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\chapter{Snatcher's Plan}\label{chapter-25-snatchers-plan}}



\epigraph{``The patient knife always strikes true.''}{Soninke saying}



I let out a soft whistle. ``That doesn't look like a Legion design.''

``\emph{Bin hamar},'' Aisha cursed in a low voice. ``He must have had
his cadets working through the night.''

I glanced at her curiously. My Taghrebi was still a little iffy, though
I recognized the word for donkey in there. Still, Snatcher's
fortifications did warrant quite a bit of cussing. Fox Company had made
camp over a hill in the centre of a hollow, though their defences
extended quite a bit further than that. The first wall wouldn't be too
hard to take, I assessed. Three feet of stone and sand packed together
tightly were topped by a row of sudis, with small openings slits for
crossbowmen to shoot through. Demolition charges would punch through
those in a matter of moments, though my own company was running a little
short on those. Morok hadn't carried any, and though Rat Company was
once more topped off on smokers and brightsticks a shortage of heavier
munitions had the potential to be very costly here. From the high
grounds where Captain Bishara and I stood, however, we could see that
the first wall was the least of our worries.

There were about a hundred feet of open ground after the wall, and one
didn't need my Name-improved sight to see some of it had been freshly
dug. \emph{Rubies to piglets that Snatcher mined the Hells out of that.}
Too many places had been dug into for all of them to be covering a
demolition charge, but there was way to tell which of them really were
mined. If any of them were, I thought with a grimace. He might have left
the more obvious marks as a feint and dug in his charges less obviously.
Should the Wolves and my Rats manage to breach the first wall, then we'd
have to charge across the flat grounds through the traps while getting
shot at by Fox Company. And then we'd get to the fucking second wall. It
was more or less impossible to see the hill the sapper-built fort had
been based from, with the stone ramparts ten feet high hiding away the
sight of it. The depth of the ditch the Foxes had dug right in front of
said ramparts was hard to estimate, but even from where I stood I could
glimpse the sight of the sharp wooden stakes jutting out of it.

Some kind of wooden tower had been erected in the middle of the fort,
standing above even the ramparts -- it looked more like a platform,
actually, though its purpose eluded me for now. At the moment most of
Fox Company's legionaries were taking cover behind the first wall,
patiently waiting for our own cadets to come into range. No attempt had
been made on Snatcher's side to initiate talks after we'd arrived, and
neither Aisha nor I were particularly inclined to attempt them. At this
point, giving the other captain more time to dig in would be shooting
ourselves in the foot.

``I can have my company ready for the fight fairly quickly,'' I grunted.
``We'll be taking the first wave, as agreed.''

That had been the second price I'd agreed to pay for Wolf Company's
assistance against the Lizards. When the time to assault Snatcher came,
my soldiers would be the first into the breach -- and so would be the
ones running into all the nasty little surprises the goblin captain no
doubt had in store. Aisha eyed me sideways.

``Rushing our attack might prove more costly than we can afford,'' she
demurred. ``First we set up our camps, then we'll hash out a planned
offensive.''

I clenched my fingers and unclenched them. I could see the sense in what
Bishara was proposing, but it did not suit my own plans.

``The longer we delay, the higher the chances Juniper stabs us in the
back while we're dealing with Snatcher,'' I reminded her. ``We know she
has men in the area, and following our tracks here will be child's
play.''

Hiding away the tracks of two hundred legionaries, some of them in heavy
plate, was not something any of us had been trained for. If Juniper
wanted to find us, she would. The Taghreb girl's lovely face was marred
by a dubious look.

``It's unlikely she has more than a single line shadowing us,'' she
replied. ``Regardless, we will not be attacking blindly: I fully intend
on scouting our backs before committing to the assault. You can have
your men patrol the south-east, if you're truly worried. Should she
bring her whole company to bear, we can take her together before dealing
with Snatcher.''

I smiled politely at her words, not believing a word of them. \emph{I
trust you to hold up your end of the bargain against the Foxes, Bishara,
but against the Hellhound? That's a whole other story.} Ensuring
Snatcher would be knocked out of the melee as quick as possible was a
priority for the Wolves, since their company score would hitch them up
to third place if the Foxes lost their bid. But everything after that
got trickier. Juniper and Aisha were friends, I knew. How much that
would weigh in on her decision making I couldn't be sure, but I did not
think the other captain would think twice about selling me out to First
Company. She could take on on Snatcher with their help instead of mine,
and there was no denying that Juniper's soldiers would perform better
than Rat Company's in the matter. And yet I couldn't just tell her that.
I sighed.

``We do it your way, then,'' I conceded.

