Gwynneth had to laugh at that. “Oh heavens no. He hardly knew him. Devyn was so little when we left here and Balduin never cared about small children. So at least there won’t be a personal connection. But having anyone executed is hard, let alone someone who bears your family name.”
“True. Perhaps Devyn needn't be present.”
“No, he must. He can’t decree it and then not be there. I considered delaying until Maryna arrives, but it might be worse for her. She has a soft heart, and will remember Balduin. Besides, the sooner we get it done, the better. Right now his supporters are in disarray, and if he’s dead, they must find another leader, though I hope they don’t.”
“Can I leave that to you?” Edric was looking weary. “I’ll offer my support in any way I can.”
Gwynneth got up to leave. “I’ll handle it, though I might need your testimony at the trial.”
“Of course.” Edric stood, then came over to Gwynneth, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. “I’m so grateful you’ve come back, Your Grace, and that you’ve brought good news about Maryna. The world will never be right again without Kendryk, but with all of you here, we can do our best.”
Gwynneth remembered something, and felt she must speak, even though it hurt. “What about the prophecy? Were you wrong about Kendryk?”
“It seems I was.” Edric sighed. “In truth, I can hardly bring myself to think about it right now. But I must force myself to go back to the scrolls and look again. Someone else must be the one.”
“Not Lennart?” Just saying the name made Gwynneth clench her teeth.
“I hope not. I like the man, but he doesn’t fit, and I don’t relish a foreigner being the one to save us all. Even though that’s what he’s doing right now,” he added with a wry smile.
“He’s helping save us.” Gwynneth corrected him. “I’m overdue for a conversation with him about his role here. And please, if you can, consider the part Maryna has to play in this. The more clarity we can find, the better. We’re still in a great deal of peril, with Mattila’s army only days away.”
“Then perhaps now is not the time to put Lennart in his place” Edric said gently, “when we need him so badly.”
Gwynneth had to admit that Edric was right. “Yes, I suppose we need him right now. But as soon as we defeat Mattila, I’m sitting down with him and drawing up a new treaty. I want his intentions in writing and then I’ll hold him to them.”
Edric smiled. “I’m sure you will. It’s truly good to see you again, Your Grace.”
Teodora
After Teodora’s two missions into the forest, Aidan Orland’s troops didn’t show themselves again. Her way to Heidenhof was clear.
Near the border with Oltena, Teodora received a message from Mattila, though it had come through Isenwald and was several weeks old.
She was working her way through Oltena, fighting off small militia units, but that wasn’t the real problem. Lennart had left the bulk of his force in Lantura, and that army had marched into Oltena, menacing Mattila’s rear. She was maneuvering to meet it in battle and destroy it before dealing with Terragand.
Teodora ground her teeth. “Waste of time,” she said, throwing the letter into the mud and letting her horse step on it. “Why doesn’t she understand that if we take Heidenhof, Lennart is finished anyway?”
“I don’t know, Your Highness,” Havel Kolar said, even though she hadn’t asked him. “Perhaps the general sees an opportunity to destroy the larger part of Lennart’s army.”
“I don’t care,” Teodora snapped. “Her orders were to take Heidenhof, not muddle around in some insignificant backwater of a kingdom. I can’t imagine what she’s playing at.”
But even as she said it, she was sure she knew. If Mattila defeated Lennart’s general in Oltena, she could unseat Princess Galena and take the kingdom for herself, with or without Teodora’s approval.
Teodora scribbled a note while sitting in the saddle then sent for a messenger. “Deliver this to Brynhild Mattila in person, and tell her this is a direct order. I want no excuses why she can’t carry it out.”
Teodora wanted her to leave Oltena and come to Heidenhof. If Lennart’s army caught up, they could more easily deal with it there.
In the meantime though, Teodora would make for the city as quickly as possible. If Lennart was in Terragand, he was under strength, and Teodora now had allies of a new sort.
“Your Highness, perhaps we should wait for Mattila here,” Captain Kolar said.
