Young Lord of Khadora (26 page)

Lord Marshal Grefon gazed around the Fardale estate and was surprised to see so many new buildings. He wondered how Marak found the time and resources to construct so many new buildings and still be able to grow enough grain to fulfill his contracts. As he continued his inspection, he noticed the complete lack of a slave compound and alarm bells began to go off in his head. He shuddered for a moment and thought Marak might have traded all of the Fardale slaves for peace with his neighbors, but he quickly realized that there would not have been time to dismantle the slave compound. The graves he had seen indicated that the conflict was going on just a few days ago.

If Lord Marak was messing with Khadora’s use of slavery as a punishment for serious crimes, Lord Ridak would not be pleased. In fact, the Lords Council would not be pleased. Lord Marshal Grefon definitely needed to get to the bottom of this matter. As he was struggling to store all of his questions in his head, his eyes landed on Rybak. Rybak was also wearing the Cortain plume and Lord Marshal Grefon was almost certain that Rybak immediately about-faced when he saw Grefon.

Marak halted at the steps to the mansion and dismounted and Grefon followed his lead. A young woman pranced down the steps and barely nodded her head instead of bowing to the Lord of Fardale.

“Lord Marak,” she excitedly began, “I have some ideas I want to discuss with you as soon as you are available.”

Lord Marshal Grefon snickered under his breath as he pictured the upcoming session between Lord Marak and his new mistress. He could just imagine her important new ideas and wondered what color curtains she was going to ask for. Perhaps she had ideas about furnishing the Lord’s suite with rich Fakara silk. Grefon’s teeth snapped shut and his jaw tightened when he heard Lord Mark’s response.

“It will have to wait, Bursar Kasa,” Lord Marak replied. “I understand that there is a Council meeting scheduled this afternoon. I want to update them on our agreement with the Sorgans and Litari. I am going to see Lord Marshal Grefon situated and then I will join you in the Meeting Chamber.”

Before Lord Marshal Grefon could regain his wits, the young woman danced off with a sparkle in her eye and Lectain Zorkil strode up with a Marshal of the Ragatha Clan in tow.

“Lord Marak,” saluted Lectain Zorkil, “this is Marshal Tingo of Woodville. He appeared this morning with the desire to speak on your behalf before the emissary from the Lords Council. I explained to him that he was too late and he requested to stay and talk with you before he left.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Lord Marak,” welcomed the Marshal with the red and yellow plume. “Lord Zawbry sends his greetings and offers his limited assistance in your times of trouble. He values the partnership between the Ragatha and Situ Clans and I stand ready to speak on your behalf against the Sorgan and Litari filth.”

“Marshal Tingo,” addressed Lord Marak, “welcome to Fardale. Please inform Lord Zawbry that I am touched by his consideration, but I have concluded an agreement with the Sorgans and Litari that I am satisfied with. I would welcome a visit from Lord Zawbry to discuss matters of common interest, such as the desire for the Ragatha Clan to utilize Fardale as a right-of-way.”

“But we already have such an agreement,” protested Marshal Tingo.

“Indeed,” commented Lord Marak, “I have read it myself. The agreement, however, does not offer any compensation to Fardale for its use. It is a small matter and not of great consequence, but it will make for a good foundation to base our discussions on. If you wish to discuss this further with me before you leave, I will make time for you following my Council meeting but I fear I must take my leave now.”

“Of course, Lord Marak,” Marshal Tingo replied. “I would like some more of your time. I will wait until your meeting is over.”

Lord Marshal Grefon burned with anger at being treated as a servant. Lord Marak had made no attempt to introduce him to Marshal Tingo or his female Bursar. He stormed up the steps to follow the already retreating Lord Marak. Lord Marak stopped outside the Marshal’s suite and opened the door.

“I trust these quarters will be sufficient during your stay with us, Lord Marshal Grefon?” Marak inquired formally.

“Do you not have a Marshal of Fardale yet?” quizzed Grefon.

“I have someone for the position but he has not been installed yet,” offered Lord Marak. “He will not be needing these quarters during the time of your stay with us.”

“The quarters will do nicely,” Lord Marshal Grefon answered as he slung his bag into the room. “I will get settled after the Council meeting.”

“You may as well get settled now,” instructed Lord Marak. “The Council of Advisors meeting is closed to everyone except Council members. I’m sure you can appreciate the delicacy of the matters which might be discussed in such a meeting.”

