Ordermaster (64 page)

   
He watched her closely, amazed at the transformation from an urchin boy to a woman.

"Cooper .. . Master Kharl..."

   
"He's Lord Kharl of Austra, now," Gharan said. With the slightest of winks, he stepped away, moving toward the back room. "I'll be getting that pattern book. Might take me a while. Amyla ... I'll need you."

   
The weaver and his consort left Kharl and Jeka standing in the loom room, alone.

   
"Master Kharl.. . you'd be looking far better dressed .. ." Jeka looked down abruptly.

   
"You look ..." He wanted to say "beautiful," but only could come up with "good." He hadn't realized how green her eyes were, or how lustrous her sandy hair. He'd also forgotten how tiny she was, her head not even to his shoulder.

"So do you." Her eyes flashed. "Why'd you come here?"

   
"I owe you. Without you, I'd never have lasted until the Seastag ported." He found himself moistening his lips.

"You're a real lord?"

   
"Yes. With lands. I'm also the envoy from Lord Ghrant of Austra to Lord West."

"What you do want from me?"

   
Kharl almost laughed. Jeka was still Jeka, fierce and independent as ever.

"You're not saying. You think golds and lands make a difference?"

   
He did understand what she meant. "Not that way. I'm not here ..." He wasn't quite certain how to say what he meant without being condescending on the one hand or crude on the other. "I'd never be like Egen or his type.''

Her expression softened, but only slightly. "Why?"

   
"Because ..." he swallowed. "Everyone I left. .. even if I had to ... they're all dead-except Sanyle, I think, but she got away, the scrivener said."

"Your boys?"

Kharl nodded.

"Egen?"

"Warrl and his aunt. Arthal was on a ship the Hamorians sank."

Jeka shook her head slowly. "Shoulda stayed with you."

"I had to make sure you were all right."

"I'm fine. Better 'n a long time."

   
"I'm glad." He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he'd never touched her, except to break the bonds of the white wizard.

Their eyes met, hers fierce like those of an untamed hawk.

"You see me. Now what?"

Another good question, and one he didn't have an answer for, not that

he wanted to state. "I worried about you so much," he finally said. "I didn't think much beyond that."

   
She laughed, not loudly, but almost melodically, and he realized that he'd never heard her laugh. He liked the sound.

"I'm not your daughter. Won't be a plaything, either."

"I know."

   
"Need to think about it. You're a lord. Me, I'm a weaver girl." She smiled wryly. "Amyla helped me finish learning my letters. I wanted to write a letter to Enelya. Don't dare go near the White Pony, but wanted her to know I was still safe. Probably Selda'd have to read it to her."

   
"Enelya was hiding from Egen behind Werwal's place. We found her. She's working in the kitchen at the envoy's residence. She's got a good room..."

"You collecting playthings?"

"No." For some reason, her question hurt.

Jeka looked down. "Sorry. Wasn't fair. You saved a lot of us."

   
"I didn't want Egen to get her. I've got guards and a staff there. She's learning to cook from Khelaya." Kharl paused. "She doesn't know who I am. She thinks I heard about her from a nameless old beggar who was with you. An old beggar." His last words were dry.

Jeka laughed once more. "You're older 'n us."

He was. That was true, but he didn't feel that old.

"You did leave in an awful hurry, too."

   
He almost missed the teasing sound in her voice. "You would have, too, in my boots."

"Never had boots. What you going to do 'bout pissprick Egen?"

   
"Whatever I have to," Kharl said. "He's not in Brysta right now, from what I've been able to find out." After a moment, he added, "Things are going to get bad here in Brysta, before too long."

   
"Gharan and Amyla and me, we wondered 'bout that. Lots of Hamori-ans around, and those patrollers are mean bastards, just like Egen." Her chin set, and her green eyes hardened. "You still got that staff?"

"No. I've learned how to do some of that without it."

   
Her eyes took in the black jacket and trousers, as well as the black boots. "Thought you might be a mage."

"Not a full mage, but enough to do some things."

"More 'n a few, I'd wager."

"Enough."

   
They stood there, looking at each other, and Kharl had no idea what else to say. He didn't want to leave her, and yet... in some ways, he knew her better than any woman, and in others not at all.

"Ah.. ."

At the sound of Gharan's voice, Kharl turned.

"You did mention the blankets and a pattern ..."

   
Kharl smiled. "I did, and I meant it." He glanced at Jeka. "You stay here."

"Me?"

   
"You'll tell me exactly what you think, and since I don't have a consort or a sister ..."

"No playthings ..." Jeka's words were half-playful, half-warning.

"No playthings," Kharl agreed.

   
Gharan glanced uneasily from the lord to the weaver girl, then back to Kharl. "Here's the pattern book, and this one here is one I never wove for no one."

Jeka shook her head.

   
"It has to be black and green," Kharl added, "and the green should be close to the Austran green ..."

   
"Not thin-fancy, either," suggested Jeka. "Lord Kharl's a solid type. Pattern needs to be solid, too."

   
Kharl wasn't certain he liked Jeka calling him Lord Kharl. Then, he wasn't certain about much of anything where she was concerned. But he did owe Gharan, and he did need new fabric for some of the chairs and some new linens.

   
As for Jeka, he needed to think, and he couldn't do that with her so close to him.

