The Tyrant by Eric Flint and David Drake

“Which of your daughters?” he grated.

Tomsien shrugged. “Any of the three. Take your pick. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Demansk left that problem for a later time. He would allow Barrett to make the choice, in any event. His son would choose unwisely, and that too would further Demansk’s scheme.

He took a moment to bid farewell to a piece of his own honor. Then:

“Done,” he said softly. “But, now that I’ve given you the personal assurance you insisted upon, I will demand myself that I be given complete authority over all Confederate naval forces. Every ship, every crew—and whatever else I need to crush the King of the Isles. I will have my vengeance.”

Tomsien’s hand was too thick to wave languidly, but the fat Justiciar came as close as possible. Now that he had settled the deal in a manner very favorable to himself, he was quite willing to concede the crumbs from the table.

“Whatever you need,” he agreed. “So long, of course, as you don’t touch my armies, and don’t try to extract resources from the southern provinces.”

Demansk shrugged irritably. “I wouldn’t do it anyway. I am principally motivated by my concerns for the Confederacy, Tomsien, whether you believe it or not. You’ll be needing those armies and resources yourself, soon enough. Don’t doubt for a moment that the Southrons will begin raiding again, as soon as they hear that we’ve committed a major expedition to conquering the Western Isles.”

Tomsien said nothing. Indeed, he looked away, as if in momentary fear that Demansk might be able to read his thoughts.

Pointless, that. Demansk could read them easily enough. Tomsien was calculating the future. After he broke the Southron probes and launched his own offensive into the southern half of the continent. With its wide rich lands . . . And two partners in a triumvirate, one of them old and the other possessed only of naval power. Who was to say that there might not be another dictatorship? Marcomann had done very well for himself, when all was said and done, even if he’d left something of a mess behind him when he died.

Demansk watched as Tomsien, eyes turned away, made the same calculations concerning the future that he had made of his daughters. Any of them. Take your pick. It doesn’t matter to me. The havoc he might wreak in the lives of others was irrelevant, so long as it worked to his advantage.

* * *

Three hours later, when the day was almost done, Tomsien left the villa. Demansk remained behind in the chamber for a few minutes. Something in Jeschonyk’s expression had made clear that the Speaker Emeritus wanted a few last private words.

“And now that he’s gone, Verice, tell me what you’re really planning.”

Demansk was a bit startled. Jeschonyk hadn’t addressed him by his first name in years.

The old man chuckled. “And please—spare me the speeches about the needs of the Confederacy. Not that I doubt you, mind. But nobody is that disinterested.”

Demansk frowned. “I don’t see where my motives really matter, Ion. You sat through this entire meeting, even if Tomsien and I did most of the talking and the bargaining. You know as well as I do that he came out of it with the most. I’d think you’d be worrying more about him than me.”

“Cut it out, Verice. The thing about Marcomann, you see—people forget this because of his brutality—is that he was smart. Without his wits, all his land grants and his armies wouldn’t have meant anything. Tomsien’s simply not in that league. You are.”

It was probably futile, but Demansk decided to try a ferocious scowl. “Dammit, I gave what amounts to a hostage to Tomsien! My eldest son. You know as well as I do that he’ll make sure Barrett lives within his reach.”

For the first time in hours, Jeschonyk lifted himself up out of the languid, half-reclining position of a true nobleman. He sat up straight and stared at Demansk. Then, sighed heavily and looked away.

“The gods help us, you are motivated by nothing more than principle.” His old shoulders seem to shiver a little. “Most dangerous thing in the world, that. Bloodiest, for sure.”

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