John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

Lysandros went on to name all the Ktemnoi princes and how many additional troops they had promised to send in the spring. Mnestros wondered whether, with all these mouths to feed, there would be a single stalk of barley or cob of corn left in Hos-Harphax before they returned to Hos-Ktemnos.

"Now," Lysandros continued, "I would like to introduce Grand Captain-General Phidestros who will be commanding the Grand Host."

Mnestros couldn't help but notice the way Soton's jaw muscles tightened at that announcement. He wondered if this were a possible fracture in the Styphoni alliance or Soton's indigestion.

Lysandros continued, "Grand Captain-General Phidestros is the only man alive who has faced the Daemon in three different battles. His under-commander, Grand Master Soton, defeated the Usurper Kalvan's army at the Battle of Tenabra. This fall our Grand Captain-General captured a castle right under the nose of the Usurper's murderous wife and two of his best captain-generals. Next spring we intend to take the war into Hos-Hostigos and make Kalvan pay the butcher's bill! I give you the man who will lead the Grand Host to victory-Grand Captain-General Phidestros."

Phidestros, looking martial in a high-combed burgonet helmet with green and black plumes and a battle-scarred but polished steel back-and-breast, stood up, standing half-a-head taller than the Great King. As he looked out over the crowd, Phidestros smiled, like a wolf ready to lunge upon its prey. According to the yarns and minstrel ditties in the Harphaxi wineshops, Phidestros had done just that in the Princedom of Thaphigos where he'd devoured the Thaphigos army and bested Price Eltar in single-handed combat. His legend was beginning to grow as fast as Kalvan's.

After Great King Lysandros sat down, the Grand Captain-General made his formal address to the assembled dignitaries. He had a gravelly voice that demanded attention-and he got it. Phidestros quickly got to the meat of his speech. "We are in a life or death struggle with the Usurper Kalvan. We have one last chance to stop this devil in human guise from sacking our towns and cities, pillaging our homes and ravishing our wives and daughters. You have all heard how he has made Great Kings out of Trygathi bumpkins and made blood-oaths with Sastragathi barbarians. Is this the same man the peasant priests of Dralm call a Man of Peace? The man who says he wishes harm to no other man?"

Heads nodded their agreement. A voice cried, "Kill the Daemon!"

"His lands are stolen from their rightful overlord, Great King Lysandros. This Kalvan is no king, just another ambitious bandit or warlord from the Trygath. The Usurper will not be satisfied until he has deposed all rightful Princes and lords from their hereditary lands and estates."

Phidestros pulled something out of a tall silver urn from behind his chair. Holding it by its hair, he raised up the half rotted and decomposed head of the Prince of Phaxos. Bits of rock salt fell from the head and rattled off the marble floor. There were horrified murmurs from the assembled lords. Having just fought the nomads, Mnestros had seen far worse outside Tarr-Ceros, but not at the dinner table-his own stomach lurched.

"THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO OPPOSE THE DAEMON!" Phidestros shouted. "If we do not stop him now, this will be the fate of all of you!"

The assembled lords looked back and forth at each other in horror. Then Phidestros tossed the severed head into the audience.

Prince Mylestros of Balkron tipped back in disbelief as the head landed in his lap. He picked it up by the hair, looked at it and cried, "It is Araxes! May Styphon Be Merciful! Kill the Daemon Kalvan! Kill the Daemon Kalvan!"

Soon the huge hall echoed with "KILL KALVAN! KILL KALVAN! KILL KALVAN!"

Mnestros noted with interest the frown that crossed Lysandros' brow as he watched his princes and noblemen fall under Phidestros' sway. Mnestros would not want that malevolent gaze aimed in his direction.

When the room had settled, the Grand Captain-General went on to detail his plans for the invasion of Hos-Hostigos, but not in enough detail to provide any intelligence to the few members of the League of Dralm who'd dared attend, or secret Kalvan sympathizers. He did emphasize the part the Royal Army of Hos-Harphax would play in the proceedings.

"In past battles, we have left it up to the Usurper to pick the battlefields. This spring we will take the war to Kalvan and to the False Kingdom of Hos-Hostigos. Our target is the Usurper and his army-not Hostigos Town. We will take our united command and fight this False King on our terms. With the help of our friends from Hos-Ktemnos and Hos-Agrys and Hos-Bletha our army will be great in number and stouter in heart that the False Army of Hos-Hostigos. It's time he tasted our steel!"

There were shouts of agreement from the assembled nobility.

"Our friends in Styphon's House have promised their full support and will provide all the victuals and fireseed we will need. Those of you who are vassals of Hos-Harphax are sworn to bring your standing armies, but we are going to ask for more. In addition, we want you to muster a levy of every man-jack of fighting age in your Princedoms to come to the aid of your Great King and god, Styphon!"

Prince Mylestros rose to his feet again. "I pledge not only my Princely army of three thousand horse and two thousand foot, but I will lead my own bodyguard and another two thousand cavalry, if I have to drag every nobleman in Balkron and his retainers behind me!"

There was a thunderous applause and suddenly almost every lord and Prince in the Hall was on his feet with his own pledge, trying to outdo his neighbor. The only silent ones were those, like Ubros, sworn or sympathetic to the League of Dralm. The Harphaxi were oath-bound to provide their standing armies, although some would be ill-armed and poorly trained. Mnestros saw that both Lysandros and Phidestros had more eyes for those who were quiet than for those Princes who shouted out their contributions to the Grand Host. He decided that this would be a good time to make his exit.

Kalvan was pacing back and forth in front of the blazing fireplace while he wai.ted for Prince Phrames' briefing on the negotiations with Great King Nestros. Word had just arrived that Phrames-far in advance of the rest of the expedition-had just arrived atTarr-Hostigos. Kalvan suspected that it wasn't good news that brought the Prince so quickly. Something must have gone badly awry in Hos-Rathon. But what? he asked himself.

Has something happened to Ptosphes?'The Prince was clearly unwell and the only reason he'd asked him to lead the expedition was that Nestros would have been insulted if anyone of lesser rank had headed the party. Nestros was too much in awe of titles, and not enough of the people who bore them. Maybe it was part of Nestros' inferiority complex, stemming from the fact that he was the self-proclaimed king of a hick kingdom-at least, that's the way the Northern Kingdoms viewed him. And maybe how he viewed himself. Nestros certainly took a lot of pains to ape Northern manners.

Of course, it was also true that Ptosphes would have been insulted if he hadn't been invited to head the expedition to Hos-Rathon. Kalvan had purposely sent Prince Phrames along to keep an eye on Ptosphes. His father-in-law had many of the symptoms, shortness of breath and chest pains, of some sort of heart ailment. There were no cures here-and-now for heart disease and Kalvan saw no benefit to having the Prince spend his last years as an invalid-even if Ptosphes would let him, which he doubted. The Prince could be as stubborn and headstrong as his daughter!

There was a knock at the door.

"Enter."

Prince Phrames, his face and clothes travel worn, walked into the audience chamber. "Your Majesty."