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had indeed done so rose, paper in hand:
This first missive, Lady Farand announced, comes from the First Equal of
Stonehold. It is also signed by the Second Equal and the members of the
advisory cabinet.
To King Tedric I, Monarch of Hawk Haven, Knight of the Eight-Rayed Star-
Skip that unzoranic nonsense and read the text, the king snapped.
Lady Farand gave a curt nod, ran her finger down the outer margin, and
recommenced:
Through our loyal generals, Yuci and Grimsel, information has come to our
ears that gives us to realize that the support we have granted to the nation
of Bright Bay was done while that nation deliberately maintained a foul and
most unreasonable deception.
We have written to Queen Gustin the Fourth requesting a meeting with herself.
Until she grants this meeting and the results of said meeting are satisfactory
to our needs, we will withdraw the military support which to this time we have
granted Bright Bay.
If subsequent to our meeting with Queen Gustin the Fourth, Bright Bay
persists in her foolish and dangerous practices, we will have no choice but to
declare war upon her. Moreover, in light of these discoveries, we hereby warn
you as ruler of Hawk Haven that any efforts to support, succor, or in anyway
ally with Bright Bay will cause us to view you in an unfriendly light.
We have confided some measure of our concern on these matters to the
countries of New Kelvin and Waterland, noting that we believe that the
government of Hawk Haven is well aware of the deception practiced by Bright
Bay and that its refusal to share that information constitutes an
unfriendly act uncomely between allies.
Note that if you remain neutral toward Bright Bay so we will remain toward
you and your people.
Derian hardly heard as the secretary read off a long list of the titles and
names belonging to the distinguished signatories. As soon as Lady Farand
finished, voices were raised, some nearly shouting frantic questions. King
Tedric banged for silence.
Listen to the rest of the correspondence, he demanded. You may find some of
your questions answered therein.
Lady Farand unfolded a shorter missive stating, This one is from the
Plutarchs of Waterland:
To King Tedric&
Recent discoveries of foul secrets held by the Crown of Bright Bay lead us to
encourage you to stay away from entanglements, whether civil or military, with
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that nation:
Waterland has always found it profitable to support your kingdom s continued
freedom from
Bright Bay s encroachment, especially upon the seas where our vessels could
offer our aid and protection. However, if you continue to treat with Bright
Bay without insisting on the destruction of their foul hoard, we shall view
you as one with them, no matter how separate your boundaries.
Your ships shall be to us as their ships: our rightful prey.
We trust that a man of your great years and well-respected wisdom thinks as
we do in this matter. Signed&
The missive from New Kelvin, Hawk Haven s other ally, was much the same,
though in this case the threat was to withdraw the economic support and
favored nation trading status which Hawk Haven had hereto enjoyed.
Derian was already quite confused and anxious when Farand Briarcott unrolled
the final missive, a personal letter to King Tedric from Allister Seagleam.
Uncle Tedric, By now you must have heard the accusations of deception and
foul play being heaped upon
Bright Bay by Stonehold. I hardly know what to say. If there is any deep
secret, I know nothing of it. I came here as I told you, in sincere hopes of
building a bridge between our nations in hopes of fulfilling the charge laid
upon me at my birth.
Now I must wait until Queen Gustin the Fourth decides how to answer these
demands. In the meantime, my family is held not quite prisoner in our
residence by guards supplied by our own people and supported by those members
of Queen Gustin s court who do not wish to risk that any small action of mine
might be interpreted by Stonehold s spies as an excuse for war. As we are no
longer free to come and go, I fear I can no longer attend our planned
conferences. I deeply regret this.
In hopes of resolution of this strange situation, I am, your nephew, Allister
Seagleam.
Lady Farand s reseating herself seemed a signal for the hubbub to erupt once
again. King Tedric let the confused babble go on for a few moments, then
recognized a senior army commander:
Your Majesty, the man said, what is this? Do you know of any dark secret?
In answer to your first question, King Tedric said, this is a warning to
us from our three neighboring countries that if we meddle in any way, peaceful
or not, in the affairs of Bright Bay, we will find ourselves viewed as enemies
as well.
As to your second question: How could I know what dark secrets Bright Bay
conceals? I have never been there.
While Derian was admiring the fashion in which the king had avoided a direct
answer to the latter question, Ivon Archer was recognized:
Your Majesty, I recommend that we prepare to attack Bright Bay as soon as
Queen Gustin arrives to negotiate with Stonehold. If we take her, we have her
kingdom. War between our peoples would be ended. If there is something in
Bright Bay s treasury this foul secret alluded to we will then be in a
position to turn it over to Stonehold. All wars will be ended.
I agree with that, said Rolfston Redbriar, not to be outdone. Everyone
knows that Bright Bay s power is on the seas, not on the land. Since Stonehold
has withdrawn her troops, we could defeat Bright Bay s remaining force
handily. We already have a base of operations set up here at the Watchful Eye.
Stonehold does not. Moreover, we have the Barren River between ourselves and
Bright Bay. Stonehold, even if it brings in reinforcements, will share ground
with those it seeks to conquer. The very countryside will rise against them.
We are secure in our own lands. Our supply lines need cross no enemy
territory.
There was more clamor along similar lines. Derian could practically feel the
blood-lust rising and wondered if Stonehold had anticipated this reaction on
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the part of Hawk Haven. Gripping the edge of the table hard, he listened and
said nothing, feeling more than ever a mere carter s son. At last King Tedric
banged his gavel on the table and said, his tones dry and ironic:
So I am to understand that most of you are in favor of taking advantage of
this situation to invade Bright
Bay, never mind that our own navy would be forfeit to Waterland, never mind
that New Kelvin has promised economic repercussions and could quite possibly
offer more than that if it felt threatened.
No one moved for a moment; then Prince Newell asked to be recognized.
As one who has recently served with our navy, said the prince, I would like
to offer my opinion on
Waterland s threat.
Speak, King Tedric said.
Our navy, the prince said, a feverish light in his eyes, could be warned of
what we intend to do. Our ships could temporarily withdraw into secure waters,
leaving Waterland s fleet to futilely sweep a vacant sea. When the
reunification of Bright Bay with Hawk Haven is completed, our newly augmented
navy will be large enough to deal fairly with Waterland s.
Derian saw many of the soldiers nod and smile in approval of Prince Newell s
vision. Hawk Haven s weakness upon the seas had long been a sore point among
the military, but a nation with only one major harbor and no offshore holdings
could not expect to compete with nations like Bright Bay and
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