“Yes, my lad. And you shall have your share of those glories,” Beland promised.
“Do not call me lad! And of course I shall have them! My troops shall fight like no others. They shall bring me glory! I need a new suit of armor, uncle.” The boy king’s querulous voice drilled straight through Jess’s ear and into her brain.
“All in due time, Your Majesty. We have much to plan.”
Something in his voice made the hairs on the back of Jess’s neck stand up. She wanted to turn and look at him, but she couldn’t do anything so obvious. Had Toran declared his uncle his heir, she wondered.
Tanvir watched with a flat expression as they entered the council chamber, his eyes as hard as stone. Mahlia had an amused smile on her face and her eyes lingered on Beland, which did not escape his notice. Jess wanted to scream at them, to rail against their foolish farce, but she held her tongue. Ignorant they might be now, but the realities of this war would soon intrude.
“We meet here tonight to sign a resolution of war against the pretender Ellaria Reykstend of Moritan,” Adar said without preamble. “This resolution was agreed to by all parties earlier today, and we have each had time to take it under advisement with our councillors, but would anyone like me to read it aloud?”
“That won’t be necessary, my friend,” Mahlia said, her voice honeyed.
“Get on with it!” Toran barked. “The time for talking is done. The time for war is upon us.”
Jess agreed with the substance of what he was saying, but she wanted to cuff the boy for his insolence.
Even Dev won’t be able to deal with this boy, she thought. Once he’s grown there will be no end to the headaches he will cause us.
The thought startled her. She hadn’t thought about the future since Dev had been taken, and she was afraid to think of it now. It smacked too much of hope, and Jess was afraid to allow herself to fan that spark of hope into a flame.
“Very well,” Adar said. He scrawled his signature at the bottom of the parchment before handing it to his wife, who added her signature. The resolution made its rounds of the table, ending with Jess. She signed it with such impatience that she broke the nib of the quill and her father had to give her another. If it was a sign, Jess didn’t want to read into it.
“It is done,” Adar said as Jess returned the parchment to him. He handed it to one of his councillors, who bowed and left with the parchment, taking it away for safe storage.
“Now we must discuss troop placement,” Omar said.
“Surely you don’t mean to send our entire army to Moritan,” Mahlia said.
“That would be unwise,” Farah agreed. “We cannot risk leaving ourselves open to a covert attack by Ellaria.”
“Even if she rallies all the lords of Moritan to her cause, she won’t have the numbers to attack both Moritan and the remaining Realms. We should crush her,” Toran said, his voice dripping with relish.
“As satisfying as it would be to teach her such a lesson, there is sense to retaining some troops,” Beland told his nephew in soothing tones. “After all, Ellaria did manage to snatch Prince Devaran from Lyranian soil, despite all of the precautions taken.” Farah’s lips tightened but she said nothing, and Jess dropped her eyes, lest Beland see the daggers she was shooting him.
“We must err on the side of caution. Each Realm should maintain a security force on their home soil,” Tanvir broke in.
“I shall lead my security forces,” Toran announced. His eyes shone, and Jess was relieved. Far better for the boy to parade around his homeland in armor, waving a sword and pretending to be a great defender, than to have him anywhere near Moritan, where he might get in the way of the action.
“And I shall remain in Corland to advise my nephew,” Beland said. This came as no surprise either. Jess hadn’t expected the coward to join them, nor did she want him. “Five thousand troops should be sufficient to secure our Realm. What say you, nephew?”
“Agreed. You may take the other twenty-five thousand to Moritan,” Toran said, waving his hand as if telling his servant to clear his table.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Adar said, his voice neutral.
“I am no warrior, as you all know. I shall stay behind in Deshira with my five thousand, inform you of any rumors I may hear,” Mahlia said. “I trust Princess Jessmyn to lead my troops into battle, and the remainder are at your disposal.”
“Adar and I will stay and secure Estoria with our forces,” Nishana said.
“And I will remain in Lyrane with ours,” Omar said.
