lastkingsamazon by Chris Northern Page B

Our lands, the provinces of Lirria and Muria which had been ours for centuries, the client kingdom of Wherrel, then the client Gerrian tribe of the Geduri and you were there. He could have traveled alone much faster, changing horses every ten miles. Pushing hard he could have made it in mere days. The more I worried at it the more weird it seemed and the more determined I became to have the bastard watched and find out what he was up to.
    There is no ill wind, as the saying has it, that blows no good. Personally I kind of doubt that is true but in this case it was, not that I was sure that Sapphire was in fact an ill wind. If Sapphire could ride to Gerria in a few days, then so could anyone. I had been thinking in terms of recruiting along the way but, of course, I could send someone ahead to recruit near the border. It would give my agent time to knock a unit into shape, something that could not be done on route. Not that I wanted new recruits, as I couldn't afford to equip more than a very few men; they would have to be either landowners who had, as law decreed, armor and weapons, or veterans of one war or another who had run out of money and needed another stint. Veterans generally kept their equipment, especially on or near the frontiers where they might be needed at the drop of a hat. It was, I decided, the way forward. Now, who to send?

    #

    “ You want me to what?”
    I'd called Sheo to my tent as soon possible after the army had camped.
    “ Think it through, Sheo. Who else can I send? I need Kerral with me since I made him first centurion. The other four are good men but I haven't known them long. And, as a bonus you can take the two hundred I owe you.”
    He frowned at my levity.
    “ I've never recruited.”
    “ Figure it out. How hard can it be? Get as many as you can get. A cohort would be perfect if you can get so many. Get them in shape and ready by the time we arrive. Take only landowners or veterans. No nobles.” I kept overriding him with instructions. “Better for us if they are all veterans. One year or the duration of this campaign only. The usual pay, small advances on signing up, and the usual shares of the booty. You'll have to assign centurions but make sure they know I'll be changing things. And get a banner made, you know what to put on it.”
    He stopped trying to protest and started nodding at each point. “I'll prep a roadside fort. Will I have enough money to keep them fed and watered until you arrive?”
    “ Good question,” I raised my voice. “Meran!
    My ugly slave was inside the tent in seconds and I gave him a smile. I was feeling generous.
    “ How much money in the war chest?”
    “ Twelve thousand four hundred and seventy silver.”
    I nodded thanks. Plenty. “Get me some maps of Gerria and the surrounding areas.”
    As soon as he was gone I started doing math out loud. “A silver will feed a man for a week so six hundred times four is two thousand four hundred, say three thousand to allow for delays. Six hundred silver for recruiting fees. Your expenses the same, so another twelve hundred. So four thousand two hundred. Round that up to five thousand for unforeseen problems. Sound okay to you?”
    “ Alone on the road with five thousand silver?”
    He had a point. It could all go horribly wrong. The roadwardens kept the roads free of bandits and thieves. Free trade is the lifeblood of the city. Trade is money and money is power. “Ride fast.”
    “ What's in it for me?”
    I grinned. Greed. Damn but I loved the honest avarice of our class, of our people. “Best you be my second in command with an appropriate share of the booty.”
    He gave a nod of agreement. “See you in three weeks.”
    “ With luck. You'll hear rumor of our coming. Watch the locals, there may be spies. Keep them out of the camp. Careful who you buy food from.”
    “ Sumto, I know as much about warfare as you do.”
    “ Probably more,” I agreed cheerfully. That was a lie, or half-truth at best. He