Mangan grunted. I saw how it got dark when you used your magic, he said. I thought maybe you knew at least a little necromancy.
Dai Shan felt a twinge of surprise. Perhaps the Iron Lord was a bit less dim than he seemed.
I m afraid not, the merchant said.
And, if I may return to my point: the fact of the matter is that no group of outlanders be they Shou, Aglarondan, Halruaan, or Thayan is likely to solve the current problem for you. We simply know too little about Rashemen. We don t comprehend its history and traditions.
Yhelbruna says differently, Mangan said.
Highness, I mean no disrespect to the hathrans when I suggest that prophecy provides uncertain guidance to practical men, the Shou replied. In my experience, it s better to act on the basis of common sense, and then trust that afterward, no matter how things work out, the seer will provide a tortured interpretation of the original prediction to demonstrate that it all came true after all.
For a moment, Mangan s lips quirked into a smile. It was the revelation Dai Shan had been watching for: a sign that at least once in a while and to some degree, the Iron Lord chafed at taking orders from the Wychlaran.
I hear you, Mangan said. But to a practical man like me, your remarks so far seem to boil down to one thing: You give up. But you didn t ask for a private palaver just to tell me that.
Your Highness is as astute as he is valiant, replied the Shou. I m ready to give up on ridding Rashemen of the undead. But I haven t given up on acquiring the griffons. The talks we had when I first arrived in Immilmar give me hope that you still see some advantage to parting with them in a straightforward business transaction.
Mangan scratched at his short black beard with its sprinkling of white. Dai Shan wouldn t have been astonished to discover that the Rashemi had fleas.
You know I was always of two minds about that, Mangan said. I believe the beasts truly are a gift from the spirits, and they unquestionably have the potential to become a formidable weapon. But Rashemen s forces have never included aerial cavalry by the spiral horn, we barely even have horsemen and a sensible warrior sees the practical difficulties of building such a company from scratch even if the witches don t. I also know Rashemen is a poor realm because we don t have much to sell that folk from other lands are willing to buy at a decent price. I thought, perhaps we finally do have something, and who s to say that s not what the Three mean for us to do with it?
Dai Shan smiled. Certainly not I, he said.
Mangan didn t return the smile. No. Not you, he replied. Yhelbruna. She proclaimed this quest of hers, and there s the end of any common-sense notions I had.
Yet you re the Iron Lord, the Shou said.
Beloved champion of your people. I know you don t mean to suggest that you have nothing to say in the matter.
Mangan opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated.
Dai Shan pressed onward. So it seems to me, wise prince, he continued, that if you ordered the release of the griffons into my custody, released they would surely be. Afterward, if you deemed it necessary, you could say you misunderstood the hathrans plans for them, or that the Three spoke to you and commanded you to act as you did. Surely they ve granted a revelation to a male at some point in Rashemi history.
At any rate, the crux of the matter is this: With the griffons gone, the Aglarondans and the various sellswords will have no reason to stay in Rashemen and try to help you. And when they leave, the Wychlaran will understand that they don t dare pick a quarrel with the only warlord left to deal with the undead. That s what you ve wanted to do from the start, if I m not mistaken, and I have every confidence you ultimately will. By the time you have destroyed them, the griffons will only be a fading memory, whereas Mangan Uruk will be more of a hero than ever. The hathrans will surely see there s absolutely nothing to gain by bickering with you, then.
You spin a happy story, Mangan said. But hathrans are actually minding the griffons, hathrans who undoubtedly do understand Yhelbruna s actual intent.
One priestess tends the animals, Dai Shan replied. One at a time. I took the liberty of checking. Surely two practical men can contrive a way to draw her away from her post. Then a wizard in my company, a beast charmer of some renown, will contrive to replace the enchantment Yhelbruna used to control the griffons with one of his own. After which, Rashemen will see us no more.
Mangan sat, scowled, and pondered for several heartbeats. No, he said, finally.
Dai Shan sighed. You re quite certain that s your final word? he asked.
Yes, Mangan said with a smile. Sorry to disappoint you. I think you were pretty sure you d hooked your fish, and for a moment But an Iron Lord takes direction from the Urlingwood even when he wonders if the wise women are really so wise after all. I do it not only because I swore an oath to do it but also because that s the way it s always been. And I don t care how it looks to some outsider.
Highness, I understand completely, replied the Shou. A wise man honors the ways of his forefathers. Except when they were cretinous savages who lived in fear of his foremothers, Dai Shan thought.
Well, then, Mangan said. Are we done? Shall I tell the cooks to prepare a farewell feast, and order my people to help yours get your iceboats ready to sail?
Actually, no, Dai Shan answered. With your permission, we Theskians will stay awhile longer and keep trying to solve the undead problem.
Even though you just told me you can t?
I was seeking a shorter, surer path to the griffons. But if no such path exists, well, perhaps the task the hathrans set us isn t so hopeless after all. The only way to find out is to give it our best.
Then go do that.
Yes, august prince. Dai Shan rose and bowed.
Oh, and Saer? Mangan said.
Yes?
I ll be sending some warriors to keep that lone hathran company. Just to make sure you understand that the short path really doesn t exist.
After leaving the Iron Lord s presence, Dai Shan decided to walk the battlements for a time. It would be cold under the black and starry sky, but quieter than the chambers the castle chamberlain had set aside for his company s use, with his underlings and servants babbling, snoring, or wandering about. The solitude would help him think.
Though he couldn t have seen the griffons at such a distance even by day, he felt moved to linger on the north wall and gaze in the general direction of the hills where the hathrans were keeping them. By Shar s empty heart, what a treasure! The beasts could make the House of Shan the wealthiest merchant enterprise in Telflamm, and inspire Dai Shan s father to name him heir. In which case, his siblings had better commence their groveling quickly.
But in spite of alternating threats and promises of reward, his mages and priests had thus far accomplished little, and none of his other followers could reasonably be expected to penetrate the mysteries of the undead. It therefore seemed unlikely that the Shou could win the prize by themselves in the manner Yhelbruna had prescribed. It was time to find allies, break the rules, or both.
His first effort in that direction had just failed. Where, he wondered, pulling his overcoat tighter against the frigid, whistling wind, should he cast his line next?
It was easy to eliminate Folcoerr Dulsaer. The Aglarondan was an honorable idiot just like the Iron Lord, even though in the Iron Lord s case, his haughty testiness might cause an observer less insightful than Dai Shan to miss the integrity underneath.
Aoth Fezim was at least intelligent, but possibly too much so. Dai Shan preferred allies who were sharp enough to function without constant direction, but not so sharp that they might be a jump ahead of him when the partnership outlived its usefulness. Besides, the Thayan seemed to believe in keeping his word, fulfilling his contracts, and all that tiresome sort of thing, even if there were one or two episodes in his recent history that suggested otherwise.
Vandar Cherlinka? He was an honorable idiot already allied with Fezim, although Dai Shan wasn t sure why. They didn t appear fond of one another. Perhaps they realized that each had resources the other lacked, and maybe they d found a measure of grudging mutual respect fighting side by side in the sacred grove.
