resume command of our armies.’
‘It shall be as you say, Betuana-Queen.’
‘Directly upon our return, you will send runners to my hhusband,
the king. Tell him that there is no longer a threat to Toea.
The Shining Ones will deal with Scarpa. ‘
He nodded stiffly.
‘Further, tell him that I have need of his forces in Sama. That
is where we will prepare for the main battle, and he should be
there to take command.’ She paused. ‘This is not because we
are dissatisfied with your leadership, Engessa-Atan, but
he is the king. You have served well. The royal house of Atan is
grateful.’
‘It is my duty, Betuana-Queen,’ he replied, clashing his fist
against his breastplate in salute. ‘No gratitude is necessary.’
‘Oh, dear,’ Aphrael murmured.
‘What’s wrong?’ Sephrenia asked her.
‘Nothing.’
cHAPTER 22
%tWa definitely Chacole and Torellia, Sarabian,’ Elysoun insisted t
several days later. ‘Chacole’s more or less running things. She’s
er and shrewder. The strangers usually go directly to her.
they talk privately for a while, and then she sends for Torellia.
They weren’t really all that fond of each other before, but now
theyve got their heads together all the time. ‘
“theyre probably getting orders from home,’ Sarabian mused.
Jaluah of Cynesga is Chacole’s brother, and Torellia’s the
daughter of King Rakya of Arjuna. Can you get any sense at all
of what they might be up to?’
She shook her head. ‘It’s too early.”
“Early?”
“women’s politics again. We’re more devious than men.
“chacole will want everything in place before she starts to form
alliances. She’s got Torellia under control, but she’s not
ready to start trying to expand yet.’
“you’rere sure that Torellia’s the subordinate one?’
she nodded. ‘Chacole’s servants are lording it over hers.
that’s the first sign of dominance in the Women’s Palace.
“Ceirona’s servants are all insufferable because she’s the first
wife and we’re all subordinate to her – except for Liatris, of
course,’ Sarabian smiled. ‘No one in his right mind is
%ont to Liatris. Has she killed anybody lately?’
not since she butchered Cieronna’s footman last year.’
“There’s a thought. Should we bring Liatris into this?’
Elisoun shook her head. ‘Maybe later, but not at this stage.
Atana Liatris is too direct. If I approached her with this,
she’d simply kill Chacole and Torellia. Let’s wait until
she approaches me before we involve Liatris.’
‘Are you sure Chacole will approach you?’
‘It’s almost certain. My servants have greater freedom of
movement than hers – because of my social activities.’
‘That’s a delicate way to put it.’
‘You knew I was a Valesian when you married me, Sarabian,
and you know about our customs. That’s why my servants have
the run of the compound. It’s always been a tradition.’
He sighed. ‘How many are there currently, Elysoun?’
‘None, actually.’ She smiled at him. ‘You don’t really understand,
do you, Sarabian? The biggest part of the fun of those
little adventures has always been the intrigue, and I’m getting
plenty of that playing politics.’
‘Aren’t you feeling a little – deprived?’
‘I can endure it,’ she shrugged, ‘and if I get desperate, I always
have you to fall back on, don’t I?’ and she gave him an arch
little smile.
‘Wal, sir, Master Valash,’ Caalador drawled, leaning back in his
chair in the cluttered loft, ‘ol’ Vymer here, he done tole me that
yet a’ willin’ t’ pay good money fer information, an’ he sorta
figgered oz how y’ might want t’ hear ’bout the stuff I seen in
southwest Atan fer yet very ownself.’
‘You two have known each other for quite some time then?
Valash asked.
‘Oh, gorsh yes, Master Valash. Me’n Vymer goes way back
We wuz all t’gether durin’ that fracas in Matherion – him an’
me an’ From an’ Reldin – along with a couple others – when the
fellers from Interior come a-bustin’ in on us. They wuz hull
bunches o’ excitement that night, let me tell yew. Anyway, ahem
we shuck off the po-lice, we all split up an’ scattered t’ th’ winds.
Tain’t a real good idee t’ stay all bunched up whin yet a-runnin’
from th’ law.’
Stragen sat back from the table out of the circle of light from
the single candle, carefully watching Valash’s face. Caalador had
just arrived to replace Sparhawk and Talen in the on-going
deception of Valash, and Stragen was once again impressed by
how smooth his friend really was. Valash seemed lulled by the
easy, folksy charm of Caalador’s dialect. Stragen despised the
speech, but he was forced to admit its utility.
