An Ill Fate Marshalling

26

Year 1016 AFE

Bragi came out of it suddenly, like flying through a door kicked open. One moment he was unconscious, the next wide awake. He surveyed his surroundings. He was in a large, well-furnished room. It was daytime. The air was hot and muggy. He tried to rise. Pain stabbed through his chest. His muscles refused to do more than pretend to try. He fell back.

A man stepped through the door immediately. He wore the dress uniform of a noncommissioned officer and the badges of one of the legions of Shinsan's Western Army. He stared for a moment, left without speaking.

So, Bragi thought. Captured. Must have something spe­ cial planned for me.

They would, wouldn't they? Mist had warned him often enough. They didn't accept defeat gracefully.

The battle came back. All the stink and sweat and fear. All the memories of how badly it had gone, how badly it had hurt Kavelin. He sank into a morass of shame. He should have known better. But he had bet against the long odds, counting on his luck. And luck had deserted him. And that was only right. Only a fool bet his luck. A wise man accepted it when it turned his way, but he didn't count on it.

Where am I? he wondered. It's too warm to be anywhere in Shinsan.

The door opened. The noncom reappeared, followed by two maskless Tervola. A short, broad one wore the badge of an army commander. Bragi frowned. Hsung was tall and lean, like most of his breed.

The taller Tervola pulled the coverlet off Ragnarson's nude frame, prodded his left side. Bragi winced. „Still tender?"

„A little."

„Should be. You had six broken ribs and a punctured lung. Not to mention cuts, scrapes, bruises, and a concus­ sion. A challenge to my art. He can talk, Lord Ssu-ma. Call me when he tires. I'll give him a sedative. He still needs bed rest, and he looks like the kind who climbs out too early if you let him."

The shorter Tervola nodded, gestured in dismissal. He pulled a backless stool over to Bragi's bed. „Thought we would lose you for a while," he said.

Bragi frowned. The voice was familiar.

„Ah. Lord Ssu-ma Shih-ka'i. We met at Lioantung. The day we disposed of the Deliverer."

„Now I remember. You didn't speak... ."

„I'm a quick study with languages. Interpreters can be troublesome."

„That's true."

„You have questions. Where are you? Argon. I have shifted Western Army's headquarters here. We are harassing Matayanga's flank. What else?"

„Why?"

„Excuse me?"

„Why am I here? Why am I alive? I've been number one on your hate list for ages."

„Perhaps for some. Not for me. You're here because you saved my life. I owe a life for a life. So you will become a guest of the empire. With the approval of the Princess."

Ragnarson struggled to get into a sitting position. His muscles betrayed him again. Shih-ka'i helped him sit, propped him with pillows. „Better?"

„Much better. What happened? I had Hsung nailed to the wall, I thought. He was making an ass of himself. I should have had Throyes in my pocket before he knew I was there."

„You didn't know? Prisoners said as much, but we didn't believe them. Lord Hsung was removed. With extreme prejudice, as some say. I was sent to replace him, apparently after you were out of contact with Maisak. I broke off the attack on Hammad al Nakir, as the Princess instructed, then detected you moving in the north. The trap I laid almost destroyed me instead of you. I hadn't given sufficient weight to your horsemen, not having served in the west during the war. Had we closed with you earlier in the day, our places would be reversed now. In fact, if your final charge hadn't succumbed to panic, the situation might be reversed."

„They ran. I vaguely remember. The finest soldiers I'd ever led, but they panicked when it counted most."

„Perhaps if their commander hadn't been killed at the beginning of the charge?"

„Gjerdrum? Yes. Now I remember somebody saying he was dead. Maybe so. If he'd stayed alive to show the way... . But what does it matter? It's over. It's lost. Kavelin is lost. I played the fool, and handed all my enemies what they wanted."

„We all err."

„When I do, I do it right. One thing. I'll never understand why you didn't use the Power. You had us surrounded and pinned down. All you had to do was hit us with a few nasty spells. We couldn't have done a damned thing. But you used your infantry, and almost got whipped. You must have lost a lot of men, and you need every one in Matayanga."

„Indeed." Shih-ka'i rose, began to pace. „I didn't use the Power because I was ordered not to. The Princess had been told not to."

„Who gives Mist orders?"

