"And they accepted that?"
His gaze darted around the hall as he hesitated a moment. "Not at once." His gaze met mine for a moment. "Some argued that if no citizens were left alive, then no word would reach the city. Resh reminded them that hostages had been taken, that there was not one of the chieftains present that didn't have a family member held here at your mercy." Seldas licked his lips nervously. "Then we were sent away. I don't know what was said after that, Patron."
"We?"
"Myself and Elendas, Patron. He was there, of course."
Of course. "And had Elendas anything to say?"
Seldas shifted his feet nervously. "He didn't say much, Patron."
"What," I insisted, "did he have to say?"
He looked away and then back, firming his resolve. "He said, when the chieftains were arguing for an attack, I mean, he said that in his opinion no attack was needed. He didn't say it loudly, Patron. I don't think many heard him. But I did, and I think also Resh heard; he gave a nod at the words but didn't stop what he was saying."
I digested that for a moment, though I didn't yet know exactly what to make of it. "And what message does Resh have for me? I assume," I went on when Seldas hesitated, "that you are here for a reason?"
He gave a nod. "He says that he now fears for the safety of his family and those of the other clan chieftains. He says that you can no longer guarantee their safety. That you cannot negotiate terms for their release when he has no guarantee that they even live. He asks that you decide now in this way; either release the hostages without terms or allow him and his men to enter Darklake and assist you in protecting them."
Well that's just bloody perfect. A drop of blood dripped from my eyebrow, adding punctuation to the thought. Bring the wolf inside the fold or give it what it wanted so that it was free to act as it saw fit. Not the best range of options. I had thought he was playing the same game as I, and according to the same rules; now I wasn't so sure. What had Elendas meant when he said no attack would be needed, and why had Resh agreed with him? Did Resh carry a small glass sphere in a pouch around his neck? Did Elendas? Did Anista?
"He required an answer immediately, Patron," Seldas said. He made a gesture that made me aware that Vesan was heading our way.
I ignored him. Instead I thought about Elendas. "When the crowd panicked, did Elendas look surprised?"
Seldas was crowded to one side as the healer pushed in front of me and began to clean the cuts on my face with brisk, sure movements. I kept my attention on Seldas. I watched him think about what I had asked and then answer with a display of uncertainty. "He took it calmly, Patron," he shook his head, "but he was among chieftains, a lad newly raised to manhood and among what he must surely think of as his peers..." he trailed off.
Among his peers, yes. But was he also among his allies? I added it to the mix of things to think about as I waved Seldas away. "I'll give you an answer to take back when I'm done here."
Seldas gave a little bow and moved away just as a brief flash of non-light presaged a growing warmth in the tissue above my eye. At least I wouldn't have to worry about blood dripping into my eye any longer; not that I was sure that that would help me see any clearer than I had been.
#
"I wouldn't do that."
I ignored Vesan's advice and continued to close my right hand slowly into a fist. It was only a moment later that I gave it up. The cut across the palm of my hand was deep and the half-healed muscle stiff and resistant to movement. Not to mention the sharply increased pain when I tried. If I had to reach for a sword I was in trouble. Especially as I wasn't even carrying one. It had been years since I had picked up a weapon left handed and I hadn't been much good at it even then.
I rolled my shoulders and made a conscious effort to relax. There was no sense fretting about a problem that had no solution. I needed to sift through the problems I could solve and begin to take care of them. Caliran first. He was a threat that needed to be dealt with. The problem was that he was out amongst the people, free to act and speak as he chose, free to consolidate whatever power base he already had and gather more followers to his cause. I couldn't let him do that but I couldn't stop him either. The solution was to find him and isolate him but I didn't have enough men to do that. Even if I put every soldier I had to the task they would be grossly outnumbered by a population of very uncertain mood. It is one of the basic problems of all rulers; you can only rule with consent of the people, and for a very simple reason - they outnumber you.
I imagined the bloodbath that would result from conflict between my soldiers and the civilian population. The fleeting thought made me wince. It couldn't be allowed to happen. To stop it, I needed more men.
"I can ease the pain if it bothers you," Vesan offered, noting my wince and mistaking its cause.
I frowned at him for a moment as I dragged my thoughts back to the present. I shook my head, "No need." I'd learned all I need to know about dealing with pain. It didn't bother me much.
"Then, unless you need me for something I have other work to do."
I gave an absent-minded nod and watched him walk away through the crowded hall. I was back to thinking through the problem. I needed more men; where was I going to get them? Resh Ephannan? Well, that was part of a solution in a way; though I didn't count him an ally, I also had no proof that he was an enemy. At least if he and his men were here I would have the opportunity to find out. The other half of the solution was traditional; one tried and tested any number of times in our history. You call in your clients and arm them. The magistrates had been enrolling clients, and their clients were effectively mine. Time to find out exactly how many clients I had. Again, not a perfect solution under the circumstances, but it was what I had. Then there was the third part of the solution. I'd left Lendrin Treleth out of my thinking until now; but I had the authority to take command of his men if I needed them. And if I was going to keep a lid on things I was going to need every man I could get.
