The three Silvanesti warriors loaded their gear into their boats and pushed them into the surf. Kenthrin, biggest of the trio, had a boat to himself. Vixa and Gundabyr rode with him.
The Silvanesti paddled out to smooth water just beyond the breakers. Dannagel and Samcadaris turned their boat’s prow east, and Kenthrin followed. They paddled for a while, then both boats stepped light masts and got underway by wind power.
An hour later, the mouth of the Thon-Thalas appeared. It was a broad delta, with many separate channels emptying into the ocean. The main channel was wider than the rest, and the Silvanesti sailed into it. The islands of the delta were high and covered with scrubby pines and cedars. Gradually, the sandy islets gave way to more solid land-dark earth and clay soil forested with thick stands of oak and ash.
On the right bank, the east side of the river, loomed a large gray citadel. After rounding several loops in the river, the boats drew in under the frowning fortress. Banners of Silvanost whipped from the tower tops.
“Thonbec,” Kenthrin announced.
“Is there no town nearby?” Vixa asked.
“The village of Brackenost lies on the other side of the fortress. The walls shield the fishers from sea squalls blowing up the river.”
A pair of massive stone piers jutted out into the river. Vixa thought them large enough to accommodate sizable war galleys, but no such ships were present this day. Aside from a few fishing dories, no craft at all plied the river.
Thonbec was very old, as evidenced by its design. Built by the famous kender general Balif, its walls were constructed of huge blocks of granite, fitted together without mortar, as was the fashion in earlier times. In shape the fortress was an oval-two squat round towers joined by two sections of wall. The main gate was set in the center of the riverside wall.
A few warriors were idling on the pier when the two boats docked. The appearance of the Qualinesti girl and the dwarf caused quite a stir. Samcadaris ordered a runner to notify General Axarandes of their arrival. Before they had finished unloading their gear from the boats, a squad of Silvanesti, twelve strong and in full armor, came jogging down the hill to the dock.
“Our commander, Axarandes Magiteleran, requires that you come with us at once,” said the sergeant leading the squad. Vixa gave Gundabyr a shrug.
“Lead on,” she told the sergeant. Samcadaris and his friends fell in behind.
With her soldier’s eye, Vixa could see the fortress had not been seriously tested in a long time. Shrubs had been allowed to grow close to the walls and would provide safe cover for an invading enemy. Arrow loops had been bricked up, no doubt to render tower rooms more snug in winter. The huge double gate of Thonbec had stood open so long moss had grown on the hinges. Only the soldiers themselves seemed ready and fit. Vixa took some comfort in that.
As they walked in the main gate, she noted with approval that the walls of the fortress were at least fifteen feet thick. The open bailey was dotted with wooden buildings, erected over the years as conveniences to the garrison. In the center of the grassy courtyard was a reviewing stand. A solitary Silvanesti was seated on it. His long hair had yellowed with age, but his blue eyes were piercing and alert.
The sergeant halted his squad. Gundabyr and Vixa kept going, mounting the steps to the platform. Vixa saluted, Qualinesti fashion, by placing her closed fist over her heart and bowing her head slightly. Gundabyr planted his hands on his hips and said, “Hello.”
“Well,” said General Axarandes. “It seems Samcadaris and his lads had quite a fishing trip. A rare catch indeed.”
“Sir,” Vixa began, “I am a princess of the royal house of Qualinost. My name is Vixa Ambrodel. I am the niece of the Speaker of the Sun.”
“So you say,” was the even reply. “Do you have any proof?”
She spread her hands. “Alas, no. I was held captive and all my belongings taken from me.”
“Who held you prisoner?”
“Blueskins,” Gundabyr said loudly. “Elves who live under the sea.”
There was a ripple of laughter among the guards. Axarandes’s arched eyebrows climbed a little higher. “Extraordinary!” he exclaimed. “Have you any proof of that?”
“We’re here telling you, aren’t we?” said Gundabyr belligerently.
“You might be here for any number of reasons, Master Dwarf. Silvanesti law does not permit outsiders within our borders. If you are who you say you are, lady, then you should know that.”
Nettled, Vixa’s voice rose. “Yes, I
No one laughed now. Axarandes reacted decisively. “Very well,” he said. “I have been a soldier too long to ignore such a warning. Patrols will be sent out to investigate your claim. Dannagel?” The young elf stepped forward. “Form a cavalry troop. Scout the west bank as far as Point Zara. Kenthrin, lead a company east along the shore for the same purpose. Go no farther than Sandpiper Beach.”
Both elves saluted, and Samcadaris asked, “And I, sir?”
“You will muster the remaining garrison and drill them on the common in Brackenost. I want watchers on both towers night and day.” Axarandes stood.
“Is that all?” Vixa asked. “Aren’t you going to send a warning to Silvanost?”
“To what end, lady? We don’t know if this is a real invasion or not. I will not risk a reputation for five hundred years of common sense by sending a false report to His Majesty.”
Vixa traded a helpless look with Gundabyr. The dwarf scowled. “What about us?” he wanted to know.
“You will remain here, under guard.”
“As prisoners?”
“Until the truth of your story can be checked, you are foreigners on Silvanesti soil and must be detained.” In seconds the pair was surrounded by armed elves.
“That’s the thanks we get,” grumbled Gundabyr.
“I don’t wish to be harsh,” Axarandes replied decently. “But the law is the law.”
Vixa and Gundabyr were marched away. They were taken to a large room high up in the south tower. The thick door clanked shut, the bolt slid home, and they were captives once more.
“The luck is still with us,” Gundabyr said sourly, “and it’s still all bad. We shoulda just gone home.”
“No,” Vixa answered with a sigh. “This was the right thing to do. Coryphene and Uriona must be stopped.”
“Do you think this general fella can do it?”
“He’s taking precautions-that’s good. But he simply doesn’t understand who and what he’s dealing with.” She sighed again.
Gundabyr dragged a chair over to the high slit window. He climbed up and peered outside. The afternoon sun illuminated a narrow view of the Thon-Thalas delta and, in the distance, a blue strip of sea.
“I wonder how long it’ll be?” he mused. “How long before we see blueskins marching out of the water?”
Vixa shivered, though the day was quite hot. She drew the Silvanesti cloak closer about her and said nothing.
As prisons went, their room in Thonbec wasn’t too bad. The Silvanesti fed them regularly-no fish after the first meal, when Gundabyr’s anguished complaints rang through the stone fortress. The thick walls kept the room cool, despite the intense afternoon sun, and by night the stones had absorbed enough heat to maintain a pleasant temperature, though cool sea breezes whistled in the slit windows.
Two days after being shut in the tower, Vixa and Gundabyr had a visitor. It was Samcadaris, looking grim.
“Kenthrin and Dannagel have returned,” he reported. “They found no sign of an invading army. When did
