The Warlord Ch 05

"Dahlia has fallen."

That shouldn't have been possible. The combined Balaban and Morcar field armies didn't have enough infantry to successfully storm the city. We'd had over three thousand troops in the garrison.

Stephanie recovered first. "Mother, we captured Goldenrod."

Lady Rona made a sound very much like a 'Harumph'. "A modest victory, then, to offset a major disaster."

I wasn't having that. "No, Lady. Goldenrod was a significant victory. Losing Dahlia is a blow, but I won't know if it was a disaster until I hear what happened. We still have five production centres, and a powerful field army."

- "Come to the dining room, then, and you will hear the tale."

I don't know if she did it deliberately, just to piss me off, but Rona let her son Moran tell the story. The little shit smirked and strutted, and acted as if he hadn't had a thing to do with losing the city.

- "The Morcars arrive with only a standard field army: 1,600 troops. The Balabans had six thousand. But they also brought devices that none of us had ever seen before. They were like three-storey houses on wheels. Four of them."

- "Siege towers?" I blurted out.

Lady Rona frowned at me. "You know of these things?"

- "I know of them. I've never actually seen one. Except in pictures."

- "You could not have told us of them?"

I wanted to throw a little tantrum. I could have told them of ballistae and trebuchets, cannons and even drones. But that wouldn't have helped if we didn't know how to build the damn things, would it? Then a thought struck me, and I decided to be a little more diplomatic.

- "I would not know how to build them, Lady. I have seen pictures - illustrations - of many weapons that would be completely unknown here. I am only a strategist, though; you would need an engineer to design and build them. But it may be that now we know what the Balabans asked of the Gods, as their boon."

Stephanie turned to me, and nodded slowly. She got it. But Lady Rona was still in a shitty mood, and dickhead Moran was annoyed that I'd interrupted him.

- "Carry on, Moran." she said.

- "These...

towers

were pushed up to the walls, and then swung open, at the very top, creating a sort of bridge upon which the enemy heavy infantry could simply walk onto our ramparts. They were impervious to arrows, and -"

- "Wait - the heavy infantry? Or... you had the archers shoot at the towers?" I didn't have to add 'That was stupid'. But I was also doing calculations in my head. If these sieges towers negated the defensive bonus of city walls, then we'd left just over three thousand troops in a trap.

- "This was your doing, Warlord!" shouted Moran. "You never warned us that these things existed. We fought hard, but there was no way to stop them from reaching the walls."

I'd built plenty of archers in Dahlia, but that was of limited use if the Balabans could just place heavy infantry on the walls. We didn't have enough heavy infantry to prevent that.

- "We took heavy losses." said Lord Enver. He named a junior family member and three half-Hadyks who had gone down fighting. Malusha bowed her head; she recognized at least some of the names.

Moran hated being interrupted. He resumed his tale, describing the desperate fighting in the streets (even though I'd have bet my life savings that he hadn't been directly involved). The Balabans had brought most of their family fighters, unlike the Morcars, who'd had to split theirs between the flank march on Ivy, the defence of Goldenrod, and their field army outside Dahlia. That was a good strategic reminder for me: don't try to do too many things at once. Multi-tasking doesn't work in real life; it's even more true of grand strategy.

I decided, then and there, that I would have to speak to one of the other family members who'd escaped, or maybe one of the half-Hadyks. Moran was useless as a source of reliable information. He wasn't finished talking, though. Apparently I was to blame for every bit of bad fortune the Hadyks had experienced in the last decade.

I let him ramble. Deondra and Stephanie could tell Lady Rona what we'd achieved at Goldenrod. I wasn't minimizing the disaster at Dahlia. We'd lost a little over three thousand infantry at one stroke. But then, hadn't the Morcars just lost 2600 at Goldenrod?

Our losses were relatively light, and partially recouped by the 500 prisoners we'd taken, who were now part of our army. Had something similar happened at Dahlia? How many troops had the Balabans lost? And how many of our defenders had been captured, and were now ready to fight for our enemies?

Moran stopped talking (I think). Lady Rona was glaring at me.

- "Well?"

- "I'm sorry. Was there a question?"

Her eyes narrowed.

- "What are we to do, Warlord? That is the question."

I was tired. I was certainly annoyed. But I tried to keep it diplomatic.

