The knight, the dragon and the necromancer. Daert dilogy-1

— It's only temporary, — Marshal de Cotoci murmured as he listened to another report. The commander was receiving the messengers at a table with a map on which he was making notes with a piece of charcoal. — Our patrols are already clashing with Auguste's sentries. Soon he too will collate the reports and realise that more troops have gone west than south.

— Then there's no point in delaying any longer, — decided donna Vittoria, who hardly left the hut set aside for headquarters. — We'll get up at sunset and march until midnight. Will your officers have time to organize new detachments?

— I hope so. — The Marshal looked up at the necromancer. — It'll be easier for them if people can find out where we're going and why.

— To new favourable positions. — The red-haired donna grinned wryly. — The further we go, the more details we'll reveal to the soldiers. We'll probably have a bunch of deserters on the march this night, and some of them will end up with Auguste. Why would they want to know more?

Rosa, lurking in the corner, had not been noticed until now, and the girl flinched involuntarily when Vittoria addressed her:

— My dear, let's go out for a walk.

They left the headquarters, of course, the three of them, the faithful Jeanne trailing behind, keeping her hand on the sheath of her sword. It was as if the warrior was always waiting for trouble. It was normal for a bodyguard, but Rosa thought she was expecting trouble from Vittoria.

— Look, Rosa. — The necromancer led her companions to the southern edge of the village and showed them a group of tents arranged in neat lines. There was exemplary order in this part of the camp. Soldiers cleaned armour and weapons, stablemen tended the horses, and sentries stood sentry at posts. — Our best acquisition. Practically a whole regiment of cuirassiers — at arms and banners. Guess who the commander is.

— I heard when they arrived. — The young sorceress adjusted the feather on her beret. — Don Eug"ne de Beaulore. He was meeting me and Marius and Toad.

— That's right, — nodded the donna. — A very brave, clever and resourceful officer. Also very loyal to the Duke of Velonda. The Duke's other officers have obeyed me and the Marshal simply out of a desire to regain certainty, to get clear instructions from someone. This one's not like that. He'll probably leave us soon and start his own war against Auguste. Perhaps some of the other commanders will follow. He's already figured out my trickery with the fake orders, I'll bet.

— Should we kill him? — Jeanne asked bluntly.

— No, not at all, — the necromancer snorted. — It's unnecessary for now. We need those cuirassiers, but the colonel will be useful, too. Rosa, the army will march in an hour or so. Try to persuade de Beaulior to stay with us until then.

— Me? — Rosa turned to her mentor in surprise. — You mean... me?

— You, — he red-haired donna nodded with a slight smile. — Is something bothering you?

— Why me?

— Because you'll do better than anyone else, — the necromancer shrugged. — He's prejudiced against me, and I'll save Jeanne for when the negotiations go badly.

— I'm not a diplomat. — The young sorceress, confused, wove and unwove her fingers and clenched her fists. — What am I going to tell him?

— Say what you really think. — The red-haired donna squinted her eyes. — That I've done wrong, and you don't approve of my decisions. That you would have done things differently. But we're better together than apart, and the blood of those Auguste killed is calling for vengeance. You can say all that in all sincerity, can't you?

The girl pressed her lips tightly together, feeling her cheeks burn. Her mentor was reading her like an open book.

— Well, my dear. — Vittoria reached out her hand as if to stroke her cheek, but Jeanne stepped forward and covered Rosa. The necromancer laughed softly. — You two really do get along well, I see. Rosa, it's wonderful that you don't share all my views, and I'll explain why later. But right now, we don't have much time. So please, just talk to the colonel. If only for his own good.

— Yes, — the girl replied with a sigh. — Jeanne, thank you, but you're... overreacting, in my opinion.

She touched the guardswoman's shoulder:

— Wait for me here, I'll go to the colonel alone.

Eug"ne de Beaulior found himself at the stable. He was brushing his crow horse and listening to the report of one of his captains at the same time. At the sight of the sorceress, the don put aside his brush and raised his eyebrows in surprise. He greeted the guest with a slight bow:

— Master Rosa.

— Milord. — The necromancer's apprentice bowed her head in response. She did not bother to correct the officer. Master so master. — I'm glad you managed to get out.

