Send men to the bridges, Godwin ordered Sir Lars of the Two Swords. Tell the men there that I have commanded them destroyed.

That would not be a hard task. Each of the bridges had the means to destroy it built in, whether it was oiled slats that would burn, or linchpins that could be pulled away to allow it to collapse. For so long, those had been the kingdoms defense, and they would prove so again.

All the bridges, your majesty? the knight asked. If your daughter has passed to the south, and we are to recover her…

The king in Godwin knew that he should order all of the bridges destroyed. That this might be the point of Ravins plan, forcing him to leave at least one route an army could cross. Even so, the father in him could not even contemplate that. He could not abandon his daughter like that, or his son, because Godwin had no doubt about how far Rodry would go to recover Lenore.

You are right, my friend, he said. Let one bridge stand, one of the minor ones, so that Ravin cant march an army across unless its two by two, but all others are to fall. If this is the precursor to an invasion, we will force Ravin to come to us where he cannot use his whole army.

That was one part of this that struck Godwin as strange: Ravin was reputed to be a ruthless and cunning king, who had to know how strong the defenses of the bridges were. The North had been safe from the South for generations thanks to the Slates roaring rapids, and how easy it was to just collapse a bridge beneath an invading force. What did he hope to achieve by doing this now?

Perhaps he hopes to lure us to the attack, Godwin mused. It was the only thing that made sense.

Whats that, your majesty? Sir Lars asked.

Godwin shook his head. It doesnt matter, just go. Sir Twell!

The knight was there, assisting with the preparations, ensuring that all was planned well. Godwin would have expected nothing less. Sir Ursus was beside him, lifting the heaviest of the supplies.

You and Ursus ride to the Spur. Tell the knights there that there is to be war, and bring them south. We will show Ravin our true strength.

As you command, my king, the knight said, sweeping a bow and then mounting a horse. How long would it take him and Sir Ursus to bring the other knights? Days, at least. If Ravin did come in force, could they hold until then if they could not collapse the bridge? Would they be able to get Lenore back before anything worse happened?