Dragon's Trail by Joseph Malik

Author:Joseph Malik [Malik, Joseph]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Oxblood Books
Published: 2016-09-30T04:00:00+00:00

The Gavrian War Room was a bedlam. Men jumped from the table, yelling and pointing.

“Enlisted the gbatu?” Loth shouted, lunging at Ulo. Ulo stood, and with a sweep of his hand knocked Loth over from five steps away.

The room settled. Loth rose.

“Anyone else?” Ulo asked.

No takers.

Ulo looked to Mukul, who rolled his eyes and threw up one hand.

When the room had settled, Ulo sat, and sipped his tea, treading carefully. “I’ve been driving those little bastards out of my lands since the day I arrived. Gbatu, by their nature, fear an even fight. They fight us only when they outnumber us.”

“Idiot!” Loth added.

“That’s how you win,” said Ulo.

“You’re mad,” Loth grumbled. “And you’re a fool.”

Ulo sipped his tea. “By your logic, perhaps.”

“By any logic!” Loth shouted.

“By arming the gbatu in Falconsrealm, giving them rabbits to chase while we move northward? Your problem is solved.”

“What about Hillwhite?” asked Marghan. “We were of the impression that you were working with him.”

“I am. Hillwhite likes this plan better. His hands are off this. Nothing leads back to him.”

“So we take the risk,” said Kaslix.

“And we get the reward,” said Ulo. “Falconsrealm and the Shieldlands, as part of Gavria. Ruled by . . . I don’t know. You decide. I don’t care.”

The room went quiet.

“How long have we been at war with gbatu?” Ulo asked.

Loth spoke. “Since the world began.”

“And they’re still a problem, right?”

This brought hesitant agreement.

“Why?” asked Ulo.

A long moment passed with no one saying anything.

“Numbers?” someone ventured.

“Resourcefulness,” offered Loth. “When they’re cornered—when they must fight—they can be fearsome.”

More nods and beard-pulling.

“So we arm them,” said Ulo. “We armor them. We turn them loose in the far quiet corners of Falconsrealm—the deep places—and when Albar sends his legions to rout them, they’ll have to fight. They’ll fight hard. Falconsrealm already has a war on its hands, though it doesn’t know that, yet. While their troops are occupied we move north, through Ulorak, along the Teeth of the World.”

“The Eastern Freehold will never—”

“The Eastern Freehold,” said Ulo, “Won’t raise a hand. I’ve got a champion watching those passes from a throne made of their generals’ skulls.”

Hanmin made a religious gesture. “You’re mad. He’s mad,” he told the room.

“No,” said Marghan. “I want to hear this.”

“We buy off the lords of the Shieldlands,” said Ulo, telekinetically picking up several troop markers and sliding them across the great map on the table. “We skip Axe Valley, we skip Longvalley. We stage at friendly towns and keeps, and when the weather clears, we cross the mountains and walk into Falconsrealm.”

Much conversation.

“It could work,” said Loth.

“Once we have Falconsrealm,” said Mukul, “we’ll have the rest of the Shieldlands. We won’t even have to fight for them.”

“It will work,” said Marghan. “And now, it seems we have no choice.”

“We use my ore to continue to arm the gbatu,” said Ulo. “My iron, my smiths. Hillwhite buys the arms from me, at my prices. You tax me on it.”

“Done,” said Hanmin.

“I’m heading back to Falconsrealm in the morning.”

“What for?” Loth demanded.

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