The Black River
Mabinne watched from the bow of the longboat as a Jutlander soldier came to the riverbank on the north side of the river. The man waved a red flag, five times, then disappeared. A few moments later another soldier appeared on the south bank and did the same.
Good. They are in position.
Tillgatt was just around a bend, a hundred paces upstream. Mabinne waved at the other long boats following her boat upriver. Wind magic-users on each boat filled the sails and pushed them silently ahead. In the low forest on either bank, Mabinne knew General Kokko’s men would be slipping towards the town, weapons at the ready.
The longboat rounded the bend. The trading village lay in view, a cluster of wooden buildings, an arched wooden bridge across the river. Mabinne leaned over the side of the boat, extended her hand to the water, and froze the river.
She heard a shout from the north side of the river: General Kokko, bellowing “Into the village! Put it to the sack!”
The battle lasted only a few moments. Few of the Ikslunders were able to arm themselves before the Jutlander infantry spilled over the bridge and across the river and joined the other cohort charging from downstream. Mabinne’s magic-users made their way across the ice and climbed the bank to join them, but the battle was already almost over.
“Follow me,” Mabinne ordered Aalis Pummeroy. “The shop I seek is this way.” She had described the shop in detail to her forces; all were under strict orders to leave it untouched. With the fire-magic user at her heels, Mabinne walked quickly to the shop and pushed inside.
The Ashlander woman Mabinne remembered stood there, behind her counter, as though expecting customers. “You,” she snarled. “I wondered, when I heard about Mabinne the Merciless, I wondered if it was you.”
“It was me,” Mabinne confirmed.
“You found someone to remove that collar, then.”
“My captor. I… convinced him I was harmless.”
The Ashlander woman looked down at something under the counter. “Port Stronghold?” she asked.
“Me.”
“The soul crystal,” the Ashlander said. “They do work, then.”
“Yes. And that is why I’m here.”
“Too bad for you, then. I have no more. The two I sold you were all I had.”
“Where can I get more?”
“Those were the only ones I’ve ever seen. And if I did know where to get more, I would not be telling you.”
“You think so? Aalis, come forward.” The Beretanian fire magic-user raised a hand to reveal a blue flame, curling up from her palm. “You think it will take that much to get you to talk?”
“Oh, I’m not worried about that,” the Ashlander woman smiled, a nasty smile that bared strong yellow teeth. “I know a trick or two myself.” She produced a small bronze globe, about the size of a fist. There was a small wick protruding from the top. The Ashlander had a lit taper in her other hand.
Mabinne watched, not quite sure what was going on.
“Goodbye, witch,” the Ashlander woman said. She touched the taper to the wick and dropped the bronze sphere to the floor.
Mabinne stood for a moment, confused. Then, the possibility hit her: “Aalis! Run!”
They fled the shop, barely in time, as a thunderous roar blew out the shop’s walls and let the roof collapse. Mabinne found herself lying in the street outside. Her ears rang. She heard a voice, but it sounded wrong, as though she was underwater…
“Lady Mabinne! Lady Mabinne!” She suddenly realized General Kokko was calling her, shaking her shoulder. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Damn! How is Aalis?”
“She’s stunned, Lady. But I see no wounds. She should be well, given some time for her head to stop spinning.”
Mabinne sat up. Her ears were still ringing, but she could think clearly. “Tell your men, they have an hour to take personal spoils. No slaves, we can’t feed them. Don’t kill anyone you don’t have to; I want word of this to spread. We will pull back to the coast.”
“As you say, Lady.” The Jutlander general walked off, shouting at his men.
Aalis lay a few steps away. Mabinne staggered to her feet. Her head was spinning, but she managed to stumble to Aalis’ side.
“Aalis? Are you alright?”
The girl’s eyes opened. “Gods beneath us, what was that? Some magic we’ve not seen?”
“I don’t think it was. The Ashlander, she touched a lit taper to something. Some thing of the Ashlands, no doubt. Some alchemical potion in that bronze ball? I don’t know.”