“Why? Lennart will have only a small force and we can link up with Balduin’s army. I’m sure he’s hoping for help from me.”
“Wouldn’t a decisive engagement with all of Mattila’s army alongside us be better?” Kolar wouldn’t shut up.
“No, it wouldn’t, not if we can take the city some other way. Please don’t forget that I give the orders. All you need to do is follow them.”
As they neared the Velta River valley, they ran into clusters of retreating soldiers.
“What happened to you?” Teodora demanded of an officer she’d ordered brought to her. She took a table in a roadside inn, wanting more information before proceeding. “Were you defending Heidenhof?”
The man looked puzzled. “Why no, we were besieging it. But Lennart showed up and wiped out our army.”
Teodora brought her fist down on the table so hard, everyone around it jumped. “Wiped out? What happened to Prince Balduin?”
“Not sure,” the man said. “We heard he’d been captured, but last I saw him, he was running south faster than I could.” He smiled wryly. “Since I’d lost my horse, I left the road and headed into the woods. Others said the Estenorians picked up everyone retreating down the road.”
“Weren’t you lucky?” Teodora said, narrowing her eyes. Why was she always saddled with the most worthless allies? “I suppose Lennart has reinforced the city’s defenses.”
“I imagine so,” the man said. “I would tell you his numbers, but I don’t know them. We were defeated by a large force of cavalry, though I saw infantry advancing from the city, at which point I thought it better to go.”
“Lennart left an army behind in Heidenhof before he went south,” Kolar said, likely happy to have useful information. “I imagine those were the infantry you saw, since the rest still ought to be to the south of us.”
After Teodora had the man sent away, she drummed her fingers on the table, thinking of what to do next. Lennart might now hold the city, but she wondered if her monsters might climb walls.
She didn’t see why not. Starting as a mere wisp of smoke, why not go over the walls and into Lennart’s bedchamber? Why not into Edric Landrus’s while she was at it?
The problem was Teodora still hadn’t learned how to control these creatures. They seemed happy to help her, but she could not call them forth at will. She needed to practice before being able to rely on them.
She stood. “It may be we must wait for Mattila, but I’ll want better information before deciding. Let’s keep moving north and talking to everyone who may have seen what happened at Heidenhof.”
“I still think we ought to wait for Mattila here,” Kolar said, looking stubborn.
“I don’t care what you think,” Teodora said. “Give the order to move out.”
When they made camp the next night, help came from an unexpected source. Teodora was heading for her tent after supper, when a young officer came at a run. “Your Highness, there’s another force camped nearby.”
“Enemy?” Teodora whirled around.
“No, Your Highness. It’s a cavalry regiment led by a Franca Dura, sent into Terragand by Brynhild Mattila.”
“I remember,” Teodora said, smiling. “Get Dura and send her to me.” She hurried to her tent and told the servant to prepare for a visitor.
Dura arrived shortly thereafter, a tall, strong-looking young woman with long red hair pulled into a tight braid and piercing green eyes. “It’s good to see you so far inside Terragand, Your Highness,” sh
e said, taking the proffered seat at Teodora’s table. “Is General Mattila on her way?”
“I wish.” Teodora then explained what was happening in Oltena.
Dura shook her head. “That’s not good. Lennart doesn’t have a large force here, but it’s more than big enough to keep us off the city. Unlike Balduin, he’ll be smart and dig in.” She told Teodora what had happened outside Heidenhof. “If I hadn’t been distracted by a decoy unit Lennart sent to lead me in the wrong direction, I might have arrived in time to defeat Lennart before his other troops got out of the city.” She shook her head. “I apologize Your Highness and offer my resignation for not completing my mission as ordered.”
Teodora laughed. “Of course I won’t accept that. You’re the first officer I’ve seen in a while who seems keen on getting the job done and can do it. Things don’t always work out as expected, but I think the two of us might do well together.”
Dura’s eyes gleamed. “Thank you, Your Highness. I look forward to it.”
