Soarers Choice (43 page)

“That
was the weapon’s backlash. I thought you’d like to know.” Dainyl offered a
professional smile. “What about the Tables in the east?”

“They’re
reporting too many unauthorized translations, but they all have retained
control of their Tables.”

Or
they’re reporting that way. Dainyl did not voice the thought. “What about
Dereka and Lyterna?”

“Jonyst
is fine, and so is Myenfel.”

That
wasn’t quite what Dainyl wanted to know, but he let it pass. “Is there any word
... any indication about future ... Table instability?”

“No
... we’ve heard nothing about any decisions from Ifryn.”

That
was what Dainyl had feared. The Archon was going to bleed Ifryn to the last
dram of lifeforce, or close to it, before transferring the Master Scepter.
“Thank you. I’d best be leaving you to your duties.”

“You
will be reporting to the High Alector?”

“That’s
why I’m here.” With a smile he tried to keep from being too wry, Dainyl nodded
and stepped back, opening the outer door to the foyer.

Zelyert
had still not returned.

So
Dainyl made his way to Adya’s chamber.

She
stood as she saw Dainyl in her doorway. “Marshal... what can I do for you?”

Dainyl
smiled and stepped into her tiny study, leaving the door ajar enough so that he
could hear when Zelyert returned. He sat on the stool, the only furniture for
visitors. “I’m waiting for the High Alector. I thought you might be able to
tell me about anything I should know that happened while I was in Soupat.”

The
alectress frowned, momentarily. “I don’t know ...”

“No
secrets,” Dainyl reassured her. “Do you know what’s happening in Alustre?”

“We
haven’t heard anything, except that there was some road damage along the
Northern Pass, and the High Alector of the East was sending some of the
road-building equipment to keep a cliff from collapsing and blocking the pass.”

Dainyl
managed to nod and avoid a frown. Cliffs usually didn’t collapse in fall or
winter, but in spring. “Did High Alector Ruvryn say anything?”

“His
assistant said that after the problem in South Pass they didn’t want any
problems in the north.”

South
Pass. Dainyl had to struggle for a moment before he recalled that Alcyna never
had gotten a clear answer as to why the repairs on the South Pass bridge were
taking so long. But with what Adya had just told him, it was obvious that
Brekylt would be able to deny any easy land access to the east in a matter of
days. “What did the Highest say?”

“Nothing
that I recall, sir.”

Adya
was telling the truth, and that disturbed Dainyl. Was Zelyert thinking about
backing Brekylt — and Samist?

Both
Dainyl and Adya looked up as a deep voice inquired, “Is the marshal still
here?”

“Thank
you.” Dainyl smiled at the assistant and stepped out into the corridor. “Yes,
sir. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Zelyert
gestured for Dainyl to join him. “Close the door.”

Dainyl
followed Zelyert into the private study and eased the door shut behind him.

The
High Alector seated himself. “What did you do in Soupat, Marshal?” Zelyert’s
deep voice was deceptively mild.

Even
before he finished seating himself, Dainyl could sense an anger verging on rage
behind the even words. “What I was able to do, Highest.” The honorific might
mollify Zelyert, although Dainyl had the feeling that little would. He extended
the report he had labored over the afternoon and night before. “This provides all
the background and details. In effect, we brought the complex down around the
rebel refugees and destroyed their weaponry before it destroyed Acorus. We also
destroyed all of them.”

Zelyert
took the report and laid it on the table without looking at it. “It would have
been a great deal more beneficial to all of us had you not taken so long. A
great deal more beneficial to all of Acorus.”

Dainyl
had to wonder what it was about alectors such as Shastylt and Zelyert. Did the
fear of losing power or prestige drive them all to the point of total
unreasonableness? “We arrived on Septi night and began our attacks on Octdi
morning. We lost two pteridons almost immediately. They possessed portable
light-rifles that often can destroy a pteridon, and a lightcannon from Ifryn
that instantly obliterated anything in its path or range. Despite that, we
managed to destroy their weapons, and most of them with the loss of only six
pteridons.”

“Only
six? You lost almost a third of a company against these ... refugees?”