- "You have options, Lady Rona. The first is to contact the Balabans -

and

the Morcars. The balance has shifted. I would guess that the Morcars were the driving force behind the coalition against you, but things have changed. They had three production centres, and the Balabans had two. Now that's reversed. What if you offered them two of the Balaban cities? Or if you promised the Balabans one of the Morcar cities?"

Either way, the Hadyks would have six production centres. Their enemies would be fools to accept a deal like that, but it was worth a try.

"Militarily? Now that they have these siege towers, I don't know that we can prevent the enemy from taking Flax or Hyacinth, or recapturing Goldenrod. We also have to protect Ivy. That means that we probably have to force a battle by attacking Dahlia, where the siege towers are. We'll need all of our best commanders and officers for that. That includes you, Lord Moran."

I added that just to mess with the little prick. Would it annoy him?

I pleaded fatigue, and the need for time to make plans. Meanwhile, Deondra and Stephanie could explain what had happened at Goldenrod.

In fact, I

was

tired. Physically, and emotionally. This 'Stranger in a Strange Land' gig was wearing on me. So were Moran and Rona. I liked Deondra, and Malusha was pretty much an open book. I also liked most of the half-Hadyks I'd met. Stephanie was a bit of an enigma, though. Her mother had hinted that I was going to marry the Princess.

I wasn't feeling it. Stephanie was gorgeous, obviously intelligent, and...

maybe

interested in me?

So I went back to my chamber. Peony followed me. Nosey and Pudge were guarding the way.

- "Hey guys." I said, just a bit wearily.

- "Well done, Warlord." said Nosey.

'Really?' I thought. I just didn't have the energy to engage with her.

- "Thanks."

Peony could see that I was exhausted. It wasn't just physical, either; I think that I was suffering from moral or morale fatigue. I thought we'd won a major victory at Goldenrod, one that would put us in the driver's seat, only to find out that we'd lost Dahlia and over three thousand troops. On top of that, I was getting peons killed at a record pace.

- "It wasn't your fault, Lord." said Peony.

- "I know." She was calling me 'Lord' again. "Can you do something for me, Peony?"

- "Anything, L- Dan."

- "Could you find me someone who was at Dahlia? Someone who fought there, and escaped? I want a better idea of what happened there, without having to ask Lord Enver."

- "I will do that for you." She hesitated for a moment. "In return, may I ask a favour? Or a boon, if you prefer."

- "Pardon?" Was Peony asking for something? "Umm... what's the difference between the two?"

- "They are much the same." she said. "A boon

is

a favour. But it is one that benefits a particular person. In this case, me. Plus I would not ask you for a boon more than once."

- "A lifetime boon?" I'd heard of such a thing. "Is it that important to you? Of course I'll do it - if I can."

She nodded. "I understand that you don't know enough suitable candidates to be your bodyguard, or, better yet, bodyguards. Plural."

- "I have Nosey and Pudge." I pointed out.

- "Only in a city. And they're peons. They can't really defend you against 'people', or even half-people."

- "I know. You told me this before."

- "Yes. And the danger grows."

- "Danger? What danger?"

- "Your reputation grows, Dan. Your fame. If the other families could deprive the Hadyks of your skill, do you not think they would seize the opportunity? Or what if there was a Hadyk who was jealous?"

I shook my head. "Moran? Please. He's a spoiled brat."

- "And a dangerous adversary. You must not underestimate him simply because he appears to be a petulant child who cannot conceal his animosity. He is more than that. And there are others who

can

conceal their animosity."

Even tired as I was, I could hear her sincerity, and her concern.

- "I'm sorry. I'll take it more seriously. Does this have something to do with your boon?"

- "I ask you this: if I find suitable bodyguards for you, will you please accept them?"

- "That's not a boon, Peony. You're doing me a favour. Yes, I'll accept your help."

She relaxed a little. "Thank you. Then let's get you ready for bed. You look exhausted."

I was. I went straight to sleep again. Were the beds in the Decapolis that much better than my own?

Of course, that was where I woke up - in my own bed. In my apartment.

***

I did very little work. My head just wasn't in it. Instead, I looked up siege towers, and then went down a rabbit hole again, into detailed discussions of medieval warfare. There were plenty of simple, basic designs for siege engines.

But could I build them? First off, there were very few trees in the Decapolis. Even if I cut down all the trees within five miles of Hyacinth, and had them dragged back, would we have enough wood to build battering rams? Mangonels? A trebuchet? Assuming I had one of those, what would we use for ammunition?

