 
BENEATH THE LANTERNS

C. Litka

Smashwords Edition Version 1.1 (Jan 2019)

©2018 Charles Litka

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Thank You

I would like to thank my wife and friends who spent many hours making this book better than I could have ever made it by myself – and far more fun. I am very grateful to Sally Litka, Hannes Bimbacher, Dale Shamp, Joe, and Walt for their eagle eyes and all their helpful comments.

Dedication

To my dear Parents, for all their love.

Dad didn't get to read my stories, but Mom is discovering science fiction in her 90's.

The a map page for Beneath the Lanterns can be found on my blog, here:

 Map for Beneath the Lanterns

Chapter 01 Lefe Sol

01

The golden light of dusk day slanted through the pine boughs to splash down on the blue shadowed road before me. The stillness was broken only by the pad of my long-striding footfalls, the hiss of the east wind in the pines and, every now and again, the sweet song of an unseen bird. The air was warm and spicy-pine scented. I was also warm, no doubt fragrant, weary, and eager for home after nine days away and three days on the road. Nevertheless, on reaching the forest's edge, I paused. In the ruddy gold light of the Yellow Lantern, low over the rim hills in the west, I took in the valley of Azera below me.

The broad, round valley stretched below me in warm tinted shadows. Lake Zera lay in the valley's hollow – dark mirror of the glowing pastel pink, orange, and yellow firmament arching overhead. Its surface was dotted with the specks of boats plying between the city and its six pine-dark pleasure islands. The city of Azera wrapped itself around the lake's eastern shore. Within its walls, tenements and townhouses were set in a grid of squares, narrow streets and wide boulevards, while outside, spiderweb strands of villas and walled mansions spread out from its eight gates to market gardens, ponds, and paddies. To the southeast lay the industrial and caravan port suburb of Contere, where the caravan roads of Nations Street, Lankara and Mayaday crossed.

I rested on my long walking staff for only a minute or two to take in the view before starting off again, down the gentle slope between farm fields, toward the city, for, as I said, I was weary, hungry, and eager to put an end to my days on the road.

I entered Azera through its Lake Gate and followed the street known simply as the "Reed Bank," along the lakeshore until I reached Plum Blossom Street. There I turned into a twilit, canyon-like street, lined by five story tenements, the characteristic buildings of Azera.

When the greatest Prime Consul of the Nations and Peoples of Azere, Hin Dar, began building his capital city, Azera, some 10,750 seasons ago, he built it in the classical pattern of the Elder Civilization – a city of poured stone buildings set in a rigid grid. This is not surprising since he was also the Prime Master of the Society of the Elders – commonly known as the Blue Order – which claims to be the heirs of the Elder Civilization.

Now, as a historian, with a scientific outlook, I'm rather skeptical of their claim, since the Elder Civilization seems to have collapsed some 170,000 or more seasons ago, leaving only mysterious relics of metal and many empty cities of poured stone for us to decipher. The Blue Order's claim rests on its famous Nine Sages who, some 11,000 to 12,000 seasons ago, collected and wrote down the oral stories, legends, and traditions of the fabled Elder Civilization which had been passed down through the long Dark Age.

While I may be skeptical of historical authenticity of the stories in the Dark and Dawn Classics, I do believe they contain clues to the true nature of the Elder Civilization which may be useful in aiding the scientific understanding of our preceding civilization. For that reason I've spent many'a bright day in a dim and dusty Blue Order library making copies of the original Nine Sages manuscripts, in the hope of finding such clues. Indeed, I was returning from just such an excursion. But before this turns into a long-winded lecture, a common vice of mine, let us return to Plum Blossom Street, dim in the shadows of the Hin Dar's poured stone tenements that stretched into the distance of the straight street.

Azera consists, with a few exceptions, of two styles of buildings – flat roofed, five story tenements arranged in squares around a central courtyard and similar to townhouses that line the broad boulevards that crisscross the city. Small shops and workshops make up the tenements' street-facing ground floors, while finer shops are found in the ground floor of the townhouses. These townhouses, while built in a style nearly identical to the tenements, boast a single large flat to a floor, making it the dream of every ambitious tenement dweller to "live on the boulevard." Near the White Palace, the townhouses become more grand – mansions with forecourts and a backcourt for stables and servant quarters. Here reside the wealthy merchants and the nobles of Azere's nations and peoples, when they visit Azera.

What saves Azera from being a very dreary city is the fact that the exterior sides of the tenements and townhouses are lined with floor to ceiling sliding panels built of wood, bamboo, and glass that open on to balconies. Every owner or tenant has painted their panels and balcony railings to suit their whim or their cultural heritage. And since Azera is populated by peoples from the four corners of a vast empire of nations, steppe, and hill peoples, the facades of every tenement and townhouse are a vast mosaic of Azere life, bright with the colors, patterns, fabrics, and artistic styles of its nations and peoples. And to top it all off, whether or not it was intended – there is some debate on this point – the flat roofs of every tenement and townhouse flutter with the colorful laundry of its residents drying on long lines.

All of which is a long-winded way of saying that when I turned down Plum Blossom Street and joined the throng of cheerful, colorfully dressed citizens on their way home from their day's labor, I entered not a dreary street, but a living microcosm of life in Azere. Softly glowing in the light from the rosy golden firmament overhead, the air was rich with the scents of the food shops and carts that lined the street and echoed with the hawkers' rhythmic cries, the cheerful chatter of conversations, and the sounds of family life drifting down from the open panels of the flats overhead. I followed this street for nine squares until I came to Birdsong Square, where I had my quarters. I climbed the stairs to my fifth floor flat, and unlocked the door from the dim central hallway to step into the hot, stuffy room, home at last after nine days away.

02

I spied a white square on the floor – an envelope slipped under the door during my absence. I set my staff next to the door, hung my hat on a hook, and tossed my satchel onto the large table, the room's main furnishing. Picking up the envelope, I crossed the room, slid open a glazed panel, and stepped out onto the balcony to examine the letter. It bore the seal of the Palace Guards, making it from my friend, Lefe Sol, the Palace Guard's commander, and the third son of the current Prime Consul of Azere. It contained a short note.

Old Teacher,

If you should arrive home today – day 20 that is – before the last quarter, and feel up to it, kindly step around to my office by the last second hour. I need a shoulder to weep on as I have been given my marching orders. Hard orders, indeed. I will stand you dinner at the Mist in the Reeds for the use of your shoulder.

Lefe

A curious note. "Old Teacher" was a jest, since I was a mere seven seasons older. He had, however, been a student of mine in the first class I taught at the University, hence my ironic title. Though he was a son of the ruler of the nations and peoples of Azere, and I was a young scholar fresh out of the University of Kara and a stranger in Azera at the time, he had made it a point to befriend me – we shared a passion for stick fighting – and introduce me to Azera and his wide circle of friends. We have been the best of friends since then.

The note's offhand, even jovial, tone contrasted with its message. Even after some 65 seasons in Azera I sometimes found it hard to decide where the polite cheerfulness that Azere society expects in public relationships ends and the real cheerfulness, if it existed, begins. Since Lefe Sol was a naturally cheerful fellow, I couldn't decide if his troubles were so trivial that he was making a joke of them, or they were serious and he was making a socially polite joke of them.

And why me? Lefe Sol was a very outgoing and naturally cheerful fellow, with a wide circle of friends. While we were the best of friends, I was hardly his only friend with a shoulder he could weep on. Indeed, being a very charming and eligible member of the Empire's first family, the Sols, there'd be no shortage of lovely daughters of the nobility willing to lend their shoulders to him. So why mine?

In the end, I just shrugged. I'd find out soon enough, for I owed too much of my present happiness to his kindness not to lend my shoulder, even without the prospect of a dinner at the Mist in the Reeds Tea House, which alone made hauling my aching body along to the barracks, and the risk of a damp shoulder, well worthwhile.

Drawing my pocket chronometer I found that it was not yet the last hour of the day's third quarter, so I had an hour to bathe, rest, and speculate as to what misfortune had befallen my friend.

03

After sponging off the dust and sweat of travel, and making myself a cup of tea, I pulled a reed chair onto my balcony that overlooked the tops of Birdsong Square's gnarled old pines to drink my tea and contemplate – nothing much at all. Indeed, I may have dozed until the time-bells of the city's squares rang four times to announce the day's last quarter and startled me out of my contemplation. I climbed stiffly to my feet – I now ached all over – donned my finest set of clothes, and set out for the White Palace.

While the homeward rush of residents had ebbed, there were still short lines at the various hole-in-the-wall, soup and noodle, bun and little eats, stir-fry, and fire-roast shops that lined the ground floor of the squares I passed. Indeed, the atmosphere of the narrow streets at this time of day was thick and fragrant enough, that one could almost sup on breath alone. My stomach growled. "Wait," I told it. "There is a fine and very expensive feast ahead for us."

The White Palace lay nearly a half an hour's walk to the west, but with time to spare, I made a leisurely stroll of it, so as not to arrive in a sweat – for it was the warmest of days, the last day of the bright days. And besides, I always savored a walk through the colorful streets of Azera.

Lankara, my homeland to the north of Azere, is a cooler land, with the two lanterns low in the firmament. Much smaller than Azere it has a more staid and monolithic culture. Several thousand seasons ago, a new way of thinking arose that has now made it a far more scientifically and industrially advanced nation than Azere. And while the architecture of Kara, Lankara's capital city is more creative than Azera's, it looks almost somber when compared to Azera. Despite, or perhaps because, of my Lankarian upbringing, I fell in love with the colorful capital of Azere – even with having to empty one's night soil every day in the common night soil house, and haul water up from the pump house in the courtyard. Indeed, 65 seasons later, I have yet to return home. At first I pleaded poverty, as my classes were small and paid me little. However, as they grew in popularity, so did my income. And while one does not become wealthy as a scholar at the University, I could no longer plead poverty. Instead, my excuse became the press of my teaching duties, and my research. True enough, but not true enough to actually prevent me from making the two day rail journey home to Kara between University terms. But I could not tear myself away from Azera, or my research journeys across the steppes to the libraries of Blue Order communities. I'm an Azerian these days. And so, I savored my leisurely stroll through the city to the White Palace in the imperceptibly deepening twilight. There was a rich, mellow, and pleasantly melancholic air in the narrow, warm, and many flavored streets I followed west to the palace.

Lefe Sol had kindly appointed me Assistant Regimental Historian in order to supplement my meager income during my first seasons teaching at the University. The position involved spending a day each season compiling, editing, and entering the regimental reports into the regiment's history book. It was enough, however, to make me well known within the ranks, so that I was greeted by the sentry on duty by name, and told that the Colonel was expecting me in his office.

'Greetings, Old Teacher,' Lefe exclaimed cheerfully, turning away from the view of Lake Zera that the tall sliding panels of his office offered. 'A fruitful journey, I trust?'

'It was. I uncovered a long and, I believe, very early manuscript with commentaries – a collection of stories said to be written by Sax Vix, though they struck me more in the style of Aba Kol then Sax Vix,' I replied, shaking his proffered hand. 'I scribbled for three days, with no time to think on what I was writing. I'll be able to say more when I can go back to read what I've scribbled.'

'I hope they yield many new clues,' he said with an indulgent smile.

'I hope so as well. But what dire matter brings me here? You seem to be holding up well in the face of whatever calamity has befallen you.'

'I assure you, only the iron fortitude of the Sols keeps my tears at bay, for it is indeed, a very sad tale, my friend. Still it can wait, no point spoiling our meal over it. I've invited Dar and Fila to dine with us as well, for I will need a chorus of sympathizers to ease my mind.'

'That grim?'

'To me, though I fear it may amuse you and the others. You will no doubt say that it is a fate I deserve,' he said with a sidelong glance and a little laugh.

I was still unsure whether he was simply being polite by putting on that cheerfully public face, as one should in the Azere, or if he was exaggerating his distress as a joke. I was, however, content to wait and did not press him on the matter.

While we waited for his second in command, Captain Dar Larc, to complete his duties and collect his wife Fila, I recounted the highlights, such as they were, of my nine day expedition to the Blue Order community in the Kaj Per valley, a 30 league journey from Azera. I'd spent six days on the road and three days in their small library copying the old stories from a carefully preserved manuscript dating from the Dawn Age, some 12,000 seasons ago.

Once Dar and Fila arrived, we set out across the palace grounds for its little harbor within the palace walls. When Hin Dar built his White Palace on the shore of Lake Zera, he built it in the Elder style of poured stone and square boxes. But in the case of the palace, his architects piled those boxes one on top of the other artistically to create many courts and gardens, terraces and towers. We wove our way through the age softened palace, with its lush terraces and gardens, to the boat harbor, talking of nothing of consequence.

A boatman stepped out of his hut, gave a polite bow, and stood, awaiting orders.

'A punt will do Nars. We're bound for the Mist,' said Lefe.

With a brisk 'Yes, sir.' he hurried down the steps and pulled one of the wide beamed punts close alongside, holding it steady it as we stepped on board. After we had settled in, he pushed off with his pole, and deftly steered it through the water gate and out onto the bright lake.

Lake Zera was still dotted with punts, rowboats, and pleasure barges sporting colorful sails and awnings – even more now since the pleasure islands, with their tea gardens, sing-song houses, dining, and wine and brew pavilions, were only now becoming fully alive as their customers, freed from their day's labor, were leisurely making their way across the waters to the islands. Overhead, black and white gulls wheeled, calling to each other, while above them, in the eastern firmament, a faint brighter spot marked the ever present Blue Lantern that would again come into its own once the Yellow Lantern left us to visit the far side of the world.

Tea, dining, and wine and brew houses lined the Reed Bank shore from the palace to the Lake Gate in the south. Wedged between these establishments were long fingers of docks with boats and boatmen waiting to take passengers out to the pleasure islands. The prestige of the establishments faded the further from the White Palace one ventured down the Reed Bank, though fine, and far less expensive fare, could be found all along the shore lane. The Mist in the Reeds was not far from the palace, so its bill of fare was far beyond my scholar's wages. That I dined there now and again, was a perk of being a friend and guest of Lefe Sol.

The tea house stood in the lake, beyond the reedy shore. It was reached from the Reed Bank by a walkway that zigzagged over the reeds and lily pads. Perched on four piers, it was a stack of four poured stone boxes. The lowest was a dock set between the piers at lake level to accommodate customers arriving by boat. The next, the widest, was enclosed by panels. In the bright days, these panels were screens, opening the tea room to the gentle eastern breezes of the bright days. During the dark days, these panels were replaced by glazed ones to keep the dark cold days at bay. The upper two boxes were smaller, the lower one surrounded by the roof-deck of the lower level. It was filled with tables and cushioned reed chairs under a colorful canvas awning for truly open air dining. The uppermost story contained six private banquet rooms with balconies that offered a sweeping view of the lake.

The boatman nosed the punt alongside the dock and we carefully stepped on to the dock. Lefe dismissed him, saying we'd take a rickshaw back.

He had reserved one of the smaller banquet rooms, and even as we settled into the cushions of the wide reed chairs around the table, the first of the small treats and light wines were being served by quiet, slim girls in colorfully embroidered satin.

It was only over tea, after the leisurely feast, that Lefe got around to crying on our shoulders.

04

Lefe stood, and walked onto the balcony, to look out over the lake for a while. Turning back to us, he said, 'I find that I'm engaged to be married.'

Fila clapped her hands. 'And about time, too! Who's the fortunate girl who has won your heart?'

'The girl who won my heart, and my bride-to-be, are not the same person. Hence my tears,' he said, with a sad smile and little shrug.

'Oh...' said Fila. 'How did that happen?'

Lefe sighed. 'It happened because my father has, without consulting me, arranged a marriage for me.'

'Ahhh...' I ventured, lifting my hand in inquiry.

'Yes, Kel?'

'I was under the impression that you could choose whom to marry, as long as she came from one of the noble families.'

'That, my dear Old Teacher, was my impression as well.'

'Oh, come now, Lefe. You were never free to marry just anyone, even from the noble houses,' objected Fila. 'There's always a political calculation in every Sol marriage.'

'While I was expected to maintain, and ideally, enhance our family's position with my marriage, I still had a great deal of freedom to choose from the daughters of the nobility...'

'Certain daughters from certain families.'

'I'll have you know, Fila, that, even in the Sol family, a happy marriage is considered worth two or even three purely political marriages. I had a perfectly adequate supply of possible mates to choose from. And while I may have been taking my time choosing one, my father had no excuse stepping in and arranging a marriage for me – without even bothering to consult with me.'

' Ahhh... But he did. ' I said. 'While Azerian history is not my specialty, I would imagine that, as Fila has suggested, maintaining a delicate balance within the hundred noble families in order to keep the Sol family on the Blue Throne could not be left to pure chance. And since a member of the Sol family has sat on the Blue Throne for some 7,000 seasons it strikes me that arranged marriages would need to be the norm.'

Lefe shook his head. 'You must remember, Kel, that even if one assumes that the nobles will elect, as they have for last 23 elections, a Prime Consul from the Sol family, the Prime Consul can be any member of the extended Sol family. While I may be a son of the current Prime Consul, I'm no closer to the Blue Throne than any of my brothers, sister, cousins, nieces or nephews, so who I marry is of no greater importance than the marriage of any other member of the Sol family. Any of them would have done just as well as I for the political marriage my father has planned.'

'Oh come now, Lefe. You're nearly 300 seasons old. You've had your chance to choose,' said the ever practical Fila. 'I warned you to get serious...'

'Yes you did. And I did.'

'So you say. I've heard nothing of it.'

'Nevertheless, I have found her. I'll say no more.'

'She comes from a noble family, I hope...'

'Of course. I'm not that big a fool. For all the good it does me.'

'So who is your bride-to-be? I trust that's not a secret as well.'

He sighed. 'It is for the moment, but I'll tell you, with a promise not to say anything to anyone until the official announcement.'

'Yes, of course,' we agreed.

'One Ren Loh.'

Fila and Dar exchanged puzzled looks. I was not familiar enough with the noble families of the nations and peoples of Azere to know what that portended.

Fila turning back to Lefe, said, 'I can't seem to place the Loh family. Are they an outside steppe or hill people that your father wishes to draw into the empire?'

'Oh no, nothing like that. And then again, it's everything like that. Only on a grander scale. Ren Loh is a daughter of Vinra Loh, the Empress of the Jasmyne Empire. Her fourth daughter.'

'Oh, my' said Fila.

Dar and I exchanged a silent glance, trying, and failing, to find something encouraging to say. A marriage uniting the first family of Azere with the matriarchal dynasty of the Jasmyne Empire, Azere's great rival to the east, was indeed, a marriage on a grand historical and political scale. A scale that certainly doomed Lefe to a marriage with this Ren Loh, whether he liked it or not.

'We are to be married once the Assembly of Nobles ratifies the trade union treaty,' continued Lefe grimly, 'to become a living symbol of the new relationship between our two nations. One can also look on it as an exchange of prisoners,' he added bitterly.

Dar whistled softly. 'Still, the daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne is a step up from the daughter of even the most wealthy Azerian noble house. So what's she like?'

'No one knows.'

'How can that be?' exclaimed Fila, 'She's not a child bride, is she?'

'No, she's also seen the better part of 300 seasons. However my Jasmyne friends from the embassy can tell me little more than that.'

'Why?'

'The story they tell is that after the Empress gave birth to three daughters, one of which will be appointed by the Empress to succeed her, the Empress's consort, wanting a son, talked her into having one more child. This child turned out to be yet another daughter, apparently to everyone's disappointment. When she was 70 seasons old, the consort and Empress had a falling out and the consort left the court to command the Imperial Lancers Regiment in the field, taking this fourth daughter with him. One version of the story has him intending to raise this daughter as the son he had always wanted. Another has it that he was forced by the Empress to take her with him, since he was the one who insisted on her having a fourth child and she had little love nor any use for this fourth daughter. The consort and daughter rarely returned to the palace during the following 200 seasons, so she is largely unknown in court circles. When the consort died 14 seasons ago this Ren Loh was summoned back to the palace. However, since all of the Jasmyne embassy staff have been stationed here for longer than 14 seasons, they can relate only the thinnest of rumors about my would-be-bride.'

'Ahhh...'

'Yes, Kel?'

'Just a quick question – does the Prime Consul of Azere possess the authority to force you to marry her?'

Lefe laughed grimly. 'Forced marriages are not binding under Azere law. But as he pointed out, not only can he make not marrying her a fate far more unpleasant for me than marrying her, but that, given the importance of the treaty to the future of the Empire, refusing to marry this Ren Loh could be looked on as treason.'

'He wouldn't go that far!' exclaimed Fila. 'Would he?'

'Well, charging me with treason would do nothing to advance his goals. I mention that only to show you the length he is willing to go to see me married to this Ren Loh. As you well know, it has been the stated goal of every Prime Consul to unite all the lands under the Blue Lantern under the Blue Throne. Father sees this trade union as the penultimate act of that grand design. Seeing that the nations of Cimcara, Tindra, and Kartana to the east of Jasmyne are already in a trade union with Jasmyne, the treaty would bring all but Lankara into a single trade union. And since the Azere Empire has been built on trade, a political union would most certainly follow the trade treaty within a generation...'

'Guided by a family with potential heirs to both the Blue and Yellow thrones,' I muttered.

'Exactly. However symbolic this marriage would be – the children, or grandchildren of this marriage – would have the blood of both the Sol and Loh families. Who better to rule a united empire?'

'It would appear that you are doomed to marry this Ren Loh,' I said.

He shrugged and looked away. 'I grew hoarse arguing otherwise while pointing out that there are plenty of eligible Sol cousins fluttering about who can do the job as well as I.'

'To no avail,' I said.

'Perhaps, and perhaps not.'

'Oh, come now, Lefe. The marriage of the son and daughter of the two greatest empires is more than a symbol, it is a promise of a long held dream to unite all the nations and peoples under the Blue Lantern. I need not tell you that with rank and privilege comes duty. I am certain you'll do your duty,' said Fila, the daughter and granddaughter of guardsmen.

'Talk of duty is all well and good. My father flung the word at me often enough. But has he the moral right to play me – or anyone – as an expendable pawn in the great game of empire?'

'Oh, don't be so dramatic. We're talking marriage here, not martyrdom.'

Lefe bit back a bitter reply.

I considered my words carefully. 'I am sorry that it will break your heart, for a time, but who knows, if you give her a chance, you may well come to love this Ren Loh. I think your despondency is premature.'

'Ah, the golden optimism of a bachelor scholar,' muttered Lefe.

'He's right, Lefe. You have no reason to assume the worst in Ren Loh. She may well be all you desire,' added Fila. 'She was, after all, raised in the Imperial Lancers Regiment, so you may well have much in common. I dare say, you could do far worse.'

'Had I not already found a girl to love, I might agree with you.'

'So you say,' said Fila with a shake of her head.. 'I say that if you were actually courting someone, I'd have heard of it.'

Lefe smiled sadly. 'Perhaps I have been very discreet.'

Fila shook her head. 'Nothing escapes the gossips of the court for long. I assure you, any romance of yours would've been known. So why haven't I heard of it?'

'Because I met her in my travels as Colonel of the Guards. She isn't here in Azera, so your court gossips haven't got wind of her.'

'That being the case, you can hardly know her. You're never away from Azera for all that long, haven't been on tour for...'

'Eight seasons. Too long, but we have corresponded for many seasons. And I will see her soon, when her family arrives here for the Assembly of Nobles.'

'How will she take the news of your engagement?' I asked.

'I have just written to her about the matter, assuring her that I would give up an empire for her.'

'Ah, but will she? Will she defy the wishes of the Prime Consul, perhaps putting her family on the wrong side of the Prime Consul? Will she put her love before the greater good of a united world under the Blue Lantern?' asked Fila.

'You seem determined to have me married to this Ren Loh, Fila,' he snapped rather irritably. 'What do you say, Dar? You've said nothing so far. What do you suggest I do?'

Dar grinned, and said, 'Ah, I think I'll just keep my head down and mouth closed and stay out of the crossfire on this matter, if you don't mind, Colonel.'

'Coward,' laughed his wife, and then turned back to Lefe, 'I'm of an old guards family. I've grown up with a sense of duty, as I know you have as well. I know that in the end, you'll do your duty. You truly have my sympathy, Lefe. And if there is anything I can do to help you or your love, just ask. However, while I am sure it will be hard for a while, I know you well enough to know that you will, in the end, make the best of your lot. And I truly doubt that your love would even consider standing in the way of your duty or risk call down the wrath of the Prime Consul on her family.'

Lefe sighed. 'Perhaps you're right. Still I'm far from convinced that it is my duty, seeing that any Sol will suffice. Perhaps I can find a cousin who would like to have an Empress as a mother-in-law...'

'Who wouldn't?' I laughed. 'Still, I'm sure everything will work out for the best. I wouldn't worry too much.'

'Said by a man who's not been ordered to marry this Ren Loh,' said Lefe bitterly.

What could I say?

Chapter 02 Lefe's Plan

01

I spent the following day, the first of the two twilight days, at the palace working through the regiment's paperwork in my role as Assistant Regimental Historian in the Palace Guard. The second twilight day found me in my office at the University, collecting my student's bright days' assignments, reading journals and updating my lecture notes. My classes resumed on the following day, the first rain day. I taught three classes during the 12 darkest days of the season, one a day in rotation.

The first was "New Science, Inventions, and Thought," which offered an overview of scientific and industrial advances in my homeland of Lankara. The second was "New Science and the Elder Civilization" which examined the Elder Civilization in the light of Lankara's archaeological and technical approach to the subject. My third class, "The Dark and Dawn Classics Reconsidered," was my advanced level course where I lectured on my current research into the original Nine Sages' texts and the possible implications of the wording of these original texts in the light of our new understanding of the Elder Civilization. It was the one dearest to my heart and life's work, but I'll say no more on it, since once I start, I have a hard time stopping.

While many classes were taught throughout the season, I taught only during the dark days. This arrangement freed me during the bright and twilight days to conduct my research. This research involved copying and studying ancient manuscripts, carefully preserved in the Blue Order libraries, within several days walking distance of Azera. I assigned readings and papers to keep my students amused while I pursued my research. I worked long hours in the dark days, but there was little else to do when the world was lit only by the Blue Lantern.

02

I was dozing when the time-bell of Birdsong Square tolled two deep toned clangs marking the beginning of the day's second quarter. Mist and rain had crept over Azera while I slept, so it was pitch black in my small sleeping room, even though the dark sleep curtains were not pulled close. With plenty of student papers to read, I fumbled for my Lankarian spark-torch on the floor beside me and rolled out of bed. I began my day by shadow boxing in the falling rain on the roof.

After drying off and breakfasting on tea and hot rice porridge, I shoved the last of my lecture notes into my satchel, donned an oiled canvas poncho, my hat, and collecting my short, city walking stick stepped out, pausing briefly to lock the door behind me. I then made my way down the dark stairs with the help of my spark-torch, to the dark, damp and streaming wet streets of Azera. Unlike Kara, Azera had no street lights. It relied solely on the pale light of the Blue Lantern that hung high in the eastern firmament to illuminate its dark day streets. So when the rain came, Azerians had to navigate their nearly pitch black city by counting streets and noting familiar shops and light patterns. Some used small oil lanterns to light their way. I had my spark-torch in my pocket if needed, but for the most part I just followed the vague figure before me, passing from one glistening pool of shop window light to the next, counting the streets, and boulevards as I crossed them. All wagons and carts carried lit lanterns which made crossing the streets relatively safe, though travel in the rain days is always somewhat of an adventure. It was, however, a familiar part of Azera life.

My journey to the University took me across six streets, a boulevard, and one street north – a quarter of an hour's walk. The University sits on a very large square and consists of eight long, five story tall buildings set around a central quad and playing fields. It is hard to miss even in the black rain days.

I spent several hours reading the first of the papers I had assigned before heading down to the lecture room to deliver a long lecture on Lankara's rail system expansion, followed by a class discussion until the midday time-bell. After an hour's break, I tutored three students in my office for an hour each, and then had an hour's open office, reading more student papers between the appearances of several of my students bringing me yet more papers to read.

I closed shop half an hour after the hour-bell rang three deep and five light tolls, and walked across the rain dark quad to the gym for some stick-fighting with friends. After an hour's workout, I set out for Scholars' Street to dine. The University is a very social establishment, and the lively street surrounding the University, known as Scholars' Street, was lined with eating, tea, and drinking establishments, various clubs, shops, and boarding houses – all devoted to the needs and whims of students and scholars. I dined alone in one of the quiet tea houses and then drifted on to my scholars' club to pass the hours in reading and in quiet conversations with my fellow scholars. Lefe, very much a scholar despite his current position a Colonel of the Palace Guards, often looked into the club, but did not show up, so, a little after the fourth hour of the last quarter, I was weary enough to call it a day and made my damp way home to sleep – a day in the usual pattern of my dark days life.

03

Lefe's marriage was announced on the day after the rains ended and it was the talk of the city, since its implications were not lost on the city's cosmopolitan population. Three days later, he slipped into my dimly lit office as I was closing shop.

'Care for a bout of stick & staff and dinner afterwards, Kel?'

'Why, yes, of course. Greetings, Lefe. Just let me lock up and we can be on our way.'

We talked of this and that, but not of his engagement as we walked across the quad to the gym. Since my first days in Azera, Lefe and I had been practicing stick & staff fighting in the University gym. Indeed, that was our first bond, and by now we could go through the routines in our sleep. Normally, our sticks clacked against each other, rat-tat-rat-tat-tat, moving from one familiar routine to the next, but this was not a good session. Lefe apologized several times, admitting that his mind was not quite as focused as it should be. In our final round of free fighting I found that I had to be careful not to wack him too hard, so slow were his reactions – a reversal of our usual roles, since he was just a little better than me, and always had been. In any event, we worked up a sweat and an appetite. A quick plunge into the pool washed away the sweat, and we crossed Scholar's Street to eat at one of its more expensive, and thus quieter eating houses.

Since being cheerful in public was considered polite, Lefe was cheerful over the meal. Lefe, as I have said, was naturally a cheerful person, so his cheerfulness was almost never a mask of politeness, but it seemed to be on this day. Over the meal, this mask would slip a bit when we skirted the subject of his forthcoming marriage. He drank more wine than usual and when we moved on to the scholar's club he found a quiet corner in the large, dim lit lounge to talk.

'My father tells me that my bride-to-be is on her way here. Our couriers from Jasmyna report that the caravan left Jasmyna on the 16th, which was a twilight day in Jasmyna. And please note, three days before I was even told I had a bride-to-be!'

'So when can you expect her to arrive?' Having arrived from Lankara on the rail line between Kara and Azera, a journey of two days, I had no idea how long a horse drawn caravan would need to make the journey from Jasmyna.

'At the standard caravan pace of 10 leagues a day, it'd be nearly a full season's journey. With coaches, they might travel faster, but they'll have to deal with traveling in the rain and dark days which will slow even coaches down. So... all in all, I still expect them to take a season to travel here, arriving between the 16th to the 18th of next season. The Assembly of Nobles will already be in session...' he paused and looked off into space for a time. 'Giving me time to make alternative arrangements.'

'Alternative arrangements? Such as?'

He shrugged. 'That depends...' And then turning to me, he said in a low voice. 'I've no intention of marrying this Ren Loh, come what may. Blast duty! Duty, loyalty, responsibility, are all fine. I understand and respect those qualities. I would like to think that I possess them. But, they need to flow in both directions. Had I been asked to meet this Ren Loh, show her around, and get to know her with the idea of perhaps taking her as my bride for the sake of the Azere... Well, that would've been one thing. I would have been treated as a person, not as a pawn. If left to my choice, my honor, I would have taken duty, loyalty, and responsibility into account and, perhaps, I would've been willing to sacrifice a great deal of happiness, if I thought a marriage to Ren Loh might succeed at some level. But instead, I was treated as a pawn, and ordered to marry some unknown creature. Well, if I'm treated as being irresponsible, I'll play the part...'

He paused, and considered what he wanted to say next. There was no cheerfulness about him now. He leaned closer.

'This must remain strictly between us, Kel,' he began, and waited for my acceptance.

'Yes, if you wish.'

'I am due to make my customary inspection rounds of the Mayaday and Kanitara detachments of the Guards Regiment within the next season or two. I shall leave Azera as soon as the trade treaty is ratified, and simply not return. After my inspection of the Kanitara outpost, I can continue on to Lankara, which is why I am burdening you with this knowledge.'

'How so?'

'As you know, I have long talked of taking up the mantel of a scholar, once I reached my middle seasons. Colonel of the Palace Guards is fine for now, but I did not spend years in the University studying geography and economics to be a guardsman all my life. So, I would very much appreciate it, when the time comes, if you would provide me with some practical advice on the universities of Lankara, and, if you can see it clear, a letter of introduction as well.'

'Yes, of course. I'd have no hesitation of not only introducing you, but praising your scholarly and firsthand knowledge of the geography and economy of the lands under the Blue Lantern. I'm sure you could find a teaching position in one of the universities with your expertise. But... But could you really do it?'

'Yes, I believe I could. I believe I will.'

'Will your love follow you?'

'I believe she will – though perhaps not right away. I'd not want her to be stained with my scandal. She could join me later, once I've established myself in Lankara and have been forgotten here.'

I considered Lefe for a while as he sat staring into his cup of tea.

'Perhaps you should leave on your inspection tour before the next bright days – if you are serious about avoiding this marriage.'

'Why?' he asked, glancing at me.

'Because, if you leave before you meet her, you'll be acting on the principle. But if you wait until after you meet her, then it could – and likely would – be seen as a personal snub to both the bride-to-be, and the Empress of Jasmyne, creating a far more serious diplomatic crisis. Plus, if she isn't a stunning beauty, you might look rather petty, instead of sacrificing all for true love.'

He shook his head. 'I take your point. But it is not possible. The Assembly of Nobles needs to ratify the treaty. A scandal prior to its ratification might put the treaty in jeopardy. My father would certainly consider that treason since he sees the trade treaty as an essential step in bringing the Jasmyne Empire under the rule of the Blue Throne. The treaty is what will put him among the great Prime Consuls of Azere. You history chaps will write volumes about him and his wisdom and foresight. He would never forgive me for shoving a lance into the wheels of his greatest triumph.'

I gave him a long look, sighed and shook my head. 'Then, my dear friend, I can see no way out. I fear that you are... well, shall we say, fated to marry Ren Loh. I know you well enough to know that duty aside, you are simply too kindhearted to cast the poor girl aside. A girl who is likely no more eager for this marriage than you are, but who has been sent on a dark day's journey of more than 300 leagues to do it.'

He emptied his tea cup and setting it down, said, 'If that is the case, at least I will not be breaking her heart when I run. And if I am as kindhearted as you say I am, how can I bring myself to break the heart of someone so very dear to me, and my own heart as well?' he added with a challenging glance.

I could only shrug and say, 'In that case, I guess we must place our trust in a kindhearted fate.' And good luck with that, I added silently.

04

Several days later found me walking out beyond the city walls to the Lankarian rail line station to meet uncle Han Cam, the sales manager of Cam Industries, and six of his staff. They were due to arrive from Kara with several dozen assorted crates of oil-engines, generators, and spark-motors to exhibit at the Lankarian Science and Industry Exposition that would run throughout the following season. After greeting them and seeing the crates to the Great Eastern Hall, we ate a late dinner, over which Uncle Han brought me up to date on the lives of my family back home.

Lankara may be a small nation to the far north, but, as I mentioned, we had evolved into a new way of thinking and living. Our scientists and engineers were studying the rare mechanical relics of the Elder Civilization and they were slowly prying a few of their secrets out of what was left of these mysterious machines. While our best machines were primitive compared to those of the Elder Civilization, they were still more advanced than those of the other five large nations of our world. In order to promote our inventions and businesses, every 30 seasons, Lankara stages a great exhibition of our finest science and industrial products in the Great Eastern Hall of Azera. This exhibition corresponds, not coincidentally, to the gathering of the leaders of the Azere's nations and peoples for the Assembly of Nobles who arrive in Azera every 30 seasons to conduct the business of state that the Prime Consul cannot do on his own.

The extended Cam family operates several concerns relating to the design and manufacture of various sorts of oil burning engines, spark-energy generators and spark-engines. While the current Azerian markets for these products is not large, all of our potential customers – the nobles and wealthy merchants of the empire – would certainly tour the expo while they were in town, giving the old firm a chance to showcase our products and hopefully pick up some orders. Uncle Han had great hopes for our line of spark-energy generators, since the wealthy were now rapidly adopting spark-lights for their residences, and possibly spark-motors for manufacturing concerns as well.

Since I'd not yet found the time to return home, these expos – this would be my third – were my only opportunity to show the family that I'd not quite forgotten them. And to this end, I spent as much time as I could spare from my teaching duties with them – helping them set up their booth in the great hall, and showing them around town when they were finished for the day. So between my classes and my Lankarian family and friends, the dark days flew by.

Chapter 03 Ren Loh

01

The day after my last class of the season, the 3rd, found me in the grey-lit stable yard of the Palace Guard standing at the head of Moll, the mild regimental horse who usually drew the short straw to have me as her rider. It was early – the first hour of the second quarter – and bitingly cold. Though the eastern horizon glowed with the approaching Yellow Lantern, it was still two days from full light so it was still a very grey and cold day. Lefe had invited me to ride with him, Lieutenant Torn, and nine troopers, out to his family's sprawling steppe-farm beyond the ring hills – a five hours' journey in the saddle. The Lieutenant and the nine troopers would be relieving the estate's current guard detachment. Lefe and I would linger there for a day to rest the horses, and enjoy the lush comforts of the family's great mansion, though I was more eager to continue my exploration of the shelves and drawers of the family's library in search of ancient manuscripts than enjoy its lush comforts. I'd already found several manuscripts in my previous visits and there were still many more shelves to search. While I much preferred to travel on foot, the lure of the Sol library was too great to resist, which is why I was standing alongside Captain Larc, Lieutenant Torn, the nine replacement troopers, and our patient mounts, awaiting on the arrival of Colonel Sol. He had yet to make his appearance, but his groom had his horse ready for him.

We gossiped quietly as our breaths formed pale blue clouds of steam around us. And we stomped our feet and clapped our gloved hands to keep the blood flowing to ward off the sharp chill of 12 days of darkness.

Lefe had no more strolled into the stable yard, his long riding coat still unbuttoned, when a guardsman on a horse came racing through the gateway. He reined in sharply, and leaped off his mount in one smooth motion, saluting Colonel Sol as he landed.

'Sir. Trooper Las of the Eastern Gate Signal Station, reporting sir,' he rapped.

'Yes, Trooper?'

'Sir, the Nations Street outpost on the eastern ridge signaled that a column of 33 Jasmyne lancers and two fast carriages passed their outpost escorting the daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne. They should arrive at the gates of Contere within half of an hour.'

Lefe starred at him dumbfounded for a second. 'Not possible. The most recent report I saw had them still 13 days away in Mirra.'

To this trooper Las had no reply.

'A detachment of lancers and two fast carriages is hardly the whole of the caravan. It must be a fast traveling detachment sent ahead to shorten the journey for the bride-to-be,' suggested Captain Larc.

'Ahh... A very eager bride,' I muttered, very softly. Given the stricken look on Lefe's faintly blue-lit face, I confined my comment to Moll's ear, who snickered.

'We must assume so,' sighed Lefe. 'Captain Larc, please turn out as much of the regiment you can in half an hour and stand by at the Eastern Gate to await our arrival. And inform my parents that the bride they ordered has arrived,' he added, rather bitterly.

'Yes, sir,' Captain Larc snapped, turned, and sprinted for the barracks.

'Mount up! Ride along with us, Kel. We must intercept the column before it reaches Contere, and then slow them down a bit to give the honor guard time to deploy.'

'Is that necessary?' I asked.

'Yes, yes, we must show some sort of respect and welcome to this blighted daughter of an Empress. Mount up. We've not a minute to waste.'

I was hardly necessary, but curious enough to mount Moll alongside the rest of the troopers and follow Lefe out of the stable gate and on to the Grand Boulevard. The center lane of the city's grandest boulevard was reserved for troops and court officials, so that we had free rein to race the length of it without having to dodge in and out of the many wagons, carts, and carriages that formed a slowly moving stream of grey shapes and multi-colored lanterns. With Lefe in the lead, and the corporal of the detachment, horn in hand, blowing "charge" to warn crossing wagons, carts and pedestrians of our approach, we gave leave to the horses to show just how fast, long, and low they could travel. I clung for dear life, as Moll, with a hitherto unsuspected streak of pride, seemed to determined to run with the fleetest of her stablemates. Groups of pedestrians crossing the street scattered before us, and I believe that we ended up soaring over several pedestrians and a rickshaw, frozen in place by the shock of the sight of the charging detachment. We made the Eastern Gate in under two minutes, and once beyond the old city wall, it took us less than two more to reach the Lankara Road, a wide caravan road that stretched north, all the way to Kara.

The broad, pale road was deserted. The trade that traveled during the dark days, traveled only in large caravans that slowly collected in the central plaza of the caravan port of Contere, a league to the south. With the broad, pale blue-grey highway open to us, we wheeled and raced towards Contere, leaving a cloud of dust behind us. Contere was Azera's caravan, commercial, industrial, and market suburb. Nations Street, spanning Azere east to west, crossed the Lankara and the Mayaday caravan roads in Contere's central plaza. With the approach of the bright days, the plaza would surely be packed with caravan wagons, carts, and pack horses, slowly sorting themselves out into caravans while waiting for the day to grow bright enough to comfortably take to the road. In addition, the streets leading to the plaza would be filled with stalls and thick with traders and travelers – all this confusion would make for a very rude and irksome welcome for the Empress's daughter.

Halfway to Contere, Lefe pulled up and wheeling left, said, 'This way, men.'

He led us down a narrow residential street under wide-spreading trees and lined by low walled suburban residences set in shadowy gardens. A few minutes later, the villas gave way to garden market fields and not long after that, we reached Nations Street, half a league to the east of Contere.

Nations Street was also deserted. All around us, in the grey twilight, lay the neat vegetable fields of the market gardens that fed Azera. They stretched away, dormant and untended, divided by woven wicker fences, dotted with storage sheds and glass seedling houses glowing in the twilight. Here and there, the windows of the poured stone cottages glowed gold from the oil lamps inside. Only the occasional quacking of domestic ducks and geese, and the bark of a guard dog, broke the cold, hollow silence. All in all, a rather bleak place to meet a bride, but given the circumstances, perhaps appropriate.

Standing in his stirrups, Lefe surveyed the caravan road as it rose up the gentle slope towards the forested ring of hills to the east. 'That looks to be them,' he said, pointing up the pale line of the road to a darker line less than half a league away. 'Form up, we might as well wait for them here. Let's catch our breaths and try to look our serene best.'

We had ten minutes to wait, so we, save perhaps, Lefe, were pretty serene, and very chilled by the time the column of Jasmyne lancers approached within several hundred paces. Spying our uniform long coats, they slowed to a sedate walk and then, at a hundred paces, the leading officer raised his hand and they came to a stop.

'Keep me company, Old Teacher,' Lefe said quietly, and started forward to greet the Jasmyne lancers and his bride-to-be.

The Jasmyne officer on his pale horse started forward as well, tall, trim, straight backed in a long coat of what would be dun-gold in the bright days. His lance, with ribbons fluttering at its tip, was angled in a holster behind him on his right side. A sword belt crossed over his right shoulder to the scabbard low on his left hip. He wore his forage cap over closely-cropped hair, jauntily angled just above his right ear in the universally approved fashion of young and proud troopers. As he drew near I noted the single gold circle on each shoulder – a mere lieutenant. A staff officer, I suspected, since he wore a pair of thick, round rimmed spectacles. Still, he rode his horse like he was born to it, and only reined it in when his and our horses were nose to nose.

'Colonel,' he said saluting smartly, along with a casual nod of greeting in a light, brisk, voice. With his back to both the Blue Lantern and the brightening sky, his face was cloaked in blue shadows.

Lefe returned the salute. 'Lieutenant. Welcome to Azura. I fear that your arrival has caught us off guard. We had not expected your party to arrive for quite a few days yet.'

The lieutenant laughed lightly, and said with an easy arrogance, 'Forgive us, sir, but the bride-to-be is very eager to meet her husband-to-be. She left most of the diplomats behind, along with the bulk of the caravan, to ride ahead with this fast detachment. Do you have a name, Colonel?'

I'd known Lefe Sol for some sixty-five seasons, and had never known him to be so ill at ease. It must have been dawning on him who he was talking to since you could almost see him calling up the reserves of his courage when he said, almost apologetically, 'I am Lefe Sol, Colonel Commander of the Guard Regiments.'

The Squadron Leader laughed lightly. 'Oh, my! My husband-to-be is as eager as his bride-to-be! Well met. I'm flattered that you rode all the way out here in the cold and darkness to meet me.'

Lefe had no reply to that other than 'Ah...Er...'

'And I am Lieutenant Ren Loh,' she said with a flash of a smile. 'Your ever so eager bride-to-be!' she added with apparent relish, like a twist of the knife.

I fear that I must report that Lefe, the third son of the Prime Consul of the Azere Empire, merely opened his mouth – or simply let his jaw drop – but could find nothing to say to his would-be-bride.

They studied each other for a long moment or two – not that Lefe could read much in Ren Loh's blue shadowed face, half hidden by her spectacles. Lefe's face, on the other hand, in the pale blue light, showed confusion, if not out and out dismay. He attempted to rally several times, only to fall back into silence, before he managed to get out, 'I'm delighted to meet you, Ren Loh.'

She laughed lightly. 'Oh, I'm sure you are, my dear Lefe. Well, at least you're not painful to look at. I had feared that a third son so readily married off, sight unseen, to a fourth daughter would prove to be a poor bargain. Yes, I believe you'll do quite nicely.'

This threw Lefe into retreat again for several moments before he rallied once more, and began, 'You are...' only to stop in confusion, since I'm certain he did not wish to lie, before coming up with, '...very ah, delightful.'

Ren Loh laughed. She, at any rate, was clearly enjoying herself. 'I like you already, my dear husband-to-be, for I cannot abide a man who lies convincingly.'

I think Lefe may've surrendered at this point, since he just nodded mutely.

Ren Loh may've taken pity on him, since she glanced to me, took me in, and asked, 'Who's your dangerous looking companion?'

'Ah, yes. This is my old teacher and good friend, Scholar Kel Cam.' And perhaps finding some last reserve of wit, he added with a thin, careless laugh, 'You needn't fear him. He's hardly dangerous at all. Though if you get him talking on to the subject of the Nine Sages and the early versions of the Dark and Dawn Classics, he might bore you to death.'

'I am also delighted to meet you, Lieutenant Loh,' I said with a little bow. She wasn't my bride, so I felt that I could afford to be slightly sarcastic. 'And you've been warned.'

She smiled as she nodded slightly, 'Delighted as well, Scholar Cam.'

Then turning back to Lefe, she said, 'Unless you care to turn me away here and now, perhaps we should ride on. We took to the road early, and I find myself feeling rather peckish.'

Lefe stirred into action. 'Yes, of course. Form up behind us, troopers!' he called out as he swung his horse about. 'I am sorry for such a meager showing, Lieutenant, er, Lady Loh...'

'Oh, Ren will do, my dear, Lefe,' she laughed. 'We both are, after all, under orders to be husband and wife.'

'Er, yes, of course. As I was saying, you caught us by surprise. I had been intending to relieve the guard at our family home with these men here. Hopefully Captain Larc will have a proper escort in place once we reach the city.'

'Never mind about that. I'm an old trooper – and the fourth, and unnecessary, daughter. I'm not used to formalities.'

'Ah, good,' muttered Lefe, and then added, 'If we take this lane we can avoid the congestion in Contere and ride directly to the eastern gate where my regiment should be waiting for us.'

'Lead on, Colonel,' she replied brightly, and called out to her escort to follow us.

I held back to let Lefe have his would-be-bride to himself, but he was having none of that.

'Please take our left flank, Kel,' he said.

Since there was no possibility of either bandits or steppe hounds attacking Ren Loh this close to Azura, there was no need to ride guard on his bride-to-be's left side. Clearly, however, my friend was not yet up to facing his bride-to-be alone, so I swung Moll around to her far side and we turned up the lane, three by three, and started off at a walking pace, no doubt to give Captain Larc time to get the regiment mounted and deployed.

For several minutes we rode through the market gardens in silence, save for the rhythmic clatter of horse hooves and the jingling of swords and the military ornaments of horse troopers.

02

'Lady Loh...ah, Ren,' began Lefe Sol, gathering his courage as he turned to her riding beside him. I believe he was about to tell her that he had no intention of being her husband-to-be.

'Yes, my dear husband-to-be?' she said glancing towards him, her thick lens spectacles flashed reflections of the dim light of the brightening sky and Blue Lantern, her face, now lit by the pale light of the Blue Lantern showed high cheek bones, a long straight nose, and a wide mouth set in an arrogant half-smile.

'Ren,' he began again, and looking at her, abandoned his intention out of kindness, I suspect, and continued, 'I... Ah... I just want to welcome you to Azere. I hope you will like it here. I know that you're many leagues from home... And now find yourself in a strange land... And I want to assure you that I will do everything in my power to make you welcome.'

However hopeless that prospect seemed, I thought.

'Be still, my leaping heart,' she replied with a cool, mocking smile. 'But you needn't worry about me. I'm an old trooper, long accustomed to being away from home and riding in hostile hill country. And, indeed, if you knew how much I hated life in my mother's court, you'd know just how – delighted – I am to be here, with you, my dear.'

This reply sunk poor Lefe even deeper into confusion, and, I suspect despair. 'I'm sorry to hear that... About your life in court that is...' he muttered, truthfully. All his plans for avoiding marriage to Ren Loh had been in the abstract. And though I had mentioned it, I had to wonder if he ever truly considered what refusing to marry a girl who wanted to marry him would mean to her. He – and indeed, I – had assumed that Ren Loh would be no more eager for this marriage than he. Turning down, or even running from a girl eager to be his bride may've never crossed his mind. So finding this... strange creature... seemingly eager to be his bride must have left him at a loss.

"Seemingly," however, was the key word here, for I had a feeling that Ren Loh was merely taunting Lefe with her apparent eagerness to wed. It was sarcasm rather than desire that had her saying the things she was saying. Still, it was hard to read her face in the dim light, or her eyes behind her spectacles, and so nothing could be said for certain.

But my friend rallied once again. 'That being the case, I will do everything I can to make your arrival in the Azere a new beginning for you.'

'And us?' she asked, with another subtle twist of the knife.

At this point I'm happy to report that Lefe found his inner iron, and he turned to her and said earnestly, 'And us, should we find ourselves in love with each other.'

Ren Loh returned his gaze for several seconds before nodding. 'Fair enough.'

Lefe, I am sure, felt that they'd reached an unspoken understanding, since he relaxed and became his easy, good-natured self. Their talk turned to a professional conversation between seasoned troopers about Ren Loh's long, but fast march across the wide steppes in the dark days, that lasted until we reached the Eastern Gate. I had to wonder, and not for the first time, if Lefe was fully aware of how easy it was for girls to fall in love with him. On the surface it might appear that Ren Loh could well be immune to his charm, but I'd not wager even a copper coin on it.

03

Captain Larc had a squadron of the Palace Guards deployed and waiting inside the Eastern gate. We rode between the two lines of troopers arrayed in their shades of blue uniforms, silver helmets, swords, and banners, all sharply etched in the twilight. Half formed up behind us, the other half behind the Jasmyne lancers as we clattered up the center of the Grand Boulevard towards the White Palace in a far more sedate pace than our ride down. We rode through the wide main gates of the palace and into the broad courtyard, the tumbled boxes of the palace rising up and around us, grim and grey in this light.

The Prime Consul, his family, along with several rows of officials were arrayed along the Entry Hall steps waiting to see and greet the future daughter-in-law of the Prime Consul.

I reined in with the troopers to allow Lefe and Ren Loh to ride ahead a dozen paces to the foot of the steps. I felt it wise to stay well clear of that greeting, though I must confess that I didn't want to miss it either.

Ren Loh and Lefe reined in their horses, and deftly dismounted, trooper-style, before stepping forward to the base of the steps. The Prime Consul glanced at Ren Loh, and, no doubt mistaking her for an aide de camp, looked to the two well-sprung carriages that had rolled into the courtyard.

'Father,' said Lefe, boldly, and I believe, with some relish, 'May I introduce you to Lieutenant Ren Loh, the Empress of Jasmyne's daughter – your daughter-to-be.'

Ren Loh took a step forward, bowed, slightly, and said in a crisp voice, 'I am delighted to meet you, father.' She then stood at parade rest, her hands clasped behind her back, head held high, and waited for the effect of her words to sink in.

He looked down and stared at her, stone still. I think that if she had stepped forward and given him a little push with her finger, he would have toppled over. She may've been tempted.

But then he grew angry. 'What.... What are you?' he hissed.

'Your future daughter-in-law,' she replied cheerfully, adding 'Father,' just to give the knife a further twist.

'By the Lantern of Blue!' he began, seeming swelling with anger.

'Sir, Prime Consul, sir,' said one of the dignitaries on the steps, quickly stepping forward – likely the hastily summoned Jasmyne Ambassador. 'Lady Ren Loh has had a somewhat unconventional upbringing, sir. She was raised by her father in his regiment. She grew up in the Imperial Lancers, and has ridden and fought with them in her present rank. She no doubt felt that as the bride-to-be of your son, the Colonel Commander of the Guards, she should express a shared interest, and hopefully, a happy bond with your son by appearing in this manner.'

I had to smile. No doubt he was the Ambassador, and a smoothly polished liar.

'Thank you Sir Gil,' said Ren Loh with a slight bow to the ambassador, and then turning back to the Prime Consul, added, 'I am, however, whatever the explanation, as I appear. I have not made myself over to appeal to anyone.'

That last part was, in any event, no doubt, the truth. She left it at that, and stood stock still, her head held high at an angle that somehow managed to create the impression that she was looking down on the Prime Consul, though he stood a step above her.

'Is she mad, to appear like... as this?' demanded the Prime Consul, pointing at her as he turned on Ambassador Gil. 'This, this, why this can only be interpreted as a deliberate insult!'

'I am certain it wasn't meant to be, sir,' he lied smoothly, simply as a matter of form, for no one believed him. 'She is no doubt a free spirited and independently minded woman with, however, little experience with court manners. Ah, I see Sir Ers, our Second Foreign Minister has arrived as well. I am certain he can explain,' he added, with a little sigh of relief.

