The Blasted Lands (30 page)

He almost pointed out that the city wasn't his, exactly, but decided against levity. She might well take the knife to him after all and he was still resisting a powerful need to squirm in his seat.

“Well, a good number…”

“And could they not be used to maintain order? Could they not be used to make certain that each avenue and street was emptied in a proper fashion before the people on the next street were allowed to leave?”

“Well, yes, but if someone decides to panic, or to protest, or to use a sword to explain why they should be allowed to leave sooner, there will no doubt ne conflicts.”

“Which soldiers are trained to resolve, yes?”

“Dretta–”

“You have only so many streets in this town, Merros. I know there are more soldiers than there are streets. There are more soldiers than there are accesses away from the city. And so you have control. And if you are doing your job properly, as a general in charge of the army, then you should be able to schedule the evacuation of Tyrne.”

“There are other considerations.”

“Such as?”

“Mobilizing the army against the Sa’ba Taalor.”

“Did you not tell me only yesterday that these Sa’ba Taalor wanted to sue for peace?”

“No. Not quite. They wish to discuss whether or not we will actually go to war or if we will discuss our way out of it.”

“Well then.” She shrugged as if to say that settled the matter.

“No. No it’s not quite that simple. In the event that they do not wish to end this, I have to have the military ready to strike.”

“And do what? March all the way to the Seven Forges? Didn’t it take you almost two months to reach them? How will an army get there any faster?”

He felt a headache growing behind his eyes. The problem was that her words made sense, but they did not take in to consideration all of the variables and he could not possibly train her to understand them all.

“Dretta, I told you of this so that you could prepare. So that, if you want, you can move to Canhoon or back to Stonehaven.”

“Why would I move to Canhoon?”

“Well you wanted… I mean…” She was studying him again. He hated that. He had no idea what to do with himself when she studied him that closely.

“I came here to be with Wollis. Wollis will not be in Canhoon.”

“He won’t be in Stonehaven, either.” The words jumped from his mouth before he could stop them. He was used to curbing that impulse but here he was, making an ass of himself without really any defense against it.

“Yes.” One word and it came out as cold as a blade soaked in ice-laden waters. “I am aware of where my husband will not be.”

“Damn it, Dretta, I don’t know what to say!” His voice was plaintive, bordered on whining.

“Do you want me in Canhoon, Merros Dulver? Or do you prefer me in Stonehaven?”

And there it was. The very thing he’d been trying to figure out for himself. Did he want her in his life? Did he want her around him even as he prepared to move on to a different setting?

“I want you in Old Canhoon, Dretta March. I want you near the palace there. Close enough that I can see you every day on my way to the offices of the Commander General.”

She gave him nothing. Her expression could have been carved in stone for all the change. Still, her eyes regarded him and she said, “Then I shall move on to Old Canhoon, before the rest of this city moves on.”

And he was relieved, because he had a parley to handle and possibly a war to fight and he wanted her safe.

The rest of their conversation was easier, but still she gave him nothing to hold in his mind save the memory of her eyes.

***

Nachia Krous did not walk the throne room. She stalked it, her eyes looking at every shadow, every window, every curtain, seeking answers to the questions in her mind.

Brolley, never accused of being the wisest soul, was smart enough to simply sit at the table there and watch her. He was wise in the ways of his sister if in nothing else.

Merros sat across from him, looking at a detailed map of the Tyrne, on which he had made several markings. The notion of changing the face of a map was one he had never felt comfortable with. They were damned hard to come by unless one wished to hire a cartographer. The fact that he now had dozens of cartographers working for him did not change his basic philosophy on these things. He could have ordered a hundred maps and still he would have hesitated.

And yet, he grabbed the pen and carefully made a mark at the intersection of Winder’s Way and the Harrow’s Bridge. “Here. I think we can clear the city to this point before the first major panic issues start.”

