The King's Peace (52 page)

"Is that why you let Chanerig fight their gods?" I asked.

"Well." He looked uncomfortable and shifted his weight a little on the bench. "Yes. He'd converted the queen's father already, Allel, so it wasn't quite as—it didn't seem as bad as it might. I didn't think it would work the way it did, and Chanerig was so eager to try it, and I was ready to try anything that would be likely to make a change." He offered me the jug, and when I had filled my goblet he lifted it to his lips and drank deeply from it. "I can see why you'd be upset, eh? But I've never been much for matters of the gods, not back in Narlahena and not here. I'm not saying I'd have let Chanerig chase out the gods of my people, maybe, but these were stranger gods to me, and anyway I took the pebble years ago to shut Amala up."

"But what did you think would happen?"

"I thought he'd convert a few of their land gods and cause problems here and there. I thought it might help if they weren't all agreeing about consulting their oracle-priests.

Also I thought it might maybe stir up trouble in Oriel. We'd never once managed to meet on a battlefield in all that time. But what did happen, well, it was amazing. I was standing right behind him with my ax, the whole time, ready to save his life if need be, but I didn't once wet it. He took off his shirt and stood bare-chested with his pebble on. Then he watched the sun go down and lit the fire. This was on the festival of Bel, did I say? All at once they came swarming, gods and spirits, strange shapes like something out of a dream.

They came rushing and howling in from all over the landscape, tall ones like trees and wet ones like streams and bright proud ones shining, men and women, young and old. There were cats with huge eyes and giants and little gnomes, swarms of bees, great bears, everything you ever heard about in a fireside story and didn't want to believe."

It might have been because I was tired or it might have been the drink, but I could almost see them as he described them. I took another mouthful of the summer-tasting mead. "There were so many of them the place was full, all except the circle where Chaneng was standing, with me right behind him. They came forward one at a time and he wrestled them. Some he wrestled with force, beating them to the ground. I taught him to fight myself when he was a boy. Others he fought with words out of his holy books.

Others argued endlessly, but always they gave way and another came forward. Most of them he wrestled. The cat he squeezed the life out of. There were people there, too, pressing
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round, but there were so many land gods they couldn't get anywhere near.

Towards dawn the High Gods came striding in, tall and brave, and I thought he was done for.

Chanerig clutched his pebble and shouted at them to praise the White God or leave, and they just faded away in the dawnlight. That scared even me. I was tired by then. All night I stood ready with my ax, and sometimes I shifted my weight a little to one foot and then again the other. Then when the sun was up they were all gone, and Chanerig sat on the ground, exhausted.

The people rushed up then with weapons, ready to kill him where he sat. Then I took one step forward with my ax, and they looked at him and at me.

They'd seen the whole night, too. They just looked, and they saw I was ready to fight them all if need be, and then they turned and slunk away."

I shook my head in wonder and took another drink. "He was still wrong to do it."

"Yes, well," Thurrig rumbled. "I wouldn't have let him try if I'd known what would come of it, all this invading and settling and war in Demedia." He picked up the pig's foot and sucked the sweet meat from between the bones.

"What's this I hear about a massacre?" I asked.

"That was Marchel's idiocy," he said, sounding angry. He banged the pig's foot down again.

"Did she never listen to me? Bringing disgrace on my name. I gave her a piece of my mind. I've left her up in Wenlad to see if that will cool her down a bit, she wanted to come here or go back to Caer Gloran, but I wouldn't let her. Isarnagans might be no use for anything— they'll just argue until you're hoarse and never get anything done. But butchering them when they've surrendered, that's wrong, however annoying they are."

"She killed them after they surrendered?" I was horrified. "What did she think she was doing?"

"She had the ala and they were retreating to their ships," Thurrig said, looking grim. "I had finally got out of the island and just happened to be coming along as she was fighting them.

We were in our ships, of course, and their ships were still on the beach, so we came up behind them and fired burning arrows into them. They were surrendering on the shore, but before I could get there Marchel and her ala had put them all to the sword."

"But nobody will ever surrender to us again!" I said, appalled. "How could she?"

