Inda (84 page)

“They were dressed as brigands, that’s as far as I’ll go,” Whipstick said. “Sponge’s wording was close. Careful. He never wasted words, or said the wrong thing.” He frowned at the worn flagstones in the court and then added, “I got to know him pretty well these last couple of years in the academy, when I was a horsetail and they treated him like one. We were almost always enemy commanders. He’d gained influence, y’see. Despite, well, despite them all.”

No need to define “all” further—they both knew.

Whipstick squinted up at the Riders now taking up their places on the walls—everything as it should be—then said, “He can’t promise to find Inda. Or restore him. He hasn’t got the power. But he’s gaining influence outside the academy, just the same.”

Tdor looked at the fire, at the women on the walls facing inward, some of them talking quietly. At the windows above as lamps were lit behind them, a soft, golden glow shining down from each one by one. She looked at anything and anyone to avoid the possibility of seeing pain or even betrayal in Whipstick’s face. They’d talked on that long ride back to Tenthen about castle life, both of them knowing they would never leave again. But one subject she’d avoided, and he’d never mentioned: the academy, and everything concerned with it. Especially the summer Inda vanished, after the death of Whipstick’s little brother.

It was only the extremity of worry—necessity—that forced her now to murmur, “Would you . . . I mean, if Inda comes back—”

Whipstick comprehended immediately. “Listen, Tdor. Week or two after Dogpiss died, Tanrid finally came to me, after he was permitted inside the Guard keep. Said what Inda told him: he tried to stop him from going down to the stream. That Inda followed him, and after Hawkeye smacked Dogpiss—and I’m not saying he didn’t have the right, rules being what they are on banner games—Inda tried to catch him. I remember how tired those scrubs were, the Sierlaef’s gang riding them hard all week. They were stumbling over their own feet by that last night.” Whipstick’s voice dropped, and for the first time his even-tempered, toneless voice was rough and bitter. “I know who is to blame. And it wasn’t Inda. But he paid the price just the same.” Whipstick lifted his head so that torchlight reflected in his eyes, and then added, with quiet conviction, “If Inda comes back, I’d be honored to serve as Randael to him. For the rest of my life.”

Tdor’s neck muscles eased. Life had gone twisted out of its regular stream, she had sometimes thought, the day that Inda was summoned to the academy. Nothing happened the way she expected—or wanted. The prince and princess were locked in grief. Tanrid dead, Inda gone to sea somewhere in the world. Joret now betrothed to Inda, and she herself probably expected to marry Whipstick, walking here beside her, a thought too strange to examine right now.

But there was one thing she knew, in heart, mind, spirit. The world would be right again once Inda came home.

Marlovan Terms

Adaluin
—prince of a territory, as opposed to a son of the royal family.

 

Convocation
—the New Year’s week gathering at the royal city, for the Jarls to renew their oaths to the king and kingdom. Derived from an old ceremony of clan kinship, and undergoing constant friction between definitions of ownership, kingdom, and king, ever since Marlovans first conquered the land of Iasca Leror and settled.

 

Dal
—honored male, the nearest equivalent is “lord.”

 

Edli
—honored female, the nearest equivalent is “lady.”

 

Gunvaer
—queen.

 

Harandviar
—Royal Shield Arm’s betrothed or wife.

 

Harskalt
—King’s Voice.

 

Harskialdna
—Royal Shield Arm at War. (See Sierandael.)

 

Harvaldar
—War King. (See Sieraec.)

 

Hlin
—betrothed or wife of second royal son.

 

Hlinlaef
—betrothed or wife of crown prince.

 

Iasca Leror
—the name of the kingdom the Marlovans conquered. It meant “land of the Iascans (Yaskans, originally),” and their language is one of many branches of the Sartoran tree.

 

Iofre
—princess of a territory, as opposed to a daughter of the royal family.

 

Jarl
and
Jarlan
-territorial titles, similar to “earl.”

