As I was unbuckling and peeling off my armour and shirt, Jett entered with a steaming pot of tea. Pivorn came behind with four mugs. She placed them respectfully on the table just inside the door and retreated to tend to her other houseguests. Tyba appeared at the door with wet hair and a rosy flush to his skin.
‘Thank you for arranging the bath, Samos. I am going down to the barracks, now.’
‘Again, sire? Haven’t you already been to see Commander Varal this afternoon?’
Tyba pointed at Samos as if to say, ‘we’ve had this conversation before’, but all he said was, ‘Perhaps Talon and Jett would like to use the bath-house while I’m gone. Then will you prepare a light meal for the four of us?’
Samos nodded, watching his prince leave.
‘He takes on so much responsibility,’ he sighed. ‘He has hardly slept nor eaten for days.’
I was selfishly pleased I did not have that level of responsibility. I ruminated on the idea that my responsibilities as both an Astor and Ciera’s Sleffion had not yet come upon me.
‘You may use the bath-house first,’ Jett said. ‘I need to check and clean your armour so it is ready for you in the morning.’
By the time Tyba rejoined us, both Jett and I had bathed. The smell of smoke and food wafting through the room and the distant cacophony of the rest of the household reminded me of home. To distract myself from that thought I helped Samos and Jett arrange a meal of cheese, chutney, olives, lowryfish, eggs, oatcakes and green vegetables on the table. Samos had already eaten from each dish—after what had happened to the strike force, he wasn’t going to let Tyba take any chances.
‘And I thought he was doing it for you,’ Tiaro said.
I sent her the impression of a smile and gobbled some food. Jett ate with an appetite. Tyba, on the other hand, ate dispiritedly.
‘Has there been more bad news?’ I asked cautiously.
Tyba chewed his lip and looked up at me from beneath his perfectly symmetrical brow. His striking sky-blue eyes glistened with tears. I was touched that he could be so open towards me with his emotions. For a few minutes he could not speak.
Eventually he said, ‘You remember the situation with The Sunbark Cities?’
I nodded. ‘Yes, but I must admit I can’t imagine a legion of 24,000 Zeikas.’
Tyba shrugged. ‘We can’t fight spread out like they’re trying to get us to. They might have the numbers for it, but we don’t. All over Tanza our people are forced to flee their homes. Never has a war become this serious so quickly.’
‘How many civilians are on their way here from The Sunbark Cities, sire?’ Jett asked.
‘Nine thousand,’ he replied. ‘With a Defender force of only two and a half. If the Zeikas catch them on the trip…’
‘Can a flight squadron be sent to help them?’ Tiaro asked me, and I passed her question on.
‘A third of the Condii Air Combat Group and half of our Flying Archers were dispatched the minute we heard,’ Tyba replied. ‘But the numbers are irreconcilable; 24,000 against less than 4,500. And we cannot spare any more Anzaii, especially now that there are so few of you left. If the worst happens, Condii shall be our last stand. My father considers evacuating Centan even now. With civilians safe in Condii and our Defender forces bolstered by his, he believes we might be able to hold off defeat. Divided we will fall.’
My mind reeled at this information. Never before had I been required to think about warfare on such a large scale. Tyba’s comment about there being so few Anzaii had made my face heat with anger.
‘Corypha,’ I hissed. ‘How could he do this to his own people?’
‘That reminds me,’ Tyba replied, ‘Commander Varal asks that you tell me everything he said to you before we departed the base camp.’
I recounted what I could remember and my stomach clenched in anger as I did so.
‘Jaalta is retiring from battle soon,’ Tyba said when I was finished. ‘Before she goes to her designated house to rest, she will report to Captain Dathan and try to locate Corypha. We can’t be sure he is involved until we find him.’
‘I thought I would be there,’ I blurted.
Jett made a sound of protest, about to speak.
Tyba raised his hand. ‘You have done enough for one day. Do I have to order you to rest?’
‘No, sire.’
Samos chuckled huskily and gulped down some more wine. ‘If only there was somebody around who could say that to you, eh Prince Tyba?’
Tyba grinned and patted Samos on the back as he rose from the table. ‘When this is all over I promise you can confine me to my quarters with Clayr and we won’t come out for a week.’
Samos laughed easily. ‘Fine, but I don’t know how much “rest” that will be!’
