Down Styphon!, page 8
part #8 of Kalvan Series
He told his orderly to fetch Captain-General Alkides.
II
“What is it, Your Majesty?” Alkides asked. He looked hopeful, as if waiting for Kalvan to come up with another of his “miracles.”
Kalvan’s top hat was empty, no more rabbits to pull out. He leaned forward so that he could be heard over the thunder of artillery fire. “Your guns are going to have to take out the entire upper-section ofWall-1, from that pillar to the next two. Everything that rises above the earthworks has to be smashed or blown down.” He used his hands to describe the area he was talking about. It was about the length of a football field.
Alkides eyebrows rose. “That will take some time, Your Majesty.”
“It will take a lot less time than trying to remove those earthworks a shovel at a time under enemy fire,” he replied.
Alkides nodded. “Of course, I should have thought of that. The Styphoni could rain down molten lead and oil on their heads from those parapets and we wouldn’t dare fire our guns for fear of hitting our own men.”
“Exactly,” Kalvan replied. “That’s why we’re going to hit them with everything we’ve got.”
It took until the next morning to prepare for the first real attack. He had all twelve batteries, each made up of ten guns from eight-pounders— including one new battery of the rifled eight-pounders—to the big thirty-two pounder siege breakers, fire upon the areas of the stone wall they wanted to breach.
When the guns fired in unison, the ground shuddered and the air was filled with gray and black smoke as well as the stench of brimstone. Kalvan made a mental note to fire off a missive to King Chartiphon and have him send all the fireseed he could spare.
It took several days before there were any visible results, other than stone shards and flying splinters of rock. Kalvan was pleased when an entire section of the upper wall, some twelve feet high and thirty feet wide, collapsed onto the earthworks and slid partway down the slope.
The artillery immediately went to work on the next section of the wall. Occasionally a cannonball would hit the earthen slope and bounce over the parapet top. With the infantry staying behind the Hostigi guns, the Order had no way to fight back. So far, it was a one-sided battle and the cannons were doing all the work.
Knowing it would be almost impossible, under enemy fire, to move the guns over the raised earthworks, Kalvan had his infantrymen shoveling out dirt and stones on the section of the wall where the upper wall had collapsed. The Knights attempted several counterattacks, but as soon as the enemy was sighted, the Hostigi horns were sounded and the pick and shovelers quickly ran down the slope to hide behind the forward line where wooden barriers had been erected. A few were killed or wounded by musket fire, but casualties were light since the Knights were unable to move over the parapets quickly enough to get their musketeers in position for volley fire.
Meanwhile, the artillery and riflemen would make quick work of any of the Order troops who lingered on the earthworks. The best the Knights could do was to halt the pick and shovel work for an hour or two.
As soon as a section of the lower wall was exposed by the diggers, the artillery focused in and fired at the exposed stone wall. The only good news, as far as Kalvan was concerned, was that there were no earthworks protecting the inner six walls. Once inside the first ring wall, it would be a simple, but time consuming, demolition job to take down the inside walls.
NINE
I
Grand Commander Aristocles walked impatiently back and forth in the large antechamber outside Styphon’s Seat. He had no interest in the fine tapestries and wall hangings depicting Styphon’s ascension to his Sky-Palace, nor the ornate golden statuary. A flickering oil lamp more correctly represented his state of mind. The Temple was in dire danger and all the priests in Balph cared about were their luxuries and privileges.
It had taken him several days, and a big bribe, to arrange his audience with Styphon’s Voice. These idiots have no idea how bad things are, he decided. Aristocles was no believer, like Grand Master Soton, in Styphon or his divinity. He was a warrior and the Order had provided him with both battles and advancement commensurate with his abilities. For that he owed Styphon’s House his loyalty, but not his life. He was only putting up with the temple-rats’ arrogance and stupidity for the sake of his friend and mentor, Soton.
If Tarr-Ceros were to fall, all of Styphon’s holdings as well as the Kingdom of Hos-Ktemnos would be in danger of conquest. Kalvan was an implacable opponent and he had a stack of grievances against Styphon’s House as tall as the highest tree. The only general of Styphon’s House who had ever beaten Kalvan was Grand Master Soton; if he went down, woe be unto the Temple.
