by Frank Morin
The old gentleman who had spoken earlier bowed his head slightly.
"Liane, matron of the seamstress guild and one of the joint voices of the guild councilors."
A mature and elegantly dressed woman made a graceful curtsy. Her long brown hair was stylishly swept back from her face to highlight her subtle streaks of gray.
"And Hette, who runs the culinary guilds with a wooden spoon," Saskia finished with the hint of a smile.
A plump, jolly woman waved. She wore a bright red dress, covered by an immense, pristine white baker's apron. Her black hair was rather short, and her blue eyes twinkled with mirth.
"We must honor your arrival," Hette gushed in a surprisingly high-pitched, girlish voice. She swept an entire tray of raspberry-cream cookies out from under her apron and began passing them around the table.
Old Ulrich grumbled loudly. "Here we go again. How many trays can one dress conceal, Hette?"
"Keep talking like that and you won't get any," she chided as she rushed around the table with more enthusiasm than speed, handing out cookies to the eager councilors. She even gave one to Rory, who ate it in two bites. Ulrich might grumble, but he did not refuse a cookie.
Hette gave Kilian a double-sized cookie that she pulled from a deep pocket of her dress. Connor marveled that his cookie was still warm, and the aroma of fresh-baked goodness settled around the group like a gentle hug.
He decided he liked Hette.
Hamish took two cookies and made a gallant bow to Hette, taking her hand and kissing it. "Baking magic is the best kind."
She flushed and fanned her face, a huge smile growing across her chubby lips. "I sense another food lover has joined us."
He nodded and tried speaking, although he had shoved one entire cookie into his mouth. "Mmm. If bery goob." After swallowing he added, "Care to try one of my own inventions?" He pulled a smashpacked cube out of his belt pouch.
Hette accepted the cube and considered it carefully. She sniffed it, then licked it. Hamish grinned in approval. She popped the little cube into her mouth, and her bright blue eyes widened.
She gushed, "Such intense flavor for such a tiny confection."
"That's because you're eating an entire smashpacked chocolate cake," Hamish said with obvious pride. "Builders don't just make weapons, you know."
"Kilian, this young man is a treasure," Hette beamed, handing Hamish the rest of the tray of cookies. She pulled a sack full of warm cinnamon rolls from another huge pocket of her voluminous red dress and began passing them out to the gathered council to celebrate.
Connor began to wonder if Hette might not be as fat as she appeared. Maybe she was a midget who just used that huge dress to cover the racks of pastries and desserts she seemed to carry around with her all the time.
Kilian shook his head slowly as he watched Hamish devour the rest of the cookies. "You may have to reinforce that suit before it bursts at the seams."
"Deal with the invasion first," Ulrich growled, although he did not reject the warm roll that Hette pressed into his hands. "Do you have any idea how much gold we're losing every day with that Obrioner army blocking the southern trade route?"
Rory spoke for the first time. "You don't have to lose any money. Surrender the city and trading can continue without interruption."
Saskia barked a laugh and pointed at Rory with her half-eaten cookie.
"Captain, you are a man of war.
But the truth is so clear we can't ignore.
Trading will die. Freedom will fly.
Under your rule, Altkalen would be gone forever more."
Old man Ulrich glowered at her. "Stop your incessant rhyming, girl. This is serious business."
"I am deadly serious," Saskia responded, her tone soft, but intense, and her eyes glowed with inner light. "My limericks highlight the absurdity of seriously considering Captain Rory's proposal.
"Of course we cannot surrender the city. Obrion is invading, people. You think you're losing money now? Wait until Obrion secures its hold on the entire southern half of Granadure. How long do you think it'll take for them to decide your treasure coffers are needed to fund the war effort?"
"Oh, it can't be as bad as all that," Hette said, gesturing at Captain Rory with the last cinnamon roll. "Even Obrioner armies need to eat. And you would pay for every meal, right?"
"Of course." Rory sounded earnest, but Connor could barely believe what he was hearing.
