“
Please find quarters for these women on board as they will be our guests on this mission.”
Both Night and Loranda followed the adjutant out at the request of the Admiral to allow him to continue preparations. Loranda couldn’t help but speak up.
“
I think we should be able to handle a proper sit down meal with this man.”
Night thought about that. She hoped Loranda didn’t try something again. This time they just might not get away with it.
An hour later found the two women up on deck watching the crew busy themselves with the coming voyage. While there weren’t any actual preparations to sail as yet, there were many menial tasks to deal with before they got underway. Night and Loranda marveled at just how many men were on board. It looked like hundreds and the number of big catapults was mind-boggling. Never had they seen so much firepower concentrated in one place before. While they were casting appreciative eyes over the ship, the Admiral had approached from behind and coughed. Night and Loranda turned and curtsied to the Prince but he shook his head.
“
No need to pay homage Miladies. On board ship here we are certainly strict, but I will not enforce that on you. Anyway I see that you are pleased by the ship?”
To which the two women nodded in agreement. He continued on quite proud of his personal vessel.
“
The Aggressor as she is called has over six hundred men on board and eight catapults, four to each side. In addition, below deck and behind hatches on the sides we have fourteen ballista’s, seven to a side. Then you have a complement of ten heavy crossbows mounted on the railings on each side during combat. In addition to that we have approximately one hundred of the men all well trained in archery whenever they are needed to be called upon in close quarter combat. She can make a good twelve knots in high wind. She may not be the fastest boat around but she does pack quite a heavy punch.” beamed the Prince.
Both Nightwing and Loranda were impressed, but six hundred men? That was the size of a small town. Loranda spoke up with an intense inquisitiveness.
“
What do you fire from the catapults?”
“
We have a few different items, but our main weapon for firing on enemy ships is a large clay pot using a tar and oil mix. This is set alight just before we fire the weapon and when it comes in contact with the enemy ship, the pot disintegrates and sprays the compound over a wide area immediately setting alight anything it comes into contact with. It is very hard to put out because of the amount of tar in the mix.”
“
So if a person gets it on him?”
“
Then it is a painful and hopefully quick way to die.”
Loranda shuddered at the thought, these things weren’t pleasant at all.
“
How many ships of this size do we have?” she asked.
“
We have five at sea now with another in dry dock being refitted. There are another two in construction but not to be finished for another two seasons. So that means I have another under my immediate command in this battle group. That is the Vanquish over there.”
As he spoke he pointed out to where many ships lay at anchor and there was a similar ship to Aggressor nearby. The Prince continued on, very pleased to have an avid audience,
“
There is also one for each of the other squadrons or battle groups as I like to call them, Each ship is supported by approximately thirty frigates all of which carry between three to four catapults each. They are not as well armored as this ship but they are a bit faster. Then you have a small flotilla of support ships, mainly cutters for scouting work and brigantines as well. The brigantines can be called on to fight but mainly ferry supplies as we need them and also double as hospital ships when the fighting gets underway.”
Night looked around at what was to her a formidable force and by far the largest collection of military hardware in one area she had ever seen. All of a sudden things didn’t seem so bad now that this Prince was getting things under way and he seemed quite competent from what she had already seen.
It was time to put a few pertinent questions to the Prince while he was in high spirits. She wasn’t just loyal to the kingdom but also loyal to Wollfen too and if she could gather any information that could help him make further decisions then she would do so.
“
Tell me your highness, if what we have told you turns out to be true and all that we suspect is supported, what do you suppose the army will do?”
The Prince thought about this, it was in fact a pertinent question to which he hadn’t given much thought.
“
On the face of it I would have to say the Commander of all land forces will send an expeditionary force south to attack the enemy forces in Port Cholandra. He will act swiftly and won’t waste anytime in dealing a blow.”
“
Well then that’s a good thing.”
The Prince frowned and shook his head,
“
That’s the problem you see, he won’t seek any intelligence or waste his time scouting ahead. He will simply plunge right in and if there is a trap he will walk right into it.”
Now he was quietly in thought. He had been so busy preparing for this fleet movement he hadn’t the time to consider the ramifications of ill news and how it would be dealt with out of his sphere of influence. What would his father do once he found out? What would his fleet be ordered to do once he had scouted Cholandra? He could certainly work under autonomy for now until word got back to him with actual orders. This fleet action may be short-lived.
“
I thank you Lady Nightwing for bringing this to my attention. It is something to which I will have to give serious thought.”
And I am going to have to decide what course of action will be needed to take care of any stupidity that was sure to happen, he mused. What if his father, the King, worked against the best interests of the state? That didn’t bear thinking. His father might be a bit of a fop, but he was no fool.
“
M’ladies, I bid you farewell for now as I have many matters to attend to.”
He then bowed, turned and moved off. Yes, he needed to seriously consider who to contact and who to ready for whatever may come. On entering the conference room, he sat down and began writing a number of scrolls.
The following morning found all ships at the ready, only waiting for the right flag signal from the Admirals vessel to get under way. It wasn’t long in coming. As the flag waved in the air to get underway, sails across all of the boats in the flotilla began unfurling. Some boats were moving forward before others, a number of cutters moved out ahead and within three hours had disappeared over the horizon.
