The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil (89 page)

“There is no question,” Callum nodded, unfazed by the skeptical glances he received from the others. “The man’s name is Odell. He was among those apprehended aboard my ship in Siscal.”

Thoughtful of the information Callum provided, Cadell stared down at the map, his fingertips drumming idly against the surface of the table. “So we have a name, then. That is only somewhat helpful. It doesn’t change the difficulty we face in breaking into their prison. We will need to send another scout to examine the perimeter. To map out every window and exit. Location of guard posts…”

“It may change the difficulty. If you will hear me out,” Callum continued. “Ireni’s boss is a business man. He is no fool. His purpose when he collects a new captive is solely to gain a financial profit in selling them to the slave market. Ireni’s reason for coming after the Tanispan royal family was personal, not a direct command. As Aiva said, Ireni is a jealous and unstable woman. By now Osahar is likely aware of Shaelyn’s origin. He wouldn’t be able to sell her. If the buyer discovered who her parents were, they would never complete the transaction. It’s too great a risk. The slave buyers prefer not to place themselves in the line of fire. Which means… Osahar will want to negotiate with our King. He will request a monetary sum in exchange for her return. A high one, without doubt. A king’s daughter would be worth an impressive ransom.”

“I did not come here to increase the wealth of our enemy, Captain,” Thade frowned, the lines on his face deepening once again. “If you suggest I meet and negotiate a price, then I will not hear any more.”

Callum shook his head defensively. “No, of course not,” he replied. “I’m suggesting a meeting be arranged, but the goal would not be to pay. It would be a distraction.”

Intrigued, Cadell leaned forward, elbows propped on the map to rest his chin in his hands. He let his gaze settle on his son, listening intently. “You have my attention. What do you propose?”

“Osahar only has ready access to a small number of men. The rest are at sea, or on the islands. This leaves his available guards limited,” Callum stated. He removed his hands from the map, clasping them behind his back in a confident stance. “If word is sent that King Thade requests a negotiation, he will expect our King to come with soldiers. Osahar would be a fool not to increase his own numbers for protection. He will be forced to draw from the numbers which guard the prison. If the scouts are able to map the area, we can send in a second team to ambush the remaining guards while the negotiation takes place. When Shaelyn has been safely extracted, a signal would be sent, and the talks can be ended in whatever way is appropriate.”

“And how do you recommend we get the Princess out of North Pointe before Osahar’s men stop us? You know they will give chase,” Cadell challenged. Callum appeared to expect the question, his face lighting up with a soft smile.

“It will take a few days for new scouts to be sent into North Pointe. In that time, Commander Varik could take a group of men with him to Dackdyn and retrieve one of the ships. You see,” Callum extended his hand again to gesture toward something on the map, “there is another port off the coast not far from North Pointe. If Commander Varik has the ship ready to sail, we can take Shaelyn directly there and be prepared for departure before Osahar’s men can board their vessel to take chase. The other ship in Dackdyn can be retrieved at a later time. We can only spare enough men to bring one to the port at North Pointe. Everyone else will have to be separated between an attack team and the negotiation team.”

Cadell stroked his chin in contemplation. The men were silent, considering the plan, searching for flaws. Unable to find any of significant note, Cadell turned his attention to Thade. “I think my son is onto something,” he nodded. “What do you think, Your Majesty? It holds risks, the way any plan would. My only concern is if word of the attack reaches Osahar before the talks can be ended.”

“It is certainly a dangerous possibility. We will have to make sure our numbers are large enough to hold Osahar’s men at bay long enough to escape,” Thade agreed. “We need to make sure our strongest fighters are split equally between the two units.”

“The General is the strongest and most capable of seeing Princess Shaelyn to safety,” Callum nodded, his eyes distant, lost in his thoughts. “I could accompany King Thade to the negotiations. My knowledge of the enemy might be of some use there.”

“Ah, that is where I question your logic,” Cadell cut in. “Think of the bigger picture, boy. We know Ireni is Osahar’s second-in-command. There is a strong possibility he will have her at his side during the negotiations. Given what has been learned of your past with her, and the accusations of her jealous nature and lack of stability, do you really think your presence would be conducive to a peaceful business discussion?”

