Sisters Three (Completed)

23. Brenna (2/2)

The girls all gasped in surprise, except for Brenna. She jumped from her chair, eyes gleaming, to grab the arm of Robbin as he stalked through the doorway.

Excitement shivered through Brenna, but it was short lived. Soon it was replaced by worry when she saw the hard look in Robbin's eyes. She followed him quietly as he crossed to the center of the room where he paused.

"What happened?" she asked, glancing behind them at the open door. The room on the other side was empty except for Afton and Robert, which meant the barons must have taken the other exit.

When Robbin didn't answer her, she tightened her grip. "Robbin! Did you get it? What did they say?"

Robbin's hand balled into a fist which he slammed against his leg. "No! No, we bloody didn't get the army!" he growled.

Shock dropped Brenna's jaw. "They wouldn't listen? But, I thought for sure that offering the return of their titles would persuade them to take a side."

"Oh, no, they were more than willing to help," Robbin said, spinning on his heel to face the open doorway and his family. "But my lord father thought we stood a better chance rejecting the troops."

"What?" Brenna gasped, but her voice was drowned out by Robert's barely contained annoyance.

"Robbin, we went over this," he said. "The Brill Colony is too integral to Anjeluund's monetary well-being to just give it away."

Robbin grunted in frustration.

"Anyone care to explain what exactly is going on?" Brenna asked, staying by Robbin's side but pinning Afton with her gaze. As she suspected, he was the first of the three to open up.

"Your barons were able to work out a deal with the Queen of Grella so that we might use her rather large guild of mercenary fighters."

"That's good, isn't it?" Morna spoke up. "The Grellan mercenaries are known to be experts in warfare."

"Yes, and being the best means that they can afford to charge a king's blessed ransom for their services," Robert said.

Afton ran a hand through his hair. "The queen will waive the astronomical fee that we could never afford, but only on the condition that we agree to hand her the Brill Colony should we be successful in claiming the Anjeluund throne."

Brenna scoffed. "Brill? She must be insane. They supply almost all of the silver and copper that Anjeluund exports! She can't possibly expect you to just hand it over. Anjelunnd would be crippled financially, not to mention it would leave a gap in our presence to the north."

"Not only does she expect it, but she made it quite clear that we'll gain her help no other way," Robert said.

"Can't you find a cheaper set of men to use?" Morna asked. "Grella is filled with dukes that have their own private armies, and the Ittal barons have many connections..."

"Dukes have to listen to their queen, and the witch has put a ban on anyone doing business with us in this regard. Unless it's her mercenaries."

At this point Robbin had made two circuits from the middle of the room to the window and back. His restless energy was almost palpable.

"We should have agreed," he said.

Robert snorted. "And give up Brill? Robbin, you cannot be that thick."

"I never said give up Brill," Robbin returned.

The room quieted as everyone tried to follow the opaque path of Robbin's logic without quite knowing if he was entirely in his right mind.