my friend. I'U not suffer them to live."
"Yes, God-Voice," the obviously shaken shepherd said repeatedly, back-? a out of the room and continuing his endless series of ridiculous bows.
Douan, glad to be alone, slumped back and blew a frustrated sigh. This ne was getting the better of him. She, if it truly was a woman, was hitting helter-skelter, and finding perfect tactics to overwhelm each target. Douan had spent the morning with some of his Chezhou-Lei, going over the re-norted descriptions of the battles, and they had all agreed that this Dragon of To-gai was a cunning adversary.
Two weeks earlier, Garou Oasis had fallen, which meant that even now, the Dragon of To-gai might be looking across the sands at Jacintha.
So Yakim Douan had sent his Chezhou-Lei out to gather every garrison within the area and form a defensive perimeter about Jacintha, even be-fore the arrival of Yatol Tohen Bardoh and fifteen thousand soldiers. He expected that many of the outlying Yatols would soon be crying for an audience - and De Hamman would scream loudest of all - fearful that he was protecting himself at their expense, but so be it. He certainly could not let Jacintha fall!
But while Yakim Douan could feel secure in his own safety and in that of Jacintha, he understood well that he could not allow the Dragon of To-gai to continue her rampage through the outer provinces. So far, his scouts had been unable to find her.
Reports of the fall of another city, Teramen, located between Garou and Dahdah Oasis, came in the next day.
Yakim Douan huddled about a large map with the newly arrived Yatol Tohen Bardoh and a few of his Chezhou-Lei commanders. All of them were surprised indeed at this latest choice of target.
"But it does make sense, God-Voice," one did admit. ?From Teramen, the Dragon of To-gai can resupply, and can then hit back to the northeast, at Dahdah Oasis, or can even turn back to the northwest and strike at Dharyan once more, within a week."
Yakim Douan let his head loll forward at that prospect. Had he not just brought in Yatol Bardoh and fifteen thousand soldiers from Dharyan?
"I will force march back for Dharyan, God-Voice," offered Yatol Bar-doh, a man of nearly sixty years, but in fine physical condition and with an-gry fires burning bright in his dark eyes.
"To Dahdah Oasis," Yakim Douan corrected. ?Then split your force, with one contingent marching fast for Dharyan, and the other turning southwest to cut off any escape by the Dragon of To-gai to the south. If she hits at Dahdah, you will have her. If at Dharyan, then force her north into the mountains, or back to the To-gai steppes, where your forces and Shauntil's can close about her and destroy her."
"Yes, God-Voice," the man replied, and he stormed out of the room h' hard soles echoing loudly against the white-and-pink marble.
"She will beat us to either location, and so she may get one more vict perhaps even two," Yakim Douan told his warlords. ?But then she will K mine."
They all seemed quite pleased with themselves.
Of course, when Yatol Bardoh and his force arrived at Dahdah Oas' they found the place perfectly quiet and secure. Those who force-march rl ahead down the western road were greeted at Dharyan by the blowin horns of intact Governor Carwan Pestle. And those who hastened alone ? southwesterly route traveled all the way to the foot of the plateau divide without any sign of the invading To-gai-ru army.
A few weeks later, with the summer of God's Year 843 fast turning to autumn, Abellican reckoning, a fleet of many ships - mostly Behrenese pirates - sailed out of Entel for the open Mirianic. The fleet bore Aydrian Wyndon, Brynn Dharielle's friend of old - and all of old Abbot Olin's hopes - to a distant island that was rumored to be covered with millions of valuable gemstones. That same day, in Jacintha, Yakim Douan heard the first reports of lines of beleaguered refugees streaming down the road from the conquered southern city of Alzuth.
"They fought well," Pagonel remarked to Brynn, when he caught up to the woman outside the conquered city of Alzuth. The place had been fully looted and gutted, with all Behrenese survivors sent on the road to the northeast.
Alzuth had proven to be the toughest battle yet. Brynn had used her bait and ambush tactic, and indeed, a force had come charging out the gate be-hind her fleeing force.
But a second