The Decapolis was like one vast golf course fairway. There was no rough, no forests, no sand traps. Where could I find huge stones to fire at city walls? It was more likely that I would have to use a Touchstone. And what then? Could I ask for a catapult? Or cannons? Might as well wish for stealth bombers while I was at it.

I couldn't help feeling like my apartment was empty. This was new for me. Maybe that was why I got my coat and went outside. My footsteps led me to a Vietnamese restaurant, where I could get a big bowl of Pho soup for under ten dollars.

There was a sizable lunch crowd. I could hear the buzz of conversation, but I really wasn't paying attention. I was alone with my thoughts. Wasn't that the pattern of my life, these past couple of years? Work from home, game online with friends - still alone.

I hadn't really felt lonely. But now I did. I missed having people around me, interacting with them - even if they didn't consider themselves people.

This game - if that's what it was - was beginning to feel more important than anything going on in my real life. If I managed to win the war for the Hadyks, would it be game over for me? Would I go to sleep there, and wake up here, stuck for good? It wasn't that I wanted to prolong the war for ever, but my mind kept returning to the subject of life without the Decapolis. I didn't like those thoughts.

I would miss Deondra and Malusha. Jashi, too. I couldn't say the same for Lady Rona and her son, but I would miss the place. And I would miss the possibility of Stephanie. I wasn't at all sure that Rona had actually promised me her daughter, but it was

sort of

possible, wasn't it? After all, if we won the war, and the Matriarch eliminated all of the other families, who would there be left for Stephanie to marry? Never mind that I wasn't even sure if I wanted to marry her; it was the possibility that intrigued me.

I would probably miss Peony most. It might sound odd, but of all the people I'd met in the Decapolis, I could most easily imagine her in the real world. A friend, who gave good advice. Someone I could talk to - a female - without getting nervous.

Sure, I could talk to Jashi or Deondra about strategy and tactics, just like I had some online friends who were female. But all we really talked about was gaming. I just felt like I could talk to Peony about anything. And that led me to some odd thoughts.

That night, I had no real interest in playing another game. I studied my own home-made map of the Decapolis, and tried to work out what our enemies might do next. It wasn't especially conducive to getting to sleep early.

***

I woke up in Hyacinth, wearing the loose blue t-shirt and grey track pants I'd had on yesterday. Peony must have been telepathic, because she came into my chamber a moment later, bearing a tray.

- "Good morning, Lord Daniel." she said, cheerily. "I took the liberty of bringing you a little something for breakfast, just in case Lady Rona calls for you early. Apple juice, and some toasted bread with butter. I can get you more, if you're hungry. Or something different, if you prefer."

- "No, that's fine, Peony. Thank you."

Lady Rona did call for me early. The dining room was full of Hadyks, and so was the Map Room. It seemed as though our planning session was going to be a more public one, this time.

- "I have made a few diplomatic moves." said the Matriarch. "Messengers were sent to the Balabans, proposing an alliance. I have offered them the city of Caladium, while we take Eglantine."

The Morcars would be eliminated. The Balabans would then have four production centres, while the Hadyks had six. After a short peace, Lady Rona would then declare war on them. The Balabans would have to be complete fools not to see that.

- "Did you say moves, Lady? Plural?"

- "Of course. I offered the Morcars Amaranth and Bryony if we are allowed to recover Dahlia."

- "Umm... what if they compare notes with the Balabans?"

She frowned. "What does that matter? If either one accepts my proposal, then we win. If they don't discuss it with their ally, then it sows distrust between them. Even if they both refuse, they will have to consider when to offer us something similar, should they begin to win."

Brutal. But then again, Lady Rona knew the Balabans and Morcars infinitely better than I did. Maybe her style of diplomacy was what worked here.

"There is bad news, though. Lady Shorr has rejected my offers for a marriage alliance. She will not give us Symenon Shorr, even if we take Falas as well."

Deondra looked genuinely disappointed. Malusha sucked her teeth. She was single; would she have been married to Symenon? Or to Falas?

Lady Rona turned to me. "That makes our next moves all the more important. What do you suggest, Warlord?"

- "Hopefully a better plan than your last one." said Moran, with a sneer.

- "Moran." said Lady Rona.

- "What? He bungled the job. Cost us Dahlia."

