of the appearance of spawn.’
‘And has the Empire begun to arm itself?’ Einar slowed down slightly to keep pace with the beastman.
‘Not exactly.’ Tahon shook his head. ‘True, recruitment has been stepped up and several new legions have been formed, but no one has been forced into service. The new recruits see it as a chance to earn good money, change their lives, or… hmmmm… escape their current fate. Up north, no one still believes the Nakherians could pose a threat to them.’
‘If they really are building…’
‘…a great army, then it’s only…’
‘... a matter of time.’ The twins also approached the knight.
‘Once they’ve conquered the city-states on the coast, they’ll be able to march north.’ Einar did not like this prospect at all.
‘Yes, they’ll be able to…’ Tahon trailed off.
‘The North believes…’
‘... that either the Ytrens...’
‘... will rout the Nakher fleet...’
‘... or seriously deplete it.’ The twins stopped in unison. Anger and fear clashed on their faces.
‘Yes, that’s what most people think,’ Tahon agreed. ‘It seems that only Emperor Inthil has realised the… hmmmm… gravity of the situation. The other rulers either fail to see the problem or are plotting to seize territory from the Empire, which will be consumed by war.’
‘But XuinDo doesn’t occupy the entire northern coast, does it?’ Their mother had made sure her sons knew the geography of the coastline and the names of the coastal countries. Einar wasn’t particularly fond of this branch of knowledge, but he knew full well that it was something he had to know.
‘Quite right.’ Ceet nodded. ‘In the west, the inhabitants of Aveilion, the haughty and proud elves, count on the high, sheer cliffs of Ava to protect their vast island, and believe they can easily defend the spit of land connecting them to the Empire’s territories. Further along the northern coast lie the mountains; the closer to the north, the higher and more dangerous they become. The three kingdoms situated there—Fenbiorn, Ivergrad and Poweln, operate on the... hmmm... assumption that only their coastal ports will
