The Fireseed Wars

Chartiphon, with a circlet crown and black back-and-breast with silver filigree, rose quickly to his feet, his back ramrod straight. His beard had grown out in the Middle Kingdoms style and was still streaked with silver and gray, but otherwise he looked far younger than the man who'd left Hos-Hostigos in a bad funk. "The Royal Army of Rathon now fields ten thousand foot, five thousand cavalry and a flying battery of twelve four- and six-pounders. In addition, we have close to eight thousand horse auxiliaries, mostly Trygathi, Sastrigathi and Urgothi nomads and barbarians."

Rylla looked as proud as she had the first time little Demia had made her first steps.

The assembled officers nodded and a few muttered, "Well done."

Prince Sarrask made a loud whistle. No, former Prince Sarrask of Sask, Kalvan thought. Note: We need a Princedom for Sarrask that doesn't demand much of his time or presence. He's not much of a ruler or strategist, but he fights like the very devil. And Rylla and Demia have both become very attached to him. He's saved Rylla's life on more than one occasion, and Demia thinks his beard is more fun to tug than a billy goat's!

Chartiphon continued, "It is Great King Kalvan's plan to use half the auxiliaries, backed with several thousand Rathoni heavy cavalry, to harass the enemy after they leave Nythros City and to pick off all detachments as well as keep reinforcements and supplies from joining the Grand Host. The other four thousand barbarians will be joined by two to three thousand Thagnori light cavalry, who will move up through the Princedoms of Cyros and Vesthar into Pindar, Kyblos and Ulthor where they will lie in wait for the Styphoni supply trains and reinforcements. It is our intention to see that no more supplies arrive from Hos-Ktemnos by way of the Nyklos Trail or overland from Tarr-Ceros. All captured supplies will be cached at Tarr-Rathon for later distribution to rest of Nos-Hostigos."

Kalvan didn't think the Styphoni would be sending much in the way of supplies along the Nyklos Trail due to the mountainous terrain, all the burned-out stretches and the destruction of Ulthor Port. Reinforcements maybe. He suspected most of the Styphoni supplies from the Temple warehouses would be ported along the Eastern Ocean to Hos-Agrys, where they'd go up the Agrys River (Hudson River) to the Lyptra River (Mohawk River), and then across the relatively flat Lake Ontario coastal plain to Glarth Town, which would send both ships and wagon trains to the Grand Host.

Prince Phrames asked, "Will the Prince of Vesthar pose any problems?"

Chartiphon shook his head. "Vesthar is in terrible shape after being hit first by the Army of the Trygath and then by Styphon's Grand Host. The Prince is dead, Vesthar Town is in ruins and the new Prince is fourteen winters old; he doesn't even have a mustache yet!"

There was a chorus of laughter.

"The Great Queen and I decided not to incorporate Vesthar, the easternmost of the Trygathi princedoms, into the new Kingdom of Rathon, since it would only end up being a bone of contention between us and the Styphoni, as they must have control of the area beyond the Nyklos Trail for their supply trains. Furthermore, there's nothing left in that backwater Princedom worth fighting over. Tarr-Vesthar was a wooden stockade that the Styphoni burned to the foundations the first moon quarter they were in Vesthar. The Styphoni have put up a few watchtowers along the Nyklos Trail, but they could be picked clean in a matter of days. The Styphoni believe they have the initiative, but as Kalvan and I discussed last night, it's we who have them in the pincers from behind and from the front."

Chartiphon sat back down and Kalvan said, "Thank you, King Chartiphon, for that concise and accurate account." Everyone was starting to talk, so to grab their attention Kalvan banged on the table with the handle of his poignard. "As you can see, we are not just going to sit and wait for the Grand Host to dictate the terms of this war. King Chartiphon will head the Army of Rathon and we will support him with another two thousand Royal Cavalry, mostly cuirassiers. It will be their job, along with the Rathoni Royal Cavalry, to keep the auxiliaries honest and see to the division of spoils. This may not seem like an important part of the war against the Host, but it may be the most critical arm of the campaign, or even the war itself, in terms of our ability to survive the next winter.