Read Online The Blasted Lands by James A. Moore - Free Book Online Page B

held up a hand. “Don’t take my word. Instead let’s talk to Morton Darnaven.” He gestured to his left and the man came forward. “Darnaven can tell each and every one of you what he witnessed when he met the Sa’ba Taalor. He did not travel with them. He saw them when they were watching our finest soldiers being trained.” Darnaven was a heavyset man, but none of him was flabby. He was a long timer, not quite as long for the service as Merros himself, but he’d been in combat against the Guntha and had been farther to the south than most of the men in the room had ever traveled. He had worked the skirmish lines across most of the Empire at one time or another and he was a hard bastard with a particularly mean scowl. That was why he was now a colonel.
    “Colonel Darnaven is going to talk to you about the Sa’ba Taalor. He is going to explain to you why they are dangerous and why we need to prepare.” Merros looked at the crowd and then he smiled. It was not a pleasant expression. He normally reserved it for when he was about to deliver punishments. “He’s going to explain why we are now going to have new soldiers coming in and how hard we are going to work to train them for combat.”
    He walked a few paces, eyeing the men and making sure he had their attention. “First, however, we are going to make sure that the coronation of our new Empress goes smoothly. There will be no disturbances. There will be no unruly crowds. We will have a peaceful coronation. Or I will have heads to mount on the walls of the Summer Palace. Do I make myself clear?”
    “Aye! Ho, Sir!”
    “War is coming. We will be prepared for it.” Merros walked away from the soldiers and left them with Darnaven.
    As he walked, Durst kept pace. “I want that list of names. Durst. Every one who wasn't paying attention when we started and the ones who didn’t show. When Darnaven is done with them, send them to my office to wait for me.”
    “Aye, ho sir.”
    He thought for a long moment and then added, “I want a post and a whip in the western yard, Durst. I won’t use it yet, but I want it there. I want them to know we’re serious.”
    “Aye, ho sir.” Durst didn’t hesitate and didn’t argue. Merros did not like using punishment to make a point made and the man knew it. But like Merros, Durst had seen the Sa’ba Taalor in action. He knew how serious the situation was.
    “Also, it’s time for a few competitions. Work it out. I want the best ten archers. The best ten swordsmen we have. Everyone competes. Best ten lancers, best ten horsemen. There will be cash rewards for the winners and very likely a few promotions.”
    From there it was back to the palace for another round of meetings. The coronation of Nachia Krous was only a few days away. There were a thousand details to see to and more.
    And, of course, there was always reason to expect a few unpleasant surprises.
     
     
     

Chapter Four
    In the distant past, the Wellish Steppes was a place of horror and tyranny. The Overlords in charge of the area were bested long ago, but a number of people still claim that the land is cursed. To be fair, the fact that most of the region runs alongside the edge of the Blasted Lands hasn’t helped the area’s reputation. The land is fertile, but not much grows there beyond fungus and scrub grass. The one distinct advantage to the place is that it’s mostly flat. Large caravans and small groups alike can travel it without too much worry about unseen threats.
    It is so calm there, in fact, that even without paving the pathways through the area have long since been well established. “The roads along the steppes practically pave themselves,” is a fairly common remark among the soldiers in the Imperial Army. For that reason alone it was not unusual to find those very same soldiers looking forward to marching across the area.
    There are exceptions to every rule.
    The damp was constant and heavy. The moisture clung to everything and slowly,