will have an extra clause the council does not know about, and which they must not know about.”
“Extra clause?”
“You will be given the rank of general in the Grenda Lear army. It will give you the authority to commandeer regular troops on the border if you need them.”
Prado gasped. “Me! A general in your army? This is a turnaround.”
“Where will you go first?”
“To the Arran Valley. Many from my old company live there, and will form the core of my force. From there north, picking up groups where I can find them.”
“Where will you base yourself?”
“On the border with Haxus, not far from the Algonka Pass. That way I can move in either direction, depending on which target presents itself first.”
“When do you leave?”
“If I get the warrant tonight, first thing in the morning.” He grinned up at the chancellor. “And the palace will be rid of me at last!”
“I will let the queen know,” Orkid replied. “She will be so pleased.”
Chapter 5
As far as Kumul was concerned, one part of the Oceans of Grass looked much the same as the next. He had marched through parts of it during the Slaver War with the General’s army and had never understood how their Chett guides knew where they were going. He knew north from south and east from west, sure enough, but where exactly in the north or south or east or west had always eluded him. Everywhere he looked tall grass, yellowing with autumn, covered the undulating landscape. Although there were creeks, there were no rivers or valleys and nothing taller than the occasional clump of spear trees. He knew the impression of absolute flatness was misleading, that you could reach the crest of one rise to find an army waiting for you on the other side, hidden by the gentlest of elevations, but he felt himself longing for some real geography—a wide river, a forest, a mountain or two—anything to break the monotony.
Ager rode up beside him. “This place takes some getting used to,” the crookback said.
“I’ll never get used to it,” Kumul answered grumpily. “How do we know there is an end to it? We might ride until we are old men and not get to the other side of it.”
“There are worse fates. The Oceans of Grass has a special beauty.”
Kumul looked at his friend with alarm. “All your wounds are softening your head. There is no beauty here. It is ... I don’t know ...”
“Unrelenting,” Ager suggested.
“Yes, that’s it.”
“Lynan seems at home here.”
“He is quarter Chett. Besides, he feels safe here.”
“And you don’t?”
Kumul grunted. “I won’t feel safe until Lynan is reinstated in Kendra and I wear the constable’s uniform again.”
“Reinstated as what?” Ager asked after a moment.
“You’ve been thinking about the words we had with Korigan and Gudon last night?”
Ager nodded. “They made sense.”
“Lynan is not the rightful heir to the throne of Grenda Lear, Ager. There is a moral and legal distinction between us helping him right the wrong of his outlawry and helping him usurp Queen Areava.”
“Areava is his sworn enemy. He is the son of the hated commoner who replaced her beloved father as Usharna’s husband and consort. She has never liked him. Reinstating Lynan in the palace will not make him secure.”
“What do you mean?”
“He will still be seen as a threat by the Twenty Houses; probably even by Areava herself.”
“We can deal with that.”
“And don’t forget, Areava may always have been in league with Orkid and Dejanus.”
“I’ll never believe it.”
Ager leaned over to take Kumul’s reins and pulled up. “And even if Areava wasn’t part of the original conspiracy, she must be relying on Orkid and Dejanus now. She cannot have Lynan back.”
Kumul tugged his reins free. “You don’t know what you are saying, what it will mean for all of us.”
“It might mean our salvation.”
“We could be hanged as traitors.”
“If we’re caught, they’re going
“Extra clause?”
“You will be given the rank of general in the Grenda Lear army. It will give you the authority to commandeer regular troops on the border if you need them.”
Prado gasped. “Me! A general in your army? This is a turnaround.”
“Where will you go first?”
“To the Arran Valley. Many from my old company live there, and will form the core of my force. From there north, picking up groups where I can find them.”
“Where will you base yourself?”
“On the border with Haxus, not far from the Algonka Pass. That way I can move in either direction, depending on which target presents itself first.”
“When do you leave?”
“If I get the warrant tonight, first thing in the morning.” He grinned up at the chancellor. “And the palace will be rid of me at last!”
“I will let the queen know,” Orkid replied. “She will be so pleased.”
Chapter 5
As far as Kumul was concerned, one part of the Oceans of Grass looked much the same as the next. He had marched through parts of it during the Slaver War with the General’s army and had never understood how their Chett guides knew where they were going. He knew north from south and east from west, sure enough, but where exactly in the north or south or east or west had always eluded him. Everywhere he looked tall grass, yellowing with autumn, covered the undulating landscape. Although there were creeks, there were no rivers or valleys and nothing taller than the occasional clump of spear trees. He knew the impression of absolute flatness was misleading, that you could reach the crest of one rise to find an army waiting for you on the other side, hidden by the gentlest of elevations, but he felt himself longing for some real geography—a wide river, a forest, a mountain or two—anything to break the monotony.
Ager rode up beside him. “This place takes some getting used to,” the crookback said.
“I’ll never get used to it,” Kumul answered grumpily. “How do we know there is an end to it? We might ride until we are old men and not get to the other side of it.”
“There are worse fates. The Oceans of Grass has a special beauty.”
Kumul looked at his friend with alarm. “All your wounds are softening your head. There is no beauty here. It is ... I don’t know ...”
“Unrelenting,” Ager suggested.
“Yes, that’s it.”
“Lynan seems at home here.”
“He is quarter Chett. Besides, he feels safe here.”
“And you don’t?”
Kumul grunted. “I won’t feel safe until Lynan is reinstated in Kendra and I wear the constable’s uniform again.”
“Reinstated as what?” Ager asked after a moment.
“You’ve been thinking about the words we had with Korigan and Gudon last night?”
Ager nodded. “They made sense.”
“Lynan is not the rightful heir to the throne of Grenda Lear, Ager. There is a moral and legal distinction between us helping him right the wrong of his outlawry and helping him usurp Queen Areava.”
“Areava is his sworn enemy. He is the son of the hated commoner who replaced her beloved father as Usharna’s husband and consort. She has never liked him. Reinstating Lynan in the palace will not make him secure.”
“What do you mean?”
“He will still be seen as a threat by the Twenty Houses; probably even by Areava herself.”
“We can deal with that.”
“And don’t forget, Areava may always have been in league with Orkid and Dejanus.”
“I’ll never believe it.”
Ager leaned over to take Kumul’s reins and pulled up. “And even if Areava wasn’t part of the original conspiracy, she must be relying on Orkid and Dejanus now. She cannot have Lynan back.”
Kumul tugged his reins free. “You don’t know what you are saying, what it will mean for all of us.”
“It might mean our salvation.”
“We could be hanged as traitors.”
“If we’re caught, they’re going
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