The door to Captain-General Phidestros' headquarters flew open and hit the wall so hard it almost sprung its hinges. "What!" he cried, as he pulled out a fully loaded horsepistol from his drawer.
Phidestros quickly slipped the pistol back into the drawer when he recognized Prince Lysandros, who was yelling, "Have you heard! The traitorous Hostigi have invaded Hos-Harphax! The Army of Hostigos has already advanced into Phaxos-or so Prince Araxes' messenger just informed me!"
Phidestros was stunned. "Our last message reported the Usurper was off in the Trygath, chasing after Grand Master Soton. Is Kalvan truly a demon such that he can be in two places at once?"
"Of course, not. He has other commanders, who can act in his stead-Prince Phrames, perhaps?"
"My agents in Beshta reported only yesterday that Prince Phrames is still holed up at Tarr-Beshta, after his surprise trip to Hostigos. Captain-General Hestophes is camped in Beshta as well. Besides, why would Phrames march all the way to Phaxos, when he could be outside Tarr-Harphax in a few days. Our agent in Hostigos Town hasn't reported in over two moons-I fear for his health. His last report stated that only Sarrask of Sask, of Kalvan's military commanders, was barracked at Tarr-Hostigos, and Kalvan-if he's as wise as evidence provides-would sooner make him Captain-General of privies than have Sarrask lead the Royal forces of Hostigos in an attack upon Hos-Harphax."
Prince Lysandros, his brow furrowed in thought, said, "Maybe Kalvan has come up with another of his great strategic plans; first, lull us into a false sense of security and then pick off our princedoms one at a time, while we're afraid to leave the city walls. Under his tutelage Hostigos has sprouted capable captains like mushrooms in manure. Who knows which one might be leading the invasion."
"It may be a feint, Prince, to draw our forces out of Harphax City and into Phaxos so that Prince Phrames can invest the City while we are busy pulling traitorous Araxes beans out of the coals. You do remember he was one of the first Harphaxi princes to 'offer' fealty to Hostigos last campaign season."
"I have not forgotten," Lysandros said, his lips pursed tightly, "nor how quickly he returned to Us after Grand Master Soton's victory at the Battle of Tenabra. Nor, has Kalvan, I daresay from the message I have received from Araxes, the First Prince of Fencesitters. Once the Usurper has been driven from our lands I have a most appropriate 'reward' for Prince Araxes-should he survive this invasion."
"Is his messenger's report true?"
First Prince Lysandros smiled as though at some private joke. "A Sty-phon's House underpriest arrived from Phaxos Temple only six candles later and told the same tale. Since Araxes so generously re-swore his everlasting fealty to the Iron Throne, I have mistrusted him in all things large and small. Still, I doubt two such messengers are wrong."
Phidestros knew he was in dangerous waters. After six moons of training, and in many cases re-training, the Harphaxi Army was still not ready for a major clash with the Army of Hos-Hostigos. "The question now is: what do we do, Prince Lysandros?"
"Captain-General, how many troops can you form up in good order and put into the field by sunrise tomorrow?"
Phidestros mentally squirmed as he tried to come up with a number that both might approximate the truth and not mortally offend his employer. "You know that I did not have a lot to work with when you appointed me Captain-General-"
"I don't want to hear excuses. I want an answer I can count upon."
Phidestros took the plunge. "We will have to leave a large garrison so that Prince Phrames won't be tempted to besiege Harphax City while we're gone. Hmmm. I'd say about two thousand 'reliable' horse and three or four thousand foot."
"By Styphon's Own Purse! Is this all! Kalvan brings twice that number across our borders, if Araxes can be believed, and most of his army is fighting around the Great River! To say nothing of the armies he has based in Beshta. So what am I paying you for?"
"To overcome thirty years of Great King Kaiphranos' neglect and last year's disastrous losses on the field. To even put that many men in the field, will cost us heavily in our re-building efforts."
Phidestros could actually hear the putative ruler of Hos-Harphax gnash his teeth as he chewed over those words.
