AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What about the princedoms of the Sunstruck Sea?” Shadowcatch said. “They’re already under attack.”
“They’re divided,” AuRon said. “They don’t trust dragons, for one. There are language difficulties. Though there are so many of them. City after city. It would take all the dragons of the Empire just to put one dragon in each.”
“They probably will wage just enough war to force a reasonable tribute from the princes, as Ghioz did,” the Copper said.
Wistala said, “I have friends in the north, among the Hypatians. They may be enough.”
Gettel, who’d left another conversation and joined their group, rapped her cane on one of the old mosaic stones. “According to the tribesmen north of Juutfod, the Empire is demanding a vast levy in cattle from the barbarians. If they pay, it means there will be starvation in nearly every village. They wonder how, after giving up so many cattle, they will ever be able to pay next year’s tribute if one is demanded, or the one after that. It takes a long time to replace a cattle-herd. In the meantime, no milk for the children. They and the Hypatians are old enemies. Long ago, they sacked the city and occupied it briefly. That’s a story still told beside every hearth in the barbarian lands. They might be up for another try at them. I’ve had emissaries from the chiefs’ visit, asking for help dealing with the dragons. The barbarians can handle anything but fire from the air—it terrifies them.”
“One dragon, to a barbarian, is dangerous,” she continued. “Two would be a calamity. Three and there would be some who’d take ship and risk the icy coast rather than stay among them.”
“And six?” DharSii asked.
“I’m not sure they can count that high. It requires a second hand,” AuRon said.
The dragons, save Wistala, chuckled at that. She’d seen the barbarians in their war against the dwarfs. If aroused, they were a terrible foe. She wondered if NiVom knew that, or saw only a vast expanse of villages connected by a few pack-trader trails and hunting tracks.
AuRon said the barbarians were very much like the wolves of the forest. They had no one king, but numerous chiefs. Getting the chiefs to unite in any permanent fashion was impossible. In the short term, they might unite in order to raid and plunder after a bad summer, or the loss of livestock to disease.
“Do we really want another war?” Wistala said.
“If the Empire falls in the manner of Silverhigh, that’s the end of dragons,” AuRon said. “I think it’s inevitable. Once the Hypatians decide they are strong enough, they’ll overthrow the dragons themselves.”
The dragons absorbed AuRon’s words. All had heard legends of the days of death at the fall of Silverhigh. For an age afterward, dragons had hidden and scattered, until the Copper had brought them back to the surface.
“That would be the end of us,” the Copper said.
“They might rebuild on clan basis. Skotol and so on,” DharSii said. “There are still strong affiliations, though since the civil wars and Tyr Fehazathant, clan affiliations have been discouraged and he did all he could to break up the old allegiances.”
“Perhaps we could precipitate their revolt,” AuRon said. “Control it, so it is directed against NiVom and Imfamnia. Turn them against the Empire. Wistala has friends high in their councils, I believe. They might rally behind reinstalling Tyr RuGaard.”
“Perhaps,” Wistala said, “but the librarians aren’t influential. They’re a bit like the Ankelenes in the Lavadome. They go to them for the answering of questions; they don’t have the influence to sway a city.”
“All I wish for is my mate back. I’m willing to walk alone into the Empire to demand it,” the Copper said.
“RuGaard was rather clever about making the Hypatians his pets,” DharSii continued. “They would lose much if the Empire falls before they’ve reestablished themselves all around the Inland Ocean.”
“One day they will realize that they are the Empire, more than a handful of dragons,” AuRon said. “Clever men will decide that they could do better without dragons taking the lion’s share of the Empire’s riches. After that, we’re finished.”
“If they haven’t decided that already,” Wistala said.
“So, we are resolved to break up the Empire,” AuRon said. “And render the Hypatians impotent at the same time.”
The dragons all nodded.
“A difficult task,” DharSii said.
“The Empire’s strong enough to resist any outside attack now, by any power I can think of,” the Copper said. “Hypatian troops, Ironrider mercenaries, and slave-regiments, two fleets on the Inland Ocean and another being built on the Sunstruck Sea, both wings of the Aerial Host, Roc-rider scouts, the Griffaran Guards—any one of those could smash the barbarians if they so chose.”
“I think Gettel is right,” Wistala said. “If we can handle the dragons, the barbarians might humble the newly arrogant Hypatians. They only think they’re strong because the dragons have won all their battles for them.”
A shadow passed over the opening at the top of the tower.
“Get Gettel,” a dragon voice shouted. “They are coming! The dragons of the Empire are coming!”
“It seems we weren’t the only ones plotting war,” the Copper said.
Chapter 12
