devised our deception. The fleet which did depart from Vo Astur
eight days ago was no more than a sham – a ploy to deceive Wacune
and Erat. There are no troops on board those ships. Carteon’s army
doth wait in the forest not two leagues from Wacune’s western
frontier.’ He coughed weakly again.
‘when?’ Ontrose pressed. ‘When will they invade Wacune?’
‘Two days hence, Ontrose.’ Weak though he was, Baron Lathan’s
voice had a note of triumph in it. ‘That tenth day from the departure
Of the sham fleet doth loom large upon Carteon’s calendar, for upon
that day shall his force march into Wacune, and, all unobstructed,
shall they march to the alabaster city. which doth stand, helpless
and unprotected, in their path. Vo Wacune is doomed, Ontrose, my
beloved – and hated – friend. Though I am mortally wounded by
thy welcome sword-thrust, I have set mine answering stroke already
in motion. Four days hence shall the Asturians mount their attack
upon the undefended walls of Vo Wacune, and no force at thy
command can reach the city in time to prevent its fall.’ He began
coughing up large amounts of blood. ‘I die, Ontrose,’ he said in no
more than a whisper, ‘but I do not die alone. My life hath been a
burden unto me from
that day when thou didst unkindly wrench
beloved Polgara from my grasp. Now may I lay down that burden
and go gladly into my grave, knowing that I will not go alone. All
that I have loved shall go with me, and only Lady Polgara, immortal
and unassailable, shall be left behind to echo her howls of grief
gainst the walls of heaven. It is done, and I am content.’
Then he firmly shut his lips and fixed his eyes upon my face with
a look of unspeakable longing.
And then he died, and Ontrose wept.
I silently cursed myself for my inattention. There had been a
hundred clues that I had completely missed. I should have known!
I went quickly to the door of the tent. ‘Gather the officers!’ I
commanded the Wacites who’d been vainly trying to bull their way
into the tent. ‘We have been betrayed! Treason hath left Vo Wacune
helpless and undefended!’ Then I remembered that these men were
Wacite peasants. ‘Pull yerselves t’gether. me boy-os. We’ve got us
work t’ do, don’t y’ know.’
Then I turned back to look at my weeping champion. “That’s
enough, Ontrose!’ I snapped. ‘Get up on your feet!’
‘He was my friend, Polgara!’ he wept, ‘and I killed him!’
‘He deserved killing. You should have killed him during the
tournament. On your feet! Now!’
He looked startled. but he obeyed.
‘That’s better. Turn this army around and start it moving south
immediately. I’ll go tell Halbren what’s happened and start him
south as well. Move. Ontrose! Move! We’ve got a long way to GO
and not much tiMe.’
He gestured toward Lathan’s body. ‘What of my friend here?’ he
asked me.
‘Drop him in a ditch somewhere – or leave him where he lays.
He’s nothing but garbage, Ontrose. Dispose of him as you would
any other garbage. I’ll be back in about an hour, and then you and
I are going to Vo Wacune. We’ve got a war to fight down there.’
Then I left the tent.
Once I was out of earshot of the encampment, I allowed myself
a few moments to speak – colorfully – about the situation. Lathan’s
treason had quite nearly succeeded. There was no possible way I
could get reinforcements to Vo Wacune in time to defend the city.
Quite obviously, I was going to have to do it ‘the other way’. Right
at that moment, I rather liked that idea. The image of a cheese-grater
came to mind, and this time, I would use it, whether mother liked
it or not.
I translocated myself north, hop-scotching my way from hilltop
to hilltop to General Halbren’s camp on the shore of Lake Sendar.
Halbren, as always, showed no particular surprise when I told him
of Lathan’s treason. I honestly believe that Halbren could have
watched the sky falling with no overt expression of surprise. ‘Their
plan is flawed, your Grace,’ he told me calmly.
‘It sounds fairly devastating to me, Halbren.’
