[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
fear!"
Sithas and Kith-Kanan glowered at each other like fierce strangers. Tamanier
Ambrodel quietly watched the exchange. He had offered no opinion on any topic as yet,
and he felt that this was not the time to interject his view. Lord Quimant, however, was
more forthright.
"General, Excellency, please . . . there are more details. Some of the news is urgent."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
The lord stood and raised his hands.
Sithas nodded and collapsed into his chair. Kith-Kanan remained standing, turning
expectantly toward the lord regent.
"Word out of Thorbardin arrived barely a fortnight ago. The ambassador, Than-Kar
of the Theiwar clan, reported it to me in a most unpleasant and arrogant tone. His king, he
claims, has ruled this to be a war between the humans and elves. The dwarves are
determined to remain neutral."
"No troops? They will send us nothing?" Kith-Kanan stared at Quimant, appalled.
Just when he had begun to see a glimmer of hope on the military horizon, to get news like
this! Nothing could be more disastrous. The general slowly slumped into his chair, trying
unsuccessfully to fight a rising wave of nausea.
Shaking his head in shock, he looked at his brother, expecting to see the same sense
of dismay written across Sithas's face. Instead, however, the speaker's eyes had narrowed
in an inscrutable expression. Didn't he understand?
"This is catastrophic!" Kith-Kanan exclaimed, angry that the Speaker didn't seem to
grasp this basic fact. "Without the dwarves, we are doomed to be terribly outnumbered in
every battle. Even with the griffons, we can't prevail against a quarter of a million men!"
"Indeed," Sithas agreed calmly. Finally he spoke to Ambrodel. "And your own
mission, my lord, does that bear this information out?"
Lord Quimant gave a start when he realized that Sithas was addressing Ambrodel.
"Rather dramatically not, Excellency," Ambrodel replied softly. Kith-Kanan and
Lord Quimant both stared at the chamberlain in mixed astonishment.
"I regret the subterfuge, my lords. The Speaker of the Stars instructed me to reveal
my mission to no one, to report only to him."
"There was no reason to say anything not until now," Sithas said. Once again, the
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
others felt that commanding tone in his voice that brought all discussion to an abrupt halt.
"If the lord chamberlain will continue . . . ?"
"Of course, Your Excellency." Ambrodel turned to include them all in his
explanation. "I have wintered in the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin."
"What?" Quimant's jaw dropped. Kith-Kanan remained silent, but his lips
compressed into a tight smile as he began to appreciate his brother's wiliness.
"It had been the Speaker's assessment, very early on, that Ambassador Than-Kar was
not doing an appropriately thorough job of maintaining open and honest communication
between our two realms."
"I see," Quimant said, with a formal nod.
"Indeed, as events have developed, our esteemed leader's assessment has been
proven to be accurate."
"Than-Kar has deliberately sabotaged our negotiations?" demanded Kith.
"Blatantly. King Hal-Waith has long backed our cause, as it was presented to him by
Dunbarth Ironthumb upon that ambassador's return home. Than-Kar's original mission
had been to report to us the king's intent to send twenty-five thousand troops to aid our
cause."
"But I saw no sign of these troops on the plain. There is no word of them now, is
there?" Kith-Kanan probed.
Quimant shook his head. "No and certainly reports would have reached Silvanost
had they marched during the winter."
"They did not march, not then," continued Ambrodel. "The offer of aid came with
several conditions attached, conditions which Than-Kar reported to his king that we were
unwilling to accept."
"Conditions?" Now Kith was concerned. "What conditions?"
"Fairly reasonable, under the circumstances. The dwarves recognize you as overall
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
commander of the army, but they will not allow their own units to be broken up into
smaller detachments and dwarven units will work only under dwarven leaders."
"Those commanders presumably answerable to me under battle conditions?"
Kith-Kanan asked.
"Yes," Ambrodel nodded.
The elven general couldn't believe his ears. Dwarven fighting prowess and tactical
mastery were legendary. And twenty-five thousand such warriors & why, if they fought
alongside griffon cavalry, the siege of Sithelbec might be lifted in a long afternoon of
fighting!
"There were some other minor points, also very reasonable. Bodies to be shipped to
Thorbardin for burial, dwarven holidays honored, a steady supply of ale maintained, and
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]