"It is Adrian's birthday," Carle explained. "I wanted him to have a chance to see the Great Council."
"Ah." Neville's voice lost its harshness. "That I can believe. Unfortunately, there's no provision in the Chara's law to allow for breaking into the palace for the sake of granting a birthday wish. We had better get both of you out now."
Carle cleared his throat. "Perhaps," he said, "it would be best if you helped us leave one at a time. We'd be less conspicuous that way."
Let it be recorded here: Carle is the most manipulative spy that the Chara has ever possessed the good fortune to have working under him. Five minutes later, I was alone in the chamber.
I waited until I was sure that Neville wouldn't nip back to retrieve his book, and then I cautiously opened the door.
The Council Chamber was a vast room, bigger than any I had ever seen in my life. Much of my village could have been housed in it. Like the side chambers and the corridor, it was lit by a skylight. Now that the sun was well above the horizon, the blue sky shone over the chamber, with a patch of sunlight falling upon the head of the table, where a book lay open.
The chamber was empty.
Slowly, as though drawn by an invisible chain, I walked over to the head of the table and looked down at the volume lying open there. My hand reached out to touch the neatly scribed words:
For though the Chara is the Embodiment of the Law, he is also a man, and unless there is a private man willing to undertake the burdens of becoming High Judge, there can be no High Judgment in this land. And if there is no High Judgment, this land ceases to exist, for its peace is the peace of the Lawmaker and the laws which he gave to the Emorian people. It is the Chara's duty to proclaim those laws, and it is his foremost duty to place thoughts of others before his own needs. Yet, lest his duties become so burdensome that he be broken in spirit and body—
"I hope, young man, that you are not a spy."
I flinched back, not only out of guilt at being noticed, but also out of an awareness that if I allowed myself to be caught this easily while in Koretia, I wouldn't live long.
The man beside me looked to be between fifty and sixty years of age; he was dressed in a gold-edged tunic and had a finely gilded sword clipped to his belt, but it wasn't clear whether he was a lord or a town baron. He was smiling, but there was a stern undertone to his words that told me he wasn't joking.
"A spy, sir?" I tried to sound as though such an ambition had never occurred to me.
The man pointed wordlessly to the table. Only then did I notice the pen, inkwell, and wax box sitting next to the paper scribbled with words.
Innocence and fear caused me to stammer, "I didn't see— That is, I didn't notice the paper, sir. It was the book – I've never read a law book before. I wanted to know what the laws look like when they are scribed on paper."
"I see." The man's voice relaxed. "Well, that is just as well. You are better occupied in reading the law than in reading my poor interpretation of what it means."
I stared at him with helpless awe for a moment; then I remembered to bow.
"A lover of the law, are you?" he said.
"I try to be, High Lord." I felt myself growing warm with embarrassment.
The High Lord reached over and closed the book to reveal the title stamped on the spine. "This is the volume dedicated to the Great Three. Have you heard of the Great Three?"
My mind was still so much on the volume that I promptly picked up where I had left off reading and said, "'Yet, lest his duties become so burdensome that he be broken in spirit and body, the people must be willing to respect the manhood of the Chara and take on whatever burdens they can for his sake. For the Law is like a golden chain which binds all people together, freeing each man through this binding to pursue his individual duties and joys. Each link of the chain is of equal worth, and the failure of a single man to follow his duty can cause the chain to break and the land to fall into war and chaos. Yet by the same token, any man who goes beyond the normal bounds of his duty and undertakes extra suffering for the sake of the Law can relink the broken chain and bring peace once more. Though no one but the Lawgiver may know of his sacrifice—'"
I stopped in confusion, realizing that I had been reciting for far too long and that the High Lord had no intention of interrupting me. His smile deepened as he said, "Not many men can recite by heart the Justification to the Law of Vengeance. What caused you to memorize that section?"
"I used to be a border mountain patrol guard, High Lord," I said. I hesitated, but the High Lord was nodding as though this were explanation enough, so I was emboldened to add, "A friend of mine taught me the law. He knew more about the law than anyone else in the patrol."
"Ah, then you two must be the soldiers who brought my clerk the message from Lieutenant Quentin; the subcaptain of the watch told me that you were here. May I see the letter, please? I expect that it is a response to a matter that the clerk and I have been discussing."
I felt the same sickening of the stomach I had experienced when the Baron of Blackpass came close to finding out my secret. I had been able to deceive Blackwood, but I could not lie to the High Lord. "There is no letter, High Lord," I replied in a low voice. "We just said that in order to be able to sneak in here."
The High Lord's smile disappeared. His forehead was now creased with lines of concern that dipped low like his eyebrows. "Well, then," he said quietly, "I fear that I must ask for your name and division."