„She wasn't ordered. It was suggested. By your wizard friend."

„Varthlokkur?"

„He promised to remain uninvolved as long as we didn't call on the Power. I didn't understand it then, and I don't pretend to now. The man has been at your side for a decade. Why did he abandon you?"

„Personal conflict, I guess. But I don't understand either. So. Here I am. Prisoner for life, eh?"

Shih-ka'i nodded. „Your imprisonment won't be hard. You won't be treated as a trophy, or such. You'll live in comfort. You simply won't be allowed to return home."

„How about if I give my parole?" He was thinking of Sherilee now, and growing melancholy. Never to see her again? That was sad.

Shih-ka'i smiled. „I think not. It has long been the estimation of the Council that you are the empire's most dangerous enemy. Having met your army, with it at a severe disadvantage, and been thoroughly bloodied, I'm inclined to agree. I owe you a life. Don't ask for more."

Ragnarson smiled too. They understood each other, somewhat. „I was thinking of a woman. I'll miss her a lot."

„She's now Queen. And seems to be doing an unexpected­ ly competent job of maintaining order."

Bragi shied away from thoughts of Kavelin, except to remark, „I didn't mean Inger. She and I went our own ways before I came east. I was thinking of ... a girl I knew. A girl I'll miss. There was something special there."

Shih-ka'i paced. After nearly a minute, he said, „Perhaps something can be arranged. We'll speak of it after I've considered. For now, rest. You have a lot of recovering to do." He removed the pillows from behind Ragnarson's back.

As Shih-ka'i was about to depart, Bragi said, „Lord Ssu-ma? You're all right."

Shih-ka'i's eyebrow rose questioningly.

„Just saying I'm pleased that there are decent men among the Tervola."

Shih-ka'i smiled. „Thank you. Though I don't think my colleagues would enjoy hearing that."

„Probably not."

The stay at Sam Chordine's home had become a grinding bore for Sherilee. She was becoming neurotic, worrying about the King and fending off the fat man. „Kris," she said one morning, „I'll go crazy if we stay here much longer."

„We may not. We may go back."

„Back? We can't do that."

„I talked to Aral again a little while ago. He's heard from the Marena Dimura. Inger still thinks we're dead. Credence wants us to come back and prove we're not. To give him a rallying point."

„He wants young Bragi for a pretender, you mean."

„Yes."

„He could be that with us still here. The kids are too young for the Marena Dimura life, and that's what they'd have to live. I could do it if I thought there was any point... ." She burst into tears.

„What is it?"

„Kris, I miss him. We never had that much time together, but it's like part of me has been ripped out. I just can't believe he's dead."

Kristen took the smaller woman into her arms, comforted her. „I know. I know. It's still unreal to me, too. But we're going to have to accept it."

„I don't want to accept it. I want everything I'm never going to have. I hate politics."

„Take it easy." Someone pounded on the door. „What is it?" Kristen demanded.

„It's Slugbait, Lady. I got a message from Captain Trebilcock."

Sherilee turned off the tears. Both women answered the door. Slug passed the courier case inside. „Something wrong?" he asked. „Anything I can do?"

„Get Chordine to leave Sherry alone," Kristen snapped.

„He been after her again? I'll break his legs."

„No. No. Just get him to back off. Don't hurt him. We need him too much."

„I'll talk to him." Slugbait departed looking grim.

Kristen ripped at the pouch. The enclosed letter was long, convoluted, and often confused. In part, it was a diary of recent events. Michael had included his misgivings, his dreads, his battles with his conscience. He had used the letter the way he had sometimes used Aral Dantice during their morning rides, as a vent.

„What's it all about?" Sherilee finally asked.

„Basically, just that Inger thinks we're dead, and he wants to keep her thinking that. He's going to do the same job for her that he did for the King, only his loyalty will be to the kingdom instead of a person. If he can get away with it."

„That's all he says? In all that?"

„He rambles, but it's just fears and feelings and stuff. He sounds awful lonely. And if I didn't know him better, a little afraid." Kristen spared Sherilee news of the riots and deaths of so many friends.

„So what do we do?" Sherilee asked. „Go Michael's way, or Colonel Abaca's? Do you really want Bragi to be King?"

„I don't know. I just don't know. I don't even want to think about it."

