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Months had elapsed since the victory over Phensthitetes' army at the second battle of River Keep. Summer yielded to fall. Trees marked the transition by surrendering their verdant summer color to the golds, scarlets, and tawny browns of autumn. Like a mirror, the map of Rikifur adorning the wall in Airy's war room underwent a simultaneous transformation. Crimson, the chosen hue for provinces under her control, spread across the northwestern landscape like an inexorable red tide washing over the sea of forest green used to represent Anti-Royalists aligned lands. Several formerly sea blue provinces of the priests had similarly switched allegiance to support her cause. Marinanthos and Laythanthos, located far to the south in a band of non-aligned states, had recently become a welcome pair of thorns in the backside of the priests diverting their armies and preventing them from interfering with her campaign against the AR.

Airy stood alone at the window of her high tower gazing out to the southeast. The map's gradually shifting colors filled her mind both by day and by night; she had no need to glance at it to be cognizant of which provinces had turned to her side. Some had done so immediately upon learning that she lived; they were her staunchest and most dependable allies. Others wavered, but when they learned of her victories on the battlefield, they yielded to diplomacy and promises of political windfalls; they were reasonably secure allies, but needed watching and cajoling. The least dependable were the AR lands acquired through conquest and occupation. Vaunortheses and White Paw were leading armies to claim several more of them in her name, specifically Wailkos and Atos, which were represented in gold. Both were expected to fall soon, thus making northwestern Rikifur securely hers before the onset of winter.

Everyone surrounding the young queen was pleased with their progress towards restoring Airy's birthright. Nearly a quarter of Rikifur was either under her control or unaligned with her enemies. Despite the laudable gains, Airy seethed with discontent. Much of the northeast of Rikifur remained stubbornly green. The one patch of land she desired second only to Chortaghentos, the capital of Rikifur itself, was marked in neutral gray. Possessing one of the only two working steel foundries in Rikifur, Perseine was a prize of greater value than any other acquired thus far.

Like a mirage, it remained tantalizingly beyond her reach, but it was no illusion. The foundry was as real as her need for it. Without steel, her progress would soon halt and everything she had achieved would be lost. Subsisting on the stores of weapons and armor in River Keep and on the additional supplies her new allies were able to provide had enabled her current success, but it was insufficient to replace the wear and tear of constant war. At most, she could carry on another month or two before shortages began to cripple her army.

In desperation, she sent Esseff and Camorra to Feneval to entreat the Foxes, who had recently broken Rikifur's monopoly on steel. Airy preferred to keep her spymaster and her diplomat at her side, but her need for the precious metal to abet her war was greater. Though Airy had the highest confidence in the abilities of her two representatives to persuade the masters of that cold, northern land to help, she could not risk her future on that one dubious source. Steel was too important to her success; controlling its production was pivotal. Nothing would do more to ensure her rapid triumph over the AR than the capture of Perseine's mill and securing the allegiance of that powerful province. Once denied metal, the AR would sink beneath the rising tide of her ascendancy allowing Airy to drown the irritating insurgency and move on to her final goal of retaking Chortaghentos from the Priests.

Understanding the threat that Airy posed to the existence of their rebellion, the AR had grudgingly, but not without a fight, conceded the northwestern portion of Rikifur to her while fortifying their position in the northeast to deny her the steel she so desperately needed. AR leaders were shrewd. Aware that they had only to force Airy to fight indecisive battles until she had no weapons left with which to wage war, they were content with a war of attrition.

The priests, meanwhile, were taking advantage of the power vacuum in the southwest and had invaded several provinces along the coast that had previously been loyal to the Anti-Royalists. As yet, Airy's armies had not had an opportunity to engage directly the legions of the Church directly, but soon she would share a common border with them. When that happened, it would open a second front. Both of her adversaries working against her would wear her down with greater haste.

It was because of this imbalance in steel making capability that Airy ordered Jorveth to begin designing and building a foundry at River Keep. No longer a secret, anyone desiring to do so could produce the valuable metal in abundance. Only raw materials, ingenuity, and time were required. The first two prerequisites were within her control; ore could be mined from the earth, and Jorveth was available to provide all of the necessary engineering. It was lack of time that most confounded Airy.

Fear for the safety of her family made days of delay seem like months, and months like years. How long would it be, she wondered, before the Algar and his miserable cadre of sycophant advisors decided to end the farce of a puppet monarchy to establish the theocracy they so obviously craved? When that moment came, would they decide to eliminate the line of Jacynthopoles forever? Those and similar questions tormented her remorselessly while she sat idle behind her castle walls.

Against her instincts, in the immediate aftermath of her successive triumphs at River Keep, Airy had capitulated to the advice of her friends and counselors to avoid throwing all of her might against the main body of the AR in a drive for Perseine and quick victory. Anxiety over the fate of her family had tormented her every moment since, but it was well that she had yielded, and she was honest enough with herself to admit the wisdom of that choice. Badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded by the AR, what her cause had needed in its infancy were additional troops and a secure rear flank. The sagacity of the decision to delay and secure her defensive position was enhanced by the confounding effect it had upon the AR's leaders. Airy's unexpected self-confinement to River Keep as Vaunortheses and White Paw pacified the West led her foes to the erroneous conclusion she would recklessly break out and push east.

An AR force far too large for her to defeat on an open field of battle soon arrived on her doorstep, rudely thrusting in her snout the proof that she had been too weak to conduct an effective eastern campaign. When she failed to emerge from her refuge, the AR launched numerous assaults on the keep in hopes of capturing her. Each was easily repulsed by the strength of the castle's walls augmented by Jorveth's trebuchets and exploding bombs. Frustrated, the enemy retired beyond the reach of her vexing artillery to begin a siege.

That the notoriously impetuous princess would act in such a restrained and orderly manner confused the AR. The resulting indecision and wasted effort to retake River Keep further diverted the rebel's strength from protecting their western assets.

"How ironic," thought Airy, that by adopting a cautious and transparent approach, she had become supremely unpredictable.

Contentment and gratification should have accompanied her gains to date, but happiness eluded Airy as she languished under siege by an army she was forbidden to engage directly even as the acquisition of new allies continued to deliver additional troops to her command with each passing week. In truth, the army just beyond the reach of her artillery was an ineffective blockade. With access to the Packlands, the river, and thus the sea, her foes encamped at her doorstep were little more than an annoyance. It rankled Airy anyway to endure the ignominy of waiting when she so fervently desired to drive the AR back and crush them against the flanks of the Earth Spine.

Intelligence gathered by Esseff's network of spies confirmed that she was facing only a small portion of the enemy at River Keep and that the AR's ability to defend Perseine was severely debilitated. After failing so often to dislodge her from her fortress and recognizing the futility of their siege, the majority of the AR's forces were steadily being diverted elsewhere. While her armies to the west kept them busy, the armies of the Priests frequently assailed their common borders with AR held provinces. Airy benefitted as the Anti-Royalist's military capacity was stretched to the limit by a two front war.

With resolute conviction, Airy was certain that she now possessed the numbers at River Keep for a bold and decisive strike at the heart of the AR and into Perseine to liberate Vaunorthoses' home province. She only needed Vaun's father, the Duke of Perseine, to declare his allegiance and commit to fight on her side to ensure a victory that would, in one rapid push, doom the AR to destruction or at least to an entente on favorable terms to Airy. Her attention would then finally be free to turn towards the greater enemy - the sanctimonious and hypocritical priests who occupied her home and controlled the throne.

Sovereign, and thus subordinate to no one, there was nothing to stop her from marching east except prudence, which dictated that she cultivate patience and await consolidation of the West. Airy despised prudence. Lack of action left her stewing in idleness. Perhaps an eastward assault would have failed months ago, but the strategic landscape had changed massively in her favor. Still, instead of sallying forth boldly to conquer and dominate, she was kept as if a prisoner cocooned within an idle army.

