The Ninth Prophecy

Few days after the successful tests were conducted, a word came to Yon that the enemy was rallying the troops. Yon conveyed this news to the generals and other war councilors at a meeting. He continued to speak: “I don’t think they will attack us soon, not before winter sets in. Now, we face a dilemma: If they stall with their attack, we will have more time to prepare. However, we will run out of supplies faster during winter, and getting the supplies will become much harder and much more expensive. On the other hand, if they attack us soon, we won’t be fully prepared. We haven’t organized the fallback routes yet and we don’t have a clear fallback plan. Obviously, if it comes to that, our only choice is a retreat towards the caves which lead to the wasteland. But let me remind you that we would have to move through the Snake’s Throat. It gets quite narrow at the end and the entrance to the caves is much too small. Add in the commoners, who will not be too organized, and you have a very slow retreat. The enemy would catch up with them before they all even enter the caves for sure. If not that, our people wouldn’t get too far into the caves before the fast moving Koprites catch up with them. Any suggestions?”

Everyone was silent. After a few moments of deliberation Spero gave his opinion of the situation: “We have had success organizing small attacks against them so far. I think we should consider doing something of the kind once more. We know that the people of Baan Senicore are unhappy with Aegor’s rule. Maybe if we attack his caravans or storages, we could cause the people to rebel. That would buy us some time and it would weaken the enemy.”

- “I like the idea of striking them on their territory. However, as much as it is tempting, it might be too risky. I don’t want the people who stayed in Senicore turning against us. They already pretty much hate Aegor. We could make use of that when the time comes. I don’t want them to hate us, and they might if we deprive them of food and other resources. Besides, going too far south, we might risk getting caught or stranded behind the enemy lines. Again, your idea of small attacks sounds good, lord Spero, but we have to see what would be the best option,” Yon replied.

- “How about the Convergence? What if we strike the sentry on the Devil’s Tooth?” Faris raised the question.

The Convergence, otherwise known as the Devil’s Tooth, was one of the most prominent spots on the northern horizon. It got its name by the fact that all main roads converged right at its base. Basically, it was a steep, narrow mount with only two accessible paths leading to its top – one from the east and the other from the west. From the top, the entire horizon could be overseen, all the way to the Doomed Dome to the east and to the Karosian corridors to the west. On the top, there would regularly be only one sentry crew of just over two dozen soldiers. Since the top is so hardly accessible and extremely easy to control, there is no need for more soldiers. If an assailant was to approach, he would first have to make an effort not to be spotted from thousands of lengths away approaching the steep hill. Then, even if he would succeed, he would have a narrow steep path leading upwards, with few rocks to hide behind. The climb itself would have to last several hours, giving the sentries more than enough time and opportunity to eliminate the threat in whatever way they would find it suitable - either by a regular bow or crossbow, by rolling down huge rocks which smash off other rocks, or simply by causing an avalanche in the winter. The small outpost on the top is equipped with four mobile catapults, each aiming at a different direction. If an enemy was to appear from one direction, all catapults would be moved to that side. By the time the attacker would reach just the base of the mountain, the defenders would have more than enough time to wipe the threat away, or drastically decimate enemy ranks to say the least. Therefore, whoever controlled the Devil’s Tooth, controlled all access roads to the north and could easily prevent any communication, including movement of troops either to or fro the Doomed Dome, or any other direction for that matter. Hundreds of lengths around Devil’s Tooth was only barren land. There were only few small slopes on this flat piece of land which stretched far in all directions. Only the six roads cut through it, all converging at the bottom of the Devil’s Tooth, at the Convergence. All wood was cut down to prevent anyone from hiding behind it. On the very top of the hill there is a beacon which, when activated, could be seen by the foreguards of Karos, where an army could be raised in due time.

- “I hope you are joking. There is no way anyone can take Devil’s Tooth. Lord Deniken’s guard has been specially trained to hold their post at the Devil’s Tooth. Their house has been doing it for centuries and now they are probably assisted by Koprites too. Even if we could take over the post, we would have great trouble keeping it. That is so far north that there would be no way we could deliver supplies to the troops,” Hadera objected.

