Darksong Rising (88 page)

As the sun struck the frost that costed the grass and the trees, mist began to form and rise, giving

the land an almost-surreal look. Anna took in the beauty, leaning forward in the saddle and

patting Farinelli on the neck. “We don’t see many mornings like this,” she whispered, just

looking out silently as the gelding carried her onward.

The mist and the apparent stillness before her reminded her of New England, in the days when

she had been married and much younger, and far more innocent. For a moment, she had to close

her eyes. Then she straightened and looked westward.

The lands around Westfort still lay in darkness when Anna reined up on the road crest and

looked out over the valley at the keep, standing like a sunlit isle above the long morning

shadows.

Anna turned in the saddle. “Liende! Have the players ready. The long flame song. I hope we

don’t have to use it, but I'm not trusting anyone right now.”

“Yes, Regent.” The white-haired player turned in her own saddle. “Dismount and prepare to

play. The tuning song.”

“Raise high the Regency banner!” ordered Hanfor.

The Regency banner rose on the ridge to the south of where the Nesereans were camped. The

discordant sounds of violinos, woodwinds, and the falk-horn rose around Anna, but she con-

tinued to watch the camp below.

“There’s a banner being raised over the keep gate,” announced Jimbob.

“And on the tower,” added Kinor.

Anna glanced at the two Westfort banners. She could not make out the details of either, but the

gates of Westfort remained closed.

A rider in blue spurred his mount toward the tent in the center of the Neserean camp. Within

moments, he turned and rode up the hill, bearing a white banner. The Neserean camp began to

bustle, with riders seeking mounts and armsmen scurrying into formation.

Behind Anna, the tuning grew.

Lejun and Rickel eased their mounts forward. They had unstrapped and now bore the oversize

shields they used to protect Anna.

As the sole rider neared the Defalkan force, Hanfor nodded to Himar. The overcaptain and a pair

of lancers rode forward toward the scout or messenger who bore the white banner.

Himar spoke to the lancer but for a moment, and then gestured in the direction of Hanfor and the

sorceress.

Anna turned. “Jimbob... Kinor... if you would wait here..."

“Yes, Lady Anna.”

“Let’s see what they want,” Anna suggested.

“Their lives,” Hanfor responded, “else the banner would be blue.”

“I hope you’re right." Preceded by her guards, Anna and Hanfor rode along the road to where the

messenger waited.

Anna reined up a good eight yards from the messenger, and Rickel and Lejun closed in front of

her, leaving just a narrow opening with the shields.

“Lady... sers..." the messenger stammered, “my captain begs of you your wishes... and your

mercy.”

“We’d like to meet with him here—alone,” Anna announced firmly. “Immediately.”

“Yes, lady... sorceress... Regent...” The Neserean swallowed. “Be there aught else to say?”

“I will not use sorcery if we reach an agreement,” Anna said. “Unless his armsmen leave their

camp. If they move, then I will destroy them if I must.”

“I’ll be telling him all that...quick as I can, great Regent.” The scout turned his mount and started

downhill with his mount moving at a gait faster than a walk and slower than a trot.

“They know something,” Anna said as she watched the Neserean scout ride back down to the

camp, where ranks continued to form. Her eyes went back uphill, where her players went on with

their tuning.

“They fear you, and they fear the worst,” Himar said.

“You have appeared out of the mist,” Hanfor laughed and gestured eastward, where curtains of

fog rose into the clear sky. “No force has ever stood against you—”

“That’s not true. The Evult’s force ran right over me at the Sand Pass, and Sargol’s big crossbow

damned near killed me. So did Bertmynn’s Darksong—that was too close, and I think if you

hadn’t come up with that night attack against Rabyn, we’d have been in big trouble.” Anna

shivered.

‘They do not know such,” Hanfor pointed out.

The three, and Anna’s four guards—Rickel, Lejun, Blaz, and Fielmir—watched the camp below

as the Neserean scout rode back to the central tent Within moments, it seemed, two Nesereans

were headed back up the gentle hillside.

A single officer accompanied the lancer with the white banner back up the hillside to where

Anna and the others waited.

The ginger-bearded officer with silver clips on his collar reined up and bowed in the saddle.

“Regent, I am Yerril, captain of the Prophet’s Guard. You would not be here, save the Prophet is

dead or vanquished.”

