The Second Fall took place merely a couple of weeks after the First. The Aisorbmii army was defeated, its forces scattering into the forests and outlands. Some of the Kingdom forces were despatched by Lord General Manus iw Elbirt to track these rogues down and kill them, in case they began to harass supply lines.

The Aisorbmii not involved in the battle were fortunate in some ways to hear the results early, by way of the Reaper Kadocasitari.

The following account is taken from historical records.

Episode Twenty-One – Retreat and Panic

Ranger Vinofetilipe lay in wait near the wall of the City of Elders, fearing what was to come. The army of the Kingdom army was advancing.

He wished his brother was beside him.

A week earlier...

Dunofetilipe turned to Vin, his brother Ranger. 'What do we do now?'

Kadocasitari was sat in the end of the table, staring into space. His announcement, that the Sword in the Stone had been taken, still echoed within the small room in the Ranger House.

'We tell someone,' said the young man – Sunder – who stood at the door.

'There'll be a panic,' said Vin, his face pale.

'You're right. So we keep it quiet. You Rangers are supposed to be good at quiet. But the Ministers should be told.'

'What about 'im?' asked Dunofetilipe, indicating Kadocasitari. 'We can't all go, 'e might say more.'

Sunder cast a curious gaze at the brothers. 'This is a real shock to you, isn't it?'

Vin turned on him, and struggled to keep his voice down as he spoke. 'Yer the Kingdom messenger boy, 'en't yer? I'm surprised that even a scruff such as you hasn't 'eard of it. The Sword in the Stone 'as been an Aisorbmii treasure for a thousand years. It's been 'eld by all the leaders of the nation. Of course we're shocked!'

Sunder took this in. 'All right. One of you stays. The other comes with me to the Ministers.'

Vin nodded. 'Sounds reas'nable to me. I'll stay here, keep things tight. Dun, go with 'im to the Town Hall. Tell 'em ev'rythin' that 'appened 'ere.'

Dunofetilipe nodded several times, glumly, then bowed his head to his brother and put his hands together. Vin did the same, and they waved the hands briefly like snakes – the sign of the Rangers. Then he gestured to Sunder, and they left the room.

Outside Ranger House they met a Marshal who seemed familiar with Sunder. He introduced himself as Rekowarilara to Dunofetilipe. 'Is Kado- Damn! Fergot 'is name. Odd feller, talent with death. Is 'e still inside?'

''Is body is,' said Dunofetilipe. ''is mind's gone.'

Rekowarilara's shoulders slumped. 'Damn. I'd planned to 'ave a drink an' a tin with 'im. Came back 'ere 'cause the inn's run out of puddin'.'

'I doubt he'd know why,' said Sunder, dryly.

'Pillock,' said the Marshal. ''E said he never ate puddin' anyway. Strange feller. Did 'e find out what 'e was supposed to?'

'Yeah,' said the Ranger. 'We're goin' ter tell the Ministry now.' Rekowarilara asked to join them, and the three walked back to the Town Hall.

There weren't many at the Hall. Several Ministers had accompanied Terovaniceti to his assured victory, and they would not return for days. The trio were not greeted immediately; various Ministers were trying to calm various merchants and traders down. Dunofetilipe recognised Minister Salomeritova among them.

Another Minister descended steps from a roof on a higher floor, and looked at them all with recognition, though Dunofetilipe didn't recognise the man at all. It was probably just his green cloak which had been recognised, he supposed. 'You bring word from Ranger House?' he asked, quietly.

'We do. You'd better call the others,' said Dunofetilipe. 'This is serious.'

When the various Ministers were gathered, the Ranger outlined the broad strategy of the Kingdom forces: Commander Reglan's army arriving at the City of Elders from the north in six days, if a new leader could be found; the High General's intention to be at the south gates by the same deadline, and the principle to siege the City before moving to take Rene Ponit. Then Dunofetilipe had taken a deep breath, and turned to Sunder, who seemed far more able to communicate the awful news.

He told them. There was an awful pause. Most paled and shook. One fainted.

One spoke. 'We must confirm this report. Discreetly. If it is not yet true, we must prevent it; if it is true, we must decide carefully how to proceed.'

'Minister Setovarinesa is right,' said another. 'We must know if this catastrophe has actually occurred.'

'I think Minister Setovarinesa is deciding things too quickly for this council,' said Salomeritova. 'What more did Kadocas say?'

'He told me to find a book,' said Sunder. 'With this council's position, I intend to travel back to the Kingdom and seek it out.'

'With all our plans, no doubt,' said Salomeritova. 'Request denied.'

'Why do you want this book?' asked Setovarinesa.

'My father, Remolorirati,' Sunder said, using the Aisorbmii form of his father's name, 'told me on his death-bed to find my own name. My name is Kingdom. The book is Kingdom. There are no books here; all the histories are told by the Ministers, the Teachers. So here, I won't find the answers.'

'What are you looking for?' asked Setovarinesa.

'Does it matter?' asked Salomeritova. Setovarinesa ignored him, and continued to wait for an answer to his question.

'Kingdom names mean things,' said Rekowarilara, slowly, which surprised them all. 'There's a first name, an infix, and another name. The infix tells yer what the second name means. Some of them are trivial. 'De' or 'del' means 'who is called'. 'Ir' or 'irl' means 'is the child of'. 'Ar' means 'was born under the star of'. And Sunder's infix, 'po'-'

''Pi'', said Sunder. 'My infix is 'pi'. It means, 'prophesied by'.'

'Prophecy said,' stated another Minister, 'that the Sword would be pulled from the Stone in time of greatest darkness. When we thought times were dark thirty years ago, we all rushed to pull the Sword. And though we failed, the war was ended, for a while.