Sir Ers, a rather elderly gentleman, who must have been traveling in one of the well-sprung, fast traveling, cavalry carriages, was bounding forward as fast as he could. He pulled up next to Ren Loh, gave a hasty bow, and exclaimed. 'A thousand pardons, Sir. Please be assured that this Ren Loh is not the Ren Loh that our Empress dispatched to the Court of Azere. This is not how she left the Court of Jasmyne. Her current guise is of her own doing, done in route, and does not represent the attitude of our Empress. I could do nothing to prevent her transformation, though I assure you that I made every effort to. But alas!'

'You could've brought her here in irons,' snapped the Prime Consul, the Sol family trait of geniality noticeably missing this morning. 'That would've been far better.'

'Sir, the thought crossed my mind, but as we ride with the Lancers of the Imperial Regiment, her old regiment, her own men, I was powerless...'

Ren Loh swung half about and flashed her men a wide smile.

'Still, as I say, please read nothing reflecting the Empress's intentions into her appearance. It is simply an expression of Lady Ren Loh's whim.'

'I regret that my appearance has upset you, father. It is in this – guise – if you will, that I am most comfortable. I am most myself. I can assure you that my Mother did not send me here to insult you,' she added flatly, with a deliberate total lack of sincerity, though that, too, was no doubt the truth.

Insulting the Prime Consul was all her own idea.

'Please, Father,' began Lefe and looking to his bride-to-be, 'She is...'

'Who she is,' snapped Ren Loh, to cut off any soft talk on Lefe's part. She had already taken his measure.

And then reaching into her coat, she pulled out a chronometer and after glancing at it said. 'Ah, not yet the third hour. We had an early start today, sir. I would like to see to the barracking of my troopers, and then perhaps a pot of tea and some light eats would be in order to hold me over until the midday meal. So may I be as bold as to suggest that we cut this greeting ceremony short. We can discuss my personal appearance, or any other questions you may have, over tea and sweets.'

'It's over, as far as I am concerned,' replied the Prime Consul, and spinning around, marched up the steps through a path hastily cleared for him by the court officials and staff standing behind him on the steps.

Ren Loh gave a brief bow to the rest of the greeting party, and turning to Lefe said, 'My dear Colonel, perhaps we can attend to the barracking of my troopers and the stabling of their mounts.'

This, at least, was something within Lefe's area of expertise. He spun about to issue orders. 'Captain Larc, see to the dispatch of the relief guards. Kel, do you still wish to visit the library?'

'I think not.'

'Good. I would greatly appreciate it if you would remain in town for the next few days at least, so that you might help me show Ren and her entourage around Azura.'

'Of course, I would be delighted,' I said, with little bow. I could lie diplomatically when needed, as well.

All in all, things could not have gone better for poor Lefe, if one assumes, that is, that Ren Loh's eagerness was just an act and that Lefe's natural kindness and gallantry would not win her around. Could Lefe's father be so heartless as to force him to marry this strange creature – even if her appearance was also just an act?

'Lieutenant Torn,' Lefe continued, 'Off you go to relieve the guard. Now, if you will follow me, Lieutenant Loh, I will see to the needs of your men and horses.'

Ren Loh smiled, and with a nod, she led Lefe back towards her waiting troopers.

Moll, neighed, and with a gentle tug, pulled me towards the stable as well.

Chapter 04 The Exhibition

01

It was a little after the third hour of the second quarter of Azera's dawn day, the 5th to be precise. Outside, the air was still crisp and cold, and the Yellow Lantern had not yet risen above the eastern rim hills. Nevertheless, the bright days had come around again. Without classes or the possibility of travel, I had risen rather late and had just put the kettle on the oil burning stove for tea when I heard the faint clatter of horseshoes on the pavement in the courtyard below. As a rule the residents of Birdsong Square do not ride horses. That I occasionally ride one is entirely due to my friendship with Lefe. And it is his friendship that usually brings the clatter of horseshoes to Birdsong Square followed by a knock on my door by a guardsman bearing a message from him. That being the case, I didn't bother to step out onto the balcony to look down, but was content to open the door on the first knock. I found not a messenger, but the Colonel himself in the dim, narrow hallway of my tenement.

He gave me a cheerful greeting, which I politely returned as I stepped aside to usher him in. 'What brings you around so early on this fine day? Should I add more water to the kettle or are you in a great hurry?'

'Oh, you might as well; it is too early to call on my bride-to-be. She is staying in the palace guest quarters,' he sighed, and began to pace my sparsely furnished main room. 'She is kept, if not quite under lock and key, next door to it. I can see her only in the company of the Sir Ers and a flock of other court and embassy officials fluttering about. Every meeting to date has been almost a state affair.'

'Puts a crimp in your wooing, does it? Still, I suppose it doesn't matter. You can woo her after the ceremony.'

He stopped to give me a dark, impolite, look. 'It's not a question of wooing, as you well know. It's a matter of having a chance to talk privately, of sharing our thoughts, of arriving at an understanding. I believe we both feel the same way about this dung-encrusted affair.'

I regret to say that I could not resist the temptation to tease him a little.

'Well, she might have seemed a little highhanded and not quite Azere polite in her manner, but then that might be expected from the daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne. Still, she seemed eager enough to be your bride, riding ahead of her caravan as she did, unable to wait.'

'I know you're teasing me, Old Teacher, since you can read her as well as I. Her expressed eagerness was nothing but sarcasm. You heard that she deliberately made herself unattractive and no doubt acted as she did to express her displeasure at her fate. I am certain that we are of like mind. We just need to share our thoughts and make plans as to how to deal with the affair.'

'I'm sorry Lefe, I could not resist. Still, you must consider that marrying some unknown third son of the Azere Prime Consul might be seen, as a dung-encrusted fate, but marrying the kind and charming Lefe Sol, might easily come to be seen as something else entirely. Knowing you, I'm sure that you've been your charming, considerate self whenever you are with her, Sir Ers, and the flock.'

'And what if I am? I know how much I resented being told to marry some stranger. Just think how much harder it was for her, to be sent off on a long journey across the wide steppes in the dark days to a strange court – as if her mother could not wait to be rid of her. How can anyone not be sympathetic to her plight?'

I nodded. 'Sympathy and a willingness to please are part of your shining character, my friend. I owe much of my happiness in Azera to just that. I would not have you change. I am merely pointing out that in this case, it may complicate your so-called dung-encrusted affair. It is one thing to talk about running away from some abstract fourth daughter, and another to abandon even such a strange creature as Ren Loh.'

'She's not a strange creature.'

I gave him a sharp look. 'You already know her better than me, which makes my point all the sharper.'

'I would not have to abandon her, should the wedding get called off.'

'Ah, yes... But how likely is that? While your bride-to-be certainly made herself a very unattractive daughter-in-law at her first meeting with your father, is there any talk of calling it off? And if she is trying to stick a lance into the wheels of this proposed wedding, are you following her lead and stridently objecting to marrying such a strange creature? Or have you gone about apologizing for her to everyone as you have to me?'

He stopped pacing and stared out into the branches of the old pine and the yellow sky of dawn day behind and above them. 'I'm not a complete fool, Old Teacher. I can follow her lead, at least when I am with father. And I have once again strongly objected to this forced marriage, and to marrying someone like Ren Loh.'

'To no avail.' That was clear enough from this dark mood.

'None,' he sighed, glancing back to me. 'Every time father sets eyes on Ren Loh he reacts like he's been poked in the eye. However, he's taken the attitude that she will be my problem, not his.'

'Still, a poke in the eye is bound to get old over time...'

'Oh, that can easily be solved. He informs me that he'll appoint me governor of Mayaday after our marriage, and that if I ever want to see Azera again, I'll need to return with a brace of grandchildren.'

I couldn't think of anything encouraging to say, and felt it would be cruel to tease him further, so I said nothing.

Lefe continued to stare out into the pine branches in silent thought, while I waited for the water to boil. When it did so, I poured it over the leaves in the pot and carried the pot and two cups over to the large table that was the main feature of the room.

'It was easy enough, my Old Student, to talk of fleeing to Lankara for a career in academia when she was only a name and the date a season or more away. I would imagine that it's a lot harder decision now. But still, I take it no date has been set. Perhaps the whole affair can be put off into some distant future season. Come, have a cup of tea and yesterday's sweet dough buns.'

I moved the papers and writing materials on the covered the table off to one side to make a place at the table for him.

He turned away from the glazed panels, and settled into one of the reed chairs on the far side of the table, taking one of the sweet buns to nibble on while we waited for the tea to steep.

'The date has not been set yet. It will depend on whether or not the trade union treaty is ratified by the Assembly of Nobles.'

'Is that in doubt?'

'There will be a debate, arms will have to be twisted, but in the end, I think not.'

'Then how soon afterwards? How long can it be put off?'

'Who can say?'

'So there is no way to avoid the wedding, except fleeing.'

He shrugged. 'Who can say? If I knew what Ren is thinking... But I cannot find that out until I can have a private conversation with her. And since there must be people in the room whenever we meet – I'm told that it is protocol – I cannot find out what she really is thinking.'

'That situation can't last forever.'

'It only has to last to the wedding day,' he replied bitterly. 'Though I assure you, I will not let that happen. I'll contrive to have a private word with her, sooner rather than later. We must reach some understanding.'

'Well, if she has continued to treat your father as she did at the welcoming, I can't see any wedding taking place in the near future.'

'She has, not that it will do her any good, since, as I said, he's made it clear that she's my problem, and the sooner he can ship us off to Mayaday, the better. Nothing she does will delay the wedding once the treaty passes.'

He paused, took another nibble of the sweet bun, before continuing.

'Still, I admire her bravery. I should not like to be as disliked as she has made herself. I want her to know that she is not fooling me. And more than that, I want her to find some joy in her stay here, no matter how long or short it may prove to be. It must be very sad to be so disliked and treated more or less like a prisoner by her own people. I'd like to do something about that. To that end, I plan to get her away from the embassy and the palace – to take her out about with my friends. I hope that you might be available to accompany us on some of these outings. I know you usually spend the bright days in some dim and dusty library, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would make yourself available for some of the outings.'

'You know I'm not exactly the life of any party. You can easily get by without me.'

'Yes, yes, I know, Old Teacher. Still you are someone I can trust, and perhaps your aid will come in handy. Besides, you know my friends, and I will certainly arrange a feast or two with our scholarly friends as well, so you should not find it too trying. And well, you will live the life of a Sol – wine, women, songs, and dance – at least until the treaty is ratified and the question of the marriage becomes pressing.'

I could not refuse – and not for the wine, women, songs, and dance – but because I owed him too much to refuse any such request. 'Yes, of course, though I can't help but feel that I'm hardly necessary. You have so many friends.'

'But I have only a few that I can speak my mind to on this matter. Few who are not connected to the palace and policies of my father. And few that I could tell Ren that she could trust as well.'

I nodded, and though I dreaded being used as some sort of messenger in this affair, I was in his debt. 'Well, you can count on me for the wine, women, and songs. Dancing is, however, out of the question. And I still have my classes once the bright days are over...'

'Oh, with enough wine and women, I'm sure we can get you to dance as well,' he laughed, adding, 'Hopefully the treaty will be ratified early in the Assembly so that we can – somehow – abandon this charade of an engagement before the dark days.'

Good luck with that, I thought, but did not say, as I poured the tea into cups.

02

The following day the Lankarian Science and Industry Exposition held its official opening ceremony and an exclusive reception for the invited nobles of the Azere. It kicked off at the second bell of the last quarter. Beyond the diplomats and embassy staff, there are not many Lankarians living in Azera. So few, in fact, that even a young, unknown historian is, on the occasion of a large dinner party at the embassy, sometimes invited to attend. I've been invited to perhaps a dozen dinners in the 65 some seasons I've lived in Azera – clearly near the bottom of their list. Not that I blame them, for I either talk far too long once launched on my very obscure historical interests, or on realizing that I'm liable to talk far too much, I say nothing much at all. I was, however, invited to attend the grand opening of the Exposition, with the expectation that I spend my time informally touting Lankara's amazing products to the people that count.

I arrived fashionably late so as to avoid all but the last of the speeches. Indeed, my timing was perfect, as the last one was underway as I joined my fellow Lankarian riffraff lurking at the back of the crowd. After silently greeting my friends and acquaintances, I looked to the low platform where the Prime Consul, his family, the greatest of the Azere's nobles, Lankarian diplomats, and industrialists stood solemnly listening to a preview of the wonders of Lankarian science and industry they were about to experience. That is, as soon as Sir Vern, the Lankarian ambassador, finished his description of those wonders.

Ren Loh was one of those on the stage. She was hard to miss, since she stood on the edge of the platform, rather remote from the rest. Only Lefe and several Jasmyne officials stood at her side. The fact that she was dressed in black instantly set her out from everyone else, since black is only used as a trim color in most of Azere's societies. Whether it was worn in Jasmyne, I can not say, save that the other Jasmynites were not dressed in black. Her black trousers, tucked into black boots, had a gold line along the seam, and her black jacket had two rows of gold buttons and gold trim along the edge of its tall collar and down the front. She wore a pale yellow blouse, barely seen under the braiding between the two rows of buttons, and a black scarf around her neck. Unlike the customary jackets that most women wore, hers had no embroidery at all, and with her very short hair and those large, black rimmed spectacles, she looked like a tall, slim boy. She stood at parade rest, hands held behind her. Her spectacles hid her eyes, but she appeared to be staring off into the darkness of the great hall's tall, arching ceiling. Lefe stood uncomfortably, at her side, attempting to keep a look of interest on his face as Sir Vern droned on.

Once his speech wound its way to its inevitable end, Sir Vern led the Prime Consul, assembled nobles, and their families in a procession down the first aisle of the exposition pausing at each booth to point out the wonders it contained. I, along with the rest of the Lankarian riffraff, held back until the crowd had been swallowed up by the long aisle, brightly lit by Lankarian spark-lamps. Having seen them safely on their way – there were four such aisles filled with wonders – we quickly made our way directly to the refreshment pavilion at the far end. There, we settled in and made ourselves at home with the Lankarian wines, beers, cheeses, and sweet treats the pavilion offered. The wonders of dear old Lankara held no appeal to us. We'd come for the free food, which is to say, for the same reason we turn up for embassy diners, when invited. We did ourselves proud until the official party rounded the far corner of the last aisle and began making their way down the home stretch towards us and the refreshment pavilion – no doubt, by now, in great need of it. We grabbed what spoils we could carry off, and scattered to the wilds of the exhibition.

I made my way through the rows of booths, the various types of motor vehicles on display, and the hulking industrial machines, toward my favorite part of the exhibition, the rail company's model rail display. I loved to stand and watch the little rail carriages and wagons run through a miniature countryside of steppes, mountains, farmlands, and cities, along with the crowd of children that the model rail exhibit always attracts. Standing tall over the youngsters already gathered, stood a slim figure in black. I hesitated, undecided as to what to do. I had downed several glasses of Lankarian sparkling wine, and eaten my fill of rare treats, and so I was in no need of the spoils I'd brought away from the refreshment pavilion. And while I was not strictly speaking drunk, I was feeling generous and kindly disposed to the world. To my surprise, I found myself willing to brave the sarcasm of Ren Loh – and do my Lankarian duty to promote our fine products – by offering her a glass of wine, a selection of fine cheeses, and sweet treats and, perhaps, a little friendship as well for Lefe's sake.

Slipping through the youngsters, I reached her side and said lightly, 'Your supply column has arrived, Lieutenant Loh.'

She started slightly, stood just a little straighter, raised and turned her head so as to look down on me through her large spectacles. She thought for a second and then said in a chilly voice, 'Lefe's bandit friend...'

'Kel Cam, at your service, Lieutenant, bearing the loot of the refreshment pavilion for you,' I said with a slight bow while offering her the glass of wine.

'Thank you, but no thank you,' she said coldly.

'Oh, come now, I'm merely Lefe Sol's friend. I've no connection to the Azere court or politics. I'm actually a Lankarian, a historian who happens to be teaching here at the University. Trust me, I don't matter, so there's no reason to consider me one of the enemy, or be unpleasant. I've no coins in the game.'

She studied me through the lenses, and then relaxed – a little.

'Please, accept the wine and help yourself to the treats,' I added with a smile.

'That is very generous of you,' she said, rather sarcastically, still looking down her long nose at me.

'Not at all. As an old hand at these affairs, I marched directly to the refreshment pavilion as soon as the rope was parted and have been doing myself proud ever since. I've already enjoyed several glasses of this fine Mirtara Sparkling wine, and eaten my fill of these tasty Carnia cheeses and traditional Lankarian sweets. However, with the approach of the nibs, I lifted these as a matter of principle and made my escape. Your need is no doubt far greater than mine, so please take them off my hands, as a favor,' I added, handing her the glass of wine. 'You see, I'm only invited to this affair to tout Lankarian wares, so you'd be soothing my conscious by accepting them.'

'Oh, I suppose, as a favor,' she said with a slight nod, accepting the wine glass and selecting one of the cubes of cheese.

'Thank you, I feel better already,' I laughed, and added, 'I see that you have escaped your captors. Lefe tells me that they have you under virtual house arrest at the palace.'

'Child's play. I can slip out whenever I choose – but for now, no point letting them know that.'

'Your secret is safe with me.' I considered what I should say next – if anything. Normally, I'd be content to say nothing and Ren Loh seemed content to watch the little rail carriages travel slowly through the miniature landscape in silence as well. But I had those several glasses of wine, and since I had her to myself at the moment, I thought perhaps I should take advantage of the opportunity to put a word in for my friend.

'Since we are currently without your keepers, I will take advantage of that fact to say that I hope you will accept Lefe Sol's friendship as well as mine. His sympathetic attitude and eagerness to please are intrinsic to his nature. They say nothing about his attitude to the affair that you both find yourselves caught up in. Whatever you think about this arrangement, having Lefe as a friend will make your life more pleasant.'

'You speak for him?'

'Not officially. However, I know his thoughts, and when I last talked to him, he had not yet found a chance to talk to you in private. Knowing how charming he can be, I fear that you might assume that his attitude was an expression of an eager compliance with his father's wishes. It is not. It is simply who he is.'

'From what you say, a girl could do far worse than marry Lefe Sol,' she replied with a sarcastic smile and a little toss of her head that sparked a flash of light from her spectacles.

'True,' I admitted, but added, 'If you could win his heart, which, however, I believe he's already given to someone else.'

She gave me a long measuring look, and said nothing more.

I racked my brain for some polite questions that would not sound like an interrogation, but finding none, settled on the mundane, 'This is always my favorite part of every exhibition. I had a little rail set as a child, but nothing this elaborate, of course. There is something about a miniature landscape that is, well, charming.'

'Perhaps because it is not real. It is harmless.'

'Harmless, yes. But if you use your imagination it becomes a tiny working world, a simple understandable one. If you follow the rail around the table you can see how the whole world works and fits together.'

She gave me another glance, but had nothing to add. I abandoned my effort, content to watch the little rail carriages and wagons slowly circle their little world in silence.

'What brought you to Azere?' she asked after a while, hauling me back from that miniature world.

'The original works of the Nine Sages,' I replied. 'I'm a historian who is studying the Dark and Dawn Classics – or rather, the original writings that were eventually collected and edited to create the Dark and Dawn Classics.'

'A historian studying history books?'

'Yes, in a way. You see, the Dark and Dawn Classics were collected and edited 10,000 seasons ago. They were based on written stories attributed to the earlier Nine Sages who first set down in writing the traditional orally transmitted stories about the Elder Civilization and the Great Dying. Over the course of 500 seasons or so all the various versions of each of these stories were examined, argued about, and eventually collected and edited into the standard volumes of the Dark and Dawn Classics that we know to this day.

'Now, what I am doing is going back to the original, unedited versions of these stories and examining them in the scientific light of what we now know about the Elder Civilization, or what we in Lankara refer to as the Valley Civilization, since its ruins are found almost exclusively in the valleys. I'm searching for clues in the use of words in these early writings that may offer a better understanding of the Elder Civilization, the Great Dying, and what led people to leave the valleys for the steppes and the uplands. And with that explanation, I'd best stop. For, as Lefe warned you, I can go on for hours – and do in my lectures.'

'I've been warned. So why are you here in Azera instead of in Kara?'

'Because here was where the Nine Sages wrote the stories that became the Dark and Dawn Classics, and a surprising number of those original works or early copies can still be found in the libraries of the Blue Order communities within walking distance from Azera. So here is where I must be.'

'And what great discoveries have you found in those dusty libraries?'

'I am looking only for subtle clues. For instance, the orthodox text says that the surviving Elder people spread out from the valleys. Some older texts use the phrase "emerged from" instead, which has a slightly different meaning. And then there are old texts that describe Elders as being "confined to" the valleys, which suggest that they were not free to roam the steppes and uplands as we are. Take all that with the fact that you can often find evidence of poured stone walls in the rim hills of the valleys with Elder ruins in them – walls that do not seem to make a pretense of keeping people in or out, and one has much to ponder. I am now only finding things to ponder, but perhaps some day I will be able to suggest answers as well.'

'To those questions?'

'Perhaps. Or perhaps just raising those questions for other historians and scientists to answer will be enough to make me famous – since I am the only Lankarian scholar who is studying these manuscripts. I'll settle for a narrow sliver of fame – among historians,' I added with a laugh. 'But that's enough.'

She smiled. 'At least you have your life's work. I've yet to find mine, unless it be riding a horse in the hill country forests trying to keep the peace among the hill peoples.'

'You're still young enough to be whatever you want to be.'

'It appears that I am to be only what my mother wants me to be.'

I would have replied, but at this point, we were discovered by Sir Ers, and several aides.

'Ah, there you are, my lady,' he exclaimed, and then gave me a dark, inquiring look.

'Ah, this is.... Some Larkarian,' she said haughtily.

'Kel Cam,' I said, playing my part.

'He has been trying to sell me this sparkling wine...'

'A fine Mirtara,' I said and added, helpfully. 'You can find a sample at the refreshment pavilion, if some riffraff Lankarian hanger-ons have not drunk the bottles dry already.'

'And these cheeses and sweets,' she added, as I held up the plate.

Sir Ers was clearly not buying this, but didn't know what to make of me, and so simply decided to dismiss me. 'Come now, my lady. Let us join the party at the pavilion.'

Ren Loh surrendered gracefully. 'Thank you, sir,' she said, handing me the empty glass. 'Mirtara, you say?'

'Yes, my lady,' I replied, and proceeded to hand the glass and nearly empty plate to one of Sir Ers aides. 'If you would be so kind as to return this to the pavilion, I would be most grateful.' And then with a slight bow, I turned and continued to watch the little rail carriages and wagons go around and around.

03

Which is where Lefe found me some time later.

'Where's your bride-to-be?'

'She left, more or less hustled back to the palace,' he said with a faint smile.

'What did she do now?'

He shrugged. 'Nothing outlandish. When they found her – she had slipped away during the grand tour – Sir Ers brought her over to the refreshment pavilion. Father ignored her, but I politely asked her how she liked the exhibition.

'She launched into a fine, loud, and spirited speech about how there was nothing here that you could not find anywhere in Jasmyna. There are spark-lights and spark-stoves in the palace, motor-carriages and motor-wagons on the streets. Rail lines will soon link all the major Jasmyne cities, and those of the Eastern Nations as well. She went on to say how rapidly the Jasmyne Empire was adopting not only Lankarian science, machines, and thinking, but their new way of manufacturing on a large scale. How little workshops were being replaced by factories. How the brightest of Jasmyne youth were being educated in Lankara, bringing the new ways back to Jasmyne.'

'I believe that is true. You Azerians are rather set in your ways – not that I mind, I like your ways,' I remarked.

'Well, if she had stopped there, all would've been well...'

'But she didn't. What did she add?'

'She then asked the rhetorical question, "Why do you think my mother wants this treaty so bad that she sent me here to seal it?" And then, answered it. "Because in the next 100 to 200 seasons, Jasmyne will be outproducing, out building, and out inventing Lankara. And with the trade union in place, the whole of the Azere will be our market to exploit. It will be Jasmyne businesses that build the rails throughout the Azere, it will be our industrialists who build factories here, and our motor-carriages, our motor-wagons, our spark-lights, our spark-stoves, and our spark-motors that Azere will come to depend on. Inside of 200 seasons, we will own the Azere, all thanks to the trade union."

'All this, mind you, within the hearing of a dozen nobles, the rulers of Azerian nations and peoples,' added Lefe with a sly grin.

'It went over well, did it?'

'Father coldly told her that he would not let that happen.'

'She looked down on him, and replied that once the trade union treaty is ratified, he could not prevent it. Azere's nobles, and their nations and peoples, were too used to doing things their own – old ways – to respond. Her mother was no fool, she said. "Ask yourself why a nation half the size and population of Azere is so eager for this trade union, if they did not see a great advantage in it," and left the question hanging.

'Sir Ers then tried to downplay her remarks – but I suspect that she got some powerful people thinking.'

'As a scholar of trade and geography, is there any truth to her claims?' I asked.

Lefe laughed, 'I am not an expert in Jasmyne's trade policies, but I have little doubt that they are adopting your wonders far more rapidly than we are. And since the Empress wields far more power and wealth than our Prime Consul, when she sets her mind to something, she can make it happen. Our Prime Consul can, at most, strongly suggest, since the Assembly of Nobles keeps the Blue Throne on a short financial leash. And she is right; we are quite set in our ways. So yes, on the whole I think that she could well be right that Jasmynite businesses expanding into Azere will have a big impact on our lives.'

'Then why is your Father so anxious to have the treaty ratified, if it means opening up the empire to Jasmynite businesses that will likely dominate it at some point in the future?'

'I think, Old Teacher, that my Father doesn't care if Jasmyne grows rich, since it will, in the end, become one of the nations of Azere – if all goes as he plans...'

I thought for a moment. 'Your father expects to win politically, while the Empress expects to win on trade and wealth.'

He nodded. 'If the person who sits on the Yellow Throne in Jasmyna is no more than a noble of Azere, my father will not care who owns the factories... They'll all be Azere's. And that, in one form or another, is his plan.'

'Assuming a Sol sits on the Blue Throne.'

'Or a Sol and a Loh... Both can win in this game.'

'Yes, I suppose so. Still, will the nobles buy that line of thinking?'

'Probably. Maybe. Both my father and the Empress want it; each believes they're going to win with it. There may be some opposition to the treaty in several quarters, and apathy in others, that could be turned to opposition. I'm not sure if she was just stirring the pot, Ren Loh being Ren Loh, or if she is trying to shove a lance into the wheels of the treaty. But I can say this, I'll not marry her if the treaty is not ratified. That is one certainty, and that, I believe, is the real reason my dear bride-to-be was stirring the pot. Of course, she wasn't sent here to shove a lance into the wheels of the treaty, so she seems to be burning her bridges rather freely...'

'She's a strange creature. I did have a chance talk to her during her escape.'

'You did? What did she say, what did you say to her?'

'Well, I took it upon myself to advise her to accept your offer of friendship, whatever her plans. That your concern and attention does not mean that you are compliant with your father's wishes. I dared go no further than that.'

'And what did she say to that?'

'Something along the lines of a girl could do worse than marrying you.'

He sighed.

'I think she was being sarcastic, given the fact that her actions almost seem aimed at sinking the treaty, and the marriage,' I said, to reassure him. 'The trouble is that it's true. You are too fine a fellow for any girl to pass up, given the opportunity, or the orders...'

'What am I going to do?' he sighed, again.

'Cheer up. I'm certain that she doesn't really want to marry you. Just try not to change her mind, and follow her lead. It will all end well, I'm sure.'

'Ha!' he replied bitterly. 'It will end with my marriage to Ren Loh unless I run.'

My further attempts to lift his gloom also failed, and after a time he found my optimism oppressive, and wandered off while I made my way to the Cam Industries booth to pass the time with Uncle Ham and the staff before helping to clean up the remaining sweets and treats and then make my way home in the waning hours of the brightening day.

Chapter 05 The Bright Days

01

The next morning I received a note from Lefe inviting me to ride with him, Ren Loh, and a detachment of Guards and Lancers for a day's outing on the following morning. A day in the saddle was not something I could get very excited about, but having promised to stand by him, the following morning found me once more in the stable yard of the Palace Guard. A stable yard filled with 42 men and their horses, a mix of Guards and Lancers, who were talking, larking, and lounging about, while awaiting the order to mount up. The Jasmyne Lancers, having bunked in the Guard barracks for several days, had already formed an easy comradely with their counterparts in the Guard. The last battle between Jasmyne and Azere forces lay more than 5,000 seasons in the past, and while there remains a certain rivalry between the two greatest empires, the shared characteristics of the two regiments far outweighed that rivalry. The Lancers had likely settled in far more comfortably than Lieutenant Ren Loh.

Moll had been saddled and, I would like to believe, was eagerly waiting for me. Eagerly, if only because I greeted her with a friendly pat and a couple chunks of sugar. It was my habit to keep on her good side with sweets. She neighed a polite "Thank you."

Ren Loh arrived from the guest quarters shortly after I did, along with Captain Jan of the embassy and her personal companion, Aunt Kina Tor, a widower of a Lancer who had been her regimental mother who had helped raise her.

Lieutenant Ren Loh, when with her Lancers, was a smart, cheerful young officer who commanded them with easy grace and authority, even if she was technically the least senior officer present. She treated Lefe with her cool, ever so slightly arrogant mask and gave me a brief nod of greeting as we formed up. She, Lefe, and Captain Jan took the lead. Captain Larc, Aunt Kina and I made up the second rank, followed by the 42 troopers in mixed order – since this was just an informal outing. A fast coach with our midday meal brought up the rear.

We rode north at an easy pace, up and through the rugged and forested ring hills and then beyond, out into a vast patchwork of farm fields and pastures that would fade in a day's ride into grazing land, then into marshes, shallow lakes, and the tall grass steppes. Lefe kept a lively conversation going in the first rank, though he had far more success with Captain Jan than with Lieutenant Loh. In our rank, Aunt Kina, proud of her regimental daughter, entertained us with stories of Ren growing up in camp and on the march with the Imperial Lancers. I gathered that while Ren Loh's father raised her to be an Imperial Lancer officer, Kina raised her as one of her own daughters, and with some success, she assured us, despite her current guise. We were assured that she was just a strong-willed girl who resented being told who to marry. Resentment, however, does not necessarily mean defiance, and Kina seemed to suggest that everything would work out fine, given the circumstances. This last with a meaningful glance to Lefe cheerfully riding ahead of us.

At midday we commandeered an empty Sol family pasture to make and eat our midday meal. After that, Ren Loh suggested a game of Goal between the two regiments, which Lefe readily agreed to. With Lefe and Captain Jan acting as referees, Lieutenant Loh took to the field with her men – running, passing, jumping, and, as slight as she was, blocking – pausing only briefly to find, and replace her spectacles every time they were knocked off. And all the while she was issuing orders, yelling encouragements, and taunting the opposition with enthusiastic vigor. She was clearly in a familiar element, thoroughly at home with her men – and they with her. As friendly as the game was, it was played with vigor under the direction of a joyful Ren Loh.

'I believe, Old Teacher, that I now know how to entertain my bride-to-be,' Lefe remarked to me as I stood next to him watching the lighthearted mayhem. 'And keep her from having to put on that cold, arrogant act of hers day in and day out.'

I wasn't convinced that it was all an act. She was, after all, the daughter of an empress. 'And that is?'

'A regimental meet. Games, races, bouts, and contests of all sorts. They're quite common when two regiments bivouac together, as you should know, being the regimental historian. I'm pretty sure we can fill the bright days with games. I'll have all four of my squadrons compete – squadron vs. squadron – so its not to make it Guard vs. Lancers.'

'No wine, women, song, and dance then?'

'Oh, never fear. There'll be time enough for all that in the last quarter. A leisurely pot of tea and sweets along the Reed Bank after a long day on the playing field should be just the thing.'

The Lancers had managed to touch the ball on their goal stake one more time than the Guards when Lefe diplomatically called time, giving them the win.

When a rather battered, but triumphant Ren Loh swaggered up to Lefe to stare down her long nose, flash her spectacles at him, and crow about her Lancer's victory, Lefe congratulated her with a smile, and then broached the prospect of a regimental meet.

Ren Loh clapped her hands and beamed, 'Excellent! Why that's just the thing! You're so clever, my dear husband-to-be! However, you needn't worry about making it fair. Select the best from your 400 Guardsmen and I'll match you with my 100 Lancers!

'No, no. We don't want to make it Guards against Lancers. They're getting along so well. It will be squadron vs. squadron. Not only is that fairer but it will make for a lot more games.'

She considered that for a second, smiled and nodded, 'An excellent point! We can discuss the events to include on the ride back. Right now, I need something to drink. I find that my throat is quite parched.'

02

The regimental games ran for ten days, from mid 2nd to late in the 3rd quarter of each day. There were team sports, including Goal, Bats, and the horse mounted version of Goal called Clunk. There were horse races around a track and long cross country races and relays. There were a variety of martial arts contests. And there were the military show pieces of each regiment – the elaborate maneuvers that displayed the skills of both the riders and their horses.

The beauty of Lefe's regimental games was that it allowed me time to put the finishing touches on my first paper, "Insights into the Elder Civilization in the Early Writings of the Nine Sages" that I intended to submit to the Journal of History and Archaeology. I had submitted several short notes over the past seasons, but this was my first comprehensive introduction to my research. Someday it would form the first chapter of my groundbreaking book on the clues to the Elder Civilization that had been lost when the writings of the Nine Sages had been consolidated and edited into the orthodox Dark and Dawn Classics.

Unable to leave Azera for the Blue Order communities, as my usual custom, my bright days fell into a regular pattern. I'd awaken with the time-bell of the square ringing two and one, and do my daily staff and stick shadow-fighting routines on the roof in the company of the housewives hanging their laundry. It amused them. I would then spend the rest of that quarter working on my paper, with my table pulled close to the open panels to catch the best light. After my midday meal I'd set out across the colorful city, to spend a few hours of the third quarter watching the regimental games on the large parade field, outside of the city wall. I might then either stay on to dine with the regiment in the mess, or walk down the Grand Boulevard to help Uncle Ham and my countrymen explain the many benefits of our wonderful products to visitors of the ongoing exposition.

Lefe, on the other hand, pressed into duty by his father, was spending his last quarter wining and dining the nobles and their families in an effort to promote the treaty – which he felt duty bound to do, no matter the personal consequences – on the Islands and along the Reed Bank. Since these were people I neither knew, nor felt comfortable with, I begged off the wine, women, song, and dance he promised, citing family obligations at the other end of the Grand Boulevard.

After my midday meal on the 16th, I made my way, as usual, through the city to the wide parade grounds outside the city walls. I had been surprised, on the meet's first day, now six days past, to find Azerian civilians in the stands watching the games. By the 4th day, the parade grounds had taken on a crowded, festive air. Food carts and stands lined its perimeter, filling the warm air with tantalizing scents. Colorfully dressed men, women, and children filled the stands and overflowed onto the grounds between the playing fields. The children ran hither and yon while their mothers gossiped in clumps, and canny sportsmen placed their bets with bookies in the warm glow of the Yellow Lantern, now high overhead.

I found Lefe watching one of his squadrons going up against the Lancers in a game of Goal. Unlike the bright, active, sparrow-like Ren Loh who was always about cheering them on, if not participating in, every sporting event, Lefe played the majestic Colonel, calm and serene, who, with his hands in his pocket was content to call out the occasional 'Good Show!' 'Charge!' or 'Carry on, lads!'

'Greetings, Lefe. Quite a crowd today,' I said joining him on the noisy sidelines.

'Amazing, isn't it. Hardly room for all of them. I hadn't realized these games would prove so popular, especially since these are not holiday days. We'll have to do this more often.'

'Well, I think your bride-to-be has something to do with that.'

'Really?' he asked, turning to me. 'What makes you say that?'

'You don't have to be a diplomat or a noble to know that the marriage between the imperial families of Azere and Jazmyne is a big event. I suspect that many of them are here to catch sight of your bride-to-be, especially since she's rumored to be such a strange creature.

'She's not a strange creature.'

'Well, strange or not, she is the talk of the housewives of Birdsong Square, and no doubt all of Azera,' I laughed, adding, 'At least judging from the housewives doing their laundry on the roof while I work through my morning shadow-fighting routine. I've had to try to answer many questions about your bride-to-be, since I'm known to be a friend of yours.'

'What do you tell them? I hope it wasn't that she's a strange creature.'

'Oh, they may've come to that conclusion on their own,' I said, rather guiltily. 'Still, strange or not, she seems pretty popular with Azerians. She may look like a boy, but they find her childlike enthusiasm for the games, and her willingness to get in and mix it up with the boys rather endearing. Not everyone approves of this marriage, of course, but I think on the whole, she's made a much better impression with the people of Azera than she did with the ruler of Azere.'

'That would not be hard to do,' remarked Lefe with a grin.

'True.' I could have added, but did not, that anyone observing Lefe and Ren Loh together these days, at least on the playing field, would assume that the marriage was a given. I don't know if they still put on the show of disdaining each other in the palace, but on the parade ground and in the barracks they had a casual, cheerful, and seemingly effortless partnership.

He was silent for a moment, before saying thoughtfully, 'That's probably not good, is it? Her popularity, I mean.'

'That depends on if you marry her or not. If you end up having to marry her, her popularity will go a long ways into making your life and marriage a happy one.'

'I am not going to marry her.'

'Have you told her that?'

He shrugged. 'I've tried. But she's evasive. She says that there is no point in planning a battle before you know your enemy's strength and the lay of the land, adding that she will honor our understanding.'

'What understanding does she intend to honor?'

'Ah, now there you have me. I can only assume that she is referring to my remark about getting married only if we fell in love with each other.'

'Have you?'

'Have I what?' he replied evasively.

'Have you fallen in love with Ren Loh?'

'Well, I've grown fond of her. I admire her spirit and bravery. I like her when she's with her regiment, bright and chipper. But I also admire how she's not intimidated by my father or Sir Ers. She can be quite regal when she cares to.'

'So I've noticed. So just how fond of her are you?'

'Oh, as one might be fond of a young cousin. But not as a lover. My heart's desire hasn't changed.'

I let that ride, and skipped on to another question, 'Has your father set a wedding date?'

'No plans can be announced until – or if – the treaty is ratified. Ren tells me that the treaty is the price of her hand in marriage. No treaty, no marriage.'

'And that's a sure thing.'

'Not any more. The fact that Sir Ers and his staff are negotiating with the leading nobles of the Assembly, in order to win over some reluctant votes, suggests that there is a chance it will fail, at least this time around.'

'And if it fails?'

'Neither Ren nor I will agree to be married. I'm certain of that.'

'And if it passes?'

'That, I believe is the battle; we must wait to see the lay of the land and the strength of our opponents.'

From the lay of the land and the strength of their opponents, that I could see, I'd a feeling it would end in marriage. Still, they seemed to share enough of a friendship and common interests that a successful partnership might be formed. Which, when it comes to arranged marriages, was likely as good as it gets. Love might well come later.

'And speaking of events,' he continued, a few moments later, 'I will expect you to present yourself at the palace boat harbor tomorrow for a picnic dinner on The Peaks.'

As I mentioned, I had been saying 'no' to all his previous invitations. 'I think I'll give it a miss again, if you don't mind. I need to put the finishing touches on my paper before my classes begin again.'

'Not this time, Old Teacher. Tomorrow's outing will be just a small party, a dozen or so old friends from the University...' He named them – a couple of my former students, several of his old student day friends along with a couple of spouses – all people I knew and enjoyed.

'Plus there are four other young people here, in town, with their families. There is one in particular that you need to meet. She's just graduated from the University of Kanitara, and, like you, has been studying the early Dark and Dawn Classics. She tells me that she is interested in unraveling their authorship using linguistic analysis. Plus, she comes bearing a dozen copies of pre-orthodox manuscripts she copied from Blue Order libraries in her far northwest corner of the empire, which she is quite willing to share with you. She plans to stay on and continue her studies at the University, so I, of course, promised that I would introduce her to you and see what I could do about getting you to share your collection of pre-orthodox texts with her. She will no doubt be a student of yours next term.'

'A dozen old texts...' I muttered. 'You do know how to tempt me. Though, of course, I would be glad to share my texts with any fellow scholar.'

'Plus she's very, very pretty.'

'Her texts are sufficient,' I admitted.

'Excellent. I will expect to see you in the first hour of the last quarter, at the palace harbor.'

'Yes, of course. My pleasure. Thank you.' Pretty was all very nice, I suppose, but the prospect of a dozen new ancient texts to study, well...

And with that, we turned back to the match before us, the Lancers against the Red Banner Squadron. Ren Loh was on the field and in her glory, a little general directing the Lancers' attack. As I mentioned already, though a mere lieutenant, she was very much in charge of "her" Lancers. Even off the playing field, she seemed in charge of "her" regiment. Whether this was due to the fact that the fourth daughter of the Empress pulls more weight than a Captain, or if it was simply due to the fondness that she was held in, I could not say. I suspect, however, that it was mostly fondness, since she had been in the regiment since she was a little girl and, for the last 150 seasons, ridden with them on their extended patrols which included a number of skirmishes with raiders and bandits. Plus, I think it amused them, as it did me, to see the assurance, authority, and great enthusiasm of Ren Loh, spectacles flashing, in action. If she was not participating in the event, she was cheering on those who were – following the action on the sideline as it surged back and forth, urging the men on, even if it was not her Lancers in the contest. She cheered and applauded every bold play and congratulated both the winners and losers alike. Though strange in appearance – and one grew used to that quickly enough – her sparrow-like assurance more than made up for her bookish boy look, light, girl's voice, and childlike delight in the contests. It made her cold arrogance seem a mere act.

After the game, she walked over to us, greeting Lefe cheerfully and briefly teased him about losing to the Lancers. Then, turning to me, she adopted her imperial personality, cocking her head and coolly looking down her nose at me, acknowledged me with a slight nod, 'Bandit-scholar Cam.'

'Lieutenant Loh,' I replied with an equally cool and formal nod. I took it to be a game.

'Have you given this bandit-scholar his orders about representing your regiment in staff and stick matches yet?' she said, turning to Lefe.

'I was just getting around to it,' lied Lefe transparently.

I needed to put a quick end to that. 'Honored, but no thanks. It would be unfair for me to compete, seeing that this is a regimental tournament. I am no more than an honorary member.'

'Pff!' Ren Loh said dismissively, still looking down her nose at me. 'I waive any objections.'

'Very generous of you, I'm sure. But my answer is still no. I'm sure that there are plenty of guardsmen who can compete. Why Lefe here is likely the best of the lot. And I should know, since he routinely bests me in our matches. I'm certain that you'll agree with me that he should do more than stand about and shout "Good Show!" every now and again.'

She turned on Lefe and gave him an imperial look. 'You seem to have forgotten to mention that.'

He shrugged, and with a faint smile, said, 'Since I have four squadrons in these games, I cannot show any favoritism by playing for one squadron or the other. So I believe my proper role in these games is to shout "Good Show!" every now and again.'

She looked back to me. 'You say he's the best of the lot?'

'I cannot speak with complete authority since I've not seen all the guardsmen practice. But I have sparred with Lefe since my first days in Azera, so I can say that he has always been better than me. And far more competitive as well. If you're looking for a Guard champion in staff and sticks, look no further than the Colonel here. I will referee, of course.'

'You're only trying to avoid a few bruises, Old Teacher,' said Lefe.

'And what if I am, Colonel Sol? Still, with the honor of the Guards at stake, you can not settle for less than the best, and that would be you. I'm sure you'll not mind a few bruises for the honor of the Regiment.'

'Why practice with stick and staff if you're afraid of a few bruises?' asked Ren Loh, turning to me.

'Mostly for exercise. I do, however, travel into the steppes on foot in order to visit the more remote Blue Order communities, so I think it prudent to be able to use my long-stride staff as a defense against any steppe hounds that might consider snacking on me. And then too, I often stay late on Scholars' Street in the dark days, so being able to wield a walking stick against some street bandits, if necessary, is some comfort as well.'

'Well, if not stick fighting, what can you compete in?' she asked, looking down her nose at me.

'Penmanship,' I replied promptly. 'I have a very elegant hand.'

'Pff!' she said, and dismissed me with a superior sneer.

03

Ren Loh never accompanied Lefe on his last quarter excursions to the Reed Bank or the islands. Indeed, she was actually forbidden to accompany him or to go out on her own. Once the games were over for the day, she was held more or less a prisoner in the palace guest quarters. Her little speech at the exposition had insured that. Sir Ers feared what she might say to the nobles and courtiers who flocked to the Reed Bank establishments with the vote now so iffy.

'I'm expected to spend the last quarter keeping company with the women of the family,' she told me as we stood together watching a duel.

'Heavy duty, I would imagine.'

She laughed and gave me a sidelong glance. 'It is. Though I will say that Lefe's mother and sister have made an honest effort to welcome me, and the others who come and go – the assorted nieces, cousins, and such – are at least polite. I try to be polite as well since they don't count in the grand scheme of things. However, they've grown up in mansions and palaces, while I, in camps and forts among the men of the regiment, so we have little in common. Still, we get along in a quiet way. And since I'm always so exhausted from the day's contests and yawning over the first cup of tea, I have a ready excuse to retire early, greatly lessening the strain on all of us.'

'No thoughts of slipping out for a last quarter on the town?'

'Too tired,' she replied, shaking her head. 'No point running any risk of advertising my ability to escape at will. Getting out and then back in again would be a bit of a challenge in the bright days.'

I gave her a sidelong glance. 'And in the dark days?'

'Pff! In my sleep,' she replied with cold serenity, with a sidelong glance of her own, down her long nose.

04

I presented myself at the palace dock at the proper time, as ordered.

There I found one unfamiliar, but rather remarkably pretty girl waiting on the poured stone steps of the harbor along with my old friends. Lefe hurried over to draw me aside to introduce me to her. Her name was Wava Norlara, Lefe's Dark and Dawn Classics student.

She didn't offer much about herself. In fact, she didn't say much at all and I didn't want to seem like I was interrogating her, so we said little. What little she did say was polite and concise. I thought at first that she was very shy, but she had a subtle air of assurance about her, that did not fit with that assumption. It almost seemed that she was on edge, afraid to say anything at all. I had to wonder what Lefe had told her about me.

What she did say was that she came from the far west, where the Blue Lantern always hangs just over the eastern horizon. She added quietly, that it was a hill and steppe nation, best known for its trade routes to Lankara and the hill peoples of the far west. My knowledge of geography and the hundreds of nations and peoples of Azere was far from complete, but I had the vague impression that there was an Azere nation of Norlara just on the western border of Lankara and Azere. If so, given her name, she was likely a member of the ruling family. Indeed being in Azere, along with all the other noble families, all but confirmed that. However, since this was her first time in Azera, and the rulers and families usually gather for the Assembly every 30 seasons, her exact position in the ruling family was hard to place. I was, however, quite content to be patient on that point.

Lefe had her sit across from me in the barge so that we might have a chance to talk about the Dark and Dawn era during the boat trip out to the largest of the pleasure islands, The Peaks, located at the center of the lake. Lefe assured her that it was the one subject that I could talk about, and talk on and on about. She smiled and said that she was sure that we would find plenty to talk about. But we didn't.

It seemed that she preferred to take in the beauty of the lake, its slowly undulating surface dotted with dozens of brightly painted boats, barges, punts, and sailboats, their colorful sails glowing under the Yellow Lantern high in the firmament. I didn't mind her silence. I was content to occasionally point out the sights to her as we passed them and in the meanwhile, exchanged news with my familiar friends.

Our four experienced oarsmen kept our barge skimming over the water with almost effortless ease, beat upon measured beat. The helmsman standing in the stern kept the barge knifing through the gaggle of boats towards the distant blue green spire of The Peaks. We passed the smaller green pleasure islands with their tea, eating, and spirit pavilions lining their shores, and their docks filled with the boats of their customers. Beyond these pavilions were carefully tended pleasure gardens, stands of dark pines, and pavilions bright with richly dressed ladies, nobles, and the wealthy, young and old. Their laughter, and wisps of music drifted out to us as we passed them by.

Once we left the five smaller islands behind us, we had the lake nearly to ourselves, with only a string of boats before and behind us, bound for The Peaks.

It was warm in the golden shadow cast by the canvas awning overhead, as we lounged on the padded settee that circled the passenger section of the barge, chatting happily, and laughing every now and again. The water gurgling alongside was cool, as was the occasional puff of a breeze from behind us. White and black gulls whirled and screeched overhead while, in the distance, vees of wild ducks and geese could be seen flying low over the water, a darker, fluid mirror of the bright sky.

As the pine encrusted spires of the island began to loom alongside, I happened to glance at Lefe, in the stern, and caught him exchanging a look with Wava across from me. I can't claim to be socially astute, but I realized why Wava Norlora was so reserved in my company. She was The Girl from Somewhere Else – the intense emotions in their brief glance gave the game away. I smiled as I realized that this outing to the wild island of The Peaks was just an excuse for the lovers to meet in secret, for The Peaks had many trails and hidden coves among the rocky spires where lovers could find solitude for a time. And I, a mere feint, a diversion. Hopefully, her texts were real.

We docked at the Pine Arbor Tea House, one of only three on the island, and set out in pairs along a trail for the picnic spot Lefe had reserved, high in the pine forested spires followed by a train of servants bearing the meal in baskets.

The Peaks earned its name from the towering fractured stone spires that made up the island. Scores of steep, pine shaded paths wound their way up through the moss encrusted rocks, with ancient pines and bright birches growing in every crack and fissure. Up and up we climbed, around and through cool green stone walls, alongside and over deep green fissures. There were little fissures to leap over and narrow paths that twisted through the damp rocks to navigate. And, along the way, there were trails that ended with views over the lake. These spots had fire pits, and stone seats for picnicking parties of all sizes.

As we climbed higher and higher into the rocks and pines we halted every now and again to catch our breaths or take in a sweeping view of Lake Zera and the Azera valley. The picnic spot Lefe had reserved was a small plateau near the top of the peaks. Half shaded, half in the gold light of the Lantern, it offered a wide view over and through pines boughs looking towards the north, with the White Palace in the east, the small village of Beria on the western shore, and between them, a patchwork of paddies and fields that rose to the dark pine rim hill that circled the Azera valley and lake. We were high enough to look down on the gulls that wove above the clear waters below.

Cushions, brought by the servants, were set out to make the circle of rock seats comfortable while a fire was lit in the large fire pit and water put to boil for tea, after which we roasted hunks of meat and vegetables on skewers for one of the several courses of the meal. Wava remained reserved, but Lefe, wary of showing her more attention than the rest, left it to me to keep her in the conversations while we ate. After the meal, I drew her into a discussion about her work with the Dark and Dawn texts. I was happy to discover that Lefe had not been lying about that. As long as we were comparing notes on our work, she talked quite freely, and knowledgeably. From the sly glances I caught, I am sure my friends thought that Lefe was matchmaking when he invited this shy, pretty young scholar along on this picnic. It was a master stroke of misdirection.

After the meal, the party broke up into smaller groups or couples who disappeared for strolls through the maze of paths among the pine shaded rocks. I played my part until I felt that I could leave Lefe and Wava alone, and did so.

The hours passed unnumbered by the time-bells of the squares. Sometime much later – indeed, sometime in the second hour of the new day, when even the half a dozen cups of tea could not keep me, and many of the others, from yawning, we staggered down the steep paths to the Pine Arbor, and home to Azera.

I waved off the man dozing in this rickshaw before the palace gates and walked home through the bright and eerily empty streets of the city; a city that had been all but abandoned by its inhabitants for the land of dreams.

05

I slept in and so, after my shadow-fighting among the many-hued rows of laundry dancing softly in the east wind, I had my combined breakfast and midday meal before wandering across town to the festive parade grounds to have a little chat with Lefe.

I found him, as usual, on the sidelines roaring a few encouraging words to his guardsmen – in this case, both sides were his guardsmen, so he had twice the encouragements to shout out.

'Ah, Old Teacher. Did you enjoy the picnic?' he asked as I came alongside.

'Very much.'

'And what did you think of Wava Norlora? Was she everything I promised her to be? Pretty, and well up to the mark on those classics you find so interesting?'

'Ah, I think I'm in love,' I sighed, just to see him panic. Cruel, but it was not an opportunity I cared to pass up. He deserved it.

He grew pale, and gulped.

I laughed, and slapped him on the back. 'Do not panic, my young student. Knowing your secret, I'm not blind. I hope you had a good chance to...ah, talk together.'

He sighed. 'Thanks, Kel. It was a risk I needed to run. And not only you falling in love with her. Ren has warned me that I'm not to be seen with her.'

'You told Ren about Wava?'

'I told her that I was secretly in love with someone else, and had hoped to make it official with her arrival in town. I didn't mention names. She warned me that if our affair ends in a scandal, as it certainly will, the gossips will be looking for reasons and people to blame. So that if I ever wanted to be able to bring my true love home and win my father's approval for marriage after the scandal dies down, I needed to keep my love completely untainted.'

'Ahh, well, I suppose...' I said doubtfully.

'I believe Ren's warning was out of concern for me and my love, not one of jealousy. She also warned me that secret meetings are often not all that secret, and would only make things worse...'

'But you ignored that advice.'

'We needed to talk, if only once. I believe that I handled the affair with exceptional cunning.'

'By fixing her up with me – since we share the same academic interests – to allay any suspicions, while choosing a spot where you could almost certainly get away unobserved. Very clever.'

'I thought it was,' he said with a happy smirk. 'There was always the chance that you might get infatuated with her – I would think that you could hardly help it. But I didn't want to clue you in, since sincerity seemed to be the key to our mild deception. And Wava tried to be as cool to you as politeness allowed in order to prevent any misunderstandings. But I'm glad you saw through it. I was worried that you might, well find her as attractive as I do.'

'Oh, I do. And if I didn't catch you gazing on her like a befuddled sheep, I might have dreamed a little. But I did, so you're safe, Lefe.'

'I hope so, Kel. For I will want you to look after her, should I have to go away. As I am sure you know, she's going to be continuing her studies at the University...'

'Yes, we made plans to share our research and materials. Even before the next term begins.'

'Excellent. I don't know how this whole dung-encrusted engagement is going to play out or how long the scandal that ends it will last. I may well leave and never come back. So it would be a great comfort to me if I knew you were looking after her. I'm sure you won't find her a burden – she is quite mature and self-reliant, but finding herself alone in a far bigger city than Kanitara will be a new experience for her. You know how it is getting accustomed to a new place...'

