Rex Regis (22 page)

A ranker stopped and proffered a tray. Both Quaeryt and Vaelora took goblets of the white wine. Quaeryt just held his.

“The wine’s not bad,” said Bhayar. “It’s just not good enough to keep some of the High Holders and their wives from complaining.”

“People always like to complain,” replied Vaelora, “in Solis or in Variana.”

Bhayar glanced to the Telaryn captain stationed just inside the doors from the main foyer, who offered a raised hand and a nod, then said, “Everyone’s here.” He turned to the trumpeter, who played another fanfare, then turned and opened the doors to the dining chamber.

After setting their goblets on a ranker’s tray, Quaeryt and Vaelora accompanied Bhayar as far as the head of the table, where he smiled and said, “Vaelora, you grace the far end of the table so that those lower will not feel excessively slighted. You’re roughly in the middle on the right, Quaeryt.”

Quaeryt inclined his head, then escorted Vaelora to the far end and seated her at the foot, directly opposite her brother. Quaeryt recognized the long dining table and chairs as those that had formerly graced the dining chamber of the late High Holder Paitrak’s hold, as had several of the sideboards. With a smile, he left his wife and made his way toward his own chair.

He noted the placards before each place setting, with the carefully spelled out names. To his right was Malyssa D’Chamion.
Chamion … that’s familiar, but why?
He couldn’t remember and quickly took in the name to his left. Alynae D’Fyanyl-Alte. That meant she was the wife of High Holder Fyanyl, not that Quaeryt had any idea who Fyanyl might be.

The first of those seated beside him to arrive was Malyssa D’Chamion, who looked to be a few years older than Quaeryt himself, and that likely meant, given women’s attention to appearance, she was probably older than that. Quaeryt seated her and then turned to seat the very much younger-looking Alynae, a chestnut-haired beauty in a deep green gown enhanced by a filigreed gold neck choker. Across the table from Quaeryt were two men and a woman he did not know.

Once everyone was seated, and the ranker servers had filled all the goblets at the long table, Bhayar stood and raised his goblet. “To peace, prosperity, and order across all Lydar.”

While many repeated the toast, some merely sipped their wine.

“I did want to meet you, Commander,” offered the older Malyssa. “My husband was most impressed when he dined with you last fall. I understand you and your wife have been traveling.”

“You might say that,” replied Quaeryt, now knowing that she had to be the wife of the chief councilor of Variana. “We both traveled to Khel to meet with their High Council. My wife was made envoy.”

A quick look of confusion appeared and vanished from Malyssa’s face.

“Vaelora is part Pharsi. The High Council of Khel is entirely Pharsi, and most are women. All but one, in fact.”

“Ah … and since she is Lord Bhayar’s sister…”

“Exactly.”

“Commander,” came the almost silky smooth voice from his other dinner companion, “Lord Bhayar praised your achievements … but never mentioned what they were.”

“No, I don’t believe he did,” replied Quaeryt politely.

“If I might offer a few words, distinguished lady,” interjected Malyssa, “that the commander would be unable to offer without seeming excessively self-important, he was the one who destroyed two Bovarian armies, first at Ferravyl and then at Variana. I understand he accomplished a similar feat in Liantiago as well.” She looked at Quaeryt with the hint of a smile. “Did you not?”

“For better or worse, I did,” he admitted. “Now … you know of me, and I know nothing of either of you, except that you, Madame Malyssa, are the wife of the chief councilor of Variana, and you are either the daughter or the wife of High Holder Fyanyl, whom I have not had the honor of meeting.”

“Daughter?” Alynae laughed softly. “You’re most kind, Commander. I’m his wife, and the mother of four children.”

“I honestly would not have guessed.” And that was true enough, Quaeryt knew.

“Nor I,” added Malyssa.

“Are your lands near Variana?”

“Not terribly near-some fifty milles northeast of here. My husband was fortunate enough not to be an intimate of Rex Kharst.”

“I suspect you were the one fortunate that he was not,” said Quaeryt dryly.

“He was most careful, Commander. He presented me to Rex Kharst when I was almost full-term with our second child. I was not at my best.”

