We both took more daru then sat upon the floor cloth and began our discussion. Aysayn’s thoughts had gone much in the manner of my own, therefore I found no disagreement with his words. Numbers are often critical in battle, yet are numbers for the sake of numbers worse than useless. To take into battle those who are not truly warriors, those who are as likely to cut and run as stand and fight, is most often to give victory to one’s enemy. For that reason were all Midanna blooded warriors, and for such a reason were none save Sigurri warriors permitted to raise a blade. For the sake of victory was it necessary that Ranistard and Belsayah males return from whence they had come, and Aysayn’s thoughts as to how this might be accomplished showed full understanding of the nature of those males. I listened closely, upon occasion nodding in agreement, and therefore was unaware of the approach of Galiose till that male interrupted Aysayn’s words with a noise made in his throat.
“Tranquillity and peace have once more been restored—for this moment, at least,” said he when Aysayn and I looked. “Perhaps I should begin my inspection of this place. I will surely find sufficient things amiss to distract nearly all those who accompany me, which is certain to be a far safer distraction than what now concerns them.”
“Have you not yet had your fill of foolishness, Galiose?” I asked, looking up toward him. “It suited you to bring your males to this place; will it suit you equally well when you see them fall from lack of sustenance?”
“Of what do you speak, wench?” asked the male with a snort of ridicule, clearly lacking the ability to think as a true leader of warriors. “Has the great pleasure of being ardently sought after brought you fantasies? My men will hunt for their needs, just as they have till now.”
“Along with the hunters of the Sigurri and my Midanna?” I countered, at last seeing his amusement falter. “Think you the forests hereabout are able to support so many? Think you your males will find targets for their arrows when they must hunt in competition with those who live within the forests? Do you mean to concern yourself with foolishness till their bellies rumble with hunger, and they turn avid eyes upon the kand which brought them?”
“There is place here only for warriors,” said Aysayn, his tone firm though gentle. “We need not stand and shout the virtues of our respective warriors till all about are deafened to find a solution; there is a way we may prove the thing to the satisfaction of all, before we starve in the way spoken of by Jalav. I had not seen the need in such a light, yet is she undoubtedly correct. We must settle matters as soon as possible.”
“And how do you intend seeing them settled?” Galiose growled, his eyes hard upon Aysayn’s. “Are we to be sent packing with the threat of having provender kept from us?”
“There is little need for childish threats,” said I, rising from the floor cloth as Aysayn did the same. “Sigurr’s Shadow has had a thought with which I completely concur. As it is the question of warriors which concerns us, we will see whose force possesses the largest number of them. Each of us will choose fighters from the other’s ranks, of a set number previously agreed upon, and then will those fighters face one another with blunted weapons. Those who stand victorious will remain, those who have been defeated depart; the thing will in that way be proven beyond doubt.”
“You are to choose the fighters from my force, while I choose those from yours?” demanded Galiose, looking from Aysayn to me and then back again. “Why would we not choose among our own followers? How are you to know which are the best among mine, when you will do no more than look upon them?”
“We do not mean to choose the best of yours,” said Aysayn with a sigh, clearly having expected so—male an objection. “Nor are you to choose from among the best of ours. War leaders of the Midanna wear the second silver ring as Jalav does, Princes of the Blood among the Sigurri bear the mark of Sigurr in the flesh of their left shoulders as Mehrayn does. The remainder of those who follow us are warriors, and it is from their ranks that you must choose. For our part we will choose among those who are not well armored, those whose swords are not as well worn as those of their companions. Just as you may choose from any of ours, so will we choose from any of yours.”
“You will deliberately choose new men and volunteers?” demanded Galiose, again near to the point of outrage. “You will seek to steal my place from me through the choice of those who are less than their brothers?”
“Are you unable to see that the very presence of those you describe weakens your force?” I demanded in turn, well out of patience with the fool. “Search about among Midanna and Sigurri, seeking the same, for you will have the same opportunity as we. Seek the least of our forces—and learn that they far outshine the best of yours. No chain is stronger than its weakest link, no force stronger than its weakest fighter. Your forces cannot hope to compare to ours.”
“You believe your least will outshine my best?” said Galiose with barely controlled anger, yet with the sense of having found victory. “You demand a meeting to determine who will stay and who will go? Very well, I will agree to such a meeting—on the provision that the matter is seen to in exactly that way: your least against my best. Only then will I admit defeat as telling, only then will I return my forces to Ranistard. Now what say you?”
The belligerent male before us sought to force us to a protest of his proposal, clearly without understanding that Aysayn and I had expected his demand. Had we, ourselves, proposed it, Galiose would surely have grown deeply insulted and likely stalked out immediately to give the challenge. As it was he who voiced the doing, however, there was naught for Aysayn and myself to do save accept.
“Our least against your best,” Sigurr’s Shadow agreed, making no effort to glance at Mida’s chosen. “Should we not emerge victorious even in such a meeting, we do not merit the honor of standing before the strangers.”
“There must be one further provision,” said Galiose of a sudden, his pleasure at our acceptance well hidden beneath the shadow of abrupt, uneasy suspicion. More indeed was there to Galiose beyond constantly grating verbiage, for it had quickly come to him that there had been no protest over so patently dishonorable an arrangement. “The meeting must be between my force and yours, Aysayn, none of the wenches to be involved. Too often will a man hold his stroke against a female, putting him at a great disadvantage. Ceralt, I feel sure, will ask the same.”
“Indeed,” said Ceralt with a nod from where he stood, between Lialt and Telion. “I will send my best against your least as Galiose does, in a meeting with blunted weapons, but the wenches must be excluded. To prove a man will not swing upon a woman proves naught concerning his fighting skill.”
“A male who will not protect his life no matter who seeks to take it is a fool deserving to be ended,” said I, looking upon Galiose in increased annoyance. “The Sigurri, at least, know better than to indulge in such mindless foolishness. What will occur should you somehow best Aysayn’s warriors—and the strangers who come show themselves to be female like the Midanna? Will you merely step back from them and allow them to do as they please?”
“We will, in that event, allow your wenches to step to the fore,” said Galiose, an odd look about him as he threw off his previous doubt. “For what other reason might the Serene Oneness have allowed you all to gather here? I, myself, would not merely stand by and allow a wench to attack me, nor would most of my men; in mock battle, however, where a man’s life might not be lost, to attack in return with full strength would be dishonorable, and I will not handicap my men in such a way. Do you both agree?”
This time Aysayn did indeed look upon me questioningly, the calm in his dark eyes showing he would stand with me were I to voice a refusal. Though I felt the urge to do so, also did I feel the effort would be useless, for I recalled the doing of Galiose’s male, he who had halted our approach when we had first shown ourselves. These males were, like all city males, completely lacking in reason, however there was little call for Midanna to be the same. To agree to the demand was to take a point of contention from Galiose against the time his males were bested, therefore did I nod sourly to indicate my reluctant agreement.