve centuries were created from scrap, using conscripts. The usual number of horses and canines joined the forces.

As the main army turned on the eastern road leading into Munster, the duke of Astor took his own troops further north, to mobilize his units found in Sparta. It had been clear that the ferries across Leman Lake would be commandeered to bring the duke's troops into Munich. Similar sets of orders were forwarded to Duke Ramses, who held the fortified city of Ra at the juncture of the rivers as they fed Leman Lake. In his case, his units and the list of conscripts included in the mobilizing orders were to move north and merge with the Royal army in Poland, the capital city of Gdansk. His orders were clear: Wait for the wolves to charge the bridge before following them into Poland. That bit left him perplexed, but the royal seal was authentic, and, apparently King Samson was no longer in charge, since his son, as Prince Regent, signed them. Prince regent? For whom, wondered the man. At least he was getting some help!

The cleanup of villains in Ra and Sparta went on schedule, perfectly synchronised with the one being conducted in Munich and by matins, the new conscripts were in barracks, under close surveillance by regular units. The night was to be short, as by prime, the army was expected to be on the move, with the royal army leaving at prime and Duke Ramses' units half an hour later, in an effort to synchronise their arrival at the gates of Poland.

The timing was perfect. Just as the bridge leading into Gdansk and the suburbs of Poland came into view, the avant-garde of Duke Ramses reported the emergence of about two hundred wolves from the woodlands bordering the river. Under the fascinated eyes of the army and the duke, the wolves charged across the bridge and took control of the road leading to the western gate of Poland. As the elves came at a run to the drawbridge, they were greeted by an impressive group of dogs, which seemed to be preventing the city guards from accessing the pulleys lifting the bridge. Too happy to benefit of this event, Duke Ramses led his unit into Poland at full run. Just as his first units emerged into the agora, he saw the first units of the Royal Army led by a powerfully impressive man ride on into view. The number of cavalrymen took him totally by surprise.

The baron of Poland was a practical officer of experience. He knew a battle would lead to a bloodbath without any real chance of victory on his part; he therefore ordered the raising of the white flag, indicating surrender, to the pleasure of the Royals, who had had enough blood to last them a lifetime.

The cleanup of Poland was a breeze compared to the previous one in Munich. Not that there were less seedy characters in Poland than in Munich, but the baron's men knew who they were and actively helped in picking them up. By prime, everything was ready to move further north and engage the troops into Alamein. Considering the distance covered so far, Ka was a stone throw away.

***

The reinforced army started its run to Alamein early and made progress towards its capital, Beer, rapidly, given the increasingly rough terrain. Although the road was relatively straight, it went up and down considerably, and huge metallic bridges crossed chiasms that seemed to be bottomless. The Ancients had surpassed themselves in building this roadway, and it showed. The road hanged on the side of vertiginous cliffs, spanned gorges miles wide, climbed stiffly, in slopes well in excess of 15 % to plunge down on the other side of the passes at slope rates that made the men feel they were climbing down a monkey's face.

As Paschal noticed the slopes, he rapidly came to a conclusion: a flat map doesn't give the right distances in mountainous terrain! If things kept that way to Beer, for each mile covers horizontally, they would have covered two and a half climbing and going down! Added to this was the cumulative fatigue of the previous days and the terrain's current contribution. He finally came to a decision and moved to see Enron in the middle of the army, leaving Sitar with Yamato to lead the first centuries.

"Enron, may I speak with you?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Have you noticed the terrain? It's a lot rougher than we expected."

"Yes, and?"

"We underestimated the distances by about half, maybe more. This means that Beer is more like sixty miles away, not the expected thirty."

Enron looked around, but the men masked his view in front or behind him.

"Lead the way to the avant-garde. I need to understand."

The two boys moved forward, and Enron came to the forefront just as a huge climb came into view around a sharp bend.

"Damn! That is steep!"

"Yes, that is the mother of all hills! See what I mean?"

"Yes. I understand your worries about timing given this!"

"There is more."

"More? Isn't that enough?"

"Consider how long we have been on the run; men aren't gods, and get tired. We get tired, and we ride horses! The men are nearly extenuated. We nee to make more frequent stops and let them recover more often."