Elektra
Elektra rode through the woods, surrounded by Mattila’s patrol. She needed to get away, but didn’t see how. The last time she’d seen Mattila, Elektra had betrayed her to run back to Atlona with Livilla. She remembered the general shouting at her and shivered. Mattila would never forget something like that.
She likely wouldn’t kill or imprison Elektra, since she was Teodora’s heir, but she still might make her life miserable. And worst of all, she might send her to her mother.
Elektra tried and failed to come up with an excuse to get away. The worst thing would be to let them think she was allied with the enemy. So she prayed Lofbrok’s troops might ambush the party and carry her off. She hoped to explain herself to Lennart’s general; if word of her fight with Janos Rykter had spread outside Isenwald it might bolster her case.
But the woods remained quiet, a gentle breeze rattling pale green aspen leaves and moaning through stands of fir. It was warm, even in the shade, but Elektra shivered again. She couldn’t stop remembering Mattila’s reddened, angry face and the way she’d called Elektra a stupid girl.
Except Elektra wasn’t a girl anymore. She was nearly nineteen, and responsible enough to rule a kingdom on her own. She raised her chin and tried to quiet her pounding heart. Mattila couldn’t do anything to her except be unpleasant.
If Elektra didn’t tell her about her agreement with Lennart, she wouldn’t know anything about it except for perhaps a few rumors, easily dismissed.
The forest opened onto a large clearing, Mattila’s camp filling all of it. The patrol guided her between the tents to the center and Mattila’s tent.
They came to a halt at the front and the patrol’s leader dismounted.
“You’d best come along, Your Grace,” he said. “The general will want to see you straight away.”
Her heart in her mouth, Elektra jumped to the ground, hoping she appeared nonchalant, like she was visiting an old friend.
“Tell the general I’ve found the archduchess,” the man told a guard standing in front of the tent.
Found? Had Mattila been looking for her? Elektra dismissed the unsettling notion, and arranged her face into a cool, dignified expression.
A moment later, the guard waved them in, and she entered the general’s tent. It grew suddenly darker and Elektra paused, hoping to see who was inside. Perhaps if Mattila had company, she wouldn’t shout at her.
Suddenly the general stood before her. “Your Grace, is it really you?” She was smiling.
“It’s me.” Elektra forced herself to smile back. “I was looking for you,” she lied.
“Really? I can’t say I expected that. Still, it’s wonderful to see you. It’s been so many years.” Mattila shooed the guard out and led Elektra to a small table in the center of the tent.
By now Elektra’s eyes had adjusted and she made out all of the familiar trappings and furnishings. The tent appeared to be new, but Mattila’s equipment remained plain and functional as always. Once seated, Elektra got to the point.
“There’s been trouble in Isenwald,” she said. “Princess Viviane tried to get rid of me.” Best to leave it at that for now.
“Overthrew you, did she?” Mattila shook her head, looking sympathetic. “Your mother leaving you there with no troops to support you was an awful idea. Don’t know what she was thinking.”
“She thought I could handle it.” It was hard not to look at least a little dejected, remembering her failure.
“Well, it seems you did, considering you’re here, not dead or in prison.” Mattila smiled. “That’s something, isn’t it?”
Elektra nodded. “I don’t know what to do next. I suppose I should join my mother, but well ... “ She paused, not wanting to mention the rumors about Teodora. “You understand why I don’t want to, I’m sure.”
“I do. Your mother has always been so unreasonable, especially where you are concerned.” Mattila reached for a decanter at the edge of the table and poured white wine into two clay mugs. “Not fancy, I’m afraid, but we’ll save that for later. I still have time to order a welcome feast in your honor.”
“Oh please,” Elektra said. “I don’t want a fuss.” She drank the wine down eagerly. She was thirsty and her nerves needed calming.
“You’ll have one anyway.” Mattila beamed at her. The smile looked odd on her grim, lined face. “It’s not every day an archduchess wanders into our little camp. Besides, there are some people you ought to meet. “
“All right,” Elektra said, feeling uncertain, but better once the wine did its work. She didn't know what to make of Mattila’s friendly greeting.
