Darkness on the Edge of Town

The personal diary of Darig, son of Lorraine, part 17

The advance party has returned and Ben calls a conference, all the older family members, including Dara; we discuss the questions asked in the tower and their implications. Corwin has drawn a new Pattern and the implications are so vast that even Fiona has only a faint theoretical idea of what it may mean.

On a more basic note, if we just march towards Ygg taking a route that the troops can survive we have countless miles to march but a million or ten. We cannot save time by choosing the most 'timefull' paths as they do not lead to Ygg. We have supplies for about three weeks without severe rationing, a little water has been drawn from the spring by the soldiers' cottage but not enough.

Hector of Zigo has passed this way before so he may have some suggestions to speed the way and Havelock says he has an idea to increase supplies and will report back shortly.

As we advance, the Tower of Telegon that was described by the advance party has gone, there is just a ruin on a low hill, around it is an open plain. Working Pattern is now apparently a little easier, others who have the skill can share the duty.

About an hour after the army has marched one of the Rangers suddenly screams out “When is this going to end!” and rides off at full gallop, disappearing behind a low dune. Though troops race after him even from the top of the rise he has vanished without trace. I feel unduly sad at the thought of the man surviving the battle & the Courts to die alone in this wilderness. A couple of infantry who try the same thing are brought back by cavalry scouts but one Cordovan just cuts his own throat. Everyone seems edgy so I order the musicians to play and the troops to sing.

Two hours from camp Llewella take 'Pattern Point' and we advance again, the feeling is now one of apprehension, everyone is jumpy. A returning patrol are nearly shot by their own unit. I start to feel the music will draw attention to us, as if an army marching on a plain is not going to be noticed! Whilst the road ahead seems clear, reports come in from both flanks of 'Sea monsters swimming through the earth' or of tentacles! There is a smell in the air like those unholy bubbles!

Havelock comes racing up and calls on Llewella to stop the Patterning. It seems, as I find out later, that she had been projecting her fears through the Pattern, as Sand previously had been projecting her depression.

Deirdre takes point. Her will is strong but apparently there is a problem. Horns form the main body signal a halt. A runner informs me that Lord Delwyn's body was lost when a gap opened into the Void!

Ben trumps me to say that now the terrain has opened up we need to move away three miles to the right flank so the Rearguard can avoid the gap in reality. Orders are given, drums roll and we make a full battle turn and march as ordered. We will try no more Pattern at the moment.

We march on until we reach a place to set up camp. There is nothing much to burn; in the whole army only the medical wagons light a fire. I ask the kids but, though they can reshape stone they cannot heat it, dinner is cold.

Then, before we sleep, another briefing: using Pattern, as we have seen, will effect the morale of the whole army, they will be exposed to the psyche of the wielder, thus it will be even harder to advance, though the younger members of the family may have slightly less 'history' to impose. The rest of the army apparently suffered worse than the Vanguard. The Jasper Yeomanry, already a weak link, are downright shaken.

Havelock reveals his plan, he has two books which contain 'Ages' each of which is some sort of a demi-shadow. One, Canaan, can be used to increase our food supplies, the other, Spa, can be used as a refuge for the worst of the wounded.

Hector does have a way to travel faster, he can 'part the Veil' and, when the spell is ready he will take a scouting party forwards and they will attempt to create a Trump link.

Scouting will now have to be limited to the direct line of march, we have supposedly friendly forces on each side and the losses we unacceptable when the terrain is so changeable that little useful knowledge is being gained.

Rhodri is marching as a subaltern in the Corillaine Spear. He is taking to it well but amazed at the fact that nearly the whole unit are equipped with similar weapons. Elektra is with the engineers who seem to have adopted her, she has acquired one of their red forage caps.

I have to admonish her for damaging two of the men, she is actually most apologetic, much more so than for the attack on her mother, she says that she did not realise how fragile they were. Still she has broken one man's arm and another's rib. She says they were disrespectful. House Petrus are very staid and my troops, I hope, have more sense than to try it on with the general’s daughter but she is to talk to me rather than lashing out. At some point I hope to give her some element of command but for now she needs to keep a low profile, learn to understand the troops and demonstrate that she can show the responsibility to earn her rank.