LXXIII

Once he returned to the residence, Kharl went to the library to await Erdyl's return from the Sarronnese envoy's. He and Gharan-and Jeka- had worked out a pattern for Cantyl-one that could be woven in linen or wool. Kharl had ordered forty yards, in various weights and fabrics-

enough to reupholster the not-quite-threadbare chairs in the dining room. Doubtless it was an extravagance of sorts, but Gharan had stood by him when few had.

As for Jeka .. .

   
Kharl walked to the window overlooking the garden. He shook his head. He'd forgotten her eyes ... and her directness. It didn't matter to her that he was now a lord, and she'd suggested from the beginning that he was more than a cooper. Her insight and directness-those he had missed. And for all her blunt talk, she saw more than the educated and lordly young Erdyl. All that was fine. What had bothered him had been his physical reaction. He'd wanted to sweep her into his arms, to never let her go. It wasn't just that he hadn't been with a woman in a while, either. Herana- the second mate on the Southshield-had been attractive and had made a play for him. So had ser Arynal's daughters, especially Meyena. But Jeka . .. she was a good ten years younger than he was, maybe fifteen. She was older than she let on, probably close to five or six years older than Arthal. .. than Arthal had been.

   
Abruptly, Kharl turned and began to rummage through the stack of papers on one side of the desk, until he came up with the listing of cases before the lord justicers. His eyes ran down the sheet. Werwal's trial was set for fourday. Kharl would be there. What he could do for the renderer who had once befriended him was another matter.

At the rap on the door, Kharl turned. "Yes?"

"Ser ..." Erdyl took a step into the chamber.

"I'd like to hear what you found out. She was there? The assistant?"

Erdyl nodded.

"Ah ... you'd better have the undercaptain join us, too."

"Yes, ser."

   
When Erdyl returned momentarily with Demyst, the three settled into chairs around the desk.

"What did you find out from her?" asked Kharl.

"Jemelya?" Erdyl's voice was casual.

"You like her?"

Demyst smothered a grin at Kharl's question.

   
"She's years older than I am, ser." Erdyl smiled sheepishly. "She is beautiful, though."

   
"Beautiful women are dangerous," suggested the undercaptain. "Then, maybe all women are." He laughed nervously.

"What did she say?" asked Kharl.

   
"She didn't say all that much. Well... she talked a lot, but... She knew about the patrollers' barracks. She said that the one in the harbor has an armory, and that there are three companies billeted there, and none of the patroller rankers can have consorts."

"She said it that way?" asked Demyst.

"Yes, ser."
     
\*

"They think of them as armsmen, then," Kharl said.
 
*?

   
"She never said that... oh, I see ... companies ... billeted ..".

rankers ... armory ..." Erdyl nodded.
       
.

"What about the other barracks in the south?"

   
"She said that held five mounted companies and another four arms companies. She also said that there was another new barracks to the east, just off Angle Road. I'm sure she said Angle Road. That only holds six foot companies, but there's an armory there that also has cannon."

"Loaded with grapeshot," Kharl suggested.

"She didn't mention that."

   
"No, but it makes sense. That's the road that Osten and Vielam would have to use to bring their armsmen back to Brysta," Kharl pointed out.

"It's not a Hamorian barracks," Erdyl said.

   
Kharl shook his head. He'd never said anything to them about his suspicions. Should he? He fingered his bare chin. There was no point in hiding his thoughts now.

"Ser?"

   
"I've been thinking about all this. All those patrollers are nothing more than a small army. They all report to Captain Egen. He's Lord West's youngest son. He's moved the regular lancers and armsmen-the ones that might be more loyal to Lord West or Overcaptain Osten-to the quarry fort in the south. That means they're farther from Brysta, and his patrollers control who travels south, or who can do so quickly, anyway."

   
"That means they can't know what's happening in Brysta, not soon," suggested the undercaptain, "unless this Egen wants them to know."

"Egen's also the one dealing with the Hamorians."

   
"You think he's trying to get rid of his brother and succeed his father?" asked Demyst.

   
"I don't know. He's an evil little bastard, and he wouldn't hesitate to do something like that if he thought he could get away with it. He's also tight-

ened up the laws and is having the lord justicers sentence more men to work in the quarries and, I'd guess, on that road as well."

"The Hamorians are backing him?" Erdyl moistened his lips.

   
"The cloth for the patroller uniforms comes from Hamor. There are only Hamorian ships in the harbor. The Hamorians are supplying engineers, and they're often in the south." Kharl paused. "And more than half the envoys from other lands have left Brysta, for one reason or another."

"When is something going to happen?" asked Demyst.

   
"Soon, but how soon, I don't know. I'm hoping I can find out more from Lord West tomorrow."

   
"I'd better see about looking into hiring a night guard or two," suggested the undercaptain. "We can afford that, can't we?"

"You think they'll come after an envoy?" asked Erdyl.

"Egen will come after anyone he thinks he can best." Kharl snorted.

"You know a lot about him?" Demyst frowned.

   
"Enough." More than enough, Kharl added to himself. "The guards are a good idea. I should talk to them before you hire them, though."

   
"I'd planned on that, ser. Mantar has some cousins, used to be arms-men. Thought I could talk to them first."