Thread Slivers (Golden Threads Trilogy) (41 page)

The commanders looked at the map with interest. Elades pointed at an alley near the house where a doorway into the house was indicated. “You howled three times here. Why?”

“Nice catch. Every time I howled I had target A’s scent. He has been all over this area, especially on the path towards the Dolphin. I was howling to scare the crap out of any damned Nhia-Samri who were watching. I wanted them to know I had a hit. I suspect they know where they have been and so were able to understand my warning taunts.”

Echo lead asked, “Won’t that eliminate our element of surprise?”

Duke looked at the men. “Commanders, do you really think we are going to surprise them?” Elades chuckled and Duke gave him a ‘stop it’ look.

Everyone looked serious at that. Many shook their heads ‘no.’

“So this is going to be a direct attack?”

Duke smiled. “Oh yes, yes indeed. I want to kill every single one of them. No one gets away this time.” He pointed at places around the house. “They will be sneaking people out to attack us from behind. All units will hold at the edges of the perimeter except for two teams, which will be split in these locations. I will attack first. When I call for aid, one squad at a time will enter. This will flush them all out except for those who have been ordered to hide. Once we are finished, we will burn everything for two blocks around that house. That will flush out any hidden Nhia-Samri. Bravo, you will stop anyone trying to escape using the Delivery Channel. When we are finished you are going to send two teams to do a fish hunt under that house. There will be a sealed trunk someplace on the bottom within this perimeter. I want the contents of that chest captured. It will be booby-trapped, so be careful. Once opened you will take everything out, being careful to not touch it with bare hands; use cloth gloves only, which are to be thrown into the water when done. You will secure some lead weights so they won’t jiggle and place a single sheet of paper with a dictation I will give you later into the trunk and then put it back where you found it. We attack at dawn.”

Duke looked around while everyone pondered the plan and orders. When no one had any questions Duke said, “Excellent. Now, get to work. Tell everyone to be well-rested and to eat lightly tonight. Dismissed. Ladro, dinner please.”

Elades coordinated much of the logistics. Once everything was lined up he found a quiet corner and got a few marks’ sleep. Ladro woke him. “Duke is up.” Rising, he did some quick stretches and joined the growing number of people in the entry-hall-turned-command-room. Duke was reviewing last minute details with the Bravo Squad Commander as Elades walked up.

Duke didn’t even look around to see who it was. “Elades, Charlie Squad is going to back up Echo and maintain the perimeter. Grab some food from the next room and some arit if you want. We’ll have final briefing in fifteen.”

Turning into the dining room, he saw some other tables had been brought in and the staff was making breakfast sandwiches along with a selection of fruits and drinks. Grabbing an egg sandwich from the platter, he poured a cup of arit and ate quickly. Stepping back out, he saw that all the leads were present.

Duke looked at him and nodded. “Dawn is in two marks. Twilight needs to have zero movement. Even though they know we are coming, there is no need to advertise where everything will be. I have moved some people around based on injuries and manpower needs. The plan is still the same. Any questions?”

Everyone shook their heads no. Duke nodded. “Come.” Duke stepped outside and in the street all the Dagger squads were assembled, except for a few who were on patrol. Elades looked at them proudly. Duke stood, looking at them all in the eyes. On both sides of the street beyond the Daggers were two full detachments of city guards. The night was made as bright as day on the street and courtyard by dozens of lamps.

Duke yelled, “Daggers! Now it is time to demonstrate once again what we are. These Nhia-Samri have betrayed the kingdoms time and time again. They are bloody mercenaries who work for the nefarious cause of that little bastard, their Grand Commander. We have proved to them once before that they are our inferiors. They have not forgotten that, for now they hide in shadows, afraid to show us they are here.”

Duke paused as the Daggers and guards yelled support to his last statement. Looking over the crowd he continued, “They took coin to assassinate the last true heirs to the thrones.” The Daggers and guards yelled out at that. Many drew their weapons and held them at the ready. Duke grinned wolfishly. “This is war! Remember, the object of war is not to die for your cause but to make the other bastards die for theirs!
Semper Fidelis!
”

The Daggers, as one, held their daggers high and yelled: “SEMPER FIDELIS!”

Duke nodded, then yelled, smiling, “What the hell are you doing still standing there? Get back to work!” The Daggers broke and moved in many directions at once, as the leads launched from the small guest platform to coordinate. Elades had taken advantage of command to be in one of the teams that would directly cover Duke; from the beginning he stood his place. Duke watched as some Daggers had to stop moving to order the guards to their stations. Duke shook his head. “Commander, if I had two full divisions like these Dagger squads I could take this war straight to Hisuru Amajoo now and win. Go get your two teams in place.”

