Antiagon Fire (22 page)

As they left another riverside village, called Croilles, Quaeryt looked to Vaelora. “Have you noticed that we haven’t seen anything even faintly resembling a high holding?”

“You’ve mentioned that every day, dearest.”

“I just wanted to keep reminding you of that.”

“You’re doing well. Why don’t you tell me what that means. You’re dying to do so, I think.”

“I well might”—Quaeryt grinned sheepishly—“especially since the weather has been nothing to talk about.” He ignored the fact that the morning was sunny and pleasant, with just enough breeze to be cooling without chilling.

“Well … go on.”

“Since you insist.”

Vaelora rolled her eyes in an exaggerated fashion.

Quaeryt grinned, then said, “When we traveled up the River Aluse—Southern Army, that is—we didn’t find many high holdings there, either, and there were far more ruined holdings than I would have expected, a number of them burned out or abandoned. In fact, I saw more ruined high holdings there than I have in all of Telaryn. When I think back on it, there was something else I didn’t see—and that was that people weren’t particularly afraid of the High Holders. The majority of the High Holders were afraid or worried about Kharst, and the larger and richer the hold, the more worried they were. Then there was something else”—Quaeryt looked to Vaelora—“something we saw again in Laaryn.”

“Powerful factors?”

“
Rich
and powerful factors. Some of the factors’ dwellings in Bovaria are the size of hold houses in Telaryn … and all of them are in towns or very close to them … and then there are the roads…”

“You keep saying that Kharst and his forbears didn’t build roads, except for the one from Nordeau to Variana.”

“Exactly. Almost all the trade and commerce in Bovaria has gone by the rivers, not by roads, and what good roads there are flank the rivers. Kharst’s power was limited by those facts. Telaryn is different, and so is Tilbor. Except for the Aluse, we don’t have that many long navigable rivers, and the ones we do have are separated by mountains and the like. So rulers built roads. They had to in order to be able to control their people and even the High Holders. Kharst used his assassins to rule the High Holders by fear, and granted the factors more power in order to collect tariffs through them. Bovaria doesn’t even have a government in the sense that Telaryn does. I’d assumed that Kharst had some sort of regional governor in Khel, but Bhayar couldn’t find any record of that, and all the messages in the Chateau Regis…”

“You destroyed them, didn’t you?”

“Those that survived were unreadable,” Quaeryt admitted.

“You think that the powerful High Holders in Bovaria were either favorites of the rex and close to rivers, or located in places where the rex would have great trouble attacking or assassinating them?”

“It makes a strange sort of sense.” Quaeryt shrugged. “I’m sure there are High Holders that don’t fall into that pattern, but too many of those I’ve encountered or observed do.”

“That also explains the Great Canal,” Vaelora said. “When Father started tariffing the Bovarian merchants using the River Aluse, that meant Kharst’s father couldn’t tariff his merchants as much. He didn’t build roads, though. He didn’t even think that way. He built a canal from Variana to Laaryn to get goods to and from the port at Ephra.”

After a pause, Vaelora asked, “Then why aren’t there more high holdings in the hills to the north of Lauckan? Those places would be even harder for any rex to have reached. Or is it because the ground is not only rocky and rugged, but poor?”

“That would be my guess. From the maps, it looks like all the lands north of Laaryn and Tuuryl are rather hilly and inhospitable. And the richer high holdings are those located at the hilly or rocky edges of flatter and more fertile lands—usually away from the rivers.”

“That explains Lauckan. It doesn’t explain why someone else didn’t do what you did, though.”

“I think it does.”

“It does?” Vaelora’s tone conveyed considerable doubt.

“Kharst and his predecessors ruled through the factors and through fear and assassination. He used crossbowmen and armsmen to carry out his wishes. Those are forms of violence against which a ruler can take precautions. We—the other imagers and I—have been effective only because Bhayar has gathered us and because I’m loyal to him. That’s because he’s a good ruler…”

“Kharst couldn’t trust any imager powerful enough to do what you can, could he?”

“I’d be very surprised.” Quaeryt sighed. “That’s why I have to build the imagers into an institution that has to be loyal to Bhayar and his successors, and one that is strong enough to assure that his successors are good rulers, in a way that will never tempt future imagers into trying to rule.”

