‘You have never lied to me, though you probably never had cause: if you had, you’d no doubt lie as convincingly as a young whore seeking to persuade a rich old man she’s in love with him.’
Kaspar laughed. ‘I have been known to avoid the truth when it served me to do so.’
‘So, what do you propose?’
‘Come with me. There are some things I cannot tell you yet, but there are things you should know. If I judge you accurately, you are a man loyal not only to his ruler but also to his nation and people. I think you realize that your young Maharajah is looking for an excuse to finish what he started, his conquest of everything down to and including the City of the Serpent River. He wants to finish building his empire. You know the risks. While you’re resting and rebuilding, so are your enemies, including Okanala.’
Alenburga ran his hand back through his grey hair. ‘Ah, Kaspar. Why can’t you take service with me? I’d make you my adjutant, second-in-command of all the armies of Muboya.’
‘I lost interest in conquest some time back,’ said Kaspar. ‘I know what it’s like, and I also know what it feels like to be on the other side.’
‘Well, go take service with Okanala, then,’ said Alenburga with a laugh. ‘Facing you in the field would be more fun than those jesters the King employs. The only reason we didn’t win was we ran out of time and gold.’
‘And men,’ said Kaspar, remembering the dead bodies of Bandamin, his wife Jojanna, and the boy Jorgan lying by the roadside, while the Master of the Luggage wept over them. ‘You ran out of men.’
‘Which is why you thought we’d welcome a few thousand seasoned warriors?’
‘Something like that. Though it’s more than a few thousand.’
‘How many more?’
‘How many would you like?’
Alenburga sat back, regarding Kaspar with a focused attention. Then he said, ‘I suspect you have more than I want.’
‘More, I think, than any reasonable man would want.’
‘How many?’
Kaspar could feel all hope draining away. ‘General, with all candour, from what I know of the situation facing the Tsurani, they may not have much of an army left by the time they deal with the threat to their world. But if they’re smart, they’ll pull up stakes and run. That would mean a million warriors, and three times that in women, children, and other non-combatants.’
‘Four million?’ said the General, a look of genuine astonishment on his face. ‘Our entire population is less than a million, Kaspar.’
‘I know. I doubt there are four million souls living in the Eastlands in all the kingdoms and city states.’
‘Just how many Tsurani are there?’
‘I don’t know exactly, but they have an imperial census they use for taxes, and I have been told that the last one – seven years ago – accounted for twenty million citizens and slaves in their empire.’
‘You hear things, Kaspar, and sometimes you judge them to be rumours and stories, tales told by those given to exaggeration. When I was a boy and heard stories of the Riftwar, it was something of legend. Here in the Eastlands we’d see the occasional trader from your continent up north. We knew you were up there, but we never had much contact. The Riftwar was this amazing tale of aliens from another world who used magic to invade the Kingdom of the Isles. A ten-year struggle and a climactic battle. Very much the stuff of sagas, but in all of that, we never heard a jot of information about the order of battle, the disposition of resources, or provisioning the troops – the stock and trade of the working soldier, Kaspar. To us, it was all a fantasy.’
‘Not for those dying up there, General. As difficult as it may be to believe, I have met some people who lived through that war, and the one that devastated this continent afterwards, and I can tell you it was no fantasy to them.’
‘But millions of Tsurani…’
‘I will tell you everything you need to know, but time is short.’
‘Kaspar, you know I would probably recommend to His Majesty that we accept your Tsurani refugees, or at least some of them, if I could guarantee their good behaviour.’
‘Then you should meet them,’ said Kaspar with a dark grin.
‘Really?’ Alenburga sat back in his chair and looked at Kaspar across the chessboard. ‘How do you suppose I can do that?’
‘Well, I have arranged for you and your general staff to take part in a first-hand demonstration of the Tsuranis’ ability to fight.’
‘Kaspar, now you’re being glib.’
Kaspar smiled. ‘Yes, I am. Let me tell you of the Dasati’ Speaking quietly and calmly he told the General everything he knew of the situation on Kelewan and the minutes soon turned into hours. When the General’s batsman came to see if Alenburga needed anything, he was waved away. By the time Kaspar had finished the story, evening had become night and the palace in Muboya was silent.
The General let out a long, slow breath. ‘Kaspar, that is a remarkable story.’
‘It is true, every word, I swear.’