Esra (46 page)

“But wouldn’t a wall that size that take a very long time and a whole lot of people?”  Esra asked.  “Stone work is slow.  Ye must wait fer the mortar to dry between layers, and the border of Shadow Glenn is quite a big area to cover.  Zakai’s people will still be exposed while it’s being built.  Not to mention I didn’t see any stone in Fira Nadim, so it would be a huge task to bring all of that into the forest.”

“Not if we use Prion and Humi to move things along,” Nadia looked over at Baelin, who nodded slowly.

“I know Humi is the Keeper of Speed but who is Prion?”  Esra asked.

“Prion is the Keeper of Growth,” Nadia answered.  “He can take any object that isn’t living and make it larger or smaller.”

“Jumping jig.  So he can just make a stone into a wall?”

“No, it doesn’t quite work that way.  He can make something multiple times its normal size, either bigger or smaller, but he can’t change the structure of that thing.  Prion couldn’t take a kernel of Corn and grow an entire ear.  But he could make a really huge kernel of corn as big as your fist.”

“We often use his skills in the pantry,” Fynn chimed in.  “It’s very helpful te feed a large group of people with a much smaller amount of food when Prion’s around.”

“Ah, so that’s why the food is so enormous here,” Esra acknowledged.  “So we get Humi to help build a wall with the stone workers sent by the King.  She can set the stones quickly or do whatever the masons ask in a much shorter time.  But instead of trying to make it fifty feet tall, which would still take a long time even with the Keeper of Speed, we make a short section of a wall in intervals around Shadow Glenn.  Once each section is dry and ready, Prion will use his powers to ‘grow’ it.”

“Exactly,” Arland clapped his hands together in excitement.  “So hopefully this will solve the problems both the Unni and Humans are facing.”

“Arland, ye prove te be a lucky bloke, as usual,” Baelin grinned.  “Let’s not waste time, we need te let Prince Bronnen and Zakai know our idea as soon as possible.  We can split up and approach them tonight after the Council ends fer the day.”

“I say we send the ladies te the Prince,” Fynn leaned forward eagerly.  “He seemed te take quite a liking te our Esra, here.  And having another beauty like Nadia certainly can’t hurt.  I’m not afraid te use looks te help sway his mind, and certainly no man can resist these two.”

Arland interjected quickly as Baelin flushed slightly at the suggestion.  “Besides, we’ll need the nephew of the Unni-se to try and convince his uncle.  The three of us men should be able to handle that.  And I’ll use my charm as much as possible to help things along, although I fear it’s something I dare not use too much, since Zakai will surely notice if he is being influenced.”

“Alright,” Baelin conceded.  “Let’s see if we can find Cane, Humi and Prion te discuss our proposal.  I’m sure they’ll be more than happy te help.  Then we can get some dinner and hopefully go convince two very independent races that an exchange of services is in order.”

XLI

Cane’s subdued smile and Humi and Prion’s eager enthusiasm told the Assembly that their idea was a good one.  Hopefully the Prince and Unni-se would think so, too.

Even with Cane’s encouragement, Esra was beyond nervous as she approached the private chambers of Prince Bronnen that evening.  She tried to remember the kind face and soft green eyes that took such attentive care of her a few days earlier, but the fact remained that this risky proposal was their only chance.  After tonight there would be only three days left before the final Council vote, and they still needed to figure out a way to convince the Elves. 

Esra also had a suspicion that she was nervous for another reason, and her limited dealings with handsome young men made her feel quite unprepared for a somewhat social visit.  Mingling was not her strong suit, and she was glad to have Nadia with her.

A tall young man with dark skin and hair answered their knock and gestured for them to enter the sitting room.  He exited briefly to the next room and exchanged a few mumbled words with the Prince, who came out into the sitting room to greet them.  The King’s son wore a more casual dark leather suit with boots fit for riding, and his blonde hair was freshly combed, although dark shadows covered his face where he had not shaved.

