The Orb of Wrath

  *******

  Vargarr took a deep breath and looked at both sides of the table. He was accompanied by Gorusag Fish, Marquis of Mositus, Lakajev Murin, Count of Borydos and the colonels of Mositus, Kiyats, Borydos and Golsou. The colonels led the troops of each territory that depended on the corresponding count or marquis. Each county also had a lieutenant who commanded the troops of the Royal Army in said territory. The deputies responded to General Bellish, so they had had to keep them out of the operation, although Vargarr knew that more than one would have willingly participated in it.

  Vargarr had avoided General Bellish and had obtained a direct approval of the King for those maneuvers, but he had only informed his majesty of the participation of the Mositus and Central Bor troops. If the King had known of the scale of the exercise, he wouldn't have approved it without consulting Bellish first, and this would have wiped out the entire plan. Therefore, it was essential to keep the other majors out of it for the moment. They should also try so that the Kiyats, Golsou, and Borydos troops withdraw as soon as possible, since they really weren't allowed to participate in the exercise. Given the proximity of the border with Golsou, perhaps they could justify their presence after an orc attack alert. But Kiyats and Borydos were several days away and they wouldn't be able to explain why their troops were in that place anyway. Those involved were running major risks, but the prize was worth it.

  “Do you have any news about the orb?” the Marquis Gorusag asked.

  “My courier just informed me that they have had a small delay. They will not come tonight as planned, but tomorrow afternoon,” Vargarr said.

  “This is unfortunate. We can't waste any more time. If your majesty finds out what we're doing we'll be in very serious trouble. What if someone from the Royal Army or the Court comes to witness the maneuvers without warning?” Gorusag insisted.

  “You're right. But I don't think that this small delay from our friend Urlabus is what will define the deadlines here. I heard we have an even greater delay in the trenches. Is this true?” Lakajev asked, inquisitive.

  “I don't know,” Gorusag responded. “Savamon?” he asked, turning to his colonel.

  “Mmm ... we have a delay in this task. We do not understand what is happening. We had made maneuvers in this area before and had dug trenches. It is a clayey soil, for the most part, and usually a crew can dig a trench in an afternoon,” Savamon said.

  “Abbreviate. What's going on?” Gorusag said impatiently.

  “Every time we dig a ditch, we end up finding rock at the middle of the job, so we have to move to another place and start over. In several cases we had to dig in up to five different places before finishing the trench of the corresponding regiment. But we are making progress. We are simply taking longer than expected. It's very strange. We can't understand it. Moreover, the heavy artillery is already in place and secured: catapults, crossbows and turrets.”

  “When will you be completely ready?” Vargarr asked impatiently.

  “I hope that at the end of tomorrow morning everything will be finished. We can confirm it tomorrow,” Savamon affirmed.

  “That is another two days. At the very least!” the count of Borydos said.

  Vargarr knew that the colonels of Kiyats and Golsou couldn't stand their Mositus colleague. Being neighbors there were constant rivalries. One of the major issues of dispute was the distribution of the IPF (Inter-territorial Protection Funds). These were funds that the Crown assigned through the bureaucracy of the Royal Army, to help finance the troops of the various territories; essentially they were intended to use part of the taxes to redistribute money to the marks, which were the main ones responsible for defending the border. Countless disputes had occurred between territories, at some point resulting in skirmishes between troops over the control of those funds. At present, the distribution criterion was established according to the number of leagues of the border that each mark covered, but the criterion had changed many times. Additionally, the personalities of these three colonels were very different and not fully compatible. Vargarr couldn't allow any risk of schism in that group at that crucial moment. So, he decided to lend a hand to Savamon.

  “Well, let's not get nervous. I will strengthen the body of sappers of Mositus with some troops so that we can accelerate the completion of the work. In this way, we'll make sure to be ready in two days at the latest. I think more than one day is not the end of the world, but we must make sure we are well prepared,” Vargarr said.

  They all agreed with this plan, though it was obvious that there was a lot of tension and nervousness in the air. Various details, such as the disposition of troops on the ground, the strategy and the different scenarios that they could expect, were studied and discussed by the group. At the end of the meeting they were all reasonably satisfied with the level of training they had. After that, the colonels took leave to return to their respective command tents. Gorusag, Vargarr and Lakajev stayed to talk a little more.

  “This very night I'll return to my palace. I'd rather not be here, because of what might happen,” Gorusag said nervously.

  “Wise decision. Don't worry; leave everything to me. In addition, Savamon is a very competent man and I'm sure he'll keep you well informed,” Vargarr said, glad to have gotten rid of the Marquis.

  “I, too, will retire to the rear as we agreed,” Lakajev said. “So, see you tomorrow afternoon to go to the tower?”

  “Yes. I'll pick you up at the start of the afternoon. The tower is not far, as you will see. There we'll start the final phase of our plan.”

  The three men parted, wishing each other luck. A new chapter in the history of the Kingdom was about to begin, and they were the ones who were going to write it.