Ostensibly, the western conquests were hailed as necessary progress, but she knew White Paw and Vaun were making her wait for her own steel foundry to become operational before allowing her to stir from her prison. It was another part of their cautious and sensible plan. With unlimited steel, she would be unstoppable. Jorveth assured Airy that that her mill would achieve limited operability in mid-winter and be ready for full-scale production by early summer.

Though the Horse was no doubt achieving a miracle with that schedule, the timetable did not improve her mood. Half a year they expected her to sit idle. Madness and worry threatened to consume her first and debilitate her army through long exposure to her malaise. Airy's restlessness infected and distressed those around her as she sulked about the castle haunting it like an irritable and brooding ghost. Poor Eolwynathe, always at her mistress' side, bore the brunt of Airy's foul temper even though Airy tried her best not to vent her frustration on the timid little doe.

Tiptoeing on the pads of her hindpaws like a sneak thief, Wyn entered Airy's war room and attempted to set some food and drink on the table behind her mistress without drawing the queen's attention. To her relief, Airy gave no sign that she was aware of anything except her own thoughts. Apparently successful, Wyn turned to escape, but Airy's paw caught her forearm. Months of service had inured Wyn to the queen's formidable presence, but she occasionally found herself intimidated by Airy's noble birth and the force of her personality. The doe jumped in alarm.

"Do not be frightened of me, please," said Airy in a weary voice. "I know I've been a terror of late, but of all people, I need your support now."

"I...I shall try, My Lady. How may I help?"

"Begin by taking a seat."

Wyn eyed with trepidation the chairs that surrounded the large table where all the queen's critical debates of war and decisions of state were made.

"But I am not worthy to sit at any of these places. They belong to great people - your generals, officers, and advisors."

"They are but sticks of furniture made of wood and fabric. No phantoms haunt them to torment you if you trespass. Come. Sit here in White Paw's chair next to me. I promise not to tell him that you did."

Airy could not have selected a more daunting setting than the one to her left. None had yet dared occupy it in the great Wolf's absence. To do so was as unthinkable as taking the queen's place. Even Sunorthoses, a roguish and unorthodox buck, who was second in command while Vaunorthoses campaigned in the west, had avoided it. Airy understood the young doe's discomfiture but would not tolerate dissent.

"I insist. As your queen, I command you to take White Paw's seat."

An order from the queen, no matter how troubling or bizarre, could not be ignored. Wyn sat as directed. Designed for a mature Wolf, the diminutive doe appeared even more kit-like with her hindpaws dangling above the floor from the high perch of the Wolf chief of chief's chair.

Wyn idly wondered what thoughts ran through White Paw's noble, yet alien, mind when he sat here. Perhaps that was her queen's intent, to pretend her most trusted ally was present to help calm her troubled mind. With unwavering loyalty born of affection, Wyn vowed to attempt to be whatever or whomever her queen needed.

"I am not a patient person, Wyn. You know this as well as anyone."

"Yes..." Realizing her impertinence, Wyn quickly amended her assertion. "...if you say so, I mean, ma'am."

"You needn't deny it. It is well known. Everyone expects me to wait here safely while they win my war for me, asking only my permission to be my champion."

"Is that not the purpose of a queen, ma'am? To rule and be served?"

"Many would say yes. I say it is not enough. White Paw, Vaunortheses, and the others intimate that they will be receptive to me leading in battle again after they return, but I don't believe them. They would keep me secreted away, safe, never to be exposed to danger."

"You do represent everything for which they fight," added Wyn in a voice barely above a whisper. Though she spoke from her heart, she feared how her queen might react to dissent.

"I understand the importance of being a symbol, but it must be on my terms. A queen should be a leader willing to risk her life along with those of her people."

Airy's voice rose in volume. Bitterness tinged her words.

"How else can I inspire them except through action? If it is enough that I be a doll in a glass case, then any person willing to live on display will do in my stead."

Becoming more intense and animated as she spoke, Airy realized she was risking overwhelming her timid companion. She drew a long breath to calm herself.

"Does any of this make sense to you, Wyn?"

"I believe so, ma'am. You are saying that you want the people to love and admire you for what you do and who you are, not simply because you are the late king's daughter and heir."

The insightfulness of Wyn's analysis pleased Airy making her smile.

"Exactly so."

Emboldened by her mistress' more placatory manner, Wyn garnered enough courage to express her opinion.

"But you already have that, ma'am. Your capture of this castle, your escape from the volcano, and your journey around the Earth Spine are legend. The Maker's paw is perceived by nearly everyone to be at your back guiding you to your destiny as our queen. That is why they wish to protect you so fervently. You have proven your worth and blessedness to them. They love you so much, they can't risk a future without you."

"And now I should rest and let them worship me? Is that what you are saying?"

"Well...I..."

"No. I will not idly repose upon my achievements no matter how glorious others think they are. That is not who I am. I must continue to act as I see fit to save Rikifur. I need steel to end this war quickly. I can't abide this strategy of waiting. We must move towards Perseine soon. I feel that in my gut."

"But why the hurry?"

"For a reason that never enters into the minds of my counselors."

A change came over Airy as she spoke. Dark, foreboding clouds seemed to brood over her, betraying her secret dread.

"My family is held by the Algar and his evil advisors. The Church finds the façade of a king useful for now, but how long will that last? Concern for my mother and siblings, especially poor Andre, gnaws at me night and day. When might the Algar decide to use them as hostages to threaten me - or simply execute them without warning?"

Never before had Wyn heard the queen or anyone voice this concern. A new fear gripped Airy's maid, and pity for her mistress threatened to bring her to tears.

"That is terrible. What will you do?"

"I do not know. I want to rush to my family's rescue immediately, and yet I promised White Paw and Vaun that I would wait here until their return. Uncertainty and divided loyalties tear at my soul leaving me no clear path, but a time of reckoning is near. I can feel it. I just need a sign to justify action."

As though her words were the match that ignited a fuse, a tremendous explosion followed shattering windows and knocking Wyn to the floor. Airy was through the door shouting commands at whomever she found before Wyn was able to stand again and poke her head above the table.

Jorveth's workshop and the site of ongoing construction of the adjacent steel mill were centers of ceaseless toil. Erection of the foundry was so pivotal to Airy's war effort that she ordered construction to proceed at night as well as during the day. Precious whale oil was burned to give the nocturnal workers light. Off duty soldiers pitched in alongside the laborers. Though Jorveth was the designer and frequently supervised construction, it was just one of the numerous important projects that fought for the attention of the Horse's singularly impressive mind.

Though Olivia's book taught him much about the underlying principles that ruled the natural world, it was not a how-to-guide for developing technology. It notably failed to span the gap between the fields of science and engineering requiring his genius to act as the bridge. A perfect example was the production of steel. Though Jorveth now fully understood steel's composition and the chemical properties that gave it strength, flexibility, and malleability, practical aspects of the mill's design forced him to wrestle with technical challenges at each phase of the manufacturing process, many of which he was forced to deduce by himself through trial and error. It was fortunate that he had access to Esseff; the Fox had participated in Feneval's successful scheme to pirate steel's secret from Rikifur.

Locating and developing sources of ore in friendly territory, transporting it across wilderness where no roads currently existed, extracting the iron from the rock, purifying carbon from coal, and building furnaces to generate and withstand the temperatures needed were but the most prominent of the obstacles confronting him. When pressured by his queen to accelerate progress, he replied that he was like a chef without a kitchen. It was one thing to have a recipe and quite another to acquire all the ingredients, build the oven, make the cookware, and supply the source of heat yourself.

