Chapter 8

Duty

Dagenheart's dreams were filled with bleak landscapes. Roses of bright flame bloomed in fields made of lead. Overhead, the crimson clouds boiled amongst themselves, fading to deepest black and back again. There was a strange peace that seemed to permeate the very fabric of the dream; the peace of death. Then somewhere in the distance a bell began tolling. It's voice was deep and sorrowful.

"Wake up!" A voice shouted at her. The dream broke apart into a chaotic mess and then faded as consciousness took over.

Dagenheart sat up immediately, "What is it?" She asked before she even had her eyes open. She knew she was still in hostile territory.

"Something is going on with your Herald friend." Shadron said, worry creasing his face.

She leapt up from her bedroll, snagging her boots and followed the merc out and though the shadows of the night to where the vacant-eyed Herald sat rigidly.

"What happened?" She asked, moving closer to Alairus slowly once she saw him.

"Don't know. He was talking one minute and then just went all quiet and blank."

::Elrin?:: She sent a trendel of thought to her Companion.

He didn't respond except to push a thought at her letting her know he was busy with something important.

"Alairus!" She yelled and clapped her hands once. The Herald didn't respond. She muttered something unflattering about Valdemar and its people.

"You want I should slap him or something?" Shadron offered.

"No. Let him be, something is going on; get the men up and ready." She sat down beside the Herald and waved a hand in front of his eyes; again no reaction. She got up and placed another log on the fire that was just barely flickering in front of her as Shadron went to dance on some heads. She sat back down and put her boots on, waiting on word from either mindspeaker.

Her men were up and ready to go before Alairus and Elrin came out of their stupors.

"The Imperials have attacked the southern armies. The battle is raging as we speak." Alairus said.
::Our southern forces are engaged with a large Imperial force.:: Elrin sent at the same moment. She held up her hand to Alairus, preferring to hear the news from Elrin. Alairus turned to Shadron who was waiting nearby and began relaying the information to him.
::They are using high-powered sorcery to support their attacks. Our forces aren't going to be able to hold.:: Her Companion continued.
::If we lose now, what do we have between them and the Capital?::

::There is a small recruiting camp three days ride from the battle; mostly mercs. Other than that, nothing.:: His voice was bleak and she turned as he walked up to her.
"How far are we from the camp?" She asked him aloud.
::I'm not sure. Four days, maybe five.::

"Damnit. What if we push hard."
::We can't beat the Imperials there in time if that's what you're thinking.::
"The hells we can't." She snapped and turned to face her men, "Leave behind anything that can be spared. We are going to be traveling fast and long. Prepare yourselves." She took her own advice and dropped half the stuff out of Elrin's saddlebags. She spotted Alairus moving toward her with a concerned look. She feigned blindness as he approached.
::This is ridiculous.:: Elrin sent to her.
"Where are we going?" The Herald asked.
::No it isn't. We can make it there if we move fast.:: She sent a 'picture' of their rough route.
"There is a merc camp between Pendran and Crown City. We'll head there." She answered Alairus without looking at him, paying careful attention to her saddlebags.
::And what do you plan to do when we get there? If we get there.:: Elrin sent a 'picture' of his own. A copy of her own but with dark areas symbolizing the enemy armies in the south moving on Crown City.
"A merc camp?"
::We can rally stragglers from the battle there. If your people are true to their word, they should send reinforcements.:: She tried to keep the sarcasm out of the last bit but failed.
"Yes, a merc camp."
::Why the change of heart?::
"Why a merc camp." They both spoke at the exact same time.
"Enough!" She shouted. "One at a time." She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes for a few seconds.
Alairus, elected to go first. Elrin would have the entire ride there to have his say on things.
"Why a merc camp?" He asked again.
"It is a recruiting station three days northwest of the battle. Elrin says it is the only thing between the Imperial advance and Hardon's Capital."
"How do you know there will be anyone there?" He asked.
"Don't question my orders. Just do it." She snapped and jerked the strap holding her bags to Elrin's sides to snug them tighter. The Herald went to argue but decided against it. He just walked away shaking his head.
::I thought you didn't want to run the risk of being discovered by the Imperials.::
::If we don't stop them now, there will be nowhere to run to.:: But that didn't really make sense to her. There was always another place to run to. Always. It was something else that drove her; something inside her.