The four of us laughed and again I marvelled at how open Tyba was with us.
The fire was soon doused and we were each expected to retire to our beds. I suppressed the desire to ask more questions and reluctantly crawled under the outer layer of my bedding. With my head on a pillow filled with skyearl feathers, I wriggled until I was comfortable and forced myself to close my eyes. It was some time before sleep claimed me, but when it did, I felt the dead weight of my limbs dragging me down into a deep and calming slumber.
‘Goodnight Talon,’ Ciera said and I realised he had been humming Halduronlei from afar, watching over me even as I dozed.
Chapter Sixteen—Division
J
aalta’s searching in the waves that night proved fruitless. There were far too many people in Condii and the surrounding area for her to interrogate everyone. And if Corypha had moved beyond the reach of her human wave-seeking ability, she would never find him.
Jett and Tyba were visiting the sickened survivors even now. They had left me to eat a light breakfast in solitude. After I’d finished I went to the practice yard at the barracks to put some more scratches in the wooden dummies that were there. Fighting continued outside the city but Ciera and I hadn’t been deployed yet. In the meantime I wanted to ensure I would be ready to use my Tolite-kin if the need arose. I was at it for some time before Captain Dathan came out to greet me.
‘I’m sorry we weren’t able to find Corypha.’ He looked worn and haggard as he stood clutching a strong brew of coffee.
Making no reply, I performed a series of slow turns with Fyschs held out as far away from my body as possible. The weight brought a pleasant tension to my muscles. Joints popped as I stretched. I performed the manoeuvres Sarlice had taught me. At first I moved with deliberate slowness, increasing the pace until I was ducking one way, swiping the other, leaping sideways, thrusting up, parrying low, striking high… My breath came quickly and I made no attempt to hide it from the captain.
He watched me intently.
‘What’s on your mind?’ I asked, between bouts with my wooden opponent.
He drew a deep breath. ‘I stand here in Condii with more Zeikas than have ever sieged here before and yet I can’t stop thinking about Lantaid, the Sunbark Cities and the fords. More than half the army that was spotted near Zoen has marched toward Lantaid. That’s double the Defender soldiers stationed in Lantaid.’
I paused in my movements—cold shivers travelling down my spine. Anxiety made my head spin as I thought about Sarlice, Rekala and Kestric in Lantaid. I hoped they would head for the chasm as I had asked.
‘There are a great many Tolite warriors in Lantaid,’ I said, ‘and some of the best war-strategists in the realm. Surely they will hold off the enemy despite their greater numbers.’
‘Perhaps,’ Dathan agreed. ‘If I know Commander Fostron, he will not let the Zeikas get near the town. He will meet them out on the Hills of Everstain. Many a battle has been fought and won there by us using the crags and canyons as launching platforms and the forest-covered valleys as cover.’
‘Krii be with them,’ I said.
‘And with the fords,’ Dathan agreed.
‘You have family going there?’ I asked.
He nodded. ‘You’re perceptive. My brother normally lives in Ruhor Lair. As with the Sunbark Cities they’ve had to shroud their home-town and abandon it. He’s on his way to Lowford as we speak, with children and their carers in carts. Last I heard there were warriors holding off Zeikas close behind. As you know there are 10,000 Zeikas besieging Highford, which has a smaller contingent of Defenders than Lowford. If they take Highford, I am not certain what will happen. It will not bode well for the realm.’
‘You wish to be everywhere at once,’ I murmured.
He nodded. ‘Even if we could gather the Defenders and all the Tanzan civilians into one place for a concerted effort at defence, how could we feed and provide for 180,000 people in one place? It’s never been done before.’
‘Why do the Zeikas want both Tanza and Telby?’ I asked. ‘Do you know what they’re up to?’
‘Tanza and Telby are the greatest nations Chryne has ever seen. And the Zeikas want that glory for themselves.’
‘I met with King Flale when I was in Telby,’ I said. ‘But I still don’t know why he has allied with the Zeikas. It seems foolish.’
‘Word on the waves is that King Flale and his daughter Denliyan are scheming with the Zeikas to expand Telby’s borders and increase their resources.’
‘Warmongers,’ I exclaimed. ‘They’ll only bring terror upon their lands.’
Dathan took on a stealthy tone of voice, ‘And the Princess Denliyan remains an aggressive voice at court, even in her state.’