"What do you suggest?"

"Let's cut back to forty miles a day rather than our usual eighty-eight. We will still run, but there will be pauses, longer pauses."

"And when would you start to implement this change?"

"Right now. I can't imagine even my horse climbing that without needing a break first."

Enron looked at the approaching climb and had to admit it was getting more impressive by the minute! He came to a decision and called the royals telepathically, projecting what he was seeing to them. As the whistles died down, he told them his decision.

«We stop for two hours at the bottom of the climb. We walk up the climb afterwards, no running. At the top, another stop, duration is thirty minutes, for everyone. Dunbar, I need you to organize things at the pass. Sitar, Yamato, Greywolf! Be on guard, the pass may be a rather nice place to set a trap!»

It took another fifteen minutes to reach the bottom of the vertiginous climb. Everyone that had made it beyond the bend could see what lay ahead, and numerous grunts and wails could be heard. It was with relief that the order to halt progress came down the line.

"Are we far from Alamein, Paschal?"

"Difficult to tell, with all that climbing up and down. I would estimate another ten miles if we were birds, but since we aren't it's more likely to be twenty. Given our slower rate from now on, we won't reach it before compline. Consider this: twenty miles at four miles per hour is five hours; it's sext in maybe half an hour, we will leave somewhere around an hour and a half after sext. If we did it non- stop, and my estimate is correct, we would reach the border at around vespers. However we have two unknowns: the real distance left to cover; and the nature of the terrain. On that later part, I expect things to get rougher, not better. And I did not take into account the more numerous breaks we need from now on."

"That is bad news, Paschal. Harp, Harold, you are taking the front line for the rest of the day. At vespers, call for the night halt, wherever we are, assuming it is defendable!"

"Agreed, Enron."

"Yamato, Greywolf, Sitar, you each lead a centurie ahead of us, no more than fifteen minutes leading time. This terrain is orc terrain, we need to take that into account."

"Fine."

"Williams, with Dunbar, make sure there are no laggards, you now command the rear guard, with the help of Bush Tail, the fox. Blackie Dog, Willie Coyote, make sure all stay tight on the road. Blackie the left side, Willie, the right side! No one is to leave it even to relieve himself! If you need to, do it while walking! That is why you wear these dresses! Ladies, gentlemen, open your eyes, your ears, your nose, even your feet. A massive group of orcs on the run will create vibrations that the rock will carry far. This order is valid for all species! Tighten up the ranks. I want no more then a foot separating each soldier of a unit, and a maximum of three feet between units. We have to shorten this column considerably!"

"The archduchess is now half a day behind us, Paschal. She is driving her men like a slave master. That lady must be a veritable Amazon!"

"I have no idea how she looks, Harp. Since we are slowing down, maybe she'll catch up with us by vespers or before that. The rear guard is to keep an eye out for the first elements. As soon as the junction is made, tell Harold and me. We will halt to let them merge properly. By the way, dad, you are to stay with me and Paschal. I may need your counsel on short notice and I don't want to go looking for your mental signature in that storm we're embedded in."

The walk resumed on time, and as the units climbed the slope, the temperature began to cool down considerably.

"Who would have thought it could be so cold in the middle of Augustus!"

"It's altitude, Enron. The more you climb, the colder it gets."

"This promises to be one nice party tonight, when the sun goes down."

"Yes, and wood is getting scarce."

"Luckily, there is peat moss. That burns too."

"I may have a solution to our problem, you know."

"I'm open to any suggestion, Paschal! I dread sleeping on a cold, drafty, rock!"

"We can have the canines sleep with us: furry, heating blankets!"

"That's a fantastic idea, Paschal!" Samson exclaimed.

As the units entered the pass, it became apparent the avant-garde had been busy! Cadavers of orcs were found at every step, like they had rained down on the road. No one complained, and the recovery teams descended like vultures on the cadavers, recovering metals and weapons.

