The High King: A Tale of Alus (19 page)

Leaving a significant force from the second legion under a sergeant of the king's division to guard nearly a hundred defeated soldiers, Gerid gathered up his command. The soldiers of Brahe were showing great fatigue now. Numerically, they had suffered very few losses as of yet, but, if they tried to maintain the pace of the seasoned fighters, most would be dropping dead by day's end. There was only about a half dozen that Gerid felt could hold up to one last run. Singling the six men out, Gerid assigned the rest to stay with the sergeant to guard the prisoners. Gathering those of the king's infantry that could follow and more than thirty of his own followers, he moved off to see if they could help at the final gate.

"Gerid, my boy, c'mon in. I see that you have survived another campaign again, eh?" Kolonus greeted him happily from within his field tent. Gerid noticed the man being bandaged by an orderly and his shirt was still lying at his side. Gauzy bands of sheiga, used for bandages in Rhearden, were already wrapped around the man's chest and still being wound around his left arm, which Gerid knew was also his shield arm. As he entered, Kolonus eyed him carefully looking for wounds. "Don't tell me that you came through this without a scratch again, lieutenant. You'll hurt my pride, if you came through that bloody battle so easily. Maybe you'll even make me think that I'm getting too old."

"It was a heated battle all right, sir. A lot of men didn't survive it at all on either side. You are just too tough to go down, I think. Apparently, I am as well."

"You sound as if you don't appreciate your accomplishment, Gerid. Saying that you survived is a definite understatement. I hear that your men not only took the gates and distracted the enemy with your fires, but you took the time to gather an extra eighty friendly soldiers from the Brahe garrisons and destroyed several key ambush sites. You saved hundreds of lives and captured hundreds more of the enemy to boot. I'll make sure that they give you a respectable share of the resulting slave sales for that, of course," he added referring to part of their deal with Carter Holtein. "I'll make sure that it gets credited to you like we promised, boy."

