Blood of Dragons

by Jack Campbell

  “Lady, what exactly is the status of the boy?” Beran asked. “Is he a citizen of Tiae? How does he stand in relation to you?”

  Mari spoke slowly and carefully. “Jason of Urth is not a citizen of any country on Dematr. As of yet. But my family is in debt to him. He saved Kira’s life. And she is very…fond of Jason.”

  “How does that guide us in how to regard him?” Olav asked.

  “Regard Jason as one of my family,” Mari said. She saw Alain stare at her, so surprised that he momentarily let it show. “Regard him as my son.” She didn’t know exactly where those words came from, but she felt a truth in them.

  “And mine,” Alain added, just as if this was something they had discussed many times.

  Jane raised her eyebrows at them. “I thought Kira was still deciding on her feelings for Jason.”

  “Master of Mages Alain and I have decided on our feelings for the boy,” Mari said. “You have your answer. Regard the boy as our son. Now, tell me, Beran. The Free Cities will very likely be able to annihilate the two legions which have invaded the Northern Ramparts. What then?”

  Beran nodded. “Lady, the Free Cities know of your concerns and have taken your advice of twenty years ago to heart. I have been officially authorized to tell you, as well as the Bakre Confederation, the Western Alliance, and the Kingdom of Tiae, that the forces of the Free Cities will stop at the edge of the Northern Ramparts. Conquering Umburan in a lightning strike would likely be easy, and a rich prize. But occupying it, controlling its hostile populace, and maintaining control of the lands around it would be a bleeding wound that would suck endless treasure and lives from the Free Cities. Our goal is to destroy and expel the invaders, trusting in the daughter of Jules to arrange a new peace in which the Empire will respect the borders of surrounding states.”

  “Thank you,” Mari said.

  “But I should add that is the goal of the government. The people of the Free Cities have longstanding grievances and may demand Umburan. The leaders of the Free Cities would be very grateful if the daughter of Jules were to issue a statement that she believed the people were best served but not trying to conquer Imperial territory.”

  Mari nodded, exchanging a glance with Alain. “You'll get that statement.”

  Olav nodded as well. “The Alliance would not be willing to assist a war of conquest. My government will be happy to hear that the Free Cities do not intend that.”

  “Will the Confederation and the Western Alliance aid the Free Cities in defending their territory?” Mari asked.

  President Julan leaned forward, his eyes studying the map. “The Empire has not mobilized. Even if it has already begun the process, mobilization will be done with all of the bureaucratic deliberation and ponderous momentum the Empire has mastered. It will be a month before all of the reserve legions have been fully assembled and ready for battle.”

  “Imperial warships are another matter,” Olav of Ulrick commented. “And we have no desire to leave the Empire free to attack any other place once those legions are assembled.”

  “Agreed.” Julan pointed at the map. “The Imperials have enough naval strength to meet either the Confederation or the Alliance on equal terms. But if we strike them together, the Imperials will be badly out-numbered.”

  “The Alliance recognizes the truth of your statement, sir.”

  “Suppose,” Julan continued, “the Bakre Confederation sent naval forces to blockade Landfall and destroy any Imperial warships they encounter, and the Western Alliance sent its warships to do the same for Sandurin? The Empire would be bottled up. Not only its fleet, but also most of its trade.”

  Beran of Palla spoke up. “This is exactly the aid the Free Cities most need. We ask that you do this. It will ensure that Marida and Kelsi remain safe from Imperial invasion from the sea.”

  “Are you in need of soldiers for defensive purposes?” Ambassador Olav asked. “If the Free Cities are throwing all of their forces at those legions, your own cities will be left lightly defended.”

  “In accordance with our agreements of self-defense, Ihris has already committed to send forces to aid the Free Cities,” Beran said. “And they have told the Free Cities that if the Western Alliance also agrees to send soldiers, Ihris will grant them free passage through its city and lands.”

  “Ihris is famous for the skill of its traders. What price has Ihris asked for such cooperation?” Olav asked.

