Gunpowder God (43 page)

“There’s more, Your Majesty. It appears that Great King Eudocles, the new king of Hos-Zygros—”

“You mean the Regicide.”

“Yes, sire. Eudocles has long been in debt to Styphon’s House and our spies picked up word of troop movements within Hos-Zygros. It’s very likely that the Royal Army of Hos-Zygros will weigh in and invade the Agrysi Princedoms of Kelos or Meligos. There are also rumors that Prince Phidestros is King Eudocles’ bastard son.”

“Unbelievable!” Kalvan cried. “So the Five Kingdom’s best general, who had one of his underlings enthroned as Great King of Hos-Harphax, is now in league with the new Great King of Hos-Zygros?”

“We don’t know that for certain, sire. There are rumors of bad blood between them. So it’s unlikely that Phidestros will support his father’s army. Nor is Phidestros a ‘friend’ of Styphon’s House; not after they kidnapped Princess Arminta.”

“Phidestros is a Machiavellian, if there ever was one.”

“Machiavellian? What does that mean, sire?”

“Machiavelli was a prince in the Cold Lands who believed that the ends justified the means, especially by cunning and duplicity. He also believed in winning over the people, but tempered it with harsh treatment of his opponents. One of his sayings was: ‘It should be noted that when he seizes a state the new ruler ought to determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He should inflict them once and for all, and not have to renew them every day.’ Another of his aphorisms was: ‘It is much more secure to be feared than to be loved.’”

“A wise ruler methinks, sire.”

“Machiavelli had many such maxims, and many of them were dead-on regarding human nature. This one pertains to our own situation in the Upper Middle Kingdoms: ‘Kingdoms that rise quickly, just as all the other things of nature that are born and grow rapidly, cannot have roots and ramifications; the first bad weather kills them.’ Which is exactly why I do not want to pull Our Army out of Thagnor to go chasing Styphon’s House’s armies in the Five Kingdoms. We still have enemies here, such as the King of Dorg and Theovacar. Our roots here in Thagnor and the other princedoms of Nos-Hostigos are very fragile.”

“So, what you are telling me, sire, is that even though Styphon’s Voice committed an act of treachery against Prince Phidestros, he may still have plans that may include using Styphon’s House to his own advantage.”

“Very good, Duke. As I see it, Phidestros cannot afford to antagonize Styphon’s House, despite the fact that in an all-out war, he might be able to defeat them. Certainly, with Soton’s Army in Hos-Agrys, Phidestros could take his army straight to Balph and pull the Temple down to its very foundations, either killing all the Archpriests of the Inner Circle or taking them prisoner.”

Vinaldos nodded. “But, the end result would be that Grand Master Soton would take his Army of Styphon’s Deliverance into Greater Beshta and strike back at Phidestros the moment he learned of his attack on Balph.”

“Exactly. After the war ended, even if Phidestros defeated Soton, the result would be what my people would have called a Pyrrhic Victory. The ensuing war with Styphon’s House would be so vicious it will have destroyed all the cities and towns of both kingdoms so in the end there wouldn’t be much left to rule over.”

“Ahh. Like the Grand Host’s victory over Hos-Hostigos left the kingdom a wasteland that will take decades or more to revive.”

“Exactly,” Kalvan answered. “Besides the game of revolving Great Kings in Hos-Harphax, this is the primary reason why none of the Great Kings have put rulers in Nostor or Ulthor. The lands are so depleted and the population so low that none of the great Harphaxi nobles want to be exiled there.”

Vinaldos nodded. “Yes, I see it. I also see that if the war continues for long in Hos-Agrys that kingdom will find itself in the same state as Hos-Hostigos.”

“The sad part is there is nothing that we can do to stop it without destroying ourselves, which is why I am forced to sacrifice both my best general and five thousand soldiers….”

“Kingship is a heavy weight, Your Majesty.”

Yes
, Kalvan thought,
much heavier than I’d ever anticipated when I was catapulted out of that cross-time flying saucer, or whatever it was. And, lonelier, too. I can’t even tell my wife the truth, because she will refuse to believe it. Her dream is to return to Hostigos and nothing will ever make her abandon it
—
not even the truth
.

