The Marquis (37 page)

Conn didn’t get a chance to answer before Derryth did.

‘Yes, he does – all the time. You’ll get used to it. I have yet to visit a dwelling where he doesn’t rearrange the furniture. Sometime people can’t even find the house they used to live in, and when they do, it can takes them days to find their old beds.’

‘You exaggerate, Derryth, I’m like a cool summer breeze; people hardly know I’m even there, but appreciate me all the same.’

After leaving Patria, it took them an almost two weeks to cross the vast highland prairie. Despite it being the beginning of summer, when there were no cabins to stay in, they erected small yurts that they carried to keep them warm at night. The prairie was deserted and there were any number of small villages along the road and dotted around the lakes and water courses for shepherd and their families during the summer months. A vast resource for two nations had been left underutilized for many years. Many places however had only the charred remains of the former villages, evidence of the activities of the Pontian fyrd. As they got closer they also saw evidence of the herds that had passed that way that summer; the road even clearer and easier to follow. Since his departure from Samria in 876 with the first herd, another herds of cattle had been guided from Samrian to Sytha. The next was dues in the next month.

The demesne of the Thane of Siris was the first major settlement in Sytha, and they were sighted long before they arrived in Siris; the size of their company and the fact that they were expected at some time meant that people were looking for them.

The Thane of Siris himself came out to meet him with a hundred wiga, and accompanied by Sir Brys il Akarah and, to his surprise, his eldest daughter Alana. Seeing her made him realize how long he had been away; she was now a young woman and by all indications a formidable one. He was certainly beautiful.

He enveloped her in his arms and fought back tears while she cried; Derryth burst into tears as he hugged her. Everyone was stunned to meet the tall, extremely beautiful girl with the olive skin, long dark brown hair and the dark blue eyes that typified Conn’s children – including the four new siblings that arrived with him.

She admonished him. ‘Four new sisters? ONLY four new sisters? Papa, you are getting old. You have been away almost three years! I was expecting many more.’

‘You have a brother in Meria; and possibly another four more to be born soon in Meria – if you don’t mind.’

‘That’s better – hate to think you have been wasting your time.’

Conn soon discover that having Alana with him was going to be a new experience – it was worse than having Derryth and the Twacuman. He was no longer the centre of attention.

An hour after being met they spent the night in the last summer camp on the plains. Sir Brys brought Conn up to date on events in Sytha and Rila. To all intent, things had been quiet – certainly after the arrival of the Meshechian forces six years ago. With the support of the Meshech wiga, the Healdend had decided to take the Pontians on; a pitched battle had occurred some hundred miles south of the village. The Pontians had lost to a man an entire company of wiga, including Ancuman wiga, who had charged the Sythans fyrd without recognizing the danger of the two hundred Meshechian cataphracts hidden within. The Sythans had quickly melted away and the cataphracts had charged back. After that, the Pontians were extremely wary of engaging the Sythans. Instead they decided to change their focus to Rila. Two years ago they gathered a large fyrd to lay siege to the castle but didn’t expect that our wiga would come out to attack them; they were routed. Several hundred Pontian prisoners were taken, and they hadn’t tried anything again. The first crop of summer wheat was planted and harvested in Rila that year for the first time in ten years.

Conn nodded towards his daughter as she held court with his hird. ‘And Alana? Since when has she decided to become wiga?’

‘Since it occurred to her that something could happen to you since you were taking so long to get to Sytha and it could all fall to her.’

‘And you let her?’

Sir Brys laughed. ‘See how you go telling her to not do something. She could convince a sane man to jump off a cliff.’

~oo0oo~

They farewelled the Thane in Siris and made their way south, a journey that would take over sixteen days. They arrived in Sytha at noon; sending a messenger to advise the Healdend of their arrival and desire to meet with him after lunch. Brys escorted the wiga to the new set of barracks and stables just outside of the town that had been constructed to accommodate two thousand horses and one thousand wiga. It was a huge complex. With his wiga at rest, Conn headed into town to meet the Healdend.