After a silent nod I made my way down the hill, returning to my
company's ranks. Hakram was already waiting for me, wonder of a sergeant
that he was, and a few orders to him got my cadets started on making
camp. I found Pickler in the midst of the flurry of sudden activity,
Robber at her side. Good, I'd needed to talk with the both of them.

``Lieutenant, Sergeant,'' I greeted them as they saluted. ``I have work
for you.''

The yellow-eyed little bastard immediately started grinning, though his
commanding officer remained more sedate.

``What do you need, Captain?'' Pickler asked.

``I want a tenth out on patrol,'' I grunted back. ``Start in our
south-east quadrant but swing around to the south of Snatcher's camp
afterwards. Keep an eye out for First Company.''

``And if Snatcher makes contact?'' Robber slyly inquired.

I held his gaze steadily. ``Use your better judgement.''

To the sergeant's left I saw Pickler wince.

``Dismissed,'' I spoke, ending the conversation.

---

By the time Pickler's patrol came back, half a bell had passed.

The bare bones of Rat Company's camp had been laid down, the
regulation-spaced wall of sudis spikes rising out of the stony ground.
To the west of us Wolf Company had claimed a hill for its own, with
Aisha's tent pitched at the top with the wolf skull standard close by.
There was something of a commotion when Robber's tenth came back, for
they had a new addition to their ranks: an unusually large dead goat was
being carried by a pair of sappers, neck bloodied where one of them had
stabbed it. The corpse was dropped next to my bedroll -- I'd elected not
to bring a tent, preferring to travel light -- as the sergeant strutted
around like a victorious conqueror to the cheers of my cadets.

``Fresh meat for the next meal, Captain,'' Robber told me proudly.
``Hatcher stuck a knife in its neck before it even realized she was
there.''

The female goblin he'd just provided me the name for shuffled on her
feet, obviously uncomfortable with the attention. I rose from where I'd
been sitting going over our only map and clapped the cadet's armoured
shoulder amicably.

``Well done, soldier,'' I praised her warmly and bit back a smile when
her cheeks flushed darkly.

``Thank you, sir,'' she squeaked out, managing a salute before she
basically ran away.

I watch her scuttle into the rocks like she was fleeing the scene of a
crime, eyebrows raised.

``Shy type, is she?'' I asked the sergeant.

``You're beginning to have a bit of a reputation with the troops,
`Cap,'' Robber replied cheerfully. ``You know, what with all that
charging into fireballs and punching out ogres.''

``That was only the once, and you know the ogre thing is a filthy lie,''
I protested.

``That's my favourite kind of lie,'' the sergeant admitted shamelessly.
``Which is probably why I've been spreading it every occasion I get.''

``You're an insubordinate wretch, Robber,'' I told him.

``Title of my report card three years running,'' the sergeant replied
cheerfully, and it took an effort not to be openly amused.

``I don't suppose you've got anything to report aside from your
adventures in aggressive goat herding?'' I prompted.

``Funny you would say that,'' he murmured. ``Half the reason we put the
goat in front was so that no one would notice we had eleven sappers
coming back. Snatcher sent a messenger.''

``I thought he might,'' I grunted. ``You keeping an eye on him?''

``I've got two cadets watching his back,'' the sergeant replied.

``Go get your Lieutenant,'' I ordered, ``and spread the word I want a
senior officer meeting immediately.''

``You got it,'' he grinned, sauntering away as he whistled the first few
notes of a strangely haunting tune. I'd heard it before, I thought,
though I couldn't remember where.

\emph{They say the third step is the cruelest}

\emph{Walk when the moon is at her clearest:}

\emph{Love ends with the kiss of the knife,}

\emph{Trust is the wager that takes your life}

The words accompanying the tune came back easily enough. Not a song I'd
ever heard at the Rat's Nest, I decided. Might have overheard it in the
streets of Laure, or maybe someone had sung it to me when I'd been too
young to remember. I mulled over the matter until all my lieutenants
were assembled, though a real answer eluded me. Nauk was the first to
break the silence when everyone had arrived.

``We hashing out a plan to suggest to Bishara?'' he asked.

``Not exactly,'' I replied. ``It's time to let you all in on the second
step of my plan for the melee.''

Ratface was the first to catch on.

``Gods Below,'' he cursed. ``We're betraying Wolf Company to the Foxes,
aren't we?''

``Got it in one,'' I replied amusedly. ``Snatcher came to have a talk
after I first met with Aisha. He had an interesting proposition for
me.''

``Is there anyone we \emph{aren't} betraying?'' the Taghreb lieutenant
quipped dryly.

I paused, mulling it over, and watch his face turn pale.

``Define betray,'' I equivocated.

``\emph{This is not a question that should require this much thought to
answer},'' he burst out.

Kilian cleared her throat. ``Amusing as this is, I'd prefer a little
more information. How will this be going down?''

