The Diamond Warriors. David Zindell

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       5

      This news set the castle into a fury of activity. Lord Avijan immediately sent out emissaries to speak with Lord Tanu. He ordered the castle’s walls manned and extra provisions brought inside. Then, some hours later when he deemed all was secured, he summoned the greatest lords and knights to a war council in his great hall.

      ‘Lord Tanu has moved more quickly than even I would have thought possible,’ he told us.

      I sat at one end of the great table at the front of the hall facing Lord Avijan at the other. In between us along one side of the table were Lord Harsha, Lord Sharad and Lord Noldashan – Sar Jessu and Sar Vikan, too. My companions took their places along the table’s other side with Lord Manthanu, a thick and jowly man who had arrived only the day before. This great knight regarded me with puzzlement clouding his long face; he pulled at one of the battle ribbons tied to his long gray hair as if wondering if the tides of war would sweep him away so soon.

      ‘It is upon me,’ Lord Avijan said, looking up the table at me, ‘to see to the defenses of my lands and my castle. As it is upon us to advise you, Lord Elahad. But if you are to be king, in the end you must decide what we should do about Lord Tanu.’

      I inclined my head to him, then said, ‘To begin with, we don’t know why Lord Tanu is marching up the North Road.’

      ‘He isn’t on his way to invade Ishka!’ Sar Vikan called out.

      I smiled at this as the others laughed grimly. Then I said, ‘It seems that there is little doubt as to where Lord Tanu is leading his army. But we don’t yet know his intentions.’

      ‘To raze Lord Avijan’s castle and see you murdered!’ Sar Vikan cried out again. ‘And all of us who support you. That is his intention!’

      ‘Here, now!’ Lord Harsha said, banging the table with his hand. ‘There’s no need for such talk! Lord Tanu is no murderer, and he is certainly not so stupid as to waste his army trying to take this castle.’

      At this, Lord Sharad studied the keep’s thick walls, and said, ‘If not take it, then perhaps lay siege.’

      I slowly nodded my head at this as I looked at Lord Avijan. I asked him, ‘How long could you hold out against Lord Tanu’s army?’

      ‘Not so long as we could have a few days ago,’ Lord Avijan said. He pointed out into the hall, whose many tables would soon be filled with hungry men eating their dinner. ‘A thousand warriors have answered your call, Lord Elahad, and that is a great many to feed. Our stores might last four months.’

      ‘Four months!’ Sar Jessu said. His thick black eyebrows pulled together. ‘That is a long time to lay siege. Lord Tanu might give up.’

      ‘He won’t give up,’ Lord Avijan said. ‘No knight in Mesh is more tenacious. You have fought under him, and should know that.’

      ‘Then even if he doesn’t, anything might happen in the meantime,’ Sar Jessu said. ‘Lord Tomavar might move against Lord Tanu. Or the Waashians might move against all of us.’

      Here Sar Jessu turned toward me, and so did Lord Avijan, Lord Harsha and everyone else. And I told them, ‘We cannot afford to wait four months – not even one. Whatever we do, we cannot remain holed-up here behind these walls. That is what Lord Tanu wants.’

      Sar Vikan, a fiery and impulsive man, called out to me, ‘But you have said that you don’t know his intentions!’

      I looked at Atara, whose blindfolded face was like a clear glass giving sight of the future. I looked at Liljana, whose relentless gaze reminded me that I must always try to look into my enemies’ minds and try to think as they did – even as my father had taught me.

      ‘My apologies for misspeaking,’ I told Sar Vikan. ‘But surely, as Lord Harsha has said, Lord Tanu will not waste his men attacking the castle. Therefore his strategy must be to keep us immobilized here – and to divide Lord Avijan’s forces.’

      ‘Your forces, now, Lord Elahad,’ Lord Avijan said.

      ‘We shall see,’ I said, inclining my head to him. ‘Lord Tanu can encamp his army outside the castle and block the pass leading to it. He would keep the rest of your men from joining us. And threaten them. Would they then still keep their oath to you?’

      ‘Certainly they would!’ Lord Avijan said. ‘They are good men, with true hearts!’

      Sar Vikan, who now finally saw the line of my argument, asked Lord Avijan, ‘But if you released them from their oaths, as you released us, in such circumstances, would they then pledge their swords to Lord Elahad?’

      At this, Lord Avijan looked down at the table and said nothing – and so said everything.

      ‘Lord Tanu would divide us,’ Lord Manthanu said to me in his deep, gravely voice. ‘And that might be the end of your chances, Lord Valashu. In my district, many warriors remain unpledged to anyone – as it is throughout Mesh. They wait to see what you will do. A victory of any sort will encourage them. But a defeat …’

      He did not finish his sentence, nor did I wish him to. I did not want to think in terms of victory over my own countrymen, if that meant driving them down with swords.

      Lord СКАЧАТЬ