“Let them in, Synne,” the fane told her. An instant later, the door swung free.
Haderas and Rigarus entered. One tall and the other short, the two were almost always together, usually drinking. Neither was Miralyith, so Mawyndul? knew no more about them than their faces and names.
“You sent for us, my fane?” Haderas asked. His voice was muffled as he rubbed his cheek where the door had hit it.
“We have a problem,” the fane explained. “I ordered the Instarya to invade Rhulyn and destroy the Rhunes. Instead, Nyphron has yoked them into his service. And just like he did with the Gray Cloaks, he’s managed to seduce the Instarya to revolt against me. He’s taken control of Alon Rhist.”
Both Fhrey returned blank faces as if they had only understood every other word. Since they weren’t Miralyith, Mawyndul? wasn’t surprised. His father would likely need to draw pictures.
“What do you want us to do, my fane?” Haderas asked.
“The son of my challenger has stolen my army. He has my fortress, and I suspect he’s bent on revenge. What do you think I want? We are going to war, you fools! I want an army of my own. Haderas, you’ll raise and command the Bear Legion, Rigarus, the Wolf.”
Both Fhrey looked terrified.
“Our people will be no match for the Instarya in combat,” Haderas said.
“We aren’t certain the Instarya have agreed to break Ferrol’s Law,” Vasek added.
“The Gray Cloaks had no such concerns,” the fane shot back, harshly enough to surprise even Vasek.
His father’s adviser nodded, conceding the point, but added, “I just mean that, as warriors, they place a high value on entering Alysin. This may be enough to deter them.”
“It doesn’t matter,” the fane said. “I am also reinstating the Spider Corps. Kasimer Del will lead them.” The fane waited for a response from Haderas and Rigarus. When none came, he added, “You and your troops will be mostly for show, support, and cleanup. The Spider Corps will do the heavy work.”
They both nodded but looked even less confident than before.
“This needs to be stopped, and quickly,” the fane said. “I want it over. There will be no half measures. No one is exempt. I want two thousand ready to march by spring.”
“Two thousand?” Haderas looked shocked.
“By spring?” Taraneh said.
“Is that a problem?” the fane asked.
Taraneh looked to Vasek with desperate eyes. “We left the defense of Erivan to the Instarya. We only have the Lion Corps and the Shahdi on this side of the Nidwalden. Even combined, they aren’t much of an army, and training new recruits takes time.”
“You have until spring.”
“What do we need an army for?” Mawyndul? said. “We are Miralyith.”
“So, what would you do, boy? Wish them out of existence? You have that kind of power, do you?” His father was more than angry; he bordered on rage. “Can you snap your fingers and make thousands of people, people who are hundreds of miles away, vanish? Did your idol, Gryndal, teach you this miracle during your two-week jaunt to Rhulyn? The same trip where he got his head chopped off? I’m seeing a bit of a problem with your counsel!”
Mawyndul? was so shocked by his father’s tone that he took two steps backward, bumping into Sile. His father had never spoken to him like that before. He rarely raised his voice, and Mawyndul? found himself frightened that Lothian might lose control and do something he wouldn’t regret until later—if then.
The fane walked to the balcony and leaned on the railing. He stared down for several minutes. No one else moved or spoke. Mawyndul? imagined that even the songbirds went silent for fear of further angering the fane.
At last, Lothian turned. “Taraneh.”
“My fane.” The Fhrey snapped to attention.
“You will make me a new army. The members of your Lion Corps will train the new recruits for the Bear and Wolf Legions. You will inform Minister Metis regarding your needs for weapons and armor. Let her know this is now her tribe’s top priority. By spring, I will have two thousand trained and equipped warriors ready to march west. Is that understood?”
“Yes, my fane,” everyone replied.
“With luck, they won’t be needed, but luck hasn’t been on my side recently.”
The others filed out quickly, eager to get to work, or just happy to get away. Mawyndul? was left alone with his father, Sile, and Synne. He wished they would leave, too, but, of course, they wouldn’t. He hadn’t seen the fane’s double shadows leave his side since the Gray Cloak attack.
“Why are you still here? What do you want?”
Mawyndul? remembered about the news of the tutor, but it was trivial now. “I want to go,” he said before even thinking.
“Go? Go where?”
“With you. When the army is ready, you’ll be leading it, won’t you?”
The fane narrowed his eyes and stared at his son as if Mawyndul? had changed colors or spun his head around in a complete circle. “Yes,” he replied. “How did you know that?”