“Still, you will need friends with you,” Praalis finally argued, knowing that he was now being entirely sentimental. The Dabbinans did need one of the Actios, and Blan’s plan, dangerous as it was, did seem the only practical way of getting one to them in the near future. Praalis wished that it was someone else and not Blan doing this. She had suffered enough already. If only he were not so old and frail, he would not have to place such a burden on her.
“Gra, I don’t want to risk anyone else.”
Praalis could hear her soft, sad voice in his mind as clearly as if she had been next to him. He knew she blamed herself for taking Telko away from a blessed life. Of course she was wrong to blame herself, but he also knew there was nothing further he could say to help. The Great Plan would lead her to her destiny. He foresaw that she would undergo terrible suffering. She was now the fulcrum of power and he could only watch from the sidelines.
“Go with our blessing, Blan, and may the Great Plan guide you.” He wanted to tell her how devastated they would be if anything bad should happen to her, and to ask her to promise not to take unnecessary risks, but none of that would help her focus on what she needed to do to survive. Better, he thought, to give her some moral support than to add to her burdens.
Blan spent that night at the camp by the fort. She slept a little, but most of the time she spent with Actio 28 under a full moon now free of clouds. She borrowed some detailed maps from one of the officers who had returned from the northern campaign. Blan used these to update the map programmed into Actio 28. She worked on the route she would take to Port Fandabbin. The first part of her journey would take her by road along the fast-flowing Proequa River, over mountains and then across country to reach the navigable waters of the Polnet. After that, following Polnet River and Southport River should be easy enough if she could buy passage on the barges she had been told about that carried people and goods up and down the rivers on regular schedules. Even if the schedules had been disrupted by the war, Blan felt confident that she could find some kind of river craft to take her downstream to the River Docks of Dabbin.
By dawn, she was ready to go. Neep and Memwin had left for home the previous evening. Gardolinya had already led the first group up toward the mountain pass.
Tor threw his hands in the air when he heard Blan’s plan. It crossed his mind that Telko’s loss might have unhinged her. Nonetheless, he helped her as best he could and gave her papers to help her pass through allied lands. He could find no flaw in her plan, except extreme danger. He knew there were no safe options in war. He remembered some of the ridiculous risks he had taken when he had been a young officer.
“May the Great Plan protect you, Blan,” Tor said under his breath as he watched her ride away. In truth, he had become very fond of her.
42
Proequa River – 12th October
To replace the horses that Blan and Gardolinya had brought over the mountains, which were now allowed some rest to restore their condition, Tor had lent Blan another two very stout mares. He said they would have no trouble carrying her and her baggage over long distances, so long as she did not expect them to run at any great speed. This suited Blan. Having practiced during her stay in Proequa, she could mount and ride Zeep’s great mare, Whitestorm, as well as the equally large, albeit now elderly, ducal stallion featured in the tapestry with Fenfenwin, but she still felt more comfortable with smaller, slower mounts.
Compared with the trudge through the mountains, where every rock, stump and change of direction was hazardous, Blan felt quite free and comfortable as she rode down the hill on the recently, though hastily, repaired road. She breathed deeply, smelling the forest on either side. She tried to identify and remember any new aromas that came to her. She found it a useful way of emptying her mind of doubts and worries.
So far in her life, apart from small trips into the woods near her village, Blan’s adventures had all been forced on her or organised by others. This was the first great adventure that she had planned alone and set out on for her own reasons. She reckoned that this was the best way for her to help the war effort, yet acknowledged that there were alternatives. She could have waited and gone with Azimath; the uncertainties as to when that would happen and how to avoid the blockade at Port Fandabbin were arguably no greater than the uncertainties of her current plan. She could have taught others how to lock the Actios so they could have gone to Port Fandabbin in her place; the time and risks of that were not necessarily greater than those of her own plan. However, she needed to go walkabout, to wander by herself for a long while, to think about Telko and to clear her mind of all her other doubts and insecurities. How could she live up to all the responsibilities she had recently acquired? She was Grand Vizier of Krar; Princess of Akrin; Countess of Western Point; unofficial mother, aunt and big sister of Memwin; technical adviser to the Free Alliance. It all seemed too much. Had she been forewarned of all this three months ago, she would have thought it a joke. Should she have stayed longer to look for Telko’s body? Should she have stayed to give more moral support to the Akrinans? Three weeks ago they had never heard of her. Could she really help the war effort with her discoveries concerning the Actios? So many important decisions to reconcile, so many questions to ponder…
Blan noticed that the woods were becoming less dense and the downward slope of the road less pronounced. The air was getting warmer. Woodland clearings, filled with flowers and the buzz of insects, started appearing more frequently.
At last she saw the end of the road where it met a much broader and better made highway. She had come this way with Arnapa and Telko, so she knew that Proequa citadel and Nantport lay to the left. She turned to the right.
