the High Holder whose lands adjoin yours and poached game and removed valuable timber. In addition, some of those men have attacked routine patrols merely riding the roads and, in several cases, killed soldiers. The governor is concerned that you have failed to exercise control over those men. Given the extent of your lands, it is highly unlikely that they could have done what they did without spending a great deal of time on your lands. This suggests a failure to control your own lands, and possibly those who serve you. Your lack of action to exert such control suggests that you either allow or actively support the actions of these men. Neither is acceptable.”
Neither Waerfyl nor Skarpa spoke for several moments.
The major continued to look pointedly at the holder.
Finally, Waerfyl offered a cynical smile. “Your words, or should I say the governor’s, are most polite. I will say that I am sorry to be unable to respond as well. You accuse me of acts with no proof that these men are in any way connected to me. My lands are large. Not nearly so large as those of High Holder Dymaetyn. They are also hilly and rocky, and there are places that have not seen a man or mount in generations. As you should know, Major, and as the governor certainly knows, it has been strongly suggested by this governor and his predecessor that I avoid raising large numbers of armsmen. I do not have anywhere as many as do the High Holders. Yet they cannot stop such brigands? And I, with far fewer armsmen … how can I possibly be held accountable for those who slip through my lands?”
“Holder Waerfyl, I am not here to debate. I am not here to judge. I am here to convey the governor’s concerns. You may recall that the fate of those landholders who have ignored those concerns has not been one many would wish to share.”
“So … you are warning me that if brigands I do not and cannot control continue their actions, the governor will act against me and my family and retainers.”
“The governor will do what the governor will do based upon what happens in the future. I am not in his confidences. I cannot say what he will do. I am here to convey his concerns.”
“Such a loyal officer.” Waerfyl shook his head. “You and your men may take this holding. You may even put it to the torch. If you do, you will never control the hill lands, and any soldier who enters these forests will be at risk, for generations to come. Is that what the governor wants?”
“The governor wishes that the lawbreaking, the attacks, and the thefts stop. Since they come from your lands, it seemed reasonable to convey those concerns to you. I have done so. You have received that conveyance. We will leave the determination of what happens in the future to you.” Skarpa inclined his head politely. “Now … having conveyed the governor’s concerns, we will depart … peacefully.”
“You may convey to the governor that I can only do what I can do.”
“I will do so. Good day, Holder Waerfyl.” Skarpa turned his mount. “Column! To the rear!”
Quaeryt followed the major along the side of the lane and down the slope until he was at the rear of the formation, which became the lead as the companies rode back toward the gateposts.
Once the companies were well away from Waerfyl’s holding, Quaeryt, again riding beside Skarpa, asked, “Why did he bring up that business about not being able to raise armsmen?”
“There’s a decree limiting the numbers of armed men. So far as the hill holders are concerned, it’s meaningless. They say that their men are loggers or rangers or whatever, but they’re all armed.” Skarpa shook his head. “There’s no way with all the armed retainers that Waerfyl has that he’d allow outside brigands, but he pleads that he can’t patrol because of the decree. If the attacks stop, it’s an admission that he’s guilty one way or another.”
“I can’t believe the governor would torch his holding, not with what could happen.”
“I can’t say whether he will or won’t. Lord Chayar didn’t have a problem in razing the hold of a High Holder, and the hill holders are getting out of hand. This was a warning to Waerfyl that his raids on Dymaetyn have gotten out of hand and that he shouldn’t let his men shoot at soldiers.”
“What will happen?”
“Likely what’s happened before.” Skarpa took a deep breath. “The attacks here will stop … for a while. They’ll start somewhere else, with some other hill holder against some other High Holder. The hill holders don’t really want the governor to turn the regiment against them, and the governor doesn’t want to. Not with the threat of the Bovarians in the west. Even the hill holders wouldn’t want to change Lord Bhayar for Kharst, not after what Kharst did in Khel. So … it’s a deadly game, and some of my soldiers get killed or wounded, but the losses are far less than if we had to go in and clean out all of these miserable hill holders.” The major shook his head. “I can’t say that I like having to use three companies to deliver a warning, but it takes something like that to tell a hill holder you’re serious.”
“How do the other timber holders get along with each other?”
“They don’t. That’s another part of the problem. If they don’t defend their lands, then another holder will try to log it, or trap on it, so as to save his own lands.…”
He continued riding, keeping a pleasant expression on his face.
57
Quaeryt decided not to press to accompany a company on Mardi or Meredi. While he was improving, and no longer needed to use the sling, the strain of carrying shields tired him more than the riding itself, and he wasn’t about to enter the forests without shields, not for long patrols, even if Skarpa had said the patrols would be quiet for a time. He did spend quite a few glasses in the stable working on ways to refine his shields. On Meredi, he accompanied another captain in Sixth Battalion-Duesyn-on a comparatively short patrol through the lower and less wooded hills to the south of the valley that held Boralieu. He still wore the slightly tattered and overlarge undress green shirt over his browns, but the patrol was without event, except that Quaeryt had another chance to work on his shields while in the saddle, but he still couldn’t keep insects away without triggering the shields too often.
On Jeudi, he spent more time trying to refine the sensitivity of his shields, wanting to find a way to protect himself from attacks-and from mosquitoes and red flies-without reacting to every other nonthreatening approach. He had little success.
On Jeudi night, Skarpa caught him just before the evening meal. “Tomorrow, Meinyt’s taking a patrol to the northeast. High Holder Eshalyn has complained that he’s suffering intrusions and attacks from the hill holder next to his lands. Commander Zirkyl thought you might find that useful in your reports to Lord Bhayar.”
While Quaeryt hadn’t sent any reports to Bhayar, he had written out those reports, but he wanted to hand them to the courier himself. The fewer eyes that saw what he wrote the better.
So … on Vendrei morning, Quaeryt pulled on the overlarge green shirt and mounted up, riding out of Boralieu, eastward across the valley, and then north.
“What can you tell me about what you’re supposed to be looking for or to stop?” he asked Meinyt, riding to his left, as the patrol neared a thickly wooded slope.
“This time, it’s Saentaryn. High Holder Eshalyn isn’t worried about poachers, but about raids on one of his mines.”
“Mines?” Quaeryt didn’t even know there were mines in the area.
“It’s a coal mine, and it’s not very big, but Eshalyn’s family has been mining it to heat their holding and to use in their smithies. They even give the extras to their croppers and tenants. That way they don’t have to cut as much timber for firewood. On Mardi, some brigands came in and took two wagons and the coal in them. They killed three miners. The tracks headed north. We’re supposed to follow the wagon tracks to see where they go. That’s if we can.”
“Let me guess,” replied Quaeryt. “Until Lord Chayar conquered Tilbor, the mine was on lands claimed by … Sentar-”
“Saentaryn,” corrected Meinyt. “How did you know that?”
“I didn’t. It just seems to be a recurring pattern. Either the hill holders have lost lands under Telaryn, or
