The morning after Drask Silver Hand spared a young man his life, he and several other members of the Sa’ba Taalor stood on the Western Field, a large area not surprisingly to the west of the Emperor’s Palace, and watched an impressive gathering of soldiers going through exercises. They watched avidly, seldom speaking, as over a hundred soldiers went through basic maneuvers with sword, shield and bow. The men were dressed in standard uniforms, not wearing armor, and all of them were on their very best behavior when they realized they had unexpected observers.
There were none among the soldiers who failed to recognize the travelers, and though none of the observers had said a word, rumors had already begun to circulate about what had happened to the Guntha in Roathes.
After noticing that several of his people were spending as much time looking at the people watching them as they were actually practicing, the sergeant in charge of the maneuvers walked over to the group, feeling remarkably self-conscious.
The man, Morton Darnaven, was a long-timer, having spent over fifteen years in the military and a good portion of that along the borders handling skirmishes before being recently brought in to train some of the newer recruits. There was a real chance that he might have been absolutely pissy about the entire situation, but he recognized Wollis March and spoke to him instead of getting into an argument with the visitors.
Wollis was there because he had been asked, again, by one of the Sisters. He was beginning to think Pella liked using him as a buffering agent between civilians and the Sa’ba Taalor. He was not wrong in his assumptions. That did not make him the least bit happier about the situation.
On the other hand, the wizard was still paying him handsomely, and he definitely liked making money.
Wollis and Morton spoke the same language; both were grunts, had seen their share of combat and understood that now and then you just plain had to follow orders. Wollis was also smart enough to introduce him to Tuskandru, who was watching the entire operation with crossed arms and the air of a man who was not the least bit in a hurry to go anywhere.
Morton took Tusk’s measure with one glance. Tusk did the same back. Five minutes after that, Morton had invited the strangers out on the field to practice with the troops if they were so inclined. Starving children offered the finest meals could not have responded with more enthusiasm.
The Sa’ba Taalor were among the soldiers in short order, except for Drask and Tusk, who walked with Morton and Wollis for a while.
“Do your people have a formal military?” Morton was looking at the king, craning his head just a bit to meet the man’s eyes.
Tuskandru shook his head. “No. We don’t have armies.”
“How do you defend yourselves from enemies?”
Tusk grinned under his veil, the crow’s feet around his eyes immediately becoming laugh lines. “We are isolated. Mostly we don’t have friends or enemies outside of the valley.”
Wollis explained exactly where the visitors were from, and both of the strangers were amused by the reaction. Somewhere along the way the rumors had started that the strangers were actually from the far south, well beyond where the Guntha lived on their islands, and where Roathes ended and Brellar began. No one had ever been that far south. It was one thing to know that there was a place called Brellar and another entirely to have been there. The people were said to have strange skin and to cover themselves with scars. The confusion was understandable.
Drask shook his head when the mistake was clarified. “So the people in Brellar scar themselves on purpose?”
Morton nodded. “They are said to tell stories with the scars. That each one has a meaning.”
Drask laughed. “Ours do too.”
“How so?”
He ran his gloved finger across a thick scar on the left side of his chest. “Here I survived my first encounter with the Pra-Moresh.” He stroked a deep indentation on the ribcage on the same side. “This is where Tenna hit me with a spear.”
“What did you to this man, Tenna, that made him try to kill you?”
Tusk laughed at that and slapped Drask hard enough on the back to earn him a withering stare. When he was properly balanced again, Drask responded, “Tenna is a woman. We had a disagreement about whether or not she was going to be with me as a life mate.”
Wollis stared at him for a long moment before he started laughing. Morton took a while longer. “Wait. Are you saying she tried to kill you because you wouldn’t move in with her?”
“To be fair, she was my first. I was the one trying to make something more serious of the relationship.” Wollis laughed so hard he couldn’t stand for several moments. Whatever, exactly, Tusk said in response was in his home tongue and neither of the local men had the vaguest clue, but Drask roared a challenge and rather than fight him, the king merely laughed harder.
When they had finally calmed down, Morton continued his questions. “So, no one in your valley is in an army?”
Tusk contemplated that before answering. “We have seven kings. I am a king. If I tell my people it is time to fight, I expect them to take up arms for me.”
