She was dressed for heavy weather. She had the baby bundled and wrapped. “I need my son, Varth.”

“Oh, no,” he said softly. “Oh, no. Why?”

“Ethrian is alive, isn’t he? You’ve known it all along. You’ve been lying to me.”

“No, dear. I told you…”

“You told me lies. Lies and lies and lies. He’s at a place in Shinsan called Lioantung. And you didn’t want me to know.”

The rage welled up again. “I told him…”

Nepanthe herself was powered by a cold anger. She weathered his outburst without flinching. “You warned who? What are you doing to me? Varth, I want to see my son. Do you hear me? Mist is here somewhere. She came to see you. I’m going back with her.”

Varthlokkur ignored her. He ambled into their bedroom, stared down into Smyrena’s empty cradle. After a time he went to the window. “Come, Radeachar. Come, my only friend.”

“Why did you lie to me?” Nepanthe demanded. “Damnit, Varth, I’m talking to you. Answer me!”

He whirled. “Did they tell you what your son is?”

“What they? Who are you talking about? Tell me.”

“Ragnarson and that Shinsaner bitch.”

“I haven’t seen either of them. What have they got to do with it? Never mind. Tell me about Ethrian. Then find Mist and tell her I’m going with her.”

Anger fed upon anger. Their shouting increased in pitch and intensity. The Unborn arrived at the window and hovered there, unremarked.

“All right, damnit!” Varthlokkur suddenly shrieked. “We’re going. Be it on your head, woman.” He whirled, stamped out of the room muttering, “Bragi, you’ll pay. You cut your own throat this time. The wolves are circling you right now. I’m just going to sit back and laugh while they pull you down.”

Nepanthe watched her husband go, baffled behind her anger. What was that all about? she wondered. All that noise about Bragi and Mist. And she hadn’t seen either in ages… They must have known too. They must have been keeping it from her. She never would have known had not the Queen come to see Smyrena and mentioned it in passing.

Poor Inger. Now she would get yelled at too.

The hell with them. All of them. She was going to see her son. What they liked didn’t matter.

FIFTEEN: YEAR 1016 AFE
LIOANTUNG

Ethrian’s dead warriors brought a chair plundered from a manor near Lioantung. He settled into it. Sahmanan seated herself on the earth beside him, leaning against the chair. “Can you tell me your idea now?”

“I suppose.” The fun had gone out of teasing her. “I’ll use their animals against them. And the bodies of those the animals kill.”

“Won’t they destroy them?”

“Probably. The dogs, cats, horses, and such, that they can catch. But how do you guard against rats that attack you when you’re sleeping?”

“It might work. You’re planning a siege?”

“We can afford it. They don’t expect help. This’s the battle that’ll make or break us.”