In Elektra’s experience with the woman, it meant she’d want something from her. Elektra could guess at that; a declaration of loyalty to the general and not her mother. She sipped the wine as Mattila sent for an adjutant and fired off orders.
This was a problem. She didn’t see how she could get to Lennart now. Perhaps, in time, she might persuade Mattila to go over to his side, but that would take time and diplomatic skills Elektra wasn’t sure she possessed. For now she probably needed to go along with whatever Mattila proposed while looking for a chance to get away.
Once she’d finished her wine, Elektra followed an officer to a smaller tent near the general’s where she was provided with more wine, a bath and a promise of clean clothes.
Relaxing into the tub while a young page bustled around putting the tent in order, Elektra marveled at how nice it was. This was no ordinary soldier’s tent. Rather, it resembled a cozy chamber in a nice inn, with Zastwar rugs, a real, double-sized bed and hangings of embroidered silk.
The general was likely buttering her up for something. Elektra didn’t want to think about what it might be, and called for another glass of wine.
Maryna
Maryna was already inside Lerania when she realized she hadn’t changed her dress or fixed her hair. She really didn’t look princess-like at the moment. But as soon as she saw Emilya Hohenwart, she decided it was better this way.
General Hohenwart didn’t care at all about looking pretty, clearly. She still wore a plain doublet and breeches, with her blond hair cropped short, just like Maryna remembered from years ago.
“Your Grace!” General Hohenwart stood and bowed as Maryna entered the dining room of the inn where she was staying. “I would never have recognized you. You’ve grown up.”
“I’ve had to.” Maryna took the general by both hands and smiled at her. “Finding you here must be the work of the gods. I’m very much in need of help at the moment.”
Hohenwart frowned as they took their seats at the end of a table, Maryna at the head. “I’d love to help you, Your Grace, but I recently signed a contract with Princess Viviane.”
“I know,” Maryna said, “but the princess no longer rules Isenwald.” That was a stretch, but hopefully Elektra had managed something in the past few days.
“What happened?” Hohenwart asked.
Maryna told her the story, then sa
id, “Elektra is on our side, but I’m sure she can put together her own army with Princess Viviane out of the way.”
“What a mess.” The general shook her head. “If your girl is in charge now, maybe the burgomaster will let me go so I can get to her.”
“Come to work for me instead, please?” Maryna offered her most winning smile. “I’m getting ready to head into Terragand to join King Lennart.”
Interest flickered in Hohenwart’s gray eyes. “Lennart? I wouldn’t mind fighting for him.”
“He expects to take on Brynhild Mattila soon, I’m sure.”
That was a mistake. Hohenwart’s eyes clouded over. “I never want to face Mattila again,” she said. “Never.”
“Not even with King Lennart at your back?” Anton spoke up, for which Maryna was grateful. “Please General, he’s very different from King Arryk.” He shot Maryna a glance, in case she wanted to protest, which she didn’t. Much as she loved her uncle, King Lennart was the better military leader.
“I’ve heard,” Hohenwart said cautiously. “And he’s had some impressive victories.”
“Extremely impressive,” Anton said, “and I was there for most of them. One of them on the wrong side, but that was educational,” he added with a wry smile, the crooked one with the dimples.
Maryna detected a hint of softening on the general’s part. Anton was very good at this, better if a woman was the target of his charm.
“I don’t know,” Hohenwart said. “I need to pay these troops soon.”
“How many do you have?” Maryna asked.
“Nearly eight thousand infantry and artillery.”
Maryna took a deep breath. “I’ll pay you for them.”
“Respectfully, Your Grace, with what?” Hohenwart’s eyes traveled over Maryna’s plain dress, no doubt also noting the lack of jewelry.
“With the money I’ll get from my banker here.” A ball of nerves settled itself in Maryna’s stomach and grew. She remembered her father had investments here, along with the name of the bank. Whether they’d release the money to her was another matter.
Fall of the Titan (The Desolate Empire Book 5) Page 22
