Tae looked over the Renshai in a new light and bestowed the greatest compliment he could think of at the moment. "Talamir, I never thought I'd say this to anyone, ever, given that I have no daughters. But, I'm proud to call you son-in-law."
Talamir fairly beamed. "I'll wait outside, Sire. Knock when you're ready, and we'll go to the strategy meeting together."
EPILOGUE
Hard-won friendships often have an intensity that regular relationships never match.
-Bard Darris
The clang of weaponry lasted through the night and continued in small, scattered pockets into the morning. As the fresh troops from the distant beaches faded, the soldiers who had managed to sleep through the night took over. Acrid smoke floated over Bearn, and Ra-khir could see flames blazing from the anchored ships, the water glowing red as wine. Apparently, the continental allied archers had performed the job they had failed at earlier, or scouts had braved the sharks to torch the pirates' ships directly.
Ra-khir had no trouble leaving Thialnir to handle the Renshai. The knight's job had technically ended the moment he won them legitimacy for the course of the war, and the Renshai would fight without strategy or pattern anyway. They seemed ideally suited for cleaning up the chaotic remnants of the once-mighty pirates. Ra-khir had a more pressing matter, one that he had arranged at the short officers' meeting the previous evening.
When the last of the enemies fell, Bearn had promised a massive feast: in the banquet hall for the commanders, civilian and military leaders, and royalty; outside on the beach for the regular and volunteer soldiers. Then, the Knights of Erythane would serve another purpose, maintaining suitable decorum and tradition.Tedious rituals and long-winded speeches would rule the hours before and after the food got served, interrupted at proper intervals by entertainers, animals, and bards. Though he had learned to respect the procedures, Ra-khir had never learned to love them. He did not look forward to the ceremony, other than the fact that its start would mean that he had finished the business that faced him now.
Ra-khir found Saviar crumpled in the sand beyond the dunes, where the battles had long finished, his clothing tattered and his skin striped with nicks and blood. The knight's heart rate quickened, a startled pounding in his ears. Then, he noticed Subikahn sitting calmly nearby, sword meticulously balanced across his knees. "Relax, Papa. He's only sleeping."
A cold rush of relief washed through Ra-khir, nearly as uncomfortable as the fear that had clutched him a moment earlier. "I've never seen anyone sleep like that." He gestured at Saviar.
"Apparently, you've never seen anyone fall asleep standing up."
"No," Ra-khir admitted. "What are you doing here?"
"Making sure no one uses his lifeless-looking body as a battle dummy." Subikahn yawned, his own exhaustion clear and understandable. "I can't believe you're still running around."
"I slept," Ra-khir admitted. "After the officers' meeting I couldn't keep my eyes open." He thought it better not to mention that he had caught himself slipping away twice at the meeting. Only Tae Kahn's grave pronouncement regarding the future war had finally shocked him enough to finish. "Your father was there, at the meeting. Out of bed."
"I know." Subikahn yawned again. "I talked to Talamir last night."
Ra-khir laughed.
Subikahn gave him a strange look.
"Sorry. I was just thinking of how odd things got. A Knight of Erythane as general of Renshai, and a Renshai as general of the Eastlands. The best seers in the land could never have predicted that."
Now, Subikahn also laughed. "Who was it that said, 'War makes for the strangest of alliances?' "
Ra-khir knew the answer, much to his chagrin. "That would be General Santagithi. And the full text continues, '… separates the incompetent from the skilled and the petty from the truly important.' "
Subikahn widened his eyes, clearly surprised. Apparently, no one in the past had known to whom to attribute the quotation.
"My father has taken an intense interest in that ancient general, especially now that Kedrin's actually met several people from the town named for him." Ra-khir rolled his eyes. King Griff had spent most of his life there, with his Santagithian stepfather, but Kedrin had never before met actual warriors from that Western nation. The Knight-Captain's excited chattering had broken into Ra-khir's precious resting time, and he had fallen asleep to war quotations. "Apparently, Santagithi's military studies are from a book written by him, and they're actually acclaimed for their strategies."
"And how is Chymmerlee?"
