The Dragonswarm (32 page)

The next day had brought a handful more, farmers and ranchers from south Teelevon, and every one of them recognized me on sight. Some brought families. They shook my hand or bowed awkwardly or fell to their knees before me, and by the end of the eighteenth day I had a civilian population within my walls. I was worried about them when dawn came on the nineteenth day.

I was worried about my warriors, too. They were not really trained to defend fortifications. Caleb had done his best, but all their experience had been earned attacking from behind, in the dark, not waiting in strongholds. I was worried about the king's soldiers coming to the attack, too. I thought of all the brave young men in the front lines, faithfully charging against my waiting archers.

I thought dark thoughts indeed of Othin ordering them to advance.

At dawn I watched with Caleb as the dust cloud appeared again. They were on the move.

Around the third hour, I heard him say, "Now that is odd...."

I was thinking the same thing. "At least your defenders can stand down," I said. "Put them back to work."

But he and I just watched the horse advance. Around noon on the nineteenth day, an army of peasants invaded Palmagnes. They were farmers and merchants, carpenters and blacksmiths and riverboat men—there were shepherds aplenty, but not a soldier among them.

They came on foot, or leading donkeys on a tether, or some in long trains of wagons. They came in a great caravan, packing hard the ancient soil of the forgotten South Road, and my men watched with open mouths as the crowd poured through the gaping gateway and stood milling in the sprawling courtyard, eyes wide.

It took the rest of the day to sort them out. That afternoon we didn't lay a single stone, we were so busy helping lay out and construct and organize a place for the myriad civilians within our military encampment. Caleb and Lareth and I were harried, moving in and out among the newcomers until well after sunset, first trying to understand and then trying to explain and, at the last, only to organize.

They had come from across the plains. I saw many of the people of the Eliade barony, and they were small surprise after the steady stream of farmers coming to join us in the last week. But I also met men from as far away as Cara to the west, and a hundred villages out east and even north of Tirah. Just at sunset I stumbled across the innkeeper of Chaaron, who bowed and scraped and swore an oath of fealty without once recognizing me. Caleb said later that he'd spotted Farmer Jake as well.

The word had spread from there. I heard my own intentions from a hundred different mouths, and every face shone with hope that I could face the dragonswarm. When I had left that inn, and then the rebels disappeared, the people talked.

I heard heartbreaking tales, too, of the monsters finally come down from the mountains. A man who had told me dragons couldn't compare with the threat of the rebels accepted a bowl of thin barley soup from one of those very soldiers and told me what a flight of dragons had done to his home.

Wherever I saw faces from the baron's lands, I urged them to go home. This place had never been meant to protect civilians, but they cried or begged or stubbornly refused. I had chosen the location for the power of its name, and the name had spread too far. Every man and woman among them
believed
that Palmagnes could stand; some had traveled hundreds of miles to seek its refuge.

So we made them as comfortable as we could, organized them as well as we could, and late into the night we met back in the tower and wondered what to do. Caleb met with his officers for half an hour, then sent them out into the night with further orders. Lareth sat with crossed legs and brooded.

I waited.

Finally Caleb came over to me, "Daven, this is not all trouble."

"It is. They cannot fight. What can we really do for them?"

"You're thinking about it the wrong way 'round. How many of the people you met were from this province?"

I shrugged, "A little more than half, I'd say."

He nodded. "Me too. And every one of them a farmer or cattleman. Daven, these people can support
us
. In fact...we need them."

"No, Caleb!" I shook my head, "We will
not
take advantage of these people—"

Lareth rose. "It's hardly taking advantage. If you believe any part of what you say, these people face destruction. You can offer them some refuge. Use the resources they're willing to give you, and grant the safety only you can. It's why we tolerate our lords at all."

Caleb nodded. "They're willing, too. The ones from around here, especially. They were trying to join the army, Daven. They haven't forgotten you're their knight."

"But I'm not. Not anymore."

