The Cerberus Rebellion (A Griffins & Gunpowder Novel) by Joshua Johnson

Author:Joshua Johnson [Johnson, Joshua]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Publisher: Gunpowder Fantasy Books
Published: 2012-06-25T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13 - Magnus

Magnus stood at the edge of the battlement. It wasn’t even midday yet and the warmth had already driven him to shed his greatcoat. Traces of snow remained in the fields below but the temperature climbed higher every day and most of the Kerberosi court had worn their summer clothes. Even his guards had switched out of their wool uniforms in favor of lighter, cooler, cotton.

To either side of Magnus and his entourage stood the south facing batteries of Fort Sigurd; the six twenty-five pound cannons of each battery were poised to unleash hell on their target.

On the other side of the small valley stood Fort William. Ansgari guards paced the walls, cannons jutted defiantly out over the north wall, and the Ansgari flag still flew over the fort’s keep.

A late night attack on the fortress had failed. The fort’s guards had been more alert than the Kerberosi had expected and the attack hadn’t hit them hard enough. Nearly a full regiment of Magnus’ own soldiers had been killed or captured and the fort’s garrison had locked their gates and prepared for battle.

The next step had been an ultimatum: Magnus had offered the garrison safe passage back to Ansgari lands in exchange for a swift surrender. Not only had the fort’s commander refused the offer, he had arrested the messenger, in violation of military convention.

Half of Magnus’ council advised him to wait for the garrison to consume their food supplies, then offer the ultimatum again; without preparation, they wouldn’t have the supplies to withstand a siege.

The other half of Magnus’ advisors had suggested that the fort would still have at least six months’ worth of food, and that the cost and time in waiting them out would make an assault the more practical choice. Fort William stood within range of three different Kerberosi forts and would not be able to withstand the barrage of cannon fire that those three positions could unleash.

So, the Third Kerberosi Corps had arrayed on the northern side of the valley. Two divisions were positioned on either side of Fort Sigurd and a fifth sat directly between the two opposing positions. The infantry divisions were flanked by the twenty-second and twenty-third Cavalry regiments but without an opposing infantry force to harass, the mounted forces would serve as scouts and distractions rather than an actual attack force.

Freigraf Janson Skau stepped up beside Magnus and cleared his throat. His long black hair, an unusual color for the nobility of Beldane, was tied back in a ponytail.

“Your fortifications are sound,” the Beldanian noble announced. “I would expect no less from House Jarmann.”

“My family has spent the last one hundred years rebuilding our fortresses. I would not have sent my request to your king if we were not ready for this,” Magnus said. “When can we expect your troops to arrive?”

“When I left Nordstadt, two full regiments had been assembled and two more were nearly complete. Herzog Renwyk stated that we would send the first brigade immediately and the rest of the corps once they are fully prepared,” Janson said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.