Scipio stalked out of the main entry to the basilica and proceeded toward the pillars to descend the front steps of the giant senate building. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a nondescript fellow with a wide-brimmed straw hat and a brown knee-length tunic belted at the waist. Attempting to be subtle, he tried to get his attention. When the man in the hat acknowledged, Scipio inclined his head, signalling for him to follow.
After Scipio moved to his carriage and climbed inside, he followed, climbed in, pulled the curtain closed after him and sat opposite. The carriage jolted as it moved off toward the Calguri estate.
Scipio wore an expression indicative of his struggle to keep his anger in check. He steadied himself. “Please, if you will, offer me an explanation as to how that…Henasian…man managed to blindside me with information that I pay you to keep me abreast of.”
“Well, we aren’t part of the apparatus of the Imperial network of spies, your worship. We don’t have the reach or resources to be everywhere knowing all things.”
The man could see the veins throb on Scipio’s forehead, and the flush of red colour preceding an enraged tirade. “That said, I do have a report. All things are pointing to Disipica. The captive just arrived at the arena, and the Halder detachment will arrive during the arena event, so resources will be directed to converge there.”
“And this should please me, why?”
“Our forces are converging on that city as we speak. Disipica will be burned to the ground with everyone in it, and those Halder bastards will either be killed with them or stand at the centre of the deaths of over thirty thousand imperial citizens. This will cause outrage on one side of the Sofjorland Strait or the other, regardless of the outcome. One way or the other, you will have your war.”
After hearing this, Scipio’s mood somewhat improved. He parted the curtain a fraction to peer outside. Then he turned to the man opposite. “Do keep me informed. I want no further surprises, unpleasant or otherwise.” He rapped on the roof of the carriage, which halted. “You may go.”
ᚲᚺᚱᛟᚾᛁᚲᛚᛖᛊᚱᛁᚾᚾ×ᛟᚱ×ᛟᚱᚾ
The horn blast sounded, and suddenly the small camp was a flurry of activity. Four of the huscarls were downed by arrows loosed without warning. Venna sat up as she whipped her blankets off and, grabbing her shield and sword, leapt out of the tent. “Boys, let’s go!”
“We’re up,” Erik responded sullenly.
Already at the camp centre, Orn had a flaming circle above his head. He sent flaming orbs streaking in the direction where the arrows came from, while Gereld tended to the men struck by arrows. “Get behind me, Erik!” Venna said as she ducked and caught an arrow on her shield.
Erik didn’t reply. He merely hustled up closer behind his mother. She held her shield above her head as she jogged up to Thayn, who had organised his men into a shield formation with overhead protection. Thayn was holding his shield above Orn while Orn focused on retaliating against the unseen enemy.
“How many are we dealing with? Do we know anything?” Venna asked Thayn.
“They haven’t shown themselves yet. My guess is they are either trying to whittle us down before the actual attack begins, or they are resorting to attrition because our sentries prevented an attack while we slept.”
From the campfire, Orn sent up a giant orb of flame so intensely hot it was bright white. To look at it would be like staring at the sun. Orn focused on the sphere, condensing it until it was the size of his fist. He then sent it towards the direction of the arrows and then he condensed it beyond itself.
Suddenly Orn shouted, “Everybody cover your eyes!”
The force and pressure exerted released all at once, creating a flash and a shock wave that blinded anyone who did not cover their eyes, and those near the sphere suffered severe concussive damage. At the epicentre, men were vaporised, others blown to pieces. He then split his flame circle into orbs that were dual function. A source of light, and an aerial weapon ready to strike when needed.
Thayn tried to stand up and stumbled. Shaking his head, he felt someone grab his shoulder. As he looked up into Orn’s face, he squinted and strained his ears. He could see Orn’s mouth moving, but no sound was coming out.
He looked around. Everyone was either down or struggling to get up. He looked at Orn again, trying to focus. His hearing was a mess. Everything sounded like he was in a cave, listening to things far away.
“…ay… ah... u… or… eye..?... an… u… ear… ee?” The ringing that Thayn could hear subsided somewhat and then faintly he could make out, “Thayn, are you all right? Can you hear me? We need to get everyone up and moving. There may still be enemies out there.”
Thayn shook his head again and flexed his jaw, trying to make his ears pop, and then he nodded. “I hear you. What the hell was that?”
“I’ll try to explain it later. Let’s go.”
They moved through their struggling companions, helping them up, checking to make sure they were whole and still functioning. Once they had regrouped somewhat, those that had recovered the quickest began moving towards where the blast had happened.
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What they saw could only be described as various stages of carnage, worsening the closer to the epicentre they approached. There were men with charred skin rolling around groaning in agony, scorched grass all around them.
Closer to the centre, trees were on fire, and there were bodies ripped apart, and when they approached the actual centre, there was nothing but ash and glass. Nothing was standing for a radius of around twenty feet.
The Huscarls stalked through the area as though not wishing to disturb it. They looked around wide-eyed and silent at the scene of destruction surrounding them. Some of them quietly muttering prayers of thanks to Myin.
“Uncle, I think we need to leave.”
Thayn looked at Orn and nodded his head, “Ah…yep. I think you may be right.”
“Just a short shunt to an isolated area, get some rest and then move on. But I don’t think we should stay here.”
With that, they headed back to camp. Orn said to Gereld, “Are all our people all right?”
