The Twilight herald

'Thank you,' Isak whispered.

The steward bowed and, when Isak gestured at the rail next to him, hesitated for a moment, then resumed his position beside the lord of his people. Isak had to stifle a smile; he'd never seen a man lounge in quite so formal a way, but he was beginning to recognise the effect of his title. He'd have to get used to it.

'What's your name? You've been in Suzerain Foleh's service a long time?' Isak asked, too quietly to be heard by those below.

'Dupres, your Grace, my name is Dupres. I have spent my life working in this castle, and I have been steward to the suzerain for six summers.'

Dupres was a man not long past forty, Isak judged, with a widow's peak and worry-lines around his eyes. He had seen the man earlier, constantly at his master's elbow, discreet, but anticipating his every need.

'You serve him well; I have seen few servants so attentive.'

'Thank you, my Lord.'

From below, the voice of the Countess of Lehm caught Isak's atten¬tion. He leaned further over the banister to hear the conversation better.

'Count Vesna, has Lord Isak said what he intends to do with Duke Certinse?'

'He's going to put the man on trial, of course.' Vesna's response was curt. He hadn't liked her tone any more than Isak had. She was Heading a careful line, for speaking about Isak while he was absent was a discourtesy most nobles wouldn't dare. Isak knew the customs of the nobility were still largely a mystery to him, but he had begun In recognise the formal ways in which a person of noble birth would couch a completely opposite request.

'And you have not counselled him against this?' Against it? Let the traitor hang, that's what I say.'

Isak couldn'l yet work out if the countess was either stupid and in-sulting, or if she was carefully positioning herself to make some point, that Vesna would later tell him in private.

But is that wise in the long term?' The other voices around the table had fallen away, every face was watching the exchange as in-tnently to as Isak.

'How would it not be wise, my Lady?' enquired Tila. 'Duke Certinse is undoubtedly a traitor. He ambushed us and tried to kill the Lord of the Farlan. For that, execution is the only response.'

'It's a merciful one,' growled Lahk, more to himself than anyone else.

The countess pointedly ignored him. 'But Duke Certinse is a man of title, of position in society. It is hardly seemly that he be treated like a common criminal. And Lord Isak has not yet been officially confirmed as Lord of the Farlan, so there could be legalities to compli-cate and prolong the trial.'

'Then he is at least Suzerain Anvee,' interjected Suzerain Sarin sharply. 'Certinse and his family were not defending their suzerainty against invasion by another. If I had been at their side, then perhaps they would have a case to discuss, but there can be no argument here.'

The countess raised her hands in deference. 'I am not condoning his actions, merely questioning whether it is a wise course to publicly hang the man. It cannot do the common folk good to see the highesi of the nobility executed, especially when others will fall with him Every tavern gossip across the Land will delight in the particulars of that trial.'

'You fear insurrection?' Tila responded, forcing the countess to turn back to her.

Isak thought he saw a flicker of doubt on the woman's face, but she continued without hesitation, 'Nothing so dramatic, but the embar-rassment and disgrace will be wide-reaching. The more foolish the nobility looks, the closer to the common folk we appear, and that could give rise to dangerous illusions. With General Lahk you have enough of his peers in this room to hold the trial here, and now '

Isak turned to the steward and grimaced. 'You hear thai, Dupres! he whispered. 'Don't you start thinking yourself the same species as the countess, now.'

'I would not dare to, my Lord,' Dupres replied dryly.

'Even now that I'm suddenly not a commoner, I fail to see what she fears. The rich are rich, the poor are not. Such are the lives we lead When I was poor, I wanted to be rich, not because I hated the nobility ity, but because it's better than being pool. And yet this lot seem to live in terror of the day when their servant turns around and declared himself lord of the manor.'

'Such a thing is possible, my Lord,' Dupres said. 'Revolt has happened countless times in the past, despite the best efforts of the nobility.'

'But usually for a reason. When there is famine, and the lord does nothing about it, who can blame a man for trying to feed his family?'

'If it wouldn't be too bold, my Lord…'

Isak waved Dupres to continue. He wasn't interested in decorum, he wanted the man's opinion. Dupres looked hesitant for a moment, but he'd seen enough today to realise how informal the white-eye was with his aides.

'Whoever is managing your estates in Anvee while you're away

I'm certain he would blame a man for stealing food, as much as declaring himself lord of the manor.'

'Perhaps, but when was life ever equal? When revolts do take hold, there'S rarely much that changes in the end: a different man gets rich, or the whole region collapses. Does a more equal way exist? The nobility are convinced it does, and they spend their days fearing it. The commoners they're so frightened of get on with some real work instead.'

Dupres had no answer to that.

Isak drained the goblet of wine and the steward immediately took it to refill.

'Will you join me for a cup? It would be good to hear a sensible man's opinion on the state of the Land.'

'It,.ah, it would be unseemly, my Lord, for the steward to be drink-ing the wine he serves-'

'I know. It is considered a blurring of boundaries,' Isak replied glumly, before clapping a hand on Dupres' shoulder. 'Fortunately, as I

wass commenting on the way here, I happen to be lord of all I survey. And that includes you, my friend, as well as our noble friends down

there.'

The suzerain would still be displeased.' There was a hint of hope in Dupres' voice, despite his words. It was clear that Isak was not to

be dissuaded, and how often would this chance arise, for Dupres to drink and talk its an equal with Nartis' chosen representative? But

convention had to be acknowledged.

Bugger him. I'm his lord too, and we white-eyes are notoriously fickle creatured. You have to put up with a lot from us, and he'd hardly be happy if you refused an order from me.' Isak grinned. 'Which I have put issued, by tthe way, so be a good lad and fetch yourself a cup.'

Isak guessed that the hunter's moon had to be somewhere near the horizon by now, and midnight not far off. He raised a silent toast with Dupres to Kasi's passing that evening and they resumed their curious vigil.

'So, how lordly do I appear?' Isak muttered to his companion. 'No, wait, what I would hear is how folk have taken news of Lord Bahl's death.'

'Well, my Lord…'

'Do stop doing that every time you speak to me – makes everything you say take twice as long! No true lord would be in a darkened corner getting drunk with his host's steward, therefore it must be a delusion of yours, and one should always call delusions by their proper name.'

'But if you do, don't they cease to become delusions? Call something by its proper name and it becomes a true thing.'

'Oh, let us hope so,' Isak sighed.

Dupres narrowed his eyes at Isak for a moment then nodded. 'That you would care about it answers your first question, I think. As for the second, we were frightened – as probably the rest of the tribe were too. Lord Bahl ruled us for two hundred years. Our grandparents knew no other lord. To lose that, and under circumstances that were never fully explained, is to lose the cornerstone of your world. Can you tell me what happened?'

Isak shook his head. 'He was doing something that would have made the tribe more secure. I can tell you no more of it.'