37
It was a sight that Judos would never forget for the rest of his life. He didn't know whether he was awed at the spectacle, or simply horrified.
Ten thousand vermin were camped in the valleys and hills, living in a sea of camps and makeshift huts.
This was the fruit of several long weeks of planning. Six weeks after Judos had returned home to his theignship, he had been met by Ben and two Calador soldiers, giving him an unopened written message. In Ætharr's handwriting, the message was short and to the point:
It is time for you to know everything. Meet me in the southeast lands of Calador. Ben will take you there himself. Bring your arms and armour.
Judos had gone, giving Selma warning that she must not expect him back for a while. He had a feeling that Ætharr's plans involved war.
Ben and the Calador soldiers were tight-lipped about what awaited Judos. It had frustrated him to no end as they had made their journey, for surely now was a sufficient time to talk about what to expect?
The two soldiers knew nothing about what to expect, and Ben had kept his mouth shut as well, claiming that Ætharr wanted it to be a surprise.
And now, Judos stood atop one of the hills, staring out at a force that was easily the mightiest army ever assembled since the days of Ungatt Trunn himself. This was an army to not only defeat Vireo, but swallow it up by sheer force of multitude. Surely this was beyond excesses?! It was madness! Judos needed to sit down as he took in the sight of all these soldiers. Where was Ætharr?
Judos heard a call of greeting in his direction. Turning, he saw Ædall, wearing chainmail, a leather jerkin, and carrying his huge, double-headed battleaxe. Judos had not seen him dressed for war since they had first taken back Calador from the Millar tribe.
"What is all this?" Judos asked in a hoarse voice.
Ædall smiled, "This is the end of Calador's enemies. This is the day that my cousin will lead us to glory beyond anything we imagined before."
Judos shook his head, "All this to take Vireo? Ætharr could take Vireo with a tenth of these forces!"
"These forces are not just against Vireo, Judos." Ædall replied.
Judos realized what was going to happen, and he began to sweat in fear at the thought.
Ætharr of Calador was going to march on Salamandastron.
This was too much for Judos. He had to speak to Ætharr.
He found his old friend in the largest tent, surrounded by representations from all his allies, including a number of vermin that Judos had never met before. He did not like the look of them either, for they were meaner in appearance and character than the others.
Ætharr was, once again, dressed for war. While he had always been a youthful wonder, a cheerful and charismatic leader, now he embodied the image of a grim conqueror. Without any eagerness or joy, he welcomed Judos and Ædall as they entered.
"Judos! It's good to see you made it. What do you think?"
"This is madness!" Judos stated, "I thought I was dreaming when I saw it!"
Ætharr nodded, "Five thousand Calador, two thousand Jeri, one and a half thousand Falcarragh, nine hundred Hunan, and over six hundred mercenaries brought in by Ehrlich over there." He pointed out the leader of the strangers whom Judos had not recognized.
The numbers staggered Judos, and he almost wanted to fall down again, "So many? You've drained all the tribes to fill this region!"
Ætharr shook his head, "Rest assured, We've left sufficient garrisons in our lands, and I have taken as few of the fyrd as I could so that I rely mostly on professional soldiers."
Judos looked at the others. A number of creatures were there that he hadn't seen for many seasons.
The mighty King Blackaxe of the Jeri clan was present, towering over everyone else in the room. Beside him stood Jager and Snauw, two of his captains from the campaign against Oorlog. All three had gained much grey in their fur, but they still looked as prepared to fight as they had when Judos had first known them.
The scarred and grizzled Kazahley of the Hunan had also aged, even as he stood next to a pair of taller, much younger polecats that could only have been his sons.
Cocoran, son of Tiarnan and brother to Rosheen, represented his Falcarragh tribe in the gathering of allies.
Of Ætharr's theigns, four were present besides Judos. Craterus, Gyras, Horal, and Ptolemy stood around a large table with maps on it. All of them looked up and smiled at Judos and Ædall, the latter of whom went to stand by the table. Judos also noticed Ben amongst the representatives of Calador, who had gone directly to the main tent while Judos had been staring at the mighty army.
Judos was speechless at this assembly. He had so many questions, but had no idea where to begin.
Ætharr noted Judos' expression, "Judos, I'm sorry that I kept it from you, but if it helps, most of these creatures were just as surprised as you when I told them about it within the last day or two. I'm still waiting for a final few to arrive, and we'll set out in two days."
He looked at Ætharr, "How long have you been planning this?"
