The Jikaida Cycle

Chapter ten

Chapter ten

What difference does an emperor make?“By Vox! I do not know. I’ve no idea at all.”

“Us and Sogandar the Upright,” said Nath at Barty’s wail of despair.

We stood in that book-lined room glaring in baffled fury at the map of Vallia. The colors mocked us. No scouts reported an invading army, we had had not a whisper from our spies in the occupied territories. We knew nothing. And yet, I was convinced, there had to be the real invasion force from which that ludicrous gaggle of men masquerading as an army under command of Fat Lango had been intended to decoy us away.

“Where among all the Ice Floes are they?” said Barty.

He stood with his hands on his hips and his head thrown back and he looked as though he’d just tried to eat a five-fathom eel lengthways.

“There’s only one way