* * *
Lord Sevrin of the Ragatha clan hurried out of his Khadoran mansion. He stepped onto the wide porch of the mansion and moved quickly to stand by the side of his Lord Marshal.
“It is the Seth clan judging by the blue and black colors,” Lord Marshal Orteka said as he nodded towards the road running past the Ragatha estate. “We have had no notice of a visit from them.”
“Lord Sydar rules the Seth clan,” commented Lord Sevrin as he pointed to a tall man riding in the vanguard of the approach column. “He appears to be among the delegation. Considering that he only has a single corte as an escort, it is safe to assume that this will be a friendly visit.”
“It is hard for old habits to die, isn’t it?” chuckled the Lord Marshal. “You and I still think the same thoughts when a different clan’s colors appear on the horizon.”
“It is hard,” smiled Lord Sevrin. “Khadorans have lived for so long under the constant threat of war with its neighbors that we are quick to forget that we are all brothers now. Perhaps that is not so bad. Some of the lords are having a hard time accepting Emperor Marak’s reforms. Who knows how long this peace will last? I wonder what brings the Seth to our home?”
“I will entertain the officers personally,” offered the Lord Marshal. “Perhaps I will pick up something that Lord Sydar does not wish revealed to you.”
“You are a good man, Orteka,” smiled Lord Sevrin. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“I would be greatly pleased if you never find out,” chuckled the Lord Marshal.
The Ragatha lord and his military leader stood in silence as the visiting corte arrived. Orteka had already issued orders to a Ragatha corte to act as hosts to the visitors, and that selected corte greeted the visitors professionally. The cortain escorted Lord Sydar to the porch and offered introductions.
“See to our visitors’ needs,” Lord Sevrin said to his Lord Marshal. “Lord Sydar and I will be in the meeting room.”
Orteka bowed politely and left the porch while Lord Sevrin led his guest into the mansion. Lord Sevrin nodded to servants on his way to the meeting room and knew that refreshments would be served immediately.
“Welcome to my home, Lord Sydar,” Lord Sevrin greeted as they entered the meeting room. “What brings you to the Ragatha?”
“Thank you for your gracious hospitality,” smiled Lord Sydar. “I am on a short journey that happens to bring me by your estate. I felt that I would be remiss if I did not stop and talk with you for a while. I hope the timing is not inconvenient? I promise that I will not take more than a few hours of your time.”
“My day is yours to spend,” nodded Lord Sevrin. “A few hours of getting to know each other better will be well spent. The Assembly of Lords is excellent for allowing lords to meet one another, but there is never enough time at those gatherings to truly get to know your fellow lords.”
“Ah, so true,” smiled Lord Sydar. “And lately the Assembly of Lords has been rather hectic with all of the reforms that Emperor Marak is issuing. I suspect that a lord with multiple estates, such as you have, is probably having a very difficult time dealing with the new reforms.”
“The reforms are a drastic change in the way we conduct business,” nodded Lord Sevrin as he tried to gauge where the conversation was heading. “Are you having much trouble instituting the reforms?”
“No more than other lords,” Lord Sydar replied guardedly. “What do you think of the reforms?”
“I was hesitant at first,” replied Lord Sevrin, “as many lords were, but I see the wisdom in them. Our productivity has increased without slaves.”
“And what about the Chula?” frowned Lord Sydar. “Do you really expect them to be allies? Are you truly willing to trust those savages?”
“The Ragatha learned long ago that the Chula will leave you alone if you respect their land,” answered Lord Sevrin. “We have not had any trouble with the Chula in a long time. I am happy for it to stay that way.”
Lord Sydar frowned heavily as the servants entered with trays of food. He looked at the food and shook his head. Finally, he returned his gaze to Lord Sevrin.
“Your hospitality has been most gracious, Lord Sevrin,” declared the Seth lord, “but I have just realized that I had promised another stop today. Please forgive the short duration of my visit. I will try to visit again when more time is available.”
Lord Sevrin’s brow creased with confusion, but he nodded to his guest. “Very well,” he said. “I hope the stay was long enough to refresh your mounts.”
Lord Sevrin escorted the Seth lord out of the mansion. The Seth corte immediately broke camp and hurried to their horses. Within moments the Seth clan turned onto the new road leading to Woodville.
“That was rather short for a visit,” commented Lord Marshal Orteka after the Seth column had disappeared from view. “What was it all about?”
“Darned if I know,” frowned Lord Sevrin. “One minute we were chatting amicably, and the next he was leaving. All we talked about were Marak’s reforms. What did you learn from the soldiers?”
“Not much,” answered the Lord Marshal. “The visit was too short to learn anything. All that I could find out is that the purpose of their journey is to visit other clans. There is no destination for the trip.”
“Something does not smell right here,” frowned Lord Sevrin, “but I cannot determine what it is.”
“Perhaps we should contact Woodville and alert them?” questioned Orteka. “That does seem to be the way they are heading.”
“They won’t go to Woodville,” Lord Sevrin shook his head. “That is a Torak estate. They also won’t go to Fardale for the same reason. Whatever Lord Sydar is up to, my acceptance of Marak’s reforms turned him off. I suspect that he is looking for lords who object to the new reforms, but I cannot fathom why.”
“I do not think we can ignore it,” stated Orteka. “Any dissent against the Emperor right now could be harmful.”
“I agree,” nodded the Ragatha lord. “Send a message to Lord Marshal Yenga at Fardale. Tell him what we suspect, and warn him that the Seth will most likely appear at Glendale next.”
“You think they are heading towards the Litari?” asked Orteka.
“Where else can they go on the road to Woodville without going to a Torak estate?” posed the Ragatha lord. “Yes, I think Lord Burdine of the Litari will be the next host to greet Lord Sydar.”
“I will get an air tunnel to Fardale up immediately,” nodded the Lord Marshal.
* * *
The Marshal of the Litari estate stiffened when he saw the Seth clansmen approaching.
“Here they come,” Garlo said softly to the Litari lord. “It looks like Yenga was right about their plans.”
“At least he was right about their destination,” nodded Lord Burdine. “Are you sure that the men can pull this off?”
“They will be the epitome of soldiers who cannot stand the new reforms,” assured the marshal. “They will say nothing direct that could possibly embarrass us before the Emperor, but their dissatisfaction will be obvious. If the Seth are looking for clans who don’t like the Emperor’s reforms, they will find comfort here.”
“And if it something else that they are after,” frowned Lord Burdine, “we will end with egg on our faces.”
“The risk is worth it,” shrugged Garlo. “Yenga believes that the Seth are up to something nasty, and I trust his judgment. If this turns out poorly, place the blame solely on me.”