Ætharr simply looked at him. Judos knew what the answer was without Ætharr even having to say it. He had been mulling it over in his mind since that horrible day. The day he had lost one of his children to an assassin's arrows. Judos noted that Ætharr looked much older due to his lack of sleep. It must have been that unending desire for revenge on his mind, reminding him of those who had been taken away from him. But Judos was past concern at this moment. He was simply trying to make sense of everything.
He asked another question, "How many of those soldiers out there are from my theignship?"
Ætharr raised an eyebrow, "None. I'm keeping them as part of the garrison in Calador. If I'd taken any of your soldiers, you would have noticed."
Judos inwardly fumed that it was so, despite the fact that it was a compliment to his role as theign.
Ætharr spoke again, softer and more sympathetic, "Judos, you are still one of my dearest friends. I need to know that you are with me still. For I want to make sure that no member of my family will come to harm again."
Judos sighed heavily, "I'm still your friend, Ætharr. I never stopped being your friend. But consider the time you've spent with your family. Would you really leave them for this? Risk everything at Vireo and Salamandastron? How many must be killed before you can rest easy again?"
Something that Judos could only think of as a dark fire sprung into Ætharr's eyes, "For my family, my people, I would march out with a fraction of this number and burn all my enemies' homes to the ground!"
Judos almost took a step back from the Ealdor. This could not be. Ætharr looked older, more tired and cruel. And now he was at the command of thousands of loyal soldiers.
Judos suddenly thought of the ill-looking Erhlich and his mercenaries, "Why do you need six hundred mercenaries to complete that task?"
Ætharr's face was blank for a moment, and then answered, "Because they are loyal warriors, and because they will be useful to me in our campaign. I would like to spare my warriors and allies some part of the burden."
Judos decided to accept that answer as the best he could expect from Ætharr. He reflected sadly that Ætharr had been planning all this even as he'd spent so much time with his family. What had that meant? Had it all been an act? Judos could not bear to believe that, but the thought would not leave his mind.
Instead, he joined the table. The map of the tribes was laid out, with a route planned out to Salamandastron through the Jeri and Hunan lands from Vireo. Ætharr had noticed that Roaveen had had to take a longer route to avoid the territories of the Jeri and Hunan, which meant that the allied army would be able to reach Salamandastron in almost half the time.
Judos listened to the war plans with morbid fascination. It was clear that the name Vireo would cease to exist. He remembered how the Loptrio and Millars had been driven to the four corners of the world, banished from their homeland because they had fought against Ætharr. Now more would suffer the same fate.
"How many forces does Ibos have?" Blackaxe asked.
"None that would fight such a host as we have!" Kazahley remarked exultantly.
Ben gave a more useful answer, "He has less than a thousand left, so it seems. But their morale has been broken. Roaveen has left them to die, apparently."
This was news to everyone except Ben and Ætharr. Ædall shook his head, "Ibos won't stand a chance!"
"Surely he'll try to escape while he has the time to do so..." Ptolemy mused.
"It is of no concern," Ætharr stated firmly, "If he runs, we shall hunt him down. Ibos owes many creatures a blood-debt for his betrayal. He shall be made to pay it however he can." The promise was calmly given, yet Judos shuddered more than had it been delivered in a rage. At least anger could be a better excuse for Ætharr's dark, bloody-minded nature given reign.
"Will we stay in Vireo for long?" Cocoran asked.
"Only to rebuild our supplies," Ætharr replied, "We will then march east, to finish off the Alcax tribe."
Judos looked up sharply. The Alcax tribe had been allies of the Loptrios, and the allied tribes had left the Alcax holed up inside their territory, content that they had intimidated them into neutrality.
"What have the Alcax tribe done to us since the Loptrios were destroyed?" Judos asked.
"They have maintained raiding parties against us, stealing food and resources," Snauw answered. He indicated several places on the map with his claw, "I've been defending our borders here, here, and here from multiple Alcax raiders over the past seasons." He indicated one of many scars on his body, as though it justified the Alcax's fate.
Judos could only shake his head, holding back his indignation. Ætharr and his allies were seeking any excuse to take care of their enemies once and for all.
"And after that? What then?" One of Kazahley's sons asked.
Ætharr gave them all a hard look before answering, "After that, we march northeast to the coast, up to Salamandastron, where the coward expects to laugh as we crumble before him. It will be the last mistake he ever makes! For we shall march upon his lands with the greatest army that has ever been assembled, and when all hear of our great victory over so mighty a legacy, they will know that a new era has begun!"
This drew cheers from everyone in the room. Everyone except Ben, who was a mercenary despite everything, and Judos, who merely felt that this was the beginning of something terrible.