Return to the Isles

The trip to the Isles is, for all the auspicious start, not exciting. Long hours sailing and flying brings the Children and the Corps ever closer to the Isles of the People of Danu. Vere and Jovian learn the tricks of long-distance shadow travel, first learning to stretch time by making the days longer and then learning when not to do so to prevent the toll it took on ordinary men and dragons. As days became weeks, the dragonriders found it easier to spend more time aboard the Kiss. No one could explain why the dragonmen were less susceptible to seasickness than the Rebmans, but everyone got over it eventually, even if not all learned to love the sea.

As almost anyone companioned by a score of hundred-yard long dragons would be, the voyagers are unremarkably unmolested by the inhabitants of the shadows they traverse. It's hard to tell how long has passed, or how many places they've go by.

The Children spend a lot of time on drill and practice during the trip. Vere draws maps and charts of the Isles from memory, and goes over them with his captains, Jovian and his commanders, and Lord Worth and his officers.

The second mate has been to the Isles with Gerard. That's why Worth chose him. He produces what charts and rutters they've drawn, but the real knowledge is in his head.

Vere also spends time up on the mast, watching the changing sea and skies around them as they travel through the seas of shadows.

As the dragons and the Kiss come to rest one night at a convenient bay, it occurs to Vere that they should be in the Isles in the morning. Either The City of the Lady or Fair Isle are reasonable destinations. The dragonmen mention a cove on the mainland across from the City that they were camped at, and a cave complex within flying distance, as well.

It's raining.

Vere prefers the idea of sailing to Fair Isle. The city was firmly in the hands of the Chancellor the last we knew, and we don't want to put ourselves into the way of a fight until we know what the situation is. And while it's tempting to sail directly to wherever the Lady might be right now, there are too many possible variables for Vere to be entirely sanguine about that idea.

Fair Isle is a flat green plateau, roughly rectangular. In better times, it holds a few score farmers and fishers and a sacred grove. It's surrounded by ships and covered with tents and watchposts now. The dragons are noticed very quickly, even in the rain.

Standing on the shore is Siege, looking at the dragons overhead and the ship coming in to the jetty. He bounds on board before the ship is fully tied up. "I knew you'd come. The Lady will want to see you immediately." He has a fresh, pink scar on his left arm.

Vere clasps arms with Siege, then pulls him into a brief embrace. Releasing him he turns, "Lord Commander Siege, may I present the Admiral Lord Worth, and Commander Castor, my tanist. There will be time for further introductions later. Castor, come with me. Lord Worth, I do not know how long we will remain here. Be prepared to leave upon a moment's notice." Vere nods to his assembled captains. "Gentlemen, settle the men, I will send word when and if it is decided you will disembark here. R'liat, please inform J'rim that I am reporting to the Lady, if he and Kourin could join us it would be appreciated. Then if you would be so kind as to remain on board in case communications between ship and dragonriders is needed. Sir M'corli, if you would be so good as to accompany me to perform that same service until J'rim and Kourin land." He does not even pause for acknowledgement of his commands before turning back to Siege. "Lead on."

R'liat grins, "they'll be in sooner than you think, Prince Vere." He points at the descending dragons.

Vere smiles back at him. He still makes certain that M'Corli accompanies them, however.

Siege vaults back over the rail and helps M'Corli over a well. "Your men may disembark, we are secure here as far as Marish's Light to the west and the Isle of Swine to the south."

If things have not changed, then Seige has just informed Vere that almost 60% of the Isles are in enemy hands.

Vere frowns at this and sends a sharp look at Siege. He says nothing aloud.

R'liat hardly needs to trouble himself bespeaking Finath; even as the crew of the Convent's Kiss make soundings and begin taking in sails, the dragons overfly the island to spot a clearing suitable for their landing. The most suitable clearing is fortuitously close to the Kiss's mooring, and moments after Vere comes ashore Jovian and Kourin are falling into step. "Lord Siege, it's good to see you again," the dragonman grins. "Robin sends her warm regards."

"I am honored by her regard, and I hope to be worthy of it." He bows to Kourin.

Siege brings the foursome to a grove, open to the sky, where a number of women sit on benches. At their head is Avis, sister to Vere.

"Lady Dragonrider Kourin, thank you for returning to us with your men. We are in dire need of the assistance we discussed when last you were here. And my thanks as well for returning my brother, the Prince Vere, son of Gerard, Consort to the Lady, to our Isles.