 

Laef
—second son. Royal second son is Varlaef, and he only takes the title Sierandael when his brother becomes king, under ordinary circumstances, though older Sierandaels (uncles, usually) have been known to keep the title, especially in wartime, when their experience is particularly needed. (Others were reluctant to retire when their brothers died, and as they have control of the royal Guard and of the training of the Jarls, they can be difficult to oust, especially by very young kings and would-be Royal Shield arms.)

 

Marlovan
—from Maralo-Venn, or “outcasts from the Venn.” Their language derives from Venn, which in turn derives, centuries ago, from a Viking exploratory fleet that was propelled through a world gate to this world. They sailed north, looking for home, and eventually settled on the northern continent that during Inda’s period was called Drael. Marlovan was not a written language until its people conquered the Iascans. They then adopted the Iascan alphabet, as well as a good deal of the Iascan language, eventually altering it to fit Marlovan verb endings and word order—during Inda’s time, Marlovans were raised speaking both languages, ostensibly confining their use of Marlovan to matters of war and defense, though that custom blurred as the languages blended.

 

Montre-Hauc
—(“King of the Mountain Dwellers.” Hauc meaning “mountain,” Montrei from “mund” or “mond,” the Venn term for hand, or leader.) Earliest of the three ruling families of the Marlovans. Subsumed into the Montredavan-An family.

 

Montredavan-An
—(from Montrei-Davan-An, “King of the Forest Dwellers.” “An” being forest, and the alteration of “mond” into “Montrei” being, it is said, subsequent to marriage with the mysterious Dei family.) The Montredavan-Ans led the Marlovans from a nomadic existence on the plains to rulership of nearly the entire Halian subcontinent; it was they who discovered the superior Iascan steel of the Aurum Hills forges and subsequently conquered Iasca Leror.

 

Montre-Vayir
—(“King of the plains.” “Montrei” being, it is said, subsequent to marriage with the mysterious Dei family, and “vayir” meaning plains.) During Inda’s time, the ruling family of the Marlovans. What exactly happened during the generation the Marlovans conquered the Iascans and settled into their castles is unclear to the Marlovans of Inda’s generation as their ancestors did not at that time keep written records; the result was that the Montredavan-An family was reduced by treaty to exile on their own and in the province of Darchelde, which was half forest land, for ten generations. All the songs point firmly to betrayal on the part of the Montredavan-An family, though they did, and still do, regard the Montrei-Vayirs as the betrayers, but of course the winners write, or rewrite, history. The immediate result was the old king was assassinated in his own bed on a visit to his home castle, following which most of the family was killed, as well as their most loyal servants. Pleading on the part of the former queen’s family for the life of the heir ended in the final compromise: home exile for ten generations. Their renown as leaders and fighters keeps the Montrei-Vayirs nervously assiduous in guarding the borders of Darchelde during Inda’s time. It was after the Montrei-Vayirs took the throne that greater autonomy was granted the new jarls (this may have been the price of betrayal of the former kings) and they were permitted—some say encouraged at sword-point—to add “Vayir” to their family names, as a gesture of solidarity with the Montrei-Vayirs, who hitherto were the only ones with
vayir
appended.

 

Randael
—Shield Arm, usually brother or cousin to a jarl.

 

Randviar
—Shield Arm’s wife or betrothed.

 

Sierandael/Harskialdna
—the king’s brother or cousin or appointed Royal Shield Arm, if there is no brother or cousin, in peacetime. If he goes to war, he becomes Harskialdna, and, of course, if he is victorious, he also gets Sigun added to his title.

 

Sierlaef
—heir to a king, almost always first son.

 

Sieraec/Harvaldar
—terms for kingship. A Marlovan king during peacetime appends Sieraec after his name. When he raises his war banner, he becomes Harvaldar—even if he doesn’t actually lead the battle (this distinction evolved after the Marlovans established themselves as land owners). If he is victorious in war, the term Sigun is added to his title.

 

Sigradir
—King’s Counselor (not used in Inda’s time.) Different from Harskalt, which is used only for specific tasks, and almost always by Runners.

 

Sigun
—a title appended to that of a victorious king or Shield Arm.

 

Vayir
—old meaning derived from “plains,” now appended to the names of jarls’ families, denoting ownership of a territory. Ownership depends upon oaths renewed each year at Convocation.