Brolley looked, his face frowning in concentration. He had not said anything at all about evacuating the city, but he seemed intent on studying everything just the same. That was fine with Merros. If the boy wanted to learn, he would teach him. The fact was simple enough: he was a member of the Imperial Family and as such he could eventually be called on to take up a weapon and lead. Better that he learn now than end up in another situation where he was an embarrassment to his bloodline.

Nachia stopped moving long enough to look at the map. “I don’t like it. I think it’s a mistake.”

“Majesty, if we do not prepare the people and we have to evacuate, it’s going to go from bad to worse. Riots have been known to break out over far less than asking people to move all of their belongings from one place to another.”

“I thought we agreed to tell people we were moving the palace back to Canhoon and let them follow us.”

“That is still the plan. What we are doing here is working on possibilities. Should we be forced to move people along at a faster pace, I thought it best that we have plans in place and routes by which the City Guard and soldiers can ensure the least amount of conflict.”

She scowled at him. It was not an expression of anger so much as it was the face she made when trying to work things through in her mind. Had he not already gotten used to the expression he might well have worried whether or not she was going to have him executed.

“What of the City Guard. Have the issues you were having with them been handled?”

“Libari Welliso has taken command of the City Guard. From what I can see he is the closest thing to an honest guardsman, and competent besides.” Which was true enough. The man had been responsible for arresting and holding the members of the City Guard who’d beaten Andover Lashk and ruined his hands. He’d done so despite numerous members of the Guard making comments and a few of his superiors protesting the action.

“Majesty, have we had any contact with Andover Lashk since he left for the Seven Forges?”

“Every attempt that Desh has made to reach the boy has failed. We either assume he is dead or we wait to find out his fate when we meet with the Sa’ba Taalor to negotiate a peace.”

Merros nodded and pushed back a hard edge of guilt. Once upon a time he’d left one of his men behind in the Taalor Valley, Kallir Lundt, who had been ruined in a fight with the Pra-Moresh. He still had no idea if the man was alive and if he was, what shape he might be in. He pushed the thought aside. Kallir Lundt had been promised safety by the Sa’ba Taalor. He had to hope they kept their word and if not, he would likely have a chance to seek revenge on the mercenary’s behalf. Not that he expected that particular notion to go well.

“I shall make a note of it.” And he did. There was a growing list of items to be discussed with whomever the Sa’ba Taalor chose as a representative. He wrote down Andover’s name and as an afterthought scribbled Kallir Lundt’s name beside it.

“How many days until this damned meeting?”

“We have to leave the morning after next if we intend to reach the meeting place on time.” He almost mumbled the words. Much to his annoyance the Empress intended to be there for the parley. Neither he nor Desh Krohan had been able to dissuade her.

Desh Krohan claimed he had a plan for that, but would not say what it was as yet. Merros didn’t like plans that involved not being informed. They tended to make him nervous.

Nachia looked at him. Her expression made clear exactly where he could take his mumbling and his opinion of her choice to go along for the negotiations.

Brolley looked at his sister and shook his head. “You’re being an ass.”

“What?” Her voice took on a note that Merros had never heard. He’d never had a sibling or he would have known that particular sound for the indication that long standing arguments had not been finished.

“You’re in charge of everything. Nachia.
Everything
. What if this is a ploy to get you where they can kill you?”

“What if it’s a genuine attempt at working out a peaceful ending? What then? What if it’s a test to see if I’m brave enough to face off against one of their kings? How can I be a leader of an Empire if I’m too scared to look their leaders in the eyes?”

Brolley reeled back with each question she asked. Merros could see him trying to come up with good counterarguments and failing.

“What if they decided the only way to end this is to have a proper duel, Nachia? You and that Tuskandru fellow, one-on-one to the death for the right to rule over your Empire?” Brolley’s words were just as harsh as his sister’s. “Do you suppose that will go as well as my encounter with Drask Silver Hand?”

Nachia looked at her brother sharply.

