Mara began to tremble, her eyes wide and distant. Without words Nacoya slipped her arm around the girl's shoulders. The tremors continued as the Acoma retinue began its march, until Mara quivered so violently Nacoya had to gather the shaking girl in her arms. Silently the very young Lady of the Acoma turned her face into her nurse's shoulder and smothered her sobs.
As they approached the borders of her estate, Mara considered the difficulties she faced. She had only spoken in passing to Keyoke and Nacoya since ordering the execution of the two soldiers. Mara knew that the conflict between the former grey warriors and the survivors of her father's garrison should have been anticipated.
Blaming herself for failing to do so, Mara pulled aside her litter curtain and called for her Force Commander. As he arrived at her side she said, 'Keyoke, why did Selmon order the older soldiers to stand first watch, rather than a mix of old and new?'
If he was surprised by his mistress's question, he showed no sign. 'Lady, Selmon erred by trying not to antagonize the older soldiers. He thought that by serving first duty they'd have an uninterrupted rest from meal to morning watch, and they'd appreciate it. Zataki was a young hothead, and had any of us been here' - he motioned to himself, Papewaio, and Tasido, the three officers who had accompanied Mara into the Anasati estate house - 'none of that would have occurred.' He paused as he considered his next statement. 'But Selmon did not do poorly. The conflict bordered upon open fighting between factions, yet he managed to restrain all but the two who were punished.'
Mara nodded. 'When we are home, promote Selmon to Patrol Leader. Our forces have grown to the point where we need more officers.'
Then Mara made one of the swift, unhesitating decisions that were earning her the respect of those who served her. 'Promote two of our best men in our old guard as well. Choose the very best of our family's oldest soldiers, perhaps Miaka, and make him a Strike Leader. Bring one of the new men up as well. That rascal Lujan was a Strike Leader with the Kotai. If you can't think of anyone more able, give the rank to him.'
Keyoke shrugged, offering no better candidate among the newcomers. Mara conceded her satisfaction at this, then added, 'I'll have these cadres and alliances quickly broken; there will be no favourites.' Keyoke nodded slightly, his leathery face showing the barest suggestion of a smile, as close as he ever came to openly expressing approval. Almost to herself, Mara added, 'Soon I'll need men at my side who will obey without hesitation. I cannot afford anything that interferes with my plans.'
Clearly she was occupied with the responsibilities of rulership. Keyoke hurried his pace back to the head of the column, considering how much like her father the girl was becoming.
As Mara's litter moved through the Acoma needra meadows, she felt optimistic for the first time since leaving Lashima's temple. Her thoughts churned. She would discuss her ideas with no one, not even Nacoya or Keyoke. For those notions were turning into plots, the beginnings of a master plan that led beyond simple survival into an ambition that turned her mind giddy.
Over time, Mara expected that her planning would have to be amended to deal with change: unanticipated shifts of power and alliances within the Game of the Council. In many ways, resolve came before means and method; she had years of learning before what she inwardly called her grand scheme could reach fruition. But marriage to Buntokapi was the first small step. Since leaving the Anasati lands, she had discovered hope, and the powerful allure of new dreams.
By the time the palanquin swayed up the walk towards the great house, practical matters eclipsed her dreaming. Lights blazed in the gloom of twilight, more than ordinary events might warrant. In their glow, Mara saw perhaps eighty men gathered outside the kitchen, many eating from bowls. Lujan walked among them, speaking and making expansive gestures with his hands. As her duty retinue approached, a few of the strangers set their meal aside and stood. The rest continued eating, though all looked nervous.
Mara glanced to see Nacoya, but the old woman was asleep, lulled by the heat and the rocking of the litter through the afternoon. As the palanquin settled to the ground, Lujan hurried over, bowing politely as Keyoke assisted Mara out. Before she could ask, the former bandit chieftain said, 'Mistress, these are all worthy men, at least worthy as I am likely to measure such things. All would gladly enter your service.'
'Soldiers?' Instantly interested, Keyoke released his hold upon Mara's hand.
Lujan doffed his helmet, the reflection of the lanterns like sparks in his deepset eyes. 'Only a few, unfortunately, Force Commander. But the others are armourers, fowlers, cordwainers, wheelwrights, and other skilled craftsmen, as well as two farmers.'
