“Kar,” Stavin said in a dangerous tone, “take this over-bred ass out and give him a lesson in manners.”
“That’s my job, Your Highness,” Colonel Zel’Fordal said as he stepped forward. “Major, you are relieved of command.”
“You can’t relieve me! You have no cause.”
Gavlin smiled thinly. “Sir. Or have you forgotten who you are addressing, Major?” What he’d done seemed to dawn on the major as the colonel continued. “However, I’m not your problem. His Highness, Prince Stavin, is. You just spoke contemptuously to His Highness twice without even once acknowledging his rank. For insubordination to His Highness, you are relieved of command of the Fifth Cavalry and will face charges once you return to Evandia.”
“You can’t. My father will never stand for it.”
“Mine will,” Stavin replied with a slight smile. “I think my father, the king, will be quite disappointed that an officer of our army would show disrespect to a member of the royal family. Colonel Zel’Fordal, place this person under arrest. Since I don’t think we can afford to send the necessary men back to Evandia with him, put him to work in some task under the supervision of an appropriate guardian.” Stavin took a step closer to the suddenly terrified officer and pulled his big knife from the small of his back. Without another word, he shaved the pennant of the Fifth Cavalry from the major’s shoulder, then the major’s insignia from his breast.
Colonel Zel’Fordal bowed slightly and said, “At once, Your Highness.” He looked at the commander of the Ninth Infantry and said, “Captain, place this man under arrest. Assign a sergeant to watch over him. Someone with the support staff. He’s to be accorded all the respect due his birthright, but he’s to be put to work. I suggest the Quartermasters.”
The captain had a wicked gleam in his eyes as he replied, “Sir, yes, sir!” Then he grabbed Kimmel Zel’Devery by the arm and dragged him away.
Stavin glared at the retreating fool’s back and said, “Replace him with whoever you think is best, Colonel.” Then he turned and looked out into the darkness. “I wish I knew what Darak was after.”
It turned out that Darak was after phantoms that vanished into nothingness. He and the rest of the warriors returned to camp several spans later. “We thought we saw some of them, but it was like trying to catch a mist,” he reported as soon as he reached the command tent. “Did anyone else see anything, sir?”
Gavlin shook his head. “Not a one, but Captain Zel’Kordil reports that one of his teams hasn’t reported in yet.”
“Captain Zel’Kordil, sir?” Darak asked. “Who’s he?”
“The new commander of the Fifth Cavalry.” Gavlin paused as Darak’s eyebrows rose. “That conceited ass insulted you, and then spoke disrespectfully to Prince Stavin. He’s been relieved and stripped of his command and rank.”
Darak snorted in amusement, then covered his mouth with one hand. “Oh, Gods Below. He insulted Stavin?”
Gavlin grinned. “In front of all of us,” he confirmed. “Prince Stavin wanted Warleader Kel’Carin to take him out and teach him some manners, but I convinced him to let me do it.” Now he went ahead and chuckled. “Prince Stavin removed his insignia. For all intents and purposes, Kimmy is out of the army now. His family status can’t save him this time.”
“Oh, Gods,” Darak gasped as he fought to control his amusement. “I suppose it was just a matter of time. You know, Colonel, Stavin has had a lot of trouble in the past with men who didn’t respect him because of his size. That ass probably thought he was talking to a child.”
Colonel Zel’Fordal shook his head and said, “If he’d spoken that way to little Prince Karlin, I’d have done the same thing.”
Darak took a step closer to Gavlin and put a hand on his arm. “I don’t want to pry, Colonel, but what do you have against him? It’s obvious that some of this is personal.”
Gavlin took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “A lot of this is personal, Darak. Twelve years ago, when I was still a lieutenant, Captain Zel’Devery sent me into an ambush that led to the loss of six of my men. We had reports that the raiders were waiting for us, but Kimmel didn’t believe them. When the dust settled, he blamed me for failing to take sufficient precautions—even though I’d begged for extra men beforehand.” Gavlin shook his head. “If not for my father and Uncle Kal, I would have been dismissed from the army. And if not for his father, he would have as well.”
