After checking that the ogres were content and not likely to start any trouble, we joined Lord Biustarn for dinner to discuss his potential aid. The dining room was considerably more spacious than Elmidath’s, taking up a whole floor near the top of the tower.

Despite the ample space and enormous dining table, it was only the three of us. Taking a sip from my wineglass as we waited for the food to arrive, I did my best to look sophisticated. “Will your daughter not be joining us?” It seemed like a safe question to start things off and break the ice.

Biustarn smiled politely at me, and I felt a little relieved that I hadn’t messed anything up by asking. “I’m afraid not, she left for the capital on business not long after we returned home.”

Presumably his daughter was acting as his representative in the capital, it sounded like something nobles would do. “A pity.” It was a little terse but I didn’t want to come across as too disappointed, he might think I was unduly interested in his daughter.

“Indeed. But no matter, it has no bearing on what you’re here to discuss. I take it you’ve come up with a suitable proposal?”

I looked to Elmidath, signalling for her to start. Even if I’d been the one to come up with the idea, I felt more comfortable having her lay out the details of the proposal. I was all too conscious of my own lack of knowledge when it came to proper manners and the like.

With a tiny, almost imperceptible nod to me, she began. “I believe so. Now, my understanding of your problem with committing your soldiers to another invasion is that regardless of the outcome you don’t stand to benefit, is that right?”

“It is.”

Having confirmed that much, Elmidath seemed more confident. Shifting position slightly in her seat, she sat a little straighter. “Then I think I have a solution to both of our problems. You need a legitimate reason not to contribute to the war effort and I need soldiers. So, I propose that you help us subdue the Tertium warlord threatening our borders. Lord Azuren must realise that’s more important than whatever invasion he has brewing. This way you can avoid the war, and put me further in your debt while you’re at it.”

The room fell silent and I stared hard at Biustarn, trying to discern his thoughts. As far as I could tell, his expression didn’t shift one iota and I was able to read precisely nothing of his intentions. Holding my breath in anticipation, I could hear my heart beating in my ears. Had our confrontation with Lord Sarinknell been this tense? It felt absurd that a conversation could even compare to fighting for our lives, but this didn’t feel much less tense. Perhaps it was better to think of this as just another struggle for survival.

Not meeting either of our eyes, Lord Biustarn tapped the nail of his index finger against the lip of his wineglass. The sound rung out through the silent room. He tapped once. Twice. Thrice. With no other sound to compete with, each tap was disproportionately loud.

As the tension built, my hands balled into fists. He had to be doing this on purpose to rattle us. But why? Was he intending to refuse? That didn’t make sense. Then he had to be intending on negotiating a better deal and-

My thoughts were cut short when, without preamble, Lord Biustarn finally replied. “I accept, I will provide you with at least twenty able soldiers for the duration of your little campaign. It will take me a little while to marshal them, but they should join you within a week.”

Flooded with relief, I took a breath and swallowed to moisten my dry throat. Elmidath and I were both smiling, unable to contain our joy, when Biustarn raised his hand to forestall our celebration. “But I have one condition; any spoils or territory taken in the course of this little conflict will belong to me, and me alone. No discussion, no negotiation.”

Elmidath narrowed her eyes. “Excluding anything that originally belonged to me, of course.”

“Of course.”

“Then we have a deal.”

It felt almost too good to be true, what did Biustarn want with the tawdry possessions of savages or the unclaimed wilderness? But I wasn’t going to bring that up, at least not to him. It’s not like he’d explain himself if he really was trying to deceive us somehow.

Biustarn raised his glass. “Allow me to propose a toast to our new alliance and its future success.” Following suit, we clinked our glasses and drained them. The chilled wine tasted more sour to me than anything else but at least it was refreshing. It was a lot better than anything we’d had on the trek here, at least it was cool and clean.

In combination with the bath I’d taken earlier and the deal we’d just made, I felt like a whole new person. The meal that followed was warm, contained meat and that was about the best that could be said of it. But it was a hell of a lot better than the nothing I’d been eating on the way here.

It’s funny how much better things could seem by comparison, especially when you were comparing them with a rather shitty situation. Perhaps that was key to happiness at times like this, appreciating how things were because of how much worse they could be. Not exactly the most joyous thought, but I’d take what I could get at this point.

After dinner, Elmidath and I went off to our separate rooms and slept through the night. Morning, and our departure, came entirely too soon. It felt like we’d rested for barely any time at all, but there was no stopping the passage of time.

Elmidath thanked Biustarn for his hospitality, who assured her his troops would be there as soon as possible, and we went outside to retrieve the ogres. Our newly affirmed ally was even so gracious as to provide us with supplies for the trip back. I hauled out two massive packs for the ogres, who wasted no time in opening them and chowing down.

Elmidath cleared her throat, but they paid her no mind and went right on eating. “That’s enough,” she declared.

Halting the process of shovelling food into their gaping mouths, the ogres turned to her in unison, fury and confusion warring across their features. Eventually Gurk’s confusion won out and he replied, “But it’s food. Surely you would not be so cruel as to gift us with food that we are forbidden from eating. I struggle to imagine that evil of that magnitude could even be contained within a single mortal being.”