The town was significant even though it lacked the major stone donjon that seemed to have been built by the Casere on other parts of the island. Conn remembered hearing that the one planned here was never finished because the site was now under water. It also lacked a major stone palisade or even timber walls. That was probably why the Ancuman were going to capture it from within; usurping the Healdend was not a difficult affair once you had a significant number of troops anywhere within the town.

Despite not having a great stone donjon, the Sythans had made great advances with timber building and the streets with lined with two story dwellings, inns and shops. The signage of the Sythan Insurance and Finance Company was one of the first he saw.

The Healdend’s donjon was a huge wooden building almost three stories inside; built from giant trees that had taken some time and skill to get into place. Conn was impressed. Something bothered him, however, there was no Gyden present in Sytha. There was no Inanna in the back of his head – and he had three Folgere with him.

Lines of well-armed wiga met them outside the donjon and they followed Brys inside. Tredian, Healdend of Sytha, was waiting for them, pacing the floor. Around him were his officials.

Conn walked up and bowed as an official formally introduced him.

‘Conn il Taransay, Marquis of Rila, Eaorl of Kadesh, Hama, Rakia and Ilissus, The Baron Barek, Gambi, Faleri, Atrak, Ushu and Hebal, and the Thane of Veii, Rupina, Ebusos, Samal, Azaba and Oxmon.’

Tredian shook his hand. ‘Welcome Marquis. This meeting has been a long time after I had first expected it to happen. I have been assured that that list of your titles is accurate – but no man can control that many demesne. It beggars belief.’

‘Healdend, actually it is not correct. I have to add the Marches of Kerch, Patria, Rasadi and Caledonia and the Steward of Sinope, Tashke, Volsini and Merin, to the list – from Samria, Larsa, Meria and Pontia.’

Tredian looked at him stunned, so Conn continued. ‘I do apologize for taking so long to arrive but I’m assured that you have been well protected in my absence. Let me introduce my companions.’

He introduced the Twacuman first.

The Healdend was suddenly very excited.

‘Derryth il Halani, welcome. It has been over a hundred years since Twacuman had graced his halls – halls that they had built for my ancestors.’ He pointed to the siblings. ‘Lile told me about you, Derryth, but she didn’t mention Hallvi and Wilric.’

‘No, my kin are from Iladion.’

He looked back at Conn. ‘From Iladion? This is getting confusing. But did you not just say that you are the Marquis of
Kerch
?’

‘I am indeed. Let me introduce Brictdred il Kerch. He is the Colonel of my fyrd.’

Brictdred walked forward and bowed. ‘Healdend, it is a pleasure to meet you. Our ancestors stood just here soon after this building was completed. Do you have the treaty?’

‘Treaty? What treaty?’ He looked around to his staff and a scholar came forward and whispered in his ear. He then raced off.

Derryth was asking the same thing to Conn. Conn shrugged. He had no idea,

Tredian looked back at Brictdred. ‘It seems there is a treaty. They are going to look for it.’

He asked them to sit while the document was found and no sooner had they done so when a group of people arrived inside the door. It was Lile. Alana had gone to get her.

Derryth turned to Conn as he watched her arrive.

‘You haven’t warned the poor girl, have you?’

Conn shook his head. ‘How could I? Pigeons can only carry so much. PS: arriving with six bedda, four babies and three Folgere who you probably believe are dead – ah – and two Twacuman from Iladion.’

Derryth considered it for a moment. ‘No, I guess not. It is probably better that we just scare her to death.’

‘You are being melodramatic. She will be fine.’

They were both wrong – she didn’t die – but she had a major meltdown when she saw the three Folgere.

As they all huddled and cried, Tredian walked up beside him.

‘I don’t understand? Who are they?’

Conn explained that they were all in the same Cirice together.

‘Hatusa in Waliwa! Of course; Lile was most distraught to find that the Cirice had been destroyed and all the Folgere missing. How did you end up with them?’

By the time he had explained it all Lile had regained her composure and had greeted Conn warmly. He then introduced everyone to father and daughter. Conn also reacquainted himself with his sons – the seven year old Ewan, the four year old Sarun and the two babies Meghan and Kessa. Except they weren’t babies anymore – they were both five. They were less than one when he saw them on the docks at Rakia.