One man from the missing cavalry group struggled into camp just before daybreak. The sentries saw him crawling out of the trees and called for help before dragging him back to the camp.
Colonel Zel’Fordal received the report just moments later. “Sir, the survivor says they were ambushed by archers as soon as they entered the forest,” Captain Zel’Kordil said as he stood at attention in the command tent. His young face was seamed with worry. “He gave us directions, and I sent one hundred men to investigate.”
“Very well, Captain.” The colonel sighed. “I should have expected this.”
“There is no way we could have anticipated something like this, Colonel,” Prince Stavin said from the side. “And there is nothing we could have done differently. The attack couldn’t be ignored.”
“No, Prince Stavin, it couldn’t,” the colonel agreed, “but it doesn’t make the loss any less my fault.” Looking back at the captain, he bowed his head slightly. “Redistribute your men into seventy-five man scouting parties. How many men did you lose?”
“There were only ten men in that group, sir,” the captain replied.
“Hopefully there will be more survivors.” Looking around the tent, he addressed everyone. “I’m issuing new orders. If we’re attacked like that again, no small parties in pursuit. We can’t send men to the slaughter like that again.”
“I wish we’d brought along a Battlemage,” Dahvin said as he sighed. “At least one who could check the area around our camp for ambushers.”
“Perhaps we did,” Karvik said as he looked at Stavin.
Stavin looked confused for a moment, then moaned. “Oh, of course. Damn it.”
“I don’t understand,” Colonel Zel’Fordal said.
“When Stave, I mean Prince Stavin puts his hand on that sword, he can see with magic eyes. He saw poisoned food in Andaria. Maybe he can see around us when we camp.”
Stavin turned and walked out of the tent. Once he was clear of camp, he grasped the hilt of the Sword of Zel’Hallan. Dragon-magic engulfed him once again, and he looked around. His sight was enhanced, and he could see the forest for hundreds of dragon-lengths around them. “I don’t see—wait, yes I do. I can see our cavalry men carrying bodies back to camp. And there is a man hiding in the trees, watching them.” Before anyone could move to interfere, Stavin broke into a run toward the trees.
Stavin ran like the wind, blowing past the sentries and leaving them gaping in his wake. He dashed through the forest, past the cavalrymen, and stopped facing a thick bush. He bellowed, “Come out of there!” and birds erupted from the trees as the roar of a dragon made the leaves shake.
A man crawled out on his hands and knees, with his head all but scraping the ground. Men from the cavalry had followed Stavin when he passed. They rode up to his side, but stopped well clear of the glow of dragon-magic that surrounded him.
“Prince Stavin, what do you want us to do?” one man asked, and Stavin let go of the sword.
“Take him to camp,” Stavin ordered in a normal voice. He was standing with his legs wide-spread for balance, and swayed from the reaction of using the power of the Dragon Gifts again. He let the cavalrymen take the prisoner, then followed them on foot.
He had walked less than half way back to camp when Darak and half of the Royal Guards rode out to get him. Darak didn’t say anything as he offered his hand and stirrup for Stavin to climb up behind him. No one else said anything either, but their disapproval of his running off was obvious.
Gavlin and Dahvin didn’t hide their disapproval, either. “Prince Stavin,” Co
lonel Zel’Fordal said in a tightly controlled tone, “that was, at the very least, unwise.”
“Damn foolish,” Dahvin agreed, “but it’s what I’ve come to expect from you, Prince Stavin.”
Stavin grinned. “Sorry. But when I’m holding the sword, caution just doesn’t come into my thoughts.”
Barvil asked, “What did you find?”
“A spy,” Stavin answered. “A man watching the cavalrymen collecting the bodies. They have him and are bringing him back with our dead.”
Barvil looked at Darak and didn’t have to give the order. Darak and ten warriors mounted their horses again and rode back the way they’d just come. It wasn’t long before they returned, but it was long enough for Karvik to get Stavin off to the side.
