Enlightened Empire, Cut Content - Distance (Patreon)

The small room was airy, with balconies on two sides. Even so, it was loaded with tension. As Dedrick's eyes ran away from the open sky and to the woman to his opposite, a frustrated sigh escaped his lips.

“Is that really all we have on the northern armies?” he asked with the sternest look he could offer.

“To this servant's dismay, this is the best we can provide,” Tama answered, and gestured to the table between them. Atop sat a number of stones to represent the troops of both sides, as well as a map of the area and a scant few notes from Corco's spies. “Since we assumed that most of King Pacha's support would come from House Ichilia, we increased surveillance of Huaylas and the closest allies of the Ichilia clan. However, the King of the Center has since broken contact with his mother, so most of our previous efforts were wasted.” For now, Dedrick only deigned the excuse with a snort and let the spy woman continue.

“After the schism in the center, he has formed an army with the Pluritac troops on his own lands and the support from some of the fringe lords of the Ichilia system of power. Since we can assume that the king does not have much clout with the local lords yet, they would most likely hedge their bets.” She scoffed. “Many of them would be tempted by the chance to escape from under the thumb of Huaylas, but in case King Pacha fails, they need the ability to excuse their manners. Further, King Pacha's own troops are much smaller than should be expected of a king. After all, the old Pluritac army is split between the kings, or left back in Arguna under the rule of the Ancestral Hall.”

“Or in short: Even if we don't know the exact numbers, they can't really bring any more than twenty thousand men or so,” Atau concluded. Up until now, the captain had sat to the side without a word, but Dedrick was glad that he had translated the girl's long monologue into proper words.

“Twenty thousand warriors, you mean?” Dedrick sneered. “You're aware that I have almost no men here? It's nice that the boss sent us a couple hundred new recruits after the end of his little banquet, but that still only makes about one thousand eight hundred total. Of those, only my own men and the original garrison are cultivators. That's only about a thousand. Meanwhile, hundreds of my guys are all over the place, to do all sorts of stuff for your king. I get that training new people is part of the contract, but we'd really need them here. It feels like the boss is taking this far too lightly and I don't like it one bit.”

“If I may, Sir Dedrick,” the woman said, still with that strange smile on her face. “We have more than enough ability to hold off the attackers. First of all,” she raised a finger, “we are positioned on the Narrows, and we have the Agra River in our back. Our castle supported by this bottleneck, the enemy cannot attack us with more than a few hundred men at once. Your troops can hold off a few hundred opponents, can they not?”

“Of course they can, but that's not the problem here.” Dedrick grumbled. Although he knew that their position wasn't as bad as it seemed, he would still complain. Yes, they had a good number of key advantages and Dedrick knew how to use them, but he would still put the two loyalists in an awkward position. He really didn't like how these two had just shown up out of nowhere and decided that they needed to be involved in the plans. Atau was almost okay. After all, he had been stationed here only for his negotiations with the Villca heirs due south. 

However, Tama had come with the express mission to 'support the defense', and it really didn't sit well with him. “Yeah, we only need to deal with a thousand or so at once, but that's only until they start to surround us. No one's forcing them to fight from the front. They can just move around, you know? Plus, the castle has been built to defend attacks from the south, not from the north. We're like fresh meat on a plate to our enemies.”

“That's crap and you know it,” Atau said. “Don't tell me you don't know what sort of range our cannons have? You have about thirty of those here.”

“Twenty-eight,” Dedrick corrected.

“Right. And twenty-eight cannons is not enough for you to keep a couple of Northerners in check?” Even through the captain's thick beard, Dedrick could see Atau's sneer. “No one's gonna surround Qarasi Castle. Even less so Pacha. From what Corco tells me, he's an idiot to rival even Duke Herak.”

“Indeed. King Pacha is a prime hothead, evidenced by his current actions as much as by his past. I believe that he will attack head-on, and fail his mission right away.” From one moment to another, Tama's polite smile turned into a malicious grin, as her eyes turned to slits. Within them, Dedrick could see the screams of the fallen warriors, as they clashed against their walls like waves. Okay, maybe the girl wasn't as bad as he first thought.

“Okay, fine. With all the new hot weapons, we should be prepared for a frontal attack at least.” Since his new lieutenants had come prepared and any more conflict could affect the battle itself, the knight decided to give in for now. “Really, with the power and reach, the muskets reduce the difference between commoners and cultivators anyways, so the kids won't be totally useless. Plus, a siege from a strong position gives us a nice chance to blood in all the new recruits. By the time this is done, Corco will actually have that second army he wanted.”

“Right. Next time I see Laqhis, I'll make sure he dispatches some extra people for you here. Pretty sure Nahlen's been working on new recruits for a while now.”

Before the mention of Dedrick's problematic officer could manifest in a frown, Dedrick decided to move on. Although they had their disagreements over the past year, this was an internal issue for the wolves.

“You've been around Cashan, right? So how does our hinterland look? I don't wanna be cut off from supplies in the middle of a siege.”

“That part shouldn't be a huge problem, I don't think,” Atau said while his left gave his beard a thoughtful scratch. “For now, it seems like I got Uchu and Pahuac to agree to a ceasefire. We've pretty much established a border through Cashan and the two control the countryside either side of it. I can get us passage and supplies from both of them, even if we have to pay extra on the taxes.”

“And what about the last one? Isn't he a problem?” Dedrick asked. “Seems like the last prince was the one who called for help from the northerners, didn't he?”