“He is dead. So are all those who were with him,” Hanfor affirmed.

“All of them?”

“They would not accept terms, even after the deaths of the Prophet and the overcaptain of the

Mansuuran lancers. They attacked us, and the Regent had no choice but to destroy them,” Hanfor

explained blandly.

“What terms did you demand?” The captain glanced from Hanfor to Anna. Despite the chill, his

forehead was damp with sweat.

 
Anna did not answer immediately, but glanced down toward the valley. The Neserean forces

were formed into ranks, both of lancers and foot armsmen, but the ranks had not moved. She

looked back at the Neserean officer.

“Captain Yerril, you may recall Hanfor?”

“Yes, Regent. Yes, ser.”

“Hanfor is from Neserea. I have a choice for you, Captain. A simple one. The same one I offered

the Mansuuran lancers. I didn’t think it was unreasonable, especially since Neserea and Mansuur

invaded Defalk.”

“Regent?”

“You have a choice. You can leave Defalk and go back to Neserea to tell everyone that the

Prophet is dead, and that you couldn’t do anything about it, and that you still haven’t, which will

probably mean that the Liedfuhr of Mansuur will take over Neserea in the next year, or you can

support a Neserean to be Lord High Counselor of Neserea. Which do you want—a Neserea

governed by a Neserean, or a civil war leading to a land ruled by the Liedfuhr?”

The sweat beaded on Yerril’s forehead. “I’d not wish to displease either the Regent... or the

Liedfuhr, either.”

“If you will support Hanfor, who was an overcaptain, was he not, then I will support Neserea’s

independence from the Liedfuhr.”

“Beggin’ your pardon, Regent... why do you need us? Why put a choice like that on a poor

captain?”

“I don’t need you,” Anna said. “Neserea does. I don’t want to rule Neserea I didn’t want to rule

Dumar, and I haven’t. I didn’t want to rule Ebra, and I haven’t. I have enough to deal with in

Defalk—but I can’t if I’m always fighting some idiot who wants to invade us. So I want Hanfor

to rule Neserea and be friends with Defalk—and I’ll support him against the Leidfuhr.” If you

have to.

Yerril frowned.

“You don’t have to believe me.” Anna nodded toward Hanfor. “I’m leaving Hanfor to talk to

you. He’ll let me know your choice.” She smiled. “I will support Hanfor against the Liedfuhr. I

may not support any other ruler that appears in Neserea.”

Yerril’s swallow was audible, but Anna did not offer a response. Instead, surrounded by her

guards, she turned Farinelli back toward the Defalkan lines. Rickel and Blaz kept the shields

high until they were a good hundred yards up the bill and away from the two Nesereans.

Kinor and Jimbob urged their mounts toward Anna, but the sorceress motioned for them to stop,

and called to Liende. “Have the players stand ready with the long flame song.”

“Standing ready, Regent.”

“Have them do a short tune,” Anna added.

“Yes, Regent.” Liende grinned.

Anna hoped that message would be clear to Captain Yerril.

“Regent?” ventured Kinor.

Jimbob raised his eyebrows, but did not speak.

‘They’re considering whether to support Hanfor for Lord High Counselor of Neserea,” Anna said

blandly.

Kinor looked sideways at Anna. “Will you destroy them if they refuse?”

“No. They can’t fight against me, and destroying them would make things worse in Neserea. But

I want them to think I might. If they don’t back Hanfor, that will leave Neserea without a ruler,

and probably create a civil war there, just like there was in Ebra. I hope it doesn’t happen that

way, because we don’t have enough armsmen to go into Neserea.” Not with idiots like Tybel and

Beltyr stirring up trouble in Defalk. “And I’d just have to leave Neserea alone right now, and

then go back next year or the year after. Or sooner, if the Liedfuhr decided to invade." Anna

shrugged. “If they decide they want Hanfor, then that would make it harder for the Liedfuhr.”

There's certainly no guarantee of common sense here, but maybe armsmen will be brighter than

lords.

Kinor nodded.

“Hanfor’s coming this way, lady,” Jimbob broke in.

Himar remained with Yerril as Hanfor rode uphill toward Anna. The arms commander was

smiling, not an open smile. but one more rueful.

“He agreed?” asked the Regent as Hanfor reined up.