Hagen’s stomach churned, not needing to turn around to identify the speaker. His response came in the form of a groan.
Rass Skanler walked inside the tent, his dark leather gloves unable to completely hide the bloodstains, both fresh and dried. Whereas Joran had a big, plump body, Rass was scrawny no matter how one looked at him. His face lacked any hair, while the one atop his head was long and oily. He had dark, weasel-like eyes and thin lips that were constantly pursed.
He came to the side of the table and pointed towards a spot on the map, a blue mark in the forest representing where they currently were. “If anything, we’re wasting time by being packed up in this single spot. We should split up to cover more ground before they all escape Knight’s Crossing and start brewing chaos somewhere else.”
Joran nodded in agreement, the only warm response given.
“His followers are still on their outposts,” Athalia spoke, “clearly a sign that there’s still someone in charge.”
Rass shrugged. “All that tells me is that Vasilis left some subordinates in charge to cover for his escape,” he spoke in a dismissive tone. “All the more reason for us to speed this up. That lowborn coward has been a thorn on my side for way too long, and now we’re finally close to finishing him.”
Hagen considered pointing out how, if Rass was even a decent ruler, then Vasilis would never even be able to pose a threat in the first place. The only reason why the rebellion gained so much force was that Vasilis offered hope that life could be better with him in charge. Rass, on the other hand, offered only famine and cruelty.
Even Edgarth, who in some ways had a point of view as rotten as the Skanlers’, understood this. Rass’ problem wasn’t only his cruelty, but also his stupidity.
“That would be an unnecessary risk,” Athalia chipped in. “While we have the strength advantage, Vasilis knows the territory better than any of us, which is why he managed to remain hidden for so long. Splitting up would give him the chance to pick out individual targets.”
Rass scowled at her. “And what the hell do you even know about war? Shut up while the ones with real power speak.”
Hagen’s body tensed. That fucker! He was about to do vault over the table and punch Rass when Athalia gripped his hand. Hard.
“If I’m not mistaken,” she responded, keeping a steady voice, “you’ve been fighting against Vasilis for years now and never managed to get ahead of him. The only reason we’re here today is to do what you’ve been unable to.”
“Agreed,” Lanard spoke. “That’s why we’re keeping the camp together. His Grace wants a swift end to this conflict, but he also expects all of his soldiers to return alive. We could count on one hand the number of Paladins they have. We’re up against a bunch of Crusaders hiding in caves and in the woods, so losing even a single soldier would be an embarrassment.”
“Now,” he continued. “We’ve been making good progress, but there’s still no sign of either Vasilis or their main hideout. Hagen, you had been in close contact with him in the past. Do you have any idea of where he might be?”
“I don’t, but I might know what he may be planning next.” Hagen gestured towards the map. The eastern side of it was filled with crossed-out circles representing the various outposts they discovered and attacked. “During this campaign, we’ve been going completely unopposed, with barely any injured soldiers. Vasilis surely realized that, in this rhythm, his forces will slowly be hunted down one by one. And yet, he hasn’t tried to parley or anything of the sort.”
“Of course he hasn’t,” Rass said. “If he does so, he’ll be immediately executed. He has nothing to gain by trying to negotiate. That’s why I say that he must be trying to escape.”
“You’re wrong, there is something for him to gain. The safety of his followers. This might sound like lunacy to you, but he actually cares for their safety.” Hagen’s eyes landed on Rass. “That’s why so many leave you to follow him.”
Rass responded with a single scoff.
“And yet, Vasilis hasn’t tried to negotiate, which tells me that he must have a plan and is biding his time for now.”
“He can plan all he wants, his end will still be the same.”
Hagen groaned at Rass’s comment. Even now he continued to underestimate his opponent.
“And do you have any idea of what his plan might be?” Lanard asked.
