by Tad Williams
She could not speak for a long moment. The weight of all she had lost and all she had failed to do felt as though it were pressing down on her so heavily she could barely breathe.
"Th-thank you," she said at last. "You are a good man, Finn Teodoros. I regret involving any of you in my troubles."
Now it was the playwright's turn to fall silent, but it seemed a silence of consideration rather than emotion. "Come a little way aside with me before you leave us, Princess Briony," he said at last.
They retreated back across the road until they stood a goodly distance from Eneas and his soldiers but still in sight, and far enough from the grieving Estir Makewell that Briony could breathe again.
"If there is something you want, ask me," said Briony. "Dear Finn, you are one of the few people in this world who has done me nothing but kindness." She could not forget the imperiousness she had shown him earlier-it made her wince to think of how she had threatened him with her rank. "You will be my historian, as I said, but I hope you'll also still be my friend."
For the first time since she had met him he seemed at a loss for words, but once again it seemed something other than raw feelings that kept him silent. At last he shook his head as if to throw off some nagging annoyance. "I must speak to you, Princess."
"You puzzle me, Master Teodoros. Aren't we speaking?"
"I mean in honesty. True honesty." He swallowed. "You have suffered much for your people and risked even more, Highness. Listen to me now. Those whom you consider your friends and allies-well, some of them are not friends. Not at all."
Dawet had said much the same to her on that day so long ago, back in Southmarch. That felt like another world. "What do you mean? I do not mean to mock you, but I can scarcely think of anyone who hasn't betrayed my family's trust-the Tollys, Hesper of Jellon, King Enander…"
"No, I mean someone closer to you." His usual air of amused cynicism was quite gone. "You know that I have long served Avin Brone, both as a scholar and as a spy."
"Yes, and someday I will ask you to tell me what you can of those days, those tasks. Brone himself said that I was too trusting, that I needed to find my own spies and informants, but I confess I know little of the game…"
Teodoros raised his hand, then thought better of displaying impatience to a princess. "Forgive me, Highness, but it is Brone himself I am talking about."
It took a moment before she understood him. "Brone? Are you saying that Avin Brone is a traitor?"
His round face was full of pain. "This is difficult, my lady. Lord Brone has never been anything but just and fair with me, Highness, and neither has he ever said anything to me that suggested he was less than loyal to you… but he left me alone in his retiring room once, when one of his other spies was brought in unexpectedly from the South Road, wounded by an arrow…"
"Rule. His name was Rule," Briony said. "Merciful Zoria, I remember that night. I was there in Brone's chambers."
"And I was in a room nearby where the count does his business." Finn glanced around to make sure they were still out of everyone's earshot. "I am… I am a curious man, to tell you something that will not surprise you. By Zosim the Many-Faced, it is not my fault-I am a writer! I had never been left alone among Lord Brone's things before, and… well, I must confess that I took the chance to look at some of his papers. Some of them were things I could not make much sense of-maps of places I didn't know, lists of names-and others were simply reports about doings in Summerf ield, Hierosol, Jellon, and other places, obviously reports from his many spies. But at the bottom of a pile in his writing desk I found a vellum cover with the Eddon blazon upon it, but without a seal to keep it closed."
"You know you should not have even touched such a thing," said Briony. "You could have been executed for that if someone caught you reading it." She said it almost lightly, but in truth she spoke only because she was stalling; she did not want to hear what he would say next.
"As I said, Princess, I am a writer, and as all know, that is another name for a fool. I stepped to the doorway to listen for anyone coming and then unfolded the cover. Inside was a list of people-those that I recognized were trusted agents of Lord Brone-who, at a certain time and at a certain signal, would kill or imprison the members of the royal family. There were also plans for consolidating power afterward and keeping the people pacified. And the scheme was in Brone's handwriting. I know it as well as my own."
"What…?" She could not believe what she was hearing. "Are you telling me that Brone plans to murder us?"
