CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE MACHINATIONS OF A TYRANT
Thibalt watched the traffic flow up and down the street from the balcony, admiring their location. Estallion approached the opening and expressed his amusement, "I knew you would like it."
"How could I ever repay you?" asked Thibalt.
"You will find a way," replied Estallion with a cheeky smirk. "Anyhow, I need a place to stay as well. So whilst my estates in Precedin are temporarily occupied by Dargonian guests I will be taking lodging in your fine new residence."
"Take any room that you like," insisted Thibalt.
Miera climbed up the stairs carrying a bundle of clothes as Estallion replied, "I have already placed my things in the first room downstairs."
"There are so many rooms in this house that I am beginning to lose myself," said Miera, dropping the clothes onto the bed.
"Where are the boys staying?" asked Thibalt eagerly. As much as he enjoyed the company of Miera's younger brothers, they had a knack for causing mischief. Borrin, the eldest of her siblings, had quickly grown close to Thibalt and Estallion, but Kiel and Fritel, both under ten summers, had proven themselves quite adept in the art of annoyance.
"Mother has assured us that Kiel and Fritel will remain downstairs with her. Borrin has asked to stay upstairs," answered Miera. "I am still amazed that you managed to buy this place for such a low price. I mean, eight rooms in the centre of the market district would normally be highway robbery."
Estallion let out an odd laugh and quickly replied, "The seller is an old friend of the Bastion family. He gave me a good deal."
Thibalt found his reaction unusual, but then Estallion was often unusual. "Nevertheless, I will pay you back in full."
Estallion shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
A shout from downstairs caught their attention. "You have a guest, Thibalt," called Evelyn.
The three of them moved out of the bedroom and down the stairs to find Guard Captain Harrinus standing in the doorway, dressed in a black vest bearing the symbol of Skiye. They had not seen the Harrinus since their arrival in the Citadel and were pleased to see his familiar face once more.
"Kirth Harrinus. To what do we owe the honour?" greeted Thibalt.
Harrinus shook their hands with a modest grin and said, "I thought I would see if I could smuggle myself into some temporary accommodation in the Steelfist home. Word has spread that there is a new man in town who owns a mansion in the city centre."
Miera and Thibalt began to chuckle. "I think we should start up an inn with the amount of people looking for a place to sleep," said Thibalt.
"With the influx of people fleeing the border cities, quarters have become tight. I came to enquire if you would welcome a temporary guest. If I ever intend to find a good night's rest I will need to bed down outside of the barracks. I would pay my way of course."
"What nonsense, Harrinus," cut in Estallion. "Stay as long as you like...That is if you think you can handle living in the same place as me."
Harrinus raised his brow. "It will take some getting used to. In any case I have also come with a message from Errollan."
"What does the old warhorse have to say?" asked Estallion.
"The old warhorse...," replied Harrinus gazing attentively at Estallion, "...wishes to offer you a job."
Estallion and Thibalt were both startled. "What kind of a job?" asked Thibalt.
"May we first take a seat? I have been running around all morning."
"Of course!" blurted Miera. "How rude of us. We receive our first guest and do not even offer him a seat." She turned and called out to her brother. Borrin's young face popped out of a nearby room, his wavy blonde hair falling over his eyes. "Go and fetch a pitcher of water and some of those fruits that Mother bought this morning."
Borrin stood up straight and mockingly saluted his sister. He then stormed of to the kitchen as Thibalt led Harrinus to a long table in the next room. They all sat down and Borrin entered with a weighty plate of fresh fruit and several cups of water. Taking a large bite out of an apple, Borrin then sat down and kept silent.
Harrinus quickly gulped down a cup of water and placed it back on the table. "Should you not already know, King Castaneda, or Perephine if we are being honest, has refused Errollan's request to sound the call to arms. He believes that marshalling the army of Feldom will only be a signal for Zephra to move his forces inland sooner."
"Zephra is going to attack whether we like it or not," said Thibalt. "Would it not be wiser to have an army ready to stop him rather than prolonging the inevitable?"
"Those are Errollan's exact thoughts," continued Harrinus. "Errollan knows more about safekeeping of this nation than any man alive. He almost turned violent when the King announced his refusal to marshal the full army. In reality Errollan and the Maloreichar have the power to overrule the throne and make decisions in Dieter's stead, but Errollan is not willing to take such drastic measures yet. He fears that it would lead to further civil unrest. There are still a lot of people who agree with the King's decisions." Harrinus paused. "I believe that Errollan is waiting until Ludvic and Mandigal return until he takes action."
"What will he do in the mean time?" asked Borrin. The others looked at him and he suddenly felt out of line. "Sorry I did not mean to interrupt."
"Do not be afraid to speak your mind, young man," replied Harrinus. "It is better that you are involved in the conversation and know firsthand what is happening. Otherwise you will take faith in the rumours and lies travelling the streets and come to misplaced conclusions."