“That sounds more difficult than unifying Lydar.”

“I doubt Lydar will remain unified if we don’t succeed.” Quaeryt couldn’t keep a certain bleakness out of his voice.

“If anyone can, you can…”

“No … it will take you, me … and Bhayar … and all the imagers.”
And even that might not be enough.

19

The following Jeudi evening found Quaeryt, Vaelora, and Skarpa seated in a small private room in the Grande Laar Inn, located in the town of Daaraen, situated on the point of land between the Phraan River and River Laar just before they met—some seventy milles north of the port of Ephra. The Grande Laar Inn was located off the main market square on the west side of the city, not that far from the river piers and warehouses—a number of which Skarpa had commandeered temporarily for Southern Army and Quaeryt’s regiments, as well as three other inns and their stables.

In the interests of both security and privacy, the three had decided to have their meal brought to them while they discussed what had occurred during the day, although none of them spoke much until they had largely finished eating.

“Lots of little towns along the river,” observed Skarpa, “ever since Croilles, anyway.”

“The maps don’t show more than hamlets farther from the river,” said Vaelora. “Is that because the maps are bad or because no one really knows … or doesn’t go there?”

“With roads like they have…?” Quaeryt shook his head. “Most of the crofters don’t need good roads, and many of the High Holders don’t want them.”

“We’ve only seen a handful of high holdings,” mused Vaelora.

“… and we only saw one that was devastated,” Quaeryt observed after taking a last bite of a fowl pie that was a touch spicier than he might have liked.

“It had been that way for generations,” Vaelora pointed out. “That wasn’t Kharst’s doing.”

“That might have been his grandsire’s doing. I don’t think the way Bovaria’s been ruled has changed much over the years. There certainly wasn’t another one near … and we have seen many fine dwellings here in Daaraen, certainly belonging to factors.”

“Not a sign of any Bovarian armsmen. Not at all.” Skarpa shook his head. “You’d see more in the mountains of Montagne … or in the north of Tilbor. Still say it doesn’t make sense.”

“It makes sense,” said Vaelora firmly. “Fear and treachery…”

Quaeryt nodded. “The Khellan majors all pointed out that Kharst had little success in conquering Khel until he used traders and others to spread the Red Death. In most of the high holdings we visited on the way to Variana, the holders were terrified—gravely concerned, anyway—that they not anger him. And when they could, even the Bovarian commanders used tactics like that.”

Skarpa frowned … then slowly nodded. “When you put it that way, they used musketeers from ambush in mass firing and tried to get us fearful and confused … or Antiagon Fire…”

“They weren’t ready for us to attack through those,” Quaeryt pointed out. “They expected to weaken us through fear.”

“They might have, except your imaging turned fear against them,” Skarpa pointed out.

“They didn’t expect that, just the way the factors in Laaryn didn’t expect what you did,” added Vaelora.

For several moments none of them spoke.

“I was thinking we should stay here tomorrow and head out on Samedi,” suggested Skarpa, his words carrying a hint of deference.

“We might even want to stay a day longer if the drizzle turns into a downpour,” replied Quaeryt. “If it’s sunny and clear, then I’d definitely think Samedi.”

Skarpa nodded. “Leave early though. We’ll have to cross the Phraan, and neither bridge looks that sturdy.”

“We need to meet with the local factors in a town, really a small city, this big, but we haven’t heard from them.”

“You will,” prophesied Skarpa. “You will.”

“Even after that … we need to make a statement of some sort.” Quaeryt looked to Skarpa. “A bridge might be just the thing. Call it a gift to Daaraen. It might lead to better roads, and it certainly will leave a lasting reminder.”

“Won’t that tax your imagers?”

“The Phraan’s pretty narrow where the lower bridge is. Threkhyl could handle that himself. I could have Lhandor draw out a plan for one that’s not plain…”

“They don’t need fancy,” Skarpa retorted.

Major Aernyt eased the door open slightly. “There is a Factor Jarell who would like to speak to Lady Vaelora on behalf of the factors’ council of Daaraen.”

“Have him enter in a few moments, after someone clears the platters,” said Quaeryt.

“Yes, sir.”

