Saintahvo glared at him for a moment, but then he nodded choppily. Obviously, he wasn’t prepared—yet, at least—to challenge Rainbow Waters’ authority. Walkyr wondered how much longer that would last if—when—the situation continued to worsen.
“In addition to the situation at Mercyr,” the archbishop militant continued into the silence, “Eastshare’s pushed a column west of Blufftyn. In fact, the head of that column’s no more than a hundred and fifty miles southeast of Cheryk at this moment, My Lord. I’m afraid you’ve come rather closer to the front than might be wise against an opponent who’s so much more mobile than we are.”
“I am accompanied by three entire brigades of cavalry and Baron Wind Song and I brought our finest horses,” Rainbow Waters replied with a faint smile. “I believe we can safely outdistance any pursuit if we must, although I thank you for your concern.”
“Well, we can’t afford to lose you whatever else happens,” Walkyr said gruffly. “And at least Bishop Militant Ahntohnyo managed to get his entire command out of Blufftyn and rejoin my main force. In fact, he’s currently dug in on the high road between here and Eastshare’s column. I judge that the tree cover on his line of retreat helped a great deal by obstructing the balloons’ visibility.”
“I’m most relieved the Bishop Militant was able to extract his band,” Rainbow Waters said. “Unfortunately, I’ve just received semaphore dispatches which indicate that the Siddarmarkian Stohnar has finally appeared. At least one entire corps of the Army of the Sylmahn is driving along the Five Forks-Sairmeet High Road. A second spearhead has swung south from Five Forks and then turned northwest. Apparently, the intention was to trap Bishop Militant Ahntohnyo between the Army of the Sylmahn and the Army of Westmarch. He’s escaped that trap, but his retreat means the road from Blufftyn to Sairmeet is now open to the heretics as well.”
Walkyr’s face tightened. Earl Golden Tree’s position blocking the high road at Sairmeet, at the heart of the Great Tarikah Forest, was the true key to the terrain feature which shielded the Mighty Host’s southern flank. It was a strongly fortified position, powerfully held by forty thousand men, with no less than three additional defensible river lines in its rear. If Golden Tree was forced to fall back, the heavy tree growth would offer his flanks formidable protection, and those river lines would offer him places to stand. But once he started falling back …
“Your Eminence,” Rainbow Waters faced Walkyr squarely, “we cannot afford for Eastshare to separate your left from my right … and at the moment, that seems to be precisely what the heretics are accomplishing.” Walkyr nodded. Saintahvo gave him a stony glance, then looked back at Rainbow Waters, and the earl shrugged. “I believe Eastshare and Symkyn hope to … peel you away from the western flank of the forest and simultaneously break through between Selyk and Glydahr to prevent you from retreating into Sardahn. Whether or not they intend to pin the entire Army of the Center—or as much of it as they can—into one enormous pocket is more than I’m prepared to say at this time. That would certainly be an extremely valuable prize for them, if they could accomplish it. However, I feel confident their primary objective is to drive you towards St. Vyrdyn, away from the forest and from the Ferey River.”
Walkyr gazed down at the map and his jaw clenched. Eastshare’s most northern spearhead was within ten miles of the Sair-Selyk Canal, already across the original boundary between the Army of the Center’s area of responsibility and the Mighty Host’s. Ahntohnyo Mahkgyl’s twenty thousand men from Blufftyn had retreated across that boundary in their effort to delay the heretics, but under Mother Church’s contingency planning, if the Army of the Center was forced to retreat, it was supposed to fall back west, on Glydahr, not to the north, in line with its orders to cover the gap between the Black Wyverns and the Tairohn Hills. But Rainbow Waters was right; Eastshare and Symkyn were obviously attempting to drive him northwest, towards Four Point and St. Vyrdyn … both of which also lay in the Mighty Host’s area of responsibility and were too far west to play any significant role in the fighting in Tarikah.
“What do you need me to do, My Lord?” he asked, looking up from the map.
“I need you to form a new line. Almost a quarter million of your troops have yet to reach the front. I intend to ask Vicar Allayn and Vicar Rhobair to debark them at Transyl. From there they can move down the high road from the Holy Langhorne Canal, hopefully as far as Glydahr. If, however, the heretics attack Glydahr in strength before they can arrive, I desire your garrison there to retreat up the high roads towards Four Point. I do not wish you to attempt to defend Glydahr under those circumstances. Instead, I wish you to withdraw all but perhaps one band from the Glydahr front, reinforce your center, fall back to form an east-west line between St. Vyrdyn and the Forest, and hold it as long as possible. In the meantime, I am pushing forces of my own southwest along the Ferey and my engineers are preparing defensive positions west of the river. Hopefully, I’ll be able to offer you additional support forward of the river. I can’t guarantee that, however, and whether I can reinforce you or not, you must slow the heretics and buy my engineers time.”
It was very quiet in the tent.
“I realize this is a distinct departure from our previous plans, and from any discussions with Vicar Allayn.” The earl’s voice sounded almost shockingly loud against that quiet as he looked at the two archbishops … and carefully failed to mention Zhaspahr Clyntahn. “In the end, however, no plan survives unmodified in the face of the enemy. I fully recognize the danger that pulling your forces north, away from Glydahr, presents to Sardahn. I hope the diversion of your reinforcements will offset that, but, frankly, the critical consideration at this time is the defense of the Mighty Host’s communications. If the heretics succeed in driving Earl Golden Tree out of Sairmeet and clear the road for Stohnar to advance directly through the forest while Green Valley and Klymynt continue their advance on Lake City, my position east of West Wing Lake will become untenable. In that case, the Ferey River becomes our final stop line for their advance on the Holy Langhorne. And, Your Eminence,” the earl looked the archbishop militant squarely in the eye, “if they succeed in cutting the Holy Langhorne, at least half of the Mighty Host will have no option but to attempt to retreat across the Barony of Charlz … with winter coming on. I estimate that as many as three in ten of my men may survive under those circumstances.”
“I’m sure that’s true, My Lord,” Saintavho said after a moment, “and we must obviously give great weight to your views. At the same time, however, the Archbishop Militant’s instructions from Vicar Allayn are very clear. And I’m sure you realize how … unhappy Vicar Zhaspahr would be if the Inquisition’s camps at Glydar should fall into heretic hands. Or if Bishop Militant Tayrens should find himself forced to execute all of the camps’ inmates to prevent the heretics from freeing them before they can be sifted.” He held the earl’s eye coldly. “There are many responsibilities in play at this moment, My Lord. It might be wise for you to discuss these matters with Bishop Merkyl before rushing to decisions based purely on military considerations of what the heretics may or may not do at some future time. May I ask if it would be possible for him to join our discussion here?”
Rainbow Waters’ expression hadn’t so much as flickered at Sainthavo’s reference to Bishop Merkyl Sahndhaim, the Mighty Host’s intendant. Now he shook his head with what appeared to be genuine regret.