Down styphon, p.22
Down Styphon!, page 22
part #8 of Kalvan Series
“However, our relocation was not enough to placate the Temple. Styphon’s House wanted me, my wife and my children dead as well as our subjects and all knowledge of the Fireseed Trinity. To that effect, they besieged Thagnor Town, our new capital, and attempted to starve us out. In this they were unsuccessful and eventually forced to return to their lairs. The Regicide Lysandros, who had faithfully followed the Temple’s orders, was killed by his own men during his return to Harphax City. The turmoil he left behind encouraged his Queen to marry a mercenary and use his army to support their false claim to the Iron Throne.
“Since Styphon’s House has declared me anathema and will stop at nothing to kill me and my family, I have decided to bring the Temple down. To this end, I have assembled a great army and will be invading Hos-Ktemnos in the spring. All those who wish to join in this crusade will be welcome and have a share in the treasures that Balph holds.”
That got their undivided attention.
The huge form of Prince Kosklos of Artigos rose up. “Your Majesty, I will pledge my army and my services to you and your quest to end Styphon's House’s stranglehold on our lands.” He bowed, then sat back down.
“I welcome your pledge, Prince Kosklos.”
Suddenly all the other princes were clamoring to join the fight against Styphon’s House, while Kalvan breathed a sigh of relief.
TWENTY-SIX
I
Styphon’s Voice Anaxthenes was awakened from his nap by a light tapping on his chamber door. “Who is it?” he called out.
“Your Divinity, it is I,” Archpriest Euriphocles replied.
“Come in,” he ordered. His head felt groggy from too little sleep and too much humidity. “What gives you leave to break up my afternoon repose?”
“Urgent news, Your Divinity. Archpriest Lesthros has just arrived from Hos-Bletha with news of great importance.”
Anaxthenes forced himself to refrain from raining down curses on Euriphocles’ head. The position of Supreme Priest he had worked so hard to achieve was beginning to seem as if it were cursed by demons or evil spirits. It is no wonder now, he thought, why Old Sesklos was eager to die in bed. Besides, what news of importance ever came out of Hos-Bletha!
“Take him to my private audience chamber. I will meet with him in a quarter-candle.”
Euriphocles left his bedchamber and Anaxthenes went over to the sink, turned a knob and splashed cold water on his face. A large cache of ice was kept in the temple basement in a huge wooden-box bound in iron. The ice was cut into blocks, swaddled in sawdust, with straw placed between the layers of ice. It was used to cool his wine and to keep his piped in water cool. I would hate to have to live life without such luxuries, he decided. Curse and blast this Daemon Kalvan who threatens the very foundations of Styphon's House!
Followed by two of his giant guardsmen, he made his way to his private audience chamber. Archpriests Euriphocles and Lesthros were there waiting for his entrance.
Anaxthenes sat down upon his padded chair. “What is so important that I need to be roused from my sleep like the landlord of some flea-bitten tavern?”
“It is news of the utmost in importance, Your Divinity,” Archpriest Lesthros stuttered, obviously shaken by Anaxthenes’ stern visage.
“Then spit it out!”
“Yes, Your Divinity. The Daemon Kalvan has arrived in Dalthrax Port with a great army. There he has joined up with the Pretender Valthros. It appears they are gathering a large host to advance upon Bletha Town.”
Anaxthenes smiled through tight lips. “So, you departed with utmost haste to keep from getting captured by the Hostigi?”
Lesthros fell to the floor and all but kissed the marble floor. “No, Your Divinity. I came as soon as my intelligencer arrived with the news. I believed it was news of the greatest importance and too important to entrust to some courier.”
“What did Great King Niclophon have to say about this report?” he asked.
“I suspect he was shaken, Your Divinity, although I did not wait to give him the news myself. I believed my first duty was to return to Balph bearing this important news for you.”
No, he’d left to save his own skin from Niclophon’s flaying knife. Anaxthenes knew, were he in the Great King’s position, that he would blame the Daemon’s arrival on the Temple. After all, had not Styphon’s House spent the last six winters trying unsuccessfully to kill the Usurper and destroy the Hostigi people.