Slugbait came around again late that afternoon. „Lady,

Mr. Dantice is back." His eyes were a little buggy, as if he had seen a ghost. „He has somebody with him."

„Who?" Aral was always bringing someone around with investment opportunities. He wasn't trying to take advan­ tage, just trying to help. He felt a little guilty about running out of Kavelin.

Slugbait smiled and shrugged.

„Send them in." She told Sherilee, „Maybe I ought to let him invest something just so he can soothe his conscience."

Sherilee shook her head. „1 don't think so. Don't forget how thick he was with that Mist. He's still got the disease. She could be using him. Don't get pulled into some scheme of hers."

Someone tapped on the door. „Hush. He's here." Kristen opened up. Her jaw dropped. „Dahl. Dahl. Dahl, we thought you were dead. We thought the Itaskians got you."

Haas shifted from foot to foot. „I got away." He couldn't seem to go any farther.

Kristen pushed past Dantice, threw her arms around Haas's neck. „Dahl. It's really you." She rested her head against his chest. „Come on in. Come on in. Please? I'm so glad to see you." She grabbed his hand and dragged him inside.

Tear in eye, Sherilee left them. Dantice shrugged, smiled, gently closed the door, and returned to his underworld friends.

The rain had dispersed the rioters. The reappearance of troops had prevented further outbreaks. Rioting in Kavelin's secondary cities amounted to little, though, with the exception of Damhorst, they were reluctant to pledge fealty to the new regime. The major problem in the capital became the Quarter. Thousands had been burned out of their homes. Winter wasn't far away.

Michael and General Liakopulos were the only old faces at Inger's first formal briefing, but, to Michael's surprise, the new faces were neither Nordmen extremists nor the Duke's freebooters. Inger had made appointments outstanding for their neutrality. It might be calculated, to lull the populace till they could be disarmed, but even so Michael approved.

„The agenda," Inger said. „One, the missing treasury funds. Two, the lack of response to our call for pledges of fealty from the army." She said that with her old mocking smile and sarcastic tone. Her brittle humor had returned. „Three, my cousin the Duke. Michael? The money?"

„I haven't had any luck finding it. Prataxis had it moved out while we were guessing about what the King was doing at Maisak. Everyone who knew anything left with the treasury. Where it went I don't know."

„Think trying a little harder and remembering a little better might help?" Inger didn't believe him and he knew it. She needed that money desperately. Her gestures toward the populace were expensive. Already she was taking loans from the Estates. „Very well. General?"

„I've applied all the persuasion I can, Your Majesty. The men in the outlying posts were selected for dedication to the King's ideals. They're stalling till your direction becomes clear. They don't want to pledge, then be embarrassed. There would be less difficulty were your cousin not so much in evidence. It's the wait-and-see attitude you find every­ where. You can't blame people, really."

„Maybe not. But meanwhile our neighbors are watching us. The Alteans may be benign, but Volstokin wouldn't mind paying back the beating they took when they inter­ ceded in the civil war. Speaking of which. Everyone pre­ dicted civil war if I took over. It's peaceful out there. What happened?"

Liakopulos replied, „The estimations were predicated on the assumption that you would take power illegally."

„Michael?"

„There is emotional resistance. Some army units, for instance, might rebel if there was an uprising here. What it is, nobody wants to start it. The rebel fever is out there, but it's unfocused. I'd say, right now, the main reason for lack of resistance is absence of a charismatic leader. There is no pretender, no rallying point, just an undirected dissatisfac­ tion."

„No pretender," Inger mused. She turned to Gales. „Josiah, that brings us to my cousin." Her expression soured.

Gales's crisis of conscience had been solved for him. He was now Inger's creature heart and soul. She had accomplished the transition through the timeless expedient of seduction. He was now her agent in her cousin's camp.

Gales said, „Your Majesty, any restlessness in Kavelin is nothing to that in the Duke's camp. He's very bitter. He's carrying on like you've robbed him of his birthright. It won't be long before he and the sorcerer Norath hatch something. I expect they'll turn to me when they do. His Lordship thinks I'm his agent still."

Inger nodded. „I imagine you haven't seen a tenth of Dane's fury. He had hopes of making Kavelin a base from which he could establish a western empire. I've been a severe disappointment. Tell me more about Norath. He worries me."

