John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

Kalvan stood up and offered his hand, which quickly disappeared inside a hand the size of a baseball mitt.

Halgoth smiled, showing a mouthful of teeth, in surprisingly good shape for a man in his late forties here-and-now. "Once again, Your Majesty honors me."

Kalvan smiled, appreciating Halgoth's directness and straight shooting; he was sure Halgoth could be a wonderful friend, or a terrible enemy.

"Your Majesty, I have words from my king, Var-Wannax Ranjar Sargos." Halgoth reached into his cloak to draw out a folded packet.

"High King," Kalvan translated 'Var-Wannax' from the Urgothi/ Zarthani bastardized tongue that was spoken in the Sastragath. He'd picked up quite a few Urgothi words in his all night drinking bouts with Sargos, Halgoth and Great King Nestros.

Halgoth grinned. "My king is as much a Wannax as Nestros and can field more warriors."

Kalvan nodded, thinking to himself, and a much better companion and strategist, too! "Come with me to my private audience chamber where I can read my friend Wannax Sargos' letter." The two of them left the chamber, in a wake of shocked silence from the assembled court. Kalvan was pleased; it would give the court something to think about other than the strained relations between their king and queen.

Once the two of them were comfortably seated in front of a roaring fire, Kalvan offered the Urgothi giant his tobacco pouch.

Halgoth pulled out a pipe with a bowl twice the size of Kalvan's and filled it to the top. He paused to smell the leaf. "Hmmm. This is good tobacco."

Kalvan motioned to his body servant, Cleon, who had unobtrusively followed them into the audience chamber. "Cleon, please bring us a cask of Ermut's Best."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

While they waited for their drinks, they both smoked as Halgoth shared amusing anecdotes about their journey from the Sastragath into Hos-Hostigos. After Cleon had returned and drinks had been served, Halgoth passed Kalvan King Sargos' letter.

The parchment was inscribed with Zarthani runes and Kalvan suspected some scribe had improved upon Sargos' choice of phrasing, since it was both wordier and more polite than any words he remembered coming out of the blunt-spoken Warlord's mouth.

To Great King Kalvan of Hos-Hostigos,

our Good Friend and Ally from across the Pyromannes:

We hope this letter finds you in both good health and spirits. As my clansman and confidant, Vanar Halgoth, has no doubt already told you, I have agreed to become Var-Wannax of both the Upper and Lower Sastragath. It is my hope to permanently unite both provinces under my rule and leadership. Since our last meeting, I have pondered over your words and have taken actions based on many of them.

You have convinced me that for the outer provinces to survive the Fireseed Wars, we will have to become both united and familiar with the modern warfare as practiced in the Northern Kingdoms. The fireseed artificers and gunsmiths that you promised have arrived and have been greeted as befits their Great King's friendship and trust. We will guard them well.

Kalvan didn't doubt that for a moment; it was the other stuff, the advice he had given to Sargos in their madcap all-night drinking bouts that worried him.

I have taken heed of your words and greatly enlarged the Clan by granting membership to all Urgothi widows, clanless men and orphans. As you have done with your own mercenary troops in Hos-Hostigos and swelled the ranks of your own Royal Army, so the Tymannes have prospered-even far beyond my wildest imaginings. The Clan now numbers over eighty times a thousand clansmen and three times as many women and children.

Kalvan whistled to himself. If Sargos was not exaggerating, and swelling the truth was not among his faults, the Wannax could field an army better than twice the size of Kalvan's own Royal Army, with his Princes' and liege lords' troops thrown in for good measure!

While taking your advice about taking only fellow Urgothi warriors and womenfolk into the Clan, I did decide to include any and all children left fatherless and homeless by the War of Three Kings. As a result, we now have many thousands of Ruthani children of all ages who I am finding difficult to place among the tribes and women of our Clan.

Kalvan didn't doubt that for a moment. The Urgothi-descendents of the second wave of Indo-European migrations into the North American hemisphere-were lifelong enemies of the Ruthani from the Sea of Grass, and only the threat posed by the Knights had united these great enemies into a temporary alliance.

So, my great friend, we are asking for your aid in solving our problem. It would bring an end to our temporary alliance with the Ruthani were we not to take care of these orphaned children. Yet they go unwanted-especially the elder children. Thus, I ask for a great boon from my friend, Great King Kalvan. I would like to send the children to Hos-Hostigos where they can learn from your people and yourself the new ways that we need to learn if we are to survive the upheavals that the Fireseed Wars have presented us and our world. I am hoping that you will teach these children much of your ways so that they may someday bring your people's wisdom and teaching back to the Sastragath.

Please inform my good friend and councilor of your decision, and listen to his own offer, which may in time prove of great worth.

Your humble servant,

Ranjar Sargos

Warlord and Var-Wannax of the Tymannes and both Upper and Lower Sastragath

For a few moments, Kalvan wasn't sure if he was being presented with a huge problem or a wonderful gift; a little bit of both, he finally decided. First, refusing this 'offer' would both cost him Sargos' friendship and a major ally, with an army larger than both the hosts of Styphon and Hos-Hostigos-something he was not about to do! He was certain, just from knowing the man, that this 'solution' to his clan recruitment had cost Sargos a lot of face; he was not a man to ask a boon lightly, nor forget one given either.

Sadly, the Ruthani-the descendents of the Great Plains Indians- would be no more welcome in Hos-Hostigos than they were in the Sastragath. However, Kalvan's power base was far more secure than Sargos' rule of the Sastragath, and Kalvan had the power to make his will be done. Still, he could not order the rank and file Hostigi to 'adopt' foundlings from the Sea of Grass, any more than Sargos could order his clansmen to do the same. Maybe he could set up some kind of orphanage for them. Unfortunately, the Royal Foundling home in Hostigos Town was already filled to bursting with the orphans from last year's war.

He would have to come up with some kind of plan before the children arrived or there would be big problems. He was sure it was only Sargos' kindness that had kept the Ruthani children alive this long.

Kalvan didn't realize how long he'd been contemplating this problem until he drew on his pipe and realized it was dead. He looked up at Vanar Halgoth. "I apologize, but there is much to ponder in this letter."

Halgoth nodded. "The Wannax is sorely vexed about what to do with the Grasseater cubs. If he treats them less than honorably, our alliance with High Chief Ulldar will go to Wind." The Warchief paused as though reluctant to part with a great secret. "Sargos has a soft heart and would like to see the cubs safely out of the Sastragath where memories are long and vengeance is nursed along with mother's milk."

Kalvan nodded. "I fear they will find no great welcome from my people either. After several years of war, Hostigos has more than its share of widows and orphans. Yet, I have great respect for my friend Ranjar Sargos."

Halgoth nodded as though this were only right. "He has repeated your words to me many times, King Kalvan. And, truth, in over forty winters I have never seen him so enamored of another man's words."