A Shore Too Far - By Kevin Manus-Pennings Page 0,32

Kullobrini behind their earthworks. More and more I could feel the question of battle pressing on us, could feel each of us turning the shape of the fight in our minds. More fully than ever, we were feeling the cost of any battle against such a people, but we were faced by their blatant affronts and their bizarre behavior. Too much was at stake to let the matter pass, but any battle against them would leave us severely weakened.

“I’ll be damned,” Gonnaban muttered suddenly, looking out to sea.

The rainbow over the Gaping Sea was finally fading and the soldiers above us cursed its passing.

***** ***** *****

By noon, I had received five more requests from the Kullobrini for a meeting. I turned each one away without answer and had to consider whether I should start imprisoning the soldiers bearing the messages. We would certainly need all the advantages we could muster, but I decided it was unwise to press the Kullobrini into retaliation.

The final request came in person from Kannafen, his shield hanging heavily on his arm as he was escorted into my tent.

“Your princes have run out of messengers already?” I scoffed.

He smiled weakly. “I volunteered. I had hoped we could avoid bloodshed,” he began.

His beard was stiff and curly and projected down from his chin like a growth of tiny roots.

“What makes you think I wish to avoid it? Your masters’ behavior and the presence of their army makes your peacemaking all but impossible,” I retorted.

“They are good young men, Highness,” Kannafen stated firmly. “They have no hostile attention. The sickness—”

“Drove them mad so they secretly dug a trench more than twenty miles long?” I interrupted. “I’m sorry our healers could not cure your people. Perhaps my armies can help.”

Kannafen gathered himself for another try, but I pressed on.

“I’ve been thinking about your shield,” I said. “You have done very little protecting of your two charges if you allowed them to deceive and lie with impunity.”

“I am but their advisor, ma’am,” Kannafen said. “They remain my princes and I must do as my betters tell me.”

“Then we will all suffer for your lack of courage, Kannafen,” I stated. “I do not know what customs govern your people, but in all the lands of Damendine you do not land troops on sovereign soil and then lie about your purpose.”

“You’re right to call my courage into doubt,” he answered, his deep voice filling the tent. “Perhaps I should have urged them to choose differently, but whatever happens, you should know that they will never attack first. They will only defend the camp.”

He shifted his shield higher as he finished, a note of pride embellishing his already grand voice. His eyes, too, were earnest and insisted I listen. I could not help but think of Gwey’s argument, that I had become to used to labeling friend from foe and that I refused to make use of any other categories.

“If that was how you advised them,” I returned, “then let’s hope they listened to the lesson.”

He nodded.

“I will consider what you have said,” I continued, “but I still must take precautions.”

“Of course, Highness,” he acknowledged.

I dismissed him with a gesture and unrolled another map of the area, knowing that it may soon be the stage of all of Kannafen’s fears.

Sometime in the afternoon, another surprise visitor from the tents sought an audience, this one even more unexpected than the aging advisor. Esmir stood meekly behind one of my tent guards.

“She was quite insistent, General,” the guard began.

Esmir popped her head around the guard and beamed at me.

“I didn’t know what to tell her, General,” said the guard.

“Nor do I.” I nodded for the guard to leave.

Esmir smiled and stepped sheepishly into the front room of the tent. She carried a small shoulder pouch.

“Esmir,” I began, “this is nonsense. I cannot believe that your masters allowed you to come.”

She looked away.

“No, you’re right there, ma’am. I convinced a guard to lower the way and I took a horse and tied a red rag round its neck.”

“I’m glad you brought the red rag,” I chided her, “else you might be full of arrows now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, you’ve ridden all this way against sense. What do you want, Esmir? Surely, you must sense that our two peoples are not in a talking mood,” I said.

“No, ma’am, that they aren’t and that’s what I’ve come to talk about,” she started. “There’s plenty of my people who are afraid that yours are going to attack. The princes feel it,