“They
weren’t refugees, sir. They were trained Myrmidons with weapons superior to
ours. The heavy lightcannon was actually linked to the Table itself. You find
another Myrmidon who actually has delivered you those kinds of results, and
I’ll be pleased to hand over command.” Before Zelyert could speak again, Dainyl
added, “The Archon is either sending alectors like that against us or allowing
them access, in order to channel the most enterprising and bold here, so that
he won’t have to deal with them on Efra. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s
holding off transferring the Master Scepter until he can use us to purge all
those he doesn’t want with him.”

Some
— but not all — of Zelyert’s anger vanished. “A lightcannon linked to the
Table? You’re certain of that?”

“Recorder
Chastyl noted the energy backlash through the Table when the lightcannon
failed. At the time, he did not know what caused the surge. I only told him it
was a weapons backlash.”

“I’m
beginning to see why Shastylt found you... difficult... Marshal.”

Dainyl
was getting greater confirmation of why Shastylt had wanted to find a way to
replace Zelyert and why Khelaryt did not trust Zelyert. “I have always done the
best I could under the circumstances.”

“Commensurate
with your own self-preservation.”

“I
could not continue to serve were I dead, sir.”

Zelyert
laughed, deeply, but harshly. “Sometimes, the dead serve better than in life.”

“That
may be, but you will pardon me if I avoid proving such.”

Zelyert
looked long at Dainyl.

Dainyl
met his eyes, and did not look down. He also held his shields ready.

“Did
Adya tell you about the Northern Pass?”

“Only
that Brekylt is sending road repair equipment to deal with a cliff that has not
toppled and likely will not. That will give him the ability to cut off the east
from all easy land access and heavy equipment transport. He’s doubtless used
the flood in unauthorized long translations as a rationale to build up the
guard at all Tables in the east. If any of the refugees from Soupat escaped
with equipment through the Tables, he will have that as well.”

“And
you could not hurry your attacks?”

“Had
we done so, you would have no pteridons left from those who attacked. We lost
only a few more than a squad.”

“Could
you not have captured that weapon?”

“I
know of no way, even afterward. But... if I had, there would likely have been
no point in doing so. Or in stopping the insurgents.”

At
that, Zelyert frowned, but the expression was one of puzzlement, not anger.

“It
drew so much lifeforce that any extensive use would soon render Acorus in a
lifeforce deficit, if not worse.”

“So
... that was what you meant...” The Highest nodded. “The Archon wishes to
further weaken us, so that we will be in no position to challenge Efra in the
years ahead.”

Dainyl
was glad not to have been the one to voice the sentiment.

“What
do you think we should do next, Marshal?”

“Request
Third and Fourth Companies fly to Dereka to deal with the growing threat posed
by the ancients.”

Zelyert’s
eyebrows rose. “Exactly how do you propose to get those orders to Submarshal
Noryan? Hand-carry them into Alustre?”

“No,
sir. By sandox coach. I doubt that Brekylt will stop such transport
immediately.”

“Do
you expect that to work?”

Dainyl
smiled. “One way or another, it will achieve a purpose, and I see no point in
waiting.”

“No.
I suppose not.” Zelyert offered a sardonic smile. “Do you think the ancients
pose such a problem? Really?”

“Does
it matter, sir?” Dainyl did not want to come close to answering Zelyert’s
question. “They’ve certainly created problems in the Iron Valleys.”

“Go
ahead. It can’t hurt to anticipate Brekylt.” Zelyert stood. “But I’d hope you
will keep all the pteridons you can close at hand.”

“I
have been,” Dainyl replied, “and I intend to keep doing so.” Until we need them
for matters of the greatest import.

As
he left the Hall of Justice, he reflected on one thing. He trusted Zelyert even
less, and he’d trusted the High Alector of Justice little enough before.

After
leaving the Hall of Justice, Dainyl had gone to Myrmidon headquarters. He’d
checked the schedules, and spent a glass with Captain Zernylta learning
everything affecting the Myrmidons that had occurred in his absence. Little of
import had — except he had gotten a formal note of acceptance of rank by Majer
Sevasya.

