Shadowsinger (16 page)

Out of the south came a gentle warm breeze under a sun that hinted that spring might be at last truly on its way. Even a faint scent of warming earth drifted past Secca now and again. Her riding jacket but loosely fastened in the late-morning warmth, Secca rode beside Richina, with Palian and Delvor directly behind them, and with the players following the chief players. There was almost a dek between the last of Secca's force—a company of Delcetta's SouthWomen—and the Dumaran forces, where Fehern rode alongside Halyt in the fore of the Dumaran vanguard.

For the moment, Alcaren rode in the van of Secca's forces, with Wilten, while Delcetta rode behind the last company of Defalkan lancers, from where she could watch the SouthWomen—and Fehern.

“A better morning than most of late,” offered Richina.

“That it is. We should see warmer days in the weeks ahead,” Secca affirmed. “That will be good, since we will doubtless be riding much.”

“That was why you had the lancers take as much provender as we could?”

“One reason.”

“Fehern's men do not seem so heavy laden.”

“It is his land,” said Secca dryly, “and he may have other views of the days ahead. Not everyone trusts a scrying glass as we do.”

“But Fehern wasn't surprised by the scrying glass,” mentioned Richina, riding beside Secca. “And he never even looked at me.”

“Good,” replied Secca. “Still, you must be prepared to use the flame
spell, the short one, against anyone who looks to attack me or Alcaren—or any of the players if I'm not around or occupied.”

“You trust him not at all?”

“I trust no one who comes to power in ways that cannot be seen,” replied Secca, in a low voice. “A viper does not use its fangs but once.”

“Your pardon, Lady Secca…but…if that be the case…?” Richina's eyebrows lifted quizzically.

“What choice have we? If we do not rid Dumar of the Sturinnese, then we will be fighting all of their forces in both Dumar and in Neserea…and, before long, in Ebra once more. For the moment, the Maitre cannot bring more sorcerers and lancers to both Dumar and Neserea. If we can triumph here before summer…then we can travel north to aid Clayre.”

“Could we not…?” Richina glanced back, in the direction of Fehern and the Dumarans.

“Then we might find ourselves fighting both, as we did in Ebra. For the moment…we must only fight the Sturinnese…if they will indeed fight.”

“You do not think that they will march to Hasjyl?”

“Only far enough to make sure that we must maneuver to keep them from taking Envaryl. They will feint, and march south, or north, so that we must either hasten after them, or hold a position. They may send skirmishers or patrols to extend us, but they will try to avoid a full battle.”

“But why? They do not fear you that much, do they?”

“I doubt they fear me at all, but they will be cautious,” Secca replied, with a faint smile. “Let us see what the morrow brings.”

Itzel, Neserea

Belmar pours the dark red wine into the two crystal goblets that sit on the small circular table between the two chairs upholstered in green velvet facing the fire in the hearth of the keep's study, then
seats himself in the vacant chair. “This is good wine. I thought you might appreciate it, master jerGlien.”

“Good wine is always to be appreciated, Lord Belmar.” With a smile, jerGlien lifts the goblet, studying it momentarily. “As is good crystal. Is this from Neserea?”

“Of course. There's a holding east of Sperea where they make it and etch it.” Belmar frowns. “The name escapes me…Lyssin, that's it. The lands were almost part of the holdings Cloftus had. So I suppose they belong to me now…or they will.” He sips the wine. “Why did you ask?”

“It's good enough to be traded anywhere, and fine crystal brings a truly remarkable return in Pelara and even in some parts of the Ostisles.”

“What about in Sturinn?”

“There, too.” The Sturinnese takes a small sip of the wine. “This is good, but it might be too delicate to travel far. Like a beautiful woman, it must be restrained and kept close to home.”

“Speaking of traveling, we ride out a week from now,” Belmar announces, smiling broadly. “All is arranged.” He takes a healthy swallow of wine.

“That did not take you long.”

“Why should it? Chyalar and Motolla are pleased to know that I will be departing, even if they must wait a week. They will be less than pleased that a squad and some of the players are remaining, along with you and a junior captain.” Belmar grins boyishly. “I do look like a junior captain, do I not?”

“By itself, that will not deceive the sorceress.”

“Of course not.” Belmar takes yet another swallow of wine from the crystal goblet. “This is indeed good wine.”

“I fancy the crystal more.” The man in gray gestures for Belmar to continue. “You were saying?”

