Lakhyri.
'So bright,' he whispered. He met Lakhyri's cold gaze. 'Such a web of colours.' 'You may go,' said the high priest. 'Send another acolyte to us.' The youth nodded and left with a glazed look and a half-smile. 'What does this mean, master?' asked Eriekh. 'I do not know. Perhaps Udaan can give us some answers.'
Askhor
Late Autumn, 209th Year of Askh
I
An Askhan column on the march was the epitome of efficiency. From Enair to Maasra, every legionnaire and officer was ruthlessly inculcated with the routine of war. Whether the army was a small patrol of five hundred men or, as Ullsaard now led, five full legions numbering more than thirty thousand, daily life was always the same.
At the call of Dawnwatch the men would breakfast, feed the animals and begin to break down the camp. Every company would begin by dismantling their tents and stowing them with the baggage. Each was assigned a sector of the camp wall to dismantle. The guard companies, a tenth of the army, stood ready to respond to any threat while the rest of the force carried out its tasks. A legionnaire worked in his armour and was forbidden from ever being more than ten paces from his shield, helmet and spear. Infractions were always applied to the whole company — usually in the form of extra rotations on the most demeaning duties such as digging and filling the latrines, or extra stints on the guard duty just before dawn, known as Gravewatch. This meant that the legionnaires were always watching out for the discipline of their comrades, and any who brought the company into disrepute could expect a severe beating from his fellows.
Breaking camp took two hours, half an Askhan watch, after which the whole force would be ready to move out. Like all other duties, the task of vanguard and rearguard was cycled through the legions and each would move out in its appointed place, their baggage gathered in a single train at the centre of the column. Kolubrid-riding scouts fanned out ahead and to either side of the advancing column, alert for danger.
The army marched without pause, through the rest of Dawnwatch, Low Watch and Noonwatch, ten Askhan hours. At the prescribed pace the army would cover twenty-five Askhan miles over this time, a mile being one-tenth the distance a legion could cover in a full watch. Ullsaard pushed his troops hard each day, so that by the time High Watch came about in mid-afternoon they had instead covered forty miles. When High Watch was called the scouts reported suitable camping sites and the legion would erect their temporary town over the course of the next four hours, until Duskwatch was rung in. By this time, the tents would be erected, organised by company and legion; wooden walls were built, either from locally cut wood if available or timber brought with the baggage if lumber was sparse, with ditches around them. The cook fires would be burning, the transportable forge lit and the night duties detailed out to the companies.
Families and other non-combatants that were often left behind by the pace of the march caught up with their soldiers in the evening and made their own rough camp outside the walls — no closer than a bowshot to ensure their tents and carts did not provide cover to an attacking foe.
In the event of enemy action, the gates would not be opened for them, so these folk camped nearby woods if they could, which would allow them to flee if they were set upon during the night. Wives and children of legionnaires that had served for many years were no less disciplined than their husbands and fathers, and the life in the civilian camp was a strange mirror of the military routine, with families from the same companies and legions sticking together, organising their own food and sentries. Ullsaard had always marvelled at this spirit, a true demonstration of the discipline and organisation that bound the Askhan people with their empire.
From Duskwatch to Howling the legionnaires were at their leisure, food being served company by company, repairs made to equipment, the animals foddered. Small amounts of beer were allowed, carefully rationed by the captains — drunkenness was punishable by death. Depending on the locale, companies would also be sent to forage in the surrounding area, and often the kolubrid companies would set out to hunt for fresh meat.
Any infractions from the day would be dealt with by the officers, and the men would be sent to their blankets at Howling, save for those companies that were called for guard duty. These guards spent one watch patrolling the walls and garrisoning the gate towers while their companions slept. Midnight Watch and Gravewatch passed the night until Dawnwatch when the whole machine set to action again.
Hour by hour, watch by watch, day by day, Ullsaard's legions marched coldwards towards Askh. Even when they had crossed into the more civilised lands of Okhar, the routine did not change. Though there was little threat of attack, the ritual of life on the march was adhered to. Under hot sun, through driving rains and gales, a legion would always be the same, the familiarity of the life bringing the men together in bonds surer than simple friendship.
Ullsaard kept to himself for much of the time, either in the vanguard or at the head of the main column as his daily mood took him. Some mornings he woke up eager and he wanted to be at the forefront of the advance, every step bringing him closer to realising his ambition of a campaign against Salphoria. Other days he woke filled with nerves, worried by the prospect of dispute with King Lutaar. On those days he lost himself in the daily matters of his army and stayed with the bulk of the legions, discussing the running of the army with his First Captains. It was easy to drown out the doubts with endless questions about supply, punishments, promotions and the other distractions of a commander.
It was a source of some pride for Ullsaard that none of his officers questioned his orders as they continued towards Askhor. It was another worry of his that something might happen to test that loyalty and he did his best to treat his First Captains well, gently reminding them individually and as a group that he had their best interests at heart.
II
Forty-seven days of hard marching brought Ullsaard back to the Askhor Gap and the Wall. He could have reached the border sooner, but had chosen to avoid the main road along the Greenwater, instead heading almost directly coldwards from Mekha before turning dawnwards to cross the Greenwater between Paalun and Narun. They had entered the foothills of the Askhor Mountains and marched coldwards again, coming upon the Askhor Gap across a wide ridge that extended out to duskwards from the foot of the mountains.
Ullsaard's feelings on seeing the Wall were mixed, just as they had been in the summer. Beyond was Askh, which held the key to his future, for good or bad. From his vantage point he stared across the flat plain of the Askhor Gap and saw nothing amiss. Lines of carts moved along the road, meaning that the gate was open. If Lutaar had suspected anything, he would surely have closed the gate and stopped Ullsaard from approaching the city.
Feeling a little more confident, Ullsaard summoned his First Captains. He tried hard to keep any sign of his nerves from his demeanour, hoping to exude confidence and make his subordinates believe that they were perfectly entitled to march into Askhor whenever they pleased.
'I'm going to split the column once we are through the gate,' he told them. 'Donar, I want the Fifth to make their camp ten miles inside the gate. There's a large hill hotwards of the road that you should use. The rest of the legions are coming with me to Askh. We should be there in two days' time. We'll set up camp and I'll go to the city.'
'Wouldn't it be easier to keep the legions outside the Wall rather than marching them in and back out again?' asked Jutiil.
'Winter's almost here,' Ullsaard replied. 'We'll not be going anywhere until spring, so we might as well enjoy the shelter of Askhor.'
There were nods of agreement. Ullsaard sent the commanders back to their legions and pulled himself up onto Blackfang's back. He sat there for some time while the order of march was barked out to the companies. He
