Young Lord of Khadora

by Richard S. Tuttle

  Katzu looked at three Lords for some time as if trying to determine if their solution was truly amicable. “Do you concur, Lord Burdine?” he finally asked.

  “Yes, Katzu, I do,” declared Lord Burdine.

  “And you, Lord Marak?” Katzu continued.

  “Yes, Katzu, I am satisfied with the solution,” Marak smiled.

  “Very well, then,” Katzu agreed. “The Lords Council does not interfere where they are not needed. Still, I think it would be wise for me to remain here for a few days in case anyone has a change of heart. It is a long journey from the capital. I trust that will not pose a problem to you, Lord Quavry?”

  “Of course not,” smiled Lord Quavry. “I will be honored to have you as my guest. Whatever you need will be provided.”

  “I would like to speak before you declare this matter to be closed, Katzu,” demanded Lord Marshal Grefon.

  Although it was obvious from the Lord Marshal’s uniform that he was a Situ, Katzu asked the proper question. “Whose interest do you represent, Lord Marshal Grefon?”

  “I represent the interests of the Situ Clan in matters pertaining to Fardale,” declared Lord Marshal Grefon. “I demand to know what the settlement is that has been agreed to.”

  Katzu looked from one Lord to the next and no one offered to speak of the settlement. Finally his eyes remained on Lord Marak and waited for an explanation.

  “As the Lord of Fardale,” Marak began, “I am happy with the settlement agreed to. If the Lord Marshal of the Situ will accompany me to Fardale, perhaps I can satisfy his curiosity.”

  Katzu merely shrugged, but Lord Marshal Grefon turned red with anger. “I demand to be informed of the agreement,” Grefon said with a steadily rising voice.

  “Lord Marshal Grefon,” scolded Lord Marak, “I am the Lord of Fardale and I do not wish to discuss my business in this forum. I do not recall your name on the invitation list for this meeting and I object to your presence here. You will kindly remove yourself from this room until I decide to inform you of the settlement.”

  Lord Burdine and Lord Quavry cringed from the verbal exchange, but Katzu simply sat and observed the demeanor of the participants. Lord Marshal Grefon rose, fully beet red in the face, and stared at Lord Marak.

  “You insolent little Chula chip,” scorned Lord Marshal Grefon. “Do you really think I will take orders from you? If you do not wish to disclose your secret arrangement that is a problem I can deal with. I have authority here from Lord Ridak, Lord of all Situ, in all affairs concerning Fardale, and I demand before the Lords Council representative to know what your agreement is.”

  Lord Marshal Grefon pulled a paper from his pouch and thrust it at Katzu. Katzu calmly took the paper and read it carefully. Slowly he placed the paper on the table and smoothed it out with his hand so it laid neatly on the table in front of him. “Lord Marak,” Katzu explained, “this document does authorize Lord Marshal Grefon to affect all matters pertaining to the Situ estate of Fardale. I am afraid that I will have to reopen the negotiations if Lord Marshal Grefon demands it.”

  Lord Marak smiled through tight lips as he also pulled a paper from his pouch and wordlessly handed it to Katzu. Katzu read the agreement thoroughly and placed it on the table before him. “Lord Marshal Grefon,” Katzu stated, “this document grants to Lord Marak complete and unequivocal control over all of Fardale with complete authority. I am afraid that the Lords Council can not recognize your claim to represent Fardale.”

  “I know what the document states,” spat Lord Marshal Grefon. “I wrote the document, but Lord Ridak has superceded it with my authorization.”

  “I am afraid he has not, Lord Marshal Grefon,” Katzu said while shaking his head. “The pronouncement given to Lord Marak does not allow for him to answer to any Situ authority concerning Fardale. While his Vows of Service may bind him to Lord Ridak in other matters of the Situ Clan, nothing Lord Ridak can do has any bearing on Fardale. As far as Fardale is concerned, Lord Ridak has no say at all.”

  “Well, Lord Ridak has instructed me to remove Lord Marak from Fardale, if I feel he has overstepped his abilities,” declared Lord Marshal Grefon. “You leave me no choice, Marak. I would rather have had a straight answer out of you, but I now revoke your authority to be Lord Of Fardale.”