“Has anyone ever said no?”
“No.”
“No one?”
“Why would they?”
“Well, I think if I went down the streets outside of this palace and told people to take up swords and prepare to fight, most of them would tell me to sit on the tip of my sword.” Morton scratched the back of his neck as he spoke, and shrugged.
“If the people of Roathes came today with swords and spears and attacked the palace, the people outside of the palace would not fight?”
“Well, to be sure a few would, I suppose, but most would expect the army to do the fighting for them.”
Tusk shook his head. “How many soldiers are in this army of yours?”
Wollis coughed into his hand. “I don’t really know. Thousands and thousands, I mean if you add all the soldiers from the different kingdoms of the Empire together, of course.”
“How many soldiers do you have here, in Tyrne?”
“Well, there’s the City Guard, the Imperial Guard, and I think close to a thousand if you added in the reserve soldiers.”
“Reserve soldiers?”
“Aye. Citizens who are trained with sword and shield and can be called on to support the Guard.”
Tusk nodded. “I suppose that is what we have instead of an army. We have many reserve soldiers.”
“You would expect a lot of your people to come to arms if you called?”
Tusk shook his head and stared hard at Wollis as he answered. “No, Wollis March. I would expect all of my people to come to arms if I called.”
“All of them?” Wollis shook his head. “The women, the children?”
Tusk gestured to the field where the Sa’ba Taalor were currently testing their archery skills against a good number of the soldiers of the Guard. The locals used crossbows. The visitors used mostly long bows though a few seemed content to merely try their luck with the weapons that the soldiers showed them how to use. Crossbows seemed a fairly novel idea to the lot of them.
Tusk said, “There you see the women and men of my people. Some from my kingdom and some from others.”
“All of your people know how to use weapons?” Morton sounded perplexed.
Tusk looked long and hard at Morton and sounded just as puzzled when he responded. “Don’t all of yours?”
From that moment on, Morton paid much closer attention to the people working alongside his soldiers during his practices that day.
Andover looked at his belongings and sighed. There really weren’t that many of them, aside from his clothes, which were really quite nice, he supposed.
It was almost time to go. In the morning they would be heading out and in the meantime he was packing his belongings into proper bundles. There were wagons, of course, two of them with supplies, and those supplies would include his possessions and the gifts that were being offered to the Sa’ba Taalor by the Emperor.
He almost went to visit his parents. He almost went to tell them that he would be going away, would be headed to a foreign land to serve as ambassador for the Empire, but in the end he decided against it. He hadn’t told them when his hands were ruined, hadn’t told them when he made his apprenticeship, hadn’t spoken to them since they had kicked him out from their home and told him never to come back. Did he miss them? Of course, but they had made their point clearly enough, hadn’t they?
Servants had been sent in to pack his belongings. He’d sent them on their way. He could pack all by himself and he had done so before. Also, Tuskandru was a king and he packed his own things and took care of his own animal. He would probably frown on anyone who couldn’t manage that sort of stuff by himself.
The bundles were deceptively heavy, so he made two trips down to the wagons and packed away everything that needed to be packed.
And as he was feeling the butterflies gathering together in his stomach to swarm again, he saw Tega heading toward the wagons.
She faltered when she saw him, but managed to force a quick smile.
“I did not expect to see you, Andover.”
“I just wanted to finish packing my things. What brings you down here? Did Desh Krohan ask you to check over the arrangements?”
“No. Not exactly.” She looked down at the ground, once again carefully avoiding looking at him. “I am to make the journey to Taalor on his behalf.”
“What? When was that decided?” His voice cracked and he felt himself blush just the slightest amount. He sounded like he was excited by the prospect of traveling with her and that wasn’t what he wanted. He was excited, of course, but he didn’t want to be and he didn’t want her to know it, either. Being near her was a wonderful drug, but it was like the wine his uncle Brann consumed. It was deceptive. It felt so good you didn’t know it was doing you harm. Being around Tega was distracting and he thought he’d need his wits when dealing with the Sa’ba Taalor.
Tega looked at him for a moment and looked away again. “It was not my choice. Desh and the Emperor decided for me.” Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I’ll try not to be in your way.” She quickly shoved her belongings into the wagon and turned away.
