In other words, we have sufficient time to prepare. “Thank you for the warning.”
“What will you do?” she asks, poised to walk away.
I flash a ruthless smile that must remind Helen of the bad old days. “Watch out for snakes.”
CHAPTER 6
“DOES YOUR COUSIN REALLY THINK DELTA TARVA IS GOING to attack us instead of making a bid for her brother’s throne?”
Piers brings an abrupt end to the usual fun of the family dinner. The brother between Griffin and Carver has permanent ink stains on his hands. He sometimes squints in the evenings because he reads so much. With his height, his black hair, and his slate-colored eyes, Piers would look a lot like Griffin if he gained muscle weight and was out in the sun more. To be fair, Piers takes his Gamma Team on patrol around Sinta City often enough, and he gets involved in training the soldiers from the barracks. He’s fit, he knows how to handle a sword and ride a horse, and he’s even second in command of the army under Griffin, but he’s essentially a scholar.
The others around the table—Griffin and his parents and siblings—all pause in their eating and talking to listen to my answer.
“It makes sense,” I say. “Tarvan mercenaries attacked us in the south with a hired Giant, which means spending a lot of gold. And someone tried again at Ios with an entire Tarvan tribe. That takes influence and deep pockets. Acantha Tarva has both. And now she’s trying to win over Sintan nobles, according to Helen. If that’s true, which I think it is, the realm dinner didn’t come a day too soon. The Magoi elite got to see you all in person and understand your goals and what you’re like. I think you gained significant support.” Thank the Gods. “That said, her plotting is still a problem.”
Griffin nods his agreement. We hardly had time to greet each other before we were summoned to dinner, and he’s still rumpled from two days of travel. He and Carver accompanied Helen and her family home, their escort proving a clear desire for further cooperation between the two families. For Agatone and Urania to throw their lot in with Delta Tarva after the new Sintan royals showed them such a sign of favor would be surprising and stupid. They’re not stupid.
“There’s a good chance Acantha is gathering her forces while she tries to weaken our position from the inside. If she hits us with a Tarvan army, her own Magoi, and ours, we’ll buckle.” Griffin balls his hand into a fist on the table. “My army is spread out protecting the realm. I lost hundreds of soldiers in a war we just won. You’re all vulnerable to magic, even if Cat and I aren’t.” He looks around the table, his expression shuttered. His ambition has never been selfish, but I sometimes wonder if he ever regrets bringing his family to this point. If it were me, I’d throw half of Sinta under a Cyclops to save the people around this table, but Griffin doesn’t think that way.
“Aren’t you recruiting?” I ask Piers. Last I heard, he’d amassed a significant number of soldiers, mostly Hoi Polloi eager for the opportunities of advancement and employment available in a newly structured realm.
He nods. “I go to Velos and Kaplos next week. Skathos after that. Then I’ll move farther south.”
“Having soldiers doesn’t make an army,” Griffin says in frustration. “Not a good one, anyway. They’ll need to be armed, trained, dispatched…”
Piers stiffens. “I know. We talked about this. I have plans. You approved them.”
Griffin stares into his wineglass and then moves it away from him, the contents untouched. “It’ll take too long.”
“Acantha Tarva, assuming it was her, just came off a resounding defeat at Ios.” Egeria, with her dovelike nature and quiet gray eyes, calmly passes the vegetables as if we were talking about the weather. I still don’t think Griffin’s older sister should be Alpha, the role requiring a certain amount of ruthlessness as well as mercy, but she’s repeatedly proved herself more capable than I gave her credit for at first.
“Acantha will need time to regroup, and if the realm dinner went half as well as we think it did, we’ll have foiled her efforts with a number of Sintan nobles,” Egeria continues. “Our most powerful Magoi will look to Agatone and Urania for guidance. We just delivered Helen’s baby—their grandchild. That newborn boy landed in my hands, and he’s healthy and fine. Helen has her husband wrapped around her finger, and if she volunteered this information to Cat, she supports us. They will support us.”
“I agree with Egeria,” I say.
Everyone looks at me. When I don’t add but or except, Egeria looks pleasantly surprised.
Anatole finishes his last bite. When he’s up and about, Griffin’s father does everything with lightning speed, including eat. His aging body no longer holds the muscle and power it once had, but it’s easy to see how he was once one of the most formidable warlords in all of Sinta. His sly, sparkling gaze holds a wealth of intelligence, cunning, and experience.
“Piers should stick to his plan. Keep recruiting.” Anatole looks first at Piers and then at Griffin. “In the meantime, secure the border.”
Griffin spreads his hands, leaning back. “With what army? There aren’t enough trained soldiers yet. I can’t take anyone away from Sinta City, and there are barely enough people stationed elsewhere. If the major cities fall, the rest of Sinta falls, too.”
“Invading forces can’t get to cities if they can’t cross the border,” Anatole reasons. “Put our soldiers where we need them the most.”