The smile on Callum’s face faded. Cadell was right. Aiva shuddered to think how things would end if those two were placed in a room together. Ireni would do everything in her power to destroy whatever headway they might make. And if the talks were not leading to a peaceful solution, it would end in fighting, regardless of whether Osahar became aware of their ulterior motive. “You are right,” Callum frowned. “I should not risk making this more complicated than it is. I will accompany the unit at the prison.”

“The General will come with me to meet with Osahar,” Thade announced, his tone firm and unbending. There was no debate in his decision. “Captain, choose the men you wish to accompany you and do so wisely. You will want the strongest and most reliable soldiers at your side for this mission.”

“I will go with him,” Edric chimed in from behind the others. He’d been so quiet during the planning that Aiva had almost forgotten he was there.

Thade nodded to his son, giving no argument. Edric was a strong fighter. He would be an asset to the unit. “Very well,” he replied. “You and Callum can discuss who else you believe would be most beneficial to the cause. We will send the scouts tonight. Tomorrow we can allot which men go with whom.”

Aiva swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure where the men believed she would come into play for the mission. All she knew was that she refused to be left out. She would accompany one of the units into North Pointe. The hard part would be convincing her father to allow it. As King, Thade would not want to risk his heir falling in battle if there was a way to prevent it.

Chin held high, she moved into the room, giving up her silent hiding place near the door. At the sound of her approach the men were on their feet, hands at their hilts, prepared to strike at their unexpected intruder. “Father, I will accompany the Captain as well,” she stated boldly.

Shock was evident on the faces of every man in the room. Edric’s jaw hung open in disbelief while Cadell averted his gaze, shielding his eyes to avoid looking at Aiva. Thade quickly made his way to a chair at the far end of the tent, his hands grabbing onto a blanket draped over the back, moving to Aiva with deliberate strides. “You most certainly will not,” he said loudly, wrapping the fabric around Aiva to cover her body from view. “I gave you a very simple direction to remain inside your room. You should not be out here. And what in the name of Sarid are you wearing?”

“It was a gift from General Uttae,” she replied, her hands pushing the blanket away from her. She didn’t want to be treated like a child. If she was going to have any chance at convincing them to let her help, she couldn’t allow them to behave as if she was still a little girl. “There is nothing wrong with the way I look. My clothes are not what I came here to discuss.”

“General Uttae?” Thade peered at her in obvious discontent. “Captain, did you allow her to dress like this while separated from the men?”

Callum tried to suppress a laugh, arms folded across his chest. “It was not a matter of allowing her to, Your Majesty. Her dress was ruined and we had nothing else. General Uttae did what he could to see her covered sufficiently. Their style of dress in Tunir is somewhat different from our own. Many of the women wear far less fabric than that.”

“Father, please,” Aiva pleaded. Why did they have to worry so much about her clothes? It was detracting from the importance of her initial demand. “I want to fight. This battle is no more yours than it is mine. Let me go with Edric and Callum. I can help.”

“Absolutely not. This is no place for you. I will not risk it.”

“But I can fight, Father!” she exclaimed, unwilling to back down. “I can wield a sword just like any of the soldiers here. I am not helpless.”

“You are not helpless, but you are my daughter. You are the Vor’shai heir. I refuse to stand by and allow you to put yourself in danger when it can be avoided. You will accompany Commander Varik to Dackdyn and remain on the ship where it is safe. End of discussion.”

She opened her mouth to speak, surprised to hear Edric’s voice come before her own. He moved forward from where he stood at Callum’s side, a concerned expression upon his face. “Father, I have to argue against that,” he stated, his tone firm, though the flash of hesitance in his eyes revealed his discomfort at speaking out against his father. “She should not travel the roads between here and Dackdyn. I am more afraid of that than I am of her fighting a few pirates in North Pointe.”

“You doubt Commander Varik’s ability to protect her?”