“Tega. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just, the Blasted Lands are dangerous.” As if the explanation was any less foolish than his initial reaction.
She waved off his explanation as easily as he might wave aside a persistent insect, and headed away from him.
Andover did not follow her. He wanted to, but what would he possibly say?
It was annoying, really: he could fight two men in combat, beat them both to pulps, receive wounds in the process and keep fighting, but the idea of talking to a woman almost a head shorter than him was enough to make him quake inside.
He continued packing away his belongings, unsettled by the fact that Tega coming along on the trip was putting him in better spirits and simultaneously making him miserable.
“You want to reinstate my commission in the Imperial Army?” Merros stared at the wizard. For a change of pace the man’s hood was down and he could see the rather unremarkable face, which normally hid in a darkness that seemed more than mere shadows. The eyes that looked at him did so with a certain amusement.
“That’s correct. With a promotion, of course.”
“By the gods, man, why would you want to do a thing like that?”
“Well, Emperor Krous would like to thank you for all of your loyal service.” He could smell the lie coming off of the man.
“Mmm. Hmm. Perhaps you might try telling me the actual reason?”
Desh Krohan sighed. “Fine. You have more experience with the Sa’ba Taalor than anyone else.”
“By a fortnight. It’s hardly like I’ve studied them for years.”
“No, but you have studied them.” The wizard leaned in closer and pinned him with a stare. Unremarkable? Hardly. The man just did a very good job of hiding his personality behind a veil of average. “You can deny that if you’d like, Merros, but I know it. I can see it on your face when you look around any place where you are standing, that you see everything. It’s an excellent trait and one that few people have.”
“There are plenty who do. Most any career soldier.”
“Not true. Most career soldiers merely manage to get through their routines without consideration for what goes on around them. If they did otherwise they’d demand substantially more pay for what they face.”
Merros shook his head in response. “Look, I’m really very flattered, but you’ve just paid me enough money to let me retire in comfort. Why would I want to go back to work?”
“Because you aren’t designed to sit on your backside and relax, not any more than I am.”
“I would hardly compare what I do with what you do.”
“Why’s that?”
“You’re a sorcerer! You’re advisor to the Emperor.”
“You’d be advisor to me.”
“No, I’d be a captain. You’d have me telling troops what to do and planning out budgets and doing all of the things I’ve so carefully avoided since I retired.”
“Not a captain. A major. And really? Didn’t you have to budget out that entire expedition before you hired men to go with you?”
“Not really, no. You offered an obscene amount of money.”
“Which I then doubled when you had to do additional work.”
“Which is why I no longer feel much of a need to work as a soldier any more. We’ve just discussed that very fact.”
“You’re really very good at this negotiation business, aren’t you?” The wizard stared at him for a long moment. “Very well then. Colonel. And all of the requisite increases in salary.”
“I’ve just explained that I don’t need the money. I don’t want…” He blinked. “Did you just say ‘colonel?’”
“I might be able to arrange for general as a rank, but really, I think that’s a bit excessive.”
“Now you’re just playing with me.” Merros crossed his arms. “I don’t really much appreciate being toyed with. I know you’ve been very generous as an employer, but there’s no reason to tease a man.”
Krohan leaned in closer and smiled a thin, cold smile, “I can arrange general. For that matter I can also arrange a royal title. I have that sort of clout you know. I have friends in very high places.”
“I don’t really think you need friends in high places. That is to say I’m fairly certain you’re doing just fine in that arena by yourself.”
“True, but I hate to brag.” That one earned him an arch expression from the retired military man. “Look, I want you nearby and in a position where you can do some good. That means around here, and with enough rank to make waves if I need you to.”
“You could use anyone at all for that.”
“I already know you and what you’re capable of handling.”
“I’ll consider the notion very carefully.” Merros leaned back in his seat and stared hard at the sorcerer.
“What more can I ask?” The smile said it all, really. The smile on the man’s face said he knew Merros would eventually agree, if only to stop his life from standing too still. Some people simply aren’t meant to have stationary lives and Merros couldn’t very well abide the notion of settling down.
He hated that the man was right.
