Galenos scowled. “More than we can afford. I intend to lodge a complaint with the Masons’ Guild. All of the guilds need the Market District open to do business, so I don’t understand why they’re charging us so much. The temples helped foot the bill for their own district, so why shouldn’t the guilds do the same?”
She reached up and rubbed his broad shoulders, hunched over in his seat. “The guilds are struggling, too,” she murmured. “No one anticipated that the rains wouldn’t come.”
Galenos picked up the list of land-holding lords along with all of their assets. “Is there anyone who hasn’t purchased bonds for the restoration project yet? There must be some way we can persuade them to give us a little more funds.”
Korinna waved the list away. “They’ve all bought bonds, many of them twice.” She stood up and stretched, pressing her hands into the small of her back. “But Diokles tells me that if this drought continues, they’ll lose many of their crops before harvest, and they won’t have any money to spare.”
“That only leaves taxes, and the common people will struggle even more if the harvest is poor.” Galenos groaned and pushed the papers away. “Everywhere I turn, there’s nothing but excuses. It’s impossible!”
She pressed her lips together to keep from pointing out that the so-called ‘excuses’ were legitimate hardships. They’d argued enough lately.
Her eyes drifted over the reports, drifting from one list of costs to another. “If we can’t get the money, we’ll just have to reduce our budget. Surely there’s something that we can cut back on.”
He looked her in the eye—when he was sitting down, she could just meet his eye level by standing up. “What do you want me to cut?” he said in a defeated tone. “The repairs for our roads or the new health clinic you proposed to make sure there isn’t another epidemic which kills a quarter of our people?”
She shook her head helplessly. All of it was important. Then her eyes fell on one report marked with the seal of a bird in flight—the Storm Petrels.
She pointed to it. “The military budget.” She held up her hand to stop him when he opened his mouth to protest. “Yes, I know you promised your brother Varranor, but we’re not planning to attack anyone else. We shouldn’t be paying so much for a mercenary company that does nothing but hunt for a few monsters.”
His dark eyes narrowed. “It’s not merely a sentimental promise to my brother,” he said coldly. “There’s still many people who aren’t happy that you and I took over Kyratia. If we show the slightest hint of vulnerability, our neighbors won’t hesitate to attack us. We need our forces to defend us.”
She moved closer to put her arm around his shoulders. “It’s been almost a full year,” she pointed out. “I think if someone was going to challenge our rule, they would have done it by now. I’m not saying we should end our contract with the Storm Petrels entirely, but do we need all of them?”
Galenos brushed away her touch. “You don’t know anything about military strategy.”
Korinna stiffened. “Not as much as you, but some. Don’t forget that I fought by your side to liberate this city.”
He raised his eyebrows as her. “As a soldier, I would never let you question my orders as your commander.”
She put her hands on her hips and smirked. “And as your wife?”
He shook his head. “I’d still tell you that there’s nothing we can do.” He flipped to the third page of the report. “I gave them permission to replace their numbers over the summer, and the new soldiers are all under contract for the next two years. They had to recruit more than usual not only to replace those lost in battle, but there were also a large number of soldiers retiring since we declared that immigrants can become full citizens.” That law was a point of pride for him. The naturalization law had been one of his first acts as duke. “We can’t reduce their pay or cut short contracts we’ve already signed.”
She chewed her lower lip, scanning over the columns of numbers. What he said was true: the summer recruitment had been substantial to make up for a large number of the mercenary soldiers retiring. Then she saw the opportunity, and snapped her fingers together.
“That’s it,” she said, smiling with the sudden inspiration. “All of those soldiers had half of their wages saved for them until retirement, so they’ve got money to set themselves up now. We’ll put up new housing to replace the damaged buildings alongside the streets, and offer them to the retired veterans at cost. The Masons’ Guild will be paid and we’ll have happy new citizens.”
Galenos considered it for a moment. “That could work,” he said, with the first hint of hope in his voice all day. “We’ll do a work up of the details and then I’ll ask Varranor if anyone is interested in moving to the city.” He pulled her close again, kissing her lightly on the lips. “A clever idea, wife.”
Korinna smiled and leaned into him. “You just need to trust me more, husband,” she said teasingly.
He laughed and nodded. “I won’t forget again.” Then he glanced back at the table and his smile faded. “You know this won’t solve our larger problems. There just isn’t enough money for everything we need, and our economy is taking too long to recover. Sooner or later we are going to have to start making hard decisions about what to cut.”
She gripped him tighter. “We’ll find a way. Let’s just take it one thing at a time.”
***
Korinna adjusted the folds of her kattar. The decorative cloth, embroidered with rich designs suited to her noble birth and title, was both a boon and a burden in her current state: the extra cloth draped loosely to hide her growing belly, but it also felt stifling inside City Hall as it neared midday. The weather was unseasonably hot. Usually, clouds and rain cooled the air in the second half of the year, but with the drought, the temperature was rising. She wished that they had the funds to renovate City Hall and add more windows to let in a breeze.
