The Grand Crusade (58 page)

“And the Spritha would be Qwc?”

Qwc nodded, but did not get up from his perch and fly around. He seemed subdued, but Androgans didn’t know enough about the wee ones to know if that was normal or not. “And your companions?”

The young man raised a hand in a brief wave. “We’ve met before. I’m Kerrigan Reese.”

“Of course. You’ve changed, but your voice remains the same.” He looked at the stone creature’s featureless face. The glowing spots that served it for eyes gave no indication where—or evenif—the creature were looking somewhere. “Who might this be?”

“It’s Will.” Kerrigan’s reply came fast. “You might have to look close, but he’s in there.”

Resolute squeezed Kerrigan’s shoulder. “More correctly, this is the Norrington. Will died on Vael to save the life of a dragon. The Norrington is a lot harder to kill, and has returned to fulfill the prophecy. We have, some of us, taken to calling him Force. He’s come with us to destroy Chytrine.”

“You’re bound north, then?”

Resolute nodded. “That’s our intent.”

Adrogans folded his arms across his chest. “I will help you in any way I can. You may draw supplies from our stores. Getting from here to the pass is not going to be easy because of the shipyards at Alcytlin. There might be as many as

ten thousand Aurolani troops there waiting to sail south to attack Yslin, or just reinforce the army going to attack Alexia.“

Resolute smiled. “That reminds me, I once was carrying orders to tell you to remain in Svarskya.”

“Noted.”

“And we’re not using the Boreal Pass. I know of another way north, usually more dangerous, but with the hot spring, the more treacherous parts should be free of ice.”

The Jeranese general nodded. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to send some of my scouts with you. If we can’t get past the shipyards, or if we are mauled in doing so, slipping a small force into Aurolan through your pass might just work.”

The Vorquelf hooked his thumbs in his sword belt. “You’ve twice voiced doubts about the shipyards. I do not remember you being anything but confident in the past. Why does this daunt you so? Is it the sea?”

“My fear of the sea? No, there are ample land routes for getting there.” Adrogans drew in a deep breath, then rather quickly, sketched out the difficulties facing his army. While he did have dragonels—and discovering that Resolute knew of them somehow did not surprise him—the potential mismatch in forces, with the possibility of Aurolani ships turning their dragonels on his troops, left him with too many variables to try to control.

“I know we have to attack soon. My sources have informed me of Alexia’s victories, and the impending battle near Zamsina. The fleet will launch after her battle, either to strike at Yslin, Lakaslin, and Narriz, or to pour new troops into Muroso through the coastal ports. The ships are loading supplies and some already have a full complement of dragonels. If I assume I am facing less than eight regiments, I’m a fool.”

Kerrigan’s brow furrowed. “You said most of the Aurolani stay inside during the day, right?”

“Yes.”

“So, if they never come out to fight, you don’t have to deal with them, right?”

“True, but casting a spell to lock all the windows and doors won’t keep them in, my friend. The buildings shelter them, but are hardly so stout that they couldn’t carve a new door through a wall.”

“I know that.” Kerrigan raised a hand and gestured. The wooden core Adrogans had been playing with flew from his grasp to that of the young mage. “You said you have a lot of these?”

“We’ve got them from every piece of wood we were able to find.”

“Good. I’m willing to bet that not all of the wood went into ships. There’s probably a bunch in those buildings. With a little work, I can figure out which cores are part of main beams or pillars, and that means I can bring their flimsy houses down on top of them. Would that help even your odds?”

Adrogans grinned and rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I think it just might. We’ll draw up a plan of attack, get our people positioned, and go to war. If you

can take the barracks down, or keep the ships away, we only have one thing to worry about.“

“Thesullancirithat commands the fleet?”

Adrogans nodded.

The Vorquelf was clearly about to speak, but just then a grinding sound and an intense burst of heat came from Force. He raised his right hand and tightened it into a fist. The purple-black stone began to glow, then cracks appeared in it. Molten stone flowed out, then shaped itself into a double-bitted axe blade with serrated edges.

Adrogans glanced at Resolute. “He doesn’t speak, but he does manage to communicate.”

“Indeed he does, General.”