Finn Teodoros looked miserable. "It could be that I am wrong, Highness. It could be that it was another report-some conspiracy that he had uncovered, and perhaps even thwarted, copied over in his own hand. Or something entirely different. I would not want to declare the count guilty on what I saw alone and have his death on my conscience. But I swear it was as I tell you, Princess. He had made a list in his own hand that looked very much like a plan of betrayal and assassination-a plan to seize the throne of Southmarch. I wish it were not so, but that is what I saw."
The clearing beside the road suddenly seemed as unstable as the deck of a ship. For a moment Briony feared it would spin away from beneath her and she would faint. "Why… why do you tell me this now, Finn?"
"Because you are leaving us soon," he said. "We will not be able to keep up with the prince's soldiers and in truth we wouldn't want to. We are not fighters, but there's fighting ahead of you, the gods know." Finn bowed his head as though he couldn't meet her eye. "And… because you have been kind to me, Princess. I am fond of you. As you said, I would like to think of you as a friend-and not simply because of the power that comes with being close to royalty. Once I could convince myself that I might be mistaken, that it was none of my affair. Now… well, I know you too well, Briony Eddon. Princess. That is the truth."
"I… I have to think." As alone as she had felt since her twin brother marched away, this was worse. The world, already a dangerous and confusing place, had now proved to have no center and no sense at all. "I have to think. Please leave me alone."
He bowed and went away. And when Prince Eneas came to speak to her, sensing something wrong, she waved him off as well. There was no comfort to be had in the company of other people. Not now, anyway. Perhaps never again.
38
Conquering Armies "Some mortal men, it is said, still bear the blood of the Qar in their veins, especially in the lands around the legendary Mount Xandos on the southern continent and among the Vuts and others who once lived in the far north. How many bear this taint, and what the effect of it upon mortals might be, I can find no scholarly record."
-from "A Treatise on the Fairy Peoples of Eion and Xand"
Olin Eddon stood at the rail. He was tethered to one of his guards, with two others standing close by. The autarch might not worry about what a desperate, condemned man might do, but Pinimmon Vash did, and he had finally ordered that some kind of restraints be kept on the northern king at all times. At the very least, Olin might throw himself overboard and spoil whatever purpose Vash's master had in mind for him. Why this didn't worry Sulepis, Vash had no idea, although the autarch generally behaved as though he were infallible. So far nothing had proved the Golden One wrong, but Vash knew from long experience that if something did go wrong, it would be considered his fault, not his monarch's.
"You do not look well, your Majesty," said Vash.
"I do not feel well." The northerner was more pale than usual, and his eyes were shadowed. "I have been sleeping poorly of late. I have many bad dreams."
"I'm sorry to hear it." What a strange dance the autarch had forced him into, Vash thought. Everyone on the ship knew that this man was doomed, and yet the autarch expected Olin to be treated not just with courtesy, but as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "It is good you have come out on deck. The sea air is reputedly good for many ailments of the spirit."
"Not for this one, I fear." Olin shook his head. "It will grow worse as I draw closer to my home."
/> Vash didn't know what to say-hardly knew from listening to their conversations whether either King Olin or his own master were entirely sane. He looked up at a castle on the rocky headlands. A flag flew from its tower, but it was too far away to make out anything but its colors, red and gold. "Do you know that place?"
"Yes-Landsend. It is the home of one of my oldest and most trusted friends." Olin's smile was more like a grimace-Vash could see the man was hiding some sharp pain, but whether it was physical or caused by a memory, he couldn't tell. "A man named Brone. He was, in many ways, my paramount minister, as you are the autarch's."
And I would wager you treated him better than Sulepis does me, whom he considers little more than a useful pet. Vash was surprised at his own bitterness. "Ah. Would you prefer to be left alone?"
"No, your presence is welcome, Lord Vash. In fact, I had been hoping we would find a little time to talk like this… just the two of us."
