Imager’s Battalion

Later on Solayi, Quaeryt and first company rode out to the local high holding, only to find that the dwelling was shuttered and secured, as were all the outbuildings, with no sign of retainers or tenants. That, Quaeryt suspected, was likely true for many holdings as they neared Villerive. They left everything untouched and returned to Roule where, thankfully, Skarpa did not require services, perhaps because he had the men readying themselves to set out on Lundi morning. Quaeryt did notice that Skarpa sent a dispatch to Deucalon announcing his actions just as they left Roule.

By Meredi evening, a dispatch courier caught up with them, bearing orders for Skarpa to stop in the next sizable town and to inform the marshal of their location, and not to advance unless attacked or required to deal with Bovarian forces … or unless he received orders.

Skarpa made no comment, but only passed the dispatch to Meinyt and Quaeryt.

“Does he want to take until winter to reach Variana?” groused Meinyt.

“Marshal Deucalon is very cautious,” suggested Quaeryt.

Skarpa raised his eyebrows, then said, “We’d best find a good sizable town, then.”

That took another three days, because the commander deemed all those through which they passed as hamlets or “little better than hamlets,” although several were almost as large as Roule or Rivecote Sud. Skarpa did send off dispatch riders every day, reporting on each of the hamlets or small towns, and their locations, while observing the lack of sizable towns on the south side of the river that met Deucalon’s criteria.

Finally, just before ninth glass on Solayi morning, the scouts reported a millestone stating that Caernyn was six milles ahead.

“That’s even on the map,” observed Skarpa.

Both subcommanders, riding on each side of him, laughed.

The scout looked puzzled, but set off once more to investigate the town.

Two glasses later, the scouts returned, riding hard before they reined up. “Sir … they’ve got troops. More than we’ve seen since Ferravyl. They’re dug in behind stone walls, not really exactly forts, on the slopes south of the town. There’s a long swamp on the south.”

Skarpa looked to the subcommanders “Had to happen sooner or later.” Then he asked the scout, “What about the troops? How many?”

“It’s hard to tell, sir. They look to have more than a regiment, and some are wearing maroon uniforms.”

“Maroon uniforms? Are you sure?”

“Yes, sir. I couldn’t say that they all are, but most of those we saw were.”

“What else? Did you see any catapults? Or cannon?”

“There weren’t any cannon ports in the walls, sir, but we couldn’t rightly see what was behind them. We had to ride hard to escape one of their patrols.”

“How does the river road approach the town and those slopes…?” Skarpa asked questions for almost a quint before he sent the scout off to discover what else he could. Then he ordered the regiments forward once more.

“Maroon uniforms,” offered Meinyt. “They wouldn’t be Antiagon troops, would they?”

“Who else would be in maroon? But why would they be here? It’s more than five hundred milles to the nearest part of Antiago.”

“The Autarch did wed Kharst’s niece,” offered Quaeryt. “It just could be that Aliaro fears that if Bhayar takes even the eastern half of Bovaria, he’ll turn his sights to taking Antiago.”

“That’s more likely, except that regiment had to be in Bovaria before we even set out from Ferravyl,” said Skarpa.

“Maybe the Autarch thought Kharst would defeat us, and he wanted his share of the spoils,” suggested Meinyt.

“We need to give him his fair share,” said Skarpa sarcastically. “If we can.”

“If we can?” asked Meinyt. “They’ve only got a regiment.”

“They’re using stone walls,” said Quaeryt. “Do you think they might have imagers and Antiagon Fire? Was that why you asked about catapults?”

“With Antiagons, that’s possible.” He frowned. “They probably won’t have imagers, not in Bovarian territory. Antiagon Fire-that’s more likely. If they do, we’ll need your imagers.”

Quaeryt frowned. “I’ll have to think about what they can do.” He glanced to the hazy but clear sky. No chance of rain. Not soon, anyway.

“One of them can deflect arrows. Why not a fireball thrown from a catapult?”

“Arrows don’t weigh nearly as much.”

“And a bridge doesn’t weigh anything?” asked Skarpa.

“They weren’t trying to stop it or move it,” Quaeryt pointed out. “They’ve never dealt with Antiagon Fire. Neither have I.” You’ve only watched it being fired from a cannon in a strange shell … and only once at that.

“None of us have,” Skarpa said, “but we’re likely to find out sooner or later.”

“I need to talk to the imagers.” Quaeryt guided the mare back along the narrow shoulder of the road until he reached Fifth Battalion. As he eased in beside Major Zhelan, he called out, “Undercaptain Voltyr, forward.”

Voltyr rode forward.

“Do you know anything about Antiagon Fire?”

“Sir?”

“We’re likely about to face an Antiagon regiment that’s positioned behind stone walls. Would you like to wager that they don’t have at least some weapons that employ Antiagon Fire?”

“No, sir. But I don’t know much about it.”

“It has to be created by imagers, it’s said.”

“Yes, sir, but I don’t know how. No imager I know ever knew how.”

“What do you know about it?”

“It’s supposed to be a sticky liquid that’s dark, like bitumen, and it has resins mixed in it, and some say brimstone, and then there’s a yellow-white powder that’s mixed with that, but it has to be coated with hot wax or it will burn, even on top of water.”

“It burns on top of water?” asked Zhelan.

“I’ve read about that,” replied Quaeryt. “Do you know why it takes an imager to make it?”

Voltyr shrugged. “No, sir, except I heard that only an imager could create the powder.”

Quaeryt looked to Zhelan. “Have you ever encountered it?”

“No, sir. Aren’t the Antiagons the only ones who have it?”

“At least one High Holder from Nacliano has it,” replied Quaeryt. “His ships have special cannon and shells they use against pirates.”

“I wouldn’t know, sir.”

“Voltyr … ask the others if they know anything about Antiagon Fire, then ride back and ask the Khellan majors.”

“Yes, sir.”

In little less than a quint Voltyr returned with the information that none of the imagers or Khellan officers knew more than he and Quaeryt had already discussed.

As he rode on, Quaeryt continued to think. Given the way Captain Shuld had handled the shells on the Diamond Naclia, it had been clear they could easily explode. That meant a regiment likely wouldn’t carry large amounts … But what if they kept them in small containers, like miniature cannonballs that would fit in small catapults? He tried to recall what had happened to the pirate ship. The flames hadn’t appeared until after the shell struck … Yet it couldn’t have been the impact that created them-or they didn’t need much of an impact because there were too many reports of Antiagon Fire being used against troops in situations where the impact of a shell or globe grenade could not have been that forceful.

When, a glass later, just after midday, Skarpa called a halt more than a mille from the stone emplacements, Quaeryt still had no answers. For all his questions, he had come up with only one possible way of dealing with the Antiagon Fire. And it was a way he really didn’t want to try, especially after he rode forward to join Skarpa and