Mara said, 'Good, I'm running low on land to assign to new farmers. Now, how many soldiers?'
'Thirty-three.' Lujan stepped aside with a grace more suited to a dancer than a warrior. He assisted the newly awakened Nacoya from the palanquin. But his attention remained focused on his mistress.
Mara calculated. 'That will swell our main garrison to over three hundred. Our position is no longer helpless, only desperate.'
'We need more soldiers,' Nacoya concluded tartly. She shuffled past to enter the great house, sleepiness making her more cross than usual.
Lujan tossed his helm lightly from his right hand to his left. 'Mistress, getting more men will prove difficult. We have called in every grey warrior within reasonable distance of your borders. For more, we shall have to leave these lands and travel.'
'But you know where to look for such,' stated Mara, her eyes locked upon the hands that toyed still with the helmet.
Lujan returned a rakish smile. 'Mistress, I suffer from a shortage of humility, I know, but I have lived in every bandits' stand from here to Ambolina since, the fall of the House of Kotai. I know where to look.'
'How much time do you need?'
A wicked gleam lit his eye. 'How many men do you wish to recruit, Lady?'
'One thousand; two would be better.'
'Aie, mistress, a thousand would take three, four months.' The helmet stilled as Lujan grew thoughtful. 'If I could take some trusted men with me, perhaps I could shorten that to six weeks. Two thousand . . . ?'
Mara's bracelets chimed as she gestured impatiently. 'You will have three weeks. The recruits must be returned here, sworn to oath, and integrated into our force inside a month.'
Lujan's smile turned to a grimace. 'My Lady, for you I would face a horse of Thun raiders without weapons, but what you demand is a miracle.'
Evening shadow hid Mara's flush, but she showed uncharacteristic animation as she signalled for Papewaio. The moment her Strike Leader completed his bow, she said, 'Find some good men for Lujan.' Then she regarded the former outlaw appraisingly. 'Choose from both old and new soldiers. Perhaps some time on the trail together will convince them they have more in common than not.' Then she added, 'Any you think might become troublemakers.'
Lujan seemed unruffled by the proposition. 'Troublemakers are nothing new to me, my Lady.' His grin broadened. 'Before I rose to become an officer, I dare say I was something of a troublemaker myself.'
'I daresay you were,' commented Keyoke. Motionless in the darkness, he had all but been forgotten. The former bandit leader started slightly and immediately became more restrained.
'You must travel as fast and as far as possible for twelve days, Lujan,' instructed Mara. 'Gather as many reliable men as you can. Then return here. If you can't find me two thousand, find me two hundred, and if you can't find two hundred find me twenty, but make them good warriors.' Lujan nodded, they bowed with a faultless propriety that earned a return smile from Mara. 'Now show me the ones you've found for me tonight.'
Lujan escorted Mara and Keyoke to where the poorly dressed men were sitting. All stood as soon as the Lady of the Acoma approached, and several knelt. To those who had known the hardships of outlawry, she seemed an imperial princess in her jewels and fine clothes. The roughest among them listened respectfully as Mara repeated the offer she had made to Lujan and his followers
upon the trail in the mountains; and like three other bands since then, almost sixty skilled workmen rose to accept quarters and assignments from Jican. Mara smiled to see the light in her hadonra's eyes as he contemplated how he could turn their handiwork to a rich profit; and armourers would be needed if Lujan successfully recruited her hoped-for new warriors. The crowd thinned, and some of the confusion abated as the workers followed Jican.
Of the others who remained, Lujan said, 'My Lady, these are thirty-three well-seasoned warriors who would swear before the Acoma natami.'
'You've explained everything to them?'
'I daresay as well as anyone could, except yourself, of course.' As Keyoke snorted disapproval, Mara looked to see if the former outlaw chieftain was mocking; he wasn't, at least not openly. Aware, suddenly, of the strange pull this man seemed to exert on her, she recognized in him the same sly wit she had loved in her brother, Lanokota. His teasing caused her to flush slightly. Quickly she wiped her forehead as if the heat were making her perspire. This man was not her kin, or even a Lord equal in rank to her; unsure how to respond after months of isolation in the temple, she turned firmly to the task at hand. All the men were fit if undernourished, and they seemed eager, except for two who sat slightly apart. One of those exchanged glances with Lujan.