Quaeryt managed not to smile or grin, but he did note that Fyanyl sounded like a High Holder to watch. “He was most careful.”

Alynae nodded.

“My husband said that you are an imager, and the officer in command of all of Lord Bhayar’s imagers.”

“No more so than any officer is in command of those over whom he is placed,” demurred Quaeryt, before adding, “Your observation raises a question that has puzzled me for some time. What happened to the imagers who served Rex Kharst? We heard that there were such, and yet we never encountered them.”

There was a moment of silence, then the man across the table from Quaeryt spoke. “Commander, Laevoryn D’Alte. I might be able to shed some light on that.”

“Please … if you would.”

“Rex Kharst relied on less than ten imagers, and he kept most of them close … but not too close. I have heard that most of them were in the field when you and your imagers froze the Bovarian forces. Several whom I trust have suggested that perhaps three of them were either not there or somehow escaped the violence of the winter that destroyed Rex Kharst and his forces.”

“Do those whom you trust have any idea what happened to those who escaped?”

High Holder Laevoryn shook his head. “They have left Variana. Of that, I am certain. Where they might be … that is another question, and one to which I have no answer. It is not a question, I hope you understand, that I would wish to pursue.”

“I do understand.” Quaeryt did, especially given that any imagers powerful enough to survive what he had wrought were certainly powerful enough to wreak disaster on anyone who got in their way. “That does give some answer to the question of what happened to his imagers.” He paused. “He must have had some way of controlling them.”

“His usual methods,” replied Laevoryn. “He kept close watch on their families…”

“… and that is all I know,” concluded Laevoryn.

Or all you’re willing to say.
“That is most useful, and I thank you.”

“My pleasure, Commander.”

After another moment of silence, Malyssa cleared her throat delicately. “It is said that you were also a scholar,” said Malyssa. “A scholar who learned much about Bovaria, perhaps?”

“Some … but I made a practice of talking to many in the course of the campaigns. I ran across a High Holder, a less than agreeable man, who had been banished to his estates … and I learned a great deal from him.”

“Fauxyn?” asked Alynae.

“I believe that was his name.”

“He died this past winter … from injuries he suffered…” Alynae’s mouth opened. “Were you the one?”

“The one what?” asked Malyssa.

“Fauxyn was … despicable, among other things. He was also a duelist who murdered anyone who displeased Kharst. Even for a duelist, he cheated. He challenged a Telaryn officer, it was said. The officer used a staff and crippled him. He never recovered. Some said he poisoned himself to punish his wife.”

At that moment Quaeryt realized that Alynae was not nearly so surprised as she should have been, but he said nothing, only waited.

Malyssa looked to Quaeryt. “Were you?”

Quaeryt shrugged. “He tried to kill me so that his wife would lose her family lands. When that failed, he tried to taunt me into killing him to reach the same goal. I wouldn’t. Now it appears he tried a third way to the same end.” Abruptly … Quaeryt turned and studied Alynae. Then he smiled. “How did you manage it?”

“I was bold enough to ask Lord Bhayar if I might be seated near you. He thought it might be interesting … I think.”

“You’re her sister? Cousin?”

“Cousin.”

“I’ll do what I can.” Quaeryt didn’t know whether to laugh or shake his head … and this was only the first dinner of what he feared might be many.

Yet, thankfully, that was the only surprise of the dinner.

It was close to ninth glass before Quaeryt and Vaelora were able to return to their quarters, and both were thankful that they only had to climb the main staircase to reach their quarters and bedchamber. While they undressed, Quaeryt told Vaelora about his conversation with Alynae D’Fyanyl-Alte. When he finished, he looked to her and asked, “Should I bring this up with Bhayar … or should you?”

“It might be best if we both did tomorrow.”

“I also want to talk to him about those missing imagers. If there were three imagers strong enough to shield themselves, they could be a problem.”

“Do you think you should…” She shook her head. “Of course, because if they show up and make trouble he’ll want to know why you didn’t tell him.”

“If they do, it will still be my fault somehow. I’d still like to know where they went.”

“It could be anywhere,” Vaelora pointed out. “They wouldn’t want anyone to know they’re imagers … or that they supported Kharst.”