"Exhausted and starving, but apparently unhurt. Matrinka said she'd never seen a woman eat that much in a sitting. She's sleeping soundly in a private room, away from the wounded soldiers." Ra-khir looked pointedly at Subikahn. "I intended to present Chymmerlee to the Council as one of the war's greatest heroes, but she made me vow not to tell anyone what she did, never to speak of her magic."
Subikahn bobbed his head wearily. "Saviar made a similar promise. I didn't, but he'd kill me if I told you anything more."
Ra-khir did not press. He would never break a promise, nor cajole anyone else to do so either. "She did say that two elves had assisted her, enhancing her powers, from the top of Bearn Castle. Without them, she could not have lasted nearly as long. She asked me to thank them and do my best to swear them to secrecy as well."
Subikahn maintained eye contact, though his lids drooped over bloodshot whites. "And have you done so?"
"Tem'aree'ay had no difficulty agreeing, but she denied having a companion. She said Chymmerlee must have made a mistake; she alone strengthened the magic." Ra-khir tried to read something more than exhaustion from Subikahn's expression. "What do you think?"
Subikahn yawned. "I think… Chymmerlee must have been mistaken. Unless…" He dismissed his own suggestion with a doubtful shake.
"Unless?" Ra-khir encouraged.
"Unless… Ivana?"
Ivana had shown no signs of intelligence for eighteen years. Ra-khir hated to admit his thoughts had gone in the same direction before he dismissed them. "It seems unlikely."
"Unlikely," Subikahn echoed. He looked longingly at Saviar. "Can you take over as bodyguard? If I don't get some sleep soon, I'm going to keel over. Hopefully, enemies will mistake us both for corpses and won't bother to stab us full of holes."
Ra-khir appreciated Subikahn's loyalty to his brother and understood his current distraction. "I'll do better. I need to take Saviar to the castle for a meeting. Why don't you tag along, and we'll find you a safe bed?"
Subikahn did not argue. He closed his eyes while Ra-khir awakened Saviar, and the three men trudged across the sand together.
By the time Ra-khir and Saviar arrived at the Strategy Room, the others had already assembled. They opened the door to a rumble of speculative conversation that faded into questioning silence. King Griff sat in his place at the head of the table, Bard Darris to his left and Queen Matrinka to his right. King Humfreet of Erythane was seated beside Matrinka, Captain Erik Leifsson of Nordmir at his other side. Across from him sat General Valr Magnus of Aerin and, much to Ra-khir's surprise, Calistin. Two seats remained, the one beside the Nordmirian, which Saviar reluctantly took, and the one at the far end from the King of Bearn, which protocol indicated should belong to Ra-khir, who had assembled them.
Erik's teenaged son, Verdondi, sat on the floor outside the circle, along with a Bearnian page already hurriedly taking notes for the Sage. Recalling the time he had hauled a curious Saviar to a Council meeting, Ra-khir had had little trouble agreeing to let Verdondi observe. Destined to take his father's place someday, he should witness instances of diplomacy, even one as uncomfortable as this one threatened to become. To deny Erik's request, Ra-khir would have had to give a reason, one that might have raised suspicions in the mind of Nordmir's representative. Ra-khir wanted to see an honest, not a rehearsed, reaction.
Ra-khir glanced at Saviar to rebuke him for his rudeness, then bowed gallantly and properly to each guest in
order of rank. Only when he had dispensed with the proper amenities did he take his own seat. "I apologize profusely for arriving late. I was searching for our last representative, still among the combatants, and he required some grooming.
Saviar put a hand over his mouth, presumably to hide a smile. Clearly, he appreciated that his father had not mentioned finding him in a crumpled heap.
Ra-khir mouthed all the meeting preliminaries, though he knew that, absent a Knight of Erythane, they might well have gotten skipped. At length, he reached his final prefacing announcement: "In the interests of full disclosure, I must mention that the man representing the Renshai, and the one serving as a captain of Aerin, are my sons."
Valr Magnus rose so suddenly, he had to grab his chair to keep it from toppling. He stared at Calistin. "Your father is a Knight of Erythane? But I thought-"
Calistin grinned, obviously amused by the general's consternation. "Calistin Ra-khirsson. I believe I mentioned that."