'You know this man?' asked Mara.
Lujan laughed. 'Indeed, mistress. This is Saric, my cousin, who served with the Lord of the Tuscai. Before he left the Kotai estates, he was my closest companion.'
Looking to nettle Lujan in return for her earlier embarrassment, Mara said, 'Is he an able soldier?'
Lujan grinned and his cousin returned a nearly identical broad smile. 'My Lady, he is as able a soldier as I.'
'Well then, that solves a problem.' Mara tapped the helm that still dangled from Lujan's wrist, called a soldier's pot, for its utter lack of adornment. 'I was going to ask you to give that to him and assume one with an officer's plume. Keyoke had orders to promote you to Strike Leader, but as you are going to be away for three weeks, he might as well promote your cousin in your stead.'
His grin still in place, Lujan said, 'Well, almost as able as I, Lady.' Slightly more serious, he added, 'With your consent, I'll take him with me. I mean no disrespect for any other soldier here, but there is no man I would rather have at my side with a sword.' Then his tone turned light again. 'Besides, we might as well keep the party composed exclusively of troublemakers.'
Mara couldn't resist. For the first time since Lano's death the frown eased entirely from her face, lantern light revealing a surprisingly lovely smile. 'Then you had best collect your plume from Keyoke, Strike Leader.' To the newcomer she said, 'Welcome, Saric'
The man bowed his head. 'Mistress, your honour is my honour. With the god's favour I shall die a warrior - not too soon, I hope - and in the service of beauty such as yours, happy one.'
With a lift of her brows, Mara glanced at both men. 'It seems flattery runs in your family, as well as a certain casual attitude towards rank.' Then she indicated the other man who had been sitting with Saric. He wore plain clothes and simple hide sandals. His hair was trimmed in nondescript fashion, not the close cut of a warrior, the fashionable ringlets of a merchant, or the ragged shag of a worker. 'Who is this?'
The man arose while Saric said, "This is Arakasi, Lady. He also was in my Lord's employ, though he was not a soldier.'
The man was of medium build and regular features. But his manner had neither the proud bearing of a warrior nor the deference of a worker. Suddenly uncertain, Mara said, 'Then why did you not stand forward with the craftsmen and workers?'
Arakasi's dark eyes flickered slightly, perhaps in amusement, but his face remained expressionless. Then he changed. Though he hardly moved, his demeanour changed; suddenly he seemed the aloof, self-possessed scholar. With that, Mara noticed what she should have seen at once: his skin was in no way weathered as a field worker's would have been. His hands had some toughness, but no thick pads of callus left by toil with tools or weapons. 'Lady, I am not a farmer.'
Something put Keyoke on his guard, for he moved without thought to interpose himself between his mistress and the stranger. 'If you are not a farmer or soldier, what are you, a merchant, sailor, a tradesman, a priest?'
Barely acknowledging Keyoke's intervention, Arakasi said, 'Lady, in my time I have been all of those. Once I guested with your father in the guise of a priest of Hantukama. I have taken the identities of a soldier, a merchant, a slave master, a whoremonger, a riverman, even a sailor and a beggar.'
Which explained some things, thought Mara, but not all. 'To whom were you loyal?'
Arakasi bowed startlingly, with the grace and practised ease of a noble born. 'I was servant to the Lord of the Tuscai, before the Minwanabi dogs killed him in battle. I was his Spy Master.'
Mara's eyes widened despite her attempt at self-control. 'His Spy Master?'
The man straightened, his smile devoid of humour. 'Yes, mistress. For one reason above all should you wish me in your service: my late Lord of the Tuscai spent the best part of his fortune building a network of informants, a network I oversaw, with agents in every city in the Empire and spies within many great houses.' His voice dropped, a strange mix of reluctance and pride. 'That network is still in place.'
Suddenly, sharply, Keyoke scratched his chin with his thumb.