“I’m not saying you can’t eat it, just that you need to wait. These supplies need to last you until we return to my estate.”

Aog pawed through the contents of his pack, then frowned at Elmidath. “How far away this estate of yours?”

“I’d say about three days, perhaps two if we hurry.”

“Three days?” Aog cried, an expression of childlike horror on his broad face. “We are to survive on this mere pittance for three days?”

I glanced at this supposed pittance. Even with the amount the ogres had already eaten there looked to be enough dried meat to feed a man for weeks. And yet the ogres seemed to find the idea that this was all the food they had unbelievable. Were they so disconnected with reality? “Surely this must be a feast compared to what you ate on the way here.”

“A feast?” Gurk roared. “Have you taken leave of your senses?” He surreptitiously slipped a piece of meat into his mouth as he spoke, spraying fragments of food as he continued. “This resembles more the crumbs found in a pauper’s bowl than anything worthy of being called a meal, let alone a feast. As to your remark regarding our past circumstances, it is because of those very hardships that we absolutely require sufficient sustenance.”

“Indeed, Gurk,” Aog said, clapping his fellow ogre on the shoulder. “Well said. And without adequate provisions, we shall be of little use to our new master.” He slapped his enormous scaled belly. “It won’t be long before we waste away to nothing at this rate.”

“Do you have to complain about everything?” Elmidath asked. “The trip won’t be long and you have enough food to get by. You’ll just have to bear it until we get back.”

I winced, already anticipating the ogres not taking her response well. And I wasn’t disappointed. With a howl of rage, Gurk smashed the ground with his club. “How could you speak like that to us, your devoted servants? We ask only for the barest of considerations, and this how you treat us? All we desire is enough food to live and have the strength to do our duty, yet we are met with only hostility.”

I expected Elmidath to blow up in response, but her response was surprisingly reasonable. “All I’m asking is for you to be patient, I swear that you’ll be provided for adequately once we reach my holdings. For now, this is the best that I can do for you.”

And her words did somewhat mollify the ogres, at least to the point where it didn’t seem like they were going to attack us. But it was obvious that they were far from satisfied, the ogres seemed to have almost as much appetite for arguing as they did for food.

“That’s all well and good for you to say,” Aog said, “you’re not the one being asked to shoulder this terrible burden. Would you ask a man aflame to wait until there’s a convenient body of water along your preferred route? I’m beginning to suspect you’d much rather let your subjects suffer than inconvenience yourself. Is returning to your estate of such paramount importance? Can we not attend to the more pressing concern of our terrible, gnawing hunger?”

Seeing Elmidath struggle to keep up with the ogre’s endless bullshit, I decided to take a crack at it. “With all due respect, I think going back is more important. You two will be able to survive for a few days, but Elmidath’s holdings might not. There’s no guarantee they’ll be safe even if we return as quickly as possible.” I pressed on, not giving them time to argue. “I understand that it’s a lot to ask, but I have to ask that you put the safety of our home and its people before additional food. At least for now. You guys are always talking about what’s right, isn’t putting the needs of many before the needs of the few the right thing to do?”

Aog scratched his head. “You were speaking with something resembling good sense until you reached the end, and descended into utter nonsense. Putting the lives of these paltry creatures before our own suffering? What a perfectly repulsive idea.” Chuckling, he nudged Gurk and said, “When you sit down to a meal, do you first offer it to any beast that might wander by?”

I considered arguing that point, but the gulf in our points of view seemed too vast for it to be worth it. “Forget that part, it was just a poor attempt at humour on my part. Are you willing to come with us or not? We’re never going to be able to avenge the evils inflicted upon you by our mutual enemy at this rate.”

“A joke, was it?” Gurk replied. “I’d suggest you avoid such baffling attempts at humour in the future, they can only lead to misunderstandings. But I suppose you are correct. Much as it mourns me to admit it, we should get moving once more.”

“You can’t be serious,” Aog said, scowling at his companion.

Hefting his club, Gurk brought it down hard on the other ogre’s head with a loud crack that was painful to hear. I expected Aog to collapse then and there, but all he did was blink as his expression shifted from outrage to resignation. “Very well, let us proceed down this bleak path. Perhaps we shall find greater fortune in our next lives.”

Despite the gruelling journey ahead, I felt only relief that we were finally moving. Lord Biustarn’s tower was just a dot on the horizon, when I head Elmidath’s voice in my head. “Thanks for your help back there. And for coming up with that idea to win Biustarn over.”

“No problem.” A little praise wasn’t going to change anything, but it was nice to get some recognition.

“Maybe it’s just because I’m having to deal with these brutes, but it seems like you’ve been surprisingly reliable lately. I hope I’m not mistaken about that, I’m going to need all the help I can get in the days to come.”

“You can say that again, it’ll be a miracle if we get through it all. But hey, it was the same with your uncle and we survived that somehow.”

“You’re right, let’s just hope our luck holds.”