CAMP At dawn, I looked around the camp. A thin layer of mist appeared throughout the valley. The monk got up. He looked in every direction. It was time to go. “It’s time,” he said after a break. His eyes looked at the top of the mountain. “Going my way?” I asked. “No.” “Then, this is goodbye.” “Not all goodbyes are sad.” “True.” “Where are you going?” “East,” I replied, mounting my horse. “Why east?” “There is always work for me there.” “Planning to start a new life?” “Yes. We will meet, again.” “All roads lead east.” “True,” I spurred the horse onward. The horse went slowly, at first, like he had some dignity. The horse held his head high. We continued, that way, until we disappeared behind a hill. The horse with ease changed speed. We went through the forest like a shadow. With that speed, we could only be seen like such. One oak fel

After defeating his brother Tostrig and Halsward Harden in the north, Halstern left much of his forces in the north, including Morcer and Edwerem, and marched the rest of his army south to deal with the threatened Hereninn invasion. It is unclear when Halstern learned of Segwaren’s landing, but it was probably while he was travelling south. Halstern stopped in Listen, and was there for about a week before Kaihon, so it is likely that he spent about a week on his march south, averaging about 27 miles (43 kilometers) per day, for the approximately 200 miles (320 kilometers). Halstern camped at Calderac Hill on the night of 13 October, near what was described as a "hoar-apple tree". This location was about 8 miles (13 kilometers) from Segwaren’s castle at Kaihon. Some of the early contemporary Firdan accounts mention an emissary or emissaries sent by Halstern to Segwaren, which is likely. Nothing came of these efforts. Although Halstern attempted to surprise the He

The room was bright. The king sat in his high chair. Under his feet a stool was placed, near the stool, two large wolfhounds slept. One of them moved its head, looked around, and continued to sleep. The king moved in his chair, placed the cape on his other shoulder. He had a pretty face; he wasn’t older than forty. There was something charismatic about him, something sensational about him. His gaze wandered from one part of the room, to the other. From the profile, he looked like his father, the late King Zir. The whole room was silent. The king’s advisor entered, knelt in front of the king, and whispered something to him. The king’s mood changed: “I hear that you come from the east, is that true?” “Yes,” I moved my left leg, “Your Majesty.” “How much, east are we are talking?” “Over the Dragon Mountains, Your Majesty.” “Enough, with the formality, we are talking man to man.” “Alright, Your Gr…” “That court lady is the mos

The success of the sortie was already assured; therefore he did not try to go in very great silence. He passed a few tents buried in darkness; no one woke, no one inquired, “Who is there?” Silence, everything around was quiet. Someone appeared from the darkness. The soldiers of Clear Hill heard the squeak of his daring steps and the beating of their own hearts. He reached the lighted tent, raised the curtain and entered, halted at the entrance with pistol in hand and sabre down on its strap. He halted because the light dazzled him somewhat, for on the camp-table stood, a candlestick with six arms, in which bright lights were burning. At the table, three officers were sitting, bent over plans. One of them, sitting in the middle, was poring over these plans so intently that his long hair lay on the white paper. Seeing someone enter, he raised his head, and asked in a calm voice, -- “Who is there?” “A soldier,” answered Kmert. That moment

There was in Jmud a powerful family, the Billevis, descended from Mendog, connected with many, and respected, beyond all, in the district of Eossyeni. The Billevis had never risen to great offices, the highest they had filled were provincial; but in war they had rendered the country unsurpassed services, for which they were richly rewarded at various times. Their native nest, existing to this day, was called Billevis; but they possessed many other estates, both in the neighborhood of Rossyeni and farther on toward Krakin, near Lauda, Shoi, Nyevyaja, and beyond Ponyevyej. In later times they branched out into a number of houses, the members of which lost sight of one another. They all assembled only when there was a census at Eossyeni of the general militia of Jmud on the plain of the invited Estates. They met also in part under the banners of the Lustirian cavalry and at provincial diets ; and because they were wealthy and  influential, even the Eadzivills, all powerful in Lust