Spellsong - Darksong Rising Part 22

"She had the lutar in her hand, and it was broad daylight," counters Fa.r.s.enn.

"She could come in daylight next time, or the time after."

"She rides eastward. She must ride back through Pamr to Falcor. My brother, we will ensure that it matters not whether she comes in darkness or in full light.

I have a plan. When she returns, then we will be prepared... more than prepared."

Giersan raises his eyebrows, but says nothing.

33.

After three long days of travel from Pamr, dust coated the lower legs of both riders and mounts, and Anna had gone through three of her four daily water bottles by the time the bluish-tinged, off-white walls of Loiseau appeared on the eastern horizon above the low houses of Mencha. Even as Anna watched, the low sun at her back began to turn the stone parapets the sorcerer Brill had onceraised with his skills from blue-white to a rosy twilit color that spread above the late-afternoon shadows.

Although almost a year had pa.s.sed since Anna had returned the rains to Defalk, the road into Mencha remained as dusty as Anna had recalled it when she had first ridden Farinelli around Loiseau.

"Break out the banner!" Himar ordered. "Even up the column! Undercaptain Skent... bring up your laggards!"

"Smerda, Bius... move it up!"

Anna smiled at the tone of firmness in Skent's voice. Perhaps she had kept him as a page too long. For his sake, probably... but he s young. Then... everyone does things young here. She straightened herself in her saddle, recalling that she was the Lady of Mencha.

Small as Mencha was, more than a score of people watched, most smiling, some even waving, as Anna rode through the dusty streets toward Loiseau. Their words were open, not at all hushed.

"See... did come back.. . and there's the banner, sure as you can see..."

"Just a visit, Armal..."

"When... ever have a ruler of Defalk from Mencha...I ask you?"

"Rightly... is she ours?"

"Whose else? First place she came... almost like being born... stop asking foolish questions, Vernot..."

"Regent-sorceress?"

Anna turned toward the girl who called, a stocky brunette not even as old as Secca, and smiled.

"Thank you for the rains."

"You're welcome. Take care of yourself," Anna called back, not quite sure what to say, but not wanting to appear too aloof.

"You are truly theirs," murmured Jecks.

"I don't know why," she replied in a low voice.

"Because you changed little, perhaps," he speculated. "Perhaps because few return who have gained fame and position, and you have..."

Whatever the reasons, the sorceress enjoyed the short ride through the center of Mencha, perhaps more than any ride since she'd come to Liedwahr, especially after the experience in Pamr. Just past the store that was half-chandlery, half- dry goods, in the center of the small town, Anna turned Farinelli south toward the hill on which Loiseau rested.

A dek out of town, they neared the apple orchard where she had been ambushed by the Dark Monks. The trees had more leaves than in previous years, and apples filled the branches, most of the fruit already turned red. Large patches of gra.s.s dotted the s.p.a.ce beneath the trees, and the hum of insects filled the air."The orchard looks better. It was close to dying," she told Jecks. So were you, on that day, then, even if you didn't know it. She patted the gelding on the neck, recalling how he had carried her back to Loiseau with a war arrow through her upper chest and shoulder.

As Farinelli started up the sloping road toward the walled hold, Anna's eyes turned toward the low-domed building on the lower ridge where she had learned how to turn earthly singing into Erdean sorcery-and first struggled through Brill's books on sorcery. Not a single hoofprint stood out in the dust of the lane from the main road to the silent dome.

The road was steep enough that even the big gelding was breathing more heavily by the time his hoofs rang on the paving stones that led to the open gates of Loiseau.

"...don't understand... they waved to her. . . I'm the heir..." Jimbob's plaintive comment to Kinor was barely audible.

"It may be because she is their lady. Or it might be that you haven't risked your life for them." suggested Kinor dryly, with a wit that Anna hadn't suspected of the lanky redhead. "People do remember little things like that, once in a while."

"You were born here..."

"So I was told," answered Kinor. "I don't remember." He laughed gently.

Jecks glanced at Anna and caught her eye. "Mayhap we should keep young Kinor around Lord Jimbob," he murmured as he leaned toward her.

"Only until Jimbob is of age," Anna replied wryly. "Besides, Kinor might make a good captain-or consort for a hold without sons... or both."

Jecks laughed.

