"It is," Magnus said.
"But that would make this coastline . . ." Tavi traced a fingertip down its length. "Crows. If it's to scale, it would be three or four times as long as the western coast of Alera." He looked up sharply at Magnus. "Where did you come by this map?"
Magnus coughed delicately. "Some of our language teachers managed to make copies of charts on the Canim ships."
"Crows, Magnus!" Tavi snarled, rising. "Crows and bloody furies, I told you that we were not going to play any games like that on this trip!"
Magnus blinked at him several times. "And . . . your Highness expected me to listen?"
"Of course I did!"
Magnus lifted both eyebrows. "Your Highness, perhaps I should explain. My duty is to the Crown. And my orders, from the Crown, are to take every action within my power to support you, protect you, and secure every possible advantage to ensure your safety and success." He added, without a trace of apology, "Including, if in my best judgment I deem it necessary, ignoring orders containing more idealism than practicality."
Tavi stared at him for a moment. Then he said, quietly, "Magnus. I'm not feeling well. But I'm sure that if I ask nicely, when Kitai gets back, she will be happy to throw you off of this ship for me."
Magnus inclined his head, unruffled. "That is, of course, up to you, your Highness. But I would ask you to look it over, first."
Tavi growled under his breath and turned his attention back to the map. The deed was done. There was no sense in pretending it hadn't been. "How accurate is this copy?"
Magnus passed over several other pieces of paper, which were virtually identical to the first.
"Mmmm," Tavi asked. "And these are to scale?"
"That remains unclear," Magnus replied. "There could be differences in the way that the Canim understand and read their maps."
"Not that much difference," Tavi replied. "I've seen the charts they drew of the Vale." Tavi traced a finger down one of the maps that had variously-sized triangles marking the locations of a number of cities. Names had been sketched next to half of them. "These cities . . . I'm sure that . . ." He gave Magnus a sharp glance. "The populations of each of these cities are enormous. As large as any of the High Lords' cities in Alera."
"Yes, your Highness," Magnus said calmly.
"And there are dozens of them," Tavi said. "In this section of coastline alone."
"Just so, your Highness."
"But that would mean . . ." Tavi shook his head slowly. "Magnus. That would mean that the Canim civilization is dozens of times larger than our own--hundreds of times larger."
"Yes, your Highness," Magnus said.
Tavi stared down at the map, shaking his head slowly. "And we never knew?"
"The Canim have guarded their coastline quite jealously over the centuries," Magnus said. "Fewer than a dozen Aleran ships have ever visited their shores-and those have only been allowed to dock at a single port, a place by the name of Marshag. No Aleran has ever been permitted off of the docks-and returned to tell about it, at any rate."
Tavi shook his head. "What about furycrafting? Have we never sent Knights Aeris to overfly it?"
"The range of any flyer is limited. A Knight Aeris could fly perhaps two or three hundred miles and back, but they could hardly expect to do so unobserved-and as we saw subsequent to the Night of the Red Stars, the Canim do possess the ability to counter our flyers." Magnus shrugged, and smiled faintly. "Then, too, it has been speculated that our furycrafting abilities would be significantly reduced, so far from Alera, and our furies' points of origin. It is possible that a Knight Aeris would not be able to fly at all."
"But no one's ever thought to test it?" Tavi asked.
"The ships that have sailed there have all been couriers and merchantment." Magnus flashed Tavi a swift smile. "Besides. Can you imagine the Citizen who would want to rush off to the domain of the Canim amidst a crowd of rude sailors, only to find out that he is just as powerless as they?"
Tavi shook his head slowly. "I suppose not." He tapped a finger on the maps. "Could this be a lie? Deliberately planted for us to find?"
"Possible," Magnus said, approval in his tone, "though I would consider it a very low-order of probability."
Tavi grunted. "Well," he said. "This is rather valuable information."
"I thought it so," Magnus said.
Tavi sighed. "I suppose I won't have you thrown off the ship just yet."
"I appreciate that, your Highness," Magnus said gravely.
Tavi traced his finger over several heavy lines, many of which ran ruler-straight. "These lines. Canals of some sort?"
"No, your Highness," Magnus said. "Those are boundary lines between territories."
Tavi looked up blankly at Magnus. "I don't understand."
"Apparently," Magnus said, "the Canim do not exist as a single governmental body. They are divided into several separate, distinct organizations."
Tavi frowned. "Like the Marat tribes?"
"Not exactly. Each territory is entirely independent. There is no overriding unity, no centralized leadership. Each is governed completely separately from all the others."
Tavi blinked. "That's . . ." He frowned. "I was going to say that it was insane."
"Mmmm," Magnus said. "Because Carna is a savage world, packed with far too many different peoples, most of them in constant conflict with one another. For we Alerans, only a united stand against our foes has allowed us to survive and prosper."
Tavi gestured at the map. "Whereas the Canim have numbers enough that they can afford to be divided."
Magnus nodded. "All things considered, it makes me rather glad that our new Princeps found an honorable, peaceful, and respectful solution to the situation in the Vale."
"Can't hurt to make a good first impression," Tavi agreed. He shook his head slowly. "Can you imagine, Magnus, what would have happened if those hotheaded idiots in the Senate had gotten their way and funded a full-scale retaliation upon the Canim homeland?"
Magnus shook his head in silence.
"With numbers like this," Tavi continued, "they could have wiped us out. Furycrafting or no, they could have destroyed us at will."
Magnus' face turned grim. "So it would seem."
Tavi looked up at him. "So why didn't they?"
The old Cursor shook his head again. "I don't know."
Tavi studied the map for a time, examining the various territories. "Then Varg, I take it, is a member of only one of these territories?"
"Yes," Magnus said. "Narash. It's the only territory which has actually made contact with Alera."
The territory of Narash, Tavi noted, was also home to the port of Marshag. "Then I suppose the next question we need to ask ourselves is-"
Outside the cabin, the ship's bell began to ring frantically. Demos began bellowing orders. A few moments later, the captain himself knocked and then opened the cabin door.
"Magnus," he said, nodding to the old Cursor. "My lord," he said, nodding to Tavi. "The old sea dog was right. There's a storm coming up on us from the south."