“What were you thinking?” Kaja asked aloud to the night as he stumbled down the gentle incline towards the point the carriage had gone over the cliff. He didn’t really know why he was doing so, it had simply occurred to him that sitting in the copse all night wasn’t going to be very useful, and that this seemed as good a direction to start in as any.

“No, forget that, I know what you were thinking,” the leonin sighed softly. “You were thinking that the dragon would go after you, and leave me. You bloody fool. Was it just a lucky guess that it didn’t see Aleana go with Kennin? Or did you think of that too?”

He stopped with his feet a yard from the cliff edge, the ground falling away to the moonlight grass a hundred feet below. Just out of his line of sight, he could hear the river churning at the bottom of the cliff. It had undoubtedly carried away all trace of the carriage, the horses, and their driver by now.

“Well, it worked,” Kaja said loudly. “You hear that? It worked, the dragon’s gone. You did it. Thank you, my friend. I hope you find some peace here.” Turning, he took a pace back up the hill, heading for the road.

“While you are quite welcome, Highness,” came a voice behind him. “I have less interest in finding peace here than I do in reaching our destination.”

“Calinan!” Kaja turned abruptly. “You... where...?” striding right to the edge of the cliff he looked down.

“Ledge,” the lupari said, looking up at him, half obscured by a thorny bush that must have hidden him from the dragon’s sight. “I’ve been this way before, knew it was here.”

“You son of a...”

“Language, Highness,” Calinan interrupted mildly. “Might I trouble you for your hand?”

Laughing, Kaja flattened himself out at the edge of the cliff, lowering his hand until Calinan could grasp it. It took some effort, but finally he managed to hoist the lupari up onto the cliff edge.

“This is going to take some work,” Calinan said sadly, examining his dented breastplate.

“You’re lucky it’s not your head!” Kaja exclaimed. “And if you ever shove me off a moving cart again, I will see that it is.”

“Understood, Highness,” Calinan nodded.

“But thank you,” Kaja extended his hand, and the lupari shook it firmly.

“I assume Princess Aleana...?”

“Away, and safe, that I know of,” Kaja grinned. “Least the dragon didn’t get her.”

“Kennin’s young, but brave, and he knows the way well. He’ll get her there safe.”

“Do we know the way?” Kaja asked, and Calinan hesitated before replying, his eyes scanning the darkened forest ahead of them.

“East,” he declared at last. “The road must lead to a town somewhere.”

“And then what?”

“We ask, Highness.”

“Understood,” the leonin sighed.

“So our prince has not yet returned?” the black robed man said slowly.

“No, First,” Katrina shook her head. “And as instructed, I have come to you before I have spoken to him.”

“Very good, General. Very good.” A thoughtful frown creased his brow as he stood by the window, looking out upon the town below. “I do not believe that Prince Tiernach should be informed of the second rider. There is no need for that.”

“He will want to know,” Katrina raised her eyebrows. “Whether you like it or not, he does care about his family.”

“That, General, is precisely why you will not tell him,” the First turned to look at her coolly.

“I don’t understand,” she shook her head. “You want me to tell him that they are all dead?”

“Yes, that is precisely what I want you to tell him. That there were no survivors.” The man’s words were slow and measured, as they always were, as if he perpetually sought to minimise ambiguity.

“Why?” the leonin demanded.

“Because then, General, he will have no reason to hold back. There is, in Prince Tiernach, a great reserve of power that can be of use to the Eye. We have seen some of it, already. While there are still those he cares about, however, his attention is divided, his focus poor. I wish to remove some of the obstacles to his achieving greatness.”

“By making him miserable?”

“For a time, perhaps,” the First shrugged, an infuriatingly slow gesture and Katrina hated every second of it. “But he will, of course, recover, in the end. And then, General, his focus will be sharp, his distractions none. If, that is, you do not add to them.”

Katrina flushed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, General Katrina,” Lord Blackwood said from the shadows at the side of the room. “That it has not gone unnoticed that you are spending more time in the prince’s company than is quite necessary for a military leader.”

