Sauragia

Chapter 18

Inevitably, Edward the Slayer did not waste time in moving on to Saurahall. The very next day, just as everything was finally being sorted out, his messenger party came up to the main gate to request a formal surrender. They were in their finest, most barbaric clothing for the occasion. The bones, skins, and furs of numerous animals, some perhaps even dinosaurian, were displayed about their necks and belts in an attempt to intimidate their quarry. For their part, the Saurahallers put up a good front. The banner of the Saltrak was a tattered scrap of durable old cloth, dyed completely reddish brown with the blood of their enemies. This the emissaries paraded along as they walked up. Astron, Alfred, Rob, Captain Humphreys, and King Henrik stood up on the gatehouse and awaited them.

“Hail, dinosaurs of Saurahall,” the lead messenger, Ulric, called up to them.

“Hail, messenger of Edward,” spoke the king with neither friendliness nor outright hostility. “What is it you want here?”

“We come on behalf of Edward, King of Aldock and the lands beyond,” replied Ulric. “We come to accept the total surrender of you and yours to His Majesty, in exchange for which none will be harmed.”

“I’m afraid that is completely out of the question,” replied the king, his anger rising at their audacity.

“Yes! You’ll never see the inside of these walls, barbaric scum!” shouted Alfred.

Carl then stepped up, hoping the fact that he was an Alvarosaurus like most of those inside would help dissuade them from their defiant course.

“I beg you to reconsider,” he said calmly. “The great King Edward is known for his savage cruelty, but he can be merciful as well. Why, even now he maintains some friends of yours, who were taken captive the day before yesterday.”

“What have you done with them, you savages?” barked Alfred. He made no attempts to hide his hatred for the Saltrak as the king did.

“They are quite well, and will be instantly released upon your surrender,” replied Carl. “The gracious Edward even offers great rewards to those who would serve him as King of Cardolin.”

“He lies,” said Astron to the king. “The moment we give up they’ll all be killed, and our only reward will be enslavement and death.”

Henrik nodded in agreement.

“As I said before, I cannot and will not accede to your request,” said he to the messengers. “We cannot simply abandon our homes and obligations on a whim, and verily I doubt our captive friends would want us to. You may go back to that usurper you call a king and tell him that!”

“Listen to reason,” pleaded Carl, but he was abruptly pushed aside by the bigger, more ill-tempered Ulric, who pointed at King Henrik and said, “Rarely does Edward make such an offer, and never twice. You will all be dead and your precious treasure ours before the day is out!”

“Be gone from this place!” demanded Henrik. “And take that traitorous dinosaur with you!”

“Indeed!” Rob joined in for the first time. “Just because he’s our kind doesn’t make him one of us, the rotter! And take that tatty old rag with you too.” He pointed at the banner. “Dreadful colour, that!”

The emissaries received similar jeers from the emboldened dinosaurs all along the walltop, at which they turned and retired to the waiting King Edward. Henrik turned to Humphreys then.

“Well, we’re in it now,” he said. “Ready the troops and be on guard. I doubt Edward will wait very long to make his first move.”

“Right away, sire!” the old captain concurred with a nod. “I don’t think he’ll wait long at all.”

“What did they say?” asked Edward casually as his messengers returned and knelt before him.

“They refused, lord,” replied Carl simply.

“I expected as much,” said Edward, turning away.

“Should we kill the prisoners now?” asked Ulric.

“No, not yet. Wait until they’ve suffered a bit. Then, assuming the city’s not yet ours, we’ll offer terms again. They’ll find the offer much more tempting once they have tasted our wrath, believe me.”

The servants rose and followed their master as he walked away, muttering to himself, “Let the battle commence!”