‘State?’ I queried, stomach clenching.
‘She is pregnant,’ he replied. ‘I thought you would have heard. It’s been in news waves for weeks. Been married a few years now, but no baby until now. Having a descendant secures her hold on the throne, in a time when their hold on the monarchy is ever-more tenuous.’
I was, indeed, to be a father! Conflicting emotions of wonder and despair assailed me. My baby would be born and grow apart from me… and there seemed nothing I could do about it.
Dathan caught me by the shoulder. ‘Are you hale, lad? Didn’t eat any of that poisoned food, I hope.’
I wiped my brow. ‘A new little life,’ I stammered, ‘amid so much death. It’s hard to fathom.’
‘Indeed.’
Over the next few weeks the Zeikas attacked the southern corner of Condii with relentless force. Though their numbers were depleted by an endless barrage of arrows, spears and ballista fire from within Condii, they rarely let up for more than a few hours. It was only later that we realised this force had been totally sacrificed in order to gain a foothold in Condii. Their lives had been forfeit from the beginning.
Under pressure, from several places around Tanza, to send reinforcements, King Crystom had finally agreed to divide the army at Centan. Over 4,000 were sent to Condii, over 2,000 to Highford and over 6,000 to Lantaid, leaving about 4,300 to defend Centan itself. The choice to divide the army was hotly debated by some but, considering it would take about eight days for the armies to reach Lantaid and Highford, there was no time for indecision.
I heard from Ciera that Sarlice and Thita were among those sent to Lantaid. I fervently hoped they would join the Rada-kin and lay low. Even the journey back to Lantaid posed numerous threats. Tens of thousands of Zeikas were closing on them, behind the refugees from the Sunbark Cities.
Every day there were messengers and refugees arriving from some part of the realm and news came in torrents over the waves.
In Condii two of the south east towers had fallen just about the same time the survivors from the Sunbark Cities arrived within our walls. Some wondered if those people had walked all this way only to die with us.
Only about half the civilians had made it, despite the efforts of the reinforcements from Centan. More than 2,000 Defender warriors from The Sunbark Cities had given their lives holding back the Zeikas long enough for the civilians to reach Condii. Wails of grief and devastation rang through the now-crowded city and yet the warriors fought on, trying not to lose heart.
With two of the southern towers destroyed, the barracks were more vulnerable. Dragons bombarded it constantly with oil barrels bursting with green flames. After retreating to the safety of Condii Fortress, Commander Varal had ordered the entire strike force to gather at the barracks, dispelling, confusing and entrapping as many Zeikas and conjurations as possible.
Jaalta and I had explained our abilities as best we could to the other Anzaii. A sketchy new scroll of Anzaii abilities had been drawn up, now covered with our combined notes and many crossed out words. We were rarely resting at the same time, so my aunt and I took to leaving each other notes and ideas on the scroll that was pinned to the wall outside Pivorn’s house.
I stood on the shroud one evening with Jett, Ptemais, Tiaro and Ciera by my side. Prince Tyba and Amadeus were nearby, overseeing the Strike Force’s actions. There was a whirlwind of Flying Archers above us, literally blowing my cloak and hair in small eddies.
Reaching out with my mind, I latched onto a flying dragon with a rigidly focused rider. Sensing the link between them was effortless now and I welcomed the surge of power that accompanied my summons to Krii.
I chose to introduce confusion this time and gently plucked the dragon’s invisible reins from the Zeika’s clutches. Now in partial control of the beast, I made it lurch sidewards and away, crashing into the dragon and rider beside it. Dark green flames belched from its mouth as I impelled it to kill its own squadron.
The Zeikas soon fell victim to the flames, the viciously sharp claws and the exploding oil barrels their own dragons were holding onto. The stink of sizzling reptilian flesh accompanied the cries of outrage from the falling Zeikas. Those who survived were quickly put to death by ground troops in the barracks below.
‘A fine effort, Talon,’ Tyba congratulated me. There weren’t many Anzaii who could do what I had learned so the prince and his guards were often nearby to protect me.
It was all we could do to hold off the Zeikas in time for the Centan army to regroup inside our walls and lend their assistance. The army at Lantaid likewise struggled.
The battle at Everstain raged on and there were whisperings on the waves that the reinforcements from Centan would be too late.