Elrin's only reply was a snort. She tied her bags closed and swung into the saddle and for the fiftieth time cursed the weight of her robes. She might as well have been wearing full plate mail. She barely gave the others time to get their horses turned in the right direction before she shot off like a bolt of lightning, determined the blaze the trail. As she clung to her Companion's neck her mind dwelt on what she was doing. She was no hero that went stalking evil but she knew this evil. She knew what awaited the people of Hardon and that knowledge burned in her stomach with a bilious rage.

::What is wrong?:: Elrin asked, sensing her anger.
::Nothing aside from that damnable conscience you infested me with.:: It felt weird just thinking the word. That was what compelled her defeat the Imperials. Before she touched the dark energies of that mage's handler it was just a business but after, it was personal. She couldn't let the people of any kingdom visit the horrors she had inflicted on so many in her day. And maybe, just maybe, she could finally redeem herself.
::Even if we make it there in time, what good do you think we can do?:: Elrin slowed down and stopped at the foot of a steep rise to let the others catch up.

::If the best we can do is stall him then that will be enough to save more lives.::
To her astonishment, Elrin laughed at her.
::What's so funny?::
::You sound like a Herald.::
She went to say something rather unlady-like to him but she realized he was right. She did sound like a Herald. She just grumbled at him and dismounted.

It didn't take as long as she thought it would for the others to catch up but the normal horses were heaving and needed a rest badly. She looked them all over and frowned, "Where's the woman?" She asked.
"What woman?" Shadron asked looking around.
"The one we have been squattering off of us since we rescued her." Dagenheart was not surprised that no one noticed her missing before this. She barely moved half the time and never spoke. If you weren't tripping over her, you never knew she was even there. The more Dagenheart thought about it, the more she realized she could not remember when she saw her last. She was with them when they left the army but had she been there when they got the news about the fight? Dagenheart could not remember No one else seemed to be able to account for her absence either. Not even the Companions noticed the woman was missing. Dagenheart dismissed it and was even a little glad that she was gone. War is no place for people like her. She could only be a burden and she did not need another one of those.

To Elrin's amazement hey reached the recruiting camp a few hours after dawn on the third day. The regular horse were dragging and everyone was tired, stiff and sore. The camp was a large, cleared area with a ten foot wooden stockade around it. The layout of the place inside the wall suggested an obsession with neatness and order. The camp was divided up into quarters and each quarter was fenced off. The section to the right of the entrance was obviously used for training purposes. Dagenheart eyed it critically as she rode past but she did not see one single thing that could be improved. Someone here knew what they were doing.

Both sections on the left were the camp itself. The tents were arranged by fours, forming squares with a mathematical precision. Every four squares seemed placed around a set point, matching rank and file of the others. It was impressive. Men were all over the place; some working, some training. As Dagenheart and Elrin led the way down the dirt road, she began to sense something. It was just a low grade nag but it grew stronger as they advanced. It felt like powerful magic but subtle; controlled and tempered. It seemed to be coming from the far right sector. She couldn't see it well but it looked like a headquarters. She could see the billowing, black banner that rippled from the shaft of a pole just outside the gate leading into the fenced off area. A massive white skull dominated the center, only this was no human skull. It's canine teeth were greatly exaggerated, reminding Dagenheart all too well of the blood drinkers of the Darklands. One eye socket burned a bright ruby that appeared to glow and the lower jaw had been replaced with a torrent of exhaled flames.
::Stop.: She told Elrin and raised a hand motioning for the others to do the same. Elrin froze immediately.
::What's wrong?:: He asked, his ice blue eyes flickering around, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
::Can't you feel that? That energy?::

There was a long pause then, ::I feel something but I. . . what is it? ::
::I have no idea but it is coming from that creepy banner.::

"What's the hold up?" Frickel shouted form behind her.