There was one last meal for the visitors on the night before they left. The great banquet hall was opened and well over four hundred people were in attendance, many of them officials within the government, many others merely people of influence who wished to see the strangers before they were on their way. The latter group was wide-eyed with excitement, and smart enough, to the last, to know better than to cause troubles.
Noticeably absent was the younger brother of Nachia Krous. It would likely be a while before he was invited to any official encounters. That was also to ensure that there would be no troubles started. Most of the people at the feast were there to enjoy the food and see the strangers before they left to go back into the most inhospitable place anyone could imagine.
That is not always the case with visiting dignitaries and family members.
The Sa’ba Taalor had prepared as best they could for their long trip back. They’d been offered extra supplies, which they accepted, and even a military escort, which they politely declined, and come the sunrise the following day they would be heading back into the Blasted Lands and the valley that nestled in the heart of the Seven Forges.
Pathra Krous made clear that he would do his best to visit them sometime soon, circumstances permitting.
Nachia Krous stared at her cousin with an expression of tolerant indulgence, and then promptly told her assistant to plan to stay in town for a while. More often than not she’d have already headed to the family palace in Canhoon, but if her cousin was feeling the need to explore, she might well be asked to stand in for him.
Three times in the past she’d changed her plans to accommodate the Emperor’s whims. Three times she had wasted her efforts. She did not mind in the least. Her life was relatively placid in comparison and the change of pace was hardly a bad thing in her eyes.
Pathra was in his element. He seemed fully a decade younger as a result of it, too. His face was constantly smiling and his wit was sharp, but pleasant. He could be cutting with his words when it suited him, but at the moment he was, instead, a perfect host, even to that little wench from the south, Lanaie.
Nachia did not like Princess Lanaie and had, for Pathra’s sake, held her opinion in, but she was glad to see the young girl preparing to go back to her father in Roathes. As an added bonus, the girl seemed positively puzzled by everything around her and the expression on her face was quizzical enough to make her cousin stop looking at the girl like she was a prize flower reading for plucking. That, or the hairdresser had finally slipped into his bedchambers and satisfied him. Either way, the enchantment the princess had been casting seemed greatly weakened.
Desh Krohan looked at her with that damnable smirk of his in place, the one that said he knew exactly what she was thinking and that she should likely be ashamed of herself. Part of her remained convinced that the man was a charlatan, but not enough of her to ever test that theory. Really, it was rather like dealing with the gods as far as she was concerned: Likely they did not exist, but she said her prayers and offered her tithings, just in case. The difference was, at the very least she knew Desh Krohan had substance and enough money hidden away to buy most small kingdoms.
Speaking of which, the princess came and settled next to her as the desserts were passed around. There were several choices of exotic fruits – mostly what the Sa’ba Taalor seemed interested in trying – and easily a dozen different forms of cake and pastry. Nachia plucked a round pink pastry from a tray and sampled it with small bites. It was as delicious as it looked.
Lanaie looked at her and gnawed on her lower lip. Like as not Pathra would have found the gesture intoxicating, but Nachia just acknowledged that the girl was too young to know better.
“May I bring to you a delicate matter, Nachia Krous?”
“Of course,” she smiled. It was her duty to her cousin and to the Empire to behave herself. Unlike her little brother, she performed her duties faithfully.
Lanaie looked around carefully and leaned in close enough to have have kissed the heir apparent’s cheek. “There have been… untruths between my father and the Emperor.”
Oh and didn’t that sound appropriately juicy? She kept her face carefully neutral and nodded. “Tell me.”
“My father has claimed that the Guntha came to him and said that their lands were sinking.”
“Yes, I’m familiar with the stories.” She had to be familiar with the stories. As with her cousin she had been raised to understand the machinations of the Empire.
“There are other stories, tales that have not been told because, well, because my father sought financial assistance and to handle the rest himself.”
And wasn’t that often the case? That was why so many requests for assistance were investigated before any resources were put at risk. “What tales, Lanaie?”
The girl actually leaned in closer. Pathra would have been beside himself as the girl’s lips brushed her ear lobe lightly. Knowing Pathra, he’d have been delighted just to watch. He was a bit of pervert, truth be told, but as the Emperor he was also wise enough to be discrete about his unusual habits and tastes. Besides, in comparison to a few other members of the courts her cousin was practically an innocent. He might like watching, but he would never instigate.
