by D. L. Kramer
"Luck," Nahtan said, starting towards the courtyard again.
"Just bad on your part," Brijade chuckled.
As they neared the inner edge of the courtyard, the door into the castle opened as Evaine and Taleise came out into the morning sun.
"Adiella said I'd find you out here," Evaine smiled at him as she took Taleise's hand. She nodded to Brijade, who nodded back.
"Are you leaving then?" Nahtan asked her, winking at Taleise as she hid behind her mother's skirts. He guessed Evaine was coming to bid him farewell since she was wearing one of the heavier velvet dresses she wore when traveling.
"In an hour or so," Evaine answered. "I wanted to thank you again for straightening things out for Matthios."
Nahtan shrugged. "It's the least I could do for everything he's done for me," he said, disappointed they were leaving so soon. Evaine's visits usually lasted well over a week. "Is he available for me to talk with for a minute?" He wanted to get Lord Bavol's thoughts on his plan for moving an army south.
Evaine nodded his head. "He's in the lower study," she answered. "He and Mo'ani were comparing you to King Tomaz when we left to come find you."
"Wonderful," Nahtan rolled his eyes upward.
"It's not like he can come and take back the throne," Brijade told him.
"And you're not helping," Nahtan returned, giving her a sideways look.
Brijade chuckled again. "You go talk tactics and count on me being there to save your arse when they don't work out quite the way you wanted," she said. "I'm going to go find Sewati."
Nahtan turned his full attention to her. "He'll be walking the wall checking the posts," he told her seriously. "If I hear of you going after Lord Valin again, I won't be very pleasant to deal with."
"I think I got my point across last night," Brijade nodded to Evaine as she turned to leave the courtyard.
Nahtan sighed and shook his head. Turning back to Evaine, he offered her his arm.
"Mo'ani told us about what's going on below Valin," Evaine said after a moment.
"I wish you could head south with us," he said, opening the door for her with his free hand. "But that isn't really an option now, is it?"
Evaine smiled. "My place is with Matthios," she responded. "But Arlend will be coming back in a couple of weeks or so to head south with your army."
Nahtan gave her a surprised look. "Is he being volunteered for this--and if so, does he know yet?"
Evaine laughed, her eyes dancing. "He volunteered," she answered. "And on his own. I think he's hoping it will make up for some of the anguish he's caused Matthios by refusing to take Bavol."
"Good," Nahtan nodded his head. "I'd hate to think my officers were being conscripted into this."
Evaine laughed again as they turned toward the study where Lord Bavol sat with Mo'ani.
The study was lined with dark wood and the shelves filled with dust-covered scrolls and bound books. Nahtan had only been in this room a couple of times since taking the throne, finding most of the information he ever needed up in the main library--and what the books and scrolls there couldn't tell him, Meda could. A high-backed, padded bench and two padded chairs were arranged around the hearth with small tables by their arms. Mo'ani sat in one of the chairs while Matthios sat on the bench. Adie stood by the hearth with an open book in her hands.
"I hear you're talking about me behind my back," Nahtan said as Evaine let go of his arm and moved to Matthios' side.
Mo'ani turned to look at him. "Not entirely," he replied. "You know we have no problem complaining about you to your face."
"I know," Nahtan nodded. "That's what keeps me humble." He nodded at Adie when she looked up at him with a sad smile. "And actually, I'm glad you're all here in the same room."
"Did you find a solution to your problem?" Mo'ani asked.
"That's what I'm hoping you'll tell me," Nahtan said, sitting in the remaining chair. "As Lord Valin pointed out more than once, if I march an army of Mo'ani down there, every remaining church guard and auction master is going to go into hiding."
"Red cloaked armies tend to be a bit obvious," Matthios agreed, nodding his head.
"I want to send the army overland," Nahtan said. "Then I want myself, Bear, Valry and several others to take the main road and not make any effort to hide the trip." He paused for a moment. "I'm hoping they'll be so busy watching every step we take they won't pay attention to the wild areas where the army would be."
Mo'ani looked at Lord Bavol for a moment, then back to Nahtan. "How many others in your group?" he asked.
