Beyond the Prophecy Read Online Free Page A

and when to squeeze even tighter.
    Of course, she still needed a strategy for how to exploit
the situation when things were at their worst in Caere. That was going to take a
little time to formulate. First, she had to determine what allies and assets
she had to work with in this little backwater city.

Chapter
4: Concessions
     
    They’d been back in Caere for just a few days when Vatar
looked up from his forge at the barking of the dogs. He smiled when he
recognized his father on the other side of the gate. He set the blade he’d
started aside and banked the fire. By the time he left his forge, Father was
already sitting on the bench under the apple tree with Savara on his lap and
Zavar standing on the bench beside him, both babbling happily about their trip
out to Zeda.
    “And Papa got ponies, just for us. Next year, we’ll be able
to ride out to Zeda all by ourselves,” Zavar proclaimed proudly.
    Vatar ruffled his son’s hair. “We’ll see about that. But
I’ll certainly start teaching you to ride on your own this winter.” He looked
up at the older man. “Welcome, Father. I didn’t expect you to come out here so
soon.”
    Father smiled and put the twins back down. “Well, I can’t
let my own grandchildren forget me, now can I?” When the twins had run off to
play with the dogs, he added, “Besides, I need to talk to you.”
    Vatar stifled a sigh. He expected this would be a renewed
attempt to persuade him to participate in the Festival. “Come inside. I’m sure
we can find some cider to make talking easier.”
    “Good idea.”
    Inside, Thekila and Arcas’s wife, Elaria, had already set
out a pitcher of cider and a platter of nut bread and fruit. Father gestured
for them all to sit at the big table in the front room. Only Elaria, still a
little overawed by the Fasallon in her midst, shook her head and retreated to
the kitchen. Theklan tentatively took a seat near the middle of the table, as
if uncertain whether he was welcome in the grown-ups’ discussion and looked
mildly surprised when no one told him to go outside and keep an eye on the
twins.
    Vatar moved from his usual place to sit by the window where
he could watch the twins from inside. Though he didn’t think there was a chance
that Copper, the female herd dog now retired from other duties, would let them
get into any kind of trouble. Not without loudly sounding the alarm, anyway.
    Father cleared his throat. “I have to ask you to reconsider
assisting with this year’s Festival, Vatar.”
    Vatar let out his breath. “Father, I just don’t feel right
about that—”
    Father raised his hand. “Hear me out. There’s already some .
. . restlessness in the city. First there were the disruptions of Cestus’s
reforms—even though we’ve tried to keep most of that from affecting the city.
But that’s nothing to what’s coming. Kausalya has raised prices on their
grains. Within the last seven-day they’ve also set limits on their exports.”
    “Why would they do that?” Vatar asked. “And can’t the High
Council do something about it? I thought the other cities were subordinate to
Caere.”
    Father shrugged. “Well, I can only speculate as to the
reason. Kausalya cut off nearly all contact with us through Far Speech within a
seven-day of when Gerusa would have arrived there. I’m afraid she’s not only found
shelter, but a new power base in Kausalya. The timing of the trade problems. .
. Well, I see Gerusa’s spiteful hand in it, striking back in any way she can.”
    Vatar narrowed his eyes. “You think Gerusa’s now in power in
Kausalya?”
    “The High Council is divided on that issue,” Father said.
“As for me, yes, I do. She’s always been driven by the need for power. I can’t
see Gerusa settling for anything less.”
    “And she would cut off trade—which hurts Kausalya just as
much as it hurts us—merely for spite?” Arcas asked.
    Father drew in a deep breath. “Possibly. She can be
spiteful. But I don’t think