Part 82 (1/2)
Anna refrained from swallowing. Hanfor had always agreed with her strategies to minimize death, carnage, and general mayhem. Now, he was suggesting obliterating a town whose major crime was harboring the former Lord of Dumar.
”Every war must have a battle, preferably a great battle, to mark its end. We cannot hazard a battle, and so we must have great destruction, destruction so great that all in Dumar will understand the folly of crossing the sorceress of Defalk. There must be a single... destruction ...a monument ... so vast that none can deny your power.” Hanfor swallowed. ”This I like little, but I have watched and I have listened. Men are not as we would like; they respect but force, and you must supply that force if you are to gain the respect you will need to enforce peace.”
As if to punctuate the arms commander's words, a volIcy of a dozen arrows or so arched out from the walls, falling several hundred yards short of where the three- and Anna's guards-surveyed the town.
Anna looked at the arrows falling harmlessy into the gra.s.s, then at Hanfor. ”Lord Jecks said that, too, you know. Or something like that.”
”Lord Jecks has seen more of those in power than have I, lady. In that, I would respect him.”
”I have to respect your judgments, Hanfor, and those of Lord Jecks. I don't like them, but I respect them.”
Again...it's back to force, violence, power. Not reason, not common sense, not decency... but power. . .
force of arms, force of sorcery....
Anna took another look at Envaryl, then glanced northward, but the pair of refugees had vanished over the low hills. Finally, she nodded curtly. ”Fine. Let's get on with it. Summon the players. Ehara-and the lords of Dumar- and of Defalk-will learn.” Dissonance, will they learn...arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. If you want force...you'll see force.
Hanfor bowed his bead.
”I'll need something to eat and drink while the players and the rest of the armsmen gather. We can do it from here. There's no sense in moving close enough for them to hit us with those arrows.” She looked from Hanfor to Alvar and back again.
Both veterans looked away from her.
Somehow, the way she felt, it didn't surprise her. She turned Farinelli and rode back down to the depression on the other side of the bill where she dismounted. Rickel and Lejun arrayed the guards around her in a wide circle, deploying two on the hillside above as lookouts or scouts. Neither guard spoke as she handed Lejun Farinelli's reins.
She patted the gelding, At least, he didn't look at her in reproach.
Standing by Farinelli, who had lowered his head to sample the lush gra.s.s, she pulled out the provisions bag and searched for some of the less-aged yellow brick cheese they'd picked up in one of the towns along the river road. Had it been Jusuul? Or Penilirk? Or Genwal? Or another town whose name she hadn't even noted?
She bit into the hard cheese savagely. After several mouthfuls, she broke off a crust of bread, a dry rye- like bread that scattered crumbs everywhere. Two bites of bread, and she had to moisten her mouth with a swallow from the water bottle.
Anna turned as Liende rode up and halted beside Rickel. The sorceress licked her lips of the crumbs and took another swallow of water.
”Good morning, Lady Anna.” Liende dismounted, but remained holding her horse's reins when she faced the sorceress.
”Good morning, Liende. Well ...it's morning, anyway.” Anna cleared her throat. ”We have work to do.”
”Will you wish the flame song, or the armsman seeking song?”
Anna shook her head. ”Today... today I will need the battle hymn.”
”We have not played that spellsong in weeks, Regent.” Liende's face blanked.
'I know. You can gather your players, and practice for a time-on the hilltop there.” Anna offered a grim smile as she pointed westward toward the top of the slope she had ridden down. ”I hope it will be the last time we have to use it.” You hoped that the last time, and here you are ...again. How many more times?
”You are regent, Lady Anna, and we are your players.”
”1 wish it didn't have to be this way,” Anna said. Does it? Does it really? ”But Ehara began this war with blood and treachery.” The regent shrugged. ”I can't offer him mercy-nor those who still follow his treachery.”
Liende nodded, a nod that was acknowledgment, but not agreement. ”We will make ready.”
”Thank you.”
”We are your players, lady and regent.” Liende inclined her head.
Anna nodded. ”You may go.”
After Liende remounted, Anna finished the last of the hard yellow cheese, and the bread. Another swallow from the water bottle, and she replaced the water bottle and began to warm up.
”Muueee, muece...”
After three notes, she coughed up some mucus. She resumed the vocalise, but only for another handful of notes before her voice cut out. She cleared her throat, and tried again, pus.h.i.+ng back the battered brown felt hat. It was going to be a long warm-up, not surprisingly, because she was agitated, and agitation and tenseness didn't help the asthma that Brill's youth spell hadn't removed either.
Anna felt as though the warm-up had taken her nearly a gla.s.s, by the time her cords and throat were clear. She remounted slowly, her eyes going toward the west, where the clouds continued to build. Rickel and Lejun eased up beside her as she rode back to the low hillcrest, the intermittent sun falling on her back, nearly a score of mounted guards around her.
At the top of the rise, she slowed, then reined up, her eyes on the walls to the west. Envaryl remained the same, the gates closed, the town apparently still, the crimson banners billowing now and again in the gusting winds. Ehara remained barricaded inside the yellow-brick walls, waiting for the worst, unwilling to surrender, unwilling to flee.
The players, standing on the gra.s.s to Anna's right and facing the town, were in the middle of the warm-up song. None looked in Anna's direction.
Hanfor eased his mount beside Anna, and Rickel and Lejun moved forward, their s.h.i.+elds up. Anna touched the small ensorcelled s.h.i.+eld in the holder by her knee, trying to sense any draw of sorcerous power from her, then straightened in the saddle.
”Arms Commander,” she said ”Lady and Regent.”
Hanfor's eyes met hers, and Anna could see the darkness behind them. She wondered if her own eyes held that blackness, and feared that they did, and that the darkness would only increase over the years.
”Lord Ehara will not come forth,” Hanfor said quietly. ”That would give you honor.”
”And if I destroy Envaryl?” she asked. ”Will that dishonor me and Defalk?”
”No.” The arms commander shook his head. ”You will triumph by force of might, and all will understand.”
Anna wanted to scream in frustration. To save lives she was going to have to butcher a town. To save women from chains, she was going to have to kill some of those same women. So why should you be differernt? Military leaders had made those decisions for centuries. ”Because,” she murmured under her breath, ”I didn't want to be a military leader.” You still chose, and you have to pay. Lord, she was always paying, and if she said any thing out loud...well, everyone would think that the regent was self-pitying and self-indulgent.
A low rumble of thunder echoed in from the west, and the breeze stiffened. The crimson banners above the closed south gates of Envaryl flew free in the wind.
To her right, the players started the battle hymn, raggedly at first, and then with greater intensity, as if the stirring music helped focus them.
When they finished, Anna glanced at Hanfor, nodded and rode toward the waiting players.
Liende inclined her head. ”We stand ready, Regent.”
”Liende, the battle hymn.”
”There is a storm nearing... Lady Anna.” Liende looked at Anna, almost pleading.
”I know, chief player. Have them play the battle song.” There won't be enough left of Ehvaryl or Ehara to... To what? Does it matter? ”It has to be this way.” She shook her head. ”Just have them ready to play the battle hymn when I signal.”
”Yes, Regent.” Liende looked down.
With a barely concealed sigh, Anna dismounted and handed Farinelli's reins to one of the newer guards- Junert. The armsman took them without meeting her eyes. The sorceress walked to the open s.p.a.ce in front of the players. A drop of rain spattered against Anna's cheek.