Ordermaster

XXXV

On sixday, Kharl stood in the audience hall beside Hagen, half a pace back, as he looked out at the group gathered together on the right side of the audience hall. Stationed around them were a squad of armsmen in the yellow and black of the personal guard. Roughly half of those standing in custody were women of all ages; the remainder were children. They were the heirs, consorts, and offspring of the rebel lords, standing and waiting for the judgments to come. Less than a half score were men, and they were all young, not much older than Arthal would have been. At the thought of Arthal, a wave of sadness swept across Kharl.

“His Lordship, Ghrant of Dykaru, Lord of Austra and Scion of the North.”

In silence, Ghrant entered the hall from the rear door across from the one through which Kharl had followed Hagen. Once more, the Lord of Austra was attired in black, trimmed in dark green. He took his seat in the ancient high-backed chair on the dais without a word, then nodded to the chamberlain, who stood to his right.

“Summon the traitor Azeolis,” announced the chamberlain.

The hall remained hushed, even after the doors opened, and two burly armsmen in the yellow and black of Ghrant’s personal guard marched in a stocky figure dressed in nearly shapeless gray trousers and undertunic. Azeolis’s hands were manacled behind him. A wide and thick band of cloth was tied across his lower face, effectively gagging him.

Before the doors closed, Kharl caught a glimpse of a full squad of the personal guard stationed outside the audience hall.

“Azeolis, former lord and traitor,” announced the chamberlain once the captive had reached a spot a cubit or so short of the foot of the dais.

Azeolis looked directly at Ghrant.

The young ruler stood and began to speak, his own eyes fixed, not on Azeolis, but on the group to the right and behind Azeolis. “Azeolis-you who were once a lord, privileged and exalted above others-you were not satisfied with wealth and power. You lacked the courage to be loyal and the wisdom to ignore the vain promises of others. Have you anything to say for yourself?”

Kharl noted that Hagen nodded, as if to himself.

Ghrant motioned to the armsmen.

The taller deftly unknotted the heavy gag.

Azeolis cleared his throat, but did not speak.

In turn, Ghrant waited.

Silence weighed upon the entire chamber before Azeolis finally spoke. “I was loyal-once. Before a weakling became Lord of Austra.” The still-stocky man did not bother to disguise the contempt in his voice. “Even now, you do not rule. Your power lies in the judgment of a merchant with a title and a mage from another land.”

“That may well be,” Ghrant replied. “It shows that I have better judgment about who serves me well than you did. I have chosen loyalty and talent over privilege and position.”

Kharl caught several looks of surprise on the faces of those in the audience hall.

For a moment, even Azeolis was silent. That did not last. “You admit you have debased your heritage-”

“Silence him.” Ghrant’s voice was not hard, but almost tired, the voice of a man who recognized that Azeolis would not hear what was said.

“Yes … silence me.” Azeolis got no further before one of warders wrapped a heavy gag across his mouth and lower face.

“I silence you because you have already spoken,” Ghrant went on calmly. “You spoke when you joined a revolt that began with the despicable murder of my sire. You spoke when you supported the pretender who wanted to usurp this seat so that he could rule with fire and fear. You spoke when you joined with those who murdered loyal lords and their families. You spoke when you tried to ambush loyal lancers. It issaid that actions speak louder than words. Your actions have indeed spoken for you. And for those actions you will pay. You cannot live long enough to suffer as did all those for whom you caused suffering, but you will suffer. You will be flogged like the common criminal you have become. Then you will have all the limbs in your body broken, and then you will be beheaded. Even that is too merciful for someone who has betrayed his heritage and his family. Your estates will be divided. Half will return to the Great House, and half will be broken into holdings. Many of those lands will be distributed to those who worked them, for they should not suffer for your treachery. All the heirs of your body and all those consorted to them and all issue are hereby banned from Austra. Their lives or their freedom, or both, are forfeit should they be found within Austra at the end of the next eightday.” Ghrant gestured. “Take him away. Let his sentence begin within the glass, and let it be carried out before sunset.”

Once more, Hagen nodded.

Raw hatred blazed from the gagged former lord-hatred so intense that to Kharl it resembled chaos. Was hatred the chaos of thought-corrosive and destructive, yet with a power to move men to great deeds of devastation? If so, what was the order of thought? Anticipation and thoughtful planning? Or merely good judgment? Kharl wasn’t certain that he knew.

Ghrant did not seat himself, but waited until Azeolis had been marched out and the doors closed behind the last of the rebel lords. Then he surveyed those remaining, his eyes seeming to move from one face to another, letting the silence drag out.

In time, he spoke once more, slowly, carefully, with pauses at the end of each sentence. “Your consorts and sires were disloyal. They were disloyal not because I had inflicted harm upon them. Not because I had imposed excessive tariffs. Not because I had abused my position and seized daughters for my pleasure. Not for any reason except that I was considered young and because they sought greater wealth and power. For that, they have paid. For that, all of you will also pay. A mad boar begets other madness, both in the sows and the boars that come from him. Such madness is not acceptable in Austra.”

Again, the young lord let silence fill the chamber before he continued, repeating his last words before going on. “Such madness is not acceptable in Austra. It will never be acceptable. All of you, save those from thehousehold of the traitor Azeolis, have two eightdays from oneday to leave Austra. You may take with you only what you can carry in one bag. You may not sell lands or equipment, nor may you take more than a hundred golds with you. All the lands that your consorts and lords held have reverted to the Great House.” Ghrant stopped and surveyed the group once again.

No one cried. Several swallowed. The children glanced from their parents to Ghrant and back again.

“That is all. You may go and prepare for your exile.” Ghrant nodded to the armsmen, then turned his back on the group, as if in another form of dismissal, and walked from the dais.

Slowly, silently, the group shuffled out of the audience hall.

Kharl had to admit to himself that he had been impressed by the young Lord Ghrant, and by the clarity with which he had expressed himself; but it was also clear that those words had not been crafted by Lord Ghrant, or not just by the young ruler. Hagen’s nods had indicated that the audience had been as planned as a minstrel’s song-or even a cooper’s barrel.

But, Kharl reflected, that was not necessarily bad. When words affected people, should they not also be considered and crafted?

“Kharl?” murmured Hagen.

The mage started, then turned, realizing that he had to precede the lord-chancellor from the audience chamber.