- “Hadera is right. Taking it is next to impossible. I don’t see how it could be done. It is just too much of a risk. It is the safest place in the kingdom.”

- “You are right Yon, ” Faris continued, “That’s precisely why we stand a chance. The sentries over there feel like they are at the safest place on earth, like they truly are in clouds, like deities watching over the realm far beneath them. Their guard is low. They are deep inside the north. They are bored to death. They probably spend their days just sleeping and playing games to kill the time. Keeping watch is the last thing on their mind! It is incredibly hard to access. Who would dare to strike? It sounds just like the deal with the horions. Am I right? Was I right then?”

- “But, even if we take it over, what are our soldiers going to eat and drink? That is way too far behind the lines. There is no way we could send our troops so far in. Even now we are struggling to control the midlands,” Qali expressed her concern.

- “Hmmm, surely, there must be a decent reserve of food stacked up on the hill for the sentries. The same must be with water. Even if there isn’t any, it’s fairly easy to catch some birds, and there is a lot of rain up there at this time of year. Besides, we could even deliver or smuggle small rations on dog backs or even by hawks. There are many opportunities. Imagine the leverage we would gain over our enemies. The Koprites would practically be cut off from the rest of the alliance and Karos would be cut off too!”

- “Well Faris, you did make some good calls in the past. Although my gut tells me differently - as it did in some other cases, too - I guess I should trust you on this one too,” Yon spoke his thoughts out loud.

- “You are right, you should.”

- “And – just out of curiosity – how would you execute the attack? How would you even approach the hill without the guards annihilating the unit?”

- “We will trick them. We will use disguise. Our soldiers could just dress up as merchants. Once they reach the base, they would set up a camp right there, in plain sight. By the morning they would remove the tents and start ascending, using the cover of the rocks. The sentries will just assume that the group went towards Karos earlier. In reality, they would be going up - at night, of course. It would probably take them two nights to reach the top. During the day they would simply lay still covered with grey cloaks which look just like the rocks. Remember, they don’t have the horions to patrol over the hill anymore.”

- “I think this is just absurd. There is no way it could work. There is just too much to take into account: the sentry awareness, the weather, timing, the beacon…” Hadera spoke her opinion once more.

- “What you say makes sense Hadera, but so does what Faris says. We will try it, with minimal risk. I owe Faris that much.

- “Great. I will pick the company and we will leave as soon as tomorrow.”

- “No, my brother, you will do no such thing. I couldn’t let you go. Too few of the House of Kulins are left standing. I let you go to the wasteland. You have proven yourself as a brave soldier there, but not this time, no,” Yon said resolutely.

- “Who will then go,” Sheda asked.

- “We will go!” Goras replied from behind. “The Dabors are known to be great climbers and we will hide and blend in with the rocks easily because of our size.”

- “Thank you for stepping forward, brave Goras. However, beside you, we will need some regular straightwalkers to accompany you. They will be needed when you face the enemy,” Yon spoke looking around the room.

- “I will do it. It is my time to go,” Spero said calmly.

- “Father, no. We need you, Nox needs you. That would be senseless,” Hadera tried to talk him out of it.

- “Nox has its king to rule over the city, my dear. I am a warrior and this is my wish as a lord. I expect the king to grant it,” Spero spoke, looking at Yon.

- “You have already done more than enough, my dear friend. You have given us shelter and so enabled our cause to live on. You don’t need to prove yourself. However, just like in the case of Faris and the wasteland, I understand and respect your wish to contribute as a warrior, before the great battle occurs. This is why I will grant you your wish.”

Hadera wanted to speak up but Spero tapped her arm and prevented her. He explained that this was his one opportunity to get one over the Baranthams before the battle for Nox, when they would be on the defensive side. He had always been tormented by his past deeds. He saw himself personally responsible for allowing the brute Baranthams - as he called them - to take over the throne, as he didn’t do much to prevent them. He saw this as a chance to undo some of his wrongs. He would take some of his best men along with him. The Dabors would be lead by Goras himself.