— Well... — The colonel moved his jaw, looking at the girl with a strange expression on his face. — Well, I wasn't worried about you. I knew you'd be fine with donna Vittoria by your side. Did she send you?

— Yes. — Rosa gave a direct answer to a direct question. Sincerity was perhaps her only trump card. — Mentor wants me to persuade you to stay with the Black Guard. She's afraid you'll leave us.

— Not for nothing, — colonel said. — I really don't want to be under her command.

— I can't judge you. — Rosa interlocked her fingers nervously behind her back. — Donna Vittoria never saw your duke as a true ally, and at the decisive moment she acted... to her own advantage. But are you ready to surrender?

— No, of course not. I don't even know what's happened with my duke. Or his son. In any case, Auguste won't have me alive.

— The Duke's heir is probably alive and in captivity. — The girl tried not to speak too dryly and calmly, her voice trembling slightly from the tension. — We took many soldiers who saw the commanding officer s headquarters captured at the very beginning of the battle. Auguste will probably try to control the duchy through the only surviving member of the ruling family.

— Then it is my duty to free my suzerain. — The colonel took his broad-brimmed hat from the saddle on the ground and put it on his head.

— You can't, — the girl said simply. — You don't have the strength. But if you stay with us...

— And you, then, are planning to defeat the king? — The cavalryman grinned bitterly. — A few regiments without a rear?

— The mentor has a plan. — Rosa rocked from heel to toe. — She's cunning, you know that, milord. And she's determined to take down the usurper. Mentor is not a bear, but a snake. Strength is not important when the bite is venomous.

— And what would be the place of me and the young duke in this plan?

— Maybe the same as Auguste's plans, — Rose admitted. — But you get a chance. You get time. To join with your suzerain, to find new allies... Otherwise you'll just be hiding in the forests and robbing the king's wagons.

— Hm... — the colonel looked the girl straight in the eyes. — What would you advise? You personally, master Rosa. Can you speak for yourself, and not in donna Vittoria's voice?

— I hope I can. — The young sorceress withstood the officer's gaze, though trickles of sweat ran down her back. — Milord, I respect my mentor, but I don't always agree with her. I don't like the fact that she didn't support you at the river, or that she deceived you. Now, however, we are on the same page. Your help will be useful to the Black Guard, and together with the Guard you can survive and find your way in the future. Maybe even fulfil your Duke's dream and achieve independence for Velonda. If you don't lay down your arms and die in a futile battle now.

— Then we could be enemies in the future, — the colonel said. — Donna must be planning to restore the kingdom to its former form after the victory.

— If we all died now, would it matter? — Rosa raised her eyebrows a little.

— Huh. No. — The cavalryman grinned. — Well, you've convinced me, I guess. We're on our way for now. And take care of yourself, master. You're a good person, I think. And that's a risk in itself.

To Rosa's surprise, the mentor was waiting for her next to Jeanne. The necromancer asked with a smile as the girl approached:

— Success, I presume?

— Yes, — Rosa nodded. — The colonel will stay with us.

— I never doubted you. — The red-haired donna folded her arms across her chest. — Get used to it, it'll be your job from now on.

— What... what exactly? — The young sorceress frowned.

— This, — the necromancer repeated. — Many of those who share my goals will not accept my methods. My image. We cannot lose these people, we need every ally. You, my dear, will lead them into the future. You and I will be like the sun and the moon. They are not alike, but they give light. I'll wear dark colours, you'll wear white. I'll be cold, you'll give people warmth. I will demand sacrifices and feats from people, you will reach out to them and promise support. But we'll be going in the same direction. I didn't accept you just because of your talent for magic and curiosity, Rosa. I see a different kind of potential in you. We're going to make the best of it. People will love you and follow you.

— Be strong, mistress, — Jeanne summed up sullenly. — It can be survived.

Chapter 16

It took Rosa several hours to comprehend her mentor's words, but before sunset she had another surprise, this time a pleasant one. When the army was leaving the camp, the stableman brought two horses to the headquarters, a humble chestnut horse and a huge crow stallion with a white spot on his forehead.

— A gift from Colonel de Beaulior for master Rosa and her bodyguard, — the stableman explained. — The mare's name is Reed, the stallion's name is Dragon. You can keep the harness too.

— I... — Rosa hesitated, unable to find the words. — I'm very grateful. Tell milord I'll take good care of them.

