Walking over to the stallion, the tall monk once more took and embraced and petted his head, murmuring, “May God bless and keep you, old friend. I will miss your companionship sorely. But it were better that you be among warriors than among monks.”
Chapter III
Captain-of-squadron Vahrohnos Bralos of Yohyültönpolis, the officer chosen to lead the twenty-four lances sent east to meet and guide on to Mehseepolis the High Lord and his contingent, soon had proven himself to be a man after Thoheeks Sitheeros’ heart. He was accompanied by a young lieutenant, one Pülos of Aptahpolis, when he made his call upon the Thoheeks of Iron Mountain. When all three gentlemen were seated and served and the slaves had departed the room, when all of the ritual courtesies had been observed, the captain got down to business.
“My lord Thoheeks, Sub-strahteegos Thoheeks Tomos Gonsalos has seen fit to afford me the impressive honor of leading two dozen of my lances to meet and escort the High Lord Milos Morai of Kehnooryos Ehlahs, of Karaleenos, of the Pirate Isles and of some barbarian principalities the names of which I cannot seem to get my tongue around. It is my understanding that the Lord of Iron Mountain is to accompany my unit with a number of his servants and bodyguards. I must know just how many men and beasts will be in his party that I may make arrangements for providing proper provender for all and may organize my order of march. It also would help me to know the numbers and sizes of wheeled transport my lord presumes to take along.”
Sitheeros shrugged. “It was my understanding, Captain, that this was to be a fast-moving column on the eastern leg, at least; therefore, I meant to keep my baggage to a minimum—no carts or wagons at all, only a dozen pack-mules and most of them merely to bear grain for them and the horses. I’m an old campaigner, Captain, I’ve probably spent more years in a saddle on the march than your lieutenant has years of life. Including the two muleskinners, I’ll have nine servants and eight of my armed retainers, Tenzee barbarians. My remuda will run about twenty head of horses and a few extra mules.”
The captain exchanged a glance with his subordinate and sighed, then said in a less formal tone, “My lord has just made my day. Over the course of the last couple of years, my troops have been right often called upon to give escort to not a few of my lord’s peers of Council, some of whom have proven … ahh, difficult to properly escort, owning precious little knowledge of or respect for the military aspects of such a mission. But I now can see that travel with my lord will be not only a signal honor but a pleasure, as well.”
With an added note of warmth in his voice, Sitheeros admonished, “You two lads drink your wine, it’s a good vintage from one of my own vineyards—a mountain vineyard, mind you, none of this water-weak and all but tasteless lowland stuff. Drink that down and I’ll have a real treat fetched up here.”
To the servant who answered his pull on a bellrope, he said, “Go tell Tailos that I said to tap the third cask on the left, the one with the elephant burnt into the wood above the bunghole, then you bring me a large decanter and clean goblets. Have a tray of sweetmeats and fried nuts and crisp breads brought, as well.”
“If it please my lord,” said the captain, hurriedly, before the serving-man had left the chamber, “the lieutenant and I cannot stay for long, I have duties in the camp …”
Sitheeros grinned and nodded. “Which, judging by my own warring-years with armies, can be done just as well in your absence by your sergeants, Captain Vahrohnos Bralos. So keep your place and drink your wine, my boy.
“Tell me, aren’t you the officer who fell into possession of enough loot to buy both a squadron-command and your presently held land and title, then managed to get himself almost hanged by order of our late lamented Grand Strahteegos Thoheeks Pahvlos?”
The captain nodded. “I am that man, my lord.”
“I would love to hear just how you were able to acquire such a treasure, my boy, in a land that had been so thoroughly plundered as had this one over the years. You need not tell me unless you want to, you understand. Yes, I’m curious about it, but I’m not ordering the tale out of you,” said Sitheeros.
“But, of course, my lord,” the captain replied. “First, though, does my lord recall aught concerning one Thoheeks-designate Hahkmukos, some years back?”
Sitheeros wrinkled his brows for a moment, then snapped his fingers with a sharp crack. “Why, certainly, the sly bastard who was Zastros’ quartermaster on that debacle up in Karaleenos. Yes, I do remember him. But he never was confirmed to that title, was he? I seem to recall that he ended being declared outlaw.”
“Just so, my lord,” said Captain Bralos. “On-the-spot investigation by Thoheeks Grahvos and the other senior officers disclosed that not only had this Hahkmukos greatly exaggerated his relationship to the direct line of descent of the former thoheeks, but he had entirely neglected to mention that he had left the thoheekseeahn of his birth under a cloud of suspicion of parricide.
“I then was a lieutenant of the staff guards—third son of a komees, with no patrimony save a decent sword, some armor and clothing and gear, a couple of good horses and damn-all else, the bulk of my fluid capital having gone toward the purchase of a lieutenancy of foot-guards. On the day of the truce and conference, my section had been assigned by the guards captain to serve as security for the pavilion of Thoheeks Grahvos. When now-Thoheeks Klaios and his gentlemen were brought to the pavilion and had had their say, Thoheeks Grahvos sent me to summon Thoheeks-designate Hahkmukos to face his accuser and give answer to the grave charges leveled against him.
“But this Hahkmukos, who was within his tent, pleasuring himself with a slave-boy catamite, refused the summons, would not even see or speak with me himself. This report naturally angered the senior officers and I was sent back with a squad and orders to shed blood if that was the only way I could bring the thoheeks-designate back to the pavilion with me.
“So we went back with leveled spears and bared steel and I had to kill the captain of Hahkmukos’ mercenary guards at the onset of it all, but with him coughing up his life’s blood in the mire, his men just melted away from the environs of that tent and I entered with a bloody sword and ‘persuaded’ Hahkmukos to dismiss his young slave and don enough clothing to return with me to the pavilion.
“Once there, this Hahkmukos was so rash as to seize a sword and attempt to violate a sacred truce by fleshing it in the other claimant, now-Thoheeks Klaios. It was at that juncture that the senior officers there present decided that the choice should be left to the Lord God, that, while Lord Klaios’ panoply was being fetched to him from the city, I should take Hahkmukos back to his tent and assist him in arming for a deathmatch to decide who would be confirmed thoheeks.
“In the drizzling, misty rain, we tramped back to Hahkmukos’ encampment, and while he used his pot, I went looking for a brace of his mercenaries to be his arming-men and seconds for the fight, but not a one was there to be found, other than the dead captain, whose corpse had been stripped of everything of value. The troop tents had been struck and the picket lines were empty. Therefore, while I was assisting Hahkmukos to accouter himself for battle, I sent two of my spearmen off to borrow a brace of saddled horses.