The Spirit Stone - Katharine Kerr [179]
Grallezar caught her breath in a sharp gasp. Minaz stared at his counterpart and blinked hard, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing, but he composed himself in a matter of heartbeats.
‘I shall tell the rakzanir of your most generous offer,’ Minaz said. ‘But be not surprised if they have no answer but mockery.’ He barked out a few words in the Horsekin tongue to the bard, then turned and stalked off towards the fortress. The bard trotted after him. Together they slipped through the little door, which shut behind them with a clank and jingle.
‘So much for that,’ Salamander remarked.
‘Indeed,’ Indar said. ‘I had a great deal more to say, about Alshandra’s wishes for her priestesses and the like, but apparently they’d heard quite enough.’
Grallezar merely set her lips tight together and growled. They all trooped back to the Deverry lines, where the two princes, Gwerbret Ridvar, and Envoy Kov were waiting for them. When Indar told the commanders what had happened, Ridvar glowered, Daralanteriel swore under his breath, but Voran laughed.
‘I’m not surprised in the least,’ he said. ‘Well, we need to do one of two things. Either convince them that our offer is the best they’re going to get, or find some way to sweeten it.’
‘Just so,’ Indar glanced at Salamander. ‘Tell me if I’m wrong, but it seemed to me that they felt they had good reason to reject it. I’m not sure if it was confidence or arrogance they displayed.’
‘They may expect a relieving force,’ Voran said before Salamander could answer. ‘Braemel went over to their side not all that long ago. They may be thinking that the city will be sending them troops now that it has.’
‘No doubt it will, your highness,’ Salamander said, ‘but that’s not the reason they’re so confident. They’re expecting Alshandra to win the battle for them.’
‘Ah.’ Voran blinked rapidly several times. ‘You may well be right, Goodman Evan. I tend to forget such things. Or there might be some other reason, one we don’t understand.’
Everyone looked at Grallezar, who shrugged. ‘My lords,’ she said, ‘had you told me of the terms you were offering before we did go forth, I could have saved us all much trouble. Among the Horsekin, a man who surrenders is no longer a man. Upon their return any hale and whole prisoners would be put to death on the long spear. Of what use would they be to their commanders? The grievously wounded would be forgiven, but again, of what use would they be?’
‘Lady Grallezar, I apologize from the bottom of my heart,’ Voran said. ‘From now on, you shall be part of every council we hold.’ He glanced at the others. ‘I fear me we’ve started our haggling with a grave mistake.’
‘I have to agree,’ Daralanteriel said. ‘My thanks, good heralds, and to you too, Ebañy.’ Suddenly he grinned. ‘You can take off that ridiculous wolf pelt, but if Danalaurel can bear to part with it, you’d best keep it handy in your tent.’
‘My thanks, your highness,’ said Salamander. ‘The thing itches like a plague of black flies.’
As soon as the heralds finished their report, Kov hurried back to the dwarven encampment. He gathered Warleader Brel and Weaponmaster Larn and led them out into the litter of the cleared land, where they could talk without being overheard. Here so near to the fortress only dead leaves, scraps of bark, and slivers lay on heaps of dead bracken or gathered, wind-blown, around a few stumps too large to pull. Most likely the servants in Zakh Gral had collected all the useful firewood long before. Kov kicked a few wood scraps out of his way and surprised a nest of spiders. Larn swore and jumped back.
‘They don’t look poisonous,’ Brel said.
‘The poisonous ones never do,’ Larn said. ‘How do you know if they are or not?’
‘Stop it!’ Kov snapped. ‘Do you want to hear what the heralds said or not?
They both scowled, but they did listen while Kov told them about the princes’ conference with the heralds.
‘The lords want to hold the siege a while longer,’ Kov finished up. ‘That’s the upshot.’
‘There’s no