Death of the Dragon - Ed Greenwood [93]
The room broke into an immediate uproar, and several of the guards stationed behind each noble stepped forward to push a protesting lord back to his seat. Only Emlar and his supporters remained quiet, some studying Tanalasta and clearly waiting for the other shoe to drop, others ohserving her with an air of self-righteous satisfaction-convinced, apparently, that Arabel's fall would force her to accept Sembia's offer.
The princess watched Orvendel watch the others, his eyes wide and the corners of his mouth curled up almost unnoticeably. The youth was enjoying this. Why? Because it made him feel important? Tanalasta gestured for quiet. Under the gentle prodding of the dragoneer guards, the chamber slowly fell silent.
As soon as the tumult had died, Lord Longbrooke said, "This is outrageous!" He was so angry that even his heavy jowls were red. "You'll leave the south undefended."
"That is for this council to decide," said Tanalasta. "A small garrison will remain to defend the royal palace and keep order in Suzail, but the rest is up to the nobles."
"This-this-this is coercion!" sputtered Longbrooke. "We'll not stand for it."
"The crown's troops are the crown's to do with as it pleases," said Tanalasta. "The first companies are marching north even as we speak. The decision before this body is a simple one. Will the nobles stand and fight, surrender to the ghazneths, or invite an invasion from Sembia?"
Finally, Goldsword smirked. "You would condone their help?"
"I would not," said Tanalasta.
"Nor would the crown," said Queen Filfaeril. She leaned forward to look down the table toward Goldsword. "At the moment, however, the crown has no more say over that than this council has over the disposition of the Purple Dragons and war wizards. You will do what you will do, and we'll all live with the consequences. There are, however, some things you should know."
Filfaeril leaned back in her throne and nodded to Tanalasta.
"Giogi Wyvernspur remains poised on the border and will invade Sembia the instant their mercenaries cross into Cormyr," the princess said, "under any circumstances. He lacks a large enough force to win a victory, of course, but we all know how tenacious Lord Wyvernspur can be when he gets to bulling around. I shouldn't be surprised if he managed to destroy every bridge in the realm and set half the cities ablaze before the Sembians finally tracked him down."
"Then call him off," said Goldsword.
Filfaeril's answer was simple and plain. "No."
Goldsword's face began to redden, and Tanalasta continued, "There are also the Letters of Marque to consider."
"Letters of Marque?" It was Longbrooke who asked this.
Tanalasta turned to Hector Dauntinghorn, Commodore of the Imperial Flotilla based in Marsember. He was attending both in his capacity as a naval officer and as a representative of the Dauntinghorn family, his uncle being in the north with half the family retainers and King Azoun.
"After Ambassador Hovanay's visit, the crown issued Letters of Marque to every ship loyal to Cormyr," Hector explained. "In the event of a Sembian invasion, they are to consider any vessel flying a Sembian flag or entering or leaving a Sembian port as an enemy. In the event of said invasion, they are authorized to capture or sink every such vessel they encounter and keep all booty recovered."
Goldsword's eyes narrowed. "You would plunge Cormyr into a second war rather than accept aid in winning this one?"
"The crown would fight a second war rather than let its nobles sell the kingdom cheap," Queen Filfaeril corrected. "But the choice is yours. As I said, we can't stop the nobles from doing what they will do."
"But you don't have to!" burst Orvendel Rallyhorn. "You know how to stop the ghazneths!"
Tanalasta tried to warn the boy off with a quick shake of her