“We don’t needhisopinion on their military tactics,” Shi said. “Especially not based on what he knows about the woman he’s having sex with.”
“She is their ruler and will have a say in the military matters, especially since she’ll likely remain on that island if she knows we’re coming.” Jhiton smiled faintly.
What, did heapprovethat Syla would keep herself in danger?
Vorik did respect that about her, but he also wished she would go back to her comfortable throne on Castle Island and leave the defense of the Kingdom to her soldiers. Then he wouldn’t have any qualms about joining an invasion force going after the Bogberry shielder. Well, notmanyqualms. That niggling part of him that worried about the fate some of his leaders wanted for the Kingdom subjects made him hesitate to throw his heart into this.
“She’s not going to command troop movements, I assure you,” Shi said, glancing at Amalia.
The general hesitated, but then nodded at her. “I wouldn’t think so, no. She’s a healer with no military experience.”
Jhiton looked thoughtfully at Vorik again.
“I… wouldn’t underestimate her.” Vorik didn’t know what else to say. Especially in front of Shi, he didn’t want to mention that Syla had gotten the best ofhimmore than once. As he reflected on the past couple of days, he wondered, not for the first time, if Syla hadlethim kidnap her so that she could do exactly what she’d done: retrieve her shielder components. After all, she’d come prepared with that sleeping drug. Her only miscalculation had been thattheyhad drugs as well and had been capable of fishing information out of her.
“No,” Jhiton said softly. “And they’ll be working to get the weapons platform out of the river.”
“Yes.” Vorik nodded.
“We’ll gather all the troops we can,” Amalia said, “but it sounds like we should attack as swiftly as possible too.”
Shi nodded. “And I order you to do so, generals. Take the battle swiftly to them so that we have the element of surprise and can catch them unprepared.”
After Amalia and Jhiton agreed to the command, the women departed.
“They’re not going to be surprised as long as Syla gets there first,” Vorik said when he and his brother were alone.
“Agreed,” Jhiton said. “We’ll have to be crafty.”
Did he already have a plan for that? Vorik wouldn’t be surprised. He didn’t know whether to hope Syla and her people came up with something equally crafty or not.
“Abrya is gone,” Lord Oyenar said as soon as Syla walked into what the soldiers had dubbed the war room, a spacious office in a barracks near the palace grounds. Unlike most of the militaryinstallations in the city, it had survived the stormer attacks unscathed.
“Gone?” Syla looked at Fel and Aunt Tibby, who’d accompanied her, along with several Royal Protectors.
“Gone,” Oyenar said. “That terrifying woman with the silver hair returned and got Abrya. The last I saw, she’s alive, but I don’t know for how long.”
“Until the stormers have gained access to the shielder chamber.” Fel waved to the back of Syla’s moon-marked hand.
“They don’t know where the shielder chamber is though. What good would Abrya be to them, unless…” Oyenar’s shoulders slumped. “Storm-cursed bastards, they’re going to interrogate her. Of course.Sheknows the location.”
It occurred to Syla that it might not matter that she’d told Jhiton where to find the shielder. The stormers might already know. Of course, the gods-gift usually granted a degree of mental fortitude that made those with moon-marks better than average at resisting blurting secrets during interrogation. She hoped Abrya could endure Lesva’s questions, as Syla herself had when she’d been the woman’s prisoner.
An officer in uniform came up to Oyenar and drew him aside. He was one of many high-ranking officers standing or sitting around a huge table made from a single slab of wood. A younger soldier was tacking maps of the island to the wall while a bespectacled man with a pen had a tally going labeledDragons and Their Last Known Locations.
As strange as it seemed, the dragons might be the least of their problems. Syla rubbed the back of her neck, tired and wondering when the last time was that she’d slept, other than briefly dozing on Igliana’s back on the way across the Sea of Storms. She’d been worried about pursuit, but exhaustion had forced a few short naps upon her.
As Oyenar conferred with his officer, the dread that had been lurking in Syla’s belly all day remained. She hadn’t yet informed him that she’d told the stormers about the shielder, and she didn’t look forward to it. Thus far, only Tibby and Fel knew, and they’d been grim since they’d received the news. It had been a struggle to pull Tibby away from assisting with setting up machinery to retrieve the weapons platform, but since she’d once done work in the mine, she might have useful input during this meeting.
“She hasn’t been found yet,” Oyenar said, turning back to Syla as his officer joined the others at the table. “We’ve got search parties out, but… it’s a big island.”
“I’m hoping the stormers won’t interrogate her. They… don’t technically need to.” Syla would have preferred not to explain why she knew that, but she couldn’t withhold crucial information. “They already know the location of the shielder.”
“What? How?” Oyenar blinked slowly. “Oh. My men said you were captured. I’ve been so distraught and sending troops all over the island to search for my wife that I… I didn’t forget, Your Majesty, but I didn’t think there was anything we could do to help you.”
“There wasn’t.”
“Did they interrogateyou?”
