The Fireseed Wars

Tortha held his palms up. "I apologize. Once again I shot my mouth off before it was loaded. Home Time Line has lasted ten thousand years without your help and I suspect it can muddle along for another few years while you're exiled to Aryan-Transpacific. I just thought that maybe this was your way of avoiding having the baby that Dalla's been yammering about."

Verkan's laugh came out like a hack. "I only wish things were that simple. We've got several hundred years to worry about children. And, speaking of babies, is Rylla pregnant again?"

"Yes, she is. She's expecting this summer."

"I thought I detected a telltale bulge. This is one campaign that Kalvan's already won. I was wondering how he was going to keep Rylla out of the saddle."

"No, I think this one was her idea. She's convinced that having a male heir will cement their new Throne in Thagnor and throughout Nos-Hostigos."

"She's probably right. Rylla's got great instincts. They're going to need all the support they can muster before this war against Styphon's House is through."

III

Even after their winter residence, Lysandros still looked around the high-domed audience room of the Nythros Palace with awe. The room was filled with beautiful tapestries and statues. Not counting the wealth in this room, they had filled almost five hundred large chests, filled to the brim with silver and gold coins, ingots, jewels, priceless jewelry and cloth-of-gold hangings; the accumulated treasure of centuries. All collected after Nythros fell. More than triple the loot they had reaped in all of Hos-Hostigos!

When I return with this treasure-well, my half, at the very least-I will be the richest ruler in the Five Kingdoms! He and Queen Lavena could turn Harphax City into the greatest capital of all. Yes, what a handsome pair we make. He would gift her the best and most costliest of the jewels; his consort should be adorned with only the best! He would be the sun of Harphax, and she would be his moon, a golden moon.

The clatter of boots on the mosaic tiles brought him out of his reverie. He saw Grand Commander Aristocles and two of his subordinates coming toward the throne.

"Your Majesty, we have a problem."

"Kalvan? Is the Usurper's army approaching?" I wouldn't put it past him to try and beard us in our own city.

"No," Aristocles answered. "It's those damn barbarian Ros-Zarthani. They're deserting! They're already several marches out of town. It appears they are headed for the Greffa Road."

The Greffa Road was a wide stone road that reminded him of the Great King's Highway the Usurper had built in Hostigos. It started in Greffa City and ran through Ragnar, and from there north to Morthron and across Baltor to the Nythros City States. He doubted that Greffa City was their destination; they were probably headed back to their home across the Sea of Grass and the Great Rock Mountains.

"They're already too far for our infantry to catch them," he said. "We can send the cavalry to chase them down."

"And then what, Your Majesty? Man for man, the Ros-Zarthani are among the finest troops we have. True, there are only eight or nine thousand of them, but they will take a lot of killing. They already have a half-day's march on our men. True, our horse could run them down, but at what cost?"

"What's that parchment you're carrying?"

"A dispatch from Arch-Stratego Zarphu telling us that we have failed to live up to our side of the contract and that they did not sign on to be part of a siege that was poorly planned and certain to be badly executed!"

"A coward's response."

"He seemed like a damned good commander and brave man to me, Your Majesty. He helped break the Hostigos line at Ardros Field and it was his men who led that attack against the Rathon City walls and spent their blood in folly for all their sacrifice bought for the Host."

"You sound like you'd like to join him." Lysandros said, as he worried over the thought that maybe Zarphu was the wisest of them all by leaving first. Well, not first. Captain-General Phidestros, at his order, held that honor.

"That is not true. I have my orders from the Grand Master and I will obey them to the death. However, we are leaking soldiers like a snowbank melting in the summer sun. At this rate, we'll be lucky to field sixty thousand men for our attack against Thagnor."

"That will be enough to do the job," he replied. To himself he thought, if we can force Kalvan to leave his city walk and fight us. Otherwise, we will be chasing ghosts all summer. It is unfortunate that the Usurper has no honor.

IV

"It is good to see you, Captain-General Hestophes," Duke Mnestros of Eubros said. They were seated inside a tavern in Eubros Town, a few marches from the palace. "I still get laughs with the story of the phony Agrysi invasion of Nyklos we staged for the Grand Host. We killed a lot of Styphon's dogs together!"