"That old snake? Are you mad!" Sykox bellowed a laugh. "You want him negotiating with Prince Edair's emissary? He's more likely to slaughter them all and question their corpses." The charr waved his hands about mockingly. "That's no way to go about diplomacy!"

"He's not that bad."

"You've got to take this situation seriously, Coby. Isaye's been working for King Baede, carrying his messages and s.h.i.+pping his most precious cargo. He trusted her enough to invite her to his court on multiple occasions." Ignoring Cobiah's scowl, the charr rumbled hopefully, "She might be able to help us handle Edair."

"Just because Baede liked her doesn't mean she can stop Edair."

"Stop him? No," the charr agreed, "but Isaye may know the prince well enough to arrange a fair deal. Can it hurt?" He rubbed his muzzle with the back of one hand and then said hesitantly, "I guess we could turn her away and send our own emissary to Divinity's Reach."

"We do that, and he'll use the insult as reason to turn more people against Lion's Arch," Cobiah grumbled.

"Right. Now, do you hate that plan more or less than talking to Isaye?" Sykox held his hands out like scales, pretending to weigh each side of the decision. "Eh? Eh?" Cobiah shot the charr an evil glance, and Sykox ducked mockingly. "Don't punch the messenger, mouse. I'm just trying to figure our chances."

Stomping down the bridge's stairs and onto the cobblestones of the city street, Cobiah muttered, "They're low, fuzz ball.

"Very, very low."

The Nomad II rested in her lines at the Lion's Arch pier, sails half-furled and the Krytan flag waving proudly from her highest mast. The Captain's Council had placed a guard on the dock, supposedly to make sure the Krytans didn't enter the city and cause trouble-but Cobiah knew the guard was more to protect the Nomad II's crew than to keep the city safe. The news that Prince Edair was gathering a navy in Port n.o.ble had spread, and Lion's Arch was buzzing like a hornet's nest.

It had taken them two days to decide where to meet, but Cobiah stuck to his guns and insisted that the Krytans come to the main pavilion rather than having the meeting aboard their s.h.i.+p. Isaye'd replied-through messengers-with a caveat: she'd come ash.o.r.e and speak with the commodore only in the company of two other captains, Nodobe and Hedda, rather than at a full gathering of the council. Remembering the paperweight incident, Cobiah had given in to her demand.

The pavilion where the captains met was larger now, old wooden pillars and thatched roof replaced by smooth plaster walls within the graceful framework of a s.h.i.+p of the line. With a regal view from the top of a high incline, the council windows looked out over the busy harbor. The building's balcony on the other side provided a view of the city's trade area.

Cobiah stood on the balcony, watching as a tight-knit group approached through the broad city streets. They paused in the plaza, where the tall statue of a lion leapt over a fountain shaped like the Tyrian coast. Cobiah leaned over the railing, watching as they drew closer. The Lionguard escorted a small group of sailors from the Nomad II to the pavilion, ignoring or shouting down the detractors who lined the city streets. Cobiah spied Isaye at the center of the group. She wore the pale coat of the Krytan navy, with a wide baldric of green across her chest and a broad-brimmed hat atop her smooth mahogany hair. Her baldric was light on trinkets, holding only two, an indication that she was newly appointed to her position in the navy.

Despite the twisted emotions running through his veins, Cobiah couldn't help staring. She was still beautiful. Though her dark ponytail was streaked with gray and her face was creased with a gentle serenity, Isaye's green-gold eyes still struck the core of Cobiah's heart. What had happened on that day? When he'd found her in an inn room with another man . . .

Cobiah knew several of the sailors walking with her, but it was Isaye's new first mate who drew his attention. He raised an eyebrow. The Krytan man was tall and strong, broad of shoulder with caramel-colored eyes and a light mustache. His hair was curly, a dark brown shot through with sun-bronzed red. He had a rifle strapped across his back, and at his side he wore a macelike scepter made of iron and bra.s.s. He, too, wore the Krytan uniform-but his baldric had far more small medals and trinkets than Isaye's. The man might not have outranked her, but he'd clearly been in the military far longer, and far more notably, than she.

"Who's that?" he asked Sykox.

"First mate . . . huh. His name's . . . eh . . ." The charr grunted, looking at the crew manifest they'd been given for the meeting. "Tenzin Moran?"

