“And what of the Northsmen? What are their numbers?”

“Their chief has agreed to our proposal. Fifty wagons of food, 20 more wagons of bows and armor, and 20 empty wagons to be used for transport of women and other spoils collected in Freeport. Their numbers total 12 thousand and they have agreed to our terms of 10 thousand men allowed to enter the city for 2 days to pillage.”

“Hmm… we gained their assistance for less than I thought, excellent.”

“General, if I may, is it alright to allow them to pillage the city freely for 2 days?”

“Freeport is a large city Colonel. After the walls fall there will still be a resistance to fight. The amount they will be able to strip and destroy is trivial in the end. What is most important is the chaos and panic they spread. This is meant to be a clean occupation by us. After the Northsmen have their fun we’ll clean up and establish ourselves.”

Well, how clean it will be is hard to say. There is bound to be some amount of rape and looting, it’s hard to completely prevent it. But we should be able to control most of the men. It will be too difficult to control Freeport if we sow the seeds of resentment too deep.

“We’ll continue with the plan as is, 200 ogres and 15 thousand men armed with catapults, ballistae, battering ram, and the other equipment will meet with our new allies in the north. Has the shadow walker agreed to our terms then?”

“Yes General, he has already given us the locations of the scouts and provided false information of our numbers and location to the council. However, he has raised a matter that will require our attention.”

“What is it Colonel, speak freely.”

“Yes, it appears they were able to acquire the help of an 8th ranked elemental mage.”

An 8th ranked mage huh? We expected mages to be mixed in with the mercenaries but from our intelligence, most are lower than 4th ranked. Their numbers should be equal to or less than ours. Mercenaries can usually be reasoned with, as long as what we offer is better than what they are getting it’s easy to turn them.

“Elemental mage, what elements?”

“He’s an earth and water mage.”

“Earth and water, hmmm… it looks like we’re finally going to need to rely on that man and his brother. Send for them to come at once after we finish here. And what of Penrith? Has Freeport’s council sent for aid?”

“Yes General, they’ve agreed to request 25 thousand soldiers from Penrith. However, our spies have informed us Penrith will at most be able to send 20 thousand.”

“No, we’ll plan for 25 thousand, we can’t afford any mistakes there. One thousand warbeasts and 2 thousand armored riders. It would be best if Penrith sends 25 thousand; that would strike a major blow to their forces. Are we certain they will travel on the southern side of the river?”

“Yes General, Crystal River splits here at the Bertsch forest and doesn’t re-join for another 70 miles. Following the northern path means a detour around the forest. The southern route is the straightest. We’ll be able to station our troops at this ferry port before the split and use the cover of the forest to conceal our numbers.”

********

“The safest path forward is crossing at the ferry point before the split in the river, do you agree Lady Eleanor?”

“Yes Gerard it is as you say, we should be able to cross the river there and travel to Asmuth were we will meet our contacts.”

After discussing the route with Lady Eleanor and Gerard we’ve decided to scrap the plan of tunneling under the river. It’s too dangerous and there are too many unknowns. Instead, we will tunnel east along the river for a length of 20 miles then travel to a ferry point and cross the river from there.

It’s still a long tunnel, but far shorter than our other options. We also won’t need to tunnel as deep, so we should be able to save a lot of time and it will be easier to ventilate as well.

“Still, why is the ferry point not marked on this map? The split in the river is there, and the forest too, but no ferry labeled.”

“That’s a very basic map Mr. Jayce, the ferry point is just a small port.”

I’m starting to get used to the lack of information here. The map I purchased isn’t very detailed, it looks like most information is spread word of mouth. I’ve filled in a few places from my discussions with Gerard and Lady Eleanor, but it’s still pretty basic.

“Ok, for now I’ll continue to tunnel east. Because of my work with Lord Weston I think I’ll only be able to progress 1/2 a mile to a mile each day. If we go by the established timeline of 1 month we will probably be able to reach 20 miles. By then our allies should have arrived or will be very close, the likelihood of facing off against Elkian troops is low. Then it will be around 80 miles to the ferry point. So once we leave here it will be 4 or 5 days.”

“Lady Eleanor, should we not attempt to flee as soon as possible? Instead of having Mr. Jayce work with Lord Weston wouldn’t it be better to just have him focus on the tunnel?”