Nahtan gave up counting off names in his head and listed them out loud as they came to him. "Myself, Bear, Valry, Yenene, Rial, Brijade, Leisl, Adie and about a dozen cloaked Mo'ani." He paused for a moment. "Jaron and Tosia should be down in about two weeks with another herd, I'm hoping at least one of them can go also. Oh, and there's a tavern owner from here named Calan and the three slave children I want to try getting back to their homes."
"Calan?" Lord Bavol asked. "The one with the gold-hilted sword?"
Nahtan nodded at him.
Matthios seemed to think about it for a moment, as if making sure he knew who Nahtan was talking about, then nodded. "When do you want to leave?" he asked. "You've got several weeks just to get Lady Takis here."
Nahtan smiled faintly. "Brijade came in last night," he told them. "It seems Rial went ahead and took her Mo'ani south with him instead of sending them home. She's determined to see him pay for the ones that died."
"I'm surprised we didn't hear anything," Adie said, closing the book and putting it back on the shelf.
"So am I," Nahtan nodded. "It wasn't quiet. A rider was sent to Corydon Hold yesterday asking Gahrit, Mehlis and Bredyn to come. I want to put Gahrit in charge while I'm gone."
"Isn't he too weak for that?" Lord Bavol asked. "The last time I spoke with his father, Gahrit wasn't strong enough to lift a longsword."
"That's why I asked for Mehlis and Bredyn to come along too," Nahtan told him.
"They're a bit young," Mo'ani warned. "But they've got their parents' good sense and skills."
"I think they can handle it," Nahtan told him. "I've kept track of how Mehlis and Bredyn are advancing with the training and the Mo'ani here know them. Bredyn's even disarmed a couple of them."
"Which Mo'ani are you taking with your group?" Adie asked, folding her arms and leaning against the hearth. Her grey-streaked red hair fell from its topknot over her shoulders.
"I'm opening it up to volunteers," Nahtan answered. "We'll be in a lot more danger and I don't want any of them to feel forced into that position." He considered the Mo'ani who had accepted commissions here at the castle. "I'd like Aralt and Liyol, but Liyol's wife is expecting their third child and he should stay here for that." Since losing Rena, Nahtan went out of his way to know when his Mo'ani's wives were expecting children, then making certain the fathers were there when the baby was born.
"You'll already have you, Sewati and Lady Takis as Mo'ani," Evaine mentioned. "You want a dozen more besides that?"
Nahtan nodded his head. "I want Arlend leading the army," he said. "So that counts him out of traveling with me. There are non-fighters in our group and I have to have enough show of arms there that would discourage random attacks."
"Are you sure you want to take Valry?" Mo'ani asked. "If something went wrong, we could lose her and you in one blow."
"She'll be safe," Nahtan assured him. "Remember, they can do whatever they want to me, but if someone wants to go after her, they have to get through Bear."
Before Mo'ani could argue further, Evaine spoke. "You also have to remember Sewati is an archer," she said to Mo'ani. "He won't be down in the middle of a fight."
Nahtan nodded in agreement. "And even if he was, I know how much damage he can do with his bare hands."
Mo'ani gave in, nodding his head.
"It has possibilities of working," Lord Bavol said after a moment. "But could I suggest you divide the army and send th
em in large detachments on different routes? That would keep suspicions even lower. They could reconvene at a spot just north of the villages and await your word there."
"Good idea," Nahtan considered it for a moment. He hoped there would be enough liabilities in his group to make the church guards think he was only coming to survey his land. If they were caught in a battle without the army, it could get messy, though. Leisl, Valry and the other three children would be of no use and Bear's and Yenene's skills required distance. Still, Brijade could hack her way through church guards as well as he could, and Adie's and Rial's skills as assassins could do enormous amounts of damage to an enemy's morale.
"I agree that it could work," Mo'ani said after a moment. "There are added risks with dividing the army, but also added advantages."
"I was hoping you'd all agree with me," Nahtan said. "Because if you didn't, I was going to have a real problem." He stood, nodding to them all as he walked to the door. "I'll go let Bear know and he can post something asking for volunteers." He paused before pulling the study door open. "Should any of you come up with something I've forgotten, please let me know." As Mo'ani promised him they would, he left the study.
