Waking Olympus (The Singers of the Dark Book 1) (26 page)

She wished Mikel was here to bounce ideas off. And fears. She needed his silly exuberance and optimism to help her think straight. But she was a Trader Ambassador, she did what was necessary. She would do her duty. The odds against them were irrelevant. She thought she would have to say that to herself every morning at breakfast. She might even start to believe it. Grim determination would get her through but some optimism might open her to new ideas.

As they entered Tanten, they passed a series of defensive earthworks, placed around the strongholds and along the Snake. Wooden spikes poking out of the ground, some large ones meant for wagons and siege engines, others small, fire-blackened and barely visible. From the smell she could tell they were covered with excrement and worse. The healers of Tanten would have been turning their skills towards Death instead of Life in recent days producing ingenious poisons. She tried to think of the strategy that would place these defenses here, was this the right position for them? It wasn’t the time to draw conclusions. She would first talk to Master Levin and then perhaps examine the northern defenses, those were her immediate concern.

She decided to head straight to the Keep. She let Paul, a young brash boy new to the caravan, take her horse to the stables while she marched single minded towards the Keep door. Into her view came Maria, the Librarian, dressed in her outlandish ancient clothing.
 

“Mistress Tei? I wonder if I could have a word with you?”
 

Tei stopped, took a deep breath. “No need to call me ‘Mistress’, Maria. You know I don’t like it. Well, what is it?”

Maria, looked uncertain like a field mouse caught in an open area waiting for a hawk to swoop, she clearly didn’t get out much.

“Yes, M —
 
I mean
Tei
.” She said it like it was a foreign word that defied translation into her worldview.

“Tei. I have been scouring the Records looking for various devices we could use in the defense. Some of them are fairly obvious. But I came across a very interesting one. It is for a weapon that is a gas.”

Tei was interested, she couldn’t imagine what such a thing would be like. Maria continued.

“The gas and its production is detailed enough for us to reproduce. But it is so dangerous we would have to be careful. We might have enough time to make a useful amount. It is called
Sarin
, a type of gas called a Nerve Gas. We can manufacture it into glass vessels and project them over the walls.”

Tei was curious now. “How does it work?”

Maria looked grim, conflicted, and anxious.

“It is a forbidden weapon. The Ancients said that even if a tiny droplet landed on your skin you would die in agony. It paralyses the muscles in your body, including your lungs. They considered its use a crime.”

“Do it.”

“I beg your pardon, Mistress?”

“I said, see if you can manufacture it. Somewhere downwind of the Strongholds. Isolated. A limited batch.”

She side-stepped Maria and continued. Why did she agree to it? Even the Ancients considered it a crime. But in her mind all she could see, and all she had been seeing behind her thoughts, half-glimpsed, fully denied, were visions of the Strongholds of Tanten in flames. To prevent that she would do anything. She took a deep breath, turned towards the dwindling back of Maria’s t-shirt.

“Maria!” She yelled.

Maria turned, putting more weight on one leg, as if balancing or waiting.

“Maria. Cancel that, we’ll find another way.”

Maria looked relieved. “Yes, I will. Thank you, Tei.”

Tei turned and continued on to the Keep talking under her breath barely aware of her own words. “Probably would have only ended up poisoning the workers.”

For a moment she wondered if the Wizards of Lind were capable of making it. She thought it likely they could do it. Perhaps they already had. Perhaps they had already manufactured a good many things.

She didn’t have time to say hello to family or pour a libation to the family spirits. They were all very short of time. In the Council Chambers of the Keep only Master Edward and Mistress Moana were present. “Hello. I’ve just returned from Sanfran. It went well. We relieved the City but there are likely other forces moving against it.” Moana was dressed in her usual green and white silk headdress and white robe, framing her aging face with a surprising youthful glow. But her ideas were still rooted in a Tanten that no longer existed, she was of a generation that believed isolation and secrecy was always the right path. It wouldn’t work anymore, but too many in Tanten could not accept that change.

