‘I would not insult thee by incivil informality,’ he explained.
‘It’s the formality I find incivil at this point, love,’ I said bluntly. ‘We can discuss that later, though. Right now we have this problem that’s just screaming for a solution.’
‘There is one possible answer, Polgara,’ he mused.
‘Prithee enlighten me – or point me in the direction of the dishes.’
He laughed. ‘In truth, I see no other possible solution. Clearly, the fleet stands at anchor awaiting something. Are they out of sight of land?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then I would venture to say that it is no signal they do await.’
‘Probably not, no.’
‘Then must it be a specific date. Evidently, they made better progress than they had anticipated, so now must they pause to allow the calendar to catch up with them.’
‘That does stand to reason, Ontrose. They’re waiting, not just loafing.’
‘It doth give birth to yet another mystery, however,’ he said, frowning. ‘Setting a specific date for a military action is not uncommon, but to do so clearly implies a necessity for coordination – one force to attack here while another doth simultaneous attack there. This procedure doth lie at the core of nearly all military campaigns.’
‘It makes sense, yes.’
‘But with whom is this coordination? Lathan hath assured us that the entirety of Garteon’s army did take ship at the wharves of Vo Astur. Such being the case, whom is there left in all Asturia to coordinate with?’
‘Some outside force, perhaps?’ I suggested dubiously, ‘but neither the Alorns nor the Tolnedrans would become involved in Arendish squabbles. I took care of that centuries ago.’
My champion’s eyes suddenly widened. ‘Impossible!’ he burst out.
‘But I did, love,’ I assured him. ‘Ran Borune I and I skinned the Vorduvians, the Honeths, and the Horbites alive over a hundred years ago to keep them from meddling in Arendish politics, and my father has a firm grip on the Alorns.’
‘I did not speak of that, dear Polgara,’ he assured me. ‘It hath just burst in upon mine awareness that Baron Lathan is not unknown in Arendia, for indeed all Arendia did witness our jousting match at the Arendish Council when I did win the coveted office as thy champion. Might it not have been that Garteon or one of his henchmen did observe – and recognize – our dear friend in Vo Astur, and then did make some show of the embarkation of the Asturian force to deceive him and thus to contaminate his report?’
‘I hadn’t considered that, Ontrose,’ I conceded. ‘Once Lathan had seen all those troops boarding those ships at the wharves of Vo Astur, the ships could easily have sailed ten miles down-river and then unloaded the soldiers on some empty riverbank where Lathan wasn’t around to watch. What it boils down to, dear heart, is that we know that Garteon has an army, but we can’t be positive exactly where it is.’
‘I must to horse!’ he exclaimed.
‘Ontrose, dear, dear Ontrose, I do wish you’d stop saying that. Where are you going now? Don’t tell me that you’re still afraid of what I might do to you.’
‘I must needs confer with Lathan. If we have been duped, all is lost.’
‘Not lost, exactly, but we would be badly out of position. Let your horse sleep. I’ll take you to Lathan.’
‘But – ’ he started to protest.
‘Trust me, dear one,’ I told him, laying one finger gently against his lips. Then, as long as they were so handy, I went ahead and kissed those soft lips – just to be sure they still tasted as good as before, you understand.
‘Lady Polgara?’ he said uneasily.
‘It’s not polite to interrupt me when I’m busy, love,’ I said firmly. Then I kissed him again. ‘Well,’ I sighed a bit regretfully, ‘that’s enough of that for the moment, I guess.’ A thought had just come to me that might not have come to my champion. Ontrose, despite his urbanity, was really an innocent when it came to politics. His lifelong friendship with Lathan made him incapable of distrusting the baron. I’d seen enough betrayals in my time, however, to always have a few suspicions up my sleeve. ‘In just a few minutes we’re going to go see Baron Lathan,’ I told him. ‘When you talk with him, I’d rather that you didn’t mention any of our random speculations about the location of Garteon’s army.’
‘I must confess that I do not follow thee, beloved.’
‘Let’s not clutter his mind with our speculations, Ontrose. Let him arrive at his own. I don’t want to blot out his thinking with ours. His answer might just come closer to the truth than ours does. Let’s not close the door on that possibility. Just tell him that Garteon’s fleet is anchored and then suggest the possibility of some significant date. Let him take it from there, and let’s see where he ends up. Lathan has a good mind, and we’d be fools to hobble it.’
‘Thou art wise beyond belief, my beloved,’ he said admiringly.
‘You are the nicest boy, Ontrose,’ I said, laying a fond hand on his cheek.
‘How dost thou propose to transport us unto the camp of Lathan?’ he asked.
‘It’s probably better if you don’t know too many of the details, love,’ I told him. “They aren’t really important, and they might upset you. Put yourself in my hands and trust me.’
‘With my life, beloved.’
I decided not to convert him into a field-mouse as I’d done with poor Killane that time. I didn’t want to demean him, and I wanted him to have a clear head when he spoke with Lathan – just in case. At my suggestion, my champion and I went outside the city to a little grove of trees. It was shortly before midnight, but a full moon made the night almost as bright as day. I touched my hand to my beloved’s pale forehead and murmured, ‘Sleep.’ And he did that. Then I gathered my Will and shrunk him.
That’s a clumsy way to put it, I know, but it is fairly precise.
When the process was complete, my champion resembled a small figurine about six inches tall, and he weighed no more than a few ounces. I held him in my hand for a moment, and then I shrugged, wrapped him in my handkerchief, and tucked him in my bodice to keep him safe.
Don’t even think about saying something clever! And I mean it!
I used translocation again, and that’s a little tricky at night – even with a full moon.