“How did you end up in Tilbor?”
“I made the mistake of saying I wasn’t about to advise him on how to handle matters in Tilbor without having been there. He sent me.” Quaeryt shrugged.
“So you are not afraid to tell him what he may not wish to hear?”
“I have my concerns, but I’ve been able to do so and survive.”
“May you always do so.” After the slightest hesitation, Aramyn said, “Let us determine how much flour and potatoes you require and when. Then we will join the ladies for refreshments … if you have time. I will also offer some to your soldiers.”
“We do, and I believe Vaelora would enjoy that very much. I know I would.”
In the end, Quaeryt and Vaelora did not return to the post until after third glass.
The squad dispatched to watch the south road returned to the post less than a quint before sunset, reporting that no one at all had been riding south.
Once they returned to the post, Quaeryt, Vaelora, and Jhalyt went to the strong room and counted out all the coins in the unlocked chest. It turned out that there were some coppers, and silvers, and the total came to 2,891 golds, 43 silvers, and 11 coppers. Quaeryt had the clerk enter that as the starting balance on the master ledger. The other chests could be counted later, and their balances added in, but given that Quaeryt would soon be paying out golds, he needed to keep track from the start.
Then he met with Meinyt about a possible Civic Patrol building. Meinyt reported that Captain Taenyd had found a vacant factorage not too far from the east bridge.
“Good. We can get started on fixing it and gathering the patrollers.”
“It’s not in the best part of town, sir,” Meinyt pointed out.
“That’s most likely where we’ll need patrollers. Can you work out with Major Dhaeryn how to get some men to make it usable? We can post notices asking for workers.”
“He’ll have more than he’ll want,” replied the major dryly.
“That might well be, but we don’t want troopers acting as civic patrollers any longer than necessary.”
“No, sir.”
After Meinyt left, Quaeryt found Jhalyt and Baharyt and gave them instructions, with Baharyt getting the task of finding out exactly where the patrol building-to-be was and coming up with a simple map so that Jhalyt could include it on the notices that would be posted.
After they left, Quaeryt just sat for several moments.
Should you have started with trying to reconstitute the Civic Patrol? He shook his head. That would have been foolish until he knew how he would have to pay for it … or anything else. But … it still bothered him.
Later on Jeudi night, well after dinner, and after he’d filled Vaelora in on what else had happened, the two of them stood on the stone balcony of the officers’ quarters, looking eastward where the two moons had lined up, one above the other, a symmetry that occurred so seldom that he could not recall the last time that had happened-and this time, the red-tinged half moon of Erion was above the half disc of the pearly-golden Artiema.
“What are you thinking now?” asked Vaelora.
“The moon of vengeance above the moon of love.”
“Isn’t that the way it’s been throughout time?”
“I suppose it has been.” He took a deep breath. “It’s been a long day.”
“You handle officers and troopers, patrollers, and repairs well enough. It’s dealing with High Holders that you’re not fond of, isn’t it?”
“I’m not fond of dealing with some of them. Chaffetz will be a problem. Aramyn went out of his way to be helpful.”
“So did his wife. I wish I knew why Grandpere and his sire did not get along.”
“Lord Chayar, from what I’ve heard in many places, was a just and fair ruler, but not always the most subtle of men, and his reaction to slights was said to be … disproportionate.”
“He did have a terrible temper, but he was good to me.”
That’s because you were still young and cute when he died.
“You’re thinking that’s because I was still a little girl, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” He shrugged helplessly.
“That’s not disrespectful.” After the briefest hesitation, she added, with a smile, “Not quite.”
“Truth isn’t disrespect, dear.”
Vaelora glanced back at the moons. “No, it’s not, but some see it as such. I’ve talked to Bhayar about that. After you and I were married, he said that one of the reasons he did it was because you and I both conveyed unpleasant truths to him, and we both deserved to be married to each other.”
“He said that?”
“Close to word for word.”
Quaeryt could imagine Bhayar almost gloating over his plan to marry Quaeryt and Vaelora.
“You were going to say something more about High Holders, weren’t you?”
“Not that much. There were several in Tilbor who were not only intelligent, but honest and honorable. Most were intelligent, but so self-centered as to be a threat as a group to your brother.”
“A group of self-centered High Holders couldn’t act together enough to be a threat, could they? Or are you saying that because they only see things through their own eyes that their acts result in threats to Telaryn?”
“You say that so much more diplomatically than do I.”
“In what way?”
“The same fashion as here. Chaffetz was not satisfied with profits with which he would have been more than pleased a year ago, even three months ago. I suspect some of the others will not be, either. They wish even greater profits. Were they granted such, that would mean fewer golds will be available to your brother at a time when Rex Kharst is threatening. Yet if he or I force them to sell for less or commandeer their crops, then they become even more of a problem. Their desire to enhance themselves regardless of the consequences increases the threat to all Telaryn … and if that greed weakens the land to the point where Kharst defeats your brother, then they also will suffer.”
“Do you think that likely?”
“No. But it is possible, and they know it is possible-or they should-but each thinks only of himself, and feels that the other High Holders should be the ones to be reasonable.” He took another deep breath. “Tomorrow, when we visit Wystgahl, matters will be no different, and that saddens me.”
“It’s too bad that you have to deal with them all at once.”
“I have little choice. Dealing with them in a way that will not offend most of them would take weeks, if not months … and time is what we have little of. Even if I spent that time, some would still refuse to offer fair terms for supplies … unless threatened. That is the way it was in Tilbor, and I doubt it will be different here-except there the threats could be so much more indirect and there was time for them to be considered. Here … I fear that most of those High Holders I visit here will complain that I’ve not been fair … or suggest even worse.”
“I know. Why do you think I suggested you post that squad as a patrol?”
“I had that feeling.”
Vaelora turned to face him directly. “You need some rest.”
“Rest?”
Even in the dim light, he could see her blush, but she did reach out and take his hand as they moved toward the door of their quarters.
25
While both Chaffetz and Aramyn had agreed that they would begin to send barrels of flour on Vendrei, nothing had arrived when Quaeryt and Vaelora departed the post at just before eighth glass to pay a call on High Holder Wystgahl. Quaeryt hadn’t expected that the provisions would arrive that soon, but he had informed both Zhrensyl and Heireg to expect them, and made sure that both Jhalyt and Heireg would be present to remove any golds from the strong room to make payment.
Because Meinyt had suggested rotating companies, third company under Captain Taenyd escorted Quaeryt and Vaelora for the twelve-mille ride south.
The entire front of Wystgahl’s hold appeared to have been recently rebuilt with a portico supported by white marble columns above polished black stone steps up from a marble paved area under the roofed portico for coaches and riders. The tall thin man who stood waiting on the black stone step just below the marble columns had wavy red hair with a few white streaks.