One of the heads still had its crown, while several of the others had the shaved pates of Styphon's highpriests. She watched as one of the soldiers in Hostigos colors removed the crown with the point of his sword blade. The City is ours!
A few moments later, a delegation led by Prince Sarrask approached her horse, where Xykos had promptly seated her once she'd finished her initial observations. Sarrask held Nestros' crown at sword point. He let it slip down into his hands and wiped the blood off with his cape before presenting it to his Queen. "Here, Your Majesty. Taken from the Dralm-blasted traitor's head, whose name I shall not mention! I fear there'll be no more fighting today."
"Thank you, Sarrask."
She twirled the crown on one finger while she put her thoughts in order. She had told Kalvan that she would invest Sarrask as king of Rathon, but he was, like Hestophes, too valuable in the field. Besides, she'd grown accustomed to his gruff company, and he'd been with her in every victory since the war against Styphon had begun. It was true, Sarrask had once been her sworn enemy until the Battle of Fyk-then the gods, or her husband, had won his loyalty. He might be her gods-given luck gift.
Furthermore, now that she'd seen Rathon City she was loathe to entrust it to one of Sarrask's cronies. No, she needed someone in this seat whom she could absolutely trust to carry out her every order. When she made a list in her mind of those most deserving for this honor, one name, and one name only, sprung onto the top of the list.
Meanwhile, the Rathoni delegation, led by a group of what appeared to be richly robed merchants, bowed before her, saying, "We have deposed the False King Nestros, Your Majesty. We sue for peace with Hos-Hostigos!"
"You are wise. You have saved your people from a terrible bloodletting. We command you to stand." Then she turned to Chartiphon, pointing at him. "Meet your new King. We, Great Queen Rylla, proclaim our servant Chartiphon, Duke of Hostigos and Captain-General of the Royal Army, to be the new King of Rathon."
"Hail King Chartiphon!" they cried as one.
Chartiphon appeared stunned, as if he were dreaming. "My Queen, but why?"
She leaned close enough to say in private, "I'm doing you no favor, Uncle. I have no one else with your wisdom and leadership to leave in charge. I need someone I trust to hold this City against the Grand Host at all costs."
She turned back to the supplicants. "First, tell your people there will be a curfew from nightfall to sunrise for the next moon quarter. Anyone on the streets after dark will be considered a rebel or looter and will be killed on sight. Next, I order you to bring all the officers of the Rathon Army to me. At once!"
They leaped onto their feet, crying, "Yes, Your Majesty," before scurrying back to the City.
"Halt!" They froze in mid-step to a man.
Queen Rylla turned to Prince Sarrask. "Have your cavalrymen accompany them. Any unit that resists, kill them all!"
"Aye, aye, Your Majesty!" he cried.
The delegates paled. Already the Hostigi Corp of Engineers were working the Great Gates loose from their hinges. The guards along walls were all lifting their helmets on swords. From where she sat, it appeared the City streets were deserted.
She called Chartiphon to her side again. "I'm going to leave you five thousand Hostigi regulars to stiffen the troops that you'll find inside. I understand most of them haven't been paid in a moon half so they should be quite eager for a five crown muster bonus. Bring all who are fit into Our Army."
"Silver or gold?"
"Silver. Although, I suspect you won't be short of gold. The Styphon's House High-Temple of Rathon should be good for a hundred thousand ounces and the three smaller temples should provide another fifty thousand or more. Part of Nestros' deal with Balph was that he construct the temples immediately. We must have men inside the palace to guard the Treasury, which is sparse, considering all the concessions Nestros made to Styphon's House to guarantee his legitimacy. Still, there ought to be enough to pay the troops until you start collecting taxes and duties.
"Klestreus has a list of suspected Styphoni worshippers and possible traitors among the lords and merchants. I suggest you imprison them all and hang the worst of them. Keep an eye on the traitors who killed their King, too. I suggest that you find reasons to question their loyalty. Confiscate their wealth and property; that will provide you with operating capital until you get the tax situation sorted out."
Chartiphon looked a little dazed, but a smile was beginning to crease his lips.
"Also, I want you to take a wife-someone of the Rathoni nobility. The higher the better, and from a large and wealthy family. And soon."
"A wife! At my age!"
"You're not that old! I want you to sire several children, at least one boy. You're founding a dynasty-whether you like it or not. And, that's an order!"
This time a big smile broke out. "Yes, Your Majesty. This might prove to be one of your more enjoyable orders!"
"If you think it'll be a problem, I'll find you one."
"No! By the Gods, no, Your Majesty. I can still fire my own powder, thank you."
"Good. Then it's settled. I expect a wedding feast before we leave."
Chartiphon's mouth gaped. "When is that?"
"You've got five days. Allfather Dralm built his Sky-Palace in two."
Chartiphon gulped, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty."
II
Great King Lysandros looked ahead at the burned fields and the occasional ruins of former villages that stretched out before the Grand Host and said, "It is as if Roxthar's Investigation has preceded our march!"
"Truly, the gods have abandoned these lands," Grand Commander Aristocles replied. "I have seen these tactics before, after the Battle of Tenabra. Prince Ptosphes burned all the fields, villages and towns in his army's wake. It didn't stop us, but it certainly slowed us down."
Lysandros nodded. So far, the only Nyklosi he'd seen were a few hermits and animal-worried skeletons along the side of the Nyklos Trail. All I want is to find Kalvan and bring him to battle. Why does it have to be so Dralm-blasted difficult?
Roxthar, who had wanted to stay in Hostigos to finish his Investigation, complained constantly about the absence of heretics. He'II be as worthless as dugs on a boar when we reach the Upper Middle Kingdoms where nobody believes in Styphon, much less Allfather Dralm! He had tried to talk his co-leader Aristocles into leaving the Investigator behind, but the Grand Commander had his orders from Grand Master Soton, who wanted Roxthar as far away from Balph and Hos Agrys as he could get him.
The campaign season was growing late; it was almost fall. Soon the rains would make the roads impossible to travel. How am I to feed my men come winter, he wondered, if every place we go we find nothing but wastelands?
Captain-General Demnos rode up with two scouts. Demnos was a broad man with a flat face and a full, well-trimmed beard. He had a scar that ran from his hairline, through his forehead, down across his left eyebrow and through his cheek to just above his thick brown mustache. His features were otherwise regular and it was rumored that the scar brought him lots of feminine attention. Demnos was the former head of King Kaiphranos Royal Bodyguard and Lysandros had appointed him head of his own guard after his brother's death. He was one of the few men that Lysandros trusted. After Captain-General Anaphon's death at Librox Ford, he had made Demnos commander of the Harphaxi Royal Army; at present, he was in command of the forward van and responsible for scouting.
General Tythos was his second in command and had expected to replace Captain-General Anaphon after his death. He had only ceased complaining about that "injustice" when Lysandros had threatened to break him down to captain.