Devan Chronicles Series: Books 1-3 (71 page)

“We thank you for the offer, Lord Meagan, but we have made other arrangements,” Keverin said.

Jihan nodded. “We came primarily to pay our respects to you and your lady, but I wonder if we might discuss something of mutual concern with you while we are here?” He gave Demophon a hard look. “In private.”

“If it regards the voting—”

“It does not,” Jihan said. “I would prefer private, but if you insist on speaking of it here…?”

Meagan looked puzzled. “No, no. If privacy is what you wish, you shall have it. Demophon can show the ladies the way as well as I can.” He turned to his guardsmen. “Dismiss the men, Captain.”

Keverin knew that Julia would prefer to hear what was said, but he would rather she didn’t. Julia had a fiery temper. He didn’t want her using it on Meagan until he was certain it was necessary.

He leaned down to whisper. “I’ll tell you all about it later, I promise.”

Julia’s lips thinned, but she nodded. “I’ll see if the others know anything.”

“Don’t hurt anyone.”

Julia snorted in amusement.

Keverin watched Demophon escort Julia and Ahnao inside. Moriz and Halbert followed Julia like a shadow. “Wait here.”

“Aye m’lord,” Kinnon said.

“I can have refreshments brought to your men if you wish,” Meagan said.

“That won’t be necessary, Meagan, but thank you for the thought.”

Meagan shrugged and led them inside.

* * *

There was something not quite right about Demophon, Julia mused as they made their way deeper into the keep. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but he made her uneasy. It wasn’t anything he had said, but more in the way he said it. Demophon hadn’t named himself a lord—she felt sure Keverin would have acknowledged Demophon as one if he had recognised him—but he acted very much like a lord. And then there was Meagan’s reaction to him. Meagan not only respected Demophon, he treated him as a figure of authority. What that authority was and from where it was derived were the questions on Julia’s mind.

Julia and Ahnao followed Demophon into a crowded room of murmuring people. He paused just inside the door and looked impatiently around the room for the Lady of Herstal. Julia didn’t recognise anyone. A quick check with Ahnao found her friend also unable to name them, but it was obvious by their clothing that they were of noble birth. Considering where she was, Julia judged them to be Meagan’s allies and their consorts. Demophon found the one he was looking for, and quickly led Julia across the room toward a tall woman wearing dark green. Lunetta of Herstal—it was surely she they approached—looked every inch a woman of noble birth and bearing. Julia was very aware of how poorly she compared in her grey riding dress. There was no help for it, but she wished she had come better prepared for this meeting.

“Lady Lunetta, may I present Lady Ahnao of Fortress Malcor and Lady Julia of Fortress Athione?” Demophon said interrupting Lunetta’s conversation with two of her guests. Silence descended over the room and all eyes turned to this new distraction.

Julia surveyed all the staring faces making eye contact with each one and noting those few that did not look guiltily away. She smiled crookedly at the dismissive looks coming from one of the more lavishly attired ladies, which made the woman scowl and flush with anger.

“She doesn’t like you,” Ahnao whispered.

“Lydia doesn’t like anyone, I’m afraid,” Lunetta said

Julia kept her eyes fixed upon the scowling woman and allowed her smile to widen. Lydia’s eyes narrowed at the sight. She whirled away to find the wine. Conversation slowly resumed, but at a much reduced level. Julia was conscious of the eyes warily wandering toward her and then skittering fearfully away again. She tried to ignore them.

“Interesting,” Demophon said in amusement. “Do you know the Lady of Choma, Lady Julia?”

Julia turned her attention away from Lydia and back to Demophon. “We have never met. I know a little of Choma, but not enough to know why she hates me.”

“Not hate,” Lunetta was quick to protest. “I believe she envies you—envies all of us really, for having what she does not.” Lunetta beamed a smile at Julia that made her want to back up. “Let me introduce you to the others.”

“I will leave you in Lady Lunetta’s capable hands,” Demophon said bowing to each of them in turn. “I have some matters to attend to.”

“Oh, leaving so soon? I had hoped speak with you,” Lunetta said.

“Alas, Lady, duty calls.”

“A shame,” Lunetta said watching Demophon exit the room. “He’s a very interesting man once you get beyond his reluctance to talk about himself.”

Julia had also watched Demophon leave. “Who is he?”