Erlestoke had hoped for two things. The first was that his army would be able to make it into the Dales before they had to face the Aurolani army. But Anarus, the Aurolani commander, had decided to deny him that wish, pushing his army forward into Oriosa. Thesullanciriused the Bokagul mountains to secure his western flank, and chose his battleground carefully. He picked a shallow valley with a fordable river running through it, and positioned his troops on the northern slope.

The second thing the prince had hoped for was that his army would be bigger than the Aurolani force. This wish he got, but only by luck and by a margin that didn’t make much difference. After the Bloodmasks had been hunted down and the throne in Meredo had been redecorated, the force that had been shadowing his army came forward. It was made up of just under two thousand fighters from the East Country, led by Count Storton. He added six hundred heavy cavalry and a regiment of light infantry to the army. Likewise Malviston had brought his troops over, with nine hundred light cavalry and a regiment of light infantry. As they moved forward, another thousand volunteers joined the army, though Erlestoke put no great store by them.

Borell begged to differ. “Highness, they wear masks.”

The youth’s quiet confidence did buoy Erlestoke’s spirits for as long as it took to find Anarus’ army. Just by reading the standards in the Aurolani force, Erlestoke calculated that his force had nearly two thousand more soldiers than the north, and that did not include the irregulars. That gave him a thirty percent edge in personnel, but the presence of dragonels or draconetteers could shave away that advantage. The Aurolani also appeared to have more magick-users, if all the white specks werekryalniri. His Addermages were formidable, but unless

they could counteract everything the Aurolani cast, the damage would be

serious.

With the coming of dawn, bugles roused the troops, though Erlestoke had long been awake. He watched the sunlight catch the tips of the mountains and slowly crawl down as the sun rose. The battlefield went from dark to dim, then color seeped into it. Across the way the Aurolani were organizing themselves. Around his camp his troops gathered, with the heavy infantry in the middle, the light on the wings, and the cavalry massed and deployed behind the wings. The irregulars—two battalions of light cavalry and three of light infantry—were held in reserve to the rear.

Sheathed in mail, with Crown at his left hip, Erlestoke came upon Nay strapping on bits and pieces of borrowed armor. “You don’t need to fight. You’ve done your duty, Nay.”

“Still my nation. Killed Aurolani while Moonmasked and still remember how.” He straightened up and brandished a maul. “Figured to stiffen the boys.”

The prince nodded. The irregulars had earned the sobriquet “the boys” because of their youth and cavalier attitudes. Though all of them were past Moonmasks, most had only few markings on their life masks. They’d come, some in search of adventure, others out of patriotism, but none of them with much training or much more in the way of weaponry than Nay.

“That would be good, Nay.” The prince swiped a hand over his forehead and it came away wet. “It’s not going to be an easy day. We will need them.”

“Yes, Highness. Mind you, cut quick and good with that sword, and you might not.”

“I’ll do that.” The prince left him and continued to walk toward where his

bodyguard waited.

Preyknosery landed near him and caught up with him quickly. “It is as you suspected, Highness. They have been here several days and have dug warrens. I do not know if they have more troops hidden in them, but there are trenches and revetments from which they can fight. Either they will withdraw as we advance, letting us tire ourselves out, or will retreat if we break through. Behind their current line, it is a tangle. Horsemen cannot go there, and the fighting in the tunnels will be horrible.”

“Thank you, Ironwing.” Erlestoke felt a weight descend on him as if a dragon had fallen from the sky. The only reason attacking was in the least viable was because of his numerical advantage. If more troops were hidden away, or they all withdrew into the earth so he could not root them out, his march to join Alexia was over. Asit is, she’ll only get the ragged remnants of my force.

Generals Percurs and Quantusa waited for him, but before they could report the readiness of their troops, cries and moans from the southern soldiers snapped Erlestoke’s head around. A dragon with golden scales appeared with wings spread. The scales over its left haunch were broken or missing, and that

leg appeared to be a bit stiff as it advanced, but there was no infirmity in the fury lighting its red-black eyes.

Dranae smiled as he reached the prince’s side. “That is Adachoel. He was at Vilwan.”

“You weren’t the one who gave him that bite on the hip, were you?” Erlestoke still recalled how Dranae, in his true form, had nearly bitten a dragon about Adachoel’s size in half.

