"Your men are in place?" he asked.
"Yes, Yes. Broken into groups of three or four, each assigned to one of
your sergeants. Except for myself, of course."
"Of course."
"Only I wanted to ask something of you, General. A favor of sorts."
Balasar crossed is arms and nodded for the man to continue.
"If it fails-if our friend Riaan doesn't do his magic trick well
enough-don't kill them. My boys. Don't have them killed."
"Why would I do that?" Balasar asked.
"Because it's the right thing," Sinja said. The amusement was gone from
the man's eyes. He was in earnest now. "I'm not an idiot, General. If it
happens that the binding fails, you'll be standing here in Aren with an
army the size of a modest city. People have already noticed it, and the
curiosity of the Khaiem is the last thing you'd want. They'd still have
their andat, and all you'd have is explanations to give. You'll turn
North and make all those stories about conquering the whole of the
Westlands to the border with Eddensea true just to make all this-" The
captain gestured to the door at Balasar's back. "-seem plausible. All I
ask is, let us go with you. If it happens that you have to keep to this
coast and not the cities of the Khaiem, I'll re-form the group and lead
them wherever you like."
"I wouldn't kill them," Balasar said.
"It would be dangerous, letting them go back home. Stories about how
they were set to be interpreters and guides? Not one of them knows the
Westlands except the part we walked through to get here. If the Khaiem
are wondering whether you had some other plan to start with ..."
Sinja raised his hands, palms up as if he were offering Balasar the
truth resting there. Balasar stepped close, putting his own hands below
the captain's and curling the other man's fingers closed.
"I won't kill them," Balasar said. "They're my men now, and I don't kill
my own. You can tell them that if you'd like. And that aside, Riaan
isn't going to fail us."
Sinja looked down, his head shifting as if he were weighing something.
"I can be sure," Balasar said, answering the unasked question.
"I've never seen one of these before," Sinja said. "Have you? I mean, I
assume there's some ceremony, and he'll do something. If there was an
andat beside him at the end, you'd have proof, but this thing you're
doing ... there's nothing to show, is there? So how will you know?"
"It would be embarrassing to walk into Nantani and have the andat
waiting to greet us," Balasar agreed. "But don't let it concern you.
Riaan isn't going to mumble into the air and send us all off to die.
I'll be certain of that."
"You have a runner in Nantani? Someone who can bring word when the
andat's vanished?"
"Don't concern yourself, Sinja," Balasar said. "Just be ready to move
when I say and in the direction I choose."
"Yes, General."
Balasar turned and strode to the door. He could see Eustin standing
close, his hand on his sword. It was a reassuring sight.