“What business is that of yours?” she glared at the lupari, her cheeks looking splotchy through her fur.

“Prince Tiernach is my business,” he said simply. “Because he is the Brotherhood’s business. Logically, anything that affects him, affects me.”

“Then what business does the Brotherhood have watching me? How long have I served, faithfully, loyally? How far would it have come without me?”

“Your achievements on behalf of the Brotherhood, are not in question.” The First spoke as slowly as ever, unfazed by Katrina’s anger. ”I have, you may imagine, no interest in whom you choose to share your bed with,” he said this without emotion, but Katrina’s fists clenched. “But it is unlikely to benefit our cause for you to involve yourself with Prince Tiernach.”

“I’m not ‘involved’ with him,” Katrina sniffed, folding her arms.

“Popular rumour disagrees,” Blackwood stated.

“Then popular rumour is wrong,” she snapped, turning her back to the lupari, her tail lashing in anger. “I have no feelings for him, and I doubt he has any for me. This is simply a matter of... of personal comfort, and none of your concern.”

“Personal... comfort...” Blackwood raised his eyebrows. “I see.” He looked thoughtful as he analysed the words, and Katrina felt her flush deepen, the insides of her ears reddening. “Well, perhaps we can find you an alternative source of comfort.”

“I don’t think so,” she sneered over her shoulder at him. “I doubt you’d measure up to my standards, little dog.”

“Damn you,” the lupari spat, instantly enraged as Katrina had hoped. “You’ll pay for that!”

The First stepped forward, raising a hand to forestall Blackwood as his one eye glared at Katrina, his hand reaching for the hilt of his rapier.

“No, Blackwood, she will not,” he said calmly. “For now, she is valuable, and you will hold your temper.” He turned to Katrina. “I would advise you, General, to take care. You are of little use to the Brotherhood if your thoughts are not clear. If you find yourself unable to place, the demands of the Eye, above those of Prince Tiernach...”

“My thoughts are perfectly clear, and I know who’s demands come first,” she snarled. “I know my loyalties. I serve the Brotherhood as I always have.”

“Good,” the First said calmly. “Then we have little more to discuss. I suggest that you make yourself ready to brief Prince Tiernach, upon his return.”

Katrina ducked, hiding behind the table as the vase smashed against the wall behind her. A moment later she leapt backwards as the table shattered, splinters lancing into her arm as she shielded her face.

“My Lord!”

“How could you be so stupid?” Tiernach demanded, advancing upon her, the darkness of the night seeming to pulse around him in his fury.

“Return them, I said!” Grabbing the front of her uniform, Tiernach threw the leonin woman bodily across the room, slamming her against the wall. She cried out as she landed hard, the breath knocked out of her.

“Alive, I said!” His fist clenched in the air, a word of magic resounding throughout the chamber as Katrina went skidding across the floor to crash into the opposite wall. Another word and she was at his feet, being hauled upright.

“My Lord...”

“I trusted you! I gave you this task, and you have failed me!”

His fist connected with her cheek and she staggered backwards. His second blow hit her without the need for physical contact, the strength of his magic alone enough to knock her off her feet, fury etched into his features. The third curled her up into a ball, gasping for breath, unable to rise as she waited for the fourth.

It didn’t come.

Blinking watering eyes, breathing harshly, she heard him slump into a chair. For a moment, she wondered if he were simply waiting for her to stand that he might knock her down again. Then she heard a sound that terrified her far more than his words of magic, shocked her more deeply than the worst of his anger.

Tiernach was crying.

“My Lord,” Katrina whispered, uncurling slowly, crawling over to where he sat. He jerked  away from her touch. Horrified, terrified, she knelt at his feet as he covered his eyes with a shaking hand.

“You have brought my work to nothing.” The lack of emotion in his voice was more fearful than if he had shouted the words in fury. “Everything that I have achieved, you have brought it to nothing.” He took several deep breaths, regaining himself. “Go home, Katrina. There will be no more for you to do.”

