Chapter 24 #2
Is my sage advice not useful to you? Before your petty war turns this place into a desert, perhaps you should use that cunning mind you’re so proud of.
I’m sure you and the dwarf have figured out that if you destroy the beams holding up the highest terrace, the falling earth will bury the barrels.
You can’t explode the srebrec if you can’t ignite the fire.
I gasped. ‘What?’
Oh, so now you’re listening, King Reynard? I thought a man like you didn’t need the help of an ancient dragon?
His presence disappeared from my mind just as the clouds obscured his form. The curses I bellowed at the sky startled the passing soldiers, but I was beside myself.
‘Out of all the creatures in this world, why the hell did I have to get this annoying, arrogant arsehole of a dragon?’ I grumbled, marching to the tent my men were setting up.
Yet despite all the anger and frustration, I couldn’t deny the warmth in my soul when we talked.
Cinared was a part of me, even though we hadn’t met.
He was also the maddening bastard who’d given me the solution to conquering this bloody mountain.
‘Call the dwarf and sappers in,’ I told a passing soldier, then rushed to my maps.
A few moments later, a young, slim man entered my tent together with Ivar. He was so unremarkable that he could easily disappear in any crowd, but his eyes were filled with intelligence. ‘You wished to see me, sir,’ he said when I remained silent. I gestured for him to come closer to the map.
‘Can you get up here?’ I pointed above the highest row of trenches, and his eyebrows drew closer.
‘I… Yes, I can. It’ll be difficult, but if we traverse the cliffs on the other side of the mountain… We’ll need to do it during the night. Yes, sire, it is doable.’
‘Good.’ I hammered my fist on the table, dreading my next words. ‘You’ll take four men who know the mountain. Ivar, find volunteers. They must be expert mountaineers, and warn them… It’s likely they won’t be returning.’
‘My lord?’ Ivar’s jaw tightened, the muscles twitching as he ground his teeth. That is, until I pointed to the highest trench.
‘If M?ot wants to bring down the mountainside, then I’ll help him,’ I said, watching both men frown. ‘Master Orenson, right on time.’ The dwarf pulled back the flap of the tent. ‘You’re going to teach us how to explode the barrels.’
‘What?’ Tova’s eyebrows shot up when I explained Cinared’s suggestion.
‘That could work. And if we use naphtha, it might spread the fire to the other levels,’ he muttered, pulling on his beard.
‘But we’ll need to start from at least three points, otherwise there won’t be enough debris to destroy the next terrace.
’ He marched to the map table, flipped the largest map over, and started drawing.
‘There, that’s what we need to do. Look. ’
The diagram showed what I could only assume was the plan of attack. I nodded with newfound respect. ‘You missed your calling, Master Orenson. Military engineering should be your speciality,’ I said, then turned to Ivar. ‘And after the landslide, as the ground settles, we attack.’
Ivar was silent for a moment before raising his head to look me in the eye with a determination I’d rarely seen in his gaze. ‘I’ll find you your men, sire.’ He marched out of the tent, and the head sapper bowed.
‘I’ll get ready. We’ll need sturdy ropes if we’re to carry equipment. With your permission…’
‘I’ll go with you, and I’ll show you the easiest route to climb if you can find a harness to fit a dwarf,’ said Tova.
I shook my head covertly at the sapper. I’d promised to look after Sana’s friend and didn’t expect the men taking on this task to return alive.
Tova noticed the silent communication, his shoulders straightening.
‘Whatever you promised my Drah’sa, Your Majesty, I’m going to the mines.
There is nothing and no one that can stop me. ’
I excused the tracker for a private conversation with the dwarf. ‘Are you sure? I have enough guards to tie you down and lock you in a padded wagon till the end of this campaign.’ My frustration was showing, but I didn’t want to face Sana only to tell her the brother of her heart died on my watch.
‘Then you’ll lose the war,’ he said quietly. It wasn’t his usual boastfulness, but a conviction so deep that it gave me pause.
‘What aren’t you telling me, Tova?’ My question was answered with a look of guilt.
‘There’s a chamber deep under the throne room with a shaft that leads to the heart of the mountain. It holds the archive of my people, a workshop for the finest masters.’ He paused, giving me a grim look, ‘and the way to kill us all with a single blow.’
‘And you want to go there for…?’ I let my question hang, impatiently tapping my fingers on the table until his shoulders sagged.
‘To retrieve the smelting recipe for the alloy responsible for the void boxes.’ He paused, staring at me intently, ‘and to ensure M?ot can’t use the shaft to wake up the mountain.’
‘You’ll die there,’ I said bluntly, pouring myself a glass of wine and offering him another. ‘As hard as it is to believe, I’ve become accustomed to your presence, Master Orenson, and I don’t want to see my Viper cry. My answer is no.’
‘Then she will mourn us both.’ He picked up the glass and took a sip. ‘You can’t outrun a volcano. M?ot will destroy this mountain, the mine, the city, and your entire army. Even if you somehow survive, how can you defeat whatever comes next if we barely withstood the void box?’
We stared at each other; I was weighing my decision, while he was ready to defy it.
‘Fine.’ I finished my glass in one gulp.
‘But do me a favour and survive, for your sake and mine.’ I gestured for him to leave and leaned heavily on the desk.
I’d found a solution to one problem, only for more to spawn.
I’m sending those men to die. What if Tova doesn’t make it?
If their sacrifice can save everyone else, could this gamble save those in Wiosna still clinging to the threads of sanity?
My heartbeat was so strong that I had to press a fist to my chest. This decision was the correct one, the sensible one, but as a man, it felt like betrayal. I knew what Tova meant to her… and what he meant to me. I needed someone who listened, someone who’d understand my decision.
Cinared? I reached out, needing the connection, but my thoughts were met with silence.
I rubbed my chest, missing the strange warmth that the dragon’s presence awakened, and my hand landed on Sana’s amulet.
The stone was warm, pulsing like the heart of my lover.
I was tempted to read the letter, but what if she asked me to protect Tova?
Begged me to keep him safe? I couldn’t do it. Not until he walked out of there alive.
I left the tent and walked through the camp, answering the soldiers’ questions, making jokes and wry observations to keep morale up. I couldn’t rest until I’d checked everything twice to ensure we were ready for this night’s attack. I couldn’t neglect anything, because their lives depended on me.
So, I walked. Each step was more difficult than the last, weighed down by a crown heavier than a convict’s shackles.