“The way I need you?” she asked softly.
Java snapped her head around so she was looking into Robin’s eyes. “I need you far more than you need me, Robin. You are my anchor, my candle, my tree in the storm. Without you, I never would have risked the triplets, or Samantha. I need to be needed, but I need you to be there for me when I need you,” she said softly, then giggled. “That is a lot of needing.”
Robin couldn’t help but chuckle at Java’s play on words. “Very well. But never forget that I need you as much as anyone does.”
As River County sat between Link County and White County, Java and Robin traveled light and fast, with little trouble. They stayed anonymously in a small roadside inn their first night. Neither of them felt up to camping in the snow. The only other person they saw on the road was a young man who jumped out of the bushes in front of them the second day.
“Halt where you are!” he shouted, then looked closely at Java. His eyes widened when he saw the knives in her bandoleer and the bow on her saddle. “Run!” he shouted and dove back into the bushes, running through the forest.
Java laughed as Robin released the spell she had been holding prepared for an emergency. The man stumbled and fell, his hands and feet spell-bound. Java led the way, riding Sugar carefully in the light snow.
“That was stupid,” she commented as soon as she was near the man. “What exactly did you hope to accomplish by jumping out like that?”
“We, um, I wanted your horses.” He struggled against the invisible bonds on his arms and legs. “It’s been a long winter already, and it’s just starting.”
Java looked at Robin and nodded. Suddenly the man’s hands were free, and he sat up, clutching his thin coat closed.
“Where are you from?” Robin asked.
“Lordsburg, in Lender’s Dale,” he answered softly, glancing to the left and right.
“There’s no one else here. They kept running, if there were ever any others to begin with.” Robin smiled at Java when the man hung his head.
“No, I’m alone. I just wanted to make you think there was more than one of me. What’re you going to do now?” He looked at the ground, seemingly hopeless.
“We are going to take you to town. Do you live in Covingham?” Java asked, watching him carefully.
“Yes.”
“Does your family live there, or are you alone?” Robin asked.
He nodded. “My ma and pa, and two sisters. What are you going to do to me?”
“We’ll see in town,” Java said, motioning him to get up. “Don’t try to run away again. Robin can tie you up again in an instant.”
The man nodded and began walking toward town with his head down, visibly despondent. Java and Robin followed him to Covingham and into the town square.
“All right, that’s far enough,” Java said, causing him to turn and look at her with a fear-filled expression. “Don’t try anything like that again. You don’t have the talent.” She sighed gustily, looking at Robin. When Robin nodded, she shooed him away. “Go on, get home. You have enough trouble without us.”
He nodded, backing away from her, unsure if she was serious. When Java glared at him, he stumbled and turned, running as hard as he could down the street, with only her laughter following him.
Java smiled and looked at Robin, who was having her own trouble keeping a straight face. “Oh, the story he’s going to tell!” Java commented, making Robin laugh.
“Excuse us, but what was that all about?” a rotund man asked. He was backed by several other men, all large and hefty specimens.
“Oh, he tried to waylay us outside of town. I think we scared him pretty bad.” Java was still laughing and happy. “Who are you, good sir?”
“I’m Amos Baker, Mayor of Covingham. And just who, might I ask, are you?” Amos glowered at Java and Robin.
“I’m Princess Java Mountainstand, and this is Master Mage Robin Cartwright. Is Lord Barstin in residence?” Java watched the men carefully, noting their response to her name.
The mayor obviously didn’t believe her. “Princess Java, is it? And what would the princess be doing riding around the county dressed like a merc?”
“I am a merc. A Firewalker, to be precise.” She slipped her sash out and put it on over her coat, adjusting it to place her brooches at her shoulder. And that damn pin as well. “Does this help you believe me?” she asked sweetly.
Mayor Baker stared at the ducal signets, then dropped to one knee. “Princess Java, forgive me, I didn’t know, I didn’t realize…”
“Oh, it’s all right,” Java said with a laugh. “Is Lord Barstin here?” she asked again.
“Yes, Princess, at the manor.” He pointed up the hill to a large house.
