Rex Regis

16

Dinner with Bhayar on Vendrei evening was actually pleasant. Bhayar asked very few questions about their efforts, and the remainder of the evening was more than satisfactory, including the luxury of sleeping in a very good bed on clean and soft linens. Even so, Quaeryt woke up concerned, although he didn’t say much about it to Vaelora until after they had finished breakfast, brought to them and served in the sitting room.

“I’m worried.”

“Now? You certainly weren’t worried last night, dearest.”

Quaeryt flushed. “You take my mind off worries.” He swallowed a last sip of tea. “There were too many pointed questions at the briefing yesterday. Deucalon’s usually not that confrontational, unless he’s been prompted by Myskyl, and Myskyl’s hundreds of milles upriver right now.”

“I imagine they’re all angry,” said Vaelora.

“Why? Because we were successful, and they didn’t want us to be?”

“In a way. They wanted Bhayar to settle down and rule Bovaria, pacify it quickly, and then hand out high holdings to the senior officers … and lands to some of the others. Now they can see that occupying and pacifying three lands is likely going to keep them from what they view as their just rewards.”

Quaeryt nodded slowly. “I should have thought of that. Only the officers who came from Tilbor have any real understanding of what it takes to establish a new ruler. Some of them are likely tired of fighting, much as they understand, while the ones from old Telaryn thought that they’d win battles, defeat Kharst, and immediately be rewarded.”

“That can’t happen yet.”

Quaeryt could see that … and more. “If he hands out holdings now, they’ll think they’re being shuffled off … or that they won’t get the best ones?”

“They don’t know which ones are the best ones.”

“We don’t, either,” Quaeryt pointed out. “That makes it chancy. And it’s too early for that. But there are a number of high holdings without holders whose heirs won’t be inheriting … except those are the ones that need work.”

“They don’t want that. They want to step into a spacious hold house…”

Quaeryt shook his head in disgust. “They want spoils.”

Vaelora nodded.

“Not all of them, I’d think.”

“Most of them. The difference is that the ones who’ve been with you and Skarpa are likely to be more patient.”

Quaeryt was still thinking over what Vaelora had said when he arrived at Bhayar’s study just before eighth glass.

The lord of three lands was pacing back and forth between the writing desk and the conference table. He looked up and gestured brusquely to the table, then walked over and seated himself even before Quaeryt had closed the study door and taken three steps. Quaeryt walked to the table and seated himself.

Bhayar looked at Quaeryt. “You’ve conquered almost all of Lydar for me. That’s a Namer’s gift. How in the Nameless’s sake am I supposed to rule it without maintaining all these armies for years? They’ll bankrupt me-if another senior officer like Rescalyn doesn’t get ideas first.”

“I didn’t do it alone. Skarpa, Vaelora, and the imager undercaptains were all necessary.”

“That may be, but the problem remains. And if I hand out high holdings right now, everything will fall apart. That’s if I even knew what high holdings are available.”

Quaeryt smiled. “That’s your answer. For a bit, anyway. You need to discover which holdings lost their holders, which have heirs, which don’t, and which merit being seized for the acts of their holders. If you don’t have that information, how can you be fair?”

“They don’t want fair…”

“Of course not. But you can point out to Deucalon that if you aren’t reasonably fair, everyone is going to think all the other commanders got better holds. You also need to reward both accomplishment and seniority, and you can’t do that without some evaluation. It will still be haphazard. There’s no way we can find out everything quickly, not with the destruction of most of the tariff records.”

“I’ve mentioned most of that. Deucalon understands, and he’s not in any hurry to stop being marshal.”

Quaeryt understood what Bhayar wasn’t saying.

“Now…” Bhayar squared himself at the small conference table. “What are your plans for me to deal with the imagers?”

“First, you declare that, over time, the imagers will be constituted into a permanent Collegium here in Variana in order to provide both a safe haven for imagers and to assure that their talents serve the rex and all the people of Lydar.”

Bhayar nodded. “I did promise that.”

“Second, you assign the Eleventh and Nineteenth Regiments to the maître of the Collegium permanently … and the Pharsi battalion under Calkoran-”

“What?”

