by Andre Norton
She knew that he had just come from conference with Tarlach, and a quick rush of relief swept through her. There was no open rage burning in him at the least.
Her newborn sense of assurance faded in the next moment. Lack of apparent violent emotion meant nothing. Such a man could be expected to be tightly controlled.
She had to fight herself to hold her own nervousness, her fear, in check. This one could be the pillar of her lord's hope or the blade that would cut down dream and perhaps the dreamer as well. She could only pray that she would be able to advance their cause or, at the worst, do nothing to harm it.
The Holdlady gave the traditional greeting of her kind to both Varnel and to his war bird. That last courtesy surprised him, for those outside his own race rarely gave full respect to the winged ones, but he quickly responded as custom demanded.
Una made no attempt to touch him, but she moved a little nearer to him. “No words of gratitude can express what we all feel, Warlord. You have restored life to Seakeepdale and all sheltering here.”
Her voice was soft, he noted, and a marvelous quiet rested on her like an invisible cloak. “We rode and fought for our own kin, Lady, and for all this world. It was a cause to which we were glad to give our service.”
He decided to broach at once the subject that was paramount in both their minds. “It appears that my people in turn have reason to thank you, for your good willing if nothing else.”
“You have spoken with the Mountain Hawk, then?” she asked evenly, although she knew the answer full well. He had also come to at least a partial decision. He would not have asked to see her otherwise.
“Yes.” He took the chair to which she indicated with her small, scarred hand. “I have heard his version of the tale. Now I would hear yours. From its beginning.”
The Daleswoman braced herself, then began her story. She took her time with it, knowing that he did want full detail, and held nothing back save only her love for the man she had called Mountain Hawk and his for her.
The Warlord's head bowed when she had finished, partly to conceal his smile.
“In detail, you agree precisely with my Captain, but your emphasis is very different.”
She started to frown but realized his meaning and smiled herself. “The Mountain Hawk tends to reduce his own role, but I assure you that no other here will allow that.”
Una eyed him cautiously, trying to determine his response, but between the screening helmet and the control under which he kept himself, she could read nothing for certain.
She did know that he was putting her to the test. “We mean him no insult by our enthusiasm, but we consider that his service to Seakeepdale has been such that neither our custom nor human feeling itself can permit us to treat him as a mere hireling or to consider him as such, him or any of those with him.”
She drew a deep breath, then went on, trusting to her instinct that she would do better speaking plainly to this man rather than holding herself too meekly before him.
“I crave pardon on my own behalf and on that of my people if we seem to challenge your ways at any time. We do not pretend to understand them all, but your Captain has conducted himself with extraordinary courage and sense of responsibility toward us, and he has shown the same with respect to his own. It is incomprehensible to us that he might be penalized for that.”
“He will not be,” the Falconer said quietly. “You have my word on that.”
Relief and joy surged through her but quickly faded again. “Not officially, perhaps.”
He nodded, acknowledging her point. “To some, he will be a renegade, whatever my ruling, and he does now have friendships he values amongst them. What must be endured shall be, Lady. There is no avoiding that loss. Our need is too great for him to withdraw his suggestion even if he willed to do so. I should have to pursue it despite him, and his would still be the blame for having instigated it all.”
“You will pursue it?”
“I am doing so now, Lady.”
His eyes fixed her suddenly, pierced her. She had seen Tarlach do this, but still, she had to steel herself not to cringe visibly under his gaze.
“Warlord?” she made herself ask coolly. It was best to establish from the outset that Seakeep was an equal partner in this and that its Holdlady was a true ruler, to be dealt with as such, not a nonentity to be cowed and forgotten.
“My Captain has told me what you expect to gain. A market for your horses and produce, defense, and warrior training for your folk seems small payment for the benefits accruing to us.”
“Payment? Walk to that window, Bird Warrior. The wall is visible from it, and before this danger came upon us, there was the Mountain Hawk's effort on my behalf in Estcarp and the matter of his preserving Seakeepdale from Ogin of Ravenfield.”
“There are few Holdrulers who would give over a Dale in the name of gratitude.”
“I am Una of Seakeep, not any other. I know that the Mountain Hawk explained my reasons to you already, but I will state them again.
“Whatever the circumstances forcing me to mount that attack, it would be repugnant to me to retain and use for my own profit a Dale I had taken from its rightful lord by blood, the more particularly since I was next in line to inherit, he being without lady or get. It would be even more unthinkable to allow a brave people to perish when the means to preserve them was mine.” Her eyes went to the two falcons sharing Sunbeam's generous perch. “It would be worth fighting for your kind only to guard what you have established with these winged ones. That must not be lost, Falconer, whatever else you gain or relinquish.”
“What we have established?” he countered. “You appear to have a share in that relationship. This bird is not here by chance.”