Still, he was optimistic. If the winter transpired to be less harsh than he feared, ore located in the Packlands should begin arriving in appreciable quantities by summer. Even that best-case scenario did not meet his queen's aggressive schedule, but the unsatisfactory rate of progress was not from lack of effort. Jorveth craved unlimited access to steel with equal fervor to Airy. New, more powerful and accurate artillery like the cannons he was developing required large quantities of metal, and he had only enough to test prototypes. Weapons of that ilk would make Airy's army practically invincible and deliver a swift end to the war.

Peace - that was the Horse's need. He longed for peace and the dividend of time he would reap from it to immerse himself fully into Olivia's book instead of creating new ways to kill. To imbibe of the mysteries of the cosmos discovered by eons of Maker effort was his foremost desire surpassed only by his hope of expanding modestly upon the efforts of his creators.

Until that glorious day of intellectual indulgence arrived, Jorveth persevered by observing the myriad details that left him little time for anything but sleep. It was not in his nature to seek recreation, making the heavy workload no bother. When he was awake, his mind compulsively sought answers to questions and solutions to problems. He drove everyone around him with equal intensity, but there were never enough helpers or students. Esseff strictly enforced security to keep Jorveth's discoveries and inventions secret, allowing only a pawful of Rabbits to be his assistants for fear that their loyalties could shift to their enemies. Jorveth supposed that was a legitimate concern, but he fought hard for the few bucks he was granted because they could read and write. With their help, he had begun to teach the more numerous Wolf assistants the benefits of literacy with the goal of an exponential increase in creativity and productivity.

Not immune to prejudice, Jorveth had always thought of Wolves as crude, primitive predators to be feared like Cats. It had surprised him to discover that the canids were as intelligent as any Horses he had ever trained. Once the folly of his former bias was exposed, he abandoned it for a new paradigm. He now believed all of the species were equal intellectually, and it was individuals, regardless of their species, who differed in intelligence from one another.

He was thus reasonably satisfied with the quality of his helpers, only regretting the inconvenience that his best pupil, Patch, had died while breaching the wall of River Keep. That tragedy proved that the queen had been right about Jorveth not attending in person. He was no use to anyone dead, and there was so much he wanted to do while he was alive including developing weapons, infrastructure, and new sources of mechanical power. The direction and vastness of his ideas and plans exceeded even Airy's expectations. Unbound from the primitive notions and beliefs of his benefactor, Jorveth's vision extended well above the soil at his feet to the heavens above. Flight would no longer be the domain of only birds, bats, and insects once Jorveth realized the full breadth of his imagination.

It was well that he had an excellent new lead assistant who held the promise of escorting him to his dreams - a Wolf named Frost, presumably because his black fur was tipped with white giving the appearance that he was perpetually caught in an early morning freeze. Tall, gangly, and physically weak like Jorveth, he had fared poorly as a warrior but made up for those deficiencies with ambition, intelligence, and a keenness for learning. He was perfectly suited to work at Jorveth's side as an engineer.

By coincidence, or a fluke of good breeding, it transpired that Frost was the late Patch's youngest brother. Immensely proud of his sister's bravery in the culvert, Frost felt the loss and tragedy daily but was not above using the familial relationship to his advantage to be chosen as her successor; a wise social move for the low status male. Serving the eccentric Horse raised Frost's standing to a previously unimaginable peak among his fellow Wolves, and with societal elevation came access to females.

Puzzled by Frost's eagerness to leave the workshop to mate, Jorveth tolerated the frequent breaks as long as Frost had enough energy to discharge his duties faithfully. Blessed with the vigor of youth, that had so far not been a problem. What was sometimes a problem was another of Jorveth's assistants, Sparks; so named because he enjoyed playing with fire, an attribute that made him well suited to working on the forge and other tasks needing flame and heat. Another inferior warrior, Sparks was subordinate to every other Wolf in his pack. Being short, slender, and possessing an almost feminine curve to his hips, the tan colored Wolf sometimes reminded Jorveth more of a Rabbit doe than a male Wolf. Spark's feminine appearance complemented his lack of interest in females and preference for mating with males. By a most annoying twist of fate, and for reasons that the Horse could not grasp, Sparks found Jorveth sexually appealing and seemed determined to have sex with the horse.

Jorveth didn't care particularly. Entertainment, conversation, and even intercourse could not hope to distract his restless psyche. Such frivolous pursuits had to be initiated by others. The sensual act of sex that delivered such heady emotional and physical abandon for most furs was for him nothing more than a quasi-intellectual exercise. With the exception of Camorra and Olivia, no one knew how to penetrate that deep beyond his introverted shell.

Sparks misconstrued Jorveth's obliviousness for shyness and cloyed about relentlessly flirting with and touching the Horse. His behavior elicited laughter from the other Wolves. The two timid Rabbit scribes, who normally kept quietly to themselves, intimidated by both Jorveth and the Wolves, were also emboldened to join in the teasing.

Several of the Wolves jokingly urged their boss to "Just fuck the little bitch and get it over with," but initiating the act was impossible for the inventor. Several times each day, Jorveth made a mental note to discuss Spark's behavior with Camorra, but the thought always vanished among the more important details of his work before he was able to find time to write to his bovine mate in the evening. Jorveth's mind was like a net for ideas and theory, but became a leaky bucket when it came to retaining any understanding of social interactions with others.

Brushing away Spark's paw, which had managed to sneak its way onto his buttocks again, Jorveth directed the effeminate canine to test the alcohol burner prototype. Close to perfection, the strange copper device, when finished, would provide the lift for his latest invention; the dream of taking flight was one step closer.

Only a few minute's peace spent with his drawings was afforded the Horse before a new commotion disturbed his concentration. Three Rabbit guards entered the shop and began rudely directing Jorveth's assistants to leave. Sparks, being closest to the door, meekly departed as ordered before Jorveth could intervene, leaving only the Horse, his feral protector Vetskap, and a male Wolf named Growler to confront the intruders.

Jorveth did not recognize the strangers and resented their presumptive behavior. The lab was his domain by royal decree. No one besides himself, with the sole exception of the queen, was permitted to order his assistants about and interfere with his work.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "Guards aren't allowed in here. Call Sparks back right now! He has work to do."

Of the three, the one in the middle was clearly the leader. He held a naked sword in his paw, was unusually tall, had blotchy dark gray fur as though he had been rolling in coal dust, and fixed his malevolent gaze on Jorveth as a hawk would a mouse. The lead guard's two companions flanked him on each side wearing even less friendly expressions. One had white fur and the other brown. Both wore the uniforms of the Royal Guard similar to their leader but hefted loaded crossbows instead of swords while scanning suspiciously around the lab as if searching for threats.

"Queen's orders," said the leader. "She's coming for a visit, and the Fox twins want everyone but the Horse out of here."

Blind to behavioral cues and nuances of expression, Jorveth suspected no ill intent. He completely missed the awkward fit of their uniforms, especially the tall leader's. Both Vetskap and Growler snarled having drawn the same conclusion concerning the veracity of the three intruder's story.

"He's lying," declared Growler in his rumbling baritone. "I can smell it. Call for the regular guards."

"So much for subtly," declared the leader with a sigh of feigned weariness and a claw pointed at Growler.

The brown buck on the sword-wielding leader's left stepped forward with his crossbow leveled. Without pause, he shot Growler through the heart. The stricken Wolf pitched backward to the floor, without a sound, and obviously dead. Perplexed by the extreme reaction, Jorveth stared dumfounded first at his prone assistant then back to the charcoal furred leader.

"Stay calm, little pony, and you won't get hurt," the tall Rabbit urged. "It's you we want. You're coming with us to work for the AR..."

Vetskap's charge cut him off. Standing close together, all three were thrown into confusion by the feral's unexpected onslaught. She locked her jaws on the arm of the buck who had shot Growler. Howling in pain, he dropped the weapon he had been attempting to reload. Bumped by his recoiling leader, the white buck's crossbow discharged in the fracas harmlessly impaling a curved sandbag wall that isolated a small corner of the lab where the most dangerous chemicals were mixed to contain damage from potential accidents.