'Yes, and I would be very happy to return some of your kindness towards me by looking after your Wava. I'll see that she settles comfortably into University life and that she can look to me for any sort of help. I'm in your debt, Lefe, and I am glad to have this way of repaying your kindness. Though I expect it will be both a pleasant and a rewarding experience working with Wava Norlora.'

'Within limits, my Old Teacher. Within limits.'

After that, the remaining handful of bright days flowed by unmarked. I did not see Wava again, as Lefe was very careful not to call attention to her. The games drew to a close and I put the finishing touches on my paper and sent it off. When the first twilight day rolled around again, I spent it recording the results of the regimental games. All five of the squadrons had won events, but the Lancers had won the most, so that they could, and Ren Loh did, claim victory. Lefe was quite content to let her.

The following day I returned to my University office where Lefe, Ren Loh, and assorted staff paid a surprise visit to me. Lefe explained that he was showing Ren the sights of the University and that my office was one of the sights. I welcomed them warmly, showed them my desk, my four reed and cushioned chairs for students and visiting staff to sit on, and my wall of shelves and drawers for books, journals, and the odd piece of art, much to their amazement, I'm sure.

Chapter 06 The Dark Days

01

The rain days had come and gone and I was working in my office. I had finished my tutoring for the day, and I was at my desk reading the student papers I had assigned for the bright days, in the small pool of golden light from the oil lamp on my desk. My University office was a deep and narrow fifth floor poured stone cave with west facing windows, which made it a very dim cave in the dark days. It offered just enough room to fit two chairs, a desk and another chair behind the desk across, with a narrow passage to the window end, and its two cushioned chairs and a window seat. In short, cozy.

I heard a quiet knock on the door frame.

'Enter,' I said without looking up as I dashed off the last line of my comments on the paper I was grading. 'Just give me a moment to finish this note, while I still have it in mind...'

When I looked up a moment later, I discovered Wava Norlora framed in the doorway.

'If you are busy, I could come back another day, Scholar Cam.'

'Goodness, no. Come in, come in. I've been reading my way through this pile of student papers and believe me, I welcome any interruptions. But you are a special one. I've been hoping you'd come around sooner rather than later.'

'Really? You're not just being polite? Truth is that I'm rather embarrassed calling on you so soon. I hope I'm not appearing too greedy in taking you up on your offer to lend me your manuscripts. But I have a lot of time on my hands... And... Well... I have brought around my manuscripts as I promised you,' she said, lifting her satchel.

'I'm as eager for yours as you are for mine. Please take one of the comfortable seats by the window. I'll light one of the oil lamps so we talk in comfort.'

'Oh, I can sit on this side of the desk – I'm used to it,' she laughed, sitting down on one of the chairs on the student side of the desk.

Even with her face stark with mix gold highlights and dark shadows across the desk from me, she was a pretty girl. I rather envied Lefe. She was not only someone pretty, but someone with whom I could talk with unguarded, for hours, about the most obscure classics without – too – much fear of boring her. Still... I leaned forward and said quietly, after a quick glance towards the door, 'Ah, Wava, I don't know if Lefe mentioned anything to you about me, but just so we can work comfortably together, you should know that I am aware of how things stand between you and Lefe. He has asked me to look after you until things are, well, settled. So, please, do not hesitate to call on me if there is anything I can do for you.'

She nodded. 'Yes, he said he would tell you about us. However, at present, I'm with the family at our townhouse, so I am well looked after.'

'Good. Then let's see what you've brought me, and after that we can decide where you'd like to start with my manuscripts...'

We spent nearly two delightful hours looking over and discussing the various manuscripts, our work, and theories. Yes, I envied Lefe, but I suppose life is more than Dark and Dawn manuscripts...

After she had selected the first manuscripts she wanted to copy, and packed them in her satchel, we stood to say our goodbyes.

'Thank you, Kel. I shall have these back to you as quickly as I can.'

'Don't strain your eyes. I have everything I need for my classes this session, so take your time,' I assured her as the shaft of light slanting in through the open door dimmed slightly, announcing yet another visitor. I glanced to the doorway to see Ren Loh turning away.

'Lieutenant Loh, don't go,' I called out. 'Come in and join us!'

Caught, she hesitated, stood a little taller, and turned back. She was dressed more or less as an Azere male, with dark blue trousers, a plain, pale, blue boiled wool outer jacket – light colored to be better seen in the Blue lit darkness – and wore a dark blue silk scarf around her neck among the tall collars of her outer and inner jackets and blouse. She had a rimmed, felt hat, at her customary rakish angle on her head. In the dim blue light, her expression, what I could see behind the spectacles, was cool and reserved, her look outside of her regiment, for most people, most of the time.

'Step in. Don't be shy,' I added, and looked behind her, expecting to see Lefe, or some embassy official.

Catching my gaze behind her, she said, 'I'm here alone, Scholar Cam. I was passing on the boulevard and just thought to look in, but I see that you're busy.'

'We were just finishing up. Allow me to introduce you to Wava Norlora, another student of the Dark and Dawn Classics. She has just arrived with her family from Kanitara. Wava, this is Ren Loh, daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne and the bride-to-be of Lefe Sol.'

'Of course, I recognize you,' exclaimed Wava, stepping forward to offer her hand. 'I watched several of your games from the sidelines. I was delighted by your enthusiastic play, and cheered you and your Lancers on.'

Ren Loh took her hand, with a nod, while giving her a close look, questioning her sincerity, while saying, coolly, 'A pleasure to meet you.'

'We have a mixed male and female regiment in Norlora and my uncle is its Colonel, so I have watched many a regimental game. Often they are boys against girls – slow, dumb, brute force against speed and cleverness! That is why I enjoyed watching you on the field, showing all those boys how to play the game!'

That brought a small smile to Ren Loh's face, and she lowered her head so she wasn't looking down on Wava, at least. 'Thank you, Wava Norlora. Alas, I am the only exception in the regiment, and only because my father was its commander, and the Empress' consort. Would the mixed regiment you were talking about be the Landa Lancers?'

'Yes! You know of them?'

'I do. Should the treaty fail, and with it, my wedding, I'll need to find employment. For you see, I've no intention of returning to the court of Jasmyne. I've burned my bridges behind me. Knowing only the soldier's trade, I have made use of my husband-to-be's office to identify possible future employment.'

'I pay little attention to politics, so I do not know how likely you are to need employment, but should you find yourself in need, I would be glad to write a letter of introduction to my uncle, Colonel Klava. I'm sure he'd welcome an officer of your experience and enthusiasm.'

'I would appreciate that,' said Ren Loh, tentatively, perhaps caught off guard by Wava's eagerness to please.

'Why, I'll do it now, as long as we're both here, if you like. That is, unless you think it would be inappropriate? I should hate to sound like I'm making any assumptions about the treaty or your marriage.'

Knowing what I did, I had to suppress a smile. Still, it was a kindness.

'Oh, that doesn't matter. It is well to be prepared – to have a line of retreat in mind when facing an uncertain fate, for it is my understanding that the treaty hangs in the balance. And as thoughtful and delightful as Lefe Sol is, I must confess that I resent being told whom to marry. So, if you have a moment...'

'Certainly. Scholar Cam, may I borrow a sheet of paper and a pen?'

I pulled out a sheet from the drawer, pointed to the pen on my desk, and waved her to my desk chair. After a moment or two of thought, she quickly wrote her letter and handed to Ren Loh, 'Do you think this will serve? I thought it best not to name you, in case you might care to adopt a different name.'

Ren Loh gave her a sharp thoughtful look, but on reading it over, smiled, 'You are too generous.'

'No, no. Trust me, I truly admire your courage and determination. And I can well appreciate the situation you find yourself in. I am more than happy to help you in any way. And if I can do anything else for you, I am staying at Norlora House.'

I suppressed another smile. Still, there was a sincerity in Wava's words that mere self-interest did not warrant.

'Thank you, Wava. With my future so uncertain, this letter offers me some peace of mind.'

'Be sure to use it if necessary. And do not hesitate to call on me here in Azera if you think I can assist you in any way. Now, I must be on my way; I will leave you to Scholar Cam,' she said, briskly gathering her satchel, coat, and hat. 'Thank you again, for the use of your papers. I will return them as soon as possible.'

And with a few more words, Wava Norlora made her exit.

'You have a charming girlfriend, Scholar Cam,' said Ren Loh with an elegant leer and a flash of her spectacles. 'I like her,' she added as she carefully folded up her letter of introduction.

'Wava Norlora is merely a new colleague. We share an interest in the writings of the Nine Sages. I don't know her exact status, but she arrived here with her family for the Assembly. I assure you that poor historians are not glittering prizes for the daughters of nobility.'

'Pff! You forget how dangerous you look. Even the daughters of nobility find dangerous looking men attractive. I'm certain you light fires of passion in many a young girl's heart.'

'Speaking from 50 some seasons of teaching, I can assure you that a two hour lecture on the stylistic and structural differences between the writings of Aba Kol and Sax Vix effectively extinguishes those fires.'

'But you don't deliver two hour lectures in private conversations, do you?'

'Ahh... In those I do try to focus only on the essential points, so, with luck, I'm able to reduce that lecture to a little less than half an hour. I've found from the embassy dinners, however, that it is still a little less than half an hour too much.'

She gave me what may have been a sad look. It was too dim to tell. 'Are the Nine Sages all you can talk about?'

'It seems so, with strangers, at least. But enough about my plight. What are you doing here, without your keepers? I take it you've slipped away.'

'Yes. Without the games there are only so much card games I can play with my men. And now, the Prime Consul has his whole family wining and dining the wavering nobles' families, whose votes he needs, leaving me at loose ends. It means, however, that I won't be missed. And now, in the darkness, I can come and go as I please.'

'To do what?'

'Ah, that is the nub of the question. When I told my dear husband-to-be that I could join him on the Reed Bank or in the Islands, he turned quite pale,' she laughed. 'Apparently he feels that the consequences of the treaty failing to be ratified are more dangerous to us than its ratification. And knowing that I intend to slip out without his help, he decided that it was in his best interest to see that I could do so without getting caught and into trouble. He knows that I do not mind a little trouble all that much,' she added, with an arched look.

'So, in exchange for a pass key and a tour of all the servant quarters and the palace's hidden passageways and doors, making coming and going nearly risk free, I promised to avoid the Reed Bank and the Islands in my rambles. He was also going to talk to you about being my guide – my keeper – for these expeditions, which is why I am here. However, I have the feeling that he hasn't found the time to do so yet.'

I shook my head. 'No... I haven't seen him since he showed you around the other day. No doubt he's being kept too busy to drop by after my lectures.' I looked away from her for a moment to think. I was not eager to be out and about with Lefe's bride-to-be, even in the dark day city. I did not dislike her, but I knew we'd not only make a strange – and notable – couple, but that I had no chance of actually keeping her from doing whatever she cared to – whatever that would turn out to be. In short, she was a dangerous companion to be out and about with. Still, I owed Lefe a lot...

Looking back to her, I said with all the cheer I could muster, 'Still it is of no matter, I'm your servant. Azera is a far more attractive town in the bright days, but it retains some of its charm in dark days as well. Plus it is a very social city in the dark days, though there are parts of the town best avoided as well – and the shops close early, so if you want to do any shopping, we must hurry.'

'Shopping? Pff! What would I shop for?' she asked, cocking her head to look down her long nose at me, shaking her head. 'Shopping...'

'Then what do you want to see? Where do you want to go?'

'Oh, I don't know. However, I'm sure I'll know it when I see it,' she replied with a rather unnerving smile. 'If you feel obliged, mount up, Cam. Let's be on our way.'

I had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well, but what could I do now, save grab my jacket, hat, walking stick, and extinguish the lantern on the way out? Locking the door behind us, we strolled down the long and largely deserted fifth floor corridors to the Grand Boulevard stairwell and then out onto the broad street, turning right, away from the White Palace. A long, straight line of arching trees divided the wheeled traffic from the foot traffic. We started off, past the shops and cafes that lined the boulevard beyond the University.

The Grand Boulevard was alive with pedestrians and wheeled traffic. Every carriage, wagon, and cart sported colorful lanterns on poles angled out ahead and behind. Some of the colors were simply the whim of the owner, others were in the customary color and shapes. Rickshaws, for example, had a round, green lantern on a tall pole to be easily seen and hailed. Many of the pedestrians also carried small lanterns. They were not needed on this broad and busy boulevard, well lit by the Blue Lantern in the eastern firmament. They were, however, useful once the people turned down in the narrow north-south side streets, dark in the shadows of the tall tenements.

The cool air was filled with the low rumble of wheels, the rhythmic clatter of horseshoes on the pavement and the jingling of their harnesses. Occasional sharp comments of the wagon drivers could be heard over the quiet conversation of the couples, and playful chatter of children in the flow of pedestrians. Stalls and peddlers were not allowed on the boulevard, but at every cross street, one could hear their distinctive calls from the shadows of the narrow street as they chanted their wares and menu. And with every street we passed, we caught whiffs of their fragrant offerings.

'Where would you like to go? What would you like to see?' I asked after we had walked in silence for a while.

'I want a taste of Azera life.'

'The dark days are not the best days for that.'

'Oh, come now, Kel, you know as well as I that it's just moved inside.' It seems that I had become a first name friend, which made me wary. She made me wary.

'That may be true, but I'm afraid that I'm only familiar with the dark day life around the University – Scholars' Street. And we can't be seen there. People know me, and you, and would talk seeing us together. We don't want that, do we?'

'It doesn't matter to me, but for the sake of your reputation, no. We'll just have to find some other bright spots where you're not known.'

Not if I could help it, I thought, but said, 'Fine. I'll start by showing you around Azera's finest boulevards. Perhaps we can find a cafe that appeals to you.'

'Pff,' she said softly.

'They're lively enough in the bright days, and I don't see why they wouldn't be just as lively, or even more so in the dark days,' I replied. The truth was that they offered a pretty refined "lively" life. Lively enough for me, and they were almost, if not entirely free of drunken knife fights.

She gave me a knowing glance, 'Oh, I suppose if you want to risk being seen with me by some nobles out on the town, we can start with the boulevards cafes. We'll just see where that leads.'

There was that... Still, I knew the city, and she didn't, so that I could steer clear of the places I thought it would be unwise to discover in the dark days with Ren Loh in tow. And did so. I have to say that she seemed content just to stroll the bright and busy boulevards, wandering into the little forecourts to gaze upon the wares displayed in the brightly lit shop windows and past the colorfully lit cafes, whose customers were still huddled around the open air tables in the small forecourts, since the air was still mild enough for the hardy cafe goers, anyway. In short, I was able to show her enough bright spots of life to keep her amused. And in the darkness, thankfully, unrecognized.

While we walked, we talked. She was in a bright mood, taunting me to deliver one of my deadly boring lectures, but I declined. 'If you want to know about the stylistic differences between Sax Vix and Aba Kol, you'll just have to sign up for my class. I've a living to make, you know. How would I eat if I just gave away my lectures for free? Tell me about your life in the Lancers. From the stories Aunt Kina told, and the few stories I overheard you telling during dinner in the barracks, it has been far more interesting than mine.'

She cheerfully obliged with stories of her adventures, and a wide selection of barrack stories as well, handed down, generation to generation of lancers so that they were more legend than fact.

We'd been walking for an hour or so when she insisted that I take her around to Birdsong Square. 'I've only lived in forts and camps, tents and palaces. I want to see how a scholar lives.'

'I'm sure I live just like everyone else in Azera lives, who doesn't live near the palace.'

'And how is that? How do all these people live? What's behind these dim lit balconies? Jasmyna is not like Azera. We don't have all these endless blocks of flats. How do you live, Kel? You're not frightened of taking me home, are you?'

I was, though I couldn't put my finger on just why. I was certain it wasn't wise, but then, being out with Ren Loh wasn't wise. Still taking her home was safer than taking her to the types of places I think she was looking for, so we left the wide boulevards for the dark, narrow canyons between the tenements. These streets still had people drifting homewards or standing about gossiping in lines before the noodle and soup shops, so they were familiar, and safe.

We climbed the steps to my Birdsong Square flat and I showed her my two rooms – the main room with the big table, half covered with my papers, my four cushioned reed chairs, my shelf of books and manuscripts, the oil stove that I cooked on – when I cooked – and which also heated the room in the cold dark days. And my sleeping room, with its low pallet and a wardrobe for my clothes.

'I approve,' she said. 'I like that you live a spare, simple life. The life of a trooper.'

I gave her a glance. Why did she need to approve of my life? 'It's all I need. I spend half of the bright days on the road, and most of the dark days at the University and Scholars' street. Still, it's home.'

'My home was the regiment. When I was young, it was Aunt Kina's quarters. When I officially joined the regiment, it was a junior officer's room off the barracks, or a tent, when on patrol. No place more than half a dozen seasons at a time. Now, I have no home at all.'

'Well, from what Lefe has told me, you're due for a long spell of living in the governor's mansion in Mayaday once you and Lefe are married,' I said, to tease her. 'I gather that you'll not see Azera again until you can bring a brace of children with you.'

She smiled. 'That's putting the cart before the horse.' And she tapped the pocket with her letter of introduction.

02

From my flat we returned to the bright, broad streets, ending up on Clover Flower Boulevard.

'I confess I'm feeling a bit hungry,' she said. 'Let's find a place for dinner.'

'Well, I know of a nice, reasonably priced, tea house that serves food and is close by. However, it is technically on the Reed Bank, so I don't know if your promise allows it. It is, however, far enough from the palace – not far from the Lake Gate – so it should be beyond the notice of the nobility and court officials.'

'Oh, I think we can take Lefe's Reed Bank as the noble watering hole, not as the whole street. Lead on, Kel.'

The Blue Crane Tea House was set on the bank of Lake Zera. It was a two story, unimposing establishment wedged in between two other unimposing establishments – a spirit house and a sing-song house, none of which boasted a titled clientele. The Blue Crane, however, offered fine tea and a variety of light fare at prices a historian could afford, so I was a fairly regular customer, when I was in town during the bright days. Its long and deep second floor tea room offered a nice view of the lake through the tall lake-side widows. We left our coats, hats, and my stick in the cloakroom, climbed the steps, and were led by Dera, the hostess, into the dim tea room. We had just reached the empty table lit by a lantern at its center when I heard my name called out over the low chatter of voices. Peering about, I spied Ore Bay and his wife Kaya Tew at one of the far tables. He waved us over.

My heart sank a little. Still it could be worse. Far worse.

Dera paused and gave me a politely questioning look.

'I see two good friends of mine. Would you mind if we join them?' I asked Ren. 'They're also good friends of Lefe. Ore's a fellow historian, and his wife, Kaya Tew is an artist. Neither are connected to the court or nobility. There should be no trouble or diplomatic consequences of dining with them.'

'On your head, Kel,' she laughed brightly. 'I don't mind trouble, as you know.'

It was always going to be on my head, so I waved back, nodded to Dera, who lead us across the room to Ore and Kaya's table.

'Join us, Kel. We just arrived ourselves and haven't ordered,' said Ore, waving us to the empty seats across from them 'Have we met your friend?

'Lieutenant Ren Loh,' I replied, and left it at that. She could add more if she chose.

'Oh, I keep telling him that it's just Ren. He's being sarcastic with the lieutenant title, though I was a lieutenant at one time,' she said.

'That's interesting. Are you now a student, or just a friend of Kel's?' he asked, giving her a welcoming smile. It was dim enough that he might not have even recognized her as a her.

Kaya, did, however. And she knew who and what she was, as well. 'Why, Ore, this is Ren Loh, the daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne. You know, the girl who is to marry our Lefe Sol.'

'Oh, my!' he said, peering closer at her. 'So you are! So you are. I'm sorry, my thoughts are usually several thousand seasons away in the past. I pay little attention to the present. And I must admit that I don't often get this close to history in the making either. So you are the girl Lefe is to marry...' he said, and peering at her, added rather tentatively, 'Charming... Ah, is Lefe with you? Or are you just out with Kel?'

'Please ignore his shocking ignorance, my dear, and sit down,' said Kaya. 'He is indeed often hopelessly lost in the present. And very rude as well.'

'My dear husband-to-be is busy further up the Reed Bank wooing votes for the trade treaty,' said Ren, adding with a wicked smile in my direction as she took her seat, 'Lefe has charged Kel here with looking after me while he is so engaged.'

'Why aren't you with Lefe, if I may ask?'

'It seems that the Prime Consul and Sir Ers, the senior Jasmyne official on hand, believe that I may not be the best promoter of the treaty, so I'm kept safely locked away in the palace.'

'But you're not,' said Kaya. 'Safely locked up in the palace.'

'No. I got bored and slipped out to see a bit of the town. Lefe suggested that his good friend Kel might show me around, and hopefully keep me out of trouble,' she laughed. I was relieved to see that she had not abandoned her cheerful good mood for the high-imperial demeanor she could adopt with strangers. 'He rather reluctantly agreed, and has so far succeeded in steering me clear of the life I want to see,' she added with a leer in my direction. 'Present company, excepted, of course.'

'And why would they lock you up in the palace?' asked Ore, and getting an elbow in his side from Kaya, added, 'Or should I not be asking that? Forgive me if I am being impolite, but as a historian, I am used to digging out such matters – usually in age old letters or accounts. I am unused to dealing with real people.'

'That's no secret. You need only to look at me to see their point.'

'I was wondering about that. Is your hair style the new fashion in Jasmyne?'

'Please ignore my dear husband... Why he is being so indiscreet, I cannot say.'

Ren shook her head. 'I don't mind. And so to answer your question, I was raised by my father, the Imperial Consort, in his regiment, the Imperial Lancers. I spent most of my life in camp and on the march, growing up to become a junior officer of the Lancers. This is simply a manner and a look that reflects what I was raised to be.'

'Pff!' I said quietly, imitating Ren.

She flashed me a quick smile.

'Still, a haircut is hardly a reason to keep you locked away.'

'I believe that for some reason they take my hair style as a sign that I am disinclined to be the bride of Lefe Sol.'

Seeing further questions forming on Ore's face, I added, 'Their marriage was arranged by their parents without their consent...'

'Or even our knowledge,' added Ren.

'It's a purely political marriage. I gather that there is some sort of unwritten understanding tied to the trade union treaty the Assembly of Nobles is considering.'

'Ah...' said Ore, still a bit lost.

'Of course keeping me from talking to the nobles it is not all about my looks,' Ren continued. 'The Prime Consul is aware that I am quite willing to explain the reasons why my mother is so eager for a trade union treaty that opens up our country to a nation twice our size and wealth.'

'Which is?'

'My mother thinks opening the Azere market to our traders would benefit Jasmyne far more than the Azere having access to ours. In time, it would ensure the economic dominance of Jasmyne over the Azere when the two empires eventually combine, which both my mother and the Prime Consul feel is a certain, and not too distant, eventuality. The Prime Consul no doubt feels that if the Sol family marries into the imperial family of Jasmyne, then the Sols will have an excellent chance of remaining on top of the combined empires, regardless of which half dominates the other economically.'

'Why then, is your mother feeling so optimistic about the treaty's eventual outcome?'

'Mother feels that power flows from wealth,' laughed Ren, and went on to explain how the rapid adoption of Lankarian inventions and business practices would allow Jasmyne to become wealthy and dominate the Azere Empire, and the combined one, in time.

'We are, indeed, set in our old way,' Ore said with a nod. 'So set in our ways that your mother might be underestimating just how set we are, perhaps overestimating how open we are to adopting Jasmyne's new ways and products. And thus, how quickly the wealth of Azere will flow to the east. Time will no doubt tell, but that's a future historian's concern.'

At this point the waiter arrived to take our order, after which Kaya took charge of the conversation, steering it to various aspects of life in the Jasmyne and Azere – with a little Lankarian life thrown in as well.

We said goodbye to Ore and Kaya a little before the 3rd hour on the Reed Bank. They lived a little further south, and we turned north.

'It's a little early, but I have a class tomorrow, so perhaps we should probably be making our way back towards the palace.'

'We can follow the Reed Bank back to the palace, can't we?'

'Ah, yes, but that would hardly be wise, assuming that you wish to honor your agreement with Lefe. We can make our way back via the boulevards without going too much out of our way.'

'Pff! We can risk it. No one will recognize us in the dark,' she replied, flashing her spectacles at me as she raised her head to look down on me. 'Besides, you've yet to take me to the places I want to see. There seem to be plenty of nice, friendly wine and spirit houses not far up the way that we can look into. You've had your tea house, now it's my turn. I promise to get you home by the new day. Don't worry. I grew up in a lancer's regiment. I'm not the innocent young girl you appear to take me for, my dear Kel,' she added with a taunting laugh.

I decided there was little point in arguing. It wasn't a battle I was going to win. 'Fine. But as your guide, I get to choose the house.'

'Pff!' she replied, and eagerly set out up the Reed Bank. The lakeside side of the street was lined with lamp-lit signs that invited customers in for the good time they were looking for, be it tea, food, beer, wine, spirits, sing-song girls, music or games of chance.

We'd not gone two blocks, before she stopped. 'What's that?'

'What?'

'That music. I recognize the tune... It is a Kalarin Hill people tune... Sort of... The rhythm's not right, though. Still...' she muttered, looking around to find the source of the music that drifted faintly out of the darkness over the clatter of rickshaw traffic. On the scent, so to speak, she crossed the street dodging those rickshaws. I followed her, once more with that foreboding sense of things not ending well.

The music lead us to the black mouth of a narrow passageway between two dark and closed lakeside shops. Some dim lights glimmering off the water were seen in the distance.

'Looks interesting. Let's see what it is all about. We spent 50 seasons patrolling Kalarin Hills and that music reminds me of what passes for home.'

Eyeing the black passage, I said, 'Do you think that's wise? It looks rather sinister....'

'Pff! Follow me. There are two of us. You'll be my swordsman – or in your case, my stickman. Together we can deal with any eventuality.'

Ren then started down the passage and I followed, glad to have my stick.
We cleared the closed shops and then tramped down a sloping ramp to a gently floating walkway lit by three oil lamps on poles. We walked between two rickety handrails which lead to a large barge converted to a wine and spirit house. The dimly lit sign over the door announced that we'd found "The Floating Palace." The strange music had grown louder with every step and louder still when Ren pulled the door open and we stepped into the dimly lit room.

It proved to be a fairly ordinary wine and spirit house with a good sized room, a bar along one side, tables in the middle, and a clump of musicians in the far corner. I looked warily around. The clientele was young and eclectic enough that Ren and I – however you cared to take Ren – were not out of place. We stood for several moments taking in the scene, when Ren smiled and taking my arm, pulled me over to one of the small, empty tables.

'I'll be right back. I'll get us something to drink,' she said over the music, and dodged her way through the tables to the bar.

She spent a long time talking to the barkeep before returning with a bottle of wine and two fired clay cups.

'It's called weave music,' she said, settling into the chair next to me, so that she could watch the musicians.

'Weave?'

'All sorts of traditional steppe and hill musics woven together and set to that driving beat. The barkeep assured me that it is all the rage among the youth.' She glanced around the room. 'Some of the youth, anyway. The ones in the know, I'm sure. Here, open the bottle. They didn't have Lankarian Mirtara Sparkling wine, but he assured me this is just as good...'

I must admit that it wasn't the disaster that I feared. Ren was entranced with the music, content to sit and listen until the musicians called it a day, a little bit before first hour of the next day, which for a dark day, was not all that much later than usual for me. And in fact, we only finished that one bottle of wine, so I didn't have to find a rickshaw to take her home. The Floating Palace continued to fill up with mostly young people as the last quarter waned, so it was quite crowded at the end. As for the music, it sort of grew on me once I started recognizing melodies from the music I'd heard as a student. I was relieved that she didn't haul me up and make me dance, though she threatened to. Yes, all in all, it didn't end badly.

The expedition, however, was not over when we climbed back up to the Reed Bank. She still would not consider taking the boulevards home, though she did agree to stay on the land side of the street, where it was much darker and lightly traveled. She chatted about the music we'd discovered as we passed the brightly lit and exclusive versions of the beer, wine, spirit, sing-song, music, and gambling houses that could be found on the other end of the lane. But by walking on the residential side of the Reed Bank, there were more shadows than people and we met few others on our side of the lane.

The Reed Bank ended in several long rows of the townhouse mansions of the nobles and wealth, all hidden behind the tall walls of their forecourts. Architecturally, these mansions differed little on the outside from the tenements. They were still five stories of poured stone boxes and balconies, but they had high walls between each mansion that divided their generous forecourts on front street, and a courtyard in back with stables and servant rooms on the stable street or alley between two rows of townhouses. Front and stable streets alternated, as two rows of townhouses shared the stable street. At the end of the Reed Bank, we took Throne Terrace Street north a block, and then cut through the double row of townhouses to come out on White Palace Terrace Street, which faced the Palace Park. I would've taken White Palace Terrace Street to the Grand Boulevard and on to the palace, but Ren insisted on cutting across the park. It was nearly pitch black under its many old trees, but I told myself that street-bandits would have slim pickings if they waited for dark day strollers to wander under those old trees, so I didn't object too strongly. I just took out my spark-torch and let its beam cut through the shadows.

Ren led me right up to the towering palace wall, half hidden by a border of shrubs and ornamental trees, rather than its main gatehouse on the boulevard.

'I don't think I can toss you over,' I said, looking up at the pale wall that rose far overhead.

'There's a door here, somewhere... Hand me your spark-torch,' she commanded. I did as ordered. Pushing into the shrubbery, she floundering about a bit in the leafy darkness, before exclaiming,'Ah, here it is!' she added, pointing to a small, well disguised door in the wall.

'And here is the master key that dear husband-to-be has kindly supplied me. Take the spark-torch and shine it on the latch,' she said, and bending low over the lock, she continued, 'First, you have to shove the key just in and turn it the opposite way to trip a secret override tumbler... as such. Then shove it in the rest of the way and unlock the door, like this...' Which she did, and was rewarded with a click and a dark crack along the edge of the door. 'And we're in.'

'Good. I'm not a great hand at burglary.'

'But you so look the part!' She paused and then, cocking her head slightly – her spectacles flashing in the Blue Lantern light, she adopted her imperial airs, and looking down her nose at me, said coolly, 'Thank you for looking after me and keeping me safe.'

'Pff!' I replied.

She flashed a smile, but quickly recovered her imperial air. 'I am afraid, however, that this cannot continue any longer, Kel. We must end this now – as hard as it may be for you – before we are discovered and all is lost.'

'Pff!' I said again. I couldn't make out exactly what she was up to, but I knew she wasn't all that serious.

She sighed. 'Seriously, Kel, tonight it was old friends who you may trust, but who knows who we'd run into tomorrow? Being caught out with the bride-to-be of your best friend may be in keeping with your dangerous looks and enhance your reputation, but there is going to be a great scandal that you'll be wise to stay well clear of.'

I entirely agreed, but out of politeness, said, 'Lefe would vouch for me.'

'And who will believe him when the alternative explanation is so much more appealing? Besides, I cannot predict what time, or even if, I will be able to escape the palace again. That will depend on the vote, on how the Prime Consul or Sir Ers decide to use me at any given time. So nothing can be planned. And should my escape be discovered, anyone involved in it will incur the wrath of two governments.'

'No need to convince me. I'm sure it is best if you play it safe, even if it means putting up with the tedium of the palace for a few days.'

'Who said anything about putting up with the tedium of the palace? I just said that I'll not risk being seen in your company.'

'What about your promise to Lefe? You agreed to employ me as your guide,' adding just to tease her, 'And guard.'

'Pff! I'll be safe enough on both ends of the Reed Bank. And as I said, who knows if I'll be able to slip away again before the vote.'

I tried to read her expression in the pale blue light. She was still looking down her nose at me, and her spectacles shaded her eyes, hiding them. She was right, of course. Still. 'Then can I accompany you simply as a friend?'

'A friend?'

'Yes.'

'Why?'

'Two people are far more formidable than one, should you fall into dangerous company. The dark days bring out the city's dangerous company, Ren.'

'Thank you, but no. First, because I will be careful, but more so because a friend would not accept your offer, knowing the risks of being involved in a scandal that you would be running.'

'Still, I'm willing to run the risk, if you promise to be prudent.'

'Prudent? Thank you Kel, but no. Sleep well,' she added and slipped into the darkness of the hidden doorway.

'And you too.' I said, much relieved.

03

Lefe was waiting in the hallway after my lecture. He apologized for not talking to me before he promised my help. I told him that he could count on my friendship for that. He said that he had just talked to Ren, and had come around to seeing her point about keeping me well clear of any scandal.

'In any event, she will do whatever she cares to. Whatever she does, I don't see how it will matter, in the end. I've a midday banquet at the palace to attend, so I can't stay and talk. We must wine and dine them for every vote.'

'What are its chances?'

'Oh, father will eventually get the votes. The only question is the final price. The delegates know he's willing to pay, and pay well, so they're asking for the firmament, and are likely to get it.'

'So when will the vote take place? I thought it was supposed to be a done deal in the bright days.'

'Who knows? A few days, maybe more. They're also asking a lot from the Jasmynes as well. We'll see how badly they want the treaty. And now I have to run. I don't think I'll ever want to see wine, women, song and dance ever again. Be careful what you wish for, Kel.'

That day's last quarter, and for the next seven, I gave my Scholars' Street haunts a miss. Instead, I hurried home, picking up dinner at one of the hole in the wall food stands or street carts as I went. After settling in, I brewed a large pot of tea, and lighting an oil lamp, began to very carefully copy the manuscripts Wava Norlora had lent me, along with her notes. Not only was I eager to copy those manuscripts, but if Ren ever needed me, she could find me. That was the least I could do. And the most I cared to do.

And so, in this uncharacteristic solitude, I passed dark days, easily resisting the occasional temptation to visit the Floating Palace again.

04

It was nearing the end of the true dark days in Azera. I had only one more class to teach for the season on the following day. Making my way through the dark, cold streets of Azera from the University, I arrived home to a flat that was as cold as it was outside, as usual. And since it was now the coldest, darkest day of the season with the Blue Lantern well on the wane, it was very cold, indeed. I lit a fire in the oil stove, grabbed a canister, and went back down to buy some hot soup, noodles and vegetables from Hav's, one of the hole in the wall, side street noodle shops. After eating and making a pot of tea, the flat was warm enough that I could write, so I settled in to finish copying Wava's last manuscript.

As the square's time-bell struck four and four, I sighed, and dashed off the last character – finishing the last of Wava's notes. I wrapped her copies in a waxed canvas folder and slipped them into my satchel. I then put some water on the stove to take a little chill out of it before washing with it. I was just about to extinguish the lamp when there was a double rap on my door.

I stared at it for a second or two – until the second knocking. Who at this time? I'd heard no horses in the courtyard. I stepped over and opened the door to find Ren standing outside. She was dressed in a pale colored quilted jacket and her neat, curly brimmed forage cap.

'Greetings Kel,' she said with a smile. 'Miss me?'

'Ren...' I muttered. 'Yes, no. I half expected you to drop by sooner or later. What brings you here?'

She smiled and then said, 'Grab your coat, hat, and stick, my friend. The treaty has just been passed in a late session. So now my crisis is nearly at hand. I doubt that I will have another chance to see you. Events are likely to move very swiftly now. So in view of our friendship, I'll treat you to a pot of tea at the Mist in the Reeds. We can drink to my future.'

I stared at her, not knowing quite what to say. 'Is that really wise, Ren, after all the trouble we've taken not to be seen by the very people who will certainly be there? Wouldn't the Blue Crane do just as well?'

'It would certainly be very unwise for you to be seen with me,' she laughed. 'I, however, don't mind being seen with you.' This with her head cocked to look down her nose at me. 'Still, since the treaty has now been passed, I don't think it will matter much. And if it is to be our last pot of tea together, my dear Kel, I think only the Mist will do. Besides, we're very likely to find my husband-to-be celebrating there as well, so it would hardly be scandalous. That, anyway, will be our story.'

I considered her for a moment. She beamed back at me, her eyes bright behind the thick lenses of her spectacles. I knew this plan wasn't wise. But. But if Lefe was there – and he could well be there, since the Mist was a favorite of his, he was either celebrating the treaty's passage – or drowning his sorrows as he contemplated whatever comes next, and the Mist was as likely a place as any. I momentarily considered offering her tea here instead, but decided that would be even less appropriate. 'Oh, I suppose so.'

'Oh, be still, my leaping heart,' she muttered under her breath.

I turned off the oil stove, donned my pale, quilted coat, hat, and grabbing my spark-torch and my stick next to the door, said, 'Lead on Lieutenant Loh.'

'Charge!' she replied cheerfully, and led me out into the darkness.

The narrow side streets were cold, dark, and mostly deserted, but we quickly struck the slightly more populated Mereflower Boulevard, and turned towards the upper Reed Bank. Even in this late hour, it was busy, even on this less than pretentious end of the street. It was a twenty minute walk to the Mist, and along the way she talked about weave music and the other, ah, establishments, that she had discovered offered it as well. I was glad I was spared of those expeditions. Some of those places were places I'd not go in the dark days. We arrived not long before the last hour of the day.

Old Bin, the Mist in the Reed's gatekeeper was on duty. He was always on duty.

'Greeting, Bin' I said as I shepherded Ren into the little gatehouse on the lakeside of the Reed Bank.

'Greetings, Scholar Cam,' he replied with a respectful nod of his head.

'Allow me to introduce Lieutenant Loh, of the Jasmyne Imperial Lancers.' Bin had been a guardsman many, many seasons ago, so I figured Ren as Lieutenant Loh would pass his inspection, since, if he didn't like the look of either of us, the Mist would, regretfully, not have a table for us.

'Lieutenant,' he said with a nod. 'Welcome to the Mist in the Reeds.'

'Thank you. Troop Master Bin?' she ventured, giving him an appraising look.

'Yes, sir. Palace Guards.'

'You don't lose it, do you?'

'No, sir,' he replied with a grin.

'Is Lefe here?' I asked.

'I have not yet seen him yet tonight, Scholar Cam.'

'We'll just have to wait. A table for two, a pot of tea, and some sweets.' I tried to keep the question mark from the end of the order. Beyond being a guest of Lefe, I was not a regular customer of the Mist.

'Right, sir, Lieutenant,' he replied, waving us past him.

And so, with his blessings, we followed the gravel path under the oil lamps through a stand of dark pine trees to the water's edge. As we left the gatehouse, Old Bin sent along coded word of our imminent arrival and requirements via a line connected to little bells in the tea house's entry way.

We followed the teahouse's footbridge as it zigzagged through the reeds and over lily pads, with sheltered seats under oil lanterns at every zig and zag.

'Is it customary to be introduced to doorkeepers in Azera?' asked Ren once we were out of Old Bin's hearing.

I smiled. 'It depends. In this instance, you do want to be known by Old Bin as someone of some importance, since he decides who they have tables available for, and who they don't. Not just everyone can enjoy a cup of tea at the Mist in the Reeds.'

'So you're important enough to enjoy a cup of tea at the Mist?' asked Ren with an amused glance in my direction.

'Hardly. I'm known to Bin as a guest of Lefe, who is, of course, important enough. Not that it matters, since I cannot afford to patronize teahouses on this end of the Reed Bank on my scholar's earnings.'

'Well, today you are my guest,' beamed Ren.

'I find that my pride will allow me to enjoy a cup of tea paid for by the daughter of an Empress. That in my youth I was stood cups of tea and sweets by both the son of the Prime Consul of Azere, and the daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne will make quite a story in my old age.'

She beamed. 'I expect a more formal place in history. That's why I've cultivated a historian.'

The Mist in the Reeds stood serenely over the dark mirror of the lake, beyond the reeds. Its four levels glowed warmly in the light of the oil lanterns that illuminated every table. The outside tables were empty in the pale light of the Blue Lantern and there were no boats tied up on the dock.

We were greeted as we entered by the slim greeting girl, Hasa, by name. As we removed our outer garments in the cloak room, we confirmed our order for a table, a pot of Jade Hills tea, and some sweets.

As Hasa led us to our table, I looked around the dim lit tea room. Most of the tables were filled. From my friendship with Lefe, I recognized a few people from his circle of court and family friends, but most were strangers – richly dressed strangers – no doubt members of the noble families in town for the Assembly. Ren, much to my surprise, was wearing a red jacket of silk, richly embroidered in gold, with a silk blouse and loose trousers, the first woman's clothes I'd seen her wear. And woman's clothes designed to be noticed, which she was, much to my dismay. We drew many covert and curious glance as we were shown to our table, both for who she was, and what she was – a strange creature. While I'd felt this was an ill-advised venture back in my quarters, I knew it now for a certainty. It seemed almost by design. Only the arrival of Lefe would save the evening from scandal. However, when you are in the middle of crossing a stream, you might as well go forward as to turn back, so I looked as innocent as I could and simply hoped for the best – Lefe's arrival.

Ren was cheerful, talkative, and, dare I say, even affectionate, though I suspected that was more for show than anything else, while we waited for the tea and sweets to arrive.

'You're being wicked,' I said quietly. 'You're deliberately drawing attention to us.'

She cocked her head and looked down on me, 'I'm the daughter of an empress. If you have tea with the daughter of an empress you can expected to be noticed, my dear Kel. Besides, a little notoriety will do your reputation no harm.'

'That's not what you were saying earlier.'

She smiled. 'True. But we're not slinking around shabby wine and spirit houses on the low end of the Reed Bank. Now, we're simply awaiting the arrival of my husband-to-be to celebrate the treaty's ratification. You, his good friend, are escorting me, as Lefe was unwilling to let me come out alone. Besides, our parents have their treaty. Nothing matters anymore. We're free.'

'If you say so,' I said doubtfully.

05

We did not have to wait long for that notice to turn to action. Shortly after Hasa brought us our tea and sweets, two richly dressed gentlemen in high collared, gild-trimmed satin coats and rings on their fingers, rose from their table near us and stepped over, bowing politely.

'Please forgive our boldness, Lady Loh. We – all of us,' this with a sweep of the hand to a long table of richly dressed gentlemen in the corner of the room, 'would like to invite you and your companion to join us at our table. We regret that we have not had an opportunity to get to know you better since your arrival in Azera. Now, with the treaty passed and your marriage to Lefe Sol forthcoming, we'd be delighted if you would join us. After all, you will soon be one of us.'

She studied them, coolly. 'Gel Kos and Wen Dre, I believe. We met briefly at the Lankarian Exposition.'

They beamed and bowed again. 'We're honored that you recall that meeting,' said Gel Kos. 'It was far too brief. Perhaps, pending the arrival of your husband-to-be, you might care to share your insights into the new relationship between Azere and Jasmyne.'

She smiled, her imperial smile. 'Alas, your Prime Consul and my Sir Ers might not approve of my insights.'

He returned her smile, and looking around, said, 'May I be so bold as to point out that not only are neither Sir Ers nor our Prime Consul in attendance, but that their immediate concerns no longer matter since we have ratified the treaty. Our thoughts now turn to the future of our two nations, and we are eager to hear what you have to say on the matter. You will, after all, soon to be an Azerian yourself,' he added with a sly smile.' His easy arrogance was carefully crafted to match Ren's – a challenge that Ren could not or cared not to resist.

'I doubt that I can tell you more than you already know,' she teased.

'Test us, my lady,' he said with a bow and a sweep of his arm.

Ren rose, as did I, reluctantly. I collected our tea pot and cups and joined the nobles at their table, as they squeezed together to make room for us.

There were introductions around. Ren introduced me as Scholar Cam, her husband-to-be's good friend, who had been charged with looking after her on this dark day outing. If they disbelieved her, they were worldly enough not to show it, and so I was quickly forgotten.

Polite conversation followed, eventually turning to the future prospects of the trade between the two empires.'

'I believe you've said that it will benefit Jasmyne more than Azere.'

'I believe I said that my mother believes so.'

'And you?'

'I'm a simple trooper. Such things are beyond my understanding. However,' She looked around the table for a few seconds, and then added, 'You realize, of course, that the treaty itself is of secondary importance to me – or rather my marriage, don't you?' she added with a sarcastic smile. 'At least in the Prime Consul's mind.'

'We were given the impression that the treaty is of the utmost importance.'

'It is – to the Prime Consul and the Sol family – because it is a necessary step to secure my hand in marriage – to the Sol family. I, and my children, will be Sols in Azere, and any daughters will be Lohs in Jasmyne. That is the price my mother was willing to pay to ensure that the treaty was ratified and put into effect. Mother expects it to make us very wealthy indeed. And then there is the prospect of a Loh and a Sol on the throne in Jasmyne, and, if they can convince you gentlemen, on the throne of Azere as well. And then, some day, the throne of the combined nation. My marriage will insure that the Lohs and the Sols remain in power come what may. That is the real stakes of this game. But then, you're so set in your ways that you've elected a Sol to the Blue Throne for 7000 seasons, so I guess that doesn't matter to you.'

They exchanged glances.

'That is something we'll have to consider in the future. Xin Sol still has 210 seasons to serve as Prime Consul. There is plenty of time to consider what lies ahead, politically, for the two nations,' said Gel Kos smoothly. 'We are now interested in what you see in the immediate future.'

'Well, as I told you when we last met, my mother feels that Azere is a vast market – one that we expect to own within 200 seasons. We are rapidly adopting Lankarian ways, and the Lankarians will soon find that they are too small of a nation to compete with us either in Jasmyne or Azere. There is, of course, nothing sinister in this. All the nations and peoples under the Blue Lantern will benefit, it is just that Jasmyne will benefit more.

'However, in the short run, I believe that your Prime Consul would prefer that you look only to the treaty and the concessions made to get it signed. I understand that Sir Ers made some significant ones. As you say, you have time to consider the long range consequences. I will just add that the Sol family believes that they have won a great prize in me. My marriage with Lefe Sol will be presented as a symbol of a new age of cooperation, but it will really be a triumph of the Sol family, who expect to some day rule over all the lands of the Blue Lantern.'

'We're not fools,' said Gel Kos, somewhat defensively.

'I'm certain you're not,' replied Ren, sounding less than certain. 'And I'm sure everything will work out. The union of all the nations under the Blue Lantern has long been a dream of both nations. That process is now underway. Guided thoughtfully, it will be a great success,' she concluded, allowing only a little shadow of doubt to color her grand conclusion.

Talk of trade and the treaty continued around the table for an hour or more. The nobles were quite content to ignore me, and I quite content to be ignored. Eventually, Ren said, 'I see that my husband-to-be has yet to arrive and it is getting late. Dear Kel here has a class to teach tomorrow, so it is cruel of me to keep him up. I fear I must take my leave. Thank you for your hospitality.'

'It's been delightful, and thought provoking, my lady. Thank you, for joining us,' said Gel Kos, with a bow, echoed by the others around the table.

'A little seed planted, Kel. We shall see what it bears,' she said, as we made our way through the tables.

'Trouble,' I muttered, darkly.

She laughed. 'It was always fated to end in trouble, my dear Kel. One way or another. I hope, however, that this little affair will make my course a little easier.'

06

It was not a long walk back to the White Palace from the Mist. As before, we cut across the dark park and slipped into the shrubbery to find the little door in the palace wall.

Ren turned to me once we reached the little hollow before it. 'Thank you, Kel, for agreeing to escort me. I've enjoyed your company.'

'Pff!' I said, mimicking her dismissive sound. 'The whole time you hardly knew I was even sitting next to you. Not that I'm complaining, I hope they forget all about me. I can't see how it was wise making a show of yourself like that.'

'I'm sorry, Kel. I shouldn't have asked you along. I had expected to be noticed, of course, but not to be invited to join a table of nobles. I simply hoped to tarnish my reputation a little more. Still, I should've declined, for I did want to spend one last hour with you. But that's an action now fought. With the treaty ratified, plans will now turn to our wedding. I expect that the Prime Consul will be eager to bring it off, if only to see me off to Mayaday as soon as possible. I don't expect that meeting to go well. They never do with the Prime Consul.'

'You have a plan, don't you?'

'I have made no plans – only provisions against certain eventualities. I left Jasmyna with the intention of never returning, so whatever happens, I will not be caught unprepared.'

'Ah, well, then all it seems I can do now is wish you – and Lefe – the best. I hope that those eventualities work themselves out without all that much trouble.'

'Hope all you want, but the stakes are too high for both the Prime Consul and me for trouble, and a great deal of trouble, to be avoided. You just stay clear of it now. Lefe and I will deal with it,' she added cocking her head to give me her imperial look.

'Oh, I intend to get out of town to some Blue Order community just as soon as I know that I can no longer be of any service to you or Lefe.'

'Leave right after your class tomorrow, Kel,' she said, far too seriously. 'Go far away and stay away as long as you can.'

'You're planning to do something rash, aren't you?'

'Pff! Me? Rash?' she exclaimed looking down her nose at me.

'Yes.'

She shook her imperial head. 'I'll do only what I have to do, when I have to do it. Nevertheless, you know as well as I that this affair will not end in a wedding. People will be looking for someone to blame. You don't want to be handy.'

'You're scaring me.'

'Good. You've been seen with me, so you are a candidate for blame. You need to keep well out of sight until the scandal dies down. Now, I've done all I can to warn you. All that's left to say is good luck, and goodbye,' she said, suddenly briskly, and offered her hand.

I took it, and said. 'Goodbye and good luck to you as well. I hope you find a happy new life.'

'I plan to,' she said, and slipped into the darkness of the doorway.

I waited until the door closed, turned away and walked through the park to the street. I hailed a rickshaw and paid extra for a fast ride home. It was late and I had one last class to teach in the morning.

Chapter 07 A Too Secret Agent

01

I finished my last class of the season, sent my students off with papers to write, and spent the third quarter on paperwork. After which, huddled deep in the collars of my jackets and neck cloth, I made my way home along the dark, tenement and shop lined streets, contemplating what to have for dinner. I decided on stir fry, so on reaching my flat, I picked up a covered plate and returned to the street to stand in line at the Nye's stir fry shop. Plate filled, I bounded back up the staircase to my dark, cold flat, lit the lantern on the table, fired up the stove, and put a kettle of water on it for tea. And then, without taking off my heavy jacket, I settled into one of the reed chairs by the table to eat my dinner while it was still hot.

I had just finished eating and was washing the plate, when I was startled by an urgent knocking on the door. Wiping my hands, I stepped over and opened it to find Ren in the dark hallway in her pale blue dark days coat, satchel slung over her shoulder, and her forage cap raked to one the side of her head in the approved style.

She smiled brightly and exclaimed, 'Found you! The hunt is on and we're the hare!' Having said that, she hurried past me into the room and extinguished the lantern, plunging the room into near total darkness. 'Shut and lock the door. Quick, pack a light kit for travel. There's no time to waste. Captain Larc and a contingent of the Palace Guards are on their way here to arrest you.'

She stepped over to the stove and extinguished it as well and turned back to me, who hadn't moved from the door. 'Don't just stand there – shut and lock the door, Kel. We need to be gone before they arrive or you may find yourself up against the execution wall. Quick, man, we likely have only a few minutes. Just the essentials, and all the coins you have, you'll not be coming back.'

'Are you mad? What are you raving about?'

'I'm not the one who's raving mad – the Prime Consul is. He's turned out the palace guards to bring you back to the palace and has been threatening to execute you unless Lefe and I married within the hour.

'Execute me? For what?'

'For seducing me, my dear,' laughed Ren.

'For seducing you?' I muttered. 'But I didn't. The thought never crossed my mind.'

'Oh be still my leaping heart!' she laughed and then losing patience, stepped over, grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the door. She then shoved the door closed, and turned the lock. Still holding my arm she dragged me towards my sleeping room. 'Move! I'll explain while you pack.'

I stopped in the doorway. 'This makes no sense at all. Is this your idea of a joke?'

'It may not make sense, but it's not a joke. The Prime Consul has gotten it into his head that you're a Lankarian secret agent who's been trying to sabotage the trade treaty. You know the Lankarians fear that with the treaty they'll be unable to compete and will, in time, lose their independence once Azere and Jasmyne unite. The Prime Consul threatened to execute you out of hand, as an enemy of the nations and peoples of Azere. And used that threat to force Lefe and I to get married within the hour. And once we're married, I'm sure that he'd continue to use you as a hostage to ensure that we stayed married, and give him what he wants – heirs to two empires. So don't stand there gaping at me, pack! I truly believe that your life hangs in the balance!' snapped Ren from the doorway, putting an edge to her good humor. 'Move it, trooper.'

Moving in a daze of confusion across the faintly blue lit room, I pulled out my spark-lantern from my jacket pocket and used it to find my satchel in the small wardrobe and kneeling, started shoving socks and underclothes into it from several bamboo boxes.

Seeing that I was packing, as ordered, Ren continued, 'Lefe and I were summoned to the Prime Consul's office two hours ago. The treaty was the last piece of business for the Assembly, so he had been tied up closing the Assembly until then. Now, you may've thought that having obtained his fondest wish, he'd have been in a jolly mood. You couldn't have been more mistaken. I gather that he had to pay a very steep price for his fondest wish, and, well, I've a feeling that I may have irritated him more than I realized, and well, he may've heard a silly court rumor that you and I were lovers...'

'What rumor?'

'Oh... I don't know. Exactly. I gather that there were some young nobles at the Floating Palace who recognized me on our first outing... And then with our appearance together at the Mist yesterday... Well, I suppose the court gossips just filled in the rest.'

'I knew it was a mistake. I knew it would cause people to talk!' I exclaimed, looking up at the vaguely outlined figure of Ren, leaning the door frame. 'And you had to know that as well!'

'Oh, I knew it would cause tongues to wag – but I hardly expected this... I mean, with the treaty passed, it didn't matter... And we were there to find Lefe... Who could've imagined that from one visit to a tea house that he'd not only jump to the conclusion that you had seduced me?'

'Which is exactly what you wanted him to think,' I muttered darkly.

'...To imagining that you were some sort of Lankarian secret agent, assigned to shove a lance into the wheels of the treaty. I blame you for that.'

'That's absurd!' I exclaimed, stopping my packing to stare at the trim figure of Ren in what was now the semi-gloom as my eyes had adjusted. 'How can you blame me?'

'Keep packing. I blame you because you look the part – dangerous, even sinister. You look just like I would imagine a secret agent would look like,' she laughed. For all the dire warnings, this was the Ren Loh of the playing field. It was a game, no matter how deadly, and she was all in the game. 'I don't know just how serious he was raving about you – being a secret agent and executing you – it may've been all an act. But if you'd been in his office like I was, you'd have finished your packing already and be heading for the door.'

'But he can't do that. I'm a Lankarian citizen, and there are laws in the Azere. He can't execute anyone without a trial.'

