John Carr - Kalvan Kingmaker

Rylla was quite sure they heard him outside the chambers, probably outside the keep, possibly on the Harphaxi frontier!

The bellow won Kalvan the undivided attention of both wife and father-in-law. "May Dralm be my witness, I'm just sorry I didn't leave your father here to watch over you and that moron Sarrask. Prince Ptosphes might have done something to prevent this idiocy!"

Ptosphes turned bright red, while he turned his head right and left as though seeking a place to hide.

"Are you calling me a fool as well as Sarrask, since he only did my bidding!" Rylla screamed. She knew she had been as loud as Kalvan but didn't care.

"Well, you Dralm-damned behaved like one, kicking a stone because you've stubbed your toe on it! Butchering the Phaxosi nobility like a herd of sheep. And what about Araxes family-what did they do?"

"Did you want his sons to slink about the Six Kingdoms," Rylla yelled, "seeking vengeance and trying to raise armies that someday our children will have to fight?"

"Of course, not. But to kill them in cold blood-How could you?" The vein in his forehead was throbbing.

"I did what I had to do, for Us, for Hos-Hostigos. And if you don't understand that, you don't understand anything."

"You didn't do it for Hos-Hostigos, you did it for Rylla. And your appearance to others. It wasn't my pride you were avenging, it was your own!"

She brushed the tears of anger out of her eyes.

"And now having thrown away half our friends in the League of Dralm-"

"Friends, like Primate Xentos! I couldn't take away half of something that never existed." Rylla was relieved to discover that she could speak instead of scream, even if her throat was suddenly raw.

Her father took hold of her arm. "Your Majesty, with all due respect I think there is a chance that the Great Queen has spoken truly. I think we should consider this at another time, after you have rested from your travels and taken refreshment."

Ptosphes' tone could not have been courtlier, or his grip on her arm gentler, as he maneuvered her to the door. Yet, Rylla knew that if Kalvan had made a move toward them he would have faced the Prince's drawn sword, and that if she had resisted her father would have dragged her bodily out of the room.

So, she let him lead the way, and they were halfway down the spiral stairs when they heard the door slam behind them. It echoed up and down the stairway like a cannon shot.

Rylla swallowed, and then slammed her clenched fist so hard into the wall that it was bloody when she drew it back. Ptosphes gently uncurled her fingers, as he had when she was a child with a minor cut she had brought to him for healing.

"We'd best see Lady Eutare and have her bandage this. Otherwise, Dralm-only-knows, what tales will run through the castle about how you gained this injury!"

Verkan Vail walked through the entryway into the great room of Tortha Karf's palatial Hostigos townhouse. "Very nice, Tortha."

"My home away from home," Tortha responded. "No rabbits, either! And all the comforts of my former quarters in Xyphlon, I hope?"

"We had a team in Xyphlon City for five ten-days establishing your cover, creating the Trading House of Tortha, implanting pseudo-memories on your last living relative-a sister named Horthvarga, no less-and generally casing the place. The Mexicotal siege, though doomed to fail, has everyone upset. It hasn't helped that the Mexicotal have built their own local Pyramid to the Sun outside the City, where every day their human-skin accoutered priests are taking human sacrifices and hearts from local captives and prisoners-of-war. It's enough to make you want to drop a thermo-nuclear on their capital city."

"I hate to admit it, but that bunch has this Styphon's House racket beat all to Regwarn and back."

"Ahhh, good to see you picking up the local references, Tortha. As well as losing all First Level objectivity. I remember how you used to lecture me on the subject."

Tortha harrumphed. "I'm not the only one. Besides, these Hostigi folks grow on you. What brings you to Hostigos Town."

"I had promised Kalvan to bring him some guns from Greffa in exchange for all that fireseed I took with me. I did too, but the trading party's about five days down the road. I took my prerogative as chief trader to ride on ahead. I thought I'd meet with my old trader friend before stopping into the palace and seeing Kalvan."

Tortha nodded as he removed his tobacco pouch and a new carved ivory pipe. "I like the way you stay in character."

"Where'd you get the pipe? Isn't that Kalvan's face carved on it?"

"Bought it off a Zygrosi trader. Some whaler carved it out of a walrus tusk-scrimshaw. I've ordered a bunch more, when he returns from his last trading mission before winter sets in. I intend to give them out as presents at Year-End Day. Don't mention them to Dalla-I've got a pipe with Rylla's face carved on it for her."

"Word. By the way, Dalla came along this trip. She'll be here in a few hours. She wanted to air out our townhouse."

"I guess you won't have time to visit the baronial mansion in Beshta this trip?"

Verkan laughed. "You mean my drafty, falling-down castle. Tarr-Verkan, Dalla's taken to calling it. I think it formerly belonged to one of Prince Balthar's cousins, from the cheap side of the family!"

Tortha joined in the laughter. Balthar had been legendary as a miser long before his well-deserved death at Tarr-Beshta at the hands of Rylla's giant bodyguard, Xykos.

Verkan sobered up. "I've got more bad news."

"What now?" Tortha asked. "Living in Hos-Hostigos is like being at Paratime Headquarters under Code Yellow all the time. Or is this Code Red?"

"No, Code Yellow, it seems that Captain-General Phidestros has besieged and taken an important Beshtan castle, Tarr-Veblos."

"The Harphaxi strike back!"

"Well, Captain-General Phidestros had to do something before he lost his job. After last years drubbing at Chothros Heights and Rylla's successful invasion of Phaxos, in the heart of Hos-Harphax, the Harphaxi princes and people were losing morale. The top command knew Phidestros really wasn't in a position to stop Rylla, but Lysandros was going to have to do something or risk the Election of someone else as Great King. Phidestros was smart enough to realize that he had to make a face-saving move before returning to Harphax City, or face a further erosion of morale in the Royal Army as well as a loss of confidence in his leadership.

"Phidestros pulled a fast one on Prince Phrames. He moved his cavalry close to the Beshtan border, keeping Phrames and his army busy worrying about invasion sites. Meanwhile, Phidestros sent off a smaller force of mounted infantry and artillery to besiege Tarr-Veblos. The tarr was undermanned, after Phrames pulled most of the Beshtan Army out of their prepared positions and into Arklos to protect Rylla's flank from the Harphaxi Army, and vulnerable."

"Why didn't Prince Phrames reinforce his tarrs?"

"By the time Phrames got back to Beshta from Arklos, Phidestros' large cavalry force was preparing for what appeared to be a large scale invasion. Phidestros was smart enough to stay far away from Tarr-Veblos and Phrames never reinforced the skeleton garrison. So while Prince Phrames is shifting his army up and down the border, Phidestros' second force hit Tarr-Veblos at night, with a company of-I guess you'd have to call them mountain troops-who repelled their way into the castle, killed most of the sentries and took the outer courtyard. They opened the gate and the rest was history, what with Phidestros' artillery firing point blank on the inner bailey and keep. Phrames has been trying to re-take the tarr, but Phidestros already had his army in the area and lots of reinforcements, so I think Tarr-Veblos is going to stay Harphaxi, at least, until next spring."