I pushed away from the table where I'd been resting and nearly tripped over Seldas who had been hovering closer than I'd expected. I took his arm to steady him. Vedat and Orasin were not far behind him, both looking rattled and indecisive as they waited to speak with me.
Good. I had a plan and the instruments to implementing it were close to hand. "Seldas," I kept a grip on him as we both regained our balance. "Send for your clients and have them come here at once; time they paid you back for your generosity." He gave a little start of surprise, which I ignored. "When you have set that in motion, report back to me yourself; by then I'll have a message for you to take to Resh Ephannan." I gave him a gentle shove as he looked set to question his instructions. "Go, and keep your questions for later." I turned to the other magistrates as he reluctantly moved to obey. They were as hesitant as Seldas but I swept them and their objections out of the hall ahead of me, casting about the square for Parast as I crossed the threshold into the light. Fear and uncertainty had to be transformed into resolve and determination. I had invested too much of myself in this place and these people to form up my men and march away from it. Darklake would not sink into chaos while I had breath in my body, and when I did leave I would be leaving a people who not only were free but knew they were responsible for their own freedom. Not a gift given, because freedom cannot be given; but a treasured possession they had fought for and earned. The first step was to gather those who knew what freedom was, and then arm them so they could fight for it. I knew I was taking irrevocable steps toward conflict but I also knew I had damn little in the way of choices. Caliran had declared himself my enemy and was attempting to turn the people against me. He was my enemy and so were any who allied themselves with him. It was war, pure and simple, and the first step in any campaign is to gather your allies, then identify and isolate the enemy.
As I cast around the square for Parast, I also kept an eye out for Mielkan, knowing that if I did not see him soon I would be forced to list him among the enemy. Seldas, Vedat and Oras
in were here; their loyalty might be suspect but for now I counted them among my allies simply because they were here and not elsewhere. Sadly, Anista's name was already on the list of my enemies.
When Caliran had walked into the crowd Anista had followed him.
#
Caliran's quarters had been completely gutted by the fire. The room was thick with the stink of burned wood, and a haze of smoke clung to the charred beams. Furniture, shelves and books were all turned to wet black ash that lay thick on the floor. I nudged the ashes with the toe of my boot. Maybe some few pages at the heart of some of the books would have survived, but add water damage and I figured there was little hope of finding much of value. I let my gaze roam over the room, carefully avoiding a misshapen lump that lay in the middle of the room. Someone hadn't made it through. I had no idea who and could think of no easy way to find out. Certainly I had no inclination to look closer.
"He planned this," I said, pretty much to myself.
Parast and Hald Epwhel both glanced at me but said nothing. They stood on the opposite side of the doorway to me. We were not making ourselves useful but weren’t in the way either. Buckets were still being passed into the room and two soldiers were kicking at the hot ashes and dumping water where sudden sparks and smoke revealed a trapped heat that was a threat of further fire. The very hearts of books I would want to save. No hope of that, I decided. Whatever knowledge had been here now existed only in Caliran's head.
"Something must have made him tip his hand, though."
Again the glances.
Hald scratched in his somewhat singed beard and stepped into the doorway. "The hells with this," he said. "It stinks in here."
I nodded. He was right. After only a momentary pause, I shrugged and followed him. He was right, and there was nothing to be achieved for now - well, maybe one thing. I turned back to the two soldiers before leaving. "If you come across any melted glass I want to see it."
They barely glanced up from their work but both gave a nod assent.
Parast joined me outside and we moved to join Hald. I ran my eye over the depleted bucket chain, then over those who had obviously organised to make it happen in the first place; dozens of tired faces both sweaty and smudged with smoke. They clustered at the benches around the fountain and took turns to clean and cool themselves with fresh, cool water. Mostly women and older children. They'd done well and I wanted to reward them somehow. Fire is everyone's enemy but still, they deserved something.
"Any idea who that was?" I asked, jerking my thumb back to the room.
Hald shook his head, brushing singed hair and ash from his beard and scowling. "No. Could have been anyone who followed me through; whoever was last, but," he shrugged, "I was leading them, you know? They were all behind me." He shrugged. "Could have been anyone caught in there when the fire came. It was very fast," he added, leaning forward and rubbing at his head, giving off a fine shower of singed hair and ash that drifted on the cool breeze. "Very hot," he straightened again and looked my way. "Very hot and very fast."
I nodded. "It was you who organized people to fight the fire?"
He shrugged. "It wasn't so hard to do; except when the bees erupted from the hives." He gestured to the exhausted people, some of whom still brought water to the doused fire. "They panicked a little, but held when I ordered them to it. They are good people," he added.
I eyed them, picking out some who were hostage. Well, they'd earned their freedom; not that I'd intended to keep them long in any case. Well, no longer than necessary, anyway. Dannat's wife was there, I noticed, and frowned, wondering what I would do with her when I left.
"I would like to gift you with something," I said, absently. "And all who worked to put out the fire. Coin, if that's acceptable?"
He grinned. "Everyone can always use more money."
I nodded. It was true. "So, if you will come with me to the treasury we will organise something and, if you're willing, I will leave you to give what you see fit to the others." Without waiting for him to respond, I turned to Parast and the more important reason I was here. "I'm calling in my clients to arm them in case we need more men."
