Chapter Summaries

Franz and Ernst followed an old sailor through the Iron Islands’ squalid shantytown to a brothel. Franz paid for a room but refused the woman’s advances, intending to question her, and the chapter ended with him breaking a stool and falling to the floor.

• Franz and Ernst followed the old sailor through the filthy shantytown, where they saw starving residents and unburied corpses.
• The old sailor brought them to a cluster of huts used as entertainment venues and offered to pay for them.
• Franz paid the women with copper coins, then chose a young, emaciated woman while Ernst chose another.
• Franz entered a cramped cubicle with the woman, avoided her attempt to lead him to the bed, and said he only wanted to ask questions.
• Franz tried to sit on a rickety stool, broke one of its legs, and fell as the frightened woman rushed to help him.

Franz questioned Mia about her past and the people on the island, learning that war had left her grieving and hopeless. Mia described the three factions among the island’s resistance forces, leaving Franz with a clearer picture of their strengths and divisions.

• Franz asked Mia about her name and homeland, and she told him the Saurons had killed her family and that she had been captured and violated before fleeing to the island.
• Franz asked who visited the island, and Mia listed soldiers, local farmers and fishermen, and merchant caravans.
• Mia asked whether the kingdom’s army had retaken the Northern Territory, and Franz noted her hope in hearing about Carnford before directing her back to his questions.
• Mia explained that Walter led a scattered group of Broomflower soldiers who had nowhere else to go.
• Mia described Werner’s well-equipped forces as the island’s largest and strongest faction, while Klein led displaced Northern Territory people with few weapons or trained fighters.
• Franz considered the rival groups led by Walter, Werner, and Klein and their differing strengths and interests.

Franz revealed to Mia that Carnford had rebuilt its kingdom fortress and that its army had returned, but refused to take her with him. He reunited with Ernst, and the two compared intelligence about the factions and harsh conditions on the island.

• Mia seized Franz and asked whether he was really from Carnford, and he confirmed it and told her Ashbourne's kingdom fortress had been rebuilt.
• Mia begged Franz to take her back to Carnford, but he refused, urging her to survive until Carnford drove the Saurons from her homeland.
• Franz left Mia with a renewed sliver of hope and hurried out to meet Ernst beneath a withered tree.
• Ernst told Franz that a refugee farmer's wife had described the island's feuding factions and the hardships faced by ordinary soldiers and refugees.
• Franz shared what Mia had told him: Walter, Werner, and Klein led the factions, with Werner strongest and internal conflicts among them.

Franz and Ernst followed Old Charlie from the Shantytown Area to a tavern frequented by the island’s officers, hoping to observe its people and gather information. They noticed a watcher and heightened security on the way, then began surveying the tavern’s patrons.

• Old Charlie invited Franz and Ernst to drink at a tavern that his caravan had opened for the island’s officers and soldiers.
• Franz and Ernst agreed, recognizing the tavern as a useful place to observe people and gather information.
• As they climbed out of the Shantytown Area, Franz and Ernst sensed someone watching them, but the presence soon disappeared.
• Franz noticed that armed soldiers were more numerous and wary on the upper slopes, making him suspect that trouble was brewing on the island.
• Old Charlie brought Franz and Ernst to the tavern, where Boss Bov served them ale, roast meat, and vegetables.
• Franz surveyed the tavern and identified its well-dressed patrons and their guards as likely followers of Baron Werner.

Franz learned that Walter’s faction was secretly mobilizing against Werner’s men, and an internal clash seemed imminent. As Franz and Ernst prepared to leave the tavern, an explosion sent iron pellets through its window, killing Charlie and striking the officers nearby while the two men sheltered beneath a table.

• Franz overheard Werner’s officers discussing Walter’s sudden mobilization and realized the island’s factions were close to open conflict.
• Franz gave Ernst a discreet warning, and Ernst acknowledged that he had noticed the danger.
• Charlie decided that he, Franz, and Ernst should return to their ship before the caravan left them behind.
• An explosion outside the tavern shattered a window and sprayed iron pellets into the room.
• Charlie was killed and nearby officers were killed or wounded, while Franz and Ernst escaped the first blast by taking cover beneath a table.

