Ascendant

by Florian Armas

  “Dreaming?” Drusila smiled, seeing Maud, and closed the door behind her.

  “I could pretend that I was thinking intensely about my next step,” Maud chuckled.

  Even though she was fifteen feet away from Maud’s desk, Drusila sniffed and laughed quietly. “Porto. Soon, everyone in the palace will know how hard you are thinking. I might indulge in some too.” She filled a glass and stared at it in the strong light of the dusk. “Dark Ruby is the best. Figs and nuts and... What’s that drink made from sugar cane in Hispany?”

  “Rumy.”

  “The further south you go the better everything tastes. I don’t like rumy, but in this, the faint taste of it works well. And this...” A knock at the door interrupted her.“Are you expecting someone?” Drusila asked, raising an eyebrow; they had planned to spend their afternoon alone.

  “A courier.” And you may not like the news he is carrying.

  Gren bowed deeply when he entered Maud’s office. He was a simple man, and this was his first visit, not only to her office – which was larger than his whole house – but to Leyona too. It impressed him, and he was even more impressed by the two women in front of him. He already knew that Maud had more power than most people realized. His master had warned him about that. The other woman looked as if she was made from the same vein, radiating power and maybe coldness.

  “Maud is a woman with a temper,” his master had said. “Say only what is needed, and keep in mind that our future depends on her goodwill.”

  “You must be?” Maud stared at him.

  “Gren,” he said promptly, then his mouth snapped shut, remembering quicker than his mind the instruction to remain silent.

  “Why are you here?”

  “I have a letter.”

  “Are you waiting for me to come and take it from you?”

  “No, my lady,” he whispered and walked briskly, and nervously, to her desk. More slowly, he pushed the envelope across the desk.

  Maud read it quickly, and handed it to Drusila.

  “Who tried to kill Codrin?” Drusila asked.

  “Aron, my lady,” Gren breathed.

  “Have you more to say?” It was Maud this time.

  “No, my lady.”

  “Take this,” Maud handed him purse across the desk. “Tell your master to keep watching for us.”

  Gren grabbed the purse and felt its weight. At least five galbeni, he thought, and he was right. “Thank you, my lady.” He bowed several times in swift succession, and left the room. Outside, he walked through the corridor until he arrived at a quiet spot. Five galbeni, he counted. This is mine, there’s no need to tell him about this gift. Five galbeni was his pay for a month.

  “I thought we had an agreement about Codrin.” Drusila looked at her sister.

  “The assassination attempt was ... unfortunate. Aron is playing his own game, but I have to say that I did not try to stop it.”

  “If everybody is playing their own game...”

  “I will write to him.” Maud stood up abruptly. “But I am more worried about this thing with Poenari. I did not know.” She shrugged in reaction to Drusila’s stare. “Garland is more spineless than I thought.”

  “Oh, my dear, and what about our own spines? Weren’t we bending them back and forth to our own purposes? And Garland... hmm, on the contrary, my feeling is that he showed some spine. He disobeyed the Circle and, in contrast to Aron, he did not do it for his own gain.”

  “He just wanted to buy Codrin’s forgiveness.”

  “Then Garland may be a visionary.”

  “Why are you putting so much destiny on Codrin?” Maud snapped.

  “Come on, my dear sister, don’t tell me that you are upset. You have to move on from what happened here. Codrin outsmarted everybody when he took Leyona, and you outsmarted him. That’s life.”

  “What am I missing about Codrin? Even after that mess in Valeni, you still seem to put a lot of trust in him.”

  “Don’t worry, it’s not about Frankis; he was meant for a greater cause.” Drusila sipped some wine, wondering how much she could tell her sister about Ada’s vision of the Fracture and Codrin.

  “The Fracture. Is it real or...?

  “You should know me better.”

  “I am sorry, but it means nothing to me. There are no records about the previous Fractures.”

  “Some wise people considered the matter, and erased everything from the history books. It’s an awful thing, and if it does happen, there will be no more Frankis. Your toy will vanish.”

