The Homecoming 35.

A Journey...

"I don't know why they have to send you" says Bassark the work yard foreman as he puts another crate of equipment in the back of one of the wagons. With a shake of his head, he continues with "As if we're not busy enough as it is anyway".
With that, Tovis the war engineer can only nod his head in agreement with his foreman, as he helps him put another crate into the back of the wagon.
"You'll get more of the conscripts today" says Tovis the war engineer, who continues with "Make sure to put them to good use" he then adds "Remember to put as much effort into finishing the parts to that other trebuchet".
"I will" says Bassark, who looks away to their right, and spots Mallick, the father of the young engineer, making his way from one of the nearby buildings.
Tovis spots his father making his way into the work yard, and he quietly says to Bassark "And keep an eye on my father" followed by "Send him home at the midday meal, he's no use to anyone in the afternoons".
"I know Tovis" quietly says the foreman of the yard, who has been dealing with the drunkard Mallick far longer than young Tovis realises.
After putting the last of the crates in the wagon, this one with ballista parts in it, Bassark quietly tells the engineer to baron Harkonin "Be careful out there on the border in Falshire".
"The town is secured, it's definitely under our control now" says Tovis who continues in a slightly dry tone with "Why else would they send me and the others out there?".
To get killed first, Bassark thinks to himself, though he doesn't mention this to the young engineer, instead he says "Well all the same, be careful anyway".
The work yard foreman says to the youngster in the back of the wagon "Larm keep the war engineer safe, he's the only one we've got".
"I will sir" says Larm the apprentice, who is full of exuberance, and can't wait to get underway.
"Calling me sir, as if I'm a bloody noble" sourly says Bassark, who then says to the youngster in the back of the wagon with all the parts and equipment "And keep yourself safe too apprentice".
As the youngster, who at just thirteen, is the youngest of the apprentices in the work yard, nods to Bassark that he will. The foreman of the yard, and the engineer of war machines, make their way around to the hitching rail, where the mount belonging to the war engineer is tied up.
Tovis is one of the few commoners in the town of Maliss to actually have his own horse, and not just use one provided by the baron or another noble.
"Wish it was sir Dontas, or the army commander sir Taevar in charge of us going" quietly says Tovis, Bassark nods his head in agreement, as he looks over at lord Sarvaine, who is in command of this expeditionary force going west to the border town of Falshire.
The lord of the long reaches, is talking to an officer and some of the soldiers. They must be joking about something, as the sound of laughter can be heard coming from them.
"We've still got just ten days before the baron starts sending the first of the main part of his army, and our machines west to Falshire" quietly says Tovis to his foreman, the young engineer continues in a quiet voice with "So keep at it". "Especially that second trebuchet" quietly says Bassark as he interrupts the young engineer, then spotting something out of the corner of his eye, coming out of the nearby gate to the castle, the work yard foreman hisses "Hell" followed by "Is he going too?".
Tovis turns and looks towards the castle as he sees Bassark looking that way. And he slightly grimaces as he sees Maren, the apprentice to the dark druid, leading a horse out of the west gates of castle Harkonin.
Bassark, with a sour look upon his face as they watch the druid's apprentice, nudges the war engineer, and murmurs to him "Seems the lord of the long reaches isn't too pleased to see the druid's pet as well".
Tovis looks over at lord Sarvaine, and sees the disapproving look upon the face of the nobleman as he too watches Maren the druid's apprentice.
Quite a few of the soldiers in the escort feel the same way as the local knight. The others, mostly more experienced soldiers, feel the same way too. They just hide their emotions better. And don't show on their faces, what they think of having the young druid with them as they ride to Falshire.
And though more than a few of them believe in the old ways. None of them particularly get along with the druid's apprentice, nor his master, the dark druid Palvarc, who is the personal advisor to their baron.
The column gets underway, and Tovis after waving goodbye to Bassark, rides alongside the two wagons near the rear. The day is clear, and much warmer than it has been over the last few days, a definite sign that the end of winter is near, and spring is just around the corner.
And the young engineer chats with Larm and the workers from the yards riding in the wagons and driving them. Some of the younger ones like Larm are excited to be going on what they see as an adventure.
While the others are a bit more cautious and circumspect. For in the past they've been in the conflicts against their neighbours in the fief to the west. And some of them took part in the civil war too. Even though the war for the throne of Druvic, wasn't nearly hotly contested here in the eastern region of the kingdom, as it was elsewhere.
Tovis looks ahead as one of the soldiers he knows calls out to him. The war engineer rides ahead as the column makes it's way along the road that heads west from the town of Maliss and castle Harkonin.
"Lord Sarvaine wants you to ride with him up front for a bit" says the soldier who knows Tovis when the young engineer reaches him. Tovis nods, then makes his way further forward along the column of the expeditionary force, who number about fifty soldiers, a dozen others, mainly from the work yard, a few nobles, and one dark druid's apprentice.
