Chapter 317: I Prepared a Feast for One
Since they still had some time before they reached Spikeroog, Lynn, with nothing else to do, asked Lugos the Mad about the state of the peace talks between their two clans.
"Not long after you sent word for Clan Drummond, our two families met on the Isle of Hindarsfjall. I represented Clan Drummond, and the representative for Clan an Craite was 'Crach an Craite,' himself."
"That young an Craite elder was more reasonable than I expected. He was willing to put our past grudges aside, agreed to the talks, and was even willing to make certain concessions."
"To be honest, the land he asked Clan Drummond to give up was less than we'd anticipated, and he was even willing to offer us some compensation."
Seeing that the peace talks had made good progress, Lynn felt relieved. "That's good to hear."
No single clan on the Skellige Isles was particularly powerful on its own. But if they all united, they would have the strength to rival any of the Northern Kingdoms.
The rest of the journey was uneventful. When they arrived at Spikeroog, they were surprised to find a large group of people building a fence on the eastern side of the island. The arrival of Clan Drummond's longship drew the attention of the laborers building the fence and the soldiers guarding the area. The laborers dropped their tools and fled, while the soldiers formed a line on the beach, ready for an incoming enemy.
However, when they saw the Clan Drummond flag on the longship and recognized Lugos the Mad and a witcher at the front of the group disembarking, the soldiers relaxed their guard. A middle-aged man with a full beard and chainmail came forward.
"Lord Lugos, I am Olgierd, Count Torgier's captain of the guard. The Count and I have already heard from the witcher Gerd, who arrived before you. We are grateful for your and Clan Drummond's help."
The man then turned to Lynn. "You must be witcher Lynn, Lord Gerd's companion. Your name has already spread across Spikeroog. I can assure you, your valiant assistance will not be forgotten. And I, personally, thank you for saving my son."
"Your son?" Lynn was a little taken aback before he realized that this man must be Olve's father.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lynn looked at the bustling, makeshift fortifications in confusion. "What are you all doing out here? If you know the Nilfgaardians are coming, why don't you retreat to the castle?"
Olgierd pointed to the fields far behind the flimsy wooden walls. "To protect the fields, my lord. If the Nilfgaardians trample them, countless people will starve, even if we successfully defend the castle and repel the enemy."
Lynn followed his gaze. From here, he couldn't see Count Torgier's castle, only vast fields of crops. In an instant, he understood Olgierd and Count Torgier's reasoning. In this era of underdeveloped productivity, a slight turn of bad weather could lead to a famine, let alone a war.
The Skellige Isles also weren't as wealthy as Northern kingdoms and regions like Kovir or Novigrad. Even if the lords wanted to aid their people, they didn't have enough money in their treasuries to buy grain from outside. To avoid a tragic end with people starving to death, they had to bite the bullet and try to stop the enemy here.
Clan Drummond's soldiers were sent to rest. Lynn and Lugos the Mad followed Olgierd to a tent behind the wooden wall, where they met Count Torgier, as well as Gerd and the young an Craite elder, Crach, who had arrived before them.
Lynn and Lugos the Mad greeted Count Torgier, then turned to greet Gerd and Crach. Perhaps because of the peace talks, or the presence of a greater enemy, both Lugos the Mad and Crach were composed. This made Count Torgier a little relieved. As an elder of one of the major clans of the Isles, Count Torgier was well aware of the animosity between the two families. He had been prepared to stand between their leaders at all times. The result surprised and pleased him.
"Since witcher Lynn and Lord Lugos have just arrived, allow me to brief you on our current situation: the Tuirseach branch family has only three hundred soldiers on Spikeroog. Half of them have been deployed to monitor the north and south sides of the island to prevent the Nilfgaardians from landing there."
If the enemy truly bypassed them, the one hundred and fifty men couldn't stop them, but they could at least buy some time and send a warning signal. The last thing they needed was to be taken by surprise.
"Therefore, we only have one hundred and fifty soldiers available. Fortunately, Lord Crach has also brought one hundred and fifty loyal and brave soldiers with him."
Only one hundred and fifty men? Lugos the Mad didn't say it out loud, but he couldn't help but scoff in his mind. He knew that Clan an Craite, just like his own Clan Drummond, had sent most of their forces to join the Skellige fleet under King Bran's command.
But to only bring one hundred and fifty men? Clan Drummond had sent a full two hundred light infantry. Even though he had decided to make peace with Clan an Craite, the Skellige culture was one of fierce competition. There was no such thing as being humble. Strong was strong, and as long as you weren't bullying the weak, what was wrong with showing your strength?
However, Lugos the Mad kept his thoughts to himself. He wasn't stupid. He wouldn't throw a wrench into the works at such an important time for the two clans.
Perhaps sensing Lugos's internal thoughts, Count Torgier added, "While the an Craite clan's numbers are low, forty of them are archers. The remaining fifty are heavy infantry, and sixty are spearmen. That's a force not to be underestimated."
Lugos the Mad immediately simmered down. He was incredibly grateful he hadn't spoken up. It would have been incredibly embarrassing. Although he had brought more men than Clan an Craite, all two hundred of them were light infantry. He had neither archers nor heavy infantry. Such a diverse composition of forces could only be afforded by Clan an Craite, with its prosperous port of Kaer Trolde.
Count Torgier, seeing that he had made his point, changed the subject and said a few calming words, which finally made Lugos the Mad's expression soften.
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