„I can't, Your Majesty. No one sees him. He stays sequestered. What's he doing here? What's his relationship with your cousin? Colonel Trebilcock and I have discussed this repeatedly without reaching any conclusions."

„Michael?"

„I sent queries to Al Rhemish. There's been no response. I doubt we'll learn much anyway. Norath was Megelin's chief adviser. Suddenly, he's here. That may be all we'll ever know."

„My cousin has the answer. Perhaps I can pry it out... . What's that?"

Someone was tapping at the door. The guard there opened it. „Messenger for Colonel Trebilcock," he said.

„Go ahead, Michael. Maybe they found the money." Sarcastic smile.

Michael went, curious and a bit nervous. He had been out of touch with his people since yesterday. What had hap­ pened? He listened to several minutes of urgent whispers. He returned to the meeting, interrupted continued specula­ tion about Magden Norath. „Your Majesty, there is a rebel movement after all."

„Michael?"

„Can't really give you anything hard right now. I'm told messages are pouring in. Credence Abaca apparently launched a nationwide offensive at dawn, cadred by Marena Dimura troops. Several smaller garrisons have declared for him. So have the city fathers of Sedlmayr. So far Credence has limited his attacks to your friends of the Estates. The odd thing is, he claims to be Marshall, acting on behalf of King Bragi the Second." That had shaken Michael when he had heard it. He had expected Kristen to remain in hiding.

Inger turned pale. „Kristen's brat? I thought..." She stopped before it became apparent she possessed guilty knowledge. „How strong are they? Why didn't you warn us this was coming?"

„I told you, there's nothing hard yet. I didn't warn you because I didn't know. I haven't been able to penetrate the Marena Dimura community. They won't have anything to do with outsiders. Numberwise, Credence can't have much, though. The Marena Dimura aren't numerous, nor are they well-armed. He's trying a coup. It'll fall apart in a few days."

„General?"

„I'd agree, Your Majesty."

„You and Michael go deal with it. Now. I'll expect a report before I turn in."

„As you wish, Your Majesty," Liakopulos said.

„He pulled a slick one," Michael observed as he and Liakopulos stalked through the castle halls.

„You should have seen it coming. It was too quiet."

„Maybe. Still, it should peak today and fall apart before the end of the week."

Michael guessed wrong. Sundown brought the second phase of Abaca's campaign. It left the nation staggered. He employed the Harish on loan from Yasmid. Michael had all but forgotten them. Half the religious fanatics struck in the vicinity of Vorgreberg. Three teams of three hurled them­ selves at Greyfells and Norath. Norath's sorcery saved him and the Duke, but both were gravely wounded. Most of their captains were slain. Josiah Gales missed death by sheer luck.

The Estates suffered even more grievously. Abaca's plan­ ning had been meticulous, and aimed at the heart of the opposition. He was using men who did not care if they came out alive. Their strike crippled Inger's ability to respond to the rebellion.

Almost immediately, the surviving cadre battalions of the South Bows and Sedlmayr Light regiments declared for Bragi II.

Michael and Liakopulos flanked Inger at a table on which a map of Kavelin lay. Their voices were soft, and concerned. „Count out Delhagen, Holtschlaw, Uhlmansiek, and Orthwein," Michael said. „Damn. Four provinces gone already. And half a dozen more suspect."

„General, what about the other regiments?"

„The Damhorsters will stick. The Vorgrebergers and Queen's Own are safe. And, of course, the Guard is sound."

„What about the Breidenbachers and Borderers? And the garrison in the Gap?"

„The Borderers are too dispersed to go either way. Split them according to the sentiment of the area where they're stationed. Maisak is temporizing. I haven't heard anything from the Breidenbachers."

„Do something. If they go. ... look at the damned map. The whole east would be against us. Some of their units are within a few miles of Vorgreberg."

„You forgot the Midlands Light," Michael said. The Midlands Light hadn't taken part in the summer exercises. None of its men had gone east with. Ragnarson. It remained at full strength.

„Let's not talk about them," Inger said. „About them we should pray. If they go, we're dead."

„Don't give up on them," Liakopulos said. „They're mostly Wesson, but Credence never had much influence with them."

„Find out," fnger ordered. „Find out fast. If they stick, start using them. Use them fast."