“… and then you send messages to all the High Holders, all your regional governors, including the Khellan High Council, and make it known to all factors that the code of laws you are issuing will be followed and that, in the future, dealing with any civil transgressions will transition from the armies of Telaryn to the regional governors you will appoint, who will be supported by the Collegium of imagers and its forces, and as a last resort by your armies. Then you offer some warm words about how you know that the High Holders would prefer to keep their lands and privileges and how you hope that they will act wisely and thus retain those privileges-unlike the High Holders of southern Bovaria who lost everything.…”

Bhayar’s mouth remained open, as if he could not believe what he heard.

“You did ask, didn’t you?”

“That’s preposterous.”

“Is it? Do you want a huge standing army that you have to pay? You just told me that you can’t afford that. Without something like the Collegium, you won’t have honest regional governors, and you’ll have to have regional governors to hold all of Lydar together. You’re going to have to build a navy before long to protect all the traders … or you won’t have many traders who will trade with other lands, and the traders from other lands will reap the benefits. You can probably take over the remaining Antiagon warships … if you pay the crews and captains … but I wouldn’t make Nykaal your sea marshal.”

“Next you’ll be telling me that whatever child you and Vaelora have will be my heir.”

Quaeryt shook his head. “That can’t be. It would destroy everything you’ve built. Imagers can only survive if they’re seen to serve-honestly, reliably, and without any hint of personal greed. It would be best if you never talk about what the imagers have done … except to carry out your wishes.”

“Why would I do this?” asked Bhayar, a definite edge in his voice.

“For one thing, except for two or three of them, every single imager remaining with me has the ability to bring down Chateau Regis, if not more. The only way that you can rule the kind of land you want to rule is with the help of the imagers. But if they’re powerful enough to do that, the only way High Holders will feel safe from them is if they’re clearly under control. Putting them in a few places across Lydar will emphasize that control. The imagers will only stay there if they feel they have a place safe from the fears and whims of those in power. You control me, as well you know. We will work to make sure that the Collegium is always a tool of the rex. Call the Collegium glue. The High Holders always want too much. The factors will always be too greedy. The crafters distrust anyone of wealth and power. A ruler cannot maintain a kingdom just by force, unless that force supports laws that are just. Sooner or later, those in power will realize that the imagers cannot be everywhere and do everything-they can only combat the worst offenses against the law and the rex. But if the laws are just-and great offenses are punished fairly-I have to believe that will allow the land to knit into one great unity.”

“What else?” Bhayar asked dryly.

“You need to change the name of your land … I’d suggest Solidar, to express the idea of a unified Lydar-without directly saying so. Variana should also have a new name, one fitting for the capital of Solidar.”

“Why don’t you just rule instead of me?”

“I told you. Because it won’t work. I saw how weak Antiago was because of the way imagers were used. They expressed Aliaro’s will, not a rule of law. Besides … there will never be enough imagers. I wouldn’t be surprised if, right now, I have a twentieth of all the living imagers in all of Solidar.”

“I haven’t agreed on that name, let alone anything else.” Bhayar did not snap, but his voice betrayed exasperation.

“No … you haven’t. And I agree that you shouldn’t … not until you’re convinced that either I’m right, or that I’m wrong and you have a better plan. You asked me for my views and plans. I’ve told you. You’re the ruler.”

“You’re the most powerful force in all Lydar … and you say I’m the ruler? I’m not exactly dense, Quaeryt.”

“No, you’re not. Let me ask you this. Why are the imagers so powerful?”

“Because of what you all can do.” Again, Bhayar’s voice took on an exasperated tone.

“Vaelora told you what happened in Liantiago. You saw what happened here in Variana and what happened in Ferravyl. Just how long would any of us imagers survive-after those battles-without your support? You can disband the imagers. Just let them return to their homes and families … or remove them quietly over time. Then Vaelora and I will be essentially your prisoners, living on your sufferance.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Am I? Can I remain awake every glass of every day and night? Into what tower would I have to barricade myself to be able to sleep? Every imager living outside the Collegium would face that. Most of the imagers alive today are either schoolboys or younger or not much older, recluses or those hiding their abilities, or those with powerful protectors. What makes the imagers powerful is being able to protect each other. But even in the Collegium, they would be vulnerable. They have wives, and some have children. Some could not protect themselves for long.”

“Just why and how would such a group defer to me? How, pray tell, will you assure that?”

