Ten leagues west on the battlements of the outer wall…329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0EZ07pfWs
The sky was quiet, and the heavens were asleep. Atop the walls, twenty paces high, batteries of guards patrolled and scouted at twice the height of even the tallest townhouses, whose roofs appeared like red waves washing over the cityscape. From the roof of the gatehouse, which rose another five paces high, the sea would have been visible to them. On the other side of the wall, there was a moat with the depth of the height of a man and the width of a river. Given the rain, snow, and nearby sea, it was always filled to the brim, and should an army choose to assault Haven’s outer walls, it would take weeks before the water could be drained. The only access to the western side of the city was a permanent bridge, which most travellers used, but considering the slyness of the man who authorised its construction, it may as well have been another trap. Beyond it were acres of fields. Its soil tilled but not seeded. Its workers had been forced to evacuate into the city no more than hours ago, and it was the thing lay on the horizon that finally convinced their stubborn bodies to pack their belongings and scurry.
Even though they were just a league away, they sounded deathly silent. There was not a beat of a drum nor the tootle of a flute, and not a single voice could be heard from an army that was twenty thousand strong. From the walls, the guards could clearly see mortars and howitzers aimed directly at them, which caused them much angst.
Károly, Arnau, and Siegfried stared at the Rus army whose banners fluttered as if they wanted battle, not knowing why they were there. Assuming that the worst had happened, they did not hear the hasty footsteps knocking against the stone battlements. Emerging over the crest of the staircase, Arminius rushed over to his comrades, and seeing their lieutenant-elect had come, some felt relief come over them. Thinking that he would be able to deter the Rus, Siegfried gave way, letting Arminius take his place behind the crenellations. When the lieutenant halted beside Károly, some soldiers stopped their patrol and gathered behind him.
Arnau crossed his arms, gesturing with his head to the obvious problem at hand. “You don’t think they know about it, do you?” He asked his commander for some reassurance.
“They shouldn’t, even if the king did warn us. We only send off two ships every day, at random times even.” Arminius recalled his orders, but he could not have imagined the reality of the possibility. “Surely, they couldn’t have suspected as much.”
“What if someone told them?” It seemed out of his depth to suggest it, but when Károly did so, his comrades felt their spirits waver.
Fearing that it could be true, Siegfried turned to Károly, hoping it was not. However, Arminius did not let this thought distract him for more pressing matters required his attention.
He kept an eye on the army from where a single man had broken rank and was marching towards the wall alone. The journey was a league long, so he must have begun his approach a quarter of an hour ago. His features were not yet discernible, and it would take another two minutes for him to arrive, giving the garrison time to plan.
Looking north, then south, the lieutenant turned to Arnau. “Was movement reported anywhere else?” Arminius asked him, trying to understand his enemy’s intent.
Arnau shook his head. “No, but we’d be first to know.” The lancer squinted and made sure there were no forces hiding on the edge of the horizon. “What worries me is that they’ve come here with a tenth of what we have.” His eyes scanned the battlements, which were guarded every ten paces with countless more patrol squadrons in the city.
Crossing his arms, Arminius frowned. “If they wanted to negotiate, they would’ve brought twenty.” He covered his mouth and began to mumble to himself. “If they wanted to battle, they would’ve brought ten times more.” He thought.
“I can go get Gin and Miks if you wanna.” Siegfried pulled on his sleeve, hoping he could help.
The lieutenant shook his head and rested his hand on the messenger boy. “No, it’d be better for them to stay where they are in case anything happens on our flanks.” It was praise enough that he considered his suggestion, but it did not answer his worries.
Holding their weapons close, the soldiers on the wall were becoming more disquieted. Squads surrounding Arminius and his comrades muttered among themselves while some poked their heads over the battlements when they spotted that the lone Rus soldier had finally come.
Crossing the bridge, he composedly approached the wall with a stroll-like walk that confused the garrison, not knowing whether they should be standing on guard or not. Their eyes were fixed on the man who was not in uniform but was in the attire of a civilian, of a boy, who was unarmed and unarmoured. He was open for attack at any moment. However, it did not seem like he was there to fight, nor could he have been there to negotiate, as Arminius had thought.
The lieutenant moved to the balcony of the gatehouse with his comrades close by, and a sizable entourage followed him. Gathering over the gate, they looked down at the messenger and wondered why he had shown himself.
Leaning over the wall, the lieutenant tried to judge his adversary at a safe distance. “State your name!” Arminius demanded him.
The Rus’s features came into view when he halted and turned his soft-hearted gaze upward. Arnau and Siegfried froze when they saw his face, but Arminius and Károly did not, despite having fought with him just months earlier.
“That’s…” Siegfried felt as though he had lost his voice out of fear.
“Aurelius Radilov, Third General of the Rus, Commander of the Sixth Army.” He introduced himself. “I am in your care.” The general held his arm above his waist and drew a deep bow.
He would not rise until he was given permission, but being as highly ranked as he was, one would not have assumed that he was this modest. His first appearance stunned the garrison, who felt their hearts ease, yet his aura forced Arnau and Siegfried to back away from his view.
The lancer retreated into the shade, feeling that he must not give himself away. “That general who let us go…” Arnau remembered him well.
Finding their behaviour odd, Károly attempted to recall a time when that might have happened. “Let you go?” The archer suddenly realised they were speaking of that one obscure incident that he had completely forgotten about. “You mean that time in the forest?” He piped.
“Yeah, that’s the one.” Arnau’s demeanour tensed. His nerves had overridden his every sense. “Even though I knew he suspected something of us.” He piqued the attention of the lieutenant.
Arminius glanced over to Arnau, and he hesitated over whether he should welcome the general or send him on his way. He is quickly reminded of the situation they had faced before winter when they had no home and how the captain was too paranoid. Now his role had been reversed, albeit with twenty thousand men standing on the horizon. His comrades gave him little counsel on how to act, and it was clear that it was he who had to decide. It seemed as though he had developed that same paranoia being isolated from the rest of the world, even if the Rus showed more humility than he ever did.
Drawing on his courage, the lieutenant hoped not to repeat the past. “What have you come for?” Arminius firstly asked him.
Aurelius slowly lifted his head, his eyes pointed at the boy when a smile surfaced from his face. “Well, now that you’ve asked…” The young general crossed his arms confidently, seeming as if he knew he would not be rejected. “I expect a cup of tea at the very least.”329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbRA9whPtd
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