The Fireseed Wars

"True," answered Kalvan. "However, none of those armies have two batteries and The Fat Duchess to hurl iron at those walls. Walls alone are not invincible. Back in the Cold Lands the Kingdom of Byzantium had its own impenetrable rings of stone walls and they crumbled before the cannons of the Ottoman invaders. No stone wall is safe from the right tools-and we have them."

Nods of agreement ran up and down the table.

"Nor will Theovacar be able to do much, not with the mass of his army attacking Thagnor, several hundred marches away."

"I suspect you're right," Prince Phrames said. "The siege of Greffa will likely draw off the Grefftscharri Army, Your Majesty. However, what will we do after the Grand Host has passed through Morthron?"

Kalvan picked up his pipe and lit it again. "We're not strong enough to face the Grand Host in the field, not yet. Nor are they strong enough to take Thagnor with our new walls. It's what we called back home a 'Mexican Standoff.' They have a large force to supply and we need to plant our fields. We can use Chartiphon's Trygathi skirmishers to attack their supply lines and generally make their lives miserable, but they can compensate with larger wagon trains and more guards.

"We need to stock up on foodstuffs and supplies for as long as we can keep our sea lanes open. Once the Grand Host arrives with their guns, they will be able to choke off Thagnor River and cut off all shipping to the Sea of Aesklos. With the Styphoni alliance with King Theovacar, the Grand Host will have the support of the Grefftscharri Fleet so we can expect the northwest Seas to be blockaded. Count on it. Fortunately, the Styphoni have never felt a need for a Saltless Sea fleet, but that may change.

"We are waging a struggle for survival with a relentless foe who knows neither restraint nor pity. We must Praise Dralm and Galzar, and keep our powder dry!"

"Down Styphon!" Sarrask of Sask cried.

"Down Styphon and King Lysandros!"

THIRTY-SIX

To Sirna it seemed as though every artisan in Harphax City was simultaneously working on refurbishing the Harphaxi Royal Palace. Workmen with building materials were scurrying through the corridors and byways, bringing foot traffic to a crawl. The old Palace had been neglected for almost a century, since most of the previous cheeseparing monarchs had chosen to live in that creaking mausoleum known as Tarr-Harphax. Great King Lysandros had begun work on the restoration, but it had been interrupted by the war against Hos-Hostigos. After arriving in Harphax City, Great Queen Lavena had made its renovation her primary mission.

The Queen's private audience chamber was the first completely restored chamber and would not have looked out of place on Fourth Level Imperial Italian, The Empire of the Sun or Anglo-Byzantine. Of course, all this spending for restoration had done little to aid the Queen's popularity but it had contributed to her mystique. Lavena was becoming as famous in Hos-Harphax as Marie Antoinette, a symbol of conspicuous consumption on most Europo-America time-lines.

However, Lavena was no featherbrained seat holder, but an energetic and young pregnant Queen with too much empty time on her hands and a strong nesting instinct. She was also very lonely, evidenced by the way she jumped off her throne at Sirna's appearance and gave her a big hug to the chagrin of her Ladies-in-Waiting. They were further humiliated when Lavena whisked them away with a wave of her hand.

All this for a foreigner, and some tarted-up merchant's daughter, no less. Did you hear that Prince Phidestros met her in a bordello? How shocking! From the looks on their faces, Sirna felt as if she could read their thoughts as they exited the chamber.

"Oh, Sirna. It's so good to see you. Where have you been?"

Sirna shrugged her shoulders in reply; she wasn't about to admit that she'd been sleeping or moping around her rented townhouse. She hadn't realized how strong her feelings for Phidestros were until Princess Arminta arrived and she was casually tossed aside. Now she didn't know what to do with herself. Of course, the University's response, as the Great Queen's confidante, would have been "wasting valuable time for unique primary research and observation," but at the moment she didn't give a fat fig for her academic, or any other, career.

"I've missed you. There's no one here I can talk to. They all lick my heels, but I know what they say the moment they're out of my chambers."

Sirna guessed that Ladies-in-Waiting were much like those who formed Academic Action Committees so they could feast on gossip and innuendo. "Your Majesty, you're new to your position, so it's inevitable that there might be some jealousy and backbiting."

The Great Queen laughed uproariously. "Some jealousy and backbiting! I've lived under that cloud my entire life in Hostigos, as the beautiful Princess Rylla's poorer and nastier dark-haired cousin. But at least I had some friends in Hyllos Town."