The Mirror of Her Dreams (26 page)

'You tell him
this,
my lady. Every man of mine who falls or dies defending him in his blind inaction, I will send here. Let him look to their wounds, or their bereaved families, and explain why he will not'-he couldn't contain himself-
'command itr

'My lord Perdon.' Master Eremis sounded suave and easy- and authoritative enough to catch the attention of everyone in the chamber. 'I gather that our admirable lord, King Joyse, has done something foolish. Again. Will you tell me what it was?'

His tone made the blonde woman flush; but she bit her lip and didn't retort.

The Perdon turned. 'Master Eremis.' For a moment, his eyes narrowed, gauging the Imager. Then he spat, 'Paugh! It surpasses belief. I would not have believed him capable of it.

'I will not speak of the horrors that befell my men within the hour-horrors hardly a stone's throw from the gates of ''our admirable lord'. They are Imagery, and I am sick of such things. I fought with King Joyse in part so that the abominations of mirrors would be ended.

'I will not speak of them because there is nothing to be said' -his hard gaze glittered-'except by the Imager who causes them.

'But you must know that our borders have been raided for some time now.
I
have not kept the matter secret. All along the Vertigon, from end to end of Perdon, North and South, bands of marauders have ridden out of Cadwal despite the season to strike and burn whatever they happen to find. Then they flee. My protests to that fop Festten's regional governor have been met with shrugs. The marauders damage him also-he says. Since its wars with Mordant, Cadwal no longer has the strength to control banditry-he says. And I, Master Eremis'-he hit his breastplate with one fist-'
I
am left to guard every mile of the Vertigon with enough men for no more than a small fraction of the job.

'Lacking support or counsel from Orison,' he went on with massive sarcasm, 'I set out to solve this problem as best I could.

'Among my patrols, I included riders who were trained as scouts and spies, so that when marauders were found-or sign of them was found-they could be followed in secret. I wanted to know where those pieces of rabble went to ground. If I could discover their camps, I would not mind raiding a bit into Cadwal myself, to rout some of those bandits from their holes.'

Master Eremis nodded. 'Sound thinking, my lord Perdon. But I gather you were surprised by what you learned.'

'Surprised?' the Perdon growled. 'Death's hatchetmen, Master Eremis! We are speaking of Cadwal. I should not have been surprised.

'Nevertheless,' he went on darkly, 'I was not altogether prepared in my mind for the reports which eventually came to me. Some of my scouts were lost-doubtless because they let what they were doing be discovered. Others were gone so long that I gave them up before they won home. But those that lived all told the same tale.

'It was natural, I trust, that I had believed these marauders to be petty bandits and butchers. Their bands were not over-large. They wore the rags and equipage of men who have grown poor enough to be careless of bloodshed. They struck in motley fashion, as though they meant to overwhelm opposition or be slaughtered without discipline or forethought. They were only a serious trouble to me because they came from Cadwal. And because they were so
many.

'But I was wrong, Master Eremis.' His fists bunched, and his anger rose again.
'
I was wrong. Will you believe it? After forays of two or four or even ten days, all the bands which my men followed rode at last to
the same camp.'

Terisa glanced at Geraden and saw that his face was losing colour rapidly.

'And in this camp,' the Perdon continued, 'they mingled freely with Festten's soldiers, men plainly wearing the uniforms of Cadwal. The supply wains bore the High King's sigil. The tents where the officers and supplies and support were housed were of Cadwai design.'

'Indeed,' murmured Master Eremis. 'Perhaps your surprise is understandable, my lord Perdon.
I
am astonished.' He didn't sound astonished. 'How large was this force?'

'Estimates vary. My scouts did not observe it under favourable conditions. And some of them were inclined to panic, where others remained too phlegmatic. But I am convinced that it could not have numbered less than fifteen thousand fighting men.'

One of the guards in the chamber let out a low whistle; Terisa didn't notice who it was.

'All this
in winter,'
snarled the Perdon. They mean to throw themselves at our throats as soon as the weather shifts.'

'You see how the matter stands, Master Eremis,' said the blonde woman. The King
must
be made to admit reason. This threat cannot be ignored.'

'Between North Perdon and South,' the Perdon rasped, 'I have little better than three thousand men. To my certain knowledge, Orison has at least five thousand, all sitting idle in their camps under the command of Castellan Lebbick.'

'More nearly eight thousand, I think,' Master Eremis commented.

'Eight? Yet when I asked for support'-the Perdon ground his teeth to keep himself from shouting-'the King refused. He has refused repeatedly, but at first I could not believe it. Finally I came in person to demand help. I lost seven men along the road -within sight of his walls. And still he refused.' The brawny lord shook his moustache. 'With an invasion force poised on his eastern border, waiting to take advantage of the chaos of Imagery which assails us from within, and doubtless more peril being plotted in Alend, he refused.'

'It is inconceivable,' the pale woman breathed to herself. Her violet eyes looked distracted and urgent. 'He must command it. How can he not?'

Geraden was frowning hard, deep in thought. What he was thinking made him look sick.

'For ten years, I fought beside him,' finished the Perdon. 'I trusted him. Now I learn that to him it means nothing.'

Master Eremis studied the armoured man. Then perhaps,' he said quietly, 'it will not amaze you to learn that I have the same problem.'

Both Geraden and the blonde lady showed their surprise. The Perdon arched his red eyebrows. 'You, Master Eremis?'

'Indeed.' Glancing around him casually, Eremis moved to the Perdon's side and placed a hand on the palette protecting the Perdon's shoulder. 'Our plights are remarkably similar, my lord. Will you accompany me to my quarters? The battles of Perdon will not be fought in the next hour or two, and I have some excellent Domne ale. Commiseration will benefit us both.'

