Free The Bloody Quarrel (The Complete Edition) by Duncan Lay Page B

some purpose behind his actions.
    “We cannot match their ships, nor should we fight them in open country, for they have far more men than us,” he said carefully. “They know they have far more soldiers than we could ever hope to put in the field and no doubt they are battle-hardened.”
    “Yes. The Empire is in a constant state of revolt. Every man they would send here would be a veteran. We would have a mixture of guards and the fyrd. One man of theirs would be worth two of ours, and they would have four or five times our number,” said Aidan.
    “We have to make them attack us here,” Fallon said, his voice strengthening as he thought about it.
    “Here? But if they take Berry then they have the whole country,” Aidan said, his voice questioning, not accusing.
    “It is the only city big enough for our purpose. We draw them into the streets and the alleys. That’s where numbers count for nothing. The city is a maze but we know it all. We can use the roofs, we can use the back alleys and we can cut them to pieces, hurt them so badly that they never come again.”
    “Would it not be better to trust in our walls and try to hold them out?”
    “They would destroy the countryside around us while they wait. And if they are always fighting then they would have ways to batter their way through stone walls. No, better to use their arrogance against them. They will march in here like conquerors, never expecting us to attack. Then we crush them.”
    “Attack them after inviting them in?” Aidan asked.
    “You do not get prizes for fighting fair. We do anything we can to win.”
    Aidan clapped his hands together and laughed. “Excellent! The best answer I have been given by far. Most of the others all said we should use cavalry to destroy them on a flat field somewhere, for they could not bring horses across the sea. Yet they can bring enough bows to destroy any cavalry charge. Tell me, Fallon, would you think about being my war captain, if it came to it?”
    Fallon forced down both his astonishment and his revulsion at the thought of serving this man. “You honor me, sire. But is there not someone better suited for the role?”
    Aidan waved his hand in disgust. “Kelty? He is a perfect captain of guards but he is not a general. Who else is there? One of my nobles? Can you see the Earl of Lagway leading the men into battle? The Kottermanis would die laughing.”
    “I would be proud to serve you, sire,” Fallon lied. He found it was getting easier to do, the more practice he had at it.
    Aidan looked away then and seemed to be musing to himself. “It is worth looking at. A man who could make all the difference.”
    “Sire?” Fallon asked gently.
    “That is all, Fallon. Thank you.” Aidan was no longer looking at him.
    Fallon stood and bowed, then used the opportunity to have a quick look around the King’s room. There were many shelves there filled with scrolls. He would need plenty of time to search them all.
    The guards outside, even the lieutenant Quinn, did not pay him any attention on his way out, instead watching the pair of fat Guildsmen who were going to see the King next. Fallon picked up his shillelagh and left, thinking about the best time to come back and have a proper look around.
    *
    His return was met with heartfelt relief from all the villagers. They had barricaded themselves into individual rooms, ready to sell their lives dearly, only to emerge when Fallon returned. But none of them could understand why the King had wanted to talk to him.
    “And that’s all he wanted? To talk about the Kottermanis and offer you a job as his war captain?” Devlin asked in disbelief.
    “Aye. I could barely believe it either. He only seems to be concerned with the Kottermanis at the moment. He doesn’t seem to care about the witches and selkies any more. I know he always has something in mind but I don’t know what it is. Maybe I can find out if I get into his rooms when he is passing judgment on some poor