  “Fine, I will take care to ensure that Codrin remains safe. Physically. Maybe you should convince him to leave Frankis.” There was a touch of exasperation in Maud’s voice that made Drusila smile.

  “I can’t. Even if I could, until I know more about his role in healing the Fracture, he will stay here. Did you tell Marie about her ... marriage?”

  “Not yet; my dear granddaughter thinks that she is in love with a handsome White Knight,” Maud sighed.

  “She is or she thinks that she is?”

  “My granddaughter is only seventeen, and at her age, she thinks that whatever she thinks really is.”

  “We were all seventeen once. Is the man actually a White Knight?”

  “Eighteen years old, handsome, and with some traces of a brain. I can’t say that I would not have enjoyed someone like him at her age, but who cares? I’ve allowed her to gain some experience in handling men.”

  “Let her dream.”

  “For a while...” Maud picked carelessly at a slice of cozonac, and filled her mouth before ending her phrase.

  “One who is not a dreamer until he is twenty-five years old, has no heart. One who doesn’t have his feet back on earth at twenty-five, has no mind.”

  “In times like these, we should lower the threshold to twenty, but that you are still allowed to dream, a little, later too.”

  “Different kind of dreams, my dear. More ... tangible. Like the one we have to bring a new king. Marie’s marriage with Bucur is planned for next autumn. Are you sure that she can handle Bucur?”

  “She is clever, and she has her mother, you and me behind her. And four thousand soldiers. If I count the vassal Seigneurs, we have six thousand. Next year, some of them will rally behind Bucur, because he has nothing. At least in this respect, Codrin has helped us, and made Bucur even more dependent on the Circle and Tolosa. Stefan will send soldiers too and Orban will send half of his army. Deva and Dorna should fall to Bucur, but that will be handled by our soldiers from Tolosa. Leyona will fall without a fight, and it will become part of the Tolosa Duchy. I can’t wait to kick Garland out. Duke Stefan will die at some point, and then there is no one to keep Peyris from falling into civil war.”

  “You may even help them,” Drusila laughed.

  “Yes and, after a year of war, they will welcome the army from Tolosa bringing a most desired peace. This is the first time that we have managed to put such a plan in place, and it was possible only because we could work together.”

  “We have only one weak point,” Drusila said absently, and Maud started, but she remained silent. “Bucur. He has never won a battle. How many soldiers will you give him next year?”

  “Three thousand, and a good commander. I am thinking at Pierre, the Spatar of Tolosa.”

  “That should be enough, and Pierre is a skilled army commander. And Saliné? What are you planning for her after ... the other marriage is announced?”

  “We have to block the marriage between Saliné and Codrin. My Sages report that we have a resurgence of support for Cernat, even though he is in Orban’s hands. After what happened in Severin, some people have started to think that he may offer a way to bring some order. I still don’t know if Aron was being stupid or playing a game again. Mohor’s killing is affecting us. A marriage with Saliné will only enhance Codrin’s status. By Spring, she will be pregnant, but Codrin is too obstinate and it may be that he will still want her. He may be a good army commander, but he lacks polit
ical skills.”

  “I am afraid that you are falling in your own trap.” Drusila smiled thinly, then sipped some wine.

  “We shall see if Codrin has those skills,” Maud said and bit her lip. “By Spring, I want to force his hand into signing a marriage agreement with Vio.”

  “You are about Saliné becoming Codrin’s wife, but not about Vio.”

  “Vio is young, and a hypothetical marriage will occur in three or four years. Things should be settled by then in Frankis. In Autumn, before Saliné becomes free, I will send Vio to Poenari, or wherever Codrin is. Saliné will be kept in a hidden place for a while.”

  “Vio should stay in Arad. We have an interest in her. She has a powerful Light, but she may be reluctant to join us. Like her grandmother was, once. Orban will make her dream of finding refuge with the Wanderers. Promise Codrin a minor Duchess. Stefan has plenty of granddaughters ready to marry in two or three years, and Cleyre is a good prospect. Mann has two daughters. I said promise,” Drusila laughed at Maud’s concerned stare. “As you said, in three years we will know if our plans have come to fruition.”

