Chapter XXII - Conquering the Sungetche pass
Bold’s army galloped towards the Sungetche pass. Informed by Boyar Druli, Bold learnt that main Vaegir army is laying siege to Sungetche castle, which is known as the border between Vaegirs and Khergits for centuries, as well as border of steppe and tundra.
Bold spotted a banner of Boyar Naldera, marshal of the Vaegirs. Upon arriving to their camp, they spotted an endless number of gray and white tents. Tents were nicely lined up in rows, which proved that Marshal Naldera was a man who liked discipline and order.
Guards were not hesitating when they let Bold and his men to enter the camp. Bold immediately rode to the tent in the center of camp, which was also the biggest one. It was Marshal Naldera’s tent.
After guards searched him and took his weapons, Bold entered the tent and spotted few lords inside. He bowed to them saying ’’My lords...’’ and approached Naldera.
’’Ah, Bold O’Ginn, it is a honor to see you here.’’, Naldera greeted Bold when he saw him and raised his cup of wine as greeting.
Bold smiled to Marshal Naldera and nodded his head ’’Marshal Naldera, it’s honor to join the siege of Sungetche.’’
Naldera raised his eyebrow and smiled ’’So, the rumors are true. You indeed joined our kingdom in war against Khergits.’’
Bold nodded his head and smile to Lord Naldera. He saw other lords are smiling as well, except one, who frowned he heard that the rumors are true.
’’My lord...’’, Bold told to Naldera ’’May I know who is that lord in corner?’’
Naldera looked at lord in the corner, who wore white tunic and had a sword in sheath at his waist, then at Bold ’’It is the infamous Boyar Gastya. I’ll warn you, Bold O’Ginn. He is dangerous man, one of most powerful lords in kingdom. It won’t do you any good if he gets a wrong impression about you.’’
Bold looked at Gastya with worry ’’I don’t know why, Marshal Naldera, but I think that he already doesn’t like me at all.’’
’’Well, we can’t know that now, can we?’’, Naldera said smiling and placed a hand on Bold’s shoulders ’’We’ve got a castle to conquer, don’t we?’’
Bold smiled to marshal and nodded, when he saw Gastya approaching him ’’If it isn’t Al’Gauti? So you arrived as well, Bold O’Ginn.’’
Bold recognized Gastya’s voice, a type of voice whose purpose is to command and order. Gastya could not be considered as a young man. He reached his thirties a year ago and is already considered as one of most influential men in Kingdom of Vaegirs, and he still keeps rising.
Some consider that he will even surpass Boyar Meriga, one of most influential men in Calradia itself.
’’I did, my lord.’’, Bold answered Gastya’s question while smiling. Gastya frowned and continued ’’Well, you’re just a mercenary, Bold O’Ginn. And we of nobility have rights to order common soldiers as well as mercenaries.’’
Bold listened to Gastya with curiosity. This man indeed has a high opinion about himself. ’’I’m sorry, my lord. But I serve King Yaroglek, not an ordinary lord.’’, Bold answered, he was still smiling.
Gastya widened his eyes when he heard Bold’s words ’’You impudent dog! You’ll do what I command to you!’’
Bold put a blank mask on his face and listened to a foolish lord. ’’Don’t have a high opinion about yourself just becuase you’re O’Ginn, Al’Gauti. If I want, I can crush you and whole your army under a minute. As I can all the poor Wolves there are in Steppe. They’re such a weak tribe, as was your father.’’
Gastya hit Bold in the nerve, who quickly made few rapid steps towards Gastya, but then he stopped, knowing that he’ll ruin everything he worked so hard for if he attacks the lord. Sweat dripped from his forehead. He wanted to crush Gastya’s skull, and he could to it pretty easily. But, he’ll do nothing now. When the right time comes, he’ll conduct the unfinished with Gastya, who was now maliciously smiling to Bold.
’’What happened, Al’Gauti? Why you stopped?’’. Boyar Gastya mocked Bold. Instead of keeping his hea down to a lord, Bold smiled to him ’’I have no reason to attack you, my lord.’’ Oh yeah, I really do. ’’All that you said about my father and my tribe is more like a joke.’’ You’ll die because of that joke. ’’So why should I start any trouble because of a joke?’’ There will be a great trouble for both you and your family.
Naldera looked at Bold and smiled ’’Al’Gauti, let’s go outside. I have to tell you something.’’
Bold looked at Marshal Naldera, nodded his head and followed him out of tent. Bold could finally breathe with ease now. The air in the tent was so stuffy and hot, mostly becuase of a big number of candles that were in.
