'Later!' snapped Paet. He stormed back up the stairs, leaving Sela and Ironfoot glaring after him.
Lord Valen once asked me how I defined true friendship. I told him that a true friend is one who forgives any indiscretion. I thought it a particularly fine thing to say, as I was having an affair with his wife at the time.
-Lord Gray, Recollections
meeting was swiftly arranged at the Barrack, where Mauritane was kneedeep in planning for the imminent invasion. When Silverdun entered his office, he was surrounded by a horde of junior officers and amanuenses, all clamoring for his attention.
'We're on, Mauritane,' said Silverdun. 'They're waiting down the hall.'
'Later,' Mauritane said brusquely to the group around him.
'What's this all about?' whispered Mauritane as he and Silverdun made their way down a long hallway toward the meeting room. 'As you may have noticed, I'm rather busy at the moment.'
'Attempting to clear your schedule is what this is all about,' said Si1- verdun.
Already in the meeting room were Everess, Paet, and Glennet. Everess and Paet were in the midst of an argument, but cut it off when Mauritane entered the room.
'So good to see you, General Mauritane. How goes the war?'
'War only goes one way,' said Mauritane.
'It's only an expression, General,' said Everess. 'Have a seat and let's discuss. Chief Paet here has information that he believes is of enormous significance.'
'It is of enormous significance,' said Paet.
'It most certainly is,' said Glennet, his hands raised. 'No one's arguing that. The question is what to do about it.'
'Is anyone going to tell me what it is?' asked Mauritane, taking his seat, glowering. 'Or am I supposed to guess?'
'The Black Artist Hy Pezho has been spotted alive and well in the City of Mab.'
'I understood he was dead,' said Mauritane.
'There's a lot of that going around,' said Silverdun.
'What this means to you, General,' said Paet, 'is that if Hy Pezho is indeed alive, then there's every chance that Mab is busily developing the Einswrath as we speak.'
'I received a memorandum earlier this morning,' said Mauritane, 'from you, telling me that there were no Einswrath. I've spent the entire day furiously rewriting my battle plans as a result. And now you're telling me you were wrong?'
'We received new information,' said Paet.
Mauritane breathed deeply. 'If I am to wage a war, it would be extremely helpful if the capabilities of the enemy did not change from hour to hour.'
'The question to you, then, General, is this,' said Everess. 'Knowing what you now know, do you still support the invasion?'
Mauritane growled. 'I've already committed the troops! They're marching now! I can't just call everyone back and tell them to forget the whole thing!'
'Perhaps not,' said Paet, 'but we could merely fortify the border, rather than launch an invasion that will force a conflict. Who knows how long it will be before Mab crosses the border?'
'In five days' time all of my troops will be fully deployed,' said Mauritane. 'How long do you expect them to stand around?'
'If we attack Mab now, all of your men will die,' said Paet.
Mauritane sat silently, thinking. Everess began to speak, but Mauritane cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand, and Everess faltered into silence. Silverdun had to admit that he genuinely loved his old companion at times.
'I agree with Paet,' he finally said. 'We should postpone the invasion until we're certain. If Mab's got the Einswrath, then all of my men and women are dead. If not, we may be able to stop a war with diplomacy. As far as I know, there has been no threat from Mab, no declaration of war.'
'But she's massing troops along the border,' said Glennet. 'Any fool can see-
'A fool can see many things,' said Mauritane. 'But we don't know what Mab is doing. These troop movements could simply be to keep us in check, to test our response. They could be a feint in order to draw out another enemy: the Four Kingdoms, or a foe in another world entirely. Mab is famous for such tricks.'
