Part 26 (1/2)
28.
WEI, NORDWEI.
Ashtaar glances at the black agate oval, then at Gretslen, who sits in the chair before the flat desk. ”Send a message scroll to Menares.”
”He has not acknowledged any previous instructions and messages, and he fears the soprano sorceress so greatly that he will not admit to receiving anything from Wei.” The blonde seer's voice is matter-of-fact.
”His fear of her is exactly what I am counting on.” The spymistress smiles. ”Ehara is being courted by the Sea-Priests. What can we do about it?”
”There is little we can do, not with the Bitter Sea yet frozen, not until the spring gathering.”
”We can ensure that she knows.” Gretslen frowns.
”Do we want the Sea-Priests to get a foothold in Dumar, and then in Ranuak?” Ashtaar sighs. ”I should not explain, but I will. Ehara reckons to use the Sea-Priests' coin to take over the south of Defalk. He sends arms and golds to Lord Dencer. What the ambitious-or desperate- Lord Ehara does not know is that the Sea-Priests will cast him aside as they can, and Dumar will become where their s.h.i.+ps port in Liedwahr. First will come their control of the wool trade, and then of the grain.”
”You think the sorceress can do aught about this?”
”If she knows that Lord Dencer is receiving golds from Ehara, she must act. Provided she knows this is happening-”
”Menares will not tell her.”
”Oh, but he must. Should she ever discover that he knew of the threat and did not inform her, what would his life be worth? No, she would not kill him. She would do worse. She would send him back to Neserea, or to Wei.” Ashtaar picks up the stone that is deeper and blacker than night. ”Draft the scroll. I would see it by evening.”
”As you wish, mightiness.” Gretslen's voice remains neutral.
”You doubt my desire to warn her? Even the Council would not. With a known danger in Dencer and Ehara, she will not move north. Nor can she consider taking territory in Ebra. She is strong enough to bring down Ehara, one way or another, and that will bring her into conflict with both Konsstin and the Sea-Priests.”
”And you feel that she will use her sorcery against them?”
”She will not have any choice,” predicts Ashtaar, glancing down at the black agate oval she holds. ”She never has had that choice. Nor do we.”
”Why can she not see what we see? She is a greater sorceress than any of us...”
”How many seers do you have in the tower, Gretslen?”
”Five, besides myself,” admits the blonde.
Ashtaar smiles. ”There is but one of the sorceress, and she needs must hold her strength for the mighty works required of her. Also, strength is not skill. There is much she does not know, much she cannot yet know.”
Gretslen frowns momentarily, smoothing the expression away before Ashtaar looks up.
”Draft the scroll.”
29.
In the bright midmorning spring suns.h.i.+ne, Anna eased Farinelli to a halt on the rutted and packed clay of the road that led to the bridge across the Synor River. She smiled, glad that she could see again, undoubted, unimpaired. Two days of rest had helped, Can you count on days of rest after every major bit of sorcery? She pushed the thought away.
On her right rode Liende, as her chief player. On the left rode Jecks, and immediately behind them, Alvar and Jimbob. A faint line of clouds rose on the southern horizon, but the skies overhead were clear, and a light and pleasant breeze gusted out of the south.
”There is the bridge,” Jecks announced.
”It looks as rickety as Halde and everyone said,” the blonde and youthful-looking regent acknowledged.
”It has served for many years,” Jecks said.
”It won't serve us that many more. Not unless the river goes dry,” Anna answered. She glanced at the road and the bridge aghin, then toward Alvar. ”Let's keep everyone back from the bridge until I'm done.
Send a squad across the bridge to the other side. When they get there, have them set up a post...”
”A picket tine?”
”A picket line a good hundred yards from the bridge.” Anna cleared her throat, hoping the spring tree pollen wasn't going to trigger her allergies. Brill's youth sorcery hadn't done anything for that. ”The last thing we need is someone trying to cross a bridge while I'm trying to replace it.”
”Yes, Lady Anna.” The swarthy captain nodded and turned his mount away, riding back toward the lancers who had halted perhaps five yards behind the players, in turn five yards behind Anna and Liende.
Jimbob eased his mare up beside his grandsire.
”Liende?” asked Anna. ”Would you have the players wait here for a moment? I need to see where I want you all to play. It may take me a little bit to get ready, but I hope it won't be too long.”
”We stand ready” Liende nodded.
Anna flicked the reins gently, and let Farinelli carry her off the road and closer to the edge of the slight bank overlooking the lowland and the river itself.
When she reined up, to her right was the low timber structure that had served as the main crossing of the Synor for more than fifty deks. The last scattered houses of the eastern-most part of Cheor lay a good two deks westward, along the road she had just traveled from Synfal.
While the Falche-to the west of Cheor-was wider than at Falcor, and much wider to the southwest after it was joined by the Synor, the Synor itself was a narrow river. The water flowing under the old bridge wasn't much more than twenty yards wide, with gra.s.ses and rushes extending a few yards beyond. As Jecks had pointed out, though, for the forty deks upstream of Cheor the Synor ran deep enough that it was well over the head of even a mounted rider, with several yards to spare.
Despite the flatness of the land, she had noted that there were scattered boulders, some sizable, along the river. probably either from beneath the delta or carried downstream over time. She was counting on there being enough for her sorcery. Otherwise... she shook her head. You do what you can.
Anna continued to survey the river and the bridge, pondering how the old timber bridge had lasted. She thought she could see it waver even as her lancers crossed it and then set up a picket line to keep the road and bridge clear.
Farinelli whuffed and sidestepped as Jecks eased his mount up beside Anna. Jimbob halted his mare slightly farther back.
”Are you sure this is wise?” Jecks frowned.
”We don't have any battles to fight. I have a set of players, and that means I'm not doing it all myself.
And that bridge is the key to all the lands in the south of Defalk, isn't it?”
”Except for Morra, that is true. Still, your bridge will also let an enemy march north to Falcor.”
Anna smiled.grimly. ”If an enemy gets that far, we won't be around to worry.”