Daiman had been patrolling the ramparts of the keep for an hour now. Just watching him had made Stryder dizzy.

The hired metals were going to arrive soon and Daiman had been too paranoid just to let them enter without scaring them a bit.

The ward or as the men called it, the death yard was full of men drilling and arrow targets, many  mottes and baileys had been upraised around the castle. Still, the castle of Sal Veor was large enough to spare some space all around. The castle was guarded by a cliff drop on one side and the protected forests on one side.

The only residents were in the western valley which spread for leagues before merging with the Dawn Ranges. 

Since his men had stormed the tax centres at Attarock, most of the Stonian men in the Northern Deserts had not been brave enough to guard others. The ones who fled for their lives had left a lot of Aureates. The gold however, was not enough to solve all their problems and gold could not buy food in times of war.

All of the Northern Deserts had been rid of tax collection centres and gold had been distributed throughout them.All of the power that could be gathered was marched towards Sal Veor or left to guard Stryder’s homeland

“Brother! Daiman!” Stryder shouted to get his brother’s attention as he descended to the lower ward. Daiman’s curly hair fell upon his shoulders and bounced back as he strode towards Stryder. Even in the dusk, his red eyes pierced  souls wherever he went. “Tell me how did you persuade Quirina to get all the defensive structures on keeps and towers?” Stryder asked with his hands behind his back.

“It is important, brother.” Daiman pushed his hair backwards against the wind. “For all we know the hired metals might come into the castle and not leave it.”

“No doubt they would. After all there are only  twenty five hundred men to guard it, ten and three thousand camped outside  and fifteen hundred men who would descend any day if their administrators are threatened.” Stryder then dropped his sarcastic tone, “I do not think the Companies would be dumb enough to attack Sal Veor, little brother. Specially considering that there are only six hundred of them combined.”

Daiman shrugged. “Meh, The Jesters, The Whistlers and the Silent Ones are all about presentation, about time someone gave them a dose of their own medicine.”  he turned his head for a full inspection of the castle. “They will see it, probably. Wonderful idea! Thank you brother, purple flares would really scare them a bit.”

Stryder looked at his brother quizzically.

“Just giving you a bit of credit, Stryder, after all a King will use his brain.” Daiman whispered.
It was a bit of a time before the Three Companies  were in the ward. Most of the men were mounted and some on horseback. The Companies too had their fair share of artillery and long ranged weapons.

Riding the farthest out with only his standard bearer  was a man surely of the Ranges with salt spotted hair and the unmistakable skin of a man from the coast.

He was looking every man in the eye and frowning in dissaproval even on being greeted with contempt from half of them. Even Daiman  had shied away and most of the men had dropped practice to look at probably the most rugged face in the Realm.

Stryder knew that the only man to fit this description was the outlaw Mistingritis Ceruleo of  High Coast.

It was said that  there was no man who had soared as high as Mistingritis after falling. He had a ram horned bascinet clutched between his right arm and his waist, an axe occupied the other one.

Stryder felt strange that the Companies were in no scarcity of weapons, but only a few sported protective gear. Not a lot of men had the guts to come armed but not armored into a strange castle.

This only made Stryder admire the mercenary more.

Although, Stryder did not firmly believe in archetypes, he would definitely project Mistingritis as one for what people would call a perfect commander

Chapter 6

Convincing all the people of his region to go to war was easy but taking them would not be once the Council had approved of it. They had no choice and even if the Council did not approve most of them would have joined Stryder.

After all, they had been paying taxes to pretend revenue collectors from people who were most likely to be pretend descendants. The collectors were suspected of repaying this debt by raiding all that they could not legally collect.

Quirina, Lambert and most of the people of Landbreakers Isles had been affirmative towards his decision. Stryder did not think that there would be a problem that could have harassed him as much as lukewarm participation from the rulers since most of the loyal ones had left with his father.

Young ones had taken their seats, often their own heirs or sometimes someone more capable. The unanimous resolution with which they participated was shocking. Some attributed this to bravery while some thought of it as a decision that only a person who had not witnessed the last war could have taken.

