"I shall need to know more about what you require, Steadholder, before I can make any promises. Please explain the circumstances in greater detail."
Isana nodded, then began to recount everything Doroga had told them about the vord, the way they spread, where they had gone, and the danger they represented to the whole of the Realm. When she finished, she folded her hands in her lap and regarded the High Lady.
"That's... quite a tale," she murmured. "How certain are you of its truth?"
"Completely," Isana said.
"Even though what you know of it came from, if I understand you correctly, a barbarian chieftain."
"His name is Doroga," Isana said quietly. "He is a man of integrity and intelligence. And his wounds were real enough."
Lady Aquitaine murmured, "Fidelias, what assets have we near Calderon?"
The assassin spoke up from where he had taken an unobtrusive position against the wall beside the door. "The Windwolves are on training maneuvers in the Red Hills, Your Grace."
"That's... twenty Knights?"
"Sixty, Your Grace," he corrected her.
"Oh, that's right," she said, her tone careless, though Isana did not believe for a moment that she hadn't remembered precisely what resources she had, and where. "They've been recruiting. How long would it take them to reach Calderon?"
"As little as three hours, Your Grace, or as long as seven, depending upon wind currents."
Lady Aquitaine nodded. "Then please inform His Grace, when you report to him, that I am dispatching them to the relief and reinforcement of Calderon's garrison on behalf of our new client."
Fidelias regarded her for a moment, then said, "Lord Riva might not appreciate our sending troops into action in his own holdings."
"If Riva was doing his job, his own troops would already be there to reinforce the garrison," Lady Aquitaine said. "I am quite certain he would much rather snub the new Count Calderon than respond with a swift and expensive mobilization, and I should dearly love to openly humiliate Riva in front of all the Realm. But assure my husband that I will order the men to keep the lowest profile possible, and thereby only humiliate him in front of all the peerage."
The assassin smirked. "Very good, Your Grace."
She nodded. "The next order of business will be to find the Steadholder's nephew and make sure that he is safe from both this vord creature and from Kalare's bloodcrows."
"Alleged bloodcrows, Your Grace," Fidelias corrected her. "After all, we don't know for a fact that they belong to Lord Kalare."
Lady Aquitaine gave Fidelias an arch look. "Oh yes. How thoughtless of me. I presume you have Kalare's holdings in the capital under surveillance?"
Fidelias gave her a mildly reproachful look.
"Of course you do. Find out what your watchers have seen most recently and put absolutely anyone you can spare on this matter at once. Secure the boy and ensure his safety."
He ducked his head into a polite bow. "Yes, Your Grace. Though if I may offer a thought before I leave?"
Lady Aquitaine waved her hand in an acquiescing gesture.
The assassin nodded. "My investigation since arriving here revealed a pattern of unusual activity in the Deeps. A significant number of people have gone missing over the winter, and in my judgment it wasn't as a result of infighting between the local criminal interests. These creatures the Marat warned about could be involved."
Lady Aquitaine arched an eyebrow. "Do you really think so?"
Fidelias shrugged. "It certainly seems possible. But the Deeps are extensive, and given our limitations in manpower, it would require a considerable amount of time to search them."
Lady Aquitaine flicked her finger in a gesture of negation. "No, that will not be for us to accomplish. The security of the Deeps will certainly be of concern to the Royal Guard and Crown Legion. We will advise them of the potential danger at the first opportunity. For now, focus on the boy. He is our interest here."
"Yes, my lady." The assassin inclined his head to her, nodded to Isana, and departed the room.
Isana sat in silence for a moment and found her heart pounding too swiftly. She felt her hands shaking and clasped them together, only to feel a clammy sweat prickling over her brow, her cheeks.
Lady Aquitaine sat up, frowning as she stared at Isana. "Steadholder? Are you unwell?"
"I am fine," she murmured, then swallowed a bitter taste from her mouth, and added, "my lady."
Lady Aquitaine frowned, but nodded to her. "I'll need to go shortly in order to contact our field commander via water."
Isana paused in startled shock. She herself had been able