a difference of opinions.” Inadar looked away, gladly taking advantage of Emeck’s appearance.
“Oh thank heavens. You’re awake. I wasn’t sure I could go through that again.” Emeck sagged against the cave wall in relief.
Chapter Twelve: Preparation
Balinor swirled the water in the cup and eyed the sediment that was collecting in the middle at the bottom of the mug. There was a pebble of respectable size in addition to the usual gritty sand. A small mound of silt had begun collecting now that the water was swirling slower. Held to the light, one could see the brown tint to the water against the bright tin of the mug. It brought back memories of campaigns fought during the Clan Wars. Sipping the water cautiously, he grimaced. It tasted of dead vegetation that had soaked in the water for too long. A sort of pungent tea like aftertaste that destroyed one’s desire for another sip.
Balinor had left Keom under Em’risi and Redzyn’s command before moved up north to have a more personal hand in commanding the troops holding back Reigns’ advance. There was little doubt of who was in command and who deferred. Redzyn had been the choice because he deferred without struggling futilely against Em’risi. There was also the fact that he deferred after asking his questions. A balanced between the arrogance that he found in his reflection every time he thought of Em’risi’s arched eye brow and the subservience of a weaker willed man. He granted the Princess her authority, not that he had a choice, but he didn’t want her to retain it effortlessly. It was peculiar having an argument with her. Half the time, he would remind himself that she was in the right and the other half of the time, he wished she had said he was wrong without that infuriating eyebrow while she waited for him to get to the inevitable conclusion. Redzyn managed to avoid the majority of those situations by simply holding his tongue.
Balinor had spent many an hour thinking about the advice that Urake had given concerning the defense of the north. His experience had nearly entirely been on the flat plains of the midlands with the empire’s might at his back. This warfare in the dense forests of the Outlands was something that he had little experience with. It had taken a fair amount of studying the maps and discussing tactics with the majors before they had developed a unified front capable of withstanding the sheer might that Reigns was bringing down on them.
The intelligence that he had received, after Lortin’s attack on the blockade, had not been very encouraging. The noble houses had been slowly gathering troops, but they had remained stationary at the mouth of the Outlands. There had been no sign of the expected advance. Another report stated that they had set up their tents and flags and showed no intention of moving. This was perplexing to Balinor until a few days later. He had received another report following close on the heels of one that described the northern port consumed by a massive conflagration. The next report had detailed a large mass of infantry being marched overland from the port to join the noble houses camped at the mouth of the Outlands.
Balinor knew few of the details, although he could surmise some of what happened. Cold shivers traveled his spine every time he thought about it. It didn’t seem possible that one man, even with the help of the men that Urake had taken with him, could have been responsible for destroying the entire harbor full of ships. The fact that there had been such a large quantity of infantry stationed at the port combined with the fact that they were being moved only after the ships were destroyed could only have meant one thing. That sent a new set of shivers down his spine. How close they had come to being flanked and overrun was anyone’s guess.
The noble houses had begun moving as soon as the reinforcements arrived. House Inarack had originally been the house at the front leading to the fact that progress had been slow once Balinor’s men had met them at the tree line. There had been no casualties as the Inarack troops had been hasty to retreat at any sign of trouble. There had subsequently been a shift among the soldiers at the front to a house loyal to Reigns. Either Uskyn or Loneka, he wasn’t entirely sure. Balinor had been forced to retreat