“Why, I thought you knew. Demophon is our principle broker…
buyer?
”

“I know what a broker is,” Julia said tartly. “So, Demophon is a merchant is he?”

“He’s much more than any mere merchant. He oversees my lord husband’s interests not only throughout Deva, but also Tanjung and Japura. Through him, we have contracts for our dyes all over Waipara.”

Julia thought of her friend Keef in East Town. He named himself a glass merchant, but almost from the first moment they met, she knew he was more than that. He also had contacts. His
friends
among the artisans sold their work to him, and he sold that work to the wealthy in faraway lands.

“The Protectorate too?”

“Why… yes. I believe he does. Why?”

Julia shrugged. “No reason.”

Lunetta nodded once and led the way to meet her other guests. Scalderon and his lady Cymbeline were first. Julia had to fight hard not to let her temper get the better of her. It was this man who was directly responsible for the suffering in Kirstal.

Scalderon loomed over her. He was almost as tall as Kev. “You don’t look like much.”

“There’s an old saying where I come from, Lord Scalderon. Great things can come in small packages.”

“You call yourself great?”

Julia shook her head. “It’s just a saying, but it’s one worth remembering. Being bigger isn’t the same as being stronger.”

“Humph!” Scalderon snorted. “You’re a fool if you believe that.”

“Perhaps. Navarien certainly believed as you do.”

“Navarien?”

Another of Lunetta’s guests wandered over to join the conversation. “I believe his full title is
General
Navarien,” the newcomer said and inclined his head politely to Ahnao and Julia. “Allow me introduce myself. I am Horton, lord of Choma and this is my lady, Lydia.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Julia said and Ahnao murmured the same greeting. Lydia continued to glare coldly and didn’t speak. “You know of Navarien?”

“His name, and yours lady, are well known. I’m surprised that anyone could fail to recognise the name of the General who led the assault against Athione last year.”

“Some people have short memories,” Julia said with a quick glance up at Scalderon. “They remember only what they want to remember.”

Scalderon scowled.

“As do we all, lady.”

Julia nodded. “Tell me, Lord Scalderon, have you visited Kirstal lately?”

“Kirstal?”

“One of your villages.”

“I know where it is! What has Kirstal to do with anything?”

“We rode through on our way to Devarr. Did you know that your people were under the false impression that the King had ordered heavy taxes levied? They were very upset when we told them the truth. They were all for marching upon Kelvadon to ask you about it. Keverin had to send to the fortress for more guardsmen to prevent any unpleasantness.”

“Keverin has men in Kirstal—
my
Kirstal?”

Julia nodded.

“He goes too
far!
” Scalderon erupted. “How dare he… the utter gall of the man!” He rounded on Horton. “
Now
do you see? He will have us all kneeling before him in chains before he’s done!”

Julia watched in amazement as Scalderon blazed with anger. The reaction was well beyond anything Julia had expected, and she wasn’t the only one to think so. Lord Horton took the liberty of easing Julia away from Scalderon, a fact his lady didn’t like in the least. That Horton did likewise for Lydia just a moment later only seemed to anger her the more.

“Now that’s something you don’t see every day,” Julia said in amazement. Scalderon’s rage was so acute he was red-faced and gasping for breath. He was literally foaming at the mouth! A number of lords hurried forward to calm him.

“You touched a nerve there,” Ahnao said.

“Hmmm. I only said that Keverin had stationed men in Kirstal.”

“Do not concern yourself about that, lady,” Horton said. “It has nothing to do with Kirstal… not directly anyway. This has been building for quite some time. Years at least.”

“What has?”

“Resentment at the way Lord Keverin usurps authority,” Horton said and nodded at Julia’s surprise. “For twenty years the King has been weakening the throne by not exercising his power. Little things at first. He would overlook a lord late with his taxes let’s say, or one who took liberties with crown land, but it didn’t end there. His blindness strengthened The Four, and they have always been high-handed when dealing with the rest of us. The King gave them his authority by failing to use it himself.”

Scalderon calmed enough to drink the glass of wine that Cymbeline pressed upon him and then allowed himself to be talked out of the room. His lady accompanied him followed by one or two of the others lords.

“It looks as if I spoilt the party.”

Horton snorted. “With such company, I would hardly call it a party.”

