Eiric turned around and looked up at the mines. Wide, deep holes, they gaped in the hillside as if the earth had laid a trap to swallow whoever entered. His eyes narrowed. He had no interest in the mines; the Tanusians were welcome to the metallic ores found within. But the trees around him did care when the humans slashed and burned for no other reason than to lug their precious ore to the road more efficiently. This was his homeland. He could feel a connection with Sindara in his blood and in his bones. As king, the plant and animal life communed with him. He knew the way the humans saw the situation, but this wasn’t a border dispute, to be resolved by negotiating over some lines on a map. The miners, loggers, and soldiers of Tanus didn’t belong here.

‘This is ridiculous,’ a deep voice said on Eiric’s left-hand side. ‘The humans think we’re afraid to attack them. King Eiric, our hesitation is causing more suffering than if we acted decisively and drove them out once and for all.’

Eiric glanced at the man who’d spoken. Short but stocky for an eldran, Caleb had a broad, muscular torso and thick arms and shoulders. He was younger than Eiric, but had never shirked from danger or failed to support his king when there was dissent. Of the men and women who’d once served Triton, he was Eiric’s most loyal ally. And he was magically powerful. In battle, he was a force to be reckoned with.

‘Caleb, your king has already spoken,’ Dalton said. ‘If we assaulted their camp and slaughtered them in numbers, they would return in force. Tanus would call on the rest of Galea, and they wouldn’t stop until we’d been driven from Sindara. We’ve all learned the lesson from long ago. We must tread a careful line.’

Standing on Eiric’s other side, Dalton was always cautious, but like Caleb he was steadfast – even when he disagreed with what Eiric was doing. He was so old his hair was almost white, and he had wrinkled skin like parchment.

‘You both know my reasons,’ Eiric replied. Taller than both of his companions, he was slim but broad-shouldered, with golden eyes and skin so pale it was nearly translucent. Towering over them, he looked at each man in turn. ‘I wish to avoid loss of life. On both sides. If I could have captured the mines without killing their soldiers, I would have. If we hold this place long enough, in time their will to rush this blockade and throw their lives away will fade.’

‘But we are far more powerful,’ Caleb protested.

‘Yes, and if they become afraid of us, eventually they will even the odds,’ Eiric said. ‘We can rush their camp and destroy them. Tactically we can win the fight. But strategically we will lose the war.’