Rulers of the Darkness d-4 Read online

  Rulers of the Darkness

  ( Darkness - 4 )

  Harry Turtledove

  Harry Turtledove

  Rulers of the Darkness

  "Dramatis Personae” (* shows viewpoint character)

  Algarve

  Almonio Constable in Gromheort

  Ambaldo Colonel of dragonfliers in southern Unkerlant

  Baiardo Mage attached to Plegmund's Brigade

  Balastro Marquis; minister to Zuwayza

  Bembo* Constable in Gromheort

  Carietto Brigadier in Trapani

  Domiziano Captain of dragonfliers in southern Unkerlant

  Ercole Senior lieutenant with Plegmund's Brigade

  Fronesia Woman at court in Trapani

  Frontino Warder in Tricarico

  Gastable Mage in Gromheort

  Gismonda Sabrino's wife in Trapani

  Gradasso Lurcanio's adjutant in Priekule

  Lurcanio Colonel on occupation duty in Priekule

  Mainardo Mezentio's brother; King of Jelgava

  Malindo Scholar in Trapani

  Mezentio King of Algarve

  Oraste Constable in Gromheort

  Orosio Captain of dragonfliers in southern Unkerlant

  Pesaro Constabulary sergeant in Gromheort

  Raniero Mezentio's cousin; King of Grelz

  Sabrino* Colonel of dragonfliers in southern Unkerlant

  Saffa Sketch artist in Tricarico

  Solino General in Durrwangen

  Spinello* Major on leave in Trapani for wound

  Turpino Captain in Wriezen

  Zerbino Captain in Plegmund's Brigade

  Forthweg

  Baldred Slogan writer in Eoforwic

  Brivibas Kaunian in Gromheort; Vanai's grandfather

  Brorda Count of Gromheort

  Ceorl Soldier in Plegmund's Brigade near Hohenroda

  Daukantis Kaunian in Gromheort; Doldasai's father

  Doldasai Kaunian courtesan in Gromheort

  Ealstan* Bookkeeper in Eoforwic; Vanai's husband

  Ethelhelm Half Kaunian band leader in Eoforwic

  Feliksai Kaunian in Gromheort; Doldasai's mother

  Gippias Kaunian robber in Gromheort

  Hengist Sidroc's father; Hestan's brother; in Gromheort

  Hestan Bookkeeper in Gromheort; Ealstan's father

  Leofsig Ealstan's deceased brother

  Nemunas Kaunian refugee leader in Zuwayza

  Penda King of Forthweg

  Pernavai Kaunian in Valmiera; Vatsyunas' wife

  Pybba Pottery magnate in Eoforwic

  Sidroc* Soldier in Plegmund's Brigade near Hohenroda

  Vanai* Kaunian in Eoforwic; Ealstan's wife

  Vatsyunas Kaunian in Valmiera; Pernavai's husband

  Vitols Kaunian refugee leader in Zuwayza

  Werferth Sergeant in Plegmund's Brigade near Hohenroda

  Yadwigai Kaunian girl with Algarvian army in Unkerlant

  Gyongyos

  Arpad Ekrekek (King) of Gyongyos

  Borsos Major; mage in western Unkerlant

  Frigyes Captain in western Unkerlant

  Hevesi Soldier in western Unkerlant

  Horthy Gyongyosian minister to Zuwayza

  Istvan* Sergeant in western Unkerlant

  Kun Corporal in western Unkerlant; minor mage

  Lajos Soldier in western Unkerlant

  Szonyi Soldier in western Unkerlant

  Tivadar Captain in western Unkerlant

  Jelgava

  Ausra Talsu's sister in Skrunda

  Donalitu King of Jelgava; now in exile

  Gailisa Talsu's wife, living in Skrunda

  Kugu Silversmith in Skrunda

  Laitsina Talsu's mother in Skrunda

  Stikliu Friend of Talsu's in Skrunda

  Talsu* Prisoner from Skrunda

  Traku Talsu's father; tailor in Skrunda

  Zverinu Banker in Skrunda

  Kuusamo

  Alkio Theoretical sorcerer; married to Raahe

  Elimaki Pekka's sister

  Ilmarinen Master mage in the Naantali district

  Juhainen One of the Seven Princes of Kuusamo

  Leino Mage; Pekka's husband

  Linna Serving woman in the Naantali district

  Olavin Banker; Elimaki's husband

  Parainen One of the Seven Princes of Kuusamo

  Pekka* Mage in the Naantali district; Leino's wife

  Piilis Theoretical sorcerer

  Raahe Theoretical sorcerer; married to Alkio