- "And gained us Goldenrod." said Malusha. "Don't be a fool, Moran: no one could have predicted that the Balabans would have those towers."

- "Enough!" snapped Lady Rona. "I am not here to listen to your bickering." She glared at each of them in turn. "Go ahead, Warlord."

- "I have a question, Lady Rona."

- "Which is?"

- "Can you create picks and shovels from the Touchstones? Hundreds of them?"

- "Why would you want hundreds of picks and shovels?"

- "So that we can dig a moat - a ditch, if you prefer - around each one of our production centres. Fifteen feet wide, and five feet deep."

Deondra's eyes went wide, and Malusha actually burst into laughter. Stephanie got it, too, I think; when Lady Rona still looked confused, her daughter leaned over and whispered an explanation.

- "Ah." said the Matriarch. "As a defence against these siege towers. I see."

- "If you want to dig them even deeper, it would also make enemy siege ladders too short to reach the top of our walls. Flax and Hyacinth should be our first priorities, Goldenrod and Ivy second."

- "That is an excellent suggestion." conceded Lady Rona.

- "Then why didn't he think of it sooner!" complained Moran.

- "Enough, Moran. You are excused." said his mother. Apparently even she had had enough of his interruptions. Or maybe it was just that, by that point, he had already served his purpose. It didn't look as good to have him bitching at me if I was making sound sense.

Moran left in huff. He did a very convincing huff.

I was then invited to give my ideas on the coming campaign. I tried to ignore the extra people in the Map Room. I was really only speaking to Rona and Stephanie, Deondra and Malusha, and possibly Deondra's father, Aymort.

- "We have to reinforce the garrison at Ivy, and rebuild Jashi's screening force. She did an excellent job in Turn Two. I would like to promote her to the rank of Colonel, as well."

- "What is that?" asked Malusha.

- "A rank higher than Captain, but still less than General. It's mostly just an honour, really, but she deserves it."

- "Oh."

- "My father would agree." said Deondra. "He said that the victory at Ivy was largely hers." Lord Aymort went up another notch in my estimation.

- "I will consider it." said Rona.

- "I don't think that the Morcars will make another attempt at Ivy, but we have to be careful. The same goes for garrisoning Goldenrod."

- "But the main army is there."

- "The main army will be moving. We'll build field armies in Flax, Hyacinth, and Goldenrod. Then we'll move towards Dahlia, and locate the Balabans' army."

- "Really?" said Deondra. "You would seek a battle?"

- "I don't see another option. With those siege towers, they can capture any city, even if we have thousands of infantry in the garrison. We were lucky at Goldenrod; the archers were very effective. But our next attempt to storm a city could prove to be very costly. And all that would achieve is to trade cities with the enemy again. We have to break that cycle."

Lady Rona and her daughter exchanged a look. Neither one looked particularly keen about the prospect of an enormous battle. For the moment, though, nobody had a better idea.

In the afternoon, I travelled by Portal to Ivy with Lord Aymort. He was going to reprise his role as Commander of the garrison. We discussed a build that would leave him with enough troops to feel confident if the Morcars attacked again. He was very glad to hear that Jashi would once again be screening the city with her mobile force.

But it was really her that I'd come to see. Her role in Turn Three was going to begin the same way as in Turn Two, but if I guessed correctly about the Morcars' intentions, then I had additional orders for Jashi that would saddle her with additional responsibility.

Then I told her about her promotion.

- "Colonel? I don't understand."

- "It's a rank. An honour. Above Captain, but below General. Think of this way: it will make the Hadyks more likely to accept when I give you more troops and another independent command."

She smiled at that. "Thank you, Warlord. But shouldn't you save this role for someone more deserving? Like Sudha? Or Wantrao?"

- "There can be several Colonels. For now, Wantrao is too... controversial. I'm also not certain if he's suited to independent command. But you're right in one sense: another performance like at Jacaranda, and he'll certainly deserve the rank. Sudha has to prove herself. Armene might be another candidate."

I went through the Portal again, this time to Jacaranda. Wantrao was exercising in the yard.

- "Ah! The mighty Warlord returns, to grace us with his presence!" he said, with just a bit of a curl in his lip.

- "You know," I said, "the only other person who speaks to me that way is Moran Hadyk."

That put Wantrao on his back foot. I knew that he didn't like being compared to that cocky little shit. Not one bit. But I'd also referred to him as a person.