Chapter I - Otremer - II/11

II/11

Anis was sitting under an ashed beam in the dusk. Alaid's  ruins encircled him. Suddenly he heared horse pounding. He jumped into cover and pulled his hood onto his head. A smaller band of nord horseman appeared in front of the ruined gatehouse.

- Holy shit! What happened here? - asked one of them.

- They are so frightend they burnt themselves. Hahaha!

- Bakris go back to the Huscarls and report them that the city was burnt down and we begin to look around.

- Yes! - Bakris turned back and begun to ride.

- Spread out. Let's check the ruins and the horizon. Meet here within an hour...

Anis hided in a half burnt down house. When the night fell he got out of his cover and sneaked on the streets to reach the southern gate. When he reached the gaet he saw that the horde was to arrive to Alaid. More and more flags and soldiers appeared on the horizon. Some of the rear forces reached the city and begun to make thir camps. Anis could sneak out the city under the dark night.

He passed the southern gate and made his way towards the sand dunes. He jumped behind the first sand hill but unfortunatelly he driven up a nord soldier trying to pee. Anis acted first. He draw his dagger and tossed it into the surprised nord's neck. He fell down without making a single noise. - Huhh, Fortuna favors me! - Anis pulse was pumping heavily. He nearly falsed himself. He fast buried the dead body into the sand. He could win a few hours with this. He knew that he must go with haste before someone discovers the dead soldier.

As he reached the king's main road he saw that nord guards standing on it. He decided to hit the road a bit later when the nords cannot see him. Till he have travelled on the snad dunes next to the road to stay in cover.  

Chapter I - Otremer - II/08

II/08

The days passed but there were no message from Urak. Nomak begun to worry. It was more than 15 days from now when they've splitted.

- You think they got killed? - asked Anis

- I cannot be certain. But one thing is sure...

- What?

- Our eneimes are far closer than we thought...

As Nomak and Anis were standing in one of Alaid's tower they glimpsed a horseman riding towards them.

- HORSEMAN! - a guard shouted.

- Open the gates! I want to hear news - stated Nomak.

The old wooden gates opened slowly as the horseman reached Alaid. The massanger dismounted and hurried to Dahan:

- I bring news sire!

- Let me hear!

- 4 days before massangers came from every direction to Said. They were all brought to the Duke. As I saw he got good news. He ordered his man to prepare. Than a day before ... gulp ... the Horde arrived to Said.

- As I thought... - Nomak let the massenger go - Anis! With me! - They begin to walk back to their headquarters in the small wooden castle next to the marketplace.

- The Horde arrived. We are doomed... The Duke will wait his mercenaries to arrive furthermore the Horde needs to rest. We may have a week or so before they arrive under Alaid. These walls and our tiny force will be no match for them. They could smash us in one attack.

- So what now? - asked Anis

- We either pray for the king to arrive much sooner with a force that is a match for the Horde or we burn down this city and fall back to Akbar to save some time. We have no chance in an open battle. ...

Chapter I - Otremer - II/06

II/06

After three days Nomak and Korak's forces gathered up and left the city of Said to Alaid. During the three days Nomak made a good friendship with one of his sergeant. His name was Anis. He was one of the new recrutes of the Guild in the Otremer.

- Nomak please tell me about you and Urak coming to the Otremer. I know you lived here before but I also know thath the Guild wasn't present here.

- The Guild's roots grown here. But it wasn't above the ground. Urak and me, we have our reasons why we come to the Otremer and the Guild itself have it's reasons why we begin in an active appearing in this region recently. You are new in our ranks don't you?

- Yes liege! That's why I asked about "our history".

- It's a long story to tell and we have a war to fight now. If we stay alive at the end of this gathering storm I'll tell you "our story".

- Yes liege, and thank you.

The king's forces were marching in coulums on the road to Alaid. The half desert landscape made it monoton and boring. The sun heated the whole area. It was hot like hell itself. Nomak made Anis his deputy while Urak was away. They stood on a small hill next to the road watching the marching army. They had around 500 spearman. A hundred archers followed them and the remaining assassins after them. The lost numbers were not high but the rates were. The field assassins lost only about 20 men. Still this army was way too small to wage war with. Nomak's only hope was that king Korak's realm army will be much greater in at last numbers.

The travelling was quiet and calm. Nothing really happened like there were no storm clouds above the kingdom. On the third day at late night the small force arrived to Alaid. A small merchant city between Said and Akbar in the middle of the half desert. Alaid had the only water source on the way from Akbar to Said. The city itself was very important strategically by the way it was only defended by wooden stockade and some wooden towers. Nomak knew that if the nords are already preparing or even they are on their way and the king does not hurry enough even the Duke could take Alaid easily.

Nomak was right. The Duke of Said were sending letters to north right after the king's army lifted the siege. Furthermore he sent massangers to the east to hire Mamal mercenaries. The Mamals are half nomedic people in great numbers. They live east of the Seven cities in the great steppes. They are not tipical mercenaries. They live in peace if they are not bothered. However land and gold always came in handy and the Duke is willing to give them prosperous lands on the south of his new kingdom...