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.”“So perhaps it will remain in the Shattered Isles,” ventured Rinn.“We do not know where Akrotia is heading, or even its location right now,” the emperor said, “but We must assume is that it will continue north.That means that Our southern coastal towns may in danger, as well as…this city.”Murmurs flitted among the attendees.Emil remained silent, watching the emperor watch his council.After a moment, the emperor raised his hand; silence was immediate.“We will assume that Akrotia is heading north, and make preparations accordingly.The city of Tsing has been the seat of this empire for sixty generations.We do not intend to see it burn.” The emperor placed his hands flat upon the table, and raked his gaze around the faces.“We need a strategy to combat Akrotia, and We need it quickly.”“It’s constructed of stone, like any fortress,” said Admiral Lewell, commander of the Tsing naval installation.“Naval bombardment with siege weapons should be sufficient to sink it.” He looked toward General Plank, who commanded the imperial army.“I agree, Your Majesty,” Plank said with a firm nod.“Master Tomlyn, your assessment of this strategy?”The emperor’s naval architect fidgeted in his seat and frowned.“Akrotia isn’t a ship,” he insisted.“And it’s enchanted.We don’t know if it can be sunk.”“Captain Donnely,” said Lewell, turning from Tomlyn in exasperation, “your assessment?”“Lieutenant Jundis said that Captain Pendergast fired at it, though from his range, he could see no obvious damage.The difficulty with a ship-based bombardment is that any ship within firing range may also be in range of the city’s magic.”“Captain Donnely!” chided Admiral Lewell.“With your reputation, I would have thought that you’d be first in line to take up this fight.”Donnely fixed his eyes on the admiral’s.“With all due respect, sir, you haven’t seen this thing.It’s the size of an island, it controls the wind, and it burns like a furnace.Akrotia is not going to sit still while we all gather round and attack it.The city apparently set upon Iron Drake concealed by mist and darkness, then drew the ship in with winds so strong that they couldn’t escape under sweeps.”“You speak as if it’s plotting against us!” said Rinn with a derisive smile.“Let us all remember,” the emperor interrupted, “that there is a mage’s mind within this city.We cannot underestimate it.Captain Donnely, do you believe that a naval attack is futile?”“No, Your Majesty,” the captain answered promptly.“I just think that we have to consider our strategy carefully.It may be that the Iron Drake was taken unawares.Also, they carried only minimal armament.A more formidable ship may have better luck.”“To damage the city without succumbing to the same fate, you mean,” the emperor stipulated, but Donnely shook his head.“No, Your Majesty.I mean before falling to the same fate as Iron Drake.”“Your Majesty, if I may,” Commodore Henkle interjected, cutting off mutters from the admiral and general.“Captain Donnely and I discussed this issue extensively last night, and agreed that we need to test Akrotia’s capabilities.We should send our fastest ship to rendezvous with Admiral Joslan and determine where Akrotia is, what has ensued since Captain Donnely left the convoy, and what, if anything, the admiral may have learned about the city’s capabilities or vulnerabilities.We have fifteen warships at our immediate disposal, and if we send another fast ship, we might summon perhaps twenty-five more from the Northern Fleet.”“Additional ships should be sent to warn the southern coastal towns,” Upton added.“The overland road is far too circuitous for riders to arrive quickly.”“In defense of Tsing, Your Majesty,” said General Plank, “we can mount large shore batteries on the headlands, and my men can certainly assemble sturdier siege-caliber catapults to replace the smaller machines aboard the ships.” He cocked an eyebrow at Lewell, who nodded.The emperor nodded, then fixed his eyes on the far end of the table.“Chief Constable Voya,” he said to the woman who had sat quietly throughout the discussion.“What is the feasibility of evacuating the city should these efforts fail?”“It would be costly, Your Majesty, in both lives and money,” she replied.“There will be riots, especially in the Dregger’s and Downwind quarters.There are also logistical considerations.If we evacuate the nobles first, there will be looting, and if we evacuate the poor first, the nobles will scream bloody murder and confound our efforts.But whatever we do, we need to start soon.The longer we wait, the more panic and deaths there will be.”Tynean Tsing sat quietly and stared at the lustrous surface of the table as if he sought support or answers from his reflection.Finally the emperor looked up again.“Any other recommendations?”“Your Majesty,” Emil said firmly.He had intentionally waited until the worst case scenarios had been presented.“I recommend that we consult the seamage.”Several people shifted uneasily in their seats.“The seamage,” the emperor said, narrowing his eyes at the count.“What do you propose?”Emil felt the weight of every eye in the room on him.He swallowed, straightened, and presented his case.“I propose that we do whatever is necessary to prevent Akrotia from reaching this city, Your Majesty.We should negotiate with Cynthia Flaxal Brelak for her help in stopping this menace.”The emperor’s stern gaze remained on Emil, and he raised his hand to silence the murmurs that had erupted around the table.“The seamage is the ultimate cause of all this, Count Norris.You sat in this very room and recommended swift confrontation with military force.Now you recommend that We ask her for help?”Emil looked the emperor in the eye.His next words might mean the end of his career…or worse.“My initial assessment of the seamage was wrong, Your Majesty.I allowed my personal feelings to interfere.As a result, I made the mistake of recommending a show of force in dealing with her.My decisions and actions, as much as anyone else’s, resulted in the deaths of over fifteen hundred sailors, and the loss of the Fire Drake and Clairissa.I have reiterated this in numerous letters and reports, yet I sit here, a free man, while Cynthia Flaxal Brelak is imprisoned, and her husband awaits the guillotine.I understand the motivations behind these sentences, but are we willing to risk the lives of thousands of imperial citizens in order to appease a few? We are facing a two-mile wide, fire-enchanted floating city able to control the winds.It has already destroyed one ship and immolated two islands.It is on the loose, and possibly heading here.The city of Tsing is the heart of the empire
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