The Butcher of Gadobhra
Chapter 437: The Baggage Train

The detachment of Couriers from House Franklin arrived in Wolfsburg just before dawn, twenty-three people altogether, all mounted upon an exceptional array of horses. Whatever attitude the Red Company might hold of House Franklin, it was improved several notches by the quality of their mounts, and the well cared for tack and saddles. Harmonia was leading the first group and saw the Red Company formed and ready to move, led by the Duchess. She reminded herself to think of her as Captain Bernice, an important political distinction when she was in the field.

Captain Bernice was waiting and the two women shook hands. "Good to have you. Keep close to the stone, we're sending you onward to Stoneburrow, immediately. We need to get eyes and ears out in eight directions, we've got no idea of the situation around the town. I'll transition right after you, followed by the Legion's Cavalry under Captain Mindrakos. We need to link up with General Themis, the infantry, and the baggage train. Once we get formed, I need you to spread your Couriers throughout the formation to speed things along. We'll have over 400 cavalry, near to 500 counting officers, two sets of staff, bodyguards, and your detachment."

"Any specific orders?"

"Have your people scout and use their best judgment. We threw this together on the fly. We know where we're going, but not what to expect when we get there. I expect this ride to be fast, furious, and fun before it becomes utterly terrifying."

That statement allowed Harmonia to relax in a way nothing else could. If things started crazy, then if any of her people did something insane, it could either be swept under the rug or they'd get a medal for it. 'Speed things along.' meant using a difficult bit of courier magic, lending their increased speed to a larger group. It would burn mana and stamina from all of the Couriers involved but would increase their speed by 50%. Winter undoubtedly had scouts who would see them coming, and the quicker they arrived, the less time their foes would have to prepare.

"We can handle that as soon as we start moving. With the Red Company in the field and a few fast Couriers, we shouldn't be surprised by normal troops."

Bernice snorted, "If we only have to deal with normal soldiers, I'll be quite happy and doubly surprised. And Themis will be terribly disappointed. Speaking of which, you should get moving. She's already there with her infantry and the baggage train. And if I know her they'll be a half-mile down the road already."

"Shit. Are we the last to get here? How long has Gus been planning this?"

"Anticipating a chance to rescue those Mages? Ever since the storm started and the tower fell. But he didn't send orders until we got messages from Crystalthorn that the weather had changed. Themis was her usual efficient self and got things moving."

"Right. Then I'll get moving and see you there." House Franklin disappeared in three groups, and the Red Banner began to line up for their turn, one ten-man squad of cavalry at a time.

Stoneburrow was a village in the Barony of Crystalthorn that only existed because of the teleportation stone. The small walled village had a Legion outpost with twenty soldiers to guard the two hundred villagers who lived in the area, but their main duty was securing the stone.

For the last week, there had been nothing going in or out except the haggard Fire Mages sent to keep it free from frost.

The surrounding area was made up of peasant villages and endless fields of crops, mostly groats. The hardy grain grew well in the dry, sandy soil and did far better than wheat or corn. During the twice-yearly harvests, an endless supply of wagons traveled southward taking the goods to market. It was rare that the local goods would sell for enough to merit the use of the stone, but there were times when an excess of mana had allowed Baron Orlo to gain an advantage over competitors and cut down the time his goods took to get to market. Sadly for the grain buyers and farmers of the area, that wasn't going to happen again in their lifetimes. Without the Tower and the Syphon, the Mage's Guild barely had enough mana to operate the teleportation system. Situations such as the early morning troop transfer took precedence.

House Franklin arrived and the tired Mage on duty took down their information and pointed to the western gate, acting as if if twenty-three Couriers was nothing strange. Stung a little by being the last to show up, Harmonia spurred her horse as soon as they left the town, seeing a line of wagons on the side of the road two miles distant. It was cold with a biting wind, but no snow. The fields around the town were harvested, leaving brown stubble on the frozen ground. Harmonia was happy to see the cold. In this weather, the cavalry would make good time. A thaw and spring mud would mean a week traveling to Crystalthorn and a miserable time.

Harmony took off at a gallup towards the wagons. "Alan, catch up with your cousin and remind her you're a team. I want to know what's ten miles up the road. Every small hill or stand of trees could hide an ambush. Find them first and no heroics." She detailed the rest of her teams to scout quickly in all directions around the town and return quickly. Then she went to replace Themis while trying to make sense of what she was seeing ahead.

The wagon train was...odd. For one thing, the huge wagons weren't pulled by draft animals. Instead, each one was being pulled up the road by one person holding on to two wooden yokes with a broad band of leather connecting them. The wagon pullers leaned into the harness and ran along at a steady jog that was many times faster than oxen could manage. She knew that high-level members of the Teamsters Guild could gain such abilities but the stamina needed for even a short march would be huge. And while most wagons had a second person on the seat eating or napping, and ready to switch off, she estimated she'd want a team of no less than a half-dozen tier-three Teamsters for each wagon to get through a day. Those people would take up space in wagons, along with needing food and water, and making the logistics cumbersome. Was that why one of the wagons had barrels of stamina potions? Barrels?!