“Ladies,” he swept towards them with an eager smile, making a respectful bow and then coming to take their hands in a more personal gesture.  “It is an honor and joy to see you again.  And Esra, you are looking well.  I hope that you are feeling better?”

“Much, thanks to yer quick thinking, yer Highness.” She smiled back at him openly, feeling some of her nervousness melt away at his warm reception. 

“Please, sit.” He motioned towards a few stuffed chairs surrounding a gold marble fireplace.

 “Would you like a glass of mead?  My first attendant and I were just about to share one as well.  Or would you prefer something else, perhaps some wine?” 

“Mead would be nice, thank ye Cailean.”  She turned towards the tall young man that had greeted them at the door, who was standing quietly at the entrance to the sitting room.  He raised his eyebrows unexpectedly at the sound of his name.

“So ye’ve met Cailean?”  The Prince leaned forward with curiosity.

“No, I’ve just been taught the names of all of the foremost people who live or work in The King’s Hold, including the eldest son’s most trusted attendant,”  Esra replied shyly.

“I’m most impressed.  Then again I’m not entirely surprised, considering you’ve been studying with Cane.”

“Aye.”

They were quiet a moment as Cailean left the room and returned a moment later with a tray full of handsome silver goblets.  Prince Bronnen approached the woodless Fire burning in the hearth, studying the dancing flames that gave off heat and light but required no kindling.  “I still can’t get used to this, this place of magick.  I mean, I’ve often thought of it, the Stronghold and its Keepers, what it would be like.  But I have to admit it’s better than I could have imagined.”

“You’ll have to excuse my fancifulness, sometimes I think too much aloud,” he apologized, sitting across from them and taking a goblet.  “I’d love to think that this is just a friendly visit from two gracious Keepers, but I must say I am curious.  To what do I owe the presence of such beautiful and influential guests?”

“Well, we’d like to think it is fer both friendship and business,” Nadia spoke with ease as her form flickered slightly.  Although Esra had decided to wear a more simple dress of pale blue, Nadia had chosen a dazzling dress of lavender, which was a perfect complement to her dark skin and long, flowing curls.  She was stunning with little effort, as usual.

“We have a proposal to make, yer Highness, if I may be so bold.”  Esra leaned forward eagerly, setting the half empty silver goblet on the tray.  “Something we think will address the concerns ye have about an army.”

“It is no secret that my father has left me in a difficult position to help the Council, if
I
may be so bold.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, although I’m not sure how much good it would do at this late hour.”

“Baelin, Arland and Fynn, the others of our Assembly, are meeting with Zakai as we speak.  We are proposing an exchange of services to accomplish two goals fer both races.”

“Indeed?”  Prince Bronnen raised one eyebrow questioningly.  “Please then, continue.”

“The Unni are fierce warriors, as ye know,” Nadia explained.  “They train their people from a young age and are known fer their skill at instruction as well as battle.  We would like ye to consider allowing some of the Unni commanders to help train a Human army.  Ye have the necessary supplies to outfit an army and ye can recruit the people, especially after news of Kiran Brae reaches the rest of LeVara, but the problem is organization.  Ye need skilled soldiers and commanders accomplished in the way of battle tactics, defensive and offensive maneuvers, not a jumbled array of people with weapons they have little understanding in.  And we’ve seen firsthand in Wilspry that the Unni are more than capable of accomplishing this.”

“You’re right.  I admit it is tempting to think that they would be willing to help.  They are beyond skilled in all aspects of war.  Getting people to follow an Unni commander, however, may be a bit of a challenge.  But the bigger question is, what would the Unni want in return?”

“Stone workers.”

“Stone workers?”  There was such a mixture of surprise and confusion on the Prince’s face that Esra had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.  “What could they possibly want with stone workers?  Do they not prefer the craft of wood?”

“Yes, but as ye know the main concern of Zakai is that he is in constant battle with the Valkor’s to the south, and he worries that sending warriors north will leave his people vulnerable.  We would like to ask ye to send stone workers so that we can build a protective wall along the border of Shadow Glenn.”