  “I think they will.”

  “Then why are you trying so hard to stop the marriage between Codrin and Saliné? Inheriting Cernat’s influence can’t be so dangerous in the short term.”

  “Cernat should have been our Candidate King, but that ... Master Sage, wanted Orban because... Well, because it enhanced his influence. Orban did not even become a Duke. And Cantemir was so weak.”

  “Cantemir was weak?” Drusila frowned.

  “Orban did not even become a duke,” Maud repeated.

  “Cantemir did not consider Orban fit to be a king, not even a Duke. He ‘inherited’ Orban – that much you know – but he prepared a Dukedom for Orban’s son, who died in mysterious circumstances.” The name of that circumstance was Codrin. Drusila recalled an old vision in which Codrin saved Jara. It was something that had puzzled her for some years, as she did not know Codrin at that time. Neither did she know where he had vanished to. It was only in Valeni, when they negotiated a sort of collaboration between Bucur and Codrin, that she made the link.

  “You want to say ... that Cantemir did not want Orban as king...?”

  No, Drusila shook her head. “But you did not answer my question. Why are you trying to stop the marriage between Codrin and Saliné?”

  “Because if the stars don’t align well for Bucur, I will give Marie to Codrin. I still prefer Bucur, because he is easier to handle.”

  “That makes sense.” Drusila smiled and, closing her eyes, she remained silent. The vision came to her and she shivered. “Tomorrow, I have to leave,” she finally said, and Maud’s eyes questioned her. “There will be trouble in Arad.” Cantemir is betraying us... I understand the reason for his move. I can’t let it happen, but I have to keep this from Maud.

  “What has happened?”

  “Nothing has happened yet, but we may have a problem. We meaning the Wanderers.”

  “Ah, your visions,” Maud said, a touch of envy in her voice; they were sisters, but she did not have the Light.

  Leaving the office, Drusila crossed paths with a young novice, who seemed reluctant to enter Maud’s office. “Young man,” she smiled at his fear, “there is only a woman inside, not dragons.”

  Yes, the young man nodded, unable to make up his mind. She is more dangerous than a dragon. And real.

  “Come,” Drusila grabbed his arm and went back with him.

  “Yes, Paul.” Maud stared at the young novice, trying to understand his state of mind.

  “I come from Severin, Master Sage, and I don’t bring good news.”

  “Don’t tell me that Severin fell into Codrin’s hands,” Maud snapped.

  “No, but Hadrian was taken prisoner and Belugas, the Primus Itinerant was killed. Hanged.”

  “What?” Maud stood up abruptly and walked in front of Paul, who made himself small. “Say it again.” Her eyes bored into his, and she shook him.

  “I am sorry, milady, but it’s true. Belugas is dead.”

  “Hanged. Who dared to hang a Sage?” Maud’s voice became feral.

  “Codrin, milady,” Paul breathed and remained silent.

  “And you wanted to...” Stifled by her sudden fury, Maud could not finish; she threw an angry glance at her sister.

  “Why was Belugas hanged?” Drusila asked, her voice calm; she already knew, what Belugas planned, from a previous vision. She took the time to pick up the glass again and sip some wine.

  “Belugas tried to kill Codrin at Severin’s border. He used Aron’s men, fifty of them, and some soldiers from Peyris, but they were all killed in the fight. And also because the negotiation to free Lady Saliné and Lady Vio failed.”

  “You may leave, Paul.” Drusila pushed the young man toward the door, trying to shield him. “Well, my dear,” she said when she was alone again with Maud, “you need some decent soldiers to kill someone like Codrin. But, to use your own words, losing fifty soldiers makes Bucur even more dependent on your goodwill. And, as for Codrin, I am counting on you to put some order in your house.”

  Caught between the need to punish Codrin and the restriction the Wanderers put on her, Maud breathed deeply. Sensing her turmoil, Drusila placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

  “I understand that doing nothing to revenge Belugas would be a hard decision for you, but you have to take it. You know why.” It was your fault.

  Maud just nodded.