“My Lord...”

“Would you test my patience further?” he spat. “Go home!”

She bowed her head. Touching her fingers to her lip, she discovered she was bleeding, but it didn’t matter.

“My Lord, you must listen to me!”

“Why?” he demanded, emotion suddenly flooding through his expressionless face as he grabbed her collar, hauling her up to him. “Why should I listen to you after what you have done?”

“Because they may not be dead.”

This statement was so unexpected that Tiernach let go and she fell back to the floor.

“I was not to tell you this,” she said, unable to meet his burning gaze. “You were to be assured of their death, but I promised you my loyalty and I prove it to you now,” she looked up suddenly, her eyes proud and defiant, as if challenging him to believe otherwise. “A rider escaped, broke away from the carriage. Before I could pursue, they had entered the forest and were lost to me.”

“Who?” he demanded.

“I do not know for sure,” she shook her head. “But the rider was not large. Not tall enough to be Kaja, or Calinan Thornshield.”

“Aleana...” Tiernach breathed. He closed his eyes, a shudder running through his broad shoulders. “Aleana lives... my sister...”

“Perhaps, my Lord, if she survived the night. And also...”

“Also what?” Tiernach fixed her with his eyes.

“As I pursued the carriage, Thornshield had time to escape. He could have made it to the trees, but he did not, nor did I see Prince Kaja as Thornshield went over the cliff. It is possible...”

“That he was not inside,” Tiernach whispered. “Yes, that would fit Calinan. He would make that sacrifice, if he thought there were no other way to protect my brother.”

With a sudden motion, he grabbed Katrina’s face, holding her ears tightly, bringing them almost nose to nose.

“Is this the truth?” he hissed, his eyes burning into her.

“Yes, my Lord, though it is not as the First wished you to hear.”

Tiernach’s eyes flickered between hers for a moment, then his expression relaxed. Pulling her to him, he kissed her. She flushed as they separated, looking confused.

“Tell him you told me they were both dead,” Tiernach stated. “That I accepted the news,” his finger dabbed the blood off her lip. “Gracefully.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Do nothing to attempt to find Aleana, or Kaja. They are both resourceful enough that they will surface on their own, in time, and I will ‘find out’ then. For now, I will set the white dragon to patrolling the Freelands’ coast, perhaps it will reduce the chance of my father encountering a hostile fleet. We will continue as planned.”

“Yes, my Lord.” He was protecting her, Katrina realised in confusion. Though she had nearly betrayed him, he would let her report success because she had not done so. Yet... should she have? Should she not have done as the First instructed?

Looking up into Tiernach’s face, she felt herself torn between the two. On the one hand all the power and glory she could want, and most likely immortality, and on the other... she felt angry. This was ridiculous. She should have fulfilled the will of the Eye. But... Tiernach had seemed almost as if he were about to abandon the cause. There will be no more for you to do. Of course! If she had not told him the truth, then she would have failed the Eye more than by following the First’s orders. She had minimised the damage that this news would do, and thus served the Brotherhood well.

And Tiernach was smiling. Such a rare thing, to see him smile.

The Oakroot estate had a justified reputation for beauty. The mansion itself was regularly whitewashed, and kept so clean that it shone in the autumn sunlight. The surrounding grounds were lush, and well kept. Broken into four quarters following the directions of the compass, four specialist gardeners had been employed. To the north, pines, shrubs, and carefully selected white rocks gave an impression of cool tundra. To the west, a river in miniature wound its way among weeping willows, and under small footbridges. In the south quarter, a vast quantity of imported sand, with a variety of plants from the Southern Desert bringing muted greens into the otherwise arid landscape. And in the east corner, a triple tiered pagoda sat upon an island in the middle of a lake full of water lilies, the white petals and shimmering water alike glowing red with the setting sun.

From the top of the hill, Aleana looked down upon the gardens, unsmiling and pale in the evening light.