  Renavall One of the Seven Princes of Kuusamo

  Siuntio Master mage in the Naantali district

  Uto Pekka and Leino's son

  Vihti Sorcerer in Naantali district

  Lagoas

  Brinco Grandmaster Pinhiero's secretary in Setubal

  Fernao* Mage on duty in Kuusamo

  Janira Cornelu's lady friend in Setubal

  Pinhiero Grandmaster of Lagoan Guild of Mages

  Vitor King of Lagoas

  Ortah

  Ahinadab King of Ortah

  Hadadezer Ortaho minister to Zuwayza

  Sibiu

  Balio Fisherman running eatery in Setubal; Janira's father

  Brindza Cornelu's daughter in Tirgoviste town

  Burebistu King of Sibiu

  Cornelu* Commander; leviathan-rider in Setubal

  Costache Cornelu's wife in Tirgoviste town

  Unkerlant

  Addanz Archmage of Unkerlant

  Ascovind Collaborator in Duchy of Grelz

  Gandiluz Soldier contacting irregulars in Grelz

  Garivald* Irregular fighter west of Herborn

  Gundioc Captain in southern Unkerlant

  Gurmun General of behemoths at Durrwangen bulge

  Kiun Soldier in Leudast's company

  Kyot Swemmel's deceased twin brother

  Leudast* Sergeant in Sulingen

  Merovec Major; Marshal Rathar's adjutant

  Munderic Irregular leader west of Herborn

  Obilot Irregular fighter west of Herborn

  Rathar* Marshal of Unkerlant traveling to Cottbus

  Razalic Irregular in forest west of Herborn

  Recared Lieutenant in Sulingen

  Sadoc Irregular fighter west of Herborn; would-be mage

  Swemmel King of Unkerlant

  Tantris Soldier contacting irregulars in Grelz

  Vatran General in southern Unkerlant

  Werbel Soldier in Sulingen

  Ysolt Cook in Durrwangen

  Valmiera

  Amatu Noble returned from Valmiera

  Bauska Krasta's maidservant in Priekule

  Gainibu King of Valmiera

  Gedominu Skarnu and Merkela's son

  Krasta* Marchioness in Priekule; Skarnu's sister

  Lauzdonu Noble returned from Valmiera

  Merkela Underground fighter; Skarnu's wife

  Palasta Mage in Erzvilkas

  Raunu Sergeant and irregular near Pavilosta

  Skarnu* Marquis; fighter in Ventspils; Krasta's brother

  Terbatu Marquis in Priekule

  Valnu Viscount in Priekule

  Zarasai Underground fighter; a nom de guerre

  Yanina

  Iskakis Yaninan minister to Zuwayza

  Zuwayza

  Hajjaj* Foreign minister of Zuwayza

  Ikhshid General in Bishah

  Kolthoum Hajjaj's senior wife

  Qutuz Hajjaj's secretary in Bishah

  Shazli King of Zuwayza

  Tewfik Hajjaj's majordomo

  Qutuz Hajjaj's secretary in Bishah

  One

  Leudast looked across the snow-covered ruins of Sulingen. The silence seemed unnatural. Afte
r two spells of fighting in the city, he associated it with the horrible din of battle: bursting eggs, the hiss of beams as they turned snow to sudden steam, fire crackling beyond hope of control, masonry falling in on itself, wounded behemoths bawling, wounded horses and unicorns screaming, wounded men shrieking.

  None of that now. Everything was silent, eerily so. Young Lieutenant Recared nudged Leudast and pointed. "Look, Sergeant," Recared said, his unlined face glowing with excitement, almost with awe. "Here come the captives."

  "Aye," Leudast said softly. He couldn't have been more than two or three years older than Recared himself. It only seemed like ten or twelve. Awe was in his voice, too, as he said it again: "Aye."

  He hadn't known quite so many Algarvians were left alive in Sulingen when their army at last gave up its hopeless fight. Here came some of them now: a long column of misery. By Unkerlanter standards, their tall enemies from the east were slim even when well fed. Now, after so much desperate fighting cut off from any hope of resupply, most of them were redheaded skeletons, nothing more.