A new day, we start the march again. William is leading Constance, Margrath, and Havelock forwards with Hector who is using his spell. Sorashi is now at 'Pattern Point' and the aerial scouts are looking ahead. They report a glittering yellow road heading in the right direction. Another hour’s march and we reach it. It feels like a gain even though it is obviously not wide enough for our whole force. Morale improves and Sorashi's emotions do not seem to be affecting us, or are more positive.

Another hour on and there is a mist in the air, the first signs of real moisture. At first this is a relief but soon the ground is starting to turn boggy, at least the wagons can use the road, though it leaves us rather strung out. The rest of us just have to slog through the mud. There are at least streams of clean water feeding this so we can replenish supplies.

Another hour, the mist has now become a fog; visibility is less than 100 yards.

Ben trumps me again, Dirk's order have sent a message via Fiona's trump that we are about to be attacked. Chanicut's orca cavalry are out on the right flank. Something flies over us, it is not really visible in the fog but it drags with it a wave of despair.

Out in front there is the flash of fire, I recognise the signature of plasma rifles, out to the left is the squeaking rumble of tanks, out to the right our troops are being beset by venomous snakes. The marines flee across our right flank.

I order the guard to dismount and the horse holders forward. Corillaine archers lay down a barrage forwards. The plasma weapons do not seem to have much of an advantage of range. Whoever is firing them stays back, there are a few bursts from other places and sustained plasma fire away to the left, presumably the 'tanks'.

To our forward right House Chanicut prepare their charge. Even as we see them advance they are hit from behind by a mob of undead infantry under the banner of Rikard and the Lugubrious Vendetta. The guard are well armoured and hold without flinching. Red Lancers take the open flank and the Orcas are ground to fish paste between the two forces.

Behind us there are screams. Frog-like creatures are rising out of every pool and puddle and Fomorians are rising from the very ground. My nearest unit, the Janissaries, form close order, back to back. As I arrive one of the Janissaries is rolling in close combat with a frog thing, as they fight their shapes seem to run together and I have no choice but to run both through.

Out to the flank I can see that the attack of the tanks was broken, they seem to have been some sort of living being and are pierced by countless arrows. I later learn that they were demon-form creatures of House Yupanqui, faring no better than Chanicut, crushed between Bleys, Corwin, and our allies.

Men are starting to scream, some of the creatures that rose up among us, though swiftly dispatched, were using a horrible corrosive poison. Where the body has been hit death is almost inevitable, some lives are only saved by swift amputation. The guard and Janissaries who stayed in tight formation handled themselves well. A few of the latter were caught by surprise but the Guard lost only a couple of horse holders. The Lancers had advanced to deal with the orca and were clear of this fight, the Spahis never even engaged.

Sure that the vanguard is secure I move back down the column. With William absent I gather the reports. The Jasper Yeomanry had started to break and thus had been more vulnerable to the incursive attacks, again they have taken casualties. The left flank is almost unscathed but to my sorrow I learn that three more centaurs have died, one was unlucky enough to have something rise up out of the ground beneath him but the others had defended the baggage train, the wounded and the princesses, they did great slaughter but died from corrosive wounds that had seemed, until too late, to be mere scratches. A forth was saved only by cutting a great slice from his flank, he will not fight or run again.

Overall the whole count is some two dozen dead and a similar number maimed, mostly amputations and plasma burns. Perhaps another thirty will fight again, but not soon. More concerning are the dozen who have turned to boggarts, to their fellows they appear monsters. For all the casualties these evoke more horror. We interrogate them and slay one who does not know his fellows or of his home.

We cannot have these changelings march among the army. We place them with the Lugubrious Vendetta troops who will be marching with us. Among the demons they will not be so outlandish. For such an encounter our casualties were light but these mutations seem to the troops a worse fate than death. I pass the reports to Benedict and return to the vanguard.

Elektra has slain a Fomorian and is pleased with herself. Though Rhodri was deeper in the fight holding the link between Corillaine and the guard, and by all accounts acquitted himself well, he saw a fellow subaltern he had befriended hit in the face by plasma and is more shaken.

Our attackers seem thoroughly routed. Whoever opened the fight with plasma fire has retreated back into the mist, rangers are seeking them out but report no contact.