For several minutes, Henri sat in silence as he considered his father's question. He'd already expected that things between the Blackwells and the Lothians might become strained, but he'd been thinking of the Blackwells as a mercantile power, known for their wealth and the prosperity that flowed through their port.
He'd never considered that they had a fighting force large enough to rival a Duchy combined with the wealth to see that force properly armed and armored. But… did it matter?
"Rhys can't strike at the Lothians easily," Henri concluded. "The River Luath isn't navigable through Otker Canyon. Rhys can only bring his dromons so far upriver before he's forced to leave them behind, and then he loses much of his fighting strength. Even if his sailors are fierce on the water, against the Lothians who sharpen their swords against demons…"