“Thank you. And leave that boy alone. He did no harm.” She fixed the mayor with a stern glare, and he backed away a step, nodding.
Robin led the way up to the manor. A servant came out and took their horses, then pointed to the door. Another servant opened it, motioning them inside quickly.
“Who may I say is calling, please?” the butler asked, bowing minimally.
“Princess Java. I’m Master Mage Robin,” Robin said while Java played the lady.
“Indeed,” a voice said from the side of the room. Java and Robin turned to find an older man in a housecoat, sipping brandy. “And what may I do for you, Princess Java?” Lord Barstin asked.
Java smiled and stepped forward. “We would like to impose on you for a day or so, if we may. I’m gathering information for a survey of the skills of the immigrants who have come from Lender’s Dale, and the needs of the towns of the duchy. We’re hoping to find places where these people can be productive citizens of Hiddendell, rather than the burden so many people see them to be.”
“Indeed?” Lord Barstin considered her statement briefly, then shrugged. “A good idea, if you can implement it. Come in, come in.” Lord Barstin waved the two girls into his home and began issuing orders as to their comfort. Within moments they were sitting in front of the parlor fire with mugs of hot apple cider. “Now, Princess Java, tell me more of this idea of yours.”
Java briefly outlined her plan, and the success she had already had. “A blacksmith? Sitting idle in Linkville this whole time?” He paused to shake his head. “I could’ve used him myself. My smith is getting old, and he hasn’t found an apprentice yet who’s willing to stay put. Well, I’ll have the mayor gather your information here, and send along messages to the rest of my towns.”
Java smiled and bowed from her seat. “Thank you, Lord Barstin.”
Lady Annibel had been informed of her visitors as soon as they arrived, and quickly joined them in the parlor. “Princess Java, how nice to see you again.”
Java smiled and stood to receive a ritual kiss on the cheek. She and Lady Annibel had briefly met in Whitehall. “It’s my pleasure, Lady Annibel. You have a lovely home.”
Annibel smiled, then frowned when she saw Robin. “Mage Robin, I didn’t see you there. Are you traveling with Princess Java?”
Robin stood and bowed. “Yes, Lady Annibel. We were in Linkville, visiting my parents.”
Lady Annibel’s eyebrows contracted into a puzzled frown. “Your parents?”
“Yes, lady. My father is the miller in Linkville.” She smiled softly, watching Lady Annibel’s face closely.
“Indeed. Handy to have your parents in your friend’s county.” Turning her gaze to Java, she curtsied slightly. “How long will you be staying, Princess Java?”
Java smiled, though it was a bit forced. “Not long, Lady Annibel. Just long enough to gather some information. Duke Arten wants us back in Whitehall to prepare for Mid-Winter.”
Lady Annibel looked at her husband and he nodded. “Princess Java is conducting a census of the immigrants and the duchy, looking to find skilled people a permanent place. She had a blacksmith in Linkville who’d been sitting on his hands while old Thom has been begging an apprentice.”
“Will he be coming here then?” Lad
y Annibel asked Java, but Robin answered.
“No, Lady Annibel. We found him a place in Millington.” Robin bowed slightly to Lady Annibel, then to Lord Barstin. “If I may be so bold, you have a number of idle immigrants here. Has your blacksmith asked among them?”
“Not to my knowledge, mage,” Lord Barstin said absently. “He’s been looking for someone who’s staying, not someone who’ll be going back to Lender’s Dale as soon as Frander is seen to.”
Java shook her head. “I’m afraid that Lender’s Dale isn’t going to be retaken any time soon, Lord Barstin. That’s why I was given my holding in Greencastle. No one else wanted to be so close to Frander, and Duke Kaster is convinced that this is going to be a very long war.”
“We were told that you had a holding of course, but not where it was. What area did Duke Kaster give you?” Lord Barstin had slid forward a bit when Java mentioned her tie to Greencastle.
“The border between Greencastle and Lender’s Dale, to a depth of twenty miles,” Java said softly, knowing that it was an enormous amount of land.
