I care so much for the continuity of my kingdom and yet abandon it and trouble your fisherfolk and farmers?” She drank again and rested her glass idly in her lap. “A war costs a kingdom, doesn’t it, General? A civil war doubly so. I could choose to defend my pride, my honor, my right, or I could spare tens of thousands of lives and find somewhere for my supporters to continue those lives.”
Outside, a horse neighed, sudden and high, and a soldier cursed trying to rein it in. Booted feet ran toward the commotion and soon there were shouts for rope. The beast had gone wild and threatened to break loose.
“You cannot stay here,” I insisted.
“And I cannot leave,” Esmir said simply, meeting my gaze.
Chapter 7
Esmir requested a break and asked if she might be lent a tent of her own. When I offered to escort her back to her people, she declined, saying that her place was here now until we had reached an agreement. I imposed upon one of my infantry commanders and, unperturbed, Esmir walked through my men, disappearing into the large tent emptied for her. The men parted for her unthinkingly, and like a boat through still waters, her wake stirred eddies and ripples of conversation and whispers.
As I watched her go, Gonnaban again appeared at my side, but he said nothing and chewed silently on a long piece of grass.
“Their wine is good,” I said at last, for lack of anything more helpful.
“We’ve had word from Pulgatt,” Gonnaban said. “The Kullobrini fleet is deploying more aggressively, pushing our own boys back.”
“Does Pulgatt think they’ll attack?”
“He does. He’s asking your father for permission to attack first. Pulgatt’s up to 120 ships now, but some of those are run by boys with fishing hooks for weapons.” Gonnaban spit out his grass.
“And still no sign of any other Kullobrini fleet?” I asked.
“Nothing. Pulgatt’s even had word from two Dolbiri ships passing through. The Gaping Sea isn’t hiding any more fleets so large they can cover the horizon.”
“How many men would it take to conquer us, Gonnaban?” I asked suddenly.
Gonnaban all but started. He gathered himself and rubbed his chin.
“Ma’am?”
“How many? Or put another way, how many more of their fleets would they need to end us?”
Gonnaban continued to stare at me and then looked slowly to the ground, drawing answers from the well-trod earth.
“By the Low Cauldron, I don’t know. Mabye 150,000? So perhaps four more fleets?”
“Four? This one carried only 25,000 men,” I corrected. “Surely, it would be six more?”
“Begging your pardon, but this one carried civilians as well. Make ’em all soldiers, pack ’em in nice and tight as a good soldier should be and you get four fleets each with 30,000 men,” Gonnaban explained. “Say, you reckon that the civilians on this fleet are administrators? Governors and mayors and the like? For after the invasion?”
“I had not considered that,” I said, thinking. “But, no, it does not explain the children.” I drew my sword slowly and swung it idly back and forth. “And it doesn’t explain why you would land your administrators first. Perhaps we have come at last to the truth.”
“I’ll not hold my breath on that score, if you’ll take me all the same,” said Gonnaban. “And we’re still in the hop with 25,000 well-armed men.”
“We still need a week for the East Guard to get here,” I mused. “Fifty thousand against their twenty-five gives us the day.”
I sheathed my blade slowly, savoring the sound.
“True but most of Prince Eric’s army and ours will be tatters. Our navy will be little more than driftwood. It’ll be ten years before we’re back up to strength and the Haru aren’t likely to wait.”
“Are you saying we should allow the Kullobrini to stay?” I asked.
“No, the fight is still worth it, but we’d be fools not to know the cost of it,” Gonnaban counseled.
“I sent word to Father about Esmir’s true title,” I said.
“Will he come himself, you think, to speak with her? Him or Eric?” Gonnaban asked, kneeling to pick another blade of grass.
“I don’t know,” I said.
Along the road, two little girls were walking. Children of the healers camped to the south, the pair walked hand in hand, stopping occasionally to pick some flower that had yet to be trampled by boot or hoof. Each of the children had a small bouquet painstakingly gathered from the dust.
One of my men bent down in front of the little girls and spoke to them, no