“Whatever it was, I would like to have some.”
Mabinne nodded agreement. “Can you get up? We need to move soon. We need to thaw the river.”
“I can move.” Aalis shook her head and lurched to her feet.
Mabinne looked at the wreckage of the shop. There was no point in trying to look through the ruins, as the roof had fallen flat onto the wreck. It would take hours to clear enough of the roof’s debris to be able to look through what was left.
Damn, she thought. Damn it all. I wanted more of these crystals.
I wonder what it was that Ashlander bitch set off?
Mabinne was not interested in spoils. Aalis stayed by her side as General Kokko’s men – and some of Mabinne’s magic-users – put the town to the sack. Several houses and shops were set alight, as was the inn where Mabinne had stayed with Hengist. Outraged feminine shrieks from some of the houses indicated that General Kokko’s troops were indulging themselves in other ways, as well. Mabinne frowned at that but let it pass; it was the way of mercenary troops.
An hour later the river ice was melted by Aalis and two other fire-magic users. General Kokko’s men had taken spoils but had also gathered food. The longboats were loaded with barrels of salt bison beef and salt pork, earthenware jugs of rendered mammoth fat, bags of yams and onions. With that done, the longboats turned and headed downstream. General Kokko’s infantry moved across the country at quickstep.
They were wending their way through the shallow waters near the mouth of the river when one of the magic-users in the longboat in the lead waved and shouted: “Smoke!”
Mabinne stood up. Several columns of black smoke were rising into the sky, just ahead.
They arrived at the beach to find a disaster. The twenty Jutlander infantry and four fire-magic users Mabinne had left to guard the Jutlander triremes were dead, and the beached triremes were burning, sending into the sky the black smoke they had seen from just upriver.
General Kokko and his remaining infantry arrived an hour later to find Mabinne and her magic-users engaged in burying bodies.
“What happened?”
Mabinne wiped sweat off her brow. “Someone attacked the beached ships and our people we left as guards. There are signs of many attackers; prints in the sand show it was a large force. They must have fallen on our people from the dunes.”
“Who were they?” the Jutlander general demanded.
“We don’t know. But I would wager on it being Ikslunders. Look around. See if you can work it out.”
“Do you know they had magic-users among them?”
“Yes, of course. Can’t you see for yourself? The burn marks on the bodies and the scorched sand. And there are remnants of ice on some of the fallen. So, at least two magic-users. I spent a year among the Ikslunders, remember, and as I know it there are few if any magic-users among them. See for yourself, but either way, we must move soon.”
“Move? How? We’ve lost most of our ships!”
“Walk. We’ll head south, along the shore, to Beretan. The longboats will carry magic users that can strike at a distance, to protect against attacks from seaward. The rest will march along with your men, down the shore. We must find more ships; we can best do that in Beretan.”
“That’s a three-day march, just to the frontier!”
Mabinne’s temper, already frayed, snapped. “Have you a better idea?”
Kokko stomped off, muttering.
They arrived at the beach to find a disaster. The twenty Jutlander infantry and four fire-magic users Mabinne had left to guard the Jutlander triremes were dead, and the beached triremes were burning, sending into the sky the black smoke they had seen from just upriver.
Ouch.
“Gods beneath us, what was that? Some magic we’ve not seen?”
The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch?
Fun chapter, Animal! Things are – ahem – heating up!
Did anybody count to three?
The Ikslunders have gunpowder now?
That’s a game changer.
Obligatory.
Well, ackshually, the Ashlanders have gunpowder. Or something along those lines.
Even more interesting. Thanks Animal.
Four more parts in this cycle. I may not be done with this story yet. We’ll see.
Looking forward to it!
Sneaky!
*Stares bewilderedly into the abyss*
#BREAKING: “Fox News and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways.”
#Tucker will NOT have a farewell show: “Mr. Carlson’s last program was Friday April 21st.”