“You know Great King Niclophon best. What will he do now?”
Archpriest Lesthros rose to his knees. “What choice does he have, Your Divinity? He will either have to fight or flee. I cannot see him leaving his palace without a fight. His vices alone would make it difficult for him to live in exile.”
Anaxthenes nodded. Maybe the Great King of Hos-Bletha was made of stronger material than we previously had believed. Maybe he and his men would die to some purpose, that of blunting Kalvan’s sword and winnowing his troops.
“Leave me, both of you. I have much to ponder.”
II
After what seemed like moons, the walls of Thagnor Town were finally in sight. A light snow was falling and the temperature was well below freezing. Soon winter would rush in with full force, although to Captain-General Hestophes it felt as though it had already truly arrived. Wearing a bearskin coat and several layers of wool clothing, he was as well insulated against the chill wind as possible.
The first part of his journey from Hos-Zygros had been aboard a trading vessel, but the weather had turned and the Sea of Skirlos had become too rough and unpredictable. His party had been forced to make landfall in Hos-Agrys. They had stayed clear of the major port towns and were a large enough party that any bandits—brave enough to disregard the weather—had left them alone.
Beside him, Uncle Wolf Tharses was breathing heavily. Tharses was an old man and the rigors of the overland journey had taken their toll. “Are we there yet?” he asked.
“I just spotted the walls, Uncle Wolf. We should be there before the sun sets.”
Uncle Wolf Tharses came out with a laugh that quickly turned into a cough. “How can you tell? Its already as dark as night.”
The old man’s eyesight had started failing while they were waiting in Zygros City. It was a good thing they were almost home.
Soon they were at the gatehouse and several of the guards recognized him and Tharses. “Welcome, Captain-General. Her Majesty will be pleased to learn you’ve finally returned,” said the Guard Captain.
“Captain, tell Her Majesty that I am returning home for a bath and change of garments. As soon as I’m presentable, I’ll make my way to the palace.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And, take care that Uncle Wolf arrives home with a proper escort.” He took the captain aside to whisper, “Tharses’ eyesight is failing, but he doesn’t want anyone to know. Let his escort know so they don’t embarrass him.”
The Guard Captain nodded. “Of course, sir.”
It took Hestophes several candles to scrape and bathe away the dirt of the moon’s-long journey and he was tempted to stay in the tepid water even longer. He forced himself, like a bear ending its hibernation, to step out of the marble basin and have his manservant spill pails of recently-heated warm water over his head until the last of the soap was gone. He then got dressed in hose, britches and doublet before making his way to the palace.
Great Queen Rylla was waiting in her private audience chamber. Upon his entrance, she rose up and hugged him tightly. “Old friend, we were beginning to wonder if you’d been taken prisoner by the Zygrosi or had run into pirates on the way home.”
“Neither, Your Majesty. We were detained because Great King Phidestros was torn between his greed and his loyalty to his former underling. I’m not sure whether it was greed that won out, or his disgust at Geblon for being so turkey-pecked. Eventually, reason won and he decided to stay at home with his army. In the spring, he will be sending Captain-General Kyblannos to join Great King Kalvan in Hos-Bletha to see that he receives his fair share of the Styphoni plunder.”
Rylla sighed. “That is very good news, Duke. My husband will have enough enemies to fight without adding the only one he fears to the fray.”
“Yes, and with good reason. Phidestros has his own rifles and is making more every day Plus, his men are veterans and well-disciplined. He also has the next best artillery in the Great Kingdoms; only ours is better. I must admit I was very impressed by what I observed; Phidestros trains his men year-round. And pays them, too!”
“A man to be respected as well as feared,” she observed.
“Yes, he will make a good ally. Nor does he have any love for Styphon’s House. He had all the upperpriests in Hos-Zygros beheaded and sent their heads to Balph!”
“Yes, we heard about that when we were besieging Tarr-Ceros.”
“Of course. Such news must have shaken the walls at Balph to their very foundation.”