“You’re going to get yourself killed, Stave,” Karvik said as he held Stavin by the shoulders.
Stavin shook his head slowly. “No, not killed. Not with this sword at my side.”
Karvik frowned. “You can’t see your face. You look half dead.”
“It takes a lot out of me, Kar. I’m so tired.”
“You need to lie down,” Karvik said and grabbed Stavin’s arm. “We’ll get you if you’re needed, but between the attack and your display this morning, you look like you’ve been up for days.”
Stavin tried to argue, but a massive yawn interrupted him. He finally just nodded and let Karvik guide him to his tent. Karvik looked around and signaled for ten Royal Guardsmen to come to his side.
“Prince Stavin is exhausted from using the sword’s magic. Don’t let anyone disturb him unless it’s one of our officers.” Looking at Stavin, he shook his head. “I’m going to convince the colonel to stay here for the day. I don’t think you could stay in the saddle in your condition.”
Stavin nodded and let Karvik remove his plate, then crawled into his tent. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Chapter 24
SHARI JOINED THE COUNCIL EVERY DAY, and it wasn’t long before the ministers decided that she was indeed a fitting member of their group. There were seldom any questions she couldn’t answer about Farindia. She also showed remarkable insight into the dynamics of running the kingdom.
King Kalin was even more pleased with Shari than he’d been with Stavin. She was showing why she had excelled as a scribe, and why Stavin had once said she was smarter than him. She was also less patient with the obstructionists among the ministers.
“Lord Zel’Cerran,” she began, addressing the Minister of Roads, “our new territory has depended on the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the people of Farindia to keep the roads open and the bridges under repair. That duty is now going to fall on you and your people. What preparations have you made as far as sending repair crews into the area?”
“Um, none, Your Highness.”
“Don’t you think you should?” Shari asked as she tilted her head to the side.
“I’m not sure that would be appropriate, Princess Sharindis,” he answered calmly. “We won’t know where we are needed until someone contacts us with a request for assistance.”
“So you do nothing unless someone complains?”
Lord Zel’Cerran clenched his jaws closed on what he wanted to say, and took a deep breath before replying, “In essence, Your Highness. There is no sense sending crews out just looking for trouble. They could waste valuable time seeking in the wrong part of the kingdom.”
Shari turned her head so she was facing directly toward him, and he squirmed under her unseeing gaze. “I assure you, Lord Zel’Cerran, that your crews will find employment as soon as they cross into the new territory. We of Kavinston maintained the roads close to Kel’Kavin, but the road leading to Aravad is so bad that it is barely passable for wagons. We need those roads repaired to get trade flowing again.”
“Princess, I assure you that as soon as we receive a complaint, a crew will be sent.”
“You just received one, Lord Zel’Cerran,” Sharindis said and a slight smile crossed her lips at the sputtering she heard coming from the lords.
“Your Highness, that is not—”
“I think it is,” King Kalin said, interrupting him. “Send your crews behind the Pacification Force. I want those roads fit for travel. We have got to make the people believe that being annexed is a good thing, and that’s a good way to start.”
Lord Zel’Cerran, and his superior, Lord Zel’Corvis of Trade, both said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
King Kalin said, “Very well,” as he looked around. “Our next order of business is Education. Minister Zel’Nielson, what arrangements have you made toward educating our new citizens?”
The Minister of Education stood and bowed slightly before answering. “Your Majesty, I have been recruiting scholars and scribes to send into the new territory, but I am not having much luck. There is a perception, and you’ll please forgive this, Princess Sharindis, that the Farindian territory is a barbarous area with little or no culture. Not many men or women are willing to travel into such an area to establish schools.”
King Kalin said, “Shari?”
