Nothing surprising there: Once you've determined to do something time is needed to make plans, gather materials, and put your plans into motion, all of which causes events to unfold too slowly; it's when you are forced into action before making a decision that things happen too quickly. Watching Morrolan and Sethra taught me that this is true in military matters, and I've always known it was true in my own life.
Or else it's just the universe being perverse; that's the other possibility.
Whichever, I spent several days having fruitless and aimless conversations with Morrolan, who agreed that I could be useful but was infuriatingly vague on the specifics. He seemed to understand without my saying it that I had become committed to helping him. This, in turn, increased my suspicion that the beating had been a setup on Morrolan's part to recruit me, and I retained that suspicion for some time, but I won't keep you in suspense: I eventually learned that Morrolan had nothing to do with it; the attack was just what it seemed.
Every once in while, a Dragon will do something obvious and direct that is no more than it appears to be. I think they do it to throw you off.
I met with Morrolan, Sethra, Aliera, and a pale Dragonlord I didn't recognize. Morrolan didn't perform any introductions. I didn't say anything, because I didn't know what to say and because I was still a bit intimidated to be in the presence of Sethra Lavode.
She spread out a map, pointed to a spot, and said, "We strike here, wait for a counterattack, and retreat this way, toward the Eastern Mountains."
There were nods around the table. I'd been there for about half a minute and I was already confused.
She went on, "Of course, if there is no counterattack, we continue this way, hit here, and here, and here, until there is one, then retreat as planned. If he should allow us all the way to here, we can lay a siege, but I can't imagine it playing out that way."
"What will be the organization?" said Morrolan.
"Divisions. Three of them. I want each self-contained, with its own infantry, cavalry, sorcerers, and engineers. The First Division will be mine, and will make the attack. The others will guard our flank and cover the retreat."
"Marching in column, then?" said Aliera.
"There are plenty of good roads leading into and out of the place; once we near the mountains we'll come back together to bivouac. Here." She pointed to another spot. "We can arrange for provender from the area along this route; we'll need to make arrangements if we're west of the Flatstone River, or north of Turtle. Who's doing logistics?"
"I will take personal charge," said Morrolan.
Sethra nodded. "Sorcery," she said.
The pale woman spoke. Her hair was very black, and her voice soft. "His lead sorcerer is named Ori"
"Ori!" I heard myself say.
"What is it, Vlad?" said Morrolan.
"Nothing," I said, embarrassed. "Never mind."
The woman looked at me, or, rather, through me, then continued. "He is adept at reconnaissance spells; especially eavesdropping on councils. I have protected this meeting. We must always be careful to do so, and to avoid discussing our plans without protection. In battle he is unlikely to come up with anything we can't counter, but he'll keep throwing spells our way to keep our own sorcerers too busy to concoct anything big."
Sethra nodded. "Anything else?"
"Yes," said Aliera. "Why is he here?" She was looking at me.
Sethra turned to Morrolan, who said, "Because I wish it."
Aliera started to speak, then changed her mind and was silent. The meeting broke up; Aliera and the Dragonlord I didn't know left, Morrolan and Sethra spoke together quietly about details of supply, occasionally venturing off into matters of military theory that I cared about as little as I understood them, and I sat there staring at the map. It was a psiprint, like the one Melestav had shown me, but was more detailed and even cleaner.
Eventually Morrolan noticed that I was still there. "What is it, Vlad?" he said.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. I'm just looking at the map. I like maps."
"Very well. You have no questions?"
"Oh, I have a lot of questions, but I don't know if you feel like answering them."
"Like what?"
"Like why plan for a retreat?"
Morrolan looked expectantly at Sethra. She said, "I prefer a defensive fight when possible, especially when the numbers are close, and these will be. We might, in fact, be outnumbered overall."
"I see. Well, actually, I don't. What are we trying to do?"
This time Sethra looked expectantly at Morrolan. He said, "We need to curb his ambitions. This can best be done by handing his army a severe defeat. Sethra feels she can best do this by convincing him to attack us. We have an edge in our engineering corpsthat is, we can construct quick and effective defenses better than he can. So we're going to invade, and invite him to attack, and then beat him."
"All right. I think I get it. And then, what, you expect him to return the sword he stole?"
"Maybe. We may have to negotiate after that."
"What's so special about that sword?"
"The fact that he wanted it."
"But, of all the weapons in that room, why did he take that one?"
Morrolan nodded. "That's what I want to know. I trust we'll find out eventually."
"I see." I considered. "Is there any more you can tell me about Baritt?"
"What do you want to know?"
"For starters, what were the circumstances of his death?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
"Great."
"If your task were to be easy," said Morrolan, "you wouldn't be earning such a large fee for it."
"Don't play games, Morrolan."
"It's not a game," he snapped, and looked at me through narrowed eyes; I suppose the look was intended to intimidate me. It worked. He started to say more, then, I guess, decided that he'd cowed me enough and didn't have to.
To change the subject, I said, "Who was the pale woman?"
"The Necromancer," he said. "She will be in overall charge of our sorcerers."
" 'The Necromancer,' " I said. "I've heard of her. Heck of a name. Will she raise the dead for us?"
"If necessary," said Morrolan. "But I could do that. If circumstances call for it, she can open a gateway for us that will bring us to a place where eternities pass in an instant, and where life and death have no meaning, and where space can only be measured by the twisting of one's soul. An effective escape, if things go wrong."
I was sorry I'd asked. "Could have used her in the Paths of the Dead," I suggested.
He didn't consider that worth a response.
I said, "I wish I knew what this was all about."
"War," he said.
"Yeah. Over what?"
"In part, whether he's going to keep pushing boundaries."
"Is he pushing yours?"
"Not yet. But he will, if he thinks he can get away with it."
"I see. What else?"
He hesitated. "All right, I'll tell you part of it. Baritt was feared as a sorcerer. He had a great deal of influence within the House and within the Empire. He was very good at getting what he wanted. Before the Interregnum, he was Imperial Sorcerer for a few hundred years. He defended himself against various attacks from various sources with amazing success. He … well, he was very good."
"All right, I'm with you so far."
"He was too good."
"Excuse me?"
"He did things he ought not to have been able to do. He stood off armies on his own. At one point he defied the Imperium and made it stick. Things like that."
"Sounds like you."
"Yes."
"Well?"
"I've been wondering for years how he did it. I've come to the conclusion that he had help."
"What sort of help?"
"That's the question, isn't it? Either the aid of a deity or something else."
"Such as?"
"Such as he possessed something. Something powerful. Perhaps an object of some kind"
"Say, a sword?"
"Perhaps."
"Say, a Great Weapon?"
"That's my guess," said Morrolan. "Based on the fact that it was stolen."