  Katzu shook his head and held up his hand to stop the conversation. “I do not think that you grasp the meaning of my last statement, Lord Marshal,” Katzu interrupted. “You have no authority over Lord Marak at all. None. I do not care what papers Lord Ridak gives you. Lord Marak owes no allegiance to you. Lord Marak may be bound to Lord Ridak through his Vows of Service and Lord Ridak may chose to exercise his options in that regard but, even if he does, it will have no effect on Lord Marak’s relationship with Fardale.”

  “Are you saying that Lord Ridak can not choose another Lord of Fardale?” questioned Lord Marshal Grefon.

  “That is correct,” answered Katzu. “He may enslave Lord Marak or kill him for violations of his Vows of Service, but Fardale is no longer Lord Ridak’s to control. After examining the documents I consider this a ruling of the Lords Council. If this was not the intent of the person who drafted this document, then that person should never be allowed to draft another.”

  Grefon’s face boiled with anger and embarrassment. He had already stated that he drafted the document and Katzu well knew it when he made his sly comment. “I will return to Fardale with you when you are ready to leave, Lord Marak,” grumbled Grefon as he turned and stormed out of the Meeting Chamber.

  Katzu looked directly at Lord Marak and spoke in a soft and soothing voice. “You have made a powerful enemy here today, Lord Marak. If you have given Vows of Service to Lord Ridak, as I’m sure you have, you had better tidy up the affairs of your life soon. It does not have the sign of longevity hanging upon it.”

  “I’m not sure that I agree with your statement, Katzu,” smiled Lord Marak. “You have already ruled that Lord Ridak has no authority over any aspect of Fardale. My only duty to Lord Ridak is to rule Fardale. As such, it is impossible for him to legally give me any orders at all. If he can not give me any orders, the only way I could break my Vows of Service to him, if I had given any, is to lie to him personally. And I have no need nor desire to lie to him. In fact, I have no need to ever talk to him again.”

  Katzu nodded enthusiastically. “Lord Marak,” chuckled Katzu, “when you get done playing Lord of the frontier, you may well have a bright career ahead of you as a mediator for the Lords Council. Your logic is impeccable.”

  Chapter 16

  Lord Marshal

  Lord Marshal Grefon sat impatiently on his horse while Lord Marak held a conversation with Yenga, the Sorgan Marshal. Grefon had heard that Lord Marak needed a mount to return to Fardale and assumed that Marak’s horse must have taken ill on the trip to Watula Valley. It appeared to Grefon that the request for a horse took quite a long time, but eventually a soldier led a fresh mount to Lord Marak and saluted. Lord Marshal Grefon shook his head at the Sorgan soldier’s poor knowledge of procedure. One never saluted another Clan’s Lord. He would have expected more from one of Marshal Yenga’s men.

  Marak mounted and started back towards Fardale without a glance towards Grefon, so the Situ Lord Marshal followed in silence. He was not accustomed to being treated so poorly by one of his own officers and Grefon decided he would wait until they reached Fardale to straighten out the ungrateful pup. It might be amusing to dress down Marak in front of his own men.

  Marak kept up a fairly good pace and the trip to the border of Fardale did not take long. The first Fardale field that Lord Marshal Grefon saw was quite barren. He shook his head at the size of the task he would have when he took over Fardale. He noticed about a dozen fresh graves in one corner of the field and some of them were very small, as if a grave for a child. On closer inspection Grefon saw the distinctive markers made from the broken head of a hoe, each one scratched with words identifying the lost soul. Not one of the graves was marked with
a sword hilt, which indicates the death of a soldier.

  Lord Marshal Grefon realized that the Sorgans had attacked this field and killed farmers and children. He wondered what Marak had given up to end the conflict. Grefon’s anger grew as he thought of a Situ soldier giving in to his enemy. Marak should have struck back at the Sorgans with every soldier he commanded, but it was obvious that the Lord of Fardale chose to submit instead. Small wonder Lord Marak did not want Lord Marshal Grefon to know of the settlement he had agreed to. Grefon did not care what Marak wanted, he was determined to find out what Marak had given away from his estate.

  A group of women and children working the barren field paused in their labors to wave to Lord Marak and he waved back. Some of workers wore the brown tunic of slaves, but there was nobody guarding them. Grefon was appalled not only at the casual familiarity of Marak’s subjects, but also with the apparent disregard for supervision of Fardale slaves. Any one of these slaves could flee into the woods and never be seen again. Lord Marshal Grefon decided to remain quiet and observe until it was time to confront Lord Marak in front of his men.

