The Dark Army by Joseph Delaney

Author:Joseph Delaney
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult Fiction, Action & Adventure, General
ISBN: 9780062334565
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-09-20T07:00:00+00:00

Jenny Calder

18

Grimalkin’s Plans

I’M sick to death of this bleak northern country. How I hate the endless tall conifer trees and long for the sight of a sycamore or an oak. The cold has gotten into my bones, and I never feel warm. I’m terrified, too: A huge army stands between us and the river. How can we possibly hope to fight our way through them? I fear that I may never see the County again.

As far as I can tell, Tom hasn’t reprimanded Grimalkin for abducting me. He’s just accepted it. We’ve only spoken briefly when he asked how I was feeling, and I haven’t had a chance to speak to him alone yet, but I hope he hasn’t changed his mind about going back to the County . . . if we survive tomorrow.

Grimalkin doesn’t talk about her long-term plans, but she is always optimistic. Even now she’s been busy working out how to defeat the Kobalos. Last night she left her notebook open and I had a look—I couldn’t help myself.

She intends to teach the infantry new maneuvers, tactics she has learned on her travels through foreign lands. Their marching pace will increase; when attacked, they will quickly assume defensive positions—sometimes in a square formation, sometimes in triangles or star shapes. Sometimes a thousand men will form five squares and, using shield walls, long spears, and bows, stand firm, driving off enemy cavalry; then they will advance rapidly, only to form a triangle when attacked again.

It sounds very complicated, but the witch assassin clearly believes that it is something that can be accomplished.

She also plans to employ scores of blacksmiths, using molds set in sand pits to craft huge armaments. At first I thought she was just intending to forge more of the large eighteen-pounder guns, but her sketches tell a very strange story. The long barrels of the weapons she has designed are twisted, and rather than cannonballs or round shot, their projectiles consist of pieces of metal connected by chains. Some of these are round like small cannonballs, but others are helical, triangular, or thin hollow cylinders.

She’s also sketched small carriages that she calls chariots. Some have long, sharp blades attached to the rims, which spin with the wheels. Others have runners for ice and snow. From these, huge blades curve upward like wings. They are the wings of the angel of death; anyone or anything that the chariots pass is cut into pieces.

The further I read, the more fantastical Grimalkin’s ideas became. She intends to manufacture musical wind instruments that she calls joshuas. They are very long; each needs to be supported by a dozen men. I don’t know how such music might motivate an army. Far better are the drums and bugles used by the County. The mind of a witch is mysterious indeed, I thought. Who could possibly fathom it?

But Grimalkin’s notes have convinced me of one thing: She herself has no intention of returning to the County. She will stay here and fight right through the winter.

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