Chapter 23 – Papers

“So if I’m hearing you correctly, commander, you not only lost a quarter of my garrison but failed to even get past the front gate?” demanded Lord Hallen. The damp cobbled walls didn’t keep the morning chill out, but they did wonders to carry an irate lord’s tone.

“Yes, my lord. That would be correct. There is more to why that happened.”

The commander waited, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes remained forward, set on the top of the modest throne where Hallen resided. A cold, frustrated rage sat in the soldier. One that only Aldous noticed. The servant stood behind Hallen’s chair, scrutinizing that anger.

“One would hope so. With losses like these, you’d think that you’d at least have gotten the damn wall down. Isn’t that what you brutes are good at?” asked Hallen.

The nearby guards by the entry hall fidgeted at that comment. They respected their brethren, and their commander more so. Hearing such words from their lord did not go unnoticed.

Still, they were silent. Spears held, eyes level, posture straight.

Ashlan glanced at the guards. Alric and Bren. Two men that could have been on the expedition to the demonic tower. Two men that could have been part of the thirty nine charcoal marks missing from his leather-bound charting book. The thought made the grizzled man squeeze his hands like they were wringing a towel.

Gritting his teeth, the soldier forced his body to remain calm. “The letters for the deceased are already prepared for their families. I’ve sealed them and written each myself. They’ve been left with your stewards for your review.”

Lord Hallen waved dismissively. “I don’t care about the dead. They’re gone. I really don’t know why you yourself bothered with those notes. Aldous could have seen to them. What I want is to understand how this entire mess is even possible? My god, man. I gave you thorough intelligence from our patrol, eighty fighting men, armor, weapons, supplies, everything you asked for. I even included all the siege pitch I could find. Do you have any idea what that cost to get?”

The big soldier’s eye twitched. This time, the guards by the door shifted uncomfortably.

Ashlan bit down hard, stopping the military general in him from breaking out. Calm. Keep calm.

Hallen, either blissfully unaware or not caring, continued on. “Answer this. How am I meant to explain what happened to the Solari? To the other lords who surely noticed the pyres of smoke visible for leagues away? We could smell the stink from here, you know. From all reports you must have set off the entire load of pitch in one go.” He snorted. “What do I say to the other lords? That my commander made a bonfire fit for The Spines themselves and threw half his men in for good measure?”

Commander Ashlan’s eyes darkened. “Those men fought and died for you.” He said the words slowly, carefully. He could feel his mask slipping, but just couldn’t help letting a bit loose.

“And to be frank, we wouldn’t have lost so many men if the reports Captain Breck provided had any semblance of accuracy. Seven demons?” Ashlan spat, his voice rising. “Seven, he claimed. There was a god damned army! A fucking army! And not of men, but nightmarish beasts. Not in all my years of service to you nor Valdren have I seen anything like it. Was there any mention of that in the intelligence?” The burly commander’s arms hadn’t moved, but his eyes blazed.

Aldous stepped forward. “Ashlan! You forget yourself!”

“Oh off with it Aldous. I shouldn’t have accepted this last minute crusade you put together. I don’t know how you let this child do this. I expected this much from Hallen. But you? Not you, Aldous. Not you.”

Lord Hallen’s face had been getting redder and redder. Ashlan could sense the storm brewing in the boy, but pushed on anyway. His restraint was gone. The commander inside was in control.

“And what’s more? That army? They were led by a tough son of a bitch bigger than five of our best together. I’d stake my life that he weighed more than an ox cart. He waded through our lines like it was nothing. Lost half a squad to that alone. And if that isn’t enough to show just how worthless that intelligence was, Captain Breck also managed to leave out the entire fucking wall which breathes flame like some kind of wyvern. I fear the good captain must have visited a different tower entirely!”

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That last sentence echoed in the small throne room, loud enough that the stewards in the outer halls could likely hear. Both the guards had given up on duty, staring open-mouthed at their commander.

Shoulders tight and fists clenched, Ashlan paused, taking a deep, measured breath. He straightened his vambraces and adjusted his ruffled collar.

“So when you ask me what you should tell the other lords, boy, I’d explain to them how we’ve got a nest of unholy demons growing in our backyard. And you might bother to mention we’ve just pissed them off. I think the question you need to be asking yourself is what the hell you are going to do about that.”

Turning on heel, the big man stormed from the throne room. He passed the guards without a word. Neither raised a hand to try and stop him. Instead, their focus was set on their lord.

Hallen was seething. Ashlan turning around and outright leaving before even letting his lord address him was too much for him to take. Shivering with unbridled fury, he was about to stand and tell the incompetent man just that when he felt a firm hand push down on his shoulder. It squeezed.

“My lord. Sit still and do not move. I know you are thinking about dressing the commander down, perhaps removing him from his post. But I must implore you to consider the consequences of that. The garrison is as loyal to Ashlan as they are to you. This house may answer to your crown, but the garrison follows the sword. And the men are listening.” The servant discreetly bobbed his head in the direction of the house guards.

“The garrison would do well to remember who pays their wages and owns the very land they live on,” he hissed.

“My lord…”