“Except to others who did.”

“Or to someone who wanted to use their abilities and could protect them.”

“I can’t see that there’s anyone who could assure them of that.”

“Dearest … there’s always someone.”

Quaeryt laughed. She was so right about that … but he still wondered about the imagers. He nodded. “Now that I’ve told you what I’ve learned, who were those around you, and what did you discover?”

“I was seated between High Holder Fhernon and a factor named Welsarius. The factor was far more interesting. He was likely almost as wealthy as many High Holders, and he wanted to know if Bhayar would be improving the roads outside of Variana, the way some of the roads to Chateau Regis had been repaved. He was very enthusiastic about that.”

“He wants to bring goods into Variana, and that’s hard. The only easy travel to the city is by the Great Canal. What about Fhernon?”

“His holding is somewhere near Tuuryl. He has a place north of town on the Aluse, but he shuttered it when Kharst became rex. He claimed that it needed repairs. That’s what he said, anyway. He let it slip, deliberately, of course, that he was one of the less endowed High Holders, and that had allowed him to avoid Rex Kharst on most occasions.”

“What do you think?”

“Cat and rodent. He has more than he admits. It was still not enough for Kharst to pursue him, and his wife is less than attractive. He pointed her out to me.”

Quaeryt shook his head and continued to listen.

Vaelora and Quaeryt were in Bhayar’s study by a quint past seventh glass on Jeudi morning. First, Quaeryt brought up the issue of the late High Holder Fauxyn. When he finished, he looked to Bhayar.

The Lord of Telaryn and Bovaria smiled. “I think that all these complaints about succession for High Holders should be a matter handled by the Minister of Administration and Supply for Bovaria, jointly with Vaelora. You know more about the implications and laws, Quaeryt, and you have the blood, sister dear, so that these prickly High Holders can’t complain that they’re being dismissed by a mere commander.”

Quaeryt couldn’t argue with Bhayar’s logic, and neither, he saw, could Vaelora.

“Whatever solutions you two adopt should not deviate too far from existing practices. I don’t want you disciplining High Holder after High Holder.”

“What about allowing widows to hold and administer the lands for their children?” asked Quaeryt. “If a child is a boy, until he reaches maturity. If there are only girl children, until the eldest is old enough to marry the son of another High Holder. That preserves the bloodlines, and doesn’t force quick and unsuitable alliances.”

“You might add something about the widow also being allowed to marry someone of equivalent suitable rank,” suggested Vaelora.

“What do you have in mind there, sister dear?”

“Any single or widowed officers of the rank of commander or higher in the Telaryn forces,” said Vaelora. “There won’t be many, but there might be a few younger widows or those whose heirs died in the war. It would also offer another possibility.”

“That exception will have to receive my approval on a situation by situation basis,” replied Bhayar. “What else did you want to talk over?”

“The missing Bovarian imagers,” replied Quaeryt. “Ever since the battle of Variana, and even before, I’ve wondered why we never encountered any Bovarian imagers. We’d heard that Kharst had them…” He went on to recount the conversation of the night before.

When he finished, Bhayar nodded slowly. “That makes sense, unhappily. You don’t have any idea where they might be?”

“None, but I wanted you to know that there was the chance that they might appear or cause trouble in the future.” Quaeryt paused, then asked, “You haven’t heard any rumors, have you?”

“No. Not a one, but it’s unlikely I would. What are your thoughts?”

“The Khellans won’t want them, and Bovarian imagers wouldn’t feel safe there for long, even now. Sooner or later, if they stay in Lydar, there’s a chance we’ll likely hear something.” Quaeryt shrugged. “Then again, we might not, but I don’t want you to be surprised.”
Rulers don’t like surprises, especially unpleasant ones.

“What are you two doing today?”

“I’m going to survey the isle of piers with the imagers and get them started on making the place suitable for a Collegium.”

“I don’t want you there personally all the time,” said Bhayar.

“After I survey the place and have Lhandor and Baelthm draw up plans and approve them, I won’t have to be. That will likely take the next few days.” Quaeryt grinned. “It will remove an eyesore and will be another part of your efforts to improve Variana into a most excellent city.”