’’I want to ask you for a favor, Al’Gauti.’’, Naldera started after some time which caught Bold’s attention ’’Army’s food supply is running low and I want to ask you to get us some fresh meat. It will be best if you bring us some cattle. I have cooks in camp, so your only task is to bring us a small herd of cattle. You can buy cows in nearby villages. To cover your expenses, I’ll give you this money. There’s at least 500 denars in those purses.’’, Naldera said and handed a few purses to Bold.
’’I’ll not count it, my lord.’’, Bold said to Naldera and two of them said goodbye to each other, with Naldera going back to the tent and Bold leaving the camp with his army.
’’Captain!’’, Alayen yelled when he saw Bold approaching them through the through the rows of white and gray tents. ’’Everyone, captain Bold is coming!’’
Desmondes and Kushi approached Bold asking him what happened in the tent and what is decided. ’’Well, Marshal Naldera asked me, not ordered, to bring him a small herd of cattle, because army’s food supply is running low. I had no reason to refuse. After all, I need to gain favor of all the lords I can if I want to rule these lands.’’
Desmondes and Kushi looked at each other and nodded at the same time ’’Then, we will get him a cattle herd he wants.’’, Kushi said confidently. Last year his hair was completely black, but a man could see white hair on his temples. He’s getting old, but still he is better than both Bold and Desmondes in swordsmanship.
--
Bold and his men rode from the village to the village and even to the small town of Bhulaban buying the cows and forming a small herd. In the end, it costed Bold over 1500 denars to buy enough cows to form a herd.
Marshal Naldera gave Bold 500 denars to cover his expenses, but in the end it turned out that Bold had to lose a 1000 denars. He wasn’t much happy about that.
The sun has set in the Sungetche pass as Bold and his army arrives at camp. Boyar Gastya was heavily assaulting walls of the castle, but there was not a chance that he will breach the walls.
Sungetche castle itself was built between the two high cliffs, which are known as Sungetche pass. He also has a terrain advantage, as it was built on a hill between the cliffs and was hard to reach without a proper tactic. But even if a man has a good tactic, it will be hard for the troops to reach the castle walls.
This castle was the only pass through the mountains except the Nelag castle. Both passes, Nelag and Sungetche, were passable only through the castles. For centuries, Khergits and Vaegirs fought for control of both passes, but no one has ever won that war. Nelag castle was built by Vaegirs, and is still part of their kingdom, while Sungetche also remained a part of Khanate from the day it was built.
Siege machines were not finished, and Vaegir army was exhausted. They had no food anymore. Even the Khergit defenders were ones that were exhausted in the Gastya’s assault. Many Khergit warriors died in the first assault, but Vaegirs are the ones who lost more men. With a good tactic, Khergits can easily defeat main Vaegir army, which has outnumbered them seven to one.
Bold’s arrival to camp with a herd of cows was salvation for the Vaegirs. Marshal Naldera raised white flag in front of Sungetche castle, and both sides stopped fighting for the rest of night. Battle will be continued tomorrow, when both sides rest and recover.
Cows that Bold brought were quite delicious. Bold had a honor to eat with the lords on the invitation of Marshal Naldera, although few lords including Boyar Gastya were not happy about that.
In the morning of june 27th, walls of Sungetche castle were assaulted once again as the siege machines were finally finished. First part of the siege was when the ladders and siege towers were set up under the walls. Vaegir infantry easily conquered the walls, but still, climbing through the siege towers and over ladders made them an easy targets for the archers that were on the ground inside of castle.
So, the only remaining way for conqureing the whole castle was in destroying the thick walls of Sungetche. After more than a hour of catapulting the walls, Vaegirs finally managed to destroy them. Rest of the army charged the Khergits inside the castle and managed to corner them in the keep.
Bold fought the remaining defenders inside the keep alongside Marshal Naldera and his men. Bold also had a honor to kill the captain of garrison, the last standing Khergit in Sungetche.
After the centuries and endless sieges and assaults, Vaegirs are the first ones who had a control over the two passes of the Bolormaa mountains.
That night they feasted. Inside the keep of Sungetche castle, Marshal Naldera held a speech
’’Today is a great day!’’, he started while standing in front of everyone with a golden cup of wine in his right hand ’’Today we finally managed to conquer Sungetche castle!’’, by now some men stood up and raised their cups for Naldera. Bold was among these men, the men who listened to Naldera with amazement and respect.
’’For the centuries, we fought endless wars with Khergits only for this castle! By conquering it, we closed the both doors that lead to tundra from the Great Steppe. We are the ones who now control who will get into the steppe and who will get out. We! Khergit dogs are now trapped in their own home! In the steppe! Swadians from the west, Sarranids from the south. And us Vaegirs from the north! They cannot escape even to the east, because of impassable mountains there are. If they want to free themselves, they will first have to face us!’’