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The second thing that stood out was the wagon being pulled through the fields at least fifty feet from the other wagons. It had a banner with a hand-drawn skull on it flapping in the wind, and more warning signs painted on the wagon itself. 'Death...Poison...Stay Away...NOT BEER...Death.' The message seemed very clear, a good thing around thirsty soldiers. And if that didn't discourage someone, the dozen hunting wyverns surrounding the wagon as it moved were certainly a deterrent. She needed to point them out to her squad, those beasts could run as fast as a horse, and quicker on a short sprint, and are always hungry. The Beastmaster in that wagon has them under control, but not if a fearless, (or clueless), Courier rode up to take a closer look.

She wondered what the hell Themis was up to until she rode past five wagons loaded with siege engines. The General was not taking this mission lightly. She expected to run into something big and was bringing the means to deal with it. That was emphasized doubly as she passed by a wagon with more warning signs. 'Flammable...Fire...Death...NOT WHISKEY' To her high perception, those barrels and jugs had enough imbued heat and fire to make quite an explosion. And she could smell the whiskey. What sort of madman imbued Heat into dwarven whiskey? She slowed as she saw who was riding on the wagon, her question answered.

Caldrius waved to her, "Harmonia?! Lovely to have you along for this adventure. It's good to see you getting out of the city. Good for your health, and doubly good for the health of the city!"

"Just taking the family on a small ride, and we haven't destroyed a building in the city for 6 years, 8 months, and 13 days."

Caldrius chuckled to himself, grinning at her, "Then you are far ahead of me. I got to destroy one just yesterday and then my new friend here did his best to burn down Argyle's Tower. It's still standing but some of the foundation stones melted, and it has a dangerous lean to it. Duke Carl may have to sacrifice some Building Points to save it."

Harmonia blinked twice at that statement and looked at the man pulling the wagon. The large man smiled at her and all she saw was a simple county Butcher, the kind she'd love to buy pork chops from for Sunday dinner. Come to think of it, that sounded like a good idea. And maybe a few pounds of breakfast sausage for the next day. Her thoughts about cooking for her clan clashed with the story Caldrius had just told her. She looked again, pushing her skills, and saw more. "I'm happy to make your acquaintance, Ozzy. Benjamin said you were one of his best friends. We'll have to sit and talk, I have some stories to tell that he might not have passed on to you."

"That sounds like fun, ma'am, and likewise good to meet some of Ben's relatives. Heard a lot about you." Harmonia rode on after a few more pleasantries. Caldrius was amused, "Fun indeed. Make sure I'm there to listen in. Harmonia Franklin has been one of the Empire's best spies and information gatherers for several emperors. For every one piece of information she tells you, she'll gather seven from you, and you'll never suspect it."

The Butcher filed away that warning but grinned. "Just makes her fun to talk to. You can keep score when we talk." He watched the woman galloping ahead on her horse. The resemblance to Ben was uncanny.

Harmonia was smiling widely as she caught up with the mounted officers leading the march and saluted to General Themis.

"General Themis, House Franklin, reporting as the Emperor requested."

The General looked at Harmonia, a slight smile on her face. "Requested? Does that mean you volunteered or did he send a letter and tell you to get your butts in the saddle?"

"Oh, the latter. But I'd have fought hard to come along on this expedition. Usually, it's my house that gets in trouble for improvising crazy stuff, but you're already far down that road. Artillery with dangerous explosives? Color me highly impressed."

"Yes, I have a few surprises for our icy friends. I would have liked to keep things quieter, but I was advised that if the wagons weren't posted with dire warnings, one soldier or another would go poking around looking for alcohol or food. Knowing soldiers, I have to agree with them, and to make sure they don't go looking for a drink we have two wagonloads of beer to keep their spirits up.

"Well supplied for once. That's a miracle. What sort of blackmail did you use on the Office of Acquisition and Disbursement to get them to provide so well? This much be costing a fortune."

"Not one damned coin out of their stingy pockets yet, so they can't complain. Emperor Gustavus is guaranteeing payment for all of this, so when they do get the bill and have to pay it, they can't complain then either."

"Well, my house will be happy to eat well on this trip. We're used to hardtack biscuits and moldy sausage when we work with the army."

Themis shrugged, that was certainly true. Then she noticed the people moving up to her and brought her horse to the side of the column and stopped. "Oh look, it's tea time."

Harmonia stared down at the gaggle of brownies holding cups, teapots, and a plate of cookies. The two women sat in the saddle and enjoyed their break as the baggage train jogged past at a ground-eating pace. The brownies seemed to melt into thin air as the general finished and they handed back their cups.

"Tea and cookies? You made a deal with the Fae for tea and cookies?!"

Themis grinned, "Wait until lunchtime and the Taco Wagon starts serving. Gus says she makes the best he's ever had and invited her to his birthday party this year."