Jorveth had been slow to recognize the peril he faced, but Vetskap's attack left him no doubt that his life was in danger. The errant arrow gave him an idea to save himself. The only exit from the lab was blocked by his would be kidnappers. He had no weapons with which to defend himself, and he knew he was not competent enough in their use to fight his way to freedom even if he did. His only chance of escape was to scare his abductors into leaving or at least to stall until someone came to investigate and rescue him.

While Vetskap wrestled with and distracted the assailants, Jorveth retrieved a sturdy metal box kept in a nearby wooden locker. It contained six glass vials in velvet-lined compartments. They were his first successful attempt to purify nitroglycerin. Unstable and prone to instantaneous combustion if handled violently, it was too dangerous for military applications, as likely as not to kill whoever was using it as the enemy. Jorveth was tinkering with a formula to stabilize it so he could make safer but more powerful explosives. Still, one vial was enough to kill everyone in his lab. The Horse reasoned that he only needed to make his assailants aware of that fact, and they would have no choice but to leave.

A sharp whine of pain from Vetskap returned Jorveth's attention to the melee behind him in time to see his wolf companion collapse. The leader's sword dripped with her blood. Her chest heaved and shuddered several times, and then she was still. It was a supremely disconcerting moment for the normally unemotional Horse. Never before had he felt any emotion at a death, let alone an animal, but the silent, loyal feral always at his side had managed to slip past the barriers to his isolated soul. The pressure of her body at his feet when he slept at night, the inquisitive surprise touch of her cold nose when he was lost in thought, and the knowledge that she was dedicated to ensuring his survival were among the many minor behaviors that he suddenly felt had been violently sundered from his life.

Distraught, his vision was blurred by his own tears. His mind became clouded by unfamiliar emotions. The kidnappers faded from his sight as his vision narrowed to encompass naught but Vetskap's limp form. Until this moment, he had thought of her as just a beast, a tool to protect him, but a link connecting them at some primal level had been unknowingly forged.

There was no consolation for his grief, but Vetskap had not died in vain. She had given Jorveth the time to retrieve the vial. She had killed Growler's murderer, and the white furred guard was busy wrapping a cloth about his thigh in an attempt to stop the bleeding from a deep bite wound. The leader, still hale and unharmed, moved cautiously towards Jorveth.

"Now come along nice and easy, horsie. I won't hurt you if you cooperate, but if you resist, my orders are to kill you."

The threat of being captured broke Jorveth's melancholic trance. Airy had been true to her word by granting him the freedom and resources he desired. Jorveth did not want to leave her service and risk being a slave again to a less generous lord.

The padded box with its glass fingers of violence was still waiting on the table behind him. Reaching back, he took one in his hand and held it over his head.

"Keep back! This vial contains an explosive with the power to kill us all!"

Fear and anguish over Vetskap's death made Jorveth's voice high pitched and squeaky. The brooding leader paused for a moment, and then mockingly laughed at Jorveth.

"That tiny bottle? Do you think I'm an idiot?"

That was exactly what Jorveth thought, but adequately describing the danger in a manner that his ignorant kidnappers would understand and believe was hopeless. The sword-wielding leader, convinced that Jorveth was bluffing, motioned for his surviving companion to come forward.

"Giontriope, get around behind him. There's no time for messing around."

Limping, but still perfectly capable of restraining the slender Horse, the white furred guard obeyed by moving in harmony with his boss to encircle their prey.

Jorveth glanced to his right judging the distance to the sandbag wall. He was no athlete, but he was closest and calculated that he could beat either of the two Rabbits to it. Having made up his mind, Jorveth sprinted as fast as his terrified feet would take him. The sound of his pursuer's boots thumping against the wooden floor encouraged him to run faster towards his goal. The safety it promised gave the Horse the additional speed he needed.

The wall wasn't high, maybe six feet tall, but it was too wide to run around without being captured. Forced to scramble over the top, Jorveth needed his hands, and the vial became a hindrance. Since it was also his weapon, he tossed it high over his shoulder as he jumped upon the top layer of sand bags. His arms were weak, and he hung briefly on his belly, teetering halfway over the wall. For a second or two, he thought he would fall backward or not go over before the vial hit the floor and shattered, but the sandbags gave way under his added weight dragging him over and down the other side.

The explosion that immediately followed was more violent than Jorveth had predicted. In his terrified haste, he had forgotten the other five vials. He thought it a regrettable mistake. The combined energy of all the nitroglycerin was far beyond what he had required, would obliterate his lab, and quite likely collapse several neighboring structures. As a timber crushed his legs and sandbags fell around him, his final emotion was resignation to being crushed beneath the rubble.

Chaos reigned as king when the queen arrived at the smoldering pile of bricks and wood that had once been Jorveth's shop. The adjacent steel mill was heavily damaged, and a neighboring warehouse was on fire. Soldiers and civilians swarmed the site trying to help, but lacking direction, their efforts resulted mostly in ineffective confusion. Airy collared several officers, put one in charge of fighting the blaze, a second in charge of treating the wounded, and turned her attention to the ruin at the center of the calamity.

Sparks and Glic stood where the entrance to Jorveth's shop had once been. The Wolf was crying while trying to answer the Fox's inquiries. Airy approached them with questions of her own fearing the answers she would receive.

"Glic, what happened here? Was anyone inside?"

"Three guards, a Wolf named Growler, and Jorveth, we think."

Every death was a tragedy but the loss of her inventor staggered Airy.

"You think? Why don't you know?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. Mislei and I are investigating now. Sparks said that three new guards arrived just before the explosion and ordered him away. They claimed you were coming to the lab and wanted to meet with Jorveth alone."

"I had no such plans."

"I know. Something suspicious happened here. Mislei and I are trying to determine what. Here comes Mislei now," he added while pointing to where his female twin was helping a half-naked buck with a head wound out of an alley. One of Airy's personal guards rushed to support the injured Rabbit so he could be brought immediately before the queen.

"Who is this?" asked Airy assuming the buck was just another of the random wounded bystanders.

"Corporal Vintulthophes, Your Majesty," answered Mislei. "One of three soldiers whose turn it was the guard the lab."

"So they weren't inside during the explosion?"

"No ma'am," croaked the guard as he tried to stagger upright and salute. The attempt nearly made him topple backward, requiring Mislei and Airy's honor guard to support him. Despite his injury and dizziness, Vintulthophes struggled to give his report.

"We were jumped by some strangers...five...maybe six, I think. They stole our uniforms and dumped us in the alley after they killed Cryphus and Hawkeye...a Wolf," he added unnecessarily. "They must have thought I was dead, too."

"Six?" wondered Glic aloud.

"There were three more outside," said Sparks between sniffles.

"Guards?" asked Airy.

"I don't think so, Your Majesty. They weren't dressed like guards anyway, but they told me to get lost or they were gonna beat me. They had a covered wagon pulled by a draft horse by the side of the building. I think they're buried in all that along with..."

At the thought of Jorveth's death, Sparks began sobbing uncontrollably again.

"It's obvious these were assassins or saboteurs," said Airy. "The question is how did they get this far through our defenses?"

Her anger was directed at Glic. The young Fox would be the focus of the queen's wrath until Esseff returned, if he was allowed to remain in her service that long. Weathering the storm of her ire was the best he could hope to do until whichever outcome transpired.

"Everyone gets a basic screening at the gate, but it's possible they snuck in some other way. I don't know. We'll find out and plug the hole wherever it is."

"It's a bit late for that don't you think?"

The rebuke stung, but Glic remained stoical.

"Plenty of other valuable targets remain, ma'am including you. We have to learn from this mistake and contain any additional plotters who may be in the keep. Permission to seal off all exits and begin screening everyone inside."

"Granted."

A curt nod to from Glic to Mislei sent the vixen to enforce the lockdown.