The Council Chambers had been modified since she last saw them. Where that hideous circle of light had been in the center there was now a large table moved in by Levin, so one of the guards told her. Covering the circular table, which was so big she could have used it as a bed, was a map. She had never seen the map before, and suspected it had been created just for these current circumstances. She hoped the planning for the defense involved more than the table and map, otherwise it would be like rearranging the bridle on a dead horse. She took a closer look at the map; accurate but not ornate, it was functional. Good. There were various shaped tokens on the map, some of them in the shape of earthworks, some as a soldier figurine or a horse, and crossbow. She understood what it meant. Someone actually seemed to know what they were doing.

“Who planned this?” A voice from the other side of the room answered, Levin. “I did. What do you think? No one will give me an honest answer here.”

“Looks good. So you are planning for the possibility of them getting through the pass?”

“A defense that is hard on the outside and nonexistent on the inside is pure folly. Even the Castle has a Keep. There is only so much we can do in the Pass. It restricts both sides but our supply lines are short and theirs do not exist. We can wear them down. We understand the area, they don’t.”

She nodded. “What have you been doing on this side of the Pass?”

“The Tanuuten meanders this side of the Pass with the northern trail entering the Pass on the western side of the river. That means we can concentrate our supply and reinforcements on the western side just at the entrance to the Pass. We can then quickly relieve our forces and resupply at the same time. We can also set up fletching workshops and siege engine facilities there so that we can bombard the entrance if needed. The river is too wild to cross in the Pass.” He seemed to be talking to himself so Tei left him there. She should check to see if reality matched the plan.

She took a fresh horse from the stable and rode it out, up the Snake and north, past houses and villas, then passing on the western side of Aqua, the small but fiercely defended central Stronghold. Passed between the granite walls of Shwu on the west and the river on the east. The river now a sluggish stream gaining strength as she went upstream, passing farms and orchards scattered between the strongholds. The road went northwest to bypass the meanders. To the left she could see the forests, managed for its timber. Some parts kept as wild as feasible.

Up ahead in the distance the road led to a makeshift town of sorts. Made of tents, wagons, rough huts. The sound starting to reach her. Shouting, hammering, the clash and scrape of metal on metal, the neighing of horses. Above them flew various Trader family banners. The mountains ever present now loomed above, not as high as they seemed but high enough.

Ayo Plessi, an old friend, seemed to be in charge. “Hey, Ayo! How are things going?”

Ayo was a charismatic woman. No longer as young, by the harsh standards that Arva imposed, yet still vibrant and hypnotic with dark skin and gray eyes that made her think of Mikel.

She dismounted walked to Ayo and gave her a hug.

“Tei, old friend. I heard those idiots went and made you Head Councillor. What is the world coming to?” That infectious perfect smile. ”What do you think of my little kingdom? I’m thinking of seceding and mandating month long parties.”

“Just checking that the old armchair generals are not hallucinating their strategy. What do you think? Is there anything more we could do?” She said.

Ayo shrugged, looked to the side. An old habit of hers which Tei knew meant 'your guess is as good as mine'. "Levin didn’t come up with this plan all by himself. We all contributed. It is sound, we are organized, we have been running drills. I pray to God they aren’t smarter than we think. But the preparations have really only begun.”

They walked silently amongst the activity towards the northern gate of the loose compound. Occasionally, men and women would raise their right arms at the elbow parallel to their bodies, palm open facing her. The closest thing the Traders had to a salute, though usually used to indicate respect regardless of rank. Ayo certainly deserved the respect of her people; she had always been both liked and respected. It wasn’t until they were almost at the gate that it dawned on Tei that the salutes were directed towards her and not Ayo.

Standing upon the rampart of the northern gate of the compound she took in a beautiful sight. Even though the mountains were not very tall nevertheless some snow managed to dust their tops, and the slopes descended first as grey banded rock dropping to a greening, flattening arc in the narrow valley before them. The dull indefinite roar of the river always present. Mist slowly rising hid the other end of this section of the valley. In the near distance she could see the dangerous white water of the rapidly flowing river: abundant meltwater at this time of the year.

