David Dalglish - Clash of Faiths

It was a gamble, he knew, but he had a feeling such a man would not casually walk among the living. His very presence seemed counter to daylight.

“I will await you there,” the priest said, his smile growing. “Show me where.”

Gregane knelt before his chest, opened it, and pulled out his map. Carefully he unrolled it upon the lone table of his tent, placing weights on all four corners to keep it open. With every bit of his self control, he willed himself to believe with absolute certainty the lie he spoke.

“Here,” he said, pointing to a place labeled Deer Valley, several miles east of the Green Gulch.

“A valley?” Velixar asked.

“We will leave them nowhere to run, and our horsemen will run rampant through their lines.”

The prophet nodded in approval.

“My faithful and I will await you there, my good knight. Your cooperation will never be forgotten, I promise.”

The promise felt just as much threat, but Gregane kept his face composed, the rigid gaze of a commander. Velixar stepped out from the tent. Once he was gone, Gregane collapsed to his knees, tore off his armor, and called out for one of his servants to bring him a very, very full pitcher of wine.

Jerico rode into Lord Arthur’s camp with his head held high, as beside him Kaide busily counted and made estimations. Finding the army had taken little questioning, considering every farmer and trader seemed to know of its location. As they neared, they’d encountered villages Arthur’s men had passed through, accepting gifts of food and supplies. From there, they’d found the army with ease. Kaide’s group had been stopped at the outer edges of the camp, but the guards were aware of their coming, and let them pass.

“I hate the way they look at us,” Bellok said, guiding his horse between Jerico and Kaide. “Like filthy rabble.”

“Are you saying we’re not?” Kaide said, but he didn’t smile at his own joke, instead too busy glancing about at the tents.

“Nervous to meet Arthur again?” Bellok asked.

“Or have your men embarrass you?” Jerico added, glancing back to the farmers, thieves, and bandits that formed their diminutive group. Most seemed intimidated by the armored soldiers that watched them trot toward the center of the camp, marked by Arthur’s enormous tent atop a cluster of hills.

“No,” Kaide said, frowning. “I count only a thousand, maybe fifteen-hundred. I hoped for more.”

“More might come,” Bellok said, but he sounded like he doubted it.

At the commander’s tent, they halted and dismounted. A soldier guarding the entrance motioned to a field in the far distance.

“We’ve prepared a place for your… group,” said the man.

“That’s a damn long walk,” Kaide said.

“We have some food to spare, and the land is flat. Do you have a problem?”

Jerico and Kaide exchanged looks.

“So be it,” Kaide said. “Bellok, spread the order, then join us inside.”

As they went to enter, the guard refused to move. Instead he pointed to the mace, shield, and dirks the two wore.

“Your weapons,” he said.

Another look between them.

“No,” they said in unison.

The guard didn’t seem flustered in the slightest.

“Surrender, or no audience.”

The tent flap opened, and Lord Arthur stepped out long enough to gesture them inside, as well as whisper a word to the guard. The guard shot them an annoyed glare, but held his tongue. A fire built in the center of the tent made the interior feel warm and welcoming, the smoke escaping through a hole in the very top where the poles came together. A table was on one side, adorned with maps and sheets of parchment detailing numbers and supplies. On the other side was Arthur’s bed. The lord walked over to the table and sat in the only chair.

“I must thank you,” Arthur said, leaning back. “Given how quickly I prepared my forces, I feared I would have no choice but to take from the villagers we passed to keep my men fed. Instead, I find myself given more than my fattest soldier can eat. Never did I think the hearts of the people had abandoned my brother so.”

“The hearts of most can be bought with coin,” Kaide said. “And I’ve spent every day since Ashvale buying hearts using Sebastian’s own gold.”

Arthur let out a bitter chuckle.

“I see. I pray you never turn on me, Kaide. It could be disastrous for us both.”

“When will your entire force be assembled?” Jerico asked, trying to bring the conversation to the tasks at hand.

“When? It already is, paladin. Are you disappointed?”

Jerico was unsure of what to say, so Kaide said it for him.

“Yes. We are. What challenge will we be to Sebastian’s men with only, what, a thousand?”

“Fourteen hundred, not counting retainers, squires, and the women lurking about waiting for night to fall. I summoned those loyal to me to fight, and now you act disappointed? I’d hoped the legendary bandit would make up for that. How many men did you bring me?”

Kaide’s face remained passive as stone.

“Three hundred.”

“Three hundred?” The lord laughed. “Surely the might of the people rises up against my brother. Three hundred, armed with what? Pitchforks? Knives?”

“Enough,” Jerico said. “What is it you plan to do, Arthur?”

The lord gestured to the map, and the two looked over it. Its location marked with an embedded dagger, they saw his proposed site for a battle.

“Green Gulch?” Kaide asked.

“Sir Gregane has already sent a rider agreeing to the place. We’ll meet at midday, and fight each other on an honest field of battle.”

Kaide looked ready to fall over.

“ Honest field of battle? We’re going to be outnumbered, and you want to march south into a scattered forest full of level ground and fight an honest battle? Would you throw this war away so easily?”

“Men fight wars, Kaide. A skilled, proud man fighting a worthy cause can defeat ten sworn to something they do not believe. How many men have you killed with just your few?”

“With surprise. With stealth. Abandon the designated spot, and march with all haste toward the cities. Take Murkland. Take Valewood. With them in your control, Sebastian will have to come running, and by then, we might already have a second army headed for his castle!”

Arthur waved him off.

“You appealed to my honor to start this war, now ask me to cast it off when you find it inconvenient? A victory here means the end of our conflict, with no villages burned, no lives lost other than fighting men sworn to such a fate. Now enough of this. You have your three hundred. What is it you would like to do with them? I can find a place among my ranks, not the front lines, of course…”

They heard commotion from outside, and then Bellok entered, adjusting his robes.

“It’ll do,” he said to Kaide, referring to the encampment. He turned to Lord Arthur. “Oh, and the Irons twins might have knocked one of your soldiers unconscious. Well, several of your soldiers. No one died, I promise.”

Arthur’s eyes widened.

“May I ask the reason?”

Bellok bit his lip and glanced at Kaide.

“I’d suggest not. Suffice to say, your men will not speak ill of those two again, nor their mothers, nor the animals they ride on.”

Arthur rubbed his eyes and looked ready to dismiss them all.

“My men,” Kaide said, bringing his attention back to the map. “I have a plan for them, though it might insult your honorable tendencies. Where will you set up your lines?”

Arthur gestured to a small white space.

“There runs a gap of nearly half a mile between the trees. My men will be stationed along the tree line. That should keep Sebastian’s mounted knights from running us over.”