‘The capture of a city is but the first step, your Grace,’ he
explained. ‘The Asturians may indeed take Vo Wacune, but the
combined armies of Wacune and Erat shall arrive there only a few days
later, and we have overwhelming force. Believe me, your Grace, we
can re-take the city any time we choose, and after we’ve finished,
Carteon won’t have enough men left to patrol the streets of Vo
Astur.’
‘You’re just going to give up Vo Wacune?’ I demanded
incredulously.
. ‘It’s only a city, your Grace – a collection of pretty buildings. The
important thing about a war is winning it, and we will win this one.
After it’s over, we can rebuild Vo Wacune. It’ll give us a chance to
straighten the streets, at least.’
‘You’re impossible, Halbren,’ I accused. ‘Start your men south.
I’m going to take Ontrose on down to Vo Wacune. Don’t start
drawing city maps just yet, though. I think I know of a way to hold off
the Asturians until our forces get there.’
Then I went on back to Lake Sulturn, found Ontrose, and took
him out a ways from the already moving Wacite army. I repeated
the procedure I’d used before, and I deposited my champion in the
same secure place. I rather liked having him there, to be honest
about it.
The dawn of the ninth day on that Asturian calendar was dawning
when we arrived in Vo Wacune. I took my slumbering hero out of
his convenient hiding place and returned him to his normal size.
Then I woke him up, and we entered the city. We went directly to
Andrion’s palace told him of Lathan’s treason.
‘We are doomed,’ he exclaimed.
‘Not quite, Andrion,’ I assured him. ‘I’m going to have to call in
reinforcements, though, I think.’
‘What force is close enough to come to our aid, Polgara?’
‘My father, Andrion, and he doesn’t have to be close to get here
in a hurry.’
‘Thou dost propose to defend the walls of Vo Wacune with
sorcery?
‘It isn’t really illegal, Andrion. I think that between us, father and
I can hold off the Asturians until our armies arrive. Father can be
very nasty when he sets his mind to it, and I can be even worse. By
the time we’re done, the very mention of Vo Wacune will give every
Asturian for the next thousand years screaming nightmares. You
and Ontrose had better alert the city garrison and make some
preparations. I’ll go home and summon my father, and then I’m
going to bed. I haven’t slept for three days, and I’m positively
exhausted.’
I reached my town house and went into my library, firmly closing
the door behind me. The Killaneson family knew by now what that
meant and they didn’t disturb me. Before I could go searching for
father, however, mother came searching for me. ‘Polgara!’ she said
sharply. ‘The Mimbrates are going to invade southern Wacune at first
light tomorrow morning.’
‘What?’ I exclaimed.
‘The northern Mimbrate barons have allied themselves with Garteon,
and they’ll come north to join the Asturian army in the siege of Vo
Wacune.’
‘So that’s what it’s been all about,’ I said as it came crashing in on
me. ‘The Asturians pulled us out of position so that they could attack VO
Wacune with Mimbrate allies to help them.’
‘Don’t repeat the obvious. Pol,’ mother said. ‘You’d better get word Of
this to your father. The way things stand, Vo Wacune hasn’t a chance of
surviving. He’s the only one who can help you right now. He’s in his
tower in the Vale. Hurry, Pol!’
‘Father!’ I sent my thought out to him, casting it out my library
window at a sky which had been obscured by an incoming storm.
‘I need you!’
‘What’s the matter?’ his thought came back almost immediately. I
took that to be a good sign. For once, he’d been home when I called.
‘The Asturians are right on the verge of breaking the peace here in Arendia.
Duke Carteon of Asturia has formed an alliance with the barons of northern
Mimbre. The barons are invading Wacune from the South.’
‘Where’s your army?’
‘Most of it’s in Central Sendaria in response to an Asturian ruse. We’ve
been lured out of position, father, and Vo Wacune’s in grave danger. I
need help here. We’re right on the- verge of losing everything I’ve worked
for.’
‘I’ll get there as quickly as quickly as I can, Pol,’ he promised.
That made me feel quite a bit better, and I closed my window as
the storm broke over Vo Wacune.
There’s no question that our situation was grave. Our armies were