Death of the Dragon - Ed Greenwood [45]
"Not yet, Ambassador. There's something I want you to understand."
Hovanay turned. "I think you have made your point clearly enough."
"Humor me," Tanalasta said. She looked to Giogi Wyvernspur, who, having heard the audience was to be a council of war, had come to the audience dressed in a gleaming suit of steel plate. "Lord Wyvernspur, may I take it that you and yours stand at the crown's service?"
Giogi raised his sword in salute. "You may."
"Then you are to prepare an army and hide it well in your Hullack Woods," said Tanalasta. "Should even one of those sellswords cross the Swamprun, you are to visit upon Sembia all that the ghazneths are visiting upon Cormyr."
This time, Ambassador Hovanay's eyes grew genuinely wide. He glanced toward Queen Filfaeril and, finding no support there, looked back to Tanalasta. "I assure you, Princess, that won't be necessary."
"Good," Tanalasta said. "Because it angers me that I must even consider the possibility during our current troubles. You are dismissed."
Hovanay bowed rather more shallowly than he had before, then left. Tanalasta watched him depart with a growing heaviness in her heart, and not because she feared any trouble Sembia might cause. Whatever their aspirations in Cormyr, Giogi would see to it that they found the price too dear to pay.
Once the ambassador was gone, Tanalasta looked back to the nobles below. "Giogi Wyvernspur has declared himself ready to serve the crown. Who will stand with him?"
Ildamoar Hardcastle, Korvarr Rallyhorn's father Urthrin, and a handful of others stepped forward to declare their readiness to sacrifice life and fortune on behalf of Cormyr. Most of the other nobles, however, remained ominously silent. Tanalasta surveyed them silently, pausing on each lord just long enough to be sure they knew she had noted their reluctance, then came to the one true surprise, Beldamyr Axehand.
"Lord Beldamyr?" she asked. "The Axehands are not ready to defend Cormyr?"
Beldamyr's face reddened, but he did not look away. "We are ready," he said. "When the king calls."
Though the refusal struck Tanalasta like a blow, she tried not to show how much it disheartened her. Even had she been given to self delusion-and she was not-Beldamyr's refusal could not be attributed to cowardice. His family was one of the few that had remained steadfastly loyal to her father during the previous year's attempt on the throne, and Beldamyr's reluctance to commit now could only be attributed to his lack of confidence in her.
Tanalasta held Beldamyr's gaze and simply nodded. "Then I will try to keep the realm together until he is able. Be ready."
She ascended the dais again, then turned to face the nobles. "Between most of us, there is little more to say. I respect your decisions, even if I am disappointed in them, and stand ready to accept your help when you are ready to fulfill your liege duties. Until then, honor me in this much: The crown hereby forbids all non-royal use of magic south of the High Road, on pain of confiscation, imprisonment, or death-depending on whether it is we who find you or the ghazneths."
There were a few grumbles, but most of the lords understood either the sense of the edict or the wisdom of keeping their objections to themselves. Tanalasta waited until the chamber fell silent again, then dismissed the assembly with a wave.
"I will hold a war council in one hour," she said. "The royal chamberlain will make messengers available for dispatches for those who attend. Korvarr, you will prepare your men for a noon departure."
The lionar bowed his acknowledgement and turned to issue the orders, and it was Queen Filfaeril who asked the obvious question.
"Departure? Where are we going?"
"Not we, Mother-me," replied Tanalasta. "I'd like you to stay with Alaphondar and continue the research in the royal archives."
Filfaeril folded her arms. "And what are you doing? Leading the ghazneth hunt?"
"Someone must," said Tanalasta, "and I am the one who knows them best."
13
Gods, but he'd missed the wild, rolling northern marches of the realm.