"The Lady is indisposed, a matter we can speak of in a less-formal setting. I know she, too will be pleased with your arrival."

Vere lets his eyes slit almost closed for a second as his sister addresses Kourin, concentrating on maintaining an expressionless face. He knew what it would be like to return. Why should this prove to be any more difficult than Rebma? He had no trouble accepting his position there. For the moment, he does not face the answer - Rebma was not home. Instead, he listens in obedient and proper silence as the women talk, and considers the possibilities of what the word "indisposed" could mean in this context.

"The blood of Rilga could not abandon the Dannan in time of need," Jovian interjects, reminding Avis where that blood stands in a tone mild enough not to significantly detract from Kourin's presumed position. He bows slightly to each of them in turn, deferring as it were to Kourin.

Only someone with a great deal of sensitivity would realize that Jovian speaking up startled Vere, and that an instant later the tension that had come over him when Avis addressed Kourin has completely faded. A faint smile comes to his face as his sister begins to speak.

Princess Avis wears a perfectly serene courtly smile as she nods at Jovian's comments. If she is awed by the son of a son of a goddess, she does not let on. The other women seem less composed, especially at the mention of 'blood'.

Avis replies and the others quiet. "The sons of Rilga are welcome back to the Isles by the Dannan peoples." She turns to Kourin. "If you will take a few minutes to speak to Mother E'enstar about the requirements for your people and your mounts, I will speak of personal matters with my brother. ... and his cousin, of course."

Kourin nods. "All we need is space and a target to hit, your highness."

Avis steps down towards Vere and gives him a brief hug. "It is good to have you back. Let us step out of this grove for a moment so that I can answer your questions."

Vere returns the hug, but before letting her lead him and Jovian away he says in a low voice, "I would not have a good man wait in anxiety when there is no need. Sir M'corli lost his sight while freeing you, and we have determined that the cause is sorcerous in nature. Could someone examine him while we speak?"

She nods. "Of course." She raises her voice. "Sister E'enstar, please attend to Kourin's wounded man, and take a chirurgeon with you in case it's physical infirmity." The sister stands and approaches Kourin.

Meanwhile, Avis leads Vere and Jovian out of the grove. "Mother is recovering from wounds taken in battle. We are not so strong as we would like to be in the face of our foes."

"I feared as much. I have brought a war band of 100 men, as well as a ship of war and crew. And there are the dragons and their riders, of course." He bows towards Jovian. "How many of our people have sided with the traitor? And do the Witch Queens still stand by her?"

"More than we'd like. They overran a lot of islands when they abandoned Ladystown." The princess frowns. "And the Witch Queens still aid her, although some of our intelligence suggests that there are tensions between them. The wildest of rumors suggests that the Witch Queens are being harried from the east, from a kingdom of children of the Dannan who left here ages ago, in the time of your grandfather."

She heads for a tent some distance from the clearing, indicating that the two men should come with her.

Vere follows, musing upon the rumors of warfare to the east. East, where the boundless forest of the mainland lies. Warfare in the forest....

His thoughts go back to some of the wilder speculation he has indulged in, upon possible connections between the Isles, Arcadia ... and Arden....

Jovian, for his part, ruminates on that behind a bright eye and a Julianic brow. The time of his grandfather didn't end all that long ago, but then, how long was that here? He checks his sense of relative time and for a moment ponders the stability of the differential here.

When he has decided what questions to ask first, he draws breath to speak, but finds they have arrived at the Lady's tent already.

Seige is standing beside the tent, speaking to another member of the brotherhood. He's pointing up at the sky, and describing the dragon coming through the roof of the temple. The brother, a man Vere does not know, opens the tent flap for Avis and the two Amber men.

The dragonman suppresses a wince at Siege's commentary, putting up his best square-eyed and steely-jawed commander look for the appraising stare he knows will come from the Brother.

Inside the tent smells of cloying incense. "Vere", says the Lady. "I knew you'd come back." She smiles.

She looks much older than Vere remembers. And frailer. She's lying under a blanket, but she's sitting up. It's rather warm in the tent.

Vere kneels beside her. "Of course, Mother," he replies. "How could I not? Father sends his love. He would be here if he could."

Jovian stands back a respectful distance, doing his best to be a reassuring presence without intruding upon the reunion.

"How is he?, " she asks. The apprehension in her voice is clear. She coughs, and Avis moves to a table to pour her some water.

