“Where will we go once we leave here?” he said finally.
“What?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“You didn’t. I was simply thinking about something else.”
Indeed. “I asked where you think we would go after we leave Paranor.”
She stared at him as if she didn’t understand. “We return to the advance force and go on.”
“Go on where?”
A flicker of irritation lit in her eyes. “Why don’t you tell me, Penetrator? What would your advice be? Where would you have me go?”
“I think it would be unwise to turn back.”
“Agreed. The Skaar do not retreat.”
“So we go forward, as you said. Perhaps through one of the passes south and out onto the banks of the Mermidon, and see what sort of response we get?”
“That is what you would do? What you would have us do? Advance and wait to see what happens?”
“It has its merits.”
“It is a lazy man’s game. We need to do more. Why don’t we fly to the Federation capital and confront them on their doorstep?”
He shook his head. “No need. Arishaig will come to us. Then we will seek an alliance with Vause.”
Ketter Vause, Prime Minister of the Federation—a man Kol’Dre had studied and come to understand during his time in the Four Lands. Vause would recognize the value Ajin represented as an ally and come to meet her. He would offer her a partnership, an agreement—one that would give her access to the power her father desired over all the Four Lands.
She made a disparaging noise. “If he did as you suggest, I would not waste time on an alliance. I would face him down as we did the Druids and so many others who chose to underestimate us, and then I would destroy him.”
Kol’Dre paused. Her answer was nonsense. What was going on? She was not thinking clearly, and that was very unlike her.
“The Federation has airships,” he pointed out. “Many more than we do. They would outnumber us considerably on the ground, as well. We might do substantial damage to them, but in the end we would be the ones destroyed.”
She made a dismissive gesture. “Do you think I don’t know this? But we must do something to keep them at bay until the king arrives with the main body of our army and we are no longer so unevenly matched.”
The king, she had said—not my father. He took note as he replied, “I would think a meeting of some sort might prove a better choice.”
“We need to keep them off balance. We need to make them afraid of us. We need to keep them uncertain of what we might do. So we set a trap. We let them send their soldiers and their airships and destroy them before they realize how foolish they are being. Do we not know how to do this? Did we not do this at Rhemms?”
He nodded slowly, remembering. At Rhemms, they had discovered that an alliance of Bosch and Zekis was moving against them. This combined force badly outnumbered the Skaar, and even with their special abilities it would have been hard to defeat the foes head-on. So they had dug in along a riverbank with fortifications and blinds. Then they had taken almost all their soldiers to the enemy side of the river and hidden them well downstream of what would become their encampment. When the Bosch and the Zekis arrived, the Skaar attacked them from the sides and behind, pinning them against the river. Surprised and unable to maneuver quickly enough, trapped with their backs to the river, the alliance was cut to pieces.
“So, something of the same sort here, only using airships?” he asked.
Ajin nodded. “But I value your opinion, Kol. So tell me. Do you think such a plan will work?”
He felt her eyes on him, studying him as she thought it over. He did not look away. He knew better than to cede her any ground. If she thought him weak, she would never talk to him as an equal again, and he could not afford to lose that standing. So he sat staring at her while he took the space and time he needed to make up his mind.
“Maybe,” he said finally.
“Then I will think on it further. But not today. I need to rest. You should sleep, too. I need my brilliant Penetrator to be sharp of mind in the days ahead.”
She rose, touched him briefly on the cheek, and walked off. He stared after her, wondering if he was still in her good graces.
With Ajin, you could never be sure.
* * *
—
It took the last of the survivors the rest of that day and the next to return to the main body of the advance force, even with the help of their recovered transport. The injured were removed from the aquaswift and taken away for treatment while the others were given food and drink and told to use the remainder of the day to rest. The advance force had been making good progress coming south toward Paranor, and Ajin immediately announced it would continue south the next morning toward the Mermidon. But she made no clear verbal indication to Kol’Dre that she had decided what to do then.
He had no doubt what it meant should the Federation deem her a threat. He knew enough about Ketter Vause and the Ministers of the Coalition Council to be very sure they would not tolerate a Skaar presence in the Four Lands unless they could control it. So a Federation command would be sent to intercept them. Thus far, they had only engaged a few Troll tribes and eliminated the Druids. That should please Vause and his Ministers. But a rash act on Ajin’s part could change everything.
His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
“You’ve cheated death again,” Pre’Oltien observed wryly when he heard that the command had been given. “Lucky you.”
His second was a stout, blocky fellow with laughing eyes and a ready smile. His life view was simple, and his needs small. He had found his way to Kol while both were in training to be Penetrators years ago. When Pre had seen he would not be among those chosen, he had come to Kol and asked to be his second. Kol had quickly agreed. Pre’Oltien was exactly the sort of man he was looking for—solid, loyal, dependable, and willing to do what he was told.
“Lucky enough,” he agreed, realizing his second was talking about Paranor. “Things are back to normal here, it seems?”
Pre gave him a doubtful look. “Are they? Paranor gone, its treasures swept away? All those who went into the Keep save yourself and five others dead? There’s talk, Kol. There’s more than a little dissatisfaction and some real anger.”
Kol’Dre made no verbal response, although he gave his second a nod of recognition. He had sensed the mood the moment he had returned and those left behind had learned what had happened to their fellows. It would be up to Ajin—Ajin, whom they adored—to find a way to make it right.