Chapter 15. Part Three. Light from tomorrow.

Part Three. Light from tomorrow

"At the end of the first volume I wrote that quotations from sacred books are a vulgar device to confuse the interlocutor or reader without actually saying anything. Yet I will quote one here. These are words from the Book of Fire, about the tribulation on the eve of the Last Judgement. "And the third part of the seedlings shall be taken, and it shall turn into a dry wind. And the third child shall be taken from every one that is born - and they shall become dust. And there shall be weeping in all the earth. Bones and dust in the churches. And in the cities silence, and ashes on the throne." During the war years many people remembered these lines, seeing in them a similarity with what was happening. They still do. But I can safely say that there is no question of any prophecy. After all, the Day of Judgement never came, and the losses amounted to considerably more than a third of the country's population...".

The Witch-Queen, "Memories," Volume Three.

Chapter 15

The village had been looted recently, but there were no corpses to be seen. It was unlikely that the looters had bothered to bury them, but rather that the villagers had escaped in time, with their livestock and some of their belongings. A couple of houses on the outskirts had burned down, but there were enough survivors to house the headquarters, mages, and hospital under a roof. The rest of the troops camped around the village.

The Black Guard marched fast all night and part of the day. Only when the infantry began to exhaust themselves did Marshal de Cotoci order a halt. It was risky, but the men needed rest. In addition, Vittoria hoped to collect more ducal troops fleeing from the battlefield. Already on the way to the Guard joined several companies of shooters and pikemen, a hundred light horsemen and even one cannon under the command of a head wounded and terribly angry mustachioed bombardier. Listening to the torrent of scolding, Rosa realised that the mustachioed man and his cannoneers had made their way from almost the centre of the camp, driving off the pursuit with a cartridge shot.

But that was not enough for Donna Vittoria. She sent all her cavalry to search for other survivors. Don Marius flew to Toad to look for survivors from the air. The staff officers were hastily reorganising the army, taking in new units. In the midst of all this Rosa felt superfluous - even in the hospital she found no work, because the wounded fleeing most often abandoned. Together with Jeanne, she spent the whole day at the headquarters, watching the people streaming towards the Guards' camp - military detachments under banners, small unorganised groups, loners without armour but with weapons. All those whom the patrols had managed to intercept and direct in the right direction. The companies that retained their banners, commanders and most of the soldiers were temporarily assigned to the Guards regiments, while the others were distributed among the existing battalions to make up for the losses. Fugitives also brought news - often contradictory. But dozens of confused accounts and patrol reports were adding up to a coherent picture. The rebel army was defeated, its commanders captured. King Auguste had crossed the river in person, and many had seen his banner in the captured camp. A strong detachment of the royal cavalry has gone south, deep into the duchy, the rest of the army is still standing on the banks of the Shaanta. The rebels who retreated to their capital are doomed. But the Black Guard, which has moved westwards, is not being pursued, apart from small outposts.

- 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 Eugène de Beaulore. He was meeting me and Marius and Toad.

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- 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.

Eugène 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.