"Itt is as we feared, then," Brynn reasoned when Belli'mar Juraviel and Pagonel arrived back in Dharyan-Dharielle with news of Abbot Olin.
"Abbot Olin insists that the strike against us was in error, but there is little mistaking his intent," Pagonel confirmed.
"I'll not stay holed up in the city," Brynn remarked, and she moved to the window of the tower overlooking Dharyan-Dharielle's eastern wall and the encamped Behrenese army beyond. Over the last couple of days, the Behrenese force had shifted to the east, but not far, and while some caravans had moved off down the eastern road, Brynn had suspected that it was all a ruse, and that De Hamman wasn't leaving at all. Pagonel and Juraviel, great-stepping through that region, had confirmed those suspicions, for a second Behrenese camp had been constructed, just to the east of the first.
"They have moved away from the western borders," the woman observed.
"They leave that path open to us, that we might flee back to the steppes of To-gai."
Tanalk Grenk entered then, with a sheepish-looking Pechter Dan Turk beside him and Lozan Duk and Belli'mar Juraviel coming in on their heels.
There had been talk of expelling the Behrenese emissary from the city, mostly from the fierce Grenk and his followers, but not only had Brynn dissuaded them from that course, she had insisted to Pechter Dan Turk that he remain in Dharyan-Dharielle.
"Is that what your Yatol Wadon desires, Pechter Dan Turk?" the woman asked.
The man looked all about in panic, obviously not understanding the question, for he had not heard Brynn's previous statement.
"Yatol De Hamman moves his force about to the east, inviting us to flee back to the steppes of To-gai," Brynn explained.
"You bade him to leave," the Behrenese man replied. "Perhaps he does so, yes?"
"No," said Pagonel. "He makes us think that he leaves, that he might bide his time and gather more strength from Jacintha."
"What is the image of Behren that Yatol Mado Wadon truly desires?" Brynn asked.
The man stammered and seemed at a loss.
"We are not your enemy," Brynn said to the man. "I beg you to speak freely here, without fear of repercussion."
"Yatol Wadon wishes Behren to remain united," the man explained.
"Does that include Dharyan-Dharielle?" Brynn asked. "Would he so quickly go against the very treaty that allowed him to conquer Jacintha in the first place?"
The question, the accusation, seemed to wound Pechter Dan Turk.
"What is in the heart of Pechter Dan Turk?" Brynn went on. "Do you desire to see Dharyan-Dharielle back in the Behrenese kingdom?"
"I desire peace, good lady," the man replied, and for the first time, it seemed as if he was speaking from the heart, and not from fear. "Behren has been shattered by the deception of Yakim Douan. You cannot understand how profoundly his lies brought rot to the heart and soul of my land and my people."
"Oh, but I can," said Brynn.
"Yatol Mado Wadon sought to reunite the kingdom under Jacintha, for only Jacintha holds enough power to keep the tribes from falling into complete chaos once more," the emissary explained.
"And Abbot Olin helped Jacintha to accomplish that," reasoned Brynn. "So tell me, who is it that presses Jacintha to regain Dharyan-Dharielle? Is this the desire of Yatol Wadon, or Abbot Olin?"
"Good lady, I have no answer for you," the man admitted. "My master has never indicated..."
"Then perhaps it is Abbot Olin," Brynn reasoned. "Exacting a level of control over Yatol Wadon. Taking full advantage of your master's desperate struggle."
Pechter Dan Turk started to answer, but then just half shrugged and half nodded, unwilling to agree or deny.
"Mayhap we should send Yatol Wadon this one's head to tell him that we do not accept his proposal," fierce Tanalk Grenk said, and he stared hard at Pechter Dan Turk.
The man seemed very small at that moment.
Brynn walked right over, though, insinuating herself between the two and shooting a fierce scowl right back at Tanalk Grenk. "What does Pechter Dan Turk think of the recent battle?" she asked. "To whom does Dharyan- Dharielle belong? Or do you prefer the name simply as Dharyan?"
The man bit his lip.
"Speak freely," said Brynn. "On my word, there is no consequence here to your honest words."
"The city's rightful name is Dharyan-Dharielle," the man said. "It was fairly given in treaty, and to the gain of both our peoples, so I believed then, when I advised Yatol Mado Wadon. And so I believe now!"