This was a question I was never supposed to answer truthfully, but again I could not imagine lying to the High Lord. "My name is Adrian son of Berenger, High Lord," I said. "I am a sublieutenant in the Division of Disclosure."
After a moment, the side of the High Lord's mouth quirked up. "I identified you correctly, it seems. What caused you and your companion— Who is he, by the way, and where is he?"
I said reluctantly, "He is Lieutenant Carle of the same division, High Lord. He is trying to sneak back out of the palace right now."
"Good luck to him, then; we will see how skilled the Chara's spies really are. What caused the two of you to slip your way in here?"
I stared down at my toes as I answered. "We have long wanted to see the palace, High Lord. Lieutenant Carle has often told me about this chamber. He hopes to work for a town council some day, and we both love the law. I suppose," I added miserably, "that it makes no sense for me to say that, since we have both just broken the law."
When I finally looked up again, I saw that the High Lord was still smiling. "No, but to witness the truth, I probably would have done the same when I was your age. Tell me about yourself. You are a borderlander, are you not?"
"Yes, High Lord, I am from the Koretian borderland."
"Does Koretia have a borderland? I had not realized that."
I suppose that my face must have reflected what I thought, for the High Lord laughed as he said, "One of my notorious failures as a council lord is that I have little knowledge of affairs in other lands – which can be a great disadvantage at moments like the present, when a war is bubbling at our borders. But I have no fear that Koretia's civil war will affect Emor in any serious way, so I would rather devote my time to studying the law, since that is a hard enough duty as it is."
I bit my tongue to keep myself from commenting on what the High Lord had said. Perhaps my silence came across as shyness, for the High Lord gently added, "I wish I could spend more time with you, learning about your native land, but I must meet privately with the Chara in a short while. Do you have any questions about the council before I go?"
I was encouraged by this indication that he would not order the council guards to arrest me, so I said boldly, "Lieutenant Carle told me that the Chara was here earlier, and that he sat at the very bottom of the table, next to the junior-most lord. Why is that?"
"A good question," said the High Lord. "Tell me, do you know the law-structure and the division of powers?"
"Of course, High Lord," I replied rather blankly. "Doesn't ev
erybody? I memorized that at the beginning of my studies."
"Perhaps in the border mountain patrol that sort of knowledge is common, but you would be surprised how few Emorians actually understand what the Great Council does. I need not tell you, then, that the council has independent duties with which the Chara may not interfere; the council is servant only to the law where those duties are concerned. Thus, the Chara may not even speak in this chamber except with my permission, and he attends meetings here only as the council's guest, not as the master that he is to us at all other times."
"So you are like the Chara to the council," I said, musing aloud. "In a way, that makes you an embodiment of the law."
After a while, I realized that the High Lord had not replied. When I looked at him, I saw that he was scanning my face.
"In a way," he said slowly, "though my duties are not so burdensome as those of the Chara. Tell me, do you plan to stay in the army long?"
I found this question ominous, and was opening my mouth to deliver an extended apology for breaking into his council quarters when my attention was caught by a figure nearby, gesturing desperately at me.
The High Lord caught sight of him at the same moment. "Is that your companion?"
"No, High Lord," I said hastily as Neville unhappily complied with the High Lord's gesture to join us. "He is just a palace dweller I know. He did not help me to sneak in here."
The High Lord made no reply. He had opened the inkwell on the table and was leaning over to write something on a fresh piece of paper. Neville took the opportunity to frown at me and mouth questions, but I ignored him as the High Lord finished scribing his words, took a ball of wax from the box, and sealed it with his ring. As he handed me the paper, he said, "This will allow you to leave the palace without being stopped by the guards, but I would like your word that you will not enter here unlawfully again. I suspect that you will have lawful opportunities to visit the palace in the future."
I could not interpret his smile, so I said, "You have my word, High Lord. I am grateful to you for your mercy and your kindness."
"Not at all," said the High Lord. "I always enjoy talking with another law-lover. You never answered my question, though. Had you thought of doing council work in the future?"
I was aware of Neville standing at my elbow and gazing at me with suspicion, no doubt wondering what lies I had been telling the High Lord, so I phrased my reply carefully. "I have no idea whether I would ever have such an opportunity, High Lord, though I would like to do some sort of work with the law. It is really my friend, though, who deserves to do council work. He is quite learned, and everything I know about the law comes from him."
"I wish that I had had a chance to meet Lieutenant Carle," said the High Lord, blithely unaware that he was destroying my cover, "but talking with you, sublieutenant, has certainly given me a new perspective on what the Chara's spies are like. Perhaps our paths will cross again some day."
He left then, and I bowed. When I straightened again, I found that Neville was staring at me, his mouth hanging open with shock.
o—o—o
The second day of September in the 942nd year a.g.l.
