The voyage was expected to take three to four days and there was talk of headwinds and storms, and Dan was feeling wretched long before he sailed. "It's going to be murder," he grumbled to Chaldez. "I hate the sea. I'm only doing this for you, you know that?"
"In that case," retorted Chaldez, "you won't leave me alone with Havil this time."
Dan felt ill as soon as he got on board, but was not tormented with the terrors which had overwhelmed him on the voyage to Jeggan and he was able, after a while, to leave his cot.
Chaldez hoped to avoid Havil who, as second-in-command strutted around at Cregitzig's elbow, believing himself to be very important. There were others on board who were far more able and experienced than he, and Cregitzig conferred with them openly. Havil alone, it seemed, was taken in by his own spurious ranking.
"The king made him second in command only to humour him," Chaldez was told.
The person whose presence on board surprised Chaldez most was the elderly Taddig, known as the "Law Maker." It was said he had unparalleled experience in drafting decrees and raising taxes. He had often advised Queen Rane.
Early in the voyage Havil sought out Chaldez, and having cornered him, spoke pompously of the things which he and the commander were doing. Then abruptly he changed the subject. As soon as their grandfather was restored to the Kroyan throne, he said, he, Havil, would help overthrow Sigmar. He boasted of his many friends, great warriors, who would do anything he asked of them. With their support Chaldez could not fail.
Chaldez resented this intrusion into his own affairs. It was his mother and father whose murder he must avenge; it had nothing to do with Havil. And he was annoyed by the implication that he needed Havil's help. Furthermore, he knew some of the "friends" of whom Havil spoke, and they were not "great warriors" at all, and he doubted very much that those who were would rush to his side out of simple affection for him. Most people found Havil to be as obnoxious as he did. But he said nothing; he only wished the voyage would soon be over.
The fleet sailed into the Kroyan Sea, which lies to the west of the Kroyan peninsular, and approached the mouth of the River Buden. The ancient capital of Budenrath stands on its banks about a day's journey from the coast.
No attempt was made by the Kroyans to challenge the fleet as it stood off the river mouth, and there was no sign of an opposing army on the shore. Havil said confidentially "Babra's biding his time," and he added that the fleet would sail up the river and attack the capital; they were just waiting for the tide.
But the commander's plan, it turned out, was to disembark at the coast.
The landing was meticulously executed, and by dusk the entire army was encamped in open country close to the sea. Ahead lay the dark mass of an extensive forest.
It was apparent the next day that Cregitzig would wait there for Babra's attack; Chaldez recalled that he had followed a similar tactic against Jedseg.
Babra's army arrived during the night, and the following morning its encampment had appeared as though by magic along the edge of the forest.
The Theigans had a small number of horses, and Dan, Chaldez and Havil were each offered a mount. They were invited to observe the coming battle with the commander, who chose as his vantage point the top of a low hill overlooking the field of battle.
Dan told Havil: "I hope we're not expected to sit here and do nothing," and Havil assured him that there would be plenty for them all to do before the day was over.
Chaldez was tense. He gave the impression of being alert to what was going on around him, but in fact was oblivious to practically everything except his own anxiety. Only when battle was joined did he forget his fears, and then he was as eager as his two companions to join the fray.
They were allowed to do so towards the end of the day. Cregitzig beckoned to Havil and appeared to point out several parts of the battlefield to him. Havil returned in a hurry. "He wants us down there!" he cried," pointing ahead of him. "Come on!"
Dan and Chaldez followed, galloping past small knots of men ferociously hammering it out at close quarters. Havil's charge took them to the centre of a thick crowd. Other horsemen joined them and almost at once the enemy foot soldiers at that point took to their heals. This provoked a great cry from the Theigans. Dan, Havil and Chaldez galloped after them, taking great swipes with their long swords whenever they thought there was a chance of making contact.