- “Remember, if you reach the top it is crucial that you take control of the place without giving the crew there a chance to activate the beacon. That should buy you enough time to fortify your positions,” Yon provided his last advice before the trip.

The next day, the party of some twenty straightwalkers and twice as many Dabors left Nox disguised as merchants. The Dabors were hidden inside the carriages so they wouldn’t give away the group’s true identity with their appearance. Some four days later, the party reached the base of the Convergence. They had been spotted by the guards but, just as Faris had suspected, they didn’t see the party as a threat, so they just went their way. As they approached the base of the hill, they could see the fires arising from the top. It was a clear sign of sentry presence and of their awareness. The party set up their tents in a way that they could clearly be seen from the top of the Devil’s Tooth.

As the sun set, Dabors emerged from underneath the cloths and sheets which were at checkpoints presented as merchandise. Spero avoided thorough inspections by bribing the patrols with some fine garments and potions. He would simply tell the soldiers that he is in a hurry to deliver the goods to Karos and he would ‘admit’ that he was carrying some smuggled herbs and spices from the midlands which he would sell at great price there. The patrols didn’t ask much after they would be bribed anyway. As soon as the Dabors came out, they helped Spero’s party take down the tents. They burned them along with the carriages which they disassembled with axes. The watchmen at Devil’s Tooth simply assumed that it was a large campfire. The party then stripped the horses and let them run free as wild animals. Then they started their climb up the steep hill. As the sun rose above the valley around Devil’s Tooth, a guard called his superior. He showed him the spot where the merchants’ party had set their camp a day earlier. All that was left were remains of a campfire. The commander reassured him that the party had simply left early and that they would have no place to hide their carriages and horses if they were some hostile intruders.

As the day passed, the sentries were reassured that everything was fine. Just as the sun was setting, the rocks seemed to move slowly. It was Spero and the Dabors who were continuing their cautious climb up the hill. They did everything to avoid the road, but around it was extremely tough terrain. The Dabors, with their strong hands, were doing better than the straightwalkers, but they had to stick together. They walked on rocks as they suspected that there were booby-traps under the earth. They grew nervous as they approached the base of the outpost. It was surrounded by a simple wooden wall. Approaching it, Spero stepped on a line connected to some bells which were to alert the guards. As the bells rang, the guards looked down as one of them said: “Those damn weasels. If we were to shoot every one, we would be rich from selling fur when we get down to the city.”

Spero and the others let out a sigh of relief. As one of the soldiers threw a hook over the wall, others waited for him to start climbing up. They were to go up one by one, three of them at first to disable the few guards at the wall. As he pulled the hook by the rope to climb up, a chunk of the wall snapped, as the wood was almost completely rotten. This instantly got the attention of the guards who screamed ‘Intruders!’, alerting the whole unit. The three guards on the wall immediately shot the knight who was under the wall. Three crossbow arrows pierced right through his body. Spero ordered his troop to charge. But, as they were coming to the wall, they were helpless against the better positioned sentry, which seemed to count 50 men, rather than 25.

The commander of the guard lit up a rope which was sprung from the outpost wall down to the surrounding terrain. The line burned, setting on fire the tar and black blood of the earth which surrounded the camp. The fire went all the way down the hill along the road and between the rocks like a vein. It lit up the whole hill, leaving Spero’s party completely exposed. Spero ordered retreat, but it was too late. Several Dabors managed to escape due to their unusual climbing and descending skill, including Goras. None of the Spero’s men were of such luck, including Spero. He was pierced through the back as he tried to extend his arm to Goras and give him his sword. Spero fell, but Goras managed to get hold of the lord’s sword, which Spero didn’t want to fall into the enemy hands. Spero just nodded to Goras who knew what the lord meant. The next moment, Spero was dead.

