Upon This World of Stone (The Paladin Trilogy Book 2) Read Free Page B

his use of the man’s proper name a deliberate goad. “The red feather has been sent forth, dragging all of us away from the very real issues and problems which beset our principalities to listen to fools and cowards wail about the ferocity of the Northings! Even as we sit here, the border bandits and the river pirates grow bolder as our armies march north, and soon we will see very real losses as they test our intentions. Let the armies march off in pursuit of this wild Northing goose, and we will face banditry on a scale we have never before seen!”
    He wished he could steal a glance at Clarissa of Gemsbrook to see how she was reacting to his words, for Gemsbrook was beset not only by bandits but by the river pirates as well. With Feldon of Palmany and Georg-Mahl of Hathage behind him, he had only three sure votes and still needed one more to sway the Council.
    “Carthix Castle may indeed have fallen,” Argus conceded, his tone becoming conciliatory, “taken by surprise and broken by stone giants, though even for that we have no real evidence. But the layered power of Nargost Castle, destroyed by a bunch of raiding barbarians? Cut off by the invaders, yes; under siege, possibly; but do any here really credit the thought that the strongest fortress in all the Plains of Alencia could fall to disorganized raiders without siege equipment?”
    He could see the doubt striking home in the eyes of his fellow lords. Even the stony-face of Mandrik of Warhaven showed a hint of doubt, for The Hold of Warhaven had stood for centuries against the savage raids of the tribes of the Painted Plains. It was time to drive the point home.
    “I put it to you clearly, Southland,” Argus said, staring around at the thrones. “If this danger is of such a terrible magnitude that the Drift itself is in jeopardy, would not all the witnesses be of one accord? Would the power of the Northings not be so overwhelming as to give all who beheld it a single voice? Yet we have heard only debate and dispute from the witnesses presented before this Council. And some of them clearly have their own reasons for coming forth.”
    There was an angry murmur from the audience as Argus’ words were debated, and it required Lord Boltran to rap a mailed hand sharply on the arm of the golden throne to bring order again to the hall. When the crowd had grown quiet again, it was Thrandar of Norealm who spoke, his deep voice filling the room.
    “You raise doubts, Corland, yet you ignore the most important signs of our danger,” he rumbled. “A force of Northings has assailed the High Pass and came near to breaking the Highlanders. Mere raiders would never dream of facing such renowned warriors unless their true goal were the Southlands itself. And all witnesses agree that the main force of the Northings is south of Nargost Castle, whether it be taken or not, and moving towards the Drift. We would be fools not to man the battlements when such a foe approaches.”
    “My sources tell me that the losses at the High Pass were hardly more than two hundred men on both sides,” replied Argus coolly. “That is a minor skirmish, an accidental meeting between a wandering band of raiders and the Highlanders. Certainly it is no serious attempt to gain the Southlands.”
    Thrandar opened his mouth to argue the point, but he reluctantly shut it again with the words unspoken. Argus nearly smiled, knowing what the man would have said. It was true that barely a third of the Highlanders had stayed to face the Northings, but that was due to a powerful Fear Spell which had moved before the invaders and was the real force which had nearly captured the Pass. Such a Fear Spell, however, was unheard of, far more powerful than anything encountered before, and any claims about it would only undermine Thrandar’s credibility with the Council.
    “As for these tales of a Northing main force led by a titan beneath a canopy of death,” Argus continued, “we say they are a report of fear,