Lareth's head snapped around in surprise. "You were made a Knight of the People around here?"

"For killing you, in fact."

He didn't grin this time, but still a smile touched his lips. "You should have said. I would have sent you out campaigning days ago. That title's gold."

"I'm sure it's been revoked," I said. "The king would have his say."

"Not much in this. A Knight is 'of the people,' after all. Unless they turn against you, royal mandate won't do much. And you seem to have respect throughout this land."

"Not just respect," Caleb said. "They adore him. And those who came from farther off adore the rumors."

"So I should welcome them to die because they love me?" Even as I said it, I knew I was wrong.

Lareth scowled openly. "Of course you won't. You'll save their lives. Isn't that what this whole charade is for? You've built a bulwark strong enough to stand the storm, why not welcome every ally come inside? Extend your protection, and triple your fighting power."

I shook my head. "Well, not my fighting power. These aren't soldiers, not even as much as the brigands I've got."

Caleb shook his head. "That's not what he means. He's talking about food again. Get the grain and the cattle. Without it, you won't have any soldiers a week from now."

"Oh, I'm not even talking food," the wizard said. "I'm talking power. Strong hands, strong backs, more fire for you to burn.
Your
fighting power."

"There's that," Caleb said, thoughtful. "There's craftsmen out there, too. You almost have a town. Put them to work. Build us some tables, some chairs. Make the men a barracks and let them sleep on beds for the first time in a year. That will help your soldiers, too."

Lareth's eye lit up. "I would murder for a feather bed."

Caleb almost smiled. He saw the doubt in my eyes, and said, "No, Daven. There's nothing left to argue about. The mage is right. You have a chance like this, you take it."

"And all I have to give them is my protection?"

Caleb shrugged, "It's more than they'd get from anyone else, once the dragons come. For that matter, it's more than they got from the good baron last time these cutthroats were around. There's no justification for turning them back."

And they were right, of course. I couldn't argue much, but I had spent two days dreading the doom that hung over my people, and now I'd only added to the fold. But we'd have beds and blacksmiths, we'd have cooks and carts piled high with food. The siege would come, and all these unarmed men could represent our victory. We talked on, late into the night, ironing out details and beginning the long process of planning out the village that would be. Twice Caleb left to wake one officer or another and start the orders passing.

The second time he left I barely noticed, so caught up in my discussion with Lareth. "Of
course
they're still capable—given the tools—but where will we get the resources?"

The wizard shrugged, "A blacksmith's got iron. A carpenter's got wood. Wood wouldn't be a problem anyway, with the number of men we've got—"

"Yes, but they wouldn't bring iron
with
them! Many barely brought the clothes on their backs."

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We'll just go get it."

I blinked.

He laughed. "As long as they live outside this dusty nowhere, I can make portals anywhere to north or east, and we have plenty of hands to bring it back."

I closed my eyes, and saw it all unfold. It seemed too easy. "Just like that? Just slip out the back and bring home their supplies?"

"And food, of course. And anything we need."

Caleb's shadow blocked the door, and when we turned he didn't move. He seemed distracted, worried. "And what about the wizards with the king?"

"What about them?" Lareth asked.

"How much will they interfere with this plan?"

Lareth shook his head. "Not at all. If they were close, of course, they'd see the changing power. That...that we could not afford. They could follow it and step right through our walls. But until they arrive, we're free to come and go."

"Then that's two days," Caleb said.

We didn't ask the question. Caleb answered anyway. "They're outside Teelevon now. They're stopping anyone they find heading here and confiscating goods. We've got two days before they're camped outside our door."

"That isn't time enough," the wizard said. "Not to get everything we need. The feathers alone might take me hours."

"Forget your bed," Caleb growled. "We're talking about war."

Lareth sighed. "My point still stands. The crowd we had today could well supply our needs, but they are scattered all across the south Ardain. We'll need more time to send out gathering parties."

"Perhaps we can arrange that," I said. "Delay the king's men a little bit."

