The Great House in Upchurch, XX Frostaire, Pentian Year Nine Hundred and Fifteen. Sext.
Sir Will Garnfellow, Vandoren, Oswald, Mendelor, Renton, Owen.
“By the Cup!” roars Sir Will Garnfellow, leaning over and rubbing his hands before the glowing coals in the great hearth. “I am near frozen to death after that ride from Utterbol.” The fat knight shivers and draws a great fur cloak tighter around his neck before turning back to his compatriots. “An ale might be just the thing to unfreeze my blood right now, that is, if you couldn’t perhaps find a nice bit of mulled wine. I fear, dear friends, that after my long and arduous journey, ‘tis most difficult for Old Will here to collect his wits enough to tell you what transpired with Kirke.”
Oswald, the red faced serjeant, nods and exits to the kitchens, presently returning with a cup of warm, spiced wine.
“Ah, Fivethanks to you, Sirrah,” says Garnfellow, eagerly taking the cup. He plops into a handy chair and takes a long, deep pull. “Just the thing, just the thing indeed.”
“Now that you have gotten your wine,” says Vandoren, “out with it. How went the consult with the Count?”
“Fairly well,” says Garnfellow, “all things considered. Kirke has assembled a large force at Utterbol, which Tereus would have to contend with before he ever drew nigh of Upchurch.”
“And what is the word from Heremac?” asks Mendelor.
“More of the same,” says Garnfellow. “The city of Heremac is completely encircled by the armies of King Tereus, who is encamped outside the city walls with his Cataphracts, who are led by their captains Brygus and Scopas. The princes Busirane and Serapis are there, too, with their own armies. Tereus has cut off all traffic into and out of Heremac, and his patrols range up and down along the length of the Corin. And meanwhile terrible bronze eagles are reported to wheel about in the skies over the city, watching everything for miles around.
“But so far the city’s defenses are holding. King Tereus has attempted several assaults on both the west gate and the Redoubt, but each time the Seekers have driven him back. And Brother Gregory has even taken the fight right back to the ruckish camps, leading several successful sorties out of the city.
“The Seeker Order spent several fortunes on shoring up the defenses of Heremac, and they appear to have gotten every penny’s worth out of their investment. The walls are tall and strong: I have long heard that the city boasts some of the best engineering in all of Pentiandom, and surely those claims are being put to the test now. Kirke believes that the Seekers can easily hold out for an entire year, if necessary. King Tereus had hoped to take the city by surprise; a winter siege on Heremac was probably the last thing the rucks wanted to face.”
“A good thing, then, that the Seekers were ready for Tereus,” says Vandoren.
“Indeed,” says Garnfellow. “And here your good deeds at Eredy have not gone unnoticed. Had you not slain Orestes, or killed those two awful creatures, things may have gone quite differently. Tereus could be holding court in the Redoubt right now, and his armies might be camped outside of Utterbol.
“As near as we can tell, King Tereus has planned on Serapis and Busirane attacking the Seekers at Eredy from two sides, quickly trapping Gregory and preventing any escape. But it would seem that Prince Busirane became so enraged over the death of Orestes that he went full mad and ordered his entire army to march out on Eredy at once, a full day before his brother Serapis was to be in position. Serapis, in turn, was late in reaching Eredy, in part because he was waiting for those two monsters you met to return.
“Busirane’s premature assault gave the Seekers enough time to make an ordered withdrawal from Eredy. They made straight for the Corin, and then they fought a pitched battle before Edric’s Bridge, holding off Busirane just long enough to allow most of their forces to cross safely over the river. Then the Seekers collapsed the bridge, trapping the two princes on the other side of the Corin, along with all their siege equipment.
“If the princes had attacked as their father had planned, the rucks might have completely wiped out Eredy and then moved up to Heremac to launch a coordinated surprise attack with King Tereus. As it was, the Seekers suffered relatively few casualties and were able to batten down Heremac before Tereus could arrive with all his Cataphracts.
“The destruction of much ruckish siege equipment was also a great blow to Busirane, costing him weeks of time and allowing the Seekers to send out messengers with news to Bishop Martin, Count Durrell, and King Wenric. Rest assured, all the Pentiandom will spend much of the winter raising armies to deliver Heremac from the clutches of the enemy.”
“I wonder if Tereus has a temper like Busirane,” says Owen. “If so, we could probably drive him crazy by offering this sword we got from Orestes as ransom.”
“You mean Narthanc?” says Vandoren. “That’s not a bad idea: such an offer might well drive Tereus mad with anger. That ruckblade, after all, was said to have been once wielded by his son, Prince Briareus.”
“And I’m sure Tereus remembers what happened to him,” says Mendelor with a smile, holding up Witcheswoe.
“Narthanc, that’s the one,” says Owen. “I think I would rather keep the ruckblade that Orestes’s son carried: Furlgrim. That is, if Renton agrees.”
“Why they hell should I care?” says Renton, spitting. “I don’t want no damned ruck sword.”