``Ideally we'd split our forces in two for the assault, each half on one
of the flanks of Wolf Company,'' I explained. ``When the signal is
given, Snatcher will make a sortie into their centre and we'll fall on
them from both sides.''

``And we're sure Snatcher will hold up his part of the deal?'' Pickler
questioned.

``He wants Aisha out of the melee very, very badly,'' I grunted. ``He
knows she won't stop until one of them is done.''

``It should be enough to keep him honest for now,'' Nauk gravelled in
approval.

``Speaking of Snatcher,'' I continued, ``we have a messenger from the
man.''

I motioned for the Fox Company sapper to come closer, dismissing his two
escorts with a nod.

``Your name, cadet?'' Nauk growled.

``Latcher, sir,'' the goblin replied serenely.

Even in the heart of another company's camp, the Fox legionary seemed
unruffled. I'd noticed more than once that his eyes never stopped
moving, always seeking out additional details he could report to his own
captain about the state of my company. A reminder that after Aisha was
down for the count we'd be enemies again. The part of his armour where
the foxhead stamp revealing where his allegiances lay had been cleverly
scratched out, though if anyone from Wolf Company recognized his face
that would be a moot point. I'd need to keep him carefully out of sight,
and with his helmet on at all times.

``And what message does Captain Snatcher send you with, Latcher?'' I
prompted.

``Our company will be ready to hit Captain Bishara's centre the moment
yours sounds the horn twice,'' he replied.

I hummed thoughtfully, drumming my fingers against my knee.

``I'm not seeing a door in the first wall, cadet,'' I pointed out. ``How
will Fox Company be joining the battle?''

The goblin bobbed his head. ``Some parts of the palisade are
removable,'' he informed us. ``That said, most of our company will be
staying at a distance to contribute through crossbows. Only our two
lines of regulars will be charging into the fight.''

I'd expected about as much. Sending in goblin sappers into a sword fight
would result in catastrophic losses for him and little change in the
engagement's outcome.

``It will do,'' I grunted. ``I expect we'll be beginning our assault by
Afternoon Bell, so you won't have time to sneak back into your camp.
You'll be staying with Pickler's line until then. Don't draw attention
to yourself.''

``By your will, Captain,'' Latcher agreed softly.

---

Talking Aisha into my formation had been surprisingly easy, considering
it was far from the optimal way to attack the wall. My guess was that as
a new captain she'd been expecting me to blunder for some time, and that
she'd decided Rat Company taking losses here would make us easier to mop
up afterwards. I kept Nauk and his heavies in my half, in case there was
another Red Rage episode, and put Ratface in charge of the other one.
Pickler went with him and Kilian's line was split in two, with her
shields bolstering Ratface's line while I took the mages and the
lieutenant in question. I could glimpse Snatcher's men behind the
palisade, much more heavily concentrated than they had been this
morning\emph{.} I watched Ratface position his men just out of crossbow
range and prepare his line as Hakram did the same with own with my
forces. We'd be ready soon. The Wolves stood in the flat grounds of the
hollow, ranks perfectly ordered and ready to move: Aisha had put her
mages and sappers in the middle of a tightly-packed square, though given
how quickly her company could move that meant very little. Taking the
signal horn from my pack, I took a deep breath and prepared to sound the
beginning of the battle. \emph{Sorry, Aisha, but this was my best
option.} The deep sound thundered across the badlands.

I had not been the one to blow it.

Armour shining in the sun, Wolf Company pivoted with parade-ground
perfection to face my separated men and started to charge. Pushing down
the urge to curse my heart out, I put my lips to the polished ram's horn
and sounded it twice. Four chunks of the palisade were immediately
raised up and put aside, Snatcher's lines starting to pour through. What
the Hells was Aisha's game here, I wondered. Had she been aware I was
about to betray her? No, if she had she would have left more than a line
facing the direction Fox Company was currently forming ranks in. It
didn't make sense for her to force a fight with me before we'd assaulted
Snatcher's fortifications. She'd probably beat me, but she'd still take
losses and --

``Oh fuck my life,'' I spoke out loud.

I turned to look at the northwest, the part of our back Wolf Company's
patrols had been supposed to be covering. A black standard with the
silver crossed swords of the War College rose over the crest of the
hills, First Company's forward lines briskly marching in our direction.
\emph{Well, that explains why she wanted to wait a bell until the
assault. She was giving Juniper time to catch up.} The thought was oddly
calm, considering I was panicking at the moment. What should I do? Take
a gamble and hope we could rout Aisha before Juniper arrived? No, even
then we'd be stuck facing First Company with split forces and I wasn't
sure I could count on Snatcher to stick with me through the fight. He
might just withdraw behind the walls and let us fight it out. I threw my
helmet on the ground and let out a cry of anger.

