Tides of Blood and Steel by Christian Warren Freed Read Free Book Online Page B

fold. Or so he hoped.
    Finally, the general said, “Their entire defense hinges on Aurec. I must know where he is.”
    “Headed north the last we knew. He could be anywhere by now.”
    Rolnir shook his head. “No. I think he is much closer than we believe. Aurec has all of the advantages except strength. He can pick up and move quickly whereas we take time. I think he’s going to strike the supply lines. They are our most vulnerable point of attack, and we don’t have the manpower to defend them and carry on the offensive.”
    Piper scanned the map. His combat experience during this campaign was limited to two battles. Pride demanded more. Anger at his initial losses still burned in him. He would not find satisfaction until the prince and he came face-to-face. The guilt from losing so many men in that first battle insulted him, clouding his judgment.
    “Are you listening?”
    He looked up, cheeks flushed crimson. “Sir?”
    Rolnir scowled, but kept silent. He understood. He’d been there himself long ago. The best thing for it was to let time heal. He decided to take Piper’s mind off the past. “I asked if you were ready to lead the advance.”
    “Just give the word.”
    Confident, and slightly cocky . Good, Rolnir mused. The sting of the initial defeat hadn’t yet rendered him useless.
    “Take a full battalion out and scour the enemy positions an hour before dawn. Secure and prepare for further infiltration. I want to be within sight of Rogscroft proper by the end of the month. We must move quickly. Winter is nearly on us and the last thing we need is to be bogged down and cut off from our supply lines for four months. Hells, it’s already snowing. Any more and we might need to sit tight until spring.”
    “We may not have a choice. The enemy is unwilling to fully engage,” Piper replied quickly. “They will try to delay us for as long as possible and let winter hinder our campaign.”
    “It would not be the first time such has happened.”
    “But?” Piper asked. He already knew the answer.
    Rolnir raised an eyebrow. “You know exactly what I am talking about.”
    He nodded emotionlessly. Badron. The king was the single biggest distracter in the whole campaign. He, more than anything else, was hampering the army. The war might easily hinge on his fanciful obsession with King Stelskor. His fervor was already having a negative effect on morale. None of the soldiers knew the true reasons for the invasion, but their king proved more than willing to sacrifice them all for his gains. That didn’t sit well with any soldier. It fell to Rolnir to keep as many of them alive as possible for the return home.
    “I suppose this is where we come in,” Piper said.
    “I suppose it is. Go and prepare your men.”
    * * * * *
    Badron paced uncontrollably across his tent. Anger threatened to consume him. Hundreds of enemy soldiers were dead, wounded or captured, and it wasn’t enough. He wanted more. More blood, more battles. More victories. King Stelskor mocked him from the sanctity of his castle.
    “You are too tense, King,” Amar Kit’han hissed from the furthest corner.
    Badron scowled darkly. “Ever you come uninvited.”
    “No man commands me. I have come and gone as I pleased for hundreds of years. Do not presume to demand so much of me.”
    The Dae’shan sidled from the shadows. Amar towered over the king, a hulking mass of mystery and despair. His very presence sent shockwaves of violence through the tent. Badron struggled not to cringe lest this abomination found advantage in it.
    “I come with news,” Amar told him.
    Badron wearily sat on his field throne, a makeshift bundle of wood and metal. However genuine, he had doubts as to the validity of the Dae’shan’s news. “What tidings do you bear? Something to end the war quickly I trust.”
    Amar regarded the man through the swirl of shadow and repressed the urge to slit his throat now and be done with this affair. “Tidings of blood and steel.