"Captain, it's good to see you again," he said loudly, stepping up to the table near Saskia's chair and drawing every eye. "You are a man of honor, but General Carbrey is not, and Dougal definitely can't be trusted. We both know that Altkalen would be sacked, pillaged, and its people enslaved."
"You really need to work on your tact," Rory muttered with a frown.
As an angry murmur rippled around the table, Ulrich demanded, "And who are you, boy?"
"I'm Connor." He waved.
"An Obrioner who should know better than to interrupt his superiors," Ulrich muttered, giving Connor a dismissive glare.
Saskia said, "I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce the rest of our guests. You all know Lady Verena."
Verena curtsied with courtly grace, and a murmur of greetings echoed around the chamber.
"And Hamish, a champion Builder."
"And rising cooking legend," Hamish added.
"And you all just met Connor, Blood of the Tallan," Saskia finished in a casual tone.
That got their attention.
Connor waved again. "I'd give a speech or something, but I wouldn't want to interrupt my betters."
Liane, the seamstress matron, smiled at Ulrich. "Once again you put that enormous foot of yours squarely into your mouth."
Ulrich growled, "Doesn't matter who he is. We need to respond to General Carbrey. This is a trading city, not a fortress. Look what happened to Harz when they chose to fight."
The man was a coward.
Verena spoke before Connor could. "And look what happened to Obrion. Builders are executed. Commoners are enslaved. Do you really want to surrender without a fight, Ulrich?"
Saskia declared, "Never going to happen. As marshal of Altkalen, military decisions are mine."
"If you break with the council, who is going to feed your troops?" Ulrich asked.
"Don't push me," Saskia warned, her tone turning icy cold.
Captain Rory interrupted. "There is another option. Surrender Connor and the Builders, and I am authorized to promise that Altkalen will be left in peace."
He paused, and Connor knew him well enough to recognize that his discipline was pushed to the breaking point as he tried to speak those lies. "The army will pass by without a fight, and we'll even purchase supplies."
Ulrich's eyes lit up at the idea, and several of the other councilors seemed to seriously consider it.
Kilian laughed, although his voice was devoid of humor and his eyes were filled with rippling water. "In Granadure, we do not sacrifice our friends to win false safety."
"Connor is Obrioner already. Why shouldn't we return him?" Ulrich argued.
Verena stared at him, expression incredulous. "He's Blood of the Tallan. Dougal could use him to lay waste to Granadure."
"You are such an unapologetic coward," Saskia said, her tone dripping with disgust. "Would you also surrender Verena to be executed? She's a member of the Grandurian royal house and a personal friend."
"Would the girl not willingly sacrifice to save so many?" Ulrich demanded.
Connor very nearly tapped quartzite to fly across the room and punch the man to Merkland.
Kilian's tone turned hard. "She wouldn't save anyone. Dougal's offer of peace is a lie."
Ulrich looked around the table, his scowl growing deeper. "So we're going to fight? You'd all prefer to see our city burn?"
"I'd rather see it destroyed fighting for freedom than preserved by sacrificing the blood of our friends," Saskia said.
"You're a good trader, but you're a terrible patriot," Liane told
Ulrich, her tone disgusted.
"Patriotism never made any profit," Ulrich retorted.
"But it maintains a free nation." Saskia faced Rory and declared, "Inform your general that his army is officially denied permission to approach Altkalen. If he chooses to do so, we will take all necessary steps to defend ourselves."
"And we'll send him the bill," Ulrich added loudly.
Rory did not looked surprised. "I'll convey your response to him." He turned and marched for the door. Anika took a step after him, but Erich caught her arm, and for once she did not fight to get free.
Connor intercepted Rory before he passed the head of the table.
"We seem to meet at increasingly bad times," Rory said.
"War does that, I guess. Captain, you can't attack Altkalen."
He shrugged. "I do as ordered, lad. You know that."