There was no sign of Bear, Brijade or Valry at any of the posts along the wall surrounding the Grand Cathedral and castle. When the Mo'ani posted at the east gate told him the three had left together and what he had overheard of their conversation, Nahtan had a pretty good idea where they had gone.
He turned to the stable where he quickly saddled Renato, then rode him out into the city. Even less obvious without his cloak or sword, he moved through the merchants and traders easily. He turned off the main road onto a side road lined with farmer's tables heavily weighted with fruits and vegetables. When a young man behind one of the tables bowed his head to him, Nahtan nodded back. The boy's blonde hair looked like it had been cut short at one point, but had been allowed to grow out several inches without being trimmed anywhere but in front to stay clear of his eyes. Freckles and tanned skin told Nahtan he spent a good deal of time outside. His tunic and breeches were simple, but clean.
He was in his late teens, and Nahtan was surprised the boy recognized him so easily. Most of the citizens of Herridon seemed to need to see him with Bear or an escort of Mo'ani before they realized he was out among them.
The boy smiled in return and picked up an apple from one of the baskets on his table.
"For your mount, Majesty," he called, tossing the apple to Nahtan. Nahtan caught it with his right hand and pulled Renato to a stop. He dismounted, considering the apple for a moment before reaching down and pulled the skinning knife from the back of his right boot. He cut the apple in half, then wiped the blade on the leg of his breeches and slid it back into his boot as he handed first one half, then the other to Renato. Taking the reins, he led the black horse to the table.
"Thank you," he said, nodding his head. "But I don't want you giving apples away, especially if you can sell them." He handed the boy a copper task from his pouch for the apple. Nahtan had gotten into the habit of keeping small amounts of money with him--if for no other reason than to pay his soldier's tavern dues when they were too drunk to.
The boy's smile grew as he dropped the coin into a small box. "You've paid for a half dozen more," he noted. "Besides, you shouldn't be riding through the city without an escort," the boy returned. "I'll start charging for my apples when you start viewing yourself with the same importance as your subjects do." As if to demonstrate his point, he handed another apple to a girl who ran up to him. The girl watched Nahtan closely as she accepted the apple, then ran off with a giggle, clutching the red fruit to her chest.
Nahtan couldn't help but smile as the girl ran to another table and showed her prize to a young woman he guessed was her mother. "Never mind that you're about the first one besides the Mo'ani who's recognized me when I'm by myself," he added, looking back at the boy. "What's your name?"
"Gaurel," the boy answered after a moment, then glanced in the direction Nahtan was heading. "Your captain, daughter and a dark haired woman went by this way not too long ago."
Nahtan nodded. "I thought as much," he said. "Valry doesn't seem to have my 'gift' of not being noticed by everyone, so it's usually pretty easy to find them."
Gaurel picked up another apple from the basket and handed it to Nahtan. "For the princess," he said as Nahtan accepted it. "Though I know she prefers cherries, the family I work for doesn't run any of your cherry orchards."
Nahtan considered the boy for a moment. There was something about him, but he couldn't figure out what it was--and he couldn't remember seeing the boy in the city before. "You know an awful lot about myself and my daughter," he observed.
Gaurel shrugged. "Sometimes it gets boring standing out here all day," he replied. "So I watch the people as they come and go, and listen to what they say."
Nahtan nodded absently, wrapping Renato's reins around his hand. He wasn't entirely sure he believed him. "Thank you," he said again. Giving the boy a last nod, he turned Renato from the table and swung back into the saddle.
He was still trying to place the boy when Renato came to a stop outside Calan's tavern. The name "Revenant" was painted on a wooden sign hanging beside the hinged door. Nahtan dropped from his saddle and tied Renato next to Chase at one of the posts on the building's side. He patted the huge horse as he walked past, earning a jealous look from Renato.