Una knew she had taken a risk by drawing Varnel's attention to her war bird, in having her here at all, but her bonding with the falcon was too well known to Tarlach's company and among her own people and would soon have come to his notice in any event. Concealment now would of a certainty flare back in her face then. “Sunbeam followed me after her warrior joined with another falcon while in your camp last fall. I do not know why she chose me and did not even believe such a thing was possible before it happened, but I welcome her and would not be parted from her. She gave me my life several times during the course of the siege,” the woman added, her voice softening.
“And you hers?”
“I was privileged to come to her aid, yes.”
“It is not ours to question a falcon's choosing,” he admitted gruffly after a moment.
The Commandant nodded, as if to himself. “The winged ones like these highlands and have already declared themselves pleased to settle here, and this country is as a lodestone to my warriors, fairer even than that which we lost. If I decide for it, more than a sufficient number will want to make it theirs. I am more worried about whether we can attract the other settlers we require.
“I realize you have little personal knowledge of Falconer women, but you do have one of them here with you.”
The Holdruler stiffened. “She is my friend and has given us such service. …”
Varnel scowled. “So I have been given to understand. You and your blank shield seem one in your doubt of my honor.”
“Merely because our own is bound up in this matter,” she answered evenly.
“No harm will come to her, but I do need to question her. There is no point in going any further with this, or in destroying the Mountain Hawk's standing with a large number of us, if we can expect no support from the villages.”
She inclined her head in acquiescence. “She will be brought to you when you require her.”
“The Captain mentioned that he believed some of your own women might have an interest in joining or partly joining with us. Do you think that likely?”
Una did not conceal her surprise. “I had not considered the possibility,” she admitted.
She pondered the idea. The desire for children, to continue their line in Seakeep, would not be eno
ugh in itself to overcome custom and the expectation of a warm, sharing relationship, although she believed that was what Tarlach had been thinking. Falconers, men and women alike, were accustomed to resorting to temporary matings to continue their kind, but her people would find that insufferably demeaning, especially now. They knew their worth after all they had accomplished since Alizon's Hounds had swept down upon High Hallack. On the other hand, Seakeep's predominantly female garrison and support staff had been thrown into very close association with the mercenary company during the course of the siege and, to a degree, even before it. It was not impossible that some interest, some attraction, might have developed between individuals.
“It could come to pass,” she said slowly, “though I would make no promise or so much as hold it out as a hope to you.”
At that moment, the Commandant's falcon, who had been watching the woman intently throughout the interview, uttered a short, sharp cry and flew to Una's shoulder. Grasping tightly, as if in warning, with his feet, he began pulling impatiently at the woman's collar with his beak.
The Holdruler remained perfectly still, although she was fully aware of the razor-keen talons and bill just inches from her face and recalled with terrible clarity the damage those weapons could inflict. There was no anger on the war bird, and her own two comrades were not concerned, though both openly showed their annoyance at his behavior.
It took but a few moments for Sky Glory to find the chains lying beneath the garment and draw Gunnora's blessed symbol and the silver falcon free of the screening material.
Varnel's eyes fixed on the last, then raised to her face. They burned like angry stars. “Do you know what that is, woman?”
“Of course.” She compelled herself to answer calmly, although she knew her death might be only seconds from her, and Tarlach's with it. She realized full well that the Warlord had recognized the piece and knew who had fashioned it. “A Falconer's Talisman. It cannot be wrenched from me by force or guile or threat, and possession of it entitles me to the aid of any Falconer or Falconer unit free to serve me, provided only that my cause lies within the scope of their honor. That is an authority upon which I have never been compelled to draw,” she added. “The Mountain Hawk's company bound themselves and remained without compulsion.”
“If you know so much, it must have come to you as a freely given gift and not as something accidentally found.”
“Naturally. I should have recognized such a thing as the work of your people and returned it.—Your bird has shown himself to be sorely lacking in basic courtesy. I ask that you order him back to the perch.”
The Warlord complied. “All falcons can sense the presence of a Talisman, and my comrade believed I would be interested in this one since the fact that you bear it surprised him. Nevertheless, I crave pardon, Lady. Yours is patently the right to carry it since it consents to remain with you, and you should not have to suffer interference by either bird or man for doing so.”
All the same, he continued to study her intently for several fraction-seconds. In the end, he went to the door. Rufon was standing on call outside to serve either his Holdlady or her illustrious guest.
“Bring the Captain to us. We needs must speak with him now.”
Tarlach felt his heart grow cold at the sight of the Talisman gleaming on the woman's breast. However, he merely gave salute and waited for his commander to speak.
“This was yours?” Varnel demanded without preamble.
“Yes.” A man's Talisman was his own, and he owed no one, not even the Warlord of his race, any accounting with respect to his use of it. “I have already replaced it.” Although only one could be held at any given time, a warrior was free to fashion another should he lose or make a gift of his original piece, though both were rare occurrences indeed.
The Commandant looked from one to the other of the pair.