The skin on Vash's neck prickled. "What does that mean?"
"Merely that I believe that you and I have more interests in common than you might immediately recognize."
Did this fool think he could talk Pinimmon Vash into betraying the Autarch of Xis? Even had he not been frightened of his master-and the gods knew that Sulepis terrified him-Vash would never betray the throne. His family had been serving Xis for generations! "I am certain that we have many interesting things to discuss, your Majesty, although I cannot conceive of any common interests we might share. Sadly, though, I have just remembered several chores still to be done this morning, so our conversation will have to wait."
"Do not be so certain that we have no common interests," Olin said as Vash turned to go. "None of us can know all the truth. It is a truly strange world we mortals inhabit-that is both my greatest solace and my greatest fear."
The next time Vash encountered the northerner, Olin was brought to the fore of the ship to join Sulepis while the priests chanted and poured two golden seashells full of the autarch's blood over the side to purify the waves and to claim this new body of water for Xis. Other than the linen bandages around his forearms, Sulepis seemed almost bursting with health, and when Olin and his guards climbed onto the forecastle the contrast between the two could not have been greater.
"Vash tells me you are not well," the autarch said. "If it is the sea that does not agree with you, take heart-as you can guess, we will drop anchor in only an hour or two."
Olin did not reply. Instead of watching the spectacle of Panhyssir and his priests blessing the waters, he turned to look back at the rest of the great ship. Everything was being prepared for landfall, sailors and soldiers swarming over the deck, windlasses creaking as the army lifted out their equipment and prepared to debark. It was unusual and more than a little dangerous to begin unloading before the ship touched land: Vash could tell that Sulepis was in a hurry.
Ranged behind them up the bay was the rest of the fleet, almost half of the ships the autarch had brought to the northern continent, so that the golden falcons on their sails seemed to be flying across the water in a great flock. Hierosol's great outer walls had fallen in a few days. How long could the much smaller Southmarch hope to resist the power of Xis?
The northerner had doubtless been thinking the same thing. "You have brought an impressive force," Olin said, turning back to the autarch. "It reminds me of a bit of history. You are a well-read man, Sulepis. Have you heard of the Gray Companies who roamed these lands three centuries ago?"
The autarch spread his gold-tipped fingers as if to admire how they sparkled in the sun. "I have heard of the mercenaries, of course," he said. "Such things would not be allowed in my country. In Xis bandits are impaled on sharpened posts for all to see. My people know that I watch over them."
"Oh, I am certain of that," said Olin. "But looking at your fleet and the vast army it carries, I was reminded of the days of the Gray Companies, and especially the famous warlord Davos, called 'The Mantis.' "
The autarch seemed amused. "The Mantis? I have never heard of him."
"I think that is because you have studied my family's later history more closely than you have that particular period."
"Was he truly a priest, with such a name?"
"He owned the income of a mantisery, but that did not make him a true priest. Neither did he receive that name for his good deeds. In fact, there are some who say there was never a greater villain on the continent of Eion… but others might argue that."
Sulepis laughed with what seemed honest pleasure. "Oh, very good, Olin! Never a greater villain until today is what you mean."
The northerner shrugged. "Do you really think I would be so rude to such a thoughtful host?"
"Speak on. You have my interest."
"You will know how the Gray Companies sprang up here in the north during the chaos of the first war against the Twilight People. They roamed the lands in the years after Coldgray Moor-bands of soldiers with nowhere to go, fighting at first for any lord who would pay them, but turning at last to pillage and robbery for its own sake. The worst of these-and the most powerful-was the son of a Syannese noble family, Davos of Elgi. Because of the mantisery income, or perhaps because of the long, black cloak he wore, he gained the name 'Mantis.' In the chaos of those days Davos fought for many causes and plundered many cities, but a great warlord is like a man riding on a fierce bear-everyone fears him except the bear, and he must always remember to keep the beast fed. The Mantis was forced to continue his raids even when most of the wars that followed the Qar's withdrawal had ended. As more and more northern cities were despoiled, the starving survivors had nowhere to go but to follow their despoiler, so the armies of the Mantis grew and grew. At last he ruled over all Brenland and large stretches of Syan. His men also pillaged parts of my own country, roaming through Southmarch and Westmarch, robbing and killing, until the people screamed out to be saved from this terror. Helping them fell to my ancestor, King Anglin's granddaughter, Lily Eddon."