"Thank you, commander. I only did my best in there."
"Oh, don't get all formal with me now, boy. We've been through too much and drank more than enough to consider each other friends by now. You've earned at least one night to remain at ease." Noticing that the medic was finished with his attentions, Kolonus waved the man out of the tent. "You look like you have something else important on your mind, Gerid. Whatever it is, you can tell me if you want. Come have a seat and tell me."
Gerid moved a canvas field chair closer, but quickly noticed Kolonus awkwardly trying to put on a clean shirt. With the wounds that he had sustained, the commander was wincing with gritted teeth as he attempted the simple task. Gerid stepped over and gently helped his elder officer slide the shirt on and sat down.
"Thanks," the commander stated gruffly. Gerid knew how much being slowed down annoyed the man. His face took a more introverted cast as he said, "I guess that it is a good thing that our division is getting to return home once the city is fully reinforced. I know that I'll need a little time to rest after this battle, which brings us back to you. Come on, my friend, what seems to be troubling you today?"
Gerid sat staring at the dirt of the floor seeming to contemplate its texture as he asked carefully, "Kolonus, do you recall our conversations following the strangeness of Paxthos?"
The commander's eyes suddenly looked skittish as his lieutenant searched the older man's face. He answered stiffly, "I believe so."
With a sigh, Gerid continued, "Well, one of the reasons that I was able to gather such a force together including some from their own men, is because Sergeant Finneas and his men think that I am a god. You see, I was caught all alone against more than twenty men. I slew several, but I was surrounded on all sides and finally was overwhelmed enough that a blade was stabbed deep into my chest. I think that it actually was driven completely through my lung. The deathblow only knocked me to my knees. I was actually able to withdraw the blade from my own chest. My blood was still dripping from the metal, but I slew the man who had done the deed and stood to fight again. When I stood, I figured to take a few more with me before I died, but I actually gained strength instead. They saw me stand and fell to their knees thinking me to be a god." He shook his head at his own words, "I don't think that I am, but for some reason I do find that I have been blessed with being unslayable."
There was a long silence and Gerid could see the disbelief in Kolonus’ eyes. There was a trace of fear as well, he thought sadly. Knowing that proof would be needed with such a man as Kolonus, the young man stood and quickly removed his leather jerkin. The fresh wound was revealed though it had healed greatly already. It appeared as if more than a week of healing had been done. If not for the placement, the wound would have appeared far from unusual. Even now, the commander seemed not to believe his eyes. With a great sigh, Gerid drew his long knife from its sheath at his waist and handed the weapon handle first to Kolonus. "Go ahead. It'll hurt a bit, but I doubt that it can kill me."
The soldier nearly dropped the knife in surprise. "What are you crazy?" Kolonus shouted and lay the weapon on the folding table nearby. "I can hear that even you aren't sure if this is real. You don't know if you can keep surviving these things! If you are right that you have been given this gift, then you shouldn't risk finding your limit. I won't be your murderer!"
The lieutenant shook his head sadly. "I was afraid that you would say that, sir, though I can hardly blame you." Gerid kept his eyes locked on the man before him and suddenly whistled a shrill note. In answer to the call, Finneas burst through the opening where he had awaited his signal. With no fear of what may happen, the sergeant thrust with his sword even as Kolonus tried to draw his own weapon. The man's eyes were wide with fear for his friend and would have surely tried to kill the sergeant if Gerid had not kept his arms outspread to separate them. The young man felt great pain as he had warned before the blade thrust through his back aiming for his heart. The momentum of Finneas' charge drove the sharp weapon gratingly past his front ribs and clear through his chest. Looking down as if the deed had not been done to him, Gerid could see a good six inches of the sword's end. It was lodged so deep that the sergeant was forced to place a foot against his giant back that he might withdraw the blade again.
With a growl, Kolonus dodged around the swaying giant sighting Finneas with an angry glare. The sergeant backed warily away from the commander. Gerid raised his hand to hold up the men. He struggled back up from his knees and suddenly his strength began to return as it had before. It took nearly a minute while the men kept a wary vigil before he could again draw his breath, but with a ragged gasp Gerid was finally able to inflate his punctured lung.
He nodded to Kolonus that he was all right. Hoarsely, the man croaked, "You see, commander? Finneas is one of the men who swore his loyalty to me, because he believes that I am a god. I would ask for a boon of you as well."
"Anything," Kolonus said quietly as he found a bottle of his brandy and poured one for himself.
"I would ask that you allow Finneas and his men to stay with me as mercenaries and not be sold as slaves. They are loyal and I trust them. Besides they are excellent swordsmen and will fit in well here. Is that all right, sir?"
Kolonus virtually collapsed onto his chair and simply nodded numbly to the request. His face was pale and fear could be seen vividly in his eyes. The sword and glass fell from shocked fingers as he witnessed the fatal wound bind itself and close in a clotted scar of red. "How could I think to resist your request? If you are not a god, Gerid, then what are you and who am I to stop you?"
Gerid took his seat again even as Finneas moved to guard the doorway. The giant sat a moment considering his friend's words. It was not the first time that he had wondered as much himself. Finally he began, "I really don't know anymore. Perhaps I am a god, stripped of all but my immortality. The gods have been recorded as often having arguments and even fighting amongst themselves. Perhaps I was a god that lost such a battle and I have had my memory wiped away to believe what I do? Perhaps Turas, the war god has given me these powers of strength and undying for a purpose as yet unknown to me? I really wish that I knew, Kolonus."
The commander did not answer as he sat thinking seriously about the matter. The veteran soldier mulled over the sights and the words and several times the older man mumbled something incomprehensible to Gerid before finally saying. "Well, I suppose that it is a good thing that you will be returning to Carter's home." The man explained himself as Gerid wondered at the thought, "You should have a little more time to search within yourself there. Maybe with a little time, or a lot, you may finally receive some insights. My biggest problem with all this is that I am not sure how I should treat you now. If you are a god, then it is silly to think of you serving under me. I should be the one to follow you instead."
Gerid shook his head and answered with renewed confidence, "I think that we should continue as we have, sir. We're friends and soldiers. We already respect each other and I can follow you until it is my time to leave. We still have the contract to honor after all. Even gods should honor their pledges, don't you think?"
Kolonus seemed edgy, but he nodded agreement. "Perhaps that is for the best. It'll take a little time to get used to the idea, but as you said we have a contract, though perhaps it could be declared null and void under such circumstances. In the meanwhile, your command has two days of patrols before you are to leave. I'll send word to Carter about your acquisition of Finneas and his men. He'll follow my suggestion of keeping them attached to your command.
"Speaking of which, I still need a report of your casualties," the man said changing the subject back to one that both of them found much more normal. "How did your company fare in this battle? I do know that our side came through this day extremely well due to you and your men, but did your platoons take many casualties while holding the towers?"
With a new smile returned to his face, Gerid said proudly, "Considering the potential danger that they faced here, of the hundred and ten men that entered the city with me, only twenty-five were killed. Many have minor wounds, of course, but apparently once the initial entrance was gained, the towers proved to be excellent defensive positions for the men. Enswere could only regain access to one tower, which had the main losses, and that only for a short time. The twisting stairs and halls were so narrow and easily defended that our superior swordsmen repulsed them and closed the tower again by the time the main army was through the gateway.
"I do have a significant loss, however. Sergeant Palus was killed defending the north tower and he'll be hard to replace. He was a truly good leader and an excellent soldier in all ways. Beyond the twenty-five dead, only forty or so were wounded to the point that they should rest in camp more than a few days and attend to their wounds. I don't think that it would be wise to have them fight for at least a week in most cases. The rest at their own homes is definitely something that they all can use. The march back will be hard for some of them, but I think everyone can make it. The patrols can be run by myself and the others."
"That leaves you only about fifty men active. Correct?" At Gerid's nod, he continued, "Let them rest at camp as you suggested. You are sure that you can run the patrols with only two sergeants? All right, then I expect you to attend to preparations and return here tonight." He winked a sly look, before whispering quietly, "We can celebrate our victory and your new godhood, if that is all right with you?"
Gerid grinned and gave a crisp salute though he was still seated. "Sir!" the lieutenant snapped with extra gusto. The pain of renewing lungs made him wince a bit before rising. "Until tonight then, commander."
With Finneas a single step behind him like a shadow, Gerid left Kolonus to continue as he always had.
He missed the commander's eyes filling with questions that they had no answers to as yet, but those could wait. There would be time later to find the answers, after all, Gerid wouldn't die before they could discuss them.

