The Broken Kingdom (60 page)

The Dragon tensed, and then he leapt into
the sky. Black wings beat strongly, sending gusts Riley’s way and
ruffling the leaves on the trees. Soon, he was gone.

Riley returned to the campsite, one hand
idly playing with her necklace.

She saw Vann and smiled.

‘How did it go?’ he asked.

‘The Dragon will do as I ask. Now I just
have to speak to the King.’

She was silent for a moment.

‘What is it?’ he asked, touching her
elbow.

‘I’m probably going to get my friends
killed.’

Vann didn’t say anything- he could not deny
that. But he did not let go of her.

Riley smiled at him, it was an uncertain
smile. She felt ill. Razra’s face flashed into her mind, and
Jillia’s and the faces of her old unit.

‘I don’t know any other way.’

‘I know.’ and he hugged her.

Riley shook her head. They’d been over this
a thousand times. There was still time to give up on this plan.

‘Is everybody ready to move?’ she asked, her
tone business like. It would take a bit over a month for the tribe
to reach Astar, as they could not travel as fast as Riley could on
her own.

‘Everyone knows where they’re going. We’re
just waiting on your word.’

Riley nodded. ‘Have Karesh’s group,’ which
consisted of those who would not be fighting, as well as some
warriors to protect them, ‘leave now. I want you to go with
them.’

‘No.’

‘Vann-’

‘No, Riley, I’m staying with you.’ and he
took her hand. ‘We’re doing this together.’

A few days later, Aerlid returned, the King
at his side.

The camp was smaller now. Karesh’s group had
already left, heading for Astar, but away from the fighting. They
would be close enough to summon quickly, but far enough to be
safe.

‘Hello.’ Riley greeted the King, not
commenting on his promptness.

He narrowed his dark eyes at her. ‘Why do
you want to talk to me?’

‘Andalla is gone. There is no need for you
to fight anymore.’

‘I beg to differ.’

‘I want peace, but I’m not afraid of a
fight.’ and she smiled. ‘Do you want to hear what I have to say or
not?’

‘Very well, what is it?’

‘I am feared by your people more than you
now. I’ve done what you never could.’

His gaze sharpened.

‘But there’s something even I can’t do.
There are a people stronger than me.’

‘And?’

‘And I want you to fight them.’

‘You want me to go off and start a fight? If
that’s your definition of peace, I’m all for it.’

‘You do me a favour, and I will serve you
willingly. And the world will fear you again, the ehlkrid will flee
from you faster than they do from me.’

He regarded her coolly, looking for the
trap. But this was not a man accustomed to losing.

‘How did you kill Andalla?’ he asked.

‘I chopped off his head.’

‘How?’

‘I convinced him to let me. He even made the
sword for me.’

‘And do you now seek to trick me?’

‘What trick? I’m asking you to defeat a
bunch of people who tried to kill me. I tricked one man, King, I
cannot trick an entire people. I want them dead, and I cannot do it
myself. I need you.’

‘Perhaps you think they’ll win.’

‘So the King of the Ehlkrid is afraid.’

Riley could see from his eyes that he saw
what she was doing. But that didn’t change the fact that he
was
the King of the Ehlkrid, and he could fear no one.

‘Very well.’ he finally said. ‘I’ll destroy
these people. Every last man, woman and child. Where are they?’

Riley described Astar to him.

‘And where will you be?’

‘I will be watching. And I’ll be waiting to
finish the job if you screw it up.’

‘That’s not what I’d worry about if I were
you.’ and with a sharp smile he flapped his own wings, smaller than
the dragon’s, and took off.

Riley waited, watching him leave. And then
she looked at Aerlid. ‘Do you think he’ll do it?’

‘He doesn’t trust you, but he will. He is
the King after all. He won’t keep you around afterwards though,
Riley. He won’t take that risk.’

Riley nodded, ‘I expected as much. Have you
finished the book?’

‘Pretty much. Saerlid’s trick worked
well.’

‘Good. We head for Astar in an hour.’

Chapter 71

‘
I
don’t like this.’
Declared Metis Teilins, the Head of Governmental Affairs.

‘Neither do I.’ Mr Briggs replied curtly,
‘however to try and dissuade her by force would be an exercise in
futility. No, the best thing to do is to fortify our defences and
wait. It is entirely possible she will turn her attention to Astar
if she succeeds in defeating the ehlkrid.’

He looked around at the council chamber, at
his fellow leaders of Astar. Garna Ulis, the young Head of the
Agricultural Division looked like he’d aged twenty years since the
ehlkrid invasion. His skin was sallow, his hair unkempt and there
were dark circles under his eyes. The Head of Research and
Development, Ella Lesai, looked as alert and brilliant as ever. The
rest of the council were somewhere in between the two, not quite as
tired, but not quite as jaunty either.

