Lorik The Protector (Lorik Trilogy) (18 page)

He told himself that by fighting the Norsik all along the border he was protecting Timmons Gate, too, but that idea felt hollow somehow. As if it were more of a rationale for doing what he wanted to do than actual truth.

“What’s eating you?” Stone asked once Lorik caught up to the group. “Victory leave a bad taste in your mouth?”

“No, but I don’t think we can have many more straight-on fights, either. We lost two men today, and we can’t afford to lose any more.”

“We need more weapons, bows and spears. We need to be able to strike from a distance or we’re going to have casualties.”

“We could make bows,” Lorik said, “but they wouldn’t be very good. The wood up here is all wrong and we don’t have the time to season it properly. And good arrows would be even more difficult to produce.”

“What about spears?”

“That’s a possibility,” Lorik said. “But they take a lot of practice to use effectively.”

“So?” Stone said. “We’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice. And besides, spears can be used from the saddle, too.”

“All right, when we get back to Fort Utlig you can get started making some spears. Do you know much about making spears?”

“It’s a stick with a blade,” Stone said. “It doesn’t get much simpler than that.”

Lorik could see that both his men and their horses were on the verge of exhaustion. They dismounted and walked their horses most of the way back to Fort Utlig. It was midday when they arrived, and they found that the Norsik ships were all gone. Lorik lead his men into the fort. Vera and the other women had food ready, and although a few of the men had cuts and bruises, saddle soreness was the main complaint. Most of the men saw to their horses, scarfed down the food that was handed to them, and then found a quiet place inside the fort to lie down.

Several of the horses had cuts or gashes, which Vera covered with a poultice she had mixed using some of the medicinal supplies the people in Timmons Gate had sent. Constable Yorn was nowhere to be seen, and Lorik decided he would wait to seek out and confront the inept constable. Instead, he went to talk to Yulver.

“How long have they been gone?” Lorik asked.

“The ships all left at dawn,” Yulver said.

“Dawn? Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Yulver said. “I watched the bastards go. They had just a few men in each ship.”

“Why would they leave?” Lorik wondered. “They couldn’t have known their raiding party would be defeated.”

“No, they couldn’t,” Yulver said. “Although I imagine it is possible that they saw your volunteers following their raiders. My guess is they went looking for reinforcements.”

“What about the survivors?” Lorik said. “What did they do when they found out their ships were gone?”

“What survivors?” Yulver asked.

“The ones we let go,” Lorik said. “They were headed north after the battle this morning. They were running scared, too. We didn’t catch sight of them.”

“They didn’t come back here,” Yulver said. “I’ve had a man in the crow’s nest all morning and I’m pretty sure there were men on the fort’s lookout tower. We spotted your bunch, but no Norsik.”

“Damn,” Lorik said. He turned and started back toward the fort.

“Where are you going now?” Yulver called to him.

“I’ve got to find those raiders.”

“But you just got back.”

“What can I say?” Lorik replied. “There’s no rest for the weary.”

“You getting started on those spears?” Lorik asked Stone once he got back inside the fortress.

“I was planning on getting a little rest first,” Stone replied. “Hey, where are you going?”

“The raiders we chased off didn’t come back through here,” Lorik said. “Odds are they circled east and may have hit Timmons Gate. We should have stayed there.”

“That’s crazy,” Stone said. “There couldn’t have been more than fifteen survivors. A raiding party that small wouldn’t tackle a town the size of Timmons Gate.”

“They might,” Lorik said. “I’ve got to go find out.”

“What are you going to accomplish by yourself?” Stone said. “Stay here, get some rest, and we’ll ride out in the morning.”

“By morning the town could be destroyed,” Lorik said.

“And you’re going to stop that all by yourself?”

“I have to try.”

“It’s a fool’s errand,” Stone argued. “You know that. Don’t let your guilt drive you to do something foolish. You don’t know that Timmons Gate is their target, and even if it is, we can’t stop every Norsik incursion. Our goal is to patrol the border—you said so yourself.”

“But we can’t turn our back on Timmons Gate,” Lorik said. “They asked me to stay and I told them no. I won’t be able to live with myself is something happens now.”

“And what will we do if you ride off and get yourself killed?” Vera said as she came walking into the stable. “Why are you always so passionate about the safety of others and so reckless with your own life?”

“I’m not reckless,” Lorik said. “But I can’t in good conscience leave those people undefended.”

“They know about the raids up down the coast, don’t they?” Vera asked. “They know there is a possibility that they could be attacked. So they need to make their safety a priority instead of relying on you to do everything for them.”

“You don’t understand,” Lorik said.

“We do,” Stone countered, putting his hand on Lorik’s shoulder. “We understand how you feel, and we care, but you can’t do everything. Stay the night, get some rest, and we’ll all ride out together tomorrow.”

Lorik looked down at his feet. He was so tired he felt lightheaded. Rationally he knew that even if he went to Timmons Gate now, he wouldn’t be much help to them; he was simply too tired. But there was a spark of fear in his brain, a little, worming thought that kept telling him he was irresponsible. It ate at his confidence and peace of mind. He didn’t know if he could even rest with a known threat looming over the town he had just left on their own.

