“What do you need from us?”
“Just follow up and attack if we’re successful in dealing with the wizards. We don’t have enough rankers to be effective in a hand-to-hand situation where we can’t charge.” This isn’t quite true, but the last thing Lerial wants to do is to lose large numbers of rankers in hand-to-hand fighting, especially in Afrit.
“I can see that. I’ve already informed all the officers not to be surprised if you and the Mirror Lancers arrived at some point.”
“Thank you.”
“Might I ask…”
“Why we’re here?” Lerial offers a wry smile. “We’d rather fight Heldya alongside Afrit now than fight Heldya alone several years from now.”
Drusyn stiffens, almost as if Lerial has offered an insult. Then he swallows.
Before the subcommander can reply, possibly with words he and Lerial both might regret later, Lerial adds, “It would be the same if you were aiding us in repulsing an attack on Cigoerne. Right now, Duke Khesyn has more armsmen than both Cigoerne and Afrit combined. We need to work together.”
“I can see that,” manages Drusyn, if stiffly.
“And you’re hampered because you don’t have many chaos-mages.” Except those employed by traitorous merchanters. “I can usually handle a few of them … and that, hopefully, will allow your men to do what mine cannot.”
Drusyn nods. “I had not thought in that fashion.”
“We will never have the number of armsmen that Afrit or Heldya has,” Lerial adds. He hopes he has mollified the subcommander at least to some degree. You should have been more careful with your words. “And we had best do what we can before there are even more Heldyans occupying South Point.”
“I wish you well.”
“Thank you.” Lerial offers as warm a smile as he can before turning and leaving the warehouse. Don’t any of them, besides Rhamuel, see how weakened the merchanters have made Afrit?
Once outside the warehouse, Lerial gathers his officers and Fheldar, briefing them on the general positions of the Heldyans. When he finishes, he adds, “In effect, we have to play the target to flush out the chaos-mages.” And you hope you’re able to deal with them.
“Ser…” ventures Strauxyn.
“You’re wondering why we’re doing this?” Lerial shakes his head. “There’s the small matter of something like seventy-five Heldyan companies. If we can help Afrit destroy them, then we won’t be fighting off a hundred companies outside of Cigoerne in five years … all by ourselves. And it certainly won’t hurt to have the arms-commander’s gratitude, since he is apparently the duke’s sole heir.” Lerial grins sardonically and turns to Kusyl. “And yes, it stinks worse than anything we’ve been stuck with yet.” So far. For Lerial has doubts that they have seen anything close to the worst of the mess that Afrit has become. “We need to head out. I’d like to see what we’re facing before the Heldyans land even more men. We’ll lead with Eighth Company. Kusyl, you and Twenty-third Company bring up the rear. Keep an eye out. For all we know there might be Heldyans in position to attack from behind.”
“Yes, ser.”
Lerial waits until the companies are in riding order, three abreast, rather than in double files, and then gives the command. “Companies! Forward!”
As they ride toward South Point, less than a kay away, Lerial extends his order-chaos senses, focusing on trying to locate concentrations of chaos or more “orderly” points. He finds two clear swirls of chaos and one muted diffuse area of chaos, the kind of diffusion that suggests a chaos-shield and a more talented chaos-mage. There are no obvious signs of an ordermage. The two points of chaos are, from what he can tell, about a hundred yards back of the rough stone barricades thrown up by the Heldyans and about a hundred yards apart, barricades now visible less than five hundred yards ahead in the middle of the wide curve that the shore road takes around the point to where it parallels the Swarth River and becomes the river road.
Looking down one of the angled streets, little more than two hundred yards ahead, and probably only the same distance from the Heldyan barricades, Lerial sees horses tethered in a warehouse loading yard, with several Afritan Guards watching them, yet he does not see any Afritan troops along the shore road ahead. That suggests the chaos-wizards have already been lobbing chaos-bolts … or that the Afritan company officers are being cautious, based on what had happened on fourday.
At the next corner, out of view of anyone on the point, stands an Afritan captain, who gestures, motioning for the lancers to move to the side of the road.
“To the right at the corner!” Lerial orders.
Once the companies are clear of the shore road, Lerial rides back to the captain. “I take it that they have mages throwing firebolts?”
“Yes, ser. Every time we’ve tried to advance, they’ve sent chaos-fire against us.”