“They will be holed up in that Sea Fort for some time unless circumstances change. They only have enough soldiers to hold a defense. About six hundred men.” Urake explained.
“House Inarack was called a couple weeks ago. They seem to be strong supporters of the Princess. Perhaps they will switch sides at the last moment. Our friend Ildroth was required to go with his father to the front so anything is possible.” Brounn described the details he hadn’t been able to convey to Emeck.
“Perhaps, I wouldn’t count on it. If the three northern houses were called, then they should have more than two thousand troops on the move. The good thing is that few of them are regulars with proper training.” Urake thought aloud as he processed the information.
“Just to be clear, how involved are we in this war?” Brounn inquired pointedly.
“Brounn has known for years; but Fenar, for your information, my sister was Em’risi’s mother. The Princess is the last blood family member that I have left. Beyond that, I support her because I don’t like Reigns and because she would make a good Queen. She is also Gifted. I plan on acting in her interests and would direct those interested in doing so also. Anything that will hinder Reigns or help Em’risi without endangering my network or themselves would be appreciated.” Fenar merely raised an eyebrow and nodded as Urake spoke.
“Speaking of Em’risi, She had a speech and led the funeral procession a few days ago in Shienhin. Since you rescued her and delivered her to the Outlands, then we must conclude that Reigns has an imposter.” Fenar explained casually.
“It stands to reason. Reigns wouldn’t want to admit that he lost the Princess. This will make Em’risi’s case more difficult. Find out more if you can.”
“Of course.” Fenar nodded in agreement.
“Since your son is found…” Brounn let the unasked question hang in the air.
“There is no longer a need to look for him, but do keep an eye out to see if anyone is still searching. I don’t want any surprises.”
“Naturally. I will have the network begin keeping an eye on the military and look for opportunities to sabotage wherever reasonably possible. I think Tusul has some rather peculiar concoctions that ought to have interesting effects if mixed with food provision.” Brounn had a diabolical smile that sometimes made even Urake want to squirm.
“There is a couple other things. The Shadow Order knows that Em’risi is a descendant of house Safrym. The two that I dealt with mentioned the name of someone called Crein as being in charge and responsible for the attack on my family.” Urake noted that Fenar’s expressionless face twitched slightly at the mention of the Shadow Order.
“Interesting. They are a pretty secretive bunch, but I will keep an ear to the ground.” Brounn nodded thoughtfully.
“The last thing is that there is talk going around of new Dragon Lords and Soul Forged weapons. See if you can find anything out along that line.”
“What sparks this interest in ancient legends?” Brounn inquired curiously.
“My sword, Ice Heart. Both my son, and a girl that I recruited, started speaking in the ancient tongue when they touch the blade. The girl claims to be one of two Dragon Lords.” Again Urake discerned a slight twitch in Fenar’s face.
“Intriguing. From what I have heard of these legends, I think that Ice Heart is one of these Soul Forged blades. I don’t know if you have noticed anything, but they a supposedly able to grant their wielder special powers. Probably just a fairy tale.” Brounn shrugged as Urake absently rubbed the palm of his sword hand.
“Find out what you can. My first order of business is going to be checking out Reigns’ fleet north of Shienhin. If I can, I want to destroy it before he gets a chance to try attacking Em’risi from the flank.” Urake shifted in his seat and pointed at the location marked as a port along the coast of the Silent Sea.
“Good luck with that. Tusul has some mixture that might be useful in that pursuit. He calls it a fire bomb. Freaky stuff, I tell you. He gives it to you in a bottle with three liquids inside. There is one on the bottom, oil in the middle, and another liquid that floats on the top of the oil. The top and bottom ignite when mixed and exposed to air. He says that the oil helps keep them separated until the bottle gets sealed. It