Quirina rode up to him “Why are you using my men to launch an attack on your lands. And just to storm a revenue building; I do not see the acumen behind taking seventy seven hundred men.”

He smiled, “first thing, they are not my lands, they have been seized by Stonians and are places for storing tax, no, not even tax, extortion money I would call it. Secondly, if this does not work the way it is supposed to do I could always say that I was forced amongst your ranks and my hands were tied and I were to be put to the sword if I did not do your bidding. Finally, we are not alone. The administrators of Lonite, North Light and Burg’s Nook have rallied their power to our cause. Also, soon the cavalry of Banke should be enough although their royal family has not found a good reason to join us, maybe the family might, but the court holder would not”

“Why not? After all he his the court holder of the Lake. Second only to the King of the Lake , shouldered only by my father.”

“Actually, the court holder is dead, kind of.” He shrugged. Quirina looked at him, half surprised and half impressed “I didn’t order him dead, Quirina. Kind of.”

“Kind of?” Quirina asked

“Kind of.” He agreed. “You see the court holder’s position is nominal and his son is only entitled to a administratorship and his younger son only a commanding office, but things were worse for his youngest. An Aldera Sauber. Court holder Aldera Sauber, if she is to come with his artillery as he promised.

“Someone told her that if he is to rise with the tide, then the backslash will be easier to suffer from than it would be if she is at the bad end. She would get nothing if her father and his father’s forces teamed up with the Stonians and the elemental guard and those lot and what not. There is one problem though, the administrators of The Meet have quite joined forces against our favor.”

“But it would not matter a lot. After all there are the enough good guards and better machinery for the kingdom . And from what I know, and I did come to know this before you did, those people are just defencing up and not arming up. Unless you mean to rid those lands of their rulers and sorcerers, you do not have any threat at your throat. Kind of.”

Both of them laughed. 

In some subconscious  region although, Stryder had started thinking about the administrators of the city states of the Meet that had combined their forces in desperation and kept it so for survival.  Administrator Stevor Stavron of Red Wharf. His brother King Kross Stavron, administrator of Low Waters. administrator Ombrey Amison of Red Stall, his sister administrator Groom Amison of Cruor Witness and the wickedest vilest of them all,  Baldrick of Stag.

“So King Styder, is your castle’s conquest going to be your first victory as a commander? ” Lambert asked as his horse matched his pace with the King’s.

Stryder lowered his pace so that the old man’s animal would not have to stress himself. The horse seemed as ancient as his rider. “No, Lambert, I will just be watching from the hill near Attarock. They have a kind of revenue collection center where they keep gold. The people there will have no idea what will be happening. I believe that the people of The Meet came to know of me displaying my war banners by some leaked information”

“Well, your excellency, you did tell all your plans in a place with no security or privacy. Have you changed the formation at least?”

“I have changed all the plans. I can not keep my people in hunger, poverty and rooflessness for long now. So I ordered some of my numerous squiring chaperons to take some action and…”

“When did this happen?”

“Why, three days ago, when Quirina decided that we should storm the revenue building near Attarock.”

“So you mean that..., well, when shall this happen, this storming?”

“It has already happened. Yesterday, it happened  yesterday. We came across seven seventy aureate gold denominations and albino denominations, some Carbo-Coppers as well, around thirty hundred. I will give one gold to each of the Lady’s men.”

“So we are following your marked trail to, what is the right word  -  trail your chaperones ? This is all just a big display of your power, isn’t it?”

“You are one to learn fast Lambert.”

“How can you think of this? You will please each of the men by your payment, won’t you, almost buying each of them up. More will join your trail and by the rate of the increase in raids they are most likely to get engaged with Stonians sooner or later.”

“Which translates into them fighting for their own sake and not just for money. All who legitimately provide men and weapons for my purpose shall be awarded and aureate.”

 “In these times a aureate will be the pay he earns in a fortnight. Well played, I must say.”

“Most of this was the idea of a young fellow, Hans Sauber.”

“Isn’t he Aldera’s cousin?”

 “He is also among the best tacticians, economists and theorists in the opinion of every councilman worth talking to. All of this,” Stryder stretched his arms in either direction “was his idea. Its like gambling in a drunk’s name, if you win just take the winnings”

“How can you do this, as an act of the King to be?” Lambert asked, still nihiled by the King’s behavior.

