The Warlord Chapter 6

WARLORD Chapter 6

Boloda appeared out of nowhere, and stepped between us. There was just enough room for her because Aymort, Deondra's father, had taken hold of Moran's shoulder, and yanked him back.

- "Let go of me!" snapped the little prick. I thought that he was going to spit at Aymort.

That gave Lady Rona herself time to come over, with Stephanie behind her.

- "There will be no challenge." she said.

But Uncle Detsen was shaking his head. "It's too late, Rona. Everybody heard it."

Rona Hadyk wasn't Matriarch for nothing. She made some quick decisions. "Go to your chamber, Lord Daniel." she said. "We will discuss this tomorrow, with cooler heads. Moran - you go to your chamber as well, and

do not leave it

until I come to fetch you in person.

Do you understand

?"

Now her baby boy realized that he had overstepped his bounds. "Yes, Mother." he replied, rather more meekly.

- "I'm sorry, Lord Daniel." said Stephanie.

- "Not now." said her mother.

So I walked back to my chamber, with Boloda and Kisel. I nodded to Nosey and Pudge, and then ushered my bodyguards inside. Peony was already there. She appeared to be on the verge of tears.

I turned to Boloda. "What does a challenge mean?"

- "Congratulations, Warlord." she said. "You're going to be fighting a duel."

***

Sleep didn't come easy, but it was what I needed most, so I tried to stop worrying about the duel. Then I started worrying about the next Turn, but the plan I'd already formulated didn't really need any major changes. Of course, I was also wondering where I would wake up this time.

The answer was... in my apartment.

That settled me down. Shower, shave, make coffee. Mundane tasks that required little concentration. Muscle memory took over, for the most part (although I did notice that I was running a little low on shaving cream, so I wrote myself a note as a reminder).

My thoughts began to roam. If Moran had challenged me, did that give me choice of weapons? Swords were definitely out; Boloda said that with a blade in my hands, I was a danger only to myself. A spear, an axe or a mace didn't sound any better. Catapults at one hundred yards?

But I found myself thinking about the other things Moran had said. He sounded awfully sure that I wasn't going to end up married to his sister. But who could she marry, if we won the war and the Hadyks controlled all ten production centres? With the other three families dispossessed, would she still seek a Shorr, a Morcar or a Balaban for a husband?

I wondered if the little prick was just venting his spleen, angry because I'd kept Sudha away from him. Or was he more of an unruly child who'd overheard the adults in the room talking? Did Rona and Stephanie see my uses as 'limited', and 'coming to an end'?

There would soon come a point in the campaign when they didn't need me any more. Maybe we had already reached that point. With a 6-4 advantage in production centres, Deondra could probably win the war without me. At 7-3, it would be even more likely.

Of course the Hadyks were using me. Why wouldn't they? It was a position I'd been in before.

Shelly was a girl in college I'd have lunch or a coffee with two or three times a week. Sometimes I'd tutor her a bit in one subject (though it was two subjects for part of one semester).

I was over the moon that this cute girl was interested in me for my brains and my personality, at least. Nothing physical ever happened between us, but she would laugh at my jokes, and sometimes rested her hand on my arm when she was making a point.

Then came the day I noticed one of her friends looking at me. Her expression was a mixture of pity and scorn. Of course Shelly was just using me for free lunches, free coffees, free tutoring. She was very clever about it. She wouldn't always accept my offer to buy her lunch, claiming that she wasn't hungry or that she'd already eaten. I think she might have bought the coffees once or twice, too.

We went out in the evening a couple of times, to a lecture related to one of her courses, and to a volleyball game that a couple of her friends were playing in.

She accepted my invitation to go out on a real date twice - on two separate occasions. Of course, she had to regretfully cancel both times, once because of an overdue assignment, and once for a family commitment.

I didn't finally clue in until I saw her friend's expression. Then I followed her out into the quad, at a distance, where she met with a guy. They kissed, and he put his arm around her. I was surprisingly numb about it. There was no real point in a confrontation, was there?

So I ghosted her. I avoided my usual hangouts, and went for lunch off-campus. She texted me multiple times, asking where I was, and then progressing to 'What's wrong?'. I finally texted her back. 'Nothing's wrong. But the free ride is over. Bye, Shelly.'