Lord Barstin’s reaction was predictable. “The hells you say!” He stood abruptly and went to a door on the side of the room, looking back and motioning Java to join him. Lady Annibel and Robin tagged along as well. Lord Barstin was rummaging through shelves, throwing things on the floor, much to Lady Annibel’s evident displeasure.
“Here,” he said at last, spreading out a map on a table. “Show me.”
Java studied the map briefly, then traced a line with her finger. “I can’t be exact without the maps Duke Kaster sent me, but this is approximately where the border is.”
Lord Barstin looked at the area that Java had traced and shook his head. “Incredible. Absolutely incredible. That’s a huge holding. What’s there? The map isn’t very clear.”
Java twisted her mouth into a wry grin. “Rocks and trees, trees and rocks. There’s very little arable land. Most of it is mountains or virgin forest. As I said, no one wanted it. Duke Kaster and Duchess Werrin explained that no one had figured out a way to profit from it, so no one had ever settled there. There are some hunters, and a few small lumber operations, but nothing involving more than thirty men. The Greencastle Guard had begun building several towns for the refugees before I was invested with the area. Since then the three mercenary companies have all begun towns, and by now probably have them completed.”
“And what did you get for allowing them to build on your lands?” Lady Annibel asked softly.
“Three towns. Captain Freeholm, Captain Thuringer, and Captain Wilkinson have all moved non-combatants out to be with them. Even mercs have families.” Java smiled softly at the surprise on Lord Barstin and Lady Annibel’s faces. “I deeded the land to them. When this is over, if we succeed, then they’ll all have permanent towns that belong to them.”
“But that will move the Firewalkers out of Link County, out of Linkville. How can you afford that?” Lady Annibel was looking at Java strangely.
“Because when all’s said and done, I am a Firewalker. They are my family, same as my parents.” Java smiled at Robin. “Robin is as much my sister as any of my mother’s daughters.”
“Extraordinary!” Lord Barstin said as he sat behind his desk. “How extraordinary.” He sat and stared at both Java and Robin, shaking his head slowly.
“Java’s an extraordinary woman, Lord Barstin,” Robin said softly.
*
Java and Robin spent two nights with Lord Barstin and Lady Annibel, then traveled on toward Whitehall. Robin managed to cause a minor scandal with Lord Barstin’s son, much to Java’s amusement.
“Robin, did you have to walk out wearing just his shirt?”
“Well, we weren’t exactly hiding, Java. If Lady Annibel had waited a moment longer I would have found my own shirt. Sander’s shirt covered me well enough.” Robin grinned, thinking of the expression on Lady Annibel’s face. “Besides, he’s older than I am. What did she expect, a virgin son?”
“I think her words were ‘lady-like behavior’ or some such, though I’m not sure what that means.” Java laughed. “Was he?”
“Was he what?” Robin asked, grinning.
“Don’t start,” Java said, raising a fist at Robin, but softening the threat with a grin. “Was he a virgin?”
“Oh, not for years.” Robin’s grin deepened. “The man has some very interesting tricks, Java. You should try him some time.”
Java laughed and shook her head. The road ahead was cleared of snow, and the sun was dazzling. Whitehall was six days’ ride away.
CHAPTER 13: ROBIN’S RETAINERS
The greatest adventures in history have begun with the words,
“Well, isn’t that interesting?”
Ancient Wisdom
THE TRIP FROM COVINGHAM TO WHITEHALL went without incident, though Java did have to pull rank in one small town to get a spot in the inn. The innkeeper wasn’t well disposed toward mercs. The sight of Java’s two ducal brooches left him stammering apologies for the duration of their stay.
Whitehall in the fall had been dazzling, but Whitehall in winter was blinding. White buildings, white streets, white hills, all left Java and Robin breathless.
They stopped at Robin’s manor first to get cleaned up before going to the palace. The last three inns they had stayed in hadn’t had heated bathing rooms.
Robin’s caretaker, a retired Thunderfoot quartermaster, met them as soon as they entered the stables. “Lady Robin, Princess Java, we weren’t expecting you. What do you want first?”
