“We will talk again in a few days,” Kieri said. “For now, we have my cohort of trained troops, should anything happen before the coronation. I would appreciate your assessment of what other defensive measures we could take.”

Halveric bowed, and took back his lists. The rest of that meeting, as the others discussed the coronation plans and which of their relatives were coming to Chaya, Kieri’s thoughts wandered to Tsaia and his stronghold. Arcolin should have been to Vérella by now. Would the Regency Council have taken his advice and given Arcolin the North Marches? Would he have taken a contract? He might be on the road to Aarenis. And why had no courier come from Vérella, to let him know what was happening? Surely they realized he needed to know how things stood with the Verrakaien.

As if in answer to that thought, Garris stepped into the room, escorting a man in Tsaian colors. “Sir King—a courier with urgent messages from Tsaia.”

Kieri’s glance cleared the room. The courier handed over a dispatch case. Kieri opened it and unrolled a scroll tied with rose and white ribbons and sealed with the royal seal.

To my Brother Sovereign, Kieri Phelan of Lyonya, with all hopes for Your health and welfare, from Mikeli Mahieran, Crown Prince and Ruler-elect of Tsaia, greetings …

Kieri read with growing alarm of the attempted assassinations, the deaths of Duke Verrakai and his brother, the Order of Attainder on the Verrakaien as a whole and those in the immediate family of Konhalt, the unsettled state of the eastern half of the realm.

For this reason, the Regency Council acceded to your request that Jandelir Arcolin be made lord of the North Marches, despite his foreign birth. He has gone south with a single cohort, leaving behind loyal troops on which We can call if it becomes necessary. We will also need those troops you now have in Lyonya and their captain, unless it is necessary for you to retain them. I am sending a courier to their captain, as well.

Kieri frowned. A single cohort in Aarenis—that would be hard to manage, unless Arcolin took along extra support staff. Had he thought to do that? Then he shook his head. Arcolin was no longer his concern. His concern was here and now: Lyonya’s west border and the Verrakai. They had recently lost a battle—how much had that degraded their ability to attack? Dorrin’s cohort was all he had—if he gave that up and sent her back to Tsaia, he’d have no real troops so far as he knew. He wondered if Aliam Halveric’s company had left for Aarenis yet. And how many forest rangers were there? Who commanded them?

He asked Garris to find Sier Halveric. Halveric came back into the room looking worried.

“Here’s the word from Tsaia,” Kieri said, handing him the letter. “I wanted to talk to you before telling the whole Council, since you seem to have more grasp of our defensive situation. What forces do we have, to oppose the kinds of trouble you think likely?”