Its sheltered bays provided good anchorage for merchant ships, smugglers, and corsairs, all of whom found welcome in equal measure from harbormasters who were not too particular whom they admitted, so long as they could pay the docking and the mooring fees.
Lysander Marko, Duke of Brosengae, shared a common border with Avanil, the province where the empire’s capital city of Anuire was located, and so far as Aedan could see, his alliance with Boeruine was nothing less than opportunism. He could easily afford to maintain a force of men-at-arms and mercenaries to keep the predations of the trolls under control, and he had no worries about goblin raids or massed bandit attacks, since his province was far to the south of Thurazor and the Five Peaks, and sheltered by Boeruine, Taeghas, and Avanil.
No, thought Aedan, Marko did not enter into his alliance with Boeruine as a result of intimidation by Lord Arwyn. He did so because he saw a chance to undermine his rival, Lord Kier Avan, Duke of Avanil.
Everyone had his own personal agenda, Aedan thought, and Arwyn had exploited each of them for his own gain. Promises were made, bargains concluded, tribute paid-when the commoners of the merchant classes received such “tributes,” they were generally known as bribes, thought Aedan wrylyand the upshot of it all was that Arwyn of Boeruine had essentially united the provinces of the entire Western Coast region under his own banner.
All that had happened in the year they had been at Fhileraene’s court in Tuarhievel-a year that had actually been only about a week or so for them-and no one had suspected then that Prince Michael could still be alive. No one save Lord Tieran, who had kept that information to himself until Michael had returned safely to Anuire, the better to ensure he could return safely. By then, however, Lord Arwyn had long since reported his death and sent dispatch riders throughout the empire to spread the word and announce his assumption of the regency.
Talinie and Taeghas had formally given their support to him right from the outset, which made Aedan wonder if they had simply judged which way the wind was blowing and acted to safeguard their own interests, or if they had received some advance notification of Lord Arwyn’s plans.
Either way, they were the first to grant their recognition. Brosengae followed, but not until Avan had refused, questioning Boeruine’s right to the regency and declaring for Lord Tieran and the empress. The Baron of Diemed had announced support for Lord Tieran and the empress, as well, but not until Kier of Avanil had declared himself. With Avanil across the river from Diemed, Baron Harth Diem had wanted to see which way the more powerful Duke of Avanil would go.
And so it went throughout the empire, each province and each ruling noble waiting for as long as possible to declare allegiance either to Lord Tieran and the empress or to Arwyn of Boeruine, for no one wished to be premature in his formal recognition of either party. They first wanted to see how their neighbors would declare, especially if those neighbors were wealthier and more powerful.
This, however, was precisely what Lord Tieran had gambled on, for he knew it would buy him time-time in which the young emperor might return and assume his rightful place on the Iron Throne of Anuire. And he had needed as much time as he could buy, because he had no way of knowing when Michael and Aedan might return. He knew about the strange way time flowed in the elven realms and he had also known it was completely unpredictable. For Michael and Aedan, a few days could go by while for him and the rest of the human world, it could be weeks or months or even years.
It had to be incredibly difficult for him, thought Aedan, trying to manipulate the political situation to his best advantage-insofar as he was able-while at the same time knowing the strongest weapon he could use against Lord Arwyn was one he did not dare reveal. If he had announced Michael was still alive and safe within the borders of Tuarhievel, Arwyn and his allies could have taken steps to prevent his return and see to it he never left the Aelvinnwode alive.
It must have been a terrible strain for him, thought Aedan. And it had certainly taken its toll. His father had died a year ago, while Aedan was out on a campaign with the emperor. And those campaigns had been virtually unceasing almost since the time they had returned.
Eight years, he thought. Eight years of almost constant warfare, trying to hold the empire together.
Michael was doing a good job of it, however. And with each campaign, he had improved significantly as a general. In the beginning, the campaigns had been planned by Lord Korven, commanding general of the Imperial Army of Anuire, who had been adamantly opposed to the idea of Michael going out into the field with the troops. At the time of the first campaign, Michael had just turned thirteen, and Lord Korven had believed it was much too risky for a mere boy-and the only heir to the imperial throne, at that-to accompany the army into battle. However, Michael had insisted on it, and, to Aedan’s surprise, his father had supported his choice.
“It is true he is young and would expose himself to risk,” Aedan’s father had said to him when he protested. “However, those very things also work for him. The troops