"Badly injured," Vere acknowledges. His mother never liked bad news broken gently. "But under the best of medical care, and expected to recover. It might take a while, however, and while he is no longer confined to his bed he cannot yet make a long journey. And he is not in good enough condition to lead men in battle. I do not have his experience nor skill, but what abilities I do have are yours. I have brought a war band of 100 men, the Children of Lir, from the realm of Rebma, along with a ship of war, and Lord Sir Jovian and Queenrider Kourin are here with their dragons." He smiles. "I'm sure you have already been told of the dragons' return, and had the ship described to you."

She smiles and sinks back into the pillows. "Vere." She pauses for a moment. "You are so like your father. Our situation is not desperate, but it is pressing and we have suffered some major setbacks." She pauses again. "I hadn't realized, when your father said he needed to bring you to Amber, that you and he would be gone for so long."

Vere is silent for a moment, a little stunned at her statement that he is in any way like Gerard. He shakes his head slightly, bringing himself back to the conversation. "We didn't intend it to be so long. Travel was impossible until just recently. Time moves ... strangely, in different places." He tilts his head and regards her. "How long has it been?"

"You've been gone nearly six years, and they sit well on you." She smiles. "You'll have eligible women from all over the isles interested in you, once they see that you're back."

"Mother, there's no need to burden him with matters of statecraft now! The boy hasn't even had a chance to catch his breath, he just came in." Avis moves to her mother's side and pours her a glass of water from a pitcher, and puts something into the glass.

"Let the eligible women set their caps for my officers, they are Rebman men of high families, and those who survive will be heroes proven." Vere smiles at Jovian. "We should not bore Lord Sir Jovian with matters of family or statecraft, he is here for a military conference. But I should inform you, Mother, and you, my sister, that Jovian's sister the Lady Robin regrets she could not come herself. Their father has his own war to wage, and she is needed there." Vere bows his head slightly, not quite blushing. His right hand lightly stokes the braided locks of differently coloured hair over his right temple. "The Lady Robin has done me the great honour to ask my father's permission to court me."

His mother sits up and Avis stiffens. Corvis starts to speak and Avis interrupts her, which is in Vere's experience a remarkable event, or at least it was. "The Goddess! Lady, this may be important, more important than the other diplomatic offers we have had." Corvis looks at her daughter, both confused and surprised. "The Lady Robin's mother is Ysabeau. Think what news of that would do to those who oppose us..."

Avis turns and looks at Vere. "We could marry you to her without her being here. As she is a goddess, it would still be a real marriage."

"Avis!" says her mother, "don't rush ahead so. Vere, what do you want?"

Vere raises an eyebrow, giving Avis a considering look for a moment before glancing at Jovian, then back at his mother. "I am surprised that Lady Robin's heritage is known. It is known to very few, even among the Royal Family of Amber. She is widely believed to be the daughter of Prince Julian."

Jovian's impassiveness enhances considerably his likeness to his father. Only the tiniest crease at one eye betrays the possibility that he is uncomfortable with Avis' knowledge.

Avis raises a single eyebrow. "Have you been gone so long, then, that you have learned to question the mysteries of the priestesses of the Goddess?"

"He has learned a great many things, Avis. Perhaps too many to be lightly dismissed. Check the sea level in Mothersport," Jovian suggests in an utterly calm, conversational tone.

She looks up, her jaw set. "We do not speak of that aspect of the Goddess here."

Corvis says, more calmly than her daughter, "We will speak no more of this. Vere, what say to to Avis' suggestion?"

[Vere] smiles then, and bows his head slightly. "It would be the greatest joy of my heart if the marriage could take place immediately," (he does not bother commenting to them about what Robin's reaction would undoubtedly be if anyone dared carry out such a marriage without her being there, her volatile temper isn't the issue right now). "Alas it is not possible. Before I met the Lady Robin there was a period when Father was being difficult over his injuries, refusing to put his own recovery ahead of his many perceived duties, and in exasperation I swore a hasty oath that I would not wed until after he is healed. So the fates weave." He cocks his head to one side. "However, if news that we are betrothed would be of diplomatic use, I do not think my lady would object." He glances at Jovian again, seeking his opinion.

"I believe she could ask nothing better," Jovian says evenly, the faintest smile playing about his lips. "She regrets deeply that she could not be here, Lady, and if you can truthfully use her name to wipe Vianis' eye, she will be more than pleased."

