there with her!”
For several years Rankin had been the captain in charge of the duke’s army. Following Rathskell’s death, he had retained his office but had been outside the city with his mobile forces when Solanthus was surrounded. Now his eyes grew moist and his voice broke from the obvious passion of his desire to return to the city and fight for its freedom.
Jaymes himself showed little emotion in his face or voice. “The talents of the duchess obviously go far beyond the bedroom, you mean?” he asked.
Rankin nodded, flushing slightly. “I admit I made a poor judgment of a great lady, my lord.”
“We all made the same judgment, I’m afraid,” Dayr noted quickly, coming to Rankin’s rescue. “But she’s a better man than her late husband ever was.”
“Indeed.” The marshal nodded, reflecting privately.
“Good riddance to Rathskell, in any event,” Markus huffed. Each of the generals knew that Duke Rathskell had died on Jaymes Markham’s sword, but none of them saw any reason to mention the fact. Nor would they mention the fortune in gems that had vanished upon the duke’s death, though they must suspect that those stones were now being used to fund the expensive, and secret, operations of the distant, mysterious Compound.
“Excuse me, my lords?”
They looked up at the approach of a young knight, a clean-shaven officer who wore a tunic of white, emblazoned with small symbols of the Crown, the Rose, and the Sword.
“Sir Templar? Please, join us,” Jaymes offered.
“Thank you, my Lord Marshal. Welcome back-I am pleased to see that Kiri-Jolith has blessed you with a safe journey.”
“Well, he didn’t place any undue obstacles in my path, and for that I myself am grateful,” Jaymes replied. “What can we do for you?”
Templar was a knight-priest, a Clerist like Sergeant Heath, one of the new breed of clerical warriors who had begun to join the ranks of the Solamnics during the later campaigns of the War of Souls. With the disappearance of Paladine, the traditional high god of the knightly orders, the Clerists had been working hard to rebuild the faith of the troops. Some of them maintained devout worship of the merchant god Shinare, while many others, such as Templar, were devoted followers of Kiri-Jolith, the Just.
“Well, my lord… it’s the dwarves. We have several good, solid priests among their ranks, and they are trying their best. It’s just that… well…”
“Tell us-spit it out, man!” encouraged Dayr.
“Well, the dwarves are refusing to take the Oath-they serve in the ranks of the Solamnic Army. But they won’t speak the words that pledge their commitment to all of the knightly cause!”
“Well, they’re not knights, after all,” Jaymes said. “They’re not required to take the Oath. And it seems that too vigorous efforts to bend them to that ideal might only drive them away. I have known more than a few dwarves in my time, and every one of them is stubborn to the core. But also quite honorable, in their way.”
“That’s not the point!” protested the priest.
Dayr and Markus exchanged nervous glances-even Jaymes’s highest-ranking generals were not so quick to bluntly contradict the army commander.
“Now, lad,” said Markus sternly, clearing his throat. “Remember your place. This is the lord marshal you’re addressing.”
“I know!” said Templar dismissively. “But it’s a matter that needs to be addressed. Thus far this army has been blessed by remarkable success-the gods have smiled upon us! But if we don’t take that obligation seriously, who knows how long this favor will last?”
“What obligation, exactly, do you mean?” asked Jaymes softly.
“Why, the obligation to the great legacy of Solamnia! Of Vinas Solamnus, who forged these scattered realms into an empire! And to the noble lords who have carried his legacy on through the ages!”
“Noble lords, such as Duke Walker of Caergoth? Who killed his own wife to further his ambitions? Who betrayed his fellow dukes and allowed hundreds, even thousands, of brave men to die because he was reluctant to spend his treasury, too lazy to leave the protection of his city walls? You mean that legacy?” Jaymes’s voice took on an edge.
“Yes! I mean, well, no-not that part of Walker’s character. Surely, he made mistakes. But he was corrupted by the Prince of Lies! It was Hiddukel who turned him from the path of righteousness!”
“But he took the Oath, did he not? In fact, he administered the Oath to countless recruits, good men who became knights.”
“Yes, exactly! It was the Oath… I mean… but it’s important! The Oath must be preserved and furthered as best we can. Surely you can see that.”
Jaymes nodded, pausing before he replied. “Yes, the Oath is important when it is spoken by one who believes that to which he swears. And so it shall be in the Army of Solamnia. You can teach the men-and the dwarves-about the Oath and the Measure and the legacy of Vinas Solamnus. But nobody will be required to speak that oath, nor shall any soldiers in this army be criticized or harangued for failure to speak its credo.”
“But-”
“Son, I think the lord marshal has made his wishes known. Thanks for bringing your concerns to us.” Dayr spoke brusquely.
Templar, finally, seemed to get the hint. He looked glum as he rose, but he bowed with stiff formality and nodded to the commanders. “And thank you, my lords, for hearing me,” he said before turning and shuffling off into the gathering darkness.
The lord regent’s palace overlooked the city of Palanthas and the splendid, deep-water Bay of Branchala from a mountain vantage outside of the city’s walls-the walls that could, in truth, no longer be said to contain the vibrant metropolis. In fact, much of this splendid city now sprawled outside the ring of ancient fortifications. These outlying districts included the splendid manors of nobles as well as the stockyards and corrals necessary for the bustling commerce that was the city’s lifeblood. Markets, artisans, and manufactories lined the wide highway leading to the inner city.
Within the palace halls, on this early evening, an elegantly dressed nobleman made his way toward the regent’s drawing room bearing an expression of quiet satisfaction. By the time he reached the chamber and was admitted, he was smiling broadly.
“I thank you for your intercession, my lord,” said the man. “Your daughter has consented to accompany me to the Nobles Ball next month.”
“Ah, Lord Frankish. Good. I knew she would,” said Lord Regent Bakkard du Chagne. He was a short, pudgy man with only a thin layer of hair on his head, but his visitor-as well as most others in this city-knew that his unassuming looks were deceptive. Du Chagne was the most powerful man in Palanthas, descended from a long line of stewards who had held authority in the city since the end of the lineage of Solamnic kings. His influence, and money, was enough to intimidate other powerful persons in Solamnia-with the notable exception of the Lord Marshal Jaymes Markham.
“In fact,” the regent went on, his voice dropping conspiratorially. “I encouraged her to welcome your approaches. She needs someone like you-a man of good station and impeccable loyalty-to guide her future.”
Lord Frankish was also one of the wealthiest nobles in northern Ansalon, and while this, too, counted as an important factor in the lord regent’s favor, neither man felt that this asset needed to be voiced aloud. In addition, Frankish was the commanding general of the Palanthian Legion. This large, well-trained, and well-equipped force had been serving as the lord regent’s personal army since shortly after the fall of Mina and the Dark Knights.
Only then did Lord Frankish notice two other men present in the drawing room. One was the tall, dour priest, the Clerist Lord Inquisitor Frost; the other was Sir Russel Moorvan, a magic-user and Solamnic Kingfisher knight.
“Good sirs,” said Frankish with a polite bow. Frankish was more a man of action, an accomplished swordsman and equestrian, but he understood that these two men were policy advisers who were equally important to the lord regent.
“We are discussing matters on the plains,” du Chagne announced, “and would be pleased to have you join us, my lord.”
The plains, Frankish knew, meant Lord Marshal Jaymes Markham. The four men were united in their firm
