consequence. Thus he needs the big strike, the huge victory, to wave as a rallying pennant to the other To-gai-ru. He will come against us, and then he will be mine."
Carwan Pestle sat back and digested it all; and of course, it then made sense to him. All of it. For why would Wan Atenn ever have truly feared for Yatol Grysh and Dharyan with eight hundred soldiers camped within a day's march of the city? a coordinated plan, all a ruse designed to lure Ashwarawu, to the rebel leader think that the grandest prize of all was his for the tak- Carwan Pestle stared at Yatol Grysh with sincere admiration then, for man had been executing this one ruse since the unexpected arrival of Tacintha soldiers. Each movement he had made, each caravan sacrificed, ch accurate message slipped out to the Ru informants, had led to this hoped-ior conclusion.
"I know Ashwarawu better than Ashwarawu knows himself," the Yatol id with confidence. ?I understand the motivation behind the warrior. That motivation is pride, my young friend, and pride is the easiest human weakness to exploit. Oh yes, he will come. And he will die. And it will be a long time indeed before the Ru find the courage to stand against Behren again. Watch and learn well, my student, for you will likely succeed me and face the next Ashwarawu, and how disappointed I will be in Paradise if I look back upon the earthly realm to witness your failure."
Carwan Pestle nodded, and then, as Grysh exploded into another burst of laughter, let a smile spread across his face. As he considered all that had transpired over the winter - the caravans sent out as bait in very specific or-der and to very specific locations; the poisoning ruse, done merely to make Ashwarawu even more confident in himself and in his informants; the re-naming of the minor settlement - for no better reason, he now understood, than to make his desired defense of it seem more plausible. Carwan Pestle realized that he had very much to learn.
He recalled the last brutal lesson, at the riverbed and the Ru encamp-ment, and couldn't stop a shudder from running along his spine.
Brutal and effective.
Carwan Pestle trusted his teacher, even though he was terrified of the man.
"Our friend from Dharyan challenges us," Ashwarawu was telling his soldiers. ?He does not understand how we have grown."
"In numbers and in resolve," Pagonel, who was standing far to the side of the group, whispered so that only Brynn could hear.
The young ranger smiled; they had both heard this speech many times before.
The band was on a high ridge that day, looking down at the distant out-poster settlement, and the line of soldiers streaming into it. The estimates of their scouts had put the number of soldiers at near to four hundred, which made it almost twice as large as the force that Ashwarawu possessed, though his forces had more than doubled in the waning days of the winter season.
Still, the confident raiders believed that one To-gai-ru warrior was worth three Behrenese, at least.
"We will answer that challenge," Brynn heard the brave leader declare. On our terms and in our time."
"Do you think he will lead us against the settlement?" Brynn asked Pagonel.
The mystic shrugged. ?I do not think it a wise course, for though I be lieve that we would win, our losses would be heavy."
Brynn felt exactly the same way, but this was Ashwarawu they were speaking of, and so she had no idea if he would lead the charge or not.
The raider band camped on the ridge that night, sending out scouting arms to encircle the village, while other riders went out farther to the east looking for a certain informant at every determined rendezvous site.
Ya Ya Deng's information arrived the very next morning, confirming what the scouts had come to believe, that this was the Dharyan garrison, almost the whole of the Dharyan garrison, come out to fortify the settlement.
Once again, Ashwarawu convened his raiders on the ridge overlooking the busy village, and once again, Brynn and Pagonel sat astride their horses to the side of the main body of raiders.
"You seem troubled," Brynn remarked, as Ashwarawu began rousing his soldiers.
The mystic shook his head, his eyes never leaving the distant settlement. ?Yatol Grysh sends out his garrison so soon after the Jacintha soldiers leave Dharyan?"
"Ya Ya Deng claims that he will not have a village bearing his name fall to Ashwarawu. Perhaps that