"My guess is they came to kidnap Jorveth," added Glic. "Killing him was probably a backup plan."

Sparks wailed louder and asked, "Do you really think he's dead?"

Airy was certain that no one could have survived, but wouldn't give up until Jorveth's body was found. Ignoring the hysterical Wolf, she signaled for a Rabbit captain, who had just arrived on the scene, to come to her. Saluting, he stood straight as a flagpole.

"Captain, get a crew together now to sift through this rubble for bodies...and survivors," she added not wanting to surrender all hope. "Overturn every brick and piece of wood. Carefully! If anyone is alive in that, I don't want them killed by clumsiness. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"You have my authority to requisition any resources and all the able hands you need except from those tending the injured or fighting the fires."

"It will be done at once."

The Captain immediately began gathering bystanders and anyone who wasn't already employed.

"You should return to the tower where it is safer until this is resolved, Your Highness," urged Glic while attempting to guide her away.

"No," answered Airy.

The tone of her voice and her posture left no room for debate or ambiguity concerning her resolve to remain exactly where she was.

"I'm done hiding behind walls and troops, master spy." Glic's title was spoken with contempt. "I shall stay right here until whatever remains of my friend is found. Until then, you can do your job to protect me; better than you did for poor Jorveth I hope, but don't you dare tell me where I can and cannot go."

A weary sigh followed by "It shall be as you command," was his mechanical response before retreating to establish the most secure zone possible around the queen he could without hindering her movement.

Numerous sources of pain accompanied his return to consciousness. An indeterminate period of internal contemplation passed as he attempted to catalogue the injuries he felt over much of his battered body. It was a long, exhausting list, but no outward exploration was possible until it was complete, and when it was, he found his eyelids were crusted shut refusing to open. Sleuthing for clues to ascertain his surroundings required his remaining functioning senses.

Wherever he lay was quiet, but intermittent sounds betrayed small movements of another person nearby. Attempts to focus on the source were thwarted as his dominant active sense, smell, eclipsed hearing with myriad, confusing scents vying for his attention by saturating his awareness with information and impressions. Some were soothing and pleasant like herbs or perhaps flowers, and for a brief instant, he was given joy by the recognizable tang of a feral wolf.

"Vestkap," he thought lacking the strength to give voice to her name, but when he realized the tantalizingly familiar scent conflicted subtly with his mind's recollection of his former guardian, a powerful emotional ache emerged supplanting even his physical pains. Attempting to avoid the unfamiliar feeling of grief, he continued his olfactory exploration detecting the astringent bites of alcohol, vinegar, and lye. They masked but did not completely cover an underlying, lurking reek of blood, corruption, and death.

The final evidence unlocking the mystery to his location came from his sense of touch. The surface upon which he lay was comfortable - a bed he reasoned based on the soft, feather pillow that supported his head. His clothes were gone, and a blanket covered most of his body. Some stiff, itchy material encased both his legs.

The hospital he deduced. He was nearly certain of his conclusion, but wanted to open his eyes to confirm it. He tried first to raise his right hand to wipe away the sandy coating, but his arm was immobilized as if it were fused to his side. Success of a sort accompanied the attempt with his left arm, but he had to abandon the effort when the movement incited a sharp twinge across his chest that made him gasp. Though agonizing, the failed action compelled his silent companion to speak.

"He's awake!" shouted a voice that Jorveth recognized instantly as belonging to the queen. "Nurse! Get in here now. Maker dammit! Where are you?"

Airy moved from the chair upon which she had patiently waited for hours to Jorveth's side speaking soothingly to him. Thayir licked at his free left hand.

"Don't try to move, Jorveth. You're badly injured, but stable and under good care. Someone shall see to all of your needs."

Jorveth felt one of the queen's paws upon his shoulder as the other gently stroked his disheveled mane. He tried to respond but found his mouth too dry to do more than gasp and cough, aggravating the taught discomfort of his bruised ribs. Unseen by the Horse, a Rabbit doe entered. She was quickly searched by a guard before being allowed to pass.

"Get him water so he can speak," ordered the queen.

A damp cloth was applied to his dry mouth. He suckled greedily at it, but the nurse wisely restrained from letting him consume too much at once. After moistening his parched lips, she wrung the cloth so that a trickle of drops wet his tongue. Only then did she allow him to drink a few ounces of water from a cup.

At last able to speak, Jorveth requested that someone clear his eyes. The same cloth that had freed his tongue was employed to remove the crust, and his eyes tentatively fluttered open until he was able to bear the cheerful light that filled the room.

He was indeed in the hospital in a private room with a window. The sun was shining, and he judged it either early morning or late afternoon. What day it was, he could not say. His right arm was bound tightly with splints and tied to his chest, which was also wrapped with bandages. Both legs were encased in plaster casts. The right leg was strapped down to the bed; an unnecessary precaution, he thought, considering how weak he was and how much it hurt even to think about that leg let alone attempt to move it.

Flowers and herbs in clay pots of water sat on a small table by the open window. A bee buzzed about them gathering pollen and nectar. Other than that mild intrusion of nature, the room was scrubbed clean and the bedding freshly laundered. The scent of lye still clung to his blanket. Jorveth was satisfied that his recommendations for sanitation were being obeyed, but he was most grateful of all to discover his magic book, apparently undamaged, resting on the table to his left. He tried reaching for it, but Airy abandoned stroking his mane to place her paw on his arm to stay his movement.

"Wait until later. I'm sure the book is fine. It appears to be indestructible, as do you...well, sort of. It was a great surprise to find that you were still alive under all of that rubble. Some timbers and sandbags made a protective pocket over your upper body saving your life, but they badly crushed your legs in the process. You were barely breathing when we pulled you out. It wasn't until today that the healers were willing to assert that you would live. Still, you will likely be permanently crippled."

Airy's eyes shifted towards Jorveth's legs. He followed her gaze.

"The left is broken in several places, but should heal well enough they tell me. The right leg, though, will probably give you trouble the rest of your life."

As with nearly everything, the inventor took the news dispassionately.

"Legs are not important. I need only my mind and the paws of others to help with my work."

"It's a pity we can't take you to Olivia. She could fix all of you just like she did with White Paw's eye and paw."

"One day so will we. Olivia's book contains all the knowledge we need to do that. So far I have delved most deeply into physics and chemistry, but the disciplines of biology and anatomy are also there."

"Your speaking in tongues again, Jorveth. Biology, anatomy; these words have no meaning to me."

"They are sciences, Your Majesty. Fields of study. Biology covers all livings things and how they function, behave, their origin, morphology, and physiology. Anatomy is a sub-discipline of biology that deals with the structures of our bodies."

"So your book tells you how to repair our bodies? Then we can use that knowledge to fix your leg?"

"It's not that simple, My Queen, for two reasons. The book only reveals knowledge to me after I demonstrate an understanding of initial principles. Before I can move on to more advanced topics, I must demonstrate to it that I understand what I have read thus far. I cannot skip ahead and pick out just what I want to know. Even if I could do that, no practical good would come of the shortcut. Most advanced technologies - what seemed like magic to us when used by Olivia - require numerous predecessor inventions before they can be made. We have much work to do first before we will be ready to regenerate parts of ourselves."

"That's a pity. We could save more lives with her magic."

"But we already are. I understand enough to know how the body heals and deals with infection caused by tiny creatures we cannot see. The Makers made us wonderfully immune to most of them, but over time, these creatures have come to adapt to counter our body's natural defenses. I have instructed the healers in some basic techniques such as sanitation and simple surgery that help with the most common issues. These same principles applied to an army in the field lowers our losses to disease and injury. This gives us a huge advantage in war."

"Sanitation? Surgery? More new words and concepts, but that explains why this place is so clean. Even I feel like a dirty peasant in here."

"You are dirty,..."

Jorveth's insulting statement made Airy frown and the nurse blush in embarrassment, but the Horse continued on oblivious.