“I’m sure it did. Great King Phidestros was the best military ally and strategist the Temple had. It’s good to know that he is out of the fight.”
“I understand the siege went well.”
“Much better than we had ever prayed for,” Rylla said, shaking her head in wonder. “Who would have predicted that the hard-headed Grand Master would repudiate Styphon and swear to Galzar? Lyklos the Trickster must have been at work.”
Hestophes smiled. “Praise Galzar, it sure appears that way. The gods are always happy to mock us mortals. And it took Great King Phidestros by surprise as well. He knows Soton as well as any man who himself is not a member of the Order of Zarthani Knights. I believe it helped win his allegiance to our side. Plus, like most mercenaries, Phidestros is a believer in Galzar. He was overtly pleased to see Soton change allegiance to the Wargod’s camp. As I, myself, am.”
“True,” Rylla admitted. “Grand Master Soton was a worthy opponent, and now shall be a righteous friend.”
“Yes, the Order helps keep the peace in the Sastragath. Without them, the Southern Kingdoms would be at constant war. What about Warlord Ranjar Sargos?”
Rylla frowned. “He deserted us in our time of need. My husband may feel some loyalty to that barbarian, but as far as I’m concerned, the debt has been wiped clean. Sargos will receive no more weapons from us, nor shall we help him against the Order. If he is smart, he’ll stick to his side of the Great River.”
Hestophes kept quiet; no one carried a grudge longer than his Great Queen. Unknowingly, Sargos had made a huge strategic error. Kalvan might forgive his lack of loyalty, but Rylla would cradle it like an infant and take it to her grave.
“Where is the Great King now?” he asked. His unsaid question was:
When and where am I going to join up with him?
“He left Xiphlon several moons ago for Hos-Bletha where he plans to meet up with Democriphon—or Great King Valthros as he is now called—and Duke Skranga.”
“Are we going to join them in the spring?” Hestophes asked.
An enigmatic smile played upon Rylla’s lips.
His stomach sank.
“No, Captain-General, I have other plans.”
III
Kalvan seated himself on the butt of a large log and made himself comfortable in front of the rosy campfire. Gasphros was telling stories about the expedition to Hos-Bletha and how they tricked the Styphoni into allowing them egress into their temples.
“Duke Skranga often rode with us as Highpriest Sangar, but he was very reluctant to take the title.”
A series of laughs and guffaws broke out around the fire ring.
“Why not?” Kalvan asked, playing the straight man for his audience. Skranga he imagined would enjoy playing any part that gave him pomp and authority over others quite well.
“As you know, Your Majesty,” Gasphros said, after taking a drink from his tankard, “there is one specific requirement for becoming a Styphon’s House priest. A most painful and embarrassing one.”
Kalvan smiled. Of course, he’d heard it before. Still, not a pleasant operation for a grown man with local medical equipment; he even felt sorry for the Duke.
“So he undertook the circumcision,” Gasphros said, failing to hide a wry smile. “It left the Duke in a foul temper for the entire half-moon his incision took to heal. I’ve seen a bear lose a cache of honeycombs with more aplomb.”
As everyone laughed, one of the maidservants came over with a cup of hot chocolate and presented it to him. “Thank you,” Kalvan said, as he took the hot beverage into his hand. It wasn’t coffee and it didn’t taste like any chocolate back home, but it was better than nothing.
She blushed and scooted away. It made him glad that Lady Eldra had left with First Captain Ranthar for Xiphlon to aid King Verkan in his search for Dalla some time ago. Eldra was a real temptress and he didn’t need or want that kind of distraction.
“Would you like a shot of Ermut’s Best to keep your chocolate warm?” Gasphros asked.
“Sure,” he replied, between puffs on his pipe. In a few days they’d be marching off to Bletha Town to fight a battle; he was enjoying the down time.
Gasphros leaned over and poured a generous dollop into his cup. As he returned to his makeshift seat, the troubadour said, “I don’t believe you’ve meet Gycules yet, have you, sire?”
He shook his head. He’d heard a number of stories about the huge petty-captain, but they had yet to meet.