“We’ve made good time,” Kennin said softly, looking over his shoulder as Aleana leaned against his back, both of them small enough to share the saddle. “Coppershine has done well. Don’t worry, my friend,” he patted the horse. “You’ll get your reward. Oats this evening?” The horse snorted agreeably as Kennin urged him into motion down the road.

“Nearly there, Princess. Just a few minutes. We should be in time for evening meal, but if not the chef will make you anything you like. He does wonderful roast pheasant, if you feel like it.” The vulpani continued chatting away about pretty much nothing as they descended the incline towards the estate. Aleana didn’t really pay attention, the words didn’t matter. It was enough that his tone was soft, his voice calming.

The calm was soon broken as they entered the gates to the front of the mansion. As the guard recognised Kennin, he saluted, and his companion went running to the house. In less than a minute, they were seemingly surrounded by servants, and Aleana was being gently helped down from the saddle and bustled inside, Kennin at her elbow, calling out instructions as they went. By the time things calmed down enough to focus, she was seated in a squashy armchair by the fire, a cup of tea and a plate of scones and jam on the small table at her elbow.

Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Kennin standing in the doorway, looking out into the corridor, hands behind his back, apparently not watching her, but one ear was cocked in her direction. She called to him softly, and he turned.

“Are you all right, Princess?” he asked quietly, padding over to kneel beside her chair. “I thought you could use a little quiet...”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she smiled at him, though she knew it must look somewhat tired and feeble. “Thank you.”

“My father appears to be in town today. He should be back within the hour. He’s going to want to know what happened...”

Aleana closed her eyes. “Yes, of course he is. Kennin... will you tell him, please?”

“Of course,” Kennin dipped his head. “I know how you must feel after these last few days. If you wish, I will give instructions that nobody is to bother you, until tomorrow at least. You can rest in one of the guest rooms, get your strength back?”

“No, that’s all right,” she shook her head, brushing back a loose strand of hair. “I... I must deal with this. Hiding from it is not going to make things better.”

“Very well. What do you want me to do?”

Aleana looked pale in the firelight. “I would like you to find out if there has been any news of my father since he left. If it is known where he will be going next.”

“All right,” Kennin nodded. “You’re going to bring him back, then?”

“How did you...?”

“You were talking, that night in the forest. I wasn’t sure if you were asleep, you didn’t seem to notice me, but you seemed to have decided that the king had to be informed immediately.”

Aleana felt herself flush. She barely even remembered that night.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about, Princess,” the vulpani said softly. “Under the circumstances, you handled yourself very gracefully.”

“I would hardly call fainting graceful,” she looked away.

“Well, let’s call it passed out,” Kennin smiled. “You were exhausted, and you had just been attacked by a dragon.”

“As had you.”

“My night was not as bad as yours, Princess,” the vulpani said softly. “I consider you to have shown no weakness, and I will certainly not say otherwise to anyone else.”

“Thank you,” Aleana watched the flickering fire for a few moments. “Yes,” she sighed softly. “You are quite right. I must tell my father what has happened. This has gone beyond my ability to resolve. Without Kaj...” she stopped, putting her knuckles to her lips, trying to ignore the single tear that trailed down her cheek. “Without Kaja, I cannot help here any longer. I have no official standing with the military, and I do not believe the troops in the capital would simply stand aside for me. My only choice is to bring the king back.” Without warning, she punched the arm of the chair. “I wish I’d never thought of this stupid rescue plan!”

“Princess...” Kennin kept his voice soft, his fingertips brushing the sleeve of her blouse as he knelt beside her. “Please. Your intentions were noble, your actions honourable. The fault does not lie with you, but whoever sent the dragon after us.”

“Tiernach...” she whispered. “I can’t... I can’t believe he would mean this. It can’t have been... but I don’t understand. I don’t understand why.” She wasn’t making sense, and she knew it. The young vulpani handed her a handkerchief, and she took it, wiping her eyes, taking several deep breaths to compose herself. She looked down at Kennin as he smiled back comfortingly.