It always seemed so innocently artless.
%anyway?’ Valash asked.
tuk off ’bout a week ago,’ Caalador shrugged.
ff in a tavern up in Delo whilst I wuz
e, an’ they wuz a feller what had “policehim
who wuz describin’ ol’ From an’ the
warts. Soon’s I got yore, I tole ’em ’bout
at it might just be time t’ move on. Anyas
how yet innerested in whut’s a-goin’
I seen a few things after we all got run
e’s a-thankin’ might be worth somethin.’
“.I’ll certainly listen, Ezek.’ Valash raised his head sharply as
the comatose Ogerajin began to mumble in his sleep.
“Is he all right?’ Stragen asked.
“It’s nothing,’ Valash said shortly. ‘He does that all the time.
Go ahead, Ezek.’
‘Wal, sir, she wuz a couple weeks ago, I guess, an’ I wuz
hot-footin’ it across Atan, figgenn’ t’ make m’ way on across
;%’)e-)’))).-))’)~)’))))Aokl f Darsos – on accounta the law bein’ hot on m’ heels an’
“I WUZ” a-comin’ on down outten th’ mountings when I putt
‘)’))’)-e.bort, cuz I seen more gol-darg Atans than I thought they
in the hull world – I mean, they wint on fer miles. They multitudes o’ them
bi rascals – all geared up fer war an real mean an’ on-friendly-like.’
“The entire Atan army?’ Valash exclaimed. ‘
“It lookt t’ me more like a gineral my-grashun of the hull darg
master Valash. Y aint’ niver seen s’ miry of ’em!’
Where exactly were they?’ Valash asked excitedly.
“waal sir, close oz I could make out, they wuz right close t’
the synesgan border – up that close by a little town call Zhubay.
appen t’ have a map handy, I could point out th’ eggt
fer yva.’ Caalador squinted at the Dacite. ‘Whut would
as infermaytion’s worth, Master Valash?’
he didn’t even hesitate when he reached for his purse.
strange, Domi Tikume,’ Kring told his friend as
the head of their massed tribesmen out into the
sort the morning after the conference on Aphrael’s
The Child Goddess said that we were all dreaming, but
everything seemed so real. I could actually smell the flowers
and the grass. I’ve never smelled anything in a dream before.”
Tikume looked dubious. ‘Are you sure it wasn’t heresy to go
there, Domi Kring?’
Kring laughed wryly. ‘Well, if it was, I was in good company.
Patriarch Emban was there, and so was Patriarch Bergsten. Anyway,
you and I are supposed to continue making these raids
into Cynesga. Then we’re supposed to go ahead and ride on in
toward those mountains out in the middle of the desert. We’re
hoping that Prince Sparhawk will have pinpointed the exact
location of Cyrga by the time we get there.’
One of the scouts who had been ranging out into the burt
brown desert ahead came galloping back. ‘Domi Tikume,’ he
said as he reined in. ‘We’ve found them.’
‘Where?’ Tikume demanded.
‘There’s a dry watercourse about two miles ahead, Domi.
They’re crouched down in there. I’d say they’re planning to
ambush us.’
‘What sort of soldiers are they?’ Kring asked.
‘There was Cynesgan cavalry and more of those big ones
with the steel masks that we’ve been running to death lately.
There was some other infantry as well, but I didn’t recognize
them.’
‘Breastplates? Short kirtles? Helmets with high crests, and big
round shields?”
‘Those are the ones, Domi Kring.’
Kring rubbed one hand across his shaved scalp. ‘How wide
is the water-course?’ he asked.
‘Fifty Paces or so, Domi.
‘Crooked? Fairly deep?’
The scout nodded.
‘It’s an ambush, all right,’ Kring said. ‘The cavalry probably
intends to let us see them and then retreat into the gully. If we
follow them, we’ll run right into the infantry. We’ve been running
klael’s soldiers to death in open country, so they want to
get us into tight quarters.’
‘What do we do?’ Tikume asked.
‘We stay out of that stream-bed, friend Tikume. Send out
flankers to cut off their cavalry after they ride out. We’ll slaughter
them, and that should bring Klael’s soldiers out into the
open.’
“What about the Cyrgai? Are they more of those ones out of
the past that we keep coming across?’
“I don’t think so. This is inside the borders of Cynesga, so
they’re probably live ones from Cyrga itself. ‘ Kring stopped suddenly
and a slow grin crossed his face. ‘I just thought of something.