She was not yet in the wilderness she had envisaged for her journey. The highway curved sharply westward leaving the mountains behind her. On both sides she now saw a rich land of rolling hills, sub-tropical vegetation and homesteads covered in colourful vines. The highway was quite busy and became more so as she approached the mouth of Proequa River. There were farmers and traders with carts of produce, and many wagons carrying cargo to the Proequa River shipyards. Many of the larger wagons were marked with some or other coat of arms. Blan recognised their cargoes as materials for the building, repair or arming of ships. One cart, ironically bearing Blan’s own coat of arms as Countess of Western Point, was loaded with Kem’s fire bombs. Despite her still sombre mood, Blan could not stop herself from smiling. The idea of her dear, serious, conventional father making fire bombs for a naval war seemed as bizarre to her as seeing her own coat of arms on a wagon that she had never seen before or known about.
A long ridge barred the way ahead. The highway reached the foot of the rise and then turned sharply to the right to follow the bottom of it. The sound of roaring water could be heard in the distance. Blan noticed a steep path leading up to the top of the ridge, so she left her horses to graze while she ventured up the path, carrying only the bag that contained the Actio. She wished to view her surroundings from the highest point available.
The path zigzagged up with a long flight of steps at every turn. The roar of water became stronger with every step. Just when she thought that her legs would give out, she looked up to see that she was near the top of the last flight.
A cool breeze almost blew away Blan’s broad-brimmed hat as she came to the top of the ridge. Right below her, Proequa River surged into the estuary with such force that Blan no longer doubted that ships could not enter the river that way. She would not be able to take a relaxing cruise upstream, so she was pleased about Tor’s choice of horses.
Blan realised that the ridge on which she stood was the very same as the one at Western Point. The ridge was much lower here and dwindled to its end about a mile to her right. To her left, Blan saw the river merge into a long estuary. It was hard to tell where the river ended and where the estuary started. Certainly the current in the estuary was still very powerful many miles out to sea. Although a fleet of quimals could be seen at anchor far out in
the estuary, no shipping could be seen very near the coast or in the flux from the river.
To her right, Blan saw the river coursing down from the north. The dockyards started where the ridge ended and stretched for half a league along the river. Artificial lakes and canals had been developed along the near side of the river. Ships would be launched in the lakes and then taken into the river via the canals. The canals were protected by breakwaters of rock which extended out into the river at an angle sympathetic to its current. The ships would then be released far enough out in the river not to be driven ashore before they reached the safer waters further out in the estuary.
In front of Blan she could see why an enemy might not wish to attack from that direction. To the west of Proequa River it was all deep tropical jungle surrounded by mangrove swamps. She had been in those swamps before with Arnapa to collect medicines, but only briefly and she had come by a different route which had not afforded this panorama.
Blan was struck by the stark contrast between the rich, rolling hills of civilization on the east of the river and the primeval jungle to its west. That night, Blan sought answers from her Actio and deduced that the whole area had been tropical jungle when the Actios had been programmed. She assumed, or rather adopted the hypothesis, that people had first cleared farming land in the cooler, more liveable areas near the mountains. When they reached Proequa River and Nantport they had achieved all they needed, access to the sea as well as farmland in areas less prone to tropical diseases and parasites.
Azimath, Starinette and Nargin all came out to meet Blan as soon as she was seen on the highway. They had already heard about her plan from Praalis.
“We hope to be ready to break out at the beginning of December, Blan, so you could still come with us,” Azimath offered.
“That means you could not arrive at Port Fandabbin in less than eight weeks time, whereas I hope to be there in three weeks, ten or eleven days by road and the same by river,” Blan replied. “The enemy is moving quickly. Fandabbin will need my Actio to coordinate defence and counter-attacks with you.”
“I agree that Actio contact with Carl will make a great difference, but your estimate of three weeks is optimistic and depends on all going well,” Nargin cautioned.
“Yet you might also be delayed. You may need to take refuge in the Archipelago for some time before there is an opportunity to come near enough to Port Fandabbin for canoeists or divers to sneak in via your secret ways, and what if those ways are held against you by then?” was Blan’s reply. They had no answer to this. Every tactic was fraught with difficulties.
“Let me go with you,” Starinette offered. “You rescued me, so the least I can do is accompany you in your time of need.”
As concerned as he was for Blan, Azimath frowned with concern at the prospect of his fiancée venturing into such danger without him. He need not have worried.
“It’s very kind of you, Starinette; I won’t take you away from Azimath. Besides, I can move more quickly and secretly by myself. Arnapa has taught me some of her secrets of disguise and some of her craft for spying.”
Blan shared an early lunch with her friends in the watchtower they were using for their headquarters. She set off again before midday. The parting was made easier by the knowledge that they could communicate with each other from afar via the Actios.
Blan had been regularly checking Actio 28 throughout the morning. She had updated all the other Actio users about her movements. She was also pleased to see that the seaborne Geode near Austra Castle had been the one most used, suggesting that Black Knight was still there. That was good for both Blan and Port Fandabbin. She was, however, surprised to see that all the Actios left in the sky ship were sending stronger signals as though recharging from the ground. She wondered whether she might have left them too loose and that they had fallen, or perhaps the orbear girls had become inquisitive and removed them to have a better look.
43
13th October
“I’m so worried about Blan,” Arnapa moaned. “She’s a very smart girl, but she doesn’t have the experience needed for moving among enemies. Although she’s already met some nasty people, she doesn’t realise just how devious and manipulative some people can be or how heartless many are.”
