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.And again, thenotations were in Xintan military script he couldn't read.Roland's finger traced the same path Rit's eyes had.“The south pass roadfollows the river for a couple of miles before going up and over on the far side of Mount Nesrin.” He twisted around and pointed.“If we need to get to the road, weshould be able to go overland from here, but the terrain can get pretty rough.The river would be the surest route.”“Any towns?”“Anquin at the start of the pass.” He motioned off the edge of the map.“AndNes, here.” He hesitated, then pointed several finger lengths along the blue line, a thumbnails width past the flag mark that Rit thought must mean a township.“They've got it wrong on the map.”“How often have you been through here?”“Except for this year, every summer since I was small.My father and the twoof us.my brother.we'd go to Surri while my mother stayed with my aunt onthe coast.We always stopped at Nes; there isn't anything else except for themountain shelters.The road is good enough to travel on after dark so we'd keepgoing until we reached there, even if we'd gotten a late start from Anquin.FromNes, we'd take the road to Istarom.” His finger traced a dotted blue line thatLaurel Hickeywww.2morrow.bc.caEye of the Ocean – Book 2: Alisimbroke off from the solid.“Another day, maybe five, six hours actual riding.TheRom mines are there.”“Any fortifications?”“There's room for two hundred guard to be billeted in the keep alone.”“You keep that many guard?”“Usually only thirty or so, all of them local.Besides, the town is right there,there are always more men available if there's trouble.Now with the war.Idon't know.”“Lord Strom wants you secured there as the acknowledged Head of MellonHouse.Can you do it?”“I told him I could.”Rit smiled at the answer.“And the location, could you hold off an attack?“Unless you're a goat, the road is the only way in.Half a hundred men couldhold off any army.” And in a quieter tone: “Pasi said he hadn't heard how far into Surri the Xintan forces have reached.” The boy looked up.Purple bruises showedalong his left cheekbone, but he had escaped a black eye.Rit motioned off one edge of the map, then took the stone that was holding thecorner down and scratched a rough outline in the dirt.“The primary attack wentin from Catalli, not the occupied Heg lands.” Freed, the map began to curl.Estan pinned with his foot.The broad sweep of the stone through hemlock needles showed the attackroute.“A mounted force along the main pass roads to.” A mountain range inminiature made of the same needles.“.Vaslir here, then.”“The castle at the junction of the Vaslirstrom and.”“And Surulistrom rivers.They'd be joined there by the Riwan based troops, notfrom the south pass here, but through the Akliff trade roads.Once Vaslir wastaken.”“The war would be over.”“Yes.” Dizzy from bending, Rit straightened and to wait a moment until thepounding in his head subsided.Erisin, where Ulanda was headed, was betweenIstarom and the Innit border.Outside of the planned invasion route, but not bymuch, not when taking into account the fluid style typical of Xintan warfare.If it had been Heg troops driving this, he wouldn't have worried.“The arrangementswith both the Innit Unity and the Catalli Regent was to.” He left the detailsunsaid.Trade agreements and concessions from another life.His faced him here.He started again: “The natives of Surri have more in common with the Aklifmountain tribes, not the Heg lowland people.Historically, they're more loyal totheir Clan leaders than to the central government.By keeping the war restrictedto the main trade towns.”“I've got relatives I know would thank you for it.”Laurel Hickeywww.2morrow.bc.caEye of the Ocean – Book 2: AlisimOverstated, but he nodded.“The idea was to leave the native population out ofthe war as much as possible.And to concede on issues which have always causedproblems in the area.”“The metals tax.”“Among other things, yes.And the compulsory military service.”“The war wasn't going to touch my father's lands, was it?”“Your lands now.We had to offer the local leaders reasons to support thepeace, the ones in Wilni Capital, at Court, and those our agents could reach.The more potential they were for trouble, the more we had to offer them.”“He bought that ability to cause trouble by sacrificing my brother in the RoyalGuard.”In small measure perhaps, but the young man in front of him must have beenAspier's hope for real power where he wanted it.In Wilni Capital.“Will yourpeople here accept you as Lord Aspier with your father still alive? And I don'twant the simple yes you gave Wilntinn.”“If I can reach them first.My father's not popular with much of the family.Hewasn't as ambitious in his first marriage.She was a cousin, my grandmother'syoungest sister's daughter.He married too soon again after she died.” The boyrubbed under his nose.“It was especially bad that he married who he did.”A close relation of the king, thereby endangering his eldest son's position withany younger children outranking him.And how would the same relatives considerthat offspring, especially with a Trihawk bride in tow? The Denman Trihawk hadalways been on the opposite side of the political divides in Hegemony, and veryconcrete proof of Milla's father's willingness to cooperate with the new order of things was standing not twenty feet away.When the discussion had turned to military talk, Milla had followed his ownfootprints to the start of the trail down to the flitter.Her back was half turned.If there had been a door, she would have closed it between them.Roland had noticed him watching her.“Sire, if I may speak.”“Rit.”Roland nodded.“Rit, then.In private, please.” Without a word, Estan movedaway.“A permanent record of the marriage was made, the same as a CharterHouse Recorder would do.Lord Hanes saw to it.Your Secretary made up thedocument.”“He still holds his Charter House rank.And the record was in the stack ofpapers I signed.”“So your man assured me, but events were rushed towards the end.Milla willbe relieved.”“And you? Your father would have made you king.Is this particular child andwife worth what you gave up?”Laurel Hickeywww.2morrow.bc.caEye of the Ocean – Book 2: AlisimRoland laughed at that.“Speaking of my father, he's much better at provokingme.Are you testing my temper?”He shrugged.“Like you said, events were rushed there at the end.”“My father said that the best battles are ones you never have to fight, but winregardless.He said you were a military genius.”“Did he just?” Rit shook his head at any answer.“I'm going to have a lookaround and stretch my legs.”Opposite where Milla still waited, the ground rose sharply in a tumble ofmassive rocks and rotted logs and fell away again to one side.A landslide, andfrom the size of the trees, it had happened maybe a hundred years ago.Grownbetween and around the rocks, exposed roots provided easy handholds againstthe slippery moss, but he wondered how the dog had managed.From the top, hecaught glimpse of a flash of light between the trees.He waited a moment but itwasn't repeated.Alicia? Or just Pasi and the dog? He started that way.Roland's voice came from behind him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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