By this time a scholar had returned back with a box and placed it on a table. He opened it up, carefully taking out an ancient scroll. He brought it to Tredian, carefully unfolding the document.

Brictdred opened up his pouch and removed a smaller version. As they all looked at the two documents, it was very clear that they were identical except in size.

Tredian looked from Brictdred to the Scholar. ‘What does all this mean? I know nothing of a treaty between Sytha and Kerch.’

‘I will tell you what I know of the history. Five years before the great flood the Casere visited your ancestor Elfmund with his son Jowan, first Eaorl of Kerch. While they were here, Jowan took the daughter of Elfmund as bedda. They also arranged for another daughter to be given to Halkel il Iladion as bedda. Halkel was the son of the Casere’s daughter Arina.’

Tredian nodded. ‘I have read something of that. She went to Iladion just before the great flood and nothing was ever heard of her again.’ He turned back to his scholar. ‘So it is just a bedda agreement.’

He shook his head. ‘Not just that. It is also a declaration of the relationship between the Healdend of Sytha and the Marquis of Kerch – specifically that the Healdend must assist the Marquis in any way he asks and provide him with bedda should he ask – without dowry.’

Tredian went and sat down. ‘So this is a treaty that says that the Marquis of Kerch can tell me what to do?’

The scholar nodded, albeit reluctantly.

‘How very annoying. Well, at least I’ve given him a bedda already.’ He looked at Conn. ‘Did you know about this?’

‘No I did not – but don’t despair. I only have a one small task in mind.’

‘That’s what I was afraid of. Anyway, let’s eat – and drink – I need some of your fine Meshechian wine.’

~oo0oo~

As they sat and ate Conn had a question for Lile. ‘Where is your Gyden? I don’t sense her anywhere.’

‘The Cirice is not here – in Sytha they are locate in the mountains. If you want guidance, you have to make the journey yourself.’ She looked at him curiously. ‘Haven’t you fornicated with enough Folgere? Cynrys, Alyasa and Bylna seem fairly content despite the lack of devotees. I recall they were particularly licentious – especially Cynrys.’

She was. ‘No – I was wondering where to take them. Lilith obviously wanted them home.’

She thought for a while. ‘Hatusa in Waliwa is their home. Can we take them there?’

‘We can only try.’

~oo0oo~

Later in the evening, Tredian tried to put his thoughts together. ‘So if I summarise the situation, the Marquis has more titles, more land, more bedda, more children, more ships, more wiga and more gold than I do. And I have to do what he tells me. Is that a fair assumption?’

Lile agreed. ‘Yes.’

‘And does this means we will be taking the war to Pontia?’

Lile looked at Conn and he nodded.

‘Apparently so.’

‘But we don’t have enough wiga to take on Pontia…’

‘Father, that is not true. If you had dealt with the problem when it first arrived, you would not be in this situation.’

‘That is not true…’

‘Did you not let the Eaorl of Waliwa get himself and his entire company annihilated in a battle with Pontians. By telling him to deal with the problem himself?’

A look of guilt spread of his face. ‘Yes, that is true. But he was such an annoying man. I really couldn’t help myself.’

‘And then you let the Marquis of Rila die unnecessarily as well.’

‘That was no loss – you don’t know what he did to me when I was his ward. That was retribution.’

‘And what about the Eaorl of Bamos?’

‘That was just carelessness on his part – incompetent fool. I was going to help; he just had to wait a bit longer.’

‘Father, you hadn’t even summoned the fyrd.’

‘But I was going to. He needed to be patient.’

‘They are three reasons why we are in the mess we are in and why you don’t have enough wiga. Also why you invited the Ancuman in to help.’

‘That being what it is, there are still not enough wiga.’ 

Conn interrupted. ‘Healdend, I have a solution. The Eaorl of Kucha is on my side – you met his daughter who is my bedda. He has five hundred wiga. I am also going to raise a Twacuman fyrd as well. Wilric tells me that five hundred is no problem.’