"...but do not fear. As long as the healers followed my standing guidelines by washing their paws and boiling the dressings for my wounds, I have an excellent chance of recovery, and even if either leg does go gangrene, they can be amputated. I can live without one or both and still carry on my work. Everything that I need is in my head and Olivia's book."

"Your head is of immense value to me, and I promise to protect it better. No enemies will get near you again. Losing you could mean the loss of our future."

"I am aware of that, Your Majesty. That is why I have begun transcribing much of what I learn onto paper. Did any of my notes survive the blast?"

Airy shook her head.

"Just your book and you. Everything else was destroyed. The mill was also leveled."

Any other person would have been devastated by such news, but Jorveth bore it with seeming nonchalance. Already he had decided to have Frost catalog the damages to determine the destructive power of the explosion.

"We can rebuild it, and I shall start recording what I have learned again. With scribes to take dictation, I can work and build a library at the same time. However, I feel that I must complain to you formally about the limitations placed upon the number of students and helpers that I am allowed."

Astonished that Jorveth could so easily shrug off his attempted abduction and nearly lethal escape to focus on the details of his labor, she shook her head with grim amusement.

"Are you certain you wish to discuss business now? You are hurt and need to rest and recover."

"I am in earnest and fine for the moment."

"Very well. You will likely never find me more willing to accommodate your wants than right now, so go ahead. Speak your peace."

"I need more helpers. There are too few and too little time. If we are to advance faster, we must train and educate vastly more in the methods of science and engineering. There must be others besides me to invent and create."

"I doubt Esseff would agree. He says it is wise to keep secrets and folly to expect others to keep them. The fewer who know the secret, the less likely it is to be lost."

"Esseff is right that once you tell a secret to another, it is no longer secret, but that is why he is also wrong to try to contain secrets as he is doing now. Scientific knowledge is not a thing that you can hold on to and hoard like gold or land, at least not for long. What you and the Fox wish to conceal are universal truths that anyone can theoretically deduce or discover. These marvels have only remained hidden to us so far because so few are seeking the level of understanding I am pursuing. Every time we employ something new like gunpowder or the trebuchets, we spark the imaginations of others by showing to everyone what is possible. Knowing that something is achievable is the first and biggest step to discovery; it leads one directly to experimentation and imitation. We must assume that others will eventually copy our success. To beat them, we must continue to advance faster than they do."

"True, but mimicking your success will take time. They will always be behind us."

"Then consider this: what if I had not survived the explosion? Who would continue my work?"

Jorveth's question gave Airy pause.

"What do you suggest we do instead?"

"Schools for the brightest and most adept at learning. An abundance of able minds working to speed our progress will more than make up for lost secrets and anything unfortunate that might happen to me. Technological advantage is key, especially for the inevitable war with Storfay. Their armies vastly outnumber yours, so you must outdistance them in weaponry. I began a system of schools in Storfay before I left and trained others in my methods. The Juht saw the wisdom of it. They will not have been idle in our absence. We must assume that they are advancing apace with us and redouble our efforts to keep ahead of their progress to beat them."

Jorveth was the one person Airy knew who argued solely from a rational viewpoint, never letting emotion or personal bias affect his advice. If he spoke up to counter the wisdom of her master of spies, she would not lightly discard what he said.

"That disturbs me. I had hoped when we eventually meet Storfay, we would do so from a vantage of overwhelming military superiority."

"It can still be so if you grant me what I ask."

"I will give it consideration and let you know. What you are proposing makes sense but promises its benefits in the future. I need to win a war now, and winning involves surprising the enemy with new weapons."

Jorveth grimaced as the nurse began changing the blood stained bandages that wrapped his chest.

"I am being selfish by making you talk like this," said Airy. "Get some rest."

"No. It is quite all right, Your Majesty. The distraction of talking is helpful to distract me from the pain, and I have some good news for you to offset the loss of my lab and the mill."

"Good news? To think that I was supremely grateful just to have you alive. Is this news about the nitroglycerin? If so, I am painfully aware of its power."

"No. It is manifestly evident that nitroglycerin is too unstable for practical use. I am certain that it can be harnessed somehow, but I don't know when I will have that problem solved."

"Then what have you got for me?"

"It is a flying craft called a hot air balloon."

"Balloon? That's a funny word."

"It is a Maker word. I came across the concept while researching the concept of buoyancy."

Airy sensed a lecture was forthcoming, and patiently kept her mouth closed for Jorveth's sake and her own. Though hard to follow, the Horse's teachings were slowly making sense to her, and a competent queen did not have luxury of mental laziness. Perhaps later, when peace reigned at last, she would seek the level of understanding that Jorveth offered. If not, she would at least ensure that kits, with their more receptive young minds, would grow up with his teachings and become the masters of their world as the Makers, like Olivia, had done.

As she expected, Airy was soon lost amid a forest of new words and ideas such as the difference between weight and density, gravity, fall velocity, inverse relationships between density and temperature, and a host of other confusing concepts. One thing was clear to her, though. Jorveth was promising her the ability to fly in a giant bag filled with hot air. After more than ten minutes of mind stretching explanation, she held up her paw to signal she had borne enough.

"You have a skillful way of making me feel like an ignorant little kit, Jorveth, but I will not let my pride blind me to the undoubted value in what you say. I can't say that I understood all of that, but for now, it is enough that I believe you. When can a working balloon be ready to carry us aloft?"

"That depends. I had several small prototypes made using various materials. Silk had the best strength to weight ratio, but we don't have enough of it in our storehouses for a full scale balloon."

"You can have all my silk clothes including the royal robes and all such garments within my control. You're lucky that this material is so fashionable among the nobility and officers. I'll order them to surrender all they have. It will do them good to suffer the indignity and chafing of coarse wool for a while."

After rapidly estimating the volume of silk available based upon the number of officers and square footage of silk each likely possessed, Jorveth nodded.

"That should be more than enough, perhaps enough for two balloons."

"Excellent. How long until one is ready?"

"Ten, maybe fourteen days. I have already made all the calculations and completed the design. Construction is all that is required. My assistants can build a full-scale burner and distill more alcohol."

"Burner? Alcohol?"

"An alcohol burner for heat. Remember the strong drink you had in Storfay?"

Recollecting the terrible headache she had suffered the day following the Juht's banquet was easy, but fathoming what connection it could possibly have with a balloon escaped her.

"Yes," she answered tentatively.

"It is made by a distilling process converting grain or other fermentable plant materials into alcohol. I learned in Storfay how to make the alcohol content high enough that it burns. Just before the kidnapping attempt, I was experimenting with a portable burner to safely control the strength of a flame to raise the temperature of the air in the balloon. I assume it was also destroyed, but building another will be easy enough. We have plenty of copper."

"Then what do you need from me?"

"Workers who can sew and stitch."

"We have a few tailors. For the size balloon you have described it could take them weeks to make so many seams."

Airy thought for a moment, then remembered the River Muur and its navigable connection to the ocean.

"Sailors!" she exclaimed suddenly. "They ply the river and open waters of the coast in sailboats. They can sew. They are all yours, however many you need. Just get the balloon working in two weeks so I can put it to good use."

Fourteen days would give Airy the time she needed to prepare for the purpose that was already taking shape within her mind. What little understanding she had acquired of how her new tool functioned faded as she focused instead on how she could best employ it to facilitate this new endeavor. Jorveth, however, was not finished discussing the practical aspects of construction.

"I won't be able to move from this bed for a while, but if you send Frost to me, I can issue instructions through him and guide the balloon's assembly from here."

Reminding himself of his injuries made Jorveth cringe, pause, and close his eyes. In her excitement brought on by the promise the balloon held for her upcoming campaign, Airy had forgotten again how grievous were Jorveth's hurts.

