they were, and he and The First Speaker continued
47 The Priest of Priests clapped his hands. Wine appeared.
"It is fresh wine," he assured, "sweet as honey, and will not burn your
belly. I would not offend you with such. Is that the staff that breaks
steel?"
48 As Gray Goat took the wine, he nodded. The Priest held out his hand,
and Gray Goat gave him the staff. The Priest examined it for a moment
then handed it back. "It is a mystery to me," he said. "It is no
different than OUR wood! Tell me, how is it your people always find a
city's weak point? It is a curiosity that has long held my interest."
49 "We use our eyes," answered Gray Goat, "and the brain that lies
behind them."
50 "Good answer!" laughed The Priest of Priests. "I swore I would never
ask this, but what terms will you give me?"
51 "You pay the cost of the war," answered Gray Goat, "and we keep the
cities we hold."
52 "We pay the cost of the war," argued The Priest of Priests," and
ransom back our cities. I'm sure a reasonable amount can be agreed to.
Otherwise, we fight to the death. Even when that wall falls, I've still
got an army in that city, and we could hold out for a long time. A
fight to the death would not do us any good ...either of us.
53 Be reasonable, young man. Some day you're going to lead your people.
You'll find that compromise isn't such a bad thing, after all. We
received
a signal from one of our ships. It said they hope to clear the pass in
three days. If our reinforcements come, the bargain would have been
worth it."
54 Gray Goat smiled. He, too, had received a message. Singing Hawk had
played a trick on the enemy, making him think their dead had risen, and
joined The