Vuldaroq smiled inwardly at Heryst’s reaction. How easy it was to disarm a man who expected nothing from you.
‘That is a most kind offer. I thank you for it.’
‘Surprising too?’ Vuldaroq couldn’t help himself.
Heryst raised his eyebrows. ‘It is not your most common stance,’ he said. ‘We are, I believe, faced with a critical decision. My commanders, who have briefed me extensively, are in no doubt that the war will turn upon it. It has doubtless been on the minds of you and yours.’
Vuldaroq inclined his head, sure of Heryst’s direction. He was not disappointed.
‘Xetesk wants Julatsa gone and the elves threaten that. Their move north will not go unchallenged and that has an effect directly on us, which is why Izack has reinforced the most likely place for an attempt to break the siege.
‘But, in my opinion, we have to take wider factors into account. I am not sure that providing extra strength at the east gate is the best use of our forces, not least because they may be too late. After all, the breakout is liable to be staged very soon, and there is no doubt that we will struggle to contain them, given the information we have about their reserve strength.
‘As you’ll be aware, Baron Blackthorne has joined the struggle on our side and has brought with him seventy swordsmen and eight mages. This represents almost all of his trained guard and he has taken the gamble of leaving his lands guarded by Baron Gresse whose small militia is already stretched over almost the whole of the south. Why are they doing it? Because while this war goes on, the economics of the entire country are destroyed more each day.
‘And they are not alone in their anxiety. Havern is sending men, so is Orytte, so is Rache. Many other Barons aren’t capable of sending anyone, of course. But again, reinforcing the east gate might be pointless. It may be that riding north to Julatsa is the better decision.’
‘Sorry,’ said Vuldaroq, raising a finger. ‘You sound as if you don’t necessarily agree with the turn of events.’
Heryst refreshed his water glass. ‘It adds a layer of complexity. Blackthorne has agreed to put his men under the command of Izack and indeed is not planning on staying too long on the field himself. That’s because he feels he needs to exercise his diplomatic skills in the heart of the country. He, as you know, along with Gresse, is an exception. Both are Barons working for the common good, not purely self interest. Many of those deciding to join the battlefield have more personal agendas to complete.’
‘But you can’t deny that more forces committed to bringing down Xetesk has to be a good thing from our point of view.’
‘Are you really convinced of that, Vuldaroq? I suggest you familiarise yourself with the histories of some of the relationships between those ostensibly coming to help us. We may be here to restore the magical balance by first deposing the current Circle Seven but there are landed Barons out there who would like to see all the power of the colleges subservient to them. We must be careful that we remain the directors of this war.’
Vuldaroq smiled indulgently. Heryst sometimes thought too hard. On the other hand, it wouldn’t do to unnecessarily raise his suspicions.
‘I have been open with my talks with any Barons or Lords,’ he said. ‘Any forces I am hiring are signing themselves to serve under my battlefield commanders. You do not have to worry about their conduct. We are all after the same thing.’
‘Are we?’ Heryst’s smile was thin.
‘Who among us does not want peace for Balaia?’
‘Vuldaroq, that is not in doubt. It is the nature of that peace which taxes me.’
‘Then we must strive to ensure it is a peace which suits us all,’ said Vuldaroq, feeling a growing irritation. ‘But we are diverted from our task for today. You were talking about the east gate before outlining our options as you see them?’
‘I was,’ said Heryst. ‘If I don’t have enough men to preserve the balance now, there will not be time to reinforce. However, I have hope. I may have lost the elves but I have gained Blackthorne’s men and magic, and Xetesk has lost the Protectors. We have no choice but to fight there and occupy as many Xeteskians as we can.
‘We have no more men to commit in time. Indeed I suggest that we never really had enough to force a significant breach in Xetesk’s defences though we have all fought hard.
‘You mention Baronial forces joining you. Like I have said, I have others joining me and their management is very important. But the decisions to be made are tactical. The most critical is this. Do we assume the Xeteskians will break through whatever our strategy and therefore let them out and take them on open ground? We still have the time to organise that. Plans are in place.
‘But can we prosecute such a fight successfully? Can we contain them on the open field? And if we can, where do we draw our line? Who should be in overall command? There is more, Vuldaroq, but this will do as a beginning.’
Vuldaroq was impressed and annoyed in equal measure. His commanders had not brought up all these questions, some of which were blindingly obvious issues.
‘Are you sure none of your people have been in contact with Darrick?’ he asked.
‘I think not,’ said Heryst. ‘And I resent the suggestion that he is the only man capable of assessing our tactics. Many of my commanders have served under Darrick in the past. His knowledge has been passed on. I won’t deny we could do with him but he made his decision and will live or die by it.’
‘And what is the considered opinion of your command team as to our next moves?’
‘Our first priority is to give the elves as much time as possible to get away to Julatsa. They are preparing to leave now and will begin travel at dawn tomorrow. We have to hope we can hold the Xeteskians inside the city. We cannot risk Xetesk beating us in the open. If they do, we have nothing left.’
Vuldaroq considered. It was the most sensible solution but also the one Xetesk would expect.
‘It has little surprise in it to upset Xeteskian plans.’
‘And little room for them to surprise us. Even if they did break out east, for example, we would have considerable forces blocking their path.’
‘Have you thought about the remnants of the Black Wing army?’ asked Vuldaroq. ‘I understand them still to be encamped in significant numbers.’
‘They are a leaderless rabble,’ said Heryst. ‘Selik is dead, my spies report Devun is missing, and every day, more of them are returning to their homes. We should encourage that. Significant numbers, no. There are only a couple of hundred still there and they are the ones with literally nowhere else to go. They are an irrelevance to us.’
Heryst pushed a leather satchel across the table. ‘Our full recommendations and current strengths at each front are here. Consult your advisers; mine are on hand to answer questions and I have a Communion link to Izack on standby should you need it. But we need answers fast.’
Vuldaroq nodded. ‘I will be back within the hour. Why don’t you rest by the fire there? I have a particularly fine spirit you might like to try.’
‘Thank you, Vuldaroq.’
The overweight Arch Mage pushed himself from his chair. There were many matters to consider here. Heryst had outlined a solid plan for the benefit of the whole country. Vuldaroq just wasn’t sure he wanted to go back to being a mere part of the balance. There was opportunity here, the question was, could he unlock it fast enough?
Sha-Kaan had returned to his favoured place on the upper slopes of Herendeneth, with its views of the terraces and the house below. Calm had returned to the island. The Protectors were back working to repair the damage caused by fight and flood; Cleress was awake and helping Erienne until her energy was gone, and Diera and Jonas were safe once more. No mage bar the Al-Drechar remained alive.
He watched as Diera approached, her boy in her arms though struggling to get out. He could just catch his noises of frustration on the hot breeze and worry filled his mind. How easy for humans to reproduce. Not so for dragons. Back on Beshara, the Kaan birthings were imminent. He should be there, protecting his Brood at their most vulnerable time.