“You won’t be able to get any news at all, will you?” she asked sadly. “All messengers would go to the palace.”

“Most likely, yes, princess,” he said regretfully.

“Then I have little choice. I will have to set out for the Freelands tomorrow.”

“So soon?”

“If I wait longer, Tiernach may send a message to the troops stationed there. I may find myself arrested as soon as I arrive.”

“Very well. Do you wish me to come with you?”

“No,” Aleana shook her head. “You, and your father will be needed here. I need you to keep talking to the other nobles, let them know that the king will return, and that they had better think carefully about where their loyalties lie.”

“All right,” Kennin nodded.

“And Kennin?”

“Yes, Princess?”

“May I see that guest room you mentioned?”

“Of course,” the vulpani smiled, standing and offering his hand as she rose, steadying her. “I’ll have someone bring some supper up to you.”

“Princess!”

Aleana’s eyes snapped open. The daylight was streaming in through the window, striking the hangings around the bed at an angle that suggested it was late morning. The last she knew it had been somewhere after midnight watch, and she had been wondering if it was even possible to sleep.

“Princess Aleana?” someone was knocking on the door.

“Yes?” she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“Princess!” Kennin’s face appeared round the door, a grin plastered the entire length of his muzzle. “Prince Kaja would like to see you,” he said with remarkable dignity.

“Kaj!” Kaja looked up as he heard the shout. Aleana was leaning over the wooden bannister on the floor above, wearing a white night gown and with her hair in a mess.

“Hey Alley!” he waved up at her as she came running down, shoving a small muscai servant aside so hard he nearly rolled down the steps after her.

Slap!

Kennin’s mouth formed a silent “Ooo,” of sympathy as Kaja blinked in shock, his head turned to one side by the power of Aleana’s strike.

“’Hey Alley’?” she repeated, glaring up at him, hand still raised. “That’s it? That’s what you have to say? You scare the,” Kennin felt sure that wasn’t usually a word heard in the royal court, “out of me, leave me on my own to deal with things, make me think you’re dead, and all you say is ‘hey Alley?’ You son of a...”

“Highness!” Calinan cut in. “Please, you...”

“And you can shut up!” she turned on the lupari, silencing him instantly. “You were supposed to be looking after him! It’s your damn job to him him from breaking his neck, and instead you let him waltz off and nearly get killed by a dragon, and you don’t even think to tell me you’re alive! Oh no, Aleana can just work it out for herself! She’ll be fine, we don’t have to let her know we’re all right, just let her sweat! Now what... how... where... oh, Kaj,” she flung her arms around the leonin’s middle, hugging him and burying her face in his shirt.

“Missed you too, Alley,” he grinned, putting one arm around her and stroking her hair with his free hand.

“Would you like some breakfast, your highness?” lord Oakroot asked, smiling, but looking elsewhere. “Perhaps the princess would like to dress first?”

“I don’t mind,” Aleana shook her head, suddenly realising how hungry she was, not having been able to face the thought of eating since the night of the dragon.

“Breakfast then, please,” Kaja nodded as Aleana separated herself from him, brushing her hands over her cheeks.

“Excellent, this way,” the older vulpani lead the way through into the cavernous breakfast room, leaning on his walking stick so that his steps were slightly uneven, his tail swaying in counterbalance.

A short muscai in a butler suit saw to their seating. Aleana couldn’t help finding the sight of the diminutive servant pulling out a chair for Kaja slightly amusing.

“If you’ll let Terrin here know what you’d like, our chef will be happy to make it for you.”

“Excellent,” Kaja grinned. “I’ll start off with a light salad with chicken, lightly seasoned.  Follow that up with bacon, eggs, sausage, black pudding, fried bread, then move onto waffles with honey, and a fruit salad with fresh cream.”

“I would like toast with honey, please,” Aleana told the butler while he was still frantically scribbling Kaja’s instructions on a notepad, and he gave her a quick look of gratitude.

