Chapter Twenty-One

The broadsheet fairly screamed:

The Dragonmaster Strikes!

Hal winced.

"The dragonmaster, eh?" Lord Bab Cantabri said, mock admiration heavy in his voice.

"The broadsheets have a vivid imagination," Hal said.

"Still, that might look good, tastefully embossed on some stationery,"

Cantabri said. "Here's another good one," and he read the screamer aloud: Hero of Deraine Modest,

Worshipped by His Men

"Oorg," Hal managed, picking up another sheet from the impressive pile Cantabri had brought to the flight:

"His long, blond hair streaming, Sir Hal shouted his dragon fliers in to the attack with his battlecry, 'The Gods for Deraine and King Asir'…"

"Bastards can't even get my hair color right," Hal grumbled, rubbing his close-cropped brown hair.

"Heroes always should have long, blond hair," Lord Cantabri said.

"Makes 'em much more followable.

"Here's another:

"An exclusive account of the dashing raid against the Roche, as told directly by Sir Hal Kailas to Deraine's favorite taleteller, Thom Lowess—"

"That great liar I haven't seen since getting my leave cut short back in Rozen," Hal interrupted.

"Now, now, Sir Hal," Cantabri said in a soothing voice, his wicked smile undercutting any attempt at comfort. "Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story."

Hal grunted, listened as, outside the window, Farren Mariah read from another broadsheet with suitable emendations:

"Teeth gritted against the bleedin' autumn gales, grindin' his tongue to powder, our own Sir Hal lashed his dragon with his crop, forcing the enormous beast to whirl in his tracks, and smash into two attacking Roche monskers.

"Whirl, whirl, like a friggin' top.

"An' then the dragon took one Roche horror by its neck, usin' two talons of one claw, and dandled it up and down, then hurlin' it away, whilst our own Sir Hal grabbed the second horror by the tail, swung him about his head, and then—"

Hal closed the window with a bang, as a patrol of six soldiers marched past.

"I suppose," Cantabri said, "those square-bashers are just in case Ky Yasin decides to come back on you."

"They are."

"Best you should think about changing bases entirely," Cantabri suggested. "But keep the base support at your new post. The Roche have spies as well who might winkle you out."

"I'm already scouting for something," Hal said. "Preferably closer to the lines, so we'll be able to get a little flying in when winter comes."

"Ah, but I have a better suggestion," Cantabri said, smiling blandly.

"One guaranteed to keep you out of the winter weather, nice and active, and fighting for your country as proper heroes should.

"And not just you, but the whole flight, should you choose to volunteer them."

"I should've known you came here with more than delivering papers on your mind."

"If you have a map about—in a nice, secure place—I'll show you where the further opportunities to cover yourself with glory are."

"Or get dead."

"That," Cantabri sighed as he followed Hal into an inner room, "seems to go with the territory, does it not?"

He went to one of the maps in the briefing room, a fairly small-scale map of the entire front.

"Now, as we all know," he said, deliberately taking on a false tutorial manner, "the war is currently at something resembling a stalemate.

"What has been proposed by the king and his advisors, is a bold masterstroke, to quietly pull selected units from all four armies, move them to Paestum, together with new units currently training in Deraine, and Sagene allies.

"We'll go by sea, around Sagene's western border, then east, until we're beyond Sagene and the lines, and then make a bold assault on the Roche heartland.

"I'll not tell you just where yet, but it's along a river, that we can follow up to reach Roche's capital of Carcaor."

"How many men?"

"At least a hundred thousand."

"Which you'll be able to keep from talking about their coming glorious adventure?"

"If they don't know, they can't talk. We'll probably arrange some camouflage scheme, like issuing them arctic gear, reversing the promises we made for the Black Island expedition, or arranging for a map of Roche's northern seafront to be captured."

"What happens when we round Sagene's south-western cape? I assume the Roche have some sort of navy."

"Deraine's ships will be screening for the convoy."

"Mmmh. How many dragon flights?"

"Four have been selected."

"Not many for a hundred thousand men."

Cantabri lost, for a moment, his confidence.

"I know… but dragon fliers are scarce, and new formations won't be ready until spring, at the earliest."

"And you're in command of this operation?"

"No," Cantabri said, realized the note of his voice, and tried to put confidence back into it. "A close friend of the king's, a Lord Eyan Hamil, will command."

"I don't know the name."

"As I said, he and the king are very close. The story I've been given is that he's been in command of the approaches to Northern Deraine, and has begged the king for a more active command. He's an older man, quite charming."

"But he's never led an army in the field."

"No."

The two men stared at each other for a moment.

"Well," Hal said, "I'll put it to my fliers."

"You command most democratically."

"When it's convenient," Hal said. "Has there been any more of a plan developed beyond get ashore in this spot you won't name for me, and start marching upriver?"

"Not really," Cantabri said. "What deployments we'll make after the landing will depend on the Roche reactions."

Hal rubbed his chin.

"Is this the way you would have run this expedition?"

Cantabri stared at him.

"I don't think I'll answer that."

"You don't have to, sir."

Hal got up.

"I'll call the troops together, and have an answer to you—I assume you're at the First Army headquarters—by nightfall."

"You won't find me there," Cantabri said. "But I have a deputy there. As for myself, I have three other armies to canvass for brave men and heroes, so I've leagues still to ride this day."

"You really think we can pull this off?" Hal asked, watching Cantabri closely.

"Yes," Cantabri said, then, with growing confidence, "Yes, I do, and end this damned war for once and all."