The windows of the tavern were narrow and tall. Calan covered them with waxed parchment and oiled leather whenever it rained or snowed, but left them open while the weather was clear. Nahtan could hear a minstrel's flute from inside, then paused at the door when a second flute joined in. He immediately recognized the pure, perfect notes from Bear's Dwellers' flute, and didn't want to interrupt by opening the door. Since Kile's death, his friend had rarely played the small silver instrument. The Dwellers' flutes were a link between the mortals' world and the gods', allowing the mortals to request favors from the gods depending on which song they played. The last time Nahtan heard Bear play more than a few spare notes was in the Grand Cathedral just before they learned of Kile's imminent death. He reminded himself yet again that he needed to ask his friend how he had known the melody of Jensina's lullaby for him.
After listening for a moment longer, he turned the latch and pushed the door opened. Brijade and Valry sat at one of the tables, a mug in front of each of them while Calan stood beside the bar speaking with one of his serving girls. Bear sat to the side of the hearth, his attention intent on his flute. Though his eyes were open, Nahtan doubted he was aware of who was around him. The minstrel sat a couple of feet from the hearth, her vibrant woven scarf standing out against the faded black tunic she wore. Another table was occupied by two men who appeared lost in their own conversation. As the door swung shut, Calan turned his attention to the entry as he looked to note who was entering his tavern.
"Ah, so you do know where my tavern is," Calan said, wiping his hands on a white rag and walking over to Nahtan. His brown hair was short and neatly combed back, his face clean shaven.
Nahtan knew with no doubt that Calan's white tunic and silk-embroidered vest had cost significantly more than his own plain clothing. Not a single thing about him was out of place. Which was why Nahtan wanted him traveling south with them. Calan was a fierce competitor for business and very much represented the young, successful, wealthy merchants of Herridon. His older and more experienced rivals had tried more than once to drive him from his business, but Calan always resisted and usually ended up coming out even more successful.
"I've known where your tavern was since the first time I had to come break up a fight here," Nahtan returned. Though Calan was impeccable, his patrons occasionally weren't. He nodded to Brijade when she looked over at him. "And there had better not be anything harsher than juice in that mug in front of my daughter," he finished, giving Calan a deliberate look.
Calan raised an eyebrow as he looked offended. "Nothing more than water, I assure
you," he returned. "She simple wanted a mug to match your captain's and Lady Takis'."
Nahtan turned when the last notes of Bear's flute drifted from the room. His friend nodded once to him, then picked up the mug by his feet and walked to the table where Brijade and Valry sat. Valry turned in her seat and waved at her father as Nahtan motioned for Calan to accompany him to the table. The minstrel bowed her head to Bear, then stood to refill her own mug from a water pitcher on a nearby table.
"Has Sewati said anything to you?" Nahtan asked, hooking his foot around the leg of a chair from another table and pulling it over to sit in.
"He's said many things to me," Calan shrugged. "Usually along the lines of promising when I'll get the money he owes for his drinks."
"Like you need it," Bear said, taking a swallow from his mug.
"I expect everyone to be honest in their debts," Calan returned, brushing some dust from the cuff of one sleeve. "It's just a pity our good king doesn't drink." He pulled another chair over beside the table and sat in it.
Nahtan leaned back in his seat and sighed. "My best friend couldn't corrupt me," he said. "You certainly aren't going to. Now, has anyone told you about why I wanted to talk to you?"
"Ah, yes, you're--considering my petition?" His tone told Nahtan that he didn't believe it.
Nahtan couldn't help but smile. "Not really," he replied truthfully. "Actually, right now--not at all. But I might be willing to give it more serious consideration in exchange for a rather large favor from you." He winked at Valry after exchanging looks with Bear. Valry returned his wink with a smile that made her seem much older than she was.
"I'm not sure if I like the sounds of this," Calan's eyes became mistrusting and he pulled the slightest bit away from the table. "Especially if Sewati is involved."
Nahtan's smile grew. "I've seen that gold hilted sword you like to flash around," he said. "How's the edge on it?"
"Now I really don't like the sounds of this," Calan shifted his gaze from Nahtan to Bear and back again. "I'm not sure if I should tell you the edge is fine or that it won't hold for more than a cut or two."