Julia chuckled. “I agree, but I’m surprised to hear you say it. Forgive me, but you don’t seem the kind of man to be involved with a lord like Scalderon. You don’t even like him. You can’t tell me it serves Choma’s interests to be involved with the likes of a man who half starves his people for profit.”

“Self interest,” Horton mused as he watched his ally leave. “I’m not immune to it, lady. Though I could wish it otherwise, I am not your friend, nor am I your lord’s friend. Good day, ladies.”

Horton left with his lady walking stiffly beside him.

“What do you make of that?”

“I like him,” Ahnao said. “He’s very handsome.”

“Handsome? I suppose,” Julia said not really seeing it. He looked nothing like Kev. “You’re not ready to trade Jihan are you?”

“I said he’s handsome not beautiful!” Ahnao said scornfully. “No one’s as pretty as Jihan.”

Julia nodded.

Lunetta said a word or two to Cymbeline and then came back to her remaining guests. She spoke a moment or two with each of them and conversation resumed. Only then did she rejoin Julia and Ahnao.

“I’m sorry for disturbing your party, Lunetta.”

“I doubt that,” Lunetta said with a smile to take the sting out of her words. “I’m sure if you had the opportunity you would say the same or similar things to Scalderon.”

“As a matter of fact I would,” Julia agreed. “And not only to Scalderon. I saw much worse things in Hringham than in Kirstal.”

Lunetta’s lips thinned. “Hringham has ever been a problem for us. They bring hardship upon themselves by defying my lord husband.”

“Do you truly believe that?”

Uncertainty flickered in Lunetta’s eyes. “He has spoken of it many times. We have few guardsmen, Julia. The villagers know this and take advantage. When our tax collectors visit our holdings, the villagers hide their stock in the hills. We can’t stop them—not everywhere, so we make an example of our most troublesome. Meagan says it has worked too.”

Julia listened to Lunetta’s words knowing they were false, and realised that Lunetta believed what she was saying. There was no guilt in her eyes when Julia looked for it and that made what she was about to do even more difficult.

“Lunetta… I rode through Hringham just a few days ago. The villagers are starving. The children were so thin—”

“You exaggerate. Why would you say such things? Why do you lie to me?”

“They’re not lies—”

“I won’t hear this!” Lunetta said covering her ears. “Meagan said I should be wary, but I didn’t listen. Why would a stranger want to hurt me, I said, but he was right. You are spiteful and… and I think you’re a very bad person so there!”

Silence fell over the room as the lords once again found better entertainment than they could provide for themselves.

“Lunetta…” Julia said but sighed as Lunetta hurried toward the door. “Come on, we better go after her,” she said to Ahnao as she tried to catch the fleeing woman. “Lunetta wait!”

“Lady?” Moriz said from his position outside the door. “Should we stop her?”

“No, we are her guests, but we should follow her. I think she will lead us to Jihan and Kev.”

And so it proved. Lunetta would hear nothing more of Hringham. Julia realised she had lost a potential friend by accusing Meagan of wrongdoing. So be it. It would have been nice to have become friends, but she had always attracted enemies more readily.

Again Moriz and Halbert took station outside of the door, but this time they weren’t alone. Two Herstal guardsmen were already guarding this one and they looked upon the intruders with flat unfriendly eyes. There was a lot of hostility there. It became obvious why when Lunetta opened the door.

* * *

“—will not! I will not be dictated to in this fashion. This isn’t mighty Athione where you can sit in luxury and look down at the rest of us from her lofty towers. This is Herstal, and she is
mine!
You have no right to come here with an army expecting me to kneel before you. You have no right to tell me how to rule my own lands, Sir!”

“And you have no right to treat people like animals!” Keverin snarled. “A Camorin treats a dog better than you treat those people!”

“Hringham is in rebellion!”

“Rebellion! Don’t take me for a fool! Those people couldn’t rebel even if they wanted to. Another tenday would have seen half of them dead!”

“Better that than all of them!” Meagan cried. “The Lord Protectors have lost touch—you don’t understand the rest of us. You and your ten thousand guardsmen patrolling the roads and the country in between. The rest of us have nothing compared to that! Your people remain loyal because they have no choice. Mine do as they cursed well please and laugh in my face because I’m not strong enough to stop them! Well Hringham has stopped them. Let them die if it will save the others.”