John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

Kalvan laughed. "Colonel Ranthar did his best to keep the 'legend' alive before he left for Hos-Bletha. Which reminds me, Baron, it's time I raised your rank from Colonel Verkan to General Verkan. I'll have Captain Mykos record it in the muster roll."

"You are too generous, Your Majesty!"

Kalvan made a waving motion with his hands. "No, the Mounted Rifles are a lot bigger these days-a full brigade, not a pumped-up regiment. A lot more rifles, too-almost five hundred. You'll have three regiments under your command, two rifle regiments, the First and Second Mounted Rifles and the Hostigos Mounted Arquebusiers. Your brigade will be the hammer of the Army of Hos-Hostigos."

"Congratulations, Verkan!" Tortha said. "If I were a few years younger, I'd join up with the Royal Army myself."

Kalvan smiled. "You're too valuable in intelligence, Tortha. Especially with my favorite horse-thief, Duke Skranga, off to Hos-Bletha. I need you to run the department."

Kalvan turned to Verkan. "Did you know Trader Tortha was a genius in administration?"

"The family has a lot of names for Uncle Tortha, but genius is not one of them!"

Everyone laughed, even Tortha who was turning bright red-and not all from drink.

"In fact, it's time to give Tortha an official rank. Klestreus has been complaining about bringing an 'outsider' into the ranks."

"I'd prefer not to have a title, Your Majesty. As I recall Duke Skranga never had an official rank."

"True, he claimed it would bring him undue attention, and make it difficult, if not impossible, for undercover work."

"A military title might not go over well with the family, after I return to Xiphlon."

"We'll make you the Director of Internal Security: how's that, Tortha?"

"I like it; how about you, Verkan?"

Verkan picked up his pipe and began to fill it with tobacco. "I can't see anyone in my wing of the family having any problems."

"Good," Kalvan said. "Problem solved. Now, Verkan, do you have any more guard commanders of the caliber of Colonel Ranthar? I could use ten or twenty more."

"Sorry, Your Majesty, but I'm having trouble coming up with a new Foundry watchdog. You've stolen my best officer and sent him to Hos-Bletha!"

"I agree. Let's just hope that he and Skranga can perform a miracle and convince Great King Niclophon to pull his forces out of the Great Host."

"Hear, hear," Verkan said, filling their goblets with more of Ermut's Best. "By the way, I can think of one good officer, Captain Porthos. I ran into him at one of your watch stations. I'd use him myself, but he's left the Mounted Rifles for your Horseguard." Verkan paused to shake his head. "As soon as I train them, Your Majesty takes them away. Still, I think Porthos will make a good regimental commander. He's cool under fire and has a good grasp of 'New Model' tactics."

"That's what I like to hear. How old is Porthos?"

"Probably twenty-four, twenty-five winters."

"Good age. Much older and they're mired in the traditional ways of soldiering. I'll have Harmakros interview him for a command position. I've already got more titled nitwits in leadership positions than I can afford. Unfortunately, I won't keep the loyalty of my vassals if I don't give them ranks commensurate with their station. I've scared off the really incompetent with hard work and border duty. Now I need to salt them with good commanders who can keep their head under fire and understand the difference between tactics and strategy."

Dalla looked down at the sleeping Demia and sighed. She was so adorable…

"What's the matter, Dalla? Makes you want to have one of your own, doesn't it?"

"Yes… But Verkan would never-"

"To Ormaz with what Verkan wants! It seems to me you think more about what Verkan wants than about what Dalla needs. To this day, Kalvan brags that our daughter was his 'best-executed plan.' The truth is: if I'd let Kalvan set the date for Demia's birth, she'd be arriving about the time Styphon's last priest was blown out of a cannon."

"You mean to say, you had Demia on purpose!"

"Of course. Obviously you have competent Allmother Priestesses in Greffa, or you would be mooning over your own daughter rather than Demia."

"What… Oh, of course." Even now Dalla was sometimes taken off guard by just how sophisticated outtimers could be. "But Verkan would never forgive me…"

"Listen to yourself! Of course he would, Dalla. Just how angry does Kalvan look to you? He didn't like the idea at first any more than Verkan will."

"You don't know my Verkan…"

"He'll come around, I promise. Did you see him earlier with Demia on his knee? He looked like a proud father!"

"You're right. How perceptive!" Maybe Rylla had hit on something. A child, despite all Verkan's complaints, might well give them something to put their lives into perspective. They were both too career-oriented. It wasn't as though they didn't have, plenty of time. If the baby caused too many problems at work, she'd quit her job. That would make Verkan's job easier, too. Shut up some of his critics. Dalla, ol'girl, I think you're on to something.

"What are you thinking about?"

Dalla looked back down at Demia. "You know. You've given me a different perspective on things. I'll have to talk this over with Verkan-"

"No. That's not the way to do it. He'll just give you a thousand excuses; trust your instincts on this one."

"I will. But what's been happening between you and Kalvan? I've heard some awful rumors…"

"Yes, and they were all true. I did something I really shouldn't have- and wouldn't have, if Kalvan had been here where he belonged! Not that it was all his fault. When the Phaxosi attacked the Foundry Party, I used that as an excuse to start a small war."

"But you won, didn't you?"

"Oh, yes. It would have been hard to lose against that gang of incompetents. The trouble is I won a war I should have never started, then I got a little carried away. Sometimes Kalvan acts so squeamish. I wanted to teach him how a rebellious underling was put out of the ruling business for good, so I had Araxes and all of his family put to death."

Rylla showed less remorse than if she'd just drowned a pail full of unwanted kittens. Dalla had to remind herself that in a pre-mechanical monarchy, Prince Araxes' relatives weren't worth as much as a single cat, and held a great more potential for future trouble. "Kalvan doesn't understand how many difficulties deposed princes and their families can bring upon one's House," Dalla said diplomatically.

"Sometimes I believe he truly is too good for this world," Rylla replied. "But in this case he was right. The League of Dralm has used this incident to halt all support-what little of it there was-to Hos-Hostigos. Now, if we're not careful we may end up fighting them as well as Styphon's House. I didn't think anyone would miss the little rat!"

"Have you done anything to make the situation right?"

"Kalvan has found a distant relative of Araxes who's sympathetic to Hos-Hostigos and put him on the throne as Prince. He's also given most of Araxes' holdings to those barons sympathetic to our cause. I think he's won their loyalty."

"So it wasn't a complete loss."

"No. But it almost broke up our home. We hardly spoke for almost two moons… Sometimes, I'm too stubborn for my own good. Kalvan is the only man I've ever loved-but I don't take well to being corrected. Am I wrong, Dalla?"

"Our men wouldn't love us if we tried to be anyone but who we are. A real man doesn't want some cow-eyed wench fawning over him, but a partner. And sometimes we make mistakes… One of these days I'll have to tell you about the time Verkan and I broke up."

"You and Verkan?"

"That's right. When it comes to blind stubbornness, you don't have any monopoly on that, girl. No, indeed. But we came back together because not only do we love each other, we like each other, too. And we each respect the other, like you and Kalvan."