"She said nobody would know, they were all dead. Cadraith was well behind, his ala had been chasing them, but they hadn't come up, so it was only her and me and our people. But that's no use, the armigers all know, they did it. I know. I'm not telling everyone, but I'm going to tell Urdo and see what he wants to do about it. I hope I can persuade him to be merciful. She lost her temper, I think, that's all there is to it, but it won't do at all."

"Urdo will—" I trailed off. I'd been going to say he'd kill her, and it occurred to me that he very well might. That was against the usage of war. Thurrig shook his head at me.

Elenn came up on the other side of Thurrig and perched on the bench.

"Elenn, my queen, as beautiful as ever," he said, and stood up to bow in the Malmish way, arms at his sides.

She smiled graciously as he sat down again. Then she leaned towards him confidentially and asked quietly "Have you seen Urdo?"

Thurrig shook his head. "Isn't he here? I assumed he was asleep just now. I haven't seen a hair of him, and we've come down just now from Caer Asgor by way of Thansethan. We've not been rushing, but if he's still on the road from Demedia, he's not within a day's ride north of here." He frowned. "What are you going to do if he's late?

Postpone the feast?"

"Hold it anyway," Elenn said, looking very determined. I raised my eyebrows. Urdo's letter to her had been very thick, perhaps it had contained specific instructions. "Thank you, Thurrig, Sulien." She got up and walked back to the others, leaving us to shrug at each other.

Thurrig lowered his voice. "How can we hold a feast of Urdo's Peace if he isn't here?"

I shook my head. "I hope Elenn knows what she's doing," I said.

—31—

The Three Greatest Joys Anyone Can Know

Winning great fame, making a child and coming home again.

— Triads of Tir Tanagiri

"More like a month after midwinter than a month before," Beris said, loudly and cheerfully, making my head ring.

I grunted, concentrating on getting my wrist straps tight. The ordinary smell and close air of the stables made my stomach churn. Starlight was saddled and ready and some of the hunting party were already starting to lead their horses out.

"Sulien doesn't want sunshine this morning," ap Cathvan said, laughing. He was leaning on the side of a stall, looking revoltingly healthy. I looked again—when had he got all that grey in his hair?

"You should have drunk milk before you went to bed," Beris said, eyeing me sympathetically.

I sighed. "I was up late, that's all, I'm a bit tired this morning."

"Up late drinking mead with Thurng?" ap Cathvan asked, though he clearly knew already.

"That's what I heard."

"Mead can be terribly deceptive stuff," Beris agreed, shaking her head. "It's the sweetness. You should always drink water before bed, or milk if you can get it. Goat's milk is best, of course, but cow's milk is better than water and water is better than nothing."

I ignored them and pulled on my gloves. That they were right and I had drunk too much the night before didn't make me feel any better. Thurng had wanted to drink, and the later part of the evening was not clear in my mind. He kept talking about what Marchel had been like as a child and muttering about massacres. He'd never once said what he might do, though, if Urdo executed her. If he'd said he'd take the fleet and sail away to Narlahena, I'd have known he wouldn't really do it, but he'd never exactly said it.

Starlight put her head down and whuffed at me. I realized that Bens and ap Cathvan were waiting for me.

"I could get you some goat's milk now?" Bens offered. My stomach heaved at the idea.

"No," I said. "But if you want to be a nursemaid, Cinon is hunting with us today. You can be his guard." Her expression clearly showed that she would have liked to protest the order, but she said nothing. I suppose there would have been more tactful ways to put it, and it wasn't that unpleasant a job. I took a breath and tried to soften it slightly. "Did I accidentally say latrine duty?" I asked. "Looking after Cinon's not punishment, it's an honor; the queen asked me specially to choose someone who was sensible and a first-rate rider."

I took up Starlight's reins and led the way out of the stables. The grass crunched with frost underfoot. The sun was rising out of the mists on the river, sending out agonizingly bright spears of light over the woods of Aylsfa on the eastern bank. The pale dawn sky seemed to arch high above instead of hanging a spear's length above the trees the way it usually did.