"Then go out from here," Brynn bade him, and Pechter Dan Turk's expression became incredulous. "Go to Yatol De Hamman and discern his intentions. He will likely send you back to us with word that he is breaking camp and returning soon to Jacintha."
"And what am I to tell him from Brynn?"
"Tell him that you are no friend to Brynn," the woman instructed.
The man studied her for a long while. "You would have me spy against my own people," he reasoned.
"Only if you consider Abbot Olin to be of your own people," Brynn replied. "For this is the doing of Abbot Olin, not Yatol Wadon. And perhaps Yatol De Hamman truly intends to leave. If he believes that you are no friend to me, then he will likely speak truthfully to you."
"And you would have me report back," the emissary added.
Brynn shrugged. "That will be a choice for Pechter Dan Turk to make, and I will accept whatever choice that is. If Yatol De Hamman indicates that he means to expel me from the city, then perhaps you will come to understand the truth of my fears, that Abbot Olin - not Yatol Wadon - controls Behren, and in that revelation, perhaps you will believe that I am a better friend to Jacintha than the Abellican abbot."
The man paused and seemed as if he wanted to reply. But he said nothing, except, "I go," and with a bow, he walked from the room.
"He could betray us," Tanalk Grenk remarked as soon as he was gone.
"There is nothing to betray," said Pagonel.
"He could return with a lie from Yatol De Hamman," Grenk reasoned.
"We know the truth of Yatol De Hamman's intentions, whatever Pechter Dan Turk might say," Brynn answered.
"Then what was the point of sending him?"
"To give us a voice in Jacintha later on," said Brynn, "should we survive the onslaught of Yatol De Hamman." She turned to the elves, who were standing quietly off to the side. "You have met with Agradeleous?"
"The dragon is in fine spirits," Juraviel informed her. "And well on the mend. His wing should support him in flight within a few days' time."
"But the danger to him remains, should he take wing at all," Pagonel reminded. "The army of Behren has built weapons to counter Agradeleous, and at the end of the war for To-gai's freedom, those weapons had the dragon in worse condition than he is now. The Behrenese had us beaten, and only their own inner turmoil pulled them from our gates."
Tanalk Grenk gave a bit of a snort at that, but even he did not openly disagree with the reasoning.
"And now those weapons, in the ranks of Yatol De Hamman, do not even constitute the greatest threat to Agradeleous," Pagonel finished.
"The Abellican monks," Brynn remarked.
"They sorely stung the dragon - ever has Agradeleous held great respect for gemstone users, or magic users of any kind."
Brynn nodded throughout the mystic's response. She remembered keenly the time she had flown Agradeleous south about the Mountains of Fire, the land of the Walk of Clouds monastery, which served as home to the Jhesta Tu. Agradeleous had little desire to go anywhere near the magical mystics. Brynn looked back out the window, weighing it all. What she knew beyond doubt was that to try to hole up in the city would eventually prove disastrous, for she and all her forces could not hope to resist the overpowering Behrenese for long. Neither did the prospect of retreating into To-gai appeal to her, particularly given Juraviel's assessment of Aydrian, and the observations of Abbot Olin's entrenchment in Jacintha.
To Brynn, the lack of options all pointed her in the same direction, and that course seemed even more plausible given Pagonel's report of potential unrest within the Honce-the-Bear ranks in Jacintha. She turned back to the group, and the look on her face, so full of determination and sheer grit - an expression that she had worn before most of these same allies for so very long - told them her intentions before she ever spoke them aloud.
"We must shatter this siege before help can arrive," she stated. "We must cut our enemy's ranks apart and send the Behrenese fleeing in terror. We must steal the momentum of their heretofore glorious march and remind them why they once so feared the Dragon of To-gai."
"Our charge will shake the ground beneath their feet!" said an enthusiastic Tanalk Grenk, but the fire seemed to dull quickly, as he added, "But understand, my lady, that such a battle will cost us much in To-gai-ru blood. The Wraps - " He caught himself and stopped, and that, along with his caveat here concerning the battle, showed great progress to Brynn's scrutinizing eyes. Tanalk Grenk was learning to temper his fierce To-gai-ru warrior heritage with the calm understanding of the greater picture that would prove a necessary wisdom within any leader.
"The Behrenese," the man corrected, "are numerous and will not be caught unawares. Without the walls before us, they will sting us with their arrows before battle is ever joined. But we will go, with all of our hearts, if Lady Brynn asks it of us!"
