The Worlds of Katherine Kurtz

This is the fifty-third part of an AU construction about a Gwynedd where the duel at Kelson Haldane's coronation went very differently indeed. We are now a bit more than three years into the Gwynedd Wars-- Charissa's new kingdom at Valoret against the Haldanes in the south and the kingdom of Torenth in the east. This episode is set just after "Dragons" and "An Education". As always, comments and suggestions are very much appreciated.


The Shadow Queen is holding up a stoppered vial of thick glass. Whatever's inside is a rich blue, and it fills half the glass cylinder. She turns it in the light and looks down the conference table at her generals and advisors. She looks over at Aurelian and Ratcliffe. "This is what we'll be using at Cardosa?"

"Yes, Your Grace." Ratcliffe gestures at the map unrolled on the table. "It's been shipped in with Tolan Guard escort."

Charissa looks at Aurelian. "What we used at Rhemuth was green. Why is this different?"

"Slightly different formula. What we had at Rhemuth we bought out of Fathane. It came up from the Grand Channel originally and was smuggled in. The green was meant for ship warfare. In the Channel you see big warships fitted with syphons. You pump it out onto an enemy ship. It sticks and burns, and water won't put it out."

The Shadow Queen taps a finger on the glass. "Where's the blue from? We're not fighting at sea. No syphons at Cardosa."

"We made it— had it made here in Tolan-by-Sea. I brought in R'Kassans who know how. The blue isn't as sticky as the green. The engineers will be using catapults with jars of it. They know about igniting it.  It'll spatter more than the green. Gallon for gallon, it should cover about three times as much area. It burns hotter, too. It'll clear out siege lines."

"Do I need to ask how much it costs?" She's looking hard at both Ratcliffe and  Aurelian.

Across the table, the Queen's husband is grinning at the State Inquisitor. "I think the technical term for the cost is breathtaking," Christian says. "Or maybe shocking."

One of the Marluk commanders raises a hand. "Your Grace... I was at Rhemuth when it fell. I saw the fires the engineers started with the green liquor. If we're using this to throw fireballs from catapults, if it'll be burning blue, the men will want to know if it's Deryni— they'll want to know if the siege will be about magic."

Aurelian and the Queen's husband both shake their heads.

"No," Aurelian says, "It's not magic."

Christian's voice is clear and sharp and cold. "You tell them it's not magic— you can tell them that whatever Deryni do, we're not doing magic. I effing hate that word, Magic is about spells and spirits and demons, and that's not what we do. That's not what being Deryni is about."

Aurelian makes a quick gesture to cut this short. "It's not magic, It's just chemist's work." He shrugs. "Alchemist's work, if you want. But it's just a weapon. Just like pitch. Just like dumping heated sand over a castle wall on attackers. You can tell the soldiers that."


Charissa looks down the table at her generals and then back at her husband. "We're sure Wencit is going to get to Cardosa? You're so sure he's coming?"

"He's deploying his heavies," her husband says. "He was using auxiliary horsemen and saving his heavy cavalry. That wasn't working out. So he's been using his Royal Torenthi. They're heavier than anything we've got in Gwernach.  He's taken some hard losses, but he's going to make it through."

Ratcliffe leans in. "He's concentrating his forces. The Torenthi have mostly pulled out of Kulnán. Wencit's left a couple of second and third rate sell-sword companies there and they've run wild in the Kulnán east and south. They were told they could loot and burn anything they wanted. Count Rori is furious. He's hanging and gutting any of them he catches. But those Torenthi are going to Wencit to push west."

Aurelian nods toward Christian across the table. "Wencit's had a good month back in Torenth. Two of the Jandrich Netterhavens have gone back over to him. And he's had some luck out east. Tarkhan and Sankt-Irakli have signed on with him."

Charissa puts the vial down. She sits back and looks at the map. "What did he buy them with?"

Aurelian's face is carefully arranged. "He's promised them Vorna and most of Lorsöl."

The Queen's husband shrugs. "Wencit's promised Vorna and Lorsöl to half the lords in east Torenth," Christian says. "Somebody's going to figure that out soon."

"Sankt-Irakli and Tarkhan," Aurelian says. "Those are your kin, Your Grace."

"Ex-kin." Charissa reaches for her wine cup. "My half-brothers had heirs out there, but I've never met any of them. And my half-brothers signed away any dynastic rights. They're nothing to me. Let's let the Haberlingens deal with them." She sips at the wine. "The Netterhavens change sides like you change shirts. Are they sending any men to Wencit?"

Ratcliffe slides papers from his portfolio and taps at a sheet. "Maybe another two hundred men-at-arms and about six hundred infantry, mostly spearmen. They haven't linked up yet. My people think they'll be at Cardosa Defile in about two weeks."

The Shadow Queen picks up the vial again. "How much of the blue do we have?"

"Two full tuns in total," Aurelian says. "Just over five hundred Torenthi gallons. We're sending about two hundred gallons to Cardosa."

"Is that a lot? Is that enough?"