“It is a small recompense for the giving of a Dale,” he said in the end, addressing the Mountain Hawk, “although she does seem to appreciate its significance to us.” He faced Una. “You are wise to wear it concealed, Lady. There are too many who would wonder at such a gifting, particularly under the circumstances in which we find ourselves.”
“That is why I do hide it and why I am so angry with your falcon for exposing it,” she said as she slipped both the Talisman and Gunnora's amulet back into their customary place.
Whether Varnel actually believed the escape he had given them or not, he dismissed the subject as a matter of discussion to the infinite relief of both his human companions.
“Assuming that the remainder of my inquiries turn out as I now believe they shall, I will stand behind the agreement you two have reached.”
His upraised hand stilled the words of thanksgiving both began to speak. “Perhaps you should be a little slower in bestowing your gratitude. There is a difficult time ahead for all of us, even for you, Una of Seakeep, but the brunt of it will fall on the Mountain Hawk.”
“What must be endured shall be,” Tarlach said grimly but with real resignation.
“Truly, but I am determined to see you as well armed as possible for the fray.” His eyes sparkled at his officer's puzzlement. “There is little profit in a Captain's arguing with Commandants even in a people like ours where discussion is encouraged. Let us see how this looks on you.”
As he spoke, he removed his cloak and set it about the Mountain Hawk's shoulders. It was black like those worn by all their race, but it was lined with silver.
Una saw Tarlach's look of exultation and turned to the Warlord for the explanation she had already guessed.
“It is a Commandant's cloak, Lady,” Varnel told her. “Normally, it would not be worn save in our own camp or, once, in the Eyrie, but you are our ally in this and should rightly know what power we have.”
“That is most well done, Warlord,” she answered him. The Holdruler allowed some of the wild pride surging through her to have access to her voice and face. She had made known the honor in which she and all her Dale held this man whose sword she had hired. She could be expected to evince strong pleasure in his advancement now. “No man in all our people's history has ever deserved it more,” Varnel affirmed.
Tarlach's eyes fell as the first rush of excitement passed. “I command but a company, Lord, five hundred men, less now. That is a far cry from a column.”
His commander chuckled. “You are imagining midnight when it is high noon, Commandant. Have no fear. You will have your column, and in very short order, I think. There will be many warriors eager to ride behind the Mountain Hawk after this, and I shall let you have those you want of any coming to us from the schismatics’ columns as well. You should be able to double, aye, and treble your command and without ever being compelled to accept any but the ablest of our kind.”
He sighed then, and the lightness left him. Thrice deserved as this promotion was, fate had decreed that it must serve as much as a weapon to allow Tarlach to stand firm in his war of need and change which had been thrust on him as it was an honor and a source of growth and heightened responsibility.
“There is one more with whom I must speak before word of our intention goes beyond this room and your own company. Have this healer brought here now.”
Pyra studied the Falconer Warlord warily, but she stood straight before him, her head high, and her eyes did not fall when his met and searched them.
“You know why we have summoned you?” Varnel asked in more statement than question.
“I believe so, but I might also be mistaken.”
The silver eyes narrowed. “You actually say that you will not be trapped into betraying your friends?”
“Would you deal so, blank shield?” the healer countered calmly.
He glared at her but then smiled. “If needful in a cause this important, but I do not play that game now. I must know, to the best of your ability to answer, what sort of response we may expect if I announce the Commandant's alliance with Seakeepdale and ask the villages to settle Ravenfie
ld.” He nodded to himself, pleased both at her fast comprehension and equally quick delight at Tarlach's advancement, but he went on without comment. “I do not want to place this burden on him if it will be without purpose.”
Pyra was quiet a while. “My testimony will help,” she answered at last, “but my own village is the only one for which I can speak with even probable certainty.
“Even though I can freely stand beside the Mountain Hawk and the Lady Una and the others I have come to know here, I shall have to report, too, that these Dales are isolated and rugged and that escape from them will not be easy should that prove desirable or necessary.
“You will receive recruits, I believe, not all by any means, but many. Our experiences with our males have not been unduly harsh, and as a whole, we like the lives we lead, the independence and fullness of them, enough to take considerable risk to preserve and perpetuate our ways.
“That will probably also hold in other villages that have kept the old history as we did and that have been visited chiefly by well-controlled warriors. From the others, you will get little support. They will not be able to give you sufficient trust to put themselves so utterly in your power, nor can they be blamed for its lack. They have been hard used, Warlord.”
“Will there be enough, Pyra?” Una asked urgently. “The future of your race will rest with them.”
“Yes,” she replied slowly. “You should win over just about enough if the Amber Lady is with you.”
The healer's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as she looked at her friend. Her two friends. The Mountain Hawk was that as well, she realized, despite his reserve, his usual formality of manner with her. Both of them were giving so much to this cause, and neither would gain at all from it, not in any personal sense.