I
n the flickering candlelight, Grand Master Soton took a moment to examine his top commanders: first there was his aide, Horse Master Sarmoth; Prince Simias of Cythor; High Marshal Xenophes, commander of Styphon’s Own Guard; Knight Commander Orocles, former commander of the Army of the Besh; Captain-General Eukides, head of the Union’s Army; Lord High Marshal Zythannes, head of the Ktemnoi Sacred Squares; Marshal Albides of Styphon’s Own Guard and Archpriest Grythos, Prince-Regent of Hos-Agrys. Gathered together in this one room were Styphon’s House’s most decorated and accomplished generals, representing the largest gathering of Temple commanders since the Grand Host broke up. If they did their job, Hos-Agrys would be conquered and the followers of Dralm dead or on the run by mid-summer.

Noticeable by his absence was Archpriest Roxthar, who had not been informed of this strategic council; the last thing Soton needed was the Investigator’s hectoring and unwelcome advice.

They were gathered in the highest chamber in the keep of Tarr-Agrys. To ensure that no intelligencers were listening, the floors below had been emptied of people and there were guards stationed at the keep’s entrance. Storm clouds were gathering outside and the only light was from flickering candles and oil lamps set into sconces along the walls.

“As you know,” Soton continued, “I just returned from Hos-Ktemnos, where I wintered in Balph. I brought back with me some eight thousand troops: five thousand mercenary cavalry, two Lances of Zarthani Knights, two companies of the Sephrax Guard and eighteen hundred infantry recruits for our Sacred Squares. The Lord High Marshal Xenophon and Marshal Albides followed my sailing ships with twelve Temple Bands of Styphon’s Own Guard, consisting of some six thousand guardsmen and their auxiliaries.”

There were smiles and nods from everyone around the table. Soton paused to take out his corncob pipe and fill it with good leaf fresh from Ktemnos. “Knight Commander Orocles followed behind us with his Army of the Besh, three thousand mercenary horse, five hundred arquebusiers, five Temple Bands, some two thousand guardsmen and a Lance of Knights; all totaled some six thousand men.”

Knight Commander Orocles nodded. “We’d have more, but we lost over two thousand men besieging Besh Town. There we faced the Iron Band and some of the best troops in the Five Kingdoms. Fortunately, the walls were not at full strength as Phidestros the Upstart had pulled most of his army away for his strike against Great King Lysandros.” He paused to spit a stream of tobacco on the straw covered floor. “Here we face nothing more than rabble.”

Captain-General Eukides, a famous mercenary captain in his youth, appeared to take offense. “I beg to differ, Commander, but many of us won our spurs during the Meligos/Arbelon Border Wars. I’ve fought throughout the Five Kingdoms and those were some of the fiercest battles I’ve ever witnessed.”

“Fah! They were renowned in their day, but things have changed. In those wars the field of battle might have contained seven or eight thousand mercenaries, most of them more concerned about booty and their pay than winning the war”

Eukides’ face was burning and he jabbed his pipe at Orocles like a pistol. “Yes, in any mercenary army you’ll always find cutpurses and malcontents posing as soldiers, but most of us fought for the honor of our banner and our prince. While Hos-Agrys has been slumbering when it comes to warfare, there are still some fine soldiers and captains who know Galzar’s Way.”

Soton angrily expelled a cloud of smoke. He hated seeing his commanders already forming schisms before the first gunshot was fired.
Orocles has all the tact of one of Roxthar’s Investigators
, he thought,
one more reason why he will never rise to the post of Grand Master of the Order as long as I’m alive.
“In some regards, Knight Commander, you may be correct, but do not underestimate the Agrysi soldiers. They may have sat out the Fireseed Wars, but among their ranks reside some of the best soldiers in the Five Kingdoms.”

Orocles shrugged as if to say, “We’ll see about that.”

Captain-General Eukides appeared mollified. His reputation as a captain was legendary, but he was almost seventy winters old and hadn’t fought in a major battle in a long time. His hair was snow-white, but his limbs were still stout and he held himself like a man half his age. Soton was glad to have him as co-commander of the Union’s Army with Prince Simias.

“It’s not just the Dralm followers we have to worry about,” Soton continued. “Our agents tell us that King Kalvan is sending a small army to aid the League of Dralm. Rumors and gossip put its numbers anywhere from eight thousand to fifteen thousand men.”

“Pshaw. I wouldn’t give those rumors much credence,” Archpriest Grythos pronounced. “Last summer we were told the Usurper had sent the League some five thousand troops; instead they numbered less than a thousand.”