Might as well axe Gutfield as well.
Lol.
Now the Lemonhead is out.
WTF is going on?
All the media needs to get together and adopt a sensible centrist style of reporting whatever the government tells them to.
I wouldn’t be surprised if CNN wanted to do this for awhile and they simply took advantage of the TC tornado.
The Sheik has thoughts.
STEVE SMITH, too.
OK, link broke. Here: https://twitter.com/STEVESM75082769/status/1650546904709861376
Haha! STEVE is everywhere!
I’m now looking forward to the Don Lemon/Tucker Carlson Crossfire-type podcast.
I want to see The Carlson Group with Tucker doing his best John McLaughlin impression. 😄
WRONG!
lmao
The Sinatra Group!.
That was a high water mark for SNL. So many good lines.
“Put a bag over it and do your business.”
“Swing baby you’re platinum.”
“I got chunks of guys like you in my stool.”
Phil was so far beyond the rest, though.
As a game show fan, I think I prefer Jackie Rogers Jr.’s $100,000 Jackpot Wad.
“This is the ultimate piece of meat…”
“Mel Gibson!”
*Nelson laugh*
Don Lemon has been let go from CNN, effective immediately. …
“I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have the decency to contact me directly,” Lemon continued. “At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play. With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.”
Also Nelson laugh: https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/other/fox-corporation-sheds-930-million-in-market-value-after-announcing-tucker-carlson-is-leaving-the-news-network/ar-AA1ahm5n
Good. Commie rat fuckers.
Murdoch’s kids want to change Fox into just another mainstream leftist media bastion.
By the time they’re done, the Hallmark channel will have higher ratings.
“to change”?
FNC was never anywhere as conservative as their critics alleged.
Fox has been very moderate. I’ve always thought they let the “we’re insanely conservative” mumbo jumbo rhetoric run rampant so that they could press moderate ideas onto conservatives.
“look, here’s this big government/centrist idea”
“Well honey, fox reported it, so it must be a conservative idea”
I guess since the left took the mask off of everything else, might as well do it to fox too.
Ha ha. Maybe Tucker runs for President.
And for their next trick, they hire Don Lemon to fill Tucker’s slot.
when life hands you Lemons, make Lemon-aid!
Even better – CNN, desperate for ratings, hires Tucker.
^
As funny as that would be, I’m pretty sure Tucker is leaving because he’s tired of being censored and having to ask for his editor’s FBI agent for permission before each segment.
It is shitty no one in management told him directly, though.
Lemon fresh shitty!
To TPTB: New article submitted.
Time to smoke out the dissent.
The state Health Department commissioned a new survey aimed at gauging support for an all-out prohibition — despite Gov. Hochul’s failure to secure support from state legislators to include a ban on menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products in the yet-to-be-approved state budget.
“What is your opinion about a policy that would end the sale of all tobacco products in New York within 10 years?” were among the questions asked last week in the “New York Local Opinion Leaders Survey,” examined by the Post.
Another asks: “What is your opinion about a policy that would ban the sale of all tobacco products to those born after a certain date? For example, those born after the year 2010 or later would never be sold tobacco.”
The poll also solicited input on whether there’s backing for other tobacco-related measures, including capping the number of retailers who can sell “products in a community” and prohibiting its sales near schools.
I’d like to see where in the constitution of NY – oh, never mind.
2010: No tobacco for you but if you’d like a fake vagina installed or a double mastectomy the clinic’s over there-200 feet past the middle school, hang a right.
Five people answer in the affirmative on a survey sent to 50,000: “WE HAVE A MANDATE!”
The other 49995 were Russian bots.
Unconfirmed, but the CIA did say that the responses had all the hallmarks of Russian bots.
Tomorrow, 50 FBI agents will sign off that Russian bots poisoned the survey in favor of keeping menthol products, and that the governor should proceed with her ban in the name of humanity.
The name of humanity AND democracy!
Give it another 5 years and the clinic will be in the middle school after offering to replace the school counselor with their own for free.