Avis smiles. "We will use what advantages we can, for we are in need of them. What are the terms of your oath, brother?" Her voice is silkier than it was before.

"I swore by my blood, by all that I am, and by all that I shall ever be, that I would place no concerns of mine own above his healing, that I would not wed nor take a lover, nor accept any rank nor place of honour from the King of Amber, until he is healed from his injuries." He bows his head to his mother, then to Avis. "This was sworn, you understand, before Jovian and Robin returned to Amber, and we learned of the Chancellor's treachery."

Avis nods, "I shall ask one of our sisters versed in the law what can and cannot be done. But we should not tire Mother. Vere, if you and your companion will step out, I am sure that Lord-Commander Siege is already laying plans for how to best use your forces for the good of the Lady."

"Yes, Princess," Vere replies. He watches his mother for a moment, quietly analyzing her reaction to Avis' taking command.

The Lady seems tired and ill. Quieting Jovian and Avis seems to have drained her of some of her energy.

Then he takes his mother's hand in his and bends over it. He lightly kisses the top of her hand, then presses it briefly against his forehead. "Rest, Mother," he says. "We shall have a long talk later, about all that I have seen and done since I left."

She smiles at her son. "I very much want to hear it all, Vere. I have missed you and your father dreadfully."

He releases her hand and stands, takes a step backwards away from her bed and bows to her, then turns and walks out of the tent.

...where Siege is waiting. He offers Vere a warrior's clasp and a good pounding, and the same to Jovian.

Vere laughs. "Shall we go and discuss manly things, then, away from the women?"

Siege smiles back. "They will spend their time determining the political and we can discuss your men and how we can use them. Ah, I'm so glad you're back. The brotherhood hasn't been the same since the war broke out."

He leads the two men to a nearby tent with the sign of the stag outside it. The tent is open like a pavilion, and Siege leads the two in. "Now, tell me of your men. Are they brotherhood material?" He seems uncertain.

Vere pauses for a moment before answering, knowing that is an answer in itself. "They have great potential," he says finally. "I was able to select them from among the elite guard of the Queen of Rebma. However, they are for the most part untried in combat. Their martial skills are good, and they have a great desire to prove themselves. Many of them are second or third sons, and many of them had older brothers or cousins who distinguished themselves fighting against the creatures of the Black Tide." Vere makes a face, then explains, "The incursion we called the Black Forest was not confined to us, it affected everyone. These lads have heard stories of those fights, some have lost relatives to it." He shrugs slightly. "They need to be blooded rapidly, after that we will have a better sense of how well they will actually do. I have faith in them, or I would not have brought them. Indeed, I have political concerns as well, I hope they will come to love the Isles and wish to settle here, to help forge ties between our realms." He waves that thought aside. "Time for those considerations after the war is over, we can see then how many of them wish to return beneath the waves."

Vere sits on the bundled furs that serve as cushions in the tent and leans back. "Rebma is an undersea realm," he explains. "Many of these lads have never been to the surface before. I have given them as much training as I could in surface combat, but there are some differences which only real combat can teach them. Are there any small islands you've been wanting to raid?"

Siege nods. "There are several good candidates. Can we split your warriors from the flyers? We can use them for different tasks and be more effective."

Vere nods. "That seems reasonable," he says. He looks questioningly at Jovian.

Siege goes on to outline two separate strategies. The dragons are to harry shipping between the mainland and the isles. This protects gains made by the Lady's forces, who right now face a protean enemy. If they win in the west, the enemy pushes in the north, if they concentrate in the north, the enemy moves to the west. It's not a stalemate, but they can keep it up until they out last us. The dragons can turn that tide.

The plan for the Rebmans is more sketchy. There are 3 small islands that the enemy uses to spot our movements. Take out the bases without the enemy raising the alarm.

Beyond this, the plan for the Rebmans is to move them around, keeping the enemy off-guard about where we have troops. This lets them be useful early on, but not pivotal until later, when the rising level of plot makes them so and converges with other interesting things.

What do Vere and Jovian want to add to the plans? Or for that matter, subtract from the plans?

Are the Lady's sorceresses good enough and numerous enough to shield against scrying by the Spider and her allies? Trying to keep our numbers and whereabouts secret won't work if the enemy can just follow our trail by looking into a bowl of water.

Siege isn't sure. What if they aren't?

Then we only have the element of surprise for a limited time, and in that case Vere's opinion is that we hit all three islands immediately, one after the other.

