Part 36 (2/2)
”You mean...” Anna shook her head. ”I'm sorry. I'm afraid I didn't explain this well. Lord Jecks is the lord of Elheld; Jimbob will someday hold Elheld, but right now, he is the legal Lord of Synfal. The people have to get used to him, and he has to understand what is involved. You manage people well, and that is something that he must learn...”
”You think too highly of me,” Herstat protested.
”I know what people say, and what I feel.” Anna looked at Jimbob and then at Herstat. ”There are a couple of rules I will insist on. First, as I told you earlier, Jimbob, until you are of age, you will never contradict Herstat or question his actions or judgments in any public place. You can certainly ask questions-that's how you learn-but only in private chambers, never where you will be overheard.” Her eyes went to the youth. ”Is that clear?”
”Yes, lady.” Jimbob nodded, the nod conveying that he understood also that Anna wanted all parties to know the rules.
”Second, if you strongly disagree with an action Herstat has taken, you will talk first with your grandsire.
If he feels it is necessary, he will come to me.” Anna turned to Herstat. ”You may and should suggest actions to Lord Jimbob. If he fails to learn skills or acts in a way that would hurt the holding, you, or him self, you are to let Lord Jecks know immediately. If you feel that Lord Jecks is unable to deal with the situation, you will come to me. Is that clear?”
Herstat nodded. ”Yes, lady.”
Anna frowned. She really didn't want to tell Herstat how to manage anything. He'd clearly done well enough, ”The real point of this arrangement is for you, Herstat, to help Jimbob learn all the aspects of being a lord and landholder.” She turned to the redhead. ”And to keep you from making too many mistakes.”
”Yes, Lady Anna.”
”Finally, I don't expect you two to come to Lord Jecks or me often.” Anna offered a wry smile.
Herstat nodded. ”I am at your wishes, lady.''
”Yes, Lady Anna,” said Jimbob earnestly.
”There's one last thing,” Anna said. ”No...no more sermons. It's the acting saalmeister-Halde.” Her eyes went to Herstat. ”He knows how the holding runs as well as anyone could. I've directed him to give you every a.s.sistance, and when we're done here, I'll formally introduce you. His problem is that he thinks everyone is like he is. That is, he understands and does what is necessary. I'm sure he gets impatient when people don't understand, or don't want to do their jobs, and I suspect his first thought is to punish. I've asked him to watch you, and learn, and I'm going to ask you to offer quiet suggestions. I'd like to use him elsewhere, but he needs to learn more about people.”
Herstat half smiled. ”You do not offer easy tasks, lady.”
”No. None of our tasks are easy.” She grinned at Jimbob. ”Last set of old people's sayings. Some people will try to flatter you, to tell you how important you are.” She paused, trying to come up with the right words. ”How important am I?”
”You...? You are very important.”
Anna waited.
”The most important person in Defalk, lady?”
She shrugged. ”I don't know about that.” She opened the green s.h.i.+rt enough to show the still-purpled bruise and scar. ''People have tried to kill me, and they almost succeeded several times. Do you know why they didn't, young Jimbob?”
”You're too strong.”
She shook her head. ”I would have died three times, at least, if people hadn't made a lot of effort to save me. I'm not perfect.” Is that an understatement! ”But I was able to treat enough people well enough that they cared. No one... no one.” she repeated, ”is strong enough to survive without the help of others. You have to learn how to make others want to help you. It's not something you can order them to do. And even if you could,” she finished, ”how could they help you if you're too wounded or tired or far away to give them orders?” She didn't know how much, if any of it, Jimbob would retain, but she'd had to try.
After another short silence, she said, ”Time to introduce Herstat to Halde.” And then to work out the last details of the violence ahead.
She smiled, instead of taking the long deep sigh she felt like taking. ”I hope your trip wasn't too tiring, Herstat''
”No, Lady Anna. We missed the rains, or most of them.”
”You were lucky,” said Jimbob. ”We got a whole sky full of rain ... for days.”
Anna and Jecks locked eyes, and Jecks nodded almost imperceptibly.
So far. . . so good Until we have to meet Sargol, and Gylaron... and Dencer.
One problem perhaps solved, and three more to go. Just about the way her entire life had gone.
42.
After looking back at the solid bridge over the Synor, Anna gave Farinelli a hearty thump on the neck.
”We did a good job there, fellow.”
The gelding whuffed, as much of a mutter as anything else.
”I know. Bridges aren't your thing.” She just hoped she'd be as successful in dealing with the rebellious southern lords as she had been in rebuilding bridges.
On the flat and dusty road eastward, empty once they were more than a dek from the bridge. Anna s.h.i.+fted her weight in the saddle. She hadn't been riding recently, and she was going to be stiff again. She couldn't keep up with being in practice for much of anything, it seemed. That aspect of her life hadn't changed. It had been like that when she'd been teaching, and it was worse in Liedwahi.
The road was wide enough for three riders, and Hanfor rode on her left, silent, thoughts hidden behind blank eyes.
”A solid piece of work, Lady Anna,” agreed Jecks from the chestnut he rode beside her.
”I wish I could do more. Too many of the roads and bridges...” She shook her head. She could only do what she could do, and that wasn't near enough.
”You will have time,” Jecks promised.
Anna nodded, not convinced. She should have been able to make blades, but the second and third trials produced no better results than the first. Maybe she just didn't have the right feel for blades.
Her eyes flicked to the road ahead, the same road she'd ridden weeks earlier, right into an ensorcelled crossbow bolt. This time, she was better prepared, but so probably was Sargol-and Gylaron and Dencer.
”Good hearty day,” observed Jecks, half turning in the saddle and then turning back, as though he'd belatedly realized that Jimbob was not with them. ”Not all that hot yet.”
Anna blotted her forehead. She could hardly wait for weather Jecks would call hot. Even with the Evult' s drought clearly broken, full summer was on its way, and it promised to be hot-again. Even for Jecks.
Was there some connection between hot weather and war? Good dry roads? Lack of illness and hunger?
A puff of dust appeared on the road ahead. As they rode on eastward, Anna could make out the figures of a horse and cart.
”A peasant heading to market in Cheor, no doubt,” suggested Hanfor.
”There is no one behind him,” Jecks said.
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