The men-o'-war in the harbour were crowded with soldiers clad in Wolf and Vulture helms and armed to the teeth with swords, spears, bows, quivers of arrows and flame lances and the flagship bore the banners both of the Grand Constable of the Order of the Wolf and of the Grand Constable of the Order of Vulture which had once been simply the Vulture Legion but which had been raised to the status of an Order by King Huon, for the fighting it had done in Europe and to honour the death of its bloodthirsty chieftain Asrovak Mikosevaar.
The ships themselves were remarkable in that they had no sails but were instead mounted with huge paddlewheels at their sterns. They were built of a mixture of wood and metalthe wood ornately carved and the metal wrought in baroque designs. There were panels in their sides, each carrying an intricate painting depicting some earlier sea victory for Granbretan. Gilded figureheads decorated the forward parts of the ships, representing the terrifying ancient gods of GranbretanJhone, Jhorg, Phowl, Rhunga, who were said to have ruled the land before the Tragic MillenniumChirshil, the Howling God; Bjrin Adass, the Singing God; Jeajee Blad, the Groaning God; Jh'Im Slas, the Weeping God and Aral Vilsn, the Roaring God, Supreme God, father of Skvese and Blansacredid the gods of Doom and Chaos.
The Aral Vilsn was the flagship and on the flagship's bridge stood the brooding figure of Baron Meliadus, beside him Countess Flana Mikosevaar. Below the bridge, in Wolf and Vulture masks, the captains of the ships began to assemble, having been summoned to the flagship by Meliadus.
They looked up expectantly as Meliadus cleared his throat.
"You are doubtless wondering about our destination gentlemenand wondering, too, about the nature of these strange ships we sail in. The ships are no mysterythey are equipped with engines similar to those powering our ornithopters, and are the invention of that genius of Granbretan, Baron Kalan of Vitall. They can bear us swifter than sail across continents of water and do not need to wait on the will of the wind. As to our destination, that I will reveal in private. This ship is the Aral Vilsn, named after the supreme god of ancient Granbretan, who made this nation into what she is today. Her sister ships are the Skvese and the Blansacredid, which are the old words for Doom and for Chaos. But they are also the sons of Aral Vilsn and represent the glory of Granbretan, the old dark glory, the gloomy glory, the bloody and terrible glory of our land. A glory of which I am sure you are all rightly proud." Meliadus paused. "Would you see it lost, gentlemen?"
The answer roared back. No! No! By Aral Vilsn, by Skvese and Blansacredid No! NO!"
"And would you do anything to make sure that Granbretan retained her black might and her lunatic glory?"
"AYE! AYE! AYE!"
"And would you all unite with me in an insane adventure such as those embarked upon by Aral Vilsn and his peers?"
"AYE! Tell us what is it! Tell us!"
"You would not shrink from it? You would follow it through to the end?"
"AYE!" shouted more than a score of voices.
"Then follow me to my cabin and I will detail the plan. But be warned, once you have entered that cabin, you will have to follow me forever. Any who holds back will not leave the cabin alive."
Then Meliadus swung down from the bridge and strode into his cabin below it. He was followed by every one of the captains who stood before him and every one of them was to leave the cabin alive.
Baron Meliadus stood before them, his dark cabin lighted only by a dim lamp. There were maps on his table, but he did not consult them. He spoke in a low, vibrant voice to his men.
"I shall not waste time further, gentlemen, but will tell you at once the nature of this adventure. We are embarking upon treason…" He cleared his throat. "We are about to rebel against our hereditary ruler, Huon the King Emperor."
There were many gasps from around the cabin as the Wolf and Vulture masks stared intently at Baron Meliadus.
"King Huon is insane," Meliadus told them quickly. "It is not personal ambition drives me to this scheme, but a love for our nation. Huon is madhis two thousand years of life, has clouded his brain rather than given him wisdom. He is trying to make us expand too rapidly. This expedition, for instance, was to go to Amarehk to see if the land could be conquered, while we have barely crushed the whole Middle East and there are still parts of Muskovia that are not entirely ours."
"And you would rule in Huon's place, eh, baron?" a Vulture captain suggested cynically.
Meliadus shook his head. "Not at all. Flana Mikosevaar would be your Queen. Vulture and Wolf would take the place of the Mantis in the royal favour. Yours would be the supreme Orders…"
"But the Vultures are a mercenary Order," a Wolf captain pointed out.
Meliadus shrugged. "They have proved loyal to Granbretan. And it could be argued that many of our own Orders are moribund, that fresh blood is needed in the Dark Empire."
Another Vulture captain spoke thoughtfully. "So Flana would be our Queen Empressand you, baron?"
"Regent and Consort. I shall marry Flana and aid her rule."
"You would be the King Emperor in all but name," said the same Vulture captain.
"I would be powerful, it is truebut Flana is of the Royal blood, not I. She is your Queen Empress by right of ancestry. I shall be merely Supreme Warlord and leave the other affairs of state to herfor war's my life, gentlemen, and I seek only to improve the manner in which our wars are conducted."
The captains seemed satisfied.
Meliadus continued: "So instead of sailing to Amarehk on the morning tide, we sail around the coast a little, biding our time, then make for the Tayme estuary, sailing upriver to Londra and arriving in the heart of the city before anyone can guess our intent."
"But Huon is well-protected. His palace is impossible to storm. There will be legions in the city loyal to him, surely," said another Wolf captain.
"We will have allies in the city. Many of the legions will be with us. Taragorm is on our side and he is hereditary commander of several thousand warriors since his cousin's death. The Order of the Ferret is a small one, to be sure, but it has many legions in Londra, while other legions are in Europe, defending our possessions. All the nobles likely to remain loyal to Huon are abroad at this moment. It is a perfect time to strike. Baron Kalan is also with ushe can aid us with new weapons and his Serpents to operate them. If we achieve a swift victoryor at least make quick gainsthen it is likely that many others will join us, for few will discover love for King Huon once Flana is on the throne."
"I feel a loyalty for King Huon…" admitted a Wolf captain. "It is bred into us."
"And so is a loyalty to the spirit of Aral Vilsnto all that Granbretan stands for. Is that not a loyalty even more deeply bred into us?"
The captain deliberated for a moment before nodding. "Ayeyou are right. With a new ruler of the blood royal on the throne, then perhaps our whole greatness will come to us."
"Oh, it will, it will!" promised Meliadus fiercely, his black eyes gleaming from his snarling helm.