Other than that potential problem, the plan sounds good to Vere. Take out the three islands fast, that takes care of a problem and gives the men some much needed combat experience.

Siege wants to know your plan: day or night? all at once or one at a time? He doesn't think there's more than forty men total on the islands, and there's usually not a witch-queen. He stops himself and declares that this should be discussed with your commanders, to get their ideas (and, Vere suspects, to test their planning abilities).

Vere completely agrees. We'll meet with the officers, lay out the situation and possibilities, and request opinions. Vere's personal opinion, which he will discuss with Siege now but won't bring up in the meeting witht he captains until after we've heard all their opinions, is that we go immediately, hit them one, two, three, and leave no survivors. Unless we have facilities for prisoners?

Jovian agrees broadly with the idea of splitting up the two forces, but points out that there's merit to hitting all three island observation posts simultaneously, ensuring no signal any one of them might get off can reach the other two. For maximum stealth and speed, an initial joint operation seems a good idea. He is of the opinion that with only 40 hostiles split between three locations, 35 Rebmans and ten dragonriders constitute overwhelming force in each location, particularly in a night raid - the Rebmans can be landed from the dragons for maximum surprise. If Siege does not recall, Jovian will remind him that the dragons' travel to anywhere their riders have seen is effectively instantaneous.

With a little luck, the usurper still won't even realize the dragons are back in the Isles after the joint op is complete and her shipping will remain undefended.

Siege doesn't seem inclined to argue the point. The captains are, once the plan is suggested, keen on it, including fighting with the dragons. They are convinced that they can overwhelm any small forces completely, for after all, they are the cream of Rebma.

They suggest a night raid on all three at once.

Are the three islands close enough to each other so that there's a possibility of inhabitants of one island seeing or hearing what's happening on another (or are there any kind of communications set up between them), or are they spread out in three different directions from Fair Isle, far enough away from each other that there's no possibility of the people on one island knowing that an attack is taking place on another? If it's the latter, Vere prefers hitting them one at a time with everything we have - he's a firm believer in the usefulness of overwhelming force. If the former, then he agrees that hitting them simultaneously is the best bet.

And he's willing to be convinced that too much overwhelming force simply becomes too unwieldy, and raises the risk of friendly fire incidents.

Any dragon in the air is ours. On the ground, the Rebmans will need some kind of recognition symbol and watchword, certainly.

If there is any possibility of anyone spotting what is going on, do we want to consider whether dragonfire plus water will produce sufficient steam to act as a masking agent? If not in this fight, then perhaps as a card in future conflicts?

Worth considering, but the dragons have only the firestone they can carry. Unless the Lady's holdings include limestone quarries, we should save it for the shipping and similar mayhem.

Agreed.

We also need to know what sort of potential landing spaces there are on each of the islands, are there large enough open spaces for the dragons to land without risking hurting themselves? Especially if we're going in under cover of darkness.

Jovian doesn't plan for the dragons to land on the islands at all. With superior manpower on the ground, there should be no need for more than strafing runs. The dragons can return between to Fair Isle when the deed is done - one dragon landing on the strand of the island for communication ought to be enough.

Do we have enough ships to make simultaneous attacks? We need to get a report from Siege on how many ships the loyalists have, and how many men.

Certainly we need that, but we could also consider an airborne troop landing. Four people are too many to ride on a dragon's neck, but if we could rig a harness like a three-man bosun's chair or ski lift supported by the beasties' shoulders, that might turn the trick. The Rebmans would have to endure a trip between, but there'd be no chance of being spotted on the approach.

The 1st Rebman Airborne.

The lads have been going on about birds, and how fascinated they are by the whole concept of flight. Let's give them their chance.

This is what happens when you take a swan as an emblem....

A few hours after midnight is probably best, even if the shifts have just changed the guards on duty will be less alert at that time that they would be earlier in the night or later in the morning.

We should also plan an approach from the far side of the islands, behind the line as it were, where the watch won't be as alert.

Good point. If we're doing a simultaneous attack, clearly Vere needs to lead one force, Siege another, and Castor the third.

While the attack is going on it would probably be a good idea to have the dragons watching for any boats trying to escape from the Island. Vere wants no one getting away from this with a report. Which brings us back to the question of whether or not we're going to take prisoners. Vere isn't going to make his captains give opinions on that one, it's a call for Jovian, Vere, and Siege to make. What has the policy been, on both sides, on taking prisoners so far in this war?

