CHAPTER 7 - FIRSTCHAPTER 7 - SECONDA boy hurried from the house.
Dressed in a squire's colors, he made haste as he closed the distance between them, his expression revealing he was more than a little happy to see them. Huffing out heavy breaths, he waved to them.
PHILLIP: Please, do not leave us yet. Seigneurs, in ordinary circumstances I wouldn't be empowered to ask for your aid, but our forces are spread rather thin at the moment. We need every body we can get to aid in this effort, whether you've sworn an oath to the secret garrison at Sethanon or not.
JAMES: Sethanon Garrison? I've never heard Arutha mention anything about troops being stationed near Sethanon and you're far too young for senior duty.
PHILLIP: How old do you think I am?
JAMES: Eighteen, maybe nineteen summers. About the same age as a squire we know from Tiburn.
PHILLIP: While Count Beleforte's son Owyn was taking his first baby steps, my wife and I had already had a son for three years. I'm thirty seven summers old and hold the rank of Captain in the Kingdom Army. When my commander noticed how young I looked, even as a veteran officer, he struck on the idea that I would make an ideal courier for the secret garrison.
LOCKLEAR: Sink me! A spy for the Kingdom!
JAMES: Even if the things you say about yourself are true the rest of your story's impossible. Arutha would have told me about a secret garrison.
PHILLIP: Has he ever explained to you why there is an absolute ban on visitation to Sethanon? Can you recall any other occasion in which Prince Arutha or King Lyam have forbidden people to visit battle sites?
JAMES: No, but I always assumed he wished to keep it as a memorial to the battle there.
PHILLIP: A memorial that cannot be visited by its veterans? You're trying to rationalize, Seigneur. Not even the members of the garrison are allowed near Sethanon unless an armed force approaches. Their orders are to destroy any who come against it. And now I must find a way to get word to them that the moredhel are advancing. Do you have any ideas on the subject?
Phillip hailed them.
A worried expression on his face, he moved out of the converted supply house to greet them.
PHILLIP: I think that the moredhel may have picked up on my observations. I saw a band of them scouting near here, but they didn't approach the house for some strange reason. That doesn't mean they won't come back, however. What did you need?
SUPPLIES
JAMES: I don't know how my friend Locklear here feels, but I would appreciate it if you could point us towards a decent meal. We've had trouble finding anything to eat.
SQUIRE PHILLIP: Not surprising. We've had evidence the moredhel were spying on Sethanon for several months now and it's logical to assume they've been stripping the local resources to pave the way for this attack. They pulled the same trick the last time they headed to Sethanon. We anticipated something was up and took the liberty of making some of our own provisions. Wilindi has graciously lent us the use of her house for a while to store goods. Take what you need, but please no more. We are far short of necessities. If you keep an eye out for old tree trunks, you'll find some of the rations we've stored against this possibility, though I would be careful if I were you. Some of them have likely gone bad by now.
WAANI (if Spynote)
JAMES: We found your note in the moredhel chest. Do you still have the Waani that was in it?
SQUIRE PHILLIP: If you mean the magical device, yes, though neither I nor Wilindi have been able to find out what it's used for. We were hoping it could be used against the moredhel somehow.
PATRUS: Pah! No toad-stickin' witch could figgur how! It's Tsurani and probably one o' those infernal Greater Path ob-e-jects. Pompous little buggers made up a whole new magic just to make my liver itch!
SQUIRE PHILLIP: Though she might have said it differently, I believe Wilindi would agree. She's still studying it intensely. I'll fetch it before you leave.
FIRST GOODBYESECOND GOODBYEJAMES: We need to get back to our mission. Will you be able to hold things together here?
PHILLIP: Unless another band of goblins come round, I should be all right. I need to stay here and keep an eye on the supplies, but you'll be welcome if you need to come back.
JAMES: That's appreciated. Farewell, squire.
JAMES: There's still some bastardly machine out there and I don't think Delekhan will destroy it himself, so I suppose we should get back at it.
PHILLIP: Good luck to you, then. I don't envy you walking straight into their stronghold.
JAMES: I can't say I'm too enthused about it myself, but you do what needs to be done. Until we meet again, Phillip.