Prince of the Icemark (24 page)

All along the line housecarles lowered their spears as one, and the fyrd joined them in their fighting chant: “
OUT!
Out! Out!
OUT!
Out! Out!
OUT!
Out! Out!” The simple beat of the chant syncopated perfectly with the rattling of the drums and bound the fighters into a single unit with the ties of sound. And suddenly the great voices of the mighty drums carried by Beorg and Scur boomed into the air, adding a sense of power and strength that surged throughout the ranks. The drum horses stood like rocks, towering above the housecarles who held their positions around them, the huge animals acting
as immovable anchors to the fighting line.

Redrought had joined the wall where he judged the Vampire fighters would strike first and hardest. Unslinging the shield he carried on his back, he settled it to overlap those of the housecarles who stood to his left and right. Now the young King added his voice to the housecarle chant, the single word beating the air in rhythm with the drums: “
OUT!
Out! Out!
OUT!
Out! Out!
OUT!
Out! Out!”

And still the Vampire soldiers advanced, their steps in perfect time, their pale faces smiling, their cold eyes aglitter. They drew their serrated swords as one, the wide sweep of blades cutting an elegant arc through the air with polished precision. Their heads turned in unison as they swept their eyes along the wall searching for a weakness. Then with no sign of an order being given, they suddenly rose on their toes like sprinters and charged.

They assumed a narrow wedge formation and hit the shieldwall like a crystal dagger striking steel. But the shields didn’t break, and spear and axe answered serrated sword in a wild rage of strike and counter-strike.

“Hold them! Hold them, Soldiers of the Icemark!” Redrought bellowed, his voice rising in power over the din as his axe sent severed heads bouncing over the ranks like pebbles.

Cadwalader howled angrily and leapt at the black-armoured fighters, who fell back in horror before the power of the witch’s cat. The deadly smiles drained from their pale features and they hissed as the animal drove its claws into a Vampire’s face, gathering him in a deadly embrace that tore flesh from the skull beneath.

“Cadwalader strikes!” the housecarles shouted, and a great
cheer rose up from the ranks as the line of the shieldwall heaved forward and pushed the Vampires back, fighting every step of the way.

In the centre of the defences, the archers continued to shoot a rain of arrows into the enemy squadrons that were still trying to land. General Romanoff’s plan to break the shieldwall from within was being easily countered. The ground ran with Vampire blood, and their corpses lay in broken tangles all across the defended position.

The battle of the shieldwall raged on, with fighters falling on both sides. Many of the Vampires stormed the overturned wagons, but met fierce resistance from the fyrd who fought like cornered wolves, hacking and slashing at the lines of black-armoured soldiers and pushing them back again and again. Some of the fyrd carried flaming torches soaked in pitch, which they drove into Vampire’s faces and sent them screeching away to stagger amongst the ranks like corpse candles.

The great din of battle rose up into the air, echoing back from the surrounding range of mountains and washing over the position of the Vampire King and Queen in the north of the valley. The monstrous monarchs watched the battle through their monoculars and tutted with impatience.

“Well, really. How reckless! How unthinking! Did Romanoff expect to break this mortal King with one charge?” His Vampiric Majesty snapped irritably. “I think we’ve experienced enough of Redrought’s abilities to realise that wasn’t going to happen. And what exactly did our general hope to achieve without infantry support?”

The Queen surveyed the ranks of Ukpik werewolves, Rock Trolls and zombies that surrounded them and nodded. “Quite. The numbers of the Ukpiks may not be as great as
they could have been, and the trolls may be a mere shadow of their former strength, but they still heavily outnumber the human army and each and every one is worth four mortal soldiers in terms of fighting prowess.”

The King continued to glare through his monocular. “Romanoff’s squandering every ounce of advantage we gained when we lured Redrought into our trap. If she continues like this our squadrons will be decimated!”

“Then we must seize the initiative,” said Her Vampiric Majesty with urgency. “Sound the advance now and march in support of our people.”

The King lowered his monocular. “Do we dare? The army’s loyal to Romanoff. Will they answer the call?”

“The army will be growing as impatient as we are with the general’s recklessness. Sound the advance and see who will follow.”