Hagen looked over the map with its various forest, rivers, and cities. “Something so crazy and unthinkable that would catch us completely by surprise.” On the center of the map lied the capital, the region’s largest city, and Rass’s seat of power. Hagen pressed one fingertip against it. “I think he’ll try to attack the capital.”
At first, no one spoke. Even Hagen considered his own suggestion somewhat outlandish, so that was to be expected. As was expected for Rass and Joran to laugh at it soon after.
Lanard kept his composure, though it was clear from his face that he didn’t believe it either. “He would be crazy to attempt something of the sort.”
“That’s how we see it, but, to him, there might not be any other course of action. I don’t believe for a second that he’ll abandon his followers, neither that he’ll sit around doing nothing while we hit his forces one by one.”
“I’ll be sure to keep your words in mind. Now moving on,” Lanard said, glancing at Rass. “Did you find out anything from interrogating the prisoners?”
Rass finally stopped laughing. He cleared his throat. “Not yet, but I won’t rest until they either start talking or die, whatever comes first.”
Hagen doubted it. Regardless of what the prisoners said, Rass wouldn’t stop.
“So you have nothing then.” Lanard gulped down the rest of his wine before addressing Hagen again. “Let’s wrap this up for today. Is there anything of note happening at the camp?”
Instead of answering, Hagen glanced at Athalia by his side. Technically Rass had been right that she didn’t hold any power given that Hagen was the earl of Rochdale while she was “only” his wife. In reality, though, Athalia constantly aided Hagen and was invaluable to his rule be it for her better diplomatic skills, her emotional support, or even for being the person he trusted the most. As such, he asked her to supervise the camp’s workings in his stead.
Athalia took one step forward. “Starting with the supplies, we have enough to last for another month and a half, so we must resolve the situation by then. Other than that, one of the soldiers was gravely wounded this morning.”
“This morning? I thought that none of the soldiers had been wounded during the attack.”
“He wasn’t involved in the attack to the outpost. Rather, he thought it would be a good idea to pet one of the strixes. The healers are working to reimplant his leg as we speak, though they warn that he’ll be out of combat for a few weeks. Finally, some of the soldiers drank a bit too much and got into a brawl. Dame Marleya, my knight, resolved the issue and put them to dig latrines for the rest of the campaign as punishment.” Athalia stepped back after giving her report.
Lanard nodded and waved a hand to dismiss everyone. “That will be all for today then.”
Hagen, Rass, and Joran gave a quick bow of the head while Athalia offered a curtsy. They then all turned to leave the tent.
“Do you really think Vasilis might try to attack the capital?” Athalia asked as soon as they left the tent and the Skanlers were out of earshot.
“I don’t know. That seems to be his only course of action.”
“But?” she asked, already suspecting that he had something more in his mind. She knew him too well.
“But I can’t shake the feeling that we’re missing something.” He glanced at the Skanlers’ back as the two descended the small hill. “To tell you the truth, Rass said something that made sense, as unlikely as it may seem. Why doesn’t Vasilis try to gather his men and leave? It should already be clear to him that he can’t win this.”
“We’ll ask him after his capture,” she said with a shrug. “Right now, though, we should both go back to our tent and rest. It’s been a long day.”
Hagen nodded. They were halfway down the hill when he looked towards the rest of the camp. In a corner, giant birds were being fed by some of the workers. The air riders and Aeromances had both retired for the day and would resume their patrols tomorrow.
Soldiers walked around the camp. They drank, talked, or simply rested by the fireplaces. Towards the outskirts and near the earthen walls, there were some smaller, more disorganized tents. That was the space reserved for the camp followers.
Hagen continued his descent down the hill when something caught his attention. Near the camp followers' tents, one of the Geomancers rushed in their direction. Rather than running, the earth below his feet rolled forward, carrying him along. He waved both arms around the air as if desperately trying to catch their attention. He seemed to be screaming something, but it was too far for Hagen to make out the words.
“Do you see that?” he asked Athalia.
That’s when the first explosion came.