She texted again a few days later: 'I don't understand, Dan. What's wrong?' I decided on one more answer: 'If you want to buy me lunch for the rest of the year, I accept. Otherwise, bye.'

Shelly didn't have the guts (or the nerve) to try a direct confrontation. She just calculated her winnings, I guess, and moved on.

So the Hadyks were using me. I was probably just a disposable asset. It was stupid, of me, I suppose, to have forgotten the lesson Shelly taught me, or to trust in the gratitude of Princes (or Matriarchs).

I sat at my computer, but I had just about zero urge to do any work. Nor did I want to start a game. Fighting two campaigns (or playing two games) at once was a recipe for disaster.

My eyes strayed to my bookshelf. I had a two-volume set of 'I, Claudius' by Robert Graves. Next to them was another book by Graves: Count Belisarius. It was about a Byzantine General from the sixth century (maybe their best general). Belisarius reconquered much of the West for the Byzantine Emperor Justinian.

He defeated the Vandals and recaptured North Africa, then beat the Goths and captured Rome, which he then defended through a long siege. He beat the Persians and the Huns, too. He wasn't undefeated, or anything like that, but if you know any Byzantine history, you know that they were penny-pinchers who never allocated their commanders enough resources.

Belisarius was the guy who got more done with less. More than once, he won a victory without fighting. His reward? He was accused of being part of a conspiracy against Justinian, and sentenced to house arrest (which doesn't sound right, does it?). There was a legend that the Emperor had him blinded, a story which (while probably untrue) grew more popular over the centuries. It was a favourite subject with sculptors and painters up to and including Jacques Louis David, just before the French Revolution.

Okay, end of nerd digression. But the point, for me, was that I would be foolish to blindly trust to the generosity of Lady Rona. They didn't use money, or grant land. She had given me Peony, a gift beyond price, if only they realized it.

But there was a chance that Moran's attitude was shared by more of the Hadyk family than I'd originally thought. That was something to think about.

Somehow I made it to mid-afternoon without doing anything the least bit constructive. My thoughts were scattered, jumping back and forth between the challenge, the coming Turn (assuming I would wake up in the Decapolis again), and then a host of other questions: were the Hadyks going to dump me at some point, what could I do for the half-Hadyks and the peons, and how to win the war. There was Peony, too.

And then, out of nowhere, a strange thought occurred to me. It was so ludicrous that I laughed out loud.

***

I woke up in the chamber in Hyacinth. Considering that I was going to have to fight a duel, I was actually relieved to be here. Had I been in my own bed, in my apartment, I would have been disappointed.

Peony was sitting by my desk, watching me sleep.

- "Good morning." I said.

- "Good morning, Daniel." she said. "Would you like breakfast?"

- "Not yet. Could I ask you a few questions, Peony?

- "Of course."

- "Okay the duel, first. I assume that it's a fight to the death?"

- "Traditionally, yes. All of the families suffer from internal rivalries and disputed successions. Murder is not unknown, but a challenge is considered more honourable."

- "How many of the family Matriarchs have fought duels?"

- "All of them. Kin-slayers, every one. Lady Rona killed her older sister. But that may provide a reason for you to refuse. Strictly speaking, you are not a Hadyk. There is no real need for you to adhere to their code."

I gave her a rueful smile. "Thank you, Peony. But I don't think I can hide behind a loophole like that. I would lose too much... prestige, I guess. People would lose respect for me. I may need that, going forward. Okay, next question: do we use the same weapon? And as the challenged party, do I have the right to choose it?"

- "Yes to both."

- "Good. Okay: change of subject. What happens if we win the war?"

- "I don't understand."

- "Say we capture all of the cities. Lady Rona controls all of the production centres. What happens to all the peons?"

- "They return to peace time numbers, Daniel." She said it calmly enough, but I could tell that she was powerfully affected.

- "How? Do the surplus just... disappear? Vanish?"

- "Yes."

In peace time, each city had a force of 1,200 troops attached to it: one heavy cavalry unit, one light cavalry, two heavy infantry, six light infantry and two companies of archers. That meant a total of 12,000 for the whole of the Decapolis. There were more troops in the Hadyk armies than that

now

. By the time we arrived in front of the tenth city (should that day ever come), we might have well over 25,000 soldiers in our field army - without even counting the city garrisons.