Outside the main hall, Galenos gave her a measuring look. “If you want, you can go rest. I’ll explain your proposal to the rest of the Council.”
She shook her head. “I will come in and listen, at least. I can manage for now.”
He took her arm and led her around the Council’s round table. She waited with a smile as he pulled out her chair and rearranged her pillows for her.
The other Councilors stood respectfully until their duke and duchess were both seated. Then Galenos called the meeting to order.
Korinna listened patiently as the Council began their discussions. Her proposal for the street repair fund was down past several other items on the agenda, so she would have to wait to hear their advice.
Dinner was delivered at noon during the meeting, and still the Councilors talked on while they ate, trying to balance Kyratia’s numerous needs against their dwindling coffers. The heat and the food had a soporific effect on Korinna, and she found herself dozing. Everyone was so involved in the discussions that no one seemed to notice if she closed her eyes just for a minute or two.
The main door banged open, startling her out of her nap. Korinna pushed herself up straighter in her seat and looked around wildly to see what had happened.
A pale blonde woman, dressed in the leather uniform of a marewing rider, had burst into the room. “Forgive my interruption, Honorable Council,” she said with a hasty bow. “It’s an emergency.”
For a long moment, everyone stared in stunned silence. The other Councilors looked around at each, as if not sure how to react. “There should be a guard at the door, to prevent these rude intrusions,” Charis muttered. “Where is the aide to announce her?”
Korinna squinted at the rider’s face, but she couldn’t remember her name. Something foreign, she knew, from her northern heritage, but although she could remember seeing the young woman once in Neusici Valley, she didn’t remember what name had been given.
The rider turned and saluted Galenos as if he were still the Warlord. “Permission to speak, sir.”
Galenos returned the salute. “Rider Tat
iana,” he addressed her. He had a remarkable memory for all of the men and women in the Storm Petrels, even the ones who had joined after he gave up command. “Report your purpose here.”
“It—it’s an emergency,” Tatiana stammered again. “Gryphons are attacking, all along the river. They seem to be heading toward the city.”
Anxious murmurs went around the table, and Korinna gripped the arms of her chair. Another fight in the city could cause more damage and set back everything they’d already done in the past year.
Galenos remained calm, his face betraying no emotion. “You should be reporting this to Warlord Varranor at Fort Ropytos. He is your commander, and he will decide how to defend against this attack.”
Tatiana shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, sir. Actually, he’s the one who sent me.” She coughed. “The Warlord is on his way just behind me. He ordered me to say that there’s so many gryphons, he’s going to need every marewing to help. He, um, requests your personal aid.”
Galenos frowned. “The law required that I cease to fight when I took rulership of this city and started a family,” he said icily. “I am no longer a rider that the Warlord can command. Return and tell my brother that his ‘request’ is denied.”
The poor rider hesitated, clearly torn between her loyalty for her commander and her awe of the duke. Despite his retirement, respect for Galenos had only grown among the riders. “You still have Nightshade,” Tatiana insisted. She pulled herself up straighter. “A rider pledges himself for the life of his mount. She must fight with us, and you’re the only one who can fly with her, so you must come too.”
Korinna glanced sidelong at her husband. Seated next to him, she could see the tendons pop on his arms when he stiffened in response to the rider’s reminder, a reaction that the others wouldn’t catch. She knew that he felt the same as she did: the urge to run to their marewings immediately and fly in the defense of their people. And why not? Kyratia needed them.
But Galenos recovered himself and shook his head. “This city needs me more. I must stay here, to defend all of Kyratia. The Storm Petrels have more marewings than any other mercenary company. The Warlord must make do with what he has.”
Tatiana saluted, with less enthusiasm than before. “I’ll go tell him your answer, sir,” she said sadly. She turned and slunk out of the room, looking dejected.
The Councilors turned and looked nervously at the duke.
“Should we alert the guards to prepare our defenses, in case they attack the city?” Diokles asked.
Galenos was still struggling to keep his composure, which made his voice come out flat. “I’ll tell the captain to take the necessary precautions, but I don’t think we’re likely to need them. The magical shield around the city will stop them if they get this far.” He faked a casual smile. “My brother is probably just nervous. This is his first action in command of the whole company, and he wants my guidance. But I’m sure he’ll turn back these gryphons easily and that will give him more confidence to act on his own in the future.”
The Councilors mostly looked relieved at the duke’s reassurance. They made a few comments of agreement, praising Varranor’s long years of service as a senior officer, and soon moved on to the business at hand.
Korinna wasn’t so easily convinced. She gently interrupted the talk again. “I think we need a break, to clear our minds after that disturbance.” She looked over at Galenos. “And if I may, I’d like a chance to talk with His Grace alone.” He did not like her to question his judgment in front of the rest of the Council, so he had promised to speak with her privately when issues came up during meetings.
Galenos met her gaze with flashing eyes—so he already knew that he wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “I second the motion,” he said coolly. “Let us adjourn for a quarter of an hour, so we may all return with clear heads.”