Dunbar had taken station at the top of the hill, leaving the rear guard in the capable hands of Williams and Bush Tail. As each unit came up, he assigned them resting quarters to be vacated thirty minutes later, as he came with another unit to take its place. The whole process lasted well into the afternoon, but, finally, the rear guard showed up, tailed, less then a mile behind, by the first units of the Archduchess of Solon, who had finally caught up with them. Williams, Bush Tail and Dunbar waited on them.

«The archduchess has arrived. I will have her units take the customary rest of half an hour and send them forward, keeping the rear guard units of our army to close the walk. Greywolf, I need you. I'm sending Bush Tail to take your place.»

«Approved!» came the reply from Enron, way, way ahead in the column.

The archduchess finally made her way up the steep climb and saw the arrangement. She had the good sense to recognize that it was a good idea, and she made her way to Dunbar, who seemed to be in charge.

"Is this the royal camp?"

"No, archduchess, it is only a stopping point to let the units rest before resuming their walk north, after that steep climb. I am Dunbar, Grand Master of the Road. Prince Enron has tasked me with the management of this point until the last units are passed. Please follow that black wolf with your escort to the resting place you have been assigned. You have thirty minutes break. You will notice that your approach will vacate the assigned area, it means that their rest time is over and they are resuming their walk northward."

"When will I meet Prince Enron?"

"At vespers, archduchess. He is progressing north with his own unit."

"Thank you. It seems to be efficiently organized."

"That is my job, archduchess. Thank you for noticing I do it well. One question, before you leave to take a well-deserved break. How many units?"

"About fifteen thousand men and women, or roughly twenty percent of Solon's population. It includes the conscripts. I wonder where that list came from?"

"These are the abusers of children, animals, robbers, cutthroats, and other seedy characters of your lands."

"I figured as much, as some were already detained and facing the gallows when their stay of execution bearing the royal seal showed up at my door, carried by a wolf. I almost fainted when that beast walked in the courtroom bearing the satchel to the royal colours in his mouth! I thought he was digesting the royal messenger!"

"That is the Royal Wolf Postal Service, archduchess. Very effective!"

"That, I can believe! The date of the letter told me it was less than forty-eight hours old, but the origin was well over eight hundred miles away!"

"A bit slow. I suspect Duke Greywolf will chew a few ears!"

"A bit slow, you say? But that is a miracle!"

"Not in our books, it's not, archduchess. I suggest you move to your resting place to profit of the few minutes you have to rest. Thirty minutes goes by very fast!"

All told, the added column amounted to over nine hundred additional centuries, all species combined.

"I wonder how the duchess took to seeing dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes, horses, ponies, asses, and just about every dog leave her archduchy?"

"She seems very pragmatic; she probably was intrigued, but took things in stride. She didn't even blink at Greywolf, when she came to talk to us, Williams."

«That two-legged does seem to be a force of nature. I can sense no fear in her, and she seems to drive herself as hard as she drives the two-legged ones. The wolves and other canines were surprised at how much she asked of the two-legged. They never had to wait on them.»

«I noticed, Greywolf. Some of the men seemed near exhaustion. They will relish their little break.»

«That is, until muscle cramps show up. Stopping too fast for too long is a painful experience they will learn to fear!» Williams added.

By vespers, the rear guard had left the pass to the true vultures, and was climbing down towards another bridge when the order to halt came from Harold. The entire column now measured twelve miles long, and, apparently, the advanced units had yet to spot the border into Alamein.

The early halt took the duchess by surprise, so she decided to go see what the hold-up was. As she progressed forward, she recognized many archdukes, dukes, barons, counts, viscounts, baronets, and other members of the higher gentry. However, she also noticed quite a few missing figureheads of the kingdom, which seemed to be replaced by new, younger, and unknown quantities to her. Further north, she came into contact with the first human centuries. It suddenly came to her attention that the two individuals that had met her at the tail of the convoy were humans.

Then she noticed something even stranger than humans. The horses seemed to handle themselves as units! And so were the canines! Finally it dawned on her: the essential part of the royal army was composed of four-legged animals! As she looked around, wide-eyed, she came to realize four wolves were escorting her forward, including the one named Greywolf by the humans. The entire process became quite apparent as she neared a compact group of humans, who parted respectfully to let the escort and its charge through.