"He is still a bit young to be thinking about war and politics," pointed out Evelyn.
"I am nearly seventeen summers, Mother," Borrin exclaimed. "Most of my friends have already enlisted."
Evelyn looked as if she was about to argue, but held back her comment. Borrin was now old enough to join the army and she knew that her thick headed son would manage to enlist one way or another.
"In answer to your question," said Harrinus. "Errollan has decided to wait for Baldoroff's answer to the King's ultimatum before taking matters into his own hands. He has now left it to me to prepare what men we have in the standing army for the coming campaign."
"Why you?" asked Thibalt.
"In Guthrum's absence I have been promoted to general of the Feldonian army," replied Harrinus softly.
Thibalt was about to congratulate Harrinus, but knew he would not be happy about taking Guthrum's position. The two had been very close and his loss was still deeply felt.
"So what does this have to do with us?" asked Estallion, who was slowly growing bored.
"I need captains," answered Harrinus. "And I believe that you two are right for the job."
Thibalt rubbed his head. "Surely there are more suitable men in the army that you can promote?"
"This is not for the regular army," replied Harrinus coolly. "I need some captains for a particular task. Sergeant Hanlit, the messenger that escaped Precedin, has signed up. I would prefer it if you would join me as well. I need some men that I can trust."
Estallion and Thibalt's demeanours turned serious. "What are you planning?" asked Thibalt.
Harrinus pursed his lips in thought for a moment then said, "The Feldonian armed forces are far from unified. There are separate factions who are vying for control and steering their own men towards different pursuits. Errollan is not unaware of this and has his own plans. With the fall of Precedin, he realises that the times ahead are going to be more than difficult. If we hope to hold this nation together there is a need to act quickly and decisively without the debate and politics that the King's council brings.
"As part of this plan, he has assigned me the task of forming a force to be trained in things that army regulars will...not exactly be proficient in. These men are going to serve in the shadow of the main army, performing crucial tasks which could change the tide of this war. Most importantly, these men will be under the sole command of the Maloreichar and uninfluenced by the Ki
ng and his advisors. I am asking you to lead one of these squads."
Thibalt looked over at Harrinus with a questioning eye. "What tasks will these men be performing?"
"Whatever we need them to," replied Harrinus. "Your men will be trained to deal with any situation thrown at them. We need these men to be able to take actions without question. Even when these actions go against what one could consider morally right."
"You are training a group of elites and you want us to be in charge of them?" asked Estallion in shock. "This lack of sleep appears to have affected your judgment."
"You may not believe that you have the ability to command a group of soldiers, but I have faith in you, Estallion," said Harrinus. He turned to Thibalt. "And you...Of course you will be paid."
Thibalt let out a long breath and placed his hands on the table. Miera leaned over and began to massage the back of his neck. "It is your choice," she whispered into his ears. He gazed over at Estallion who had a calculating look on his face.
"These squads could save thousands of lives," added in Harrinus.
Estallion replied first. "I have enough money to never have to work in my life. Everyone knows that. I also do find the prospect of fighting for my country an interesting thing. Yet, as much as I do want to save this nation from a terrible fate, I must decline your offer, Kirth."
"I understand," replied Harrinus. "Thibalt?"
"If protecting the Alliance means protecting my new family, then I will fight," he returned, noting the saddened look in Miera's eyes.
Harrinus nodded. "Excellent. I will place you in charge of the second squad."
"How many men will I be in leading?"
"Thirty...in total," Harrinus said.
"What do you mean, in total?" asked Thibalt sceptically.
Harrinus poured another cup of water and drained it as quickly as the first. "There will be twenty four men that we have handpicked from the standing army. Most of them are young recruits that have not been corrupted. The other six I want you to find."
"Find!" exclaimed Thibalt. "Where am I going to find them?"
"Wherever you choose. Hanlit has already lined up his six men. I want you to go and recruit six men that you think would prove handy in a tough situation. Think carefully about who you choose to take."
"I don't quite understand. Why you are not choosing the extra six men?" cut in Estallion.
"Because command requires more than the ability to order others around. Thibalt and Hanlit need to show me that they have the ability to see quality in a soldier. I want them to have at least six men that they personally vouch for. If you are going to be leading these men you need to have a stake in the success of your squad. Find yourself six loyal men and it will help you gain respect among the remaining soldiers."
Thibalt stretched in his chair. He knew hardly anyone in the entire Feldonian nation. Where was he going to find six loyal men?
"Though more than all that, the recruits that we find for the local forces are all the same," continued Harrinus. "I want you to look for people with talents that may not be considered orthodox."
"How long will I have to find these men?" asked Thibalt.
"Three days. Then I will expect to see you at the garrison ready to begin your training."
Thibalt nodded with a drawn out sigh. "I have a suspicion that these next three days are going to be a little rough."