“No, I’m sure he would fight valiantly. The problem is in the attention she would draw to his men. Not to mention the danger it exposes her to,” Edric sighed. “Father, the raiders would single her out. They did it once before and knowing what they did to her, I cannot in good conscience allow that to happen again. If the raiders saw her, they would attack Varik’s men to get to her. We need them to reach Dackdyn in one piece so they can pilot the ship.”

“What they did to her? Edric, is there something else you boys are not telling me?” Thade demanded.

Aiva rolled her eyes, moving across the floor to stand beside Callum. At her approach he let his hand slide around her waist, drawing her against him protectively. “They did nothing, Your Majesty, though not for lack of trying,” Callum stated calmly. “Thankfully, Aiva killed the bastard before he managed… much. I have to agree with Edric. To send her with Commander Varik would place her and the mission at significant risk which could jeopardize everything. If his men do not make it to the ship, we have no escape from North Pointe. And if the raiders were to succeed in taking her, we would go from one kidnapped princess to another.”

Hands clenched at his sides Thade stared at Callum and Edric, the strain on his features worse than Aiva remembered having seen before. He looked torn. Struggling with some internal battle. “You will have to forgive me,” he replied quietly. “I am having a difficult time accepting the idea of my little girl killing someone.”

“Your little girl is not so little anymore, Your Majesty,” Cadell stated from where he remained standing behind the table. He avoided letting his gaze near Aiva, focused on Thade with a look of concern. “This is not an unfamiliar predicament, Sire. You and I had a similar discussion almost fifty years ago. I believe your heart is again stuck in the same place it was then. You argued against Leyna being allowed to fight in the war out of fear for her safety. Had she not participated, it is likely you and I would be dead and Tanispa would be overrun by undead filth.”

“Leyna was a trained and experienced soldier. This cannot be compared.”

“Aiva is trained. Your wife made sure of that. If you are concerned about her experience, perhaps we should leave the decision in the hands of the Captain. He is the only one of us present who has witnessed her fight outside of practice.”

Thade turned to Callum, almost desperate in his motions. “Captain, you of all men must know the way I feel. We discuss the fate of my daughter. Your wife. Do you not agree it is in her best interest to remain distanced from this fight?”

Aiva watched her father in silent torture at his suffering. She couldn’t blame him for the way he felt. Parental instinct. He loved her dearly. No one could fault him for it. But they could argue against whether it was enough to leave her out of the battle. It was in Callum’s hands now. She could only hope that he wouldn’t share in her father’s feelings.

“I do know the way you feel, Your Majesty. More than you know,” Callum stated quietly. “When we were in Tunir, I argued with every ounce of my being to convince her not to participate in the hunt which inevitably led to her fighting that tiger. Since then, she has proven time and again that she is more than capable. It was only because of her and Kaemin that we were able to break free of the pirates when they ambushed us in Palinon. And I can attest to the fact that I would not have been able to defeat the raiders without her help. She fought bravely and with incredible skill. Better than most of my strongest men. If we are discussing having our best warriors with me to rescue Shaelyn, I would have to swallow my pride and make the decision which is best for the mission rather than for my own heart. Aiva could be essential in our victory.”

Her heart filled with pride to hear Callum speak. She wanted to take him in her arms and kiss him, though she knew now was hardly the time for such gestures of affection. This was difficult for him. It was evident in the way he gazed upon her. Filled with love and an undeniable sense of fear. He was taking a chance in vouching for her. If Thade agreed to let her fight and anything happened to her in battle, it would be on his head. Callum would have to live with the blame for the rest of his life. But nothing was going to happen to her. She had no intention of falling to the pirates.

Defeated, Thade exhaled a deep breath, his eyes turned toward the ceiling of the tent. Everyone was against him. Although he held the power to make the decision, against the counsel of the others, he was reasonable enough to recognize that what they said was true. He couldn’t argue the dangers in sending her to Dackdyn. The only other choice was to allow her to fight. There would be nowhere else for her to go. Nothing else for her to do while the men prepared for battle. It would be easier to protect her from harm if she was at the side of his most trusted men.