Sovereign

CHAPTER 26

'You are twisting yourself apart, my lord,' Barys told his master.

King Tomar did not reply. He could not deny it, after all.

'You have, I think, already made a decision,' Barys continued.

'Meaning?'

'That you are afraid to implement it.'

Tomar was not offended. Coming from anyone else, he would have been. With Barys, however, it was an observation, not a criticism. Barys knew the king too well to question his courage, and was not himself ashamed of fear.

'There is something inherently unlikable about irrevocable decisions,' Tomar said.

'You've made those before.'

'Never easily, and never with so much at stake.'

'The future of Chandra,' Barys said heavily.

'The future of all of Grenda Lear,' Tomar corrected him.

They were riding side by side outside the walls of Sparro. Up ahead was a large, level plain called the Field of Spears where Chandra's army traditionally mustered before marching off to war. Gathered there at the moment were the remaining knights of the Twenty

Houses. Without their armour they looked like nothing more than well-trained medium cavalry, but they moved with dash and elan. Many from the court had come to watch and admire their exercises and horsemanship.

'They do sit prettily,' Barys said.

'They fight well, too. I saw them in action once. I think their charge is the most frightening thing I have ever seen. I would hate to be at the receiving end of one.'

'They charged Lynan's lancers in their last major action.'

'And won.'

'Barely.'

The pair exchanged glances and half-smiles. 'The really interesting thing, of course,' Tomar said, 'is the fact that the Chetts have lancers at all.'.

Barys nodded. 'Kumul Alarn's doing, I'd say. He was involved in a similar unit under the General before being promoted captain of the Red Shields.'

'I wonder what else Lynan and his friends have introduced to the Chetts.'

'A great cause. Lynan's.'

They arrived at the field. The knights were practising the charge, starting at one end of the field and making to the other at full gallop. There were three lines. At first the lines stayed straight, but as the charge progressed they became more raggedy. Nevertheless, all the riders would have delivered their spear points against the enemy within one or two seconds of each other. That kind of shock was almost impossible to recover from, save for the best-trained and sturdiest infantry. The knights were battle winners, the final reserve; theoretically that meant they were not used until the final deciding blow was needed. If practice was not so tidy, it was often the fault of the knights themselves, who were ever eager to demonstrate their prowess and bugger the tactics. Tomar remembered that the General refused to use the knights because they were so unreliable.

The two riders edged along the border of the field, leaving behind most of the spectators. There was a solitary mounted figure ahead, and Tomar recognised Charion. His first impulse was to turn around and go back, but he forced himself to continue. She was his guest after all—a royal guest—and that bestowed obligations above and beyond making sure she had a roof over her head and food on her plate. As he got closer he could not fail to see how miserable she was.

She has lost a Kingdom, you fool, he rebuked himself, Of course she's miserable. She has seen her city taken, her people killed, her inheritance ripped from her hands,

But what to do with you, your Majesty? What in God's name to do with you?

'They are wonderful to watch!' he called out.

Her head turned in surprise. 'King Tomar!'

'I am sorry for disturbing your reverie.'

She smiled shyly. If she was not so young, and he not filled with so many memories of his first wife, he might have considered doing something about it. That would have merited a new chapter in the Kingdom's history books, he thought; a merger between Chandra and Hume.

'You have not disturbed me, your Majesty,' she said. 'Or, rather, I am glad to be disturbed from my thoughts.'

He stopped next to her. Barys rode on a little to give them some privacy.

'You have survived a great deal these last few months,' Tomar said consolingly. 'It cannot be easy for you, especially here in exile.'

'I will survive,' she said, without hubris. 'What is it you called out?'

He motioned to the knights. 'I said they are wonderful to watch.'

'They are magnificent. I have never seen such warriors. I had heard of them, of course, but thought they were just for show; Queen Usharna's parade leaders. When I win back Hume I will create such a band.'

They watched the knights in silence for a while, then Charion asked: 'What will you do with us, your Majesty?'

The question hung in the air, like an echo of his own thoughts.

'We are yours to use,' she said. 'Prince Lynan and his army cannot be far off invading Chandra.'

'We?'

'The knights and I. For now our fortunes are tied together.'

'Areava is gathering an army in my south. I believe the first contingents have already arrived.'

'As you say, the army is gathering in the south. Lynan can only attack your north. He must do it before winter, you know that.'

Oh, yes, I know it. 'So you would not go south? Your experience in fighting Lynan would be invaluable to the new army.'

'My experience in losing to Lynan will benefit no one.'

'My own army is a tight-knit one, Queen Charion,' he said. 'It would not be easy to incorporate you and the knights.' He nodded to Barys. 'And I already have a commander who would feel uncomfortable having a queen and three hundred Kendran noblemen running under his banner.'

'There must be something we can do besides running away again.'

The bitterness in her voice surprised him. This was not the time to argue with her. 'I will think on it,' he said. 'I promise no more.'

'I ask for no more,' she said neutrally. They bowed slightly to each other and Tomar prodded his horse to catch up with Barys.

'How did it go?' his champion asked.

'She wants to fight.'

'Then send her south so she may join the Great Army.'

'She doesn't want to be part of any Great Army, I think.'

Barys shrugged. 'Understandable, perhaps. Neither do we, remember.'

'How are our forces stretched?'

'Tight along the border with Chandra, as you'd expect.'

'You won't reinforce them?'

'For what purpose? We cannot hold the whole border against Lynan. Best to keep the bulk of our forces in reserve to strike where we have to, or to add to Areava's beast—assuming it ever moves north.'