“Anything hot,” Calinan waved the butler past.

After taking two orders of ‘the usual’ from both the elder and the younger vulpani, the butler scampered out, his long tail whipping behind him as he rounded the corner of the doorway.

Breakfast was a pleasant affair, lord Oakroot insisting that they not talk business at the table, as if they were simply guests in his house under no unusual circumstances. Conversation thus ranged from the weather, to a new watermill he was planning for the nearby town. Kaja displayed his typical appetite, finishing his enormous meal before anyone else, and nearly succeeding in stealing a sausage from Calinan, the lupari catching him just in time. Aleana watched him with a smile, but her eyebrows creased into a troubled frown, her conversation with Kennin the previous night still fresh in her mind. It wasn’t until after they had eaten, and she had changed into a ridiculously pink and frilly dress (so much so that she seriously considered removing the lace personally), that she found opportunity to talk to Kaja.

“You’re going to do what?” he exploded, turning violently away from the railing of the little footbridge that led towards the pagoda.

“Kaj, do you really want to try to sort this out on your own?” she asked him calmly.

“I want to go kick Tiernach’s tail is what I want to do!”

“What with?”

Kaja raised a finger, paused, then seemed to deflate slightly.

“You have nothing, right now,” Aleana said quietly. “No troops. No contact with the senate, no contact with father, and thanks to the story of treason, more or less no influence.”

“I do have loyal nobles,” Kaja turned to lean on the railing again, watching the slight ripples in the water below.

“Yes, you do,” Aleana moved to stand beside him, nearly tripping over the ludicrous dress and angrily yanking it up to her knees. “But they alone can’t help. Many of their men are in the Freelands, you’ll be lucky if you can gather half a thousand soldiers.”

“I don’t need soldiers to go against Tiernach!”

Aleana stayed silent, merely brushing back a loose strand of hair, looking at him in the reflections below.

“The dragon is a problem, though,” Kaja admitted. “If it is Tiernach’s.”

“It is.”

“You sound very sure,” Kaja looked at her.

She sighed softly. “I am. I told you a man came to see me a couple of weeks ago, from the Order of Magi. He agreed with me that we are being set against the Freelands on purpose, but didn’t know who. It was obvious that it was someone with access to a lot of manpower, and the magi say it is someone with wizard knowledge. I think they are afraid of that person.”

“You knew what was going on?”

“Of course not,” Aleana snapped at him. “I could not see it. I would not believe it could be Tiernach, even though I knew he fitted the profile. Would you have?”

“No,” Kaja let out a heavy breath. “Not until he hit me with the treason charge. Now... now I would believe it, though I don’t understand it.”

“Nor do I. We have been very well set up, Kaj. That is why I must go to father. We need him. And...”

“And what?” Kaja prompted.

“And I would like to talk to Fellirion Forester again. And Troyston Goldwood.”

“Now you’ve lost me,” the leonin shook his head in confusion.

“I have had some opportunity to speak with him, and...”

“Tarwin Goldwood’s son?”

“Yes, and...”

“Then what use is he?”

“If you will be quiet, I will tell you!” she said sharply, and Kaja looked suitably abashed. “He agrees with us that we have been set up for war. If I can talk with him, explain the situation, perhaps he can help us.”

“You know he has no official position?”

“But he is his father’s son. Tarwin Goldwood cannot ignore him easily, and will I hope listen to his voice above others.”

Several long seconds passed as Kaja regarded a water lily. “We don’t have a lot of choice, do we?” he asked, suddenly sounding vulnerable.

“I do not believe so, no,” Aleana patted his arm.

“Does it have to be you?”

“To talk with Goldwood or Forester, yes. We cannot resolve this with an envoy.”

“Of course... I want Calinan to go with you. And some of Oakroot’s men.”

“No,” she cut him off. “If I take a lot of people I will draw attention. We already know that Tiernach is looking for us. It will be difficult enough, I do not need an escort party advertising my identity.”