“It would be Gerard, but unfortunately Lord Weston will not flee the city until he is certain it will fall. Though I wouldn’t mind leaving him he is my daughters' husband and he does hold some value. As a member of the council he has many more contacts than I do in Asmuth. We will be limited in what we can carry with us, those contacts will be important.”

It’s been decided we will bring 3 wagons with 6 horses. Because the tunnel will be shorter it will be possible, but there is still a limit to what we can bring. Lady Eleanor has been having Gerard sell non-essential assets to free up funds, but we are keeping everyone else in the dark to avoid information leaks, so most of the coin we travel with will be from her.

I’ll need to continue this farce with Lord Weston for the time being. It’s true we would be safer if we left before the city is under attack, but there is no way to convince Lord Weston to leave.

“Right then, Lady Eleanor, Gerard, I will be purchasing the things I will need today. This evening I will be meeting with Lord Weston to solidify our plans, and after I will meet with you again.”

“Very well Mr. Jayce, Gerard let’s discuss the acquisition of supplies and the sale of our minor interests.”

Lady Eleanor will be purchasing supplies for the group but I intend on purchasing my own as well. I’m also looking to purchase armor and a few other things like a short sword. Plate armor seems to be uncommon here but I should be able to purchase a breast and back plate, gauntlets, pauldron’s, and a helmet.

I also plan to purchase a gambeson jacket. Normally mages in the Empire don’t fight on the frontlines so the armor we wear is pretty light, but I won’t have the option of attacking from the rear so I’ll need to equip myself well.

I’ve agreed to 1 thousand gold coins from Lady Eleanor and 1,500 from Lord Weston. It’s a sizeable sum that would allow me to live very well for a good amount of time. With the advance, I currently have 300 gold coins on my person, more than enough to purchase anything I will need.

Should I buy a bow too? I’m not proficient in the bow but I’ve used them before. It wouldn’t be a bad idea. If I run out of mana I won’t have any method of striking from a distance. Hmm… so much I’ve never thought of. Having guidance from a veteran would be really valuable right now, but I wouldn’t trust anyone here.

********

I ended up going to Madam Leah’s dress shop for a gambeson long jacket. It was the place Gerard recommended to me. He had a gambeson jacket from there and it is also the place where Lady Grace’s wedding dress was made.

It was 4 gold coins including the arming cap and will be ready in 3 days. It seems a little expensive for linen, but perhaps it’s higher quality than normal gambeson. Hopefully it’s not because it’s more stylish. She assured me it would be able to stop an arrow from a war bow though.

I wasn’t able to find pauldron’s or a breast and back plate that fit so I’m having them made which will also be ready in 3 days as well, but I was able to find leather gauntlets with plate and scale mail covering them and a barbute helmet with a vertical opening and horizontal gap for the eyes.

Along with the short sword, longbow and 3 quivers of arrows, it totaled an additional 9 gold coins. All that’s left is the rations, clothes, and a few other supplies. I’ll wait until I pick up my armor to buy those things. Right now I have to speak with Lord Weston on the cities defense.

I’m a bit early but I ended up wandering to Lord Weston’s estate while in thought.

“Mr. Jayce what brings you here?”

“Lady Grace, we haven’t seen each other since the wedding, I’m actually here to meet with your husband. How have you been?”

Uwah, that’s quite the frown. Are things not going well between the two of them? She looks a bit pale and there are dark circles around her eyes. Well, it’s a big change and I’m sure things are complicated with the age difference. It’s almost like if I married Lady Eleanor.

Well then again Lady Eleanor is, something is different about that woman. She’s more than twice my age but looks like she’s in her early 20’s. Honestly when I’m alone with her I can’t help but feel nervous, I think she knows it too. Anyways, I should probably avoid talking about it.

“Yes, things are a bit different, and it’s taken some time to adjust but I’m doing well. And how have you been? We didn’t get a chance to talk at the wedding but I had wanted to ask you a few things related to magic.”

“Oh, what kind of questions? If I can answer I will be happy to.”

“You said you are meeting with Lord Weston so I don’t want to keep you, but will you have time later?”

“Actually I’m about 30 minutes early, so now would be a good time for me if that is alright with you.”

“Then Mr. Jayce allow me to take you up on that offer, please let’s sit.”

The same bright eyes she had at the wedding. I remember when I first started learning how to use my abilities. I was so excited each time I could barely control myself. She gives me the same feeling. An uncontrollable desire to learn it.

“So Lady Grace, what would you like to talk about?”

