The only problem was, they had yet to find any pattern to the mayhem gripping the Renlor Basin.
There were so many attacks in such diverse places that Khollo had difficulty keeping track of them all. All he could deduce was that there were multiple groups operating in the Basin, and that they were very good at massacring villages.
On one unusually warm winter morning, Khollo and Leon were once again closeted in the council chamber when Janis stormed through the door angrily, his boots ringing on the stone floor. He shoved his chair back roughly and sank into it, glowering around the room. A scrap of parchment was clenched in his left hand.
Khollo set aside the charcoal stick he was using to write with and looked at Janis, concerned. “What happened?” he asked.
Janis snorted and slid the parchment to Khollo. Exchanging a worried glance with Leon, Khollo flipped it over and read it quickly.
To Lord Kurkan of the West Bank,
I am writing to inform you that we will shortly be arriving at your gates. We were held up in Ardia by a minor trade dispute, and it was important to straighten it out before the problem escalated. I expect that the senseless warmongering in the south will be similarly concluded and there will be no need for me to impose on your hospitality for too long. In any event, I must return quickly to reassure the king that matters are well under control.
Marc Clemon, King’s Chatelain
“Well,” Khollo said slowly. “The king has heard our pleas after all. Who is this . . . Clemon?”
A prancing bureaucrat,” Janis grunted. “A brainless and useless high-up if there ever was one. He may be the king’s primary advisor, or secretary, really, but he has little real power.”
“And,” Leon added. “It sounds as though he has already made up his mind.”
Janis nodded gravely. “Yes, I noticed that. What did he call it, senseless warmongering?”
“He is attached to peace,” Leon replied shrugging, “As are most who live far from the front lines.”
Khollo’s heart sank. For weeks now, they had been hoping that the king would send someone. And now . . . this. “Is there any chance we change his mind?”
“Not really,” Janis grunted. “At least it will be short. Then we can boot him back to Etares.”
But that’s not what we want, Khollo thought quietly. What we want is help, and we want it now.
“While he’s here, Khollo, try not to stick your neck out too far,” Janis said, sitting up. “It would not do for the visiting lord to remove my best leader on the basis of ‘senseless warmongering’.”
“I’ll try,” Khollo promised. “My temper’s really not as much of an issue as it used to be when I was training with Wilkes every hour of the day.” But I may still be tempted to drop this Clemon from the top of the tower if he disregards the vertaga.
Janis must have seen something decidedly rebellious in Khollo’s expression. He smirked knowingly. “Try and obey me on this. I know that you agree with me, that it would be best to make him see our way, but there’s no point in pursuing such a course. It will only cause more trouble.”
Khollo nodded. “Fine. I’ll do as you ask.”
Janis relaxed noticeably. “Any luck predicting the enemy movements?”
“None,” Leon growled. “We’ve tried a couple of times, but we’ve never gotten the time and place exactly right. Actually, we’re guessing the time schedule better than the places.”
“Interesting,” Janis muttered. “What’s keeping you from determining the places?”
“The attacks seem largely random based on location,” Khollo put in. “And there are so many villages and trade routes to pick from. Speaking of, have we heard anything from Ishkabur recently?”
Janis shook his head. “I sent a bird this morning. This silence troubles me. If they’re under siege, we should have had an update by now. I fear they’ve been attacked.”
“Attacked? Do the vertaga have the numbers to take on a city like Ishkabur?” Leon asked.
Janis nodded. “I believe so.”
“Well, that’s a disturbing thought,” the older man muttered, frowning down at his stack of reports.
Janis shrugged. “No more disturbing than the enemy overrunning the Basin,” he replied philosophically. “I’ll leave you to it. I just thought you should know that we would soon be having a visitor.”
“Thanks for the heads up,” Khollo called as Janis made his exit. “Wouldn’t want to offend the man accidentally,” he added in an undertone.
Leon eyed him steadily. “We don’t want to offend him intentionally either,” he said pointedly.
Khollo smiled grimly. “Let’s have the next report, shall we? Where else?”
Leon sighed and scanned the parchment. “Two days ago, Dun Hollow.”
Khollo spent the rest of the day staring at the annotated map, trying to find some sort of pattern. By evening he had still made no progress.
“If you turn your head just so it looks like a duck,” Leon observed unhelpfully.
Khollo glared at him. “Thanks, but I don’t think that the vertaga planned their attacks based on forming the shape of a duck.”
“Probably not,” Leon agreed. “They would have used a mountain bird. In fact, I’m not at all sure that they would be familiar with the shape of a duck.”
Khollo realized that the older man had just severely pulled