  They were filthy, too, with scraggly red beards covering their hollow cheeks. They wore a fantastic mix of cloaks, Algarvian tunics and kilts, long Unkerlanter tunics, and any rags and scraps of cloth they could get their hands on. Some had stuffed crumpled news sheets and other papers under their tunics to try to fight the frigid winter here in the southwest of Unkerlant. Here and there, Leudast saw Algarvians in pathetic overshoes of woven straw. Snug in his own felt boots, he almost pitied the foe. Almost. King Mezentio's men had come too close to killing him too many times for him to find feeling sorry for them easy.

  Lieutenant Recared drew himself up very straight. "Seeing them makes me proud I'm an Unkerlanter," he said.

  Maybe the ability to say things like that was part of what separated officers from ordinary soldiers. All Leudast could do was mumble, "Seeing them makes me glad I'm alive." He didn't think Recared heard him, which might have been just as well.

  Most of the Algarvians trudged along with their heads down: they were beaten, and they knew it. A few, though, still somehow kept the jauntiness that marked their kind. One of them caught Leudast's eye, grinned, and spoke in pretty fair Unkerlanter: "Hey, Bignose- our turn today, tomorrow yours."

  Leudast's mittened hand flew up to the organ the redhead had impugned. It was of a good size and strongly curved, but so were most Unkerlanters' noses. He waved derisively at the Algarvian, waved and said, "Big up above, big down below."

  "Aye, all you Unkerlanters are big pricks," the captive came back with a chuckle.

  Some soldiers would have blazed a man who said something like that. Leudast contented himself with the last word: "You think it's funny now. You won't be laughing so hard when they set you to work in the mines." That struck home. The Algarvian's grin slipped. He tramped on and was lost among his fellows.

  At last, the long tide of misery ended. Recared shook himself, as if waking from a dream. He turned back to Leudast and said, "Now we've got to get ready to whip the rest of King Mezentio's men out of our kingdom."

  "Sure enough, sir," Leudast agreed. He hadn't thought about what came after beating the Algarvians in Sulingen. He supposed thinking about such things before you had to was another part of what separated officers from the men they led.

  "What state is your company in, Lieutenant?" Recared asked.

  "About what you'd expect, sir- I've got maybe a section's worth of men," Leudast answered. Plenty of companies had sergeants in charge of them these days, and plenty of regiments, like Recared's, were commanded by lieutenants.

  With a nod, Recared said, "Have them ready to move out tomorrow morning. I don't know for a fact that we will move tomorrow, but that's what it looks like."

  "Aye, sir." Leudast's sigh built a young fogbank of vapor in front of his face. He knew he shouldn't have expected anything different, but he would have liked a little longer to rest after one fight before plunging into the next.

  They didn't go north the next morning. They did go north the next afternoon, tramping up roads made passable by behemoths wearing snowshoes. Here and there, the snow lay too deep even for behemoths to trample out a usable path. Then the weary troopers had to shovel their way through the drifts. The duty was as physically wearing as combat, the only advantage being that the Algarvians weren't trying to blaze them or drop eggs on their heads.

  One of Leudast's troopers said, "I wish we were riding a ley-line caravan up to the new front. Then we'd get there rested. The way things are, we're already halfway down the road to being dead." He flung a spadeful of snow over this shoulder, then stooped to get another one.

  A few minutes later, the company emerged from the trench it had dug through a great drift. Leudast was awash in sweat, his lungs on fire, regardless of the frigid air he breathed. When he could see more than snow piled up in front of him, he started to laugh. There a few hundred yards to one side of the road lay a wrecked caravan, its lead car a burnt-out, blasted ruin- the Algarvians had planted an egg along the ley line, and its burst of sorcerous energy had done everything the redheads could have wanted. "Still want to go the easy way, Werbel?"

  "No, thanks, Sergeant," the trooper answered at once. "Maybe this isn't so bad after all."

  Leudast nodded. He wasn't laughing any more. The steersmen on that ley-line caravan were surely dead. So were dozens of Unkerlanter troopers: bodies lay stacked like cordwood by the ruined caravan. And more dozens, maybe hundreds, of men were hurt. The Algarvians had gained less by winning some skirmishes.

  When the regiment encamped for the night in the ruins of an abandoned peasant village, Lieutenant Recared said, "There are some stretches of ley line that are safe. Our mages keep clearing more every day, too."