“I would like to ask you about arcane magic. Lord Weston told me a little about elemental magic, but he didn’t know much about arcane magic other than you needed to remember chants and spells.”

“Arcane magic huh… well, it’s not exactly like that. First, any person with an adequate mana supply within their body is a potential mage and there are three main classifications for mages that I know of, elemental, arcane, and mystic mages. Elemental mages are able to freely connect to their mana and use it to manipulate the elements of earth, water, wind, and fire. Arcane and mystic mages, however, are unable to connect to and use their mana without a mental cue of some variety.”

Dragging this stuff up brings back some fun memories. I wonder if this is how my magic teacher felt.

“A cue often comes in the form of a chant, but it doesn’t need to, it’s just convenient and easy to remember. For example, a common fire spell would be a fireball. The arcane mage must visualize the transfer of their mana into the formation of a fireball. It is a mental image but must be much clearer than a memory. Once an arcane mage has burned that image into their mind they will assign it a cue or a chant to call it up and use it such as saying [Fireball] to cast the spell.”

“Oh, so arcane mages are very limited then aren’t they?”

“Well yes and no. It takes a long time to memorize spells, and there is a limit to the number of spells someone can remember. But arcane magic can be very powerful. The limit of its power is solely in the imagination of the spell caster and the size of their mana pool. Also some arcane mages are able to call forth spells without relying on cues leading to incredibly fast cast times.”

“I see, so there are advantages and disadvantages to either type of magic. Then another question, is it possible for an elemental mage to perform arcane magic?”

“Every elemental mage has the ability to become an arcane mage, but most would never do so. It takes a long time to learn arcane magic, it requires a good memory and takes a lot of practice. Most powerful arcane mages are much older because of this, of course there are always exceptionally talented people, but they are not the norm.”

“And what of you Mr. Jayce? Have you ever thought to practice arcane magic?”

“Most elemental mages try to learn arcane magic at some point or another, but there are 4 arcane spells that almost all elemental mages will learn. They are spark, water drop, air ball, and stone. Elemental mages can manipulate the elements and use their mana to replicate them as well, but they cannot create an element from nothing. To do that you need arcane magic.”

“Then Mr. Jayce, if an arcane mage is unable to feel their mana freely how do people find out they are able to become an arcane mage?”

“Well there are ways to test for it, but perhaps the “

“Ah, Mr. Jayce I apologize I have left you waiting.”

“No Lord Weston not at all, I was a bit early and Lady Grace was kind enough to entertain me with polite conversation.”

“Is that so, well then Grace thank you for entertaining Mr. Jayce while I was busy, but we have much to talk about so I will be taking him to my study.”

Hmm… it looks like things are a bit awkward between these two. I suppose that’s how arranged marriages are though. Gerard said they had not even met each other before the wedding. To force two people together and expect things to be perfect would be impossible.”

“Then Mr. Jayce, I’m sorry for troubling you and apologize for keeping you from your appointment with Lord Weston, please enjoy the rest of your day.”

“No, no it was no trouble at all ah, Lady Grace, to answer your question, the easiest way to find out if someone has talent in arcane or mystic magic is to learn to cast spark. It is the easiest of arcane spells, if you can, you can become a mage. Then, Lady Grace, I will go with Lord Weston now, good day.”

This hall is as bright as ever. I feel sorry for the maids, so many windows to clean, you can have a team of maids just for the windows in this place alone.

“Then Mr. Jayce, I’d like you to meet Randall, he is the leader of our intelligence unit that provides the details of our enemies movements.”

“Mr. Jayce it is a pleasure to work with you.”

“Likewise Mr. Randall.”

“Alright, Randall let’s discuss Elkia’s numbers, equipment, and paths of attack.”

“Yes Lord Weston, currently 250 miles to the west, Elkia has stationed 40 thousand troops. Most of them are foot soldiers but there are also ogres, warbeasts, and armored riders. They are traveling with catapults and other siege equipment and they look like they are planning for a longer campaign. The northern tribe's number 10 thousand that we can see and are scattered in groups of 1,000 approximately 400 miles north. They look to be searching for any villages, but we expect them to eventually continue south until they reach Freeport.”

“And what is Elkia’s most likely path forward Randall?”

“With an army that size they will probably have no choice other than to travel along this road. It is about 2 miles from the river and follows alongside all the way to Freeport.”

“Mr. Randall, what is the possibility of them traveling on the north side of the river? Will they split their forces?”

