“Remind me to have a word with you about the efficiency of your army’s early warning system,” I said to the General as I sank into my seat.
“I believe it was the Court Magician who complained about the excessive range of the military spy system,” Badaxe retorted. “Perhaps your Majesty will see fit now to convince him of the necessity of timely information.”
Before I could think of a sufficiently polite response, the Queen’s party drew to a halt at the foot of the stairs.
The kingdom of Impasse had apparently spared no expense on the Queen’s carriage. If it was not actually fashioned of solid gold, there were sufficient quantities of the metal in the trim and decorations as to make the difference academic. I took secret pleasure that Grimble was not present to gloat at the scene. The curtains were drawn, allowing us to see the rich embroidery upon them, but not who or what was within. A team of eight matched horses completed the rig, though their shaggy coats and short stature suggested that normally the mountainfolk put them to far more practical use than dragging royalty around the countryside.
With the carriage, however, any semblance of decorum about the Queen’s procession vanished.
Her escort consisted of at least twenty retainers, all mounted and leading extra horses, though whether these were relief mounts or the bride’s dowry I couldn’t tell. The escort was also all male, and of a uniform appearance; broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, and musclebound. They reminded me of miniature versions of the opposing teams Aahz and I had faced during the Big Game, but unlike those players, these men were armed to the teeth. They fairly bristled with swords and knives, glittering from boot-tops, arm sheaths, and shoulder scabbards, such that I was sure the combined weight of their weapons offset that of the golden coach they were guarding. These weren’t pretty court decorations, but well handled field weapons worn with the ease fighting men accord the tools of their trade.