Gycules stepped forward; he was one of largest men he’d seen here-and-now; in the same league as Xykos, Queen Rylla’s chief bodyguard.
They clasped hands.
“I’ve heard so much about Your Majesty that I thought most of it was codswallop.”
Everyone laughed.
He bowed his head. “Now, I can see that you are a man of your word, Your Majesty. I look forward to fighting with you and your men.”
Kalvan smiled. “I look forward to welcoming you to our side. Maybe you can bash the walls of Balph with your fists!”
Everyone smiled.
“I wish it were that easy,” Gycules said.
“So do I,” Kalvan replied.
IV
Kalvan was sitting at a table in the War Room in Tarr-Pytha poring over the local maps, which left a lot to be desired in terms of detail. Valthros had done his best, but he hadn’t had any real mapmakers in his expedition. Kalvan had his own Royal Cartographers working on better maps, but they wouldn’t have anything useful until long after the war was over. From what he could remember from school, since he had never traveled through the southeast, was that Bletha Town was located approximately in the same spot as Atlanta, Georgia. The maps placed Balph, the Holy City of Styphon’s House, at roughly Wilmington, North Carolina. From the lack of interior roads, other than the back roads used by Styphon’s House’s couriers, which crossed swamps, rivers, streams and hills, the best route from Bletha Town to Balph appeared to be along old US Route 17, the coastal highway called the Balthros Road.
While the Hostigi schooners had badly damaged the Styphoni coastal ocean fleet, he was going to need more ships. The Styphoni still had scores of galleys and he needed more ships to address their sea advantage. He sent a courier to bring in Admiral Herad.
He had barely finished smoking a fresh bowl of tobacco when the Admiral came into the room.
“Your Majesty,” the Admiral said with a nod.
Kalvan indicated a seat situated next to him. He pointed to the Balthros Road, which was delineated with red ink and ran north up the coastline. “That’s the best road to reach Balph from Dalthrax Port. Unless you can get enough boats and transports to ship the entire army up the coast.”
The Admiral shook his head. “Not possible, Your Majesty. We only brought fourteen transports with us from Xiphlon. Even if we pressed all the local shipping, we wouldn’t have enough boats to transport a quarter of the army. Nor would we have any boats to transport arms, armor, powder, horses, victuals and other necessary supplies.” He shook his head wearily. “I wish I could do more.”
Kalvan nodded. “That’s what I was afraid of. If we sent a courier to ThagnorTown and had Rylla send all the available ships, would that make a difference?”
“Well, they’d have to wait until spring to make the journey. The canals between Thagnor and Greffa are sufficient for the schooners and some of the smaller transports; if they haven’t iced over. This time of year the ocean is too stormy for safe passage. In truth, there aren’t enough ships in the entire Hostigos Fleet to ship the entire army, much less our allies and supplies. However, it’s still a good idea. The Styphoni still have a formidable fleet of galleys and we’re going to need all the warships we can get to guard the transports with the army’s supplies.”
“So, Admiral, what you’re saying is that we’re going to need most of the fleet to both protect and transport our supplies.”
He shrugged, “I wouldn’t say that, Sire. But having the rest of the fleet would make our position much stronger. With all fifty-six of our warships, we can hold the Styphoni galleys at bay forever. However, with the twenty-eight schooners we do have, the Styphoni fleet won’t dare close because of our superior firepower. I would hate to delay the siege of Balph for the two or three moons—with the Weather Goddess’ blessing—it would take for the rest of the fleet to navigate their way here from Thagnor. We still have enough ships based at Dalthrax Port to protect the convoys going between Dalthrax and Balph. We could even make some attacks on their coastal towns to keep them off balance.”
Kalvan smiled. “I like that idea. Plus, it will hurt morale. The Styphoni have become accustomed to owning the oceanfront, and have grown fat and happy here. Nor will their allies in Hos-Ktemnos be pleased by our incursions. However, the fleet’s primary goal will be to transport supplies, reinforcements and foodstuffs to the army, not engage the enemy.”