“We should divide our troops. The larger force can meet Ellaria on the field of battle, hopefully in time to be of aid to King Mallaric,” Jess said, touching the city of Ygres on the huge map spread over the council table. “I wish to lead a smaller force against Skyhold.”
“What if Ellaria takes the prince with her?” Mahlia asked.
“It’s possible, but I do not think she would risk taking such a valuable prisoner with her into battle.”
“You know I have great esteem for your prowess, Your Highness,” Tanvir said to Jess. She tensed. “But I don’t think it would be prudent to lead an assault on Skyhold. Ellaria will have left orders, and who knows what she might do to my brother if she believes her stronghold will fall.”
“What do you suggest?” Jess asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Creative thinking,” Tanvir said. “I have some ideas I would like to discuss with you, Princess Jessmyn.”
“The fewer who know what you have planned, the better. I suggest you remove to discuss your plans elsewhere while the rest of us remain here to discuss our own tactics,” Farah said. Mahlia and Beland didn’t look pleased, but they could hardly protest when Farah was also removing herself from the planning.
“Your Majesties, my Lord Beland,” Tanvir said, bowing.
Jess bid her farewells, eager to leave the chamber and hear what Tanvir had in mind. They set off at a brisk walk, heading for the gardens by unspoken mutual agreement.
“The farther we get from Beland and Mahlia, the better,” Tanvir muttered, giving voice to Jess’s own thoughts.
Chapter 27
Waking, Dev reached out for Jess. He was cold, so cold, and he desperately needed to feel her warmth. His head ached and he longed to feel the soothing caress of her fingers on his skin, longed to feel her gentle touch ease his pain.
But all that met his searching fingers was cold stone and filthy straw. He tried opening his eyes but the dim light made his head feel as if it were splitting in two, and he closed them again, wincing against the blinding pain. Lying still, he concentrated on taking deep breaths, on pulling air into his lungs and pushing it back out again. The pain subsided and he began to regain some of his other senses. He could feel the damp chill of the air that whistled through the bars on his window, could hear the noise of commotion outside, could smell horses and cooking food and the stench of troops pressed together in close quarters.
When he judged it safe, he tried opening his eyes again and was able to get them open completely, though he had to hold an arm up to shield them from the light. His limbs felt both limp and leaden, and he found his mind wandering, trying to determine how this was possible. As he rose his legs shook, and he felt a deep alarm at his uncertainty as to whether they could support his weight.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
After what seemed an eternity the trembling stopped, and he lowered his arm and blinked a few times. The cell came into focus, and he could tell from the angle of the light that it was late afternoon, which meant that the food scents blowing into his window were an indicator of dinner. A tray sat on the floor just in front of his door, and he shambled over to it, taking greedy gulps from the tin cup of water that stood on it. The coolness of the water as it slid down his parched throat made him close his eyes once more. It seemed to flow all the way out to his limbs, bringing him some relief and making him feel more alert. Suddenly ravenous, he fell on the bread and cheese, making short
work of them, but they did little more than blunt the edges of his hunger, leaving his stomach growling for more.
His immediate needs seen to, Dev took a moment to wait for his mind to come back as well. He had a few hazy memories of short periods of lucidity, but he had no solid recollection of what had been said or what he’d heard. Glancing at the wall, he saw the scratch marks he’d made in the grime with his thumbnail, but he had no idea whether he’d managed to make one each day as he’d intended. For all he knew, he could have been imprisoned in the tower for anywhere from three weeks to three months. Running a hand over his face made him weak with relief. He’d been clean shaven the day he’d been abducted, and his beard definitely wasn’t long enough for him to have been in the tower for three months.
Feeling steady at last, Dev dragged his chair back into position and climbed up onto it, peering out his window. Well-ordered chaos met his gaze. A long line of tents stretched toward the horizon, troops bustling in and out of them. Several cooking fires burned, and Dev watched the spits turning, grilling venison and other meats. He tried to ignore the hunger clawing at his insides.