“Then Calinan at least,” Kaja insisted. “Use a fake identity, let him get you past any soldiers that would stop you.”

“That is a good idea,” Aleana nodded.

“Hey, I’m not just a dashing and handsome young man, you know.”

“No, you are also stubborn and pig headed,” she smiled.

“It’s something I learned from you,” the tall feline countered, grinning. “All right, Alley, you do what you have to. I will gather those nobles I can here, ensure that father has some loyal troops when he returns.”

Aleana nodded, looked up at him for a moment, rested her hand on his chest.

“Take care, Kaj,” she whispered.

“You too, little sister,” he put his hand over hers. “You too.”

By the time the ship docked at Deepsby, the sun was just rising. Six days of crossing the Fathomdeep ocean in calm weather had kept the crew cheerful, the captain relaxed, and his most important passenger prowling about the deck as if regretting not captaining the ship himself. Maximillian was not a man to sit idly by while others worked, especially when that work was sailing. He had on several occasions been tempted to quietly relieve one of the officers and take their place, but had ultimately resisted.

After nearly a week of feeling like the fifth wheel on a wagon, he was therefore grateful to finally disembark.

“Majesty,” the man in charge of the reception committee saluted.

“De Lance,” Maximillian smiled. “And Greyfang,” he looked at the brawny leonin. “I wasn’t aware you two would be here. They pulled you out of retirement?” he turned to the black haired man.

“Not so much pulled,” De Lance chuckled. “More persuaded. Your son is quite the negotiator.”

“That he is,” the king smiled. “And I’m glad he talked you into it. I can use a man with good experience. But I didn’t know you had joined the army,” he addressed Greyfang.

“I didn’t,” the leonin rumbled, and Maximillian gave him a questioning look.

De Lance gave a lopsided smile. “Lennan has requested that he be allowed to act as your personal guard,” he said. “I must admit, I would feel better if you would take him up on the offer, highness. Deepsby may be officially pacified, but there is still some resistance to our presence, as I am sure we will encounter elsewhere.”

“Resistance?”

“Unfortunately so, but not as much as we feared. We’ve been very lenient with the townspeople. As long as they don’t try to leave the city, we leave them in peace.”

“That was wise,” the leonin nodded. “And I approve. I do not like the taste of this war, and I will like it even less if the river runs red each dawn. Do you really think it’s necessary?” he looked at Greyfang.

“I do, Majesty,” Greyfang nodded. “If you accept, I will serve you well. If you do not, I will serve you well anyway.”

Maximillian laughed. “It would seem I have little choice in the matter, Lennan!”

“No, your Majesty.”

“Then I have no option but to accept. Thank you,” he extended his hand, which Greyfang shook firmly.

“We have the three towns marked here, here, and here,” De Lance said, pointing at the map. “I recommend that we aim for this next.”

Maximillian leaned over to look as the innkeeper hovered about nervously in the background, wondering if he should be offering wine, mead or ale.

“Cook something,” Greyfang growled quietly, inadvertently answering the question, and the man hurried off into the back room. He leaned against the door after closing it behind him,  dabbing at his sweating forehead with a cloth.

It was stressful enough that the city had been occupied by the Lordenor army, but to have Irontooth himself suddenly arrive and start talking about military plans in his front room was near intolerable! Not to mention that all his rooms were now occupied by army officers.

Not that they hadn’t paid a fair price, the man reflected, moving on to drying his rapidly balding head. In fact, they had paid over the odds for their rooms, and had behaved considerably more politely than many of his more normal customers. Not only that, but they kept tipping the barmaids, and had actually pushed his weekly earnings above average, while keeping away the troublemakers. Overall, he reflected, it was a most confusing situation, and one he had mixed feelings about seeing come to an end.

Of course, there had been the dragon. That was not something the innkeeper was sad to notice had gone. Where it had gone, he wasn’t sure, though the fervent hope was to the lowest level of hell.