Things were bad all over: the Temple had foolishly alienated Great King Phidestros by kidnapping his wife, and he had retaliated by killing all the Styphon’s House priests in Hos-Zygros. Great King Geblon was an uncertain ally since he was Phidestros’ creation. With few allies, the Temple needed to act quickly and decisively if it were to save itself. If it weren’t for Grand Master Soton, Aristocles would already be in the wind.
At long last, a black-robed underpriest came out of the Seat and announced, “Grand Commander, His Divinity will see you now.”
“About time,” Aristocles muttered under his beard.
Styphon’s Voice, wearing the flame-colored robe of primacy, was seated in a bejeweled and gold encrusted throne worthy of a great king. “Welcome, Commander. What news do you have for Us?”
“As you no doubt have heard, Your Divinity, the Usurper Kalvan has besieged Tarr-Ceros with a mighty army.”
“We have heard. I’m certain that the Grand Master will make the Daemon Kalvan pay fearsomely for his arrogance.”
As Aristocles feared, the head temple-rat had no clue as to how dire their situation was. Nor would he be pleased by the man who informed him of the truth. So be it, he decided. “Your Divinity, the Usurper has put together an army of some thirty thousand men against the twelve thousand Knights who garrison Tarr-Ceros. He has also assembled more guns to batter Tarr-Ceros than have ever been brought together in a single siege. Without relief, the Order’s greatest fort will fall within a season.”
Styphon’s Voice reared back. “Our spies have brought us news of Kalvan’s host, but this news you bring cannot be true. Tarr-Ceros has resisted every attack upon its walls for over three centuries. Why would it succumb now?”
“Because Kalvan will be bringing with his army a great artillery train with over a hundred guns to blast our defensive walls. Not even the great walls of Tarr-Ceros can resist this many cannon. On top of that, the Order has been bled dry by the wars against the Usurper, and no longer has enough men to resist this latest attack. Even if the other Order tarrs were emptied of their garrisons—which means there would be no one left to stand against the Sea of Grass nomads and the Sastragathi barbarians—the Order would still not have enough men to engage with Kalvan and win.”
Styphon’s Voice appeared nonplussed by this answer and took some time before asking, “What about King Theovacar of Grefftscharr?” he sputtered. “He was our ally against the Daemon before. We can send him two hundred and fifty thousand ounces of gold and a hundred tons of fire-seed. That should buy his aid.”
Aristocles shook his head. “King Theovacar is dead, Your Divinity. Murdered by his own subjects, an alliance of merchants and nobles. Theovacar was a tyrant, greatly hated and feared by his subjects; he was beheaded and buried in an anonymous grave.”
“This is sorrowful news!” Styphon’s Voice cried out. “First, it’s this popinjay Phidestros killing our priests; now, it’s subjects murdering their rightful ruler. This is the first we’ve heard of his ignoble death. How about Theovacar’s successor? Will he take our bribes?”
“No, Your Divinity. The first thing the regicides did to legitimize their claim to the throne was to sue for peace with Nos-Hostigos. Of course, Kalvan welcomed them to his court. Otherwise, he would not have dared to attack the Order for fear of Theovacar’s fleet.”
“So, what is it you wish from Us?”
“Grand Master Soton requests that you ask Great King Lukthos to send as big an army as he can assemble and come to our aid immediately.”
The head of the Temple massaged his chin while he thought out his reply. “If We were to order such, and Our army of deliverance were to be defeated, where would the Temple be then, I ask you?”
“In truth, Your Divinity, if the Army of Hos-Ktemnos were to be defeated, Balph would be open to invasion by the Daemon and his allies. However, if Tarr-Ceros falls, Kalvan will most likely go straight through Ktemnos to conquer both Ktemnos City and Balph. Where will you be then?”
Styphon’s Voice’s face turned as white as a novice’s robe. Aristocles knew that Anaxthenes was not often given arguments he could not brush away with the sweep of his hand.