“There are stories that the Guntha came seeking help against a fleet of ships, raiders who come from time to time and slaughter anyone who gets in their way.”
“A fleet of ships?” Nachia had to close her eyes for a moment and orient on a mental map of the world. To the south was Roathes, and beyond that the waters of the vast Corinta Ocean and the islands of the Guntha. In the waters to the west of the Guntha? No one could say for certain, because the Guntha had always been a bit on the aggressive side and tended to destroy anything that came too close to their lands.
Corinta to the south, to be sure, but to the north? She had to think for a moment. To the north would be land, yes, but the only land north of the Guntha would be the Blasted Lands and the great frozen wasteland was not exactly an area that had been carefully examined.
“The ships, my lady, are supposedly vast ships, warships of a size not seen anywhere else. They are said to be nearly indestructible.”
“The Guntha make these claims?”
“Yes, my lady.”
Pathra was laughing not a dozen feet away. Something that one of the visitors had said had him first chuckling with delight and then actually laughing out loud. The sounds were welcome and unexpected.
“You say that the islands aren’t sinking? That they’ve been under attack for all of these years and your father has kept these alleged invasions as his secret?” Pathra was laughing. That would change as soon as he heard that accusation.
“Yes, my lady.” The girl nodded her head and looked down at the ground below her feet. “It was wrong, of course, but the claims the Guntha made were preposterous.”
“What sort of claims?”
“The great ships, of course. I mean, of course they could be true stories but they always said the invaders came from the north, and there is nothing to the north but the Blasted Lands.” The girl looked around and then once more leaned closer still. “The claim that my father refused to believe was simple, however.”
“Yes?”
“The Guntha said the invaders had gray skin. Skin like slate. Skin like ashes. And eyes that glowed in the darkness.” She moistened her lips. “And the faces of demons.”
Nachia listened to the words and considered them carefully as she looked toward the Sa’ba Taalor. Finally she nodded her head. “I will mention this to my cousin. He will decide whether or not the words are truthful. He might wish to speak with you before you leave.” The girl nodded her head and looked oddly relieved though Nachia certainly had given her no reason to relax. “Why do you tell me this now? Why would my cousin believe your words are true where your father’s were lies?”
Lanaie looked surprised by the very notion. “Why would I lie?”
Nachia shrugged and picked up a wedge of pabba fruit that has been sprinkled with honey. “Why did your father lie before if what you say now is truth?”
“He thought the Guntha were making up ghosts to convince him to let them have a place to stay.”
“So he decided to make up a lie about the islands of the Guntha sinking?”
“Yes.”
“My cousin will want to speak to you.”
The girl nodded her head and looked around the room.
Nachia managed not to roll her eyes. Like as not she would have let the matter go, but the fact was simple: as far as she could tell, Lanaie was too stupid to make up a lie, but exactly smart enough not to tell the truth without good reason.
From across the room Nachia saw the one called Drask looking at her. His face was hidden, his eyes were half buried in shadows, and the pupils seemed almost to glow, much like the cats she kept in her room.
She contemplated those eyes as she thought about the princess’ words. And like many people before her, she wondered what was hidden by the veils the visitors wore.
••••
Merros and Wollis leaned against the wall of the courtyard and watched in silence while the Sa’ba Taalor gathered their belongings and placed them in the appropriate spots.
After several minutes of observing the insane efficiency of the group, Wollis spit. “I’ve never seen anyone who could pack that much nonsense onto a riding animal and still find a place to ride.”
“Fair enough, but when was the last time you saw anyone who rode a monster the size of those things?”
The closest of the mounts, Swech’s great beast Saa’thaa, cast its eyes toward them and snorted. Merros stared at the face of the thing, hidden though it was behind the skull-like metal and leather mask it wore, and smiled. “I shall miss you, too, you great lumbering thing.” He meant the words only for himself, but damned if the animal didn’t seem to smile in response. At the very least it bared those massive fangs that could make the average dagger feel inadequate.
Swech sauntered around the animal’s flank and slapped it affectionately. The tail of the beast swished and slapped at the back of her legs.
The woman looked toward Merros and nodded. “You came to see us off?”