“Travelling on the northern side of the river would be difficult Mr. Jayce, there are no roads and they would face raids from the northern warriors. All of our intelligence points to no alliance between Elkia and the north. We think they are watching the tribes and timing their attack to coincide with each other.”

“So Mr. Jayce, we are thinking of using your skills to create a series of obstacles as a way to funnel them into this region.”

“And what is this region Lord Weston?”

“This Mr. Jayce is where you will set up many underground tunnels that will be connected to the river. When the Elkian army is in place we want you to collapse those tunnels and allow the river to flood in.”

I see, so they’re planning to make a kill zone by drowning as many Elkian troops as possible. That’s a large area though. I’d have to create a large number of crisscrossing tunnels allowing for enough stability so the surface doesn’t collapse prematurely.

It doesn’t seem like a bad plan if we are able to guide them there. But it won’t be easy. I’m essentially creating a giant pit and filling it with water to drown an army. The surface needs to remain strong enough to hold the weight of the army but weak enough to collapse all at once.

Then there are the obstacles that guide them into that area. The more tightly packed we get them the easier it will be. But it’s all flatlands, what can we make? Large hills would be unnatural, small slow rising hills that are not very tall may not look too out of place though. I think sand will be the easiest obstacle to make.

Lord Weston seems really excited about this plan, and as long as his reports are correct it’s probably doable. I don’t think this will save Freeport in the long run, but if it works it will buy it a lot of time and force Elkia to rethink their strategy.

“Ok Lord Weston, I’ll need to survey this area and get a better idea of landscape before I can plan what type of obstacles to build. I think it’s possible though. Will someone be able to guide me there tomorrow?”

“Certainly, however it will need to be a multi-day trip so perhaps it’s best to wait a day to gather any supplies you will need.”

That’s true, the area they want to use is 20 miles west of here, and I’ll probably need to begin the obstacles another 20-30 miles from that point. It would be best to do this in all one trip otherwise too much time will be wasted on travel.

“Hmm… In that case how about we meet 4 days from now. There are a few things I will need to do first and it would probably be best to do everything at once, does that work for you Lord Weston, Mr. Randall?”

“Yes, that sounds good Mr. Jayce, I look forward to working with you on what will become a massive defeat for Elkia.”

********

“So do you think it will work Mr. Jayce?”

“I think it can work Lady Eleanor, but it will not be very easy, and I will probably need 2-3 weeks to finish it, so it will be a very tight schedule.”

“That’s a problem for us no? You won’t be able to complete the tunnel on time if you are gone for so long.”

“That’s why I intend to work on it exclusively for these next three days. I will need a few things though. Namely I’ll need a horse, several days’ worth of supplies, lanterns, and someone to collect my gambeson jacket and armor.”

We can’t rely only on Lord Weston’s plan, there is no guarantee Elkia will travel down the same path they always have.

“That’s not a problem Mr. Jayce. Just relay whatever you need to Gerard and he’ll prepare everything and have it ready for you first thing in the morning. Then let’s plan to meet again before you leave with Lord Weston. By the way Mr. Jayce, have you seen my daughter Grace during your time there?”

“Just once briefly.”

“She’s asked me to visit her tomorrow so I’m thinking about preparing a few things for her. How does she seem?”

“Well we didn’t interact for long, she just asked me some questions about magic before my meeting with Lord Weston.”

“Is that so, well if she was asking you about magic then she should be doing fine, alright, then in three days we’ll talk. Goodnight Mr. Jayce.”

I wouldn’t exactly say things are fine, but I guess she’ll have more insight into it than me.

“Goodnight Lady Eleanor.”

********

After that I asked Gerard for the supplies I needed and began working intensely on building the tunnel east.

There are two entrances into the tunnel. The first is a direct route from Lady Eleanor’s private bunker, and the other is from the Bunker I’ve built that holds our supplies. A 50ft x 50ft x 8ft room 10 feet below the surface that connects to the horse stables via a ramp.

The tunnel itself is approximately 10 feet wide and 10 feet high with 2 air vents every 50 feet. I’m hoping this will be enough for air flow. I’ll need to pull air down from the surface as we travel to keep the tunnel well ventilated.

Roughly every mile I made a small latrine and at approximately the halfway point in the tunnel I opened up a larger space and made 10 beds. Travelling through the tunnel with a group of people will be slow and we may need to stay for an extended period of time if things are not safe.