I could still hear Beris and ap Cathvan talking as they led their horses over the grass behind.

"Joined the ala to keep my husband in line," Beris was complaining, for the thousandth time. "Didn't know it would be like this. Nursemaid Cinon! I heard about what happened with Second Pennon. Please tell me Cinon's not an idiot like Custennin?"

"Nothing like as bad," ap Cathvan replied reassuringly. "He knows horses, and hunting.

He's not an armiger, but he knows which end of a spear is which. There's nothing wrong with him at all. I'll take you over and introduce you."

There seemed to be too many people clustered down by the ferry. I squinted, but there were still too many. It looked as if the sunshine had brought half the town out of their beds and
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down to see us off. Elenn was there, wearing a dark green overdress fastened with gold shoulder pins. She was smiling at Cinon and leaning towards him. She almost always came down to bid us farewell and good luck. She was resting one hand on her hound, a great brindled Isarnagan bitch who came up to Elenn's shoulder. She would go hunting with the other dogs, though Elenn rarely rode out herself.

Near the queen stood Linwen, and Custennin, and Rowanna, talking to Father Gerthmol. Even Morien was there, standing with Mardol the Crow. Why were so many kings up so early? There were so many people out that one of the more enterprising shopkeepers who sold hot chestnuts and hot spiced cider in the town had brought out his brazier and was doing a good trade.

I made my way through the crowd, being greeted by friends here and there. Angas's young brother Morthu dodged past me with a shellful of chestnuts, almost bumping into me. He would be joining the ala soon, and I almost spoke to him, but let him go. I caught sight of Masarn buying chestnuts with his wife and children, the youngest standing up precariously, clutching the knee of Masarn's tunic. I made my way towards them, refusing several offers of chestnuts and cider on the way. As I came up the little one sat down unexpectedly with a bump and Masarn hfted him up in his arms, diverting an incipient howl with a practiced joggle.

"What are you doing out of bed when you don't have to be?" I asked. His wife smiled shyly at me and straightened the hat on one of the children. She was a quiet little woman and I never knew what to say to her. I smiled politely back at her.

Masarn laughed. "You look as if you didn't want to get up yourself," he said. "It looked to be a clear morning, that's all, and we thought we'd come down and see you off. It's been raining for a month or more."

"Yes, it's the sort of day the Lord of Light sends now and then to remind us that he's still up there and winter won't last forever," Garah said, startling me by coming up behind Starlight. "I came down for exactly the same reason. Not that I don't have plenty of work to do in the citadel, but I thought a little walk and early light would raise my heart."

"Oh Masarn, have you heard Garah's news?" I asked, remembering it.

"I haven't, but I can guess," he said. "You and Glyn? That's wonderful!" They embraced, making the baby squeal, and then she had to hug the other children, too, so they didn't feel left out. Then, while Masarn was buying her some cider, the little one, up on his father's shoulder, thrust a chestnut into my mouth. In such circumstances I couldn't refuse. It wasn't as hot as it should have been, but it was surprisingly good. I bought a shellful and burned my fingers peeling them. It had been a good season—none of mine were mealy, and all of them were as big as the top of my thumb. They settled my stomach wonderfully. The children fed some of them to Starlight, who ate them one at a time, delicately.

Then Gwigon started loading the ferry. We had said we would start at sunrise, but he had been waiting until everyone was here. It was his pennon and his turn to hunt; I had no intention of interfering with his organization. I just waved to him to let him know I was ready, and he waved me down. I led Starlight down onto the wooden wharf. She balked a little as we neared the side of the boat. She still didn't like it, though I knew she would lie down when she needed to. Cinon and ap Cathvan were ahead of me, waiting for a groom.

Bens was with them, looking downcast.

Then I caught what ap Cathvan was saying. "As bold as a spring stallion, Ayl said outright the other day he's going to invite over more cousins from Jarnholme. And what's to say these new ones will keep the Peace even if the ones who are here now do? They're not to be trusted. There'll be more and more of them wanting more and more of our land, mark my words." Cinon's chin came up in agreement.