Commodore Bernard was a young man with rare green eyes. He wasn't blessed with a perfect face with his round cheeks and hooked nose. But his eyes were enough to make an impression. His curly hair was scattered just like his laughter when Erik shook his hand.
"On behalf of Castonia, I thank you for coming here Commodore. It must have been cruel for you to leave the comforts of Hydas for the dirt and smut of Tulosa"
The Commodore laughed again. His round belly under his blue navy uniform shook with each laughter. "I prefer the honor to be of use rather than the taverns of Hydas..." The Commodore stopped when he saw Emily walked inside the tent "Omniscient be praised! Your beauty is painful. Oh my good day is complete. Omniscient take me now for I have seen the best of your creation"
Erik held his laugh upon seeing Emily's surprise and displeasure. He studied the Commodore. Not bad, he thought. Jolly and loud but he seems reliable. Talking to a jolly fellow would be a good medicine to Emily's constant frowns.
"Oh I apologize if I have slighted you" Commodore Bernard said, this time with a small bow and kempt voice. "My mouth blabbers what my mind blabbers. But life is too short to frown. Smile and be glad for the day is good! But may I know thy name oh fair maiden?"
"Emily Tulosa" The Queen clipped her answer.
The Commodore straightened his posture. His fast blinking eyes looked at Erik. "She's the Queen? I imagined her to be older. Well pardon me more Your Majesty. I am not myself"
Emily trudged towards the seat. Cross-legged, she sat and drank the Calgarian tea they confiscated from their prisoners. The last to arrive was Henry.
"Just tell me the plan" Emily said when all four of them were seated at last.
"I need you and Commodore Bernard to remain here and guard this fort while Henry and I would proceed. Continue sending supplies to us"
Emily looked at him. Her eyebrows were meeting. Her glare could melt. "I prefer not. I would like to be in the front"
"An order is an order"
"An order from whom? You? You said we are equals"
"We both know that isn't the case. I command the strongest force so naturally my words are heavier. My commands are more needy to being followed"
"That's just great. You and your Castonians should be followed. Now what makes you better than the Calgarians and the Wismarines and the others?" There were both mockery and fear in her voice.
"Because we are acting for the benefit of your nation!" Erik sneered and regretted it after seeing her flinch. He fixed his emotions first before continuing "You are lucky my King and my Queen are not monsters and thieves and killers like the others. But you are not your nation. Make no mistake, we support you because you have a potential to bring stability to this damn forsaken land. But the moment you stray from your path, we will not hesitate to choose someone else. We don't trust you, not yet"
"Now, now" Commodore Bernard said, steady voice "Let's not be hostile to each other"
There was a small respite in their argument before Emily again said with a tamer voice, "So you are leaving me here because you want me out of your way? You don't trust me"
"It's the opposite. I am giving you a chance to gain my trust" Erik said calmly.
"Explain" Emily said. With lowered head she added, "please"
"You are in a good position to betray me. If you do, I will be put in peril. Food and supplies would cease on flowing and I would have an army without strength. You are right, my trust in you is not yet firm. But I am putting myself in a vulnerable position"
"I would not betray you" She said, lowered head and trembling voice.
"I hope so. But only the wolf knows what the wolf knows and by putting you at my back, you would become my wolf"
"Then I will prove myself to be a proper wolf, neither rabid nor sly" Emily sighed.
She was silent for a while. When she talked, her frown was gone.
"You really should trust me more Marquis Erik"
"I should" Erik gave a brief nod "'And I hope I would"
**********
With six big bites Balian finished his sausage. Down to his stomach the food went. After that was a glass of fermented milk.
The taste was weird. His first swallow of the thing jolted his tongue with sour and bitter flavors concocting into an arid taste. The second swallow was a little more tamed. The third and the rest were just a taste of something weird but he had been used to it.
Balian put the fork down. He looked outside the window of Earl Kolla's house. He could see the entire city of Stonerider from here. Wooden houses with dried horse skins as roofs. The believers of the Great Rider believed that every horse is sacred. Slaughter of horses for consumption is frowned upon. But horses were being used everywhere in the Great Plains- from house roofs to bone dolls and dices to fertilizer.
Hypocrites, Balian thought. They are hypocrites just like him. He is a hypocrite but at least he admits it. The fermented goat milk drinkers act as if they are committed to their faith.
Balian had lost his faith a long time ago. The Omniscient was but a story told over generations to control the masses. If the divine being the knights believe in is a lie, then what stops them from taking over Tulosa? The answer is faith. Many knights like Henry were still devout to the Omniscient. They were afraid of divine smite which doesn't even exist. It is time for the knights to claim their rightful place as a ruling class. A nation led by experienced knights- that was a dream of his.
"Grand Master" Dante, his squire, pushed the door open.
"We are too late" Balian played with the oily remnants of his plate. He looked towards the squire "right?"
"Dux Corwell died sire, killed by his own. All eight thousand surrendered"
"And how did Marquis Erik solved the problem of his cut supply lines?"
"There were..." Hesitation filled Dante's tone "Vanadian ships ferrying food from one side to the other sire"
Balian smiled. Smart. He was bested. "And I suppose he fortified the area of the river where the Vanadian ships are anchored?"
"Our scouts reported a fort sire. Took them just a single day to build it. Queen Emily and the Vanadians hold the fort while the Castonians and the pretender Henry are marching towards us as we speak"
Balian laughed lowly "I thought I was smart. I thought it would work"
"You are smart sire..."
"Spare me those greasy but unneeded words Dante. I just lost twice in a row. I lost Bivon and now I just lost a huge chunk of the Calgarians" Balian rose and stepped towards the window. The city reeks of horse manure.
"Our next steps sire?" Dante asked.
"You're been my squire for quite a while right?" Balian looked at his squire. He could still remember the large child squire he had. Now Dante had grown further with wide shoulders and square chin "You must have at least learned a thing or two from me. What do you think is our chances of victory now?"
"Too early to tell sire. We outnumber them but just a little now with the defeat of Dux Corwell"
Balian again turned to the window "Still stupid huh? We are losing and we are about to suffer defeat. This city can't hold our enemies' attack. Our supplies and allies are slowly melting into nothing. We have lost our chance to win the moment the Castonians decided to stop being neutral"
"But sire..."
"Marquis Erik knows that. That's why he's closing the noose around our necks fast. He will besiege the city and the tribes around the Great Plains would rally into his camp. If we are lucky we would die if he decided to assault us. If we are unlucky, we would also die in a slow and agonizing siege. We would starve and die all the same"
"That is a grim future sire"
"Grim indeed. But I'm not going to let that happen. The moment their rams touch our walls, we are dead meat. We need to flee"
"Flee..." Dante repeated. Bewilderment was on his voice.
"Yes" Balian sighed "Order the knights to move. We will flee the city and take refuge elsewhere. With an army composed of purely cavalry we would be able to outmarch Marquis Erik"
"And the Calgarians, nobles and mercenaries?"
"Leave them. They will bog us down. We must cut our losses"
There was this surprised expression on Dante's face. But the squire bowed nonetheless.
"As you command Grand Master"