their future is in safe hands.” The chancellor looked to Edyon and pulled a strange face; his trapped wind appeared to have returned. “There’s talk that Edyon has been sent by King Tzsayn of Pitoria, concern that Edyon’s Pitorian heritage may sway his allegiance.”
“That Edyon is an infiltrator? A spy?” Thelonius looked appalled.
“No one would go that far, Your Highness,” the chancel-lor replied. “But we must tread carefully. We need the lords to support Edyon. Fortunately, I believe a few simple steps will ensure this.”
“And what are these simple steps, Lord Bruntwood?” Thelonius asked.
“A clear declaration in Edyon’s investiture swearing to ensure Calidor retains its independence.”
Thelonius nodded. “I don’t have a problem with that. It seems reasonable, and a neat solution. Please arrange it, Lord Bruntwood.”
“Gladly, Your Highness.”
“Is that it?”
The chancellor’s wind appeared to get worse. “Alas, no. I believe as well as a declaration, we must ensure we’re not seen to be working with Pitoria. While your idea to send a delegation—a small delegation—would be understandable, no forces, no arms, no men, no equipment must be ex-changed.”
“But what about the demon smoke?” Edyon asked. “The boy army?” The chancellor did not seem to be taking this seriously.
“With all due respect, Your Highness, for us to agree to send even a small delegation seems like a strong overreaction to an untrained pack of boys calling themselves an ‘army.’”
“But the smoke works,” Edyon insisted. He needed to make them understand the severity of the threat, the pressing need for action. “I brought a bottle with me from Pitoria. May I demonstrate its power? Perhaps if the lords see how it works, they would better understand what we’re up against.”
Thelonius nodded. “A good suggestion, Edyon. I agree a demonstration to the lords would be helpful. Lord Regan will assist you in setting it up.”
Regan did not look happy about this assignment, but he nodded his assent.
“It all seems unnecessary,” the chancellor said. “They are attacking Pitoria. They are not attacking us.”
“Not yet,” Edyon said. “But the Brigantines are our en-emy. Surely the lords agree on that!”
“They most certainly do, Your Highness,” the chancellor replied. “But our enemy’s enemy is not necessarily our friend.”
“Nor is he necessarily our enemy!” Edyon shot back. “Tzsayn is a good man; he wouldn’t betray us, infiltrate us, or overpower us. He’s not like Aloysius. And he’s asked for help. He’s offered us help in return. Together we can fight Aloysius and win.”
Thelonius put a hand on Edyon’s arm. “I must balance your perspective with the views of the lords, Edyon. We must be seen to act carefully with and independent of Tzsayn.”
“Exactly,” concurred the chancellor. “We must be seen to act purely for the good of Calidor. Pitorian troops on Calidorian lands, for example, would be seen as dangerous. The lords know what happened when just forty or fifty Brigantine soldiers were allowed into Tornia—many nobles were killed.”
“Those were Brigantine soldiers, not Pitorian. Tzsayn doesn’t want to kill our nobles. This is nonsense!” Edyon ex-claimed.
“Tzsayn is married to Aloysius’s daughter. A marriage arranged by Aloysius,” Regan interjected. “I wouldn’t trust her as far as . . . well, as far as any woman. She’s a puppet, for certain. And we’ve received news that Tzsayn was freed by Aloysius. Surely Tzsayn offered Aloysius something more than gold in exchange for his release. Perhaps he also prom-ised to betray us.”
“No.” Edyon shook his head. “No. Tzsayn’s not like that. And Catherine hates her father.”
“Catherine is immoral,” Regan said dismissively. “Rumor also has it that she killed her brother, Prince Boris.”
“Then she’s hardly a puppet of Aloysius, is she?” Edyon replied.
“Well, I’m not sure what to believe of that rumor, but if it’s true, it doesn’t make me trust her more,” Thelonius com-mented.
“She’s as ruthless as her father,” Regan added with a sneer.
“So you’ll do nothing?” Edyon looked from his father to the chancellor to Regan. “You’ll let the Pitorians fight and die, and you’ll let Aloysius continue to farm demon smoke until no army on this earth could overpower him, and you’ll sit and wait for him to attack us. That is how you want the future to go, that is how you’ll defend your country?”
Thelonius turned to Edyon, stony-faced. “Do not accuse me of failing in my duty, Edyon. I fought with my countrymen against Aloysius in the last war. Many men perished. I won’t risk losing our country to Aloysius, but neither will I risk losing it to anyone else.”