Prince Bronnen was silent for a moment as he took in this information.  “I see.  But won’t this take a very long time?  A wall that large would take years to complete.  I do not have that many stone workers in the Kingdom, so I fear it will not be an effective means of protection, at least not right away.”

“That’s exactly what I thought,” Esra admitted.  “Until they told me that Humi, the Keeper of Speed, and Prion, the Keeper of Growth would be there to help.  All ye need do is send as many stone workers as possible.  Humi will be able to set stone at speeds beyond what ye could imagine, she will be worth a hundred workers.  They just need to tell her what needs to be done.  And after a short section of the wall has been set and finished, Prion will use his powers to grow it to ten times its height and width.”

“Unbelievable,” he whistled, rocking back in his seat.  “That is the craziest, most absurd plan I have ever heard in all my time as Prince.  I absolutely love it.  We would get one of the best trained armies the Human realm has ever seen and the Unni get a permanent solution to their Valkor problem.  I do have one concern though that keeps me from fully agreeing, and I do think it will pose a significant threat to your plan.  How to get Humans to allow themselves to be trained by an Unni and how the Unni would feel about training us.  Not to mention there would be a group of Humans they don’t know in their forest.  These are two groups of peoples that have not mingled in generations.  It will not be an easy task to introduce one another.”

Esra had known that this would be a problem; her Assembly had already discussed it over dinner.  She tried to picture the people of Sorley being told that the army of the King would be trained by eight foot tall Unni commanders.  There would be apprehension and fear if they were fortunate, but a few would be downright offended.  “Ye can leave that to us.  Arland, our Keeper of Charm, will be able to help ease those tensions, and there is another Keeper, Lara.  She is a good friend of mine and an expert at the art of Tranquility.  We also have plenty other spells of influence magick that will help.  With any luck after everyone gets acquainted it won’t continue to be a problem, the focus will be on Tallen.  People just need the opportunity and time to get used to the idea of it.”

Prince Bronnen stood up and began to pace back and forth, stroking his chin with a pained expression.  Esra thought back on all they had said and wanted it to be enough, for she knew she could not leave until he agreed.  Many lives depended on it.  Suddenly the Prince stopped his pacing and turned to face them.   “I hope you’re right, Esra, Keeper of Peace.  If the Unni-se will agree to it, then I think we have a deal.”

XLII

       Things had gone similarly well for Baelin and the others.  Zakai had voiced many of the same concerns but in the end had agreed to the exchange.  He could not deny that such a wall would be the greatest thing to happen to his people in generations.  Even if there were some of his people that didn’t like working with Humans, it was a small price to pay for freedom from a lifetime of senseless battle.  They also brought in Prion to show an example of his “skills”.  The twenty pound carrot now sat prominently on the Unni-se’s bedside table.  In a show of good faith, Zakai designated Mox and Shova from his own personal guard to be the first two commanders to train the Humans.  Hadvi would remain at the Stronghold and help with the development of strategy.  His wife and child were to be sent for so that they could have their own dwelling here.  Hopefully this would begin to rebuild the relationship between the Keepers and Unnis. 

As Cane performed a sight spell to communicate with Hadvi’s wife in Shadow Glenn, Hadvi admitted he was concerned that she would not agree to such a drastic move.  But she graciously accepted the challenge and set about to pack so that she could leave as soon as possible.  The look on Hadvi’s face when he found he would soon be reunited with his wife and infant daughter Pixa was irreplaceable. 

“Things are really looking up fer the first time since I’ve started this treacherous journey,” Esra said hopefully to Nadia. “Or been kidnapped into starting it, anyway.”

       There was no denying the thorn that remained in the side of her Assembly, the small barb that could be the undoing of all this progress.  The Elders.  Tomorrow was the last day of the War Council and the final vote, but Esra’s Assembly had come no closer to finding an answer to the riddle of converting Isak or Danya.  Arland and Nadia had spoken with Kered the night before and although he expressed support for their cause he was just as certain that the other two would vote against it.  Everyone seethed that Linae could not be an official Elder yet.