As they neared the middle of the column the wolves turned towards the right, gently framing her so she had no choice but to follow their directions. The circus they had entered was occupied by a vast number of tents, and right in the middle stood the tents of the royal party, very recognizable by its banners, flags, and concentric defences, including, to the astonishment of the duchess, quite a collection of canines and warhorses. As she was guided through the defences and brought to the proximity of the royal tents, she noticed the banners carrying the wolves, and crowns. That was new to her.

"Archduchess of Solon, I presume, since Sir Duke Greywolf is escorting you to our tent?"

"Why, yes, and who are you?"

"I am Prince Regent Enron. May I extend my condolences for the tragic and early demise of your dad during his visit at Elven Woods?"

"Thank you. You are the regent? I was expecting an older, wiser man?"

"The older, wiser men thought they could dispose of me as mere elven trash. They learned otherwise. Please follow us into the tent, to share our dinner. It is getting fairly cold to stay outside."

The archduchess followed Enron into the royal pavilion, guided by the young man holding her right elbow. She noticed the wolf take station on her left side, and fall in step with Enron. Enron guided her to a table where sat the other royals. She recognized Samson, who was taking the right seat to the royal bench, currently empty, while a human sat to the left side of the aforementioned bench. She also noticed a few more children, dogs, pups, a fox, a coyote at the royal table, and between them Dunbar and Williams, another human adult she had not met yet, and an elf. Three seats were empty, including the royal seat. Enron escorted her to a seat located right in front of the king, besides an elf she didn't recognize. The wolf, Greywolf, she remembered, left her side to move and take a seat at the end of the table, near the fox. Enron traveled around the table and sat at the royal seat.

Enron clapped in his hands and valets began distributing food to everyone, including the canines, to her total astonishment! She expected them to jump on the food, but they seemed to wait for something.

"Everyone is served?" asked Enron. To everyone, including the canines' nods, he said "Dig in, we had a tough day!"

Only then did the canines begin to eat, with deliberate and delicate attention to their food and water bowls! The duchess, however hungry she was, just sat there, paralyzed, fascinated by the show that was unfolding before her eyes.

"You better eat, my lady. Food gets cold fast at this altitude," said the unknown man to her left. This comment took her out of her daze and she began eating, keeping a side-glance at the man, and, sometimes, against her best judgment, at the canines. Dessert came without the animals making any spills, to her unabashed fascination. Everyone received the same dessert, raisins in grapes. She watched, astounded, as the canines delicately removed each fruit from the branch, and ate it!

As the same valets that had served the different dishes cleared the table, Enron looked at her, smiling.

"I suppose you want to know what this all means, archduchess?"

"That is the understatement of the year, young man!"

"First, let me introduce you to everyone at the table. You already know my dad; you just met me as I escorted you to your place at the table; you also met Duke Dunbar, whose modesty probably precluded his telling you his full title; and Duke Williams, also a very modest man; you met the Captain of the Wolf Guard, Sir Duke Greywolf, who escorted you from your encampment further south to this place. May I introduce you to the other individuals at this table, starting with King Harold of the Wolf Throne, sitting to my left, and three of his sons, respectively further from me, Prince Harp, Sitar, and Paschal. To the right of my dad is Duke Centurion Captain of the Royal Cavalry Yamato, and Countess Theresa, captain of the Royal Elven Guards. Further down you have Captain Bush Tail Fox, commander of the foxes, and Captain Willie Coyote, Commander of the Coyotes. Sitting to your left is Ambassador Mage Ferriday, and to your right is Blackie Dog, Commander of the Dog units, his wife, Cleopatra, and their six pups. At the head of the table is Royal Master Healer Francesca. Missing at this table is Silver Moon, his mother and the Stallion of the Herd, because their size precludes them being in this tent. Also missing are Harold's wife, Queen Annabelle, and their son Ian, an infant. They are in Elven Woods."

As she was being introduced, the archduchess politely acknowledged everyone.

"Now, for a brief history lesson, brief because we leave at prime, tomorrow, and I want to sleep!" Enron then told her of the major events that had occurred since the betrayal by his cousin. He kept it short, skimmed over many details, leaving the archduchess on her appetite. As the story concluded, the camp crier called compline and extinction of fires.