The tunnel ends by climbing up a gradual ramp back to the surface but I left the exit still 3 feet below the ground. The likelihood of it being found is very small, but a hole in the plains is probably easily spotted from a distance.

After working exhaustingly on the tunnel I rode the horse back the entire way and met with Lady Eleanor and Gerard in the morning after taking a hot bath.

Gerard was able to pick up my jacket and armor and they fit perfectly. The jacket is brown and very thick. Though I didn’t ask for it, it has a hood as well and extends down all the way to my knees. It buckles in the front and despite being thick it is not overly stiff. The breast and back plate fit well even over the gambeson and can be adjusted using leather straps and the pauldron’s don’t feel restricting at all.

Gerard believes they will have gathered all of the supplies they need in the next week and plans to store them along with the 3 wagons in the bunker. I only expect to be gone for 2-3 weeks but there are no guarantees so we settled on a contingency plan.

If I am unable to make it back for whatever reason and there is fighting within the city they will hide in the bunker for up to 2 days unless it is unsafe before attempting to flee through the tunnel.

The amount of air is limited and without me pulling in fresh air they will need to move quickly. They will also need to bring equipment to break through the other side of the tunnel. Its 3 feet but I didn’t harden the exit so the rock isn’t very strong and should be easy enough to break through.

After finalizing our plans I traveled to Lord Weston’s where 5 carriages were waiting with 10 guards. The operation is meant to be quiet with few knowing about it but it’s impossible to have me travel by myself.

The guards serve two purposes. They serve as a protective unit that will search for and eliminate enemy scouts while I’m building the obstacles. And when I’m done they will be stationed further west and given the responsibility of signaling when the Elkian army is 3 days away from the flood pit I will be building.

The first day here I slept most of the way. I didn’t sleep much while building the tunnel and for the most part everything looks the same. Along the river are some shrubs and other bushes but otherwise it’s all flat grasslands.

According to Lady Eleanor the further west you go the more trees you will see until you reach a massive forest with many types of wild beasts. The southern part of the forest borders a great savanna where warbeasts live naturally and the northern forest is dominated with marshlands populated with ogre tribes.

She’s unsure of what is on the other side of the forest though. According to her, the forest is so dangerous few dare to enter and even fewer make it out. It reminds me of the tales we were told in the Empire of the Northern Territories. So much uncertainty and so many unknown places.

Starting from 25 miles from the southern shore of the river I began by creating large gentle rolling hills. They’re not very high but they cause the land to slope unevenly. The river leads directly to Freeport, so it is unlikely they would travel this far south but we decided to start wide as a precaution.

As I moved further east I tapered the hills gradually and began producing large areas of sand. The sand is not very deep and patches of grass can still be seen coming out of it, but a large army would never consider traveling through it if there is a more suitable path.

It took one and a half weeks to make my way to the flood point. This will be the most difficult part of the plan. The pit will need to be nearly 30 feet deep, 1 mile long, and 1 mile wide. It’s an enormous pitfall and I need to finish it in 1 week.

********

Something’s strange. Our scouts haven’t returned and it’s been nearly 2 hours, they should have returned an hour ago. The Bertsch forest is known as the silent forest. It’s one of the few forests in the great grasslands but there is hardly any life in it.

It’s an eerie place that is shrouded in fog most of the time. I’ve passed by on this route dozens of times and every time it leaves me with a sense of unease. Something about that forests feels unnatural.

“Colonel Pike, do you have any word of our scouts yet?”

“General Oswyn, sir we still have no information on the scouts and the second team hasn’t returned yet either.”

What to do? I can’t advance my men without knowing what’s ahead of us. I may have no other choice than to send a small team forward.

“Colonel I want you to assemble a”

What is that? This rumbling, could it be a tremor? No, this isn’t a tremor this is

“Everyone spear wall! Get your spears up! Colonel get those men into formation and get a proper spear wall up. Archers on the ready, everyone prepare for battle! Send word to the rear guard, ready the ballista’s!”

What the hell is going on!? There should be no armies here, we’re still 100 miles away from Freeport. Other than a small ferry point about 5 miles ahead there is nothing but grassland and forest. Have we been set up?

“Warbeasts! General they’re warbeasts!”

Warbeasts!? Here? Only Elkia commands warbeasts, could it be Freeport has already fallen? Then what of the request for aid? Was the request fake?

“General it’s warbeasts we need to retreat!”

Retreat where you idiot!? We’re surrounded by grasslands and blocked from the forest by the river.