Franz and Ernst escaped a massacre at a tavern and realized Walter had launched a large-scale assault on the harbor. They headed for the docks to return to their ship and carry the news back to Carnford.

• Franz and Ernst hid behind the tavern bar as Walter's men stormed inside and slaughtered the officers.
• Franz and Ernst escaped through a storeroom after fighting off attackers at its door.
• Franz recognized that the advancing soldiers were Walter's men and that their main target was the harbor.
• Franz and Ernst decided to reach their ship and make their way cautiously toward the docks.

Franz and Ernst fought their way through the chaos on the Iron Islands, using captured Walter soldiers’ arm markings to move more safely toward the docks. They reached the edge of the burning Shantytown Area and found their fleet leader dead, but continued toward the harbor to return to their merchant ship with vital intelligence.

• Franz and Ernst hid from their pursuers, then killed a Walter soldier who discovered them and took his Armed Sword and gray arm markings.
• The disguises helped Franz and Ernst pass scattered Walter soldiers as they headed toward the Shantytown Area and the docks.
• Franz and Ernst saw reinforcements advancing from the harbor and concluded that Werner or Klein had prepared to counter Walter’s attack.
• Franz led Ernst through the burning Shantytown Area, where they killed anyone blocking their path as they fought toward the harbor.
• A mangled corpse tripped Franz, and he recognized the dead man as the leader of their fleet before he and Ernst continued toward the docks.

Franz and Ernst watched Walter’s rebellion at the harbor collapse, then used the chaos to secure permission to leave. They reached their familiar merchant ship as the harbor prepared to be sealed and searched.

• Franz stopped Ernst from rushing into the harbor battle, and they watched from hiding as the guerrillas defeated Walter’s forces.
• The officer ordered his archers to set fire to the hut where Walter and his remaining guards were making their last stand, then had the escaping rebels killed.
• After Walter’s defeat, Franz and Ernst removed their rebel-identifying Cloth Strips and hurried toward the docks.
• A patrol stopped Franz and Ernst, but the officer recognized them and let them pass after Franz slipped him Silver coins.
• Franz and Ernst found their unharmed merchant ship still moored at its berth, with its sails half-raised.

Franz and Ernst escaped to the merchant ship and convinced the first mate that Captain Charlie was dead, prompting the crew to flee the burning island. As the ship left the harbor, a sudden volley of shrill sounds came from shore just after Franz and Ernst entered the cabin.

• Franz and Ernst reached the ship, where the sailors recognized them and let them aboard.
• Franz told the first mate that Captain Charlie was dead, giving the crew a reason to leave without waiting for him.
• The first mate ordered the sailors to weigh anchor, cut the mooring ropes, raise the sails, and push the ship out to sea.
• Sailors used bamboo poles to drive desperate refugees away from the departing ship, and Franz and Ernst turned toward the cabin rather than watch.
• A dense burst of shrill sounds tore through the air from the shore as Franz and Ernst stepped into the cabin.

Franz and Ernst escaped the Iron Islands aboard their merchant ship after Saurons attacked it with arrows from the opposite shore. Franz headed south for Carnford with intelligence about the island’s civil war, while wondering whether Mia had survived.

• Saurons on the opposite shore launched a rain of arrows at the merchant ship, killing and wounding sailors as Franz and Ernst took cover.
• Franz identified the attackers as Saurons and realized they were trying to stop ships from escaping the Iron Islands.
• The ship sailed out of arrow range, and the Saurons abandoned their attack as the harbor burned behind them.
• Franz and Ernst assessed the battle’s aftermath, and Franz resumed steering toward Carnford with valuable intelligence about the Iron Islands.
• Franz remembered Mia and silently hoped she had survived before turning his attention back to the sea.

Richter reported that the Saurons might attack the Iron Islands after exploiting Walter’s rebellion, and Karl decided Carnford would support the islands rather than leave them isolated. He ordered intelligence-sharing, supplies, and larger land-based raids to divert Sauron forces, then summoned his advisers to a council.