“Hot baths, Barnum. In a heated room,” Robin said as she dismounted. “And some warmer clothes, preferably something soft and fluffy.”
“Hot mash for the horses, please,” Java said, stroking Sugar’s neck. “They’ve had quite a trip.”
Barnum nodded and signaled to a man that neither of them had met before. “This is Lothar Morrisdale. He’s an old comrade from the Thunderfeet. I took you at your word, Lady Robin, and hired in the staff I thought we needed. Lothar saw to the draft horses back in the company.”
The name jogged Java’s memory. “Morrisdale? From Morrisdale, in Lender’s Dale?” she asked curiously.
“Yes, Princess Java.” Lothar knelt, acknowledging Java’s rank.
“My sergeant and lieutenant are from Morrisdale. Do you know Anness Sheridan or Merrit Marston?” Java’s smile was tender as she spoke of her “family”.
Lothar nodded and blinked several times, looking at Java curiously. “Yes, Princess Java. Merrit and I were betrothed, long ago. I didn’t know she was still using Marston as her family name.”
Java’s eyes went wide as she looked at the man. “Well, isn’t that interesting? Which of you broke the betrothal?” she asked, grinning. Lothar was a handsome man, even if he was close to her father’s age.
“It was by mutual consent, princess. We were bundling, checking for compatibility, but we weren’t. We both agreed that we weren’t made for one another, and ran off to join the mercs. Merrit went to the Dreadlocks, and I went to the Thunderfeet. That was back when Captain Trammel held the company.” Lothar had stood come to attention, and looked Java straight in the eye while he spoke as the habits of a lifetime re-exerted themselves.
Java’s eyebrows contracted. “Bundling? Checking for compatibility? I don’t understand.”
Robin spoke then, before Lothar could find the words. “Living together, seeing if they could stand each other. Seeing if they were fertile. Letting them try out being married before the bonds were permanent.”
Java smiled. “That’s what she meant about only being fourteen,” she mused, drawing a startled oath from Lothar. Java grinned at his surprise. “We had a discussion one day about what was considered ‘old enough.’ I was raised to think of sixteen as the youngest acceptable, but Lieutenant Marston and Lieutenant Skyhaven both told me that they had only been fourteen.” She grinned and shrugged.
“Princess, I don’t understand. Why…How were you and Merrit discussin
g such things? And why do you call her lieutenant? I understood that she’d left the company and gone home.” Lothar was intensely curious. He had assumed that Merrit had died in Lender’s Dale.
“Merrit led a bunch of women and children out of Lender’s Dale not long after we got to the border, and Captain Freeholm took her back. That was in the early days of the war. She has shared the Scouts with Lieutenant Skyhaven since then.” Java smiled as he digested that information.
Turning to Robin, Lothar bowed low before speaking. “Lady Robin, at some time in the near future, I would like to send Merrit a message, with your permission of course.” Lothar was suddenly very glad that Barnum had contacted him.
Robin nodded. “Of course. We’ll be sending letters out to Firedale within the week. Your letter can go with ours.” Robin smiled, then headed toward the manor. “Barnum, who else have you hired?”
“Only a cook and two maids, Lady Robin. As you suggested in your letter, I looked among the refugees first. They are a mother and her two daughters. We really only needed one maid, but…well, you’ll understand when you meet them.” Barnum kept his gaze forward, but Java could see something in his expression all the same. It looked like pity.
Robin and Java went to change and bathe first. They had to wait on the water heater, but had plenty to talk of while they waited. “Did you catch that about the cook and maids, Java?” Robin asked, looking into Java’s eyes.
“Yes. I don’t know what it is, but there’s a problem with one or more of them. A problem that Barnum sympathizes with,” Java said as she worried a fingernail with her teeth.
“Stop that. You know better,” Robin said automatically. “If Barnum felt they needed to be here, as I suspect, then that’s fine by me. A woman and two girls alone, under the conditions we saw on the road? I don’t like what I’m thinking, Java. Not at all.”
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