Her husband shrugs next to her. "It's what we can afford. It's expensive and it's hard to ship."

"It's shipped in sealed earthenware barrels," Aurelian says. "But there's always some breakage and some evaporation. The R'Kassan engineers we have say there's enough to keep Wencit's siege lines back from the walls for a while."


Down the table, one of the Tolan generals leans in. "We're digging extra ditches of our own at Cardosa, Your Grace. My lord of Kheldour's man Graff has every peasant in thirty miles of the city digging and hauling dirt. We'll have two big ditches done before Wencit arrives, That gives us the city wall and a city moat we're clearing out, and the two new ditches. One's about a hundred  yards out from the moat at the wall, the second one's a hundred yards out from that.  We've gotten a few more men for the garrison, too."

"From where?" There's suspicion in the Queen's voice.

"Marley." That's Christian. "About fifty men at arms and a hundred archers."

"No," Charissa says. "I don't want that. Let them know at Marbury. No more. Not another man. I want Marley thinking about the west for a while. I want him fighting in Cassan and Claibourne. I want him setting Meara on fire against the Haldanes. When we bring him east, it'll be to fight Alaric Morgan in person."

"Just as a note, Graff tells me that about thirty heavies with a big company of hired archers have come in. They said they're a gift from Burchard."

"Again— no. No more from Burchard, either. The effing last thing I need is Marley's people quarreling with Burchard's in the middle of a siege." Charissa flicks a finger against the glass vial. "We'll see what we can do with this. Let's see if our hired engineers are better than whatever Wencit's brought." She makes a face. "What do we call this, anyway? I'm not going to say 'the blue'. What's the R'Kassan name for it? What do they say in Fathane?"

"The engineers call it dragon's blood," Aurelian says. "Sometimes they call it dragon's spit."

Christian raises his wine cup. "And sometimes they're more vivid about what they call it."

The Shadow Queen sighs. "Let me guess. They call it dragon's piss."

Her husband clinks his wine cup against hers. "Oh, it gets more vivid than that."

Charissa stares at him and shakes her head. She's trying not to laugh. She should be angry at this, or at least appalled, but somehow she can't be. This is what I've grown up to be, she thinks. I'm the queen who knows how this joke works. I'm the queen who burned Rhemuth, and I'm the queen who's going to hold Cardosa and ruin Wencit's whole year.

"And...yes," she says. "That would be more vivid. Here's the male military mind at its best. My only question is...how would you light it? I'm not getting that bloody close. Not there on a dragon, anyway." She can't help herself about laughing.

The Shadow Queen takes a breath. The summer's going to wind down soon, and Cardosa is where Wencit is going to realize how far away from home he is. She takes a second breath. I'll fight for Cardosa, and I'll fight Wencit all the way east to Beldour or all the way west to Valoret. I'll fight 'til winter comes and I'll fight him in the snow. No one's taking this kingdom from me.

"I'll want numbers," she says. "Numbers of men and horses, how many gallons of the blue. I want a supply of the blue at Valoret. If Wencit takes Cardosa, he'll be on to Valoret. I want blue fire coming out over the walls on any Torenthi siege lines from the first day. I want enough dragon's spit at Valoret to burn every Torenthi tent and cart and camp all the way back to bloody Beldour. I want Bishop Brechlin to do a new set of ditches there and I want the Cardosa roads blocked all the way from Cardosa to Valoret. If Wencit wins at Cardosa, we'll fight for every mile to Valoret. We lost Rhemuth, but we won't lose Valoret. If he gets past Cardosa, I'll be waiting for him myself. And if you're smart, everyone at this effing table, you'll keep your mouths shut, because I will be at Valoret. I'll fight for Cardosa, and if it comes to it, I'll be at Valoret to meet Wencit or Alaric bloody Morgan. Get used to it. My kingdom, my war."

Very interesting.

I have no objection to Wencit getting a good shower in the blue stuff. Or even the green stuff. Or any other dragon bodily excretion one wants to toss at him.

Quote from: Evie on April 06, 2025, 03:16:42 PMI have no objection to Wencit getting a good shower in the blue stuff. Or even the green stuff. Or any other dragon bodily excretion one wants to toss at him.

I think the Gwynedd wars are about to have some major events...

Quote from: Jerusha on April 06, 2025, 02:46:09 PMVery interesting.

Thank you! I'm glad I'm still holding your interest after 53 episodes!

Quote from: DoctorM on April 06, 2025, 07:17:58 PM

Quote from: Jerusha on April 06, 2025, 02:46:09 PMVery interesting.

Thank you! I'm glad I'm still holding your interest after 53 episodes!

The answer is easy - Aurelian! 

Quote from: Jerusha on April 06, 2025, 09:17:56 PM

Quote from: DoctorM on April 06, 2025, 07:17:58 PM

Quote from: Jerusha on April 06, 2025, 02:46:09 PMVery interesting.

Thank you! I'm glad I'm still holding your interest after 53 episodes!

The answer is easy - Aurelian! 

Not a bad reason at all!