“In the morning before we leave, we will sing the spell that will create the necessary seemings. Whenever anyone looks for me in a glass, they will find the man who rides my horse or wears my blue tunic.”

“And when you sleep?”

Belmar frowns. “Perhaps I should part with my seal ring.”

“That might be better,” suggests jerGlien. “It will take less sorcery as well, because the ring is associated with you more strongly than are the clothes or the mount. I assume the lancer who will wear it resembles you?”

“He has dark hair and blue eyes, and he was bearded, but will be clean-shaven before dawn. I've told him and those of my personal guard
who will accompany him that we will be rejoining them in a few days, but that we have a dangerous mission that can best be accomplished with but a handful of lancers.” The Lord of Worlan laughs. “All that is true, so far as it goes.”

“What of the Sorceress of Defalk?”

“The glass shows that she remains in Nysl's hold, using her glass to follow us. Much good it will do her.”

“I had thought she might have acted by now,” muses the man in gray.

“Perhaps she has received some word from Lord Robero?”

“It is too soon for such, I would judge. He must be persuaded with great patience and the greatest of care. As you must be when the lady Clayre confronts you.”

“So I will be, timid as she has been in coming against us.”

“Timid? Or careful?”

“There are times when there is little difference. Fortune favors the bold now.”

“So it does. So it does,” replies jerGlien with a hearty laugh.

Belmar laughs as well, then takes another sip of the wine, stretching slightly, and enjoying the warmth of the fire.

Unnoticed by the younger man, jerGlien has scarcely drunk any of the dark red vintage.

In the midafternoon light, with the sun falling on her back with welcome warmth, Secca reined up on the low rise looking out over the rough and rocky hills east of Hasjyl.

“Lady?” asked Wilten, also reining up beside her and gesturing toward the lancers waiting on the road to her left.

“Have them remain mounted for a bit. I'll need to check the glass.”

The overcaptain nodded.

Secca turned the gray mare and looked toward Palian and Delvor.
“Keep them close. I don't think they'll need to play, but we'll have to see.”

“We stand ready.”

Still mounted, Secca eased the gray around and studied the terrain to the east again. The road wound downhill—and was empty. As far as she could see to the east, there was no one on the dirt track, and not even a sign of dust. A wry smile crossed her face.

“You're scarcely surprised, are you?” asked Alcaren. He and Richina had halted their mounts behind Secca.

“I'd have been surprised if there
had
been any sign of the Sturinnese.”

“Where do you think they are?” asked Richina.

“They could be waiting along the river road. They could have headed south to try to go around us. Or they could have split their forces.”

Alcaren nodded. “If they split…then they think that they could attack successfully with whichever force you do not engage.”

“That is if they believe I am the sole sorceress.”

“Why would they think otherwise?” asked Richina.

“All it would take would be for one of them to see you in a glass singing and playing.”

“They might still think that I was merely accompanying you,” Richina pointed out. “No one knows of me, not beyond our lancers and a few armsmen in Ebra.”

“And Haddev,” suggested Secca. “But your point is well taken. Haddev would say little, and few in Liedwahr wish to speak openly of sorceresses.”

“Haddev…that seems years ago,” mused Richina.

Secca hoped so. She dismounted and unstrapped the lutar and leather-wrapped traveling glass. “Best we see which before Fehern arrives.”

“He is about a dek behind Delcetta's rear guard,” noted Alcaren, who had also dismounted.

Richina belatedly followed their example, then led the three mounts to Gorkon, for the lancer to hold the reins and watch.

Secca quickly tuned the lutar while Alcaren unwrapped the mirror and set it on a flat section of grass on top of its leather wrappings. Then she sang the spell Alcaren had used earlier.

The map displayed by the glass showed the Sturinnese in two places. The larger force, from the size of the pulsing star, perhaps as many as fortyscore, looked to be roughly ten deks southeast of where her forces were and upon the south road that circled Hasjyl. Secca noted that a short and narrow road appeared to head due west and intersect the route that had brought the Defalkan and SouthWomen forces to Envaryl.

“That will take them days to reach Envaryl,” Alcaren observed.

“If that is indeed what they have in mind.”

The smaller group of Sturinnese lancers—if a group larger than the Defalkan and Dumaran lancers together could be called small—had ridden due north, or so it seemed, from their last encampment.