Elcien
and Ludar appeared ominously quiet, given the attacks on the two Tables and the
pending transfer of the Master Scepter, a transfer no one discussed. There was
a dispatch from Colonel Herolt that reported increased unrest in the Iron
Valleys involving the indigens, but no immediate hostile action against the
Cadmians and some increased casualties in Soupat, but the Soupat report clearly
dated from before Dainyl’s attack there.

As
for Iron Stem, Dainyl felt that he had the best battalion commander there in
Majer Mykel, but if the ancients became more involved, even the majer might
have difficulty. Still, there wasn’t much he could do about that.

After
catching up with Zernylta, he drafted the orders to Submarshal Noryan. Noryan
would either obey them and deprive Brekylt of the two companies of Myrmidons,
or would refuse, and in doing so, effectively declare that he was supporting
Brekylt in rebellion against the Duarches. Then, Dainyl had no way of knowing
what Captain Josaryk would do. Sevasya might be able to keep Fourth Company
there, even if Noryan stood by Brekylt.

Perhaps
Dainyl should have recommended a more patient approach, but from what he had
seen, waiting tied Khelaryt’s hands more than anyone else’s. Brekylt continued
to build support while professing to be an administrator loyal to the Duarches.
Yet, because everything was so subterranean, Khelaryt could not remove Brekylt,
not without the support of Samist, and even then, such an action would be perceived
as high-handed, particularly by the engineers, who comprised the largest single
group of alectors besides the Myrmidons.

The
other worry Dainyl had was the problem of lightcannon. Until he’d seen them in
action in Soupat, he hadn’t realized how destructive of lifeforce they truly
were. The ones Brekylt had sent to Rhelyn in Hyalt — which Dainyl had destroyed
— had used storage crystals, and that had disguised the amount of lifeforce
use. Widespread use of lightcannon would be even more destructive than pteridon
against pteridon.

Dainyl
finished drafting the orders for Noryan, sealed them personally, and had
Zernylta deliver them to the sandox coach dispatcher. Next came his contingency
plans. Those took most of the afternoon.

Alcyna
arrived at headquarters late in the afternoon, walking straight into Dainyl’s
study and dropping into the chair across from him.

“You’re
tired,” he said. “Did you have any problems on the way back?”

“No.
The problems were before we left.”

“Some
alectors who escaped before everything exploded?”

“They
weren’t the problem.” Alcyna shook her head. “Several of the alectors’
dwellings away from the compound have visiting ‘relatives,’ mostly alectresses
and a few infants and children. I didn’t press. There weren’t that many,
probably less than the Ifryn Myrmidons killed in the takeover.”

“The
locals, then?”

“Exactly.
The council wanted to know who was going to pay for the mining and quarrying
now, and when the golds would arrive. I told them to send the charges to the
High Alector of Engineering. It’s his responsibility, and to mine only what had
been ordered. The council head wasn’t happy with that. Then the nut growers
wanted to know who was going to buy their surplus.”

“Surplus?”

“Apparently,
one of the assistants to the RA had a small side business. I have no
i.e.
where he was selling them or why.”

“Brekylt.
Rations. Nuts keep.”

“You’re
more cynical than I am, Marshal.”

And
getting more so with each day, reflected Dainyl. “What else?”

“Hidden
whining about use and damage to the patroller barracks. They’re so polite. They
bow and scrape and are so reasonable. ‘Most honorable alector’ ... ‘highest of
the high’ ... I heard more new titles in the days since you left than in all
the years in the east.”

“Do
you think we’ve blocked access to the Table there well enough?”

“Unless
you’re a snake or an ancient. Supposedly, they can go through rock.”

“Neither
is a problem in Soupat,” Dainyl said dryly. “I’ve sent orders to Noryan to
deploy Third and Fourth Companies to Dereka to deal with a possible ancient
threat.”

“He’s
not likely to get them.”

“I
sent them by sandox coach. I thought it was worth a try.”

“At
what? Forcing Noryan into a corner?”

“We’re
all in corners. I’d rather see him in ours, or not in Brekylt’s.”

“Is
there really an ancient threat?”

“Yes.
Zelyert doesn’t understand it or think that there could be.”

“I
think we outnumber them,” mused Alcyna. “A few of those light-rifles might have
helped.”