  Beran smiled. “Ihris lies between the Free Cities and the Western Alliance. It is always in Ihris’s interest to maintain good relationships with both. They are wise enough to know that having both indebted to Ihris will be to their benefit.”

  “Ihris is wise,” Alain said.

  “So speaks its wisest son,” Beran said, nodding to Alain.

  “Then what of the Sharr Isles?” Olav asked. “We are tired of trying to halt Imperial encroachments on the Isles, and the Imperial forces there will pose a threat to our blockades of Landfall and Sandurin.”

  “Who would deal with that?” Jane asked. “Would the Alliance be willing to allow the Confederation to expel the Empire from the Sharr Isles and destroy their forces there?”

  “That will be a hard sell at Cape Astra,” Olav of Ulrick said. “Control of the Sharr Isles would be a major coup for the Confederation and give it a large trade advantage in the Sea of Bakre. I assume the Confederation would feel the same about the Alliance gaining control of those islands.”

  “The Free Cities cannot spare forces,” Beran said. “Nor would we want either the Confederation or the Alliance to gain the Sharr Isles.”

  “If no one state is acceptable, what if more than one took on the task. What of a combined expedition?” Mari asked. She paused, surprised that she was trying to make this happen—an invasion of the islands where she had been born. If it didn't happen, if the west didn't act because of mutual suspicion, the Empire would end up still in control of the Sharr Isles and ready to use them as a springboard for more aggression. But if the west did act, the people of the islands would be caught in the middle.

  Mari hid the pain her next words caused her. “The Empire must be evicted from those islands. What if half the ships and soldiers for that task come from the Confederation, and half from the Alliance? The forces remaining to occupy the Isles and maintain their security would also be from both.”

  “If a garrison is to be left there following hostilities, the Free Cities would contribute as well,” Beran said.

  President of State Jane exchanged glances with President in Chief Julan. “The Bakre Confederation would agree to such an arrangement,” Julan said. “I will commit to that now. A combined force, with ships and soldiers from both powers, to destroy Imperial forces on the Sharr Isles and lay the groundwork for a force that would ensure the long-term safety and neutrality of the Sharr Isles.”

  “I think the Alliance would also agree,” Olav said. “But a major question remains open. Who would command? The daughter?”

  “Yes,” Beran declared. “That would make it clear to all that this is not an occupation aimed at benefiting the Alliance or the Confederation, but an action by the daughter to free those islands.”

  “I'm not qualified,” Mari objected.

  “You commanded at Dorcastle,” Julan reminded her.

  “In name, yes, but Field Marshall Klaus handled most of the military details.”

  “Then we need a similar commander working for you,” Jane said.

  “What of Commodore Banda?” Alain asked. “He is one of those who has sworn to serve the daughter again if she calls.”

  “Banda?” Jane sat back, thinking. “He’s been part of Tiae’s forces for a long time, but I know he is respected in the Confederation fleet.”

  “The same in the Alliance,” Olav agreed. “It would be difficult to win agreement to place Alliance forces under the command of an officer from Tiae, but if he is serving the daughter, just as he did twenty years ago, that would be another matter.”

  “I have
no doubt that Queen Sien would agree to loan Commodore Banda to the daughter for the duration of these hostilities,” Tresa of Tiaesun said.

  “Then let's proceed on that basis,” President Julan said. “The expedition to free the Sharr Isles will be led by the daughter, under her commander Commodore Banda. Confederation forces taking part will be under the daughter's command.”

  “Is that acceptable to the daughter?” Olav asked, looking at Mari.

  She sighed, thinking of how many had died at Dorcastle twenty years before. Deaths she still felt responsibility for. Mari glanced at Alain, who looked back with an impassive expression. Only his eyes betrayed that he knew how difficult this decision was for her.

  But if she didn't agree, if she didn't lead a joint action, then the suffering could easily be far worse. How many times had she told Kira that there was always an option, if you were willing to take it? “Yes,” Mari said, wondering how many lives that one word might end up costing.