"Ah, yes," said the autarch. "The woman who ruled a nation! This name I have heard."
"She earned her fame. Her husband had been killed in a fight against one of the Mantis' fellow bandits and his son had died beside him. Lily was left to rule the country alone, and many of the frightened people argued that she should be deposed, that a warrior-knight should be elevated to the throne. But Lily was as much a warrior as any man in her court-Anglin's blood ran hot and strong in her. She would not be put aside.
"The Mantis had long admired Southmarch, and not just because of its young queen. The land was fertile and the castle was all but impregnable. Davos sent Queen Lily an offer of marriage. She had no husband and no son. The Mantis pointed out that he was rich and strong, and that if she married him his great army would be at the service of the March Kingdoms. Many in the Southmarch court urged her to accept this proposal. What other hope did they have?
"Instead, Lily sent a letter back to Davos Elgin, the black-cloaked Mantis-master, so it was said, of a hundred thousand bloodthirsty soldiers-which read, 'Queen Lily regrets that she will be unable to honor your invitation. She will be too busy killing the rats that are swarming across her lands.' And that is what she commenced to do." Olin glanced up. "Am I wearying you, Sulepis?"
"Not at all! You are amusing me and that is a rare treasure." The autarch leaned down toward the foreign king. With his bony, long-nosed face and troublingly bright, unblinking eyes, Vash thought Sulepis looked more than ever like a human hawk. "Please continue."
"Lily knew that the Gray Companies could not survive without plunder-they had already left destruction across all the other lands they had entered-so she sent her agents out to tell the people to retreat, not just in the Mantis' direct path but all around, even from places it seemed he did not threaten. She told the people to take everything they could and destroy all that was left behind. If they could reach Southmarch, she told them, she would protect them there. Then she sent out her armies, still full of hard, battle-worn veterans of the war again
st the Twilight People, to harass the Mantis' much greater force but never to confront him directly.
"Thus, as the mercenary armies trekked across the March Kingdoms they found the way deserted and scorched before them-no nobles to ransom, no valuables to steal, no food to eat. As they struggled on, the Marchmen appeared from out of nowhere, struck, then vanished like shadows, never killing many of the Mantis' soldiers but making them all fearful because of the unpredictability of their attacks. Sometimes they slit the throat of just one mercenary where he lay sleeping in the midst of a dozen comrades, so that when the others found him they would know it could just as easily have been any of them. Queen Lily's raiders killed the Mantis' men in a hundred different ways, subtle and otherwise, weakening the bridges, poisoning the mercenaries' water or rations, or simply setting fire to their tents as they lay sleeping. So many of Davos' sentries were murdered that finally the pickets insisted on huddling together in groups of three or four, which meant large stretches of the perimeter were left virtually unguarded.
"At last, with his unnerved men starting at shadows, Davos the Mantis staked everything on a swift and direct assault upon Southmarch Castle itself. The shores of the bay were full of rough dwellings built by those who had already fled Davos' assault but could not get into the crowded castle. As the mercenaries' march drew closer these refugees fled from them again, disappearing into the caves and forested heights of the headlands. Then, as Davos and his men marched down the main street, wary of ambush, they smelled the smoke and saw the first flames-the town along the shore had been set on fire. The mercenaries looked at each other fearfully. These people of Southmarch would rather burn their towns down again and again instead of ceding one inch to the raiders. Who could fight such madness?