"You're right, my late brother was not only a chokepurse, but a fool-a blind fool. Not even Kalvan himself could make an army appear out of thin air-although, it appears he has done so. We must frame some response; otherwise, as soon as Phaxos has been subdued, the Hostigi Army will turn to rend other tempting targets, like the Princedoms of Dazour or Thaphigos. If We stand by and let the Kingdom be devoured piecemeal, the army We are building inside these walls will matter little. Furthermore, it will give aid and comfort to those of Our enemies who reside outside of Hos-Harphax, such as that Hadron-spawned League of Dralm being nurtured inside Agrys City. That is, unless you believe that Phaxos will not fall to Kalvan's forces."
"I'd sooner believe that Allfather Dralm himself has come to pay us a visit! Phaxos will fall, but not easily because its Prince has much to fear at the hands of Kalvan. Maybe it is time we conjure up some Kalvan-style magic."
"Good. You have an idea, Captain-General?"
"The first glimmerings. Already we have a mock Royal Army on display in Harphax City. Well, how about we take this mock army on maneuvers, close to Phaxos? Surely, not even Kalvan's captains can expect to subdue the Royal Army of Hos-Harphax with this expeditionary force they've taken into Phaxos."
"Keep coming up with these kinds of ideas and you may finish your career as a Duke of Hos-Harphax."
Phidestros stood up and made a mock bow. "Thank you, Prince. There are some difficulties ahead; after all, if the Hostigi did decide to attack, well, half the Royal Army might desert upon contact! Still, it will be up to me to ensure that the armies do not achieve physical penetration."
"It's a strange military strategy, but these are unusual times. So you are saying that all we need do is make a show of our presence, and that should be sufficient to halt the Hostigi advance."
"Let's look at the overall strategic picture, Prince Lysandros. If Kalvan truly meant to attack Hos-Harphax, he would base his operations from Beshta. He already has Prince Phrames Beshtan Army, as well as Kalvan's own Army of Observation under Captain-General Hestophes, who by all reports is an able military leader. Besides, Beshta is the closest Hostigi staging grounds to Hos-Harphax, and he already has built a road that runs from Hostigos Town to Tarr Beshta for his supply lines."
Once again he could hear Lysandros grinding teeth; he had forbidden mention of Kalvan's Great King's Highway, as he considered neither Kalvan a Great King or his goat's path a highway. Phidestros disagreed on both points, but was smart enough to keep such 'traitorous' thoughts to himself.
"Therefore, despite how it may appear," Phidestros continued, "the Hostigi Army attacking Phaxos was not sent to conquer Hos-Harphax. If I were Kalvan, I would send out the Army of Observation and have them move into the Princedom of Arklos, which would act as a feint and keep the Royal Army from reinforcing far off Phaxos. Since he has not done this, we might assume that his intention is to draw out the Royal Army and wait until they have reached Phaxos before swinging down with the Army of Observation and either catching the Royal Army in a pincers movement-allowing him to encircle and destroy it-or have the Army of Observation strike Harphax City. Since the Princely Army of Arklos was mostly destroyed last year at Chothros Heights, he would not be remiss in believing that there would be minimal opposition all the way to Harphax City."
"Thus, you are telling me, we are in a position to do nothing, either to aid our subjects or harass our enemy?" Prince Lysandros asked, in a voice that intimated that his Captain-General had better find a way out of that box he had just put Harphax into.
Also reminding Phidestros that Captain-Generals could be fired as fast as they were made. "There is a way out. We take most of the Royal Army-every worthless one of them-and march them into Balkron, which is close enough to Beshta that Phrames will have to give serious thought to any movement that brings the Royal Army behind him. The army's presence will also protect the princedoms of Dazour, Balkron, Thaphigos and Argros from the invading Hostigi Army."
"What about Phaxos?"
"We have no choice there, all we can do is wash our hands of this faithless dog Araxes. If we take the Army into Phaxos, we take the very good risk of showing the world our sham of a Royal Army, or giving Prince Phrames a free run to the gates of Harphax City. Let us say, as our official position, that Araxes has bought this trouble by swearing an oath to our enemy and that we can see of no more fitting punishment than having his suzerainty abolished by his Hostigi friends."
Lysandros rubbed his hands gleefully. "That might well work. I'll draft a document to that effect. Do remember, I will be watching to see how well the Army of Hos-Harphax takes to the field."
I bet you will, Phidestros thought; so would everyone else who saw him as a puffed-up mercenary captain with more luck than brains. They would learn-assuming he could actually get those whoresons of his into at least appearing to be a credible military force! Royal Army of Hos-Harphax, indeed!