Turning to look at him, Cobiah blurted, "Moran?"

"Hey, yeah, I've heard of him! That's ol' Osh's son. He's, what, fifteen or so years younger than you?" The engineer chuckled to himself. "Old Osh used to brag that his kid back home was some kinda Krytan hero, a real gold star with lots of medals for valor and bravery. Earned them for fighting centaurs in the s.h.i.+verpeaks. Osh used to say he was one of their best sharpshooters. Now I guess he's in the Krytan marines."

"Marines? Feh. Those aren't real sailors."

"Best watch it. Marines are mean. They'll wait 'til us 'sailors' take them to sh.o.r.e, and then they'll turn around and eat our faces off." The charr winked.

Pausing to think for a moment, Cobiah asked hopefully, "Did Tenzin ever fight in Ascalon? Does he have any problem with charr?"

"No." Sykox shook his head. "Not that Moran ever mentioned."

"d.a.m.n," Cobiah muttered. He glanced back down at the small group now climbing the steps toward the pavilion. "I guess I'll have to find some other reason to hate him." Downstairs, the wide oak doors swung open to allow the cl.u.s.tered knot of Krytan sailors entrance. The Lionguard held the citizens back until the doors could be closed again, but through the gateway Cobiah could hear the loud jeers and angry yells of the crowd. Cobiah walked down the stairs, grateful-as he rarely was-that Nodobe was nearby. The Elonian captain nodded in friendly greeting as Cobiah reached the bottom.

"I'm certain this will be a pleasant meeting," the necromancer said with a grin, rubbing his cheek.

"About as much fun as trying to put a collar on a skritt." Cobiah straightened his coat and tried to look a.s.sured.

Isaye and her entourage walked to the center of the room, pausing there as Cobiah and the others crossed to greet them. Cobiah's hands clenched in his coat pockets, and suddenly he wished he hadn't worn his hat.

"Isaye. My dear friend, you grace us with your presence." Nodobe's words were as smooth and pleasant as silk in a breeze. He reached to take her hand and wrap it about his arm. "It has been too long."

Isaye smiled and greeted the dark-skinned captain in return, but Cobiah didn't hear a single word of it. With that one smile, she'd transported him back to the day she'd left-her hair flying in the wind, tears reddening her hazel eyes, anger curling her rich, full lips. Whatever pleasantries she gave Nodobe, they were lost in the memory of words from over seven years ago.

"Why, Isaye? How can I ever trust you?"

"How could you even question?"

"Hedda." Isaye moved on and took the plump norn's strangely delicate hand. "You look wonderful. I think you've lost weight!"

Hedda laughed. "Lost it? By the Spirits of the Wild, woman, have you gone blind? If you have, you're missing out on a feast for the eyes-tell me, who is this handsome cabin boy you've got beside you?"

With a twinkle in her eye, Isaye answered, "Captain Hedda, may I present First Mate Tenzin Moran."

"Well, well, you're a Moran to boot." Hedda looked the young man up and down rapaciously. "If you were a bit taller, you might give my husband, Bronn, a challenge for my interest!" Everyone laughed, and the Krytan's decorated baldric glittered as Tenzin swept her a bow. As they did, Isaye's eyes met his, and Cobiah's heart froze into ice.

They hadn't faded a single shade, the rich hazel of moss-covered trees staring back at him with controlled interest. "Cobiah." Isaye nodded briefly, and he returned the gesture. His throat was too dry to say anything.

"Come, my dear." Nodobe patted Isaye's hand that rested on his arm, drawing her close. "Let us go upstairs. I would be remiss if I did not try to woo you back to us with our city's beauty." He tugged at her gently, and Isaye followed. "We can talk on the building's high deck, where the wind will sweep away the day's heat."

The two, and Hedda, made for the stairs. Sykox was standing there, twisting his new hat in his hands until it looked like a shapeless ma.s.s of blue felt. Cobiah saw Isaye greet the charr with a gentle hug, the spotted engineer's sharp claws hovering lightly over her slender back. Wis.h.i.+ng more than anything that he were a charr, Cobiah sighed.