"I will do that, but first you should rest more. I am sorry to have taxed you this much so soon after waking. The nurse will now give you some herbs for the pain as she should have done first thing when you awoke."

"But, Your Majesty," protested the doe, who had finished replacing Jorveth's bandages. "The pain numbing herbs will also make him sleep again. You wouldn't have been able to talk to him if I had done that."

"My apologies then to you, nurse, and again to you, Jorveth, for extending your discomfort. Frost will be here when you waken."

Airy turned to go as the nurse helped Jorveth consume the draught of medicine she offered. One more nagging thought made the queen turn back.

"I don't know if it matters to you, Jorveth, but I am grateful for everything that you have done. You are not just another citizen of Rikifur to me. I feel like you are a member of my family. When I thought you were dead...well, it was a terrible moment for me not because of the potential loss of your marvelous skills, but because I care about you deeply as a person. You are among those closest to me that I trust and love above all others in this world."

No hint or reciprocal emotion was mirrored in the Horse's expression as Airy spoke.

"We have a mutually beneficial relationship that I too do not wish to lose," he replied with his typical bland lack of emotion, but his next words betrayed that something had changed within him. "I have discovered that I miss Vetskap. I imagine I might have similar feelings if you were to die."

Comparison to an animal, no matter how loyal and noble the beast, was not normally appropriate towards the queen, but for Jorveth, it was an extraordinary display of sentiment. Not wishing to trivialize his sincere gesture, she ignored the faux pas and offered sympathy in return.

"I am sorry for your loss. We found her body in the rubble and buried her with the honored dead near the breach. It was obvious that she killed at least one of your attackers while defending you."

"Yes. She gave me the time to plan and execute my escape."

A few moments of silence passed. Airy was unsure what to say or what would help Jorveth with his grief.

"I can get you another wolf. Cat and Bandrosett have come to tolerate each other, but I think Cat would be just as happy without a partner."

"No," snapped Jorveth with abrupt emotion before returning to calm implacableness. "I would rather not have her replaced. At least not so soon."

Understanding that his loss could not be so easily ameliorated, Airy patted Jorveth's shoulder.

"As you wish. We will have more guards around you instead. Either Glic or Mislei will be nearby at all times. No one dangerous will get past them. Now rest."

Airy's final command to Jorveth was unnecessary. The potion had its desired effect evidenced by Jorveth's closed eyes and steady, slow breathing.

With White Paw , Vaun, Rhynnayth, and so many of Airy's most senior and trusted commanders away in the West, the group that began assembling in her war room was small consisting of only four: Sunorthoses, Bear, Milikes, and the recently promoted Colonel Thorn - the first Wolf besides White Paw and Bear to achieve so high a rank. Each immediately noted the odd changes to their normal meeting protocol. The queen wore not her typical clothes but instead was dressed as if for battle having donned all her armor with the exception of her helmet. It rested on the table in front of her with its empty visor staring out accusingly.

Structural changes had also been made to the arrangement of the furniture. Airy sat as usual in her chair with Thayir curled up beneath, but rather than at the head of the long table, her seat had been moved to the center of one side and the whole rotated ninety degrees so that it became a barrier between her and anyone entering the room. White Paw's seat was conspicuously missing. The only other chairs at the long table were opposite her. It was an unusual arrangement for a command meeting - more akin to an inquisition, but none of the leaders commented upon it as they took their places. The awkward silence was broken only by the tread of booted paws and from chair legs dragged back and forth across the floor.

Bear sat directly across from and to Airy's left. Milikes, as the most senior general in the keep and commander of the Queen's army, occupied the chair to Bear's left. Airy silently wished that she had thought to keep those two separated lest the black furred buck and the huge Wolf entered into one of their notorious bragging contests and lightened the serious mood she wished to convey. She was relieved to discover that they sensed her need for sober dignity and displayed ample professionalism by curtailing their inherent rowdiness. The recently promoted Colonel Sunorthoses sat on Milikes' left, and Thorn, the all-white furred female Wolf was at Bear's right.

That no others had been invited also struck the attendees as odd. The small, select nature of their group combined with the intimidating seating arrangement, aroused curiosity and varying levels of anxiety in the officers. Colonel Thorn, though finally learning to move and sit comfortably in her tight fitting officer's uniform, was the most visibly uneasy with the mood of the room.

Airy had learned that the female Wolves were not only the best at perceiving lies; they often had an uncanny knack for detecting emotions of all kinds. Airy wore a stony and unreadable expression, but she suspected Thorn was sensing some of what her superior officer was feeling including Airy's willingness to quarrel with her own loyal leaders to get what she wanted.

They were all good officers, and Airy did not intend to make them suffer in dubiety long. She waited only until her ever present guards had shut the doors, taken their posts outside, and the four commanders were seated giving Airy their silent attention before she spoke.

"You are no doubt each asking yourselves 'Why this special meeting?' and wondering what your queen is scheming now. I shall be direct. We march to engage the AR in open battle as soon as we can ready ourselves. Our goal is to shatter the siege here at River Keep, then drive straight through Segyrseine and Kulkynth through to Perseine. In one stroke we shall divide our enemy in half, gain a crucial ally, and most important of all acquire a fully functional steel foundry."

Too stunned to respond, a quartet of gaping mouths greeted Airy's pronouncement. Bear was the first to recover and smile at the prospect. He was bored both with kit-sitting the Rabbit queen for his chief and with the tedium of endlessly drilling his army. Action, no matter that it had been strictly prohibited, was a welcome respite for Bear, but the huge Wolf was alone in that opinion.

"Your Majesty," managed Milikes after struggling to comprehend her proposal. "We don't have the forces here to mount a campaign of this size, and it was agreed that you would..."

"I don't care what I agreed, General. The situation has changed, and we need to act. The enemy has struck us at our heart exposing our vulnerability. I won't give them that opportunity again. As long as we remain shut behind these walls always on the defense, the initiative is theirs. We can't anticipate their next move unless we force them to act in response to us. By claiming the offense, I shall make them dance to my tune. We will be in Perseine before they can recover."

The points Airy made were worthy, but Milikes was not letting himself be sidetracked with a discussion of the merits of her plan. His thoughts were only of the strict orders that Vaunorthoses had left with him to keep the queen contained within the keep and protected at all costs.

"But General Vaunortheses and White Paw..."

"No buts!" roared Airy slamming a gauntleted fist on the table. "Vaunortheses and White Paw are not here, and my command rules even when they are present. I am queen, and I have decided. If you wish to consult with White Paw or General Vaunortheses, the door is behind you. A suitable replacement will be found to follow my orders as you ride the hundreds of miles back and forth for your consultation. Do not expect to find me here when you return."

Airy held each of her officer's eyes successively to assess their fidelity to her decree. Many palpable emotions ranging from Milikes' distress to Bear's open encouragement were present, but no open defiance was evinced. At her most intimidating, only a reckless fool would dare challenge her.

Bear was visibly bursting with enthusiasm for any military undertaking, but the other three remained resignedly silent. Though compliance and obedience were what she craved, Airy missed the rousing and fearless debate she would have received from White Paw, Vaun, or even Esseff if one or all of them had been present. Whatever disappointment she felt over the lack of resistance was eclipsed, however, by her keenness to explain her plan and convince Milikes, Sunorthoses, and Thorn of its virtue.

"Once again, surprise will be our ally. This undertaking must remain secret until we are ready to begin. That is why only you four have been summoned to learn of it."

"That will not be enough. They still outnumber us," declared Milikes determined to convince Airy of her folly if he could. "We should wait for White Paw and Vaunortheses to return with their armies from the west."

"Winter will be upon us before then. Jorveth predicts it will come earlier than last year and be worse."

An involuntary shiver swept over her officers as they remembered the previous year.

"How can he know that?" asked Milikes. "Surely last winter was an anomaly that will not repeat itself so soon."