'Lefe mentioned that, when he could get a word in, but his father said that Lankara had too many contracts pending after the Exhibition to make too much of a fuss about one indiscreet historian. Poor Lefe – he looked like a pale ghost in the face of his raging father. And when his father demanded that we be wed within the hour, he took his father's threats so seriously that he agreed to marry me to save your life.'

'But you didn't...' She was here, after all.

'Oh, of course I did, my dear Kel. But I demanded half an hour to make myself into a presentable bride.'

'And he agreed?'

'For one foolish minute or two,' she laughed. I gave Lefe a wink, and hurried back to my quarters. There, I grabbed my satchel here that I had long ago prepared for this day, and fled through the servant passages, just ahead of the guards who, when he came to his senses, the Prime Consul had ordered to fetch me and bring me back. I managed to slip past them and make my way to the stables to collect Wind-in-the-Pines, my horse.

The Prime Consul, on learning I had slipped away, wasted no time in ordering out the entire Palace Guards to find me, and you, sealing the city gates to prevent our escape. With the guardsmen pouring into the stable, I had to slip away without my Wind, but not before I heard Captain Larc ordering a squadron to saddle up and ride with him to find and bring you back to the palace. As soon as I was outside the palace walls, I hired a rickshaw to run me directly here. It won't take them long to saddle up, and even if they stop to look in at the University, and Scholars' Street, that won't delay them for long.'

'This is a nightmare,' I exclaimed – my head was in a whirl. 'I must be dreaming!'

'Dream all you want, but keep packing your kit!'

I stood and grabbed a pair of trousers in whose pocket I hid my small coin purse, shoved it into the satchel along with a shirt and turned to Ren. 'That should do... Except for my papers...'

'No time for them. Your freedom, if not your life, is hanging in the balance. Lefe, I'm sure, will look after your papers. We need to be on our way,' snapped the shadow form of Ren, who then disappeared from the doorway.

I lifted my satchel strap over my head and shoved it behind me as I followed her back into the main room. She shoved my hat on my head and handed me my stick. Unlocking the door, and cautiously looking out into the black, narrow hallway, she said, 'It's clear. Let's go.'

I paused only to lock the door behind me and tried not to think of all that I was leaving behind. Hopefully cooler heads would prevail, and I could return shortly.

We hurried down the cold dark hallway towards the faint light of the open corner stairwell and then out into the blue tinged darkness. We started down the stairs only to stop short on the forth floor landing on hearing the clatter of horse hooves on the street below. Glancing over the railing I caught the gleam of the polished steel helmets of the Palace Guard pulling up at the gate below.

The familiar voice of Captain Larc, drifted up from below. 'Sargeant, take the first company and post four men at each of the gates. The rest of you follow me.'

The clatter of horse hooves resumed as the first company continued on through the gateway into the square's courtyard. In the meanwhile, the second company was dismounting, and with Dar at their head, started for the staircase.

Ren cursed softly. 'Up,' she ordered, grabbing my arm and pulling me back up the stairs.

'Back to the flat. We can hide out until they give up and go away,' I said.

'Pff! If Captain Larc got his orders directly from the Prime Consul, and I'm sure he did, a locked door isn't going to stop him. We'll have more options on the roof,' she replied, leading the way.

'No place to hide up there except behind the hanging clothes,' I said.

'Hiding is not an option. We must escape,' said Ren, pulling me along.

In the full light of the waning Blue Lantern and the glowing firmament to the east, the roof was a low forest of poles and long lines with hanging laundry stirring in the east wind like restless ghosts.

'Come along, come along. Let's get across to the far building and see what we can do about getting away. If the men just guard the staircases, we should have no trouble. We don't need the stairs to get down.'

I was too numb with confusion for that remark to register.

Dodging under the laundry lines and brushing by cold, damp clothes we raced halfway around the square to reach the opposite tenement where she led me to the wooden railing and we peered down onto the street, five stories below. Lit by the shop windows, there were still plenty of people on the street and in lines before the soup and noodle shops and carts.

'Still rather busy to go down this side. Don't want to make a fuss by dropping on some unsuspecting pedestrian. Let's see what the courtyard side looks like,' she said, and started off across the roof, still dragging me along, running half crouched to clear the laundry lines.

The square's courtyard below was inky dark in the shadows of the eastern tenement and the black stand of old pine trees in its center. The guardsmen were lighting lanterns and taking their positions in the three other corner staircase gateways. She watched in silence until they settled in under the staircases.

'Their lanterns will help. They'll blind them. Let's go.' she said, pulling me along once again. 'We'll go down on the shadow side of the building.'

'Is that really necessary?' I panted as we ran. 'Once they find I'm not home, they may leave a guard or two, but they'll certainly look elsewhere for me. All we have to do is wait them out.'

'We can't. We need to get out of Azera before they completely seal the gates. The Prime Consul has paid a high price for me; he's not going to let me go, if he can help it.'

'Azera is a big place...'

'Oh, a big enough reward on our heads will nullify that, especially with the bright days coming. We'll soon have no safe place to hide. No, we must get away from Azera this quarter.'

And on reaching the center of the eastern tenement, she swung herself over the railing to stand on the narrow ledge.

'Are you coming? Or do you want to find yourself up against the execution wall?'

I didn't answer. Looking down those five stories, I was weighing my options.

'You know how this is done, don't you?'

'I've done it... But not five stories, and not in 150 seasons...' I answered, tentatively.

Forgoing the staircases by dropping down the side of a building was something the youth of a certain age did because, well, just because. In fact, the youth of Birdsong Square did it all the time since the balconies and ledges offered easy handholds to slow your decent. Azerain youth could do it without hardly a thought. Looking down, I was giving it a lot of thought. Too much thought.

'Pff. There's enough railings and ledges that a child of 50 seasons could do it. So unless you'd rather be a pin cushion, follow me.' And with that, she stepped off the ledge and began to fall.

I watched her fall in measured steps past the vaguely lit balconies, one by one. Now alone, I considered my next move. I wasn't guilty of anything, other than kindness, and perhaps friendship. I certainly wasn't a secret agent. It wasn't illegal to go for a walk, have tea, or even a bottle of wine at the Floating Palace with the fourth daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne. We had done nothing illicit, nothing to be ashamed of...

And then there was all my work, my research, my notes and papers, still back in my flat. Sixty-five seasons of research and my chance for a sliver of fame. Abandoning Azera would end my ability to continue to study the ancient texts. And my classes, there was still a season of classes in the term...

Did I need to run? Lefe would stand by me. I had stood by him. I had many friends and acquaintances in Azera– Lefe's friends, friends in the Palace Guard, and at the University. I was invited to large dinners at the Lankarian embassy. Certainly Sir Vern would object. The Prime Consul was not an absolute ruler. He could not just have me executed out of hand. Not legally. Surely no one would follow that order...

And yet, Lefe did not run, did not defy his father. The Guards would follow orders, if reluctantly. And the University and embassy wouldn't know until it was too late, if the Prime Consul wasn't just making idle threats... I just needed to give the Prime Consul time to cool down and come to his senses. I needed to see the Lankarian ambassador. I needed my freedom.

I spat a silent but bitter curse, shoved my walking stick under the flap of my satchel at my back, and swung myself over the railing to land on the narrow ledge facing the building. I'd done this before, in Kara, while attending the University. The key is to catch each ledge and railing with your toes and fingers – briefly – as you fall past them, checking your fall and converting it into a series of short drops. You just had to be very careful not to push yourself out of reach of the building in doing so – especially with five stories to fall. Drawing a deep breath, I carefully stepped off into the air and began to fall. I missed the first railing with feet, as I grabbed the ledge I'd been standing on. I held on until my feet stopped swinging, and then let go again. My toes grazed the edge of the fifth story balcony, and slipped off, but I hung briefly on the balcony railing, and then on its ledge, keeping my descent under control.

One by one, I slipped past the balconies with their curtains glowing gold in the lantern light from within. At each balcony I held on until I had checked my fall completely – I was taking no chances until I landed lightly in a crouch beside Ren. I let out my breath. We were deep in the shadow of the eastern tenement, so we were in the inky darkness, though our pale jackets would give us away if anyone was looking.

Ren was beside me, grinning. She silently pointed to a doorway with a lit lantern over it, not five paces away. If I remembered correctly, it was likely the back entrance of Min's Blue Lantern Palace, Birdsong Square's premier and only eating house. The main entrance and dining room was on the street side of the tenement, but all such establishments offered back doors for the convenience of the square's residents.

Beyond several faintly lit doorways, I could see lights flashing from the corner gates on either side of us. In their wavering light I could see their horses standing still in the courtyard with one guardsman on each side holding them. Both were looking in toward the gateway and staircases, and neither seemed to have seen our descent.

'Let's go.' Ren whispered, standing.

I stood as well, and being the closest to the doorway, led the way.

A shaft of dim light shot across the courtyard as I opened the door and ushered Ren in. As I hurried in after her, I thought I heard some shouts from the far side of the courtyard. I did not stop, but followed Ren down the narrow passageway, that ran alongside the Min family's residence, and then past their kitchen, and out into the small, dimly lit dining room. I nodded to Min, at the counter, but dodged through the half empty room and out the street door.

'This way,' I said. 'We'll cut through the Jade Leaf across the way.'

She hooked her arm around mine, and we crossed the narrow street, angling to the Jade Leaf Tea House in the opposite tenement. The Jade Leaf was little more than a hole in the wall, four tables, but they were filled and as before. It too, had a narrow, dark passageway that lead to the courtyard, which Ren headed for as I said a few word with old Bane, the proprietor, telling him that we'd be back later. I then followed her into the passageway.

Once in the courtyard, we angled for one of the corner gateways without a word, and on reaching the street, Ren said, 'One more, I think. Just to be on the safe side.'

'That was almost too simple,' I said, after crossing that square. Looking back I could neither see nor hear the hove-falls of pursuit. 'They didn't seem to take very many precautions.'

'Dar Larc had no reason to suspect that you'd been warned to expect him. He was only following orders, and may well believe that you had just stepped out to get something to eat, so there was no reason to make a ruckus. All he had to do was wait for your return.'

'True...'

'Then too, he is an old friend of yours, so he might have been content just to go through the motions. Still, we'd best not give him any opportunity to capture us. I'm sure duty would dictate that he'd take us in, if we fell into his lap, like it or not.'

Making our way past one more set of squares and a row of townhouses, we reached Clover Flower Boulevard and joined the press of pedestrians along that wide, shop-lined street.

'Now what? The Lankarian embassy is on the Prime Boulevard...' I muttered. 'I could take refuge there.'

'It is likely being watched. And you'd end up trapped there, even if the Prime Consul didn't demand your expulsion or just order his agents to enter and arrest you.'

'He wouldn't.'

'I'd not care to bet on that. At least not until he has time to cool down. And with me on the run from his precious wedding as well, that may not be any time soon.'

'Then what do you suggest?'

'As I said at the flat, we need to get beyond the walls. Fast. Before they know you've escaped.'

I tried to think clearly. And mostly failed. Shaking my head, I said, 'The closest gate would be the Lake Gate on the Reed Bank.'

'Lead on, Kel,' she said brightly, the sparrow-like Ren of the playing fields.

As my heart slowly returned to beating normally, I glanced at Ren and asked, 'Did you know this would happen?'

'No. Well, not like this. And I'm terribly sorry about it. I never dreamed that the fuse I lit yesterday was so short, and the oil barrel I hoped to ignite was so large,' she said. 'I expected to spark a little gossip from our appearance at the Mist, of course. Still, I thought that looking for my husband-to-be was a sufficiently innocent story. You'd hardly show up there if you were having an illicit affair with your best friend's bride-to-be. I hadn't realized all the gossip our earlier excursion had created, or the Prime Consul's temper, so I had not expected an explosion on such a scale. I am sorry. I truly am, Kel. I just wanted to make myself as undesirable, and as unreliable as possible in the Prime Consul's eyes so that when I went missing, he'd not search very hard or long for me. But never worry, I solemnly promise you that I will see you safely to Lankara,' she added, turning to me. 'Or die trying.'

I didn't like the sound of that last part.

'But we've done nothing illegal. Once the Prime Consul cools down...'

'When will that be? I have no intention of marriage to Lefe, which dashes his grand dream, so I doubt he'll be cooling down any time soon. And the only way I can avoid marrying Lefe or face the wrath of my Mother, is to disappear completely. I had pretty much always expected it would come to this. I have planned for this, though I had hoped to ride over the hill with a little more time to prepare. I never expected to be forced to marry within hours, a day after the treaty's ratification. Still, I've plenty of gold coins, and all I've left behind is Wind-in-the-Pines, my horse. I'll miss her, but necessity must be served.

'As for you, well, perhaps once the Prime Consul has time to cool off, he may be able to see reason. One would hope so, for Azere's sake. Still, with his fondest dream gone with the east wind, that may take a while, especially if he continues to think that you are at least partially to blame for knifing his dream.'

'But I'm not to blame. All I did was keep you company twice while Lefe was busy doing his father's bidding. Plus, you never had any intention of marring Lefe!'

'All true. But neither me, nor my intentions, have ever mattered. What mattered was that he believed that he had it in his power to make the marriage happen. Nothing else mattered to him, including the happiness of his son.

'To that end, he turned a blind eye to the fact that I've been twisting his tail since I arrived. At first I did so in the hope that he might call off the marriage, seeing me as an insult from my mother. Sir Ers must have convinced him otherwise. And then, once any hope of that died, I continued to do so because I knew that I was going to ride over the hill and disappear, since come what may, I wasn't ever going home. At least not as Ren Loh. And, as I said, I thought that if I made myself so unpleasant to the Prime Consul, any pursuit he'd organize to find and bring me back would be halfhearted and short lived, allowing me to live my new life without having to constantly look over my shoulder. Instead, he held all his anger in until it exploded once the treaty was passed.

'Nothing Lefe or I did, mattered. Why, even a rumor that you, one of Lefe's good friends, could have me in bed within a mere season, made no difference in his determination to have me marry his son. He must not care who the father of my children are, as long as they're considered Sols.'

I shook my head in disbelief. 'But how could he get the idea that I was some sort of secret agent?'

'Who knows? Still, if you look at it from his point of view, you can see his chain of reasoning. First, he knows that Lankara sees the treaty as a long term threat to their trade with the Azere, and would've liked to have seen it rejected. And then, he finds that you seduced me, certainly not because of love, or, hopefully,' she laughed, with a sidelong glance to me, 'out of lust. So it had to be mere duty, a plan by Lankara to sabotage the treaty or the marriage. Hence Scholar Kel Cam, the secret agent.'

'But no one would believe that!' I exclaimed.

'You look like one.'

'No one who knows me would believe that.'

'Ah,' she replied with another laugh. 'That's what makes you the perfect secret agent. You really are one, aren't you – a secret agent? You can tell me now that your identity is known.'

'I am not.'

'Oh, don't be like that. Everyone is on to you now. Why else did you seduce me?'

I gave her my best bandit look and growled, 'I'm glad to see that you're feeling so ruddy cheerful, Ren, because I'm not.'

'I'm sorry, but I'm free. Free for the first time since my father died. Free, really for the first time. The world is mine – once we get out of Azera.'

'I hope you have a plan.'

'Pff! We've got time to plan, once we get out of town – or at least outside the city walls.'

'Lankara is only two days away by rail.' I said.

'When does the next railtrain leave?'

'There is only one passenger railtrain a day. I believe it leaves early in the second quarter.'

'Too late. They'll be watching the station by tomorrow, as well as all the city gates.'

'I can't be that important.'

'Ah, but I am,' she laughed. 'The power of the Sols is at stake. The Prime Consul will comb this city square by square to recapture me, and you too, since he can use you to get and control me. Our first priority is to get out of the walled city before they close the gates to us.'

'The city has hundreds of thousands of people, we can certainly find someplace to hole up until they lose interest. I know Azera well.'

She shook her head. 'The City Guard will be assigned to find us as well. I'm easily recognized and they will be making inquiries at every inn and boarding house within the city. They'll no doubt post a sizable reward, as well. Since there are few out of town travelers in the dark days we'd be remembered wherever we found lodging. And once the bright days come, every City Guard will be watching for us in every market and street. Not to mention, every informant as well. No, my dear Kel, Azera is too small. We must ride over the hill and far away.'

She was right, of course, as we quickly found when the boulevard ended on the Reed Bank. The entire Reed Bank, with all its various entertainment houses shoulder to shoulder along the lakeside, is always a lively place in the last quarter of the day and today was no exception. It was crowded with pale coated Azerians hurrying to the lantern-lit doorway of their favorite lakeside establishment. Rickshaws bounded up and down the street carrying the more impatient or more important clientele. We clung to the shadows of the less crowded land side walkway, and turned left, towards the Lake Gate. We hadn't walked a block before we heard the sound of a bugle coming from behind us. Looking back we saw a detachment of mounted men in gleaming helmets – the hastily turned out Palace Guard – trotting briskly down the street, lantern bearers in the lead, bugler blowing his horn to clear the way of rickshaws. We turned our backs to them and huddled down in the collars of our jackets as they passed.

'Ten minutes more and we'd have been beyond the gate,' I muttered.

'Should've taken a fast rickshaw,' said Ren, grimly, but recovered immediately. 'Still, it shouldn't be too hard to slip out in the darkness. Any old loaded wagon would do. They can't close the gates, they just have to be on the look out for us.'

'I suspect most of the farm wagons have already left the city for the day, and most would be empty with nowhere to hide. And well, we're both rather well known to the Palace Guard. If they catch sight of us, we're lost.'

'Can we get over the wall itself?'

'The wall is just a line of townhouses with a thick windowless poured stone wall facing out. Even if we could get to the roof, it'd be a five story drop without handholds – and the City Guard traditionally keeps a watch all along the tops of those tenements for fires and such. I don't see that as a way out.'

'Oh, never mind. When the farm wagons start coming in during the early hours of tomorrow, we should be able to slip out in the press of traffic.'

'It will be a lot lighter tomorrow and harder to slip by.'

'Ah, true, my dear Kel. Then we must get out now, while we still can. Let's see how closely they're guarding the gate...' replied Ren.

'There are seven other gates, the South Gate to Contere is larger and more busy...' I began, thinking out loud, when I caught a glimpse of the lights of one of the pleasure islands through a gap in the buildings. 'Wait! I've an idea...'

'Good for you!' exclaimed Ren still in her bright sparrow mood with a slightly condescending smile in my direction. 'And what is it?'

'There's a popular tea and dining house on the south shore of the lake, almost a league outside the walls, The Willows,' I began. 'We can hire a boatman to take us there. From there we can... Well, perhaps it would be best to make for Contere. It's a city of transients – travelers even in the dark days are unremarkable – so it would the safest place to go to ground. And, with the coming bright days, there will be caravans setting out shortly for the four corners of the world, including Lankara.'

'Why, that's an excellent plan, Kel,' exclaimed Ren with what, I hoped, was playfully exaggerated amazement, as she clapped my on my shoulder. 'However, I don't think it would be wise to head north directly. You being a Lankarian, and I on the run from both Azere and Jasmyne, a northbound caravan may well be carefully searched if they spread their net outside the walls. Still, as you say, we'd be much more likely to pass unnoticed in such a place like Contere, at least for a day. We can decide how to proceed after that. Let's find a boatman.'

02

Finding a boatman for hire meant turning back and walking up the Reed Bank towards the palace end of the street. While many of the pleasure pavilions of the Islands remained open during the dark days, business was much reduced, and the number of boatmen for hire, reduced as well. We were most likely to find one where the paying clientele could be found, and that would be at the palace end. So, once again, clinging to the shadows of the courtyard walls of the townhouses that lined the inward side of the street, we started up the street towards the much brighter lit entryways of the more exclusive establishments, and the water taxi docks between them. And once again we were too late.

Rounding a shallow bend in the street, we discovered a dozen or so Guardsmen working their way slowly down the street two blocks ahead of us. While mounted troopers held lanterns on poles, others were making the rounds of every gateway on the Reed Bank, including the water taxi docks. While we weren't near enough to hear what they said, we could guess.

'The Prime Consul isn't going to give you up easily,' I whispered with a long sigh and a cloud of steamy breath.

'As I told the boys at the Mist, I'm the real prize in the game. If the Prime Consul loses me, he's lost.'

I gave her a look and shook my head ever so slightly. Some prize. 'It doesn't look like he intends to lose.'

'Pff. They're mere Palace Guards. I'm an Imperial Lancer with many seasons in the hills and steppes. I've done my share of tracking down raiders and bandits. I know how the game is played from both sides. They haven't a chance.'

I certainly hoped so. 'There's a water taxi dock just ahead. Do you think we have enough time to hire one and get away before they reach the dock?' I asked, pointing to a boat-for-hire dock half a block up the street.

She watched the guardsmen for a few seconds more and shook her head. 'I think not. Even if we set off before they arrived, they'd find out that we'd just left, and organize a pursuit. I doubt that the boatman would be eager to play our game... And we don't want to tip our hand. As long as they don't know where we've taken to ground, they can't concentrate their forces...' she said, thinking out loud. 'I still think your idea of escaping by water is the best. But I think that we'd best just borrow a boat, if you get my drift. I know from my time at the Floating Palace and several other such establishments along the Reed Bank that there are plenty of boats up and down the banks on that end of the street. Let's go back and see what we can find.'

'Borrowing a boat, as you propose, is a crime. Up to now, we've broken no laws. We're not criminals, even if we're being treated like ones. Let's not give them a lawful excuse to arrest us.'

'Pff! A petty crime. This is an affair of empires, my dear Kel. Everyday laws do not apply. The stakes are too high. Seven thousand seasons of Sol family rule may come to an end unless Lefe marries me, at least in his father's mind. He's turned out the Palace Guards to bring us in, and is no doubt sending word to the City Guard as well. A boat borrowed is a small price to pay for our freedom. Let's get going before the Guard reaches us. As you said, we're both too well known in the barracks to risk being seen by them.'

That threat was enough to convince me to turn about and hurry back the way we'd come. I didn't like the idea of stealing a boat. I wasn't sure it was even possible. I didn't think boat owners would make it easy... However, by the time we reached Clover Flower Boulevard again, I had another idea. A better one, I thought.

'Listen, Ren. Ore and Kaya – you know, the friends of mine that we dined with at the Blue Crane – live in one of the townhouses along the Reed Bank, down the way. I know that he owns a boat. They are good friends of mine, and I think that if we approach him with our predicament, he would let us borrow his boat.'

'You'd be putting him in danger. Remember this is an affair of state. Ordinary rules don't apply. If they found out he helped us escape he may face consequences.'

'If they find out. If they don't, he can just report that the boat had been stolen sometime in the dark days a few days from now, when it should not matter. I think Ore would see the injustice of this all, and agree to help us.'

'Are you that frightened of borrowing a boat?'

'Have you ever done it? I'm sure boat owners don't leave their boats around to be stolen. Do you have anything to cut a chain? Do you have oars or poles on you?' I replied. 'I don't. We could spend a lot of time, and risk being seen from the street while we're at it. Besides, even if he refuses, even if he goes running to the Guard, how could we be worse off?''

'Oh, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least ask. It might save us time.'

03

Scholar Bay and Kaya Tew had a large third floor flat in one of the townhouses lining the landward side of the Reed Bank with a view of the lake over the waterfront buildings across the street. I had visited him often – though usually in the bright days.

We were met at the door by Val, his servant, who showed us into his cozy, softly lit, and book lined study.

'Why Kel, Lady Loh, this is a pleasant surprise,' Ore exclaimed, rising to greet us from a chair set in front of a flickering stove.

'A surprise, I'm sure. But a pleasant one, that's a lot more iffy, my friend,' I replied taking his hand. 'We're here to ask for a dangerous favor.'

'A dangerous favor? Oh, my, that sounds interesting!' he laughed, taking Ren's hand as well.

'I wish I could say the same. The Palace Guard has been turned out in force to arrest us and guard the city gates to prevent our escape. We thought of escaping via a boat to the Willows, but before we reached a boatman to take us there, we found the Guard alerting the Reed Bank boatmen about us. I thought of you, and your boat... And well, I guess I'm bold enough, and desperate enough to call on you and ask to borrow your boat. You can report it stolen in a day or so. We just need it to get outside the city walls.'

'My, my,' he said, 'This all sounds interesting. Ah, Kaya, come in and shut the door. I believe our friends have a very interesting tale to tell. Now what desperate crimes have you two committed to bring the Palace Guard down on you?'

'We've not committed a crime,' said Ren. 'I don't wish to marry Lefe Sol, and poor Kel here, well, he's running from a life as a hostage, if not the execution wall, for nothing more than several innocent acts of kindness. Our dinner together the other day, being one of them.' And then she added brightly, 'Did you know that Kel is a Lankarian secret agent?'

'I'm not! Really, Ren, this isn't a joking matter.'

'Well, the Prime Consul seems to believe he is, and when I left him in his office, he was raving about having him up against the execution wall – unless I marry Lefe Sol, as my mother promised.'

'Why do you object to marrying Lefe Sol?' asked Kaya. 'We've known him for many seasons, and he would seem to make the perfect husband.'

'Oh, that may well be true. However, Lefe Sole objects to marrying me. Not that we dislike each other – quite the contrary, in fact. But you see, he loves someone else, and I do not care to share my husband's heart with someone else. I'm the daughter of an empress, a member of the imperial family, after all, not a broodmare to be sent away as the price of a trade treaty. The truth is that after objecting strongly to this marriage, I only came here to escape from Mother and her court. And since the treaty my mother wanted so badly has now been ratified, any obligation I may've owed my country has been discharged.

'However, we're here today because the Prime Consul, on returning from the Assembly told us that we must marry within the hour, or Kel here would be put up against the execution wall! Clearly the time had come for me to ride over the hill and disappear from the history books forever. It was either me or Lefe, and since I've got nothing to lose, and he has so much, it had to be me. I talked my way into a minute or two lead and just managed to escape ahead of the guards. I rushed to collect poor Kel, and we once again escaped just ahead of the Palace Guards who'd come to arrest him. So you see, history in the making has come knocking at your door.'

'Oh, my! It seems that it has,' exclaimed Ore. 'This will make such a romantic in a story, but this isn't a story for you two, is it?'

'Far from it,' I muttered, glumly. 'It is very real.'

'Ah, but you must make it romantic, Scholar Bay!'

'Of course, once you are safe!' he replied, clapping his hands. 'You must tell me all, if you have the time. Tea, Kaya. You do have time for tea, don't you? Have you eaten yet? Please take a seat. '

'We've no time for tea or a meal, I fear. If the Guard starts looking for Kel at his known friends houses, you may be visited by the Guard before this quarter is over. We must be gone by then. All we want to do is to steal your boat. You can report it stolen sometime during the dark days, once it gets light and you can go to look for it,' said Ren earnestly.

'Yes, yes. Of course. You can save your story until we're on the lake. It's been seasons since I enjoyed the Willows' famous roast duck. What do you say about a romantic boat ride in the light of the Blue Lantern and roast duck at the Willows, Kaya?'

Kaya was a little more practical minded than Ore, so I glanced to her with some doubt.

'It has been many seasons since we boated in the light of the Blue Lantern,' she said simply.

'Then we agree,' he said springing to his feet. I will have Val get the boat ready. We'll dine at the Willows and so your escape will leave no trail of missing boats.'

Ren beamed. 'Thank you Kaya, Ore. And trust me, I shall have my knife at your throat if we should happen to be discovered, so that no blame will be attached to you. Our story will be that we called on you, and when you refused to lend us your boat, we commandeered it by the most dire of threats!' laughed Ren, still in a wild good mood.

'Oh, my, I hope it doesn't come down to that. We want this story to end happily,' replied Ore, in a wild, for him, mood of his own.

Kaya and I exchanged a glance and a slight shake of the head. What could we do?

04

Bundled up tightly against the cold, dark dampness of the dark days' lake, Ore, Kaya, Ren and I stepped out into the forecourt. At the entrance we paused to peer up and down the street. The Guardsmen with lanterns had, by now, reached within a block of where we stood. They were now searching the gaps between the buildings that often lead to the floating docks of the many private boats tied up along this end of the shore.

'Quick, join Val on the boat. The boat has a shelter that you can take cover in. Kaya and I will wait until the Guardsman gets near enough to stroll over and casually ask what he's about. We'll tell him that we're on our way to the Willows for their famous roast duck. Hopefully that will allay any suspicion as to our actions,' said Ore, now fully caught up in the romance of our adventure, something that escaped me completely.

Ren nodded, and hooking my arm, briskly carried me across the street and down into the shadows between the Black Duckling Tavern and the Lakeman Inn, hopefully without being noted by the slowly approaching Guardsmen. We hurried down the steep ramp and out onto the floating dock. Val was standing by Ore's boat, which we boarded and ducked into the long, arching canvas shelter.

'You have seen no one, Val,' I said, and he nodded.

Within a minute or two, there was a slight flash of light against the canvas shelter and I could hear Ore talking to, I presume, the Guardsmen. The thought that he could be betraying us never crossed my mind, but Ren whispered in my ear, 'You can swim, can't you?'

I nodded, chilled to the bone by the thought.

They called to Val, who said he'd seen no one on the dock. A minute later we heard footsteps on the dock, and the boat tipped as Ore stepped on board, and paused to give Kaya a hand.

'My, you two are desperate bandits! I was warned to be on my guard for two escaped criminals, that fit your description,' he laughed quietly as he and Kaya settled on to the seats opposite us. 'Cast off, Val. Steer for the Willows,' he called out, and then turning back to us and speaking once more in a quiet voice, 'Since we have a journey of at least half an hour, perhaps you would be kind enough to entertain me with the whole story. It would be nice if you could start with your engagement, my dear Ren so I can place the events in context. I wish I could take notes, but Kaya has a better memory than I. I shall have to rely on you, my dear, for the details.'

'I would be delighted. Kel here, will record the rest of our story, and between the two of you, you can write the true history of the defiant bride of Jasmyne.'

As Ren told her story, I settled back and watched the bank slip slowly by as Val poled us sedately along the edge of the shore, lost in my own thoughts – of what I was losing. One by one the various buildings and docks passed us, and then the last tenement of the city, with its blank outer wall, pale in the faint light of the firmament. Just beyond the wall was the Lake Park, a wide public park with its scattered white pavilions etched against the inky black clumps and shadows of trees. High arching bridges crossed deep set canals and here and there, the glittered faint blue sheen of a lagoon in the light of the Blue Lantern. The park, in turn, gave way to the shadow black forms of large poured stone villas shoulder to shoulder along the shore, followed by a stretch of reedy marsh land, that was replaced by wicker enclosed fish ponds, and then by paddies and fields behind a willow lined shore. Around us, the wild water fowl stirred and drifted away from us without alarm, as they were not hunted on this lake. Save for the gurgle of water along the hull and the swish of water as Val rhythmically wielded the long pole to keep the shoreline gliding silently by.

Every now and again, I'd shiver – though whether it was from the cold dampness of the lake, or the dark thought that was crossing my mind at the time, I didn't bother to determine, as both were equally dark and cold. I tried to contemplate the serene beauty of the scene – its quietness, the elegant shapes in blacks, pale blues, the gently undulating mirror of the firmament, and the short, shimmering path of light cast by the shrouded Blue Lantern in the eastern firmament. To the extent that I made out the lights of the Willows and the small village around it shimmering over the lake ahead without cutting my throat in despair, I was successful.

Looking back to shore alongside us, it seemed solid enough beyond a narrow band of reeds, so I ducked out from under the shelter, and climbing to my feet said to Val, 'Steer for the bank. We can walk from here.'

'That's hardly necessary,' said Ore, from the shelter.

'No point taking chances. We certainly can't risk dining with you, however tempting the Willow's roast duck may be. And while I don't expect anyone is waiting for us at the Willow's dock, why take the chance that they are? Why take the chance that someone would notice that you arrived with two extra passengers? We can certainly walk an extra quarter of a league. We have many leagues ahead of us.'

'Kel's right, Ore. You, Kaya and Val have stood by your friend. There is no need to take any more chances. Now you can enjoy your roast duck feast and offer a toast to the Blue Lantern for our escape.'

'I can't argue that. To the bank, Val,' sighed Ore. And as Val swung the boat in towards the shore we'd been following, he added, 'Now tell me, Kel. Are you really a secret agent?'

'He is!' exclaimed Ren. 'Why he almost single handily drove the treaty into the ditch.'

'If I am a secret agent, Ore, it is such a great secret that even I don't know I am one. All I was doing was trying to pay back the kindness Lefe showed me when I first arrived in Azera. Nothing more.'

'No kindness goes unavenged' laughed Ren.

'So it would seem,' I muttered.

A minute later the boat nudged its broad bow through the narrow band of reed and nosed up against the steep lake bank. There was one more thing that needed taking care of.

I handed Ore the key to my flat. 'I'd appreciate it if you would collect my papers, at some point. Don't take any chances – wait until my escape is well known. Indeed, best to check with Lefe to make sure it would be safe before you do so. The City Guard may well be watching my quarters against my return. I'll write to you with further instructions when I'm safe and once the affair is forgotten.'

'Of course, of course. Don't worry. I shall be discreet. Don't worry about it at all. All your work won't be lost,' replied Ore, sincerely.

We then said our thanks and our goodbyes. They wished us good luck. Ren and I leaped to shore and pulled ourselves up the grassy bank to stand in the blue light to watch Val push the black shape of the boat out of the reeds with his long pole. We waved goodbye as the boat continued on its way towards the shimmering gold lights of the Willows, further along the curve of the lake shore.

'I would've enjoyed that roast duck,' said Ren wishfully.

Chapter 08 Contere

01

'You could've ordered roast duck for your wedding feast,' I muttered as we set off across the pasture.

'Still, Contere is less than an hour's walk away with Nations Street not more than half a league to the south. It will take us right into Contere. We can find roast duck, and lodging there and then decide on our next move.'

'Roast duck! That sounds like a plan, my dear Kel,' she exclaimed. 'Onward!'

We crossed the pale lit pasture, slipped through the gate in the tall bamboo and woven reed fence, and turned down the narrow road towards the village. We reached the Willows at the crossroads, and turned on the narrow southbound road that ran between tall fences needed to keep sheep in and steppe hounds out. I had my walking stick out, but I missed my walking staff, not for fear of the steppe hounds, for they rarely ventured this close to Azera and civilization – though there were always the rogue ones – but without it, it was harder to maintain one's balance while long striding. Still it wasn't far to the broad caravan highway. We hadn't gotten far on it when we heard the rhythmic thumping of horses in the dark distance coming from the direction of Contere. The Guard?

As one, we sprang for a thick patch of deep shadows of an arching tree. Crouching low in the tall grass, we watched as the long line of horsemen approached, three by three down the pale road.

It looked to be a full regiment.

'Lancers!' whispered Ren beside me. 'A steppe regiment! Oh! Look at them!'

Well, they were little more than graceful silhouettes with blue highlights – horses and riders both. They were traveling at a lopping long-trot. Each of the three horses in a rank matching their companions in their long, arching strides. Three following three, each trio passing us like they were an automation, so perfect were they in their strides. The cadence of their hoof-falls beat a steady, complex beat that wove in and out of the empty darkness. Their riders in their long coats rode like statues, subtly following the rise and fall of their mounts without ever seeming to move. Their casual forage caps sat jauntily at the sides of their high held heads. The ribbons of their lances, secured in the saddle holster behind them, fluttered; their sword scabbards flashed in the blue light as they gently bounced along. And they were singing a dashing march tune that wove in and out of the cadence of their mounts as they rode. There'd be no sleep for them this first quarter, for they were no doubt beginning a long march, but they were a steppe regiment, and sleep was something you took when given the opportunity.

It took the better part of five minutes for the regiment, along with its train of well sprung supply wagons, to pass by, leaving only a pall of dust hanging in the Lantern's pale light.

Ren sighed, as she watched them recede into the distance. 'Oh, what a fine looking regiment,' she whispered, and sighed again. The army of the Azere Empire consisted only of the three Guard regiments – the Palace Guards, and its two associated regiments, the Mayaday Guards in the south, and the Kanitara Guards in the far northwest. However, all of the nations that make up the Azere empire maintain a regiment or two to keep the great caravan routes free of bandits and raiders – it is a requirement of being part of the empire. The nations on the empire's hill country borders, and the vast nomadic steppes sometimes experienced more serious trouble in their loosely controlled fringe territories or even serious incursions from their less civilized neighbors. In these cases they would often hire the services of a regiment or two from their neighboring nations to suppress these incursions. This regiment was likely either coming from, or going to one such campaign.

'Why, that's what we'll be! I'll be a lancer officer and you can be my swordsman!' she exclaimed, rising from the tall grass.

'I'm not joining any regiment,' I said firmly.

'Of course not. You've joined one, and have now left it – for reasons best left unsaid,' she replied. 'We'll be ex-troopers who will be looking for a berth as caravan guards! That way we can be paid while we make our way to Lankara!'

'I thought you had plenty of gold coins,' I said as we climbed out of the ditch and onto the dusty road.

'Oh, I do. But why spend them when we can be paid to travel? Besides, it's not the pay, but the security that it will give us.'

'How so?' I asked as we started off down the road.

'As ex-trooper caravan guards we will disappear into the landscape, so to speak. Our pursuers will be looking for two travelers, not two down on their luck copper-a-day caravan guards.'

'But I know nothing about being a trooper. I'd fool no one in that guise.'

'Pff! I know everything about being a trooper officer. Indeed, that's all I know. You'll just be an ordinary trooper, my swordsman, my servant. We always choose the dumbest, most useless trooper of the lot to shine our boots, lay out our uniform, do our laundry, make our tea and such, so your ignorance of military life will not matter. Why, it's a role you were born to play!'

I gave her a sidelong look, but she was staring ahead with a wide smile, the light of the Blue Lantern shining in her spectacles. She glanced at me and laughed.

'You're not dumb, of course. But that will explain away any ignorance you have of the military life. Don't worry, I already know what regiment we're refugees from. Why I'll have already joined, served, and, shall we say, retired, from Colonel Klava's Landa Lancers! I made a point of investigating them thoroughly from Lefe's Guard records, since they would've been a natural choice, given my skills. I'll brief you on all the names of the officers, and what we've been up to these last 100 seasons. Plus, you don't have to say much of anything. You can play the sulky swordsman. They're common enough. And I promise not to kick you to get you moving,' she added with a laugh.

I rolled the idea around in my mind as we picked up the pace. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. She was right about it being much safer to be part of the background. And she did know everything about being a lancer officer.

Approaching Contere from the west does not offer Contere's best face. It was the livestock market side of the town. In the bright days, horses, sheep, and swine are herded here for sale and slaughter. Rather than enter by the main caravan gate, where there might be guards posted, we abandoned the caravan road and entered by one of the narrow roads used by the drovers and their livestock. This took us through cold, dark, smelly, and empty streets, past the mostly empty, but still odorous holding pens, past the reeking slaughterhouses, still doing business, past equally reeking tanneries and rendering houses.

'Cheerful place,' remarked Ren, watching the shadows.

'It reeks of death.'

'And dung.'

'That too.'

I was glad to have my walking stick as we traversed these foul smelling streets. Still, I had to believe that any street-bandits would likely have starved by now, if they had chosen these streets to lay in wait for customers.

Putting that quarter of Contere behind us, we made our way to the center of the city, the great round central plaza where the four main caravan roads crossed and where the wagons and pack trains gathered to form into caravans for mutual aid and protection. All around this central plaza were the caravanserai – the large and small inns that served the ever changing population of Contere – as well as the hundreds of usual food and drink stands, plus shops offering all sorts of goods for the pleasure and delight of the transient population. I had explored Contere extensively in my walks over my 65 seasons in Azera, so I led Ren to a large caravanserai, The Traveler's Ease, on the edge of the plaza. I wanted one large enough that she could slip in and out unobserved by anyone at the lodger's desk, since she was so easily recalled, should, or more likely, when, the Palace or City Guard extended their search to Contere. I also wanted one where the bedding would be freshly washed. I paid for a day, and for a canister of oil for the oil stove so that we'd not have to sleep in the cold.

Ren followed me out of the shadows once I was out of sight of the lodge desk, and we found our room. We lit the stove, stashed our satchels, and returned to the plaza to find a nice dark eating establishment that offered roast duck. Over dinner – my second – we planned our escape.

'The first thing tomorrow you'll go out and buy scissors, a razor, and some sticky paste,' said Ren. 'You know the shops and I'm too memorable. Once you get back, I'm afraid that your bandit whiskers are going to have to come off.'

'Yes, I suppose. Ah, to be honest, I don't think we need a razor. I'm really rather leery of sharp blades, they make me nervous. Which is one reason why I wear a beard.'

'One reason, or the only reason?'

'Well... it doesn't matter. I'll just be slightly unshaven all the time. I can keep my beard short using the scissors.'

She grinned and shook her head sadly. 'You're a born swordsman.'

'Maybe. But why the sticky paste?'

'I'll need a mustache to pass myself as a man for a day. I can use some of your hair to paste it under my nose. It'll be good enough for a dark day. Then, with our faces altered, we'll head out and find some discarded uniforms that match those of the Landa Lancers in one of the pledge and loan shops. I don't expect to have much trouble locating enough of a uniform for each of us to play the role of discharged, down on our luck troopers looking to find a berth to eat. The Landa Lancers wear dark green uniforms, which are common enough. We'll buy uniforms, long coats, swords and lever-bows, and a mess kit, spreading our purchases around, again so as not to be remarkable.

'Once we transform ourselves into our roles – you'll be Trooper Nix Cro, my swordsman servant, and I'll be Captain Lan Clare...'

'Cro?'

'I once had a swordsman by that name so it will be easy for me to remember,' she said with an innocent look, a look that invited disbelief, but I let it pass. I realized that my fate, at least at the moment, depended on Ren Loh, her dash, experience, and gold coins.

'And then, as Captain Clare and Cro, we'll buy our horses, saddles, and such.'

'Do we really need horses?'

'We want to be first class caravan guards. And I don't think you'd care to walk to Lankara. So yes, we'll buy two horses.'

I would've preferred to walk, even to Lankara. But again, I wasn't going to win this argument, so I let it pass as well.

'After which we'll move to a lower class caravanserai as befitting our roles, and present ourselves the day after tomorrow on the plaza, ready to be hired as guards.'

I stabbed a piece of the crispy duck in the mix of dark and white rice and asked, as I chewed it, 'What will our chances be of getting hired?'

She shrugged. 'We'll have to see. In any event, even if we're not hired, we can just as easily ride along with a caravan as volunteers to the next caravan port, or the one after that until we are hired. It's not like we really need the coins. What we need to do is to put a hundred leagues between us and Azera.'

Later, in our small, cool, dark room, each to our own side of the sleeping pallet, I lay awake watching the flickering light on the ceiling from the still glowing stove, and thinking of all that I had lost in the last few hours. My work, my reputation, my friends, and my life in Azera. All but my living breathing life, really. And it seemed very premature to assume that I'd been allowed to keep that.

'I'm sorry, Kel,' said Ren quietly out of the darkness beside me, as if reading my mind. 'I'm sorry I dragged you into this. You must be very angry with me.'

I sighed. 'Yes, I'm cursing my fate. But you will note that I've not cursed you. You did warn me of the dangers of keeping company with you and I ignored your warnings. I have only myself to blame.'

'Still, I should've never put you in that position. You could hardly have refused. And it wasn't as if I was all alone. I had Aunt Kina to keep me company and a shoulder to cry on. I was just being... I was just being reckless. I'm sorry you have to pay such a price for my recklessness.'

I was sorry too. Sorry for myself. Still, 'I'm no worse off than you. And I had a choice, which is more than you had. We're young enough, we can begin anew.'

'That's my brave Kel. It'll be fun!'

02

We followed our program the next day – brighter now, with the whole firmament growing with the approach of the still unseen Yellow Lantern. I lost my beard, save for a drooping mustache, and most of my hair as well, save a little on top.

'I can hardly recognize myself,' I muttered, looking into the small glass on the wall.

'Somehow you look even more like a bandit,' said Ren studying me. 'Just a more unsuccessful one. I still think you should be clean shaven. I always insisted that my swordsmen be neat and trim.'

I looked at the razor's gleaming blade, and said, 'I'd think that after being sent down from the... what was that regiment we serve in?'

'Pff! The Landa Lancers. Colonel Klava's Landa Lancers. You better remember it. Even a swordsman knows what regiment he's a member of.'

'So, after being turned out of the Landa Lancers, for embezzling mess room funds...

'I didn't! I was innocent. A victim, not a thief! How was I to know those were all duplicate bills?' she exclaimed, in mock outrage. 'And so what if I can't add and subtract all that well?'

'...That you'd be lucky, Captain Clare to have your swordsman follow you, clean shaven or not.'

'Who else would have him?' she replied, and adding with a grin. 'And if you're frightened of that little blade, I'll shave you. I've watched all my mates do it. How hard can it be?'

I shuttered. 'Thanks, but Trooper Cro doesn't care to bother with shaving.'

She gave up and collected some of my fallen hair and fashioned a trim mustache to her upper lip, attaching it with the paste I had bought.

She then put away her big round spectacles and replaced them with a single lens on a leather cord that was attached to a button hole to keep it near at hand when it wasn't nestled in her right eye.

'What do you think?' she asked turning to me from the glass to leer at me down her long nose and new mustache. The arch squint she used to keep the lens in turned her usual arrogant leer into an arrogant sneer.

I started back. 'By the Blue Lantern! You look like a sadistic young officer from some second tier noble family. Do you really need spectacles? Weren't they just a guise?'

She looked a little embarrassed, or as embarrassed as anyone can look, sneering down at you, and admitted sheepishly, 'Yes. I must admit that the world is very blurry without my spectacles. My father always felt that they spoiled my looks. It is very hard to be dashing in spectacles.'

'Well I thought that you looked very dashing in them – for an aide de camp when we first met. But don't you have something else besides this mono-lens?'

'Maybe. But you're getting the sadistic young officer, Trooper Cro, like it or not. And aide de camp, my ass.'

Having donned our new identities, we went out again into the dark side streets that surrounded the central plaza to purchase the rest of our kit, second, third, or fourth hand from the many little pledge and loan shops – swords, lever-bows, saddle bags and mess kits. We ended the day returning to the livestock part of town to acquire our horses.

We visited five stables before Ren found the horses she wanted – a herd of rugged, rather small stepped-bred horses.

'They're not elegant, but they're tough. They can be ridden for days,' she explained, and then, after holding each of them by their head and looking them in their eyes to 'Read their character and temperament,' she selected two, "Ghostwind," a white stallion for herself and a dun-colored mare for me, "Sela."

'Sela, is a kindly, tolerant beast,' she assured me. 'Just what you ordered.'

'How do you know her name?'

'Oh, come now, just look into her eyes. Clearly she's Sela.'

I looked, and her eyes told me nothing, except, perhaps she wasn't all that sure if I was what she would've selected were the roles reversed. But I knew my way into a mare's heart, and I dare say that most of her doubts vanished with a couple of lumps of sugar that I'd purchased expressly for that purpose. She seemed docile enough, and I knew enough about the care of horses, so I thought we'd get along just fine.

Leading the horses to the inn's stables, we went out once more to purchase light saddles and fittings for our ex-trooper kits. Though Ren always made a point of negotiating the price for every item we purchased, she selected only the best and paid with only mock reluctance.

'Oh, I embezzled plenty of gold coins since my engagement for this day.' She stopped and laughed, 'Why, I guess I am an embezzler! Only I didn't get caught! Still, I am, after all, the daughter of the empress. I was only taking a small portion of my share,' she said, airily. 'I've got them sewn into my belts and in the soles of my shoes – all over. I'll give you some when we get back to the room, just to spread our wealth out a little just in case we get separated.'

I didn't object. My savings were mostly in an Azera bank.

While I had to wear a sword as part of my disguise, I bought a walking staff that I could carry in the lance holster, since it was a weapon which with I was comfortable. And having encountered many a caravan on my travels, I knew I'd have no problem keeping up with one on foot. And since I preferred walking to riding, the walking staff I felt would come in handy.

We made one last purchase at a rather obscure shop for women travelers. A wig of black hair for Ren.

'The mustache is too fake looking to use in the bright days, so I must be a girl once more. And I fear that with my short hair, I might be too distinctive to pass myself off as Captain Clare of the Landa Lancers, hence the need for a wig. No point taking needless chances.'

And so for now, female Captain Clare and Trooper Cro moved once again, this time to the Road and Steppe Inn, another small and dingy caravanserai as fitting of our new status as caravan guards for hire, for the sleep quarter. Captain Clare took a small room; I got a sleeping-box in the common bunk room, as befitting my lowly station, and the division of our supposedly scarce coins. I didn't object.

Chapter 09 The Caravan Guards

01

We were up and slipped out early, having paid for our sleep. Captain Clare had now become a female. Even in her collection of various uniforms and clothes, she was neat and trim. The mustache was gone, and, barely seen under a rather battered forage cap hat she had adopted, was the black haired wig – combed tightly over her ears and back to a small bun on her neck tied with a leather strap – as an arrogant Captain Clare of the Landa Lancers would wear her hair.

'I've used some paste to make certain it stays put,' she confided in me. 'What do you think, Cro?'

I went so far as to say, 'Well, it's an improvement, sir.'

'Oh, be still, my leaping heart.'

We ate a big breakfast after which we went around to the stable to give the horses their oats, as we saddled them.

Though it was barely into the second quarter, the plaza was a roiling mass of men, and women preparing their horses, wagons, and pack trains to take to the roads that lead to the four corners of the empire and beyond. Though the Yellow Lantern had yet to rise in the east, this last dark day was nearly as light as a bright one. It was, however, still as cold as the coldest of the dark days. We walked our horses through the shifting maze of noisy activity to the center of the plaza, where we mounted and waited for any shorthanded caravan master to come around. The group included three other mounted guards-for-hire, but a dozen or more on foot – everyone, mounted or not, was looking tough, or at least pretty rough.

We didn't have long to wait.

A wiry man in a well weathered long coat and wide-brimmed hat approached us, riding on a broad, steppe bred black horse that pushed its way through the chaos of the plaza. He pulled up before us and silently inspected us.

He paused before Ren and asked, 'Your name?'

'Lan Claire, late of the Landa Lancers, sir.' She added a sketchy salute.

'An officer?'

'Captain. Former Captain, sir.'

'Why former?'

'Long story, sir.'

'I bet. Experienced caravan guard?'

'No sir. We've been doing this and that seeing a bit of the empire beyond the Norlora hills. However caravan work is well within my experience, sir. I've commanded independent detachments up and down the Norlora hills and across the steppes, sir.'

'Can I rely on you?'

'Yes, sir. I'm sober, responsible, and trustworthy.'

He gave her a wry look. 'Truthfully?'

'Well, how was I to know all those bills were duplicate bills, sir?' she replied, giving him one of her proud, down the nose looks, but adding a slightly injured whine to her voice. 'I'm not a thief or bandit, sir.'

'None of them are,' he replied, making no effort to believe her. 'Still you look to be the best of the bunch. I haven't time to be too picky. Ten coppers a day, and board for you and your mount.'

'Fair enough, sir.'

'Right. Fall in. My name is Tye Farn.'

'Sir, my swordsman,' she said with a nod to me, beside her.

'I only need one body.'

'Yes, sir. But I can't leave him behind. He's rather hopeless on his own.'

'I only need you. But if you rather wait for another offer for both of you...'

'Ah, sir. Can I bring him along for board. I'm sure you'll find him useful enough – for board only wages.'

He gave me a doubtful look. 'Board wages?'

I shrugged. 'I follow Captain Clare, sir. If I may, sir.'

'Right. Fall in you two,' he said, and swung his horse around. We fell in behind him.

He led us to the eastern side of the plaza.

'These are our charges,' he said with a sweep of his hand as we pulled up beside him alongside nearly a dozen ranks with three or four wagons and coaches in them. 'Five nobles, their families, and retainers heading home from the Assembly.'

In addition to the wagons, three or four dozen liveried retainers and their horses milled about exchanging loud banter with each other over the wagon drivers, who were loudly issuing brisk orders to horses and crew, as they were hitching the last of their teams to the wagons and coaches.

'All the wagons with the orange banners are ours. Besides you two, I've only my regular crew along this time – my second in command, seven drivers and general hands. Our charges have plenty of their own riders to deal with any problems on the road, so I don't need any more. With their own people along, you shouldn't have to do much more than make sure everyone stays in their proper order and doesn't wander off. However, with this lot, you need to be very polite. Got that? Politely answer all their questions. Politely listen to all their trivial complaints, and then promptly do whatever it takes to make them happy. These are not people you want to cross. Am I making myself clear?'

'Yes, sir. Seeing that I'm nearly blinded by all the gilded crests, I can see that politeness it is,' she replied while cocking her head to look down her nose at the throng of retainers hitching the teams to the noble coaches.

'And proper deference, as well, Clare,' he added.

'Of course, sir,' she replied, making no effort to look deferential, beyond a curt nod and a flash of her mono-lens.

Tye Farn may've hesitated for a second, but time was no doubt running short and his noble party would soon be ready to set out. He'd not want to keep them waiting. He too, needed to be right deferential. 'Come along, I'll sign you on to Candafra.'

I'm sure caravan guards could be picked up at every caravan port along the way, so this was no guarantee of continued service. But we didn't really need that.

While Ren hadn't turned a hair of her wig, my stomach dropped nearly to the saddle when I realized who our charges would be. I didn't know enough about the nobility of Azere to identify their crests or know who we'd be escorting back to their southeast manors, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that at least some of them would've met Ren Loh at the Exhibition, or on the parade grounds, if not at the Wind in the Reeds not two days past. My only hope was that having been around Ren long enough and knowing her too well, the changes she had made in her appearance were not as minor as they appeared to be to me. To me she was still Ren, despite her new hair, her mono-lens and her array of second and third hand clothes. I told myself that not only was she quite different in appearance, but she was in an entirely different role. A role of a rough servant, a role that would make her all but invisible to anyone that might have seen Ren Loh and be able to recognize her. And I kept telling myself that, while trying not to think of what the next 20 bright days on the road would bring.

Tye Farn led us to his lead wagon, one of four well-sprung wagons that served as his mobile headquarters, and signed us on to Candafar in the southeast hills. He gave us orange arm bands to wear – the extent of our uniform.

'We'll be heading north after that, escorting the last two of our party to their manor halls along the northern Kalarin Hills. If you work out and want to stay on, it's triple wages, for both of you.'

'Triple wages?'