"Commodore Marriner," a gentle voice said at his side. Cobiah glanced to see Tenzin at his elbow. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. My father spoke highly of you and of your city. I'm glad to have the opportunity to see Lion's Arch for myself."

"You're welcome here, Tenzin." Cobiah nodded more sharply than he'd intended. "Your father was a good man and a stalwart friend."

"He said the same of you, sir." Without intention, the young man's charm soothed Cobiah's temper.

"Did he? Well, perhaps your captain gave you a different impression."

"No, sir." Before Cobiah could smile at that, Tenzin continued blithely on. "She never speaks of you at all."

Grumpy again, Cobiah gestured toward the stairs, and the two men headed toward the top level of the building. The high deck was above the balcony, and the view was one of the finest in Lion's Arch. A full turn showed the city to fine advantage, from the teal-blue water up to the greenery of thick jungle on the hills. Isaye, however, wasn't interested in any of it. "I'll cut directly to the issue," she said, sitting down on one of the wicker chairs about a small table. A servant brought out a plate of tropical fruit and several tall gla.s.ses of punch. Cobiah was grateful to smell rum in his; the waiters of the council building knew him well. "The Krytan navy is a.s.sembling to the west. Prince Edair is planning to sortie into Lion's Arch if the city doesn't sign over its authority to Kryta. He's sent me to offer terms." Isaye took a sip of her drink, letting them consider her words. One mark in her favor: she didn't look any happier about delivering the terms than the others did in hearing them. "All human captains of the council will be paid ten thousand gold coins for their labors in rebuilding the king's land. They are offered lords.h.i.+ps and t.i.tles if they swear fealty to Kryta. If they do not swear an oath to Prince Edair, they must quit Lion's Arch immediately, never to return."

Cobiah wasn't the only one gritting his teeth. Even the courteous Nodobe soured, his brows knitting over s.h.i.+ning black eyes. Hedda was first to speak, rumbling, "And those of us who are not of human stock?"

Isaye closed her eyes and said, "You are ordered by Prince Edair to leave the city without argument, quitting claim to any land, t.i.tle, or authority in the city."

"By Wolf's b.l.o.o.d.y muzzle!" Hedda exploded, banging her drink on the table. "I won't go. I have three young sons-born and raised here! This is our home. I'll see your prince hanged before I give up even a stone of our house's foundation."

Nodobe was quick to calm her down, reaching to touch the norn woman's arm soothingly. "Hedda, be at peace. No one's going to let them drive us out of Lion's Arch without a fight." He looked at Isaye, pursing his lips so tightly they appeared bloodless. "Isaye, sweet lady. Prince Edair must know that his demands are unreasonable. You know as well as I that he has no intention of letting us surrender in peace, even if we are willing to give up the city."

Isaye looked down, swis.h.i.+ng her drink uncomfortably. "His Highness would protest that his demands are entirely reasonable, given that the land has always been Krytan. He says you're 'squatting' upon it without leave." A murmur of disbelief rippled through the a.s.sembled captains, and Hedda had to choke back another exclamation. Isaye continued as if saying something she'd been made to rehea.r.s.e. "It's his very public opinion that the Captain's Council should be paying him for the years you've been living in Kryta without paying taxes."

Hedda banged her empty gla.s.s on the table, making the servants scatter.

"Please, hear us out." Tenzin raised a hand to quiet the angry norn. "I can a.s.sure you that if we agreed with him, we wouldn't be this explicit with you. We aren't here to extract your surrender, nor do we expect you to bow down and kiss Prince Edair's feet. Isaye and I . . ." He glanced at her, but the dark-haired captain kept her eyes lowered. Tenzin hesitated and then went on. "Please believe us, but as much as we can be, the Nomad is on your side."

Feeling stifled for too long, Hedda burst out, "What in the blood-soaked Mists are we supposed to do? Fight a naval battle against Kryta?"

"That would be a battle they'd lose." Nodobe glowered darkly. "Lion's Arch has the strongest navy in Tyria. We've fought Dead s.h.i.+ps and won. He can't honestly believe-"

"Prince Edair has no plans to fight at sea." Deprecatingly, Isaye crossed her arms over her chest, and the little medals on her baldric jingled. "The Krytan navy isn't going to fight yours in some kind of grand and glorious battle. Edair's going to blockade the harbor, driving off all trade, and soon enough, Lion's Arch will starve. That's when he'll send in the Seraph."

