Harshini

“He expects you to support him.”

“Then he has badly misjudged me. I am not so easily bought. I owe Damin Wolfblade for my province and for saving me from the necessity of marrying a man I did not love. That means more to me than a large dowry and an insipid daughter-in-law.”

R'shiel smiled. Perhaps things were still going according to plan.

“Does Cyrus know how you feel?”

“I'm not given to artfulness, R'shiel. I have made no secret of where my loyalties lie.”

“Then you need to be aware of what has happened over the past few days. Cyrus used your name to lure Damin out of Greenharbour, then kidnapped his wife.”

“The Fardohnyan?”

“Princess Adrina.”

“It was unwise of him to take a Fardohnyan wife,” the Warlord said with a frown. “It gave me pause for a time. In fact it came close to costing Damin my loyalty. Fardohnyans killed my husband and I cannot count the people I have lost to them since.”

“His marriage to Adrina will bring peace.”

“Then the peace had better be accompanied by substantial reparation,” Tejay warned. “So, where do things stand now? Is Damin preparing to attack Cyrus?”

“No. We managed to retrieve his wife by... other means. They'll be back in Greenharbour by now.”

“And what of Lords Foxtalon, Bearbow and Falconlance? I've no doubt Narvell Hawksword stands with his half-brother.”

“Rogan Bearbow is on Damin's side. Foxtalon and Falconlance are still allied with Cyrus.”

“Then with my vote, Damin has a majority. Foxtalon will change sides as soon as he realises he's backed a loser, but Eaglespike and Falconlance will not give up so easily. And they have the advantage. Their provinces make up most of the south. We outnumber them in theory, but it will be months before we can muster an army sufficient to defeat them. Our troops are spread out all over Hythria.”

“Cyrus is already prepared for war.”

“You can bet Falconlance is too. The city of Greenharbour might be neutral territory, but it is surrounded by Greenharbour Province - and that is owned, lock, stock and barrel, by Conin Falconlance.”

“Then Greenharbour is likely to fall under siege?”

“You can wager on it.”

R'shiel thought for a moment, trying to think of a way to get the scattered armies of Krakandar, Sunrise, Elasapine, Izcomdar and Pentamor (assuming Tejay was right about Lord Foxtalon) mustered. With a sigh, R'shiel decided Tejay was correct in her assessment. It would take far too long.

Damn it! I don't have time for this! R'shiel fought back the feeling that this entire trip to Hythria had been a waste of time. She was no closer to finding a way to defeat Xaphista, and was certain now of only one thing: if the solution she sought wasn't at Sanctuary, and the Sorcerers' Collective in Greenharbour was unable to help her, that left the Citadel. It had been the heart of Harshini power and was the only place left she could think to look for an answer. She was also sure that the Sisters of the Blade would have kept every book, every scroll, every scrap of parchment they had taken when they overran the Citadel. They might despise the Harshini and do whatever they could to obliterate all traces of their existence, but they were too methodical, too pragmatic, and far too sensible to destroy the only documents that might hold the key to the destruction of their enemies. But with Damin likely to encounter an invading force, and Fardohnya poised to attack...

R'shiel heartily wished she had kept her nose out of the whole messy situation. And she wished she had never conceived the absurd idea that Damin should marry Adrina to force the ruling Houses of Hythria and Fardohnya into a truce. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time... If she was honest with herself, she was willing to admit that her plans had as much to do with annoying the God of War as they did with her ultimate desire to defeat Xaphista. Two nations that had been fighting each other sporadically for two centuries suddenly united would be a serious blow to Zegarnald's mammoth ego. Perhaps she was drunk on her own power. Whatever the reason, it didn't help her at present. Her desire to bring peace had actually caused another war.

Brak had warned her that it would. She should have listened to him. Now she had to do something to end it, preferably before it got started.

“What if you had another ally? One who could be in Greenharbour in a matter of weeks with an army that outnumbers your enemies?” suggested R'shiel.

“Who are you thinking of?”

“Fardohnya.”

Tejay laughed contemptuously. “You think Hablet would send his troops into Hythria for a reason other than conquest?”

“He would if the demon child told him to.”

“I hope your abilities match your confidence, my dear. Besides, the Fardohnyans are even further from Greenharbour than our own troops.”

“But they can sail from Talabar and be in Greenharbour faster than you can get your armies together overland.”

The Warlord nodded, but she was decidedly unhappy about the idea. And sceptical. “So, you plan to ride your dragon into Talabar and make Hablet send his troops to our rescue.”

“If necessary.”

“I will believe it when I see it.”

They were interrupted by Bayla, who backed into the tent carrying a platter of bread and freshly roasted meat. R'shiel realised how hungry she was as the smell reached her. She had not eaten since before she spoke to Korandellan, and that had been two days ago. Bayla placed the tray on the small table in front of them and managed to bow half a dozen times on the way out. Tejay watched her leave with a look of exasperation.

“The gods alone know what it will take to get some spirit into that girl.”

“She's very young.”

“Which is a blessing. Valorian is quite smitten with her helplessness at present, but it won't last. The novelty will wear off soon enough and then they'll both be unhappy.”

“If it's strong women you admire, Tejay, then you and the Princess Adrina should become fast friends.”

“Me? Befriend a Fardohnyan? I find that prospect even more unlikely than the idea that Hablet would help us for a reason other than territorial gain.”

“You might be surprised, Tejay.”

The Warlord helped herself to a shank of meat and smiled at R'shiel. “My dear, if I find myself friends with a Fardohnyan Princess, and one of Hablet's brood at that, 'surprised' won't even begin to describe it.”

CHAPTER 30

From Tejay's camp, R'shiel flew northward towards Fardohnya. Now that she was assured of the Warlord's support and it seemed that Damin and Adrina were finally fighting on the same side, she figured she could leave the rest of it up to them. Tejay was confident that Cyrus Eaglespike and Conin Falconlance would not attack until after the Convocation, on the slim chance she would support them and give Cyrus the majority he needed to claim the High Prince's throne.

With Tejay's promise to stall things as long as possible, R'shiel calculated that she had a couple of weeks at most before Greenharbour fell under siege. Two weeks in which she must get to Fardohnya and convince King Hablet to gather his fleet and send his army to rescue his daughter and her husband, as their ally, not their conqueror.

All this when I want to be in the Citadel, she silently lamented.

But it wasn't just the situation in Hythria that lent her mission urgency. Time was running out on more than