“I will have to consult with the Inner Circle before making a decision on something this important to the Temple’s future.”
Aristocles nodded. “Yes, Your Divinity. I will be awaiting your decision.” Meanwhile, he needed to come up with a distant land to make a new life. A place far enough away that Styphon’s House was but a rumor and where Kalvan was unknown. Once word of the siege got out, he knew that he wouldn’t be the only Knight seeking sanctuary. Maybe he could band together with other men wise enough to know when it was time to run for safety.
II
The Hostigi were still digging away at the earthworks on Wall-1 when the prisoners arrived and were put to work digging and hauling away the resulting debris. Work went faster then, as Kalvan ordered the Styphoni prisoners to work in the front ranks, the most exposed position. By then, the Knights had stopped their sorties as they were taking too many casualties. Still, the occasional sniper would pick off one of the shovelers. Out of boredom, some of the Mobile Force riflemen would place themselves among the workers and retaliate.
Kalvan was growing tired of the constant noise of the guns and the dust that swirled everywhere, getting into his nasal passages, his food, even his clothes. He wondered how he was going to survive another six months of this. Even with the cotton ear plugs he had everyone using, he was having problems hearing when the guns were quiet.
When the final section of the wall fell down, his sergeants had to restrain the infantrymen from charging up over the remaining earthworks and into the breach with their picks and shovels!
It took another quarter-moon to level the ground in front of the breach. They’d only had to fight off one sortie party. Once the cannons started firing the Knights couldn’t retreat fast enough. They’d killed about fifty men and taken a score of wounded as prisoners. After that the Knights had stayed behind their walls.
III
For this quickly called council meeting, only twenty-two of the seats around the Triangle Table in the Great Council Hall of Styphon’s House were filled. Most of the assembled archpriests wore worried expressions. These council meetings were rare and the ones called hastily were usually reserved for bad news. Archpriest Danthor wondered what new disaster had befallen Styphon’s House.
Styphon’s Own Voice looked haggard as if he hadn’t slept for the past couple of days which did not bode well. Unlike his predecessor, it took a lot to unnerve Anaxthenes. He was intelligent, decisive, self-serving, completely amoral and not intimidated by anyone or anything. Even former Archpriest Roxthar had given him lots of room.
“I called this council,” Anaxthenes began, “at the request of Grand Master Soton’s representative, Grand Commander Aristocles of the Order of Zarthani Knights.”
Danthor was familiar with Aristocles’ reputation. A valiant warrior who was not one to raise unnecessary fears. Things must really be getting bad at Tarr-Ceros.
“As we all know, the Daemon Kalvan has besieged Tarr-Ceros, the greatest Order fortress on the western frontier. Grand Commander Aristocles has informed me that Grand Master Soton is worried that the fortress will fall before the end of summer.”
This brought about a collective gasp from around the table. No one, including Danthor, had realized that the great fortress of Tarr-Ceros was in such a precarious position. If the grand fortress fell, the rest of the Order’s forts would follow like autumn leaves. From there, it was a hop, skip and jump to Balph. It was time to start working up a contingency plan in case he had to bug out of Balph quickly. Normally, he would rely on the Paratime Police or the University to spirit him away, but too many ten-days had gone by without a word from Chief Verkan or the Balph Study Team. It looked like he was on his own. What in Styphon's Sky-Palace is going on?
“Soton has requested,” Anaxthenes continued, “that we urge Great King Lukthos to send the Sacred Squares of Hos-Ktemnos to Tarr-Ceros. If such is done, it is uncertain as to whether or not the expedition will succeed. The Hostigi have assembled a great army of some thirty thousand men.”
Archpriest Timothanes cried out, “Your Divinity, if the Sacred Squares are defeated, who will remain to protect us from the Daemon?”
