Chapter Thirty-One
“You want me to invite them all in to the city,” Photina said.
Finnvid and Theos had made their way through the side gate to the city, gone to the temple, requested an immediate meeting with the reeve, been sent to her office in the middle of the night, and now she was scoffing at them.
Finnvid had expected a warmer welcome, but understood her reaction when she said, “You want to bring that violence inside our walls, where our children will be exposed to it.”
“They’re their children too,” Theos tried. “You know they won’t hurt the kids. Their kids. They won’t hurt the women, either.”
“You know that for a fact, do you? Tell me, would you have predicted that the warlord and his allies would order the murder of an entire squad of Sacrati? Or arrest and execute the Sacrati captain without giving him even the hint of a fair trial?” The reeve strode around the office impatiently.
“Things have changed, Theos. The warlord was biding his time, setting things up before you left. But now, he’s made his move.
He’s breaking every rule he can find, and he has people helping him. ”
“How many people?” Finnvid asked. He should probably be keeping his mouth shut, but he’d committed to all this, so he needed to be involved. “Do you have numbers? And how many of them are true believers, rather than just following orders?”
“I don’t know.” The reeve sighed and sank down into the chair behind her desk.
“Andros was looking into all that until they stopped him. But my impression is that there are a lot of men looking for leadership, and with the captain gone, the warlord is the only one providing it. They’ll believe what he says because it’s easier than thinking for themselves. ”
“Did Andros mention a letter?” Theos asked. “Did he show it to you, or mention it to the warlord?”
“He did. I saw it.”
“Where is it now?”
“He took it with him when he went to arrange Tamon’s release. The warlord said he’d trade the letter for the captain. But he lied.”
“So the warlord has the letter now. Or he’s destroyed it.”
Finnvid tried to be positive. “But the reeve’s seen the letter, and you’ve seen it. You can speak to what’s in it. And so can I. I can explain how the Elkati were tricked.”
“We can say what we want, but will they believe us?” Theos sounded like he was giving up already. And if Theos wasn’t determined, there was no way they’d persuade the reeve.
Finnvid hadn’t mentioned it before, hadn’t wanted to give Theos one more reason to consider Elkat a threat, not without hard proof.
But he couldn’t refrain any longer. “There may be another layer to the warlord’s plan,” he said reluctantly.
“It’s just a theory, but based on the letter, and conversations with my brother?
” He took a deep breath. “It’s possible the warlord may want a civil war, one that weakens both sides. ”
Theos’s eyes were narrow. “What would he gain from that?”
“It would kill many Torians, including Sacrati. In the warlord’s letter, he also suggested we exchange troops for ‘training.’ If enough Torians were dead, and if enough of the remaining soldiers were over in Elkat, your valley might be vulnerable to attack, even from a force that wouldn’t normally have a chance. ” He waited for the others to catch up.
It was Theos who whispered, “The Elkati? You think he’s planning to allow the Elkati to conquer Windthorn?”
“Under his banner, I assume. He’d have to arrange things so it wouldn’t look like a sign of Torian weakness.
That would certainly merit intervention from the central valleys.
But a warlord using whatever troops were handy in an emergency?
” He watched as the other two exchanged doubtful looks.
“I don’t know. It’s just a theory. But you said no Windthorn soldier would ever attack the city.
Elkati soldiers would not hesitate if they thought they had a chance. ”
“And after killing a band of Sacrati,” the reeve mused in hushed tones, “they might just have the confidence to try.”
Theos looked toward the reeve, then shook his head as he turned back to Finnvid. “The women would fight,” he said. “Whatever Windthorn soldiers were left, plus the women—I don’t know that Elkat could win.”
“But you don’t know that they couldn’t,” Finnvid said. “And that’s remarkable enough.”
“He couldn’t be so ruthless,” the reeve said, but there was doubt in her voice.
“Or . . . if he is that evil . . . what else might he have planned? And what does that mean for the women? If he’s willing to go that far, would it be better to appease him, at least temporarily?
If he’s trying to find ways to attack the city, we’re in even more danger than I thought we were.