Hald didn't give him a chance to respond. "You intend to stay?"
"What business is that of yours, Hald Epwhel?" Even as I asked the question the answer came to me, pretty much as he gave it.
"I speak now as your uncle’s client; I have a responsibility to see his best interests served. He is the commander of the army in the north, and unless that was not your voice we all heard, you have orders to return to the Eyrie and then to the city. If you disobey them, that act of defiance will involve my patron, will it not? I just want to be clear, are those your orders?"
"Your concern for your patron's best interests does you credit, Hald Epwhel," I softened my expression. "Rest assured that I hold an independent imperium from your patron. My actions in no way reflect on him, nor involve him, nor is he responsible for them."
"Then you can produce a white rod and a letter of authority from the assembly granting you that authority."
Well, no, I didn't actually have them; Dannat had taken them from me, along with my sword and armor, and a gold torque awarded to me for defeating an enemy general in single combat. "You are talking like a lawyer, Hald. I had no idea you were so well versed in our laws."
He scratched in his singed beard, thoughtfully. "Well, the city is not so far away and can’t be ignored," he shrugged. "Should you defy your orders there will be a trial when you do return, not so? Will this not disadvantage my patron by association? You are of the same family and bear the same name. If that name is tainted by your conviction, then his authority and dignity are also sullied, not so?"
Hald was starting to irritate me. I glanced at Parast, but he was busy pretending to be invisible. He had already given me his support. I didn't need the approval of some barbarian client chieftain of my uncle's. Still, as a client, he could be brought as a witness against me should there ever be a trial.
"For the record, it may have escaped your notice," I pointed to where the small cluster of tents, men and horses were just visible over the wall of the town, "but we are under threat from a potential enemy that is camped outside out walls; effectively under threat of siege." A potential enemy that I was seriously considering bringing inside the walls, I thought, but it didn't seem politic to mention that at just this moment. "Under those circumstances it is my decision to remain here until that threat is neutralised."
He turned a glance to the west, sizing up the threat beyond the walls, then back to me. "I see."
"Of course, there is no reason for you to remain here, Hald Epwhel. I am sure the enemy would freely grant you safe passage."
He glanced up at the rise and shrugged. It was obvious to both of us that if he left by the east gate they would have a pretty much impossible task trying to stop him.
"No," he mused, "I do not think I can leave the nephew of my client in such a... risky position, do you?"
I decided to push it. "Then you will place yourself under my authority?"
His face split into a grin. "As a friend and ally, what else can I do but place myself and my few men at your disposal," his eyes glinted with humour, "for the duration of the siege."
"Glad that's settled." I worried at my lip for a moment, trying to think how best to use this new asset. It didn't take long. "The first thing you can do for me is take your men and get out among the people and judge their mood; they should have no animosity toward you," I assured him. "As a chieftain out of the south you have both standing and a certain neutrality."
He gave a slow, thoughtful nod. "And what do I tell them? You have a demagogue loose amongst the people. The priest will be rousing them against you, yes?"
I glanced around, seeking inspiration. There were people on the road, leaving the town and heading for their farms. Some were clustered at the camp, mixing with the followers of Resh Ephannan and the other petty chieftains. Or perhaps seeking out Elendas, the son o
f the former chieftain of Darklake. How well, I wondered, did Elendas and Resh know each other? What was their relationship? How close was the bond between these different peoples who lived, after all, only one or two days’ ride from each other? "Hald," I was almost thinking out loud, "how many times have you been a guest of this hall?"
He followed the direction of my gaze, then turned back to regard me, his expression puzzled as he tried to follow my thoughts. "Many times, of course. Darklake is too close and too large to be ignored," he shrugged, "and Orlek controlled trade through the pass. He had to be paid to protect our traders."
Of course he did. It was a factor that had been totally absent from my thinking until I had learned that many of the people of Learneth had come to pay their respects at the temple of Hesta, here in Darklake. There would have been commerce between the two towns; relationships would have been formed over time, marriages made. There were ties of blood and commerce between all these people and I hadn't given it a thought. "And Resh Ephannan, you know him?"
He seemed taken aback by the question. "Resh? He spent some summers in Twobridges when we were boys," he shrugged. "He married my cousin, Pliana. What has this to do with what I tell the people?"
Only everything, I thought. It took only a moment to pick her from the crowd around the fountain and point her out. "Your cousin, Pliana?"
"The same," he said, having taken only a moment to glance that way and back. "Pliana, who was held hostage by Orlek until you rescued her."
Until I had rescued her. And then held her hostage for Resh's good behaviour, though clearly that was not the way Hald saw it, exactly. I had stumbled into a spider’s-web of existing relationships, all unknowing, and they were tangled around me. "I see," I said. "I think we should talk some more before we do anything else, and I think I need a drink. Parast," I barely glanced at the straight face of the centurion, "open up the armory. As they arrive, you are to arm and organise the clients how you see fit, put them under the orders of your men. Come find me when you have arranged that."
The Invisible Hand Page 28