'Dark days pay, plus the Kalarin tribes like to do a little sheep raiding in the dark. A noble's wagon train of goods purchased in Azera would make their day. We'd be expected to prevent their loss. Hence, triple pay.'

'The Kalarins tribes do like their fun,' said Ren, adding quickly, 'Or so I hear from some of my troopers who have served in the southeast.'

Farn made nothing of it, but I gave her a look. She gave me a little apologetic shrug.

After we'd signed on, we were ordered to make sure all 34 coaches and wagons got into line – in their proper places – according to their numbered banners and then to take our places as the rear guard. As we remounted, Farn ordered his aide de camp to ride down the ranks of coaches and on to the bordering buildings, blowing his hunting horn to bring the passengers out of the warmth of their caravanserais and eating houses to get this caravan underway.

As the retainers, families, and the noble consuls themselves began to emerge from the inns and make their way to their coaches, I suggested to Ren that we might want to reconsider our plan in light of who we looked to be spending the next 16 to 20 days with.

'Look, isn't that Gel Kos and his pal, Wen Dre from our evening at the Mist?' I said, nodding to the bundled figures emerging from one of the eating houses.

'Why, I believe it is,' she acknowledged giving them a squint with her single lens spectacle. 'They were good company. We're among friends.'

'Right. They could've been the ones that tipped the Prime Consul off that you were there with me. And they'll have all of the bright days to recognize you.'

'Pff! Any one of the two dozen nobles in the house at the time could've talked. And so what if they did?'

'They may well have tried to use you, to sink the treaty, and might try to use you again to spike it even now, should they discover who you are. Plus, there may well be a reward out for us...'

'They're in no need of the coins the Prime Consul would likely be offering.'

'I wouldn't bet on that. And even if they don't, I dare say there are plenty of characters in this caravan who wouldn't mind claiming it.'

'We signed on to this outfit, Trooper Cro. We've cast our die. You're worrying far too much for a swordsman. Once we're out of the gate, we can go over the hill any time we want, should it come to that. But it won't come to that. Look at them; they all have a dozen or more outriders, plus drivers to look after them. They'll never notice us.'

'I hope you're right.'

She gave me one of her arrogant leers and said, 'Of course I'm right, Cro.'

'Yes, sir,' I replied, doubtfully. Ren Loh wasn't shy. She had a way – an attitude – that made people notice her, at least in my experience. I could only hope she'd be cautious enough to tone that attitude down. However, a sidelong glance towards her at my side, sitting straight and tall on her horse aloofly staring down her nose at the scurrying of passengers and crews around her, inspired no confidence that she would.

This impression was quickly confirmed as soon as she went to work getting the wagons ready to roll. She worked her way through the collected wagons, cheerfully harrying the lagging crews to finish hitching their teams, and slightly more politely, the straggling passengers to get on board their coaches, while reminding the drivers of where their proper place in the line was, according to their numbered banners, and impressing upon them in no uncertain terms, that the assigned order was to be maintained, come what may. All in all, a performance that might have left the impression that it was her caravan. I noticed that Tye Farn watched her for a while, before turning away, apparently content to let her go about the task on her own. Even so, the whole process took the better part of an hour before the horn was blown and Tye Farn's lead wagon began to roll down the broad avenue towards Contere's eastern caravan gate. As the elegant, well sprung coaches rolled by us followed by the heavily loaded supply wagons, Ren watched them form up in their prescribed order under her glittering mono-lens. When the last one creaked and rumbled by, we fell in behind them at a slow walk.

Behind us, the unofficial wagons that would accompany Farn's caravan began jockeying for position. Even though the bright days were once more upon us, wagoneers, as a general rule, liked to travel in caravans for protection from the rare steppe raiders – humans and the steppe hound packs that roamed the open steppes – plus for the company and mutual aid should they run into some sort of trouble or breakdown on the road. We were not responsible for these independent wagons, but as long as they stayed in their place behind us, they were welcome to travel along with us. And so, with perhaps 60 wagons and hundreds of horses rumbling and clattering down the broad street that lead to the Contere's east caravan gate, the first caravan of the day set out for the eastern rim hills and the vast steppes of the Azere empire beyond them. And with them, I began my career as a caravan guard.

Fifteen minutes later, it looked to be a very short career.

02

Even as the head of our caravan rolled through the outer gates of Contere, several blocks ahead, there came from behind us a chorus of shouted orders over the rumble of the wagons. I turned back to see what the extra commotion was, and cursed.

'Trouble,' I said turning back to Ren, riding serenely beside me. 'A squadron of the Guards has arrived and they appear to be stopping all the wagons to inspect them. They must be looking for us.'

'We're not hiding in the wagons,' she replied with a superior smile. 'So we've nothing to be concerned about.'

'I thought we might want to slip away, now, before they reach us.'

'Stand firm, Cro. The people they may be looking for no longer exist.'

I glanced at her again. Was it confidence, or arrogance? Or both? In any event, I shared neither.

'Besides, I rather doubt that they'll dare to stop and search our noble caravan.'

She had a point there. It made me feel a bit better.

A Guard's officer galloped by us, no doubt heading for the head of our caravan to order it to stop and be searched, my old friend, Captain Dar Larc. My heart sank again. He might not recognize me without my beard and in my guise of a rough around the edges ex-trooper, but I had a feeling that Ren Loh and Captain Clare were far too similar in character and attitude, for a wig and eyepiece to deceive Captain Larc. Especially since Captain Larc had spent a lot of time in her company during the regimental meet and barrack feasts. Captain Larc, however, rode past us without looking at us and half a block more before he pulled abruptly up and stared at the gilded crests that adorned the cargo wagons that were rolling past him. He watched them roll by for a moment or two before deciding that pulling over the coaches and wagons of the nobility of the southeast manors might not be a wise career move. Turning back, he first caught sight of us at the rear of the caravan and started back, no doubt to have a word with us about two fugitives.

However he was still two wagons away, when I saw him start and instinctively rein in his mount. His eyes were not on me.

Ren noted that as well, and stepped her horse over to come alongside of him, as bold and coolly arrogant as ever.

'Are you growing a beard, Captain?' she asked sharply, looking down her nose at him.

Whatever Captain Larc was about to say, he lost it, and found himself in momentary confusion. 'A beard?' he muttered, staring at her.

'In my old regiment, the Landa Lancers, officers were expected to be either clean shaved or sporting a well tended beard. They did not go about their duties unshaven for days, setting a very bad example for the troopers as a consequence. I find it hard to believe that the Colonel commanding the Palace Guard Regiment allows his officers to go about in such a slovenly manner, so I hope you are growing a beard, Captain, and not someone that is shy of a sharp blade like my swordsman Cro here.' This with a disdainful glance in my direction.

He stared at her, and then at me in wonderment for a moment more, before rallying and replying with a touch of arrogance as well. 'I regret that I have offended your sensibilities, lieutenant...'

'It's Captain, sir. Captain Lan Clare, formerly of the Landa Lancers.'

'...Captain, but I have been directing the hunt for two desperate criminals without respite for nearly two days. I've hardly had time to catch a half an hour's nap in the odd moments, much less shave. I assure you that under normal circumstances, Colonel Sol expects the appearance of the Palace Guard's officers and troopers to be beyond reproach, Captain.'

She shrugged dismissively. 'I shall have to take your word for that, Captain. Though I have to say that I find it hard to believe that you'd not have five spare minutes to shave, no matter the circumstances or how desperate the criminals. I hope that in the future you remember that you are to set an example for every trooper under you command and appear cool and clean shaven at all times.'

'I shall endeavor to remember that,' replied Larc, now enjoying the game as much as Ren.

'Excellent. And good luck finding those desperate criminals. I'm sure that you will, eventually.'

'I'm certain I will,' he replied with just the faintest of smile.

'Capturing them is another matter. However, I see that our caravan is leaving without us, Captain, so we must be going. Please extend my fond regards to your Colonel Sol, Captain, when you next see him – cleanly shaven, I trust.'

He nodded. 'I will.'

'So long, Captain Larc,' she said, dropping any pretext.

'Stay lost. Don't tempt fate. Blindness once is all I can justify for Lefe and friendship's sake,' he said quietly, and then giving me an amused look and shaking his head.

I shrugged, and said, 'Thank you, Dar. Tell Lefe I'll write, someday.'

He nodded, and started back towards his troopers who were searching the wagons behind us, while we hurried on to catch up to our caravan.

03

The caravan road stretched up to and through the wooded rim hills of the Azera Valley, and then down into the rich, cultivated steppe lands of farm fields, pastures, coppices, bamboo groves, and ponds that rolled out to the bright eastern horizon. Sprinkled among the fields were high walled homesteads and small villages. The livestock had already been put to pasture after being confined to the tall wall pens for the dark days. Confining the livestock was more custom then necessity in this day of age, as the steppe hounds had been hunted to extinction in these civilized steppes, though the occasional rogue might drift in from the wild steppes to try its luck. The farmers were also out in their fields, tending their farms and the crops that had been dormant during the dark days and were now just starting to wake up. This was very familiar country to me. I had walked this road, and many other side roads leading away from Azera, on my journeys to Blue Order communities over the last 66 seasons.

For the first few days, caravan guards were largely ornamental, at least in the bright days. In the dark days, certain elements in the villages along the caravan road might try their hand at pilfering a passing wagon, but not in the bright days. Professional bandit gangs were rare, and in most cases, had bright day jobs to make ends meet. Thus, during the bright days, guards were hired to keep order and lend a hand should a wagon breakdown, which should be rare in the early part of the journey. Once we reached the open steppes between the cities, where the true nomads roamed, we became a bit more useful as guards.

By and large, the nomadic tribes of the steppes within the great empires of Azere and Jasmyne were semi-civilized, which is to say, they did not go about sacking towns as they once did. Their leaders are considered nobles in the Azere's loose empire of Nations and Peoples, and were entitled to attend the Assembly of Nobles. Only a few do, however, since they are content to live their timeless way of life, graze their herds of horses and sheep across the sweeping grasslands and marshes of the steppes, more or less in peace. Now and again there are violent blood feuds among the nomads, but as long as they are kept within the steppes and modest in scope, the nations of Azere look the other way. There are, however, bands of young nomads, outlawed or outcast nomads, or hot headed rebel nomads who splinter away from their people and ranges and take to raiding on a small scale, as they did, either for fun, as some sort of test of manhood, or as some sort of return to the old ways. For this reason, the nations of the empire maintain mounted regiments to discourage this activity, and if necessary, pursue and punish these young bucks and discontents. Even so, caravans do occasionally get attacked while traversing the wild steppes, even in the bright days, hence, the need for caravan guards. This happens more frequently on the minor routes than the busy main routes, like the Nations Street, where help is never far off.

'With all the retainers and riders these nobles travel with, we'll not have to worry about bandits and nomads,' Ren noted. 'We've got five times the number of guards a caravan usually employs.'

That, as it turned out, was not always the case, as we quickly found out. We were no more out of the gates of Contere when we found the mounted Tye Farn alongside the road watching the wagons roll by. He joined us.

'Our customers prefer to spend as little time on the road as possible, so I'm going to take their double teamed coaches on ahead at double pace. This will probably be the pattern for the whole trip. I'm giving my second, Max Ral, command of the cargo wagons. Half of the retainers will accompany the wagons, but I think I'll keep you and your swordsman back as well. They'd be a rich prize.'

'Yes, sir,'

'And I'd appreciate it if you politely offered to lend Max a hand. He's been with me for hundreds of seasons and riding these roads since the Elders left the Valleys, so he's very reliable. I trust him completely. Still, he's getting on in age and isn't as spry as he once was, a thousand seasons ago.'

'Yes, sir. I'll respectfully volunteer to help keep the wagons rolling,' said Ren with a knowing nod.

'I'm sure he'll welcome your help.'

'Yes, sir,' replied Ren briskly.

'Good. Then, steady as she goes, Clare.'

'Steady as she goes, Captain,' replied Ren, and turning to me as she followed Tye Farn forward, added, 'You have the rearguard, Cro.'

'Yes, Cap'n,' I mumbled, with a sketchy salute.

'And don't get lost.'

'Yes, Cap'n.'

Old Max and Ren quickly and amiably divided the work of the caravan, Max gave Clare free hand to run it, as long as she could keep everyone happy. I suppose that since the wagon drivers and riders she was dealing with were servants and used to the arrogance of their noble bosses, they accepted her arrogance and orders without a thought. And then, too, I knew from watching her on the playing fields, that she knew how to temper her authority with encouragements and a flash of a smile. Indeed, I could hear her cheerfully bantering with the riders as she worked her way down the caravan to make sure I hadn't gotten lost several hours later.

'Isn't this the life!' she exclaimed with a sweep of her hand. 'The dawning bright days, the open road, and for all practical purposes, an independent command! What more could you ask for?'

'Ten coppers a day?' I ventured, glumly. I was cold, and getting sore from riding already, and I still had the best part of seven hours in the saddle before we reached Caval, our first caravan stop.

'I'll see what I can do about that, Cro. But let's give it a few days. But I expect you to prove that you're more than a worthless swordsman in the meanwhile. And don't whine. There's nothing I hate more than a whining useless swordsman.'

She, at least, seemed to have embraced our respective roles completely. And whether she liked it or not, I decided that Cro was a sullen whiner, so I whined, 'I'm not useless, or you wouldn't have kept me around all these seasons, Captain.'

'I'm not without pity, Cro,' she said, making no effort to sound like she meant it. Completely in character.

'If you say so, sir,' I mumbled, doubtfully.

'I do. Carry on trooper,' she laughed and swung about to take the lead again.

An hour later, I'd grown too cold and sore to continue riding at the plodding pace of the caravan, so I dismounted, took my long walking staff out of the lance holster, and leading Sela by her reins – I wasn't sure we'd arrived at the point where she'd not run off on me – I took to long-stride walking. The caravan rolled along at a steady one league an hour pace – the definition of a league, in fact – well within my customary long-stride pace, so I easily kept my station behind the last wagon. I soon fell into contemplation, seeking nothing, but often finding my thoughts returning to my lost life.

Ren found my walking amusing when she next made her rounds, several hours later. 'We're supposed to be lancers, Cro,' she said, looking down on me from her horse.

'Let's just say that my disinclination to ride horses is what lead to becoming your swordsman. And that I usually rode in the supply wagons rather than on a horse.'

'Why, that's as good as any story. I'm happy to see that you're getting into character. Swordsmen are usually characters of one sort or another. As an unshaven, whiny, insubordinate, walking lancer, I think you've found your true calling, Cro.'

With the unofficial wagons that had planned to accompany us being held up by the search for Ren and I, I had the road empty behind me all the way to the caravan plaza of Caval. They didn't start rolling in until our dinner was being prepared in the mess wagon.

04

It was at dinner that I faced my next challenge – a very large brown dog of very mixed heritage. He leaped out from behind one of the caravan master's wagons, arched its back and showed a whole lot of teeth with the apparent intent on using them, at least if I took a step closer to the cook's wagon.

'Good dog,' I said, tentatively. Neither of us believed that.

He growled louder and showed a little more of his yellow teeth.

Looking around, I spied Max Ral limping along headed for the cook's wagon, like me, and called out, 'Whose dog is this?'

He looked over and laughed, 'Oh, that's Wili. He's quite a character. Thinks he has a sense of humor. He's just teasing. Just slap him on the nose, and tell him to quit it. He's harmless.'

Wili growled deeper and arched a little higher, and raised his hair a bit more as well to dispute that last claim.

'Are you sure?' I called out.

'Oh, leave the poor man be, Wili. He's one of us now,' ordered Max as he grabbed a bowl for the stew that the cook had over an iron grill at the end of the cook wagon. 'Let the poor man eat.'

Wili glanced behind him, gave him a yelp, and then looked back to me and began his act again, showing his teeth and growling.

I was hungry enough to believe Max, so I edged forward – watching Wili watching me. He growled a little lower, like he meant it. Still, I got alongside of him without being attacked, close enough to note a twinkle in his eyes, so I risked my hand and gave his head a tentative pat while saying 'Good dog.'

He found that amusing and barked a laugh, and, as I hurried on, abandoned his act to bound into the circle of folding stools around the cook's wagon, wagging his tail and barking soft laughs to himself as he relived my fright and his humor. He then hurried over to me and sat next to me once I had my bowl of stew.

Max introduced me to the rest of the crew, three capable looking women and four weather beaten men, and four other large dogs, who, like us, guarded the caravan in shifts. Tye was dining with the nobles, and Ren was making her last inspection of our encampment in the crowded plaza.

Wili, seeing her return, leaped towards her with the intention of putting on his act again. He had hardly begun to growl when he caught sight of Ren sneering down at him, her one lens flashing the light of the twilit sky. She didn't stop, but said, 'I'm hungry. Scram, unless you want to end up on the menu.'

Wili may have hesitated half a second before surrendering, and scurrying back to my side.

'His name is Wili, sir,' I said as she sat down on the stool next me. 'I'm told that he has a sense of humor.'

'He also has enough sense to know when to give it a miss,' she replied, giving him – who was now hiding on the other side of me – another flash of her mono-lens. He gave a weak yelp, and moved a little more behind me. He did, however, give me a little wink and a toothy grin. This was a new game for him.

As I started eating my mutton stew, he edged up again so that my arm brushed up against this face. He watched the large spoon from the bowl to my mouth, and then me, as I chewed it. Well, it has been my policy to make friends with animals bigger than myself, or, in this case, with more and sharper teeth, and the most direct way to do that is to feed them treats. So I picked out a hunk of mutton and handed it to him. He took it delicately and wolfed it down, wagging his tail on the pavement. And waited for the next piece.

'One more piece,' I said quietly. His eyes brightened in appreciation, but I doubted that he was going to settle for just one more.

'If you feed him he'll not stop pestering you, Cro,' said Max, seeing me sharing my meal with him. 'They get plenty to eat.'

'Just this once, to make friends, Max,' I assured him.

Wili barked his assurance that this was just a one time event to seal our friendship. That was his sense of humor again, since, neither he nor any of the others believed either me or his assurance.

Even though we were within the city of Caval, we stood watches over the wagons to prevent pilfering. I whined to Captain Clare that it was unfair that I, drawing only mutton stew and a narrow slat in the supply wagon to sleep on, should have to draw a watch round.

'Oh, quit your whining, Cro. Show some worth and I'll see if I can get Tye to up your wages. You have all day to sleep on your horse.'

'I don't think I can do that...'

'If you get tired enough, you'll get the hang of it fast enough,' she laughed, adding, 'You have the last watch, starting at the second hour. Get some sleep.'

I found my narrow bunk in the men's supply wagon, and despite the noise and voices from the gathered wagons and the spirit and pleasure houses that surrounded the plaza, I was weary enough to fall into a deep sleep without any trouble. The second hour came too soon, but it was brighter with the Yellow Lantern over the horizon but still hidden beyond the poured stone buildings of Caval. The nobles employed their own retainers to guard their wagons, so I had little to do. Wili, however, kept me company.

Chapter 10 On the Road

01

The following day Max and Captain Clare had the wagons on the road before the noble passengers were even awake. It was a wise decision by Tye Farn to keep the rather arrogant Captain Clare, as she quickly became known, as far away from the noble passengers as possible, since they might take offense with her lack of, shall we say, awe. This suited us very much as well, since the caravan included our friends from the Mist in the Reeds. And while I, as the ill shaven, whining ex-lancer swordsman would likely never be recognizable as the bearded Dark and Dawn Classics Scholar Kel Cam, Captain Clare was too close to Ren Loh in both looks and attitude to be as safe from detection.

'Please try to be discreet, Ren. I don't think that mono-lens and wig are all that much of a disguise. At least not since you have the same brisk, arrogant attitude of Ren Loh.'

'I'm not arrogant, I'm merely competent and efficient.'

'Whatever you are, you're very much the same.'

'Pff! That's because you know me too well, Cro. Our betters will simply see me, if they notice me at all, as a rough, sharp tongued caravan hand. A mere servant, and look no deeper. Ren Loh was a strange creature of closely cropped hair and big spectacles that they entertained at their dim-lit table for an hour. They have no reason to associate a caravan hand with the fourth daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne.'

'Well, don't give them one. Stay well away from that lot.'

'Pff!'

Nevertheless, in the role of Captain Clare, she fell once more into the proud Lieutenant Loh that Lefe and I had met on this very Imperial Way a season before, with perhaps a touch more casual roughness, given her implied disgrace of the past. She treated me with cool condescension as a tiresome, but familiar servant. I didn't resent it. It was part of our act, and it prevented any speculation as to our relationship. Having been suspected of seducing her – which landed me in the role of Nix Cro – I'd no intention of finding myself at the center of such nonsense in our new situation. With a few exceptions, I found myself in the sole company of Ren only when she made her rounds and kept company with me for a while at the rear of the convoy. Out of sight and earshot, she'd drop her mono-lens and let the world get blurry around her – Ghostwind could keep to the road by himself – and gossip with me like a friend, her arrogance shed with the mono-lens.

02

Since our clients were not, as a rule, early risers, we got their wagons rolling, with half of their retainers, by the first hour of the second quarter of each day under the command of Max, but by the energy and direction of Captain Clare. My post remained that of its rearguard, and my task was... Well, I wasn't quite sure about that, so it was a role that well suited me, since I wasn't supposed to be competent at much of anything. I played my indolent role with perfection. I'd have to be paid more than board to do more.

The light coaches, with their four horse teams and built for fast travel, usually started off two hours later and caught up with us near the end of the second quarter. On the second day, they passed us and raced on ahead to Tinderve, the capital city of the nation of the Tin. Bounding along as they did at their fast pace, they might not be the most comfortable way to travel, but cutting travel time in half more than made up for the long, rolling bounces that traveling at more than twice the caravan's standard speed induced.

Caravans normally traveled at their standard league-an-hour rate for about ten hours a day. And so, along every caravan route there are cities and towns every 10 leagues that have, since the founding days of the empire, become the customary caravanserai towns of the road. They feature a wide plaza for the caravans to park in, plus, tea, spirit, and eating houses for the caravan drivers and passengers. Now there are faster paced caravans of express passenger coaches that traveled at twice the standard pace, and express riders, who exchanged horses every 10 leagues and could do 50 leagues or more a day. However, the 10 league a day pace of caravans was maintained to preserve the strength of the horse teams pulling heavily loaded wagons on a journey that could last many days and cross many hundreds of leagues. Plus, the wagons driven at a greater pace would likely breakdown more frequently as well. Why, even at the 10 league a day pace we came across plenty of wagons alongside the road making repairs to wheels and axles. Ten leagues a day, over the course of many hundreds of seasons, takes its toll on the wagons.

A league an hour was an easy long-striding pace that I could maintain for hours on end, so I walked the more civilized stretches of the road, riding Sela in the untamed steppe stretches, where I might actually have to do something in the line of guarding. Ten hours is a long time to carry someone, and for me, ten hours was a very long time to be astride a horse, so Sela and I were both happy with this arrangement.

Wili liked it too, since he found it humorous to hide behind fences or lay low in the long grasses after his turn at guard duty ahead of the wagons, in order to jump out, growling at me as I walked by. He found it great fun, even after I came to expect it. I'd start and yell every time. It didn't matter to him if I was in on the joke. Wili was a strange dog. I expect that he thought that I was a strange man.

By the third day on the road we left the cultivated lands behind and began crossing untamed steppes between the cities. These wild steppes of tall grass on the dry uplands, marshes, woods and bamboo groves in the more moist hollows, stretched endlessly to the four corners of the sky. Still there were cities, towns, villages, and large estates strung along the Nations Street every league or two. Surrounding these islands of civilization lay cultivated fields and grazing land for the large sheep herds. The larger the town, city or estate, the sooner we came to them. However, between these islands of walled residences and close grazed fields, danger lurked, even in the bright days. The steppe hounds, fierce, wild dogs, often hunted in packs and could bring down a team of horses in a minute or less if undeterred. And, as I have mentioned before, there were roving bandits and nomad raiding parties that preyed on the caravan routes – more often in the dark days, more likely on the less traveled ones, but sometimes the boldest tried their luck on the busy ones, even in the bright days.

'Now that we are in the steppes proper, you should be wearing your lever-bow, Cro,' said Clare, as she dropped back to join me, four hours out of Tinderve. 'If a pack of steppe hounds should bound over the hill, you might find yourself dog food before you got it clear of your saddle kit.'

'It wouldn't matter, since I don't know how to use it.'

'You never used one? You never hunted?'

'No.'

'We'll have to remedy that.'

'Why? I have my sword handy.'

'Because if you let the hounds get close enough to use a sword on them, it would probably be too late. It's hard to swing a sword at a bounding hound without hitting your horse, and if they're that close, unless Sela could outrun them, they'd have her down and be on you within a minute. You need to keep them at bay. A quiver or two in a couple of them usually discourages them.'

'I'd have to hit them, to do that.'

'We'll have to see that you can, Cro. We may well have to ride the steppe roads alone sooner or later. I need to be able to count on you.'

I could see that she was being serious, so I nodded, 'Yes. I see that. But if wishes were wings, we'd all fly and not have to worry about steppe hounds.'

'We'll start your training after dinner, Cro. And we'll keep it up until you can hit a steppe hound at 50 paces from a horse.'

I couldn't begin to imagine how long that would take, but I just nodded.

Our next stop after Tinderve was the town of Maylin. The caravan plaza was outside the town walls, though it was protected from the incursion of steppe hounds and thieves by a wood palisade. After we ate, Ren led me around to the field alongside the palisade and begin my instruction in the use of the lever-bow.

Since she was an old hand at training troopers, instruction proceeded at a brisk pace. I spent the first hour taking it apart and putting it back together again, and learning where things could go wrong, and how to fix them in the shortest amount of time. The second hour was spent actually shooting quills at a small rag she had attached to the palisade from 20 paces. I hit the palisade every time, much to her relief, but that was all I could claim.

'Well, it's not like I'm going to be attacked by a small rag,' I whined.

'Nor a palisade,' she replied, adding, 'We've got more than a dozen days to practice along the way. You'll be able to hit any attacking rag by the end of this journey, that I promise you, Cro.'

She made it sound like she meant that.

03

After Tinderve, we traveled through mostly steppe land, stopping at two small towns ten leagues apart – Maylin and Cronda – before reaching the large city of Damar. Though the days on the road were long, and thankfully boring, I came to enjoy the life on the road. I had always enjoyed my travels on foot to the Blue Order communities, so I was familiar with this life on the road. My pal Wili would drop back, and hide in the tall grass or behind a fence in order to rush out and ambush me, never failing to startle me out of my meditative state that I adopted while walking. (What do you expect from a "guard" who's employed on board alone?) Having made me jump, he'd then walk alongside me for a while. He seemed to find it amusing that I was walking. But then, he seemed to find life amusing. Ren would also drop back every hour or two just to make sure I hadn't gotten lost and would stay to gossip a while. If it wasn't for the undercurrent of apprehension I felt traveling with nobles who could identify us, it would have been a largely worry free life. But there was that fear, in not a small part because they remained in contact with Azera with daily couriers arriving at every stop. And even if we only saw them as they passed us on the road and at the end of the day's march, I could only hope that Ren was right – that servants were invisible to them.

And then there was the serenity of the sweeping steppes. With their dangers well hidden, they presented a majestic, if lonely, beauty. The low, rolling grassland stretched out to the horizon in every direction. Dark woods and wispy bamboo groves filled the deeper valleys and ravines. And hidden in the folds of the low hills and broad lowlands of the sweeping vistas was an intricate puzzle of bogs, marshes, and shallow lakes which made traversing the steppes, if you did not know the lay of the land, tedious, as well as dangerous.

The east wind played across the tall grass with the faintest of hisses. The pale pastel yellow firmament arched overhead – the Blue Lantern just a small brighter patch in the firmament, while the Yellow Lantern hung overhead in a halo of misty gold. And always, in the distance, great flocks of ducks, geese, and cranes could be seen swirling about and settling into unseen ponds and lakes. Occasionally they would fly low overhead, honking or croaking. The larger inhabitants – the steppe hounds, feral sheep, pigs, and horses – mostly stayed out of sight along this narrow string of civilized islands in the sea of grass. Even so, Wili and the other guard dogs ranged ahead and around us just to scare up any steppe hounds that might have been considering trying their luck on the odd wagon. For the most part, they merely scared up the occasional hare which they'd chase for about ten paces before giving up. They were well fed. Wili was, anyway. I helped see to that.

Since we were traveling on Nations Street, one of the main caravan routes of the empire, which stretched from the far northwest across the empire to its southeast corner, a journey of some 50 days at the normal caravan rate of travel, there were always other caravans, wagons, and pack trains in sight until after Mirra, where much of the traffic continued on towards Lanterna. And since the time of day never makes a difference on the road, caravans would start whenever their teams were rested, and would arrive in every quarter of the day ,filling the plaza or encampment with the constant rumble of wheels, clatter of horseshoes, and the shouts and banter of drivers, passengers, and the sellers of food and treasures.

One had to quickly learn how to sleep through this constant noise. You could hire a box bed in one of the caravanserai for a copper or two, or a small room for a bit more, but I doubted that they were much quieter, and seeing that I wasn't making a copper or two a day, I didn't try them. Instead, I slept on the narrow plank bunk in one of Tye Farn's supply wagons. It grew ever warmer under the constant light the Yellow Lantern, but even as hot inside as it was, after a long day on the road, I found I could sleep without any effort. Ren, perhaps just to keep in character, hired a room in one of the less expensive inns.

Each day after dinner, I would go out and shoot quills at the palisade, slowly improving my speed and accuracy with the lever-bow. Why, by the time we reached Nontre, seven days after Tinderve, I could hit a rag at 20 paces. Each day I stood a watch on guard duty. And every other day I'd draw a bucket of water to wash not only my spare set of clothes, but Ren's as well, since she said that it was one of the swordsmen's jobs. At least she spared me her intimate clothes. And every other day she would toss me a few coppers to spend on the public baths to wash the dust and sweat from my body.

The elder nobles – the dangerous ones – were always installed in the best caravanseria when we arrived, rarely to be seen, save, perhaps, for a stroll after dinner. The younger family members would often be out and about at each stop, visiting the food stalls and tea houses late into the last quarter of the day. However, I saw no danger in them, and well, they didn't notice us. All in all, if things continued as they were, I began to hope that we might make it to Candafar unmasked. A dangerous thought.

04

Two days out of Damar and two days from Contre, Sela and I were at our post, trailing the last wagon of the caravan, far enough behind and on the edge of the road so that we weren't in the lazily drifting plume of dust that the riders and wagons had kicked up. The gentle east wind was warm, and the Yellow Lantern bright and hot on the skin. The creaking of the wagons was almost the only sound in the world. And there was nothing else to do but follow the creaking wagons, contemplate the mysteries of the Dark and Dawn Classics and doze in the saddle, a trick I was fast learning.

Ahead, alongside the caravan, I spied Ren on Ghostwind, and my dinner pal Wili sitting in the tall grass beside her. Ren was watching the caravan pass, Wili just lurking in ambush. These days Ren had become bored enough to ride alongside Sela and me, and, carelessly risking death by boredom, questioned me about the Dark and Dawn era and the Nine Sages, just to pass an hour or two on the road. I knew my lectures by heart, so I obliged.

Wili, when not on duty, that is to say, foraging ahead to search for any ambushing steppe hounds, or when he was spending half an hour walking beside me after his inevitable ambush, passed his off hours lounging with his mates in their kennel, a low slung platform hung under one of the supply wagons, since ten leagues, even at this pace, was a long walk for a dog. So seeing him alongside Ghostwind was something unusual. And he made no effort to ambush me either. Strange.

'We're going hunting!' Ren exclaimed, beaming, as I reined in alongside her.

'Hunting?'

She pointed out across the plain we were crossing and said, 'Below those flocks of birds is a large marshy valley and a lake not more than a league off. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of mutton stew. I offered to bag a few geese and ducks for dinner and Max gave me leave to try my luck. He assured me that Wili is a good hunting dog.'

Wili barked his assurances, but I noted that he had that twinkle in his eyes which made me strongly suspect that assurance. This was likely just a lark for Wili.

'I don't think I'm good enough yet to hit a goose,' I said. 'Even one just on the ground, much less in the air.'

'Pff! I don't need you to do more than guard the horses, Cro. Wili and I will do the actual hunting. It shouldn't be much of a challenge. I'll just pick a few off while they're still on the ground or near water. We're hunting for food, not sport. With the lake and marsh five leagues from any settlement, and well off the road, they're bound to be very naive when it comes to hunters and won't scare easily. We'll make short work of hunting. The main thing is to get away from the dust and noise for a couple of hours. So talley ho!' she added, as she swung Ghostwind about and started off for the unseen marsh and lake.

I had to agree with that, so Sela and I eagerly joined her.

Once away from the wagons and the creak and rumble of their wheels, and the clump of the teams and outriders, the wide world grew remarkably lonely, with only the whispering of the wind through the grasses and small shrub bushes. Clear of the dusty road, the warm air grew fragrant with the scent of grasses and wild flowers. We were on an upland stretch, so our vista was one of mostly swaying pale yellow and green grasses, tall enough to brush the bellies of the horses and hide Wili at times. Here and there were patches of pale blue, white, or pink flowers along with the occasional clump of tangled dark green shrubs that dotted the plains. Except for the birds Wili would occasionally send shooting into the air as he ranged ahead, and the large hawk, a speck in the firmament overhead, we had the world pretty much to ourselves. Ren let her mono-lens fall from her eye and took out her spectacles from an inner pocket.

'I'll need to see with both eyes if I hope to hit anything,' she said.

'Here's our chance to go over the hill,' I said as we rode side by side. I wasn't serious, but curious as to what she would say.

'Pff! Trust me, Cro, you don't want to take to the steppes without a road to follow. Not unless you know the shape of the land like the back of your hand. You could ride for days, only to find yourself facing a vast marsh, full of bogs that would swallow you and your horse in one gurgling gulp. You could then spend just as many days trying to find your way around it, as likely as not just finding more lakes, marshes and bogs in your way. The nomadic tribes know their ranges, and make roaming the steppes look easy. You and I need to stick to the roads.'

'You talked of going over the hill; I was just curious to see what you meant.'

She shrugged. 'Just talk. There are parts of the Jasmyne I could ride far into the steppes without getting lost. But not here. Making my escape was always going to be a problem because I was going to have to rely on roads. And even with a day's start, couriers using a relay of horses would always outrace me. Which is why I hoped to make the pursuit halfhearted, at best.'

'Well, if it's roads we need, we passed a northbound one at Damar, and there's another at Nontre, as well as Mirra. We should be taking one of those – sooner rather than later.'

'I'm certain that the Prime Consul has sent couriers out across the Azere with descriptions of us. In case you haven't noticed, there are City Guardsmen at every gate we've crossed and I'm willing to wager my ten coppers a day that they've been given our description.'

'Isn't it customary to have the Guard guarding the gates?' Truth was, I never paid much attention to it in my travels, and hadn't during this one either. 'Keeping an eye out for known bandits and obvious troublemakers?'

'Well, they seem rather alert for gate guards on a busy caravan route. Which is why our present guise is perfect. We are part of their customary landscape. If we were traveling together, or even alone, we'd stick out and invite a second look or two, and maybe even a question. As caravan guards – with a good word from Tye Farn – we can make our way north, one job at a time in perfect safely. It may take several seasons, but better slow and safe than a fast journey to the execution wall. Besides, what's our hurry? Can you complain about this life?'

'It's only been seven days, so it is hardly a life. I can't help that we're playing with fire with this caravan, just as we were at the Mist.'

'Pff! We were lucky to sign on to this one. We might not have made it out of Azera with any other one. I doubt that any other Guardsman but Captain Larc would have dared to turn a blind eye to us. Don't worry, I've learned my lessons. I've been very cautious. I've hardly laid eyes on Gel Kos or Wen Dre and we're invisible to them anyway. That's the great advantage of being caravan hands. We're invisible to everyone.'

'I suppose you're right,' I sighed. Safety lay only in Lankara – a season or two away, so to change the subject, I asked, 'Did your father teach you how to hunt?'

'Hunting is a basic survival skill for soldiers. I learned it growing up in the regiment.'

'I would've thought hunting would've been something your father would have taught you as his would-be-son.'

She rode in silence for a moment or two, and then turned to me, 'I've heard all the gossip about how I came to be with my father, but I can't say what is true or not. I was not even 70 seasons old when I was taken from the palace nursery to follow my father to Camp Cara on the edge of the Caradar Hills, so I have no idea what brought that on.

'I was quite happy in the palace nursery. In reality, both father and mother were remote personalities; neither was involved in my upraising. Mother was the empress, and the youngest of my older sisters was 150 seasons older than me, just another grown-up, so I was always rather remote from my family – and remote from any disappointment they may've felt about me and my sex.

'Perhaps father, as a rather idle consort dreamed of raising a son. Who knows? I don't. But when he and my mother parted ways, and he went off to command the Imperial Lancers with me in tow, his life changed. Or I should say, reverted to one he'd grown up in. He'd been an Imperial Lancer before his marriage, and returning to command them, he found it a busy, useful life. Any plans he may have harbored about raising his daughter as a son went by the wayside by the time I was 100 seasons old. I simply grew up in the regiment alongside the other boys and girls of the camp. They were mostly the children of the servants and permanent staff. Aunt Kina was not only a widow of a trooper, but a daughter of a servant and had been raised in camp, so camp life was the only life she'd known. As a result, even as the commandant's daughter, and the daughter of the empress, I was allowed to run with the children of the camp until I was old enough to take up the life of a trooper.

'It is the practice in the regiment in these remote posts to begin training the boys of 100 seasons in the skills of a lancer. The training was, of course, very informal in the beginning, fencing, marching, learning to ride ponies and such – all fun things that we all enjoyed doing. However, by 150 seasons, those boys who were serious about being troopers could ride with the lancers as camp servants, at least on routine patrols, so that by the time they had turned 200, they would have had a fair amount of experience as an Imperial Lancer.

'The fact that I was the commandant's daughter, and a girl, made my experience in this process something special, as girls are not as a rule accepted as Imperial Lancers. There are the occasional exceptions made for the exceptional girl, and so I had to be one of those, if I wanted to please my father. I was one.

'Looking back, it wasn't all that hard. Everyone wanted me to succeed, and helped all they could. We, the regiment, are family. They still are family to me. Half a dozen of the troopers in my squadron who accompanied me to Azera were childhood friends of mine – servant or trooper children – with whom I grew up with, since many of the servants follow the regiment from fort to fort every 30 or 40 seasons.

'My father, well, he was – a busy father with whom I did not get to spend all that much time with. But then, that was the life I had been used to, so I knew nothing better. I think he came to truly love me. I admired and loved him. And I certainly tried to please him by being the best trooper trainee, and then junior officer in the regiment... But since it was the only life I knew, and I loved it, that wasn't something I did for Father. I did it for myself, for I am a Loh,' she added with a flick of her head and the cool smile.

'So you didn't have to be his son to please him?'

'No. Though I always ran with the boys, so I was much more the boy than the girl growing up.'

'Even in your hair style?'

She smiled. 'I always wore my hair short enough to pass as either a boy or a girl. Short enough to be a lancer. My current style was a special treat for my new family-to-be. Though it is not too much out of character.'

'And what about you, Kel. How did you grow up?'

'Oh, I've lived a very conventional life, until a few days ago.'

'You're welcome,' she said with a gracious nod of her head. 'So what sort of conventionality did I save you from?'

'Well, the Cams are a so-called New Family in Lankara. In Lankara, noble titles are awarded to people for distinguished service to the nation. The Cams have produced a number of Sirs and Ladies, in the last 1500 seasons – after coming to prominence, and wealth, as industrialists. The Cam family owns several engineering works, the largest of which manufactures spark-engines.'

'So you're rich!'

I shook my head. 'No. I did grow up in a well-to-do family, but wealth, like titles, has to be earned in Lankara. My older brother is the head of engineering in the Cam Spark Engine Company, and in time he will move up the ladder, earn a share of the company, and will retire wealthy. I, on the other hand, chose to become a scholar, hopefully a comfortable scholar, with a glimmer of fame within the historian community. Or I did hope...'

'Pff! In 20 seasons this will all be forgotten and you'll be able to return, under a different name, and continue your research. I don't think the Blue Order will turn you in even if they heard the accusation that your were a Lankarian secret agent. But why did you become a historian instead of a captain of industry?'

'Well, I did go to the Kara University with the idea that I'd study the new science and the science inspired by the works of the Elder Valley Civilization. I'd then apply those insights into the creation of new products. However, somewhere in that quest I fell under the spell of the ancient stories of the Nine Sages, and the seemingly unsolvable mysteries of the Elders, the ones that we seem unlikely ever to unravel by studying their buildings and the few artifacts that have survived.'

'What unsolvable mysteries?'

'Such as the fact that the Elders seemed to have no written language. The writing we use today appears to go only as far back to the early Dawn Era. While it may be related to the Elders of the Dark Era, we have no proof of that. And then there's the fact that while we still have their poured stone buildings in hundreds of valleys, we've found no household goods – no tables, chairs, or pottery. Only a few of their large, and largely mysterious machines seem to have survived. What happened to these everyday items? We have the tales of the great dying, and the great exodus. Did they destroy all these items in an attempt to control the great dying, or did they take them with them on the great exodus? From reading the few early versions we had at the University, I came to believe that clues to these mysteries may have been lost when the various stories were collected and edited into one orthodox book. At least it would be worth my effort to revisit the remaining earliest text in light of our new understanding of the Elder Era. Knowing that the area around Azera was the center of the Blue Order, and likely held many of these old texts, I applied for a position at the University in Azera as a teacher of the new sciences with the idea that I'd use my spare time to explore all the old manuscripts that still existed in the hundreds of Blue Communities of the Azere.'

'How many hearts did you break coming here?'

'Hearts?'

'Girls. Even as Cro, you're not that ugly.'

'Pff! As you would say. I doubt I broke any. I'm not a Lefe Sol.'

'Still, I bet you knew a lot of girls in both Lankara and here that were keenly interested in the Dark and Dawn Classics.'

'A few. But they really were interested the Dark and Dawn Classics.'

'Ha! Were the Lankarian girls still interested in them when you returned home for visits?'

'I haven't returned for a visit,' I admitted. 'I really should've, I know. I have the time between terms, but since I could go so much further afield in the two seasons between terms, and, well, I never could quite justify the expense...'

'So this affair is karma in action,' she laughed. 'You didn't go home on your own, so fate had to take a hand.'

I bit back a protest. She could've been right. I changed the subject and we rode on.

We rode on in companionable silence until we reached the edge of the plateau, perhaps half a league beyond the road. The land fell away before us in a series of shallow steps to a broad marsh, still some distance away, with a bright lake beyond it. The marsh and lake were perhaps a league in extent. The air over the valley was filled with geese, ducks, cranes, and gulls which rose in swirling clouds only to settle down on to the water or in the reeds a minute or two latter. We could faintly hear their calls as Ren studied the flights of the birds for several minutes.

'There's an inlet there where I should be able to get close enough to get our dinner,' she said, pointing down and to the right, 'It has grass and brush close enough to the shore. And I suspect that they're nesting in the area, so I won't chase them away. Let's get closer.'

We set off again through the long grass, edging down towards the marsh. We reached the last little ridge, a hundred paces from the inlet, setting the geese nesting in the reeds alongside the inlet honking and wheeling overhead. We dismounted, and Ren handed me the reins of Ghostwind.

'Keep sharp lookout. The odd steppe hound, or wild boar shouldn't matter. It's the packs that we need to concern ourselves with. Predators gather at water. Sing out if you see a pack. Don't worry about scaring up the birds. You can see they're settling down already.'

And with that, she un-slung her lever-bow from her back and grabbed the two canvas game bags she had hooked on her saddle. I lifted my lever-bow from my back over my head, unfolded and cocked it, slipping a quiver in the slot as well.

'Come along Wili. Follow me. And keep low,' she ordered, as she crouched low to be hidden in the tall grass, and started off.

Wili barked softly, and then, amazingly enough, carefully followed in her wake, crouching low to the ground, almost like he knew what he was doing. I was pretty certain he was just mimicking her for a laugh, seeing that he glanced back to me, grinning.

I watched them make their way down through the tall grass to a little clump of bushes near the edge of the narrow band of reeds that lined the low, muddy flat that bordered the shallow inlet. Their approach set the birds noisily to flight once again, but within minutes after they had concealed themselves among the brush, reeds and grasses, the black and white geese and smaller ducks were settling down again, though keeping a wary eye on me and the horses.

Remembering my duty, I walked around the horses, and saw nothing but grass. I did this several times during the half an hour that Ren hunted. From what I could see of Ren's hunting, there didn't seem to be much happening. Every so often I'd see small flights of the geese and ducks rise off the narrow mud flat and the water of the inlet only to settle back down again within a minute. It was only after Ren set Wili to work – plunging cheerfully out of the bushes and onto the mud flats to collect the birds Ren had picked off, did the full flight of geese and ducks rise into the air, protesting loudly as they swung overhead. One by one, more or less, Wili collected the geese and ducks that had not taken off with the rest. I could hear an exacerbated Ren directing him to each of the geese she had quietly shot – geese laying on the flats that one would have had to be blind to miss, but Wili seemed to have trouble locating them. And then when Ren would explode in anger, he stopped trembling in his tracks, goose in his mouth, until Ren apologized for yelling at him and sweetly coaxed him back to her. Wili was just having his fun, though I hoped Ren knew that...

Sela and Ghostwind stirred, ears high. Steppe-bred, they were wary beasts. I quickly glanced about and spied a large steppe hound staring down at us from just over the fringe of grass on the next little ridge up from us. The grasses around the hound were moving as well, and not with the gentle east wind.

I turned and yelled to Ren, 'A hound, maybe more! Above us on the ridge.'

She waved and started up, Wili bounding ahead.

Lever-bow on my shoulder, I slipped around the horses who were keeping a wary eye on the hound as well. A moment later, I saw a pair of young pups peeping from the grass, under their mother's head, and then, several more wrestling. I relaxed a little. At least it wasn't a pack. Yet.

Wili, covered in mud, raced up and took a stand in front of me, growling fiercely. The steppe hound gave him a long look, and calmly growled back. Wili took several steps forward, hair on end, growling. The steppe hound, and now her pups as well, growled back, not particularly impressed, it seemed.

'Oh, just let her be,' I said to Wili. 'Trust me, you don't want to take on a mother with pups for the fun of it. Just keep an eye on them.'

He glanced back, gave me a fierce look and growled.

'I know you're a brave dog, and that it's your job to chase them away, but you're off duty now. And you've go no backup. Just keep them at bay.'

He gave me a long measuring look, growled a warning at the steppe hound, and glanced up to me, tail wagging. Wili was no fool.

I gave him a pat on the head. 'Good dog. Why were you giving Clare a hard time?' I asked.

He started to bark a laugh, but caught sight of Ren just coming up through the grass behind us carrying the two heavy canvas game bags with several wings and a goose head sticking out, and decided to just grin at me instead.

'What an idiot dog!' exclaimed Ren, giving him an icy look after glancing up the ridge to the steppe hound, who was content just to watch us. 'Next to useless. I was ready to wring his neck.'

'Well, he's the one who got muddy, so he wasn't quite useless,' I pointed out. Wili put in a "Yah!" bark as well. 'He's a very humorous dog, and no doubt was just having his fun.'

'I hope he finds a ten-stride flight through the air propelled by the tip of my boot humorous as well,' she muttered, hitching one of the game bags to her saddle. 'Let's be going. Her pack probably isn't too far off.'

If they were, we didn't see them as we made our way back up to the high ground, and then angling east, to the caravan road. We didn't manage, or even try to catch up to the caravan until it was almost entering the gates of Seldara, our stop for the day.

Chapter 11 The Cauldron of Ninjara

01

'No, sir. Sorry. I signed on as a caravan guard to Candafar, not as a tour guide.'

'That's an order, Clare,' snapped Tye Farn, taken aback by Ren's matter of fact refusal to escort a group of young nobles to view the sunken, shattered, and cursed Cauldron of Nijara whose column of smoke and vapor could be seen faintly rising in the northeast firmament.

We'd been on the road for ten days. Contre lay a day behind, Mirra three days ahead, and Condafar, the end point of the caravan, six days ahead. The Yellow Lantern had already passed overhead and was now behind us. It was near the start of the day's second quarter. Ren had been making her rounds of the wagons as they hitched up their teams for another day's travel with her faithful, if useless, swordsman, Cro in tow, when Tye Farn approached us.

He briskly informed Ren that there was a change in the plans for the day. A side tour had been organized for a contingent of our passengers to view one of the nine known pits to the inner world, the Cauldron of Ninjara, a ten league wide sunken and shattered valley that lay some five leagues to the northeast of the small town of Ninjara.

Ren cocked her head, flashed her mono-lens, and looking down her long nose at Farn said sadly, 'Sorry, sir. You're not paying me near enough to take that band of brats anywhere nearer to that cauldron than this road. By the Blue Lantern, you're not paying me near enough to get me any nearer to that cursed land than this road. No sir. Take them yourself.'

'I promised them a guide.'

'Not my problem, sir.'

'Oh, come now. All I'm asking is that you take them to the edge of the Cauldron, not a step inside of it. That's safe enough. All they want to do is gaze upon that cursed ruin of a land to get a whiff of danger, no more. No dire-worms, serpent-mists, chasm-monsters or ghost-death to contend with – just a look from the edge. Don't tell me that Captain Clare is too frightened to get even close to it.'

'Captain Clare, sir, is far too wise to go anywhere near such a place, especially with a pack of willful noble youths in tow. Those arrogant brats would certainly ignore every warning, every order I issued, and do whatever they cared to do, regardless of what I said. However, if even one of those young nobles came home with a bruise, I'd be the one who'd be blamed. No sir, I won't do it. And that's my final word.'

'I'm not asking you. I'm ordering you.'

'Once again, no. I'm far too familiar with those cursed lands to believe that you're safe just looking down into them from the edge of the fallen lands. I have, in my time, chased bandits to and over the edge of the Kanderi Cauldron of the Landa Steppes and I can tell you, sir, that the edge is never certain. I've followed a familiar trail right to a great patch of shattered land that hadn't been there a season before. No sir, there is no safe way of viewing the sunken lands, and anyone who says otherwise hasn't seen enough of the sunken lands to know better. I have, and as I said, you're not paying me enough to get near one again.'

'I'm not giving you the choice. It's been arranged. Your party is already up and getting ready.'

'And as I've said, that's your problem, sir, not mine. What I will do, sir, is take the coaches ahead in your place, so that you can take the brats out to view the Cauldron, since you think it's just a carefree picnic. That way you won't have to disappoint your customers.'

'Is this how you obeyed orders when you were in the Landa Lancers, Captain Clare?'

She looked down on him and smiled enigmatically, 'I'm not in the Landa Lancers anymore, am I?'

He glared at her for a second or two, growing red with anger, and then turned to me. He considered me for a second or two, shook his head, and without further word, turned and stalked off through the wagons toward the inn where our noble customers were staying. We watched him in silence until he disappeared into the inn.

'Not fond of the sunken lands, are we, Cap'n?' I asked, innocently.

'No,' she said simply. 'But I'm even less fond of taking responsibility for a pack of brats over whom I'd have no control. Troopers who would follow my orders without question, is one thing, but those kids... Who knows what they'd get in their arrogant minds do? And as I said, you can't trust that you're safe on the edge either – things happen on the edges too. Why, I've led several detachments in pursuit of bandits and raiders who tried to shake off our pursuit by entering the sunken lands of a cauldron – it happened to be the Tecarn Cauldron rather than the Kanderi, but they're all alike. And I can say from personal experience that you don't have to get very deep in the sunken lands to come across your mist-serpents, ghost-deaths, dire-worms and chasm monsters. There was one band of raiders that we were in close pursuit of who decided to take their chances in the cauldron. We pulled up at the edge, while they continued on in. I watched them with a pair of long-view lenses making their way in, around, and through the great chunks of land that had been tossed about to see if they came to their senses and turned around to head back. As it turned out, they didn't have much time. They got not even a quarter of league in when a patch of mist drifted up from an unseen crevasse and enveloped the whole gang – what they call serpent-mist. A minute or two later, when the mist-serpent drifted away, I could see the raiders and their horses scattered about the ground were I'd last seen them, presumably dead. We didn't care to make sure, and just turned back, putting the cauldron leagues behind us as quickly as we could.

'So you see, Cro, why I've no intention of taking our noble offspring out on a picnic outing to the Cauldron. I can just picture them egging each other on to see how deep they dare to go into the cursed lands despite all my orders to the contrary. Why would they pay any attention to the orders of a hired servant? And yet it would be my life if I came back even one brat short...'

'I've never been closer to one than we are today so I'll take your word for it,' I said with a glance towards the towering white plume of the cauldron, rising to the firmament over the northeast palisade. I'd read about them, of course, but very little is known about what they really are, since they were nearly impossible to get close enough to study and live to tell of it. You can, of course, discount mist-serpents, ghost-deaths, dire-worms and chasm monsters as colorful superstitions, but the fact is that they produce enough deadly gasses, and frequent, violent earth movements to make any exploration into the cauldrons an almost certain fatal affair.

'Tye Farn didn't seem too happy. What do you think he'll do?'

'Who knows? If he's wise, he'll tell them the side tour is off. But I can assure you that nothing he can say or do will make me take that lot to the Ninjara Cauldron. If it's that important to his customers, he can take the brats out himself.'

And with that, we returned to our rounds. But not for long.

'You, Clare,' said someone behind us, five, ten minutes later.

Ren cocked her head and turned slowly around to look down her nose at whoever was addressing her. 'Yes, sir?' she said politely enough, though it was shaded with cool arrogance.

One of our noble passengers, sauntered over to us, hands in his light jacket pockets. A large, but trim – for a noble – man with an easy arrogance. I recognized him as one of the nobles we were traveling with, but not one I knew by name.

'I'm San Trae. I understand that you are refusing to take our young people out to view the Ninjara Cauldron.'

'That is correct, sir.'

'Why?'

'Out of concern for your sons and daughters, sir,' she replied with silky insolence. 'The cauldron, even the edge of it, is not a safe place for anyone, especially young folk who, I am certain, would not listen to me. The simple fact is that I was not hired to look after your kids. And I refuse to take any responsibility for their safety.'

'That's our concern. You're a hired hand. You'll do what your boss tells you to do.'

She smiled. 'Apparently not, sir.'
'Well then, I'm ordering you to do it,' he replied.