  "I suppose they find out if the ley lines are clear by sending caravans on them," Leudast said sourly. "This one wasn't."

  "No, but it will be now, after the mages cancel out the effect of the energy burst," Recared answered.

  "And then they'll find another cursed egg a mile farther north," Leudast said. "Find it the hard way, odds are."

  "You haven't got the right attitude, Sergeant," Recared said reprovingly.

  Leudast thought he had just the right attitude. He was opposed to getting killed or maimed. He was especially opposed to getting killed or maimed because some mage hadn't done his job well enough. Having the enemy kill you was part of war; he understood that. Having your own side kill you… He'd come to understand that was part of war, too, however much he hated it.

  In good weather, on good roads, they would have been about ten days' march from where the fighting was now. They took quite a bit longer than that to get there. The roads, even the best of them, were far from good. Though the winter solstice was well past, the days remained short and bleak and bitterly cold, with a new blizzard rolling in out of the west every other or every third day.

  And, though no redheads opposed them on the ground, the Algarvians hadn't gone away and given up after losing Sulingen. They kept being difficult whenever and wherever they could. Unkerlant was vast, and dragons even thinner in the air than soldiers and behemoths were on the ground. That meant King Mezentio's dragonfliers could fare south to visit death and destruction on the Unkerlanters moving up to assail their countrymen.

  When eggs fell, Leudast dived into the closest hole he could find. When Algarvian dragons swooped low to flame, he simply leaped into the snow on his belly and hoped his white smock would keep enemy dragonfliers from noticing him. It worked; after each attack ended, he got up and started slogging north again.

  Not everyone was so lucky. He'd long since got used to seeing corpses, sometimes pieces of corpses, scattered in the snow and staining it red. But once the Algarvian dragons had been lucky enough to take out a column of more than a dozen Unkerlanter behemoths and the crews who served their egg-tossers and heavy sticks. The air that day was calm and still; the stench of burnt flesh still lingered as he tramped past. Dragonfire had roasted the behemoths ins
ide the heavy chainmail they wore to protect them from weapons mere footsoldiers could carry. Even the beasts' snowshoe-encased hooves and the iron-shod, curving horns on their noses were covered with soot from the flames the dragons had loosed.

  "Last winter, I hear, the Algarvians were eating the flesh of slain behemoths," Recared said.

  He hadn't been in the fight the winter before. Leudast had. He nodded. "Aye, they did, sir." After a pause, he added, "So did we."

  "Oh." Beneath his swarthy skin, beneath the dark whiskers he'd had scant chance to scrape, Recared looked a little green. "What… was it like?"

  "Strong. Gamy," Leudast answered. Another pause. "A lot better than nothing."

  "Ah. Aye." Recared nodded wisely. "Do you suppose we'll…?"

  "Not these beasts," Leudast said. "Not unless you want to stop and do some butchering now. If we keep going, we'll be miles away before we stop for the night."

  "That's true." Lieutenant Recared considered. In thoughtful tones, he remarked, "Field kitchens haven't been all they might be, have they?" Leudast started to erupt at that, then noticed the small smile on Recared's face. King Swemmel expected his soldiers to feed themselves whenever they could. Field kitchens were almost as rare as far western mountain apes roaming these plains.

  The regiment ate behemoth that night, and for several days thereafter. It was as nasty as Leudast recalled. It was a lot better than the horrible stuff the Algarvians had been pouring down their throats in the last days at Sulingen, though. And, as he'd said, it was ever so much better than nothing.

  A couple of nights later, thunder rumbled in the north as the Unkerlanter soldiers made camp. But it couldn't have been thunder; the sky, for once, was clear, with swarms of stars twinkling on jet black. When the weather was very cold, they seemed to twinkle more than on a mild summer night. Leudast noted that only in passing. He knew too well what that distant rumbling that went on and on meant. Scowling, he said, "We're close enough to the fun to hear eggs bursting again. I didn't miss 'em when we couldn't, believe you me I didn't."

  "Fun?" Werbel hadn't been in the company long, but even he knew better than that. "More chances to get killed, is what it is."

  "That's what they pay us for," Leudast answered. "When they bother to pay us, I mean." He'd lost track of how far in arrears his own pay was. Months- he was sure of that much. And he should have been owed a lieutenant's pay, or a captain's, not a sergeant's, considering the job he'd been doing for more than a year. Of course, Recared should have been paid like a colonel, too.