Caleb stepped closer. "I know of ways, but they all break your rules."

"No. No killing. But we could offer them a truce, request parlay."

Lareth tasted the words. "Request parlay? Yes, that could work."

Caleb shook his head. "It won't. Not with an Eagle in command. The way they're trained, a rebel gets none of the rights or honors reasonably afforded foreign foes. They wouldn't hesitate to cut you down under the flag of peace."

"The king's men? They would do that?" I asked.

He nodded.

I shook my head. "I'd expect that kind of thing from Brant, but not the king's elite guard."

Caleb only shrugged.

"It doesn't matter anyway," I said. "I never meant to meet with them; I just wanted to buy time. It might take, what, a day or two sending messages back and forth to arrange the meeting?"

Caleb raised his eyebrows. "I do suspect it would."

Lareth grinned his twisted grin. "Ooh, and if they planned some treachery they'd want to stay as close as possible to form. Might even ask another day to plan the strike."

"And by the time they realize I'm not coming to the meeting," I said, "we'll have the resources we need."

Caleb stood staring down at me for a long time. Then he shook his head. "That plan is cunning and twisted, and predicated on the treachery of other men."

"But will it work?" I asked.

"It should. I'm just surprised it came from you."

I hesitated, then smiled. "I have some fine examples to learn from." Lareth barked a laugh.

Caleb nodded somberly. "That you do, my lord. That you do, indeed."

I stayed up late that night, unable to ignore the rising threat. Caleb had found another risk I hadn't even entertained: spies among my flood of new retainers. It would be easy enough, he had said, to slip some in and let them wait, then open up the gates the day the king arrived.

We had no gates. Not yet. We had our plans, but while the enemy was still far off, we'd stationed guards beneath the arch and spent our attention on other things. I worried about the gates. I didn't worry much about the spies.

I waited 'til the dark of night, when most of the tower had fallen silent, then I sat within my room and closed my eyes. I reached out through the stones and spread my senses until I could feel every living thing in my domain.

Not many were asleep. Most among them burned with quiet worry. Some sat up and whispered rumors. Some played cards. And some were hard at work despite the hours. I looked in on my sentries, sharp and alert beneath the gateway arch, and for the first time they were feeling very small and vulnerable there. There were others on the walls, walking their patrols.

I found the civilians in their camp. Caleb had set them in the courtyard south of the tower, and something like a town had already sprung up. In tents and little lean-to sheds and under heavy-laden wagons, the workers slept. They had some fear—more brittle and jittery than that old familiar worry in the guards—but mostly they had trust that we could keep them safe.

My awareness drifted like a fog among the sleeping forms, and I felt their hearts until I saw betrayal. I found a carter with a dozen barrels full of alcohol and plans for arson in his heart. I opened the ground beneath him where he slept, swallowed him up in its warm embrace, and left him air enough to sleep 'til dawn. I'd go with guards to dig him up tomorrow morning.

And there were more. Nearly a dozen men in all, and three of them among my own battalions, long embedded with the wizard's rebels. I might have found the black betrayal in the hearts if I had looked before, but I had never thought to look. Now I bound them like the rest, beneath the floor where they were sleeping.

I was nearly done, exhausted from the search and thinking maybe I might even get some sleep, but then I noticed someone slinking through the halls. It was a girl, wrapped up in black to hide her in the night. There'd been no women in the camps that Lareth brought, but some had come in with the farmers from the fields and quite a few among the caravan of tradesmen. She had been one of them. She had hidden among them, and I had never seen her face.

I didn't need to now. I knew her instantly. I almost called Caleb to go and deal with her. Perhaps I should have. I watched her sneak along the outer stairs up to the second floor, then turn my way. We had no lights within that passage yet, but there were guards. A patrol headed her way even then, another coming down the stairs would block her in. She would be caught, and we had not yet well prepared my men for harboring civilians. They might not treat her kindly when they caught her stalking.