“Yes sir. We’ll be there.”

“I know you will.”

Elades jogged over to where his two fire teams were waiting. “Time to earn our coin.” They nodded and moved silently into the blockaded area. It took almost a half mark to get into positions. Elades looked over the quiet street and the simple house. It was large two-story house with its main entrance on Silver Street. There as a perfect front yard and nice patio with a covered carriage platform in the front. It only had a small, three-foot-tall white fence. The front doors were very large stained-glass doors which Duke could easily walk through. The windows all had whitewashed shutters; the whole house looked like some picturesque, perfect example of what a rich merchant would own.

The pre-dawn twilight came and the front doors opened. One man dressed in the loose garb and armor of a Nhia-Samri officer with his knives in the cloth belt stepped out. He wore red-painted armor plates with a black helmet which rose to a point. His feet were bare and behind him stood row after row of Nhia-Samri, also wearing their traditional armor.

The officer walked out boldly to the middle of the front yard where he was completely exposed. He held his hand up and the waiting Nhia-Samri marched out of the house, forming five ranks, four wide by four deep, directly behind the red-painted officer. One Nhia-Samri in the front right corner of each rank held a square banner with some symbol on it. On the front left corner of each rank stood a Nhia-Samri officer with a distinctive armor pattern and coloring.

The Nhia-Samri commander yelled, “Duke, I know you are out there. Come forth!”

Duke’s voice came out of the distance, “OK, we’ll do it that way. Hang on a second; I am not getting younger, you know.” After a few minutes Duke appeared, slowly sauntering down Silver Street. Behind him were the four squads of Daggers in a loose formation. The Nhia-Samri waited, but Elades could see that the officer frowned at the obvious insult of having to wait. Duke eventually got to the middle of the square, where he looked behind him. “Wait here boys, I have to deal with this upstart.” The Daggers filed out into general ranks as Duke walked up to the house and pushed open the gate — which was not locked or barred — and walked up, sitting down in front of the officer. Duke was wearing a mantle of office in the form of a golden collar of linked plates which joined in a V over his chest, where the collar connected to an emblem made of a single large emerald. He also had a pouch over one shoulder and what looked like a silver sack tied to it. Looking over the assembled Nhia-Samri, he said, “Ah yes, I see you are ready to surrender. You don’t have anyone shivering hidden in a dark hole someplace?”

The officer frowned deeper. “No, Duke, do not insult us. You know we do not surrender; however, we have not yet begun hostilities. Therefore there remains the possibility of peaceful settlement.”

Duke licked his chops. “Actually I think we started hostilities pretty formally when your man attacked our citizens.” Duke twisted his neck to pull the silver sack from his pouch and tossed it at the feet of the Nhia-Samri officer. The officer bent down and opened the sack, looking into it with an expression of anger and horror. Duke casually added, “Plus yesterday I chewed the head off your gate-watching outpost commander. Doesn’t that count?”

The officer straightened and looked at Duke with outrage and a mix of something else Elades couldn’t identify. “What is the meaning of this, Duke? Why do you insult us so boldly and force the conflict?”

Duke looked at him squarely. “You killed one of mine. One whom you knew was off-limits. Your own petty bastard Grand Warlord killed another one of mine, and the last heir to the realms, in exchange for a trinket that would no longer work. You are up to something, and I am going to find out what it is. Your choice is surrender all you know and I will let you walk out of here alive with your armor, weapons, and provisions to get you back to Hisuru Amajoo. You can carry a message from me that the Nhia-Samri have exactly four cycles to abandon every outpost, every station, every tie to the realms because after that time I will hunt them just as you hunted the orcs to extinction. If you do not accept my offer I will begin my hunt with you and yours; and your heads with my message stuffed in every mouth, and every odassi, broken, will be sent to Hisuru Amajoo. Either way you will carry my message to the bastard Shar-Lumen.”

The Nhia-Samri officer actually staggered backward a little at Duke’s declaration. He never once took his eyes from Duke’s. After a moment Duke asked, “What is your decision?”

The officer straightened standing taller. “Either way we are likely dead. There is no surrender, no compromise. One path holds honor, the other disgrace. You leave me no choice. The Nhia-Samri are absolute. Do you desire time to prepare?”

Duke used his front paw to tap the emerald. The mantle dropped off, and as he bowed his head allowing the pouch to fall beside it. He then stood and did what could only be a described as a bow to the officer. “So be it. No, I do not.”