I couldn't let it end here. Not with everything that was at stake.

``Hakram,'' I called out.

``Sir?'' my sergeant prompted.

He'd been about to rejoin our line to prepare it for the fight with
Aisha's men, who were less than a hundred feet from us now. I spat on
the ground.

``We withdraw,'' I told him, the words feeling like ash in my mouth.
``Follow Snatcher's wall to the east, there's bound to be another way in
there.''

The goblin captain wouldn't refuse me entrance, not when he had two
other companies knocking at his gates. He needed the numbers. The real
problem was that there was no way to get a message to Ratface to tell
him to do the same on the other side. The tall orc saluted without a
word, returning to our men to see my bidding done. Gingerly I picked up
my helmet, watching as the half of my forces under the command of Rat
Company's former captain prepared to meet the charge of the Wolves. My
own soldiers started retreating in their assigned direction a moment
later, and I sounded the horn one last time as a warning to the rest of
my cadets. It was for naught. The lines met, and over the horizon
Juniper's legionaries turned in their direction. I would have stayed to
watch longer, but Wolf Company was getting close and there was a limit
to how any people I could take on even with my Name. Fingers clenched, I
ran to catch up with my legionaries and we fled.

---

Fox Company opened another chunk of the palisade to let us through long
before Wolf Company was in a position to do anything about it, the
captain himself coming to meet me almost immediately. Snatcher was tall,
for a goblin: the top of his head went up to my chin. His skin was of a
paler green than I was accustomed to, smooth and almost entirely without
the usual wrinkles. Yellow eyes like Robber's looked back at me,
although his left one had a way of facing away from where he was
looking. It made it hard to meet him eye-to-eye.

``Captain Callow,'' he rasped out in an ever-surprisingly deep voice for
a goblin.

``Captain Snatcher,'' I replied tiredly, clasping the offered arm.

``Bit of a mess today,'' he sympathized. ``Didn't think Bishara had it
in her.''

``Neither did I,'' I admitted. ``A lesson to remember. Do you know what
happened to the rest of my men?''

``They broke and ran when they saw Juniper coming to sweep them,'' he
replied. ``We opened a gate for them on the western side when they fled
in that direction. Most of your sappers made it through, as well as a
few of Ratface's cadets. Twenty-three overall.''

With my own survivors, that brought me down to seventy-one legionaries.
Not as bad of a disaster as it could have been, but still a crippling
defeat. I grimaced. Black had been right, damn his Praesi hide: one step
of my plan had failed and now the whole thing was useless. I'd have to
start planning from scratch again, and my position was horribly weak.

``Do they show any sign of wanting to assault?'' I asked.

Snatcher shook his head. ``First Company is taking over your camp. I
doubt they'll try anything until tomorrow morning.''

I frowned. ``Why the wait? They still have at least a bell until
sundown.''

``Juniper's forces aren't all here,'' the other captain grimaced. ``Her
sappers are still missing. Building ladders and a ram, if I had to
guess.''

``They'll still be at a disadvantage going on the offence, even with
those,'' I noted. ``Between your crossbows and my heavies we'll be able
to hold them off even if they attack several spots at the same time.''

``I have a few thoughts about this, as it happens,'' the goblin smiled.
``Walk with me, Callow.''

For a moment I thought he'd make like a Callowan and offer me his arm to
slip into mine but he simply ambled on ahead. \emph{Probably better that
way}, I mused. \emph{Never seen a goblin riding a horse before, so
knighthood would be a stretch.} I caught up with him and we strolled
next to the wall like this was a Proceran garden viewing.

``As you've no doubt noticed,'' he started, `` the walls to my second
ring of my fortifications are stone and dirt.''

I nodded, curious where he was going with this.

``And yet,'' he spoke almost casually, ``there is no sign of the digging
efforts that would be necessary for such an accomplishment.''

My eyes sharpened. He was right: I'd been so focused on the possible
mine field I'd never thought to wonder where the materials making his
rampart from had come from. Some of it must have been from the ditch in
front of it, but that wasn't enough to explain ten feet high walls.

``You've been digging elsewhere,'' I said.

Snatcher's lazy eye wandered as he bared yellowing needle-like teeth in
approval.

``Goblins weren't always surfacers, you know,'' he told me. ``We once
lived underground, before the dwarves drove us out and into the Grey
Eyries.''

I clenched my fingers and unclenched them, letting my other hand rest on
the pommel of my sword.

``Tunnels,'' I realized. ``You've been digging tunnels.''

``And they lead right to the two most likely camp sites for a besieging
force,'' he chuckled. ``So tell me, Captain Callow: how would you like
to even your score with Bishara?''

My answering smile was a savage thing. ``I think you and I will get
along very well, Captain Snatcher.''