• Richter reported that the Iron Islands had three armed forces and that the Saurons had secretly backed Walter’s failed rebellion.
• Richter warned Karl that the Saurons might launch a cross-sea attack, while the Iron Islands had fewer than two thousand troops and had suffered heavy losses.
• Karl concluded that Carnford had to help the Iron Islands because their fall would leave Carnford facing the Saurons alone.
• Karl ordered Richter to share intelligence, send weapons and supplies through Grimm’s merchant ships, and prepare raids to disrupt Sauron logistics.
• Richter left to establish contact and monitor Sauron movements, while Karl summoned Brendan, Roland, Steward Edgar, and Mr. Hans for a council.

Karl learned that the Sauron people were backing a rebellion on the Iron Islands and preparing an invasion, so he decided to disrupt their plans by attacking Tyrol. The chapter ended with his commanders recognizing Tyrol as the vital land passage to the Southwest Peninsula.

• Karl considered why Harald had withdrawn Sauron forces instead of retaliating against his cavalry raids.
• Karl briefed Brendan, Roland, Edgar, and Hans on the Iron Islands rebellion and the Sauron people's plans, assuring them the intelligence was reliable.
• Karl explained that Harald intended to defeat the Iron Islands before turning his full strength against Carnford.
• Karl rejected sending troops across the sea and proposed creating trouble for Harald on land to delay the invasion.
• Karl chose Tyrol as his target, and Brendan and Roland explained that whoever controlled it could block the only land route to the Southwest Peninsula.

Karl argued that Carnford had to capture Tyrol to break the Saurons’ hold on the Southwest Peninsula and support the Iron Islands. After Brendan reported Carnford’s available forces, Karl said an attack could either seize Tyrol or force Harald to divert troops from the Iron Islands.

• Karl explained that the Saurons had fortified Tyrol as a barrier to Carnford’s expansion and urged an attack while Harald focused on the Iron Islands.
• Karl outlined the strategic benefits of capturing Tyrol, including securing the peninsula route and receiving people fleeing the Iron Islands.
• Karl asked Brendan for a report on the army’s readiness.
• Brendan reported 2,500 regular troops, 900 militia, and about 2,000 able-bodied refugees available for military support.
• Karl concluded that the Sauron garrison at Tyrol was unlikely to match Carnford’s forces and that an attack could draw reinforcements away from the Iron Islands.

Hans raised concerns about the cost and supplies required for a month-long northern campaign, but Edgar assured Karl that Carnford could support it. Karl ordered the military and civil administration to prepare for an immediate campaign aimed at defeating Sauron and securing territory, ports, and strategic depth.

• Hans estimated the campaign's added military pay and food needs and warned that equipment, medicine, and transport supplies would strain the civil administration budget.
• Edgar reviewed Carnford's reserves and tax revenue, then promised to supply the army despite the campaign's heavy cost.
• Karl declared that victory would relieve the Iron Islands' siege, drive Sauron from the Southwest Peninsula, and expand Carnford's territory and strategic depth.
• Karl ordered the officers to distribute maps around Tyrol and submit preliminary battle plans before nightfall the next day.
• Karl told Edgar and Hans to begin allocating provisions and pay and organizing transport teams so the army could deploy as soon as reconnaissance returned.
• After the meeting, everyone dispersed to begin preparations for war.

Karl traveled along the prosperous, newly secured trade route to Fran City to report his border counterattacks to Count Rochefort and seek his support. After Karl described the raids on Sauron outposts, he revealed that Harald had unexpectedly pulled back his defensive line instead of retaliating.

• Karl rode south from the castle toward Fran City along the busy trade route, which had been improved and secured by patrols.
• Karl arrived in Fran City and waited at Count Rochefort’s office until the Count emerged and received him.
• Karl told Count Rochefort that he had led swift attacks on lightly defended Sauron villages and outposts, destroying supplies and barracks before withdrawing.
• Karl explained that the raids had signaled Carnford’s willingness to strike back, but Harald had responded by pulling back his defensive line along Carnford’s northern border.