Magnus looked at Ra-khir, who dutifully bowed. "Sir Ra-khir Kedrin's son, Knight to their Majesties, King Humfreet of Erythane and High King Griff of Bearn."
The general had also heard that introduction before, but he had clearly not put together the Ra-khirsson of Calistin's name with the Sir Ra-khir of Erythane. He would not get fooled twice, however. "Kedrin's son. So your father is…"
Ra-khir gave Magnus the opportunity to finish.
"… the knights' general."
"We use the title captain," Ra-khir explained. "My father is properly titled Knight-Captain Kedrin."
"Yes, well." Valr Magnus cleared his throat. "In the interest of full disclosure, then, I must proclaim that my Captain of…"
"Renshai," Calistin filled in, studying his chipped fingernails, which still had bits of blood beneath them.
The Aeri glared at Calistin. "My captain is, apparently, his son."
Now, Erik leaped to his feet. "Valr, are you saying your captain is a…" He looked from Calistin to Ra-khir and back, clearly trying to put together everything so far spoken. "… a…" His brow knitted. "… a Knight of Erythane?"
"Gods, no," Calistin said quickly, his voice even. "What a horrible thought."
Now, Ra-khir turned his searing gaze on Calistin. "Captain Erik, both of my sons are Renshai."
Erik kept his attention on Valr Magnus, his cheeks purpling and his eyes glaring.
Verdondi rose and placed a hand on Erik's shoulder. He stared nearly as intently at Saviar and whispered something into the Northman's ear.
King Humfreet took over. "Now that the additional introductions are out of the way, and all the family ties elucidated, why did you call us here?"
"I have one last introduction, with your leave,Your Majesty."
Griff nodded and gestured for Ra-khir to continue.
Ra-khir turned, opened the door, and addressed one of the guards. "Bring our guest here now, please."
The guard bowed, and Ra-khir shut the door again. "With your indulgence, I would like you to meet a man with some interesting information. Before we do, though, I must ask for immunity for him from all of you, as representatives of your respective peoples.Without it, I don't believe he will speak."
Erik's massive fist crashed to the table. "I'll make him speak."
Released from the Nordmirian's pinning stare, Magnus sat calmly.
Ra-khir sighed. By bringing Saviar instead of Thialnir, he had hoped to avoid theatrics. "Our guest has committed no crime himself. He has come to tell us what he knows, but he worries that some among us might hold him responsible for things his nephew has done."
Griff said softly, "Given that information, I have no trouble granting him immunity and protection, if he needs it."
"Granted here as well," King Humfreet added gruffly.
Valr Magnus went next, "Aerin does not punish innocent men, and I will not allow my men to exact vengeance on him either."
Still standing, Erik waved a gruff hand, obviously intended as a vow.
Ra-khir's gaze fell to Saviar, and the others followed. Suddenly the focus of every man's attention, Saviar slouched in his chair, clearly wishing he could disappear entirely. "Saviar," Ra-khir reminded. "You speak for the Renshai."
The cool look Saviar returned his father spoke of future retaliation, not against the visiting speaker but against the knight himself.
"I can't… I mean I don't know…"
Ra-khir squared his jaw. He should have prepared Saviar more thoroughly, but their conversation had turned to other matters. "Saviar, I assure you that, without a vow from a Renshai leader, this man will not speak out. He fears the Renshai most of all."
Saviar sucked air through his lips, then let it out in a slow stream from his nose. "I promise not to harm this man for past crimes, and I will do everything I can to keep any individual Renshai from hurting him either."
Ra-khir nodded, satisfied. He knew as well as Saviar that no one could contain a Renshai bent on killing, but he trusted his son to do his best to present things to his tribe in the best possible light. He was not so sure, however, about Calistin.
The door edged open to admit a sheepish-looking, potbellied Erythanian dressed in foppish garb. His shoes were made of silk, and he wore a pointed hat with an enormous tassel. Clearly, he had not participated in the war.
Ra-khir held the door for the Erythanian, who sidled inside, studying the gathering at the table. He bowed several times, each one deeper than the one before.
"These men have granted you immunity in the name of Bearn, Erythane, Aerin, Nordmir, and the Renshai. You are safe to speak your piece."