“I’ve already begun. I’ve pointed out time and time again that they already have more freedom than imagers anywhere else in Terahnar. They’ve seen that you’ve paid them. They’ve also seen and heard how badly imagers were treated by Aliaro. They all know imagers who were killed or chased away. Most of them aren’t stupid, either. They understand”-and they will, one way or another-“that only under your protection can they be truly safe.”

“But how will I be safe from them?” asked Bhayar, his tone ironic.

“By making certain that all imagers to come understand their vulnerability and their debt to you and your successors. We’ll need a council and a strict code of law and behavior for imagers-both for their protection and for protection of those who are not imagers. By making the Collegium a scholarium as well, you’ll also be creating a place of learning, and that’s never a bad thing. The Collegium could offer a gold or two for every young imager who comes to the Collegium … just as you did to build the undercaptains of first company. That way, imagers go to a place where they’re welcome, and people know where the imagers are. If they wore uniforms as well, gray perhaps … that would also reinforce the sense of discipline, as well as let people know who the imagers are.”

“This bears thinking upon.”

“It does,” Quaeryt agreed. “Would you be agreeable to the imagers beginning to build quarters on the isle of piers?”

“The isle is currently devastated, and only beggars and riffraff haunt the place,” mused Bhayar. “I can’t see that making it an orderly place would hurt. But not a word about this Collegium business or anything else we’ve discussed.”

“Yes, sir. Would you mind if the imagers, as they can, improved some of the roads to the isle from here?”

“That wouldn’t hurt. Neither would a better bridge across the Aluse.”

“We’ll see what we can do.”

“Good.” Bhayar smiled. “That brings up another matter. Now that you have returned … and there are no more battles to win … at the moment, there is another difficulty you are uniquely qualified to handle.”

Quaeryt tried not to stiffen. “Yes?”

“You have been a princeps and a governor. None of my senior officers have that experience, especially not in dealing with factors and setting up ledgers and clerks and keeping records. There are almost no records remaining, and I fear far too many golds are being spent unwisely.”

“How does Marshal Deucalon feel about that, if I might ask?”

“He agrees something needs to be done.”

“Who is handling supplies right now?”

“Some majors under Subcommander Ernyld.”

“And what’s left of the treasury of Bovaria?”

“The same group.”

“Do you want me to use Ernyld’s clerks, find more, or gradually switch to clerks reporting to me and to you?”

“Come up with a plan and let me see. No later than Lundi morning. At seventh glass. We’ll meet with Deucalon after that.”

Quaeryt nodded. “Do you want me to control the Bovarian treasury, subject only to you, once you approve of a plan?”

Bhayar leaned back in his chair and cocked his head to one side. After several moments he leaned forward and looked at Quaeryt. “It won’t work if you don’t … but Deucalon will be furious. Don’t mention that part of it when we meet with him.”

Quaeryt had no intention of discussing anything he didn’t have to with the marshal. “If this is going to work, I’ll need an official position and title, or I’ll spend more time arguing with commanders than dealing with problems.”

“I’d thought about something like Minister for Bovarian Affairs.”

“How about Minister of Administration and Supply for Bovaria? That is a less threatening title. Along with maître of the Collegium, of course.” Quaeryt grinned.

Bhayar sighed … not quite explosively. “IF … if I approve of this Collegium plan, then you can call yourself ‘Maître’ … but not a word about that, either, until I do.”

“Might I ask what progress Submarshal Myskyl has made with the High Holders of the north?”

“His last dispatch said he had met with three.”

“That was in the fall, was it not?”

“There is snow in the north, unlike the south.”

Rather than pursue the matter, Quaeryt merely nodded. “Has he encountered any High Holders reluctant to pledge allegiance to you?”

“He has mentioned none.”

“How is Aelina coming in ruling in your absence in Solis?”

Bhayar smiled. “She has had no difficulty, and she would not hesitate to let me know … like someone else I know.” The smile vanished. “I think I’ve tasked you enough.” He gestured toward the study door. “Go.” The last word was delivered humorously.

Quaeryt rose, then bowed. “We will begin with road repairs and bridge building while I consider how to accomplish the greater task.”

“Limit yourself to what I requested. I know that’s difficult for you, Quaeryt. But for now, it will be more than sufficient.”

“Yes, sir.” Quaeryt bowed again before turning and leaving the study.

He thought he heard a soft sigh behind him, but he wasn’t about to turn and look.