Brolley continued. “I know exactly how fortunate I was. They were trying for peace. Wollis March screamed that into my ear for hours on end while he prepared me for my last fight and my certain death.” Brolley stood up and pointed a thick finger at his sister. “I got a talking to from you on that too, as I recall. Several of them. So now it’s my turn. Listen to Merros. Listen to Desh. They are here to advise you. If they say you should not go, then stay here, where you will be safe. You. The leader of the entire Empire.”

Nachia’s voice as calm and cool and slapped at the air like a lash. “Pathra was not on a battlefield when he was murdered. We have already seen that I am not safe anywhere. We saw that when Pathra died with a slit throat and got thrown from the window of this very room.” She stabbed a finger in Merros’ direction. “Want to know why I agreed to move to Canhoon? Because I can’t stand knowing the room where I deal with the business of running this Empire is the same room where my cousin died.”

The silence in the room was complete, save for a few small breaths from Nachia. “I will attend to the parley. That is my decision. If you have doubts than bring enough guards to make our position on my living through this even clear. And bring your best, Merros. I might have to choose a champion.”

Merros could think of no retort at that moment. Instead he gave a formal bow and left the room. Left brother and sister to continue their debates in peace. It was best to know when to call a battle done. This one was finished.

***

Libari Welliso was a solid man, no two ways about that. He was older than Merros, but carried himself with the air of a man on a mission from the gods themselves. His uniform was in meticulous order and his sword’s pommel was as well worn as the hilt. He was a man used to combat, in other words, and that won him a great deal of respect from Merros.

The fact that he was handling the clean up of the City Guard as well as he was also went a great distance in the general’s eyes.

Libari looked at the offices he was taking over with a clinical eye and nodded.

Merros could barely repress a grin. “Are they satisfactory then?” He already knew the answer.

“They’re as pompous as I expected.” He gestured at the walls. There were numerous portraits of the men who’d held the office of City Guard General before him on the walls and the desk was slightly larger than a wagon designed to be drawn by horses. The room itself was only slightly larger than the average home, which meant it was impressive, but not quite as large as the rooms where the Imperial Family went to piss in private.

“You can do whatever you please to make it yours.”

“Seems a bit pointless to change things, doesn’t it?” Libari eyed him critically. He had blue eyes that seemed almost out of place in his deeply tanned flesh. Unlike so many of the officers Merros had known, this one was used to being out on the streets and walking among his charges.

“How do you mean?”

“If the city is to be abandoned.”

Merros nodded. “Heard about that?”

“It’s hard not to. One had to know where to listen, but yes, I heard about it.”

“It might be a temporary thing. It might be more permanent. No one knows yet, do they? We only know that Desh Krohan believes it must be done.”

Libari nodded. “That was all the reason I needed to send my family to Canhoon. We have relatives there to take care of them.”

“And yet you’re still here?”

“I’m a soldier first. I don’t abandon my duties.”

Oh yes, Merros liked the man. They were going to get along well. “How goes the cleaning of the ranks?”

The smile Libari offered would have dropped a Pra-Moresh to its knees in fear. “I had a very long list of offenses I wished to see handled. The list is much shorter now.”

Merros nodded and his smile came back. “I know exactly how you feel, Welliso.”

“I know you do. I watched your disciplinary actions.”

Merros felt himself nod again, his lips pressed into a hard line. “They were necessary.”

“Has it ever occurred to you how annoying we must be to the younger men?”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, I can’t speak for you, of course, but I have noticed a dreadful tendency to sound exactly like my father when I was younger. I’ve even caught myself saying, “When I was a cadet your age…’”

Merros slapped the man’s shoulder and laughed. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

“Why me, General Merros? It’s not that I don’t appreciate the opportunity, of course, but why me? There are other officers, many with higher ranks.”

“There
were
other officers with higher ranks. They no longer have that advantage. And actually? You were chosen after a long discussion with Desh Krohan. You impressed his apprentice to the point that she spoke often of your proper behavior when you took care of the matters with Andover Lashk.”