Disclaimer: This is not the final version as it will be available from the usual e-book sellers and eventually, bookstores. Rather, it should be seen as an (almost) final draft. If you are interested in becoming a beta reader, or you have any comments, suggestions or thoughts that you feel I should consider before publishing please drop me a line using the contact form.
War Council
The following day, the Count of Oakharrow’s forces still hadn’t made an appearance. Everyone was beginning to find the lack of pursuers strange. Ulfberht’s kinsmen had prepared their expedition into the mountains. Ala and Myrthe convinced Caerel to write them a letter giving the Duke’s permission for them to conduct their search for the correct ore in the Irin mountains. The Irins were really foothills to the larger Orck Mountains to the south. The Irins were normally infrequently visited by orcks. No one really knew why the Orcks didn’t settle in the Irins, but things were not as they normally were in the Westmarch. The dwarves would be in the mountains proper in a matter of hours after leaving the Ford Inn, which was fast becoming the Ford Castle. They should be safe enough from the Phansigar, at least, if not the Orcks.
Ala and Ulf rode out of the Inn with them. Ulf had found a solid small horse, more of a pony, among the excess horses and he rode quite well for a dwarf. They rode with them to the first foothills and wished them a good journey and good luck. They then rode back to the Inn, in time for the evening meal. A council of sorts came together naturally over dinner. They were all there, Caerel, Brugor, Ulfberht, Talathiel, Myrthe, Matt and of course Ala.
“Does anyone have any thoughts on why we haven’t been attacked yet?” Myrthe asked no one in particular.
“I’m wondering that too. What are they waiting for? They obviously have enough troops camped outside Thetwick to drive us out of here.” Matt agreed.
“Perhaps it is a matter of strategy,” mused Ulf, “if they were planning to invade Taladaria anyway, perhaps they decided to dispense with a separate force to deal with you. They may have thought you were simply fleeing, not planning to take and hold the Ford Inn. It’s even possible that they simply don’t yet know what happened here.”
“That would make sense,” said Ala. “I wish we had some word from the Duke, but he doesn’t know we’re at the Ford Inn yet, does he? Also, it has only been a few days. He would never have been able to gather the muster yet. Even troops from the Taladarian Regiment could not yet have made it here.”
Caerel spoke, “I think we must simply continue to bolster this place’s defences. We will begin with earthworks of course. It seems Mistress Talathiel has kindly taken it upon herself to assist there. We will begin to send out patrols, just to see what is happening within half a day’s ride of here. I will visit the villages on the Taladarian side of the river and we will get them to muster some men from their militias to help garrison here. I also hope to gather some work details to help strengthen the Ford Inn. The threat of the Oakharrowers and the Phansigar ought to motivate them. Are there any other crossing points into Taladaria we should be worried about?”
“As you know, the Taladarian side of the river swiftly becomes very marshy downstream. There are some villages on the river, but I don’t know of any of them having more than very small boats for fishing. Landing is the largest settlement, there may be a barge or two that could be used for crossing there, but Landing is on the eastern, Taladarian bank. Bernard and I always suspected that there was traffic with small boats from Oakharrow into Sheffield but I don’t know where. I doubt it’s a route suitable for armies, though.” said Ala.
“It worth patrolling, but it’s unlikely to be a major supply route then?” asked Caerel.
“I think so. Beyond the marsh, it’s Oakharrow on this side and the main crossing point is Verbridge. I’ve never been there, but I undestand it’s massively fortified on both sides of the river. You and Myrthe will know it better than I.”
“True, Verbridge is a great fortification,” agreed Myrthe.
“Upstream, to the south, it is apparently possible to cross, but you have to climb into the mountains to do so. Ford Inn really is very strategically placed. I assume it must once have been fortified, in the past,” concluded Ala. She knew all this from her time running the Thetwick militia. It had been part of her job to know the strategic considerations of the area and she had been well taught by Bernard.
The innkeeper called over from the bar, “excuse me, there were indeed fortifications here once. The inn is built on the old foundations. They say it was burned a few hundred years ago.”
“Are there cellars?” asked Talathiel.
“Yes madam. Flooded by the river though, except the top level which is above the usual level of the river. There are steps going further down, but it’s filled to the brim with water.”
“I would like to see that tomorrow.”
“Yes Mistress.”
Ala wondered what Talathiel had in mind, but her train of thought was interrupted by Myrthe, “We should also warn the Duke. We have no idea how many Phansigar were infiltrated in the groups of refugees passing through here. A significant number of them are probably already in Taladaria. They could even already be in Duilhac.”
“I had not fully considered that,” said Caerel with a worried frown, “in that light and the need to know what my grandfather is doing, perhaps it would be best if you, Ala and your companions travel back to Peyrepertuse, checking for Phansigar on the way? I will visit the closest villages and call the muster. We simply must have more men here. Brugor will make the best defence possible here, while I quickly gather men.”
“We’d be extra vulnerable here, at least for a day,” said Brugor, clearly considering.
“Aye. Though we all would have expected an attack already. We cannot wait here indefinitely,” said Caerel, “I will gather men from the closest villages, return with them and then perhaps go to Pearson to gather a better equipped force afterwards.”
“It seems like the least bad option, milord,” Brugor conceded.
“You should go tomorrow,” said Ala, “we can wait here another day in case of attack. When you return with the first group of men from the villages and hamlets on the Taladarian side of the Iceflow, we can depart for Peyrepertuse.”
“That is indeed a sensible course,” agreed Caerel.
Ala spoke for everyone, “it sounds as if our tasks are clear. While Lord Caerel gathers soldiers the rest of us can prepare to leave the day after tomorrow. It gives a little time to gather supplies for the journey and do the bare necessities to make this place defensible. Perhaps Talathiel can make a little more progress too in that time.”
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