The King paused and then nodded decisively. He raised his hand, and after a moment’s delay a bugle sounded the advance. Others took up the call, the bright metallic notes echoing over the cold autumnal air, and with a convulsive heave, the infantry rolled forward.

Smiling triumphantly Their Vampiric Majesties led the werewolves, Rock Trolls and zombies into battle. King Guthmok of the Wolf-folk joined the Vampire King and Queen, as did Prince Grishmak, and together they advanced at a brisk pace down into the valley towards Redrought’s position. The Vampire monarchs had to discipline themselves not to transform into their flying forms, which would have been much easier than walking. Both instinctively knew that it was important to be seen sharing the hardships of their infantry if they wanted to keep control of them.

“If only it was possible to train a horse to carry us,” Her Vampiric Majesty said quietly as she delicately stepped around a pile of steaming dung. “Rock Trolls are so careless with their . . . droppings, and at least we’d be carried above it.”

“Indeed,” the King replied. “But horses are such silly creatures; they seem to find our Undead status worrying.”

“And yet, they will fight like the fabled tiger of the Southern Continent for their mortal masters!”

“I rest my case, as the saying goes. Horses are silly creatures.”

The infantry of monsters continued their advance, the bellowing of the Rock Trolls echoing over the valley and announcing their arrival. Immediately several squadrons of flying Vampires peeled away from the main phalanx and took up a position over the infantry. Whoever had issued the order obviously intended to attack the human shieldwall in a joint operation of air and ground attacks. Their Vampiric Majesties smiled quietly at each other; the fact that the army was now taking tactical orders directly from them could easily be seen as evidence of Romanoff’s slipping control.

Down on the shieldwall the giant war-horns of the Icemark began to growl out a warning of the enemy infantry’s advance, and the fighting intensified as the human fighters tried to destroy the Vampire land forces before their reinforcements arrived.

The Undead warriors began to withdraw, disengaging from the struggle and pulling back across the land until they stood out of range of spear, axe and bow. They were obviously waiting for the arrival of Their Vampiric Majesties. The squadrons of giant bats still doing battle with the archers also withdrew
and wheeled away across the valley floor to gather over their advancing infantry.

For a while the only sound along the Icemark lines was the exhausted breathing of hard-pressed fighters. Redrought shouldered his double-headed axe and stared out to where the enemy ground forces were marching towards them. The unadorned blood-red standard of the Vampire King and Queen could clearly be seen at their head, and he smiled grimly.

“Warriors of the Icemark, be honoured by the presence of Their Vampiric Majesties!”

A low murmur ran through the ranks, and the shields in the wall tightened. Redrought nodded grimly. Now they would be truly tested; the monsters’ army was about to attack as one, and all mortal resistance could be swept aside. Cadwalader stood on his shoulder and hissed at the approaching ranks. The cat’s legs were red to the shoulder, and his muzzle dripped with blood as though he too was a Vampire. All around him the air shimmered with the presence of the Spirits of Battle, and his golden eyes glowed with a primal light.

Absently Redrought raised his hand and rubbed the cat’s cheek as he watched Their Vampiric Majesties draw nearer. “This is going to be a tough one, Caddy,” he said quietly. “If the Hypolitan don’t arrive soon they’ll find only an army of cadavers with a corpse for a King.”

For the next few minutes the soldiers of the Icemark watched the enemy advance in silence. Then, when the army of monsters reached a point that was just beyond range of weapons, they halted.

Only the bellowing of the Rock Trolls and the moaning of
the zombies broke the silence as the two armies faced each other. After a while three figures emerged from the ranks and began to walk towards the Icemark lines. Redrought narrowed his eyes as he tried to make out exactly who they were, but in reality he already knew.

The Vampire King and Queen stepped elegantly over the land, their black armour glistening in the cold sunlight, the Queen’s hand resting gently in the upturned palm of the King. Apart from the panoply of arms and armour, they were the epitome of grace and refinement as they approached the shieldwall. With them was General Romanoff, and though she walked behind her monarchs she managed to convey a sense that she felt no respect for them at all.