Prince Alard was still busy in his conference room with people coming and going. It seemed like Night and Loranda were spare wheels at present and it was hard not to get restless plus they had three days sail to look forward to. Looking around they walked together watching as the men worked the ship.
Later that evening, they were invited to dinner by the Admiral, which they accepted. It was a pleasant affair with simple fare but filling and the Prince was a true gentleman. No need for Loranda to pull out her ‘act’. Night was interested to know though how things were going,
“
Have you made any decisions about what we will be doing after we have collected all the information we need?” The Prince was actually quite pleased to be able to talk to someone who wasn’t a subordinate.
“
I have been thinking on the problem of the Commander in Chief of the army, his name is Ercanbold and is a son of the Baron Gerulf who has a high standing within my father’s court. The man really has no idea about military affairs I'm afraid to say, but he has had the position for years. As such there really isn’t much I can do at present. For now we must wait until he makes too many mistakes, let us just hope they aren’t too costly. I have sent word to my brother, Prince Fitzgerald on the border of the northeastern wilds. I hope I can get him working here soon after open hostilities begin. He has been stationed at the garrisons for a number of years now, away from my father as they have always clashed. They have never seen eye to eye and father sent him away after one very bitter argument. It won’t have bothered my brother too much, he was never one for the bourgeois life.”
“
I always wondered why we didn’t hear much of him. So he stands on that border of the old Nightclan tribes?”
Night thought of Dark and wondered if she knew him, not a likely idea.
“
Yes and with the demise of the Nightclans, we have only my brother and his garrisons to stand against the orcs that now wander the land.”
Night thought on this.
“
Let’s say the fighting gets too desperate? What of those northern garrisons? Would they be called south?”
“
That would be very difficult to do. The orcs would use it as an open invitation to move south into the warmer climes. And who knows what would happen then? Anyway it doesn’t bear thinking, I am sure this war in the south will be dealt with as they all have in the past, we will fight and we will win. They have a supply route six months long, they certainly can’t sustain a long war here that is for sure.”
Nightwing certainly hoped so. She was a small girl the last time this country had been at war and then it had seemed terrible watching the wounded being carried into the confines of the castle wall on the backs of open carts.
“
I do have another question. The last war was fought against the soldiers and ships of Svalbard and we haven’t heard from them for twenty years now, even though they are but a two-month sail from our shores. Do you think they may be a part of it all?”
The Prince gave the question some thought. The Kingdom’s navy had built its numbers and superiority to counter any further aspirations on the part of the Svalbardians so he was privy to much information that most people didn’t know about.
“
I don’t think we have any problems with them. They may look at a way to take advantage of us in this time, but I can say no to there being any collaboration between the forces in Cholandra and King Olav.”
Loranda yawned in the background. It was getting late and this brain picking was getting boring, if anything she would have preferred some action in battle to this. The Prince noticed her,
“
It is getting late and maybe it is time we retired?”
Night nodded, she could have gone on for quite awhile longer, but then the prince may have become suspicious. All this information she was sure would be of interest to Wollfen next time she was able to make contact with him, which brought up another point. Where was he? She still couldn’t make a mind touch with him and it worried her. She could sense he was alive but what was going on?
Loranda and her bade their farewells then retired to their quarters. Kicking off her boots she sat up on the bed and stretched her legs out. Loranda sat in front of them and begun massaging her feet without any invitation.
“
You are good to me Loranda, one of your many special qualities that I love.”
She smiled warmly at Loranda who smiled back, it wasn’t long before they had disrobed and slipped under the blanket, falling asleep in each others arms.
The next morning Loranda awoke to see Night already up and dressed looking out the open window at the ocean. Loranda slipped out of bed and sat naked at the sill, breathing in the sea air. Night looked at her, yes, Loranda was in a frisky mood, she could tell.
“
Good morning my love did you sleep well?”
Loranda stretched and yawned. Smiling she gave Night a kiss on the cheek.
“
Yes my dear, I dreamed wonderful images of you and me naked in a waterfall washing.”
Night liked that, no wonder Loranda was feeling frisky. She leaned across and gave her a warm soft kiss on the lips.
“
Get dressed. We can’t be going to breakfast in an hour with you in your birthday suit.”
Pouting humorously Loranda went back to the corner of the room where a chest lay closed. Opening it, she rummaged through holding up pieces of clothing. They had been given the chest to have changes of clothes for the duration of the voyage. Loranda ahh’d and slipped on a pair of knee length pants, typical of what the men wore on the ship. They were a bit small and had a tight fit. Loranda looked down at herself and turned around. She looked at Night for approval.
“
A top too, I know how your mind works.”
Loranda bent back into the chest, Night looked with a more appreciative eye now, feeling a little frisky herself. Loranda always knew how to get Night interested. Her eyes flowed over Loranda’s form. Her full breasts hanging down, pointing into the chest. It was an engaging sight. She pulled a shirt out of the chest with an ‘aha’. It was a white collared shirt that buttoned up the front. Slipping it on, Loranda then pulled the two sides up and knotted them at the front, cupping her breasts and pushing bare cleavage out.
“
I’m off for a walk.”
And before Night could react, she was out the door and heading for the deck with Night in pursuit.