Chaldez was a little way behind the other two when his horse shied suddenly, reared and threw him. He was on his feet almost instantly, but shaken and slightly dazed. He saw his horse a short distance away, and could hardly believe what happened next: Havil, apparently aware of what had happened, had turned his own horse and was cantering back. He rode directly up to Chaldez's horse, struck its backside with the flat of his sword and shooed it off. Then he wheeled around and galloped away. Chaldez was dumb-struck, but he had little opportunity to do anything because in the next instant he was surrounded by fleeing Kroyans. They seemed to be completely unaware of him, but their numbers were such that all he could do was stand where he was, looking this way and that, sure that he would be attacked from behind. And it was just as he was glancing over his shoulder that a heavy Kroyan barged into him, sending him sprawling. Each time he tried to stand up he was knocked down again. He became increasing bewildered and fearful; at any moment he fully expected to be impaled on a thrusting sword; his own he had lost. It had been kicked out of his grasp as he lay on the ground. For the hundredth time, it seemed, he struggled to his feet, but now as he looked up he found himself gazing at the stomping hooves and shiny, sweat-flecked hindquarters of a war horse. From his position astride it, Dan looked down over his shoulder.
"Up here!" he shouted. "Up here!".
The battlefield was chaotic. Men were running in all directions, and some of the them with the most appalling wounds. On the ground were sprawled the dead and wounded in hideous attitudes. Dan shouted over his shoulder: "The day is ours!".
He worked his way back towards the command position, and when they reached it, Chaldez slid to the ground. He had been kicked so many times that his body was covered in bruises and he found he could hardly move. He sat down on the grass, his head on his knees. He was shaking uncontrollably.
He felt an arm round his shoulders and looked up; Havil was squatting beside him. He stared at him blankly. Havil said "The god's be praised! When they told me you were all right I wept for joy! Do you know, I saw you thrown and I came back to find you but I just couldn't see you anywhere - and I did a terrible thing! I hardly dare tell you what I did. I saw your horse standing there and I was filled with such rage at what the stupid thing had done - I thought you were dead, I swear I did - I beat it with my sword and of course off it galloped! You can't have been far away at all but I just didn't see you. There were so many people all over the place. I didn't know who were Kroyans and who were Theigans. It was all such a muddle. I looked for you but I just couldn't see you anywhere. And when your horse had gone I tried to get it back, but that was hopeless, and of course I couldn't find the spot again where you'd fallen. Cousin, do forgive me! I might have cost you your life! You spared me mine once, and in gratitude I almost take yours! What must you think of me?"
Chaldez said "I'm alive, that's what matters."
After the route of Babra's army, Cregitzig marched on Budenrath, the capital, and took it without incident.
The city was quite different from those of Theigia, for while the houses of the lower orders were the familiar wood and mud hovels, the temples, the great houses of the wealthy and the imposing royal castle, standing on a high bluff above the Buden river, were built of stone.
Havil commandeered for his use a fine house which had been owned by one of Babra's relatives, and he offered quarters there to Dan and Chaldez. Inside, they found furnishings the like of which were not even to be found even in Eujinni; everything, from a humble stool to highly ornamented tables and chairs were stoutly built and beautifully finished. Finely wrought objects in gold, silver, tin and brass abounded, and many were decorated with precious and semi-precious stones.
The first few days following the battle were hectic; reports reached the capital of armed resistance; production in many of the mines had ceased and no-one knew for certain what had become of Babra and those of his chief lieutenants who had survived the battle.
Havil, Taddig the "Law Maker," and Cregitzig were in daily consultation, and soon Havil was issuing directives and decrees in the name of Taigram II, the country's 'legitimate' sovereign.
Chaldez and Dan laughed at him; they thought his presumption was ridiculous, but they could no longer scoff when they found out that everyone else was taking him seriously. Chaldez now spoke to Dan about his cousin's extraordinary behaviour on the battlefield. He said "He told me he hit my horse in a rage, but I saw him shoo it away!"
Dan was doubtful, "If he'd wanted to be rid of you," he said, "why didn't he kill you? No one would have known."
"Perhaps he genuinely didn't know where I was."
"Perhaps he was genuinely enraged by the stupidity of your horse?"
Chaldez shook his head. "From where I was standing it just looked too deliberate for that. I couldn't believe it."
"He's a snake, we know that," said Dan, "but what you're saying doesn't make sense. No… if he'd wanted to kill you it would have been easy enough."
Chaldez was not happy with this conclusion, but he decided that it was pointless to argue further.