Arms-Commander

LXIV

Saryn was up early on twoday morning. She had to admit she did enjoy being able to eat when she wished and to hand her dishes and laundry off to the chambermaid, since she’d done her own laundry at Westwind, as did everyone. Just those two conveniences made it easier to get out in the courtyard early to supervise and observe the exercises and drills.

After the initial drills, she drew Hryessa aside. “Do the palace armsmen exercise or drill?”

“They practice arms at times,” replied the captain. “They don’t exercise.”

“Riding drills?”

“No. We haven’t seen any.”

“What do they do?”

Hryessa shrugged. “They watch us. They accompany messengers. They serve as gate guards. They go out at night and drink too much. Mostly at the Green Dog.”

“Which is why the guards go to the Square Platter?”

“It’s quieter. The wine and ale are better.”

Saryn nodded politely. “Where did you get all the gray cloth for their uniforms?”

“We traded a few extra items that Daryn brought hidden in the wagon. Plunder he had the foresight to bring.”

“More than a few items, I’d venture, to get cloth for forty women, and all of it yours.”

“First company’s,” replied Hryessa. “Things the Marshal would have no use for but that could be traded.”

“You had them sew their own uniforms?”

“We had to sew ours when we became guards. So should they. No one complained. I did let them work it out among themselves. That was because two of them had been trained as seamstresses.”

“And scabbards?”

Hryessa grinned. “We found old leather ones here that had been piled up as useless, but since our blades are smaller…”

“You’ve done well.” Better than Saryn might have done in her place. “A little later, I’ll need a pair of guards to ride into town. I need to talk to the owner of the Square Platter.”

“How about three? Two seasoned and one recruit.”

“You’re trying to get them used to all sorts of duties?”

“I want to give them the sense of being guards. We’ve been pushing them very hard with the exercises and the drills.”

“You have a feeling about Lornth?”

“It’s not a good feeling, Commander. Things are too lax here. I think the overcaptain was stricter than the undercaptain, but Overcaptain Gadsyn hasn’t been here all summer.”

“He’s detailed to protect the overlord-heir. That’s why he and the other company are in Carpa and have been all summer.”

“They can’t protect him here?”

“Not if all the southern lords attack Lornth. His support lies with the northern lords.”

“It is stronger now that you accompanied the Lady Regent?”

“I hope so.”

“It is,” said Hryessa firmly.

“I’ll leave you to the rest of the exercises. I have a few matters to deal with. If you could have those three ready after the exercises?”

“Yes, ser.”

Saryn stepped back and glanced around the courtyard. She had no idea where the armorer’s forge might be, but she just checked the chimneys and followed her nose and senses to a building in the northwest corner of the walls. Once there, she stepped through the open door.

Daryn was already hard at work. Standing over the anvil, beating metal into shape, the smith looked drawn, and there were circles under his eyes. He did not look up, although Saryn could sense he had seen her enter. While she waited, Saryn surveyed the armorer’s shop. From what she could tell, only a few dusty tools-still hanging on the rear stone wall-had been left behind-besides the forge and the large and small anvils that were anchored to heavy posts extending into the ground beneath the stone slab flooring. Daryn was working with tools he had forged himself. In the far corner, a small boy and girl played with some wooden toys. Both stopped and stared at Saryn for several moments.

She smiled, and they went back to playing, but the girl kept sneaking looks at Saryn.

The one-footed smith finally replaced what looked to be a section of an older blade in the forge and looked up.

“You’ve been working hard,” Saryn said.

“I have no choice, Commander. The new guards need blades. Hryessa will give me no peace until they all have them. These blades will not be so good as those in Westwind. I can forge better blades, but I do not have the time if all are to have enough blades…”

“Like the rest of us, do the best you can with the time and material you have.”

A crooked smile crossed his face. “What else would I do?”

“You’re doing a good job, and I appreciate it. Thank you.” Saryn returned the smile, then left the armorer’s shop to find Dealdron. She had mixed feelings about talking to the ostler.

Dealdron was, of course, in the stable, checking the hoof of one of the horses. He looked up. “This one can’t be ridden for a time, not unless you want to risk losing a rider.”