Back in Nox, the news that the beacon at Devil’s Tooth had been lit reached the city the next morning. Yon and the others didn’t know what to make of it. They were eagerly waiting for the news. None came. No birds or dogs carrying Spero’s message came either. On the fifth day of anticipation, the horn announced the arrival of Goras and his beat-up company of some dozen Dabors. Hadera rushed out before the group had a chance to enter the city and tell the story. Yon, Faris, Raavi and the other councilors rushed after her.

“My father, where is he?” Hadera asked in a shaky voice. Goras said nothing. He just unwrapped Spero’s sword from its leathery cloak and extended it towards her. With her both arms, Hadera slowly took the sword away from Goras and looked at it in silence. Then she turned towards Faris. Her face turned red: “This is all your fault, you bastard!”

She tried to jump at Faris with the sword, but Geren and Darion grabbed her. She fell to the ground and started weeping. Yon came to her and put his arm on her shoulder: “Faris couldn’t have known Hadera. It was Spero’s own…” Before he could finish, Hadera pushed his arm off her shoulder: “Don’t you say anything. You are just as guilty! You allowed this idiotic plan to be executed. You should have known better!”

- “Maybe I should have, but it is over now. Let’s turn this wrath and bitterness against our enemies, not against each other.”

Hadera just got up and walked away. Although there were no bodies, the next day, a funeral was organized for the troops. When it was to finish, Hadera pulled Yon aside: “We have to talk.” Yon stepped back and asked her what was happening. She said that she had thought about their position the previous night and that they should immediately intensify their defensive preparations. Yon hesitated to speak, but eventually said: “Are you sure you want to talk about this now. You just lost your father. That’s quite a shock. You should take time…”

- “Don’t patronize me, Yon! I know what I am saying. When the alliance realizes that they have killed the lord of Nox, they won’t wait much longer to strike. They will not let this opportunity pass! We must prepare. We will have plenty of time for such ceremonies after the battle. Let’s just hope that it will be us sending away Daors in a casket.”

- “I understand, but don’t you think you are just trying to distract yourself from thinking about Spero and grieving…”

Angry and frustrated, Hadera replied:

“Yes Yon, I am trying to find a distraction and what better then preparing our defenses?! What better way is there to grieve than by killing the fucking Karosians, hopefully Daors himself too?”

Before Yon got a chance to speak back, Faris stepped in:

“I think she is right, Yon. Daors won’t wait for too long when he finds out that Spero died. We’re running out of food. Our border has collapsed. We haven’t heard from Qali in days. She’s probably dead, whether we want to admit it or not. Hadera was right. The sooner they attack, the better. If we lose then that will be it. If we win, we’ll break the blockade.”

- “All right. We start in the morning. We will all together inspect the getaway routes first and see how the works on coordinating the extraction are going. We meet at Snake’s Throat at sunrise then? I will invite other councilors.”

Hadera and Faris were pleased by Yon’s decision. They joined Sheda, Naavi and Goras who were going for a walk behind the gates at sunset. It was Sheda’s habit to wonder off and ride away at sunset and others picked up on it. Raavi commented that they should use whatever time they have left to enjoy the nature around Nox, before the whole city is under siege. Yon told her that she would have plenty of time to enjoy throughout the whole country once they defeat Daors. Goras added that all the nature he needs to see is butt-naked Daors roasted by the Servarians. He said that he would serve them the royal flesh himself. When others left, Yon called Hadera to the side: “Hadera, I am so sorry about Spero. I wanted you to know that. I should never have listened to Faris about attacking the Convergence.”

- “It is all right, there’s no need to apologize…”

- “Yes, there is. You see, ever since the prophecies came, it put a lot of pressure on me. I want to be a good king. I try to listen to others; I try to hear what everyone has to say. Maybe, in a way, I tried to throw some responsibility off my shoulders. But in the end, it is always my decision, whether I take someone’s advice and proposal or not. I guess I’ll just have to listen to my gut more often, to trust myself.”