“Yes, a few minor injuries, and also some that were hit by arrows. Some horses too, but mostly I was repairing damaged hearing,” he responded with a sardonic smile.
“Do you think you could help those enemies who survived before we leave?”
“Your compassion does you credit, boy. But be careful it is not misplaced.”
“These people are paid to attack us because that is how they survive. We can hate them and flail around, or we can find out who is causing this. Who is paying them to get in our way? We need to know.”
Gereld simply smiled in response, grasped his shoulder briefly, and then signalled four huscarls to accompany him.
Gereld healed seventeen of the enemy, and they took two prisoners, including the mercenary captain. The others they told to flee. Once they were all loaded, Orn and Gereld moved them fifty miles downriver, and they reestablished camp.
Venna was with Orn, Shufi, Thayn and Gereld at the campfire as they were about to question their prisoners. They were debating amongst themselves as to how best to proceed. Venna was suggesting they take the ‘cut, heal cut, heal’ approach. Orn emphatically opposed that. He just wanted to question them.
Thayn finally settled the matter. “How about we let Orn conduct the questioning in his way, and if we are not satisfied, then we can go another route. We have some time.”
Gereld was looking sideways at Thayn. “I spend a lot of time around your father, Thayn. So I am well aware of how he views his children…you are far more intelligent than he believes, and I’m beginning to suspect that is by design.”
Thayn merely smiled enigmatically and tapped the side of his nose.
Shufi weighed in on the discussion. “The question I have is, are you going to translate through me, or is Orn going to…you know…do that thing?”
“How do you know about that?” Venna asked with a small amount of alarm. “You have never been present when he did that.”
“My lady Venna, what is my role for His Majesty?”
Venna opened her mouth to respond, paused as she thought for a moment, and then said with a sheepish smile, “Ah. Your point is well made, good sir.”
With mock aplomb, Shufi bowed comically, “I thank you, my lady.”
This set everyone laughing. Then Orn said, “I think I will listen and translate through you until I suspect dishonesty. Then I will speak to them personally.”
“Very well, shall we begin…how do I address you? I mean, you are technically royalty.”
“Just Orn. I don’t feel comfortable with that sort of thing, so Orn is fine.”
The two captured men looked dejected and were visibly trembling. Tied to a tree next to each other, Orn and Shufi approached them. Shufi spoke to them first. “Gentlemen. Do you know who this man is? Do you know who that lady is? Do you know who that man is?” As he asked the questions, he pointed at Orn, Venna and Thayn in turn. The men followed his hand and shook their heads.
“Well, I have the esteemed honour of introducing Orn Avdlak, grandson of King Ulden Argenson. And over there is his mother, Princess Venna, the king’s daughter, and Orn’s uncle, Prince Thayn Uldenson. So, rejoice, gentlemen. You are in esteemed company, yes?”
Orn muttered sideways to Shufi, “Now I see why you asked me that.”
At that, Shufi merely smiled briefly and continued, “Now, what the young prince here would like to know is, for what reason did you attack us this night?”
The younger prisoner was going to speak when the older prisoner shut him down with a look. Orn noticed this, and so produced a flaming sphere from the campfire. He hovered it before the face of the older man, leaving it suspended there as the older man tried to shrink back from it.
Shufi clicked his tongue and said, “See, now you have upset him. Not wise, my friend, not wise.”
“Stop, please make him stop!”
“He is a prince. I am but a lowly servant. I am sorry, but I cannot ‘make’ him do anything.” Shufi lamented with mock sincerity as he buffed his nails on his vest and then inspected them. “You could answer the question. That might mollify him somewhat.”
“All right, all right. Some stranger who paid us said that we needed to find a group of Halder soldiers and wipe them out. That’s all I know…” The sphere moved closer, and he tried to shrink away, but his head was hard up against the tree, so he turned his head.
Orn closed his hand around the flaming orb as it dissipated, and then he spoke in the manner that penetrates all. “I caused you to be consumed by my flame. I also spared you from an agonising death. I caused your wounds to be healed, and all I ask in return is the truth. I can return you to your fate. It is a simple thing.”
The two men could hear it from everywhere and from within their very being. Realisation dawned upon them they had attacked a being of immense power and he was demanding answers. The older man looked down, and then said, “The person paying us told us that you were soldiers sent to cause disruption and chaos to prepare the way for a Halder invasion. They said they worked for the Senate. That’s it. That’s all I know.”
Shufi asked him, “Which direction did he come from, and which way did he go?”
“I don’t know. We were in a tavern, answering a poster that someone put up about town. It was a call to all heroes and soldiers of the republic to attend the tavern for an opportunity for gold in service of the empire.”
Orn looked at Shufi and said, “It would seem that they are either appealing to a sense of duty by claiming they have imperial authority or are actually acting on imperial authority.”
They headed back to where Thayn, Venna and Gereld were murmuring. Shufi relayed what they had learned from the two mercenaries. Thayn weighed in with, “I have noticed a pattern. They have attacked us at virtually every interval, so they somehow have an awareness of where we are and where we are going.”
To that, Orn added, “I have also noticed the changes in tactics employed are proving an awareness of our capabilities and efforts to overcome them. Not to mention they are aware of the speed we can travel and where we are going. Their ability to coordinate is very concerning. I fear after this attack, they may try something unspeakable to limit Gerald and I from using our abilities.”
Gereld responded to that by saying, “We shall just have to be cautious. But we must press on. There is no choice now. Someone wants us dead and will not cease until that is achieved.”