Before answering, Airy rang a small metal bell that had been hidden behind her helmet.

"I will let Jorveth explain himself how he knows."

The door behind her opened and the Horse with his legs still encase din plaster was pushed by Sparks into the room on a curious wheeled chair. Since Jorveth's recovery, the diminutive Wolf steadfastly refused to leave the inventor's side and had assumed the role of his personal nursemaid. Glic followed them to stand at Airy's right and slightly behind her. Sparks pushed Jorveth's mobile chair so the inventor was seated to Airy's left. Frost entered the room last bringing with him a bewildering collection of equipment including a peculiar metal contraption the size of a knight's helm, a small basket, string, and a folded piece fabric. While Frost began assembling the materials into some mysterious object that was beyond the ability of the confused officers to fathom, Airy urged Jorveth to befuddle them further with his science.

"Go ahead, Jorveth. Explain to my commanders about your ability to divine the weather."

"Certainly, Your Majesty. The volcano's eruption did more than split the Earth Spine and bury much of the countryside in ash. It released an enormous quantity of materials into the atmosphere during its initial eruption and the antecedent smaller eruptions that continued for nearly a year. Those materials have risen high and dispersed widely around our world as aerosols. They have the effect of blocking the solar radiation, or rather sunlight, which keeps our world warm - among other more complicated effects that control our weather. The result is that we should expect to experience shorter summers and longer, harsher winters for several if not dozens of years before the contaminants settle out and our climate returns to normal."

The lecture was couched in the most simplistic manner that Jorveth could convey without sacrificing the underlying truth of his assertions. Still, his audience had no idea what to make of words like 'atmosphere', 'aerosol', and 'radiation'. Airy felt compelled to assist them in understanding.

"Think of standing in the shadow of a tree on a cold but sunny day. You would be much warmer if you could step out into the sunlight, but you can't. That is what is happening to our world right now. The volcano has made the shade even though we can't see it. Once the snows come, we will not be able to move our armies and fight again until spring."

"That explains your need for haste, but does not address the fundamental problem of facing a superior force," countered Milikes.

"True. Besides surprise, two other factors will be employed to guarantee victory. We shall not commit our army beyond our current borders until we have a promise from Duke Socholathetes of Perseine to ally and fight with us. With a friendly army sitting at our goal, the AR will be trapped with mountains at their sides and enemies in front and behind. Without hope of reinforcement, we shall crush them. Glic has already dispatched envoys with my proposal to the Duke. I anticipate a reply soon after our initial efforts to drive the AR out of Thospheine and before we commit to conquering Segyrseine and Kulkynth."

For the first time, someone beside Milikes dared to speak. Sunorthoses rubbed his chin in thought a brief moment before proffering his opinion. His gaze was fixed on the map as he spoke.

"With Perseine's help, it can be done, but I don't see why they should agree. Most of the risk of failure falls upon them. The minute they declare themselves with us, they will be besieged from the south and forced to deal with AR troops already stationed in their lands."

"House Perseine has always been loyal to the Royal House of Chortaghentos. I am now the leader of that house. Fealty and honor to uphold the commitments his sires have made over the centuries will overcome fear. I know Socholathetes personally, and he knows me. I have no doubts regarding his endorsement of this action."

"We could also be flanked ourselves. If we take all the troops we have here, and we will need everyone we can spare, we leave our rear undefended inviting a counter attack from Montothos through Drynynth or simply over the low passes that separate Montothos from Kulkynth and Perseine. It's the same for Gorphos in the north."

"Montothos is busy trying to save Atos from our western armies. They will have no troops to spare. Gorphos and Dorphynth are similarly burdened with trying to reclaim Anthynth. Besides, our spies tell us that snow has already been falling even in the low passes. Those routes will be denied them."

"May be denied," interjected Milikes. "Where there is a will, there is a way. Defeating and capturing you is worth any struggle, any obstacle, any hardship to them. Don't underestimate their response once they learn you are exposed."

"The enemy would be wise not to underestimate me," responded Airy with a sly and satisfied grin knowing that Jorveth was providing a new advantage no other army on earth possessed.

Before revealing her newest device of war, Airy looked to Frost. The Wolf gave her the thumbs up to indicate he had finished assembling the balloon and was ready to proceed with the demonstration.

"For any that may still be in doubt concerning this endeavor, I have a new tool to reveal. Unlike the previous marvels that Jorveth has produced, this is not a weapon. It is far more valuable. It is an information-gathering machine that will let us see what the enemy cannot, allowing us to exploit his weaknesses and ignorance on the field of battle."

With Spark's assistance, Frost began to inflate the balloon. A stiff ring of wood held the bottom open, while the effeminate Wolf stood on the table holding the top of the balloon so that the rising hot air would fill its interior. The entire contraption was nearly as tall as the short Wolf. After lighting the alcohol spirits burner, Frost placed it in a harness under the opening to the balloon. Airy continued explaining as the balloon rapidly filled.

"This is a scale model of a larger device that we constructing. Our passenger in this test case is a mouse."

Frost extracted a small, metal wire cage from the pocket of his jacket. The nervous rodent inside scuttled about fearfully.

"Behold!" exclaimed Airy. "Rikifur's first aeronaut."

"Arrow knot?" said Bear lacking comprehension of what he was witnessing.

"It's a term that Jorveth created for a person who flies. Soon we will have a cadre of such aeronauts in our army; not mice but Rabbits and Wolves. Though small, this little pest caught trying to steal grain in the kitchen will be the first of a long line of brave flyers."

The cage was placed snugly in a woven basket suspended just beneath the burner, and Sparks, who was now trying to hold the inflated balloon down instead of supporting it for filling, let go. A collective gasp from the four officers followed as the balloon rose slowly towards the high, vaulted ceiling, stopping mere inches from the rafters when the strings that Frost had carefully measured and tied to the table leg checked its ascent. Airy smiled in triumph and patted Jorveth's arm in silent congratulations.

"Imagine a similar craft large enough for a person to ride in. Our little aeronaut can see every corner of this room. Consider what he could see if he were hundreds of feet above a battle. All of an opposing army's numbers and movements would be known."

"Great Maker!" exclaimed Sunorthoses seeing the tactical advantage. "We would know exactly where to place our troops for the best effect against every weak point in their lines. Our cavalry could rush to punch through holes or flank them with ease."

"Yes," mused Bear, "but what good is that when the observer is way up in the air and the army is down on the ground? The balloon would have to be higher than arrows can reach. Is he going to shout down what he sees for everyone - including the enemy - to hear? Can his voice carry that far?"

"In addition to the tether ropes to hold the balloon from drifting away in the wind," explained Jorveth, "we will have a long rope on a loop and pulleys to transmit written observations to the ground where the commander will receive them. Notes tied to arrow will also do. Riders on fast horses will convey the commander's instructions to the distant troops. For simple commands such as 'advance', 'retreat', or 'hold in place', we will have a system of colored signal flags unique to each unit."

With their questions answered and the obvious benefits of the new device explained, Frost wound the balloon's tether string around a spindle until the contraption was resting on the table once again. The burner's flame was extinguished, and the pilot - safe in his wire cage - handed to Airy.

"The nature and purpose of the balloon must be kept secret as must the true purpose of our preparations for battle," added Airy while she pressed a few small grains through the bars to her little pilot as a reward for his brave service. "Glic has prepared a plausible cover story. In brief, we will tell everyone that additional troops are needed for the western armies. At the end of this meeting, Glic will drill you in the details to ensure we don't give conflicting accounts that may arouse suspicion. Until then, are there any further questions or objections?"

Milikes and Sunorthoses had many, but resignedly gave voice to none. Now was not the time to try and dissuade her. The queen was adamant. Guarding her from harm or capture became their sole focus, and conducting a successful military campaign was the best way to ensure that goal. They were now full, if unwilling partners, in her risky venture.

[End of Chapter]