"You are invited to sleep in a nearby tent, archduchess. Extinction of fires also marks the onset of the blackout and the beginning of curfew. It applies to everyone. Your men will have been informed of the fact, including the barons and other top-heavy heads that came with your forces. Greywolf? Would you escort the archduchess to her assigned quarters?"

The archduchess, knowing the need for discipline in such a huge army, complied willingly with the order, for such it was. She knew her men would also do as told, and given what she had seen of the canines and equines that had joined her troops, she was sure there would be no incident.

***

The next day was spent progressing towards Alamein's border, which was reached as vespers came around. The gorge separating Alamein from Gdansk was deep, wide, and spanned by a suspension bridge with was considered one of the marvels of antiquity. The roar of the river below, which seemed to be dampened by the depth of the trench it had dug for itself, was still resonating deeply, as the ground shook constantly from the resonance the river produced in the rocks.

The archduchess of Solon had stayed with her troops for the day, exchanging with her barons, counts, countesses, and other nobles on what they had learned over the previous evening's meal. It became apparent that the army was led by a boy was ticking off some nobles, but the archduchess brought them back in line with a stern reminder that they had sworn fealty to the crown, not to whom wore it. If it was Enron under the pieces of metal, then it is to him they owed obedience.

"After all, look at what he has accomplished in less then six months! He has amassed the greatest army the elven kingdom has ever seen, gotten rid of quite a few disquieting individuals, cleansed the kingdom of hornets' nests and traitors, and brought the country to a war footing! Who, amongst you, could claim such ability?"

"But he has let an occupation force set foot on our soil!"

"Baron Esculape, do not confound allies and occupation forces. The human legionnaires are few, less then eight centuries out of the total army. If it took such a small group of men to conquer and occupy the Elven Kingdom, maybe it would be time for us to throw the towel and submit! They are here with the consent of the king, do not forget it!"

The next morning brought the sun out bright and clear. The bridge's deck being made of a steel grid, everyone could see the river down below as it flowed under it.

"That chiasm must be two miles deep!" exclaimed Harp, awed by the vertical drop he discovered underfoot.

"And look at how far the other side is!" exclaimed Sitar, as awed as his brother. "It seems to be at the end of the world."

"I did some triangulation measures this morning, it is a mile away!" Paschal commented.

As the army progressed on the bridge, everyone felt the bridge vibrate like a string from the wind's force as it played with the cables supporting the deck like a demonic harpist. The howl of the wind was deafening, and reached gale proportions as they neared the middle of the crossing. Luckily, the Ancients had installed walls along the bridge's sides that forced it to rise above the deck and flow overhead.

Relief was on everyone's face as they set foot on the other side, and began another vertiginous climb to the pass that would bring them down to Alamein's capital. The villages that marked the borders and used to hold the customs offices were abandoned. The level of maintenance showed that they had been evacuated a short time ago. Even the village on Gdansk soil seemed to have been evacuated in a rush, had reported the legionnaires.

"There seems to have been a concerted decision by both villages to run for a bigger city. Since we haven't met anyone, I must conclude they went north." Dunbar resumed.

"We will know by the end of the day. I expect we will reach our destination by vespers." Paschal commented.

"I hope they are up to their name. I would much like a beer to rid my throat of the road dust!" Williams replied.

"'Maybe. After all, beer travels better than water, and their beer has a reputation anyways."

"I did not know you indulged, Samson?"

"Occasionally."

***

The army progressed on schedule, and reached Beer at vespers. The Baron of Beer welcomed the royal army, and quickly met with the royals to give them the latest information he had collected on the situation in Ka. His report, although lengthy and detailed, could have been said in a single word: desperate.

The cleanup of Beer's seedy characters was expedited overnight, and at prime, the duke's forces marched north with the king's army. The reports had been so bad, confirmed by the wolf spy network, that no day of rest was considered.

It took the army the entire day to reach the bridge leading into Ka, and a bad surprise awaited them as they emerged from the mountain pass. The orcs occupied the bridge!