Soton nodded, reining in his temper. Since becoming Prince-Regent, Grythos had grown increasingly insufferable. “One of Kalvan’s top commanders, Captain-General Hestophes, is slated to be the commander of the League’s army. Last summer, Kalvan was faced with fighting the Grand Host of Styphon and the Grefftscharri Fleet. Now, he is at loose ends; thus, it is not wise to draw conclusions based on different conditions.

“We do know that the former Highpriest of Dralm in Hostigos, Primate Xentos, is the spiritual leader of the League of Dralm. We also know that the Usurper Kalvan has
said
publicly that he will return to reconquer his former lands in Hos-Hostigos. Kalvan knows that he will need allies in the future. If he aids the League of Dralm, they will then owe him their support upon his return. The Usurper has defeated all his enemies in the Middle Kingdoms, or has them at bay, so he is in a position where he can send his troops to Hos-Agrys to aid in the League’s defense.

“In my mind, it is in Kalvan’s self-interest to aid the League with both troops and gold. Having recently added the treasury of Greffa City to his coffers, he will have plenty of gold to spend.”

Everyone around the table nodded, except Archpriest Grythos who appeared as if he’d bitten into a bad olive.

“Lord High Marshal Zythannes, what is the current disposition of the Host of Styphon’s Deliverance?”

“Grand Master, we lost over four thousand men during the battle with the League last summer. However, we have replaced most of them with recruits from the former Army of Hos-Agrys. I advise leaving fifteen or sixteen thousand men for garrison duty in Agrys City to ensure that the city is not retaken by the League or one of its allies.”

Soton nodded his agreement. Prince Phidestros had grown increasingly ambitious and he wouldn’t be surprised, once the Host of Styphon’s Deliverance left Agrys City, if the Prince made an attempt to besiege the city.

“Our available troops,” Zythannes continued, “according to our most recent muster list, are three under-strength Sacred Squares consisting of some four thousand, five hundred men. With the recruits you’ve brought from Hos-Ktemnos we can rapidly bring them up to full strength. We have ten thousand Ktemnoi horse, three thousand heavy lance and seven thousand cuirassiers. Added to that are four thousand Agrysi cavalry, most of them formerly with the Royal Amy or bodyguard units. In addition, we have twelve Temple Bands of Styphon’s Own Guard. We have some ten thousand infantry, including two thousand Agrysi regulars.”

Everyone around the table looked pleased by the High Marshal’s report.

Someone offered a toast of “Death to Dralm!”

This was repeated around the table, while Sarmoth, the most junior officer, broached a new cask of ale and made sure everyone’s tankards were topped off.

Soton turned to Prince Simias of Cythor. “Your Highness, how many troops will the Union be able to offer to our Host?”

“Captain-General Eukides has already assembled twelve thousand men, five thousand infantry and seven thousand horse in Kryphlon City. There would be more, if Prince Aesklos had not deserted our ranks.”

“Death to all traitors!” rang out, along with “Death to Dralm!”

When the chamber had quieted down, Soton resumed, “Then I will send you Marshal Albides to support the Union. He will bring with him six Temple Bands to stiffen your infantry.”

The Captain-General looked wary, as if he were being given a gift of dubious value—perhaps he was. Styphon’s Own Guard were some of the best troops in the Five Kingdoms, but everyone knew they paid their allegiance to Styphon’s House, or in these desperate times, Archpriest Roxthar and his Investigation. Still, since the Union’s contribution was lacking, Eukides would have to take them—and Roxthar. Let the Investigator bedevil someone else for a time.

Finally, Eukides nodded. “The Temple Bands will be useful should we run up against the League of Dralm’s Hostigi allies.”

“Good. It is done. Marshal Albides, prepare your men to travel to Kryphlon City with Captain-General Eukides.”

“The rest of the troops will remain with the Host of Styphon’s Deliverance. Thus far, we have assembled a Host some forty-five thousand strong, more than enough men to take and crush all of Hos-Agrys. It is my mission to see the entire Kingdom under Styphon’s rule by the end of summer. Unless Kalvan sends the entire Army of Nos-Hostigos, I do not see the Agrysi League of Dralm raising enough troops to stop us. Especially now that Hos-Zygros is ruled by a new Great King who is deeply in debt to Styphon’s House.

“In fact, I have put together another surprise for our Dralm-loving princes of Hos-Agrys. Great King Eudocles will coordinate an attack upon the Princedom of Kelos at a time of our choosing. Prince Bosphros is one of the strongest supporters of the League of Dralm and this will draw him and his men from the League’s banner.”