were arrowed in, the lips thin, the high-boned cheeks reddened and leaf-shaped ears pricking furiously. His words stopped the desultory conversation around The Raven’s table.
‘I’ve had the most wonderful day,’ he said. ‘Clear blue skies, warm water, an island a short sail away just for me and the woman I love. Then, to cap off the perfection, I sail back here to find we’ve handed over control of Herendeneth to Xetesk. Anyone want to volunteer a reason?’ He stared squarely at The Unknown. ‘Hello, Unknown. At least it’s good to see you if not the rest of the passengers that came with you.’
He sat down.
‘Great entrance,’ said Hirad.
‘Some performance,’ agreed Denser.
The briefest of smiles registered on Erienne’s face, gone in a heartbeat.
‘This isn’t funny,’ snapped Ilkar. ‘Correct me if I’m wrong, but we agreed a research party of six. Now I’m not the world’s greatest mathematician but I reckon I counted more than six Xeteskian mages on my way through the house. Oh, and I think there was the odd Protector in addition to the half-dozen who were here when I left this morning.’
The Unknown would have laughed under other circumstances - Ilkar’s sarcasm was always so perfectly delivered - but this wasn’t the time.
‘There are thirty mages and one hundred Protectors here. They are here because they fear invasion of this island by Dordover.’ The silence around the table was total. ‘That is because Xetesk and Dordover are now at war. It is open conflict and it will soon consume Balaia, our country, which is already starving and broken.
‘They are here to research dimensional magics across the spectrum and we can’t stop them or make demands of them. But we can do something about Balaia. There’s a tide early tomorrow afternoon. We have to be on it.’
Soup spoons were forgotten, bread hung from fingers. The Unknown Warrior could hear them all breathing - The Raven, less one notable absentee, the people in whom he had unshakeable faith. They would be tested now, for sure.
‘We’ve fought for Balaia for so long. For peace and for somewhere we can grow old in safety and security. But I’ve brought my wife and son here because I fear for their lives from starvation, disease or the sword if I leave them there. We can’t let it go on. Or everything else we’ve done will be for nothing.’
‘But I thought peace was being brokered,’ said Hirad.
‘You thought wrong,’ said The Unknown. ‘We all did. This was just a matter of time.’
In his chair to The Unknown’s left, Ry Darrick shifted uncomfortably. The former Lysternan general had been accused of desertion back on Balaia to fight with The Raven but that didn’t change the way he felt about his home.
‘Lystern?’ he said as if fearing the answer.
‘Peace brokers with no peace to broker,’ said The Unknown. ‘They’re out of it for now but . . .’ He shrugged. They all understood. He turned his attention to Ilkar. The elf had not been mollified by his answer. ‘But there is a chance. We have to restore the balance. Raise the Heart of Julatsa.’
‘I agree.’ Ilkar nodded. ‘Assuming we can find a couple of hundred mages to help.’
‘Jevin’s going to Calaius next for cargo. We should be with him. Plenty of mages there.’
‘Yes, Unknown, and they all returned there for a good reason,’ said Ilkar.
‘Then you’ll have to persuade them to go back,’ said The Unknown. ‘They’ll listen to you.’ He stared at Ilkar until the Julatsan nodded.
‘And meanwhile we let Xetesk have the run of this place?’
‘What else can we do, Ilkar?’ asked The Unknown. ‘We can’t force them to leave and, more important, their research could free the Protectors and send the dragons home.’
‘But what about the other results, eh?’
‘I know,’ said The Unknown. ‘And that’s why we have to get Julatsa working as a college again. It’s the only way to stop the war. I don’t see we have any choice. Even if Lystern and Dordover allied, they wouldn’t be strong enough. With Julatsa, they just might. But Julatsa needs its Heart. We all need to say our goodbyes and get going. Balaia can’t wait. And what Erienne is carrying needs to be taken away from here. I’m sure you all understand.’
Erienne pushed back her chair and stood up slowly, shaking off Denser’s protective arm.
‘I’m so pleased you’ve got it all worked out,’ she said. ‘Ilkar can go and find his mages to rebuild Balaia and, by the by, you can look after poor