Cobiah felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach. "The Seraph? They'd bring the whole d.a.m.n Krytan army? Lion's Arch is a naval power. We've never had to raise more than a city guard. They won't have to wait for us to starve; they'll overpower us in a month when the majority of their troops arrive." Tugging off his hat, he tossed it on the table. "d.a.m.n it, d.a.m.n it, d.a.m.n it. What can we do?"

"Ask for reinforcements from the charr High Legions?" Sykox asked helpfully.

"And once the charr are done rebuffing Edair and turning our city into a war zone, the plethora of warriors in our streets will seize Lion's Arch in the name of your imperator instead." Nodobe shook his head gravely, slumping more deeply into his wicker chair. "No."

Silence fell as they struggled to find other ideas. The wind swept over them, tugging at coats and rippling fur with chilly, salt-touched fingers. Cobiah struggled to keep his tongue. Isaye was right. Edair's plan would work. If the Krytan prince managed to blockade the harbor and the roads, there'd be no supplies. It would be only a matter of weeks before the city had to give in.

Long moments later, Isaye concluded, "There's one more possible option. The city could surrender to Kryta through us. Tenzin and I have the prince's ear. We could make a bargain to allow time for nonhumans to leave the city, maybe even keep their wares or get some kind of recompense, even if it has to come from the Lion's Arch treasury. It's possible that-"

"No!" The shout ripped from Cobiah's throat before he knew it. Everyone at the table turned to stare at him, and Cobiah felt his face growing red. Nevertheless, he glared at Isaye. Through gritted teeth, he said, "We're not giving up on this city. We fight for the things we love. We don't sell them out, we don't betray them, and we don't run away from them."

Isaye flinched, her face paling. "Betray them?" Her eyebrows raised meaningfully, eyes flas.h.i.+ng.

"Unfair." Tenzin came to her defense, rising sternly from the table. "Your personal issues aren't welcome at this table, Commodore Marriner."

"And you're not welcome in this city. Get out." Cobiah's tone was final, but Isaye was already yelling.

"Cobiah, for once in your life, think about someone other than yourself!" She rose from her chair to engage with him. "Prince Edair isn't kidding around. He's willing to order thousands of his soldiers to die meaninglessly. Can you say the same? Think of the innocents who live here. Do you really want to drag them through a useless, one-sided war?"

"We can't just give in!" he roared in return, rising as well. Pounding one fist on the table so hard the fruit jumped in its bowl, Cobiah bellowed, "This is our city. We founded it. We built it. Maybe you don't understand what loyalty means, Isaye, but by the Six G.o.ds, I do!" The two glared at one another, and Isaye's hand fell instinctively to the pistol at her belt-only to find her wrist gently caught in Sykox's paw.

"Ease down, pretty lady," the charr engineer murmured softly. "Everybody here's on the same side." She glared at him but nodded and slowly pulled her hand away.

Biting off his words sharply, Cobiah repeated himself: "Get out of my city."

"And I believe that signals the end of today's negotiations," Nodobe murmured regretfully, rising from the table with a graceful motion. "Captain Isaye, please allow me to escort you to the Lionguard, who will ensure your safe return to the Nomad." His dark eyes were unusually kind as he offered her a hand. Isaye shot a final look of reproof toward Cobiah but said nothing and took Nodobe's arm rather than continue the argument. Tenzin managed a stiff but polite bow, thanking the council for its hospitality without meeting Cobiah's eyes. When he was finished, Nodobe ushered the two Krytans to the stairwell and below.

Once they had left the deck, Cobiah slumped in his chair. Hedda stood up, walked over to him, and punched him in the shoulder. "That's for being rude," she growled. Cobiah winced, but he couldn't blame her. "By Raven's wing, this is convoluted," the norn woman muttered, pacing back and forth. "If we stay here, we risk being slaughtered by the human king. If we go, we leave behind everything we've fought and struggled for, all the wealth and security we forged." Her blue eyes were wide with anger and disbelief. "How can he make me choose between my children and my city?"

