Michael Stackpole - When Dragons Rage

The King’s Heavy Cavalry had a fourth battalion. It waited for them, having been positioned there to stop the whole force had all the Aurolani decided to bolt. Alyx had left Sayce in command of that unit, and the young Murosan Princess waited until almost too late to launch her charge. The Fourth poured out of the woods and bore down on the Aurolani, smashing through them. The lead lancers blasted a furrow through the center of their formation, and the swordsmen behind them shredded what was left.

Sayce rode over to where Alexia, on the ground amid the Third Battalion, was cutting the four-skull banner from the broken standard. “They are all dead, Alexia.”

“How many of ours are hurt?”

Sayce glanced back into the gloom. “Four dead; a lot of cuts and gashes, mostly from frostclaws. I have a dozen horses that probably won’t make it.”

“Get the worst of your injured up to Kerrigan, tet him fix them up enough so they can ride. Then I need you to pick four of your best riders and send them to your brother. Tell him what happened here.”

Sayce cocked her head. “But we have arcanslata to send that message.”

Alexia slid her dagger back into the sheath in her boot before straightening up. “And it is just possible that Chytrine has come up with some manner of detecting the location of arcanslata in use. I would like to avoid having our position spotted needlessly.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

Alexia nodded. She had not given it overmuch thought herself until she’d made the mistake of asking Kerrigan what was occupying his time on the ride north. He’d explained how he was working on a class of detection spell that was unlike any other and how it would be able to figure out where anything was, like a fragment of the DragonCrown or any other magickal item. He noted, for example, that using her wedding ring, he could pinpoint Crow’s location. At least, he thought he could. She then asked about finding arcans-lata .

Kerrigan had smiled and rolled his eyes. “Possible, but only when they are in use. They’re not very magickal otherwise. This spell will be for important things.”

Alexia had not taken the time yet to explain to him how important arcanslata could be, but she assumed that anything Kerrigan could do, Chytrine could do, too. That assumption might have invested too much power in the Aurolani Empress, but Alyx would rather overestimate an enemy than not.

A soldier came up bearing the severed head of the Aurolani leader. Alexia gave him the banner and the man gleefully wrapped the head in it, then secured it with some leather bindings into a nice, tight little package. “All set to go, Highness.”

“Thank you.”

Perrine descended and folded her wings. “As nearly as I can see, sister, no one escaped. There are a few frostclaws about, but we can hunt them down in daylight.”

“Thanks, Peri.” Alexia pointed to the package the soldier was holding. “If you wouldn’t mind, could you deliver that to the Aurolani commander?”

“With your regards?”

Alyx looked at her smiling sister and shook her head. “I don’t want you that close to them.”

Peri accepted the bundle, then stepped back and spread her wings. “They’ll get your message, Alyx.”

“And I’ll await their reply.”

Isaura felt Anarus’ fury well before she ever heard the agonized wolf howl in which it was given voice. She slipped from the warm cocoon of skins in which she had slept and pulled on her clothes. She took her time dressing. She knew she would have to attend the sullanciri , but if she were the first to his side, he would focus his ire on her, and she wanted to avoid that.

Having delayed as long as possible, she wended her way through the labyrinthine passages in the command pavilion and reached the central room. Neskartu and Naelros had arrived before her. Of Tythsai she found no sign, but since the undead sullanciri neither saw with normal eyes nor had any need of sleep, she often spent the nights walking and watching.

On a table, lying on a wrinkled mass of sodden cloth, sat the head of a gibberer. Based on the designs painted in white on its face, Isaura took it to be a leader of some sort. Only when she looked more closely at the cloth and saw it had been a banner did she begin to understand the import of the head’s presence.

Neskartu’s face flowed around to glance at her.

Delivered by Gyrkyme—Alexia’s pet. The flanking strike failed .

Isaura looked over at Naelros. He had suggested a stronger force to make that maneuver, but Anarus had opted for speed. Anarus, it struck Isaura, became hasty as the moon waned, and seemed more possessed of himself as it grew to full.

The dracomorph acknowledged her glance with a nod, but remained silent.

The wolfish sullanciri paced angrily. As he turned, he would look at the bloody head and snap at it. Half the time he would curse, the rest growl. His eyes blazed with an evil light, and snarls bared fangs with menacing regularity. Anger and outrage radiated off him like heat from molten rock.

Then his head came up and his ears flattened back. A long tongue came out and he licked his muzzle, then hunched his shoulders and gathered his clawed hands at the small of his back. “There are a number of things made clear now. First, the Murosans have learned well from the plight of the Sebcians. The only way to stop us from laying siege to their cities is to prevent us from getting at their cities. They do this by blocking the roads and confiscating our supplies. Soon enough, though, we will have more troops and supplies coming in through Porjal, so the troops they have out there now will be useless.”

Naelros nodded. “If you desired, Lord Anarus, I could take my people and hunt down their raiders.”

“No, no, that will not do.” Anarus growled, but not savagely. “Your troops are no more suited to hunting than mine are. I do have a task for you, though. You will take your regiment and two others, along with a dragonel battalion. You will drive at Nawal.”

Is it wise to split your force?

The snarl directed at Neskartu came quick and dire. “Question me not, wizard. That force will be sufficient to threaten Nawal. If our troops arrive to lay siege and no one comes to lift it, the people will lose heart and open the city to us. Without defenders, the dragonels will be enough to reduce the defenses to rubble. Our move will force King Bowmar to weaken the garrison opposing us here in order to defend Nawal, or he will lose that city.”

Isaura raised a hand. “My lord Anarus, the people of Muroso set great store in their wizards. Until the ones in Nawal are eliminated, the people will not surrender.“

“Of course, Princess; that is obvious.” The sullanciri pointed a crooked finger toward the distant Murosan position. “They have not erected any of their black posts there, so they resist our invitations to pit their wizards against ours. Lord Neskartu and his students are wasted here. I will send them to Nawal as well. You, Princess, may stay here or go, as you will.”

She will come with me. Her safety is my charge.

“Then see to it well, my friend.” Anarus turned and looked at the dracomorph. “You have questions?”

“How long do I have to take Nawal?”

The sullanciri ‘s ears flipped this way and that as he thought. “Two weeks should be sufficient.”

“And have I enough firedirt and food to accomplish the task?”

“If you do not squander the first, and if you do not feast with the second, yes.” Anarus’ eyes narrowed. “You will be resupplied from Porjal, since it will be faster to reach Nawal than wherever I shall be. My supplies will still come from the north, when they get through.”