this time of crisis to further his own position, obviously.
With Grysh dead, Bardoh was probably the second most powerful man in all of Behren, especially when he had fifteen thousand of Yakim Douan's soldiers at his disposal!
Both Douan and Bardoh knew that the outer cities were not very pleased with the tight defensive stance about Jacintha and her neighboring cities, and were feeling abandoned and afraid. So now Yatol Bardoh could act the part of savior to them, and if Douan went overtly against him, even under the pretense of commands from Yatol, he would risk losing the loyalty of all those people in the outer regions. Yes, they were Chezru by religion, but the pragmatism of simple survival often trumped the tenets of religion.
So now Yatol Bardoh apparently saw his chance to further his own posi-tion among all the towns of the south and west. Given the fact that Yakim Douan had been speaking fairly openly about a time of Transcendence for a couple of years, who could guess how powerful the man hoped to become?
Yakim Douan took a deep, deep breath, trying to steady himself. He had to look beyond the immediate situation, beyond the Dragon of To-gai. She would be put down soon enough, obviously, but because of Yatol Bardoh's impudence, Douan had to look ahead to the time of Transcendence. He had to find a way to placate the man, to satisfy his ego and his craving for power and glory, then he had to make sure that the man would follow the precepts of Transcendence.
Else all could be lost.
"Damn you, Dragon of To-gai!" Yakim Douan said suddenly, and he pounded his fist forcefully on the arm of his chair.
He heard a scuffle to the side then, and turned fast to see Shepherd Took staring at him wide-eyed.
"What is it?" he demanded.
"I wanted to tell you that Yatol Bardoh's courier is already away, God-Voice," the man stuttered. ?Riding hard down the western road to Dahdah Oasis, and then to Dharyan."
"Get out," Douan ordered, and he waved his hand.
With many bows, Shepherd Took retreated.
Yakim Douan made a mental note that he would have to execute his lat-est attendant in the morning for spying upon him.
With a frustrated growl, the Chezru Chieftain ran a hand thrc hrnning hair, for that thought only illustrated how absurd and o n?
trol this whole situation had become. How he missed Merw n Ma He reconsidered then his order to kill the man, and was sorrv f ment to think of the faithful and competent attendant lying dead un7 sands of Dharyan. How extraordinary Merwan Ma truly had bin to believe then, for the string of prospective attendants that had foJ"
the man had been anything but.
tollo And Yakim Douan understood well that he could not risk Iran without a thoroughly competent and undyingly loyal attendant'at his
PART 4 THE DRAGON OF TO-GAI Chapter 31 Her Winter of Discontent
I am certain that I will come to dread this day and chastise myself for agreeing to let you leave," Brynn said to Juraviel and Cazzira.
J* - The three were back in To-gai, far to the north, at the southern entrance to the Path of Starless Night in the foothills of the Belt-and- Buckle. Behind them, Agradeleous stretched his great leathery wings and roared repeatedly into the winter wind.
"It was not your decision to make," Juraviel replied. ?Nor one that you could have changed, if you sought to."
"If I begged Belli'mar Juraviel to help me, he would not?" Brynn asked, batting her eyes and putting on a purely wounded tone, almost sounding like the lost little girl who had first arrived at Andur'Blough Inninness.
All three shared a laugh at that.
"He would indeed," said Cazzira. ?Belli'mar Juraviel has a reputation among his own people, he tells me, that he is more fond of n'Touel'alfar than of Touel'alfar, and it is a reputation that he has truly earned!"
"Only if you consider Doc'alfar as n'Touel'alfarl" Juraviel shot back, adding in a wink at his lover and friend, and the three laughed all the louder.
But that mirth couldn't hold, for the reality was that these three were say-ing good-bye. Juraviel and Cazzira were abandoning Brynn and her quest for their own, which seemed much more pressing to their respective peo-ples now that Brynn's campaign was in full swing. The reality was that it seemed quite plausible that Brynn Dharielle would never see Belli'mar Ju-raviel again.
They both knew it, but neither spoke that possibility aloud. Instead, they snared a good meal and