The others agreed, and he pulled back the chair, helping her to her feet. Korinna tried not to let his apparent disapproval discourage her. She had to say something, or she knew she would regret it. She leaned on his arm for support on the way out of the room and hoped he would listen.
Galenos III
Galenos and Korinna left the room, and they were soon out of earshot in their private chamber off the Council meeting hall. He tried to lead her over to the couch, one of several new accommodations in the office to help her feel more comfortable, but she refused to sit down.
Korinna turned to her husband. “I don’t think Varranor would send for you if it wasn’t urgent,” she began gently. “Perhaps you should take this threat more seriously.”
Galenos waved away her concerns. “I can’t appear to react strongly in front of the politicians. Those fools are likely to panic.” He nodded to the closed door. “I’ve already sent a messenger to the Captain of the Guard. I’ll review our current defenses as soon as we’re finished with this meeting. One gryphon is no great threat, but they hunt in groups, and their tactics show remarkable intelligence above natural beasts. I won’t underestimate them.”
She looked up at him hopefully. “Then you will ride to join your brother?”
“Of course not.” He leaned against the front of his desk and folded his arms, answering her patiently. It would be easier to spell things out for her clearly than to waste time going back and forth. “Everything that I said about no longer being a soldier was true. I can’t afford to leave the city during a threat, nor break the law by fighting. That would only give our enemies an opening to challenge my claim to Kyratia’s leadership.”
She took a deep breath and struggled to compose her features. “You won this city as a soldier. Maybe it would do our people good to see you as a hero like that again. And you wouldn’t be fighting in a war, just defending against wyld monsters.”
He was already shaking his head before she could finish getting the words out. “No, no. Even the appearance of returning to my former profession would be too dangerous.”
He rested his hand on her shoulder and gave her a sympathetic smile. “I know it’s hard to think of people suffering and dying while we sit here, but we won’t be doing nothing. Trust me when I say that I will be doing more good in the city, guiding all of our people, than on the front line risking my personal safety. I have too much riding on me now, especially with no heir to take my place yet.” He looked down at her belly.
She covered the bump with her hand. “The midwife says it’s probably a boy. Something about the way that I’m carrying. But he will be strong, like his father—I feel the power in his kicks every day.” She smiled up at him. “I know that you’re too strong to be killed by a couple of gryphons.”
Galenos’s smile faded. “There’s risk in any battle.” He put his arm around her and brought her over to the couch, sitting down with her. “Come, take your own advice and clear your mind of this disturbing news.”
Korinna let herself sink back into the soft couch cushions and leaned against him, and for a moment she was silent. Then she cleared her throat and began again. “I can’t imagine that you feel right sitting here after all your years as a rider. It will be hard for Nightshade and Sungold to stay calm here, too, if they sense the city in danger.”
His arm tightened around her. “They won’t try to fight without their riders. They’re too well-trained.” He gave her a sharp glance, suddenly afraid of what else she might be thinking of. “Besides, it’s not as if you could go, either way.”
She sat up straighter. “Why not? If you’re too busy, then I could go in your place. Varranor said that he could use every marewing he could get.”
“Korinna.” He gripped her with both hands and turned her to face him. He had to make sure she understood how serious this was. “It’s far too dangerous. The physicians all recommended that you cease flying right now for your health, and the Storm Petrels refuse to let any pregnant woman fight with our company, in any position. I would never make an exception for my own wife and child.”
She glared up at him. “I’m not an invali
d!” Her patience had run out. “I’m barely halfway to term, and other than a little extra girth around the middle, my ‘health’ is just fine. Even the physicians agree that physical exercise is good for me.” His grip on her released, and she pushed herself up to stand so she could meet him at eye level. “I’ve risked myself for worse before. Sungold will protect me when we fly together.”
Galenos rose to his feet and towered over her again. “I forbid it.”
Korinna clenched her hands into fists. “You’re not the commander any longer. You can’t keep me confined on soft pillows forever.” She spun on her heel and marched out of the room.
Korinna V
As she walked out the door, Korinna heard Galenos shouting for the guards to stop her, but she knew that they would never reach her in time. All she had to do was make it outside.
There was a secret entrance to the building near their private chamber, and Korinna moved quickly through the winding halls. Its secrecy meant it went unguarded, so she was unchallenged when she pushed open the door and stepped out into the sunlight.
Galenos had finally built a paddock behind City Hall for their marewings to meet them in the morning, but then they went back to the military compound to graze with the other marewings for the rest of the day. If it had been within hearing range, she could just whistle for her marewing. But the government buildings were in the heart of the city, a full mile away from the Storm Petrels’ outpost.
However, Korinna had been practicing her communication with Sungold. She felt as if she could sense the marewing sometimes, even when they were separated. Since she wasn’t allowed to fly in her current condition, she’d gradually experimented with that sense over greater distances. Today, Sungold was on high alert ever since the messenger arrived, and Korinna sensed that she’d been waiting for the call.
She could hear guards hurrying to follow her down the hallway, but she ignored them. She stepped away from the building onto the grass, closed her eyes, and concentrated on calling Sungold to her.
A Pride of Gryphons Page 16