For more than half of our troops, the final victory would literally mean their extinction.

But what was the alternative? A state of perpetual war, building thousands more troops every Turn, and then condemning many of them to die violently? Neither alternative was at all appealing.

Of course, I'd also considered what it might mean for me. Would I continue to wake up in the Decapolis every now and then? Or would it be game over for me? It certainly influenced how I felt about Lady Rona's suggestion that I might marry Stephanie. And it affected my feelings for Peony.

She'd been near tears when she learned of Moran's challenge. And now she was actually crying.

- "I'm sorry." I said. "I shouldn't have brought up such a painful subject."

She waved a hand, as if she was correcting me.

- "You don't understand." she said, with a sniff. "I'm not crying for the peons. I... I learned long ago that my tears made no difference. The longer the war goes on, the more will die. Painfully. Yes, if you end the fighting, many will disappear, but at least they'll go peacefully. And... you're the only one who cares. I don't understand how you're the only one..."

If I'd had more confidence... if I wasn't fat and ugly, like Moran said, I would have gone over there and given Peony a hug. She certainly looked like she could use one. But I didn't want to make things more awkward between us, so I just slipped out from under the covers, and sat on the edge of the bed to pull on my socks and slippers. Otherwise, I was wearing a green T-shirt and (thankfully clean) track pants.

Peony was still sniffing and rubbing at her eyes. I stood up and went over to her. The best I could do - and it took an effort (I had to turn off my brain for a couple of seconds) - was to put my hand on her shoulder. She didn't stop crying, but she did reach up with her little fingers to rest her hand on mine.

- "

I don't want you to die.

" she whispered.

- "I'm not planning on it anytime soon."

We had a very brief quiet moment, and then Boloda and Kisel knocked on the door. I immediately tried to move my hand, but for a moment there Peony wouldn't let it go. She finally did, and stood up.

Boloda took a good long look at me. "You look remarkably composed." she said. "Do you want to look at armour before or after breakfast?"

- "I won't be wearing any." I said. Then I told them my choice of weapon.

Boloda and Peony were both stunned. Kisel laughed. For a guy who couldn't speak, he sure could laugh.

***

Lady Rona didn't laugh when I told her.

- "You can't be serious."

- "I am. I get to choose the weapons. I choose pillows."

The Matriarch's face was like thunder. "I will not be mocked, Lord Daniel."

- "I don't think that I would ever mock you, Lady Rona."

- "He is!" shouted Moran. "He's making fun of us!"

- "Be silent." snapped Rona. "Your turn to speak will come." She turned back to me. "You can't kill someone with a pillow, Daniel."

- "You're only saying that because no one's done it yet. But we're also free to use our hands, and other body parts, are we not?"

- "I see. Unarmed combat, then." Lady Rona paused. "That gives you a considerable advantage in size."

- "Did you expect me to choose a weapon that gives

him

an advantage? He has speed and combat experience. I don't. Technically speaking, I'm not a Hadyk... yet."

- "And never will be!" snarled Moran.

- "I told you to be silent." said his mother. "One more outburst and I will have you removed from the room."

- "What I was going to say," I continued, "is that since I'm not a Hadyk, the rules for challenges may not actually apply to me. My choice of weapon may be a little out of the ordinary, but so is challenging someone who's not a member of the family. I am prepared to waive any objection."

Lady Rona came to a decision. "So be it. The challenge will be fought at noon tomorrow."

- "Um... point of order?" I said. "Would it be possible to have the fight today? It'll be hard to plan for the next Turn with this hanging over my head. I'd like to get this out of the way as soon as possible." And I left it unsaid that if I was the one who lost, then the Hadyks could whistle for another strategic genius. Hey, if you let your idiot son challenge me, you don't get the benefit of my talents (such as they are).

Of course, the argument could be made that they could win the war without me, from this point.

Lady Rona consulted with my opponent. Moran agreed immediately. He was apparently just as eager to get it on.

None of the Hadyks came to wish me luck. I guess it was understandable; that would have been much the same as wishing for the death of their kinsman, cousin, or brother.

I went through the Portal to Dahlia, and had lunch with the half-Hadyks. I had a serious question - actually, two serious questions - for each of them. The answer to the first was a unanimous yes; they all wanted to come back to Hyacinth to see the duel.