Who the war engineer to baron Harkonin passes as he rides forward. Tovis sees that Maren is riding in a gap in the column. The soldiers riding infront and behind him, are at least fifteen yards to the rear or forward of the druid's apprentice. None of them particularly want to be near him unless they absolutely have to.
The young engineer nods to Maren as he rides by him, the druid's apprentice who is younger than Tovis by a few years, ignores the war engineer as he goes by. Tovis isn't particularly surprised, from what he knows. Even if Maren wasn't the apprentice to the dark druid Palvarc. He'd still be the way he is. He has all the charm of a frozen rock in the middle winter, that's been put in your bed for a lark. He's a thoroughly disagreeable individual, who doesn't seem to like himself, let alone anyone liking him. Though Tovis suspects the dark druid's apprentice puts on a front, and that he probably likes himself a bit too much. And being the assistant to Palvarc the baron's personal advisor, has given himself a high opinion of himself.
The war engineer makes his way towards the front of the column where lord Sarvaine rides alongside one of the two other nobles in the expeditionary force going to the border town of Falshire.
Squire Tamár, a sixteen year old knight in waiting. Who fought in the conflict against the Lé Dic army eighteen months ago, though he was still just a page then.
"Ah war engineer" says lord Sarvaine, a robust man in his mid forties, who wears some of the heaviest looking plate armour that Tovis has ever seen.
"M'lord" says Tovis to the lord of the long reaches "Young sir" adds the war engineer with a nod to squire Tamár. Who grins at being called a sir, even though technically he isn't yet one. Tovis knows that young Tamár doesn't just want to be a landed knight. But also an ordered knight, like sir Dontas. The squire hopes to go to the capital Leeabra one day, to join an order. Though that all depends on his father, as well as the baron, and what they think.
And the small fact, that there's an impending conflict against their neighbours in fief Lé Dic, that he has to get through first.
The lord of the long reaches, who though doesn't particularly care that Tovis holds such an important position in the baron's court. For the simple reason the young engineer isn't nobleborn, and is a commoner.
And he might not get along with him, as sir Dontas and sir Taevar do, who consider the baron's war engineer a friend.
He certainly respects him, and his ability to create war machines and siege equipment for the army of the Harkonin fief. And the hard work the war engineer puts in.
The nobleman who is the lord of the long reaches, which is hill country in the east of the fief. The furthest east in the kingdom before the border to the unruled lands beyond Druvic.
Chats with the young engineer about what they might face when they reach the border town of Falshire. A town that until a few days ago, was under the rule of the lady of the Lé Dic fief, until squads of some of the best soldiers in the Harkonin army took it for the baron, by attacking and killing most of the garrison of Lé Dic soldiers stationed there.
"That town has been fought over some many times over the years, that I've lost count" says lord Sarvaine, who then adds in a slightly bewildered tone "And that's just in my lifetime!" the nobleman then dryly says "The baron should have the damn place burnt down in my opinion".
Tovis smiles at that, while squire Tamár chuckles, then Tamár asks "Why is the place fought over so much m'lord". "Convenience" dryly says the lord of the long reaches. The young squire looks at both lord Sarvaine and engineer Tovis at that.
And it's the baron's engineer who answers him with "It's due to it's location" he continues with "And how both fiefs armies view it".
"What the engineer is saying it's a damn fine place to have as a battlefield" says lord Sarvaine, who then adds "And the fact the main road between the two fiefs go right through the place".
The three of them continue chatting about the border town of Falshire more, until the lord of the long reaches says to Tamár "Why don't you ride ahead to the sergeant at arms and see how he and the fore riders are doing" after he glances back at the column riding behind them.
"Yes m'lord" says the young squire, who spurs his horse, and gallops ahead. Once he's ridden ahead, and lord Sarvaine nods for the two soldiers behind him and Tovis, to drop back out of ear shot.
The lord of the long reaches quietly says "I tell you what war engineer, I'm not to happy that, that druid's lackey Maren is riding with us" lord Sarvaine continues in a quiet tone with "He's of no use to anyone, he doesn't know tactics or anything else remotely about warfare, as we all know from the last border conflict eighteen months ago".
Tovis nods in understating as he knows exactly what lord Sarvaine is talking about. The lord of the long reaches then quietly tells him "He's only along for one thing, and one thing only" the nobleman pauses for a moment, before adding "To spy for his master".
"I suspect so m'lord" quietly says Tovis "I know so" says lord Sarvaine who snorts, then repeats "I know so".
The war engineer nods in agreement. Though he has the suspicion that Maren the dark druid's apprentice is also along for another reason than just to spy for his master Palvarc.
And that's to find another victim for whatever rites the dark druid and him partake in next. After all they're going to the border town of Falshire, where without a doubt, a major battle will take place.
And the baron will want every advantage he can get. And that includes whatever magical rites the dark druid Palvarc comes up with there. And that will involve a sacrifice. Or more correctly, a victim . . . . . .