Blackthorne smiled. 'There are always methods of getting information. I'll tell you what I know.'
Chapter 20
The Unknown Warrior watched the three Protectors jog away up the western side of the Bay of Gyernath, the elven mage Vituul with them. Ahead of the group was a journey nominally the lesser of two evils. They would have to avoid contact with Wesmen and take one of the mountain passes to the north of Understone Pass to bring them within a few hours of die walls of Xetesk.
Ule, Ryn and Qex had made dieir goodbyes to their brothers Ark and Kas, and to Sol the one to whom they all looked now they were free. For his part, The Unknown felt as they did, that it was unlikely that they would all stand together again. By the time The Raven reached Xetesk, he couldn't conceive that they would all have survived.
'We can't afford one error,' said The Unknown when the longboat had put in to the bay to head back to the Caiman Sun. 'If Blackthorne's information is anywhere near accurate, Balaia is in a far more desperate position than we feared.'
'They will not fail us,' said Ark.
'Dammit but we're so thin on the ground.' The Unknown scratched his shaven head. T wish there was some other way.'
'Don't think that way,' said Darrick, who had accompanied them to issue final orders and check they understood exactly what they were to relay to Dystran, assuming the Lord of the Mount still lived. 'We've passed the point of no return. We can't afford to worry at the corners of what has been decided. A change now could be catastrophic. And even if they don't make it to Xetesk, we have to be confident we'll make it, though vital preparation time will have been lost.'
'You're right, I know,' said The Unknown. 'But there's no contingency. No back-up.'
'Like there was when you went to cast Dawnthief, you mean, or when the Noonshade rip was closed?' Darrick's tight brown curls blew about his head in the offshore breeze.
The Unknown raised an eyebrow. 'Funny, but it seemed different then. For all the risk we faced, I didn't give any serious thought to failure.'
'And you do now?'
'Yes,' he confessed. 'For some reason, the stakes seem higher for Balaia. Stupid, I know, but they do. After all, destruction or domination have always been the cost of failure.'
'But not for the scattered dimensions too,' said Darrick. 'Not for the dead, not even for the dragons. And it's more personal to you, Unknown. You have a family beyond The Raven and that changes everything.'
The Unknown shook his head. 'There's more to it than that. Look, I'm worrying about elves and Protectors when it's us that concerns me most. When push comes to shove, it's us that has to win this for everyone. I know we'll be helped but we're in the centre of it again. I don't know if you were watching our skirmish with the demons but we were rusty. The fact is, General, we're getting too old for this. One fight and a sprint and we're all nursing pulls and aches except Hirad. And he almost got himself killed trying something he shouldn't.'
Darrick was nodding. 'I noticed. Well, we can do some fitness work on board ship as well as practice with those maces Blackthorne gave us.'
'It won't be enough.'
'Every little helps. And believe me, we'll get fit quickly once we're in action.'
'That assumes we live long enough,' said The Unknown.
Darrick opened his mouth to reply but paused and frowned. 'Don't take this the wrong way, but this does not sound like you.'
'No, I don't suppose it does. But then I've never been about to take on an enemy I'd be worried about losing to if I was accompanied by an army. Gods drowning, Darrick, there are about ten of us. What chance do we really have?'
'On our own, none. That's why we're calling on dragons to help
us and the rest of Balaia to fight. It's why Erienne is training so hard. Unknown, you can't afford to think like this.'
'Why do you think I'm airing this when only you, the Protectors and our oarsmen can hear me? And they can't understand a word I'm saying.'
'You're worried what Hirad will think if he knows you're like this?'
'Course I am,' snapped The Unknown. 'Look. This is going to be really difficult. Like nothing we've ever done before. And I felt lethargic fighting those demons. Really slow.' The Unknown shook his head again. 'I've done nothing but half-hearted sparring with Ark for two years, what else do I expect? The point is, I want you to watch us, all of us. You have the eye of the professional soldier still, it's not something you ever lose. I want you to tell me anything that is awry with how we do things. Hirad will take it from me better than you and we can't afford to fall out. Watch Erienne especially. I don't like the way she reacted last night. She's not handling the pressure so well and we've barely begun.' He sighed and looked at Darrick, saw the understanding in the General's eyes. 'If she falls apart . . .'
'She has The Raven behind her,' said Darrick.
'One day, even that isn't going to be enough.'
'Hey, well let's make sure it isn't this time, eh?'
The Unknown relaxed a little. 'Yeah, let's do that.'
Baron Blackthorne strolled up to the periphery of the ColdRoom shielding and barked for Ferouc. He was used to delay and this time was no exception. He stood calm and quiet until the demon master was in front of him.
The dawn had been chill and the early morning sun was doing little to warm the land. It left Blackthorne almost glad he had no vines in the ground. In these conditions, they would have withered anyway. He lamented the loss of the vineyards and the object of his blame floated before him, his membranous wings rippling to keep him airborne. He was a comfortable shade of deep blue, his skin still. Not for long.
Blackthorne had gathered all his commanders with him to gauge Ferouc's reaction. It was a gamble but, as Hirad had said on more than one occasion, this was a time for gambles.
'It's a fine morning isn't it?' said Blackthorne, adjusting his coat against the cold breeze.
'Every day the air you breathe makes us stronger,' replied Ferouc. 'Your time to strut about your meagre kingdom is short.'
'Ah, but is it? You've not tasted real frustration barring your abject failure to take my town, have you? How does it feel to know a damaging reverse?'
Ferouc looked nonplussed. 'I am not aware that I had experienced one.'
Blackthorne made an extravagance of turning round to smile at those gathered behind him, taking in the protective steel of those closest to him.
'Well, well, well.' He couldn't suppress a heartfelt chuckle of genuine surprise and pleasure. 'This is better than I could possibly have hoped.'
Consternation flickered briefly across Ferouc's features, characterised by a shifting of veins and a modulating of his pigment. T fail to see any cause for amusement in your position.'
'Our position? No, my jailer, you misunderstand as so often. We are laughing at you.' Blackthorne cleared his throat. T would have thought you could sense their absence much as you sensed their arrival. But what's really amusing is that you clearly never had any inkling at all that they'd left. You haven't even mounted a pursuit, have you, Fidget?'
Ferouc snarled, his colour paling dramatically. Veins writhed under his skin and the muscles across his chest rippled violently. His fingers clacked together.
'You are lying.'
'No, I am not. The Raven have gone. Spirited away from beneath your noses, Fidget. That's why you can't sense them. And you can't, can you?' Blackthorne paused. 'But if you don't believe me, search for yourself. I'll guarantee you safe passage around my town. It'll be uncomfortable for you but I expect you'll live. Long enough to report back to your masters that you have lost something you so very badly wanted.'
Ferouc opened his mouth and emitted a high-pitched shriek. He