Karl told Earl Rochefort that Harald had retreated because the Sauron army was focused on the Iron Islands, where it threatened a resistance stronghold. He proposed attacking Tyrol to force Harald to divert troops, and the Earl ended by bluntly asking how many soldiers Karl could deploy.

• Karl reported that Harald had abandoned several forward strongpoints and pulled his forces back more than ten kilometers.
• Karl revealed that Harald’s true priority was the Iron Islands and briefed Earl Rochefort on its factions, Walter’s rebellion, and the Sauron threat.
• Karl explained that Carnford’s Intelligence Department had gathered the information, and he argued that the Iron Islands had to be supported.
• Karl proposed attacking Tyrol with Carnford’s Main Corps to force Harald to choose between defending his territory and pursuing the Iron Islands.
• Earl Rochefort praised the plan’s boldness, then asked Karl how many troops he had available for deployment.

Karl reported that Carnford had rebuilt a capable force and argued that the Sauron position at Tyrol was vulnerable because its defenses were unfinished. Earl Rochefort considered the intelligence and weighed the risks and potential gains of attacking.

• Karl told Earl Rochefort that Carnford had 2,500 standing troops, 600 trained militiamen, and refugees who could be mobilized as auxiliaries.
• Earl Rochefort praised Karl for restoring the army and morale after the siege.
• Karl reported that Harald had about 2,000 Sauron Combatants among roughly 5,000 people in Tyrol, where refugees and surrendered men were building defenses.
• Karl warned that Tyrol’s fortifications were incomplete and urged an immediate attack before the Sauron forces could strengthen them.
• Earl Rochefort studied the map and considered the opportunity, risks, and possible gains of an offensive.

Karl secured Earl Rochefort’s approval for an operation to seize Tyrol, with a thousand elite cavalrymen assigned as reinforcements. After the military plans were settled, Karl remained in the office in an awkward silence, leaving his reason for lingering unclear.

• Earl Rochefort approved Karl’s plan to strike Tyrol and asked what support Carnford needed.
• Karl said Carnford could provide its own troops but admitted its cavalry was weak, and he requested cavalry support from Fran City.
• Earl Rochefort assigned a thousand experienced cavalrymen to Karl’s operation, while reserving battlefield command for his appointed officer.
• Earl Rochefort warned Karl to prioritize the army’s safety and bring the reinforcements back, and Karl promised Carnford would not disappoint him.
• After their military discussion ended, Karl stayed seated in silence while Earl Rochefort refilled his pipe.

Karl asked Earl Rochefort whether Charlotte was all right and learned that she was happy but still refused to see him. After Karl left to lead the campaign in Tyrol, the Count worried that his risky plans and limited forces could turn the expedition into a disaster.

• Karl asked Earl Rochefort about Charlotte, and the Count said she was safe, happy to know Karl's feelings, but did not want to meet him.
• Karl accepted Charlotte's refusal and said he understood that his marriage to the Princess kept them apart.
• Karl told Earl Rochefort he had to return to Carnford to deploy his forces in Tyrol, and the Count entrusted the operation to him.
• Earl Rochefort watched Karl leave Fran City and worried that the young lord's next gamble could end in catastrophe.
• Earl Rochefort reflected that he had approved only one thousand elite cavalrymen because a larger force might encourage Karl to abandon the plan and risk an ambush in the Northern Wilderness.

The Count weighed the military and political risks of giving Karl a thousand elite cavalrymen, while privately hoping Karl could turn the gamble into a victory. Karl returned to Carnford Castle excited about the coming operation but decided to wait until morning before informing his commanders.

• The Count considered the thousand cavalrymen a limited probe and potential bait, while keeping reserves ready in case Karl’s force was defeated or surrounded.
• The Count worried about the political consequences of Karl’s failure but anticipated sharing in the glory if Karl succeeded.
• Mrs. Ella massaged the Count’s shoulders, questioned his concern for Karl, and accompanied him back to their room.
• Karl and his group returned to Carnford Castle late at night after meeting with the Count.
• Karl decided not to wake Brendan, Roland, and the other commanders, choosing to announce the operation formally the next day.