“Of course, I do,” snapped Lord Marshal Grefon. “I was privy to the most delicate of Situ matters while you were still tied to your mother. You have no reason to exclude me from any Situ matters.”

“The Council of Advisors do not concern themselves with matters of the Situ Clan,” clarified Lord Marak. “They deal only in matters of importance to the Fardale estate. While you have high rank in the Situ Clan, you have no standing in Fardale. Were I to convene a meeting to discuss Situ concerns, you would be among the first I would invite. Your knowledge of the Situ Clan is impressive and filled with many facts which others would overlook. I doubt, however, that you could contribute much to the status of our current crop, the value of our holdings in Fardale or the morale of the workers. Please do not be offended. This has nothing to do with your status in the Situ Clan. This has to do with what you can offer to the topics being discussed.”

“I heard you mention to that woman that you plan to discuss the agreement with the Sorgan and Litari,” pushed Lord Marshal Grefon. “I want to be involved in that discussion.”

“That woman, as you call her,” smiled Lord Marak, “is Bursar Kasa and she is responsible for some of the miracles that have occurred in Fardale. While you may not think that a woman can possess the skills needed to delve into high finance, I would stand her abilities up against any Bursar in the Situ Clan. As far as the agreement with the Sorgan and Litari, quite frankly, it is none of your business. I have agreed to nothing that affects the Situ Clan or Lord Ridak. If I had, you would be informed.”

“You have informed me of nothing,” barked Lord Marshal Grefon. “You are hiding every last detail of anything concerning Fardale and it is not acceptable to me or to Lord Ridak.”

“I am sorry you feel that way,” sighed Lord Marak. “I have much to tell you of Fardale and the progress we have made, but it must wait until the Council meeting is over. I have an entire estate waiting for me and I must dispatch my orders to ensure its smooth operation. Let me get that task out of the way and I will deal with your less immediate thirst for information later. You will not be reporting to Lord Ridak while I am in the meeting, so relax for a while.”

Before Lord Marshal Grefon could reply, Lord Marak strode across the entry foyer and entered the large double doors of the Meeting Chamber. Grefon stood and stared after him and noticed the other people streaming into the Meeting Chamber. Lord Marak’s Council of Advisors appeared to be quite large, but what struck Grefon between the eyes was the caliber of the people going in. With the exception of Seneschal Pito, Lectain Zorkil, and Marak’s female Bursar, everyone was a common laborer.

Grefon’s fury actually shook his body when he realized that Lord Marak was going to share information with common laborers, which he refused to divulge to the Lord Marshal of the Situ Clan. Lord Marshal Grefon slammed the door to his temporary quarters and strode out into the courtyard. Nobody paid any attention to the Lord Marshal of the Situ and that further inflamed Grefon’s irritation. Normally, when he visited an estate the soldiers all held him in awe and did everything they could think of to grab his attention. Fardale was different. He was sure that everyone knew who he was and yet no one seemed to care. They all went about their chores without notice of his presence.

Lord Marshal Grefon walked around the outside of the mansion aimlessly. At the rear of the mansion was a small courtyard and a flower garden. Grefon headed towards the flower garden and stopped when he saw a Fardale soldier and a young woman in a tight embrace on one of the benches. Recognition of the soldier registered with the Lord Marshal and Grefon strode over to the couple.

“Squad Leader Rybak,” snapped the Lord Marshal.

Rybak looked up and cringed. Silently, he pushed the young woman away from him and she readily took the hint and left the garden.

“It is Cortain Rybak now,” corrected the plumed officer. “I did not expect to see you here, Lord Marshal Grefon. How did you get past the bandits?”

“You may be playing at being a Cortain here in Fardale,” growled Lord Marshal Grefon, “but you are still a member of my Army and I decide who wears the plumes in my Army. Why have I not received any of your reports on Lord Marak?”

“The bandits,” cringed Rybak. “How did you manage to get past them? You are the first person from Lituk Valley to make it this far.”

“Surely, you could have found some method of getting a message through to me,” insisted Lord Marshal Grefon. “I see a Fardale in shambles and a young Lord out of his depth. What do you have to report?”

“This is not a very safe place to talk,” offered Rybak. “Where has Lord Marak put you up?”

“I can detect a stall when I see one, Squad Leader Rybak,” scowled Lord Marshal Grefon. “If I don’t get your report immediately, you will not even retain the rank of Squad Leader when I get you back to Lituk Valley.”