Connor gripped his arm. "Captain, please listen to me. That attack at Harz has changed things. Dougal pushed the elements to the breaking point. If any other elfonnel are raised, they could destroy both armies and the entire city all together."
That triggered a round of nervous muttering from the counselors.
"I don't command Dougal, but I can tell you that he understands the risk."
"That doesn't mean he'll agree to change course."
Rory held out his hands in a helpless gesture.
"These people are angry. They won't hold back. They can't afford to. Neither can I."
Rory sighed. "I know, lad."
Connor told him, "I'm going to kill Dougal, and I can't guarantee the safety of anyone who gets in my way."
For a moment Rory looked torn and Connor wanted to again ask him to abandon his post and join them, but he knew the man would never agree to leave his men. Connor hated that some of his friends had to serve as opponents on the battlefield.
Captain Rory extended a hand. "Good luck, Connor." He glanced back at Anika and added, "I wish we could reach an accord."
"Me too."
Rory started to turn toward the door again, but Connor suddenly got an idea and pulled him to a stop. "Maybe there is something we can agree to."
"What are you suggesting?" Verena asked. She had approached while they talked.
"There's going to be a fight. I was thinking this would be the perfect time to exchange prisoners so both sides had as many soldiers as possible to join in."
"We'll have more after we trounce Carbrey's soldiers," Saskia said.
"Regardless, what do you say, Captain?"
Wolfram spoke before Rory could. "We took more prisoners than Obrion did. If we're going to exchange, you must also return the primary affinity powders you captured from our stores at Badurach."
"The idea has merit," Rory said, his expression thoughtful as he studied Connor, as if trying to read his real purposes.
"Both sides get their full strength, and you have something to offer your general when you return," Connor said.
Rory nodded. "I will deliver the proposal."
"Thanks, Captain."
Rory leaned closer and asked in a whisper that only Connor could hear, "What are you playing at, lad?"
"I'm just using the skills you taught me in the Tir-raon, Captain."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
Connor watched him go, thankful that he could call the man friend.
After Rory left, Saskia said, "You can't only be thinking about recovering a few soldiers."
"Of course not. The prisoner exchange is just a distraction."
"From what?" Verena asked.
The more he thought about his crazy idea, the more he grew excited about it. He gave them a confident smile.
"We're going to take Dougal's sculpted stones."
Chapter Fifty
“A snare traps the witless hare like fear in the heart of a brave soul, but a child always looks for the light of morning.”
~Gregor
The council meeting broke up a short time later and most of the councilors left, anxious to return to their guilds and houses to plan for the upcoming defensive effort. As soon as the doors opened, Ilse entered the room.
"What's wrong?" Kilian asked when she joined them.
"Nothing, sir. The Mhortair is still well contained. I received word that I was needed here."
Kilian looked to Saskia, who shrugged. "Wasn't me."
When no one else seemed to know about the summons, Kilian said, "You're sure Sir is contained?"
She nodded. "I assigned three other senior tertiaries to replace me, just in case the message was a ruse."
Connor couldn't imagine how or why Sir might have arranged a fake message.
Kilian said. "We'll figure it out later. Right now we're about to discuss the city's defenses."
Connor was starting to worry about those defenses. If Ulrich's attitude reflected the state of the city, they were in trouble. Only Saskia and the four lead counselors remained in the room with Connor's group.
Hamish leaned close to Connor and whispered, "I know it's rude to beat up old people, but for that Ulrich fellow, I might make an exception."
"Unless I do it first."
Ulrich rose and stretched. His angry scowl, which had seemed a permanent fixture on his face, relaxed into a smile. "Saskia, that was an excellent performance. Do you think we fooled the famous captain?"
She rounded the table and gave the old grump a hug.
"How could anyone doubt such an artful coward?
Your grumpiness is an epic most flowered.
The captain was fooled, the council was schooled,
and now our defenses are newly empowered."
Liane kissed the old man's cheek. "Brilliant performance, Ulrich. Even I wanted to climb across the table and strangle you."
