When all that was done, he landed B'thannan on the outskirts of the city and sniffed the air. Smoke. Even upwind of the flames, the air reeked of it. Evenspire was dead. In a few days, when the fires were out and the wind next came out of the mountains, it would lift up the ashes and carry them away to the desert. Everyone who saw would remember how the Blackwind Dales earned their name, but by then Hyrkallan would be gone, away to drag Queen Jaslyn from her dragons and put an end to whatever it was she was doing out in Outwatch.
And then, Vale Tassan, I will come, and we will see how stubborn you are prepared to be.
47
Vale stood on top of the Gatehouse and watched the dragons land. Jeiros was beside him.
'Do you have enough potion to feed them, Master Alchemist?' He watched Jeiros' face, and knew the answer before the alchemist even opened his mouth. No.
'It will be a challenge, Night Watchman.'
'It will, won't it?'
'The Red Riders, the damage done at the redoubt, so many dragons flying to war. Zafir asks more than I can give. I will have to take supplies from her and from King Silvallan. King Jehal too, perhaps. From Evenspire, if there is anything left of it.' The alchemist sighed. 'It's becoming more of a problem than you would care to know, Night Watchman. But I will keep our speaker's dragons flying no matter what I have to do.'
Vale laughed. 'There don't seem to be many of our speaker's dragons left. I haven't been counting, but I'd say this is a third of the number that left. Unless I'm mistaken, most of them are King Jehal's.'
'Onyx is there.'
'Yes.' The speaker's dragon. Maybe another couple of dozen of Zafir's. A few dragons I don't recognise at all. And all the rest are Jehal's. And I have been counting. More than a hundred dragons lost? Someone's been very careless. I fear a veritable forest of cages.
The first riders were galloping up the hill from the landing fields as if they were still being chased. Vale wanted to laugh at them. You lost, didn't you? Sirion and Hyrkallan were waiting for you and you lost. He nudged Jeiros. 'If I were you, Grand Master, I would keep very much out of the way for the next few days. I don't think our speaker has had a good week.' I le walked briskly to the stairs. With jeiros safely behind him and no one watching, he permitted the grin that he'd been wearing on the inside to show itself on the outside. He wore it lot exactly as long as it took him to reach the bottom of the stairs. In the Gateyard outside, Adamantine Men were already forming up to grert their speaker on her return. Only a few of them though. Not enough that I might he accused of weakening the walls. Vale looked them up and down until he was sure they were perfect and then stood at (heir head and waited. The palace gates opened and a few dragon-knights rode in. They looked beaten. You can see it in their eyes, in the way they carry themselves. You lost and you lost badly.
Zafir wasn't with them. What he got was King Jehal. Vale bowed. Pity. I rather hoped you wouldn't come back-
'Zafir is dead,' said Jehal brusquely. He looked as though he was in a lot of pain, sitting up on the back of his horse. Two of his riders helped him to dismount and he nearly collapsed. Even standing still he had to lean heavily on his staff. Vale watched him struggle. He kept carefully silent. I did that to him. We will both remember that.
'The speaker is dead,' said Jehal, this time making it sound more of a declaration than a confession. 'We met in battle over Evenspire. We fought and I won, and by right of conquest I claim the speaker's throne until there can be a council of kings and queens to choose a successor. I call for such a council.' Jehal finally locked eyes with Vale. 'Night Watchman, that means you. Get Jeiros and Aruch and anyone else who needs to hear my claim. I'll gladly repeat it once. After that I shall become annoyed. I will retire to the Tower of Dusk for now but I expect the Speaker's Tower to be ready for me in two days. Am I understood?'
Vale bowed again. He took a step to the side and turned, a little ritual to acknowledge that whoever stood at the palace gates was welcome to enter. As though you were her husband – I have not forgotten. He waited until Jehal was level with him.
'Is there a body, Your Holiness?' he asked.
Jehal stopped. He whipped around to glare at Vale. 'She was ripped to pieces and eaten.'
'The Lesser Council will convene to hear your claim, Your Holiness. They will ask.'
'I have her dragon, Tassan, That's all that's left of her.'
'You don't have the Speaker's Ring then? Do you have her spear at least?'
'She was flying to war, Night Watchman; she left that here. Why don't you get it for me?'
Vale was careful not to smile. He bowed his head. 'I will call the Lesser Council, Your Holiness. I shall ask them to convene tomorrow at dawn. May I ask what became of Evenspire? And of the treacherous Queen Almiri? They will ask that too.'
'Evenspire lies in ashes, Night Watchman, and you can request they convene sooner than that. As for Almiri, she was no traitor and I have no idea if she's dead. If it amuses you, I shall guess and say she is still alive.'
Vale bowed. 'As you command, Your Holiness. The Lesser Council may ask for more evidence than your word and a dragon, but I shall convey your words.' Arrogant prick. Do you really think I'm going to let you have Zafir's throne? You, of all people? He watched Jehal limp slowly across the Gateyard towards the Tower of Dusk. At least at the speed he now moved, the servants there would have plenty of time to get ready for him. When Jehal was gone he sent his soldiers back to their duties and then went looking for Jeiros. The alchemist was where he'd left him, still standing on top of the Gatehouse. Vale settled beside him, watching the dragons at the palace eyries.
'The little shit wants us to make him speaker.' He watched Jeiros' face carefully. The alchemist did well. He blinked a few times, that was all.
'Zafir is dead then?'
'So he says. He says he fought her himself and demands her throne by right of conquest until a full council can be called.' 'He knows his history.'
'He knows his Principles. I don't think he knows much of anything else, and the best I can think of to do with Principles is to wipe my arse with it.'
The alchemist shrugged. 'There is a precedent. The realms need a speaker.'
Vale spat. 'He can't even prove that Zafir is dead. He's got her dragon. He doesn't have her ring.'
'The spear?'
'He says she left it here.
Jeiros turned towards Vale and frowned.. 'Does he? I throught so too, but it's not here, It should be in Chamber of Audience but it's not. I assumed Zafir took it with her.
'He wants me to call the Lesser Council.'
'Which means you and me.'
'And Aruch, who will do what you tell him.' Vale permitted himself a smile. 'Your choice, Grand Master. Who's it going to be?'
'What would you do, Vale?'
'Me?' Vale laughed. 'I might thank him for ridding us of Zafir, but I'd still hang him in one of her cages outside the gates. Frankly I'd hang them both. Evenspire burns, he says. A city full of people set to flames and for what? Yes, if it was me I'd craft a cage for him with my own hands. But then I'm not entitled to an opinion, I'm just a servant.'
Jeiros pursed his lips. Vale could see a lot of thinking going on. 'The realms need a speaker, Vale. The battle went badly, even I can see that. He has Zafir's dragon. Some will say that is proof enough. If we refuse him, what then? We stand alone against every realm and that is not our duty; our duty is to keep the realms' dragons in check. Yet as you said, Vale, when a dragon burns you, it makes little difference whether it has a rider on their back as it does so; the flames are still the same. This war must end now. Jehal was trying to do that. That's why Zafir put him in the Tower of Dusk. No, I will not stand in his way. I dare say he will not survive a vote from the full council when one can finally be called. Until then, any speaker is better than none.'