“True, but Epunamo's been holed up in Cashan. Since he suspects that both of his brothers have worked with Laqhis for a while now, he won't brave outside. Pacha was even dumb enough to make his alliance with Epunamo official at the Triumvirate Meeting, so now he's made an enemy of every southern lord, even the ones who used to support him. We don't look too kindly onto traitors, especially those who conspire with the north. Plus, when Corco sends new troops over, he can play his muscles a bit, parade them in front of the city. A conservative guy like Epunamo would never have the heart to make trouble.”

“Or the boss could just conquer the city, get it over with,” Dedrick suggested.

“Not happening. This isn't Arcavia. We have rules here. If we get involved too much in the internal conflicts of Cashan the other lords'll start calling Laqhis 'tyrant'. No, we can only support the other contenders indirectly. Once they help us get through this siege, we have plenty of excuses to help them in turn, give them a couple cannons maybe. That way, our little Epunamo problem will disappear all on its own.”

“Rather than the hinterland, I believe our general supplies might become a much greater problem.” Tama chimed in, as she stroked her chin with a look down at the map. “Please consider this: Even if we have strong supply lines for now, the entire south is dependent on food imports from the warmer north. What if the siege is prolonged? What if we have the money, but no place to buy more grain? Even the best supply routes will be useless if the entire south is starving.”

“Didn't the boss have a good harvest? What about all of that food?”

“King Corco already has his plans, so much of the harvest is spoken for,” Tama answered.

“So just let the commoners starve a bit. My soldiers need to eat.” Tension entered Dedrick's voice. How much more could these people complicate their simple problems?

“Idiot. Starvation is like the number one reason for revolt, anywhere. Do you wanna destabilize the entire south?” Atau asked.

“Right.” Another sigh showed Dedrick's capitulation. “So what do we do then?”

“Since we expect the siege to be over soon, we can simply bunker the supplies we need. We do have the captain of Eastern Medala's largest fleet at this table for a reason after all.” For the first time today Tama acknowledged Atau's existence when she pointed over to the captain.

“Right. That does sound like a job for me. Still, if they plan to starve us out, a fleet won't do us any good. They can just not sell us any grain up north, right?”

“Incorrect.” Tama wagged her finger. “For now, the Triumvirate Meeting has not sanctioned any trade restrictions on grain, so any reluctance from the local lords can be countered with force from our fleet. In addition, it appears my brother has had a fruitful talk with King Amautu after the meeting. This, the northern kingdom is still open to us.

“Well, Porcero to Port Ulta is a pretty convenient route. Right.” With a grin on his face, Atau jumped from his seat. “Guess that means I'll have to get back to my crew, huh? No more diplomatic missions for me, what a shame. I best get ready. You two have fun with your war.”

All smiles, the captain waltzed out of their meeting room and left the mercenary and the spy alone to deal with the oncoming enemy.

“That's one of you out of my hair. And what about you?” the mercenary asked towards the spy.

“For now, King Corco has tasked me to oversee the construction of Qarasi Castle into a more modern fortress, including better surveillance for the surroundings. I will continue to do so until construction is complete or my mission changes. In addition, I will try and make the most out the few men I have at my disposal. Not to worry, Sir Dedrick. The northern king will be in for a surprise.” Halfway through, Tama's smile drove a cold shower down the mercenary's back. He really wondered where the boss kept finding all these weirdos.

“So what does that mean? Hey, you listening?” Dedrick called out to the woman, but she had already left the room. Annoyed, the knight followed along, and soon found himself outside, on a balcony of the upper mansion atop the walls of Qarasi Castle.

“It means that there is nothing to worry about,” Tama said as she stared out into the beautiful landscape of the Narrows. “Although I am willing to give my life for the cause, this time, there will be no reason to do so. Not to worry, mercenary. You will get what you desire. Whatever that may be.”

From this balcony, they could look outside, into the northern sun. When he had come, Qarasi Castle had been weak on its northern side, but by now, they had made it ready for war. A total of four spokes stretched out from the sides of the original castle, created from two walls each. Once additional spokes could be added to the back of the castle, the whole construction would look like a star. After a couple years of with Corco, and some more experience with the modern equipment, Dedrick had a pretty good idea how these new walls would work. If the spy's estimate was correct, he would look forward to a frontal attack from their foolish enemy.

Beyond the walls stretched the Narrows, the king's lands. Teal waters on the left, verdant forests in the center and ashen mountains on the right, all within view of each other. It was a spectacle Dedrick that still fascinated Dedrick after all this time.

Where the land widened in the north was where the magic faded. Beyond the Narrows stretched Lord Rupilo's land. Although they had been neighbors for almost a year now, they still hadn't made any contact with the lord. Considering Rupilo's new alliance with King Pacha, his hesitance made a lot more sense now.

In the distance, atop a mountain, he could see the fires burn. Out there would be his scouts, the first line of battle. Beyond them would be the runners of both sides, as they traveled from city to city and spread their messages.

As they rushed through the countryside, they would avoid one another, and the pursuit of enemy troops to deliver their messages.

Even beyond that, he would find the enemy army on the march, ready to present Dedrick with his first real challenge since he signed that contract with his boss. Slowly, his head turned towards the east, to the mountains. Like the teeth of a giant monster, the Sallqata Mountains stretched into the clouds, and split the island in two. Beyond those mountains would be his old home, his family's old lands.

After all this time, he could barely remember what it looked like. For a moment he felt a sadness he had suppressed for years. Right away, he stifled the sigh in his throat and directed his eyes back north, towards his own present. One problem at a time. That was how the men of his house had been brought up.

Hermit's Notes: Feeling like this book is starting kinda slow. If you think the same, please tell me and I'll try to tighten up some things.