“Why didn’t he?” asked Trae. “I know you always said he wouldn’t, but why not? He’s not really that much of a hothead.”
“You might be surprised. Albrecht’s cool enough, most of the time. But when he gets jabbed unexpectedly, he tends to react like a maddened boar. I’ve never been convinced he’s fully sane, frankly.” Demansk placed the empty cup on the table next to his couch and pushed it aside. “But it doesn’t matter, given Albrecht’s ambitions. After I’d conquered the archipelago, mostly through negotiations, he needed a ‘real victory’ at Preble. If he’d settled for a negotiated surrender, he’d just look like a midget version of me. Instead, he can at least claim to be a ‘real Vanbert conqueror’—and you can bet everything you own that his people in the capital are already accusing me of being false to our traditions.”
“They’ll be accusing you of worse than that, Triumvir,” chortled Nappur. “For sure, Albrecht will try to claim that you undermined him.”
Demansk shrugged. “Let him make the claim. I was careful to leave Jeschonyk a way to murk it all up politically. I didn’t interfere at all—directly—with Albrecht’s military command. But, as the Triumvir in charge of the new province of Western Isles—all of the islands—I saw fit to provide shelter for the relatives of my own new subjects.”
He frowned at Trae. “Which is why, by the way, I’m personally glad you didn’t have to attack any of Albrecht’s ships. That would have made things a lot harder for Ion in the capital.”
Trae’s scowl was coming back, introducing itself with a snort of derision. “Them! Only two of his triremes even came around to my side of the island. The rest of his ships were supporting the assault. They took one look at me—they remember this steam ram, for sure, from last year—and kept their distance.”
“Speaking of which,” said Thicelt, “did it make it across the ocean?”
“Ha! I had to have it towed into Rope, where I left it,” grumbled Trae. “Even with this mild weather, the damn thing takes on so much water in the open sea that the whole crew had to spend all its time bailing. Didn’t dare keep the boilers going.”
The scowl was in full bloom now. “All of which doesn’t deal with my problem, Father! Sinking two ships of mutineers is not exactly the kind of reputation I need for—”
“Be quiet, boy.” Demansk’s tone was stern, almost cold. “Grow up, damn it. Who cares what kind of a reputation you have with Vanbert soldiers? I’ve got enough of that to do for the whole family—even leaving aside what Forent’s men will make of it.”
The giant was back to chortling. ” ‘So fierce was the countenance of young Trae—so terrifying the very name of Demansk itself—that Albrecht’s navy recoiled and fled from his wrath.’ We’ll start there. By the time we get done with the mutiny, it’ll sound like something out of the old ballads.”
Even Trae chuckled. Demansk rose to his feet. “And what’s more important—much more—is that you’ll now have a reputation among the Islanders.”
“We’re partial to saints, y’know,” drawled Sharlz. “It’s a most important aspect to the creed of the Lady of the Sea. And Lemare’s a far more important goddess to the common run of Islanders than the ones the former kings favored.”
His face assumed an unusually solemn expression. “I’m not joking, Trae. ‘Pirates’ we might have been. But pirates are seamen, first of all, and no one understands better the dangers of the sea—or the blessedness of a man who rescues people from shipwreck. Which you just did on the largest scale in history.”
“And now, up, youngest son of mine!” commanded Demansk. “You haven’t got time to wallow in misery. I’ve got new work for you, and lots of it. First thing tomorrow morning, you’re meeting a man named Marzel Therdu—he’s the one who wound up in charge of Casull’s armament works—along with about a dozen other Islander manufacturers. The owners of the largest foundries and smithies. As a group, they’re the core of the new weapons industry Adrian Gellert created for the Islanders.”
He headed for the door, with Trae following. “All of them are now destitute, of course, and their employees are even more desperate than they are. So I propose to get them all back to work, and on a larger scale than before. With you in overall charge of coordinating the work.”