“Tomorrow,” Vera said. “That’s all we’re asking for.”

“All right,” he said. “I’ll stay the night.”

“Good,” Stone said. “Let’s get a nap, then we can make sure we’ve got everything ready for tomorrow.”

They found a room in one of the many structures that lined the wooden palisade. It was little more than a shed, but it had two cots, and Vera made sure they had blankets and water. They slept for nearly three hours, then Lorik was up, checking supplies. He didn’t want his volunteers caught out of the fort without food and water again. Stone checked on the horses and decided that six of them needed more time to rest and heal. Then he inventoried their weapons. There were a few spears left in the fort. He took them and made sure everything was ready for an early departure.

As the sun set many of the volunteers roused themselves. They washed and ate dinner with the other volunteers and womenfolk in the fort. It was almost festive, at least until Constable Yorn arrived and began barking orders. He wanted the fires put out and claimed the children were making too much noise. Lorik made a mental note to talk to the man, but everyone was tired, so they all chose to call it a night.

Dawn came too early for everyone, but Lorik cajoled his men out of their beds and into their saddles. They left half a dozen volunteers behind with Stone to work on making more spears. Lorik would have to commission the steel heads from the blacksmiths working in Timmons Gate, but the shafts could be cut and sanded down in the fort, where plenty of woodworking tools were readily available.

Lorik pushed his men and horses and they arrived at Timmons Gate in less than three hours. When they arrived, they found the town going about its normal business: smoke was rising from the furnaces of the metal workers and the smell of bread baking drifted down the street. Lorik had decided that telling Brotas and the other townsfolk about the missing survivors of the battle was a bad idea. He didn’t want to frighten them or send them into a panic. Still, he needed more of an excuse than commissioning spear heads for bringing almost his entire force south. He decided that he could afford to leave a few men in the town to help prepare the townsfolk for the possibility of a raid. He felt he would sleep better knowing that the town wasn’t all alone in the event of an attack.

It was still early in the day, so Lorik divided his group of volunteers in half, sending them out to scout to the east and the west. The volunteers knew what they were looking for and had instructions to spend only a few hours looking before getting back to the village. Lorik wanted to be back at the fort by nightfall.

Lorik and Brotas met with the blacksmiths. There were two metal workers in the town, and both had apprentices who were happy to work on the spear heads. Lorik wanted the blades to be small and simple, strong but not too heavy. The spears needed to be useful in a variety of situations and he needed them as soon as possible. The volunteers would need time to get used to fighting with the spears, and when used in battle the spears would easily get lost or broken. They needed enough spear heads to make dozens and dozens of spears.

Then Lorik met with the town council, urging them to make plans to help the townsfolk deal with a raid. He made arrangements for a group of three volunteers to stay at the inn. The volunteers would patrol the town and help the men train with weapons. Lorik thought that the volunteers might stay a few days, then swap with some others so that every few days the town would have fresh fighters and men prepared to help them.

The plan was popular, both with the town and with his volunteers. It didn’t hurt that there were pretty young ladies in the town who watched the soldiers’ every move. Lorik made his first assignment, leaving the three volunteers who were the most saddle sore. Then he led his ever diminishing force of volunteers back to Fort Utlig.

There was no sign of the Norsik and the next day, Lorik took half of the group and began riding west. They stayed within sight of the Wilderlands. The huge trees were both awe-inspiring and frightening. Lorik wasn’t sure how he felt about riding into the Wilderlands. He wasn’t superstitious, but the giant redwoods were like nothing he had ever seen before. He felt smaller and weaker the nearer he got to the trees; it reminded him of being a child and standing near his father’s huge Shire horses.

They rode all day, with no Norsik in sight. As evening came, they made camp. Each man had one of the spears that the king’s soldiers had left in Fort Utlig. Lorik didn’t know spear drills, so he made some up. First they practiced throwing the spears, just letting his men get used to how the weapons flew. Then they practiced swinging the spears from the ground to hold off attackers. The next morning, they rode with the spears tucked under their arms. Lorik wanted the long weapons—most were as tall as the volunteers that wielded them—to feel second nature to his men.

It was late on the second day when they came to Fort Hallish, which was really just an outpost. The fort was made up of one large hall, with earthworks and sharpened stakes that were half buried for stability and angled out in all directions like some sort of spiny animal. There were a few men in the fort: two of them were lame, and the third was only a boy. The men took turns keeping watch, and the boy was their runner. They told Lorik that there were several villages not far to the south and that Norsik raiders had been spotted in the Wilderlands, but raids had been rare. They also said the scouts that Lorik had sent west had passed through days ago, but had not returned.

Lorik wanted to press on and find out what happened to the two volunteers he had sent to scout the western border, but he knew that his first priority was to patrol the lands between Fort Hallish and Fort Utlig. They stayed the night, and the next morning Lorik assigned two men to remain at the fort for the day. Two more were given the responsibility of staying until the following day, then they were to return to Fort Utlig. This way, volunteers would be traveling between the two forts every day.