“If you are so worried, then you must follow her,” Zeep asserted. “My training has taught me to take all my concerns out of their boxes, choose the most urgent and put all the others back in their boxes until I have time to check them again. It makes life simpler than balancing too many worries at once.”
“I know the methodology, Zeep, yet I have always been tempted to do too much at once.”
“Try my method, Arnapa. Open the boxes and see what you have.”
Arnapa thought for a moment and then said, “I am in command of this mission. I can’t just leave everyone in the lurch.”
“The castle and harbour are now well defended,” Zeep replied. “You now have fifteen pirate ships under Penntrafa, one captured quimal and fifty dragon boats under Admiral Wayhooay, a hundred and fifty canoes under Nightsight, and many thousands of militia with their own cargo ships, boats and weapons. The harbour entrances are defended by huge catapults capable of seriously damaging quimals. Many smaller catapults now being installed all along the docks are capable of repelling landing parties. Tor is sending more soldiers across the mountains.
“To sum up, Black Knight will have to bring many more quimals and soldiers back from the other blockades if he wants to retake the harbour. He made a major blunder leaving it with so little defence as long as he did. He completely underestimated us. Anyway, if the enemy attacks us, we will need Admiral Wayhooay to coordinate our defence. Why not hand over to him now?”
Arnapa relaxed for the first time since she had heard of Blan’s latest mission. Praalis told her two days ago and Blan confirmed it the next morning when she was already on her way north. Arnapa found Zeep’s reasoning clear and compelling and, what is more, it accorded with what her instincts were begging her to do.
“Thank you, Zeep,” Arnapa said softly as she stood behind Zeep’s chair and ran her fingers through her hair. The warrior woman looked up at Arnapa and gave one of her rare smiles.
Arnapa made her decision. “I will speak to the admiral, Nightsight and Penntrafa. Fortunately, they seem to get along well together. Will you be alright when I am gone?”
“I will be fine because I’m coming with you.”
*
14th October
Admiral Wayhooay was not surprised to be offered overall command. He knew that he would be the appropriate war leader should the enemy attack, so a transfer of authority would occur sooner or later. However, he refused to accept Actio 19.
“As a known war leader, I am a special target for the enemy, unlike Nightsight and yourself,” Wayhooay said. “Your role in capturing the castle and harbour is still not obvious to the prisoners who have assumed that it was a joint venture between locals, Proequans and Akrinans. Give this device to someone you trust who is not Akrinan, Proequan or Austran.”
“How do you know that I am not Proequan?” Arnapa asked.
“I know you from the last war. Don’t be alarmed! Black Knight knows nothing of what I discovered.”
“You have never really been his ally, have you?” Arnapa said in relief.
“We Akrinans revere our history and we have never forgotten the Massacre of the Nobles. Perhaps we should have revoked our treaty with Krar right then. Queen Sakscren’s propaganda caused much confusion over what had happened. She convinced most people that the Council of Nobles had been destroyed in the terrible fire that left Kanand Castle in ruins. Anyway, revoking the treaty would have led to war. At that time we would certainly have lost because most of our allies believed Sakscren’s lies and would not support us. They came to regret it. One by one their leaders were killed in so-called accidents, or went missing, and their domains were absorbed into Krar. It all happened a long time before I was born, so I don’t know much
of the detail. However, my grandfather told me secretly that Praalis had survived and had sent word from Arctequa to Akrin about what actually happened. From that day Akrin has given minimal assistance to Krar under the treaty and we have waited for the Grand Vizier to return and restore justice across the land.”
*
Arnapa had a long talk with Pencar and Penna. With much hesitation and stumbling over her words, she admitted to them that she was not their cousin. However, she confirmed that she did love them as though they were her family. She was surprised and delighted to see that they both took it all in good spirit. They understood why she had pretended to them and, in any case, they had now found their own family in the form of Penntrafa and her people.
“I already kind of guessed that we weren’t actually related,” Pencar admitted to her, “but it was nice to have someone, if you know what I mean, and I’m glad you chose us to be your agents.”
Penna agreed. Arnapa had to wipe moisture from her eyes.
“I have another mission for you,” Arnapa said. “Blan says this is one of the most important weapons we have. I want you both to guard it and never let the enemy get hold of it. Drop it into the sea rather than let the enemy capture it.”
She gave them Actio 19 and showed them how to use it, at least to the limited extent she knew. By that evening they had introduced themselves to Praalis, Azimath, Nightsight and Blan as the new Actio operators. At Arnapa’s request they revealed only that Arnapa had gone on an unspecified secret mission. Blan gave them further instructions as to how to use the mapping facility and she instructed Actio 28 to update the geographical information held by all the other Actios.
44
17th & 18th October
The mountain air was getting colder and the snow was starting to extend to lower altitudes. This was uncommon so close to the Equator, especially with the sun less than four weeks beyond the autumnal equinox. However, the coming northern winter promised to be one of the coldest for many years. Seemingly by way of compensation the sky was clearer and the sun eased the discomfort of the cold wind on the mountain pass.
Grand Vizier of Krar Page 17