Connor raised a hand. "Me too."
Hette produced a three-layered chocolate cake, topped with sliced strawberries from under the table and began passing out huge pieces. "Captain Rory is no fool, but that deception turned out better than I expected."
"The prisoner exchange added a brilliant twist," Ulrich said, raising a fork-full of cake in salute to Connor. "I'm interested in hearing how you propose to use it."
"Eat. You'll all need your strength." Hette finished passing out cake, then kissed Verena on the cheek. "So good to see you again, my dear. You timed your arrival perfectly."
"It was all an act?" Hamish exclaimed between bites.
Ulrich snorted, "Of course it was. Do you think anyone could be as stupid as I was pretending to be?"
Connor admitted, "You made a convincing case."
"Exactly the effect I wanted to convey." Ulrich smiled and pumped Connor's hand. "An absolute pleasure to meet you, young man." He then turned to Hamish and took his hand too. "And the first Obrioner Builder. Magnificent."
Saskia spoke around a mouthful of cake. "Sorry I couldn't warn you of the planned deception. 'Rena's a brilliant actress, but I wasn't sure about the rest of you."
Kilian had already finished his cake. "We're happy to be here. Now that you've sent Rory off, hopefully believing Altkalen is reluctantly planning to mount a last-minute, disorganized defense, what do you really have in mind?"
Ulrich made a shushing gesture, and Saskia cringed. "We have shielding measures in place against eavesdropping, but we need to be extremely careful. Verena, do you have a mechanical that can help?"
"Of course." Verena dipped a hand into her satchel and produced a couple of quartzite stones. She placed one on the far end of the table, and the sound of loud snoring soon echoed through the chamber.
"What is that?" Connor asked as Verena rejoined them and activated a shieldstone, creating a pulsing shield around the group, sealing them off from the rest of the chamber.
"I left a speakstone under Martys's chair. Knew I could count on him."
With their conversation so well protected, the Altkalen group seemed to relax and Liane said, "First are the earthen mountains to the east. No doubt Rory has already spotted those."
; "You sound happy about that," Connor said.
Ulrich said, "General Carbrey will assume that stockpiled earth will play a major part in our defensive plan. He'll focus his efforts on countering it, or even attempting to wrest control to use it against us."
That made sense. Flip the geall right back on them.
"But that's not really your plan," Kilian guessed.
"Of course not," Ulrich said. "We can't fool Dougal that easily. I met him a long time ago, just after he lost his first wife. Even then it was clear he would not rest until he won vengeance. It's been obvious for years that war was inevitable."
"So you positioned Altkalen so everyone assumes you've got no defensive plan, and that you only focus on trading profits?" Connor guessed.
"That's the first phase, but Dougal buys spies by the bushel, so we needed something more to draw their attention. We set up a secret defensive plan, centered on that accumulated earth. He'll know about that for sure."
"And since he's confident he knows your secret, you figure he won't look deeper?" Kilian asked.
Hette said, "Hopefully not. We've made a rather serious effort to conceal our battle plans. Since his spies had to work so hard to acquire the fake ones, they'll think they have to be legitimate. A dessert too easily won is not fully appreciated."
Hamish said, "Exactly. Sometimes you have to slide down the chimney to get the freshest sweetbreads."
"But you only managed to burn your hands," Connor reminded him with a laugh.
Saskia grinned. "So much history I need to know when this is over."
"When the Obrioners attack, it is our hope they will not recognize the danger that the southern reaches of the plain represent," Ulrich said.
"I thought there was a lot of solid rock on the Altkalen plain," Kilian said with a frown.
Liane said, "Exactly. They'll barely pay it any attention, and they certainly won't look deeper."
"What's deeper?" Connor asked.
Hette grinned. "Lots of very hot water. Altkalen has thousands of hot springs. Enough to supply all our heating and baking needs."
"We're preparing some surprises." Ulrich seemed reluctant to speak openly about their secret plans even to the small group. "The plain will be the main battlefield."
