Khollo spent the rest of his time checking the progress of the work crews and redistributing and reorganizing them whenever the need arose. He constantly worried about an incautious crew causing a collapse, and went to great lengths to make sure every man understood the importance and danger inherent in their work.
What he worried about most though, was the silence from Leon’s scouts. Visions and voices no longer plagued Khollo, and he wondered if this meant that the voice had been silenced, once and for all. Or if any of it had really happened. The fortress of his visions had yet to be discovered, and it was hard not to be discouraged.
At the end of the third week, Khollo was summoned to a meeting of the full council in the tower chamber. A full council these days meant the leaders of the garrison, plus the headmen of each of the villages that had joined the West Bank and a few of the foremen. There were not enough chairs for everyone, so many of the headmen and foremen stood against the walls.
When everyone had arrived, Janis stood and called the meeting to order. “Thank you for joining me,” he began. “This won’t take too much of your time, and it is important that everyone is aware of what is happening. We have received important messages from across the kingdom. I will start with a rare bit of good news.”
Janis paused and shuffled a few papers in his hands before continuing. “Last night, we received a bird from Ishkabur. The city still stands, and has repelled several forays by the vertaga, inflicting heavy casualties. In addition, another successful supply delivery from Narne has strengthened the garrison, and Lord Horam is optimistic that they may yet survive this siege.”
This elicited excited murmuring from the attendees. Khollo remained silent, cautiously pleased with the news. The only concern now is that the vertaga give up on Ishkabur and head north, he thought. We are not prepared for such an attack yet, but perhaps another few weeks will –
“Second,” Janis continued. “We have received much needed supplies from Ardia and the Heights. We have more than enough to see us through the second half of the winter and into the spring. Both strongholds have pledged additional support in the future.”
“Finally, news from the capital.”
Khollo sat up straighter. They had heard little to nothing of Lord Clemon and the new king.
“Prince Relam has been crowned king,” Janis announced. “And he has elected to retain Lord Clemon as chatelain. Clemon reports that he is doing everything in his power to help the new king muster our armies, but progress is slow. The fact that King Relam is young and inexperienced, combined with the . . . cutthroat nature of politics in Etares, is bogging down any movement towards war.”
“Then it’s a good thing that we’re preparing for war ourselves,” one of the village headsmen observed.
“For which we must thank Lieutenant Khollo,” Janis replied, setting down his notes. “Khollo, what is the progress on our expansion project?”
“With the discovery of the caverns, we have plenty of room for more villagers,” Khollo announced. “It won’t be comfortable initially, but we’re finishing out more rooms and halls every day and we could use the extra workers. Stone is being piled to the north, but construction has not yet begun on the new perimeter wall.”
“Perhaps Ardia could send some of those who evacuated the area sooner back to us?” Leon suggested. “From what I hear through some of my old friends in the area, the refugees are having a hard time finding a purpose and a place in the city.”
“We’ll send that suggestion along,” Janis agreed. “How many can we accommodate, Khollo?”
Khollo thought for a moment. “By the time they get here, we’ll have the ground level nearly finished, and maybe reliable access to the second level. I’d say another two or three hundred would be fine.”
Janis nodded. “That sounds about right. Ondus, I’ll leave the details of that message to you. Any other announcements?”
Heads shook all around the table.
“Very well,” Janis said. “Dismissed.”
The various leaders stood and began to file out. Khollo remained, wanting to talk to Janis alone.
“Nothing yet?” the young advisor asked when he, Janis, Ondus, and Leon were the only ones remaining.
Leon shook his head. “I’m afraid not. My eyes and ears are combing the Fells, with no luck so far. Thing is, a fortress should not be all that difficult to find.”
“There are many hidden valleys and remote vales,” Khollo mused. “It might still be out there, waiting to be found.”
“Perhaps,” Janis agreed. “Can we afford to keep up the search a little longer, Leon?”
“It’s getting harder and harder to keep in touch with my men,” Leon replied, twisting his staff in his gnarled hands. “In such remote areas as the foothills of the Fells, they might go several days between check ins.”
“Have any of them encountered trouble?” Ondus asked.
“Not yet. They’re good at seeing without being seen,” Leon said proudly.
“In the meantime, we’ll just have to keep building, training, and waiting,” Khollo decided. “In truth, I’m more worried about the situation in the capital at this point.”
Janis nodded. “It is not a situation that I am at ease with either. Young kings are usually easy manipulated, and every noble has an agenda. The good news is, any action against our efforts will be just as slow to unfold as any action that might help us. We are a long way from Etares after all.”
“Is there any chance that Clemon and the prince can bring the others around?” Ondus wondered.
“It’s hard to know,” Leon replied. “I have
