Imager’s Battalion

“Might be both, Commander.”

“Subcommander. The insignia are gold for commanders. How long has your family owned the inn?”

“Since my great-grandsire, sir. That was when Rex Hrensol built the grand road on the south side of the river from Variana, and the first bridge.”

“Why did he build the road? There’s only a good road from Nordeau west. Farther east, the south road is little more than a trail in places.”

“I’m certain I wouldn’t be knowing that, sir. It was well before my time.”

“That may be, but an innkeeper-or an innkeeper’s son or grandson hears stories…” Quaeryt image-projected friendliness and curiosity.

“It’s only a story … but … well … some say that it was after the good rex built his white palace on the hill south of the River Aluse, and he wanted travelers to approach it along the great avenue beside the river.” Culum shrugged. “Others say it was because Hrensol wanted traders to avoid Kurmitag. That was the town where High Holder Kurm had his timber and woolen mills. Can’t say as which story might be true. Might be neither is.”

“Where did the name of the inn come from?”

“That’d be a strange question, sir.”

“Not so strange. Some of the folks to the east don’t seem too fond of coneys.”

Culum laughed. “Old aunt’s tales. My great-grandsire’s wife’s father raised rabbits … big fat juicy ones. He said that you had to be an agile coney to get around the old man, but he did, and he wed my great-grandmom. My grandsire laughs when he talks about it.” He paused. “Your men’ll be careful of the kitchen?”

“As best we can.”

“You’ll keep ’em from breaking the chairs and benches?”

“We haven’t broken any in other inns.” After a moment Quaeryt asked, “You have problems with Rex Kharst’s troopers?”

“It’d not be my place to say, sir.”

Quaeryt understood. He smiled. “You’ll find that Lord Bhayar’s troopers are far more careful.” And they’d Namer-well better be. “That’s something Lord Bhayar expects.”

Culum opened his mouth, then shut it, before finally speaking. “Be most appreciated, Commander.”

Quaeryt didn’t correct him.

72

By the time all the officers and troopers had been fed and settled once more into quarters on Vendrei night, Quaeryt had taken one squad or another through Caluse at least three times, as well as once a good three milles west on the river road. He’d seen nothing, and neither had any of the sentries or the scouts, but he continued to worry about what the Bovarians had planned.

Skarpa had received no messages, orders, or dispatches back from Deucalon, although neither he nor Quaeryt had expected such a dispatch until Samedi. Quaeryt had to trust that Bhayar would accept his suggestions, but if Bhayar did, that might mean that Myskyl, and possibly Deucalon, would realize the extent of Quaeryt’s influence. In turn, that would doubtless result in another attempt by the submarshal and the marshal to place Quaeryt and Fifth Battalion in a position of maximum danger-and that would also place the imager undercaptains in great danger … when every imager lost would make Quaeryt’s goals harder to reach, especially against the opposition of Myskyl and Deucalon, not to mention those senior officers beholden to them.

Even after all his patrols, when he retired to his room in the Agile Coney, Quaeryt was restless and could not sleep.

Although he had written Vaelora a week before, and had not yet received another letter from her, after tomorrow or perhaps Solayi, he doubted he would have time to write … unless, for some reason, Kharst avoided battle, but how long that might be, especially if Bhayar followed Deucalon’s counsel, Quaeryt had no idea. With those thoughts in mind, he took out a sheet of paper and began to write, painstakingly, since he did not wish to redraft his thoughts.

My dearest,

We are now in the rather large town of Caluse, some twenty-odd milles east of Variana. It is a pleasant enough place, although it seems strange that the Bovarian forces have withdrawn without destroying the bridge over the River Aluse …

He went on to describe the town and what had happened since his previous letter, then turned to other thoughts.

I cannot but think often of you and of our child to come, and the world into which she will be born, especially since I realized, by way of comparison to a cool morning in Nordruil, the meaning of the separate bedchamber in the chateau of your great-grandmere. Much as I know, if we are successful, that life in Variana will be unsettled, and possibly dangerous, I would wish that you join me as soon as practical and possible, since, for many of the reasons we have discussed, I think it highly unlikely that, given my future duties and goals, I will be able to return to Solis in the foreseeable future …

How do you close a letter like this? Quaeryt shook his head.

As I can, I will dispatch this, with all my desires and affection, and my hopes for our future together …

After he finished, he snuffed out the lamp.

Almost a glass later, he was still lying there. Finally, he relit the lamp and opened Rholan and the Nameless and began to page through it before a section caught his eye.

Even before his disappearance and presumed death, Rholan had come to take on the appellation of “Rholan the Unnamer.” Certainly, he spoke against the sin of Naming, and he spoke well against it in its many manifestations, from boasting and bragging, to vanity-although his strongest words there were reserved for women, as I have noted earlier-and especially to the exultation of titles, and that did little to endear him to young Hengyst, especially when Rholan proclaimed that young rulers too often confuse titles with deeds and then are forced to shed the blood of others to justify the titles they inherited or assumed …

“The exultation of titles…” mused Quaeryt, closing the small volume and setting it on the small night table.

Assuming that Bhayar did defeat Kharst and managed to rule Bovaria, he couldn’t for very long style himself Lord of Telaryn and Rex Bhayar of Bovaria. That would just perpetuate the idea that they’re separate lands. Besides, sooner or later, Antiago would be a problem, if only because Bhayar held Autarch Aliaro responsible for the death of his sister … and Bhayar had been close to Chaerila. According to some rumors, Bhayar had opposed his father’s efforts to wed Chaerila to Aliaro. Because Bhayar had refused to talk about it, Quaeryt had never pressed Bhayar into talking about how the marriage had come about, but having seen Bhayar’s stony grief, Quaeryt could well believe the rumors.

For that reason alone, he doubted that if Bhayar had his way, Antiago would long remain independent- regardless of the cost. And that was yet another reason why Quaeryt needed to keep training and building a corps of imagers, because the Antiagons would certainly have Antiagon Fire to spare for any Telaryn invaders, and given their expertise with cannon onboard their merchanters and warships, cannon as well.

After sitting there for a long time, thinking, he finally snuffed out the lamp and lay down, hoping that he would at last be able to drift into some sort of sleep.

73

When Quaeryt woke abruptly in the grayness of dawn on Samedi morning, he was still trying to puzzle through the situation facing them. Was Kharst a ruler who simply could not believe that his land could be invaded and his capital threatened? Or was it all part of a strategy, as Quaeryt had believed all along, to suck all of Bhayar’s forces deep into Bovaria and then annihilate them?