Brynn nodded. "To go out in frontal assault against the encamped army would be folly," she said. "Our greatest weapon here is Agradeleous. The dragon, unchallenged, will strike fear into the hearts of the Behrenese, and his fiery strafes of their ranks will split them asunder and send them running across the open desert sands. But to do that, we must first prepare the battlefield, and our enemies, to our liking."
She turned to Juraviel. "Could you take Agradeleous with you, using your emerald?"
"If the dragon was in his humanoid form, perhaps," the elf replied.
"Then what if you take him out secretly behind Behrenese lines?" Brynn asked. "And Pagonel and me, and some other warriors."
"One at a time," the elf reminded.
"In the dark of night," Brynn agreed. "You set us down, and in position to strike at those positions that would most threaten Agradeleous, and then I shall unbridle the beast, to our enemy's doom."
"You would play the role of assassin before that of warrior?" Pagonel asked.
"I would secure Dharyan-Dharielle and To-gai, by whatever means," Brynn replied without missing a beat, and the nod of the Jhesta Tu told her that he agreed with her reasoning. "If we, if Agradeleous, can enact a devastating first strike against the Abellicans and Yatol De Hamman's war engines, then we shall gain the upper hand and shatter this siege."
"To what end?" asked Juraviel, and all looked at him curiously.
"Will you then return to hide behind your walls, and await the march of Abbot Olin?" the elf asked.
"I will take the fight all the way to Jacintha, all the way to Abbot Olin," Brynn answered.
"Then let me go out to the north at once and see if I might find us an ally," Juraviel asked. "The winter nears its end up there, offering more mobility to those who would oppose Aydrian."
"And more mobility to Aydrian, should he decide to reinforce Jacintha,"
Pagonel warned.
"But do go, and return as soon as you may," Brynn said to the elf. "We must gather all the information possible before we can execute this plan." She turned her look upon Lozan Duk. "When you arrived here, you told me that moving through the lines of Yatol De Hamman had been of little difficulty."
The Doc'alfar grinned from pointed ear to pointed ear. "Give me two nights," he said, "and I will have every area of Yatol De Hamman's encampment mapped out for you in great detail. If Juraviel can delay for just a few hours, he and I can bring in many of my kinfolk, who are now stretched from the To-gai plateau to the southern entrance of the Path of Starless Night."
All of them looked about to each other then, everyone offering a grim and determined nod. The meeting broke up, with all heading to their respective duties, but Pagonel lingered to speak with Brynn alone.
"You will need assurance that our suspicions of Abbot Olin's intent is correct, that he means to attack and overrun Dharyan-Dharielle," the mystic reasoned.
"I expect Pechter Dan Turk to return and erase any hopes that I might otherwise have," said Brynn.
Pagonel nodded, and Brynn could see the sincere admiration in his brown almond-shaped eyes, the mark of his To-gai-ru heritage. She knew then, in that look from her greatest mentor, that she had played the situation perfectly on all counts.
Still, in looking again out the window at the overwhelming enemy force, Brynn realized that it would take more than that for her to truly win through.
For the second time, she blinked open her eyes to see the sun. The sun in the land of the living, from whence Pony believed she had departed forever-more. She was in a cabin in a ship - on Saudi ]acintha, she remembered - wrapped tightly in warm blankets and near to the cabin's one window.
"Welcome back, lass," said Andacanavar, kneeling by the side of her bed, which still made him tower over the prone woman. "We thought you'd left us. Praise to Bradwarden for understanding the gemstones and leaping in to your rescue."
The words rattled around in Pony's head for a bit, conjuring images of those terrible and desperate moments out on the deck. Bradwarden! She had tapped his life force with the soul stone! She had reached out and taken his energy as her own! Panicked, Pony tried to sit up, but the pain, and Andacanavar's strong arm held her down. "Rest easy, my friend," the ranger said softly. "We've two more days to Vanguard, and you will need all of that time and more to stand strong once again."
"Bradwarden?" Pony gasped breathlessly. "Where is Bradwarden?"
"Out on the deck, resting comfortably," Andacanavar replied. "He is exhausted from his ordeal in battling your wounds with you - exhausted but well on the mend."
"I took too much!" Pony insisted. "Speak truly to me, for I know that he could not have survived the leaching of the soul stone!"
