apart to admit that he was wrong, and so he took the man's silence, even with the dismissive wave of his hand as he walked off, as compliment enough.
Chapter 39 Playing the Fears
"You could have slaughtered them," Yatol De Hamman said to Brynn as they looked down into the windswept and sandy valley where a splinter of De Hamman's army was in full flight from the To-gai-ru forces who had circled about them and turned them back to the southwest. All around this northeastern side of the circular valley loomed the silhouettes of To- gai-ru horsemen, awaiting a signal from Brynn to sweep down upon the helpless Behrenese.
But that signal would not come.
"I have no desire to slaughter Behrenese, or Bearman, or any people,"
Brynn replied.
"Your attack upon my forces outside of Dharyan-Dharielle would indicate otherwise."
Brynn walked Runtly around to put her directly in front of the Yatol, who sat upon a yellow nag, a horse too old to run away even if De Hamman had had the courage to try such an escape.
"You and I both understand the truth of that situation," the woman said with unnerving calm. "My information about your intentions - to reinforce and overrun the city - was correct. Your inability to admit as much is your failing, Yatol De Hamman, and not mine."
Yatol De Hamman chewed his bottom lip and pointedly looked away - but he could not maintain that distant stare for long and kept glancing back at the imposing woman.
Brynn never took her eyes off him, and neither did she even blink.
Behind the Yatol and to the side, Pagonel cleared his throat. "I will take Agradeleous back to the skies to seek out any other groups intent on retreating to Jacintha," he said.
"Turn them," Brynn agreed. "None are to reinforce Abbot Olin's garrison."
Such had been the plan all during the week-long march out of Dharyan- Dharielle. Brynn and Pagonel had taken Agradeleous up scouting, and with the great dragon flying about with impunity, their advantage had proven tremendous. One by one, they had encountered the pockets of fleeing Behrenese, and one by one, they had turned the men from the eastern road, often scattering them to the desert sands, or driving them like cattle toward the nearest city or oasis. There had been only a trio of minor battles, routs for the To-gai-ru, and even in those, Brynn had quickly stayed her hand, minimizing the enemy losses. In fact, since the Behrenese retreat from Dharyan-Dharielle, the largest number of casualties among the defeated force's ranks had been in the accompanying force of Bearmen, many of whom had been turned upon by the outraged Behrenese and slaughtered in the sands.
"Do you believe that you can defeat Jacintha?" Yatol De Hamman dared to say.
"I believe that Jacintha will defeat herself - if she has not already done so."
Yatol De Hamman put on a quizzical look.
"You would surrender your country to Bang Aydrian?" Brynn continued. "You would surrender your heritage and your ways to the imperialist northmen?"
She could see from the man's expression that she had touched a nerve here. Yatol De Hamman understood the truth of Abbot Olin, Brynn believed.
"What gain, Yatol De Hamman?" she asked. "Or more to the point, what sustained gain?"
"What do you mean?"
"Yatol Mado Wadon's position becomes secured," Brynn reasoned. "He assumes the mantle of Chezru chieftain. That is what we all desired when Yakim Douan fell and our war ended at the gates of Dharyan-Dharielle."
"A goal that was realized!" the Yatol argued.
"Not so, because the title of Chezru chieftain became subordinated to the desires of Abbot Olin," said Brynn. "I know that you understand the truth of this, as surely as I know your true intent in overrunning Dharyan- Dharielle. So tell me, was the attack upon my city the order of Yatol Wadon, or of Abbot Olin?"
"It was an error."
Brynn gave a helpless laugh. "You are a fool. Hold fast to your pride and your lies, if you so choose. I will rescue the identity of Behren from the designs of King Aydrian of Honce-the-Bear with or without your help."
"You believe that you can defeat Jacintha," the Yatol said derisively.
Brynn looked around at her considerable force, some thousand To-gai-ru warriors. In the open desert, she could take on an army twice, perhaps even thrice, her size, but against a fortified city, she knew that many of her greatest advantages, primarily the mobility and skill of her forces, would be for naught. "I could not hope to defeat Jacintha,"