Edda by Conor Kostick Read Free Book Online

material in front of her, her true gaze probably flickering across hundreds of menus and codes. “What memory do you most treasure?”
    “Memory?”
    “Your happiest moment.”
    “Ah. The work that I was most satisfied with was accomplished when you were about halfway between seven and eight years old.”
    “Yes?”
    “There were many critical periods for Lord Scanthax, but this was possibly one of the most significant. Our realm had three alliances under way. To the south, ourselves and Lady Morwen were slowly undermining the position of General Tokamash. This was so obviously to our mutual benefit that despite repeated—and increasingly generous—offers from others to try to pry us apart, we had a great deal of confidence in the alliance. Theoretically, there was a time when we would have been quite vulnerable to a strike from Lady Morwen, but so long as the two of us stuck it out, we knew we would end up with the considerable prize of General Tokamash’s lands. Trusting to this perspective, we did not feel the need to send our greatest diplomatic resource southward.” Ambassador glanced at Princess, and she looked up from her work a moment to meet his gaze. “That would be me, by the way.
    “To the east, as you know, there were developments of mild interest, but the mountains effectively made those of long-term consideration only. No, our real difficulty was to the west, where, more and more, our fleets were encountering those of the island realm of Admiral Ekkehar. Perhaps it would help if I showed you on a map?”
    Penelope sat up. “If you like.”
    “Oh please, I’ve interrupted you. I’m sorry; my enthusiasm for the story has run away with me. Go back to your scripting, please, please.” Ambassador was shocked at himself; how could he have suggested that she leave such vital work to attend to a map illustrating a minor and purposeless anecdote?
    Princess ignored his flush of embarrassment, shrugged, and returned her concentration once more to the gun in her hands.
    “Well . . .” Ambassador lowered his voice so as to be less intrusive. He found, however, that he had not lost his desire to continue the story. “I traveled to the great port of Laver, capital of Admiral Ekkehar’s realm, and there I was as persuasive as I could be. I had to forestall Ekkehar and gain us time to build up our fleets. You will recall the period because you were very busy designing and constructing warships.
    “It was a demanding month for me. Each incident that revealed our growing stock of naval forces required an explanation; sometimes I improvised most imaginatively. Each failure to observe the exact terms of our agreements required a lengthy interview; often Lord Ekkehar would probe me, full of suspicion. But at the end of such discussions, he would come away believing that we were rather self-interested and tactically inept, but not actively hostile to him. At last, a secret message came to inform me that our navy had seized the Norrig Islands, a deed that was tantamount to an outright declaration of war, because the islands were an essential refueling base for any attempt to invade Admiral Ekkehar’s home territories. When I transcribed the coded message, well, I had the most powerful feeling of satisfaction that I have ever experienced. The job was done and done well. I like to think that despite other turning points and vicissitudes, this was perhaps the most crucial of them all.”
    “I see,” said Princess, momentarily looking at him, a hint of curiosity in her expression. “And would you say that you were happy at this time?”
    “In the sense that Lord Scanthax defined the emotion earlier, I would say yes, I was. I had fulfilled my purpose.”
    “And on your return? Did Lord Scanthax give you any indication that he was pleased with you?”
    “He most certainly did. His exact words at our debriefing were, ‘Well done, Ambassador.’”
    This made Penelope smile; a rather enigmatic smile as far as