NINE
Prince Tarak
SUMMER 965 MC
Brida stood on the walls of Windbourne, gazing out over all the ships that lay in the harbour.
"It's an impressive sight," she said.
"As I promised," replied Lysandil. "His Highness, the Prince of Kouras, is a wealthy man, and with wealth comes a large army. There's more down along the coast."
"Truly? How many ships does he have?"
"Hundreds. He's brought his personal army with him along with every mercenary company he could lay his hands on."
"And exactly how many men does he command?"
Lysandil shrugged. "I don't know the precise number, but I'd hazard a guess it's in the range of three thousand."
"That many?"
"Yes, he's determined to destroy Weldwyn, then move on to Merceria."
"Why? He's thousands of miles from his home, isn't he? How could he e