Two rankers appeared immediately and took the platters, while Quaeryt stood and moved his chair, then motioned for Vaelora and Skarpa to change seats, so that she was seated between them and facing the door.

Several moments later the door opened, and a man in a dark brown jacket and trousers entered, with a white shirt and highly polished boots. Jarell appeared to be only a few years older than Quaeryt, clean-shaven, with straight brown hair slicked back from a high forehead. His smile was winning as he bowed before the table, his eyes directly upon Vaelora.

“We had heard that there was a grave misunderstanding by the factors’ council of Laaryn, Lady Vaelora, and we wished to make certain that no action of ours might be associated with any error on our part…”

“You have not presumed, but you are here to inquire,” replied Vaelora. “Unlike the factors of Laaryn, who lied, and then attempted to cover their falsehoods with greater deception. What do you wish to know?”

“What do you expect and require of us?”

“You have paid your tariffs, I trust?” asked Vaelora.

“They were paid, alas, to Rex Kharst, before … the recent … unpleasantness.”

“Lord Bhayar may require a token tariff … as a gesture of loyalty.”

“We have heard that such was required in Laaryn, but was that not for the failures of the factors in Laaryn?” Jarell’s tone was apologetic, as if he were asking for clarification of something he did not understand.

“Much more than that was required of the factors of Laaryn,” replied Quaeryt. “Much more. As for tokens of allegiance, Lord Bhayar has already required a token tariff of High Holders. He granted Lady Vaelora the authority to impose such where necessary, while he considers the matter for all factors in Bovaria.”

“The tariff system here is most fair … or so many have said.”

“It may well be,” agreed Quaeryt. “I would suggest, however, that you provide a reasoned argument for the system to him, because those of us from Telaryn are not so familiar with the methods of tariffing used in Bovaria.”
That will also explain the system to him, which will be useful, since not much in the way of records survived the ice in Chateau Regis.
“Even so, do you not think some token of allegiance would be merited?”

“We have pledged that allegiance in full and good faith.”

Vaelora smiled. “That pledge is most welcome … but as factors you well know that pledges alone do not pay for goods. You do not sell your goods for pledges, and a land cannot be governed on pledges alone. In ruling and in trade, without coin or golds, pledges are empty.”

“That is most true, Lady … most true. Yet one would hope not to pay for the same goods twice, nor the same governing.”

“That is also true,” said Quaeryt, “but there are times when one pays for a good and it is not delivered, and to obtain the good one must pay again. The same is true in ruling. Rex Kharst delivered bad governing, and Lord Bhayar has had to pay twice. He is not settling the cost upon you, but he may well ask for a token amount against what he has paid. Since the factors of Daaraen have not flouted his authority or lied to his officials, no tariffs are due now. Whether a token tariff for the past year will be required will be Lord Bhayar’s decision.”

“Thank you for clarifying that.” Jarell bowed.

“We will require some additional supplies,” noted Skarpa. “We will talk of that later. Where might we find you tomorrow?”

“One of the factors’ council members will be at the council chamber on the main market square from eighth glass to fourth glass.” Jarell bowed again. “If there is nothing further with which I can assist you…”

“Thank you for your courtesy,” replied Vaelora. “You may go.”

Once the chamber door closed behind the factor, Quaeryt shook his head.

“It didn’t take them long,” said Skarpa dryly.

“The factors in Laaryn must have sent a fast boat down the Laar—without stopping,” mused Quaeryt. “This is going to create some considerable problems for your brother.”

“Factors can be worse than High Holders, it appears,” said Skarpa.

“That wasn’t what I meant,” explained Quaeryt. “The factors of Laaryn immediately sent word to the factors here, and most likely to those all along the river. That suggests that they can and do work together, more so than the High Holders. That also explains why the factors in Laaryn were so surprised. I would suspect that all of the factors’ councils, at least along the River Laar, cooperate in managing the flow and pricing of goods.”

“They’re all in on it, the greedy bastards,” murmured Skarpa.

“That’s not always bad. It could result in more flour and grain in bad times as well.”
Although the price would be higher.
“But it does mean that Bhayar will have to be consistent in his dealings with all factors, and not play off one area or group against another—unless he wants some very dissatisfied factors … and that’s not a good idea.”