What phase of the moon is it? We don't want to sail in with the dragons clearly highlighted against a brilliant full moon. And how complete is the cloud cover?

Jovian is all done trying to mess with that detail himself, thank you very much.

Although the dragons will resent it a bit, the brighter ones could have their hides dulled with soot.

So, I'd like to see a ordered list of who does what in what order, any precautions you take, what you do between now and liftoff, etc.

Jovian expects preparations to take a couple nights. His list includes:

- Scouting flights after moonset. The darkest dragons we have should go with Siege or his subaltern aboard, at the darkest and murkiest opportunity, to fly around the far side of each island unseen and get teleport coordinates for the best possible approach. Ideal would be a beach with a wooded area nearby, in the lee of a hill with Vianis' observation post on the other side.

Siege wants to veto this. If you get seen, it puts the mission at risk and it wastes the advantage of the dragons' surprise.

A dragon can't go between to a place he's never seen. Somebody needs to have teleport coordinates, or else it's straight flight and a risk of being spotted en route.

I suppose we could send one dragon flying low to each of the islands, with a native guide, and they can send the coordinates once they've reached it. Less chance of spotting a single dragon than a whole squadron of them.

Is that the plan?

- Design, rig and test three-man harnesses to sling under the dragons' bodies; make sure they can lift three Rebmans plus their rider and manage a controlled glide with the load. If three Rebmans is too much weight for the smaller dragons, we can try with two, but that means the landing has to be done in two trips unless the larger ones can take up the slack.

Adequate Harnesses can be constructed. The best ones are made from wherhide, but local hide is almost as good.

- Practice runs for amphibious landing! The best option is probably going to be for the dragons to glide along just above the water's surface at near-stall speed, with the Rebmans dropping into the surf just short of the beach for a softer landing. With a little luck and a making tide, the splashing won't be audible over the surf.

Not viable. At least not without more time to practice technique and get better gear. The plan is abandoned for this mission when Castor is hauled by his ankle for several hundred feet just above the waterline due to a failure in the harness he was trying to get out of.

The dragons have to be careful landing, and it's a somewhat slow process. It would be bad to be caught by witch-queens while unloading.

It would be bad to be caught by witch-queens while beaching a longboat as well; it's one trade-off or another. If the harnesses can't be released quickly enough to satisfy, and the dragons can take the weight directly on their shoulders, the Rebmans can ride topside and dismount like Calusans....

Whatever we do, we spend lots of time practicing it. The incredible flying Castor serves as a lesson to everyone.

Castor pouts, slightly. It was "the incredible high-speed dangling Castor".

- Dull the dragons' hide with soot and ash for minimal visibility.

If Vere's lieutenants don't think of it themselves, Jovian advises that the troops have a watchword, a white or brightly colored armband and/or some other good way to tell friend from foe in darkness.

They think that's a good idea.

During all these preparations, he will also make very sure that M'corli gets seen by the Lady's priestesses. He's making an effort not to consciously mess with the local weather patterns, but he's definitely hoping for a cloudy night.

M'corli is being treated. They expect it may take some time.

He'll have to sit out this operation then, which is all right, since Antrith is on the small side and three extra bodies might be more than she can handle comfortably.

Siege takes Jovian and Vere aside and suggests that the dragons be used for putting the men in and getting them out and not for the actual assault, both to avoid them being seen and so that the Rebmans actually get tested in a real combat situation. After all, the dragons won't always be there.

Jovian agrees to this. He hadn't planned to land the dragons, and upon reflection strafing wouldn't be all that useful as more than a diversion. He does suggest, however, that each ground team be followed by one of the riders assigned to it - not in the line of combat, but to keep communications open if extraction is needed.

Good idea, let's make it so.

The priestesses want to have a blessing for the troops.

Jovian does not take issue with this and quietly advises his flyers to at least pretend to take it seriously.

This will be just before the troops leave.

I think this takes care of everything. During this time Vere is also going to have separate talks with Siege and Avis about his mother's condition. Exactly what is wrong with her, when did it happen, and how fast is she getting better?

She strained herself fighting off a Witch-Queen attack on Fair Isle. It was a great victory, but she was already weak from prior fighting. If she can be kept from overstretching herself further, she should recover. Siege expects that your arrival, plus the victory in which Vere's mother was wounded, should keep the enemy busy enough that she can recover.

Better than he was afraid was the case, less good than he was hoping.