She gave him a slow, measured look, up and down, and allowing her mono-lens enhanced leer to give more than the slightest impression that she wasn't all that impressed with what she saw, said, 'I'm employed by Tye Farn, not you, sir.'

'Tye Farn works for me.'

'Then tell Tye Farn to do it.'

San Trae gave Ren the cool, arrogant up and down look as well, and then smiled darkly. 'I expect my orders to be obeyed.'

'I don't wish to be rude,' she lied transparently, 'But you're not in your nation, and I'm not in your employ. You're merely a passenger. You have no authority over me, sir. Tye Farn is perfectly capable of taking your party out, and I'm perfectly capable of looking after your coaches. And, I should add, there is no reason for me – or for that matter, anyone – to accompany your children if you think it's safe to view the cauldron. You can see the plume of the Cauldron from here, so it should be easy enough for even a party of noble children and a handful of your retainers to find it without any trouble. There's no need for a guide at all...'

She paused, thoughtfully, and then added, 'Of course, whether or not all of them would make it back might be an open question. Kids will be kids, sir,' she added with a knowing smile. 'And even if I were along, they'd still be kids, and so I don't care to assume the responsibility for kids who would pay me no mind at all.'

'Oh, come now, Clare. You're making too much of this. I, like everyone else, have ridden out at least once to view the cursed and sunken lands and lived to tell about it. It's a sight everyone should see.'

'I'm sorry, sir, but that has not been my experience. I've chased half a dozen outlaw gangs into the outer edges of Kanderi Cauldron. I'm quite sure none of them went further into it than what was needed to get out of sight of my patrol. We always ended our pursuit at the edge. And, as far as I know, every one of those bands successful evaded us. In any event, none of them were ever heard from again. In fact, sir, we even saw one wiped out by a mist-serpent within half a quarter league of the edge. No, sir. I'm not taking a pack of foolish young people out to view the sunken land. Take them yourself, if you think it's that important for their education, but only if you think they'll obey you.'

He considered her for a moment, thinking.

'Right, I will. I'll accompany you to keep the young people in line.'

'Then you don't need me, sir.'

'Of course I do, Clare. Why you've just convinced me that you're an expert on the dangers of the cauldrons. I'd want you along to keep us safe,' he said with a taunting smile.

'If you want safety, view it from the road. That's as close as I intend to get,' she replied calmly.

He studied her for a moment. And then said, 'Four silver coins.'

She studied him for a moment, and said, 'Five, and paid up front. And with the understanding that I'm merely a guide. You are in charge of the expedition.'

He smiled, and pulled out a coin purse and counted out five silver coins. 'We'll be ready within half an hour.'

'Right you are, sir,' she replied coins in hand.

I waited until he sauntered off again.

'Why did you agree to go? We don't need the coins, and if it's as dangerous as you make it out to be...'

'It is. But you see, my dear Cro, we may not need the coins, but Captain Clare and swordsman Cro do. To refuse the princely sum of five silvers would be out of character. I suppose you don't have to go. Indeed, I'd advise you not to, but it's up to you.'

I sighed. There are no cauldrons in Lankara, so this might be my only chance to see one. I wasn't eager, but I also knew that I'd likely regret passing up the opportunity. 'I suppose, if you promise to keep us out of danger...'

'I'll try. But then, I've no more authority over the Consul of Trae than I do over his kids,' she replied darkly. 'The only good thing is that he's the captain of this expedition, our safety is his responsibility, not mine.'

02

We were riding across the broad steppe with the warm golden light of the Yellow Lantern on our backs. It was an expedition of twenty-one, nine young men and women, a servant each, San Trae, Ren and I. Ren and I were in the van, acting as guides – not that guides were needed. We had to dodge a few meres and marshes, but there was a faint track to follow. The cauldron did draw the curious. The great column of white smoke, ash, gases, or water vapor – no one knew for sure – rose up into the firmament some seven or eight leagues ahead of us. It was an impressive sight, even though the pit that produced it – thought to be a vent from some inner world – was hidden behind the curve of the world. The column itself, a thick cloud that leaned ever so slightly to the west rose until it was lost to sight in the firmament, inspired awe, not danger. It was the great sunken valley that surrounded it that is considered haunted. So dangerous in fact, that any living thing that enters it has almost no hope of living long enough to get out.

'What do your Lankarian scientists make of the cauldrons?' asked Ren as we rode through the tall steppe grass, far enough ahead of the rest of the party to talk without being overheard.

'Well, I have to admit that they're as much of a mystery to our scientists as they are to everyone else. Of course, we don't believe in such things as dire-worms and mist-serpents. The phenomena they describe certainly exists, but we feel that they must be explained naturally, not supernaturally. For instance, the disruption to the ground is not due to some sort of giant dire-worms, but some sort of natural process deep within the world. The plume might suggest some sort of deep fire, but we can't even be sure of what the plume is composed of, since no one can get near enough to it to get samples, and live to tell of it. The mist-serpent you witnessed is almost certainly some form of heavier than air poisonous gas, which likely seeped up through the cracks and chasms of the broken lands from deep within the world as well.'

'But you don't know what causes them?'

'No. And yet, there are some clues. We just don't know what they're pointing to.'

'Such as?'

'First, the cauldrons are found both on the steppes and in the hills, so that it would seem that whatever their cause, it would not likely be something on the surface of the world. More mysteriously, if you look on a map of the world under the Blue Lantern, you will see that the nine cauldrons do not appear at random. There is a pattern to their placement, two-one-two-one-two-one, with the single cauldrons on the center line of the world. Since we have yet to explore much of the far side of the world, we cannot say if they exist on that side as well. Most likely they do, but until we extend civilization to the hill country of the far side, we won't know for certain. In any event, many scientists think their arrangement is too orderly to be a natural phenomena...'

'If not natural, what are they? What do they do? They're a blight on the world.'

'Well, even those that think they're not natural have no idea what they are or what their purpose is or was. Of course, whatever they are, they date back to the Elder Civilization or even earlier, perhaps far earlier. They are mentioned in the Dark and Dawn Classics under a number of different names, including the "Tent Pole of the firmament", the "Cauldron of Creation" and the "Fountains of Creation", but what any of those mean is anyone's guess. We don't even have theories to test.

'Of course their apparent ordered placement may simply be a result of an internal structure of our world. People have tried dividing the world into pieces that fit together to form a ball. There might be fissures and great molten reactions where these pieces meet, with the cauldrons being escape valves, as such, for these reactions deep within the world.'

She glanced across to me. 'Do they ever hope to solve the mystery?'

'Oh, there is hope. Back in Lankara, we now have machines that can fly through the air. There is talk that someday they might be reliable and powerful enough to fly over the shattered lands to get close to the plumes to begin to study what the inner world is sending up through those great holes.'

'I have heard stories of those machines. Still, I don't think I'd care to fly over the shattered lands anymore than ride through them. The mists and dust reach high into the sky, when the dire-worms are on the prowl'

'I don't think I'd care to fly in the air at all,' I laughed.

We rode for another half an hour, nearing the edge of the cauldron before Ren pulled up sharply,

'Oh, my,' she said, slipping off her horse and walking forward, tentatively.

'What?' I glanced quickly around. We were on a wide plain that looked to end abruptly less than a quarter league to the north – the edge of the sunken land.

She said nothing but continued to stand and look about until San Trae rode up beside her, with the young crew hanging a few paces back, the servants behind them.

'What have you found?' he asked cheerfully.

'Join me,' she replied. 'You'll feel it better with your feet on the ground.'

'What?' he asked, but dismounted as directed.

'Can you feel the ground vibrating through your feet?' she asked.

He stood for a moment or two, and then exclaimed, 'Why I believe I can. We must be very near the cauldron.'

'I suspect that you'll find the edge of the sunken lands just over that rise to the north. However, look,' she said, sweeping her arm to either side of her. 'Do you see those lines of mounded dirt and drier grass running behind us?'

I looked right and left, and sure enough, one could make out a jagged line of mounded earth and uprooted grass zigzagging away in either direction.

San Trae nodded. ' Yes. What do you make of it?'

'I believe that this land we're standing on has been lifted slightly and dropped back down again by the recent action of a dire-worm. Judging by how fresh the soil looks, it likely happened since the last rain days. And the vibration you're feeling in the soles of your boots suggests that there is an active dire-worm not all that far away either. As I told Tye Farn, I've seen a section of the cauldron's edge turned into shattered land within a season. That may be what is going on here and now.'

She shaded her mono-lens and looked ahead. 'Indeed, if you look ahead towards the plume, you can see that there's a bit of a haze not all that far off – likely dust and gas hanging in the air from a dire-worm tossing great chunks of the ground, like these, into the air, shattering the earth. It might also be releasing deadly gasses. Given this dire-worm activity, I would not advise continuing on, since there is no way to tell what might happen or when. But with the vibrations there's good reason to suspect that something will happen, and happen soon.'

He stared at her, and then looked ahead. 'It's only a short ride to the edge. Five minutes on the edge is all we'd need to take in and remember the cauldron. Fifteen minutes at most.'

'That's your decision, sir. I'll go back to the far side of those mounds and wait for you, since I've seen my share of the shattered lands.'

He scowled at her. 'Do you have any other ideas?'

She shrugged. 'Perhaps, sir, since we must to travel on to the east to reach Santria and rejoin the caravan, we can ride eastward on the far side of these fracture lines and see if they end before we have to turn south to Santria. If not, well then you'll have to decide if you want to take your chances or not with the dire-worm.'

He considered her suggestion for a moment and then nodded. 'Right. Mount up.'

'Cro and I will ride along the rift line. I would suggest you move your crew back a couple of hundred paces. As I said, these disruptions can release deadly gasses. We don't want any blowing over the edge with the strength to kill us.'

'You're willing to take the chance?'

'I'm earning my five silver coins,' she replied.

He smiled and nodded. 'Right.'

'You can join them, Cro,' she added, as she mounted Ghostwind again.

'Thanks, sir. But my place is at your side, sir,' I replied sulkily.

'Ahh...' she sighed. 'You're just afraid of going on without me.'

I didn't know if that was quite right, but it wasn't worth arguing about, so I let it ride.

We rode for more than an hour before the fracture lines angled back to the cauldron's edge and disappeared. We rode on for ten minutes more, just to put some space between us and the unsettled land before Ren called San Trae and his party over to us.

03

'We're going to have to turn south to Santria soon, so this looks to be the place. We've put the last fracture line behind us,' she said to San Trae as he rode up beside her. 'Now, I don't claim it is safe. It is never safe this close to the shattered lands. But if you are determined to have the children view the cauldron on this trip, this looks to be the best spot to do so.'

He nodded. 'Are you staying here, or coming with us?'

She sighed, and said, 'I guess I'll come along.' And then, turning to the rest of the expedition, said in a loud voice. 'I've spent many seasons patrolling around the Kanderi Cauldron. I've seen a dozen men and horses die in a minute at less than half a league into the shattered land. So if I yell "Run!" it would be in your best interest to run as far and as fast as you can away from the edge. I won't have time to explain why. And I hope that you would not wait for San Trae's orders to act.'

'Captain Clare is in charge of us now. Do as she says, without questions,' he ordered with a nod to Ren.

And with that, we turned and started off to view the shattered land of the Ninjara Cauldron. We found, however, that we hadn't asked our horses, who, with better sense than their riders, refused to approach closer than 200 paces from the edge. They simply milled about, and would have bolted back if we had not held them in check.

'I've never seen horses behave like this,' said Ren. 'Perhaps we should take it as a warning.' She was clearly not very comfortable around the cauldron phenomena. I had to wonder what she hadn't told me about them.

'We'll go on on foot,' said San Trae, dismounting. 'We've come too far to be spooked by a bunch of silly horses. As I said, five minutes is all we need. Our retainers can hold our horses back a ways while we take a look. If any of them want a look, they can do so after we return.'

Ren reluctantly nodded and slipped off Ghostwind, handing the reins to one of the retainers. I can't say that any of them looked disappointed. And with that, the twelve of us started forward to the edge of the sane world, some eagerly, others reluctantly.

The edge proved to be a sharp, shattered cliff of some 20 paces in height that allowed one to look out across the vast, haze shrouded hollow of the cauldron with a towering white column of smoke and ash rising from the distant and unseen bottom of a great circular valley.

The valley had to be some two leagues deep at its center, where the plume shot up from the unseen pit in its center. Looking down, we could not see this distant point through the shimmering dust and mist that hung in the air within the valley. Indeed, the vent hole itself may have been still far enough away to be beyond the curve of the world; I believe it was more than five leagues away in fact. Between us and it was this vast, rubble filled pit that shimmered and hummed with some sort of subtle activity. The rubble – chunks of earth, the size of the tenements, were tumbled and jumbled together, piled one on top of another as they fell away from us into the hazy distance. Some of these large shards of the earth still had forests and grasses growing on them, even when set on their edge. Others had long dead forests, while many others were bare rock or dirt. Here and there, there were black chasms between these slabs of earth.

I could see no animal life on the ground or in the air over the shattered land, no birds, nor herds. Indeed, we hadn't kicked up any pheasants or song birds from the deep grass while riding along the edge of the cauldron. They, like the horses, had more sense than we. I certainly found that having seen the sight, I was ready to go, since there was something in the air – or absent from the air – that made the whole scene unsettling. Perhaps it was a great, heavy silence. The silence of the dead. And yet, there was this feeling of a vast, and somehow, malignant sound that could not be heard, only felt. And felt not just though the soles of our boots, which I could still feel, now on foot. And not only could it be felt, but it could easily be feared as well, I found. It struck me there with some force, that it seemed almost impossible that we lived our ordinary lives, season in and season out, all the while these mysterious malignant holes existed, and seemed to be growing, alongside our lives, even if unseen. The Elder Civilization was a great mystery, but these cauldrons were not only a greater mystery, but they were active among us – not just words in a book.

No one said much. Everyone just stared and took it in for several long moments.

And then, a sound, or a flicker in the corner of my eye, attracted my attention. Turning I saw a great cloud of dirt and dust rising from the edge of the cauldron to my left. It may have been a half a league away when I first saw it, but in the second it took to exclaim, 'What's that?' and point to it, the cloud dirt, dust, and now, huge slabs of earth being flung into the air was racing towards us and was much closer. It was as if some tremendously powerful – something – was plowing just underneath the surface at a great speed. The ground beneath our feet began to vibrate violently, crumble into a cloud of dust and debris.

Ren turned, and with one glance, yelled an urgent ordered, 'Run!'

She herself hesitated only long enough to make sure everyone heard and had turned to run before she took off as well, with her faithful Cro racing beside her as fast as he could run.

I hadn't taken more than several long strides before a great roar and a cloud of dust loomed over me. And then, an instant later, I was slammed mercilessly to the ground. Or rather, the ground rose up and slammed mercilessly into me. All around me small stones, and clumps of long grass were being flung into the air. I managed to recover enough get my feet under me in a crouch, holding on to a couple of clumps of tall grass next to me. I was, however, still pinned in place by the upward and outward momentum of the slab of land that was being flung up and aside by the roaring something beneath the ground. Everything was now happening faster than thought, but I recall fearing that the rising ground would never stop until it toppled entirely over, burying me, and everyone else underneath it.

And then, just as I gave up hope, its rise began to slacken as quickly as it began. I was able to climb to my feet – though I found that I was now standing on the side of a cliff, since the slab of land I was standing on was almost vertical.

I had just begun skidding down the almost vertical slope, when I felt a tug on my ankle. Looking down, I saw a hand around it reaching out of a dust filled crevasse that had opened up next to me. Through the dust, I saw the shadowed form of Ren swinging in that narrow crevasse. She was looking up, trying, and failing, to find a second and solid handhold on the streaming grass roots torn free by the splitting of the earth.

Instinctively, I crouched and grabbed her free hand with both of my hands and straightened up again, pulling her up and half out of the crevasse, my effort aided by the fact that the movement of the slab of earth I was standing on had begun to settle back. She found a foothold and pushed off, and together we tumbled into dust filled air, as the ground beneath us dropped away leaving us flaying about lost in the cloud of dust.

With Ren now free and tumbling in the air beside me, I let go of her wrist and attempted to locate down in a frantic effort to position myself for a landing, hopefully on my feet – or at least, not on my head. In that instant of flying blindly through the air, I thought of the old saying that falling was never a problem; it was the landing. I had no idea how large of a slab had been tossed up – I could have a hundred paces to fall, many long seconds worth of falling before a very painful landing.

As it turned out, it was only several seconds of falling before I hit the ground – and the ground was still at such a steep angle, that I only struck it as a glancing blow and began tumbling head over heels down through the tall grass, with dirt and rocks raining down around, and on, me. Glancing to my left, I saw a tumbling figure in the dust that I took to be Ren.

A small boulder bounced by me, glancing off my right shoulder, sending a dart of pain down my arm and across my chest.

We may have tumbled for ten seconds or more – time was lost in the deafening roar and the constant rain of dirt and rocks that pelted us in the dark and dust filled chaos. Eventually we reached the level ground and came to a battered rest. Ren was up in a second and grabbing my hand, pulled me up and took off. I raced alongside her, fearing that the great slab of earth above us could rise again and topple over on us this time. We raced through the tall grass in long strides under a rain of small stones slowly falling around us. Soon the dust cloud began to thin and we could see the firmament above us. Still we ran until we were well clear of that rolling cloud of dust and debris. Only then did we slow to a stop to stare at each other – figures of pale dust – and then turn and look back at the vast curtain of dust, with the shadows of the great slabs of earth that had been upended slowly settling down again, stretching away in both directions. Whatever had caused the upheaval must have been traveling at the speed of a rail carriage on its time trials, to have disrupted as much as we could see in such a short amount of time. Looking back across the steppes, we could see the retainers and the horses a quarter league away and still fleeing. They were no fools.

'Are you alright, Kel?' croaked Ren, looking at me, her eyes bright in her dust coated face. She was still holding my hand.

'I believe so,' I said, slowly, and painfully moving my right arm. 'Nothing broken, I think. And you?'

She shrugged, 'I was lucky. Nothing larger than pebbles hit me. Well, you've now seen a dire-worm, or at least evidence of one.' She ended that with a quiet curse and stared off into the dust cloud,

'More than I asked for,' I said, adding, 'Your wig is crooked.' A trivial matter, perhaps, still, our safety depended on it.

She let go of my hand, adjusted her wig, and said, 'Looks like some of the others survived as well...'

Several dust covered figures were now running or staggering out of the slowly spreading cloud of dust. We counted them as they emerged, and called out to them over the fast dwindling roar.

A minute later, we counted nine survivors, which left three missing. San Trae, after staring about to see who had made it out, raced back to the edge of the dust cloud and began calling, 'Tin! Tin!'

There was no reply, so he staggered back into the dust, before we could reach him.

'Take the left flank, Cro,' said Ren. 'I'll take the right. We hadn't been standing too far apart, so the missing three shouldn't be too hard to find if they haven't been buried. The rest of you just stay put. Hopefully the retainers haven't run off for good.' And with a nod to me, we started back in to dust cloud, moving slowly apart to cover more ground.

The dust cloud was now emitting loud, creaking and grinding sounds, presumably as the great chunks of earth slowly settled back into place. With the initial shock and instinctive fear receding, I found myself getting a lot more thoughtfully-scared. I wasn't looking forward to finding one of the missing youngsters. If a boulder had hit them... That nine of us had survived would seem to have been above the odds...

And yet, I found one only a minute later – a dust covered huddled figure. Sezra Kos, was the name she whispered, when I crouched next to ask. She was sitting, quite dazed, in the long grass, the hair on one side of her head, damp with dust-flaked blood.

'Are you alright?' I asked foolishly. Obviously she wasn't. But then, she was alive, and since she was still conscious, if dazed, the wound on her head might not be as bad as it looked.

'I don't know,' was her perfectly accurate reply.

'You look to have taken a blow to the head. Do you think that if I helped you up, you could walk?' I asked softly. I couldn't think of anything I could do for her here. Hopefully Ren, or one of the others knew more about patching wounds than I did. Hopefully the retainers would return with bandages and such in their saddle bags.

She nodded vaguely. So wrapping my arm around her shoulder and under her far arm, I lifted her to her feet. She was, however, limp in my arm, so I crouched and slipped my right arm under her legs to lift her rather painfully to my chest to carry her out, her bloody damp hair on my cheek. I made my way to the rest of the young people gathered in a dismal group, several of who were frantically waving to five or six of the retainers, galloping toward us through the long grass.

Ren and San Trae located the remaining two of our party – both alive. San Trae's son, Tin, had a broken leg, the other, a Dre nephew, had been knocked unconscious, but was alive. We carefully brought both out, and then, with the help of the returning retainers, Ren began overseeing the task of setting Tin's broken bone and the patching up the other survivors. An hour later, with the arrival of the rest of the retainers who had stayed back to recapture the panicked riderless horses, we set out for the caravan road to the south and the small town of Satria.

It was a silent, slow ride back to the caravan with Tin Trae strapped to a makeshift stretcher carried between two horses. Stories of survival had been exchanged while the wounds were patched, and now, perhaps, everyone had come to realize how close they had come to death. And, hopefully, how lucky they were not to be dead. San Trae, riding beside his son, had a stunned look on his face, and had little to say. Ren was simply too angry to say anything, for fear of saying far too much. She was even angry at me, or at least appeared to be. The only reason I could think of was that I had seen fear – fear close to panic – in her eyes as she clung to my ankle after having been swallowed up by that narrow crevasse. Not that I thought any less of her, but I had a feeling it was not something she was prepared to share.

Of course, there was a great to-do when we arrived as strange, battered and dusty creatures. Questions were flung at us from all sides. Tye Farn hurried forward to ask Ren what had happened, only to get a silent stare of disgust, if not cold hate. She just walked past him, her saddle kit in hand, to take a room in one of the inns, hire a bath and change her clothes. She tossed me a few coins to do the same.

I am sure the dire-worm will someday be featured in a nightmare of mine, but I was too weary, physically and emotionally, to stay awake when it came time to stretch out on my plank, and I fell into a deep dreamless sleep. I awoke with more aches and pains than I had felt before I slept. But I was alive, and limped behind Ren as she made her usual rounds at the beginning of another day. She was still silent and subdued. The drivers and horse handlers had an easy day of it.

Finally she turned to me and said, 'Thank you, Cro.'

'My pleasure, sir. Ah, but for what?' I mumbled, authentically lost.

'For pulling me out yesterday. I was falling through, and would've been buried, if you'd not pulled me out.'

'It was nothing. Anyone would've done it. And I'm your swordsman, ain't I, sir?'

'Well, for once you weren't useless, Cro.'

'Useless, sir? Who brushed your uniform spotless, and washed your clothes late into the last quarter last night?' I whined.

She smiled a little, but said nothing more.

Chapter 12 Traefara

01

The wagon masters were just finishing hitching their teams when Tye Farn found us.

'The Trae boy, Tin, has developed a fever,' he said darkly, as if it was our fault. 'The doctor says he shouldn't be moved until it breaks. The Trae contingent will stay on here until it is safe to move the boy. I'm taking the rest of the party on ahead to keep to our schedule. I'll leave Jim and Kye's wagon here to travel with them. You and Cro will look after the Traes once they can move the boy. See them safely to Traetara. Take the South Road from Mirra, it goes directly to Traefara. I'll collect Jim, Kye, and the wagon as soon as I can – it will be in the dark days by then – and settle with you when we meet.' He stopped and seemed to dare Ren to protest. There was no love lost between the two now.

'Right,' was all Ren said, with a curt nod, turned, and walked away without so much as a goodbye.

I gave him a curt nod as well, and followed her. It was all for the best.

We watched the reduced caravan leave without much regret. Wili put on a great show of distress at having to leave without me, his soft touch for food, but he had that bright twinkle in his eyes that suggested he was just having fun. Only his final bark and wag of his tail seemed authentic.

I breathed a little sigh of relief watching Gel Kos' and Wen Dre's coaches roll away. Two less dangers to face.

After the caravan had departed, Ren walked over to the inn to look in on Tin Trae, just as any good officer would do with a wounded trooper. Unlike the Palace Guard, the Imperial Lancers had seen violent encounters with nomad raiders and bandits all throughout Ren's 200 seasons with the regiment, and had suffered casualties, so that she was an old hand with casualties, and could authoritatively assure San Trae that Tin's fever was nothing too worrisome. A little infection was to be expected, she said, given the type of wound he suffered and where it was inflicted. I was happy to see that, after the rather strained relations of the previous day, they quickly arrived at an understanding and maintained a cordial relationship throughout the journey to Traefara. With the cook wagon gone, we were eating at the inn, on San Trae's coins, and with this cordial understanding, we ate well. These are the little things Cro appreciated.

Satria was one of the small caravanserai, little more than a plaza with the various resting, food, and spirit houses, to serve the transient population, so there was little to do in Satria save sit around, drink tea or spirits, and watch the wagons and pack trains come and go. Too little to do for Ren. So by the third quarter of the day, she'd have me saddle the horses and we'd go for a long, leisurely ride – back to the cauldron.

I'm not sure why she went. It did not appear to be some sort of test of courage, since we never rode all that close. We found a low hill that stretched to the edge of the cauldron from which we could just get a wide view of its edge. We went no further. We just rode out to the hill and looked down upon the edge and a little of the shattered land which quickly fell out of sight from the hills.

We never caught the so called dire-worm in action, but from the dust clouds hung in the air each day, we could see that it continued to tear along the stretch of the edge we had visited. And even from a quarter of a league away, we could see that edge was slightly rearranged each day – the disrupted slabs of earth, slowly tilting and sinking into the cauldron. The Ninjara Cauldron had grown 100 paces larger for what may've been five or more leagues.

'Whatever it is, it's doing something with a purpose,' I said, as we sat on our horses on top of the hill looking along the edge. 'Its actions are too deliberate to be the random movement of some sort of creature.'

She shrugged. 'You may be right. But what purpose? Every season the cauldrons grow a little larger. Someday, the whole land under the Blue Lantern will be shattered, if they don't stop growing.'

'Pff! As you would say. That is far too many seasons for you or I to worry about.'

She turned and smiled, 'You're a Lankarian, a scientific historian. That's hardly the attitude to take. Where's that mission to investigate and explain everything logically?'

'Pff!' I said again. 'I intend to confine my investigations to nice, safe, dusty old manuscripts, not... not things like that.'

She shook her head sadly and muttered under her breath, though loud enough for me to hear 'Cro, Cro...'

'Pff!' I replied, just as quietly.

02

Tin Trae's fever broke on the third day in Satria and we set out on the fourth day, the 15th of our journey. The Yellow Lantern was getting low in the west behind us, and it had sunk beyond the horizon by the time we reached the large city of Mirra. It was still a journey of five days to the capital city of San Trae's nation, Traefara. If we continued on, we'd have to travel in the dark days, including the two rain days. Given that, I would've thought that San Trae would have elected to stay in Mirra, if not for the entire dark days, at last until the two rain days had passed. But he was anxious to get home, so we didn't linger, but pushed on, first into the deepening twilight and then into the pitch black darkness of the rain days.

The two rain days were not pleasant days of travel. Our little caravan was lead by two retainers with lanterns on poles, one to find the road in the rain and mist, the other held high as a beacon to follow. Every coach and wagon had lanterns lit, so that none would lose their way or fall behind. Ren, I, and the Trae mounted retainers rode alongside the coaches, more or less soaked to the skin under our ponchos and long coats. Though the temperatures were dropping and the rain and mist cool, it was not yet cold, and the wool of our uniform and long coat kept us warm, though, as I said, very moist. Days in darkness, especially those plodding through a moist world of blackness, save a few points of dim yellow light and a vague shape or two of darkness made solid, seemed to go on for ever and ever. Every dimly seen village we passed through was the hoped for end of the day's journey, and everyone but the last one – when one had all but given up hope of ever reaching it – was a bitter disappointment.

Ren took this all stoically. 'We patrolled in bright days, dark days, and rain days,' she said. 'All you have to do is sit on your horse, well above the mud. What's to complain about? There are no hillsmen waiting in ambush in the pines...'

Well, I hoped there was no one, or nothing, waiting in ambush for us, since we'd never see them until they were among us. Still, I had to believe that bandits had better things to do than wait in the rain for the unlikely caravans to pass by. My one comfort was that during the rain days San Trae paid for rooms in the inn for Tye Farn's crew as well as his, which was far better than sleeping in the leaky supply wagon with the rain pounding down on it. But unless one cared to sleep in one's damp clothing, it meant that you had to get up and don those still damp clothes once more – and they were cold, and cold for the next hour.

Still, the rain days passed, and we pushed on along the pale blue road under the waxing light of the Blue Lantern. It was then time when we guards, and the mounted retainers earned our keep, since the dark days brought out the would-be-bandits and the steppe hounds drifted in from the deep steppes to haunt the great sheep herds that grazed the lands around every little village, and every great estate. The bandits, for the most part, were villagers looking to pilfer what they could off of passing wagons by stealth rather than force. They would hide in the shadows, and given a chance, climb aboard a wagon unseen, cut through the canvas tarps and carry off what they could find. The Consul of Traefara's wagons were fully enclosed wood boxes, so there were slim pickings for these thieves, but an eye still had to be kept on them. And since we didn't have our guard dogs ranging on ahead, we faced the possibility of a pack of steppe hounds lying in the tall grass, ready to attack the teams or riders that went by. We all rode now with our lever-bows armed and in hand, just in case. You could stare deep into every shadow – we passed a million of them – and have no more of an idea of what they hid than if you had just closed your eyes. We soon grew resigned to deal with any surprises the shadows hid when they intruded upon the pale road and the wagons where they could be dealt with – later than one would've preferred, but as soon as possible.

We reached the city of Traefara early in the third quarter of the 23rd day, three days after the end of the rain days. We did not, however, stop in Traefara, but pushed on another four hours, to the Consul of Trae's great walled estate, Trae Hall. A fair sized village clustered around the main gates of the estate, set on the top of a long hill – a quarter league distant – that overlooked the valley. We parted ways at the estate gate, with San Trae pausing his coach to step out and to say goodbye to Ren and the rest of the crew before rolling through the great gate and starting up the long, long pine tree lined driveway to the great house, just a twinkle of light in the distance. Jim and Kye then turned our wagon around and headed for the largest inn in the village along the main road where we'd await our boss and further orders. We didn't have to wait.

Ren and I were leading Ghostwind and Sela into the lantern lit stable of the inn when I was ambushed by a big brown shadow leaping out of the stalls. Ghostwind and Sela didn't take too kindly to being ambushed in a stable, rearing and skidding about, but Wili's unbounded joy at seeing me again, and frightening me yet again, warmed my heart – after it stopped pounding in my chest.

'If your humorous pal is here, I suppose the boss must be as well. Any thoughts on what we should do next?' asked Ren quietly, as we unsaddled the horses, and only after looking about to make sure we had the stables to ourselves.

'I'm thinking that, on horseback, we're only a few days from Lanterna. I understand that Lanterna always has tourists arriving, bright days and dark since even in the cold and dark, its streets of water are considered picturesque and romantic under the Blue Lantern. And since the caravans begin setting out for Tiladara around the 28th, of the season, we would not look too out of place arriving on our own.'

'Still, that's where Farn is heading to as well.'

'Yes, I know, but he'll be eight to ten days on the road.'

'For which we'll be paid.'

'Assuming he'll hire us back on, which is iffy, considering the terms you and he parted on. We don't need the coins, so why not travel faster, settle in for a few days, if need be, and then be on our way to Tiladara with the first caravans, either as guards again, or passengers?'

'Those few days shouldn't matter, and we'd be safer keeping our current identities for a while longer.'

'I was thinking that we would adopt the guise of Blue Order pilgrims after we set out from here. Brand newly enlightened Blue Order converts – eager to change our lives, and eager to mark that change with a pilgrimage to the great Elder city of Tiladara.'

'Do we have that much to regret, Cro?' she asked with a laugh.

'I would suggest, ex-Captain Clare of the Landa Lancers, that we have much to regret.'

'It wasn't my fault!' She laughed. 'Well, let's first see what Farn says. We can decide once we know where we stand with him.'

I said no more. I didn't think Farn would keep us on; still if he did, we'd end up in Lanterna in any event.

We met Tye Farn in the inn's tap room. He didn't say much. He had already talked to Jim and Kye about the trip so he didn't have any questions. He did pay us in full without complaint, but did not offer future employment. He merely said that they'd be heading back to Traefara the following day to see what wagons he could collect for Lanterna and that he wanted to be heading back to Azera by the start of the bright days. I gathered that he hoped to be able to pick up enough traders who were eager enough to travel in the dark days to make a profit on the road to Lanterna. We were left with the impression that we could ride along with them to Traefara – without pay, and depending on the amount of wagons he collected there, we might be hired on again. Or not.

I asked Ren what she thought after our talk with Farn.

'Let's sleep on it, Cro. I'm thinking that it would be out of character to turn down even the possible prospect of work. We haven't earned enough coins to be that independent or leave without a reference, which we don't have in hand. So we'd be much more likely to return to the larger city of Traefara to find more work than to ride out alone from here in the dark days. Worse comes to worse, it would add only six or seven days to our journey. Safety first, Cro. Let's stay in character for now.'

She was probably right about staying in character, so I didn't object.

Chapter 13 Trae Hall

01

Ren and I slept late and lingered long over our morning tea in the dim lit, low ceiling tap room of the inn, which, unlike Azera's buildings, was constructed largely of wood – old, and soot stained black wood overhead, and polished wood panels on the walls which glowed a deep gold in the lantern light. Farn and his hands were in the stable yard getting the wagons ready to roll. However, since we were currently not on the payroll, we were content to let them get on with their work without us.

We had just finished our tea and were considering stepping around to the stable yard to see how work was progressing when a young uniformed man from Trae Hall pushed through the door, and looked about the room. As soon as he spied us, he stepped over to us.

'Captain Clare?' he asked, with a polite bow.

'What can I do for you?' she replied.

'Consul Trae requests that you join him for the midday dinner up at the Hall. He's asked me to escort you. The Hall's landau is waiting outside.'

'Why thanks, but I believe we're soon to be taking to the road. We're getting the wagons ready to roll as we speak,' she replied imperially. Strictly speaking, we weren't, of course, but I guess we were, if viewed it from Captain Clare's lofty perspective, since it was her crew that was at it. Though, again, strictly speaking, they weren't actually her crew at the present...

'He has also invited Tye Farn to dine as well, so I believe that travel has been postponed until the third quarter.'

'In that case, lead on. Hold the fort, Cro,' she added with an imperial nod to me.

'Yes, sir.' I replied, and in a louder voice added, 'A beer, keeper.' More or less to be in character.

'Your swordsman is also invited,' the retainer added, somewhat apologetically.

'Never mind the beer, keeper. I'm dining up at the Hall,' I said, as I eagerly pushed my chair away from the table to rise.

'We'll get our coats and be with you directly,' said Ren, rising to her feet as well.

The retainer nodded, 'I'll be waiting by the landau.'

'What's this about?' I asked Ren, growing more uneasy as we made our way to our rooms. 'Why is the hired help being invited to dine in the great house? And why, Trooper Cro? It's not like I had much to do with Consul Trae.'

'A good question, Cro. I'm sure we'll discover the answers shortly,' she replied with a superior smile.

02

Tye Farn was already seated in the gild-trimmed landau when we stepped out into the blue lit day. I thought a four horse landau was rather ostentatious for a quarter league ride up to the great house, but perhaps that's how they did things in these more remote provinces. The liveried retainer stood alongside to usher us aboard, not that he was needed, of course. It was all for show. After I followed Ren on board, he then took his seat beside the driver and we started off, a block along the village's main street and then up a wide lane leading to Trae Hall's iron gates at its far end.

Relations were still cool between Farn and Ren, but Farn was curious enough to bring himself to ask her if she knew why they had been invited to dine with the manor's consul in his great hall.

'I would imagine that he wishes to express his appreciation for my – ah, our efforts – to see him and his family home safely,' replied Ren loftily and added, with a flash of her mono-lens in the Blue Lantern light, 'Generosity is a mark of greatness, and the great families, Farn.'

Farn gave her a look of disbelief, that I shared, and grunted a noncommittal reply. I had growing doubts as to the wisdom of accepting this invitation, but then, we didn't likely have much of a choice. Two ex-lancers for hire could not turn down any invitation from a noble of the empire.

The gatekeeper swung open the iron gates of Trae Hall as we approached – and then closed behind us with a "clang!" once we had passed. That made me even more uncomfortable, no matter how routine it was.

Looking up the long gravel drive, I could just catch a glimmer of the lights of Trae Hall at the far end of the long black tunnel of shadows under the arching boughs of the tall old pines that lined the avenue. The park of Trae Manor stretched around us in the pale light of the Blue Lantern to the estate's tall walls. This was a border nation, after all, and raids from the hills may've been common several thousand seasons ago. This, the lower end of the estate, was the working estate. On either side, poured stone barns, sheds, mills, and workshops were set along paved lanes, their windows glowing gold in lantern light, a testament to the industry of the estate.

Leaving the industry behind, the pine lined avenue led up the long slope surrounded by the Blue Lantern-lit lawn that was dotted with stands of old trees and flowering shrubs, bamboo groves, and gazebos. Halfway up we passed a small flock of sheep trimming the lawn, watched over by a shepherd resting on his staff and his dog sitting beside him. As we neared the great house, we came to several wide, stone walled terraces, lush with pale flower gardens and black, stone lined ponds. No doubt that in the bright days these terrace walls would be a falling cascade of colorful flowers and mossy stones and the ponds, liquid mirrors of the sky.

Eventually the long avenue ended at the wide, graveled hilltop terrace on which Trae Hall stood. The rulers of Trae did not follow the Elder's taste in simple poured stone boxes. Indeed, the facade of Trae Hall was elaborately built of quarried stone, pierced by full length window-doors that lead to narrow wrought iron balconies and topped by a pitched roof and a forest of chimney stacks.

As the landau's wheels crunched across the gravel of the broad terrace, I saw half a dozen coaches and perhaps a hundred retainers and their horses standing about, starkly silhouetted in the window lights of the great house. Clearly this wasn't an intimate family meal with Consul San Trae. I caught the glint of gilded coats of arms on the doors of the coaches as we passed. I'd a feeling that they were familiar ones.

I nudged Ren. 'What's going on?' I whispered. 'I don't like this.'

She merely shrugged. 'We'll find out, soon enough.'

Glancing around, fruitlessly, for an avenue of escape, I had to admit that we would. We didn't have a choice.

The landau rolled to a gentle halt before the hall's grand entrance, lit by several spark-lamps. The liveried retainer gracefully alighted to open the landau's door for us and led us up the low, wide staircase to the tall double doors that opened to a two story entry hall. The hall was paneled in rich polished wood, and furnished with cushioned settees and elegantly simple tables with flowers in vases and tasteful objects of art. Lankarian spark-lamps on poles and in the overhead chandeliers illuminated the hall. Ahead, beyond the twin staircases and through wide doors, I caught a glimpse of a dark ballroom where the nobility of Trae would likely be invited to gather, dance, dine, and gossip a dark day or two away every season at the great house of the ruler of Trae.

I glanced to Ren, but she, the daughter of an empress, seemed entirely at ease in these surroundings. And, as the daughter of the commander of the Imperial Lancers, and accustomed as she was to riding patrols through the wild and dangerous hill countries of Jasmyne, she seemed to be entirely at ease with the situation as well. Neither of which made me any less ill at ease, since only a cauldron of creation seemed to make Ren uneasy.

After we shed and handed our coats to one of the six servants attending us, we were led up the left side staircase and along a long, wide hallway, dimly lit by widely spaced spark-lamps to the far end of the house, where our guide knocked on a solid wood door, guarded by several more liveried retainers. He paused to await the muffled 'Enter' before opening the door, and ushering us in.

We found ourselves in a wide, softly lit book-lined room. Large overstuffed chairs were scattered here and there, with several set in a wide semi-circle around a very large fireplace with a fire crackling in its grate. Along with the chairs were tables that held glowing spark-lamps with artistically arranged books and more objects of art. Shadows thrown by the fire danced across the carpeted floor and books on the shelves. But it wasn't the overstuffed chairs or occasional tables that attracted and held my attention. It was the three familiar men who stood before the fireplace, tea cups in hand, since it was still only the second quarter of the day – Gel Kos, Wen Dre, and San Trae, our old traveling companions. After recognizing them, I quickly glanced about and noted, in the shadowed corners of the room, seven or eight other large men, dressed in the livery of several households, four or five more than what would seem necessary to serve their masters' every need. In short, we found ourselves in the company of trouble. Still, I suppose we should take that as a compliment.

I hung back near the door to cover our line of retreat, while Ren strode forward, and exclaimed, 'Why, what a delightful surprise! This is an honor to see all our old customers once again, isn't it Farn?'

Farn may've mumbled something. He too, knew trouble when it was staring him in the face.

'I recognize your noble friends, San, from our time together on the road, but I don't believe I've been formally introduced to them,' said Ren.

From my position by the door, I could not see her face, but I could imagine her beaming down her nose at them with a cool, condescending smile.

'Ah, yes, Clare... May I introduce you to Consuls Gel Kos, and Wen Dre' said San Trae nodding to each and looking rather uncomfortable, as well as he should. 'I'm sure my friends recognize Lan Clare, Captain Clare, of Tye Fran's crew who looked after our wagons, and brought my party home after we parted. Ah, hello Farn, he added with a nod in Farn's direction.'

Wen Dre nodded, searching her face, but Gel Kos beamed as he assured him that he did, indeed, recall her.

'Though, in fact, I believe that we all met the young lady some days before we started home, didn't we, Wen?' he said, glancing to Wen Dre beside him.

Wen Dre nodded, 'Yes, I believe we did.'

As I feared. I glanced quickly about. I'd retainers on either side of me. The one on my left was big and solid, but the one on my right, between me and the door, was old and slim. Neither appeared to be armed. Still, outnumbering us five to one, I suppose they didn't think weapons were necessary. However, one of the ones was Ren Loh, and she seemed undaunted as she settled into parade rest before the gathered nobles around the flickering fireplace.

'I fear that I don't recall that meeting, sir,' she said, politely.

Gel Kos smiled. Wen Dre looked a little wary. And San Trae looked rather uncomfortable.

'May I offer you a cup of tea, Lady Loh?' continued Gel Kos with an elegant wave of his hand to the pot on the small table next to him.

Ren neither moved or replied, letting the question hang uncomfortably for several long seconds in the air.

'My lady?' said Gel Kos, with a nod to Ren, gracefully conceding that round.

'Oh, me?' she asked innocently. 'I'm sorry, but I'm used to the title of captain, not lady. And my name is Clare, not Loh but Lan. Lan Clare, at your service. And thank you, but no thanks. We had just finished a pot in the inn when San Trae's man arrived to invite us up to his house,' she finished with a nod to the uneasy San Trae.

'Ren Loh, Lan Clare? What's in a name?' said Gel Kos with shrug and an easy smile. 'What is important is that we arrive at a mutual understanding. And I think that if we lay our cards face up on the table we can quickly arrive at that understanding. I assure you we mean you no harm.'

She glanced around the room at all the retainers in the shadows, before returning her gaze to Gel Kos, and with a sarcastic nod, said, 'I suppose I should take a noble, such as yourself, at your word. And I have to say that if certain people in my past had laid their cards face up on the table, I wouldn't be here today. Which makes cards a rather painful analogy to me. Still, if you, or any of the other gentlemen present, have any complaints about me or my actions during the course of the journey, let them fly. I'd be delighted to address them.'

Gel Kos reached for Ren, with, I believe, the intention of lifting off her wig. She responded with a flicker of movement, one moment at parade rest, the next she was holding Gel Kos's hand and thumb down low and at an awkward angle, that caused him to grunt and flinch.

'I'm sorry, sir. But I don't abide with familiarity. An officer can't afford to send the wrong signals in a mixed regiment,' she said, giving the thumb a little added twist before releasing it and stepping back a step.

It took several seconds before Gel Kos recovered his geniality. 'Oh, come now. This is ridiculous. Do you think I can't recognize you because you're sporting a wig and a mono-lens?'

'I don't know what you are talking about.'

'You are Ren Loh, the daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne. We had tea together at the Mist in the Reeds at the end of the last season.'

'Sir, I assure you that I am Lan Clare, late of the Landa Lancers. I am familiar with this Ren Loh you are confusing me with, only because I saw her on the parade grounds when I approached Colonel Lefe Sol about the possibility of joining the Palace Guards. I must say I find it hard to imagine being mistaken for her. She seemed to be a strange little sparrow. I am a hawk, sir.'

'Captain Clare does not exist. I dispatched an express rider to Colonel Klava and he writes back that he has never had a Captain Clare under his command. Let's cut that foolishness out and play our cards as dealt.'

Ren shivered theatrically at that last line. 'Please, sir. Cards, as I said, are a painful subject. I will admit that I parted ways with the Landa Lancers under somewhat of a cloud. It seems that Bere, that is to say Colonal Klava followed through with his promise to erase my many seasons service from the regimental record. I assure you that I was guilty of nothing more than naivety. As for Bere... Colonel Klava's denial of ever knowing me... I fear the scandal hurt him rather deeply. Still, it stings that he claims never to have... known me,' she said with sad shake of her head, 'Life can be sad.'

Even standing behind her in the shadows, I could sense that she was having great fun playing her chosen role, just as she had when she met her future father-in-law, the Prime Consul. But to what end this time?

'Please, I've no patience for lies,' sighed Gel Kos.

Seeing that Ren had decided to make her stand as Lan Clare, I figured that I might as well stand alongside her. 'Sir,' I began in a subservient whine. 'I've served as Captain Clare's swordsman for some 73 seasons now. I can assure you that you are mistaken. Captain Clare doesn't lie. She may've believed that there is more chance in games of chance than there are – especially with the people she was playing with. And well, sir, she may've been a little too careless with numbers... but she's as honest as a lance is straight, sir.'

'Why thank you, Cro,' she said, glancing back to me with a bright, beaming smile. And then turning to face Gel Kos once more, added, 'I will admit to making a few mistakes. As Cro suggested, I may've been unwise in my playing partners... all of them, it seems. Which means that I may not be able to prove that I am Lan Clare, but you are mistaken if you think I am Ren Loh. Now, if that mistake is what this affair is all about, sir, Cro and I will take our leave.'

Despite his statement to the contrary, Gel Kos did seem to have patience for lies, since he sighed, gazed thoughtfully at Ren, and then said. 'I must remember that for all your disguises and airs, that you are a young and romantic woman and this may well be a romantic adventure to you. It is not, however. Great and important issues are at stake, and you have your duty to perform. Like it or not, you cannot escape the great game of state. Imperial born, you have duties as well as privileges. Duty always demands obedience, and you, Ren Loh, growing up in the Imperial Lancers, should know that duty can make hard demands. Sometimes duty demands one's life. I can well understand your resentment at being used as a coin in a game. I would resent it as well. But your duty does not demand your life. The fact of the matter is that marrying Lefe Sol, a young man of sterling qualities, is hardly a hard duty. You will find happiness, if you are wise, as his wife. Plus, you are destined to play an important role in the histories of the two great empires. Running from this duty does you no credit.'

'A noble speech, sir. Were I Ren Loh, I should be very much ashamed. Colonel Sol did seem to be a kindly man, even though he politely suggested that I seek employment in another regiment. I am, however, Lan Clare, so you are wasting your time and breath in noble speeches. And trying my patience as well, sir.'

Seeing that Gel Kos's geniality now appeared to be rather forced, his was being tried as well. 'I can see that we're not going to agree on your name. But it's of no matter. We both know who you are, so I will explain the situation so that you'll understand that our actions are in the best interests of the two empires.

'The trade treaty, as ratified by the Assembly of Nobles, contains a clause that gives the nations on Azere's southeast border the right to pursue Kalarin sheep raiders into the Kalarin Hills. For thousands of seasons these hill peoples have raided our flocks with impunity since the Jasmyne Empire claims sovereignty of the Kalarin Hills and we can not violate the border with our pursuit. Jasmyne, however, makes no effort to actually govern the peoples of those hills. We have long sought the right of pursuit, and have finally gained that right, as a price for our vote to ratify the trade treaty.

'However, as you explained in the Mist in the Reeds, the treaty can be seen as the price the Prime Consul was willing to pay for a claim to a share of the Imperial Family of Jasmyne. Running off with Scholar Cam – that's him, back in the shadows – denied the Prime Consul his prize, so he is now refusing to sign the treaty that grants us our long fought for right of pursuit.

'Having discovered late in our journey that we had the runaway-bride-to-be and her lover as caravan guards, we sent word back to the Prime Consul promising the return of the bride-to-be to Lefe Sol, with, of course, the understanding that the treaty would be signed upon her return – not her marriage,' he added with a smile. 'I wouldn't care to gamble on that. Still, he readily agreed. The accident at the cauldron complicated our plans, but we now have you in hand and will be sending you, and Kel Cam, back to Azera. By using a relay of fast coaches and mounted guards you should be back in Azera within four days. You'll leave shortly after the midday meal. I will add, Lady Loh, that sending you back to marry Lefe Sol is an easy decision, for as I have said, and I'm sure you know yourself, he will make a fine husband.'

Ren shook her head sadly. 'I don't know what sort of sense of humor the Prime Consul has, but I hope, for your sake, it is a generous one. Perhaps, when he discovers you've sent him Lan Clare instead of Ren Loh he'll get a good laugh out of it. Perhaps. More likely, he'll think that you're trying to make a fool of him...'

And then, drawing herself up to stand lancer straight, and no doubt looking down her long nose at them she added, 'We have committed no crime. We are not criminals. If you detain us, and send us back to Azera against our will, I shall charge all three of you with the crime of kidnapping. And if you think being wealthy nobles will protect you from justice, you need to think again. I will never surrender. Each of you best be prepared to pay a noble's ransom – for I shall settle for nothing less.'

'Oh, I think we can risk that...'

'And be thankful for it, since if I was Ren Loh, you would be signing your family and nation's death warrant. The Sols may govern by ceaselessly caressing the egos of a hundred noble families, but I understand that the Lohs hold on to their Yellow Throne, not by kissing, but by kicking, the asses of any rival, and then grinding them into the dust. I've no doubt that making an enemy of Ren Loh, will see you ruined in her lifetime.'

Gel Kos may have laughed, but Wen Dre and San Trae didn't.

'You may laugh, sir. But a vengeful woman at the apex of power is nothing to laugh at. Her children or grandchildren will rule the united empire – children who will have been told from childhood that it was the Kos, Dre, and Trae families who betrayed their mother and for that they must pay dearly. Fortunately for you, I am not Ren Loh, so it will only cost you a noble's ransom.'

Standing behind her, I could not see Ren's expression, so I can not say what game she was playing. Was she just refusing to concede just to twist Gel Kos's tail, or did she truly believe she could bluff her way out of this?

As I have mentioned, I never thought that Ren's disguise was all that effective, especially since the characters of Ren Loh and Lan Clare were so similar. Still, if they were certain of her identity, then they had to consider that she had just threatened to destroy their families. It was probably not an idle threat. When empires united, changes would be made, and I suspect that eliminating the border nations would not be all that high of a price to pay for a united empire.

Gel Kos, however, was not one to be bluffed. He bowed, 'I take your warning, very seriously, my lady. Still, that day lays hundreds of seasons in the future. I am confident that you will find your sense of duty and your happiness before that day. And I am certain that you will find that I, and my friends here, acted not only in our self-interest, but in yours, Azere's, and Jasmyne's as well. I am certain that you will forgive us for our actions of this day.'

'Three noble's ransom worth of gold coins will buy my forgiveness, sir.'

'If I am wrong, my lady, you will have your coins. And I will pay my friends' ransom as well.

'Now, as to your journey to Azera. I would prefer that you give us your word that you will not to attempt to escape. It would make the long journey much more enjoyable for you. The alternative is to treat you as a prisoner, guarded and perhaps bound as well. I assure you, I respect your resourcefulness, and will not be careless. So what do you say?'

Ren slowly made a show of looking around the room at the servant guards, dismissing them with a little shrug of her shoulders, and then looking back at Gel Kos and friends, dismissing them as well. 'I have no desire to return to Azera. You must attempt to carry me there by force.'

'As you wish, my lady,' he said with a little bow. And then looking into the shadows in my direction, he added, 'Ah...'

'Kats' supplied San Trae.

'Yes, of course. Kats, would you please call in the guards.'

The dignified fellow standing next to me bowed and opened the library door to allow a double rank of armed guards – I counted ten – to file into the room.

'If you will follow Kats and your guards, they will show you to your room. I believe we are dining within an hour, and then you'll be on our way.'

'Come along, Cro,' she said, coolly marching through the guards to reach my side, without attempting to seize one of their swords and take on the detachment – much to my relief, and my surprise.

Kats led Ren and me, surrounded by the armed guards, back along the long hallway, down several sets of stairs to the hall's basement and to a door in the dim, poured stone hallway, not far from the kitchens. He unlocked a door, and lit a small oil lamp on a bracket beside the door, and with a little bow, ushered us in with a sweep of his hand. 'If you please...'

I braced for action again, but Ren calmly stepped in. I followed. The heavy wooden door was pulled shut behind me. The lock clicked. I gave her a questioning look, which she returned with an enigmatic smile.

The room was a windowless storage room, more than half filled with stacks of crates and boxes, cloth covered furniture, and old fixtures piled halfway up to the cobweb draped ceiling.

As I stood in the flickering, dusty dimness, a great many thoughts raced through my mind. They could be summed up in four words – I told you so. Still, I bit them back. I didn't think I needed to remind her, and they'd serve no purpose. Ren Loh was Ren Loh, a daughter of a ruthless imperial family, and I wasn't going to change her. I was at least on her side, not against her.

Instead, I turned to her and asked, 'What would you like for your wedding present?'

'Pff!' she replied softly. 'We'll be out of here in five minutes. Grab the lantern Cro, let's see what we can find to use as weapons.

I did as ordered, and we silently inspected the piles of cast off furniture.

'If need be, we can smash one of the chairs for clubs...' she muttered. 'There!' she whispered, pointing to the far corner of the room. 'Your weapon of choice! Bring one for me as well.'

Resting in the corner, just visible in the deep shadows behind the piles of cast off goods stood what appeared to be collection of rods, most likely curtain rods. They looked stout enough, though perhaps a bit long. They were, however, behind a formidable collection of furniture, boxes, and cobwebs.

'Couldn't we find something a bit more accessible, sir?' I whined softly.

'Move, Cro. Time is of the essence,' she hissed.