“Just tell the captain and the squad leader. They’ll listen. If they have a problem, tell them to come to me.”

The ostler eased his way out of the stall, closing the half door behind him and looking intently at Saryn.

“How long have you been here in Lornth?” she asked quickly.

“Two eightdays tomorrow.”

“And what have you discovered?”

Dealdron shrugged. “I have no coins. So I have only walked through the town with some of the guards twice. It is a small town, much, much smaller than Fenard. It is cleaner, a little. From what I have heard, coppers go farther.”

“What about the palace? What have you seen here?”

“I would show you something…this way. I did not want to mention it to the captain.”

Saryn could sense nothing but concern. “Lead on.”

The young ostler turned and walked another ten yards, finally stopping and pointing. “This is a feed barrel.”

Saryn refrained from saying that she knew that much, but only nodded. “There’s something wrong with it?”

“Not the barrel.” Dealdron took the wooden scoop and slipped it into the feed mix. He brought it up, easing the feed mixture onto the half of the barrel head remaining, then setting the scoop aside and spreading out the feed on the wood. “See…the oats have been mixed with chaff, and there are far too many of the tiny oats and hulls. There is far too much chaff.”

“You’re telling me that the regent is getting shortchanged on her feed? Or are our horses the only ones getting the poor feed?”

“I have checked the feed in all the stables. It is all the same. I cannot say why. I only know that there should be more grain and less chaff and tiny oats. For now, I told the captain that we should feed the horses more, perhaps half again as much. I did not tell her why. I just said that they needed more feed.”

“That won’t hurt them?”

Dealdron shook his head. “There will be more to clean up in the stables and stalls. If we are here into colder weather, the horses will be warmer.”

“The chaff is like the coarse grass?”

“Not as good, but it helps.”

“What else have you been doing? When you aren’t taking care of horses?”

“Sometimes, I watch Daryn and Hryessa’s two. Sometimes, I talk to the armsmen. They fear your guards. They are right to fear them.” Dealdron shook his head. “I have watched them practice their weapons. I am as good as some of them, and you know how poorly I do against the better guards. They almost do not seem to care. Can you help this regent, ser?”

“We have already. Whether it’s enough and whether what else we can do will be enough, only time will tell.” She paused. “It is a very good thing that Hryessa is training more guards.”

“She is hard on them. Some she will not take, perhaps half who come.”

That didn’t surprise Saryn. “Not every woman is suited to be a guard.” And even of those she accepts, more than a few will be killed before this is over. “I need to get my mount.”

“I already saddled him. I had heard you would be riding into Lornth.”

“Do you listen at the eaves?” Saryn couldn’t help smiling.

“I cannot serve the guards and their commander if I do not know what is needed.” Dealdron smiled sheepishly.

“You might ask me.”

“You often do not have time to tell me,” he replied gently.

Saryn couldn’t argue with that, not the way things were going. “That’s fine. But…if you’re not certain, and can, please ask.”

“I will. I would not go against what is good for you.”

“Thank you.” Saryn followed Dealdron to the larger stall at the end, where her horse was indeed saddled and waiting, then led the gelding out into the courtyard. No sooner was she in the saddle than three guards rode toward her and reined up. She knew two of the guards-the gray-eyed Dyala and the redheaded Kayli.

“Commander, this is Cenora,” offered Kayli. “She’s one of the newer guards.”

“Commander…ser.” The younger guard inclined her head. Her hair was cut short, and she wore the same gray trousers and tunics as the other guards, but the gray was slightly lighter. She also carried but a single blade in the shoulder harness.

Saryn could also sense apprehension, even a touch of fear. “Welcome to the guards, Cenora. It’s going to be a very interesting year. For the moment, we’re just riding into Lornth, to the Square Platter. I need to talk to the owner.”

“Yes, ser.” All three responded almost as one.

As Saryn rode out through the gates and around the green outside the palace walls, she couldn’t help thinking that everywhere she looked and went, matters were worse than she had thought, and it didn’t look as though she was seeing any improvement. Had her presence and that of the Westwind guards made matters worse?

She shook her head. The feed was the same as when they had come. Nesslek had already been at The Groves. The officers commanding the palace armsmen hadn’t been changed since before she had arrived the first time. The palace had already been falling apart.

