Sovereign

'Then you have to make a choice,' Lynan said.

'What choice?' Eynon asked. 'I have to go back and find any survivors and hunt down—'

'You have to make a choice,' Lynan said more loudly, speaking over him. 'First, to go back immediately and look for survivors. Do that and I will have to retreat from Daavis. In fact, I'll have to retreat back to Haxus or even back to the Oceans of Grass.'

'Your Majesty, I'm sorry, but I must go back—'

'Which means the Algonka Pass will fall under the Kingdom's control. If the Kingdom controls the pass then they can send an army into the Oceans of Grass next summer and every Chett clan will meet the fate of your own. Your second choice is to stay here and help me take Daavis, after which you can go back to your home, search for survivors and hunt down the enemy who did this to your people.'

'But the delay would be too long!' Eynon declared. 'How long do you think the siege can last? At least a month? Maybe until next winter!'

'The siege will be over in two weeks, with the help of you and your clan.'

'How can you promise that?' Eynon demanded.

'There is a weakness in the walls surrounding the city. We can take advantage of that.'

'That's a task for those clever wrights from Haxus you've brought with you, not my warriors.'

Lynan nodded curtly. 'I know. But to make sure Charion does not detect what we are planning, her attention must be diverted entirely to some other threat.'

'Ah,' Eynon said and laughed softly. 'Which is why you want me and my warriors.'

Lynan did not reply.

'You know, it's funny, but my warriors really believe they could storm Daavis and win through.' He came closer to Lynan and slowly, almost diffidently, put a finger against his chest. 'But you know different, I'm bound. And I'm no fool.'

'I would not be here if I thought you were a fool.'

Eynon stepped back. 'I will consider this.'

'If we take Daavis, I will place under your command three troops of my Red Hands and three of the lancers to help you track down the Saranah who attacked your people. And I will make sure every head of cattle you lost is replaced from the herds of the other clans.'

Eynon's eyes widened. 'You would do this for me?'

'I will not allow the Horse Clan to die under my reign.'

Eynon looked at his hands as if searching for some sign there of his own fate. 'I hope I live long enough to see you keep that promise.'

'You used me,' Jenrosa said to Lynan as they walked back.

Lynan did not answer.

'You used me to get your way with Eynon.'

'You wanted to tell him what you saw in your vision.'

'But not for this! Not to convince him to throw what's left of his clan against the walls of Daavis!'

'He is helping to guarantee his clan will survive into the future, and that there will be an Oceans of Grass under the control of the Chetts for them to live on.'

'You are throwing away their lives.'

Lynan stopped and grabbed her arms.

'You're hurting me!' she cried. She stared defiantly into his eyes, but something there made her turn away.

'Listen to me, Jenrosa. I am at war with my sister for the throne of Grenda Lear, and the Chetts, for good or ill, have thrown their support behind me. They are my strongest weapon and I will use them, knowing that if I fail the cost for all of us, including the Chetts, will be terrible. I know that many of these warriors will die and that some clans may never recover from the war. I cannot help that any more. What I can do is ensure our side wins.' He turned her around so she could see the entire Chett camp. 'Look at them, Jenrosa. For the first time in their history the fate of Grenda Lear depends on their courage and determination. Do you really think they will throw that away?'

He let her go and strode away from her.

'What choice do they have under you?' she called after him. 'What choice do any of us have under you?'

Without stopping or turning he said: 'The same choice as Eynon: to leave.'

An arrow missed Ager's ear by a finger's span. He cursed and ducked behind a wooden board placed in front of the shallow trench he was walking along. He found himself facing someone's bottom and he pushed it aside.

'Careful, you fool,' the owner of the bottom said.

'Careful who you call a fool,' Ager returned.

The other, a Haxan officer, turned around, saw who it was and paled. 'Sorry.'

An arrow thudded into the board. Both men winced with the sound of it.

'It's just that I have an aversion to arrows. I don't think I'd enjoy being struck by one.'

'Take my word for it,' Ager said, pointing to the empty socket where he used to have an eye. 'You wouldn't.'

The Haxan shuddered. 'Forgive me for asking, but what are you doing here?'

'I was about to ask you the same question.'

'Digging.'

'Who gave you orders to dig?'

'I'm a sapper. What else would you have me do?'

Ager had no immediate answer to that. 'What are you digging?'

The Haxan pointed further down the trench where other sappers were huddling behind boards. 'We're trying to find the entrances to the tunnels we started when we were last here.'

'Isn't that a little risky? I thought the enemy would have found and collapsed them or set traps in them by now.'

'Some, but not all. We hid them as best we could before King Salokan ordered our retreat. We knew it would save us a lot of work later on if he decided to return.' Another arrow rattled the board. 'And maybe some lives.'

'Who are you?' Ager asked.

'Captain Waylong. I already know who you are.'

'Prince Lynan has put me in charge of you and yours Captain Waylong. I want a mine under the north wall, especially the section near the main gate.'

'We tried that last time. Didn't work then.'

'You wrought better than you know. There is a serious weakness there, and badly repaired in Charion's haste to prepare for a second siege.'

Waylong showed surprise. 'Really?'

'I have seen it for myself. If you can set off a mine underneath it, it will all come down. If we're lucky, the gatehouse will come down with it.'

'You'd have to be bloody lucky,' Waylong said, then remembered who he was talking to. 'Excuse me, sir.'

'Who's the senior officer here?'

'It was Yerman, sir, but earlier this morning he didn't duck fast enough. Under him there were three of us captains.'

'Well, you're senior officer from today. I give my orders to you, and you make sure they're carried out.'

Waylong looked skeptically at the crookback. 'Well and good, sir.'

'You don't look too happy about the promotion.'

'Depends, if you don't mind my being blunt.'

'Depends on what?'

'On whether you're the kind to take advice.'

Ager peered at him with his one eye and Waylong swallowed.

'What kind of advice?'

'That you let us dig more trenches before we start the mining.'

'What do you need more trenches for?'

'We'll zigzag them towards the walls, sir, so your Chett archers can get close enough to shoot at their archers. That will make things go faster down here.'

'How long do you need?'

'Two days.'

'And then you start on the mining?'

'Yes. With your Chetts giving us cover, we can move out the dirt from tunnelling twice as fast. We'll be under the walls in ten days.'

Ager nodded. 'I'll send you the Chetts you need.' He turned to go back to the safety of the main camp, stopped and said: 'By the way, Captain Waylong, the Chetts assigned to you will be under your command. Make sure they realise that.'

Waylong swallowed again, so hard his throat bobbed. 'Chetts under my command, sir?'

'That's what I said.'