We need to be safe and careful until we have a plan we know will work. ”
Finnvid stared at her in frustration, but Theos seemed more resigned. “Maybe she’s right. The warlord is unpredictable, so it’s too risky to have the meeting in the city. This isn’t their problem.”
“How can you say that?” Finnvid demanded. “You have forty-six children living in this city. The fate of their father is none of their concern, or their mothers’ concern? And will the warlord be kind to them all if he takes over?”
“Forty-seven,” the reeve murmured. “Alloria had a boy while you were away. She’s calling him Toro.”
“Toro,” Theos said quietly, almost sadly. “He’s healthy? And she’s well?”
“It was a long birth, but she’s strong. They’re both fine.”
Finnvid couldn’t let them get off track.
“And in nine years, Toro will leave his mother and go to live in the barracks. How will the warlord treat him? What will the rules be, and how will anyone who dares to stand up to tyranny be punished? If the warlord is mad enough to think about starting a civil war for his own selfish gains, he clearly doesn’t value the life of Torian soldiers.
” Finnvid ignored Theos and stared at the reeve.
“And you have other grandsons. If you won’t stand up for your son, won’t you at least help them?
The children of the women you’re trying to protect? ”
“My grandsons?” Her voice was sad. “I can help the girls, but the boys? They’ll go to live in the barracks, and Theos or someone just like him will teach them that their only role in life is to kill and die in battle. Is that really so much worse than whatever the warlord is planning?”
“Theos knows more than that,” Finnvid protested.
He supposed he was the one being dragged away from the topic now, but he wouldn’t stand there and let the reeve be so critical of her son.
“Otherwise, he wouldn’t care about the warlord.
He’d just train and rest and wait to be called to battle.
He’s willing to risk his life to protect the Torian way, the way that’s good for the women and children, if not the men.
The danger isn’t just in battle, but in making a stand like this.
He knows what happened to the captain, and what they might be doing to Andros, and still he stands up for what he believes in.
If your grandsons learn that sort of strength in the barracks, I think you should be pleased, and proud of them! ”
“He’s willing to make a stand because the warlord has made himself the enemy of the Sacrati. You may think this is about ideals, but it isn’t. Not for Theos. It’s just about winning. Destroying the enemy.”
“Because Theos can’t use his own judgment?
He can’t decide for himself who’s an enemy, and who’s a friend?
” Finnvid frowned at her. “How sad for you, to not see him more clearly. I’ve known him for a much shorter time, and yet I’ve seen him show mercy and compassion and respect.
I’ve seen him change his mind about who the enemy was when faced with new information, and I’ve seen him walk away from fights I know he wanted to run toward. ”
She raised her eyebrows dismissively, but there was something in her expression as she gazed at her son. “So, I haven’t seen you clearly?”
Theos had been staring at Finnvid, but finally he looked at his mother and shrugged.
“This isn’t important.” He stopped, and turned back to Finnvid.
“I don’t mean . . . What you said . . . thank you.
It’s important to me.” Then he told his mother, “It’s not what we should be talking about.
You don’t think much of me . . . I know that, but it’s not important right now.
” He was silent for a moment, then said, “You need to pick a side. You should know that if you choose the Sacrati’s side, and the warlord wins, he’ll punish you, and possibly the rest of the women.
And if you choose the warlord’s side, and the Sacrati win?
The Sacrati will continue to treat you and the women of Windthorn with respect.
So if you want to be smart, I suppose you’ll choose to help the warlord.
” He shook his head. “But I’m hoping you’d rather be right.
And you know which side is the right side. You know.”
“I can’t afford to back you if I don’t think you can succeed,” she said.
“If I think there’s a chance, then I’ll do what I’m able.
But . . . what’s your plan? You’ll gather the men together, tell them the warlord hinted that the Sacrati should be attacked—because I saw that letter, and all it really did was hint—and .
. . then what? They need a leader, Theos.
The captain is dead, and the warlord is strong.
If you’re going to win, you’ve got to give them an option. They need someone else to follow.”
“We’ll have elections,” Theos said. He frowned. “That’s what we do. Why would it be different this time?”
“Elections eventually, yes. But not right away. The men can’t vote until they’re confident they know the whole story, and that will take time. In the meantime, someone has to step up and take charge. Are you willing to do that?”