The scene after the High Lord left me yesterday was an unpleasant one, with Neville asking me over and over whether what I'd told the High Lord was true, and me urging him for love of the Chara to keep his voice down. In the end, to hold him quiet, I had to admit that Carle and I are spies – whereupon matters grew worse, with Neville apologizing repeatedly for his error while council officials and other passersby looked our way in curiosity.
Because of this, it was some time before Neville reached the point of telling me the important news, which was that Carle had been caught and arrested while trying to leave the palace.
I would have flown at once to Carle's defense, but Neville, showing more sense than he had during the past minutes, pointed out to me the folly of such an act. As yet, Carle was charged only with entering the palace unlawfully. If it became known that I, his student, had entered the palace with him, the charges against him would likely double. For Carle's sake, I must pretend that I knew nothing of what had happened.
Thanks to Neville and a misuse of his powers as clerk to the Chara's summoners, I was soon able to ascertain that the army court, to which Carle had been taken, had placed Carle back under the care of Captain Radley. After that, all I could do was go back to the tent I usually shared with Carle and spend a sleepless night staring into the air.
In the morning, I received a command to visit the captain.
Carle was already there when I arrived. He glanced briefly my way before turning his attention back to Radley, who was flipping through a bound book.
"Ah, sublieutenant," Radley said when he finally deigned to take notice of me. "I have been reading through your records, and I see that you have been a sublieutenant for a year now. Given your excellent work on the field" – he gave me a thin smile – "it seems time that you were elevated." He cut off my stammered thanks with a wave of the hand. "I trust that your work on your next mission will be in keeping with the privilege you have received. Report to me tomorrow morning for your assignment." And he returned to his work. After a while, Carle and I surmised that we'd been dismissed.
I could scarcely hold myself back until we had reached the security of our tent and could talk freely. "It doesn't make sense; I thought for sure Radley hated me! And yet he gives me such a wonderful gift— Carle, what's wrong?"
"Nothing at all." Carle made a reasonable attempt at a smile. "Your elevation is indeed well-deserved. You ought to have been made lieutenant months ago."
I caught hold of him. Faintly through the tent cloth came the sound of army life: the clash of swords, shouts from lieutenants drilling their men, horses snorting as they were led forward. "What is it?" I asked in a low voice. "Did Radley punish you?"
"As much as he could, short of arranging my dismissal," Carle replied, turning away to pick up a wine flask. "You witnessed the punishment yourself."
I was silent a minute, then began to curse Radley methodically in every language I knew: Border Koretian, Common Koretian, Emorian, and even smatterings of Marcadian I'd learned from Sewell. Finally Carle laughed as he raised the wine to his lips.
I was in no mood for laughter. "That god-cursed demon— Carle, he can't do this to us."
"Of course he can," Carle replied calmly. "If Radley, your high official, judges that you are deserving of honors – which you are, even if he thinks otherwise – then he can elevate you to the lieutenancy, and once elevated, you are no longer my student. So our next missions will be separate ones." He cut off my further flow of curses by handing the flask to me.
The wine steadied me somewhat, but I found myself saying, as though it could change matters, "We work much better paired than we do alone."
"Of course we do, and no doubt our records show that." Carle sat down next to me on my pallet and took the flask back from me. "Adrian, we're under the care of a man who would position the vanguard's back to the enemy if he thought it would help him take petty revenge. There's no use weeping ourselves dry about it. Fortunately, Radley doesn't know the finer points of the law." Carle grinned.
What Carle knew – what he had discovered months before, when memorizing minor laws related to our work – was only a small compensation, a very small one. According to army law, a spy who believes that his life will be endangered during a mission can, without prior permission from his high official, request another spy to assist him on that mission. Carle and I both had a lengthy laugh about this law, which was obviously created by someone who knew nothing about spying. Our lives are always in danger when we go out on the field. But we agreed that some time in the future – just once, because Radley would ensure that we never did this again – we could take advantage of this law to work together again.
I suppose this is the point at which I truly begin to sacrifice my happiness for the sake of the Chara. I only wish that the sacrifice was freely given.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The twenty-sixth day of November in the 942nd year a.g.l.
I arrived back from my mission a short time ago; I'm writing this in the patrol hut. My three months in Koretia aren't worth recording here, except to say that I had never realized that it was possible to be so homesick in one's own native land. I think that the only reason I didn't feel like this on previous trips is that I always had Carle with me. I don't know how I'll be able to stand waiting until next spring to see Carle, when he returns from his own mission.
It's about an hour after sunset. Quentin stayed to talk with me for a short while after the patrols changed, but he left soon. Devin was wounded last week and sent back to Emor to heal. Since Quentin had been partnering with Devin in order to train him to take over the lieutenancy, the lieutenant has been left without a partner until Devin returns. That means Quentin can't spend time with the day patrol as he usually would, since that would leave part of the pass unwatched.
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