“No, that was a friend. You needn’t worry about Adachoel. I shall deal with him.” Dranae handed Preyknosery his draconette, then moved to a large open area between the prince’s tent and the troops. The man pulled his arms in around himself and almost seemed to be grabbing the flesh at his waist as if it were a tunic. He started to pull up and out, and in an eyeblink he transformed into a massive green dragon whose claws effortlessly gouged grave-deep furrows in the greensward.

Erlestoke had to smile. The cries of terror from his army quickly shifted to cheers of triumph as the men realized their dragon was bigger than the enemy’s beast. Men began beating swords against shields, raising a horrible din.

On the other side a lone figure stepped from the dragon’s shadow and suddenly the Aurolani had two dragons. The second one had purple scales tinged with gold. The human force began to grow quiet as the thunder of Aurolani drums built.

Dravothrak shook his head slowly, the dawnlight glinting from gold flecks in his scales. “They are nothing, my friend. Pups only. Procimre was chased from Nawal, as I will chase him from here.”

Erlestoke saluted him. “Signalman, bring all troops to arms.”

The bugler began to play, but his song tailed off as a third dragon, this one larger than either of the other two, made his presence known. He was green like Dravothrak, save for gold stripes over his rear haunches and tail. And he reared up and walked forward on his hind legs. Spreading his wings, he battered the other two aside, then roared a challenge to Dravothrak.

Dravothrak raised his muzzle to the sky and replied with a shriek that chilled Erlestoke to the bone. Toward the rear came the sounds of men screaming and running.Those would be the irregulars. Erlestoke flicked a hand out, smacking the bugler in the shoulder. “To arms, mow!”

Dravothrak looked at Erlestoke. “I will keep them off you for as long as I can. Any two I could kill, but Sidrachuil

”

“What about him?”

“If you ever have a hatchling who hates you, never let him live long enough to steal a name.” Dravothrak lowered his body, then his wings unfurled as he sprang into the air. The powerful downbeat flattened the bugler and blew apart Erlestoke’s tent.

The prince, having braced for it, was only driven to a knee. He looked up, quickly remembering the fluid ease with which Dravothrak’s muscles worked

when they’d flown to Meredo. He recalled the dragon’s having slain a copper dragon in Sarengul. “Youcando it, Dranae; you can.”

Sidrachuil took to the air first, but with a twist of his tail and the furling of one wing, slid to the side to let the other, smaller dragons make for Dravothrak first. As they drove in directly, flapping their wings hard, the striped dragon curved around to the east. For a heartbeat Erlestoke feared the dragon would lace the southern lines with fire before soaring up to engage his father. Fortunately, he was content to drift over the lines, letting men scream, faint, and run, then he began his drive up toward Dravothrak’s back.

The younger dragons must have thought Dravothrak ancient enough to be senile, or hoped he would be distracted by their larger companion, for they sped toward him. Dravothrak waited, then thrust his head forward and vomited out a great gout of fire. Erlestoke felt the heat and watched it engulf the gold dragon. Adachoel’s wings folded in and he fell from the sky, trailing smoke. It did not seem as if he were on fire, but as if the force of the attack had stunned him. He slammed hard into a hillside, flattening bushes and leaving a ten-foot-deep indentation, then bounced once and rolled.

Procimre twisted in midair, then looped over onto his back. His tail flicked by slowly, tantalizingly. Dravothrak lunged at it, snapping his teeth on empty air, then started to dive toward the point at which the purple would come out of his loop. As he did so, his tail came up and left his belly open to Sidrachuil’s attack.

The striped dragon blasted out flames. Almost impossibly for a dragon of his size, Dravothrak rolled and twisted his tail past the fiery jet. His tail continued around as his body twisted, then flicked out, smashing Sidrachuil in the shoulder. Scales shattered and fell to the Bokagul foothills.

Sidrachuil, clearly surprised, spun away, then looped and climbed. Beneath him, Procimre came out of his lazy loop and craned his neck around to find Dravothrak. He looked back over his own right shoulder, but the green’s roll had taken him further to the left. Procimre’s head twisted around even more, his body beginning to roll to relieve the pressure, when Dravothrak’s mouth snapped shut over the purple’s head. Scales parted with the thunder of a distant avalanche, then the purple’s headless corpse began an awkward tumble from the sky.