“Cortain Rybak,” called a third voice, “your presence is required in the Lectain’s quarters immediately. Hurry along.”

Lord Marshal Grefon turned to see Cortain Tagoro standing on the path behind him. “What is the meaning of this interruption, Squad Leader Tagoro?” spat the Lord Marshal.

“Has the Lord Marshal of the Situ Clan lost his eyesight?” smiled Cortain Tagoro. “This is a yellow plume upon my helmet, Lord Marshal.”

“Not for long, you impertinent dog,” scowled Lord Marshal Grefon. “You shall be lucky to remain a free man when we return to Lituk Valley.”

“Be that as it may,” stated Cortain Tagoro, “but in Fardale I am a Cortain and due the respect associated with the rank, even from superior officers.”

Lord Marshal Grefon stepped forward and extended his hand to grasp the plume from Tagoro’s helmet. Cortain Tagoro deftly leaped back and pulled the double-edged sword from its sheath on his back and held it the Lord Marshal’s chest.

“One more step, Lord Marshal Grefon,” snapped Cortain Tagoro, “and I shall have to place you under arrest. You are here as a guest of Lord Marak and, as such, are entitled to certain liberties, but those liberties do not include interfering with military personnel in the performance of their duties.”

“I am the Lord Marshal of the Situ Clan,” shouted Lord Marshal Grefon. “I will not stand for such insolence on the part of any of my officers. You will place yourself on report and I shall deal with you when we get back to Lituk Valley.”

“Lord Marak has not ordered me to go to Lituk Valley,” persisted Cortain Tagoro, “nor do I expect him to do so.”

“You do not report to Lord Marak,” sizzled Lord Marshal Grefon. “You report to me.”

“You are incorrect, Sir,” corrected Cortain Tagoro. “No one on this estate reports to you. We are all sworn to Lord Marak and Lord Marak alone. What he orders is what we will do. If you have a desire to be escorted to Lituk Valley, I would suggest taking that matter up with Lord Marak.”

Cortain Tagoro promptly sheathed his sword and strode out of the flower garden leaving a dazed and confused Lord Marshal in his wake. Grefon turned to take his anger out on Rybak and found, instead, the Marshal from Woodville.

“Such impertinence would not be accepted in the Ragatha Clan,” smiled Marshal Tingo.

“It will not be accepted in the Situ Clan, either,” snapped Lord Marshal Grefon. “If I have to bring the entire Situ Army back here to clean this place up, I swear I will. Who does Marak think he is? I put him in this position. Without me, he is nothing. I should let the Sorgans eat him alive and be glad that they have rid Khadora of another fanatic.”

Lord Marshal Grefon turned and stormed out of the flower garden leaving a bemused Ragatha Marshal behind. Grefon stormed back into the mansion and saw people filing out of the Meeting Chamber. He went to the door and waited while the people filed out. Seeing Lord Marak at the other end of the room, he impatiently pushed his way through the crowd exiting the room. He ignored the crude remarks thrown at him as he walked briskly towards Lord Marak.

“Now that your meeting with the fieldhands is over,” growled Lord Marshal Grefon, “perhaps you will give me some answers as to what you are doing here in Fardale?”

“I would like to dispatch our Ragatha neighbor first,” stated Marak with a barely concealed contempt. “It would enable him to leave the estate before dark and then we can discuss whatever you wish.”

“Now!” demanded Lord Marshal Grefon. “You have put me off too long. I want answers as to what you are doing to my estate and I want them now.”

Lord Marak’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the Situ Lord Marshal. “Your estate?” he quizzed. “Since when did Fardale become your estate?”

“You know what I mean,” backpedaled the Lord Marshal. “What are you doing with this Situ estate?”

“You come very close to ending your freedom,” Lord Marak declared softly. “Sit. Marshal Tingo will have to wait. What is it you want to know?”

“I want to know everything,” Grefon said while trying to calm himself. Marak was no fool and Grefon knew better then to let his temper get hold of him.

“Everything is a very broad term,” sighed Lord Marak. “I will not discuss my agreement with the Sorgan and Litari, but I can bring you up to date on our other matters.”

“Why won’t you discuss the agreement?” Grefon calmly asked. “Your refusal causes me to believe that the solution was detrimental to the Situ Clan.”