The answers to my second query were more varied. I wasn't all that surprised. I had known some of them longer than others, but it was still only a matter of days. Nonetheless, shared danger and comradeship in war count for quite a bit. The issue might come up again, though, so I wanted each of them to have a chance to think about it.

The fight was to take place in the castle courtyard. The whole Hadyk family was there, except for two of the younger children, and of course Lady Keratsa, Malusha's mother. I was surprised to see Deondra's children, Laqyal and Palden. I guess they were old enough to witness death, if they hadn't already.

Lady Rona wasn't happy. None of the Hadyks looked happy, really. It might have been because of how ridiculous we looked, armed with pillows. I'm sure that it offended their sense of propriety. Yes, legally sanctioned murder is perfectly acceptable - because that was what it would have been if I had to face Moran with a sword - but silly weapons are an insult.

I'm sure that the Hadyks were also unhappy about the composition of much of the audience. You see, the half-Hadyks had shown up, and there were a darn sight more of them than I had suspected.

My officer corps was there: Jashi, Armene, Sudha, Inzhay and Virdyan. And Wantrao.

That did not go over well with Lady Rona. But would she ban him from the courtyard? How would that sit with the rest of my officers?

Boloda and Kisel were there, too, of course, but so were another half-dozen half-Hadyk officers. They were considered lacking in leadership skills, and so were generally not given command of battlefield units. Instead, they were kept to stiffen city garrisons, or to assist a Hadyk family member in marshalling fresh builds and reinforcements.

Kisel wasn't unique, either. There were four other older veterans, most of whom were no longer able to march with the army or to command troops, because of wounds they'd suffered fighting in the last war. One was missing her left leg, the second a hand, the third a hand and an arm. The fourth was blind. Honourable retirement, in their cases, meant being left to the care of peon servants, being given food, and then largely ignored.

There were half-Hadyk children, too. Some were only infants, carried by peon nurses. A few were in their teens, ready to begin training with Boloda for the next war. But the most staggering thing about the half-Hadyk children was their sheer number. There were more of them than there were pure-blooded family members. All told, there were just about twice as many half-Hadyks as Hadyks.

- "How many of these is Moran responsible for?" I asked Boloda.

- "Seven." she said, before casually spitting on the ground.

No, the Hadyks weren't happy. I was making a bit of a farce of their precious duel, Wantrao was present, and so were the maimed older veterans, a reminder of the family's callousness. Worse yet, the Hadyk women were confronted with the evidence of their husbands' and sons' repeated dalliances. It did put Kamla's scandalous offence into perspective, didn't it?

Many of the Hadyks channelled their embarrassment into anger at me (or went there directly), suspecting that I was behind this little stunt. I knew about it, but it was largely the work of Boloda and Peony, who was innocently watching from the castle doorway.

There were other peons present of course, guarding the entrances to the castle and the courtyard. I saw Nosey and Pudge among them, and winked in their direction.

If it sounds like I was relatively calm, that's probably because I was. Yes, Moran was infinitely more athletic than me, and would have a significant speed advantage. But it's hard to do much damage with a pillow, especially against a much larger opponent. Yes, he could kick and punch, but according to Boloda, Moran had never practiced any form of unarmed combat. He was also accustomed to fighting against people - sorry, peons - who couldn't fight back.

Okay, I have to admit that I had concerns. I was seriously out of shape, and my last fight (a loss, featuring a bloody nose) was in Grade seven. But I did have two years of judo training, and I'd watched a ton of MMA fights. Moran probably had no idea what could be achieved with elbows and knees.

Lady Rona hurried the formalities just a bit. I think she just wanted this to be over. Moran was allowed to state his grievances. I was a fat, ugly slug, unfit to be a member of their family. I was certainly unfit to defile his noble sister (yeah, I thought that was a bit much, too). Then he went on to claim that my supposed victories were actually the work of Deondra and Stephanie.

Now, he could have mentioned Malusha, Jashi, and Wantrao, and I would have nodded my head in agreement. But his sister and cousin wouldn't have claimed the credit for our success; they were embarrassed. Nor did he score any points with my officers - including Malusha.

I was allowed to speak, too.

- "He tried to spit on me." I said. "He forces peons to lie with him, because no female with a choice in the matter would have him." I felt bad for Sudha, but I felt like it should be said.