Andacanavar gave a small laugh. "You took much indeed," he agreed. "And we all thought we had lost the centaur - and nearly lost Captain Al'u'met when Bradwarden toppled over toward him! But the hardy Bradwarden rebounded well, I tell you in all honesty."
Pony shook her head; it didn't make sense. "Too much," she argued.
"He mentioned something about an armband," Andacanavar explained. "A red armband."
That settled Pony back, her thoughts whirling and all of the questions popping into them leading her in a positive direction. She had forgotten the enchantment of that armband! The elves had given it to Elbryan, and on a human, its healing magic had worked well. But on the centaur, the powers had somehow extended beyond anything Pony had ever known. When Mount Aida had collapsed during the defeat of the demon dactyl, a large section of the mountain had crushed Bradwarden and should have killed him. But that enchanted armband had not allowed the centaur's life force to flee his corporeal form: it had kept him alive, on the very precipice of death, for weeks and months.
And now it had saved him again, and had saved Pony, as well.
"Tell me of the raid," said Pony. "How great the gain, and how great the losses?"
"A success by any measure," Andacanavar told her. "Eight great warships accompany our fleet now, and King Aydrian's expeditionary force is stranded on Pireth Dancard. The mainland is a long swim."
Pony shared in his laughter, as much as her aching side allowed. "We must not rest on this one victory," she said in all seriousness. "Aydrian will move quickly to even the score, and to the support of Pireth Dancard."
"With the additional ships, Prince Midalis can load a significant force aboard and invade that island fortress."
"Better not to fight them in defended holes, I think."
The ranger gave a shrug. "Planning for another day. We will make Vanguard soon enough, and there decide our next course of action."
"Our?"
Another shrug. "Bruinhelde holds great respect and admiration for Prince Midalis," the ranger explained. "They are brothers by deed, if not by blood, and have shared much. If Bruinhelde believes that Honce-the-Bear is better served by Midalis than by Aydrian, if he comes to believe that Alpinador will be threatened should Aydrian defeat the rightful king, then he will likely march with Prince Midalis."
"And will that be your advisement to him?"
"We will see," the ranger replied, lowering his voice and putting a finger over Pony's mouth to prevent her from continuing. "Rest, my friend. We've a long road ahead."
Saudi jacintha caught up to the rest of the fleet and led the way into Pireth Vanguard on the front winds of a budding winter storm. Barely had the ships been safely sheltered and moored, with the Alpinadorans pulling their longboats right out of the water, before terrific winds and great swells battered the coastline of Vanguard, sweeping through the Gulf of Corona and out into the deeper Mirianic.
Still, the season was getting late, with spring fast approaching, and the prince's charges believed that it would not be long before the trails to Caer Tinella were clear of snow and the gulf became reliably navigable once more. And so the planning began in full, as both Pony and Bradwarden recovered from their wounds. They planned for the defense of Vanguard, should it come to that, and for the offensive they hoped to launch against King Aydrian.
The mood of Pireth Vanguard was not hopeful, however, despite their determination and the great victory they had won at Pireth Dancard. For they knew, from reports and from common sense, that Aydrian was making great gains in the southland. He had even scattered the Touel'alfar, and that was no small feat! Prince Midalis knew that he must fight, but he and all of those around him understood the desperation of that prospect.
Five days after their return to Pireth Vanguard, the darkness of the mood only deepened, for Belli'mar Juraviel arrived with news gathered by his many scouts of the happenings in the southland of Honce-the-Bear, of Duke Kalas' march and swelling ranks, of Aydrian's departure from Palmaris at the head of a second army, of the fall of St. Gwendolyn and the execution of Abbot Glendenhook.
But Juraviel also brought with him other news, from the lands south of the Belt-and-Buckle, of the second resistance building against King Aydrian's encroachment into Behren. And, more hopeful still, of potential erosion within Aydrian's own ranks.
Namely, Duke Bretherford. Pony knew Bretherford; he had accompanied King Danube to Palmaris during his courting of Pony for those years, and had been the one to sail her back to Ursal upon River Palace when she had returned to Danube's side after their short separation. Bretherford had not been a supporter of her marriage to Danube, but he had been truthful with Pony throughout their relationship, and had never personally attacked her. More than anything else, Pony had understood Duke Bretherford to be a loyal friend of her husband the king.