  The next field Lord Marshal Grefon came to was lush with watula. If anything, the harvest of this field would be greater than any he had seen in Watula Valley and the Sorgan estate was known for its bountiful harvest. Grefon began to think that this field was probably an aberration, but as they progressed closer to the mansion he saw field after field with thriving crops. In fact, the first barren field which Lord Marshal Grefon saw was the aberration. Fardale was flush with watula and would surely have enough grain to meet its contracts, the contracts which Lord Lashendo had stated would be impossible to fulfill.

  Each time they passed workers, they waved at Lord Marak and the Fardale Lord waved back. With the estate walls in sight, Lord Marshal Grefon saw soldiers practicing, but the methods they were utilizing were not standard. In fact, their methods were of the same type that reports on Marak had spoken of when he was a Squad Leader. Grefon had credited the young Squad Leader for experimenting with new methods, but actually using these bizarre methods to train an army was another thing entirely.

  Some soldiers were crawling through the fields getting dirt all over their yellow and green while others were scampering around as if they couldn’t be easily seen. Lord Marshal Grefon shook his head with dismay over the childish routines he observed. Anyone with a decent pair of eyes would easily see these men coming and they would sacrifice speed to utilize these strange maneuvers.

  Lord Marshal Grefon was slightly more pleased when they entered the main gate of the Fardale estate. The soldiers on duty were fresh and sharp. They saluted smartly and were proper in every respect. Grefon recognized some of the men as having been in Marak’s Corte when he left Lituk Valley. Tagoro appeared to have been given the rank of Cortain, he noted. That certainly would not hold when they got back to Lituk Valley. Only the Lord Marshal could give Tagoro such a promotion, and only with Lord Ridak’s agreement. Marak may promote his own forces as he wished, but he had no control over Grefon’s men and Tagoro was one of his men. Thinking along those lines, Grefon searched for Squad Leader Rybak. Rybak was supposed to be reporting on Marak’s progress and Grefon had not heard a word since the Corte left Lituk Valley. That boy was overdue for a stern lecture on his attendance to duty.

  Lord Marshal Grefon gazed around the Fardale estate and was surprised to see so many new buildings. He wondered how Marak found the time and resources to construct so many new buildings and still be able to grow enough grain to fulfill his contracts. As he continued his inspection, he noticed the complete lack of a slave compound and alarm bells began to go off in his head. He shuddered for a moment and thought Marak might have traded all of the Fardale slaves for peace with his neighbors, but he quickly realized that there would not have been time to dismantle the slave compound. The graves he had seen indicated that the conflict was going on just a few days ago.

  If Lord Marak was messing with Khadora’s use of slavery as a punishment for serious crimes, Lord Ridak would not be pleased. In fact, the Lords Council would not be pleased. Lord Marshal Grefon definitely needed to get to the bottom of this matter. As he was struggling to store all of his questions in his head, his eyes landed on Rybak. Rybak was also wearing the Cortain plume and Lord Marshal Grefon was almost certain that Rybak immediately about-faced when he saw Grefon.

  Marak halted at the steps to the mansion and dismounted and Grefon followed his lead. A young woman pranced down the steps and barely nodded her head instead of bowing to the Lord of Fardale.

  “Lord Marak,” she excitedly began, “I have some ideas I want to discuss with you as soon as you are available.”

  Lord Marshal Grefon snickered under his breath as he pictured the upcoming session between Lord Marak and his new mistress. He could just imagine her important new ideas and wondered what color curtains she was going to ask for. Perhaps she had ideas about furnishing the Lord’s suite with rich Fakara silk. Grefon’s teeth snapped shut and his jaw tightened when he heard Lord Mark’s response.

  “It will have to wait, Bursar Kasa,” Lord Marak replied. “I understand that there is a Council meeting scheduled this afternoon. I want to update them on our agreement with the Sorgans and Litari. I am going to see Lord Marshal Grefon situated and then I will join you in the Meeting Chamber.”

  Before Lord Marshal Grefon could regain his wits, the young woman danced off with a sparkle in her eye and Lectain Zorkil strode up with a Marshal of the Ragatha Clan in tow.

