“Aboutwhat, though?” This was the most confusing part. “What does some stupid Elkati have to do with anything? Who cares about Elkat?”
The captain’s smile was bitter, but when he spoke he sounded like an old man telling a tale around a campfire. “It’s usually easy for us to take over valleys. Because we’re strong, yes, but also because theymakeit easy. They know we’re coming, they know they have no chance of defeating us, and still they fight alone. They depend on their gods, or on some desperate chance, rather than trusting their neighbors and uniting to at least put up a good fight. We say it’s because they lack leadership. It’s because there’s no one in any of these little valleys who’s strong enough to pull them all together. And then we laugh, and we wonder whether they’ll ever figure it out.”
“You’re saying they did?”
Tamon nodded. “They found a leader.”
Theos stared.“Not that spying rat! He’s . . . in ten years, maybe. But now? He’s a boy!”
“No, not him. The young king of Elkat, a man named Alrik. But apparently there’s a younger brother. We’re told he’s a handsome fellow, a bit of a scholar, who was trained in healing before he was recruited to help his brother form alliances against the Torian threat. Sound familiar?”
“He was well within our territory when we found him. Who would he have been ‘forming alliances’ with back here?”
Theos had thought the question was intelligent enough, but Photina looked at him almost pityingly and didn’t speak.
Theos worked it through. “With the warlord?” he demanded. “That’s—that’s treason!”
“Not yet,” Tamon said. “Not until we formally declare war on the Elkati. If that happens, and the warlord refuses to invade, or helps them in any way?Thenit would be treason.”
“Whyhaven’twe declared war? If we knew this alliance was a threat, why didn’t we strike quickly and end it?”
The captain grimaced. “Because the Elkati have been buying time. Emptying their coffers, and possibly those of their neighbors, sending bribes to the Torian warlords in the nearby valleys. Sending bribes back east, too, we believe.”
“What’s the point of taking bribes? Why not just attack and take their treasures once we’ve conquered them?”
“Because the proceeds of an invasion are divided up,” Photina said as if it were obvious. “As a soldier, you’d get some. Your commanders would get some. A fair part of the rest would be shipped to the central valleys, some of it would go into the general coffers of our valley. But bribes? Bribes go to individuals, those who are powerful enough to postpone the invasion even if theydon’thave good reasons for it.”
“But what about the central valleys? If someone misbehaves here . . . I mean, if the warlord . . . You make it sound like there could be civil war! Like he might have his men attack other Torians!” Theos waited for them to object, but they didn’t. “Surely the central valleys wouldn’t tolerate it.The warlord can’t be planning for that, can he? There’s no point in him seizing control of Windthorn for the winter if he’s executed for treason in the spring!”
“The Empire doesn’t much care who’s in charge of the western valleys, not as long as we keep sending slaves and soldiers and tribute in their direction,” the captain said with a rueful shake of his head. “And an alliance with Elkat would give the warlord the resources he’d need to send his own bribes east, enough money to take care of anyone whodoesbother to question what’s happening out here.”
Theos’s head was spinning. “So . . .” He left the door and sank into one of the deep leather chairs by the reeve’s desk. “For some time, there’s been corruption in the Empire. People have been living in luxury while fellow Torians starve. The warlord here and maybe warlords in neighboring valleys wanted a taste of this. They were approached by Finnvid, or some other Elkati, and were offered bribes to hold off on invading Elkat. Then, while we hesitated, the Elkati have been building alliances in order to better defend themselves. The warlord wants to take control of Windthorn, and east isn’t likely to interfere with his plan. He wants Finnvid gone or dead in order to keep us from finding out about all this.” He looked up at them. “Is that it?”
Tamon nodded. “That’s the big part, yes. The warlord kept us from questioning the Elkati prisoners, so we don’t have as many details as we’d like. But based on what we do know? I assume the warlord would prefer to have Finnvid escape alive; it would be much harder for him to cement an alliance with the Elkati if they know their young prince died on his watch.” He hesitated, then said, “I imagine that if the princedoesdie, the warlord will have someone in mind to blame. Maybe the same man who’s been treating the prince like a slave . . .”
Theos nodded. He wasn’t too worried about a bunch of Elkati wanting his blood. “So what’s next? Is it finally time todosomething, or will you be sitting around and waiting for a bit longer?”
“I’ve organized a search of the barracks, looking for a possible equipment or weapons cache to aid the escape.”
“And if you find it?”
“We can try to identify the source. Examine the materials and see if there’s anything distinctive about any of it.”
“What about the key? There aren’t many of those, are there? Couldn’t you figure out whose is missing?”
“There are quite a few in circulation. And it wouldn’t be hard for a locksmith to make a new one, if requested.”
“So couldn’t we ask the locksmiths if anyone had asked for a key to be made?”
“All this will be done,” Tamon said. “We’ll investigate.”
“Wait,” Theos said. “Who’s ‘we’? Who’s involved in all this?”
“That’s not anything you need to know,” Photina said firmly. “Until things are finalized, we intend to maintain confidentiality.”
Theos sighed. He was being shut out again; then he remembered that hewantedout of this mess. “Fine. Is that it? I’m done?”
Tamon didn’t say anything, so Theos headed toward the door. “I’m sure you can handle it without me,” he offered. “Maybe it’s not too late for me to find a festival partner.” Or at least something to drink.