Blaz and Kerhor rode into the courtyard first, and Anna could hear voices before she pa.s.sed the gates.

"The Regent's here!"

'There's the banner!"

"Where is she?"

"There's Liende, and her boy Kinor."

The figures by the doors were few, but Anna recognized all seven-all those she'd actually met when she'd first come to Loiseau: Serna-the white-haired cook and head of household-and her diminutive dark-haired daughter Florenda; Albero, the armorer, who had taught Anna the little she knew about using a knife-and that had saved her life in Falcor; and his father Quies, the stablemaster; Gero, Brill's young aide; and Wiltur, the grizzled armsman, and his younger companion Frideric.

The Regent reined up short of the steps and the mounting block, turning Farinelli gently so she could address the immediate staff. "I'll talk to you all later, but I wanted to thank you for everything you've done here at Loiseau when I couldn't be here. You've seen the lancers and the players, but I've also brought Lord Jecks, the Lord High Counselor of the Regency, and Lord Jimbob, the heir to Defalk" Anna gestured toward the redheaded Jimbob. "You all may recall Liende. She is chief of the Regent's players, and some of you know Kinor, herson. And the officer there is Overcaptain Himar." Anna cleared her throat, then smiled. "It's good to be back."

Serna stepped forward, looking up at the sorceress. "We are glad to have you back, Lady Anna."

"I hope you can manage, Serna. With Liende and my players and tenscore armsmen... there are a lot of mouths to feed."

"We are ready, and we will feed them all." Serna offered a wide grin. "Welcome home, Lady Anna."

"Thank you." Anna was afraid she would choke up if she said much more. "Thank you all." Slowly, she eased Farinelli around the north wall of the main hall and toward the stables. Quies left the group that had greeted her and walked beside Anna and Farinelli until they reached the stable doors.

Anna dismounted, holding on to her saddle for a moment until she was sure her legs wouldn't buckle or cramp. Then she led Farinelli toward his stall.

As he followed, Quies glanced from Anna to Farinelli. "You been taking good care of each other, you and the beast."

"He probably takes better care of me." Anna loosened the girths, but let Quies take the saddle. "We've been through a lot." She paused, glancing to the adjoining stall where Jecks had already unsaddled his own mount. "How have you managed here? Did I send enough coin and clear enough instructions to you and Serna?"

"More than enough coin, Lady Anna. We have some saved in the lower chest room.

Could use a few more mounts, if you'll be coming back here more often."

"I don't know, but that's probably a good idea anyway. We need to talk... but not now. It's been a long ride, and I'm not thinking too well."

Quies nodded. "Always... Albero and me, we're here to do what you need, lady.

Best I check with the overcaptain, see what he might need. Always a lame mount or something."

"Don't let me keep you... but thank you... again."

"My pleasure, lady." Quies offered a bow, and a surprisingly shy smile before slipping away.

After unsaddling and grooming Farinelli, Anna walked across the stone-paved courtyard, noting how even and how clean the area was, although a thin layer of dust coated the stones wherever the hoofs of her party's mounts had not scuffed it away. As Jecks joined her, her eyes went to the low parapets-unguarded-and then to the long blue-tinted windows on the upper level of the keep itself and the metal louvers beneath each window. No wonder Brill had wanted to stay at Loiseau. It was a work of art, from the well-proportioned walls to the graceful sweep of the keep itself.

Behind her echoed the boots of her guards, carrying everything she had brought except the lutar she held.

"You are thinking, my lady," Jecks said quietly from beside her.

"Yes... I was thinking about how beautiful Loiseau is.""It is a small hold, but gracious. It will barely hold the ten-score lancers you brought."

"I won't always need tenscore lancers," Anna pointed out.

Jecks laughed. "You will need them for near-on another six-seven years. Jimbob will not reach his score until then."

"I won't need so many if we can make Liedwahr more peaceful."

"I wish you luck."

"You, too," she pointed out, turning beside the mounting block and starting up the half dozen low wide stone steps into the entry hall.

Brill's former a.s.sistant Gero stepped forward even before Anna was through the main doorway. "My lady Anna, I have waited. I know I cannot be a sorcerer... but what can I do?"

Anna wanted to shake her head. She definitely needed Halde-or someone-to sort everything out. "You can stay, Gero. Don't worry about that. I'll be talking to everyone, probably tomorrow."

