“No, I think I can understand someone wanting to conquer, or at least I’ve heard enough about such wars in the histories. No, I mean the place. Why here? Amos was showing us some Kingdom maps upstairs and . .. it doesn’t make any sense.”
Arutha paused in combing his mount. “You’ve just touched upon the single biggest cause for concern I have. Guy and I have discussed it. We just don’t know. But one thing to be sure of is, if your enemy is doing something unexpected, it’s for a reason. And you had best be quick in understanding what that is, Squire, for if you don’t, it’s likely to be the means of your defeat.” His eyes narrowed. “No, there is a reason Murmandamus is heading this way. Given the timetable for what he is able to do before winter, he must be making for Sethanon. But why? There is no apparent motive for him to go there, and once there, he can only hold until spring. Once spring comes, Lyam and I will crush him.”
Jimmy pulled an apple from his tunic and cut it in two, giving half to the horse. “Unless he figures to have this business over and done with before spring.”
Arutha looked at Jimmy. “What do you mean?”
Jimmy shrugged and wiped his mouth. “I don’t know exactly, except what you said. You have to guess what the enemy is up to. Given the indefensibility of the city, he might be counting on everyone pulling out. Like you said, come spring you can crush him. So, I guess he knows that, too. Now, if I was making straight for some place I could get smashed the next spring, it’d be because I didn’t plan on being there in the spring. Or maybe there was something there that gave me an edge - either made me so powerful that I didn’t have to worry about being caught between two armies, or kept the armies from coming at all. Something like that.”
Arutha rested his chin upon his arm on the back of the horse as he thought. “But what?”
Locklear said, “Something magic?”
Jimmy laughed. “We’ve had no shortage of that since this whole mess began.”
Arutha ran his finger along the chain holding the talisman given him by the Ishapian monks at Sarth. “Something magic,” he muttered. “But what?”
Quietly Jimmy said, “It’ll be something big, I’d guess.”
Arutha fought rising irritation. In his belly he knew Jimmy was right. And he felt frustration close to rage in not understanding the secret behind Murmandamus’s insane invasion.
Abruptly trumpets sounded, and were answered almost immediately by the pounding of boot heels upon the cobbles as soldiers rushed to their posts. Arutha was out of the stables in an instant, the boys just behind.
Galain pointed. “There.”
Guy and Arutha looked down from the highest tower of the keep, overlooking the barbican of the fortification. Beyond, in the deep canyon called Cutter’s Gap, the first elements of Murmandamus’s army could be seen. “Where’s Highcastle?” asked Arutha.
“Down on the wall with his men,” answered Amos. “He rode in a short time ago, all bloodied and battered. Seems the Dark Brothers were up in the hills above his advance position and swarmed down over him. He had to cut his way out. Looks like he lost most of the detachment out there.”
Guy swore. “The idiot. That was where he could have bottled up Murmandamus’s army for a few days. Here, on the walls, it’ll be a bloody damned farce.”
The elf said, “It was foolish to underestimate the ability of the mountain moredhel once they get into the rocks. These are not simple goblins he’s facing.”
Arutha said, “I’m going to see if I can talk to him.” The Prince hurried down through the keep and within a few minutes was standing beside Lord Highcastle. The Baron was bloodied from a scalp wound, received when his helm had been knocked off his head. He had not put another on, and his hair was matted with dried blood. The man was pale and shaky, but he still supervised his command without hesitation. Arutha said, “Brian, can you see what I was talking about?”
“We’ll bottle them up here,” he answered, pointing to where the narrow canyon came together before the wall. “There’s no room to stage, so his men will be stopped before the wall. We’ll cut them down like wheat before a scythe.”
“Brian, he’s bringing an army of thirty thousand against you. What have you here? Two? He doesn’t care about losses! He’ll pile his soldiers against your walls, then walk over their corpses to reach you. They’ll come and come and come again and wear you down. You can’t hold out for more than a day or two at the longest.”
The Baron’s eyes locked upon Arutha’s. “My charter is to defend this position. I may not quit it save by leave of the King. I am charged to hold at all costs. Now, you are not part of my command; please leave the wall.”