The man bowed a few more times. His voice emerged as a frightened squeak. "My name is Georan, brother to Harveki and uncle to Frendon Harveki's son."
Murmurs traveled through the listeners as they recognized the name of the man who had turned the tide of battle between Valr Magnus and Kevral Tainharsdatter, the one who had fallen from the tree.
The man glanced at Ra-khir, his features scrunched and his expression needy.
Ra-khir reached into his pocket, retrieved the Northern coins he had bought back from the merchant in Dunford, and dumped them onto the table. The coins jangled together then plunked to the wooden top in an arrhythmic jumble, some rolling on edge before dropping flat. "Merchants in Dunford sold me these coins of Nordmirian mint, used by an Erythanian to buy luxuries. They described Georan, and his purchases, perfectly, down to that… rather unique headgear."
"And," Erik demanded, leaning forward.
Georan swallowed hard and caught Ra-khir's hand.
"You're safe," Ra-khir said, as much a command to the assemblage as a reassurance. "Please finish."
Georan lowered his head. "I spent that money in Dunford, not Erythane, at Frendon's request. He said he got it from Paradisians who paid him to make certain the Renshai lost their single combat."
"What!"
Ra-khir looked instinctively toward Erik, but it was Valr Magnus who had shouted as he sprang to his feet again. The blood rushed from a face already pale, making it appear entirely bloodless.
As if in direct contrast, Erik's cheeks appeared to gain all the color Magnus' lost, plus more. Arteries throbbed in his neck. "Are you calling us cheaters?" Erik demanded.
Georan shrank against Ra-khir, and the knight shielded him as the situation demanded.
"Sit down, Erik," King Humfreet demanded. "No one is saying you personally cheated."
Erik obeyed with obvious reluctance, but Magnus remained standing, still chalk white and looking as if he might vomit.
King Griff addressed the man cowering against Ra-khir. "Georan, did Frendon tell you exactly who paid him, by name?"
Georan shook his head.
Ra-khir felt more than saw it. "No, Sire. He believes they either swore Frendon to secrecy or never showed him their faces."
"He's lying!" Erik bobbed up again, clearly unable to keep his seat. "He's a confessed father of Renshai with every reason to lie."
"No!" King Hu
mfreet also clambered to his feet, and everyone except Griff scrambled to do the same from etiquette. "My Knights of Erythane never lie. Never. Not even to save their own lives."
"But it was the Knights of Erythane who declared the battle results fair! They can't just turn around and negate that judgment."
King Humfreet took the words as proof of his own point. "The grandfather of Renshai banished his own. Sir Ra-khir, himself, once surrendered his own infant son rather than break a vow. The Knights of Erythane are above reproach."
Surprised, Ra-khir turned to the king of Erythane. No one should know the details of the vow he once made with Pudar. It was Weile Kahn who had rescued Calistin from becoming a Pudarian prince, in a deal whose fine points Ra-khir hoped he never learned.
Ra-khir answered the real question, "Captain Erik, when the knights verified the results of that battle, the information Georan just gave us was not available. When circumstances change, we have the right and the duty to change our minds.
Valr Magnus finally found his tongue. "I humbly apologize to Sir Ra-khir and his sons for taking the life of valiant Kevral Tainharsdatter in a battle that we now know was unfairly won." He nodded to Ra-khir, Saviar, and Calistin in turn. "Please believe me when I say I had no hand in, nor knowledge of, this deceit. And, no matter the determination of kings and captains, I refuse to acknowledge the ill-gotten title of Renshai-slayer. I will not claim victory, and the banishment of the Renshai from the West is withdrawn."
Captain Erik Leifsson sputtered. "You can't do that! You're merely our champion, not a signatory to the contract.You have no authority to undo an agreement to which you were never bound."
"But I was," King Humfreet said. "And I can." He pronounced loudly, deliberately repeating Magnus' exact words, "The banishment of the Renshai from the West is withdrawn."
Ra-khir's heart leaped, and he turned Saviar a warning glance. At this point, the Renshai's best strategy was silence.
King Humfreet continued, "The area of Erythane once called Paradise Plains will revert back to its previous name, the Fields of Wrath."
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