By the time Saryn had ridden past the larger houses between the green and the square, she had noticed several other things. More than half the once-fashionable dwellings had been shuttered, but whether for the summer, or for other reasons, she couldn’t tell. The handfuls of people on the street barely gave her a glance, but it was an avoidance based on apprehension, not on fear, nor on familiarity. One other thing was very obvious when Saryn dismounted in front of the Square Platter. There was no bouncer on the narrow porch.

She stepped up onto the porch and went inside, but she didn’t immediately see anyone. Before she could call out, though, Vanadyl hurried up.

“Commander…” He bowed.

“If she’s here, I would like a few moments with Haelora or you and Haelora.”

“She is. I think she would be more than ready to talk with you. If you wouldn’t mind going to the front table, I’m sure that she will join you there soon.”

“Thank you.”

After Vanadyl left, heading toward the kitchen, Saryn entered the public room and walked to the table in the right front corner. She didn’t bother to seat herself but looked out the window at the three guards. Dyala was explaining something to Cenora, who was nodding.

Two men hurried by, but neither even looked at the three guards. That was a change, Saryn thought.

Haelora walked toward Saryn. “I was thinking I should have heard from you sooner.”

Saryn could sense a certain anger. “I’m very sorry. I’ve been in the north with Lady Zeldyan with half my guards.” Except they’re no longer half. “We just returned last night, and you’d said you’d prefer to talk in the mornings. I heard that one of our recruits took a blade to Rhytter. That’s why I’m here.”

“He mighta deserved it. I don’t know. Fynna was no great shakes, either.”

“No, I don’t think she is,” Saryn concurred.

“What are you going to do with her?”

Saryn could feel that some of Haelora’s anger was fading. “She’ll be executed in public. Her sentence will be carried out on the front palace green at noon tomorrow.”

“Yet she came to you…”

Behind the words was a mixture of emotions, and Saryn tried to address them. “She did, and then she broke the rules and killed two people. As you said, Rhytter might have deserved it, but the other woman didn’t, and we don’t like our guards going off and killing people. Who would trust us for long if we allowed that to happen and didn’t punish the one responsible?”

“Lord Nessil did. No one said anything.” There was a challenge, and resignation, beneath the words.

“I’m not Lord Nessil. Neither is the regent.”

“That’d be good.” Haelora smiled, a wry yet sad expression.

“If we can make it last?”

“That’d be up to you, Commander, I fear. The Lady Regent is fair and has a good heart, but the lord-holders respect only strength and power.”

“What about the people?”

“The people…we don’t expect much. Don’t tariff too high and don’t rip down doors and take our daughters. Pay for most of what you take. That’s what most people expect.”

Saryn concealed an internal wince. “I don’t think that’s all. I doubt you like fighting among the lord-holders because the deaths fall on your sons and cousins.”

“And now, if you fight, some will fall upon daughters.”

“That is true, but they will have a chance to be more than victims.”

Haelora’s expression remained sad. “What will that change?”

Saryn almost said that she was in Lornth to stop the senseless fighting-except that she realized she had already been fighting in what were nearly senseless conflicts. “I can only say that I will do what I can.”

“That is an honest pledge, unlike many.”

Saryn looked squarely at the innkeeper. “What should I know that you know, and I don’t?”

Haelora shook her head. “I cannot say…for I do not know what you do.”

“You know I am a stranger in a strange land.”

“You are, and yet you are not. You look like a young woman, except in your eyes, but you are not. Those eyes have seen what I would not wish to have seen…”

Saryn waited.

“Do not worry about the people of Lornth, except to save them from the worst of the lords. We can live through anything except the worst of weakness and of evil. Even that, we will survive.” Haelora smiled, faintly, but not unhappily. “Thank you for coming. I will tell others, and your guards are always welcome here.”

“Thank you.” Saryn nodded politely. “I must go.”

As she left the public room, she could sense Haelora watching her. Why does everyone watch me leave? Because they want me to go, or because I’m something strange that they’ve never seen? Or both?

She didn’t have an answer to that…or to more than a few other questions.