“Shut up you fool! Stop causing a panic, give me numbers, how many warbeasts?”

“At least, at least 1 thousand warbeasts plus armored riders behind them.”

One thousand warbeasts. A warbeast can be up to 6 feet tall, 15 feet long, and almost 5 thousand pounds. With tusks up to 5 feet long that curve outward from their mouth, a horn up to 3 feet long extending from its nose, and skin that cannot be penetrated by arrows a single warbeast is able to wipe out a platoon with ease. Who would send 1000 warbeasts to the middle of the plains?

To that many warbeasts a spear wall won’t even slow them down. Shit, what is with this, does Elkia mean to attack Penrith?

“Pigeon, get a pigeon out with a message to Penrith telling them we’ve been ambushed by Elkian warbeasts at the Bertsch forest! Men get your spears up and prepare to fight to the death!”

The closer they get the more unsteady the ground becomes. The tremors from the ground alone make it difficult to stand and the thought of being run over and trampled has caused some of the men to flee blindly. Our best chance at survival is the spear wall, and even with a perfect spear wall there is still virtually no chance at survival.

With the spear wall being so unsteady, even collapsed in some places our chances are now zero. To think, 18 thousand well-trained men of the Penrith army would panic to this extent. But even I am fighting the urge to run, no, I don’t think I could run even if I wanted to.

Arrows from war bows bounce off of them as if it was a child throwing a stone. We never expected to face combat here so the ballistae are traveling on the wagon train.

“Everyone brace yourself, UUGGGHH!”

Damnit, Damnit, Damnit! How are we supposed to fight against this!

“HELP ME!”, “AAAAGGHHHH!”, “SAVE ME!”, “RUN, EVERYONE RUN!”, “TO THE RIVER!”

This isn’t a battlefield, this is a killing field. The plains have been painted red with Penrith blood and dotted with the mutilated corpses of the men I have commanded. My left arm is broken, so are many of my ribs, and I can’t move my legs at all.

The wailing is becoming quieter and the trembling of the earth has softened but I’m not sure if it’s because I’m dying or if they battle is over. How could this have happened? We received a request for aid just two weeks ago, is it possible that Freeport has already Fallen?

I always hear stories of people seeing their loved ones pass by their eyes before they die. But I never married, have no children, and lived in an orphanage until I was old enough to join the military. The closest thing I have to loved ones are the brothel girls.

I wonder what everyone else is seeing right now. Do they have wives? Maybe they have children they’re leaving behind. I’ve never tried to grow close to any of my men. I never saw the point in it and never felt the bond between men who have fought together so I wouldn’t know.

“Major this one looks like their leader.”

“Good, do you have the message?”

“Yes Major here.”

What are they talking about? Elkian scum what message.

“Ambush, 1 thousand warbeasts, Bertsch forest. Looks like our hawks are faster than your pigeons. Where are my manners? Major Tiller, commander of the 42nd armored mounts. And you would be… well, I guess that doesn’t really matter. Captain send a message to the General, Penrith army destroyed, less than 20 thousand.”

“Yes sir, and what of the survivors?”

“Survivors? I don’t see any survivors do you Captain? The river, the forest, the plains, I see no survivors.”

“Understood, I’ll send the message, clean up, and sure up the supplies. And what of this one?”

“Leave this one to me, I’d like to have a nice long chat with the general of Penrith. Don’t worry general, I just have a few questions, that’s all…”

********

“A death pit to be flooded with river water, is that right?”

“Yes sir, that is what the shadow walker said.”

“Well, ordinarily that wouldn’t be too bad of a plan. So I will give them credit, at least they’re making an attempt. Have we heard from Major Tiller yet?”

“Not yet sir, but the Penrith army should have reached them by now so we should hear from him in the next few days.”

“Very good, and when will the ships arrive?”

“The ships are scheduled to arrive here in 4 days, from then it will be 3 days to Freeport.”

“And what of our northern forces?”

“Colonel Dyer has sent word that his men are in position and will arrive on schedule.”

“Digging a pit huh?”

“General?”

“Colonel, I don’t want our mage friend to feel left out. Send a platoon of armored riders and the younger brother to go talk with this mage. An 8th ranked mage will be a very nice addition to our forces.”

“And what if he refuses General?”

“Is there any need for me to answer that?”

“I apologize sir.”

“Good, then that will be all Colonel.”

Just seven more days. I hope those weasels on the council have prepared a welcoming party.