“They are headed for the trade pass,” Secca said, immediately singing the release couplet, since she did not want to hold the image any longer than she needed to.

“To use sorcery to block it, you think?” asked Richina.

“I would judge so.” Alcaren looked at Secca. “If you use sorcery to clear the pass, it will take longer and weaken you for several days—and that would be after fighting our way to the pass.”

“They don't want you to go to Neserea, do they?” Richina glanced back along the road, which followed the ridgeline from Hasjyl. The outbuildings of the town were more than two deks back to the west and barely visible against the hazy horizon. “Here comes Lord Fehern. He's riding a trace faster.”

“He would, now that he knows the Sturinnese are nowhere around.” Secca's tone was biting.

Richina tilted her head slightly in puzzlement.

“If they were near, we'd have drawn up in battle formation, and the players would be tuning,” the older sorceress explained. She finished repacking the mirror and handed it to Alcaren, who fastened it behind Secca's saddle. The gray mare raised her head slightly from nibbling at the dry grass, then lowered it again.

Secca crossed the grass that crackled under her boots, releasing dustlike particles that drifted down in the still air, and took the gray's reins from Gorkon. “Thank you. It looks as though we will not fight today. Nor tomorrow, probably.”

Gorkon smiled. “We can wait.”

Secca wondered if they could…and how long. She climbed into the saddle, conscious once again that, unlike the long-legged Richina, she had to climb every time she mounted. Then she turned the gray and eased her mount back toward the road to wait for the approaching Lord High Counselor of Dumar. Alcaren and Richina remounted and fol
lowed her, then halted their mounts at the south shoulder of the road behind Secca.

All three watched as Fehern neared, then reined up a good five yards short of Secca, Halyt beside him.

“The Sturinnese do not appear to be anywhere close to here.” Fehern looked theatrically to the east.

“Since morning they have changed their path and split their forces,” Secca said. “One group is headed north, toward the trade pass to Neserea. The other has taken the road you mentioned, the one that circles Hasjyl to the south.”

“And whatever group we pursue, the other will act unopposed?”

“That would seem to be their aim,” Secca admitted.

“What will you do, Lady Sorceress? We cannot ride across Dumar chasing them.”

Secca knew that all too well. “No. That is what they want.” She smiled politely. “I had thought that was possible. Now we know, and we will act accordingly.”

“And how might that be?”

“Finding a different way to reach them and destroy them. Do you have another idea?”

Fehern's eyes shifted past Secca's shoulder, looking beyond the sorceress. “Your…handmaiden…she is most comely,” Fehern murmured.

Secca understood all too well what Fehern meant. “She is indeed. She also comes from one of the more powerful families of the Thirty-three.” Secca smiled warmly. “If you would like to consider her as a consort, Lord Fehern, I am sure both Lord Robero and Lady Dinfan would entertain your request.”

“Dinfan? That is not a name I recall,” replied the dark-haired lord smoothly.

“The demesne of Suhl,” Secca added. “Her father is also the brother of Lord Birfels, who holds Abenfel.”

“Ah…yet she travels with you?”

“Her parents believe she has much to learn.” Secca smiled again. “We should repair back to Hasjyl, where the lancers and players can find some quarters. We will leave sentries posted here and overlooking the south road.” She paused but briefly. “We will watch the Sturinnese and work out a way to trap them. Then, we will meet early in the morning to discuss it with you.” Secca forced yet another smile. “I trust that will meet with your approval?”

“I am not terribly interested in plans, Lady Sorceress. I need results to reclaim my land.”

“I need results as well, Lord Fehern. It is difficult to obtain them if one does not plan well. I look forward to your thoughts, and, if you have a better battle plan, to hearing it.”

Fehern offered a smile barely more than polite. “Halyt and I will be there, wherever you are.”

“We look forward to seeing you.”

After a barely perceptible bow, Fehern turned his mount.

Secca kept a polite smile on her face.

“He would have liked to have cut you down in the saddle, dearest lady,” Alcaren murmured once Fehern was a good hundred yards away on the road back to Hasjyl.

“I know. I'm not charging off and immediately slaying the Sturinnese and handing Dumar back to him, and I'm not turning Richina over to him for his pleasure. So he's angry.”

“He is also worried.”

“That is more to be concerned over than is his anger,” Secca admitted.

The three watched as the Dumaran lancers turned and began to retrace their route back to Hasjyl.