"If you've got a blade, let's see it in your hand!." She answered and the grate of swords leaving scabbards was instant.
The men around them had all stopped what they were doing to stare and up ahead, Dagenheart could make out a gaggle of people emerging from the presumed headquarters. They stopped under the banner and appeared to be discussing the new arrivals.
::Alairus. Come up here.:: It was the first time she had ever touched his mind with hers and she could sense his startlment. His only reply was moving up beside her. Elrin had to scoot over to make room; it was a small road.
::What's going on?:: His words were hesitant.
::Maybe nothing but I don't have any authority here; as a Herald, your voice will carry further then mine.:: She hated to admit that to him. ::Just make sure you don't overstep yourself.:: She quickly added, then squeezed her legs around Elrin and they all began moving again; weapons bared.

The people waiting for them at the end of the road were indeed the commanders of the camp. There were five of them. Four men and one woman but it was the woman who was in charge. Dagenheart studied her intently as Elrin approached them. She was beautiful but small, with long black hair; hair blacker the Dagenheart's own and cold blue eyes. Her face was an expressionless mask; as readable as a stone. The woman paid more attention to Alairus then she did anyone else. She seemed to be putting something together in her head.
"Greetings, strangers." The woman said as soon as they were close enough to her where she didn't have to shout. She spoke the Trade tongue and had an unusual accent.
"Greetings to you, are you in command here?" Dagenheart asked.
The woman nodded. She seemed surprisingly at ease, "And you are?"
"I am Dagenheart and this is Herald Alairus from Valdemar. We came here to gather a fighting force but." The sorceress looked around, "It looks like you have beat us to that goal."
"A Herald, huh?" Something flashed in the woman's eyes. "Does your boss know you're here?" She asked accusingly.
Alairus's face hardened but he did not respond. She turned back to Dagenheart, "Two days ago, the Heralds that were here all left, taking their troops with them." She explained.
Dagenheart heard Shadron whisper something to Frickel behind her. It sounded like a question.
"We have been hard pressed to gather these men here and keep them here with stunts like that being pulled." She continued. She did not seem enchanted with Valdemar's ways and Dagenheart couldn't blame here there. She was none too enchanted herself.
"Are you in command here, then?" Alairus asked in a flat voice.
"Yes. I have been elected by the other mercenary captains to dictate this battle." She gestured to the men standing behind her, eyeing Dagenheart's party hard. The last part of her response sounded like something that did not translate well from another language.
"That banner, where have I seen that before?" Dagenheart asked, looking at the grim piece of cloth.
"Done any fighting around Senjay?" The woman asked.
Dagenheart heard Shadron and Frickel mutter something behind her back as the design sank into her brain. She remembered now where she'd seen it. It was further south then Senjay. A lot further south.
"The Black Company?" The sorceress asked.
"The very same." The woman replied with a ghost of a grin.

Dagenheart could not till if the woman remembered her or not. The Company had been in the service of the Shadow Lord's enemies when Dagenheart was commanding the dark armies. She decided to change the subject, "So what is the report on the coming army? How many troops do they have." She dismounted Elrin as she spoke but kept one hand on his back. Physical contact seemed to strengthen their bond even further.

"Our scouts have reported that the enemy advance consists of over thirty thousand men supported by sorcery. We have, roughly, about five thousand here."
"Then I'm sure you won't object to us staying." Dagenheart said confidently.
"Not at all. Indeed, you and yours are most welcome here." The woman replied. "What are you field specifications?"
"Small unit tactics. Espionage, sabotage, scouting. That type of thing." Alairus spoke before Dagenheart could.
"Perfect."

Lady, the Captain of the Black Company, certainly knew her war tactics. She had her men arrayed in a double fosse circling the depot. The bulk of the forces were stationed on the southern side. Archers and what few siege engines the camp had were holed up inside the camp proper. They would unleash a rain of deadly missiles as the Imperials approached. Her own company anchored the forces at the gate with her cavalry spread out on the right and left flanks.