"What do you think Duke Bretherford will do if Brynn breaks out of Dharyan-Dharielle and takes her army against Abbot Olin in Jacintha?"
Pony asked at the meeting, after Juraviel had told her and the gathered leaders of Yatol De Hamman's siege of Dharyan-Dharielle and Brynn's plans to break it.
"He'll fight for Abbot Olin," Prince Midalis answered before Juraviel could, and the elf seemed in complete agreement. "Duke Bretherford will side with Honce-the-Bear against either Behren or To-gai, whatever his feelings for the present king."
Pony looked at all of those gathered, her expression turning sly. "Unless we give him a reason not to," she remarked.
"What're ye thinking, lass?" Bradwarden asked.
"Would Duke Bretherford be so willing to support Abbot Olin if Prince Midalis joined Brynn in that fight against Abbot Olin?" Pony replied.
"Are you suggesting that we load up our newly acquired warships and sail all the way to Jacintha?" asked an obviously surprised Prince Midalis.
"It is a risk," she admitted. "But what do you think the effect upon Aydrian would be if we arrived in Jacintha at the same time as Brynn Dharielle, squeezing Abbot Olin and all of his warriors in a great vise? And what might Aydrian think - and more importantly, what might the other nobles of Honce-the-Bear think - if Duke Bretherford came to side with Prince Midalis?"
"It would be a great victory," Midalis admitted. "Greater than Pireth Dancard by far."
"But is it worth the risk of sailing so far and so fast?" Liam put in.
"We've hardly put the winter behind us, after all."
Everyone turned to Prince Midalis for a verdict on that remark, and the man sat back in his chair and closed his eyes for a long, long time.
"If we stay here and wait for Aydrian, we might give him a difficult fight, especially if Bruinhelde and his warriors support us, as I know they shall," the prince began. "But in the end, though we might beat Aydrian back, or stay hidden away enough so that he comes to believe that Vanguard is not worth his trouble, we will hardly be able to counterstrike forcibly.
"If we sail out or march out to take the battle to southern Honce-the- Bear, as I know I must, the odds are far from favorable," Midalis went on. "We would need to have people, including many soldiers and even Allheart Knights, come over to our side in great numbers to have any chance of standing against the army Duke Kalas has apparently assembled.
With those realities put before us, and given our friend Juraviel's information, is an attempt to enlist the support of Duke Bretherford such a far-fetched and risky proposition?"
"We have to pull at the loose ends of this tapestry Aydrian is weaving to blanket the land," Pony reminded, and she gave a little shrug and a wink as she finished, "Besides, I have always wanted to see Jacintha."
"If we find negotiation with Duke Bretherford and turn him to our side, or even if we just join in the battle and assure that Abbot Olin and Duke Bretherford are defeated in Jacintha, our gain will be great," Juraviel insisted. "If Duke Bretherford comes over or his fleet is sunk, then you will control the seas, Prince Midalis, and it will be much harder for Aydrian to know your location."
"In that case, he could just march for Vanguard," the prince warned.
"And you could debark your seaborne forces behind him, anywhere along Honce-the-Bear's long coastline, and begin eroding his base of support and supply," the elf countered.
"We become more elusive if we gain uncontested control of the seas," Pony agreed.
Prince Midalis looked at her, silently pleading with her, she knew. She had gained his trust long ago, on Mount Aida, and he needed to trust in her again. She offered him a warm smile and a determined nod.
"To the Mirianic we go," Prince Midalis announced. "Tell Captain Al'u'met to organize the sail."
Soon after, Pony accompanied Midalis to the tent of Bruinhelde in the Alpinadoran encampment northeast of Pireth Vanguard. The two were surprised indeed - and so was Andacanavar, who was also in attendance - when the Alpinadoran chieftain announced that he would accompany the prince on his southern sail, with many warships and the hopes of a great victory.
"You have sown the seeds of trust and friendship," Pony said to the prince, as they rode back toward Pireth Vanguard later that day.
"A crop more fruitful than I ever imagined," said Midalis.
"Because you sowed them honestly, and without any ulterior design," said Pony. "Bruinhelde knows that you came to him in sincere friendship for the benefit of both your peoples. When he followed you to Mount Aida, he found that his acceptance of your offers of friendship in the time of the dactyl were well-founded. And so he is willing to stand beside you."
"All the way to Behren," Midalis said with a helpless laugh.
"All the way to Behren," Pony echoed.