***It will be the same councilor, giving the same advice, just with a bigger paycheck.
Murdoch’s kids want to change Fox into just another mainstream leftist media bastion.
They want to be loved and accepted. But not by a bunch of right wing losers.
I don’t think I have watched Tucker Carlson since he was on Crossfire.
I don’t watch news. It’s bad for you.
“If you don’t read news you’re uniformed. If you do read news you’re misinformed.”
– Mark Twain (I think)
*uninformed*
I like uniformed better.
Looks like check and mate to Mabinne. She should have sent a small spy group to talk to the lady. Now she loses everything.
Rip
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Humphries
The Lemon saga keeps getting better.
He should have some kind of a party.
Not an image I’m comfortable having in my brain…
What’s wrong with lemon stealing whores?
But did he pay his $8?
I made the mistake of reading down through Tundra’s twatter link.
Apparently, Tucker Carlson was secretly running the country. At least that’s the impression I get from some of the reactions.
All I can say is, if that’s true he was doing a piss poor job of turning the place into the Fourth Reich.
Apparently, Tucker Carlson was secretly running the country.
Someone had to do it after Rush died.
He was carrying Fox on his back. Not only was his 8 pm show the highest rated on all television, but he was doing far more than anyone else there to get viewers to subscribe to Fox Nation. He had done some really excellent long interviews with a wide variety of people – including Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy last week.
Felt like he and Seymour Hersh were the last two journalists left.
He was carrying Fox on his back.
My Dad, a news junkie, who used to watch fox incessantly only tuned into it for Tucker. He switched to OAN after he saw how much they despised Trump (and were affected by TDS). I’m sure they just lost him along with millions of other viewers.
Between the settlement and the hit they’re going to take here it’ll be interesting to see what direction they take. This might be the beginning of the end but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Because we should all watch a master of the craft in his element for our own edification.
https://old.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/12wkw7q/bruce_campbell_on_the_setbehind_the_scenes_of/
Campbell just in the blinking chair would have been outstanding. He was easily the best part of Burn Notice.
Is Burn Notice code for “everything he’s ever been in”?
Do you not Bubba Ho-Tep, bro?
2nd best
https://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/mp/ig5UqcH3iLox.jpg
The Equity Agenda in practice:
For some reason equity does not seem very fair.
-RUPERT MURDOCH FIRED TUCKER CARLSON HIMSELF, REPORTEDLY “CONCERNED” ABOUT TUCKER’S REPORTAGE ON JANUARY 6TH HOAX
PLUS: RAY EPPS CLAIMS HE’S NOT A FED ON 60 MINUTES
https://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=404141
Damn, they really are done.
Murdoch is absolutely a creature of the establishment. There was only so much he was going to tolerate.
Yeah, he’s been scum for years-decades really.
Replacing Tucker Carlson with Dylan Mulvaney?
Media to everybody in Washington on 1/6 except one person: Traitors! Insurrectionists! Jail for everybody!
Media to Ray Epps: You poor guy! Just a victim of a conspiracy theory! Here, let us help you!
Mind boggling, isn’t it?
It’s just all so transparent.
So, I just found out that pop had a Good Landing in his glider last week. He got caught out by a wind reversal while touching down, and smacked the heck out of the undercarriage. No injuries, but the factory is gonna have to look at the glider before it goes up again. Two weeks into the season.
Glad he walked away from that one. Gliders are pretty hard-core.
The airport across from my gun club is constantly launching gliders on weekends.
The main hazard here is that if Pop’s L-33 turns out to be unrepairable, and he tries to buy a new one, Mom may literally murder him…
Expensive hobbies are universal problem of husbands.
I thought that was mistresses… oh wait… same thing.
If it floats, flies or fucks – rent.
Fortunately, dad only outright bought two of those.
Yikes!
Heh
That’s why I don’t have any.
Wives?
Or husbands, for that matter…
Good there were no injuries.