  Chapter 11 – Codrin

  Before leaving Severin, Codrin split his army into four parts. Taking into account the Mountes, who agreed to stay as his guards, Vlaicu and Sava’s men, he now had a one hundred forty strong army with him. And there were ten more guards in Cleuny.

  Five soldiers went north with Damian and Sara’s men. After some consideration, Codrin and Valer decided that Varia’s family was no longer safe in the Long Valley. She would sell everything there and move to Poenari with her three children. The soldiers would protect her and her family on their way to Poenari. Codrin wrote a long letter, explaining in detail what had happened and why they were in danger. He was also keen to have them in Poenari. Good and trusted people were rare, and while Varia was a skilled administrator, her sons, Damian and Lisandru, were promising soldiers, and he liked her daughter, Livia; she reminded him of Vio, and it was little Livia, with her cheerfulness, who had made his stay over the winter, in Long Valley, more amiable.

  Thirty soldiers were left behind to escort all the servants who had once worked for Jara and Mohor, and had been thrown out of Severin by Aron. Most of them wanted to leave Severin. They were twenty-seven adults in total, including Milene, the woman who took care of Cernat’s hunting house, and her family, and some children. The carts which carried food for the army, and were now empty, would take their belongings.

  Laurent would stay in Seged as governor, keeping his soldiers with him. He also hired five mercenaries as guards.

  At noon, the remaining soldiers went with Codrin to Cleuny, where they arrived three days later, in the afternoon. Seen from the valley, Cleuny did not impress much; from close up, even less. It was not really a castle, but it looked blunt and solid, even without turrets or toothed battlements. This was more a large fortified house, with thick stone walls and high, narrow windows. The gated entrance of the fortified house was wide enough to accommodate one large wagon and a pedestrian side by side. Codrin looked up before entering the gate and, seeing again the weakness of his residence, he sighed. I hope Poenari is better, he thought. Even with all the information he had received from Sava, he did not want to make up his mind until he actually saw the fortress. It might have strong walls, as the description suggested, but it all depended on their actual state.

  Pintea took over his usual tasks and gathered Codrin’s main people in the council room. He wanted to present Sava to Mara and Calin, but to his surprise they already knew each other.

  “I was still a young soldier when Calin found refuge in Leyon
a,” Sava laughed. “And you, Mara,” he said embracing her, “you were a pretty girl who scavenged my house for books. Now, you are a wonderful woman. Calin has changed too, but I will let you guess in what way.”

  “I think we’ve both changed in the same way,” Calin mused as they clasped hands.

  There was laughter in the room, and only Codrin did not seem touched by it. “Mara, take care of the soldiers. They need food. We brought provisions for one week, but maybe you need to buy some more. Ask the servants to prepare rooms for Vlaicu, Ban and Sava.”

  “Sava will stay with Neira. His wife,” she added, seeing Codrin frowning. What’s happening to him? He looks confused and sad. It’s like he is not himself.

  “Yes, I’d forgotten that they are already here. Vlad, Pintea, find places for the soldiers to sleep in the barn. It will be crowded, but not for long. We are moving to Poenari,” he said to Mara and Calin.

  “I know the place, and I’ve heard that it is haunted.” Calin stared at him with an amused glimmer in his eyes.

  “That’s a good thing, people will not disturb us. I will be in my office, if you need me.”

  For the remainder of the day, Codrin stayed in the antechamber of his bedroom, which he used as his office, leaving word to be left alone. Over and over, he recalled everything that had happened in the last month, wracking his brain to see if he could have done something different, something that could have saved Mohor, Jara, Saliné and Vio. He couldn’t find anything, and tried several times to move his mind into finding a way to save Vio. He could not concentrate.

  “We need to talk.” Mara had sneaked into his room, and sent a questioning frown at him. It was late in the evening, and she was worried. She was worried about him; he had skipped dinner, and had not talked with anyone for hours, and she was worried about what she needed to tell him. I have to, she encouraged herself.

  Leaning with his head on his elbows over the table, Codrin was thoughtful, his mind still lost in Severin. Mara stepped forward, and her hands moved to massage his neck.