I wasn't sure why it was, but I moved, carefully making my way through and over the crates and old furnishings – brushing away veils of cobwebs in thin clouds of dust – while slipping into several black crevasses between the piles in the process. Cursing under by breath, I reached the corner, collected two of the rods and retraced my steps. They'd do for sparring, but would quickly be chopped up with any swordplay, but I suppose they were better than nothing.

I returned to Ren, now standing by the door with her ear to it.

'Right,' she whispered and standing, added, 'I think we have two guards to deal with. Hand me one of the rods and then stand next to the wall...'

'Where?' I asked, and received an impatient shove. She directed me to the wall within reach of the doorway with the rod I held.

Close to me, she whispered, 'When the first fellow comes through the doorway, use your stick-fighting skills to disarm him – he'll no doubt be coming in with his sword drawn. Then trip him up so that I, who'll be behind the door, can bash him and toss him onto the pile of rubbish.'

'And then?'

'And then, as soon as the first fellow is clear of the doorway, you rush through it and deal with the other guard. Don't let him get away.'

'Sir?' I said, doubtfully.

'Oh, I'll help, if necessary. Once we subdue him – a good blow to the side of the head should do it – we'll toss him in with the other one, lock the door and be on our way.'

'Right. Ah, how are you going to lure them into opening the door?'

'I'm not. I'm going to open it myself,' she whispered as she hung the lantern back on the bracket next to the door.

'How?'

She turned to me and opened her hand to reveal a key. 'Recognize it?' she hissed, flashing me a smile.

I thought for a moment and then whispered, 'The master key to the palace?'

'Exactly!'

'So?'

'Oh, don't be so dense!' she hissed. 'I swear, you're growing more like Cro every day. Look at the door handles. Didn't you notice that they're just like those of the White Palace?'

'I never noticed the door handles of the White Palace. I just used them.'

She shook her head. 'The doors of Trae Hall all are fitted with the finest door fixtures of the land, that being Crof and Wed. And I still have the Crof and Wed master key Lefe gave me.'

'So? I can't believe it will work here as well. What good is a lock if one key can open every one of them?'

'Pff! All locks can be picked. A master key is hardly necessary to a thief. A lock only keeps honest people out. All Crof and Wed locks likely have the same master tumbler that the master key trips to override the usual teeth and tumblers...'

'Are you certain of that?'

'In theory... Master keys are supposed to be rare, well guarded, and how to use them a great secret, so that they don't actually have to be very elaborate.'

'If not?'

'Then it's on to plan two. But enough idle talk. Any other objections or suggestions, Cro?' she added, clearly not wanting or expecting any.

'Be careful.'

'Always,' she lied, with a smile. And then, with a nod, stepped over to the door, set her rod alongside it, and kneeling, carefully inserted the key just into the lock. She slowly turned it. After several attempts, I heard a faint click, which brought a flash of a smile from Ren. She then inserted the key all the way in and turned it for another click. Standing, she pushed down on the lever, and pulled the door open just a hair. She gave me a bright smile before extinguishing the lantern, plunging the room into pitch blackness. There was a moment or two of silence, and then a faint line of light appeared as, I presume, Ren once more began to pull open the door. I held my curtain rod high over the doorway and waited.

A faint shaft of light fell though the open doorway to illuminate a dusty floor and a few boxes on the opposite wall. Quiet voices came from beyond the door. For half a minute or more nothing happened. I was beginning to think we'd have to take the battle to the guards, when a shadow filled most of the doorway, followed by the gleam of a sword, and then a guard, edging slowly in.

'I don't think this is wise, mate...' He muttered just as my curtain rod came crashing down on his sword hand, sending the sword flying. As my rod hit the floor, I swung it up between his legs and lifted it with all I had, sending him flying back into the hallway. Not exactly according to plan, but...

I followed him out, the rod well to the fore. Lunging over the groaning guard on the floor, I drove the other guard up against the wall and pinned him there with the end of the rod on his chest. Since I was well out of reach from his sword, he slashed at the rod with his sword, but I spun it around his sword to bash him on the side of his head, and then another blow to the pit of his stomach doubling him over, allowing me to hit the back of his shoulders, sending him crashing to the floor.

'Hit him again to put out him of action,' directed Ren, standing over the fallen first guard watching, captured sword in hand.

Instead, I said, 'Drop the sword and surrender.'

He let the sword fall to the floor.

'Pff!' said Ren behind me. 'Right. Into the room, both of you. Move.'

The first guard was still in no condition to move, and the second, was only able to crawl towards the door.

'Haul your mate in,' she directed, and then helped him by pushing the first guard in with her foot, in order to be able to pull the door shut, and locked it with the master key.

She then paused to consider our next move. 'I think escape, rather than revenge, is our first priority, Cro,' she mused, glancing up and down the long hallway. One end led to the well lit and no doubt well staffed kitchen, the other to a series of doorways, likely storerooms, pantries, wine cellars, and such.

'Which way?'

'The kitchen will certainly have an outside door to take delivery of supplies. I think that would be our safest way out.'

'But there could be a dozen people working in there.'

'Servants, Cro. Servants. They won't question us. I'm quite sure that Consul Trae has not bothered to warn his entire staff about us. Let's go.'

'The swords?'

'Leave them, we'd look strange carrying around naked blades. Our safety is in flight, not fighting.'

That was a plan I could fully approve of.

Shoving her hands into her pockets of her uniform jacket and tilting her head high, she set out for the kitchens. I followed her as nonchalantly as possible. We stepped through the door of the large, hot, and fragrant kitchen to survey the room, looking for the best way through and out.

There were seven or eight people working in the kitchen, two standing before the stoves, the rest chopping vegetables at several large tables. Beyond the kitchen, was a smaller room with a large door, that looked like the service entryway. Ren gave me a nod, and we continued on, walking between the two prep tables.

'I seem to have lost Kats,' she remarked with regal geniality as several of the kitchen staff looked up from their work. 'Is that the door to the outside?'

'Can I help you?' said a large man standing by the stoves. The head cook, I assume.

'I was making arrangements with Kats to feed my men, and we must have missed a turn, for I seem to have lost him. But never mind, I believe we know what we're doing. Is that the way out?'

He nodded somewhat skeptically. Still, the cook staff had no reason to challenge us. So we sailed through the kitchen and into the entryway alcove, only to run into Kats, coming down a set of stairs on our right.

'What?' he said, pulling up sharply on the steps to stare at us. 'What are you doing here?'

He should have turned and run.

'Why, looking for you, Kats!' exclaimed Ren loudly, bounding up several stairs to hook her arm through his and pulled him close. 'I'm glad we found you. Let's step outside and we can finish our business,' she said loudly, adding in a low voice with a cutting edge to it, 'Say nothing, if you value your life.'

Ren Loh, mono-lens in her eye, her mouth twisted into a sinister sneer, could make that silly line seem authentic.

'Cro, the door,' she commanded, pulling a very reluctant Kats along with her.

I pulled the door open for Ren and Kats, who Ren hustled into the cool darkness. I followed them out and closed it quickly behind us before Kats would think of yelling for help.

'You're now going to accompany us down to the gates, Kats,' said Ren as she led him up the ramp into the cold, dark courtyard at the back of the house. 'I can, and will, silence you, if you make any sort of fuss at all,' she said, and reaching down, pulled a long, thin knife out of her boot. She flashed it in the Blue Lantern light.

'One cry of alarm, Kats, and I'll slide this into you. You and your master are attempting to kidnap me. It'd be self-defense. You were in the room and you know how things stand. Trouble, Kats, trouble for everyone involved. I would advise you to stay clear of this affair. You cannot prevent our escape, so please don't try. Let's go.'

'I can't...' he protested, 'It'll be my post...'

'I'm not giving you a choice, it's silence or your life. I'll set you free once we reach the gates. You can then do your duty and raise the alarm – but not before. Don't make me bleed the life out of you. Now let's get moving. Cro, take our friend's other arm, and let's move – nice and matey, now, nothing suspicious. We're just three pals walking arm in arm,' she ordered, holding her knife close and towards Kats' side.

We started around the side of the great house. Turning the corner, I could see a score of figures outlined in the light of the hall's windows standing about on the front terrace. We'd have to walk through them to get down the hill and to the gates.

'Is there any other way?' I hissed to Ren. I didn't trust Kats not to find the courage to cry for help once we reached the pack of lounging retainers on the front terrace.

'Don't worry, Kats here won't get more than the beginning of a yelp out before he dies, if he cares to try to give us away.'

Well, it was dark, and the men on the terrace were Kos and Dre men, so Kats wouldn't be recognized or questioned. Nor would we, in the darkness and in our ragtag military uniforms. Ren took the precaution of letting her mono-lens fall from her face since some of these men likely traveled on Nations Street with us.

As it turned out, it was as simple as walking across the terrace and into the blue-lit darkness beyond. No one payed us any attention, as they stood among their horses talking.

'They seem to have brought a hundred guards to guard you, Captain! Not taking any chances, are they? They must consider you quite dangerous,' I said, much relieved, after we had stepped down into the darkness of the first garden terrace.

'Pff. It's their skins they're guarding. They don't like taking chances when they travel in the dark days along an uncertain border. Come along, Kats, let's get a move on it. The sooner we reach the gates, the sooner you can raise the alarm. Keep to the shadows of the pines where no one is likely to see us.'

As soon as we cleared the terraced gardens, we started running, half dragging, half carrying, Kats along with us down the long sloping lawn to the gates and the village in the valley. Halfway down the hill we had to make a short detour around the grazing sheep, but we did not attract the attention of the shepherd or his dog.

We pulled up fifty paces before the gates, and released the panting Kats.

'Here we must leave you, Kats. We're desperate people, so I would advise you to hurry back up the hill. We intend to just walk pass the gatekeepers, but I will use my knife, if you should try to warn them. We don't want any blood shed, do we?'

He nodded.

'Good. Off you go.'

We watched him just long enough to know that he was indeed heading back up the hill before Ren said, 'Forward, Cro.'

We started off again, running until we neared the iron gates. The carriage gate was closed, so Ren stepped over to the door in the small gatehouse.

'Just walk though as if you owned the place,' she whispered.

'And if he or they object?'

'Pff! This isn't a prison Cro. People no doubt come and go all the time. We don't owe him any explanation and as I said before, I doubt that our host felt the need to inform his entire staff on this proposed kidnapping.'

And with that, she pushed open the door and walked in the warm, oil stove scented room. She gave a friendly nod to the gatekeeper as she walked past him, with me close behind, and continued on to the outer doorway without pause. The gatekeeper looked to say something, but Ren had the door open and was out before he decided what to say. I closed the door behind me, and we hurried down the poured stone street through the village that clung to the skirts of Trae Hall, not quite running, but clipping authoritatively along.

As soon as we turned the corner on to the main street, she said, 'I'll saddle the horses, you collect our gear. We should have a quarter of an hour's grace before Kats makes it back up the hill, finds his master, makes his report, and the guards are turned out. Still, we need to move, Cro.'

'Yes, sir,' I panted.

At the inn's stable doors, she tossed me the key to her room, and I went around to the inn to collect her long coat and saddlebags which were packed and ready to go. I flung the coat and bags over my shoulder and hurried to the stable. She had Ghostwind out of his stall, and was strapping on the saddle in the flickering light of a single lantern when I dumped her kit, and turned to go.

'Don't forget to pay our bill, Cro. We don't want to give anyone an excuse to arrest us.'

'Yes sir,' I replied. I had planned to. Innocence was our only defense, for what it was worth.

However, to save time, I donned my long coat, gathered my saddlebags, and dropped them off in the stables before hurrying back to the inn to pay our bill.

Our luck held until we swung up and onto the horses in the narrow lane next to the stables. A single uniformed rider turned up the lane from main street, and seeing us, yelled 'Hold up!' while drawing his sword.

Ren turned to me with a grin, and drawing her sword as well, said 'I'll take his left flank, you his right.'

'Yes, sir,' I said, drawing my walking staff from the lance holster in the saddle, intending to use it as a lance, since my sword hand would've been on the off side. And well, as I've mentioned, I'm not keen on blades, nor lethal weapons in general. I'm a scholar. Or had been.

'Charge!' yelled Ren, pointing her sword ahead 'Go Ghostwind!' Ghostwind went, surging ahead, seemingly eager for the fray.

Sela took off as well, without waiting for my orders, and a second later we were alongside the guard. Outnumbered, he could only defend himself against Ren – sword to sword with a brief clash of blades. Holding my staff as a lance, I aimed to strike his shoulder a glancing blow, since I didn't care to risk unseating myself by a more substantial impact. The impact, more substantial than planned, sent him tumbling over the rump of his horse. I would've been dismounted as well, had I not been holding on to the saddle with my left hand, and I barely managed to hold on to my staff as well. Still, we reached the wide main street in good order. I slipped my staff back into its holster as Ren sheathed her sword and considered our next move.

It was decided for us when three uniformed horsemen came galloping out of the road leading to the estate gate, a block away.

'Retreat!' commanded an enthusiastic Ren Loh, the Ren Loh of the playing fields, pulling Ghostwind around and taking off down the wide, pale lit street. Sela followed, having apparently decided that I wasn't to be trusted with giving orders. Which was fine by me. I considered our relationship a partnership. I had no objections to her keeping me out of trouble.

We dodged several carts and pedestrians before reaching the edge of the village. Here, much to my surprise, Ren steered us off the main road and on to a pale lane that stretched up the long slope of the valley away from Trae Hall. It ran straight up past pale blue pastures and through inky black shadows under the old trees that lined the road. On this open road, the horses could stretch out in long strides, and did so; their heads low, their hooves only occasionally hitting the road, they almost flew through black shadows and blue light. With the wind tearing by, I bent low next to Sela's neck and clung for dear life.

Every so often, I'd glance back to see the three pursuing horsemen behind us – not catching up, but not falling behind either. Up the long slope, pale blue light and black shadows flickering past us, as one by one the farmsteads flickered by as well. We reached the top of the long ridge, and followed the road down another long, gentle slope into the next pastured valley. And then the next, the pace not slacking until we were in the fourth valley by which time the road had turned into little more than a farm lane that threatened to disappear shortly.

Turning back, I noted that the three horsemen had pulled to a stop along the top of the last ridge, and called out to Ren, 'They're giving up the chase!'

She turned, and then reined up, as I did as well. As we did so, two of the riders disappeared over the far side of the ridge.

She cursed softly. 'Still, I shouldn't complain, but I'd hoped to lead them a bit further.'

'Huh?'

'Those three are the only ones who know in which direction we took off. The rest of the pursuit would likely assume we continued north on the main road. I guess they realized that, and are sending back word to reorient the pursuit in the right direction.'

'Which is?'

She pointed to a black line, peeping over the ridge line ahead. 'The Kalarin Hills,' she laughed. 'Jasmyne! Dare they pursue me beyond the border?' and adding with a laugh, 'What with the treaty not being signed!'

'You're not exactly welcomed in Jasmyne either,' I pointed out.

'Well, the Kalarin is not very Jasmynite. The hill peoples are pretty independent.'

'So I gathered. But I'm not sure that's a good thing...'

'Pff! I spent 70 some seasons patrolling these hills. I have friends there. They're a mixed bunch, but mostly harmless. The five major nations are tame, if independent minded, but they have a few wilder sub-tribes, that can make trouble, and not only for the border manors, but between the tribes as well. Still, we don't have to go deep into the hills, just far enough in to find one of the trade trails that run trough the hills.'

'To where? Lanterna?'

'Might as well. We can lay low there until we can get hired on as caravan guards for one of the many tourist and pilgrim caravans bound for the Tiladara Lakes.'

'I think that cover is blown, Ren.'

'Perhaps. We'll see. We can always travel as pilgrims, as you suggested. From the Tiladara we can continue on northwards to Lankara, or head east into Jasmyne and pick up the rail line that runs north from Jasmyna to Kara. That might be the best and fastest way. Unless you have a better plan.'

I shook my head. 'No. It sounds fine to me. Still, we will have to be very careful, for Lanterna is the obvious place for us to head to. They'll be looking for us there, assuming we can keep clear of them now.'

'True. Still, there are always thousands of tourists in Lanterna. We should be able to get lost among them. And, if necessary, we can sleep rough outside of town and avoid the inns until the caravans start rolling again.'

'Well, we won't get there talking,' I said, and with a glance behind us, I noted that our shadow was edging nearer. 'Let's be on our way.'

And so, with our plans made, we started off again for the Kalarin Hills, with a single distant horseman, trailing us.

Chapter 14 Dark Days on the Steppes

01

The pale steppe gently rolled toward the line of rugged, black, pine forested hills that rose before us in a series of low ridges and shallow valleys. We were no longer racing, but neither did we tarry. Our tail merely kept pace with us. Up and down the rolling steppe we rode, avoiding the dark, reedy hollows in the shallow valleys that marked the little marshes, whose sheen of water from the recent rainy days sparkled in the Blue Lantern light.

With the steep pine forested hills, not a quarter league ahead, we stopped and looked back.

Ren pointed to some 20 moving dots on top of a distant ridge line behind us. 'They never had a chance,' she said, shaking her head.

'They're not taking chances that we'd slip by them,' I said, pointing to similar bands, half a league to the north and south of our position. 'Do you think that they'll follow us into the hills? I rather doubt that they'll respect the border, unsigned treaty or not.'

'Pff! Doesn't matter. Once in the hills, they'll never see us again. The pines and rocky outcroppings will see to that.'

'And yet we'll be able to find our way?'

'I've ridden the hills bright days and dark for a hundred seasons, Cro. So yes. There are trade trails throughout them. You just have to know what to look for to find them. We'll cross one within an hour into the hills and be on our way north towards Lanterna. That is, if we don't sit here talking all day,' she added, pulling Ghostwind around, and starting for the black hillside.

Sela and I followed her, and five minutes later we were among the black shadows of the towering old pines, climbing the steep slope between the trees, rocky outcrops and underbrush.

'We'll come across a trade trail soon enough,' said Ren as we started up the slope. 'Trading is carried on pack horses, so they're little more than game trails, but I should be able to find one, even by the light of the Blue Lantern. We should have them to ourselves, as the local traders stay at home in the dark days like everyone else. If we circle around the villages they lead to, we should ride without a worry in the world and be looking down on Lanterna within three or four days.'

She had no more finished assuring me of this than the Kalarin Hills made a liar of her. For the black shadows came alive, breaking into black shapes that streaked for us, baying savagely.

The horses reared in surprise, and turned to flee, however, the black steppe hounds were already circling around us, baying and barking, but getting no closer than ten paces. Still, Sela and I were ready to chance an escape through and over them. A couple of long leaps, and if we did not get pulled down in the first moments, we'd likely outrun them.

Ren reached over and grabbed Sela's halter. 'Hold up! There's no point in running! They're hunting hounds, not wild ones. We've happened upon a raiding expedition. Some border farm is going to have a hundred less sheep tomorrow...' She pointed up the slope where I could see a band of maybe 30 riders slipping in and out of the black shadows towards us at a leisurely pace.

'Let's see who we're dealing with... We should be able to deal with them since they've no use for us,' she muttered, sitting up iron rod straight in her saddle, cocking her head and crossing her arms to await their arrival. She had made no attempt to draw her sword or grab her lever-bow, so I followed suit.

The band gathered in a semi-circle around us, just beyond the hounds, as a tall rider, no doubt the leader, leisurely pushed his way through the pack who had grown quiet and settled on their haunches with his approach. He rode up next to us.

'My, my. What have we captured?' he laughed. In the blue light of the Lantern overhead, he looked to be a broad chested, handsome youth. Hat-less, he wore his long black hair gathered into a pony tail. He sported several layers of dark colored, elaborately embroidered jackets and scarves around his neck. His quilted sheepskin boots ended just below his knees, with ample black trousers tucked into them. Like us, he wore a sword at this side and lever-bow on his back.

'Greetings, chief,' said Ren with a nod, adding with her arrogant, sarcastic smile, 'Whose hounds are baying at us?'

'I asked first,' he laughed, unawed and completely at ease. With 30 followers behind him, why not?

I was curious as well. Had he captured Lieutenant Ren Loh of the Imperial Lancers, or Captain Lan Clare of the Landa Lancers?

She studied him, and his band for a few seconds before deciding that 'Captain Clare, and trooper Cro, of the Trae Border Regiment.'

Neither.

'You're over the border, Captain.'

'I am aware of that. The new treaty gives us the right of pursuit.'

'Excuse me, but you're the one who looks to be the pursued, Captain,' he laughed, waving a hand in the direction of Trae Hall. 'We've been watching you.'

She shrugged. 'A long story, Chief...'

'Riska. Sub-chief Riska.'

'A Calatar.'

'A Majin Calatar,' he admitted with a nod of acknowledgment. 'What brings you to my side of the border?'

'Cro and I are eloping,' she lied calmly. 'Cro is my swordsman, and it seems that an affair with one's servant is not considered conduct that is in the best interest of the Trae Border Regiment. I could not bear to give him up, so we decided to take our leave of the regiment.'

I had started when she had mentioned eloping and just stared at her as she spun her story. I was certain that no one, including the hounds and horses were going to believe that story. And I also had a feeling that she didn't care if they did or didn't.

I could see his wide, amused grin in the pale light, as he looked from her to me, and back again. 'Care to try on another story, Captain? A more believable one?'

'What's so unbelievable about falling in love and eloping with Cro here? He's rather handsome, in a rough hewn sort of way,' adding apologetically, 'In dim light.'

Riska looked at me, and then back to Ren and still grinning, shook his head. 'I'll grant you he's rough hewn, Captain. It's what attracts him to you that I'm having a tough time believing. What do you say, Cro? What do you find so attractive in Captain Clare?'

That had me stumped. After several attempts, I managed to mutter, 'She's quite attractive, sir... If she cares to be... In dim light...'

'Oh, be still my leaping heart!' sighed Ren.

'Or maybe just in the dark, heh, Cro?' laughed Riska.

'Perhaps, sir,' I agreed, putting a sly grin on my face.

'I assure you, Riska Calatar, that I am not unattractive,' she snapped. 'I am not seen at my best in this cold blue light...'

'Oh, I suspect it does you justice,' He laughed, and shook his head. 'Still, no offense intended, Captain.'

Clearly, Ren wasn't the only one here who could lie carelessly.

'Now, I'll give you another chance to come up with a believable story. One that includes why you've come this way – of all the directions you could have run away to.'

'Necessity must be served, Sir. As you probably saw, this was the only direction we had to ride when we parted ways with the regiment. We planned to travel on this side of the border only until we are sure we had evaded our pursuit, she swept her hand back the way we came. I don't expect that they will respect the border any longer, Riska. The new treaty gives them the right of pursuit. Let them pursue us, while you pursue your own, ah, pursuits... Don't let us detain you. We'll be on our way, and lead our pursuit away from you.'

'Oh, we have leagues to ride yet before we get to our business. They'll be far away by then. Still, I shouldn't let you detain us. I believe, however, that I will detain you. I'm sure that my father will find your stories entertaining. I'm certain the elopement story was a spur of the moment invention, but you'll have plenty of time to invent a better, and hopefully, a more convincing one before we return home. '

'One can not improve on the truth, sir,' she replied hauntingly.

He shook his head sadly. 'I truly hope you can. Now, since you've no desire to detain us, can I ask you to hand over your weapons without a fuss?'

Ren shrugged. 'As I said, we mean you no harm, so it is hardly necessary.'

'And you claim that you're eloping... So tell me now, how can I believe anything you say? No, I'll let father deal with you. I've a feeling that there's coins to be gained in this affair, one way or another. Waf, Mons, collect their weapons. And tie their hands behind them as well. We want no trouble with them or their pursuit. Can we do this without bloodshed, Captain?'

Ren shrugged. 'We are guilty of only forbidden love. I have no wish to make enemies. You can have our weapons, but I give you my word of honor that we will ride with you back to your camp – after you steal the sheep – so there is no need to bind us.'

Risha shook his head sadly. 'One can trust a liar no further than the end of the rope that binds them. Your weapons, and hands behind your backs.'

'You can take my weapons and bind my hands, but I will not be lectured in morality by a sheep thief, Riska,' snapped Ren with an angry flick of her head.

Riska laughed, and nodded. 'Point taken, Captain. And I'm sure that if our rolls were reversed, you'd do as I propose to do.'

She'd no answer to that, so Waf and Mons collected our swords and lever-bows, and bound our hands behind us with leather straps. And then grabbing the reins of our horses, we joined the raiding party and set out along the edge of the hills, the pack of dogs coming to life and bounding out ahead, but not too far.

02

'How much trouble are we in?' I asked Ren in a low voice as we trotted along, side by side within the black shadows of the pines.

'Pff!' she hissed and continued in a low voice, so as not to be overheard by Waf and Mons who were leading our horses. 'None, really. The Calatars are a large and mostly civilized tribe. The Majins are a sub-tribe and may be a bit rough around the edges, but Riska here is no blood thirsty savage. I know the King of the Calatars, Beray. He was an old friend of my father. I believe that he will spring for the coins it will likely take to ransom us from the Majins.'

'Then why invent such an outlandish story? Wouldn't the truth have served just as well?'

'To keep our ransom price down,' she hissed. 'I'll be honor bound to pay King Beray back. I doubt that I'd be able to afford the ransom for, well, you know who.'

To be honest, I wasn't certain that was the complete truth. Ren Loh seemed to have a rather casual relationship with truth and I'd a feeling that she was enjoying the freedom of not being a Loh. Lan Clare was probably her new identity, though, in truth, I didn't see how it differed all that much from Ren Loh...

We rode for the better part of two hours as Ren and Riska bantered and gossiped about the affairs of the Kalarin Hill peoples and nations. I knew nothing about the peoples of the Kalarin, and was in too dark of a mood to join in the bantering. I gathered that scouts had already selected the flock to be targeted on this raid, so we rode along the edge of the hills on the Jasmyne side of the border until they could ride across the border directly for their targeted flock. On reaching the flock, they'd unleash their pack of hounds who would engage the sheep guard dogs and cut out a hundred or more of the flock while the raiding party would hold off the human guards. I also gathered that there might be some blood shed in the process, but most sheep farmers did not employ 30 human shepherds, even in the dark days, so that outnumbered, their resistance was mostly a matter of form. They were hired to keep the steppe hounds from preying on the flock, not a Kalarin raiding band. There was, of course, our pursuit, but we had likely put them several leagues behind us, and seemed of no concern to Riska and his band.

Coming upon one of the Majin scouts who had marked the flock, we picked up the pace and started across the steppes towards the distant grazing lands, with the hounds bounding ahead. I had to cling to the back of the saddle with my tied hands for fear of being bounced off the galloping Sela.

We probably got within a league of the grazing lands and the flock when the low ridge line ahead of us erupted with the dark silhouettes of mounted men. They let out a loud roar heard over the baying of the hounds and rode hard for us, sabres flashing. The baying of the hounds quickly turned to yelps as the horses pounded through them sending them fleeing past us. Our captors had barely time to draw their sabres before the riders – our pursuers, who must have spied the raiding band and shadowed it – were on and amongst us as well.

Sabres flashed in the blue light. Dark figures of men and horses crashed together in a swirl of roars, yells, and curses. Poor Sela was having none of this, and rearing up in panic, sent me tumbling over her rump. I managed to tuck my head down and do something of a somersault before landing more or less on the heels of my feet. Rolling backwards in the tall steppe grass, I found myself in the chaos of dancing and rearing horses, their hooves pounding the ground around me.

Horses instinctively dislike stepping on people, so somehow I managed to avoid being trampled to death – just a glancing blow on my shoulder that nevertheless sent me rolling again. But getting trampled by horses was far from my only concern in those fleeing seconds. Blades swished and slashed overhead. The two bands yelled their allegiance – 'Majin! Majin!' or 'Dre! Dre! Kos! Kos!' – in an attempt to avoid being cut down by their friends in the dark. I had no friends in this battle, so I just huddled low in the tall grass, hoping to be seen by the horses but not their riders, who likely had more pressing targets to hack at.

The melee of dancing horses and slashing swords overhead swirled away from me after what seemed like forever, but was likely only a few moments as the Majin raiders, outnumbered for once, began a fighting withdrawal toward the distant hills. As soon as I was certain, the fighting had gone past me, I climbed clumsily to my feet and looked about. The black and blue shadowed mass of horses and shouting men was already two hundred paces away, and I could see the Majin were trying to break off contact, with individual raiders, and riderless horses, streaking back towards the hills whenever they could get clear of an attacker. I seemed to have the field of battle to myself – with my hands tied behind my back and no safe place to escape to.

I cursed softly to quell the bile of panic in my gut, looked around, and thought. Certainly there had to be some casualties – and their weapons – on the field of battle around me. If I could find a fallen weapon to free my hands, the world would be a lot brighter. Not bright, but brighter. But I would have to act fast, as I didn't think the battle would last much longer, and I had no idea as to how long the Kos and Dre bands would pursue the raiders, given that they were out to find Ren and me. I could only hope that they were eager to give the Majins a good lesson...

I set out to follow the battleground, as defined by the trampled grass, searching for a glimmer of a blade that I could use to sever my bonds – or a casualty that might have one on his or her person – or their body. It would be nice just to find a dropped sword, but with the way my luck was running, I'd a feeling that would be asking too much.

I had only begun my search when I heard a long, low, deep growl beyond the edge of the trampled grass, sending my already racing heart, jumping. I pulled up sharply and searched the shadows.

It was probably only one of the raider's dogs, hopefully injured, I told myself. I rather doubt there were any steppe hounds anywhere near all this activity. But the growl from the unseen hound deepened, and grew ever more menacing.

'Good dog,' I said. Well, what else could I do?

The tall grass stirred. And then a great dark dog rocketed towards me.

I yelped and tried to duck. Still, he struck me with a thump that sent me staggering back, and on to the ground, with him on top. He gave me a great slurping lick to my nose and woofed a triumphant laugh.

'Wili! You blasted dog!' I exclaimed, torn between anger that I could not wipe the dog drool from my face, and relief that I had an old friend to face the grim world with.

He woofed again and grinned down at me, his tail wagging.

'Yes, yes. Very humorous! Now get off me, you big hound!' I said, and as I pushed myself up with my tied hands to a sitting position and then kneeling, added, 'What under the Blue Lantern are you doing here? Did they have you along to track me?'

He gave me a little woof and another lick, which, with my hands tied behind me, I could not prevent. That may've been a yes or a no, but if he tracked like he hunted, he'd likely be very useless... Though, in fact, here he was...

'Well, I don't want to be found. You got that?' I said, looking him in his dark eyes.

A woof of assurance. I hoped.

'You see, I'm in trouble, Wili. I need your help. We need to find a sword or blade so that I can get my hands free. And we need to do it fast. Got that?'

He woofed a 'Yes,' grinning. Who knows? Maybe he did understand me, since he bounded off.

Awkwardly, I climbed to my feet and returned to my search, for time was of the essence. If the Kos and Dre bands had suffered any casualties at all, they'd be retracing the battleground to find them.

Wili woofed, and turning, I saw him bounding for me, with my walking staff in his mouth plowing through the tall grass. Well, once I freed my hands, it would come in handy, so I called out, 'Good work Wili! Bring it here.'

Which he did, until I tried to grasp it with my bound hands. He backed off, grinning. So that was the game he wanted to play.

'Right. Carry the big stick yourself, you dumb dog,' I growled, and turned back to continue my search.

Wili wasn't a dumb dog, and I felt his cool nose on my hand, and as I found the shaft of my staff, he let go. I shifted it to a vertical position, and continued on, commanding him to, 'Now find me a sword.'

Once more, he bounded off, like he knew what he was doing.

A minute later, he barked and growled, from somewhere in the tall grass down the slope. He barked again, so I called out that I was coming, and followed his barking to find a figure in pale long coat, half laying, half sitting in the grass. He had one arm supporting himself, the other holding a wavering sword pointed at Wili. Half his face was black with blood. From his long coat, I knew that he was one of the Kos or Dre retainers.

'Friend, mate,' I said as he looked to me. I, too, wore a pale long coat, unlike the Majins, so he had no reason to doubt me.

He nodded, clearly very groggy from the blow to his head.

'Ah, can I borrow your sabre for a moment to free my hands? After that I can attend to your poor head.'

He gave me a weak and wary look.

'Ah, you see my hands are tied... I was captured by the Majin raiders. So I need your sabre to cut them free. After that, you can have it back.'

He shook his head, and muttered weakly, 'You're... You're the ones...'

'It doesn't matter who I am,' I said, and gave him what I hoped was a grim grin, 'We're both casualties who can help each other out. I need your sabre and you need a hand patching that wound on your head before you bleed to death. So what do you say? Truce? Stick the sabre in the ground so that I can grasp it. Once my hands are free, I promise that I see what I can do to patch up your head.'

He shook his head grimly, and still held the wavering sword before him.

'Please don't make me order my dog to tear out your throat, I'd feel very bad about that,' I said gently. 'But I'll have your sabre one way or another.'

Wili growled deeply, right on cue.

He stared at Wili – now all teeth and bristling hair – and me, with a grim, if desperate grin on my face, and then feebly stuck the tip of the sabre into the ground next to him.

'Thanks. Give me a moment, and I'll see what I can do for you,' I said as I edged forward; Wili jointed me, watching the wounded man carefully to prevent any treachery. Half turning, I grabbed the sabre's handle and carried it several paces away, were I set it, tip first, deep into the ground. And then, knelt, back to it, found the blade, and carefully sliced through the leather straps that bound my hands, freeing them.

Between Wili and the use of my hands, my prospects seemed brighter – but time was of the essence. Still, I owed my benefactor, some care. So I drew out a handkerchief, and stepped over to him.

'I'll wipe off the blood and have a look at the wound. I think we can bind it up, until your mates return.'

He nodded, and I gingerly wiped the blood from his face. The wound appeared to be mostly a welt with only a small cut alongside the side of his head over his ear – probably from a blow by the back edge of the blade. The cut itself was still bleeding profusely, but appeared to be not more than a finger length long. I assured him that he'd live, and pressing the handkerchief on the wound to stem the bleeding, I had him untie his neck cloth and helped him to bind my handkerchief tightly over the wound with it. After that, I helped him to his feet.

'Your mates should be back soon. You don't want them to miss you,' I said, as I hand him his sabre to use as a crutch to keep him upright. 'I'll be on my way now, mate. Take care.'

He just nodded. I suppose if my head hurt as much as his probably did, I'd not have much to say either.

Grabbing my staff, I looked around. Ren, the Mejins, and the nobles' posse had taken the melee out of sight. Still, I needed to be away before they came back, so I took off long striding as best I could through the tall grass toward the distant hills, with Wili bounding at my side. As soon as I put the wounded retainer out of sight below the first ridge line, I veered north with no intention of stopping any time soon.

Nevertheless, I hadn't gone far when the faint voices drifted out of the darkness from beyond the ridge ahead. I turned and sprinted down into the reedy little valley between the ridges. They'd likely steer clear of the marshy ground. The ground first grew soft and then I was splashing through ankle deep water as I slipped deep into the man-tall reeds. I crouched low as the voices sounded like they had come over the rise. Wili made a show of crouching low as well, while looking up to me and grinning. This was all a game for Wili. Life was a game for Wili.

The voices grew louder. I couldn't see them, but I held Wili close, just in case he decided duty on over friendship. While I was certain the riders would casually avoid the reeds – one never knew how deep the water and mud might prove to be – once they heard the story of the wounded retainer, they might well search them for me. Still, we had put more than enough distance behind us, so it would involve an extensive, and time consuming search – in the cold and the dark. I could only hope that Cro did not rate that effort.

I heard them call out to their fallen comrade as they topped the ridge and the sound of their voices receded again, but I didn't dare to be caught moving, so I stayed, crouching in the reeds, my feet in the cold water, and considered my future. Assuming I wasn't found, I was surprised to find a bedrock of optimism in my outlook that perhaps stemmed from the fact that I was once more my own master. I'd spent many a day on the steppes walking to remote Blue Order communities over the last 65 plus seasons. Yes, it had been during the warm bright days, not these cold, dark days, but there were times when I was further from civilization than I was now – a mere hour's walk away. And the population of steppe hounds did not increase in the dark days, so I was not in any greater danger from them now. And, yes, I was wanted by the nobles of several nations, but no one searching for me knew me well, even in my old guise, to identify me, so that if I was careful, I could probably follow the road north and on to Lanterna, stopping only to pick up some food along the way. I could sleep in farm out buildings or shed lofts, just to be on the safe side.

Lanterna was my logical goal since it was the main staging city for the famous tourist and pilgrim attraction of the great Elder era city of Tiladara. If I could reach Lanterna, I could lose myself in the thousands of tourists and Blue Order pilgrims who would be traveling north in fast coaches to Tiladara and from there, travel with the tourists returning north to Lankara. Even on foot, I'd make Lanterna in five or six days, and Lankara, as a pilgrim, by the next dark days. Assuming, that is, that any search the posse decided to make for me was halfhearted or that Wili didn't decide that it would be humorous to give me away. But there was no point thinking about that, so I considered my brighter prospects, even as water began to seep into my boots and the chill of the dark days into my bones.

Wili's ears perked up, and he glanced up to me.

'Time to go?' I whispered.

He gave me a whispered woof.

'Be a good friend, Wili – you never found me. Got that?'

He softly woofed his assurances – and gave me that mischievous grin that made that assurance pretty iffy.

'Right then. Goodbye, Wili. Take care!'

He made a show of ever so carefully standing, gave me a lick on the ear goodbye, and then carefully slipped through the reeds and out of sight.

A minute later I could hear his faint barking, which after awhile, faded away.

Wili was a good dog. A good friend.

Still I didn't move for another quarter of an hour or more. I wasn't going to get too much wetter or colder. And I needed to consider one other factor.

Ren Loh.

She might have been killed or wounded in the swirling melee. With her hands tied, she would have been unable to defend herself from a very unlucky blow. I didn't think this was very likely, knowing her, but possible. She likely survived the melee unharmed. In which case, there were three possible outcomes. First, that she'd been recaptured by Gel Kos and Wen Dre's men and was on her way back to Trae Hall and Azera. Second that she remained a captive of the fleeing Majin raiders. In both of these cases I did not see how I could help her. I was a historian, not an intrepid Imperial Lancer. And, well, to be honest, I fear that I found myself not very motivated either. Neither of those fates were all that dire. Marriage to Lefe Sol, if he was resigned to his fate and didn't run himself, was hardly a fate worse than death. And I'm sure she could deal with the Majin, one way or another. They were probably kindred spirits. And, I fear, that I blamed her for finding myself crouched in a cold marshy hollow far from home, a wanted man. Oh, it was not all her fault. I had ignored her warnings, after all. Still, I found that I could not quite forgive her for the water in my boots, the chill in my bones, the dangers she had led me into and the risks she had so cheerfully run, no matter how noble her intentions were. And I found that even with that chill in my boots and bones, I felt safer now, on my own, than I had been in the company of Ren Loh, however daring and competent she might be.

So that left the question of how to deal with the final, and in my heart of hearts, the most likely possibility. That she had escaped in the melee, as I had, though not likely as inelegantly. If so, she could easily use her boot-knife to free her hands, so that she was, or would soon be, free to be Ren Loh again. And also, deep in my heart of hearts, I knew that she would search for me, and would not view springing me from either Trae Hall or the Majin as something beyond her capabilities. She would do all the things for me that I wasn't prepared to do for her. Of course she was far better suited to do all those things than I, but the fact that I wasn't prepared to even try made me embarrassed, and angry. Angry at myself, and angry at her. Well, she'd have to find me...

I cautiously stood up and looked around. I appeared to be alone on the pale lit steppes. I was alive and free. And I intended to remain free, and alone. I hoped Ren was alive and well. I hoped that she would find happiness in some new life, or as the wife of Lefe Sol. But I also hoped that I would never see her again. A season with Ren Loh was more than enough for this poor historian. But if I wanted to keep my freedom, and reclaim and rebuild my old life, I needed to get as far away from the scene of the melee as possible, as quickly as possible.

I squished out of the marsh land, and on reaching dry land, shed my sniveling Cro persona, and set out at my fastest long-striding pace through the tall grass. I needed to get clear of where a free Ren would likely search. I'd angle toward the pasture lands for easier walking, and eventually, with several leagues behind me, I'd stop at a village to buy supplies, and perhaps find a shed to sleep in, before continuing on. Lanterna lay some 70 leagues to the north and east was a longer walk than I had done in the past, but very doable. All I had to do was take one long, staff assisted step at a time. And I knew how to do that.

03

I may've enjoyed a quarter hour of freedom before I was recaptured, despite having kept an eye behind me for anyone still searching for me. But they appeared over a rise ahead of me, so quickly and silently that I didn't even know I'd been spied until I heard my name, 'Kel!' cheerfully called out.

I stopped and looked up. There were just two horses, and one rider, Ren.

'You escaped!' she exclaimed, beaming, as she reined in before me. 'I was just heading back to the village to see if I could get word of you! I'm impressed!'

Despite the cheerful greeting, and her apparent delight in finding me, my heart sank. And the fact that she was headed to the village to see if she could spring me, if I had been captured, while I was walking as fast as I could away, once more made me ashamed, and angry with myself, and fate, who put me in this position.

Before I could swallow my anger and formulate a suitable reply, Sela stepped forward and shoved her nose into my side – right over the spot where I kept the bag of sugar lumps in the pocket of my jacket.

True love.

She neighed impatiently, so I padded her on her long snout. 'Yes, my dear, I love you too,' I said, and unbuttoned my long coat to give my faithful horse a lump of sugar – to keep her faithful. Looking up to Ren, I said, 'I had no idea what became of you, but I figured you'd be able to look after yourself, so I was making my own escape. I see I was right. How did you get free?'

'Oh, that was easy enough. Ghostwind and I just put our heads down and raced clear of the melee not long after you made your escape. Everyone was too busy hacking each other to pay any attention to us. I'm sure the search parties never expected to find us in with the sheep raiders. We were chased for awhile, so I could not get my knife out and cut my hands free until after my pursuers abandoned the chase and I could dismount to reach my knife. After that, I cautiously drifted back and discovered Sela, standing about, no doubt forlornly.'

'Her sugar lump supply lost, possibly for ever,' I muttered giving her another pat. 'Am I right?'

She neighed, the honest beast.

'Well, she came readily when I called her, and so we continued on our way. I must admit that I expected to discover that you'd been collected upon their return. With your hands tied and all, I didn't think you'd get far. But I'm delighted to see that I had underestimated you. Mount up, Cro. Let's put some leagues between us and Trae Hall. You can tell me about your adventures as we ride.'

I did as ordered. 'Where are we bound for?'

'Oh, Lanterna, of course. I'm thinking that we can ride along the edge of the hill country. With the shorter grass and no low pockets of wetlands to avoid, traveling will be faster. Plus we would need not worry about traveling the roads of the Kos and Dre nations. We'll have to live on saddle rations, but if we ride hard, we can make Lanterna in two days.'

That suited me just fine. 'Let's ride.'

We rode and rode for hours and hours through the cold air, between the edge of the dark pines, and the tall steppe grassland, leaping many'a little stream that flowed down from the hills and seeing nothing, moving save the east wind in the pines and over the grasses. We rode in silence after I had finished my brief tale of escape, until both the horses and riders were exhausted. I was tired and sore when we came upon a small canyon formed by a steeply falling stream and called it a day. After tending to our horses, and setting them loose to graze on the lush grass of the little canyon, we built a fire to heat water for tea and a stew made from the dried saddle rations.

Later, with the fire crackling before us, the horses' dark shadows against the mossy rocks that surrounded the little canyon, Ren and I sat up against the canyon wall, sipping our tin mugs of tea steaming in the cold lantern light.

'What's wrong, Cro? You're too quiet. Are you angry with me?'

I thought for a moment. And decided not to lie. 'I guess that I am angry. Angry at a lot of things, Ren. I'm angry at fate, at the world, and well, myself. I should be sitting in my club on Scholars' Street. I should be teaching my students – I left them in the lurch, with a season's lectures and lessons to go. I should be safe and secure in the life I had come to enjoy, working on my great project. I should be Kel Cam, not Cro.' I paused.

'I'm sorry...' began Ren. 'It is all my fault. I should've never involved you in my affairs.'

'It's not all your fault. You never misled me. You warned me, and I ignored it. And since the fuse lit the oil barrow, you've looked after me. I appreciate all you've done for me. But, well I suspect that you know what I'm feeling. You've seen your life torn up and tossed to the east wind, just as I have. And you had to face it alone. You're far braver than I... Back there you were riding to rescue me while I was just running...'

'Pff! I'm proud of you, Cro,' she said, reaching over to put her hand on my shoulder. 'I'm proud that you didn't need rescuing. You got free all on your own. And really, if I had been recaptured, the last thing I would have wanted to deal with was you trying to rescue me. I'd have never expected you to try. It would only have complicated things to no end.'

True, but it stung nevertheless. I resisted the urge to shrug that hand off. I think that she was trying to be kind, even if it sounded condescending.

'I'm sure I would've been useless if I had tried.'

'You are what you are. I am what I am. I... I think we are very different, but that makes us a better team, Cro.'

'I think, Ren, that we need to come to a new understanding. I'm not going to play your Cro anymore. There's no point being Captain Clare and Cro anymore since they are on to that identity. We'll have to adopt new identities.'

'Ah, true. Still, you were the perfect Cro.'

'I was the perfect Cro because I had no idea of what a trooper's life involved, making it easy to play the idiot Cro. But I'm not an idiot, and I don't care to play the idiot any longer. When we arrive in Lanterna, I'll be a Blue Order follower on the Great Pilgrimage – Lanterna to Tiladara with blue ribbons around my hat band, and my arms. I've spent enough time in the Blue Order communities to make a very convincing pilgrim.'

'Excellent. Since we're both starting a new life, beginning it with the Great Pilgrimage is nothing less than the Great Truth of the Great Blue Order Tradition.'

I glanced at her. With the Blue Lantern nearly straight overhead, her face was a mask of cold blue light and black shadows. But she wasn't leering at me with her mono-lens – we were close enough that she didn't need it – and she seemed sincere. Which made what I wanted to say, all the harder. Still.

'We can both make the pilgrimage, if that is what you want. But just so you know, once we reach Lanterna, I'll consider the promise you made to deliver me to safety as fulfilled, for I am certain that from there I can safely find my way home – nondescript Blue Order pilgrim among the many thousands leaving from Lanterna. And while I would welcome your company, you no longer should feel obligated to look after me.'

She gave me a puzzled look – as well she should, since I was trying to have it both ways – independence without necessarily escaping Ren Loh's company. 'Are you saying that you don't want me along anymore?'

'No, it's not that...' Exactly. What it was, was that I simply didn't trust her to be nondescript. Ren Loh was not a nondescript person. And I didn't trust her not to do something careless or something foolish, just because she never doubted her ability to get out of any fix her daring got her into. But I really couldn't say that either. What I could say, was, 'What I'm trying to say is that while I owe you a lot, and don't want to part company with you, I no longer want to be treated like another Cro. You no longer have to take care of me. We'll travel on as friends and make decisions together.'

'But we've always been partners. You were Cro of necessity, not because that's how I think of you.'

'Good. And in that new spirit, I believe that my coins will take me the rest of the way home, so I don't need to depend on your generosity any longer. I've depended on you too much already.'

She stared at me, her eyes lost in the dark shadows of her brow.

'Your words say one thing, Kel, but they seem to imply the opposite. I'm a simple lancer, and I appreciate straight talk. So, if you'd rather not travel with me, just say so. It might be safer for you, since it seems that I am easily recognized. It might be best if we go our separate ways.'

All I had to do was nod yes. I was certain that I could find my way safely home. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Was it the same sense of obligation that had me agreeing to show her around Azera and led to this canyon in the Kalarin Hills? Guilt at having abandoned her once already? Pity knowing that I may be her only friend under the Blue Lantern that she could rely on (if she could)? Or was it simply friendship? Most likely, all of them. But I couldn't nod yes.

'I'd rather travel on with you all the way to Lankara, Ren. As a friend, not as a burden or an obligation. And not as a whiny fool, and not with someone wearing a mono-lens.' Or someone who acts like they would be wearing a mono-lens, but I didn't say that.

'Give me your hand, Kel, to seal our friendship,' she replied, watching me closely.

I gave her my hand, and found that I didn't regret it.

'Excellent. We'll go to Tiladara with blue ribbons fluttering as brother and sister. That will make our traveling together quite proper. So you needn't worry, brother Del. Your sterling reputation will remain intact,' she laughed, and giving me a sly glance, 'What do you think of the names, Del and Tena Der? Or would you rather pick your own?'

I sighed. So much for planning together. Still, it was a minor point, so I let it pass with the east wind.

'We'll have to get our story straight,' I said.

'Yes, my dear brother, we will. But it will have to wait until we are on the road to Tiladara. If we find ourselves in the company of Azerites, we'll need to be Jasmynites, and vise versa, so as to keep our story beyond questions. No matter, I'm good at inventing stories.'

'Ha! Like that one about us eloping?'

'Pff! As if you could've thought of a better one.'

Chapter 15 Lanterna

01

Lanterna's famous Blue Lantern Tower, a tapering column rising several hundred stories into the dark velvet blue firmament, is an Elder Era artifact. It was built directly under the Blue Lantern and so it points directly up at it. These days it is only the skeleton of a tower, since its outer facade had fallen off more than 200,000 seasons ago. It now stands on the great, forested mound with its fallen facade in the center of Lantera. Because the Blue Lantern is directly overhead, in the dark days it appeared to be a black tower, as its empty and open tenements are all in shadows. However, in the bright days the weather mellowed, poured stone skeleton takes on intricate shadows and shades in the light of the Yellow Lantern.

It is one of the two greatest Elder Civilization relics under the Blue Lantern, the other being the City of Tiladara. And as such, is held to be sacred by the more spiritual, or superstitious, followers of the Blue Order. The Blue Lantern Tower is considered, at least in Lankara, to have once been a vertical city, though its position, directly under the Blue Lantern may have made it something more significant, which is what the Blue Order believes, and what one gets when reading the Dark and Dawn Classics. Still, like all the Elder cities, it has been stripped of everything down to the weathered poured stone, and is now merely home to the great flocks of birds, a Blue Order community, and tourists.

It had been visible on the horizon for several hours, ever since we crossed the height of the uplands and started down into the valley of Lanterna. And though it was still two leagues distant, we seemed to be in its figurative shadow – though, of course, it cast no shadow in the light of the Blue Lantern.

We were riding parallel to the Nations Street, half a league off, along a narrow farm road, through dormant fields and paddocks that gently sloped down towards the broad, shallow lake that surrounds the Tower and the island city at its foot.

We had been riding most of the day, and I was eager for a room, a hot meal, and hopefully a hot bath as well, despite the danger those desires presented. While Lanterna had no city walls, it could only be reached by boat or along the six causeways that crossed its surrounding lake, making it much like a walled city. I had to assume that there were guards watching for us on every causeway, and if identified, the city could easily be turned into a trap. Ren, however, dismissed those fears, assuring me that no one could pick us out of the thousands of Blue Order pilgrims and tourists arriving every day to explore the fabled city and tower of Lanterna. Many of these tourists and pilgrims would continue on to Tiladara to complete the Great Pilgrimage, whether they were Blue Order followers or not. This meant that there was a constant stream of strangers, such as ourselves, flowing into the city, dark days, and bright ones. While I was less confident that we could pass unnoticed, the prospect of a room, a hot meal, and a hot bath – plus the need to replace our weapons and outfit ourselves as Blue Order pilgrims to make the journey north, far outweighed my fears.

We did, however, take precautions. Back in the canyon, after we had slept, I had cut my mustache off and trimmed the rest of my whiskers as close as I could with the scissors. I'd no intention of even trying to shave with the long straight razor I had purchased in Contere. Hopefully we can find a Lankarian nick-free razor in Lanterna seeing that far more Lankarians travel to Lanterna than Azera.

Ren had unbound the hair of her black wig and combed it down to her shoulders and gave herself bangs across her forehead as well, erasing a lot of both Captain Clare and Ren Loh. Still, I was not easy of mind. The Prime Consul, and perhaps now, the Border Nobles, could have agents throughout the city keeping an eye on the inns and hotels for us. While I doubted that a clean shaving Kel Cam would ever be recognized, since I wasn't famous, Ren, even in her wig, and wearing her old spectacles once again was famous enough for Gel Kos and Wen Dre to recognized her as Captain Clare. And she had an air of confidence, approaching arrogance, about her that made people notice her. A second look could be all it would take for anyone who had met her to see through her rather new hair style. Hopefully Ren would be discreet and we'd be lucky. As I said, I was uneasy of mind.

We left off, pacing the Nations Street once it started across the lake on a wide causeway, and continued riding around the shore of the lake along the deserted farm lanes in order to enter the city from the east, as if we were arriving from Jasmyne rather than fleeing Azera.

It was the middle of the last quarter when we reached the eastern shore of the lake to wait alongside some farm buildings just off Nations Street for a caravan to come along. We planned to join it as it passed, in the hope of further muddying the waters and lessen our chances of being identified by any guards searching arriving visitors for us.

We only had to wait in the cold, and blue-shaded darkness for about half an hour before a long caravan of fast coaches – likely tourists since they flew blue banners – and dozens of outriders could be seen bounding towards us along the wide caravan road.

Ren gave me a nod, and she and Ghostwind trotted out onto the broad road and started for the head of the causeway, slow enough to allow the caravan to catch up with her before she reached it. I gave her a good lead and started off myself. A few minutes later the caravan began to roll alongside and pass me. I had Sela match their pace and took my place among the coaches and riders as we rolled onto the wide causeway that lead across the broad lake to Lanterna.

The causeway grew ever wider as we neared the city in the lake, becoming some two blocks wide. Because Lanterna lacked a central caravan plaza, the entire length of Nations Street, from the east to west, was used as the caravan port of Lanterna. As we neared the city proper, poured stone warehouses, inns, shops, and vendor carts closed in on us. Parked wagons and horse trains lined the street. We rode through a dark canyon, every so often crossing bridges that offered a glimpse of the smooth dark lake and the island city around us. Dim gold light from the windows of the shops silhouetted the flow of pedestrians, horses, wagons, and carts rumbling and rolling along. A savory cloud of steam and smoke from the food stalls hung in the cold air, setting my hollow stomach growling.

