“You may. Let me ask you a question or two in return. Haven’t all of you undercaptains improved far more than you thought possible? Haven’t many of you been able to image in ways you never thought possible?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Would any of you have felt pressed, especially in the beginning, to improve had you felt that someone else, say … a more powerful imager … stood behind you if you failed?”
Voltyr said nothing for a long moment.
“In dealing with the flatboat attack on the bridge at Ferravyl, or the attack on Caernyn … could any one imager, no matter how powerful, have accomplished all that you did?”
Slowly … Voltyr nodded. “No.”
“If we want imagers to have a better place in the world, or in Telaryn, there need to be more strong imagers. The only time to develop those abilities is when they are needed desperately. That is the only time those in power will allow matters to change-and even then only the best of rulers will allow that. Chayar would not have. Bhayar might not have except that he sees an opportunity.” Before Voltyr could reply, Quaeryt asked, “Have you had any success with what we discussed in Caernyn?”
“Of a sort, sir. For a few moments, but it takes much effort.”
“You might try letting the hooks be fewer or looser, and carrying the shield longer to build up your strength.”
Voltyr nodded slowly.
“Have you talked with Shaelyt about it?”
“Yes, sir. I think he’s better at it.”
“Better … or working harder?”
After a moment Voltyr offered a crooked grin. “Perhaps both.”
“What if one of those archers had targeted you today?”
“I thought about that, sir.”
“You might think about it more. You might also pass that along to Shaelyt quietly.”
“Yes, sir. I will.” After a pause Voltyr asked, “What do you plan, sir?”
“You’re assuming a great deal,” replied Quaeryt lightly.
“I think not. I thought you were a fool to get Bhayar to send you to Tilbor. But you had planned it all out, hadn’t you?”
Quaeryt laughed. “I wish I could claim that. I just knew that I couldn’t do any more than I had if I stayed in Solis, and the longer I stayed, the more enemies I’d make at the palace. Once I got to Tilbor, I didn’t much like the plaques I’d been dealt, but you play what you get.”
“To what end?” asked Voltyr quietly.
“Exactly what will depend on how the war turns out, but we need to develop the ability to support Lord Bhayar, so that he cannot do without imagers. There are too few imagers in the world for imagers to try to control or rule, but if we can find and train others, and we support him…”
“How do we know he will not turn on us?”
“Unlike some rulers, Lord Bhayar is very practical and thoughtful. He already frets and chafes about how the High Holders make his life difficult, and how his provincial governors rob him of his tariffs.” Quaeryt paused. “It is most costly to maintain a large army, but imagers might well be able to use their skills in many ways to enhance his rule … and that would make it worth his while to protect them…”
“And worth the while of the High Holders to oppose us,” suggested Voltyr.
“But not openly, not if the school or whatever it might be called were located near Bhayar and if the imagers were trained as you are … and as you should be.”
“But secretly they still could.”
“That might be difficult if most within the school and buildings were imagers.”
Voltyr looked at Quaeryt. “How do you propose to bring that about?”
“By showing Bhayar, over time, that it is to his advantage.”
“He’s not even here.”
“No, and it’s better that he’s not. He would expect too much too soon. Rulers always do, and others, who have their own goals, encourage them to do so, if only to distract the ruler from their own failures and shortcomings.”
Voltyr tilted his head to the side. “There is great risk to what you seek.”
Quaeryt looked back. “Why not try? Could it be any worse than what … imagers have faced in the past?”
After another thoughtful pause, Voltyr shook his head.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d keep that between you and me … and Shaelyt, if you wish.”
“That might be best.”
Quaeryt smiled. “Have a pleasant evening with your thoughts.”
“You, too, sir.”
Quaeryt turned and walked toward the false olive, then stopped, but the robins had flown away.
29
Before seventh glass on Samedi morning, as the two regiments and Fifth Battalion were forming up, Skarpa, Meinyt, and Quaeryt met on the narrow porch of the inn at Fuenh. As they stood there, Quaeryt shifted his weight off his bad left leg, and felt the planks underfoot sway ever so slightly.
“We’ve gotten back reports from the scouts. They’ve confirmed that the maps are mostly accurate,” said Skarpa. “That’s the good part. There are hamlets spaced almost every five milles apart from here all the way to Villerive. There’s only one town of any size. That’s Ralaes. It’s some twenty-five milles from here, and a good ten from there to the outskirts of Villerive. Maybe fifteen.”
“The bad part?” asked Meinyt.
“The roads aren’t any better, and we’ve got company. The scouts haven’t been able to discover where they are. There might be as much as a regiment out there. They’re not riding together, either, but as separate companies.”
“More of what happened at the river point yesterday, then?” asked Quaeryt.
“That’s possible. Or hit-and-run attacks with archers or…” Skarpa shrugged. “Who knows? We haven’t fought true Bovarian regulars yet.” He paused. “Well … except at Ferravyl, but they didn’t get much of a chance to show what they might do.”
“Better that way, if you ask me,” said Meinyt.
“What happened at Ferravyl might be why they’ve split up for now,” added Skarpa. “Do you have any thoughts on what they’re most likely to attempt?”
“More ambushes,” said Meinyt. “Pits and fixed emplacements take too much time.”
“An attack from the rear, the way the Tilborans did when we went to relieve Boralieu,” suggested Quaeryt.
“I’d thought about that. We’ll put the supply wagons in the middle of the column for now. That will allow whoever has rearguard duty to attack without worrying about supplies. Fifth Battalion will serve as vanguard today.”
That alone told Quaeryt that Skarpa was worried. When the commander finished, Quaeryt left the inn and hurried to where Fifth Battalion was mustering. There he called for all the officers to join him. Once they all were present, he spoke, in Bovarian, because all officers were supposed to understand it, and because he wanted to make sure the Khellan officers did, in particular. “Yesterday, the Bovarians tried an ambush. This morning, Commander Skarpa told me that there are more Bovarian forces ahead. They’ll try to inflict casualties on us and then withdraw so quickly that we either can’t chase them or so that we’ll follow them into another ambush. The best way to blunt them is to be ready. If you see anything strange-or anyone in a blue-gray uniform-have your men ready to fight and tell me or Major Zhelan immediately. We will be the vanguard. Now, for you imagers, if I’m not here, Undercaptain Voltyr is in charge, and you’re to use your abilities to bring down the Bovarians as quickly as you can. Is that clear?”