“The trick to being a good strategician and a better King is to massacre your compunction, ego and despondency when you decide that you want men killing in your name.”

Stryder’s horse went ahead with his own pace while Lambert’s stayed behind in a state similar to his master - half dazed, half entertained.

Chapter 5

The wedge columns were moving very slowly and Mistingritis grew very anxious. They had been tracking the Desert King’s march for a fortnight now and were really near to the Receptacle pass and most of the King’s men had been notified about the plan. 

As a hired metal man Mistingritis had never led a peaceful life. After the massacre that took place in High Coast, his own father had disowned him, all of his previous victories and titles were ripped off and he had been banished, dishonored and humiliated and left for the Realm to consume.

He would have been, if all his men had not come after him. All of the men he had commanded had followed him out of the court; not a single of the one hundred fifty men that he had commanded into battle abounding times chose to remain for his father’s gold.

 
More than this was the unanticipated outcome of men joining his ranks after he was set out for his new life. The hundred and fifty had grown and divided and grown and divided. Now there were more than six hundred, but they were divided and he would allow only two hundred of them to stay at a place. It was that with these two hundred men that he had hoped to take down the Stonian cavalry.

The dilemma was that Mistingritis was the only man mounted, apart from a few of his men at commanding position, no more than twenty. Mistingritis’ men relied on left behind garrons to equip their cavalry. Even with hordes of gold, there was no place where his men could buy horses without attracting danger and attention.

“So, we do not have any command to attack the foe?” Tongue asked. His oval shaped bald head looked strange when he put a quizzed face, but that did not stop him from doing it. Misitingritis smiled and nodded.“Neither can we kill all of them, can we?”

 
Mistingritis shook his head and titled it sideways and then made a little gesture using his fingers.

At any point a single cavalryman was enough to run over three or maybe four infantry men. But administrator Jackob had promised They will be in shock. Just drop a big boulder near the Receptacle pass, cut them off from our lines, make sure that you do not descend the valley. Watch from atop and the cavalry will be no match for your archers and artillery. 

Mistingritis desperately hoped that Jackob was right. That was why he had ordered artillery scorpions to be but ahead of every column of archers and act as a wedge. For now he simply crossed arms and watched. 

Men said that his face was somber, Mistingritis thought whether the men that he would kill today will agree with the opinion or not. 

The rearguard alone consisted of mounted men.It was not in his way to order deaths from archers. He had only prided his group of Jesters on the victories they gained bare handed, axe in hand or at least parrying with a spear. 

A war horn sounded. Then another. Then another. Another sound of a different note found enough strength to drown out the previous.

 
“Start our own devices, knuckle heads!” Tongue shouted. “Archers, draw when the horns sound and loose only when there is a clear shot. Do not kill all of them”

Mistingritis knew that was only a pink lizard bone horn. It would not increase the Stonians’ strength and neither their valor when they would see themselves surrounded by the Jesters.  

The huge bells rang to announce their presence on the field and for a few moments there was no sound from the Stonians. They watched, astonished as Tongue ordered for some levers to be loosened and in turn huge boulders blocked the pass and left the Stonians only another small meandering pass in the opposite direction to run off to. 

While the Stonians were flabbergasted by the ambush, the Desert King’s men calmly separated themselves from the target.  

Mistingritis’ van sounded their bells as showers  of their arrows found marks on the targets below. 

All he could do was stop a few archers so a few of the Stonians could pass. As the first of them found his way up the valley, a few of his scorpions pierced his armor and sent him flying, dismounting all those who had tried to follow him up the vale. However all the horses had been safe. 

This means more mounted men for us  Mistingritis thought, after all there was no one to talk to amongst this blood shed.

“Tell the tale!” his Jesters shouted as the Stonians saw better sense and started escaping through the other end. 

Even up on the pass, Mistingritis spied a man that had been separated from the men of the Northern Deserts. While he calmed himself by reminding that one man could rarely change outcomes his subconscious wildly flared with the threat that the  potential dangers could cause his band and his reputation.