He smiled.
Respect and fear were far better motivators for a ruler than the love or adoration some rulers sought. Love could be easily taken for granted. Fear stayed with a man all the days of his life.
It was better that way.
Valdemar waved over a nearby captain. He was a Bruallian, as were most of the commanders. Valdemar could not remember the man's name, which meant he had not impressed Valdemar as of yet.
"Are you in charge of the impaling, Captain?"
"I am, sire." The man sounded proud. From Valdemar's perspective atop Fever, he looked timid and diminutive.
"Why have you impaled only men?"
"Sire?"
Valdemar looked steadily into the Captain's eyes. He noted the nervous shift, the sag of the shoulders, and finally the shattered confidence. No, the man did not impress him at all. "When your Lord asks you a question, you answer swiftly. Why have you impaled only men?"
The Captain dropped to one knee with head bowed and one palm on the ground. "I did not think to do otherwise, sire. I beg forgiveness for my error."
"Tomorrow I will see double the amount, or I will see you on a stake along with them. And I will see women and children impaled as well. Do you understand, soldier?"
The Captain swallowed hard. "I–I will sire."
"The enemy must see that defiance results in the worst possible retribution, Captain. There will be no mercy for them. That will be demonstrated when their wives, daughters, and sons adorn stakes alongside the very roads they travel. I want these rebels to succumb to sheer horror before they surrender to me."
The captain's eyes reflected that horror, but he swore he would follow his orders. Valdemar nudged Fever forward and left the man kneeling. It was hard on the new officers when they first experienced the rigors of torture. The man would soon be numb to the blood and the screams. He would make a good officer. Time and experience were the deciding factors.
The sound of the encampment carried for miles. Ringing blows resounded as smiths forged weapons, officers barked orders at their men, fires crackled and the men around them laughed and sung as they feasted and drank. Valdemar allowed them their amusements. No man could be expected to work unceasingly without a release.
No man but himself.
Lord General Ganbatar Basilis joined Valdemar as he rode toward the main encampment. Ganbatar's lamellar armor was still dusty from his recent expedition. He dipped a bow from the saddle of his warhorse. "We pursued the remaining rebels and put them to the sword. That makes six bands so far."
"All Komura fighters?"
"They did not bear the colors, but they were definitely Komuran."
Valdemar's mouth thinned. "Still fighting a lost cause for a nation that now belongs to me. Another day I might admire these warriors, but I do not have the luxury of time to waste."
"At least it gives our men some exercise. They needed the chance to work off some of the rust."
"Those sheep are good for nothing except sating bloodlust. The best of Komura's fighters have already been slain." Valdemar gazed at the distant peaks of the Dragonspine. "The Leodian soldiers will not fall so easily, I promise you that."
Ganbatar nodded. Valdemar knew his brother already had plans of attack and battle formations in place, contingencies arranged and backup plans established. Ganbatar spent any free hours studying maps and reading records of legendary generals of the past. He could probably direct an entire campaign in his sleep.
"Ask your questions, Lord General. I know you have them."
Ganbatar didn't hesitate. "Why Stravaholme? Even the pagan Komurans will not go within miles of the place. It has long been abandoned in their lands by our forefathers. It is said great evil resides there. Evil from the Age of Chaos, when sorcery abounded and the foulest daemons wandered the earth."
"Do not let superstitions cloud your mind, Lord General. Deis' power is mightier than any false god or daemon force. He is our Creator, the source of our strength and warrior spirit. It is by his will that the way has opened for us to reclaim our inheritance. He will not abandon us to the perils of Stravaholme."
Ganbatar was silent for a moment. "That still does not explain why we journey there, Lord Commander."
Valdemar smiled at Ganbatar's practical insistence. "You know it is nearly impossible to move an army across the Dragonspine."
"I do."
"Stravaholme is the answer. It is an access point to passages long forgotten. We will use those passages to enter Leodia undetected."
"The army will travel the distance from Komura to Leodia…underground?" The slight widening of Ganbatar's eyes betrayed anxiety another man would express by a dismayed shout.
"You believe that to be an issue, Lord General?"
"Every man must die one day, Lord Commander." Ganbatar made the sign of the Sword of Deis across his chest with his free hand.
Valdemar repeated the gesture. "Leave those concerns to me, Ganbatar. For now, we should concentrate on these Komuran rats that nibble at our ankles."
"Even nibbles draw blood." Ganbatar frowned and fingered the tasseled pommel of his daito sword. "We are wide open to attack at any given moment, and move dismally slow in this terrain and weather. The rebels know they cannot defeat us. All they seem to desire is that we feel their fury and give them a good death."
"I will give them death. Whether it is good or not is not my concern. But their reckless abandonment makes me believe their actions have been approved."
"You believe the nobles of Komura have secretly blessed their actions? They are sycophants, owing their positions to you, Lord Commander."
"Even sycophants can grow a spine if left to their own devices. You saw how they refused to respect me in Dragos. I thought I humbled them when I nailed their silly turbans to their brows. I should have simply relieved them of their heads and have been done with it. It would have been best to have placed Bruallian lords in charge of their cities, but I did not want to stoke a spirit of rebellion." Valdemar's laugh was bitter. "I will not make that mistake again. Komura will submit, even if I must raze their cities and build anew on a foundation of their broken bodies. It will take time away from my plans, but I will not leave my city open to attack when we cross the Dragonspine."
"What are you saying, Lord Commander? We are to sack Komura on the way to Stravaholme?"
"You said yourself the men needed to shake off the rust. I want this army blooded before the campaign against Leodia. Are they up to the task?"
"If you are willing to lose the men. I warn you, it will not be easy. The remaining Komuran soldiers will fight desperately when they realize they have nothing to lose."
"So will the forest knights of Runet. The caste warriors of the Steppes. The Legions of Epanos. And finally, so will the legendary knights of Kaerleon. We are not yet ready, Lord General. But we will be."
Ganbatar nodded and saluted with a fist across his armored chest. "We will be, Lord Commander. It will be as you say. By your leave, I will relay the new orders to my commanders."
"You have my leave, Lord General." Valdemar reached out to clasp Ganbatar's forearm. "Our moment is finally upon us, brother."
"It is. Father would be proud of you." Ganbatar spurred his horse and rode away in the direction of the commanders' camp, followed by a squadron of Dragonists.
Those remaining followed Valdemar as he guided Fever to a clearing away from the din, where a separate, more lavish camp was spread. It had been laid aside for his chief officers and the prominent Bruallian leaders. He preferred to keep them close. Around their own people they were more likely to scheme and plot how to usurp him. It was much harder to do so around his Dragonists.