The officer returned the bow and drew his odassi. Duke launched at him, but he dove under and rolled back to his feet while striking at Duke’s underside with one of the blades. The blade slide through Duke’s fur but had no effect. Duke landed and spun, diving low, trying to get the officer’s legs. The officer danced out of the way, stabbing out. Duke twisted, preventing the stabs from making contact. The officer leapt at Duke before the wolf could come fully around. This time a blade managed to strike into Duke’s back shanks.

Duke growled. “First blood is yours. Last blood will be mine!” He spun and nipped at the officer, who was forced to dodge; Duke predicted the dodge and adjusted for it. His teeth managed to grab part of the officer’s armor. Duke flipped his head and the officer was thrown five feet to land in a pile. Duke spun and lunged at the pile. The officer tried to roll out of the way, but Duke was too fast and trapped the officer’s arms under his front paws, just as he had done the day prior at the gate.

Duke yelled, “For Vestul and the Realms!” Biting down, he ripped the officer’s head off by the exposed neck.

With the death of their officer the Nhia-Samri screamed as one, drawing their odassi and rushing Duke. Duke leapt high and over one whole rank, yelling, “Daggers! Do you want to live forever? Get to work!”

Not exactly the codes we agreed on, but what plan ever survives the first engagement?
“All Daggers attack!”

Four squads of Daggers rolled forward, screaming and drawing weapons. The two waves met loosely on the street and park directly in front of the house. Knives sang everywhere; Daggers and Nhia-Samri fought viciously. Duke spun, grabbing a Nhia-Samri by the arm and throwing him into a group of others. Duke didn’t waste any time, he dove right after him, yelling, “Hey, I’m not done with you yet!” Duke bowled over ten Nhia-Samri who tried to cut and stab him, but he danced around them, stepping on chests and heads like a prancing war horse. Ten more Nhia-Samri lunged as one against Duke before any other Daggers could get there. The wolf howled with pain and instinctively bit at what had hurt him. A Nhia-Samri lost his arm to that bite, but he stabbed again with the other. Duke jumped aside; picking up one of the ones from the ground and using him like a club, he smashed the one-armed Nhia-Samri away.

All of the Daggers attacked in groups of three to each one Nhia-Samri, as ordered. The technique worked very well. Nhia-Samri were falling at a tremendous rate, but so were the Daggers. In the distance Elades saw some people leaving the house rapidly, carrying boxes. “Echo! Get the escapers! Don’t lose what they are carrying!”

Twelve Daggers jumped out of combat and gave chase. Elades fought with Nulla and Essen; they killed Nhia-Samri after Nhia-Samri. Still the fight went on. Looking around, he saw that at least two dozen Daggers were down. Duke was dealing with six Nhia-Samri by himself; it looked like there were six Daggers downed there too. “Duke’s lost his support, move it!” They tried to force their way to Duke, but the numbers were just too much. It took too long. Duke had dozens of wounds and was bleeding profusely by the time they got to him, but still he fought on.

The Daggers rallied around Duke. The Nhia-Samri on Duke were obviously the better fighters, it was hard to get past their guard. Duke yelled in frustration, “You don’t hurt ‘em if you don’t hit ‘em. Merge six-to-one! Don’t worry about me!”

With that he rolled over a pair but they stabbed him deeply and he fell. Another Nhia-Samri sliced Duke’s side open as he fell. The Daggers all screamed. Teams began fighting harder and harder. The Nhia-Samri were down to about a quarter of their original number, but the last ones where tough and half of the Daggers had fallen as well. Elades cut across one, who managed to parry as Nulla stabbed him. Turning, they tried to attack the back of a group of three Nhia-Samri who were covering each other. “Two more sets here, now!” Some other Daggers joined the fight, but they couldn’t get in. Daggers were beginning to fall faster than Nhia-Samri.

Elades tried to coordinate some of the chaos, but it was looking like it might be a toss which side would win. A loud outcry was heard. Elades looked over and it looked like every street and alley was disgorging guards, and at their lead was Lord Dohma. The guards screamed and dove into the fight. Dohma and three other guards joined Elades’ group. “Lord Dohma, you need to not be here.”

“I outrank you, Commander. I serve the realm. Now kill these bastards, damn it!” With that his blades fairly flew, as well as Nulla’s, and the Nhia-Samri were finally losing the fight. One of the three guards with Lord Dohma fell. The other two guards, grinning madly and fighting expertly, were both killing Nhia-Samri warriors and protecting Lord Dohma.
Those are some well-trained guards. I didn’t realize the weapons training they got included that kind of hand-to-hand fighting.
Blood flowed freely, making the ground slippery, and the gutters were filled with the red liquid of life. The last of Nhia-Samri fell, with ten guardsmen on him, including the two that had been with Lord Dohma.