Otherwise, enjoy the sight of my face, because it s the last
It s not durthans! Choschax said.
What?
I mean, it is, but they re just one part of something bigger. It s not live durthans bringing back the dead ones, because there aren t any. At the end of the last war, the hathrans really did wipe them out.
Then who s doing it?
I don t know. But they re the instigators of all this. The planners. And they must be the ones who are leery of Thay.
Aoth frowned. This mistress of yours. Does she know more than you? he asked.
I suppose she must, replied the cyclops.
Then we ll need you to show us where she lives.
FIVE
Dai Shan looked at the Iron Lord and saw a creature scarcely better than a wild orc squatting in a cave. The dimmest apprentice in a Shou merchant household had more subtlety and sophistication than such a puppet ruler ensconced in a cold, stark little chamber adjacent to his equally graceless throne room.
Precisely because he himself possessed the qualities that Mangan Uruk conspicuously lacked, Dai Shan wasn t worried that his sense of superiority showed in his face, or that his deep bow conveyed any sense of irony. Nonetheless, the Rashemi glowered at him.
You wanted a private meeting, Mangan said.
Tell me why. Have you learned something about the undead?
Alas, no, Dai Shan replied. My people made an honest effort, but Highness, have you ever found yourself in the disconcerting situation of having to admit that a fool was right?
Not that I recall, Mangan said, gesturing for Dai Shan to sit down on the other side of the table.
Dai Shan pulled back a chair. Thank you, noble prince, he said. In this case, Folcoerr Dulsaer is the fool in question a doltish, arrogant representative of a doltish, arrogant people. Still, buffoon though he is, he s right about one thing. Theskian traders have no hope of unraveling a mystery involving the undead, necromancy, and the like.
Mangan grunted. I saw how it got dark when you used your magic, he said. I thought maybe you knew at least a little necromancy.
Dai Shan felt a twinge of surprise. Perhaps the Iron Lord was a bit less dim than he seemed.
I m afraid not, the merchant said.
And, if I may return to my point: the fact of the matter is that no group of outlanders be they Shou, Aglarondan, Halruaan, or Thayan is likely to solve the current problem for you. We simply know too little about Rashemen. We don t comprehend its history and traditions.
Yhelbruna says differently, Mangan said.
Highness, I mean no disrespect to the hathrans when I suggest that prophecy provides uncertain guidance to practical men, the Shou replied. In my experience, it s better to act on the basis of common sense, and then trust that afterward, no matter how things work out, the seer will provide a tortured interpretation of the original prediction to demonstrate that it all came true after all.
For a moment, Mangan s lips quirked into a smile. It was the revelation Dai Shan had been watching for: a sign that at least once in a while and to some degree, the Iron Lord chafed at taking orders from the Wychlaran.
I hear you, Mangan said. But to a practical man like me, your remarks so far seem to boil down to one thing: You give up. But you didn t ask for a private palaver just to tell me that.
Your Highness is as astute as he is valiant, replied the Shou. I m ready to give up on ridding Rashemen of the undead. But I haven t given up on acquiring the griffons. The talks we had when I first arrived in Immilmar give me hope that you still see some advantage to parting with them in a straightforward business transaction.
Mangan scratched at his short black beard with its sprinkling of white. Dai Shan wouldn t have been astonished to discover that the Rashemi had fleas.
You know I was always of two minds about that, Mangan said. I believe the beasts truly are a gift from the spirits, and they unquestionably have the potential to become a formidable weapon. But Rashemen s forces have never included aerial cavalry by the spiral horn, we barely even have horsemen and a sensible warrior sees the practical difficulties of building such a company from scratch even if the witches don t. I also know Rashemen is a poor realm because we don t have much to sell that folk from other lands are willing to buy at a decent price. I thought, perhaps we finally do have something, and who s to say that s not what the Three mean for us to do with it?
Dai Shan smiled. Certainly not I, he said.
Mangan didn t return the smile. No. Not you, he replied. Yhelbruna. She proclaimed this quest of hers, and there s the end of any common-sense notions I had.
Yet you re the Iron Lord, the Shou said.
Beloved champion of your people. I know you don t mean to suggest that you have nothing to say in the matter.
Mangan opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated.
Dai Shan pressed onward. So it seems to me, wise prince, he continued, that if you ordered the release of the griffons into my custody, released they would surely be. Afterward, if you deemed it necessary, you could say you misunderstood the hathrans plans for them, or that the Three spoke to you and commanded you to act as you did. Surely they ve granted a revelation to a male at some point in Rashemi history.
At any rate, the crux of the matter is this: With the griffons gone, the Aglarondans and the various sellswords will have no reason to stay in Rashemen and try to help you. And when they leave, the Wychlaran will understand that they don t dare pick a quarrel with the only warlord left to deal with the undead. That s what you ve wanted to do from the start, if I m not mistaken, and I have every confidence you ultimately will. By the time you have destroyed them, the griffons will only be a fading memory, whereas Mangan Uruk will be more of a hero than ever. The hathrans will surely see there s absolutely nothing to gain by bickering with you, then.
You spin a happy story, Mangan said. But hathrans are actually minding the griffons, hathrans who undoubtedly do understand Yhelbruna s actual intent.
One priestess tends the animals, Dai Shan replied. One at a time. I took the liberty of checking. Surely two practical men can contrive a way to draw her away from her post. Then a wizard in my company, a beast charmer of some renown, will contrive to replace the enchantment Yhelbruna used to control the griffons with one of his own. After which, Rashemen will see us no more.
Mangan sat, scowled, and pondered for several heartbeats. No, he said, finally.
Dai Shan sighed. You re quite certain that s your final word? he asked.
Yes, Mangan said with a smile. Sorry to disappoint you. I think you were pretty sure you d hooked your fish, and for a moment But an Iron Lord takes direction from the Urlingwood even when he wonders if the wise women are really so wise after all. I do it not only because I swore an oath to do it but also because that s the way it s always been. And I don t care how it looks to some outsider.
Highness, I understand completely, replied the Shou. A wise man honors the ways of his forefathers. Except when they were cretinous savages who lived in fear of his foremothers, Dai Shan thought.
Well, then, Mangan said. Are we done? Shall I tell the cooks to prepare a farewell feast, and order my people to help yours get your iceboats ready to sail?
Actually, no, Dai Shan answered. With your permission, we Theskians will stay awhile longer and keep trying to solve the undead problem.
Even though you just told me you can t?
I was seeking a shorter, surer path to the griffons. But if no such path exists, well, perhaps the task the hathrans set us isn t so hopeless after all. The only way to find out is to give it our best.