Avis is handling many of the day-to-day tasks of the Lady, and is impressing many of the older Priestesses.

He also wants to get more information on how many people are still loyal to the Lady, how many of the Brotherhood are here on Fair Isle, and how many non-Brotherhood troops are available.

The people do what the local priestesses tell them to do. Avis is somewhat despondent about that. It will take years of peace to root out the bad elements in the priestesshood, after victory.

Vere doesn't respond with his immediate thought, which is that it will take generation for the full effects of this to work themselves out. People don't forget about civil wars very quickly. And the situation will probably never return to what it was before the war. Something new will grow out of this, and there's no way yet to tell what it will be.

Perhaps a quarter of the brotherhood remain. Many brave brothers have given their all.

And what is the situation back at the capitol? How much damage did the city and the temple actually take during the rescue of Avis?

"It's...gone, Vere. It sunk beneath the waves. Completely."

Vere closes his eyes and absorbs the blow. The very heart of the Isles...

No. He opens his eyes, and shakes his head slightly. "The Heart of the Isles is the Lady," he says. "The Lady and her connection with her people and her land. Buildings, cities, even entire islands... they can be spared. We can recover from their loss."

He tilts his head to one side. "The Spider survived the destruction, of course. And she holds it up as evidence of our wickedness and the displeasure of the Goddess. She would do so. And we.... are we spreading the word that the destruction was the Goddess' displeasure with the treachery of the rebels? They held the city when it was destroyed, after all."

"They've done well on that. They say that they sacrificed the city to save the people from the flying, firebreathing demons. What we've done well on is keeping that story on the far side of the lines. Your cousin's minions are scary enough to the priestesses and the brotherhood. How they will appear to ordinary women is uncertain."

Vere nods. "Xenophobia plays into the hands of the Traditionalists," he notes mildly. "Who are currently more in the Spider's camp than ours, if I read the situation correctly. We need to work on proving the dragons and their riders to be loyal, valuable allies. And surely the Chancellor's alliance with the Witchqueens must be causing some theological problems to her followers?"

She frowns, "We'll worry about the priestesses. People do as their priestesses tell them to do. You and your men would do well to remember that the men you fight are simply doing as you do; fighting for the women who lead them. Is there anything else?"

Vere nods. "It is an important thing to remember. I sometimes find myself so caught up in my anger at the treachery of the Chancellor and those who side with her that I forget it. Thank you for reminding me." He bows his head to her.

"There is one other small item. The price that I agreed to pay to the Queen of Rebma for permission to recruit from her men. Mere monetary considerations are of little concern, I can cover those from my own purse. But I also told her that there was the chance that the Isles might wish to look outwards in the future, to seek new trading partners and new lands to explore, and that if this happened the aid of Rebma would be recalled, and her friendship would be remembered." He bows his head again. "I made no promises in Mother's name, nor in yours, and the Queen understood well that I am a mere son, with no authority to make pacts. But I would encourage you to observe the men of Rebma while they aid us, to come to your own conclusions regarding them and their land."

She nods, apparently mollified. "I shall do so, and instruct the priestesses, as well." She smiles, lightly. "I am glad you're back. It's been difficult and we were worried about you and your father."

"And we were both worried about what was happening here, as well. I came as soon as I could once the ways were open, and the Lady Robin had brought word of what happened when she and her brother passed through here on the way to Amber." For a moment Vere considers asking her if there have been any reports of what happened to the seagulls that Robin created, and more importantly, whether she has heard anything of the ocarina that Viannis took when she captured Robin. A moment's reflection reveals to him that, much as he loves and trusts his sister in all other things, he isn't ready to give her information on things that Robin has created that might allow a mystical link and the temptation of seeking to summon, or worse yet, to control Robin through sorcery. He settles for "I am glad to find you well."

She smiles, a cracking of her outer defenses, and the girl he grew up around is there again. His sister seems older than Vere realized. "Me, too. I'm looking forward to getting past all this."

Vere nods. "And if I may ask," he says. "You and Siege....?"

She shakes her head. "Not during a war, not for a priestess, or at least not for me during this war. I have to leave open the possibility that I'll have to marry someone as part of a diplomatic solution. Mother was wondering if her newfound nephew was married. There is a lot of power in the blood of your father's father."

"Not married, as of yet, at least so far as I know. But you should speak to Queenrider Kourin of such matters, she knows him better than I."

She nods.