Verkan Vail walked through the entryway into the great room of Tortha Karf's palatial Hostigos townhouse. "Very nice, Tortha."
"My home away from home," Tortha responded. "No rabbits, either! And all the comforts of my former quarters in Xyphlon, I hope?"
"We had a team in Xyphlon City for five ten-days establishing your cover, creating the Trading House of Tortha, implanting pseudo-memories on your last living relative-a sister named Horthvarga, no less-and generally casing the place. The Mexicotal siege, though doomed to fail, has everyone upset. It hasn't helped that the Mexicotal have built their own local Pyramid to the Sun outside the City, where every day their human-skin accoutered priests are taking human sacrifices and hearts from local captives and prisoners-of-war. It's enough to make you want to drop a thermo-nuclear on their capital city."
"I hate to admit it, but that bunch has this Styphon's House racket beat all to Regwarn and back."
"Ahhh, good to see you picking up the local references, Tortha. As well as losing all First Level objectivity. I remember how you used to lecture me on the subject."
Tortha harrumphed. "I'm not the only one. Besides, these Hostigi folks grow on you. What brings you to Hostigos Town."
"I had promised Kalvan to bring him some guns from Greffa in exchange for all that fireseed I took with me. I did too, but the trading party's about five days down the road. I took my prerogative as chief trader to ride on ahead. I thought I'd meet with my old trader friend before stopping into the palace and seeing Kalvan."
Tortha nodded as he removed his tobacco pouch and a new carved ivory pipe. "I like the way you stay in character."
"Where'd you get the pipe? Isn't that Kalvan's face carved on it?"
"Bought it off a Zygrosi trader. Some whaler carved it out of a walrus tusk-scrimshaw. I've ordered a bunch more, when he returns from his last trading mission before winter sets in. I intend to give them out as presents at Year-End Day. Don't mention them to Dalla-I've got a pipe with Rylla's face carved on it for her."
"Word. By the way, Dalla came along this trip. She'll be here in a few hours. She wanted to air out our townhouse."
"I guess you won't have time to visit the baronial mansion in Beshta this trip?"
Verkan laughed. "You mean my drafty, falling-down castle. Tarr-Verkan, Dalla's taken to calling it. I think it formerly belonged to one of Prince Balthar's cousins, from the cheap side of the family!"
Tortha joined in the laughter. Balthar had been legendary as a miser long before his well-deserved death at Tarr-Beshta at the hands of Rylla's giant bodyguard, Xykos.
Verkan sobered up. "I've got more bad news."
"What now?" Tortha asked. "Living in Hos-Hostigos is like being at Paratime Headquarters under Code Yellow all the time. Or is this Code Red?"
"No, Code Yellow, it seems that Captain-General Phidestros has besieged and taken an important Beshtan castle, Tarr-Veblos."
"The Harphaxi strike back!"
"Well, Captain-General Phidestros had to do something before he lost his job. After last years drubbing at Chothros Heights and Rylla's successful invasion of Phaxos, in the heart of Hos-Harphax, the Harphaxi princes and people were losing morale. The top command knew Phidestros really wasn't in a position to stop Rylla, but Lysandros was going to have to do something or risk the Election of someone else as Great King. Phidestros was smart enough to realize that he had to make a face-saving move before returning to Harphax City, or face a further erosion of morale in the Royal Army as well as a loss of confidence in his leadership.
"Phidestros pulled a fast one on Prince Phrames. He moved his cavalry close to the Beshtan border, keeping Phrames and his army busy worrying about invasion sites. Meanwhile, Phidestros sent off a smaller force of mounted infantry and artillery to besiege Tarr-Veblos. The tarr was undermanned, after Phrames pulled most of the Beshtan Army out of their prepared positions and into Arklos to protect Rylla's flank from the Harphaxi Army, and vulnerable."
"Why didn't Prince Phrames reinforce his tarrs?"
"By the time Phrames got back to Beshta from Arklos, Phidestros' large cavalry force was preparing for what appeared to be a large scale invasion. Phidestros was smart enough to stay far away from Tarr-Veblos and Phrames never reinforced the skeleton garrison. So while Prince Phrames is shifting his army up and down the border, Phidestros' second force hit Tarr-Veblos at night, with a company of-I guess you'd have to call them mountain troops-who repelled their way into the castle, killed most of the sentries and took the outer courtyard. They opened the gate and the rest was history, what with Phidestros' artillery firing point blank on the inner bailey and keep. Phrames has been trying to re-take the tarr, but Phidestros already had his army in the area and lots of reinforcements, so I think Tarr-Veblos is going to stay Harphaxi, at least, until next spring."
Tortha whistled. "He pulled a Kalvan."
"Kalvan doesn't have any corner on military genius and Phidestros, as it turns out, is a first rate commander."
Tortha tapped the residue out of his pipe into an ashtray, and then refilled the bowl. "When will word of this debacle reach Hostigos?"
"Any hour. I'm surprised word hasn't reach Hostigos Town already."
"I'd have heard the fireworks shooting out of Tarr-Hostigos, if the news had reached Town."
"By the way, how are the Royal couple these days?"
Tortha's face took on a worried cast, as he paused to strike a spark on his tinderbox and light his pipe. "Not very well. Kalvan came back way ahead of schedule from Tarr-Ceros without any escort but a few Lifeguards I suspect he couldn't shake. The story I heard-you know we've resisted leaving any telltales in Tarr-Hostigos-"
Verkan nodded. "We don't eavesdrop on friends. Although, there are occasions-like this-when it would be a help."
"Anyway, after Kalvan got back, they went to it with everything but the Great King's ceremonial halberd. Apparently Prince Ptosphes had to come in as peacemaker. I don't know if it did any good. Rylla came out of it with hurt pride, a bandaged hand and her back so stiff you could use it as a bridge. I doubt Kalvan had anything to do with the injury, since Ptosphes is still lodging at the Tarr. Kalvan's been drinking heavily and staying out of the common quarters. Everyone at Tarr-Hostigos is walking on tippy-toes."
"Someone is going to have to have a talk with that boy."
"You might try, you certainly got enough talks from me during that first companionate marriage with Dalla! You should have picked up something along the way."
Verkan covered both his ears. "Will I never live that down? And you, a lifelong bachelor! It's a wonder we ever got back together."
Tortha grinned. "Let me get out a couple of goblets of Ermut's Best. You got me there. Let's take a drink to me minding my own business. At least I learned enough to not bother poor Kalvan with my words of wisdom about Queen Rylla!"
"I'll offer a toast to that!" Verkan took the offered goblet and took a drink. "To minding your own business. I think I may take some of that advice for myself and not try to tell Kalvan how to patch up his break with Rylla"
"He'll appreciate it, I'm sure. He's already got Prince Ptosphes hovering over him like an old hen!"
"Of course, I can't make any promises for Dalla."
"Ha! No sir, Chief. Dalla and Rylla will soon be up to no end of mischief."
"You can say that again. After Dalla arrives, Kalvan's going to need all the help he can get!"