Fire - Kristin Cashore [94]
She imagined a man in prison might be lonely, especially if he had a pretty wife at home who preferred wine and young men to her husband. She sat next to him on his bed during her visits. She ate whatever food he offered her, and accepted cushions for her back. Her nearness loosened him, and a battle began that was far from easy. At his weakest, Hart was still strong.
CLARA, GARAN, AND Nash soaked up what Fire learned like the sand of Cellar Harbour during a rainstorm.
‘I still can’t get him to say anything useful about Mydogg,’ Fire said. ‘But truly, we’re in luck, for he happens to know a great deal about Gentian, and he’s less unwilling to spill Gentian’s secrets.’
‘He’s Mydogg’s ally,’ Clara said. ‘Why should we trust what he thinks he knows about Gentian? Couldn’t Gentian be sending out false messengers for Mydogg to catch, just as he does with us?’
‘He could,’ Fire said, ‘but I can’t quite explain it - the certainty with which Hart speaks. The confidence in his assertions. He knows the tricks Mydogg and Gentian have been playing on us. He’s quite positive his knowledge of Gentian is not of that ilk. He won’t tell me his sources, but I’m inclined to believe his information.’
‘All right,’ Clara said. ‘Tell us what you’ve learned, and we’ll use whatever means we can to confirm it.’
‘He says Gentian and his son, Gunner, are coming north to attend the palace gala that happens in January,’ Fire said.
‘That’s nervy,’ Clara said. ‘I’m impressed.’
Garan snorted. ‘Now that we know about his indigestion, we can torture him with cake.’
‘Gentian will pretend to apologise to the court for his rebel activities, ’ Fire said. ‘He’ll talk of renewed friendship with the crown. But in the meantime his army will move north-east from his estate and hide in the tunnels of the Great Greys near Fort Flood. Sometime in the days after the gala, Gentian intends to assassinate both Nash and Brigan. Then he’ll ride like blazes to the location of his army, and attack Fort Flood.’
The twins’ eyes were wide. ‘Not nervy after all,’ Garan said. ‘Stupid. What kind of commander starts a war in the middle of winter?’
‘The kind that’s trying to catch his enemy by surprise,’ Clara said.
‘In addition to which,’ Garan continued, ‘he should send someone anonymous and expendable to do his assassinating. What’ll happen to his clever plan when he gets himself killed?’
‘Well,’ Clara said, ‘it’s no news Gentian’s stupid. And thank the Dells for Brigan’s foresight. The Second is already at Fort Flood, and he’s taking the First quite near there as we speak.’
‘What of the Third and the Fourth?’ Fire asked.
‘They’re in the north,’ Clara said, ‘patrolling, but in readiness to fly wherever they’re needed. You must tell us where they’re needed.’
‘I’ve no idea,’ Fire said. ‘I cannot get him to tell me Mydogg’s plans. He says Mydogg intends to do nothing - sit back while Gentian and the king reduce each other’s numbers - but I know he’s lying. He also says Mydogg’s sending his sister, Murgda, south to the gala, which is true; but he won’t tell me why.’
‘Lady Murgda to the gala as well!’ Clara exclaimed. ‘What’s got into everyone?’
‘What else?’ Garan said. ‘You must give us more.’
‘I’ve nothing more,’ Fire said. ‘I’ve told you everything. Apparently Gentian’s plans have been in place for some time.’
Nash was clutching his forehead. ‘This is very grim. Gentian has a force of some ten thousand, supposedly, and we’ve ten thousand at Fort Flood to meet him. But in the north we’ve ten thousand scattered far and wide—’
‘Fifteen thousand,’ Fire said. ‘We can call on the auxiliaries.’
‘All right then, we’ve fifteen thousand scattered far and wide, and Mydogg has what? Do we even know? Twenty thousand? Twenty-one thousand? To attack wherever takes his fancy - my mother’s fortress, or Fort Middle, Fort Flood if he wishes, the city itself - with days, possibly weeks, before our troops can organise to meet him.’
‘He can’t hide twenty thousand soldiers,’ Clara