Everyone now stood up and cheered Naldera’s name. ’’I’m proud of you, my friends.’’, he continued his speech after cheering quieted down. ’’I wouldn’t conquered Sungetche without your help, fellow boyars. And without yours, Bold O’Ginn.’’
Every man present turned his head to Bold. Even the ladies that were present were looking at Bold. ’’Because of you, who brought us food which was necessary for our engineers, we succeeded. Becuase of you, we’re the first ones in history of Calradia who control both passes of Bolormaa mountains. I’m honored to have fought by your side, Bold O’Ginn.’’
Then Naldera raised his cup telling ’’For your name, Bold O’Ginn.’’
Then all of the other lords said the same words as well.
This night Bold drank the wine for the first time in his life. At the start, it’s not that nice. Compared to black brandy, it was awful. But after some time, it becomes really good.
Bold’s men were among the first ones to find maidens and other women who will please them for the rest of night. Desmondes searched for Ymira, only to find her talking and smiling with Alayen again. He wasn’t really happy when he saw that. And judging by Desmondes’ face, Bold came to thought that Desmondes will gladly kill Alayen for stealing his woman.
Unlike all of Bold’s men, Kushi wasn’t celebrating in the keep. He was standing on the southern wall of the Sungetche castle. Bold approached him with a cup of wine in his hand. Then he realised why is Kushi here. He was looking into an endless plain of the low grass. The steppe.
But if a man could turn around, he would see a cold whiteness of merciless tundra. A land of Vaegirs.
’’I miss it.’’, Kushi said while thoughtfully looking at the Great Steppe. ’’We haven’t been there for a two months, and I really miss it so much.’’
Bold understood Kushi. He felt that as well ’’I miss the delicious meat of marmots and a black brandy I drank with my father when I was young.’’
Kushi looked at Bold with sadness in your eyes ’’Your father was a good man, Bold. If he wasn’t killed, by this day he would be the one who will rule the Great Steppe.’’
That moment Bold realised that the words that Kushi is speaking are actually true. ’’Your father was a man who became a khan in very early ages. He was sixteen when his father died. Because of that he led three hundreds men into the cold mountains and remained there for three years. After three years, they returned with scars and bruises on their body, but after those three years, these men became what could be called a gods. Their skin was hard as iron, their strenght what imaginable. With the great confidence in their eyes, those men were true Wolves and were created by your father, Khan Yesugei O’Ginn of Wolves. When he returned, he waged a war against the Khergits, defeating them in many battles. He even defeated Sanjar Khan in a battle under the walls of Ichamur. After Sanjar’s defeat, two formed a truce.
Sanjar couldn’t stand a humiliation of being defeated by a man who had five times smaller army than himself, so he challanged Yesugei to a duel. Sanjar was defeated in the duel as well, and was humiliated even more. That’s why he decided to assassinate Yesugei.’’
Bold widened his eyes when he heard those words. Sanjar was the one who assassinated Yesugei?
’’What are you talking about Kushi?’’
Kushi saddly shook his head slowly, continuing ’’He indeed was the one who assassinated your father, Bold. But not before he got rid of his brothers, who were also renowned as great warlords and commanders in the open fields.
He killed Yesugei in front of me, after I was unable to protect him. I was deadly wounded by three arrows.’’, Kushi said and took his shirt off, revealing three scars on his chest ’’They attacked us in woods, twenty of them, led by Sanjar himself. We killed about half of them, but they overpowered us and defeated us. Sanjar then spoke something to Yesugei, I don’t know what. I didn’t heard because I was hit to head. All I heard was ringing in my ears. But I know that Ogadai was the one who showed on the scene and caused the final blow to Yesugei.’’
Bold widened his eyes and recolied few steps ’’What? Ogadai killed my father?’’
Kushi didnt knew what to say anymore. Only thing he did is that he nodded his head saddly.
A tears appeared in Bold’s eyes, but he wiped them with a sleeve. ’’He killed my mother, my brothers... He even killed my father...’’
Bold was looking at the ground. His yellow eyes were like shining in the dark. Kushi just stood there and watched Bold. When Bold finally raised his head, Kushi finally decided to say something, but Bold was first ’’Ogadai will not survive the coming days, nor Sanjar. I will kill both of them and their whole families. I’ll exterminate the Khergits. They will all die. A whole steppe will tremble before me, Kushi. A whole steppe and whole Calradia will be afraid of me. They do not yet know who I am, Kushi. I am Bold O’Ginn, Wolf of the Plain.