'But now... war has resumed. We are not prepared. One battle, if what you have said is true, has already been lost, with many casualties, and the Sword has been taken. I think the time is very dark.'

'I hope not,' said Salomeritova. 'If now is our darkest time, and the Sword is pulled out now, who do you think will be in possession of it?'

'Don't treat prophecy too casually,' said Rekowarilara. 'The prophecy of Tekowariaura, my half-brother, is still unfolding. Some things have come true. Some have yet to come true.'

'May I travel to the Kingdom?' asked Sunder. 'If these events are truly fated, we should know what is yet to come.'

'Where do your loyalties lie, Sunder?' asked Setovarinesa.

'With peace,' said Sunder.

'Then go,' said the Minister. 'Rekowar, go with him. You seem to know enough about the Kingdom to get by.' Rekowarilara smiled.

'Wait!' said Salomeritova. 'Marshal Rekowar's loyalties are still unproven! And I think this sudden quest should have more than just your word behind it, Setovar!'

'Marshal Rekowar has interrogated for the Aisorbmii for many years. The death of his brother has not brought with it any treacherous tendencies that have been witnessed. I remind you, young Salomer, this council demands evidence before making a judgement.'

'Send them,' said another Minister. 'For no fault of their own, the Aisorbmii do not trust these two. They have pasts which people worry about. Let them go and be useful away from here.'

There was a consensus among the Ministers, and it was decided. Minister Setovarinesa spoke to Rekowarilara and Sunder in private for a moment, and then they left.

'Is there anything else, Ranger Dunofet?' asked Minister Salomeritova.

'Marshal Rekowarilara wondered, earlier... why are rice puddin' supplies so low? The head of Ranger House also asked me ter ask yer about it. What's goin' on?'

'The last from Anilomes was eaten a month ago,' said the Minister. 'Other factories are further away. And two others have been destroyed, as Anilomes was. We have been keeping that news quiet for now, and redistributing the food to just the Paladins. We were also storing large quantities at Rene Ponit, and bringing some to this city quietly, but I think we may have to return it to the sword-mountains now.'

'Is there none for us Rangers?' asked Dunofetilipe. 'We must 'ave some factories left in the west.'

'Acoipat, in the north-west, is still in happy production. The most recent delivery arrived this morning. One of the merchants was arguing that more guards were needed, but... I, faith, we're low on men as it is.'

'We're lower on puddin',' re-affirmed the Ranger. Salomeritova nodded agreement, and walked with Dunofetilipe outside to a covered cart, whereupon the Minister retrieved a small crate containing twenty-four tins.

'What's on this cart is going to Paladin House,' said Minister Salomeritova. 'I'll grant you two of these boxes. Keep your observances to a minimum.'

Dunofetilipe took a tin from the crate, and drew a tin-opener and spoon from a pouch at his belt. 'Me an' me brother'll share this,' he said, carefully opening the tin so that it could be re-sealed. He took a small spoonful. 'Fer the cause,' he uttered, minimally, and ate from the tin.

The taste, long anticipated, was very sweet. But euphoria dissipated rapidly as he realised it wasn't right, and by then it was too late. His throat was burning, his hands began to shudder...

'Doctor!' shouted the Minister, catching Dunofetilipe as he fell.

Vinofetilipe remembered Minister Salomeritova coming to him, taking him to a quiet place in Ranger House, and explaining what had happened, but he did not remember the words.

He remembered that the body of Kadocasitari disappeared from Ranger House during his absence from the room, but there was no time to investigate how he had vanished.

He remembered that the rice pudding delivery had not been taken to Paladin House. Instead several doctors had examined it for poison.

Minister Salomeritova's shout had had unfortunate results... curious onlookers had discovered that their rice pudding supplies were suddenly very unreliable... and the proposed defence of the City of Elders became suddenly unrealistic.

En masse, the Aisorbmii had run, just as thirty years earlier. Only now there was no Sword to be a rallying point.

The Paladins escorted as many as they could to Rene Ponit. A small force of Marshals and Rangers, all of them volunteers, occupied the walls of the City of Elders, maintaining the appearance of a defended fortress. Kingdom telepaths were rare; while the defences wouldn't last long, the Kingdom army would not ignore the City.

Vinofetilipe was one volunteer. With the death of his brother, he had no remaining family to mourn for him. If the Aisorbmii were doomed, if there was no-one left... why not be one of the first to go?

The first Company of Outriders came into hearing range. The first of them faltered as the horses' legs fell into rabbit-holes, some real, many artificial. Many were unhorsed; some of the horses' legs were broken, and the cumulative effect of many such cracking sounds was dispiriting to both sides.

The Marshals began to use bows and arrows from the wall, slaying the remaining riders as the Rangers slew the fallen. One Ranger, an impressionist, managed to mimic the noise of a lion in the ears of the crippled herd, and some ran, others failing to follow. The Rangers despatched the horses too, and then disappeared, retrieving arrows and removing any fallen comrades from the battlefield as they did so.

The first skirmish lasted minutes. But then the army arrived.

Vinofetilipe, last of his line, died in the siege, an axe severing his neck.

Curious viewers may note the prevailing Aisorbmii perspective in these episodes. Sadly historical evidence from the Kingdom perspective was not in surplus until nearer the end of the war.

Others may wonder what happened to the Reaper, or what Setovarinesa discussed with the two questors. To them I can only say... wait and see.

The history of the Great War is our primary goal. While the reasons why and wherefore always come before great events they are mostly revealed in full long afterwards.

Answers are long overdue. Soon, many shall be revealed, as we reveal the research of others.

The dark times continue to approach, viewer, wait and see...

The Next to the Custard
Archive

Ripper

22.05.03 Front Page

Back Issue Page