  “Then I am certain that the Alliance will agree as well,” Olav said. “We must also think of Syndar, though. If the Alliance and the Confederation send the great majority of their forces east to engage the imperials, that will leave the west unguarded. Syndar claims to be totally neutral, but…”

  “That is all too good a point,” Julan agreed. “Offering Syndar that sort of temptation could be a mistake.”

  “Tiae’s naval forces cannot match those of the Confederation and the Alliance,” Tresa said, “and they have much farther to go to engage the Imperials. What if Tiae committed to using her ships to screen the coasts of the Confederation and the Alliance as well as that of Tiae? Syndar has learned to fear Tiae.”

  Julan nodded. “Tiae sent us aid twenty years ago, and our ties have been close ever since. We would trust Tiae’s ships to defend the coast of the Confederation from Syndar.”

  “The Alliance’s ties with Tiae are far less well established,” Olav said dubiously. “To entrust them with defense of our coasts might be difficult to accept.”

  “What better time is there to create such ties?” Mari asked. “I will personally guarantee that Tiae’s ships will not infringe on the Alliance in any way and act only in mutual defense.”

  “If the daughter offers that guarantee, the Alliance will very likely accept,” Olav said.

  “I must ask of you all what I asked of the Free Cities,” Mari said. “What will you seek beyond supporting the Free Cities, blockading the Imperial forces, and freeing the Sharr Isles?”

  Ambassador Olav answered first. “The focus of our government is westward. There will be little enthusiasm for war on Imperial territory when the Western Alliance is preparing to colonize the western continent. That’s where we want to send our resources rather than see them eaten up in a death match over Sandurin or some other piece of Imperial territory. We also don’t want the Empire biting us in the back, so there will be support for acting with the Free Cities. But not, I think, for expanding the war to Imperial lands. Our people, though, like those of the Free Cities, may need to be reminded by the daughter that she is looking out for their best interests in endorsing these limited actions.”

  President Julan nodded. “The people of the Bakre Confederation won't be as enthusiastic for war. The Confederation hasn’t forgotten the cost we paid at Dorcastle. No one wants to refight that battle, and no one wants to spend Confederation lives trying to take Landfall knowing that we’d be the attackers. Victory’s price would be too dear. Beat the Imperial fleet, free the Sharr Isles and leave enough forces there, jointly with the Western Alliance and the Free Cities, to ensure that the Imperials don’t come back again, and the Confederation will be well content with the outcome. If the Empire’s fangs have been drawn.”

  “Something must be done about Prince Maxim,” Tresa of Tiaesun said.

  “Agreed,” Ambassador Olav said. “If he remains crown prince, and becomes emperor, imperial aggression will occur again. It would just be a matter of time.”

  “I understand,” Mari said. “Maxim will be dealt with.” Her last words came out with a finality that rang through the room.

  A moment's silence followed that statement.

  “What about the alternatives to Maxim?” Julan finally asked. “Who takes over after Maxim has been…dealt with?”

  “Princess Sabrin is positioning herself as the strongest possibility,” President Jane said. “She’s as ruthless as Maxim, but far more disciplined and pragmatic. It’s no secret in the Imperial household that Sabrin thinks the Empire would be better off focusing inward, developing their technology and industry, instead of trying to refight the battles lost twenty years ago. Maxim has been able to out-maneuver Sabrin by using arguments about Imperial pride and honor, but if those result in major military disasters, Sabrin will be in just the right place to pick up the pieces.”

  “Camber doesn’t favor her,” Mari said. “He hasn’t ever directly said so, but my impression is that he thinks she wouldn’t be aggressive enough in advancing Imperial interests. I think she’d be plenty aggressive, just in nontraditional ways that didn’t involve military risk.”

  “We can beat the Empire in peaceful competition,” Julan said. “That’s one ‘war’ I’d look forward to.”

  After the others had left, Mari turned to Alain. “Tell me the truth. Has it become easier over time for me to give the orders that will result in men and women dying? The Mari who you first met in the wastes outside of Ringhmon couldn’t have done it.”