Redrought stepped out of the Icemark ranks and headed towards them. He was immediately joined by Commanders Ireton and Brereton, who walked on either side of the young King in a show of solidarity and support. Seeing his approach, Their Vampiric Majesties stopped and waited in silence.

Once he was within hailing distance, Redrought also stopped and quietly stared at the monstrous monarchs.

“I see that you have brought that appalling creature with you,” the Vampire King said, referring to Cadwalader, who stood on Redrought’s shoulder and growled quietly.

“He had a wish to see the faces of those he will escort into death,” came the reply.

The Queen hissed and drew back her lips to reveal her fangs. Cadwalader did the same, and his fangs seemed larger.

“Well, Redrought,” His Vampiric Majesty went on hurriedly. “We’ve graciously decided to allow you this one last chance to save your people. Agree to withdraw now, and we’ll allow you and your army to march back to your own borders
with full honours and carrying arms.”

“And of course, there’ll be no possibility of you attacking us once we’ve lowered the shieldwall and broken the defensive formation.”

“None whatsoever.”

“No ambush in the forests.”

“No.”

“Or in the mountain passes.”

“Indeed not.”

Redrought laughed loudly. “Somehow I just can’t quite bring myself to believe you. Strange, that, don’t you think? Why should I distrust the rulers of a land that for centuries have hated us, raided our borders, killed our people, and most recently mounted a full-scale invasion without warning? Why on earth should I think Their Vampiric Majesties capable of treachery?” The young King paused, one eyebrow cocked as though genuinely expecting an answer. Then he added, “Not only that, but why should I withdraw from a battle when my warriors have just utterly destroyed your aerial attack and repelled your ground offensive? So, considering that, now you can hear and accept
my
terms.

“Lay down your arms, surrender unconditionally and agree to pay just reparations, to be set by my High Council the Wittanagast, for the damage illegally inflicted on my lands. Accept these terms now, and I may execute you a little more swiftly and a little less painfully than I originally intended.”

The Vampire King’s eyes blazed with fury. “You stupid and contemptible boy! Do you really believe you’re in a position to impose terms? The only reason you are standing on our unholy soil at all is because you are too arrogant and too stupid to realise you’ve been lured into a trap . . .”

“If I might suggest—”

“You ‘might suggest’ precisely nothing, Romanoff,” the King interrupted the general. “The Queen and I are conducting these negotiations, and if we require advice we will tell you!” He returned his attention to Redrought. “Well, mortal
boy
, do you accept our terms or not?”

The young King watched the exchange between His Vampiric Majesty and Romanoff with interest and wished he’d known of a rift earlier. But in the end he could only shrug; there was no time to use it to his advantage now. “I and my army will stand here until every one of your warriors are dead and until I have taken your Royal skulls and added them as decoration to my personal standard.”

“Very well, boy, then die along with your contemptible little army,” said His Vampiric Majesty, and taking the hand of his Queen, he turned about and stalked back to his lines.

Romanoff’s long strides easily kept pace with those of Their Vampiric Majesties, and with a proper show of servility she posed a question. “With all due respect, Your Majesties, may I ask what exactly was achieved by that short conference?”

The Queen glared at her, but against all expectations she actually replied. “We thought it expedient to at least offer Redrought the opportunity to abandon his position.”

“Then your offer of a safe passage was genuine?”

“Of course not,” the King snapped derisively. “If he’d accepted, the shieldwall would have been lowered, his strong defences would have been abandoned, and a marching army is supremely vulnerable to attack. As Redrought himself pointed out, we could have chosen any number of ‘killing grounds’ from the forests to the mountains. Not one soldier of the Icemark would have reached home, and the costs to ourselves
in terms of casualties would have been markedly lower. Surely even you can understand that, General Twitch-a-lot?”

Romanoff ignored the jibe and nodded. “Indeed. But let us pause and consider a moment. The direction and duration of the fighting could be improved to our advantage,” Romanoff said quietly.

“What do you mean?” Her Vampiric Majesty asked.

“Well, while Your Majesties were . . . conversing fruitlessly with Redrought, I took the time to observe the line of his defences, and I believe I’ve spotted a weak point.”