“The town is named Gahenyara,” he finished.
Two men came running toward the riders from the town.
Quaeryt and Vaelora eased up beside the scouts and waited.
19
By nightfall on Vendrei, two battalions had walked their mounts across the remainder of the bridge one at a time. That portion of the regiment had taken over what empty barns there were in and around Gahenyara, and Quaeryt and Vaelora had occupied the best chamber in the ten-room local inn.
When Quaeryt woke on a very lumpy mattress beside Vaelora on Samedi morning, his headache was gone, and his eyes no longer burned. He could also hold light shields, but heavier ones only for a few moments before his head began to throb again.
After breakfast, the two stood on the narrow front porch of the inn, waiting for Skarpa.
“How long will the repairs take?” asked Vaelora.
“Several days, at least. I’d like to hear what Skarpa has to say.”
“You didn’t plan on stopping here…” Vaelora broke off what she might have said as the regimental commander rode up to the inn.
Neither she nor Quaeryt said anything until Skarpa joined them on the porch.
“The river’s down half a yard from yesterday,” said Skarpa. “The engineers have located some trees that look solid and tall enough, but getting them turned into planks will take another two days. Most of that will be felling the trees and getting the trunks across the river. The local mill can handle the logs. Barely.” He shook his head. “Hate using green timber, but there’s nothing long enough that’s dried and seasoned around here. You’d think the locals would know better.”
“If the former governor hasn’t been here recently…” Quaeryt had the feeling that the previous governor, most likely a casualty of the eruption, hadn’t been as far east as Gahenyara in a long time … if ever.
“You’re as cynical as I am, Princeps.”
“Can you get another battalion or two across what’s left of the bridge while the engineers work on the trees?”
“I’d planned on that.”
Quaeryt nodded. “I’d like to take a battalion and leave tomorrow.”
“Thought you might have something like that in mind.”
“We can’t do anything to help you, and a battalion should be enough to deal with anything we encounter.”
“I’d feel happier if you took two. We can unload two wagons and break them down and ferry the supplies across by hand. That should be enough to get you to Montagne, and it will keep everyone busy. We’ll catch up as we can.”
“That might be better in any case,” Quaeryt said. “Gahenyara isn’t provisioned to support a regiment. Not for long, in any case.”
“I’ll send Third and Fourth Battalion with you.”
“Was that Meinyt’s request?” asked Quaeryt.
Skarpa grinned. “He did say that he couldn’t imagine you’d wait around when there was trouble in Extela. He volunteered Third Battalion in the event you did want to go on. Major Fhaen also volunteered.”
Quaeryt knew little about Fhaen, because he’d been stationed at Northcote, except that Meinyt had high regard for the redheaded major. “Then we’ll leave early tomorrow.”
“I’ll let them know.”
After Skarpa had mounted and ridden back east toward the bridge, Vaelora cleared her throat.
“Yes, dear?”
“We can’t do anything to help rebuild the bridge,” she said. “Can we go look at the old chateau?”
“Is it still standing?”
“It is. It was still able to be occupied when we were children, Bhayar said. It’s been empty for years, though.”
“Why?”
“It costs too much to ship timber and crops from here to most places, and it’s too far from anywhere, or other holders.”
“… and it’s also too big for the keeper to maintain anything but the building. He and his family live in the gatehouse.”
“It might be a good thing to visit it,” agreed Quaeryt.
“You’re just not humoring me?”
“No.”
“Why do you think so?”
“I couldn’t say,” replied Quaeryt. “I just feel that it would be.”
“Good.”
With one thing and another, including obtaining directions and arranging with Meinyt for a squad to accompany them, which became two squads led by the company commander at Meinyt’s insistence, it was almost a glass later before they set out from the side courtyard of the unnamed inn. Undercaptain Jusaph rode ahead of Quaeryt and Vaelora as they made their way westward from town along the old stone-paved road.
Less than two milles farther on, they reached a stretch of stone wall extending a quarter mille on each side of a set of ironbound wooden gates. On the other side of the wall, west of the gates, was a stone dwelling, clearly inhabited, since a thin trail of white smoke issued from the chimney. Farther to the north, rising over the bare limbs of the trees, Quaeryt could see a long slate roof, from which sprouted a half score of natural stone-faced chimneys.
Even before Quaeryt and Vaelora reined up at the wooden gates, a man in a gray jacket and brown trousers had hurried from the iron-grated opening in the wall beside the gates. “These are the lands of Lord Bhayar.”
“We know,” said Vaelora. “He’s my brother, and this is Governor Quaeryt. He’s the new governor of Montagne. He’s also my husband.”
The black-bearded man glanced up at Vaelora, then to Quaeryt and then at Undercaptain Jusaph and the squad of uniformed riders behind him.
“A thousand pardons, Lady … a thousand pardons.”
“We’re here to inspect the chateau,” Vaelora went on, “before we continue on to Montagne and then to Extela.”
“The chateau … I do what I can, Lady…”
“We know. It has been years…”
“Since the time of my grandfather. That was when Lord Lhayar trained men on the lands to the north.”
“If you would open the gates,” suggested Vaelora.
“But…”
Quaeryt could see that trying to be patient with the man would only result in Vaelora losing respect. He tried to image the sense of authority toward the gatekeeper. “The Lady Vaelora has every right, indeed the duty, to inspect her family’s lands.”
The gatekeeper stepped back, his face suddenly pale. He swallowed. “Yes, sir … Governor, I mean. Just a moment.” He hurried back through the archway, leaving the gratework open.
Shortly, the ironbound wooden gates began to creak open.
“What did you do?” murmured Vaelora. “All of a sudden, it was like you were Bhayar. You didn’t look like him. You just had that presence. Except it was greater.”
“Imaged authority,” he replied in a low voice.
“You can do that?”
“I didn’t know for certain. I thought it was worth a try.”