- “Hold your horses there. First of all, you are not the king just yet. Hopefully, we will all make you one soon enough, when we beat Daors. Secondly, trusting isn’t always bad, but you do have to be decisive and firm in your decisions. You have to stand by what you decide, even if it means to take an advice.”

- “Yes. I agree. Anyway, I just wanted you to know this. If nothing, the defeat at Devil’s Tooth helped me realize that I have to rely on my strength more, everyone else does.”

Hadera smiled, hugged Yon and, just before the situation got a little too awkward, she walked away.

* * *

In Karos, Daors was anxiously awaiting news from Devil’s Tooth. He had dispatched a party 200 men strong as soon as the beacon was lit. They were led by Thrax personally, king’s most He tried to ease the tension by talking with Ler, Terionus and Tibor.

- “They never seize to impress me. Just when you think there is nothing more daring they could do, after attacking the horions, they pull off an attack on the Convergence, those sly sons of bitches. You gotta hand it to them; they know how to keep things interesting. Had they taken control over the Tooth, that would be bad, very bad. Then we would be cut off. Who knows how long it would take us to break through and how many men we could lose,” Daors kept talking on nervously.

Finally, Thrax emerged at the city gates along with his men and yelled to the king: “We have a special gift for you, my lord!” At that moment, Daors knew that things had gone well for him and the alliance. As Thrax rode in, a horse coming behind him dragged wooden stretchers which carried Spero’s dead body: “My king, we give you lord Spero!” After the initial shock, cheers spread through the city. Thrax explained what happened. He left half of his men behind to help fortify the outpost properly. They would leave nothing to chance now. “What shall we do with Spero, our king?” A Koprite commander, named ‘mister handsome’ by Daors’s Septors always in mood for a joke groaned and murmured to Daors. The Illuminator along his side said that the Koprite was asking if he could serve Spero to the Servarians. He said that they would enjoy feasting on his noble meat. Daors turned angrily towards him: “Hell no! Not in this life. No Koprites or Servarians are going to eat a city lord! Tell him that they can have all the others, but not Spero. We will bury him tomorrow as a lord. Tell him to join us in my chambers, as we have some urgent matters to discuss.”

As the councilors found their place around the table in Daors’s chamber, the northern king spoke: “This is the moment. Nox has lost its lord. They are beheaded; we just have to finish off the twitching body of the snake. They pulled off two good moves with the horions and the argorites in the Red Valley and they became cocky. Didn’t I tell you all that overconfidence is the worst enemy?” Daors spoke excitedly, walking around. “We will gather the armies as soon as possible and strike Nox now, when they are most vulnerable. Tibor will once again lead the charge. This time, Thrax will be your advisor and you will listen to him Tibor. Is that understood?” Tibor just bowed his head, nodded and asked: “Will you be at the battlefield, father?”

- “No. A king goes to the battlefield only if he is to face another king. There are no kings in Nox! I will be behind the lines in a camp, not too far away. Ler, send out a messenger to the drifters. Tell them to come with my son to my tent. We will wait for the battle to end together. Once it is finished, they will enter the city and take what they want. No one is to take anything before them. Then I will get Damius back. The armies will gather at Devil’s Tooth in ten nights. I want to see the entire Koprite army there. All lords will bring their armies to accompany the Septors. Send the word to Aegor. Have him order the Sciprians to move. He will stay in the city and try to restore order there. If he leaves, the villagers will most certainly rebel. The Sciprians are to meet us at the Nox city gates. The paths are clear since the layun assassins managed to kill Qali and most of her patrols. The prophecies will be fulfilled before the winter comes. Armies will be faced in the name of destiny, with fire, water and darkness is a victor’s army, our army, to prevail! We have the armies of fire and of darkness under our rule. We rule the waters and soon we will rule over the whole realm of the straightwalkers! Order will be restored!”

All the lords and arrow’d officers present in the room cheered. Everyone seemed excited by the prospect of taking over Nox and finishing the war. Some feared what the outcome of the undisclosed deal with the Koprites would be, but none dared to ask.