The trip back was uneventful, even boring. Luckily, Lorik was used to long trips. He enjoyed being in the saddle instead of on the bench of a wagon, and the constant sense of danger kept him sharp. They got back to Fort Utlig just after sunset, and Lorik ate dinner with Stone and Vera. Constable Yorn had settled into his new role, according to Vera, but whenever Lorik was in the fortress the rat-faced man seemed to disappear.

Lorik wasn’t surprised. In fact, he supposed that Yorn probably hated him. He had beaten the constable up and usurped his authority. Lorik knew the little man was no more than a bully with an inflated sense of his self-worth, but he also knew that Yorn had a role to play in the fortress. He didn’t mind allowing Yorn to control the fort, as long as the inept constable didn’t get in the way of Lorik leading the volunteers.

The next morning Lorik sent two more riders back to Fort Hallish while he and Stone took the wagon and three more volunteers south to Timmons Gate. Lorik picked up the four dozen spearheads that had been fashioned for him and replaced the three volunteers who had been staying at the inn with the men he had brought with him.

“Will those spearheads work for you?” Lorik asked Stone as they drank ale in Brotas’s inn.

“They’re perfect,” Stone said.

“That’s good,” Brotas said. The innkeeper had a worried expression on his face.

“What’s eating you?” Lorik asked.

“That iron isn’t free, you know,” he said. “Someone has to pay for the things you’re taking.”

“I’m sure once the king returns everything will be made right.”

“You obviously know little of kings if you believe that. I’ve not known a king who paid for anything.”

“Have you known a lot of kings?” Stone asked.

“Well, no,” Brotas said in exasperation, “but I’ve known Lord Emry for many years. He takes whatever he wants in the name of the king and we get precious little in return.”

“I’m sorry,” Lorik said. “If the king doesn’t repay you, I will.”

“Oh great, now I’ve got the promise of a man who probably won’t survive the week.”

Stone laughed.

“Thanks for that vote of confidence,” Lorik said.

“It’s not easy keeping this town together,” Brotas complained. “Some of the people are already wanting to move south, even though they have no place to go. Others want to ignore the danger. The council is stuck in the middle and it isn’t easy, believe you me.”

“I’m sure it’s not, but you seem to be doing an admirable job.”

“Well, just keep in mind that it wouldn’t hurt you to spread the needs around to some of the other villages. We only have so much, you know.”

“Yes,” Lorik said. “I’ll do that. I’m planning to make a trip west soon. I’ve already been to Fort Hallish, and I’ll be recruiting from the surrounding villages there.”

“That’s good to know,” Brotas said. “And what about the missing raiders?”

“What?” Lorik asked in surprise.

“Oh, don’t patronize me,” Brotas complained. “I know that you didn’t kill all the raiders in your fight. I know some of them are unaccounted for. I didn’t figure you for a man who changed his mind, and your volunteers weren’t hard to squeeze for information. Did you really expect that we wouldn’t find out?”

“I wasn’t trying to hide the fact that some of the raiders didn’t return to Norsik. We aren’t sure where they are. Probably laid up somewhere licking their wounds. They didn’t return to the coast like we thought because they knew their ships wouldn’t be there. I expect they’ve moved east, skirting the coast and hoping to meet up with some other raiders.”

“All of that fills me with such hope,” Brotas said sarcastically. “You know there are raiders to the east, so why aren’t you patrolling that direction?”

“Well, I did send a scout east, but he hasn’t returned,” Lorik said. “And to tell you the truth I expected more danger from the Wilderlands. I simply don’t have the manpower to patrol the coast. Maybe when I get more volunteers—”

“Oh, posh, it could be months before we get more volunteers. You need to protect us now.”

“I’m doing my best,” Lorik said. “But I can’t be everywhere at once.”

“Fine, just be here when we need you.”

Lorik and Stone finished their drinks and gathered the volunteers who were going back with them. The three men looked sad to be leaving Timmons Gate, but Lorik had no time for their lovesickness. He had some big decisions to make.

“So what’s on your mind now?” Stone asked. “I know you aren’t letting that innkeeper make you feel guilty. It isn’t your responsibility to protect every settlement on the border. You can only do so much.”

“No, it isn’t that. I sent scouts out, remember? Why do you suppose they haven’t returned?”

“I can think of three distinct possibilities. First, they’re lost. Second, they don’t want to come back. And third, they can’t come back, probably because they’re dead.”

“None of those possibilities is reassuring,” Lorik said.

“No, but they aren’t necessarily foreboding either. Look, we know there are raiders to the east along the coast. But we also know the Norsik typically raid the coast. They pillage and loot, then they sail back home. Just because we saw them on the voyage doesn’t mean they are moving inland.”

“True, but normally the king’s soldiers patrol along the coast. Now the whole of northern Ortis lies unprotected. What if they’re moving their warriors across the gulf instead of through the Wilderlands like we expected? They could have a thousand warriors marching this way right now and we wouldn’t know it.”