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.Lord Duirsar remained silent for a long time after Kiinyon spoke.Keya thought he might actually be trying to imagine what possible difference it would make if the phaerimm were standing at the mythalWhen he lowered his gaze she saw more anger in his face than uncertainty, and she knew that he was growing as frustrated with his lord commander as she and the rest of Evereska.Duirsar stared at the ground and seemed to be debating something, then raised his gaze and looked straight at her."What say you, Keya?" he asked.Keya knew better than to let her astonishment show, or to hesitate for fear of offending Kiinyon.Khelben Arunsun had been her house guest for much of the siege, and during that time she had spent enough time in the company of both elves to know that Lord Duirsar expected an answer when he asked a question and that Kiinyon would only hold her reply against her if he thought she was being less than honest.Cautious though the lord commander might be in his strategy, he was faithful in his duty and loyal to his city, and if that meant being embarrassed in front of the High Lord, then so be it.Keya took all the time she dared to consider her answer— thinking fast was no easy task with the battle thunder crashing overhead—then she inclined her head in deference."If Evereska's army crosses the Meadow Wall to meet the phaerimm spell to spell, it will not return," she said."Milord Colbathin is correct in this much.Our losses were heavy enough when we had an army of Shadovar and two Chosen fighting at our sides.Without them, our casualties would be total."Though accustomed enough in matters of state to hide his feelings behind a mask of indifference, Lord Duirsar was too exhausted and nerve-racked to conceal his surprise.Hestudied Keya as he might a crouching wolf, his eyes narrowed and his brow raised.But it was Kiinyon himself who demanded, "And in how much am I mistaken, Swordlady?"Keya dipped her head in the lord commander's direction and said, "In fighting not to lose, milord.We cannot break the siege by conserving our forces.We must summon our resolve and fight to win."Seeing the look of apprehension that came to the lord commander's eyes, Keya turned back to Duirsar, whose wry smile suggested that he understood exactly what she was saying."Continue, Lady Nihmedu."Keya felt a secret thrill at being called by her hereditary title.At just over eighty, she was still a decade too young to assume the title formally, and being addressed by it by Evereska's high lord was a token of his respect.Daring to raise her head and speak more forcefully, she said, "For too long we have been trusting others to do what we must do for ourselves.No one can break this siege but us.""Then we are doomed," Kiinyon said."Without help, we are no match—""When are you going to understand, Lord Commander?" Keya interrupted."There is no help.""Mind your tone," Kiinyon ordered."Lord Duirsar asked for your opinion.He did not give you leave—""I have heard you calling to Khelben and the others," Keya continued, growing ever bolder."Have they come? Have any of the Chosen?"Kiinyon frowned at her insolence, but said, "They will.""Before the mythal falls?" Duirsar asked."I have been calling to the Chosen, as well.Only Sylune answers, and just to send word that the others cannot come."The despair that came to Kiinyon's face almost sank Keya into despondency as well."Our situation is not hopeless," she said, as much to herself as to Kiinyon."We have resources and have only to use them.""How?" Lord Duirsar asked."Until you tell me that, you have told me nothing at all.If we dare not cross the Meadow Wall to meet them, and we cannot win by standing behind it, what are we to do?""Make them pay," Keya said."If they want to attack the mythal, we must make them pay to do it.""Again, I ask how?""With these," said Kuhl, one of the two humans flanking her in the company's front rank.Burly and black-bearded, he was about as big as a rothé and woollier than a thkaerth, with a swarthy round face and hands the size of a plates.He stepped forward holding his glassy darksword in hand."We sneak out there with the Cold Hand and start cutting them down, one at a time.""And we keep doing it until they all leave or they're all dead," added Burlen, the human standing to her other side."Or until there aren't any more of us to go back.""That's s the way we do it in Vaasa," Kuhl said.Keya smiled up at her mountainous friends, then nodded to Lord Duirsar and said, "We teleport out there in small strike teams, hit hard, and come back."Duirsar smiled."And we see how determined they are, for a change.""Risk the darkswords?" Kiinyon asked, shaking his head."Every one we lose out there is one we won't have in Evereska if they—"The lord commander was interrupted first by the crackling roar of an erupting fireball, then by a chorus of anguished screams.Keya and the others spun toward the sound and were astonished to see a battle mage and his escorts rolling on the ground in flames, a wagon-sized ring of smoke above them rapidly contracting around a breach in the mythal.Before the hole could close, a crimson sphere came streaking across the Meadow Wall in their direction.Lord Duirsar flung up his hand, raising a spell-guard with enough speed to convince Keya that the rumors about him being one of Evereska's secret high mages were true.The fireball flattened against the mystic shield and crackled into nothingness, leaving only a faint orange glow to mark where it had struck.Duirsar watched only long enough to be certain that the mythal had sealed itself again, then turned to back to Kiinyon and said, "I would say that decides the matter, wouldn't you?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned to Burlen and Kuhl."Teams of six? Four warriors and two battle mages?"Unhappy at being left out of the planning and quite sure she was the only one who understood why the high lord was suggesting those particular numbers, Keya said, "That will be fine, milord—one mage to teleport and one to cast a decoy.""Decoy?" Burlen asked."So you have time to attack," Duirsar said, nodding his approval to Keya."Otherwise the phaerimm will be on you before you can recover from the afterdaze.""Recover?" Kuhl scoffed."We aren't going to be there that long.Just give us mages who can get us out as quick as they get us in—and the teams should have three warriors, not four.""Only three?" Duirsar asked."I don't understand
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