They can’t stay here for long like this. They’ll go through all the food they’ve stored.
At least he knew his brain worked again. Continuing to study the scene outside, he saw indications that the camp was about to break up. A few squires darted to and fro, lugging plates of armor or weapons over to a man working a grindstone. Pages rushed around the camp, carrying messages to its inhabitants. Craning his neck so he could look left, Dev could just see a line of carts, servants loading them with supplies. A few placid-looking mules stood nearby, munching disinterestedly at the scrubby grass.
She must be leaving soon.
Getting down from the chair, Dev sat on it, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He doubted Ellaria meant to bring him along with her, which meant she would leave him under lock and key in the tower. Though the thought of her absence was a relief, it wasn’t much reassurance. She would need as many troops as she could get, but she would have to leave some behind to guard him. He was too valuable an asset for her not to do her best to secure him.
Worried, he cracked his knuckles. Jess would come for him, but that wouldn’t stop Ellaria from using him for her own ends. She must surely have contingencies in place in case of her capture or death, and contingencies meant things wouldn’t end well for him. He wasn’t worried about his own safety, he was concerned about Jess’s well being. He knew she would risk everything to save him, just as he would have done had she been captured. What would happen to her if she discovered that her best effort wasn’t good enough?
A memory overcame him. Fourteen-year-old Jess and twelve-year-old Tanvir had devised a war game two years earlier, and they were fond of playing it whenever they saw one another. On this occasion, it had become even more elaborate. What had once been child’s play taking place on a game board had expanded into a proper simulation. The troops consisted of a ragtag bunch of young squires whose masters thought the game might prove a useful exercise. Jess and Tanvir liked to show one another up, and Dev had initially rolled his eyes and refused to participate when they’d asked him, but Tanvir had eventually talked him into handling tactics.
At first the game had seemed like so many unruly youths at play waving around practice swords and shooting practice arrows at one another while making a great deal of noise, but Tanvir and Jess had quickly whipped their units into shape. Dev had started out by just going through the motions, but he soon found himself drawn into the competition as well. It amazed him to see how well Jess and Tanvir directed their troops, and he started to pay more attention to Jess’s maneuvers. She’d selected one of her most trusted squires to serve as her tactician, and Dev’s blood quickened in response to trying to outwit him. The boy was far cleverer than Dev had expected, and he could not help but be drawn into the intellectual stimulation of trying to best a worthy opponent.
In the end Jess made a feint against Tanvir’s left flank, but Dev had anticipated it and had told Tanvir to place a decoy squad there while positioning the bulk of his army in a more advantageous position. As Jess pretended to lead the attack, Tanvir’s troops surprised her from the rear. It didn’t take long before the junior Estorian army was the clear victor, and Tanvir’s band began to celebrate. Jess, however, pulled her helm off, flung it aside, and stormed off the field, a bewildered Tanvir watching her go. Frowning, Dev looked at his troubled brother, then stalked after Jess.
“Wonderful conduct,” he said as he caught up with her. “I’m sorry if it offends you to be bested by a boy two years younger than you, but it was rude of you to storm off the field like that. Honestly, you should learn how to take a loss with more grace.”
Rounding on him, Jess thrust a finger in his face. He could sense the fury and frustration rolling off her in waves. “You think it’s all just a game, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, Jess. As a matter of fact, it was just a game, a stupid one you and Tanvir have been playing for the last two years.”
“Do you know what your problem is?”
“Your attitude?” he suggested, cocking an eyebrow at her.
“Your problem is that you don’t take anything seriously, anything. You look at this as a mere game when you should have seen it for what it actually is: practice.”
“For when Tanvir storms your castle?” Dev drawled.
“Not for when Tanvir does. For when the barbarians do. For when there’s an insurrection. For when—you know what, never mind. I don’t know why I bother explaining such things to you.”