Merros looked into her eyes and shrugged. Wollis looked away but not before Merros caught the start of a smile on his aide’s face. The bastard knew more than he should. He normally did.
“Well, I could hardly let you leave without wishing you a safe journey.” He deliberately kept his voice casual. It was best not to show too much affection in his experience. Women tended to expect it after a while. Then again, Swech was hardly like most of the women he’d met. And also, his personal experience with long-term relationships was dubious at best. Most times he tended to be the one to call off anything that might seem like a romance.
Swech regarded him and stepped closer, her hand resting on his chest. He felt the heat of her fingers over his heart and she leaned in until the veil over her mouth was close enough to tickle his ear when she spoke in her native tongue. “I shall miss you too. You are an inventive lover.”
She stepped back and nodded a quick farewell before moving to step onto the saddle on Saa’thaa’s broad back. Even as she prepared to mount, Tusk was bellowing his orders. “We head for home! It is time!” Without so much as a glance around, the Obsidian King started forward. The rest of his people were quick to take his actions for their own.
The great animals and the people started off, only a small number waiting until the wagons had moved out of the courtyard before they left.
Wollis watched with Merros for several heartbeats in silence, and then his voice broke that blissful void. “So you’re imaginative now? I shall tell my mother she should expect nothing less than satisfaction when the two of you finally satisfy your carnal lusts.”
Merros laughed. “She said ‘inventive,’ and you’re a jealous bastard.”
“Maybe.” He shook his head. “You may rest assured it’s been a while since Dretta called me ‘inventive.’” He tilted his head. “Actually, it’s just plain been a while.”
“Will you go back home then?”
“No.” Wollis shook his head. “Apparently I’m deserving of a promotion and a commission within the Imperial Army.”
“Krohan?”
His second nodded. “According to the wizard it was the Emperor’s idea.”
“So you’ll be staying here?”
“Messengers have been sent to gather Dretta and my belongings. She’ll positively have a fit. She’s always wanted to see Tyrne.”
“Where will you stay?”
“There’s a nice little villa in the northern quadrant, not far from the cavalry barracks. You know it. The one with the red brick wall around the entire affair.”
“Indeed I do.” Merros looked to his friend. “You’ll be saying there?”
“I should say. I just bought the damned place.”
“My mind acknowledges that both of us have that sort of money these days, but my heart is still having trouble accepting the notion.” Merros shook his head. “Maybe I should look into finding a place of my own.”
“You? Owning property?” Wollis snorted.
“What?”
“I just thought you’d rent a room at the local brothel and work out a deal. You know, work as bouncer and sample the wares whenever you like.”
“If I didn’t know you were joking, I might have to take offense to that, you northern savage.”
“I’d call you rude, but that would hardly be anything unusual.” Wollis looked away and grinned again. “Planning on settling down with Swech, are you? Going to call her back from her homeland and make an honest woman of her?”
“Gods! I can only imagine.” He spoke with a laugh in his voice that he didn’t completely feel. For the moment at least, he would actually miss her. Perhaps it wouldn’t last, but the woman was interesting enough to keep him alert and exactly mysterious enough to make him want to know her better. That was a rare combination for him.
“Just think, you could have a dozen babies and raise your own little army.”
“Is it just me, Wollis? Or are they possibly the scariest fighters you’ve ever met?”
“No. Their women are the scariest fighters I’ve ever met. Their men are just the biggest fighters I’ve ever met.” He looked at Merros and carefully slid a step away before he continued. “I mean, did Swech even notice you were in there? Because if she was with the likes of Tusk first I’m surprised she’d notice.”
“You’re a swine.”
“I’ve seen you naked. I’m not saying you’re inadequate in that department, but be fair, Tusk is, well, Tusk is just plain large everywhere.”
“I didn’t look.”
“The man had no shame. Saw fresh water and stripped down in front of everyone. I had trouble not looking.”
“You really have been away from Dretta for too long.”
“You have no idea. Those great beasts of theirs were beginning to look appetizing.”
“You have very strange appetites, Wollis.”
“Like I said, it’s been a very long time.”
Merros slapped his arm. “Dretta will be with you soon.”
“Not soon enough.”
“There are always the brothels.”
“Dretta would wear my manhood as a necklace.”
