In any case, there was nothing noble about the attack on the Great House in Shin. The criminal mob had assaulted the Great House while one of their number was at the front door pretending to negotiate. A shameful thing to do. In that battle it had been the defenders who were noble, if not heroic, fighting off an attack by an enemy vastly superior in numbers. In any case…
Sarazin remembered a fine summer's day in Voice, years ago, and Lord Regan saying:
'When something has happened it has happened. You must then realise exactly what has happened so you can take advantage of the situation. But grief, sorrow, pity, regret – those are useless emotions. Worse, they cripple us, they make us useless for action.'
With that remembered, Sarazin considered his own behaviour. Had he not made himself a cripple? In truth, he had. He had killed his father, he had won himself the name Watashi in battle and now, if he seized his oppor- tunity, he could surely marry his princess and thus take one more step towards fulfilling the fate which was prophesied for him. Yet he lay in bed an invalid, though in battle he had sustained but a couple of cuts and a few bruises scarcely worth mentioning.
After a brief but rigorous session of self-criticism Sarazin rose from his bed and went to work.
As yet, nobody knew what had become of Tarkal or of Lod. But the immediate situation was clear enough. A small army of ragged criminals, anarchist outlaws all, was still within striking distance of Shin. If Sarazin and Thodric Jarl marched away and left the city undefended then doubtless those outlaws would seize it.
'So,' said Sarazin, 'we should make command of Shin and, indeed, the governance of all of Chenameg our price for staying here.' Then he told Jarl exactly what he wanted.
You want to marry Amantha?' said Jarl. You want to set yourself up as king?' 'Nothing less will do,' said Sarazin.
'I caution you against it,' said Jarl, his voice serious, his mien severe.
'Why?' said Sarazin, who, for the life of him, could not see why the Rovac warrior should be taking this line.
'Because,' said Jarl, 'as things stand, all our actions are lawful. We do but defend property in Shin against crimi- nals. That can but win us praise in Selzirk and elsewhere. But if you set yourself up as king in Chenameg then you usurp the law of the Harvest Plains, for the kingmaker herself must approve the crowning of any new king of Chenameg.'
Impossible,' said Sarazin, 'for Chenameg lies beyond the jurisdiction of the Harvest Plains. My mother Farfalla is called kingmaker only on account of her powers of appointment within the Harvest Plains itself.'
'You may think so,' said Jarl, 'but I believe the law of Selzirk holds things to be otherwise.' How so?' said Sarazin.
'Details I cannot give you, for I am no lawyer,' said Jarl. 'But trust me. Things are as I have said they are.' Sarazin laughed. You disbelieve me?' said Jarl. 'Friend,' said Sarazin, 'why so serious?'
'Because it takes but a single witless error to put your life at risk,' said Jarl. 'Believe me, to reach for the crown of Chenameg is to make such an error. Selzirk will punish you for such a breach of the law.'
'I trust you not, at least not in this,' said Sarazin, 'for what you have said is absurd. All know Chenameg to be a state in its own right, an entity entirely separate in law from the Harvest Plains. No law of Selzirk can claim to rule in Shin.' 'You are wrong,' said Jarl.
In this I trust to my own judgment,' said Sarazin. The question now is whether you are for me or against me.'
'I am neither,' said Jarl. 'Whatever you do I will remain here with my men, but only to protect Shin against outlaws.' 'Will you seek to restrain my actions?' said Sarazin.
'I will advise you again against kingship,' said Jarl, 'making sure that my men witness such advice. That much I must do for my own protection. But I will not restrain you, no.'
Thodric Jarl would not restrain Sean Sarazin because there was a chance – not a strong chance, but a chance regardless – that Sarazin could triumph. Winning the throne itself would, of course, be the easy bit. The hard part would be retaining it in the face of the wrath of the Harvest Plains.
The big question was simply this: would Lord Regan send an army from the Rice Empire to Chenameg to support Sean Sarazin? Thodric Jarl had no way to answer that question. In his secret coded despatches to Lord Regan, Jarl had often enough asked for guidance. He had asked directly: -What, Lord Regan, are your plans for Sean Sarazin?
– Would you send an army to support any coup staged by Sean Sarazin in Selzirk?
– If I cannot know the answers to these questions now, when can I know?
But, since Lord Regan had not seen fit to grant Thodric Jarl an insight into his intentions, Jarl still faced the future blindfold. But of this he was sure: a lot of blood would be spilt before the rule of Chenameg was finally decided one way or another.
Sean Sarazin found it very easy to bargain with Amantha. She believed that Thodric Jarl was Sarazin's oath- bound servant, and would obey him in all things. She believed Jarl would quit Shin and leave the city defenceless if Sarazin but said the word. Nightmares had troubled her lately, and, in the worst of those nightmares, she found herself the victim of a lust-crazed mob of verminous anarchists. If Sarazin abandoned her, she was doomed.
On the other hand, if Sarazin stayed and married Amantha, order could be restored, her life guaranteed and Shin itself saved from the anarchists.
'We'll marry then,' said Amantha, after a very brief discussion indeed. Tomorrow,' said Sarazin, with determination. 'Not so fast!' said she. 'I need a few days' grace at least.' 'Why?' said Sarazin.
'Well, if you really must know, I'm having my period right now.'
'Oh,' said Sarazin, entirely defeated by Amantha's most eloquent argument. And he agreed to a postponement of five days.
During those five days, much happened, some good, some bad. The bad was very bad. Anarchists slipped into Shin by night and set a dozen buildings alight, and the Great Hall was one of those which burnt to the ground.
The good, on the other hand, was quite good. The manager of a mine some fifty leagues north, alerted to the trouble in Shin by a lone refugee, had exacted an oath of allegiance from the men under his command then set off to march for the capital. This little army arrived two days before the wedding and put itself under Jarl's command.
With his forces thus bolstered Jarl chanced a recon- naissance in force of the surrounding forest, a reconnais- sance which brought good news: the enemy appeared to have withdrawn.
'Doubtless,' said Jarl, 'they have been unable to feed themselves, for all the stocks of food worth mentioning are under our command.'
This was some comfort. Even though, of course, Sarazin's kingdom would have to face threats far worse than that posed by a ragged gang of criminal anarchists. Jarl began making plans for a war to defend Shin against Selzirk. And began assessing his men, wondering which of them – if any – could be trusted to take a message all the way to the Rice Empire to alert Lord Regan to the latest developments in the life of his protege Sean Sarazin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Amantha: second-oldest child of King Lyra of Chenameg and, therefore, heir to the throne if Tarkal is dead (as he is presumed to be).
At dawn on his wedding day, Sarazin was woken by a big, sloppy wet kiss. 'Gaaa!' shouted Sarazin, flailing wildly.
Chuckling, Glambrax ducked and dodged. Sarazin leapt out of bed and pursued him. But, by the time he had driven Glambrax into a corner, the dwarf had armed himself with Sarazin's chamber pot. Which was far from empty. 'I'll let you off this time,' said Sarazin.
