The Radiant War

Chapter 1c

     It wasn't until the small hours of the morning that the Brigadier finally arrived back at the Helberion embassy, by which time he was so tired that it was taking all his self control to prevent it from showing on his face. Now that his mission in the Empire was complete, though, it wasn’t necessary for him to continue courting the Farwell social scene and he was looking forward to spending pretty much all of the day ahead relaxing in his room before beginning his journey back to Helberion the day after. It had been a long time since he'd been able to enjoy the luxury of just lying in bed while the city bustled around him, or just sitting in an armchair reading a book while the rest of the embassy staff went about their normal day's business. Such days were rare and precious and he intended to enjoy it to the full.

     He spent a moment contemplating the fact that, one day, if he wasn’t killed in the line of duty before then, age would eventually rob him of the health and energy he needed to serve his country any longer. When that day came, he would retire to his estate in Marboll, if it still existed after the earthquake. Even if it didn't, though, he had enough money stored away to buy a small house somewhere and never have to work again.

      What would that be like? he wondered. To be retired. To never again have to get out of bed at some ridiculously early hour, spend the day travelling through hard terrain, possibly with the threat of combat hanging over him the whole time? No more hardships. Being able to rest as long as he wanted whenever the aches and pains of his ageing body began to grow too great. Being able to just take it easy for as long as he wanted.

      He found that he couldn’t imagine it. That kind of lifestyle was simply alien to him. The occasional day was one thing. One day of rest and relaxation before getting back to work, but the idea of never having to work again, the idea of becoming redundant and useless... He just couldn’t imagine it, and the idea that that day lay somewhere in the future, and not too far in the future either, made him shudder with apprehension and a nervous uncertainty that no approaching battle had ever given him.

     His mind shied away from the idea, and instead he found himself planning out what he would do to help fight the Carrowmen when he returned home. The King would surely agree to reinstate him in the army. In this time of crisis, he would need all the capable officers he could lay his hands on. He would take charge of a Brigade of cavalry and harry the enemy troops as they crossed the countryside from one target to the next. Ride in fast, hit them hard, then withdraw before they could recover and organise themselves. Malone would be there beside him, he simply couldn’t imagine it otherwise despite the fact that almost his entire military career had taken place before he'd taken him on as his batman.

   , They would spend their evenings around a small campfire with a handful of his most senior officers as they discussed their next day's activities. Everything would fit back into the familiar, comfortable pattern and it was quite likely that he would be killed at some point before victory was achieved, thereby saving him from having to worry about how he would spend his old age. But first, a day of leisure. Well earned, well deserved and very, very welcome...

     He was jolted out of his thoughts by the junior embassy official who greeted him as he entered the building. A tired looking young man who'd clearly been up all night and who jumped up out of his seat with relief when he saw the elderly military man wiping his boots on the doormat. “Brigadier James,” he said, striding forward. “Ambassador Mornwell told me to wait here for you, to pass on orders from the King. The telegraph lines to Marboll have been restored, and the King used them to order you to make your way to the Carrow town of Bonewell. You will need to go out of uniform and travel incognito, to avoid being discovered and captured by the Carrowmen.”

     “Bonewell?” said the Brigadier in confusion. “Does he want me to carry out an act of sabotage there? Or assassination? There must be better people for jobs like that...”

     “You are instructed to wait there for the arrival of Princess Ardria and her entourage, who will shortly be travelling to Charnox on a diplomatic mission. The mission is intended to end the war between our two countries and convince King Nilon of the necessity to join with Helberion in the war against the Radiants. You will assume the post of head of her bodyguard, commanding twenty Helberion rangers and a dozen Kelvon troopers.”

     The Brigadier stared in astonishment. “The King is sending his own daughter to Carrow? On a diplomatic mission? While we’re at war with them? Are you sure the message wasn't garbled?”

     “We asked for the message to be repeated. There was no mistake. Hence the Kelvon troops, I assume.”

     “Yes, that would make sense, but I was speaking with the Emperor just a few hours ago. He said nothing about this!”

     “Communications between Marboll and Farwell were restored just a couple of hours ago. The King and the Emperor have only just finished discussing this matter. I understand that Emperor Tyron needed some convincing.”

     “I imagine he did!” The Emperor had said on many occasions that the killing of just one Kelvon citizen by a foreign country would be enough for him to declare war. Tyron was taking an immense gamble, or was he? The Brigadier imagined a troop of Carrow soldiers dressed as highwaymen waylaying the Princess’s retinue in some remote spot, killing everyone except the Princess herself. Nilon would blame it on bandits, and no-one would be able to prove him a liar. Tyron might know the truth, but there would be enough doubt for him to avoid entering a war he had no interest in. The thought gave him a sudden sense of terrible urgency. He had to get to the Princess as fast as possible, to help defend her.

     “I need a map,” he snapped. “The country between here and Bonewell.” The official nodded and ran off to get one.

     A few minutes later, the two men were bent over the map, spread out across a table in the conference room and held down at the corners with ash trays. The Brigadier scowled. Carrow was directly between Kelvon and Helberion, and the direct line between his present location and Marboll went straight through where the front line of the war would be. The Princess’s retinue would have to take a wide detour to the north to avoid it, through Erestin. A neutral country, but one with which Helberion had always enjoyed good relations. That would mean the Princess would take longer to get to Bonewell, which was good, but the Brigadier was still almost twice as far west of the Carrow town than Marboll was east of it, and he would also have to take detours to avoid large Carrow cities. He would have to travel about twice as fast as the Princess's retinue to get there first. Fortunately, there were train lines that could take him most of the way, but there was still a hundred mile gap between the nearest train station and Bonewell.

     “I need a horse “ he said. “A fast horse, and strong. I'll need to ride it almost to death. And remounts, if the peasants revolt causes problems with the trains.”

     “The embassy has fast horses, take whichever one you like," the official said. "I'm authorised to give you enough coin to buy remounts so long as you're within Kelvon territory. Once you reach the border, though, you'll be on your own. I doubt the Carrowmen will honour Helberian promissory notes.”

     “I’ll steal remounts. We are at war, after all.” He looked out the window, where the sky was beginning to glow with the approach of dawn. “I’ll leave Immediately, as soon as I've changed into some civilian clothing.”

     “Have you slept yet?”

     ‘I'll sleep on the train, or in the saddle if I have to. Won't be the first time.”

     He then marched out of the room, heading for the stairs up to the visitors quarters. His day of leisure was not to be, it seemed, and yet he felt strangely exhilarated by it. Duty called, and the Brigadier was on his way.