  “Lord Marak,” saluted Lectain Zorkil, “this is Marshal Tingo of Woodville. He appeared this morning with the desire to speak on your behalf before the emissary from the Lords Council. I explained to him that he was too late and he requested to stay and talk with you before he left.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, Lord Marak,” welcomed the Marshal with the red and yellow plume. “Lord Zawbry sends his greetings and offers his limited assistance in your times of trouble. He values the partnership between the Ragatha and Situ Clans and I stand ready to speak on your behalf against the Sorgan and Litari filth.”

  “Marshal Tingo,” addressed Lord Marak, “welcome to Fardale. Please inform Lord Zawbry that I am touched by his consideration, but I have concluded an agreement with the Sorgans and Litari that I am satisfied with. I would welcome a visit from Lord Zawbry to discuss matters of common interest, such as the desire for the Ragatha Clan to utilize Fardale as a right-of-way.”

  “But we already have such an agreement,” protested Marshal Tingo.

  “Indeed,” commented Lord Marak, “I have read it myself. The agreement, however, does not offer any compensation to Fardale for its use. It is a small matter and not of great consequence, but it will make for a good foundation to base our discussions on. If you wish to discuss this further with me before you leave, I will make time for you following my Council meeting but I fear I must take my leave now.”

  “Of course, Lord Marak,” Marshal Tingo replied. “I would like some more of your time. I will wait until your meeting is over.”

  Lord Marshal Grefon burned with anger at being treated as a servant. Lord Marak had made no attempt to introduce him to Marshal Tingo or his female Bursar. He stormed up the steps to follow the already retreating Lord Marak. Lord Marak stopped outside the Marshal’s suite and opened the door.

  “I trust these quarters will be sufficient during your stay with us, Lord Marshal Grefon?” Marak inquired formally.

  “Do you not have a Marshal of Fardale yet?” quizzed Grefon.

  “I have someone for the position but he has not been installed yet,” offered Lord Marak. “He will not be needing these quarters during the time of your stay with us.”

  “The quarters will do nicely,” Lord Marshal Grefon answered as he slung his bag into the room. “I will get settled after the Council meeting.”

  “You may as well get settled now,” instructed Lord Marak. “The Council of Advisors meeting is closed to everyone except Council members. I
’m sure you can appreciate the delicacy of the matters which might be discussed in such a meeting.”

  “Of course, I do,” snapped Lord Marshal Grefon. “I was privy to the most delicate of Situ matters while you were still tied to your mother. You have no reason to exclude me from any Situ matters.”

  “The Council of Advisors do not concern themselves with matters of the Situ Clan,” clarified Lord Marak. “They deal only in matters of importance to the Fardale estate. While you have high rank in the Situ Clan, you have no standing in Fardale. Were I to convene a meeting to discuss Situ concerns, you would be among the first I would invite. Your knowledge of the Situ Clan is impressive and filled with many facts which others would overlook. I doubt, however, that you could contribute much to the status of our current crop, the value of our holdings in Fardale or the morale of the workers. Please do not be offended. This has nothing to do with your status in the Situ Clan. This has to do with what you can offer to the topics being discussed.”

  “I heard you mention to that woman that you plan to discuss the agreement with the Sorgan and Litari,” pushed Lord Marshal Grefon. “I want to be involved in that discussion.”

  “That woman, as you call her,” smiled Lord Marak, “is Bursar Kasa and she is responsible for some of the miracles that have occurred in Fardale. While you may not think that a woman can possess the skills needed to delve into high finance, I would stand her abilities up against any Bursar in the Situ Clan. As far as the agreement with the Sorgan and Litari, quite frankly, it is none of your business. I have agreed to nothing that affects the Situ Clan or Lord Ridak. If I had, you would be informed.”

  “You have informed me of nothing,” barked Lord Marshal Grefon. “You are hiding every last detail of anything concerning Fardale and it is not acceptable to me or to Lord Ridak.”

  “I am sorry you feel that way,” sighed Lord Marak. “I have much to tell you of Fardale and the progress we have made, but it must wait until the Council meeting is over. I have an entire estate waiting for me and I must dispatch my orders to ensure its smooth operation. Let me get that task out of the way and I will deal with your less immediate thirst for information later. You will not be reporting to Lord Ridak while I am in the meeting, so relax for a while.”