ready to meet him quickly and decisively."
"My King..." Duke Kalas began to argue, but Aydrian was hearing none of it.
"That is my decision," he said, ending the debate. "I and my five thousand will be rid of the brothers within St.-Mere-Abelle. Then I will instate Marcalo De'Unnero as the Father Abbot of all the Abellican Church and reposition my warriors as I see fit. I hope to join you in Vanguard, my friend, that I can share in our most glorious victory, but I bid you not to wait for me. Let us be done with this, all of it."
"Yes, my King," Duke Kalas replied.
Aydrian nodded and offered a smile, but mostly, he was smiling because he knew that To'el Dallia was likely already on her way to report the momentous happenings.
And the apparent hole in his defenses.
"Your son has erred, and greatly, it would seem," Prince Midalis said to Pony and the others when Juraviel delivered the startling news of Aydrian's redeployment the very next day.
"I have heard the details of the way he overran Palmaris," Captain Al'u'met offered. "I doubt St.-Mere-Abelle will stand against him for long, even with his reduced force."
"But he has exposed himself, and he alone is the source of opposition to my rule," Prince Midalis explained.
"Five thousand," Andacanavar said. "His force is still more than equal to that which you hold at your disposal, and it is headed by the powerful young king."
"True enough," said Midalis. "But we have a pair of rangers of our own."
He looked from Andacanavar to Brynn Dharielle. "To say nothing of Jilseponie and the dragon!"
"Forget not the Jhesta Tu who walks beside you, good Prince Midalis,"
Brynn added after the mystic had translated the prince's words to her.
Pagonel bowed to her before relaying her words to Prince Midalis.
"If we sail quickly and land ashore directly opposite the peninsula from St.-Mere-Abelle, we will arrive on the field before Aydrian's attack,"
Prince Midalis reasoned. "How much will our arrival bolster the confidence and effectiveness of Father Abbot Bou-raiy and his minions as they ward the assaults of the warrior king?"
"And if we fail, then all is lost," Pony pointed out.
"And if we do not take this opportunity, will we ever again be presented with a chance as great?" Prince Midalis replied. "Duke Kalas marches with an army that is far beyond us. If we retreat now and continue to strike at lesser targets, then St.-Mere-Abelle will fall, as will Vanguard. What is then left to us? Are we to sail forever about the coastline, stinging the king? Certainly, he will build another fleet in time, and likely a stronger one; then even the waters of the Mirianic will no longer be a haven."
The man paused and took a deep breath, then moved right before Pony, placing his hands on her shoulders and locking her gaze with his own. "He has erred," the prince explained. "He underestimates us and our information gathering. He has left himself vulnerable before the gates of St.-Mere-Abelle. Let us strike at him even as he tries to topple the Abellican Church. If we can defeat him and ki..." He paused again and sighed.
"And kill him," Pony finished.
"Or capture him," Prince Midalis added. "Then will Duke Kalas continue to support him? Will any of the nobles? And more importantly, will the people of Honce-the-Bear be so eager to rush to his cause? We have already discussed at length that Aydrian's greatest advantage in this has been his proximity to Ursal, while I was far away in distant Vanguard.
The people didn't oppose him because they saw no alternative to King Aydrian, and had no way to believe that they could do battle against Duke Kalas and his Allheart Knights. Without Aydrian, his entire false 'kingdom' crumbles. I will be accepted as the rightful king of Honce-the- Bear - even Duke Kalas will have no choice but to admit the truth of it."
"With that many soldiers in his ranks, he might be thinking to make a try for the throne himself," Bradwarden remarked.
Midalis turned to the centaur, shaking his head. "That is not in the character of Duke Kalas," he explained. "He is an Allheart Knight, first and foremost. If we defeat Aydrian here and now, the war will be over and the kingdom will be returned to the line of Ursal."
He stopped and looked around, his expression asking them all for opinions.
"We'll not find a better chance, then," Andacanavar said.
"Let us be done with this," Pony added, eerily echoing the words