“Perhaps Kadan was intrigued from his first meeting with her and wanted to see what the trial would bring?” Symphony offered with hesitation.
“Perhaps Lord Delvayon does not trust his younger son’s judgment and wanted Kadan there for a matter as important as the rise of a fallen house,” Faramir countered. “If that is so, you should take note of it. It means the youngest Delvayon lord is politically worthless in his country.”
Frowning, Caspian shook his head slightly and sighed, “I never cared much for politics,” he admitted and leaned back heavily in his chair.
Nodding slightly, Symphony contemplated Faramir’s words and couldn’t help but notice the absence of the other councilors. She was sure Lutheron would have had input on the topic. While Caspian did seem to despise politics, Lutheron seemed to know the why and how of every political move. It was as if the man thrived on intrigue. “Where did Lutheron ride to this morning. I heard them leaving in the early hours. I’m assuming it was Lutheron, anyway, since he isn’t here,” Symphony said, her gaze flicking between Caspian and Faramir.
“We received word late last night that a spell hawk had touched down near Eldagar. Apparently Lutheron had scouts there to keep watch. That same spell hawk was traced to Northern Faydwer early this morning. Lutheron and Vaze rode out with a few others to investigate,” Caspian explained.
“You think someone is purposely moving Blights into our area,” Symphony concluded, her expression filled with disbelief. “But that would mean someone was intentionally working with Kali …” Her voice trailed off and she met Caspian’s gaze. “Then you believe what Kiernan said, that Myth is working with Kali on this?” she asked.
“I’m not sure if I do. It’s not that I don’t think Myth would work with Kali. It’s that I don’t think Kali would work with Myth. My thoughts on the matter aside, though, Lutheron seems to believe they are working together and this spell hawk may be what proves him right,” Caspian said wearily.
“Well then, we should pray Shade’s plan succeeds if they are simply using Eldagar as a breeding pit against the rest of the world. I don’t understand why Kali works so hard against us,” Symphony sighed and fell back in her chair. The sight of the maps and the Blight infestation was depressing beyond anything she had ever dealt with.
“I wouldn’t put too much faith in an untried boy,” Caspian warned.
“What do you think Faramir?” Symphony asked, looking over to her mentor who seemed oddly quiet on the subject.
Faramir looked up from the map and sighed heavily. “At this point I don’t even know where the boy is. If word reached him about Oma, he might not even be working on his plan.”
“The last report placed him in Morcath along the southern coast. All Charm said was that they were stopped for modifications on the ship. I’m not sure if word has reached him about Oma leaving yet,” Symphony explained and rubbed her face. “I’m not really sure how to tell him she is gone if he doesn’t know. I wish our scouts had managed to pick up some trace of her.”
“She used magic to leave, that is a certainty. There is not much that our scouts could have done to track magical travel,” Caspian said. “About the most foolish thing the child could have done, given the current times. She was safer here than she would have been anywhere else.”
“People make poor choices all the time. Take Delvay and Rivana, for example. Blights threaten all of us and they are about to fight each other,” Symphony said with disgust and stared down at the map once more. “I wish there was some way I could talk sense into them. I don’t think either would listen to me, though, not yet anyway.”
“There is a possibility Rivana would listen to Morcaillo or Avanti, but we can’t negotiate with them and they would most likely urge the war on. Delvay is one of the thorns in their side, much as Veirasha was.” Caspian tapped his fingers on the table as he spoke and stared hard at the country of Delvay. “I can’t think of anyone they would listen to,” he admitted sadly.
“Bloodless. I wanted this to be bloodless,” Symphony said quietly as she propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands.
“What you want and what you are going to get appear to be two very different things, Symphony. I think it’s best if we prepare for what is coming,” Faramir said gravely.
“How far do you think it will spread?” Symphony asked.
“That depends on if Nerathane joins the fight,” Caspian replied. “If Rivana has to fight alone it will be the typical border skirmishes that we see every few years. If Nerathane joins, Delvay will fall unless others rise to help them, and at this point I don’t think there is anyone that will rise. They are all too worried about the Blights to make a move toward war.”
“So Delvay will fall if the dragons fly. What I need to figure out is how to keep Nerathane out of the fight,” Symphony said, her eyes glued to the map once more. “How do you reason with dragons?” she murmured to herself and began to pore over all knowledge of Nerathane that she had learned so far. It seemed a hopeless endeavor, though. If anyone had ever known how to reason with dragons they likely kept it as a trade secret.
“There is a slim chance …,” Caspian began, his eyes still on the map.
“What? A slim chance is better than none,” Symphony said, her hope rising a bit.
“Well, Lord Rivasa has a brother in the northern territories who controls a third of the Rivana military. They do not get along at all. If we could get an agent to the brother we might be able to sabotage the war before it begins,” Caspian said cautiously.
“Hexian?” Faramir asked in disbelief. “The man is an arrogant ass and virtually impossible to deal with, from what I’ve heard.”