John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

Ptosphes looked horrified. "I do not understand: how could they do this to children?"

The war with Styphon's House was Ptosphes', and the rest of here-and-now's, introduction to wars of religion, and they were beginning to see that the religious element added a new and much nastier dimension to warfare.

"Our friend Sargos has just dropped into our lap the makings of a loyal army for Our children and your grandchildren. If we treat these orphans right, give them the proper training, We won't have to worry about educating the next generation of titled blockheads who've been trained from birth in methods of warfare that were extinct the day after Tarr-Dombra."

"You mean we train these children in your new style of warfare?"

"Exactly," Kalvan said, tossing his pipe aside, and rising up out of his chair. He started pacing back and forth in front of the blazing fireplace. "We'll start an academy-we need the right name, too. The Hostigos Royal Academy of Military Studies-"

"For children?"

"Yes, it's a tradition in my homeland. Children whose parents are too busy with making money and playing card games to see to their care send their children to military academies to be raised and taught discipline."

Ptosphes shook his head. "I would never want to live in such a place."

Kalvan's response surprised even himself. "Neither would I, not even with Styphon's House breathing down my neck!"

"Do you think the war will continue so long that we will still be fighting Styphon's armies a generation from now?" Ptosphes asked tiredly.

"No, I hope not. But that doesn't mean there won't be other threats to Hos-Hostigos. It certainly would be nice to have the nucleus of a powerful army already in place."

"Yes, for my grandchildren."

Kalvan enthused. "We'll raise them as cadets-junior soldiers-and we'll give these children a life far finer than they would have had even had their parents not died in the nomad invasions. We'll give them good instructors too, from the Royal Army-"

"We can't pull officers from the Army now!"

"No I wasn't thinking of active officers, but wounded officers and veterans too old for active service. Men who are no longer able to fight for Hostigos with arms, but can fight by molding young minds. We'll make the Academy more than just a training school-it will be a nice place to live, too. The orphans will be Royal charges and we can even leaven the Ruthani with our own Hostigi orphans. We'll form a special elite corps comprised of our Janissaries and within a generation they'll have all the respect they deserve."

Ptosphes shook his head. "And solve two problems at the same time. You do miracles, Your Majesty! You've taken a headache and turned it into an inspiration."

Kalvan took two goblets and filled them with Ermut's Best. "To the new army of Hos-Hostigos!"

Verkan Vall, in his disguise as Trader Verkan, first saw the check station about a quarter of a mile outside of Hostigos Town. He and Dalla rode up and halted behind two carts, a flatbed wagon filled with barrels and a small party of trappers. It appeared that since their last visit Kalvan had mounted check stations on every road leading into Hostigos Town, including the Great King's Highway. The Iron Curtain was up again.

The six guards wore back-and-breasts with tasses and high-combed morion helmets sporting red and blue plumes. Tortha Karf hadn't mentioned the increased town security during their talk. Verkan wondered what else had changed since his last visit to Hos-Hostigos.

"It looks like Kalvan's tightening the noose around Hostigos Town," Dalla said.

"Yes, he must have caught some Styphoni agents."

"I hope one of them is Baron Sthentros!"

"You never have liked him," Verkan said, as they waited for the line to move.

"I not only don't like him," Dalla said, crinkling her nose, "but I don't trust him, either. He's been far too quiet of late. That's the time to guard your back from a compulsive blowhard like Sthentros!"

Verkan turned his attention to the barricade when one of the merchants, from a towering horse-drawn cart overflowing with baggage, began arguing loudly with the captain of the guards, who had a gold crest at the center of his breastplate in the shape of a keystone-Kalvan's own emblem. The captain suddenly grabbed the merchant's hand, spun him around and frog-marched him toward the small hut. When the merchant tried to take out his knife, another guard smacked him in the face with the flat side of his halberd.

As he slumped to the ground, the two men in his party made a sudden dash for their mounts, but came to a quick halt when one of the troopers fired his horsepistol over their heads. "Next time, I won't aim for the sun!"

While his companions had their hands tied and weapons removed, the fallen merchant was trussed up and thrown over a horse. Two of the guards escorted the cart and three prisoners off to what Verkan was sure would be an unpleasant stay in the dungeons of Tarr-Hostigos. One of the trappers muttered, "Plague and pestilence, more Dralm-blasted spawn of Styphon! Hope they boil 'em in oil."

There were nods of agreement from all around, which told Verkan that Kalvan-despite his problems-still held his subjects' hearts. By the time Verkan reached the head of the line there were about sixty people behind him, some farmers out for a day in town, two rich nobles with dark red velvet robes and a small retinue, several returning craftsmen and various traders and merchant parties.

The captain recognized him at once. "Colonel Verkan!" He all but saluted. Verkan recognized him as a trooper who'd served under him with the Mounted Rifles at the Battle of Chothros Heights. First Level memory enhancement provided him with his name. "Porthos, Captain Porthos now. I see you've done well since we last served together at Chothros Heights."

"Yes, sir," he said smartly, beaming. "Captain of the Second Squadron, First Royal Horseguard. I'm surprised you remember my name, sir."

"I never forget a comrade," Verkan replied. "Why the guard stations?"

Captain Parthros turned his head and spat onto the muddy ground. "Styphon's privy-rats. We catch two or three every moon-quarter."

Kalvan wasn't the only one who was learning, thought Verkan. Styphon's House had proved itself much more resilient than the First Level experts on the Kalvan Study team had predicted. From the Harphax City Team he'd been receiving reports the Styphoni were not only paying to rebuild the Royal Harphaxi Army, but also bringing in mountains of supplies for the coming spring campaign season. The Inner Circle had even dispatched their top trouble-shooters, Archpriest Anaxthenes and Grand Master Soton, to guarantee their gold was well spent.

The cobblestone streets of Hostigos Town were crowded with pedestrians, soldiers and wagon traffic despite the gathering rain. The crack of iron-shod hooves on the cobblestones echoed through the narrow streets like musket shots. Verkan noticed that tied to every hitching post at the Red Halberd was a horse, if not two.

When the rain started in earnest, Verkan dropped Dalla off at their townhouse. He threaded his way through the crowded streets to Tarr-Hostigos, which looked down upon the town from the ridges above.

Verkan Vall entered Kalvan's private audience chamber, noticing for the first time a colorful new tapestry commemorating the Battle of the Three Kings-actually two, since at the time of the Battle of the Spirit Grove, Warlord Sargos was neither king nor ally. Things had changed considerably since then. Sargos had crowned himself King of the Sastragath, or Var-Wannax, and was awaiting recognition of his title from Kalvan and Great King Nestros.

Kalvan rose to greet him and shook his hand heartily. Kalvan had introduced the handshaking ritual to Aryan-Transpacific and, after spreading through Hos-Hostigos, it was beginning to appear in the neighboring kingdoms. Up close, Kalvan looked drawn and there were bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't been getting much sleep. He knew it wasn't because of the rift between him and Rylla, since Tortha had told them that the King and Queen had patched up their differences while he'd been shuttling between First Level, Greffa City and the Sastragath-talk about being in three places at once! Despite First Level relaxation techniques and hypno-sleep, Verkan suspected he looked as worn out as Kalvan.