"I need Phrames with me." Kalvan said, "for some breaking and entering when we reach Thagnor City."
"That's fine. Phrames works better with you, my husband," she added with a big hug.
"What about Prince Sarrask?" she asked.
"He will be with you," he said with a feeling of relief. He didn't dislike Sarrask, but his larger-than-life bonhomie was wearing, when it wasn't grating. Plus, he felt obliged to always set a good example when around him, for fear that Sarrask would take one of his words wrong, like one of Henry II's courtiers, and do serious damage-all the while thinking he was doing his Great King a favor.
"Good!" Rylla cried, rubbing her hands.
"You really like him, don't you?"
She grinned. "Sarrask-or the 'Improved Sarrask'-as you like to call him, has turned out to be a loyal vassal and a good co-commander. He's one of the few Princes that has stuck by us-well, besides Phrames, and that's not a fair comparison since you elevated him to Prince of Beshta."
"What makes you so certain Sarrask's all that loyal? Part of me thinks he's just stuck around because we give him plenty of fighting, which is his favorite pastime."
"Haven't you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"About Sarrask's brand?"
That was one of the problems with being Great King, everyone either assumed you were omniscient and knew everything, or went overboard trying to keep things from you. You certainly were no longer one of the "boys."
"What brand?"
"Oh, it's Styphon's Own story! Let me tell you. It started after our loss at Ardros Field, when Sarrask returned to Hostigos Town. Everyone was frightened white of Archpriest Roxthar's Investigation, as they should have been. Sarrask wanted to stay behind with the volunteers at Tarr-Hostigos and 'keep it safe from those manure-eating Styphoni,' as he calls them. You were still laid up with your wound, so I was the one who had to turn down his offer."
"I remember some of that, but vaguely."
"Afterwards, Sarrask rode off to the Silver Stag and went on a drunk that would have made Phydros, God of Wine, envious. Another officer, who was also deep in his cups, told Sarrask that he'd been refused because no one really trusted him. I later had the Colonel busted down to a petty captain, but the damage was done. To prove his loyalty, Sarrask had one of his armorers work up a special brand, then had himself tattooed on the arse with it!"
"What? Nobody tells me anything. What kind of brand?"
"One that identified him as a subject of Hos-Hostigos for the rest of his life. He had the Hos-Hostigos keystone permanently branded on his arse. His rationale was that if he was ever disloyal to you, my husband, that he would still be called a Hostigi and traitor to Styphon any time he undressed."
Kalvan nodded. Drunks, they'll do anything. Of course, this was a culture where those kinds of drunken statements got turned into legends, or ballads sung by troubadours.
"Half his bodyguard-also as drunk as skunks-had their bums branded, too. So you see, my husband, Sarrask has proven his loyalty to the Throne far beyond anything We would have ever asked."
"It was dumb, but also kind of admirable. I'll admit it."
"Good, then you'll agree that Sarrask should be rewarded for his loyalty, and for the losses he has suffered demonstrating that loyalty and fighting for the Fireseed Throne. After all, he lost an entire princedom."
Yes, and we lost an entire kingdom. Where is Rylla going with all this and why do I have the feeling I'm being set up so she can reward her brother in mischief? "Yes, okay, he deserves some compensation."
"Well, my plan is that after we besiege and sack Rathon City, I will invest Prince Sarrask as the new King of Rathon."
"You'll-what?"
"You've already agreed we were not going to let that traitorous dog that calls himself Nestros remain on the throne of Rathon-calling him a Great King is an insult to the name!"
"Yes, in principle. But the idea was to reward some local noble and have him rule with our support, thus ensuring his loyalty."
"Ha! Loyalty that will blow away the moment our army leaves Rathon. You do not know the Trygathi as I do, husband. They are traitorous dogs, all of them. Maybe there are a few exceptions in Rathon, but, I ask you, how will We tell them apart? We can't. So, We are better off rewarding one of Our own that We do trust and We can begin rebuilding our Kingdom in Rathon. It'll be the first kingdom of Nos-Hostigos."
New Hostigos, Nos-Hostigos in Zarthani, Neus Hostigos in Urgothi, that's how it would translate. Hmm. Not a bad name, until we return home. For a while, I was afraid we were going to be like the Tsarist Russians in exile after World War I in New York City. That's not for us, going to teas and receptions in Greffa City, talking about the good ol' days.
"If Sarrask is your co-commander, how can you leave him behind?"
Rylla whooped for joy, obviously having thought out all his objections beforehand.
"I won't. He won't want to stay there, not while there's the promise of a good fight, any more than we want him to remain behind. I'll let him appoint one of his generals as Duke or Prince pro-tem, as you put it, with enough men to hold the City and orders to keep the Styphoni out."
"Well, you've just stumbled across my next objection. What happens when Styphon's House comes to town? Tell me that, my Lady."
She smirked. "I'll have some of our engineers stay behind and build your earthworks. You've always said that good earthworks would keep out any of our enemies. Did you not?"
He nodded. Rylla was right, some of those earthworks near the end of the Italian Wars had stopped the French Army dead in their tracks. With the cannons the French had used-not much advanced over the here-and-now guns-the French Army couldn't breach the earthworks because the cannon balls just sank into the packed earth, leaving the stone walls underneath impregnable.
"You were right to remind me. As I remember, the walls of Rathon City are pretty impressive, even by Great Kingdom's standards. With proper earthworks-and you'll have the entire City to do your bidding-Rathon City could stop the Grand Host right in its tracks. Maybe even stub its toe. They'll either have to spend six moons or more investing and laying siege, or pass it by. Which is what they'll have to do if they have any hope of catching up with Us. An excellent stratagem, Rylla."
She beamed. "Thank you, my King."
"Come here, my Queen, I think I can come up with a suitable reward for your little plan."
"Oh, please, my liege. Shall we go to your bedchambers?"
Kalvan laughed despite himself. It felt good for them to be working together again. And, anything bad that came to Nestros the False, he had bought and earned by his betrayal. Wasn't there also a new High Temple to Styphon in Rathon City? Another hundred thousand ounces of gold for the Treasury.
"What's taking you so long?"
"Hold on, I was just thinking how taking Rathon will help pay for the rebuilding of Thagnor City."
THIRTEEN
Kalvan was poring over the revised muster roll for the Army of the Saltless Seas that Captain Mykos, his latest adjutant, had prepared when he heard a loud knock at the door. What now? he asked himself. He had clearly ordered Cleon not to bother him for anything less than the Greffan Fleet entering the harbor. The General Staff was busy filling the gaps in the Royal Regiments, which had been decimated by their losses at Ardros Field and during the retreat. A lot of experienced petty-captains were missing, and it was important to not only promote within the ranks but to fill those spots with the best qualified men. Mykos had made a number of recommendations based on interviews with the unit commanders.