“Can’t say. But I hope they know what they’re doing,” Dolphar said, grimly.
Shelthara puffed up his chest. “We’ve got Darcel Kinlafia in office. He’s not a railroad man, but he’s been out as far as the lines go. He’ll make sure they don’t go making decisions in Parliament that are better made at the railhead-or the trailhead for that matter. I bet you he backs TTE on everything we need and pushes the rest of the reps to get the Army what it needs. We’ll be winning those lost universes back in no time once we get enough troops and guns down-chain.”
“Everything’s pretty hard to muster. We need some more signalmen further down track. And lay crews-lots of lay crews from what I hear.” Torrash mused.
“Figure TTE’s asking them for everything we need?” Dolphar asked.
“I imagine so, but who’s to say.” Shelthara looked questioningly at Torrash.
“The Director’s on it. Don’t worry that the Emperor isn’t being asked. Might not prioritize us as high as we’d like, but you can be sure Director Tyamish’s talking to the Privy Council regular and probably even plans on meeting with the Parliament as soon as they sort themselves out in committees and all.”
“News says some of the representatives are forming advisory staffs. You interested, Boss?” Shelthara asked, “Wanna go meet your Parliamentary Representative?”
“Not one bit, Fadar. We’ve got too much work to do here. Tell you what though, you slot in the cetaceans and the simians like I said, and send off to the ambassadors so they know when to have their cars ready. The bit the Cetacean Ambassador included about feed cars is a real good idea. You might drop a note about that to the big guy with the gorillas. I imagine a gorilla’s going to want to eat more than the dining cars usually stock. And warn the stations down-chain about all the unusuals coming. Especially the portal junctions near the ocean need to be warned about the cetaceans. They don’t all have rails that go all the way to the ports. I’m not sure what the whales are planning on and I don’t want any cetaceans dying on our watch.”
“Sure it won’t come to that, Boss,” Shelthara said.
“You’re damn right it won’t, and that’s ’cause we aren’t going to let it.”
“Do you think we need to report to somebody about the military trains that’ve been coming in light?”
“Already wrote it up for Director Tyamish, but you go ahead and write to Parliament about it, if you like. This isn’t proprietary or anything you need to keep quiet on noticing.”
“Good,” said Dolphar, who’d been listening quietly for the last few minutes. “I’d wondered about that Windlord. My sister’s boys signed up. I don’t want their commanders finding out the reinforcements’re light only when the trains arrive.”
“Right.” The stationmaster acknowledged the stevedore and with a furrowed brow added, “And Fadar?”
“Yes, Boss?
“Better tell the Voice to make sure he passes it along in the next transmission window, too. Hadn’t thought to tell the down-chain military channels about it. Gotta remember to do that now, too, along with updating the stationmasters. Remind me.”
“Will do, Boss. Will do.”
* * *
The Seneschal of Othmaliz took the election, the war effort, and the entire mess of recent events less well than the men at the Larakesh TTE office. His Eminence considered the entirety of it a bitter draught to be endured while he worked to put in motion all the events his pride demanded for a proper resolution to the situation in Tajvana.
A middle-aged Bergahldian lay brother had managed to win election to a seat in the region of Othmaliz immediately outside Tajvana, but that was the extent of their electoral success. Too many of the locals were besotted with the Ternathian prince’s sacrifice and the old pageantry of the Calirath family’s return to their ancestral seat.
The print news was even calling the Crown Princess Andrin a beautiful bride-a depiction Faroayn Raynarg found personally offensive. He preferred his women small and delicate. The princess’s sheer height appalled and repelled him, although it would never do to admit that was because she also intimidated him. Andrin was irritatingly mannish in appearance, he’d decided. The new Crown Prince Consort Howan Fai, all dressed up and looking absolutely delighted with her, in spite of standing significantly shorter than Raynarg, made it even worse. The Seneschal despised them all.
That creepy bird she insisted on bringing everywhere, and the wedding! The disgraceful demand for his services with no notice and no consideration for his status! The Caliraths were beyond vulgar. It was settled.
But his spies were doing good work. A lot of the information was actually coming from his new dear friend, Chava Busar, but Raynarg didn’t let that concern him. Uromathia was far away; the Caliraths-curse them-were right here. Ternathia had owned Tajvana before and unless he struck soon, the Caliraths might very well rule his capital again.
Chava’s tendency to tell him what to do and how to use the Order of Bergahl annoyed him, but Raynarg only needed his help to get rid of the Ternathian Emperor. After that, he could have his palace back and return everything to the status quo he’d enjoyed before the Caliraths’ arrival.
He did acknowledge that Chava was right on one point. It was important to choose his target carefully and then focus his resources to accomplish a proper terror-inducing, successful strike. Then the crowds would be remember who the true power in Tajvana was. And that, Raynarg knew from old experience, would make the second, third, and fifteenth strike so much more successful. But Chava didn’t appreciate the true nature of the threat…or the proper way to deal with it. No, he was positively obsessed with Zindel, Zindel, Zindel-as if there weren’t another Calirath in the entire multiverse!
The hints, oh so many hints! Chava made Raynarg’s head throb with his endlessly repeated hints, his focus on one hard and fast attack on Zindel. He never actually said it in so many words, of course…just as he never admitted his insistence stemmed from fear. He wanted to destroy their opposition in a single strike, before Zindel could see it coming, because he was afraid of what Zindel might do if he somehow survived that strike. A part of the Seneschal could recognize the Uromathian’s logic, but however reasonable Chava’s caution might sound in the palace, in his own temples, it tasted excessive.
Well, the emperor could drop all the hints he liked; the Seneschal had his own choices to make. He agreed that his true enemy was Emperor Zindel. But he wanted the man to suffer.
Zindel couldn’t die until he was broken. The Seneschal wouldn’t allow it. He’d seen the arrogance of Ternathia drain right out of the Winged Crown with the news of Prince Janaki’s death was confirmed and he was determined to see it again. And again and again and again. That, and only that, was the price he would exact for Zindel’s sins against Tajvana.
He would have preferred to start with little Anbessa and slit the throats of each Calirath, from youngest to oldest. Unfortunately, the two younger grand princesses rarely left the palace. That made reaching them…difficult, and Janaki was already dead. Raynarg regretted that. Satisfying as Zindel’s reaction to his son’s death had been, that reaction hadn’t come from the Seneschal’s own hand. That would have been so much better! And since he couldn’t have that, he longed to embrace the pattern, instead, and kill each heir, one by one. He allowed himself a delightful moment imagining the horror in Emperor Zindel’s eyes when his youngest daughter was finally made crown princess after losing all three of her older siblings.
But there were limits in all things, he reminded himself, and the Caliraths’ security was too tight for the sweet, extended revenge he craved. And he didn’t truly need it, when all was said. It was all to probable that he’d have to restrict himself to a single attack, yet one would be enough if it was executed properly. Even if it fell somewhat short of his heart’s true desire, it would be enough to send them packing. After all, the Caliraths had left Tajvana once before. If they left again, Chava Busar could see to the rest of the Calirath brats elsewhere. The Seneschal would wish him success, and perhaps he’d loan the Uromathian some muscle, just as Chava had done for him.