Part 26 (1/2)
Caime Cadder's face was as gray as the coming dawn. ”He has . . . But how . . . ?”
”Apparently, this Dearg seeress he's brought along gave it to him and . . . is schooling him in its use.”
The color came slowly back into Cadder's narrow face. ”Then he has a Gift?”
”So it would seem.”
”Then perhaps all is not lost.”
Ladhar glanced sharply at his companion. ”Whatever can you mean?”
”Only that armed with the ability to Weave, he may be able to defend against this Evil Force.”
”Not if he is co-opted by it.”
Cadder's small eyes flashed fear. ”Regent Feich is a man of strong will, Abbod. If his Gift is equally strong . . .”
Ladhar s.h.i.+vered despite his many layers of clothing, the stoked brazier and the cup of steaming liquid between his trembling hands.
”Pray that it is, Caime. No. Pray it is stronger.”
”Then there is still a force outside Creiddylad?” The Osraed Fhada digested this intelligence with a furrowing of his Meri-Kissed brow.
”This displeases you?” Saefren asked.
Fhada smiled and shook his leonine head. In the spot of late morning sunlight that pooled about his desk, he looked less a man and more a creature of legend-an aingeal, a paeri. ”I was merely concerned that your uncle felt the need to leave a force behind, especially since, as you say, our Regent specifically asked him not to.”
Saefren answered the smile. ”I believe Uncle Iobert may have left a force behind chiefly because 'our Regent' asked him not to. But they are deployed on House lands as the contract stipulated-Madaidh lands, to be exact.”
Fhada laughed at that, but the girl Aine-Alraed Aine, Saefren reminded himself wryly-sat in her own puddle of comparative gloom looking taciturn and even disapproving.
”I don't understand any of this,” she said sharply. ”And less than I understand why the Chieftains left men here, do I understand why they took men with them on Feich's march to Halig-liath. The man means to harm Taminy.”
”Who is no longer at Halig-liath,” said Saefren reasonably. ”As long as Feich believes she is, he'll be unable to cause her any real harm.”
”Moreover,” Fhada added, ”he may reveal his deeper intentions and plans to his supposed allies.”
Saefren shook his head. ”Doubtful, Osraed. Feich is a sly man, to all accounts. Sly men rarely confide their deeper intentions to anyone.”
”What happens when this sly man realizes Taminy is not at Halig-liath, but at Hrofceaster?” Aine asked. ”What's to stop him from taking his forces there?”
”The winter snows, for one thing; the trail all but closed behind us as we descended. My uncle and the combined forces of the Claeg, the Graegam, the Gilleas and the Jura, for another.”
”All well and good, unless Feich can call up an equal force. In which case . . .”
”Civil war,” murmured Fhada. ”Unless some other Force prevails.”
Aine s.h.i.+fted in her seat. ”I must let Taminy know what's going on.”
”How do you propose-?” Saefren halted. She wasn't listening. Her eyes were closed and her lips moved silently. He glanced at Fhada. What? he mouthed, but the Osraed merely raised a finger to his lips. Saefren turned his attention back to Aine.
Head back, eyes open again, she stared fixedly at a point on the ceiling. Saefren watched, unsure whether to be amazed or amused as a cascade of expressions flowed across the girl's face-concentration, pleasure, concern, outright glee, concern again.
For several minutes this went on, then Aine lowered her eyes and turned them to Saefren. ”How long before they reach Nairne?”
”Five days-six, perhaps. Uncle reckoned the cannon would slow them down more than a little.”
Aine nodded and closed her eyes again briefly. A moment later, she seemed to have concluded her communication and stood to move closer to the fire that roared in the large hearth.
”You've . . . told her about Feich's march, then?” Saefren asked. ”Just now?”
A malicious glint entered the redhead's hazel eyes. ”Do you doubt that? Do you think perhaps I only pretended the Speakweave?”
”I'm sure you believe you . . . communicated with her, but how can you be certain?”
Aine ignored the question. ”Saefren Claeg,” she told him, frank annoyance souring her already less-than-sweet features. ”You are the most hard-headed, cold-hearted-” She broke off, her body and face suddenly stiff with tension.
Glancing at Fhada, Saefren saw that he too had frozen in mid-chuckle, responding to something the young Claeg could neither see nor hear nor sense. Moments pa.s.sed without movement, the only sound, that of flames crawling up the flue. Impatient, Saefren longed to demand to know what was going on. He did not. Instead, he waited until Aine came back from wherever she had gone. Only then did he open his mouth to ask his question, and was roundly ignored.
Aine launched herself toward Fhada's desk, behind which, the Osraed now stood, eyes fastened on her flushed face.
”It was Eadmund!” she said.
”I caught that much-and his distress-but what was the message?”
”The Abbod Ladhar's deputy, Tarsuin, has been given an edict to post. Drafted by Regent Feich and counter-signed by the Abbod himself. We are to be denounced as heretics and enemies of the Throne, Osraed. There will be a bounty on our heads-a hundred ambre for every waljan brought to Mertuile.”
Fhada paled. ”But surely the Privy Council-?”
”Eadmund says that a quorum of the Council witnessed the edict only this morning. It's to be posted in a week's time. Can he do that? Can he bypa.s.s the a.s.sembly?”
”What a.s.sembly? The a.s.sembly is effectively disbanded, and I doubt Regent Feich has any intention of seeing it re-elected. As to the Privy Council-it appears a significant number of its members are in agreement with our Regent.”
”Aye,” muttered Saefren, ”and it appears he made certain those who were not were safely out of the way.” He felt the others' eyes on him. ”You see what he's done, don't you? He drew up this edict-perhaps even at the last moment, when he knew the waljan Chieftains would be on their way to Halig-liath in his company. With only partisan Eiric, Osraed and Ministers left to convince . . .”
Fhada nodded grimly. ”He pressed his advantage and had the edict pa.s.sed and witnessed in the absence of strong dissent.”
”And posted to coincide with his arrival in Nairne,” Saefren concluded.
”So we are now heretics,” murmured Aine, her ruddy complexion for once devoid of color.
Saefren grimaced. ”Or will be in a week's time.”
The girl shot him a sharp glance and he realized that he had crossed over an intangible line between skepticism and acceptance. Once again, she surprised him and did not gloat.