Shari paused for a moment, then shook her head and sighed. “They are right, as far as it goes. However, you haven’t taken it far enough. Most settlements of any size already have scribes and scholars who teach their children, much like Stavin and I did in Kavinston. It’s only in the most remote, marginally inhabited areas that there are no teachers and schools already in place. I can state for a fact that all seven of the Chosen estates have schools for the higher-ranking children. They request information from the Kavinston Archive all the time.”
“I wasn’t aware of that, Princess Sharindis,” Lord Zel’Nielson replied in a cautious tone.
Shari tilted her head to the side. “You might consider sending one or two of your subordinates into the area to determine where you actually need to send anyone.”
“And to determine the actual qualifications of some of these so-called teachers,” Minster of Culture Zel’Vincent sniffed.
Shari shifted her attention to him, and her expression hardened. “In at least three instances, their qualifications are as good as yours, Lord Zel’Vincent. Those individuals were educated here in Twin Bridges, at the King’s University. Two others I know of were educated in Andaria at the Royal Academy. Their communities paid handsomely for those educations. Rest assured, they are fully qualified.”
The minister glared at Shari, which was completely lost on her, then answered, “Just because they attended doesn’t mean they learned.”
“That may be true of Chosen children who aren’t going to have to depend on their educations,” Shari said in a low, intense tone, “but I assure you, for members of the Cat Clans or Revered Clans who attend these schools, they devote every moment they can to their studies. Their people, their communities, and their livelihoods depend on it.”
“I wasn’t aware of that, Shari,” Princess Marina said to forestall what was starting out to be a nasty argument.
“If I hadn’t had to copy so many documents for them, I might not have been either. As it is, though, you’ll find teachers in honored positions in most of the larger communities. Farindia may have fallen, but the people remember the glories of the past.”
King Kalin looked at Lord Zel’Nielson and Lord Zel’Vincent. “Send a team to find out what actually needs to be done. No excuses.” The king looked around at his ministers, then at the window. “I think we’ve had enough for today. Council is dismissed.” The king stood and everyone else stood with him, then he led Shari and Marina out of the chamber.
Shari muttered, “Those conceited asses!” as soon as the door shut behind them.
“Indeed,” Kalin agreed.
“They are used to thinking that Evandia has the only real culture left,” Marina said as she touched Shari’s arm, “with an occasional nod to Coravia or Luxandia. Naran Zel’Vincent doesn’t even acknowledge Andaria as being a civilized kingdom.”
“He is going to have to accept it now.”
“How could a man who knows so little about what the kingdom is really like become Minister of Culture?” Shari asked as she shifted her attention between father and daughter. She could barely see them, but she could tell the difference in their voices.
Kalin sighed. “He inherited it from his father. I’ve considered replacing him on a few occasions, but Culture is really a do-nothing position. He oversees crown art projects, and he really does have exquisite taste in art, but that’s about it.”
Shari turned so she was facing him squarely. “Why is he sticking his nose into Education?”
The king explained, “Culture is a sub-ministry of Education.”
“Oh,” Shari said in a thoughtful tone. “Maybe what he needs is a new perspective.”
“This sounds positively evil,” Marina chuckled.
Shari grinned at her sister-in-law’s shadow. “Who better to determine the needs of our new territory than the Minister of Culture himself?”
Kalin started chuckling, then laughing, and finally had to lean against the wall to keep his balance as he roared with laughter. “Tomorrow,” he gasped at last, then walked away still laughing.
Chapter 25
COLONEL ZEL’FORDAL LOOKED AT THE DISHEVELED prisoner and shook his head. The man’s clothes were mostly leather, with just a little homespun wool of his shirt showing at his collar and cuffs. “What you’re saying doesn’t make much sense.”
“I swears it’s the Gods’ honest truth, lord,” the man answered with a sharp nod. “We was sent to stop you.”
“You say there were only twenty of you?” Barvil asked.
“Yes, lord.”
“Against six thousand three hundred of us?” Dahvin asked.
“We’s all there is in Juniper, lord.”
Gavlin shook his head. “This is the hardest part. Do you know who we are?”
Farindian Summer (Stavin DragonBlessed Book 4) Page 15