Sovereign by Simon Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

meaning from them.'
    'I don't believe we see the future,' Jenrosa repeated, taking her hand from Lasthear's. 'And I don't believe I am the Truespeaker. I am not a Chett.'
    'We are all Chetts,' Lasthear said without irony.
     
    It took Lynan's army five days to reach the border of Haxus. Scouts ranging far and wide quickly found the fort Salokan had established as a staging post for his invasion of Grenda Lear, and also where he kept his reinforcements, mainly heavy infantry with a few squadrons of light cavalry for picket and scouting duties. Chett outriders reported that the fort commander was overconfident and lazy; the gates were open and unlocked, and the few pickets were relieved like clockwork, making it easy to plan an assault around their movements.
    Because it was a fort, Lynan's army had to take it quickly or be forced into a siege, something the Chetts were temperamentally unsuited for and Lynan could ill afford to waste time on. Nor could Lynan risk moving deeper into Haxus with such a large enemy force behind him, and he was unwilling to detach a whole banner to cover his rear. The fort had to be taken by a sudden assault, and Lynan planned for the attack to start well before first light. If things went well, his riders would occupy the fort by sunrise; if things went badly, his army had a whole day to retreat to a safe distance. He gave command of the main attack to his Red Hands under Gudon; they had been trained to fight on foot using the short sword, and once inside the fort horses would be more hindrance than help. They would be followed up by Ager with his Ocean Clan, warriors who were proving to be among the toughest and most fanatical of the Chetts; Ager also commanded the remnants of the lancers, the banner savaged so fiercely by the knights of Kendra's Twenty Houses. Korigan and Eynon would lead the rest of the banners, eliminating any forces outside of the fort and maintaining constant archery fire against the fort's walls.
    Two hours before first light, scouts reported to Lynan that the enemy pickets had been eliminated and replaced by his own riders. Before ordering the banners and their commanders to take their places, the prince had Salokan brought to him. The king was thin and pale, his right hand bandaged to the wrist. Under instruction from Lynan, no one had talked to him since his capture, nor had anyone mistreated him. At this stage he was baggage, and Lynan wanted him to understand that.
    'Does this fort have a name?' Lynan asked him.
    Salokan blinked sleep from his eyes and peered at the walls of the fort, not much more than a distant white line in the night. 'Typerta,' he said.
    'That was your father's name, wasn't it?'
    Salokan nodded. 'It is a strong fort. You will not be able to take it.'
    Lynan arched his eyebrows. 'Truly? What would you suggest?'
    'You don't really believe I would help you, do you?'
    'You could order the garrison to stand down and surrender.'
    Salokan did not reply, but stood more stiffly and jutted out his chin. He had regained some of his courage since the Battle of the Night.
    Lynan seemed disappointed. 'As I expected.' He turned to his commanders. 'We take no prisoners. Slaughter everyone.' He met each commander's gaze; only Ager seemed unsettled by the order, but he said nothing. The prince turned back to Salokan. 'You will stay here by my side and watch.'
     
    Gudon, Ager and their troops covered the first two thirds of the distance to the fort dismounted to lower their profile. They walked double file through depressions and around hills until they came to a natural bowl just over a league from the fort, led there by scouts posing as Haxus pickets. There the Red Hands mounted and formed two long lines. On Ager's advice, in case their charge ran into Haxus cavalry and to boost their morale after losing their leader Kumul, Gudon placed the lancers in a single line in front of the Red Hands and put them under the command of his brother Makon; they would be first