Mara cleared her throat, with a keen look at Arakasi, whose aspect seemed to shift from moment to moment. 'Such things are best not discussed in the open.' She glanced about. 'I still have the dust of travel upon me, and have had no pause for refreshment since midday. Attend me in my chambers in an hour's time. Until then Papewaio will see to your needs.'
Arakasi bowed and joined Papewaio, who gestured for the Spy Master to follow him to the bathhouse near the barracks.
Left with Keyoke and the presence of thirty-three masterless warriors, Mara remained caught up in thought. After a silent interval she mused softly, 'The Spy Master of the Tuscai.' To Keyoke she said, 'Father always said the Lord of the Tuscai knew more than was righteous in the eyes of the gods. Men joked that he had a magician with a crystal locked away in a vault under his study. Do you suppose this Arakasi was the reason?'
Keyoke offered no direct opinion but said, 'Be cautious of him, mistress. A man who spies uses honesty least of all. You were right to send him away with Pape.'
'Loyal Keyoke,' said Mara with affection in her voice. She tilted her head in the torchlight, indicated the ragged group of men who awaited her command. 'Do you suppose you can swear this lot to service by the natami, and still have time for a bath and dinner?'
'I must.' The Force Commander returned a rare, wry shrug. 'Though how I've lived to be this old while burdened with so much work, only the gods know.' Before Mara could respond, he shouted a command, and like the trained soldiers they were, the scruffy men crowding the courtyard mustered at the voice of authority.
5
Bargain
Evening gave way to night.
Soft lights burned in Mara's chamber. The outer screens had been opened to admit the breeze and the lamplight flickered and danced. The Lady of the Acoma sent away her servants, ordering one to have chocha brought. Alone with Nacoya a moment before the others appeared, Mara stripped off the ostentatious bracelets given her by the Anasati lord. She peeled off her dirty travelling robe and dabbed a damp cloth over her body; a full bath would have to wait until after her meeting with Arakasi.
Nacoya remained silent while Mara refreshed herself, but her eyes never left her young mistress. Neither of them spoke. The reproach Mara saw in those old eyes told all: the girl was inexperienced and foolish, perhaps even dangerously so, in matching herself with Buntokapi. He might appear slow-witted, but he was a powerful warrior, and though barely two years older than she, he had been reared in the Game of the Council while Mara had sheltered in the temple of Lashima.
As Mara wrapped a delicate saffron-coloured robe about herself, the servant returned with the cho
cha. She motioned permission, and the slave placed his large tray in the centre of the low table, then departed. Mara nodded to Nacoya, indicating that the old woman should prepare cups and napkins.
Her two officers and the stranger arrived punctually upon the hour. Mara studied the newcomer keenly as he bowed and seated himself between Keyoke and Pape-waio. Arakasi's style was impeccably correct, his manner a match for the clothing he now wore in place of his beggar's rags. Mara suddenly realized she had seen his tasselled scarlet shirt before; the garment was Papewaio's, his favourite, worn on feast days only. Mara considered the significance of his loan to Arakasi. In the hour that had passed since their meeting in the courtyard, the former Spy Master of the Tuscai must have impressed the Acoma First Strike Leader very favourably. That was a strong recommendation, for, like her father before her, Mara placed strong trust in Papewaio's instincts about people.
Bolstered by that confidence, she asked, 'Has Lujan spoken of what we do here?'
Arakasi nodded. 'He's off to find more grey warriors to take service.' He paused, then added, 'But each time you recruit, you greatly increase the chance spies might infiltrate. Soon you cannot trust any who come here.'
'You might be such an agent,' interrupted Nacoya.
'Old mother, I have nothing to gain by lying.' Arakasi took charge of the chocha pot, usurping Nacoya's role as server with flawless ease. Deferentially he filled Mara's cup, then Nacoya's, Keyoke's, and Papewaio's before his own. 'Were I a spy for another house, I would simply have enlisted and sent word of your desperate situation back to my master. Then the assassins would come, probably in the next band of recruits. Your suspicions then would become entirely academic, as you would be murdered along with your mistress.' He put down the pot. 'And if I didn't see an opportunity here for myself and my agents, I would have played a farmer, slipped away in the dark, and never troubled any of you again.'
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