  He looked at her with the same perfect solemnity that he had shown as a Mage, but with emotion now clearly visible behind it. “Yes, she could have. Even then, you did what you thought must be done to protect others. It has not become easier for you. Do you think I cannot see the pain it causes you?”

  “Am I doing it because Maxim kidnapped Kira? Am I letting my personal desire to hurt him driving my decisions?”

  “No.” He shook his head at her. “You always ask the same questions, whether you are letting personal feelings decide you, and I always give the same answers.”

  “I need to hear them,” Mari said.

  “Why did you say what you did about Jason?”

  “Why did you agree with me?” she asked in return.

  “Because I felt a truth in your words,” Alain said. “I, like you, have seen what is inside him. And, like Kira, we find much to admire there. I wonder that Urth could regard someone like him so lightly.”

  “Maybe he was in the wrong place,” Mari said. “Maybe, on Urth, Jason would never have found what was inside him. He would have remained that sullen, unhappy man all his life, wondering what was missing, never finding it. But he came here, and he found what he needed. We needed each other to find the best inside us. Perhaps Kira and Jason are the same, two who together can bring out the best in each. They have to live, Alain. I’ve already sent a message to General Flyn, asking that he do what he can to aid in the search for them.”

  “There is something else,” Alain said.

  “Oh, you finally see that, Master of Mages?” Mari took a slow breath, then smiled at him. “I wasn’t sure for a while, Alain, but now I’m certain. Another child is on the way.” The look of joy and surprise on Alain’s often impassive face made Mari smile wider. “My feelings exactly. But when I realized that another child would be coming to us, I realized something else. We’ve always been proud and happy to have Kira, even when she was at her most difficult, and we could never forget her brother Danel who died. But destiny also brought us Jason.”

  Alain studied her, questioning. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that while we’ve been hoping for another child, we never realized that destiny had already given us one six months ago, one who needed real parents. There are children of the body and children of the heart, Alain. Kira has been both, and if destiny wills a safe birth this time so will be this new child. But by his deeds, by being who he is, by his love for our daughter, Jason has won a place in our hearts, too. And our home. Whether o
r not Kira and he ever promise themselves to each other, he will be our son.”

  Alain nodded to Mari. “And the new little one? The one now beginning within you?”

  “Stars above, Alain, do you think I can’t love three children?” Mari paused, gazing at the map upon which war had just been decided. “We need to give them the kind of world they ought to have. We need to give every child that world. I hope the price is not too high.”

  She walked to a window that looked out in the harbor. Always busy, it now surged with furious activity around the Confederation warships. War had not come to Dorcastle again. Dorcastle was going to war.

  And once again the daughter of Jules was at the center of it.

  As was her own daughter.

  * * *

  The long slope down off the peak had gradually steepened into a perilously angled descent. Kira, her heart pounding from exertion and fear, finally found her feet resting on a narrow ledge running at an angle across the side of the mountain. Below that ledge, the slope turned into a cliff whose vertical drop was too far and too sheer to offer any hope of successful descent. “Are you all right, Jason?” she asked in between rapid breaths.

  He spoke from beside her, the strain clear in his voice. “So far.”

  “I’m going to move along this ledge at a safe pace,” Kira said, her face to the rock of the mountainside. “Don’t look down and don’t look out. Keep your eyes on the rock in front of us.”

  “Okay.” The single word held not only fear but also trust in her decisions.

  Kira hoped that her earlier choices hadn’t already doomed them. She looked only far enough down to see where her feet would go next, needing every bit of her willpower to keep her eyes from straying toward the precipice beneath them. It already felt as if the empty space was tugging at her, trying to pull her into the void. Kira feared that if she looked into those depths they would seize her and yank her off the ledge.

  She lost track of time as she slid sideways step after step, barely able to look more than a few steps ahead to ensure the ledge continued to offer a perilous but traversable path. What if the ledge ended, leaving her with nothing but the unforgiving cliff face? Could she and Jason back up if that happened, get far enough to retrace their path?