John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

"Yes. It's a Zygrosi gun. Only the Zygrosi make brass guns in the Five Kingdoms. Where did it come from?"

"Battle spoil from Tarr-Veblos."

Phidestros nodded, wishing he'd spent more time on the artillery field. The differences between the Zygrosi brass cast gun and the Harphaxi cannon was immediately obvious. Besides being made of brass, the muzzle was thinner and there were no metal rings.

"I don't recall the Zygrosi guns looking like this. Is this another of Kalvan's designs?" Phidestros asked.

"Yes. The Kalvan gun has much less metal on the muzzle end, which makes it lighter and easier to handle, yet it has even more metal around the breech so that it will take a double charge." He banged on the brass barrel with a hammer, which pinged nicely over the bellows. "That means it will take a double charge of Styphon's fireseed, or a full charge of Kalvan's fire-seed formula."

Phidestros nodded. "Remember that gunner who tried to use some Hostigi fireseed in his twelve-pounder at Tarr-Harphax?"

Kyblannos grinned. "They're still finding shards of that gun and the artilleryman's teeth in the outer bailey. Fortunately, we've got tons of Styphon's fireseed to burn in our older guns."

"Nice gun, but that wasn't why you sent for me, Kyblannos. I know you better than that!"

"I was wondering if you could use some of those Zygrosi connections of yours to get us some pattern makers and brass casters, so we can cast some of our own cannon."

"I thought you'd already have figured out how to cast your own."

Kyblannos ran his fingers through his curly helmet of gray-streaked brown hair. "I have lots of ideas, but what I don't have is the time to make the molds, train pattern makers and determine the right mixture of copper and zinc for the molten brass. We can cast more guns if you hire Zygrosi brass casters and put them to work, while I spend my time working on the trunnions and gun carriages."

Phidestros reached into his belt pouch to take out his pipe, remembered where he was and quickly removed his hand. "I wish I could help. The problem is that I'm not 'recognized' in my birth land. Besides, the Zygrosi brass casters who know how to cast hundreds of pounds of brass have never been numerous, not with the shortage of fireseed in Hos-Zygros. You know how stingy Styphon's House was with fireseed until Kalvan gave away the secret of the Fireseed Mystery. Now, with the fireseed mixture common knowledge, brass founders who can cast guns are worth their weight in gold-and they know it."

Kyblannos agreed. "In Hos-Harphax and Hos-Agrys we've had more fireseed, but never enough to burn wastefully on big guns, so the cannons have kept to the same design for centuries. Until Kalvan."

Phidestros nodded. "Styphon's House does not like change, but it's unlikely the fireseed mystery will disappear just because Kalvan's defeated. Soon every town will have its own fireseed mill, and Styphon's House will go back to healing the sick-if they remember how!"

Kyblannos laughed. "Styphon's House, a plague on it! I've been hearing stories about an Investigation in Balph-and not just of commoners, but highpriests as well!"

"This Investigation is common knowledge. Even Soton recognized it, but not happily. This rogue Archpriest Roxthar is trying to purge Styphon's House of unbelievers!"

They both roared with laughter, enough that the artillerymen around them gave them funny looks. Kyblannos added, "The streets are full of talk of his Investigation! The Ktemnoi merchants talk of nothing else. Has Roxthar actually found any Styphoni faithful?"

"No. He'd have better luck finding a virgin at the One-Eyed Boar!"

They both hooted. When he caught his breath, Phidestros said, "It is wise to watch what your tongue says regarding Styphon, when among strangers. Great King Lysandros appears to be one of the faithful-don't laugh! If he isn't, he gives a very good imitation, attending all manner of Temple rituals and services. Fortunately, being sworn to Galzar means I have no business being dragged to Styphon's House's tedious services. Still, I have to show proper respect to Styphon's images and highpriests."

Kyblannos gave him a look that said better you than me. In a low voice, he added, "By Tranth's Hammer and Galzar's Mace, we live in strange times, when Captain-Generals are judged by their respect for a failed god!"

"You speak the truth, Kyblannos. Soton also warned me that Roxthar might be bringing his Investigation right along with our army. It appears Archpriest Roxthar is afraid that the Kalvan heresy might infect the rest of the Northern Kingdoms if not stamped out completely in Hos-Hostigos. I wonder if the lands Lysandros has promised me upon our victory may turn out to be as barren, after this Roxthar's passage, as Regwarn's Caverns of the Dead."

Kyblannos nodded soberly. "In the wine shops it is said that even the Inner Circle fears the Investigation."

"Yes, if Grand Master Soton is worried, the Temple must be quaking right to its very foundation!"

"Then it is up to us to avoid all appearance of heresy."

"Right," Phidestros answered, "which means not mentioning the name Kalvan in association with your new carriages."

Kyblannos spat on the floor. "This is a Dralm-damned way to fight a war."

"Is there anything else you want to show me before I return to Tarr-Harphax?"

Kyblannos nodded eagerly. "I want to show you my latest gun carriages. We have to go out back."

Phidestros followed his old comrade through the Artillery Works moving out of the way of tree-stump sized anvils and forges belching fire. In the back lot amongst broken wagons and second-growth trees were some ten or twelve dismembered carriages, several of them longer than any carriage he'd ever seen before. There was a stone wall twice the height of a man between the Works and the next building.

Kyblannos pointed to a carriage, which had a long bed for the gun. "This is our new carriage." He gestured to two of the artillerymen following behind and told them to load the gun. "Use sand, we don't want to lose any more neighbors."

It must be artillerymen's humor, thought Phidestros as the gunners all laughed out loud.

"See, that's the counterweight there. Watch and see what happens after the gun goes off."

After putting in powder and ramming it home, the rammer put in a wad of sand wrapped in cloth. When he was finished tamping it down the barrel, another gunner lit the fuse coming out of the touchhole. "Fire in the hole!"

The ground shook as the gun pushed back to the end of the carriage. The moment the backward motion stopped, the counterweight yanked the cannon back to its former position on the track.

"Galzar's Great Ghost! Very impressive, Kyblannos."

All the artillerymen grinned like proud fathers, including Kyblannos. "It means that the crew doesn't have to waste half a candle aiming the gun again."

One of the wheelwrights came forward. "Not even the Daemon Kalvan has these recoil beds!"

"I never saw anything like it before. Kyblannos, making you General of the Hos-Harphax Royal Artillery was one of my smartest decisions."

Kyblannos beamed. "Thank you, Captain-General."

"Where did you get the idea for these recoil carriages?"

Kyblannos paused to take his pipe out of a pocket in his apron and stick it in his mouth. "Back when I was younger and a camp follower, I was drafted into the Agrys City Traveling Dramaturgical Theatre Band as a prop artificer."

Phidestros laughed. "I don't know where you get these stories, but you have more of them than a one-eyed Trygathi troubadour!"

For a moment Kyblannos looked hurt, and took his pipe out of his mouth, sticking it back into his pocket.

"I'm sorry, old friend. Please, continue."

"I remembered we used to build drawbridges that, when lowered, flew back up again."