Lord Merrick strode through the intricately decorated, though solid, wooden doors into a high vaulted throne room. Tapestries and paintings were abundant in the brightly lit room. The pictures celebrated hundreds of years of Cadmene history, but as the king walked he remained unimpressed by the artwork of the fortress city known as Knaria, the fortress of King Terris. He was a warrior and conqueror not an artist.

As he entered the central audience chamber and seat of power for the kingdom, the Cadmene king arose from his throne, with his wife echoing his movements, to endure Merrick's disdain with true knightly bearing. His two children, Prince Relnar and Princess Alyanna, moved from their places at each side of the dais, upon which the seats of power rested, to join the sides of their parents. The royal family waited until Merrick paused only a few paces in front of them before dropping all together to their knees.

"My lord, the people of Cadmene kneel to your authority," Terris announced formally from his knees before Merrick. The other nobles gathered in the hall sank to their knees slowly at the declaration all around the conqueror and his men. The men and women were all silent. Merrick guessed rightly that these nobles still failed to grasp that they had finally met their match and lost their freedom.

A pair of gargoyles, Kar'esh and his lieutenant, stood just behind him and to either side of the conqueror as he smiled a cold smile on all of them. Their presence was obvious in its intent. There were many former knights mixed in with the nobility of Cadmene and he had taken precautions against any treachery. Terris was known as a schemer as much as a warrior and the vizier's warnings were well founded. The former king was still a tactical genius and, knowing that he could not hope to defeat the sheer power that was arrayed against him, Terris had done what was noble. He had surrendered so that no more needed to die uselessly.