The count studied me further and then reached his hand out with the backs of his fingers facing me, as many humans do in front of unfamiliar dogs, so the dogs can sniff first. I looked at his fingers and then sniffed them.

* You were on horseback for a time earlier today, * I categorized the various smells on his hands. * You spent some time writing and then sealing documents. You visited the mews. You also fed cheese to more than one dog. Soft-mouth bird dogs, if I am not mistaken. You had smoked salmon and farmer’s cheese just before we arrived. *

“That’s...that’s amazing,” the count’s jaw dropped so low that I wanted a baguette to stuff in it.

“Show off," Cat tugged on my ears in admonishment. "Other than this conceited cougar, who is also a mage, and Father Garshom, I have the use of four Zimlakan court mages and four elven mages through the Solstice and a little beyond, plus a diversion into Gan in the making with 5,000 elves and 2,000 Zimlakan light cavalry riders. A large portion of the army under my great uncle's command is moving toward Tammerhof and will be in position by the Solstice. Last, half the hobgoblin army is encamped on the border. If we need backup, that force can be at the foot of the pass between Tammerhof and Valltol in two days, assuming they march with the legendary speed and stamina of the hobgoblins. "

“The goblin queen is your ally?” the count was amazed.

Cat shrugged, "she likes us, me, Willam, and Uncle Sven. We solved her wyvern problem and part of her wolf infestation problem. And she's very fond of Fuzzy. She likes us well enough that she gave this to me as a gift," Cat pulled out the silk-wrapped crystal ball and pulled the cloth away."

“Is that what I think it is?” the Count asked in a soft voice.

“A crystal scrying stone, big enough to be useful for multiple mages at the same time and small enough to be carried in a belt pouch,” Cat folded the silk over the stone and put it away. “It’s been our secret weapon, in many respects. We have been able to contact and communicate with my father using the stone. Fuzzy can do magic remotely with the stone and has undone the effects of the spells and drugs used to keep my father in a state of confoundment. The King is now biding his time and playing the part of a witless wonder for his captors. He knows we are coming.”

“This is wonderful news!" the Count smiled.

“There is less wonderful news that I regret I must share with you,” Cat said with an expression that merged sorrow with sympathy. “Your lady wife is in the dungeon. My stepmother sent her there eight days ago.”

The Count grimaced, closed his eyes, and collapsed into himself, head down and fists clenched on his knees. “I asked her not to return to the Queen’s service, that she should tell the Queen she was too old and weary. She always was too stubborn for her own good. She didn't want to leave the Princess without an advocate of noble rank since all the others have fled."

“We will understand if you do not want to go to Tammerhof with us,” Duke Valgard was the voice of consolation.

The Count’s head snapped up, flinging a pair of tears away from his face, “damn that nonsense! You’ll have every armed member of the troops under my command, including the ones my daughter and son-in-law have at the Vogelberg. We might as well skip the waterfall for now and go straight to Vogelpass, Garshom.”

“Henri, do you not fear for Estella if the Regent sees your southern army troops in Tammerhof?” Duchess Dora sounded worried.

“Dora, dear," Count Henri took her hand in his, "we said our goodbyes when she last left as if we would never see one another again. We both know what she was walking into when she returned to Tammerhof. While her actual death would wound me, I am already resigned to it and so is she. If by chance and good fortune, we can be together again, it will be like the dead coming back to life, for that is what she will be for me if it happens."

“Henri,” she searched his eyes in doubt.

He smiled sadly, "if you had wondered why I have been so sour lately, it was because I had already started to grieve. But I am not a weak reed, good lady. I hear my King has regained his right mind and he has two stalwart sons coming to free him and the kingdom of this three-year-long nightmare, sons that have made allies out of our traditional foes, the elves and goblins, and have made friends with the great merchant state of Zimlakuliku. My nose tells me things are finally going our way."

Then the Count sat up and then heaved a great sigh.

“Henri?” Duke Valgard inquired, looking concerned. The Count, though, looked grim and a bit disappointed.

“I was just thinking about the fact that Tammerhof and the palace still house our own people,” Count Henri looked a little sad. “It will be not the best place to use our bombards and rockets, though I’ll still send the handgunners.” His frown leaned toward disappointment.

"Oh, for the sake of the souls in purgatory," Garshom grumped in disgust. "You old goat, you are incorrigible!" Duke Valgard rolled his eyes and Duchess Dora shook her head. Duke Sven looked like he was trying not to smile or laugh. Cat and Willam looked around them and then shrugged at each other.

“What?” Cat asked, looking at the old duke and then Father Garshom. “What did you mean by that, Father?”

Duke Valgard answered for him: "What my brother-in-law expressed is his exasperation that despite the dire circumstances we are attempting to address and dispel in Tammerhof, poor Count Henri here is disappointed that he can't blow the capital city and its palace to smithereens with his beloved bombs and artillery."