Haladras

Twenty-nine

"You are certain it was Morvath?" said Krom on the morning following Skylar's encounter with the black figure in his tent.

"Who else could it have been?" said Skylar. "No, it was none other. I have no doubt."

"You saw him too?" he said, turning to Endrick.

"Great Yurik, no! I'd have sliced him to bacon strips had I caught that swine."

"Was there any sign of intrusion? Colonel, did your men sweep the area? He must have left some kind of trace," said Krom.

"My men made a thorough scan of the area, Sir," replied the colonel. "Nothing was found."

Krom turned back to Skylar, a look of doubt evident on his face. Skylar knew what must be passing through everyone's mind.

"It wasn't a dream," said Skylar. "I was as awake as I am now."

Krom considered Skylar for several moments, rubbed his stubbled chin.

"I don't know what you saw," he said after a time. "Men do not appear and vanish without a trace. What more, I cannot fathom how he might have entered Haladras and our encampment undetected. Still, I want Endrick at your side at all times. I will speak to Captain Arturo about tightening our border security."

That was all Krom had said on the matter. It was obvious no one really believed Morvath had entered their encampment. Skylar himself began to feel less sure of it as the day wore on. Whether it was a dream, an apparition, or Morvath in the flesh, one thing remained unchanged: Morvath's words had left Skylar doubting.

As much as he hated to admit it, he doubted about the justice of their rebellion. Doubted about his father. What if Morvath was right? The thought made him dizzy, confused. For not the first time since his life had been turned upside-down he distressed over the difficulty of judging what was right.

The next morning, they held a council of war. This time, instead of playing the role of silent observer, Skylar made his voice and thoughts known. No longer could he live in the shadow of others. He must learn to lead.

"I wish to end this conflict as soon as may be," he said as the council deliberated on their next course of action.

"I agree," added Rasbus. "The sooner, the better."

"Of that, I advise against," said the tall regal figure, whom Skylar now knew to be Lord Rowvan of Allega, his grandfather. "The Castle Ahlderon is a mighty fortification. To come against it would be to come against a mountain."

"Then we will crush the mountain," boomed Rasbus.

"Not without a great loss to our own forces."

"And I want to avoid imperiling our troops at all cost," said Skylar. "Already they have suffered much. What do you suggest, Lord Rowvan?"

"Thank you, Prince Korbyn. My plan is simple. We lay siege to Ahlderon; choke her off from the rest of the empire; block the flow of provisions to her; we starve her until Tarus is forced to send out his army against us in open battle."

"Yes, but how long will that take?" said Arturo. "Six months? A year? More? Our own troops must be sustained as well. An expensive endeavor. It becomes, then, a battle of endurance and patience. No, we must end this quickly, while our provisions are adequate and the soldiers' spirits high."

"Either option has its risks," added Krom, speaking out for the first time. "Like Lord Rowvan, I feel an attack on the castle is perilous. Yet, I fear what Morvath might contrive should we give him sufficient time."

"I fear him more than all Tarus' soldiers combined," said Skylar.

"We are fighting an army," said Rasbus, "not a single man. That snake Morvath does not frighten me. Let him send out his mechanical butterflies against us."