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Little-tony-ette: go girl   

 Miss Sharp: for putting up with me God knows why.

Murdock

Herald Murdock had been the Lord Marshal's Herald for nearly fifty years. His tenure had been long and relatively peaceful, for a Herald, but as he watched the platoon of Companions sprint off into the distance he felt a chill of foreboding. Sighing he turned to his desk and the letter of resignation he'd drafted, copied and sent to the King that afternoon. No one knew it yet, but as of ten that night Hoshi had been officially appointed as the successor to his position.

 The King would be livid, but it was the only way to protect her from the legal sharks of the court. He was so far out of his element in comparison to his young successor it wasn't funny. She was so young; she had no clue what kind of dangers she'd set herself up for. Before she left she didn't even have the authority to do what she did. She had it now.

The King would be livid. That was all he could think. It needed to be done, however. He had to begin drafting instructions to the border sectors of Evendim and Karse one and two. However fast Companions traveled, birds could still fly faster. He could get the message of her 'appointment' to the colonel of the regiment before she arrived. That afternoon, while the council endlessly debated, they'd come up with a strategy that might, might work. It was desperate, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

The King would be livid. Life went on. If this worked, he'd live with the consequences.

Hardin

"SHE WHAT!"

"She left with the entire complement of the House of Healing, half the trainees and all of the Heralds currently in residence."

"How in the name of nine that happen?"

"They mounted their Companions and rode down the…"

"Don't give me that Murdock! I know damn well 'how' they're riding down to the border. What on earth gave her the idea that she could do this without the permission of the King and Council?"

"She's the Lord Marshal's Herald, majesty. She has the authority to mobilize and order the Heraldic, trainee, Bardic and Healers collegians however she sees fit. With the permission of the Dean and the teachers."

"Since when has she been the Lord Marshal's Herald?"

"As of ten last night, sir."

"How convenient"

"It needed to be done, majesty"

"You may be right, Murdock, but how in the hell am I supposed to explain this to the Council? Half the population of the palace just walked out the bloody gates."

"Someone needed to warn Karse border one and two. We only have so many birds and none of the villages have bird coves. The Healers can prevent more casualties than are absolutely necessary, the trainees are to warn the villages and prepare a defense- no more. We can mobilize the troops and get them there in two weeks. If the border can hold off the attack for just a few days that will buy us enough time to set up a perimeter and fortify the roads. Karse won't make the capital by March as they have planned. They'll be stopped in their tracks."

"Logical and pragmatic. Gods be praised Murdock, they're just children."

"Those 'children' know full well that by taking the commitment to become a Herald they've signed away any right they have of living a peaceful life. Hoshi only took the people who'd learned how to accept that."

"How am I going to live with their deaths on my conscience?"

"If they save Valdemar from the Karsites, then they've done their duty. We can expect no more and demand no less"

The Pack

   Most of the organization of the border defense was done a-horseback. Mindspeech was a wonderful thing. It was decided that only the experienced Heralds would actually go to the end of the border. The trainees, in lessoning gradients of experience in the field, would warn the villages further back. The Healers would also have to ride to warn the towns.

Hoshi had a very specific idea about how the borders were to be defended. It was a total war scenario. Not very pretty. Everyone would be ordered to defend the villages to the last. The trees would be pulled down on the road behind the retreating trainees and Healers. Everything would be put to the torch. Nothing the Karsites could gain on the ground would be worth anything. The Healers carried flasks of powdered Lysergium. Mixed with water it formed a gelatinous paste. Smeared on arrows, swords, spears or pitchforks it was an instant nerve agent. The victim would die on impact, if not seconds afterwards.  

Valdemar had never resorted to a total war scenario before. It made some of the Heralds sick to think about the casualties that would be inflicted. Hoshi was unrepentant. If total war carried the day, she would live with the consequences.

Sweetsprings

The mayor of Sweetsprings was a proud man. He'd helped hold off Karsite invasions for his entire life. There was a border station living there, they were experienced warriors too. When he'd got the word to prepare for the mother of all invasions, they'd simply packed up the population and begin the almost annual retreat to the main fort.

"Hold"

It was a Companion. In a state of exhaustion he'd never seen a Companion.

"You will not retreat."

"What in the bloody hell do you mean 'not retreat' I've got a village to protect."

"It is too late. They will come before you can get to safety. You can either die here fighting or die on the road running."

"You're serious?"

"Yes"

"And how in the name of the Gods do expect me to tell my people they've got a death warrant over their heads?"

"Tell them"

"It'll be a riot."

"No.  I will see to that.  If you can hold the border for an hour longer or an afternoon more, then we can protect the capital.  This is your duty border man.  Do not shirk it."  

"I've never shirked a duty in me life"

"Good"

This Herald was of a type he'd never seen.  Instead of the silver and steel armor he'd known Heralds wore, she'd donned black.  She ordered the people gathered in the town square.

  She'd told them.

 People had cried, shouted, wailed, but they had, in the end, decided to hold.

No the true skill of the Herald that joined them came to the fore.  She ordered every alcoholic beverage in the town to be brought to the main square.  They were dumped into a series of cauldrons, mixed with coal dust and tar, and then poured into every container available.  They were sealed with wax and a cloth wick was thrust into the lid.  These were to be homemade grenades.

She ordered the trees in the green to be chopped down and used for creating weapons.  Spears, halberds, and clubs; every possible weapon in the town was given to all of age and heath to bear a weapon. The others were sent to the main fort in a desperate attempt to save as many lives as possible.

Across the Karsite border every village was given the same instructions: make yourself homemade bombs, find every weapon available, do whatever it takes to slow down the army that would be advancing on their position.  If they could make the Karsites hold for one week more the regular army would be at the border.  All they had to do was hold.  Heralds, trainees, Healers, and regular bordermen wore horses and Companions to exhaustion getting the message spread.  Then they retreated to the main fort and all they could do was wait.