For a moment, the Perdon stared at Master Eremis as frankly as Geraden and the lady did. His blunt mouth formed the word,
commiseration,
as though he had never heard it before. Then his expression closed. Carefully, he said, 'I thank you. Your offer is kind. I could drown my anger in a hogshead of good ale, if you have it.'

The Master laughed. 'I have that-and a great deal more, which I think will please you.'

His face blank, the Perdon replied, Then I am yours, Master Eremis.'

'Good!' At once, Eremis bowed to the blonde woman and Terisa. 'With your permission, my ladies.' His salutation was abrupt: he was clearly eager to leave. As soon as the Perdon also had bowed, Master Eremis steered him out of the chamber.

Slowly, as if involuntarily, Geraden and the lady in blue looked at each other. They both appeared stiff, awkward. She had more self-possession, however. After a few moments, she asked, 'Now why would he do such a thing, Apt?'

Geraden shifted his weight uncomfortably, though he refused to drop her gaze. 'I don't know, my lady. The Perdon has the heart and soul of a soldier. And he has fought Cadwal too long. Master Eremis knows he doesn't trust any Imager.'

She looked away. Cupping her hands about her elbows, she gripped them tightly. 'I
hate
it when he looks at me like that. He smiles and jests, but all I see is scorn.'

'I don't exactly love it myself,' muttered Geraden. 'But that doesn't explain what he thinks he has in common with the Perdon.' They fell into a discomfited silence. Now that he didn't have to meet her gaze, he scanned the stone floor. She watched the corridor down which Master Eremis and the Perdon had departed as if she wanted to run after them and demand an answer. Considering Geraden and the lady, Terisa thought suddenly that they had known each other for a long time. The lady was about his age and seemed to Terisa to be a fitting companion for him. The intensity of her violet eyes, especially, seemed appropriate to his awkward intensity of spirit.

Abruptly, the lady gave a start of embarrassment. Turning to Terisa, she said, 'Oh, I
am
sorry. How very rude of me. You have been standing here all this time, and I have not been courteous enough to speak to you. You must be the lady Terisa.' She produced a smile which appeared genuine, if somewhat tentative. 'I know the gown,'she explained. 'If the Apt's manners were any better than mine'-the glance she cast in his direction suggested a scorn of her own-'he would have introduced us. I am Elega. King Joyse is my father.'

'Oh, yes.' Terisa recognized the name. Because she had never met a king's daughter before and had no idea what kind of salutation was expected, she said what she had so often heard her mother say: 'How nice to meet you.' Then she winced internally because her voice sounded just like her mother's.

Fortunately, the lady Elega hadn't known Terisa's mother. 'Myste and I,' she continued, 'have wished to meet you since we first heard of your-shall I call it your 'arrival'? The present circumstances are not of the best. Matters which you have overheard leave me somewhat distracted, I fear.' Despite her words, the way she regarded Terisa implied that she found something to compensate her for her father's distressing treatment of the Perdon. 'But I would be pleased'-she smiled-'and Myste would be delighted, I think, if you would visit us in our rooms. You may be unaware of the interest you have aroused in Orison. My sister and I are always eager for new friendships. And-I tell you frankly, my lady'-she lowered her voice as if she were imparting a public secret-'Mordant is a man's world. We women are not often given enough to occupy our talents. So your acquaintance would have a special value to us.

'
My lady, will you come?'

Terisa was momentarily frozen. Then she shook herself in disgust. Why did she feel threatened when she was asked for the simplest statements and decisions? It was her mother in her. Her mother would have said,
What a nice idea. When would you like us to come? I'm sure that would be lovely. My husband is so busy these days. Shall I call you next week?
For that reason, Terisa gazed at Elega as straight as she could and said, 'I'm not doing anything right now.'

A second later, she realized how that would sound to Geraden, and a sting of chagrin turned her face crimson. He wasn't looking at her: his expression had gone flat, like non-reflective glass. Only the slight, stretched widening of his eyes betrayed that he had heard her.

Now she remembered why it was natural to fear even simple statements and decisions. They caused trouble.

Apparently, however, the lady Elega considered the assertion a natural one to make in Geraden's company, even though Terisa might be presumed to have come here with him for some reason or another. Her smile seemed as unconstrained as her earlier dismay allowed. 'Thank you, my lady. Have you eaten? We can have a quiet lunch together. I am certain that we have an enormous amount to talk about.'

Yet she stiffened when she turned to Geraden. In a tone of dutiful politeness, she asked, 'Will you join us, Apt?'

The corners of his jaw bunched. He shot a glance at Terisa and murmured, 'No, thanks.' His voice was studiously neutral.
'
I think the lady Terisa has had enough of my company for one day. Give the lady Myste my greetings.'

Abruptly, he sketched a bow towards her and headed out of the waiting room.

As he passed through the doorway, he bumped into a doorpost with his shoulder and stumbled until he caught his balance. Several of the guards chuckled at his departing back.

The lady Elega put a hand to her mouth to hide a smile. 'Poor Geraden.' Then she shook her head, dismissing him. 'We must go upward, my lady.' She gestured towards the stairs and started Terisa in that direction. 'My sister and I share rooms a level above the King's. We are told that we must live there so that we will be at least as safe as our father. But I believe,' she said cynically, 'the true reason is so that anything of importance will reach him before it reaches us-and stop.' Trying to blunt the edge of her words, she added more humorously, 'As I said, Mordant is a man's world.'