Dagenheart's troops took position behind a small rise that was off to the left of the wall. Her scouts had spent the entire night laying traps in what had been universally agreed to be the path the enemy army would take. Twelve narrow trenches had been dug at angles along the sides of the road; six on each side and each trench being fifty feet long and easily thigh deep to a grown man. Each had been covered carefully and made to look as natural as mundanely possible. Dagenheart wanted no little traces of magic to alert the enemy mages.

A wicked web of trip wires and concealed spikes littered the areas beyond the trenches, leaving only the road and a small section to either side of it that was safe to traverse. Only a selected few people knew the extent of the surprises that were lying in wait. Dagenheart thought it would be better that way, in case any Imperial spies had infiltrated their ranks.

Alairus spent most of his time running relay from their forces and those in Crown City and Haven. The leadership of Hardon applauded their efforts to hold back the wolf but refused to reinforce them. They had said that every available man had been tapped in order to better fortify the Capital. There did not seem to be a lot of optimism going around. No one expected the forces at the camp to do anything more than stall the inevitable.

Seven hundred men had straggled in by the time Dagenheart's scouts had reported the Imperials only half a day away; remnants of the decimated southern army. They weren't much but they were eager to stand and fight again, which surprised Dagenheart. Most men would have kept on running till they found something that would pass for safety for them.

As the sun sank below the horizon Dagenheart leaned on the edge of the rail atop one of the camp's newly erected watchtowers. She tried not to dwell on the fact that tomorrow the earth would be washed in blood and churned by the passage of thousands of men. Down below, Elrin munched lazily on the grass growing around the tower's base.
::A silver for your thoughts, Chosen.:: Elrin sent warmly to her as the last bit of light winked out of the sky leaving the world cloaked in the deep purple of twilight's heart.
::Are they worth so much?:: She responded.
::To me they are. That and much more.::
::I suppose my thoughts are the same as yours.::
::I hope not because I am thinking about how wonderful this grass is.:: That broke her sullen mood and made her laugh out loud.

::No, no. Seriously. This is good stuff.::
::I'm glad you're enjoying it. Best to eat your fill before every blade is stained with blood.::
Elrin stopped in mid-chew. ::Wow, you're really good at killing a person's appetite.::
Dagenheart snorted in amusement. She was really good a killing, period. And she was about to get another opportunity to show the world that.

Fryn made his way through the hallways of the palace with haste. Servants and guards alike were quick to get out of his way. He didn't bother to knock as he rushed through the doors to the King's chambers. Lydis was bent over his desk, sorting a bunch of papers. His head shot up like a spooked rabbit as his Herald came busting in.

"I've just gotten word from Alairus. They have joined a force at a recruiting post a few days ride from Crown City in an effort to stop the Imperial thrust."
Lydis looked at him with wide, confused eyes, "Alright. What is the problem in that?"
"Nothing. What is a problem is what he wasn't supposed to tell me. Something his Companion got from Elrin."
"About Dagenheart?"
Fryn nodded his head. "Dagenheart seems to believe that the Empire has made a pact with her old masters. Elrin says she felt something out there on the Frontier and it scared her so bad she ran away." He shook his head slightly as if he had trouble picturing Dagenheart running from anything in fear.
"The Shadow Lord who gave her, her power? Is she sure?" Lydis stood up and pushed his papers aside.
"She seems sure."
The King grew thoughtful for a moment as he mulled over the news. Fryn helped himself to a small glass of the strong wine that was laid out on the common table.
"Does she know we know?" Lydis asked.
"No."
There was another long moment of silence before the King spoke again, "If the Imperials have use of these dark, new magics then she is the best person to deal with them."
"I agree. We should get her to Crown City as fast as we can. If we lose her in a minor skirmish we are likely to lose Hardon. She'll be of more use with a larger force backing her."
Lydis laughed quietly. "Do you think she is going to do what we tell her? If Alairus is right then maybe she knows what she is doing?" A pause. "Could we contact her directly?"
"Bad idea. We're not supposed to know anything, remember. Besides Alairus is our most powerful mindspeaker; no one else could manage the range."
"Right. I knew that. I just have so many questions for her suddenly. It would be nice to get a better picture of what we are going up against."
Fyrn smiled sympathetically and nodded, Yes. It would."