“She doesn’t already?”
“You should talk. Was Swech wearing something around her neck as she left?”
“That was just the veil.” He sighed and looked along the path the Sa’ba Taalor had taken. Swech was gone and suddenly he found he was quite tired.
Wollis stared at him for a moment and put a hand on his shoulder without saying a word. That was one of the things he liked about the man. He knew when to quit cracking wise and when to just stay silent.
“Well, no, Nachia. The islands of the Guntha are sinking. I’ve checked on that myself. It’s a slow process, but they are falling back into the sea and nothing can prevent that from happening.” Desh Krohan shrugged. “Well, magic, I suppose, but I haven’t really looked into the matter.”
Nachia rolled her eyes and looked out the window to her suite. The sorcerer was there by her request and she could feel his eyes examining her form. In his defense she was dressed to be noticed. It irked her quite a bit that the man was barely reacting at all.
The sun was rising behind the walls of the palace and the shadows stretched out long fingers that pointed toward the distant Seven Forges.
“So what do you think of the claims that the Sa’ba Taalor have been attacking the Guntha?”
“It seems rather a stretch, doesn’t it?” He paused. “You’ve seen the same maps that I have. I suppose it’s possible that the Taalor have access to the sea, but they certainly don’t have the supplies to build ships of any size, or if they do, they’d have to haul the raw materials for a great distance.”
“The stone that built this castle came from the Wellish Steppes and was carried here by horses and many, many wagons.”
“True enough, but there was a great deal of expense and effort involved.”
“Yes, but how much effort to carry wood to build ships, even if the ships are very large?”
Desh sighed behind her. She turned and saw him staring directly at her face.
“What? Say what’s on your mind, wizard.”
“Even if the Sa’ba Taalor are off and running around on ships, what has that to do with us?”
“The princess spoke as if the Guntha made claims of a vast navy.”
“Secondhand innuendo and suppositions from a girl who has just confessed that her father has been lying to the Emperor.” He shook his head. “Even if it’s true, the Guntha have never been our allies.”
“This isn’t about alliances. This is about not knowing what they are capable of, or what their intentions are.”
“I can see your point, Nachia, but, really, we’ve only just met these people.” He stepped closer and she held her breath. It bothered her, too, that as much as he seemed indifferent to her, she found herself drawn to the sorcerer. She’d have thought the man was using an enchantment on her, but knew better. He had always held a fascination for her, even when she was a child. His hand pointed out the open window to the courtyard below. “It’s almost irrelevant, really. There they go.”
Off to the left the long line of animals – horses and stranger things – were in motion, the great beasts of the Sa’ba Taalor were heading for the distant Seven Forges. A trip that would take weeks at the very least according to what she knew.
“I think I’m relieved.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about them yet.” The man’s voice drifted lazily as he looked toward the caravan. “They’re a fascinating people.”
“They are different.”
“Well, yes, that’s rather what makes them fascinating.”
“Why didn’t you go along?”
“For the same reason that your cousin is still here instead of traveling along with them. I have far too much to do around here.”
“Like what?”
“At the very least I have to advise the Emperor on the changes those people have just brought around.”
“What changes?”
“Weren’t you paying attention?” His voice was teasing. His voice almost always seemed to be teasing. She hated him just a little for that. “Our new neighbors have apparently been killing off our other neighbors to the south.”
“They aren’t new.” She watched them as they moved away, none of the small figures seemed the least bit interested in looking back toward the palace and that suited her just fine. “We just weren’t aware that they were there.”
“Is there a difference?”
“Oh yes.” Her voice was very soft. “We were unaware of them. We should not for a moment think they were unaware of us.”
Desh Krohan nodded his head slowly, never looking away from the winding line of animals and riders. “Congratulations, Nachia. I do believe you’re learning.”
“You said it yourself, Desh. One should never stop learning. Or studying the world.”
She closed her eyes as she felt his hand pat her back softly for a moment. Oh, how she hated that the contact felt so damned good. “I stand corrected. I know you’re learning. That’s what I like to see.”
In the very far distance there was a flare of light and both of them looked. For just a moment the illumination from the Seven Forges was bright enough to be seen on the horizon. Neither of them was looking when the faintest vibration from the same location reached the palace.