They rode on in silence. Eventually Barys said, 'What are you thinking?'

'I am thinking of how to get Charion and the knights out of our hair.'

'Order them to join the Great Army.'

'I cannot order Charion to do anything of the sort. I'm not even sure I outrank Galen in the scheme of things. He is Areava's cousin, after all. I am nothing but a provincial ruler.'

'You are king here,' Barys said gravely.

'And why should I add to Areava's forces?'

Both riders stopped. Barys studied Tomar's face intently. 'You have made up your mind, haven't you?'

'I think you can shorten your line on the border. Pull back the western-most patrols. We can let Charion and the knights have that for their playground. That way they are out of the way, and will neither help nor hinder either side.'

'When?'

'Send your orders out this afternoon. I will talk to Charion and Galen tonight, and they can leave tomorrow.'

'Very well. And next?'

Tomar shook his head. 'I have been praying for a way to avoid taking sides, but cannot see it yet. Still, every delay gives us more time to find a way.'

'One way or another we'll be fighting before winter,' Barys said grimly.

'I fear you are right. I cannot let Chandra become a battleground without doing something to help determine its fate.'

Tomar escorted Charion and the knights to the edge of Sparro. While Tomar and Galen talked, Charion seemed distracted. Eventually the king asked her if something was wrong.

'It's the sea,' she said.

Tomar looked quizzically at her.

'My capital is inland, yours is on the sea. I think I have grown used to the smell of it while I have been here. I will miss it going west.'

Tomar felt absurdly flattered by that. It was not as if he had sited the capital. Still, it was his city.

'When this is over, perhaps I could visit again,' she said.

'Chandra would be honoured.'

'Our two lands have always had much to talk about, after all.'

Tomar laughed softly. 'If only they had talked instead of drawn swords.'

'Things would have been very different, I think.' Her eyes seemed to see right through him, then, and he wondered if she saw deception or loyalty. He found himself wishing Charion had been old, male and rude. People are easier to betray if you do not like them.

Enough, Tomar, he chided himself. You have betrayed no one yet.

They reined in at the ancient stone on the road west that marked the city's limits.

'Thank you for not sending me south,' Charion said.

'I don't think Areava herself could force you to do something you had no mind to do,' Tomar said.

Galen grinned at that, and offered his thanks as well.

'Do not thank me yet,' Tomar told them. 'When the war is over we will meet again, I hope.'

Galen saluted and rode to the head of the knights. Charion hesitated. 'The world will never again be as it was, will it?'

Tomar shook his head. 'Nothing you were certain of before can be counted on,' he warned her.

'I always thought I wanted change when I was just the queen of Hume and had nothing more exciting to do than negotiate trade agreements or make jokes about the king of Chandra. But I hate change. I hate what it does to us, and what it does to our people.'

'It's not change you hate,' Tomar said, but not unkindly. 'It is losing.'

Charion laughed out loud. It was the first time Tomar had ever heard her really let go. God, if we both survive this, maybe I will woo her.

'Farewell, king of Chandra,' she said, turning her horse and galloping after the knights.

'Farewell, queen of Hume,' he replied to her back, and wondered if he would ever see her again.

Two nights after, Tomar was woken from sleep by one of his guards.

'What is it?'

'It is Barys Malayka, your Majesty. He waits for you in your chambers. He said it is urgent.'

Tomar dressed quickly, his mind going through all the possible disasters that might induce Barys to rouse his king from his well-earned sleep. Barys was not one to panic, so whatever it was demanded his personal—and royal—attention and no one else's.

'It's Lynan,' Barys said as soon as the king reached his chambers. Barys had been pacing up and down the room; Tomar could see his muddy prints everywhere.

'I wish you'd take your boots off,' he said.

Barys looked down, his eyes following the twisting line of tracks that ended with him. 'He's crossed the border,' he added.

'How large is his army?'

Barys held up a single finger.

'What does that mean? One thousand? One division?'

'One man. Lynan. By himself.'

Tomar looked stupidly at Barys.

'He was seen by two men at one of our posts not far from where the Barda River crosses our border with Hume.'

'By himself?'

'Moving quickly on horse, with an extra mount. Two hours later, a group of Chetts also crossed the border; the guards were not sure how many, but they think around company strength.'

'Troop,' Tomar corrected him, absently. 'They call them troops.'

'One troop. About a hundred riders, give or take a handful.'

'Their leader?'

'A woman. That's all they could tell.'

'Korigan.'

'Maybe.'

Tomar raised his arms in exasperation. 'What is going on?' His eyes opened wide. 'He's coming here! That's it! He's coming to Sparro—!'

'No,' Barys said. 'Lynan is heading southwest. So was the troop following.'

Tomar found a seat and collapsed in it. 'I don't understand. What does the boy think he is doing? Where does he think he is going?'

'I don't know the answer to either of those questions,' Barys said, 'but I can tell you what will happen if they don't change course.'

Tomar did not like the sound of Barys's voice. 'Tell me.'

'Sooner or later, Lynan and his troop will run into Charion and the knights of the Twenty Houses.'

'Oh.' Tomar sat up straight. 'Damn.'

'I don't care how good a fighter the General's son is,' Barys continued, 'but I can tell you that he and a single troop of Chetts will not survive that encounter.'

'Damn.'

'My lord, you can no longer put it off. If you've already made a decision about which side you are going to support in this civil war, give me your instructions now. Before it's too late.'