Asea was the focus of a lot of attention. Azaar consulted with her often on matters of sorcery and even of strategy, asking her opinion on everything from the strength of the spells cloaking them from enemy diviners to the possibility of Nerghul and other vicious creatures being concealed within the oncoming horde. Rik was close enough to her to catch all of her responses. She replied clearly and concisely when she knew the answer. She let him know when she did not have anything except an opinion. The General and his staff listened respectfully, regardless.
More sorcerers went about their business drawing complex patterns in the wet earth, filling them with coloured sands. A few had already been dispatched to the front line bearing rune-sealed flasks whose contents radiated power even to Rik’s relatively unschooled senses.
The voices whispered their unease to him, and something else. There was something happening over there in the enemy ranks that drew their attention and perhaps something else. Maybe it was like calling to like.
Riders raced into the clearing outside every few minutes bearing new reports from the scouts. Magisters wrote the results of their divinations down on heavy paper, affixed their seals and sent them to the High Command. Messengers on foot brought communication from every part of the vast camp.
Rik felt as out of place as he would have at a Royal ball. He had no place here, no role other than to act as a bodyguard for Asea, and perform whatever small tasks she might allocate to him. Even then, Karim seemed much better trained and far more ready to perform these duties.
He was suddenly all too aware that he was a long way from home and in the presence of an enemy army that might soon overwhelm them. There was a strong possibility that in the next few hours everyone present on this hilltop and every Talorean soldier within hailing distance might well be either dead, captured or a walking corpse. There were no guarantees that any of them would witness many more dawns.
Asea beckoned him over. “Go and make sure Tamara is not up to any mischief,” she said very softly. “Get her out of the cellar and make sure she is ready to go if we have to leave this place in a hurry.”
Her tone was more alarming than the sound of those distant drums. It suggested that she had decided the day was already lost.
A galloper came up from the regimental headquarters bearing his instructions. Sardec broke them and saw that they were simple enough. Hold their position and wait for the enemy to advance and engage. Avoid the undead concentrations if possible. He guessed they were most likely going to be targeted with cannon and sorcery as they moved in.
That made a certain amount of sense. Talorean gunnery was generally held to be superior to Sardean so the Imperials would most likely not be too keen to engage in an artillery duel. Sardec was not so sure about the magical side of things. Normally the Sardeans would hold the upper hand, but Asea was present and she was worth any three normal Magisters at very least. The enemy force had superiority in cavalry and wyrms so that would give them the advantage close in as well and that was without considering the undead.
Sergeant Hef came over and asked for instructions. “We are to form up in the front of the line and wait for the enemy to come to us.”
“Right you are, sir. Does not look like we will have long to wait.”
Rik led Tamara up into the light. As they walked uphill the truesilver chains glittered on her wrists and around her neck. She looked about as happy as Rik felt, which was to say not at all, as she surveyed the battlefield beneath them.
“There are even more walking dead than I expected,” she said, looking into the distance.
“Your friends have been busy.”
“They are no friends of mine. Why are you here? Did you get bored listening to the high muckety mucks giving orders and come over for a chat?”
“Lady Asea asked me to come and check on you.”
“Is she afraid I might eavesdrop on your plans and take them to enemy?”
“Maybe — could you do that?”
Tamara glanced around warningly. There was no one within earshot but that might not mean anything given the number of sorcerers present among both armies. “Only if I could get within earshot of Azaar and had access to have a dozen carrier pigeons and a pen and paper.”
“Cunningly we have not provided you with any of those things.”
“Indeed and thus it is that I have had to content myself with watching the troop deployments and speculating on what my countrymen are up to.”
“Have you come to any conclusions?”
“They are up to nothing good, that is for sure.”
“The profundity of your analysis astonishes me.”
“Men are often surprised by my acumen in matters military.”
“Why did you really come here?”
“Amazing as it doubtless seems to you and as quite frankly astonishing as it seems to me, I told Asea the truth. Those people over there are my enemies. They are the enemies of our entire civilisation, of every living thing on this world unless I miss my guess.”
“And yet your father fought for them.”
She gave him another warning look but he ignored it. He was in a strange mood this evening, full of foreboding and not quite caring about the consequences.
“I do not think my father was sane as most people reckon sanity.
“You have my full agreement there. But you fought for your father for a long time.”
“I suffer from an undue degree of filial piety. I served the Terrarch not his cause.”
“Some would say the two are the same.”
“I can see you are going to be tiresome on this subject, Rik.”
“It’s an unfortunate tendency I have.” They fell into a not uncomfortable silence. Rik studied the battle lines below them. Somewhere down there his friends were preparing to go to fight on what might prove to be the last day of their lives.
“Are you glad you won’t be fighting?” Tamara asked.
“You think I won’t be in combat then? If the Sardeans over-run our boys we’ll all be fighting. I would not be surprised if Asea gives the order to cut your throat if that happens.”
“Will you obey it?”
Rik considered for a moment. He was surprised to find the answer. “No. I would not. I told you that we two should be allies. Karim would do it though.”
“Would you stop him?”
“I am not sure that I could, even if I wanted to. He is a very dangerous man. I should know. He is my weapons tutor.”
“And you are not sure that you would want to stop him anyway?”
“That is so. I don’t mean you any harm, Tamara, but I am not prepared to harm my friends on your behalf either.”
“Thank you for making that clear.”
“Would you do the same for me?”
“Perhaps. At the moment I fear you are my only ally. I burned a lot of bridges when I left Sardea.”
“Asea thinks there may be traps in what you are teaching me.”
“She might be right. All knowledge has its dangers. But if you are asking me whether I am deliberately setting you up for a fall, the answer is no.”
“You would say that anyway.”
“Heads you win, tails I lose. No matter what I say the answer is suspect.”
“Can you blame me for thinking that way?”
“If things go badly, free me, Rik. I might be able to get us both out of here.”
“By your own special route, you mean?” he asked, unwilling to mention her shadow-walking ability.
“Yes.”
“I will think about it.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Let us talk of something else. I am rather excited. This will be the first mass battle I have witnessed.”
“It won’t be mine. I fought through the Clockmaker’s rebellion and all the way across Kharadrea.”
“Will it be glorious?” He looked at her face to see if she was being sarcastic. She looked sincere.