"n.o.body's choosing. n.o.body's leaving." Cobiah struggled to believe the words even as he said them. "We've driven off nine fleets of Orrian s.h.i.+ps-"

"But never an army! And never in a land-based attack!" Hedda exploded. "Even if we arm every man, woman, and child in the city, we don't have half as many soldiers as the Seraph."

Sykox stepped in quickly, laying his hand on Hedda's shoulder with a gentle restraint. "It's all right, Hedda. We'll call a meeting of the full council. Those who wish to leave the city can do so by the asura gate."

"No." Cobiah felt his stomach churn. "That'll be the first thing they manage. Dark tides! If Isaye came here by s.h.i.+p, that means it's probably already done."

"What?" The others turned to stare at him.

"Lion's Arch was built on gold stolen from the Arcane Council of Rata Sum when they built a gate in King Baede's city Divinity's Reach. The asuran colleges have always held a grudge against Lion's Arch for that. If Edair's seriously planning to attack us, he's already negotiated with the asuran council."

"They'll shut off the gates." Sykox's eyes widened. "We'll be stranded."

"Hedda, send young Benedict to the asura gate platform. Tell him to check with Gatekeeper Yokk and Apprentice Roinna and see if the gates still work." A deep anger plagued him. It felt as if the sand of security was being washed out from between his fingers. Frustrated, he said, "Heck, check and see if the two of them are still in the city. I bet they're not." Hedda nodded, and the gesture made her heavy braids thump against her wide shoulders. She spun and strode toward the stairwell, her ma.s.sive bulk making the deck shudder with each heavy step, hands unconsciously balled into fists.

"Devious wretch, that Edair," Sykox snarled. "He's been planning this for a long time, hasn't he? He was just waiting for ol' Baede to die to kick it all off. Stupid human." He looked up quickly, adding, "No offense intended, of course."

Cobiah pulled off his hat and tossed it disdainfully on the table. He ran his hands through his hair, mussing it up with frustration. "None taken. I don't want to be related to the man, either, even if just by the mutual ancestors of our race." He sighed, struggling with the idea of a Krytan armada poised at the edge of their harbor. "From what Isaye says, Edair's so eager that he's willing to put off his own coronation just to hurry the seizure of Lion's Arch. I'm surprised he didn't lurch through the asura gate screaming, 'h.e.l.lo, city! I'm your new king!'"

Once more, Nodobe climbed the stairwell to the deck, this time with a weary step. "I instructed two of our port guards to escort the Nomad on the next tide," he said. He gave Cobiah a slow smile and sat down in one of the wicker chairs. Taking up a piece of fruit, Nodobe pressed his fingers into it, allowing the juice to run over his fingertips as he picked away the peel. "Also, there was a scout downstairs from the lighthouse at Lion's Gate. He's already noted sails on the horizon. It appears that Prince Edair's armada is a.s.sembling. Apparently, he wasn't willing to wait and see if Isaye's mission would prove fruitful." Nodobe's usually broad smile was wan. "It seems we're already trapped."

"It'll be a fight, then." Cobiah crossed his arms grimly. "But that's all right. So long as Lion's Arch has a fleet, we have a chance."

People were shouting, soldiers bellowed commands, and the bells at the docks were ringing and clattering in cacophonous noise. Cobiah's eyes flew open. He was in the large, half-empty bed at his manor house, and darkness still surrounded him. The night was still late, then. Not yet morning. For a moment, Cobiah's mind was still tangled in a dream: he was on the Indomitable, surrounded by the still-moving corpses of drowned friends. In a panic, he rolled over and reached to grasp the sword that lay on the ground tangled in his pants belt, but his hand fell instead upon a limp rag doll. Polla. She'd been tucked beneath his pillow, but apparently, he'd tossed and turned so much that he'd knocked her onto the floor. In a moment of curious pause, Cobiah lifted it, tucking the faded yellow curls behind her shoulders.

Then the world s.h.i.+fted into focus around him.

The city's alarm bells were ringing, and a heavy smell of smoke filled the air. Quickly, Cobiah set the doll down and s.n.a.t.c.hed up his coat and sword. He rolled out of bed and landed with his feet in his boots. The shouts were coming from the docks, and by the sound of it, trouble was already so far along that half the city was running about in the night. Cobiah rushed to the balcony door, throwing open the curtains and stepping out onto the half-circle veranda that looked out over the inner harbor and the Gangplank Bridge. Black smoke hung thickly in the air, covering everything with a layer of fog. Lionguard-both in and out of armor-raced through the streets, carrying buckets of water. Cobiah lifted his head and followed them with his eyes as they headed west, toward . . .