Holding his hands up, Dev felt his anger dissolve, though a rising sense of irritation began to creep in. “You still didn’t need to act that way. If you’re as serious about your responsibilities as you say you are, you ought to know that such rude treatment of a foreign prince is hardly proper.”
“And you still don’t get it!” she cried, throwing her hands up. “My losing means troops died—lots of troops. It means my Realm was overrun, that my cities will be sacked, that my people will suffer. I can’t afford to fail, Dev. Not ever!”
Astonished, he stared into her face and saw she meant what she said. Beyond the harsh look in her eyes, he could see the fear, the uncertainty that plagued her.
“It was just a simulation, Jess. You’re blowing this out of proportion,” he said, lowering his voice.
“It’s always just a simulation—until it’s not a simulation,” she said, turning on her heel and stalking away.
Thinking about it now made his stomach twist. He hadn’t realized how intense Jess was, how seriously she took things, until that day. Fortunately for her, she hadn’t yet suffered a major defeat, but the prospect haunted her, and he knew that every time she rode off to battle she feared she might not prove good enough. What would become of her if her worst fears were realized?
Chapter 28
They walked for some time, Jess’s frustration mounting. Tanvir was wise to get them as far away from the manor as possible, but she was impatient to hear what he had in mind. Finally, when they’d reached the outer edges of the garden and Tanvir had done a thorough check to be sure no one was hiding nearby, he turned to her.
“I think you should lead a small team at Skyhold,” he said.
“A small team?” she asked, surprised. She’d been expecting him to try to dissuade her from going to Skyhold altogether.
Tanvir nodded. “Let me explain. Ellaria will lead the assault on Ygres. I don’t see how she could do otherwise, if she hopes to win the loyalty and trust of the Moritanian lords. I’m inclined to believe she won’t take Dev with her. Bringing such a prisoner would be very risky. There’s the possibility that Dev might escape and find refuge in Mallaric’s castle, or that Mallaric’s men would rescue Dev. There’s also the possibility that he could be killed, and I don’t think she’d want to risk that as he’s far more valuable to her alive. If Dev was with her and she was defeated during the siege on Ygres
, she’d be left with nothing. If she keeps Dev prisoner at Skyhold, she can always retreat and still have an advantage.
“Ellaria must know that we’ll draw this conclusion. She’ll expect us to split our armies so that we can lead an assault on the stronghold and still meet her on the field of battle, but I don’t think she’ll expect covert tactics. She took Dev for a reason: because she knew you’d come after him, which means she must certainly be familiar with your normal tactics in battle. I’ve no doubt she’s studied mine as well, and those of your mother. If she’s wise, she won’t allow herself to get too confident, but I’m banking on her not being that wise. Ellaria is bent on vengeance, she’s achieved her aims so far, and I suspect that her successes will have emboldened her. We need to do what she’d least expect.”
“Your reasoning is sound, but if she has studied all of us as you suggest, she must know what I did in the Carpesian Forest, which means she knows that I have employed covert tactics in the past.”
A line appeared between Tanvir’s eyebrows. “Yes, that had occurred to me. I thought about it for some time, but I can’t shake the conviction that Ellaria will expect you to come after her in force. I could be wrong, Jess, I could be entirely wrong. It could be that the trap lies in leading a small team to Skyhold, not laying siege to it with a full army.”
“I don’t like the idea of laying siege to Skyhold,” Jess admitted. “I’ve read much on it, studied its plans. Its reputation is well deserved; it’s nigh impregnable. There are but two methods for successfully besieging it, and it means either losing hundreds of men to Skyhold’s archers or circling the tower outside of arrow range and trying to starve out its inhabitants. Neither option is ideal. Both allow far too much time for something to happen to Dev. If I were to starve the defenders out, it could take months, and they might remain there to the last man, then kill Dev in retaliation. Or they might try to bargain with his life, hoping I’ll grant them mercy if they spare him. What do you think of taking such a gamble with your brother’s life?”
[Fairytale 02] - Asleep (2013) Page 16