Since Toad was now lost in reconnaissance flights, the gift was more than welcome — the women were about to load onto the wagon. Now they could ride at the head of the column, next to Vittoria and the Marshal. However, the always suspicious Jeanne personally chose the saddles, checked the stirrups and girths, demanded a change of bridles, and only then allowed Rosa to sit on Reed. "And on the first long stay, I'll have the blacksmith replace the horseshoes," she added, putting the girl in the saddle.

Contrary to the Guardswoman's fears, the horses did not cause any problems — they turned out to be perfectly trained and calm. Even the fearsome-looking Dragon. Already giving the chestnut a leg, Rosa wondered about the colonel's motives. What is this gesture for? Just an impulsive act after a frank conversation? A hint at future cooperation? Or something else? One must get to know the officer more closely to better read his intentions. "When you're influenced by a scheming mentor and a paranoid friend at the same time, it has a strange effect on your character," the young sorceress grinned at her thoughts. A couple of months ago, she would have just been happy about the gift and hung around the new horse's neck.

The column of troops pulled westwards at dusk. Rosa led Reed along the infantry and said to Jeanne, who was riding beside her:

— I probably thought too highly of myself before.

— Already planning how to kill the mentor when you've learnt everything you wanted from her? — The guardian raised her eyebrows.

— No, not at all! — she snorted, covering her mouth with her glove. — How could you do such a...

— It's all right then, — Jeanne shrugged.

— I mean that Donna Vittoria's plans didn't scare me as much as they should have, — the sorceress explained, admiring her companion. The swarthy warrior in a black suit, black boots, black cuirass, riding a raven stallion, clutching the reins with her black-gloved hands, looked... too spectacular. It was breathtaking. — I think I'm... even enjoying it. I've said before that I want to stay, to thwart Auguste and the outsiders, to save people, and that's true. But I also wouldn't mind making history. I've always wanted to, I suppose. It's just that I used to think the way was through science. I'd make great discoveries and my books would be in libraries. But if someday it's not my books on the shelves, but books about me, that's... that's acceptable too.

— It's called ambition, mistress, — Jeanne said in a steady voice. — It's like snake poison. In the right dose it's very useful, but if you take too much of it, it kills people. If you want an example, look at Auguste.

— I'll try to... know the measure. — The girl swallowed.

— Rosa The Bloody... Hmm... No. The Bloody Rosa. Sounds good. — The Guardswoman nodded to herself, not even looking at the blushing sorceress. — "The story of the Blood Rosa." Not like that. "The true story of the Bloody Rosa." There. That's a lovely title for a book. And I'll be in it, too, of course.

At dawn the army's path was blocked by a river, a narrow tributary of the Shaanta, which did not even have a name on the marshal's maps. Of course, the locals called it by some name, but there was no opportunity to ask them, for the two other villages on the way had been burned to the ground, and scavenged bones were lying around the ashes. Luckily, the road led to a ford, and de Cotoci decided to cross first, before trumpeting a halt. Rosa watched the scene with interest. Maintaining acquaintances among the officers of the staff, talking with Jeanne and Marius, the girl more and more understood the manoeuvres, and could now assess the actions of the marshal. The first to cross were the Black Shields, the Guards' own cavalry, followed by the two foot companies and the headquarters. The former ducal soldiers, militia, artillery, and wagons followed. The dragon cannons mounted on the carts immediately turned to the east, their bronze barrels cocked upwards. The bulk of the Black Guard waited, forming a line. The core of the rebel army was still the former garrison of the capital — selected soldiers from the best regiments, skilful and disciplined. De Cotoci evidently wished them to remain ready for a surprise attack while the less reliable units passed the fords. His calculation was soon justified. The crossing was in full swing when a Toad came down near the headquarters, making the ground shake. Don Marius, who had rolled down on its wing, saluted the commander and fell out, panting:

— A large cavalry unit right behind us. Two thousand, at least. In armour. They're coming fast, mounted horses, no packs. I think they know we're close.

— Good. — Marshal rubbed his temples habitually. He'd had a flask or two on the road, but the warlord was hardly hungover. Rose was beginning to suspect that de Cotoci's headaches were not only related to drink. — Get the dragon drink and back in the air. Survey our flanks and keep an eye on the sky. I want to know if Auguste's dragons show up.