‘So, what is your plan, Briggs? Fortify
Astar and hope for the best?’

‘That is what we are here to discuss. You
are aware the Vachi were notified of these developments?’

After a round of nodding from the council Mr
Briggs went on, ‘a number of their Worms are en route to us. They
wish to take the offensive against the ehlkrid.’ The Vachi had been
pressing for that for months now. They’d been perfectly happy to
hide within their mountain before, Mr Briggs didn’t know where
their sudden change of heart came from. He knew they’d already
started fighting the ehlkrid around their own home.

Garna Ulis perked up. ‘Please, explain.’

‘If the gemeng Riley Meilis loses against
the ehlkrid, the Vachi want to take the opportunity to finish them
off. If she wins… we may consider taking offensive action against
her. We still don’t know her goals.’

‘She’s never attacked Astar.’ Ella Lesai
mused. ‘And she seems to have done remarkable things with the
gemengs, and have the cooperation of the valkar, an interesting
people if I do say so myself, though I have not had the chance to
study them… yet after the incident with the mountain, it is hard to
believe she bears us no ill will.’

Mr Briggs nodded curtly. ‘We made our choice
when we brought down the mountain. Now, we must stick with it.’

‘We’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves.’
Metis Teilins said, ‘we were discussing the ehlkrid army that will
apparently be descending on Astar.’

‘
Near
Astar.’

‘Either way, too close.’

‘I think we should press the offensive.’
Garna Ulis said, his voice firm despite his ashen face. ‘If we
don’t do something we’re going to starve, most likely within the
next twelve-eighteen months. We need to do something about the
ehlkrid.’

‘An unsettling point…’ Ella Lesai murmured.
‘Unfortunately our joint venture regarding the cave mould has yet
to bear fruit… The growths within the northern mountains can only
support our population for about half of the year, if we increase
our harvest the mould won’t grow back.’

‘And let’s not talk about Coastside. They
don’t even
have
cave mould.’ Garna added. ‘They’re being
very close-mouthed about their stocks. I think their fishing is
supporting them for now, but from what I hear it’s gotten much more
dangerous.’

‘Mmm, Coastside has become more independent
of late.’ Metis murmured, ‘but again, we’re getting off topic. So,
Briggs, what are our chances if we and the Vachi forces unite to
finish off the ehlkrid, assuming the gemeng fails?’

‘That depends on how badly she fails.
However, the point has already been made that we have no other
option. If we wait too long, we’ll starve. This is the best
opportunity that has presented itself since the ehlkrid appeared, I
say we take it.’

‘You’ve objected in the past, when Commander
Reista of Coastside argued for an offensive.’

‘Mmm. Indeed, and you know why. What would
happen if we attacked the ehlkrid and failed? Do you think they
would let us hide behind our shields? Failure has always been too
great a possibility, and after, if they pressed the offensive,
either against our shields or the supply lines…’

Metis nodded, they’d already heard all this
before. ‘But you’ve changed your mind?’

‘As I said, with the support of the Vachi,
and if we take advantage of the gemeng attack against the ehlkrid,
this may be the best chance we’ll ever get.’ His demeanour was grim
and stern as he spoke. The possibility of failure, and the cost of
victory, hung heavily over him.

‘Alright, let’s take a vote; if the gemeng
fails to defeat the ehlkrid army, we and the Vachi forces will
press the offensive.’

There was a round of voting, it ended in a
clear affirmative.

‘Now, what if the gemeng succeeds?’ said
Metis.

‘That must be discussed with the Vachi. Her
connection to the valkar may trouble them, and it is possible they
would not support an attack against her.’ Mr Briggs answered.

‘So, we would have to consider the
possibility of non-interference from the Vachi, or even outright
hostility.’

‘Where the valkar are concerned, that is a
possibility. The Vachi place great importance on the valkar. I
suggest we break until we are able to get an answer from the Vachi
regarding their position.’

After murmured agreement, the council broke
up. Mr Briggs left to discuss the Vachi’s position with Messenger,
who still acted as a translator for radio communications. While he
walked he ran numerous scenarios through his head. Riley Meilis had
proven extremely difficult to kill in the past, though maybe the
ehlkrid would be successful where Astar had failed. And if she
succeeded, surely she would turn her attention to Astar. How could
she not, after what they had done? And that left the Vachi.
Personally, he could not conceive of hostile relations with his
fellow humans.

I’ll have to wait and see what they say.
They are a strange people, but as long as we bear no ill will
towards the valkar, they have no reason to object to us ensuring
Astar’s safety.

A surprise attack would be best.
If Riley
Meilis fails, we will fight the ehlkrid. If she succeeds, then our
only option will be to attack her before she attacks us.