Danthor ran through the figures. There were ten bands of Styphon’s Own Guard, or some five to six thousand men in and around Balph, not counting Anaxthenes’ own Sephrax Guard, another thousand. There were another two or three thousand guardsmen at Mykos Town, the Guards’ headquarters. At most, roughly ten thousand men could be assembled quickly to defend Balph against an invader. More than triple that if the Royal and princely Sacred Squares of Hos-Ktemnos were added to the mix. In truth, he doubted Styphon’s House could count on half that many since most of the princes would be more concerned with protecting their holdings against Kalvan rather than saving Styphon’s House’s bacon. All in all, there was not much love for Styphon’s House among the Ktemnoi nobility, many of whom were deeply in debt to the Temple.
By the long faces worn by the other archpriests, Danthor figured everyone else had reached the same conclusion.
“If the Sacred Squares and Ktemnoi forces were defeated, other than Styphon’s Own Guard and our loyal bodyguards, we would be on our own,” Styphon’s Voice answered.
“Then, we must think of ourselves first and foremost,” Archpriest Timothanes replied. “The Order can be replaced over time, Balph cannot. If the Holy City were to fall to this Usurper Kalvan, it would mean the end of Styphon’s House On Earth.”
Danthor suspected that they were all making plans for a quick departure should a Hostigi army appear on the horizon. He was going to have to step up his own plans; fortunately, his digs were modest compared to most of the archpriests who owned palaces and great manors. He would only take with him what could be packed on a single horse. Too many of Balph’s upperpriests would be assembling entire pack trains full of gold and other precious items. All guaranteed to slow them down as well as make them tempting targets for bandits.
“Then I take it,” Styphon’s Voice said, “you all agree that Grand Master Soton will have to depend upon his own resources and that we will not send any relief force to Tarr-Ceros.”
“Aye, aye,” all the assembled archpriests said together.
Danthor had met Soton and been impressed by the Grand Master. Soton was a realist and he doubted that the Innermost Circles decision would come as a surprise. He wasn’t sure why Soton had even bothered to send a delegation at all unless he had an ulterior motive—like saving the life of an old friend. Soton and Aristocles had been bunkmates as novices and great friends ever since. Yes, that made sense, more than this dog and pony show did.
TEN
I
Kalvan called his high command to join him in his stone-walled headquarters. The walls were lined with deerskin maps of Tarr-Ceros and the Upper Sastragath; they had interrogated the few prisoners they’d captured and the maps were quite accurate. Prince Sarrask was the first to speak:
“Your Majesty, when do we bust out through the gap?”
Great Queen Rylla, Captain-General Halmoth, Admiral Herad, Prince Pheblon and Captain-General Alkides all looked at him intently waiting for his reply.
“In about three candles. The Knights will be waiting for us in force.
They know that we will be unable to use our artillery until it is brought through the breach and then emplaced, which will take about two or three candles, depending upon their resistance. There will probably be four or five thousand of them. All of them on foot, even the cavalry, since there’s not enough room between the walls to maneuver horses. A lot of the terrain is hilly with gullies and washes. Most of the Knights will be heavily armored and they know how to fight. The ground will make for close fighting which will minimize our firepower advantage.
“What we’ll do is lead with our men-at-arms and heavy cavalry. If we can hit their front lines hard with our heavy horse, we will break them.”
“I thought you said that the land between the walls wasn’t roomy enough for the Knights to maneuver cavalry,” Halmoth said. “So why are we using our horse?”
“Because, by attacking from the front, we have room to charge, and then evade if we need to. The Knights don’t. Remember, they have to use the gates from Wall-2, both coming and going, and space is limited. They won’t be expecting to be hit by heavy cavalry and it should disorder their line. From that point on, it’ll be a general melee.”
The horn players and sergeants were given their orders. The Hostigi infantry at the front of the gap began to move aside to let the cavalry get by. The small rise beyond the breach was lined with hundreds of fully armored Knights with halberds, poleaxes, glaves and swords. The Hostigi horns sounded and the heavy horse, by squadrons, began to move through the passageway cut into the earthworks towards the breach.
The deep-toned Zarthani war horns sounded and the heavy infantry moved in an orderly fashion towards the breach, forming an iron curtain five ranks deep where the stone wall had formerly stood.