The youth bowed, deeply. "Thank you, Lady Anna. Thank you."

Anna paused, to take in the three-storied entry hail that she hadn't seen in over a year. The s.p.a.ce was warm, but far cooler than the courtyard outside. Her eyes went up to the bra.s.s chandelier that dominated the s.p.a.ce overhead, then down to the black-and-white interlocking triangles of polished stone, embellished with inlaid strips of curlicued bra.s.s. The purple twilit sky was barely distinguishable through the high translucent skylights of milky blue gla.s.s set in the angular trapezoidal cupola that topped the entry foyer.

A faint gasp came from the youths behind. Jimbob, Anna guessed, since Kinor had been raised in and around Loiseau. A wry smile crossed Anna's lips. She'd almost forgotten the half-Moorish feel of the entry hall.

"Your hall is most impressive, my lady." Jecks' eyes twinkled. "More impressive from within than without"

"You hadn't been here?"

"Lord Brill never invited me," Jecks admitted.

"He should have." Anna smiled. "Then, maybe he shouldn't have. This way, you see the hall as mine."

"Yours it is and will always be."

Serna and her daughter Florenda stepped through the stone arch at the back of the entry foyer, both pausing to bow before stepping forward, then drawing closer to Anna. "All the chambers are ready, my lady."

As Anna stepped through the second archway and approached the grand staircase, Anna drew Serna aside. "I have to confess... I really don't know how many chambers we have."

"Six on the second level, besides your master chamber, lady. There are five vacant chambers on the lower level beyond the dining hall. They are smaller, but hold two beds each."Anna nodded. "The players will go there, except for Liende. She, Lord Jecks, Lord Jimbob, Himar, and Kinor can have chambers upstairs, then."

"Very good, Lady Anna." Serna smiled. "All are in readiness, and we can serve your immediate party in the grand dining hall in a gla.s.s, or a trace beyond. As we have done before, I summoned Unana from Mencha and her daughters to prepare food for the armsmen." Her voice lowered. "We will need three golds a meal to pay her. That includes the provender as well, for we do not carry that much in our larder."

"We need to carry more, and I did bring some golds for you to keep running the household," Anna said.

Serna beckoned before Anna could turn away. "Some things... they still work.

There is water, because Lord Brill set that up to always run, but it is but cool, and not heated, and the air comes through the window ports unchilled...."

Anna nodded. "It may have to do for now. I have not had the time..."

"We understand, Lady Anna, but..." Sema's head inclined toward Jecks, Liende, and the others who followed.

"They will be happy with what we have."

"Then, Florenda"-Serna nodded to her daughter-"she will a.s.sist you while I return to my stoves."

"Thank you."

Florenda led the way up the grand staircase to the second level. "While you were gone, Lady Anna... I hope you don't mind... but we moved your clothes to the master chamber... and set aside Lord Brill's things until you could decide what to do with them.. We had no instructions...."

"I should have thought of that," Anna said, trying to put the young woman more at ease.

"I would suggest the chamber here on the left for Kinor,"

Florenda whispered to Anna, "and the one you had for Lord Jimbob. The one beyond Kinor's for your chief player, and beyond that is the great lord's chamber...

perhaps Lord Jecks..."

"That would be fine."

"And the overcaptain should take the chamber by the back stairs."

Anna nodded and relayed the information, trusting Florenda and wanting to shake her head. Mistress of Loiseau, and she'd never even set foot in the master bedchambers of the holding- or any beyond the one she had occupied.

As the others took their chambers, only Jecks and her guards followed Anna and Florenda to the end of the upper corridor. There, Florenda opened the door-a single door, just as the door to her own chambers at Loiseau had been-an eight- paneled door, but the panels were diamond-shaped and blue-lacquered, not rectangular as on Earth, and framed in blond wood. Anna stepped inside, followed by Jecks and her guards.

Surprisingly, at least to Anna, Brill's chambers had not been that much larger than the one that had once been her bedchamber. The main chamber in the master suite was nearly ten yards long and two-thirds of that in width. The north wallcontained the same almost-floor-to-ceiling, clear, but blue-tinted, windows, with the metal louvers beneath. The bedstead was of the same blue-lacquered metal, as were the delicate-looking chairs set around a blue-lacquered table below the foot of the bed. An open archway led into a bathchamber.