Honor among thieves

Chapter Twenty-Five

The king walked his horse up to where the two barbarians stood. The four Ancient Blades kept close position behind him.

It was Ulfram’s herald who spoke first. “Hail and well met under the banner of parley! King Ulfram, fifth of the name, lord of Skrae, master of the fortress of Helstrow, protector of the people, favored of the Lady-”

“Owner of a very nice horse,” the barbarian with the painted smile said. “Can I have it?”

His golden-haired companion chuckled.

Ulfram’s herald went white with rage, but he finished his announcement. “River warden of the Strow and the Skrait, lord protector of the dwarven kingdom-may I present to you the Great Chieftain Morg of the eastern steppes?”

“Ha! Don’t forget me!” the barbarian with the painted smile insisted. “Hurlind the scold! Ah, is it my turn to speak? This fellow went on so long I completely forgot my lines. Oh great Morg the Wise, this is… some king or other, I believe you heard his recommends already.”

Morg laughed openly. “Aye, I did. And well met, I say.” He shot out one hand to clasp the king’s.

“And the dog, Skari, what is it, the fifteenth of that name?” the scold went on.

The dog looked up on hearing its name, then flopped down on its side in the grass and panted.

“You dare introduce your dog to the king of Skrae?” Ulfram’s herald said, his face turning purple now.

“He’s not my dog,” Morg said. “Sometimes I feed him, that’s all. More than once, when I was starving, he fed me. Sometimes I think I’m his man.”

Ulfram’s herald began to complain again, but the king stopped him with a gesture. “That will do, I think. Ride back to the gate now, and tell them I’ve been met with the required civility. Go on, man.”

The herald glared down at the barbarians one last time before he left. Ulfram sighed deeply once he was gone and then dismounted so he could face Morg man-to-man. “I’ll choose not to take offense at the jests and boasts,” the king said. “It is my understanding your man there-your scold-is trained to taunt and provoke, rather than to offer your own thoughts.”

“He’s not my man,” Morg said. He waved behind him, toward the rabble. “None of these are. They let me talk for them, that’s all. That’s what a chieftain does. A Great Chieftain just talks for a lot of them.”

“But you are invested with the power to make terms today?” the king asked.

“I am. Should we sit? This might take a while.”

“I’d rather not soil my robes of state,” Ulfram said.

“As you wish.”

Ulfram nodded gratefully. “I understand you believe you were invaded first, by one Herward, a lone, insane religious hermit. Who you slaughtered without trial.”

Morg waved a hand in front of his face as if dismissing a fly.

“To show my contrition for this grave offense,” Ulfram said, “I am willing to offer you tribute-one hundred chests of gold coin. Once the exchange is made, I will expect you to lead your people back through the new pass to your own lands.”

Morg sighed. “I already have a lot of gold.”

Croy could see Ulfram trembling. The crown rattled on the king’s head.

“What I’m really looking for is land,” Morg went on. “We have plenty of that, too, in the east, but it’s no good for farming. My people need to eat. I’ve spent my life trying to convince them there’s more to life than just looting and pillaging, but when I can’t grow good wheat, it’s hard to get the point across. Now, personally, I’d prefer to avoid bloodshed today. I don’t like watching men die.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Ulfram said softly.

“Unfortunately, that makes me a rarity among my people.”

The scold laughed. “For us, the sound of dying men screaming their last is sweet music! We love the ring of iron on iron. Some like to drink hot blood, and others-”

Morg punched the scold in the side of his jaw. His fist was like a hammer’s head, and it sent Hurlind sprawling into the grass, clutching his face as if his bones were broken.

Instantly Croy’s hand dropped to his sword hilt. It was all he could do not to draw Ghostcutter and race forward to cut down the golden-haired barbarian. But he had his orders.

“Sorry,” Morg said. “He annoys even me, sometimes. As I was saying-the clans want to go to war. It’s what they love best. I might be able to convince them to let you live. But they’ll want something good in return.”

“Such as?” Ulfram inquired.

“A grant of all the land east of the river Strow, and everyone living there now as our thralls.”

Croy couldn’t help but gasp. That was a third of the entire kingdom.