“We have positioned forward units of crossbows and fire-grenades above various choke points. We have engineered various boulders so that we can block narrow areas, and we have a large ground force. Not enough to match them on open ground but very good in these kinds of conditions.”

“And if they come via the desert?” Tei voiced her fear.

“There has always been a chance that they would discover the path to Tanten. That is why the Strongholds are built the way they are. But, yes, that would be a problem.”

“You mean my problem.” They both smiled.

She went on the tour, discussing deployment, strategy, and men. That night she met with Ayo’s people. Good, loyal Traders. This was what being a Trader was about; the joy of intelligent discussion, quiet respect and tall stories from such strong and resourceful people. The next morning she returned to the Keep.

It was on the fourth day of her preparations that the message came.

“Mistress Valis! There is a message from Sanfran.” The rider was still panting, holding out his hand with the sealed letter. His leather clad arm and armor visibly dropping desert dust and sand; here and there mingling with sweat. He had ridden through the desert almost without stopping, in armor. Dangerous, he should have changed into loose desert gear.

“Just call me Tei.” She opened the letter and noticed the messenger was still there, looking about. He was young, awed, standing in the Council Chambers. But he wasn’t actually that much younger than she was. “What is your name?”

“Cam. My lady. Cameron Ollis, I am from Tanfel. Got recruited by Mikel Peres at the Caravanserai.”

“How is he?” She really needed to know. Dammit love messes everything up.

“I’m not sure, after he defeated the Lindin army he headed north to Xanadu.”

“What? Just tell me the details.”

“A relief force of Center soldiers arrived in Sanfran, with advanced weapons, they had just defeated the Pareth forces, so I heard. I don’t know the details but they couldn’t help after that. Mikel set an ambush in the Euphray marshes and routed the Lindin forces. Then he set off north into Xanadu even though he had been hit in the neck by a crossbow bolt.”

To her credit she barely reacted outwardly to any of this news. Inwardly, she was on the verge of shaking. She spoke, measuring her words precisely.

“How was he when he left?”

“In a lot of pain but he was lucky. Tarvis went with him and he said that Mikel shouldn’t have any problems.”

“Why did he go to the Xanadu Valley?”

“I’m sorry my lady, none of us knew.”

“That will be all Cameron. Go and get cleaned up and rest, you can get some food and drink from the mess downstairs. Don't forget the essentials, make sure you drink plenty of water first.”

Levin had been listening. “Mikel continues to surprise us. But this new journey of his looks crazy. What is he up to? Whatever it is it can’t help us. If we get out of this alive, and if he does, then we will ask him ourselves. Impressive beating Lindin. How on Neti would he do that? And what kind of weapons does Lind have? And Center forces defeating Pareth? That is fortuitous and ominous. More questions to answer. Too much to do, too much to do. Not enough time.” Tei let him chatter on. Levin had always seemed to be quite capable, even brilliant, if a little eccentric.

Tei rose early. She now slept in the Keep, not even bothering to walk the short distance from her home. There was little time before Bethor arrived. The scouts had arrived this morning and left an urgent message for her before she had awoken. She rubbed her face with her left hand trying to fully wake while she read the brief report in her right hand.
 
Cam Ollis was still in the Keep, acquired by Levin as an assistant. He had received the message. “What does it say?” He said.

“Scouts at the northern end of the Pass report that the Bethor army is massing there. Probably preparing to enter. Estimated size of the army is about 10,000.”

“We can’t hope to match that.” Cam said.

“No, we can’t. But they must have depleted a lot of their provisions. They cannot sustain a long siege. There are no farms and little game on their side of the Pass. They need to conquer us quickly. We have intelligence that the army is being led by Liz Markham.”

Ben's face slowly registered understanding. “You mean a relative of Roger Markham? The man who destroyed the Cities of the Plains?”

She nodded. “Not a close relative. She changed her name to Markham in her early teens, so they say. I met her once in Bethor. Smart and shrewd. It was a dinner at the Emperor’s castle. She persistently tried to get information out of me about Tanten. Made me very uncomfortable. They say her husband's death was mysterious. Those that suspect her keep a very low profile. The woman is a viper.”