The docks were on fire.

Ma.s.sive flames leapt from s.h.i.+p to s.h.i.+p at Macha's Landing, encompa.s.sing the levees all the way down to White Crane Terrace. Across the bay, the city's main portage area was flaring up in brilliant shades of orange and red. A sudden explosion rocked the Gangplank Bridge as a charr frigate on the docks went up like a firecracker, armaments exploding with a blinding flash of white light. Sailors scurried like ants, desperate to stop the flames before they could spread farther, but more than three-fourths of the s.h.i.+ps at dock were already suffering damage from the blaze. Without thinking, Cobiah leapt over the balcony rail, climbed down the tiered roof, and dropped to the street below.

"Commodore!" The shout came from a slender figure in the Grand Piazza. Through the haze, Cobiah recognized Benedict, the messenger lad. He was carrying an armload of empty buckets back along the fire-brigade line.

"What's happened?" Cobiah grabbed half of the youth's load and ran with him toward the water, where other citizens were filling them with sea and sand to douse oily areas of the blaze.

"Gamina said it was Krytans. She was on watch at the docks and saw four men dressed in black setting fire to fuses. They hurled the bombs into the portholes of our munitions s.h.i.+ps-the ones we were readying for an attack on the blockade. I heard her yelling right before they exploded." Benedict dropped the buckets on the sandbar and tried to wipe smoke from his eyes. "She called the Lionguard, but the men ran across the Gangplank, and we lost sight of them."

The Nomad II had sailed back out into the Sea of Sorrows four days ago, and Prince Edair's s.h.i.+ps had blocked all pa.s.sage into or out of the city's harbor. Clearly, the impatient prince wasn't going to just sit by and wait while the city readied a defense. "Did Gamina see their faces?"

"Yeah." Benedict brightened. "She said she saw them real well by the light of the first fires. She went across the Gangplank to the portage, in case they had a rowboat there."

"Clever girl. She'll need our help. Come with me; we'll go see if we can lend her a hand."

"Aye, aye, sir." Benedict saluted.

Yomm stood on the long slope that led up to the Gangplank, standing in the shelter of one of the ma.s.sive sea-horse arches. The asura rocked back and forth on his feet, rubbing his ears in distress as he stared down at the fire. "Oh, Cobiah. What are we going to do?" he whimpered.

"We'll keep fighting," Cobiah said.

"I wrote to Rata Sum. I wrote the Arcane Council. I wrote every genius-level asura I knew, even the bad ones. Surely someone will help us." Covered in soot, his ornate robes blackened by smoke and wet with seawater, Yomm looked like a drenched cat. "There's got to be a way." Over the years, Yomm had become an excellent quartermaster for the city. When he'd been told that the harbor was going to be blockaded, the shopkeep-captain immediately created a detailed system for organizing what food was left in Lion's Arch, apportioning it, and ensuring it would last as long as possible. Cobiah paused to pat Yomm gently on the shoulder, wondering how asuran parents consoled their children. Probably by giving them crystal wands and mechanical widgets to chew on. "There, there, Yomm," Cobiah said awkwardly. "It'll be all right."

"Will it?"

"Can you fix the gate? Turn it back on?" Cobiah sat up hopefully.

"No. I graduated from the College of Statics," Yomm said, pressing a three-fingered hand to either side of his forehead. "If the gate had, say, fallen over, I could get it back up, build a house around it, and sh.o.r.e up the architectural supports so that even an ettin couldn't knock it over again! But I can't fix the etheric ambulation. You need a graduate of Dynamics, and Captain Tarb's half-senile. If you let him fix it, it'll start teleporting people's parts to random locations! Imagine it! Your head's in the citadel, your feet are in Rata Sum, and your b.u.t.t's all the way up north among the glaciers! n.o.body wants that."

Cobiah stared at him, alternating between bemused and annoyed. "Go back to your shop, Yomm, and take inventory. We've lost everything stored on the docks, and that means we'll have to start rationing."