Eventually, the caravan slowed, stopped, and then, one by one, the coaches turned off the street and into the courtyard of the Imperial House Inn, a massive, five story tall, tenement-like caravanserai with three wings and a high wall enclosing a wide paved courtyard – stables on one side and a carriage park on the other, hotel in the center. I hung back looking about for Ren, but she must have gone ahead, so I entered the courtyard and edged off to the side as, one by one, the coaches and outriders gathered in the courtyard. Coach doors were flung open and the passengers alighted into the cold dark day to stretch their weary legs and then hurry inside. The mounted outriders dismounted and collected near the stables.

Ren, with Ghostwind trailing behind her, found me a few minutes later.

'We might as well take rooms here. Arriving with this lot, we'll seem to be members of the caravan party,' she said with a nod to the passengers disembarking from the coaches. Adding, as she dismounted, 'I'll watch the horses while you hire us a room, brother. I know that I'm supposed to be discreet.'

'I'll hire us two, sister,' I replied, dismounting as well. 'And I would appreciate it I you continue to remember that.'

She gave me a cheerful, reassuring grin, that was far from reassuring.

I drifted in with the coach passengers, and hired two cheap rooms on the upper floor and two stable stalls. I returned to Ren and the horses. She had moved them into the far corner of the large courtyard and was standing behind them, very discreetly.

'You can't blame me for this,' she said as I stepped alongside of her.

My heart sank. 'What now?'

'I recognize some of the passengers,' she said, quietly. 'The most important one being Shana Lee.'

'Shana Lee?'

'The Foreign Secretary of Jasmyne and one of my mother's most trusted officials. I would imagine that all of those passengers are court officials and clerks, and the outriders are likely members of the Household Guard out of uniform. Any and perhaps all of these people likely know me from my seasons in the palace.'

I may've groaned. 'We have to get out of here.'

'Pff! No need to panic. I don't believe I've been recognized and I'm certain that I can make it to my room without being seen. I can just stay in the room until they travel on, or we shift our quarters tomorrow. Besides, they don't know you, so you're safe enough. Look after the horses, and then go out and buy us a feast from the street vendors. I've a taste for xintin stuffed rolls, and grilled goose on a stick. A bottle of wine might go down well as well.'

I opened my mouth to object, and then realized, she was right. She had to stay out of sight, so it was up to me... And I was hungry. 'Right, wine, xintin rolls and goose on a stick.'

'And don't doddle. I'm starving.'

'How is it that you think you can order your brother around like that?'

'I'm your elder sister, Del. Give me the keys to the rooms and jump to it.'

I walked the horses to the stable doors, leaving Ren in the shadows, and joined the out of uniform Palace Household Guards in unsaddling the horses, rubbing them down and seeing that they had a good meal as well. I hauled our saddlebags up to our rooms, and then set out to get our dinner. It was late in the last quarter of the day, but given the constant coming and goings of caravans along Nations Street, there were plenty of food stalls open and I purchased a modest feast, which we ate in Ren's little room.

'What do you think brings Shana Lee here?' I asked. 'From the talk I overheard in the stable, they expect to be staying here for some time. Could it be just a Great Pilgrimage in a noble's style? The coaches were flying blue banners.'

'Ha! Not likely. Those banners are just camouflage. If they are staying here, then my guess is that Shana Lee is here for a nice, quiet meeting with her Azere counterpart in an effort to smooth things over after our little affair. Both sides need to find a way to get the trade treaty signed to satisfy their mutual ambitions. Of course, the Prime Consul will have to settle for someone less glittering than Ren Loh, but there are, after all, plenty of marriageable Lohs and Sols who could step into our boots. My mother can raise to prominence any female of the Loh line to fill my spot in the Loh household in order to play my part in the grand game of empires. It's not that I ever held an exalted position to begin with. Choosing me was just a convenient way of getting rid of me.'

'Well, if they succeed, you'd be off the hook.'

'Pff! You don't know my mother, Kel. I'll never be forgiven. No slight goes unpunished. And I don't see the Prime Consul forgiving me either. No, Ren Loh is dead. I'm Tena Der now.'

She was no doubt right. By the time we finished our meal, I was yawning and could hardly keep my eyes open, so we postponed making plans until the following day. I toddled off to sleep, and did so almost as soon as I laid down.

02

Ren was pounding on my door far too early. While we breakfasted on the leftovers from the feast, we made our plans for the day.

'Today's the 27th. The very first caravans north for Tiladara will be setting out today and more each day from now on, so as to arrive by the beginning of the bright days,' I said, passing along some of the tourist and caravan advertising sheets, as well as a map of the city I'd collected from the lobby when I'd gone down to look after the horses. 'I don't feel comfortable staying on here. I'm thinking that we should shift our quarters to a small tourist inn and then do some shopping to outfit ourselves as pilgrims. Once we look like true Blue Order pilgrims we can sign up with one of the caravans as riders rather than coach passengers and be off in a day or two.'

She gave me an amused, superior smile, and said, 'Whatever you say, dear brother. We don't want to take chances. Still, once we're clear of this hotel and its Jasmynites, I don't think we need worry over much. It's a big, dark city full of tourists. It would take a regiment of agents to watch every inn, tourist hostel, and caravanserai in Lanterna, and even then, I don't think we could easily be identified. And as long as I stay out of sight here and now, while you make the necessary arrangements, we should have nothing to worry about.'

Ren didn't seem to worry about an awful lot of things, so that was little comfort. But her points were probably valid, so I said, 'That's what we must count on. Right. I'll get the horses ready, and will meet you out on the street in half of an hour.'

Leading Ghostwind, I rode Sela out of the courtyard and joined the flow of wagons, carts, and horses on the wide caravan street. I turned towards the Avenue of the Tower, Lanterna's central street, and slowly rode several blocks until Ren stepped out between two wagons parked before a tall warehouse. When she had swung onboard Ghostwind, we continued on, turning down that wide avenue with the Blue Lantern Tower directly ahead. For the first time since I dropped down from the roof of Birdsong Square, fleeing arrest in Azera, I felt like I was headed home. The Avenue of the Tower flowed in a circle around the Blue Lantern Tower and continued on northwards to Tiladara and then on to Lankara, now only 10 long days in the saddle away.

We rode only a block beyond Nations Street, stopping at an armory shop to replace the lever-bows and swords we had lost to the Majins. I would imagine even tourists or pilgrims riding in the dark days would be armed – though we'd not be wearing them like we did as guards. After that we drifted along in the slow stream of traffic towards the central island. With the Blue Lantern directly overhead, the multi-colored lanterns were hardly necessarily, even in its waning light, since the only shadows were cast by the occasional overarching tree. For a while the avenue was much like Nations Street, a long, broad causeway, broken every so often by bridges as it crossed, island to island, lined with warehouses that eventually gave way to tenement-like caravanserais, each with broad courtyards for the fast coaches that were gathering to take the tourists and pilgrims to Tiladara. Nestled between these caravanserai were golden lit shops that catered to tourists and pilgrims, plus the usual tea, dining, and spirit houses and street vendors.

'Are we still Blue Order pilgrims?' asked Ren.

'Why not?'

'I was just wondering if you are approaching yon Blue Lantern Tower as a modern Lankarian scholar, and thus, as a mere tourist, or as the Blue Order scholar who travels on foot with a staff and wears a blade merely as a costume.'

'I'm not sure I need make that distinction at all. Even tourists wear blue ribbons. It is part of the whole experience. We are all descendants of the Elders,' I replied, adding, 'As a Lankarian, I may have a more scientific approach to history, based on excavations and surveys of Elder sites and their few remaining artifacts. And though I rather doubt that Blue Order ideals are those of the actual Elder civilization, since far too many seasons have passed for those ideals to have remained unaltered, they are still the philosophies and morals that have shaped the civilizations of the six great nations under the Blue Lantern. So in that respect, we are all followers of the Blue Order, making the distinction between tourist and Blue Order pilgrim a matter of self identification.'

'Still, we should be one or the other when we talk to our fellow travelers. We can't be both, nor neither. I don't want to get hopelessly confused when I make up our story.'

I didn't think that would bother her much. She was just having her fun now. Still, it would be best to decide now, just what we were. Tourists and pilgrims both visit the Blue Lantern Tower and Tiladara to experience first hand the wonder and mystery of the Elder civilization. Blue Order pilgrims, made up of members of the Blue Order communities, and those who consider themselves followers of the Blue Order in the wide world, also come to pay their homage to their ideal and philosophical ancestors, the Elders. For them it is a spiritual journey as well, but in reality, both are equally likely to have a spiritual experience when walking, or climbing, the remains of the mysterious Elders.

'What would you like to be?' I replied. 'I can be either. As a Lankarian I don't believe that the Blue Order is any more Elder than anyone of the six nations. Still, after spending the better part of sixty-five seasons reading and studying their classics, visiting their libraries, and talking to their sages in a dozen different communities, I consider myself a lay member of the Blue Order. However, since you are going to make up our story, I'll leave it up to you to decide.'

'Oh, that's simple enough. You know far too much about the ancient texts to be a mere tourist. You must be a very earnest Blue Order disciple, since you'll almost certainly end up delivering long lectures on the Dark and Dawn Classics. And I, of course, will be a young, bright, and gay, but rather ignorant sister of a Blue Order disciple.'

'Ignorant? What about all those lectures I delivered to you on the road from Azera? I would have hoped you learned something from them,' I said giving her a stern look. 'You actually owe me a paper or two.'

She laughed. 'Oh, I just liked to hear you talk on and on. Still, I must have retained something of what you said – I just can't think of it now. No doubt it will all come back and I will be able to dazzle my companions when the time comes.'

'I do hope you will keep everything simple, for my sake. You don't want to trip me up, you know.'

'I will. As I see it, in addition to being an amateur scholar, you're a Lankarian trained engineer working for, well, let's say a rail company. That way you can be from either Azere or Jasmyne, depending on the company we find ourselves in. Your knowledge of the classics is a passion of yours – that way you don't have to name a community or risk not knowing someone you should know, should we find ourselves in the company of real Blue Order members.'

'Make it spark-engines,' I said. 'And make it a small family firm. I know that role well. I could be a salesman for the firm in either Azere or Jasmyne,' I suggested.

'Excellent. The closer to the truth, the smoother the lies,' laughed Ren. 'And I shall be your beautiful sister, on the pilgrimage mostly to find a husband that will support me in the style I've grown up in – modest, provincial wealth.'

'Fine. Just keep it believable, and simple.'

'Pff! Of course. Just you pay attention while I talk. I don't need you tripping me up.'

'Please, Ren. A nice simple story, and only when absolutely necessary. Just ask questions and learn about other people's lives. We don't have to say much about ours. And what we do say, make it very ordinary. Uninteresting. Forgettable.'

'What fun is that?'

'It's not fun. Its survival.'

'So, if we're to be pilgrims, brother, shouldn't we stop at one of these inns?' asked Ren, with a nod to an Elder-style poured stone caravanserai we were passing.

'I'm thinking that our brother-sister act is still too thin to pass muster among the pilgrims. They'll be in a festive and very social mood, sharing stories of their pilgrimage and what motivated them to make the pilgrimage, and we haven't invented our story yet.'

'Pff! We can invent it as we go.'

Which was exactly what I feared. 'Let's wait until we're on the road to Tiladara when it won't matter very much. Plus, it might be better to find a small hotel in the city proper. It would less likely have an agent on watch, and if it did, he or she would stand out more in a small establishment.'

She shrugged and added with an amused smile, 'As you say, brother. We do want to be safe.'

I was willing to trade her sarcasm for safety, so I nodded, and returning her sarcasm, said, 'I'm glad you agree, sis.'

We soon reached the first of the larger islands of Lanterna, where the Avenue of the Tower turned into a wide, tree-lined city street running between three story poured stone terraces and shops. If the look of Azera was defined by its rigid grid of five story poured stone tenements, Lanterna was defined by its maze of three story poured stone row houses set on islands, large and small – a city broken into shards by canals and lagoons. The islands immediately around the Blue Lantern Tower's mound were likely the rubble of the Blue Lantern Tower's fallen facade. Over thousands of seasons, many more islands had been built by dredging the marsh and confining these mounds in poured stone banks. Streets and terraced houses were fitted to conform to the shapes of each island. As a Blue Order city, the Lanterna row houses were poured stone boxes in the Elder style, with a narrow forecourt and a low wall or hedge along the street with an alley behind them for stables and the night soil houses. If the island was large enough, two terraces were built back to back sharing this alley. Like the buildings of Azera, the row houses sported balconies though here they were mostly of iron rather than wood. All the poured stone facings were painted in shades of blue. On the larger islands, some of these terraces had a long, narrow park between them, while others faced a tree-lined canal. Many, but not all of the islands were connected by foot and cart bridges, and far fewer were served by the six wide coach roads that ran through the city linking one island to the next by mildly arching bridges. Many of the city's narrow streets ended abruptly at the edge of a canal, so that rickshaws and hand carts were very common in Lanterna.

We crossed a dozen bridges before we reached the heart of the island city and turned down one of the broader, tree lined streets. Here, the lower levels of the terraces were shops and cafes, while many of the upper levels were hotels. We took two rooms at Eve's Hotel, which spanned half a block above several shops. In addition to the two rooms for the Ders, sister and brother, I hired two stalls for our horses in the long stable in the back courtyard and paid for two days, just to be safe. After seeing to the horses, we set out to supplement our skimpy saddlebag wardrobes and pass as pilgrims, who wore blue clothes and blue ribbons, the colors of the Blue Order, on their pilgrimage. In addition to some finer clothes, I found a nick-free razor to shave with, while Ren, ever the Lancer, purchased a long-view lens, and a detailed map of the route, just in case.

I was about to buy a standard, light colored cold weather jacket to wear instead of the long coats, when Ren shook her head no. 'Light, bright day jackets will do. We'll buy a dark blue heavy wool jersey to wear under them instead.'

'Why?'

'Safety, my dear brother. We may have reasons not to be so easily seen,' she added with a significant look. She was no doubt being half sarcastic, but she had a point as well. 'Besides, we may be tourists or pilgrims, but we needn't over pack like them. Our saddle bags can only hold so much.'

I nodded. 'I shall do as my elder sister advises. She is so much wiser in matters of fashion than I.'

'And please don't forget it.'

We slipped back into our rooms at Eve's to freshen up and change into our new clothes and new guise. I shaved for the first time in a hundred seasons, took a sponge bath, and donned my new, fresh and blue clothes. I felt like a new man. Arrayed as a Blue Order pilgrim in shades of blue – high-collared shirt, thick wool jumper, neck scarf, dark blue jacket, a sharp new curled brim hat with blue ribbon hat bands, and swinging my solid, old and familiar walking stick, I called on Ren's room.

She answered the door, started back, theatrically, at the sight of me and shuddered. 'I now see why you grew that bandit beard. Still, one must take the rough with the smooth or rather the smooth with the rough. Step in, brother. I shall be ready in a moment. I'm thinking that after we find a nice place to eat, we must certainly climb the Blue Lantern Tower. Come what may, we don't want to miss it.'

'I was thinking that we'd just walk around the Mound, look up at the Blue Lantern Tower and admire it, and then, time permitting, take a boat tour of the town, just to say we saw it, before retiring early. Tomorrow we can sign on with a departing pilgrimage caravan and be on our way.'

'No, no, no! We must climb the mound, stand in the Blue Lantern Chamber to hear the song of the winds as we gaze, awe struck, up through the Avenue of the Blue Lantern to the very Blue Lantern itself, as every tourist and pilgrim will do. After that we will ascend the stairs to the very top of the tower and see if we can touch the Lantern. If we are to be Blue Lantern pilgrims, we must play the part. This is the great adventure of our lives. No true pilgrim would miss the Mound nor not climb the Tower.

'We'll have plenty of time for boat rides through the canals and on the lake under the Blue Lantern. We'll walk the parks and visit the palaces. We don't want to be nesting ducks, do we? We must keep on the move. It is in the crowds that we will find safety, brother.'

'Well, yes... but...'

'Right. Let me get my things and we can be off.'

We were a well matched pair – Ren was dressed in blues, with an embroidered high collared blue jacket, colorfully patterned neck cloths and stylish dark blue hat with pointed curled brims, flowing with light blue ribbons. With her wig combed out, she looked the part she was playing – a young woman, with the arrogance of wealth in her manner – looking for a husband with her brother in tow. Good luck with that, I thought.

Lanterna in the bright days was a city of color and picturesque charm – with its many canals weaving their way through the city along back alleys and tree-lined streets. Where the canals met they formed lagoons, large and small, where one could always find a punt to hire. All the canals were busy with colorfully painted punts (all looking grey in the dark days) that ferried people – mostly tourists and pilgrims – here, there, anywhere.

In the cold, dimness of the dark days, a sense of blue-tinted mystery replaced the bright, friendly charm of the bright day city. We were nearing the coldest, and darkest non-rain days of the season as the Blue Lantern waned with the approach of the Yellow Lantern, so that, as a hunted man, I found Lanterna very mysterious and a little sinister. Still, it was better to be out and about – and seeing that it was unlikely that I would ever visit Lanterna again, I let Ren lead me along, from this island to the next over narrow arching footbridges, slowly circling the Mound Island. Ren was in great spirits, and I tried to match her carefree happiness, with some success.

Finally, chilled to the bone, we took shelter in a tea house on the edge of Mound Island, the Pine Scent House, to warm up. Its windows overlooked a shimmering black lagoon dotted with slowly punted boats in shades of blue-grey. Around the lagoon and shimmering on its surface was the gold light from the shops and terraces that circled the lagoon. We ordered a large pot of tea and several courses of small eats – ginger chicken rolls, sweet and hot stuffed buns, and glazed grilled duck on a stick, and several other entrees that I cannot recall.

After our leisurely meal, and with the chill out of our bones, we – that is to say, Ren – felt ready to tackle climbing the Mound and the Tower. Now, as a Lankarian, I am going to dispense with all the folk tales, spirit form stories, and the superstitions that surround the Blue Lantern Tower and its Mound. I cannot explain the tower or why it sits directly under the Blue Lantern, save that it is an Elder Era structure. Even in the Dark texts the tower is mentioned as a ruin, so it likely dates from deep in the Elder Era. It may've been a whole city at one time. And its mound, as I have mentioned already, is likely its fallen facade. If this was Lankara instead of Azere, we would have conducted excavations to determine much more than this. But, alas, we were not yet in Lankara, so I cannot say for certain whether or not the entire great mound beneath the ancient tree roots of the forested Tower Mound and the surrounding islands, are the debris of the missing facade of the Tower. However, there are outcroppings of crystal, likely the nearly unbreakable glass of the Elder Civilization, and rusty, corroded metal rocks among the moss and roots of the ancient trees that clothe the steep slope that suggest that this is the case. Two hundred thousand seasons could easily deposit a deep layer of dust, fallen firmament and organic mulch to cover the debris and allow the trees to grow over the debris.

The Blue Lantern Tower itself is an eight sided poured stone structure that tapers as it rises 233 stories into the firmament. It has a hollow inner chamber that stretches all the way up through the tower and is open to the very firmament at the top. Its lowest levels are quite large and tall – perhaps they had been the commercial part of the city-tower. The upper levels are likely residences – though like all Elder ruins, completely bare caves of poured concrete. Whether the Elders took everything with them when they left, or whether every scrap has been scavenged over hundreds of thousands of seasons is open to debate. In any event, the Blue Lantern Tower is now a great skeleton of a building, a vast honeycomb of poured stone that is home to birds, and many spirits, if you care to imagine them, should you join the endless stream of visitors who climb to its top on a seemingly endless zigzag of staircases around the edge of its hollow central chamber.

The forest covered mound that surrounds the tower is steep and rugged. And in the dark days, the inky black shadows under the ancient pines that grew amongst the moss covered rocks or debris were impenetrable beyond the lantern lit paths that traced their way up and around the Tower Mound. They were filled with tourists and pilgrims drifting up and down, along with the carts of food and souvenir vendors hawking their wares. We climbed half way around the tower to reach the tower itself. We made our offering and entered the cold, dim-lit Blue Lantern Tower. Beyond the great entryway, the lower stories were modern three or four floors containing souvenir shops, eating establishments, and the residences of the Blue Order attendants of the tower.

The first great attraction of the tower was its hollow center that rose those 233 stories to the bright haze of the Blue Lantern directly overhead. We walked deep into the tower to a great blue-lit hollow and joined the hundreds of people who were standing about, necks craned to stare up at the black receding lines that marked the stories until they seemed to touch the Blue Lantern itself. Its blue light fell down the great shaft like a cold rain that never quite reached you. The dark days, when the Blue Lantern is bright, are the best days to experience this special blue light. In addition to the light, the faint sighs, moans and whispers of the Tower Spirits drifted down to us – the east wind whistling through the thousands of empty chambers. It is said that if you listen carefully, the spirits will foretell your future.

'What did the spirits tell you?' Ren whispered to me, after we had stood shoulder to shoulder looking up long enough for me to get a crimp in my neck.

'They said I'm cold and am in need of another cup of tea. And they were absolutely right.'

There is a streak of superstition in the usual very practical Ren Loh. I noted it when we visited the Cauldron, and it was evident here as well. 'They whispered to me "Death,"' she said softly.

I forced a laugh, 'Well, that's an easy guess. You can't go wrong predicting someone will die, eventually,'

'I suppose you're right. Still, we must climb the tower to get all the good fortune we can. You can't deny we need luck.'

'I can't. Still, I rather doubt that climbing 233 stories up the Blue Lantern Tower will bring us anything more than achy legs.'

'Safety first, brother. Let's get started.'

'You're kidding, aren't you, sister?'

'Of course not. We've come too far to not climb the Blue Lantern Tower.'

'I've come too far not to know enough to avoid it. However, I shall not forbid you from doing it,' I said. 'I will exercise my imagination to see the view from the top while I await your eventual return at the Pine Scent Tea House where you can tell me all about it. That should be all I need to do to play my part as a pilgrim. Oh, and be sure to count the steps as you climb them, that gives you extra luck.'

'Oh, come on, Del! This may be a once in a lifetime experience. If you are to be a true Blue Order Pilgrim – and you are so very Blue Order – you must undertake the real pilgrimage and climb the Tower. You would regret it, if you didn't.'

I cocked my head and gave her a look down my nose. 'There are limits, believe it or not, my dear sister, to the foolishness you can talk me into. And three thousand steps is well beyond that limit. But I'll not hold you back. I don't want you to regret missing three thousand steps, a cold, biting wind, and a bird's view of Lanterna.'

'Pff!' she said, glanced up again, and then said, 'It would be no fun without you.'

'With or without me, it would be no fun.'

'I had my heart set on you and me doing the full pilgrimage. I want it to be more than play acting. Please?'

I won't say that the view from the top of the Blue Lantern Tower is worth climbing those 3,662 steps along the very edge of the great hollow shaft of the tower. But I will admit that standing at its very top, next to the weathered poured stone railing – close enough to the firmament that I could – almost – touch it – if I wasn't holding on to a crumbling railing with one, white knuckled hand, and my hat with the other hand to keep it from the cold wind that was knifing through my light jacket and wool vest, while below us, when I dared to look, the blue and black landscape spread to the ends of the world – may have been worth hearing Ren Loh, the fourth daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne say 'Please.'

Ren however, was entranced by the height and the countryside that stretched out and around the world below us. I had to beg her to start down again while I could still move.

'We must do this again, brother, in the bright days! The sight is worth all 3,664 steps! And think of all the luck we have earned counting the steps!'

'3,662'

'Pff. 3,664. We'll count them together on the way down.'

'Right. 3,664,' I said. 'My mistake.'

It was a lot faster and easier going down 3,662 steps, since you can take them fast and four at a time.

It was near the beginning of the last quarter when we emerged from the Tower and drifted down one of the steep, blue lantern lit walkways through the inky black shadows of the Tower Mound, stopping to buy a bowl of hot soup to restore some warmth and renew our strength from our near brush with the firmament.

They must have hurried before us, to lay in wait in the inky shadows under the trees on the lower edge of the Tower Mound, since I never saw them.

We had finished our soup and had almost reached the wide Avenue of the Tower when the world seemed to rise up around me. I felt a blow to the side of my head, that sent a wave of pain and a flash of light in my eyes as the world tumbled around me.

I heard Ren gasp, and as the flashes of light faded from my vision, the next thing I remember was finding myself laying in the cold grass and looking up at the blackness of branches speckled with Blue Lantern light. I sat up and looked around, just catching sight of a pack of silhouetted figures on the blue-lit pavement below me hurrying towards a line of rickshaws. From my vantage point, I caught a glimpse of the slim figure of Ren struggling between two burly men carrying her off the ground between them along with another four men clustered around them to shield what they were doing.

I called out rather feebly, 'Stop!'

They didn't.

Instead, they handed her off to two more men in a canvas topped rickshaw, one of four such carts that were waiting on the edge of the avenue. The rest of the gang climbed aboard the other three and as soon as they were aboard, the rickshaw men started off, slowly, looking to slip into the thick stream of carts, coaches, and wagons. I found my walking stick laying next to me, and grabbing it, rose to my feet. Pain surged to my head as I leaned down to recover my new hat and hesitated – but only for a second – before starting off running down the last of the hill and after the rickshaws.

The rickshaw men wove their carts through the press of wagons and coaches that rolled slowly along the Avenue of the Tower. I was able to keep the lantern of Ren's rickshaw in sight – the third of the four carts – as I dodged the swarm of pedestrians on the walkway. I had no plan in mind, I just wanted to keep them in sight. Apparently I didn't want to lose Ren, which was a bit strange, since only several days had passed since I wanted to lose her. My head hurt too much to discover why.

The rickshaws turned off into a narrow side street – recklessly cutting across oncoming wagon traffic – earning them many shouted curses. I started across the street as well, crossing in stages, pausing while the clomping dray horses and the tall wheels of the towering wagons, lumbered by, before making the next dash.

By the time I had made my way to the far side, they'd put more than a hundred paces between us. However, the narrow street had few other carts and a thin trickle of pedestrians, so that I could take off running flat out. Without a rickshaw with three passengers to pull, I could, and did, run faster than the fellows who were pulling one. I was able to close the gap and overtake them by the time we crossed the first arching bridge to the next island.

I raced passed the trailing rickshaw and...

And realized that I now needed some sort of a plan to deal with a dozen men in racing rickshaws. I had no illusions about taking on the whole gang with my stick, but I had to do something.

Several blocks ahead, the island and the street looked to end, likely in a lagoon. No doubt the gang had a boat or two waiting. If there was a boatman for hire, I could trail them. If not, I might not be able a reach the footpath of the canal they'd use for their escape from this island.

So I needed to do something. Now. I needed to shove a lance into the wheels of their plan before they reached the landing. And with that thought, an idea. I veered out into the street and shoved my walking stick into the large, spinning wheel of Ren's rickshaw. The stick jerked and flung me against the cart as it spun up and hit the back of the rickshaw's seat with a loud "Wack!" followed by a 'Crack" as the stout walking stick snapped. It had, however, succeeded in locking the wheel, forcing it to swerve and tip towards me. The unexpected lurch tossed the rickshaw man against the nearside pole hard enough to topple the rickshaw over on its side, just missing me as I leaped out of its way.

Skidding to an abrupt stop, it spilled its passengers onto the pavement with loud curses. Ren, between her two captors, landed on top of one with an elbow in his gut. He yelped. The other landed more or less on top of her, or rather her bent knee. He also let out a loud grunt. And since they had lost their hold on her, she treated both with a few knife-handed blows, as she spit out the gag from her mouth and scrambled to her feet.

In the meanwhile, the rickshaw man of the cart behind them, unable to stop so abruptly or steer clear of the wreckage, ran his rickshaw into the upset one, sending it skidding into the two men on the pavement and tossing its own passengers onto the pavement as well.

Ren, grinning merrily, grabbed my hand without a word, and we took off running, down the street, as the men in the trailing rickshaw had scrambled to their feet and were shouting 'Stop!' – every bit as ineffectually as I had. And then, like me, they set out running after us. Luckily, the men in the lead rickshaws were unaware of what was happening behind them until we had passed them by.

Two blocks later, we reached the end of the street, which ended as I had expected, with a landing on a dark lagoon, I glanced back and counted seven or eight figures half a block behind us hailing some unseen comrades.

We skidded to a stop on the edge of the pavement and looked down. There were two large punts tied up at the bottom of the steps – manned by four large men and one more elegantly dressed official, all of whom, on hearing the shouts of their comrades, were scrabbling across the punt and onto the steps of the landing.

Ren glanced right and left, and then started off right, running again, dragging me along the narrow footpath running between the edge of the lagoon and the sidewall of the terrace house. We had to run single file, but only the width of the terrace house before we came to one of the canals that met in the lagoon.

Ren didn't slow to make the turn and follow the back alley courtyard behind the row houses. Instead, she continued on, running flat out and making a graceful leap to clear the canal, her arms flailing to keep her balance as she soared over the black waters of the canal. I'd no choice but to follow, less gracefully, and with more frantically flailing arms to keep my balance, to land on my feet on the far side's footpath. Luckily the canal was narrow, four or five strides wide, so it was leap-able with a running start.

On landing on the far side, Ren skidded to a halt. She grabbed me to steady and slow me down, and then quickly turned back to the canal. The first of our pursuers was already in the process of leaping when Ren jumped back to the edge and, as the flailing jumper approached a landing, gave him a high kick to his gut. His inertia sent her stumbling back into my arms, but her kick stopped him short of the bank and landed him, with a towering splash into the canal. The next pursuer, on seeing that Ren intended to defend the canal crossing, tried to stop and check his leap, but failed to do either, ingloriously tumbling into the dark cold waters with a great splash on the other side of the canal. The poured stone canal banks were high enough, so that the pursuers would have to swim – or walk, as the canals were not deep – back to the landing steps to get out – at least if they did not want Ren's boot in their face.

Panting, Ren quickly surveyed the scene, as did the leader of the kidnappers. He barked an order sending five men running up along the canal towards an arching foot bridge of the last cross street we had passed. While the rest glared at us from across the canal.

'Lady Loh, please!' pleaded a voice out of the gang – no doubt the official in the boat.

Ren ignored him. 'We're about to be flanked. Retreat!' she laughed, and grabbing my arm once again, carried me alongside the little lagoon. Having abandoned our position, the pursuers across the canal backed up to get a running start, and the race was on again.

We raced past the end of the terrace, crossed another narrow side street, and continued on and around the lagoon, past the facing row of houses, and leaping another narrow canal to land on a narrow path bordered by a tall row house beyond. The street we came out on was no wider than the others, but it had one of those boulevard parks running between the two streets and two rows of houses. The park stretched for several blocks – a quilt of black, tree cast shadows and pale blue pools of Blue Lantern light. Tree trunks, flower beds, chairs, and dark clumps of shrubs dotted the park's broad lawn.

Ren did not hesitate, but took off up through the park with me close behind, racing through the shadows, avoiding the light patches for perhaps a dozen seconds – enough to put us out of sight from the lagoon. But we dared not go too far for fear of running into the gang that been sent around to the cross street, not very far ahead. Ren pulled up and grabbing my arm yet again, pulled me down into a large clump of flowering bushes deep in the shadows of a large arching tree.

'Not a word,' panted Ren as we scrambled deeper into the tangle of branches under the heavy, flowering branches. 'Don't move. Or breathe.'

I had no more hunkered down on my haunches when I heard the shouts of the lagoon path gang as they emerged from behind the terrace. They were answered by shouts from just ahead of us – the flanking party; 'See them?' 'No.' 'Could they have gotten by you?' No reply – likely a shrug. 'You, you, and you, search the park. Beat the bushes. You two go on ahead. They couldn't have just disappeared...'

Our dark blue jackets now came in handy, as we would be just dark clumps, a little more solid than the stems and branches over and around us. Still – we couldn't have gone far, or disappeared, and beating the bushes, if done thoroughly would likely turn us up.

'Don't show your face. Pull you hat down,' hissed Ren.

During the next half an hour I watched booted feet walk slowly past us several times, the branches overhead swaying as the boots' owners poked and slashed at them with a stick. But they never looked low, or long enough to discover us in the thick underbrush.

And then, they were gone. Or seemed to be.

'You stay here. I'll reconnoiter. They likely only left a couple of watchers behind,' she hissed after we stopped hearing them for what seemed to be an hour, but was likely only a quarter of that. She cautiously slipped away.

She was gone what seemed like a long time, but was likely only minutes. She slipped back in beside me.

'No one in sight.'

'They gave up too easy.'

She shook her head. 'I suspect they've gone back to guard Eve's Hotel. It seems likely that someone who knew me, must have seen me either when we joined that caravan or in the caravanserai's courtyard. They likely have been following us ever since, waiting for a chance to ambush us. Having four rickshaws on hand suggests that the ambush was well planned, not some spur of the moment affair. We'd best assume that they know where we're staying.'

'So we can't go back.'

'We must. I've only a few silver coins on me. The bulk of our gold coin reserve are in my old clothes, the ones I left behind. And without our kit and weapons, we could not even hire ourselves out a guard to reach Tiladara. Still, this is Azere, not Jasmyne, and if they are Jasmynites, as I am certain they are from their accents, they have no official standing here. They're no more than a criminal gang here in Lanterna, no matter who is behind them.'

'Except that we can't go crying to the City Guard, because we're likely on their wanted list as well,' I grumbled. 'So their status doesn't really matter.'

'Still, it should keep them from being too bold. We have to assume that they've taken a room or two at Eve's and will be waiting for us to return. But they should have no way of knowing which of the rooms are ours, since we gave them no names. Besides, we can deal with a couple of them, if they do discover us.'

'We can?'

'Pff! Of course we can.'

She didn't elaborate, and I didn't press her on how. 'But that still leaves at least six of them to stand guard outside. How do you hope to avoid them?'

'That depends. We'll have to carefully reconnoiter the street and hotel, but I did make a point of checking the door to the roof plaza, and it is unlocked. I'm thinking that if we can climb to the roof from the terrace's far end we could make our way to that door and our rooms. Getting our horses might pose a problem, but that can be dealt with as well.'

'Still, if you're right, and I'm sure you are, we'd be walking into a trap. We know there are at least eight of them, and likely more waiting for us there.'

Pff! It's not all that dangerous. You see, they'll have to spread out their men to cover the whole hotel, so we'll only have to deal with the ones in our way. If we're careful, that should pose no insurmountable problem.'

'It won't?'

'Well, if you have a better plan, this is the time to suggest it. Pick your poison.'

She had me there. So I said, 'Let's go.'

03

With our course of action decided, as vague as it was, we carefully made our entire way through the long park between the terraces, keeping well within all the deep shadows of the trees until it ended on one of the wider, coach friendly streets without hearing any orders to 'Stop!'

I glanced around and found that the black hulking Tower rose nearly behind us – though that told me nothing. With the Blue Lantern directly overhead, there was no way of telling east from west, north from south.

'Which way?'

'Doesn't matter for now. We need to make sure we're not being followed,' she replied glancing about to see if there were any idle men standing about.

We found several, but they didn't seem to paying us any attention. She hailed a passing rickshaw, which we rode for only several blocks before abandoning it, for another. I could tell that Ren was in her glory again – a game was afoot, and she was playing it with her usual abandon. Even though we didn't see any sign of followers, she engaged several more rickshaws to carry us in random directions just to see if anyone did the same. In the blue darkness we couldn't say for certain, but it seemed not. We ended up back on The Avenue of the Tower. Nothing looked familiar, so we were probably to the north of it. We should be able find our way back to Eve's by heading back for the Tower.

Ren, however, was having none of that. 'Too obvious. We'll spend a few copper coins and take a punt to the little landing we saw by that foot bridge just down the block from Eve's. We'll want to keep our approach as unexpected as possible.'

I couldn't argue that – save that our approach was likely very expected.

This was our first water journey in Lanterna, and Ren had fun waxing lyrical about its beauty. 'Isn't this wonderful, brother? Oh! How I wish you were a lover instead of my little brother! Don't you feel the same? I mean, being here, under the Blue Lantern drifting along these romantic canals with a lover,' she added with a laugh.

'Oh, don't be so daft, Tena.' And 'It's so cold, I'm chilled to my very bones,' was the general tenor of my replies. I had too much to worry about to enjoy the romantic canals of Lanterna, though, in fairness, it was picturesque – even if what we saw was mostly back courts, nightsoil houses, and the water stained canal banks that rose above us. I gather that the canals got a lot more picturesque once you left the city center behind and the islands grew smaller and more, well, picturesque.

The boatman landed us at a pier below an arching foot and cart bridge a block down the street from Eve's Hotel. On climbing the steps to the dark, narrow street we found ourselves in the middle of a surprisingly large crowd of men. A crowd of rather large men. Half a dozen more followed us up from the deep shadows under the bridge. They crowded close to us. So close we couldn't move. The only good thing about the situation was that Ren decided that this wasn't a battle she was going to win, and instead, still in bright good humor called out, 'Make way, gents. Make way! Are you all Lantern-struck, or drunk?'

A thin voice from the rear of the crowd called out. 'Please, Lady Loh, do not make a fuss. Please accompany me – us. Lady Lee would like to have a word with you.'

'Oh, you're asking this time?'

That stumped him for a moment. He was likely the slight man waiting in the boat. 'I regret that, ah... We thought that it would be best to, well...'

'Attack and kidnap me,' suggested Ren.

'To bring you to Lady Lee with as little fuss as possible. I am sorry about that.'

'Well, you won't know real sorrow until you feel the wrath of a Loh, as I assure you, you will – whoever you are – hiding back there.'

'Please, Lady Loh... Our boats are waiting below the Avenue of the Tower bridge. Please don't make us, ah...'

'Oh. Fine. Lead on. And that goes for the rest of you too. Treat me like a Loh or you will pay dearly, laddies. Give us some room to breath.'

They didn't. Instead, we moved as one solid mass up the street, past Eve's, and then down more steps, to the landing below the Avenue bridge. Here we were carefully handed off to more dark forms in one of the two large punts, and then quickly surrounded by the solid, if silent men again. The man next to me was suspiciously damp, as well as sullenly silent. If I was Ren, I would've asked him how he got so damp, and when he didn't answer, ask him not to lean so close. But I wasn't, and I said nothing. And got a bit damp.

'I'm sorry if I hurt any of you, lads. Or got you wet,' said Ren cheerfully, and insincerely, as we pulled away from the landing. 'I imagine that you're all Household Guardsmen, and so you're not used to any sort of rough and tumble work. Parades and looking like gallant doormen is more your line of work, so there's no reason to feel too ashamed about your failure. Besides, the clerk in charge of this operation must bear some of the blame for that failure as well. Clearly it was foolhardy to send only a dozen Household Guardsmen up against an Imperial Lancer and a historian...'

'We got you now...' growled a deep, low voice from behind us.

'Ah you have. For now,' replied Ren cheerfully. 'And only because I would hate to send home some of my mother's finest court decorations dented, dinged, and singing alto.'

I'd a feeling that this sort of banter went on whenever the Household Guard and the Imperial Lancers met in the spirit houses of Jasmyna, so I wasn't too alarmed. I'd many more things to be alarmed about than an angry pack of the Household Guards.

The punts took us out to the more picturesque islands of Lanterna, where they grew smaller and the canals ever more intricate. Trees now often lined the canals and in their shadows, I feared that Ren would decide to attempt an escape, as did all the guardsmen. But she didn't. Instead, she prattled on about the beauty of Lanterna in the light of the Blue Lantern – the glimmering, shimmering watery paths of the canals, the tall or hulking black shapes and shadows of the trees and the pale blue palaces and mansions that now lined the canals and lagoons, pointing to this example and that one.

At last, we pulled up alongside a landing of one of those large pale blue mansions on a tree lined island, after perhaps a half an hour's journey.

04

There were three people awaiting us in the mansion's spacious office with tall windows overlooking the garden, a stand of pines, and the glimmering of the lagoon beyond them. I recognized Sir Ers. I assumed that the tall, straight grey haired lady at the desk was Lady Shana Lee, the Foreign Secretary of Jasmyne. The other gentleman was a mystery.

Ren marched straight in, trailed by the reedy-voiced clerk in charge of the guardsmen, and myself. We both thought it wise to hang back, out of the expected crossfire.

'Lady Loh,' said Shana Lee with a bow.

'Lady Lee, Sir, Ers,' said Ren coldly with the ever-so-slightest nod of her head. 'And?'

'Com Mor, one of our most successful merchants and the owner of this house,' replied Shana Lee.

'Mor,' again with the slightest nod.

'Shall we have a seat? We have much to discuss,' said Shana Lee with an attempt at a smile and a gracious sweep of her hand.

Ren Loh was having none of that. She stood at parade rest, hands behind her back, head cocked to look down at Lee and Ers, daring them to sit in her presence while she stood and looked down at them. They didn't dare.

'When my freedom is restored to me,' began Ren. 'Then, perhaps, we can hold a discussion, Lady Lee. But if I am to be treated as your prisoner, I have nothing to say to my captors.'

'Let me make my position clear, Lady Loh,' said Shana Lee, stepping over to the large desk before the window. Picking up a sheet of paper from it and waving it, she continued, 'I have here a warrant for your arrest on the charge of treason, signed by the Empress herself. I have now arrested you on that charge.'

'I was not informed of that fact when attacked, gagged, and carried off by a pack of unidentified men. And dare I point out to you that this is Azere, not Jasmyne, so your warrant is invalid.'

'My sincere apologies, my lady, for any rough treatment you may have received upon your arrest. Necessity must, however, be served,' said Lady Lee with a cool smile. 'As for the finer points of the law, I can, and will, smooth those out when I meet with my Azerian counterpart tomorrow.

'Now, I suggest that we forgo this verbal fencing and get to the heart of the matter. You have two choices, and only two choices. You can either make yourself available to return to Azera and marry Lefe Sol – assuming that the Azerites will still agree to the original understanding. Not a given, I fear. Or you can be returned to Jasmyna as a prisoner to be tried for treason. I would not suggest that course of action, since the result of the trial is not in question as I don't think you will find much sympathy in your mother's heart or court. Indeed, when I left, your mother was in such a rage that she might well hand down a death sentence, and it would certainly be a life in prison, if you choose not to marry Lefe Sol, or if the Azerians now reject you out of hand. While the affairs of the empires will grind on with or without you, I assure you, that whatever it takes to smooth the feathers you rumpled to get the treaty in force will be done.'

'In that case, if I'm to live, I see that I have no alternative to but marry a Sol. I choose not give my mother the satisfaction of killing me,' began Ren, in a cold, calm voice. 'You, however, might want to consider what that course means for you, and your families. What you, and what my mother seems to have overlooked, is that I am also a Loh. I am my mother's daughter. If you are familiar with the history of our dynasty, as I know you are, you will know that the Lohs give no quarter to their enemies. We grind them into the dust without pity, just as my mother would grind me to dust to serve her ends.

'I have recently had this same conversation with several of the border nobles. They, unfamiliar with our history, did not seem to take me at my word. I am certain that you know, after your many seasons of service to my mother, what it means to earn the wrath of a Loh. If you force me to return and marry Lefe Sol, you will make a bitter enemy in me. And when you consider that you intend to place me in a position of power – in both empires or a combined one – you must weigh what I, as a Loh, can, and will do, to destroy you and your families with that unwanted power. Oh, I know that I will never directly wield power, but my children may well – for that, I know, is the great plan. I assure you that I will bring them up to extract my revenge against the Lees, the Ers, and the Mors; I will live to see your descendants sweeping stables, and thankful to get those jobs, should you choose to make an enemy of me. This is not an idle threat. I know how power works, and though I do not seek power, if you insist on handing it to me, I will use it to destroy your houses, your families, your wealth, for I am a Loh.'

'That is far in the future. Much and many seasons will pass before that could ever happen,' said Sir Ers, rather nervously.

'Oh, I know, Sir Ers. But rest assured, we Lohs nurture and savor our revenge,' she replied with a leer.

She could be quite convincingly cold and cruel when she put her mind to it. She looked to have convinced her audience that she was a true Loh. Poor Com Mor looked quite pale. I doubt that when he offered his mansion to Lady Lee, he had realized that he was opening himself up to being destroyed by a vengeful Loh. Lady Lee, however, much like Gel Kos, appeared to be unshaken. But then, not showing her true feelings was a requirement of her trade. Sir Ers attempt to look undaunted was a bit less successful.

It was telling that even as a captive, she could make them look so grim. There had to be some Loh in her that they could sense. Still, I had to believe that it was mostly an act. She could play act the role of a vengeful Loh quite convincingly because she had just enough Loh in her to do carry it off. But I could not bring myself to believe that this ruthlessness was her defining character. The real Ren Loh was the bright sparrow on the playing fields, and these dire threats were just part of the game she was joyfully playing. Of course, I could be wrong.

However, having delivered her threats, she proceeded to lay her metaphorical sword as it were, down on the table before her, and open negotiations.

'That said, I must admit that marrying Lefe Sol is far from a fate worse than death. My objections to marrying him arose not out of my dislike of Lefe, but in the manner of which I was thrust into marriage by my mother, and you, Lady Lee. Had I been offered a chance to get to know Lefe Sol, with the understanding that if we found each other acceptable – for a marriage of convenience – then I am sure the whole affair, including the treaty, would have smoothly flowed from that approach. I am, as I have reminded you, a Loh. I strongly objected to being treated as a whore to be offered to some noble's boy for favors. My mother's dislike of me and eagerness to get me out of the palace likely colored her approach to this matter. But as you well know, that approach has proven to be a grave mistake.'

Lady Lee nodded grimly.

'Now, I am willing to consider your proposal to return to Azera, marry Lefe Sol, and bear him children, on two conditions.'

'And what are they?' asked Lady Lee coldly.

'First, that Lefe and I are given time – say ten seasons to get to know each other, and come to an understanding between us. If we reach an understanding, fine and good. If we don't, then I will freely remain in Azere as a hostage while my mother, the Prime Consul – and I – find either a suitable partner for me, or another pair is selected to play the role. I'll set no time limit on that, for I have no desire to return to Jasmyna. In this way the appearances will be maintained until the actual deed is done. I will not, however, consent to be married within hours of my arrival back in Azera.'

Lady Lee gave her a long measuring look, nodded, and said, 'That might be a reasonable course of action. However, I do not have the authority to agree to it. It would be up to your mother and the Prime Consul to agree to those terms. And, well, it simply adds an additional layer of complexity to the understanding I am here to seek. Still, if you agree to be a hostage to that understanding... It may make my task easier. Ah, but what is your second condition?'

'That you immediately release Scholar Kel Cam here,' she said, glancing back. 'Scholar Cam has nothing to do with this affair. He is a good friend of Lefe Sol, who felt that his friendship with Lefe required him to agree to the demands of Lefe's bride-to-be when she grew bored of her prison and wanted someone to accompany her when she escaped it. He kindly escorted me once to dinner, and once to tea, merely as a favor to Lefe who had abandoned me in order to court enough nobles to pass the treaty.

'Scholar Cam is only with me now, because the Prime Consul somehow got it into his head that he was some sort of Lankarian secret agent and was threatening to have him up against the execution yard's wall if I would not marry Lefe within the hour. So when I fled, I had no honorable choice but to bring him along with me for fear that the Prime Consul, in his great rage, might actually go through with his threats.

'Now, because of his friendship with Lefe and his kindness to me, his life is threatened and his life's work in Azera left behind, which is all a great injustice.

'As a Loh, and as an Imperial Lancer, I stand by my friends. I will not let him be used as a hostage. I realize, now, that I will not be able see him home as I promised, but if you will release him, I must be content that I will have done all I could to make up for what a few hours in my company has done to his life. I can assure you that he will be content to say nothing of this affair and be on his way to Lankara tomorrow with the first pilgrim caravan.'

That was unexpected. I stared at her, wondering what she was up to now. Still, this was, I believed, theater, so I played my part.

'What Ren Loh has said is true. When I first arrived in Azera from Lankara, I was friendless and lonely. One of my students, Lefe Sol, went out of his way to introduce me to his friends and make me feel welcomed. I felt that I could not do less for his bride-to-be, especially since all his time was taken up wooing nobles to ratify the treaty. I am not, and never was, a secret agent. Nor have I any interest in the treaty. However, in the many days I have been on the road with Ren Loh, I believe that a friendship has grown between us that I will not toss over just to escape this room. My family is not without influence within the Lankarian government, and any ill treatment of me, or my friend, Lady Ren Loh, could cause new problems for you, Lady Lee. Up to this point, it has been Azere that has falsely accused me, and threatened me. I hope that Jasmyne is wiser and will treat both Lady Loh and me far better than we have been treated by Azere.'

'Thank you, Kel Cam. But you needn't worry about me. I am sure that with you safely on your way, Lady Lee and I can reach an understanding that will not involve the destruction of the houses of Lee, Ers, and Mor.'

Lady Lee gave me one of her long, measuring looks. If she expected to find something more than friendship for Ren Loh in my eyes, she obviously failed to find it. I had, in fact, little concern for Ren at this point. Marrying Lefe, if he didn't run himself, was hardly a fate worse than death. And if not Lefe, I was certain that Ren would find some other Sol to marry, since the Prime Consul would not likely accept any Loh less than the daughter of the Empress. And Ren had to marry a Sol, since marriage into another Azere noble family might give them a claim to a united throne someday. No, she'd marry one Sol or another. There were, however, plenty of them about. And I have to say that, from what I knew of them, both as students and from my friendship with Lefe, they were not a bad lot. Seven thousand seasons of making themselves agreeable to the nobles of Azere had bred a pretty pleasant family – with one or two exceptions.

Lady Lee nodded. 'That is a condition I can readily accept. We have no interest in Scholar Cam. I cannot, of course, speak for Azere. He is still wanted by them, and must avoid capture if he values his life. I cannot offer protection, but I will release him, and wish him a safe journey home.'
Ren beamed at Lady Lee. 'Excellent. An excellent beginning.' And then turning and walking back to me, she said, 'Take my kit, my coins, and Ghostwind and use them – sell them if necessary – to get home. Don't worry about me. Lady Lee will provide me with all that I need for my return trip, so I'll have no further use for them. While we can trust Lady Lee's word, it would be wise to be gone by the time she meets with her Azere counterpart and they discover that I have been captured. They will wonder about what became of you. So it would be better for all of us if you were gone before the first hour of the new day. I am sorry that I am unable to honor my promise to see you to Lankara myself, but, as you can see... That is impossible now.'

'Yes, of course. Yet I am sure I can find my way home. And, as you say, the sooner I am on my way, the happier I will be.' I made no effort to keep either the relief or my eagerness to be gone out of my voice.

'Excellent,' she beamed, handed me the key to her room, then took my hand. 'Thank you for your friendship, Kel Cam. Perhaps someday you can visit me, and whoever my husband should prove to be in Azere.'

'Yes, of course. Someday. It has been, interesting. Er, my pleasure, Lady Ren' I replied and to keep the parting brief, merely added, 'Thank you for all you've done for me. Take care. My fond regards to Lefe when you see him next.'

'I will. You take care yourself, Kel Cam. And now be off with you! Write to Lefe when you get home so that I can rest easy.'

'I will. Please be wise, Ren Loh. For once,' I added giving her a stern look.

'See Scholar Cam back to his lodgings, Fiska,' said Lady Lee to the reedy-voiced fellow next to me.

He nodded, 'Follow me.'

And so, with one last look at Ren, who had already turned her back on me, I followed him out.

Chapter 16 On the Road to Tiladara

01

I had Fiska land me at the Avenue of the Tower bridge and spent half an hour calling on the street food stalls up and down the avenue, selecting fare that I knew would keep for days in our provision bags. Only then did I return to our rooms to collect our kits and hauled them down to the stables. I fed and saddled the horses, returned the keys to the attendant and donning my long riding coat, settled into the stable's straw pile to await the arrival of Ren.

The hours crept by. I recalled checking my chronometer early in the first quarter of the new day before I drifted off to sleep in the cold stable. I awoke with a touch. Opening my eyes, I saw Ren's curiously smiling, face close, her hands resting on my shoulders.

'I'm so happy, Kel! I had to hope that you understood... But I could not be certain, since you played your part so convincingly,' she whispered, and straightening up, added, 'All the way here I feared the worst. If you had been gone... If you had taken my words on their face, I'd have found myself here dressed only in damp pajamas, slippers and a curtain for a cloak with a silver and a three copper coins to my name. The only thing I could've done was hire a boat to take me back and, if I was lucky, marry some ambitious Sol.'

She was indeed a strange figure that stood before me. She was dressed, as she said, only in richly embroidered silk pajamas, with muddy slippers on her feet, with a long, long black cloak resting on her shoulder, that was no doubt a thick black curtain used to darken a sleeping room in the bright days. She shivered and drew the curtain close around her.

'Why you must be frozen dressed like that! What are you doing running around town like a shadow ghost?'

She laughed. 'Oh, I'm cold enough, and damp enough to be fresh from the earth. But I am free – and happy. And I see that you have our horses packed and ready to travel, so all is wonderful! Oh, I'm so happy we understand each other.'

She certainly looked happy, her spectacles flashing in the faint blue light, with a wide smile on her face. She almost looked like the young lady she was.

'Oh, this time I paid attention to the door handles. Crof and Weds.'

She laughed. 'So they were! However, this time my quarters had windows that were not locked!'

'Rather careless of them, don't you think?'

'Rather. But I gave them reason to be... But I must get out of these clothes and into something warm. I will tell you all, while I get dressed,' she said, as she stepped into the horses' stall to get at her saddle bags. 'Now if you would turn your back...'

'Of course,' I said as I pushed myself off the straw pile to stand with my back to the horses' stall.

'I talked with Lee, Ers, and Mons for an hour or so, about my first condition...'

'Which seemed to make a great deal of sense, Ren. You would have had to marry one Sol or another, but at least you'd have a choice – and a fairly wide one. It made so much sense that I don't know why I expected to see you here... Really, Ren, why are you here?'

Since I had my back to her, I could not see her expression. She said nothing for a moment, and then, 'I guess, like you, I don't know for certain. I guess I wasn't ready to surrender. It's not like I've burned that bridge. If they capture me again, I may have to agree to it. But as long as I have a choice, I will make my own choices, live my own life.'

'Well, I have to say that you're not choosing the easier course.' Or the wiser one, but I didn't say that.

'I've a head on my shoulders, a heart in my chest, and the pride of the Lohs. I believe that in the choices I've made I've been true to myself.'

'That, I can believe, Ren,' I admitted.

'In any event, we talked for an hour, after which I suggested that I would love a nice, long, and hot bath. They obliged me. I felt that if I were to surrender all my clothes to be washed, keeping only the three silver coins I had, my little knife, and my master key, it would lull them into thinking that I was truly resigned to being their prisoner. So I handed them over, and took a nice, long, hot bath in a great polished stone tub, after which I was loaned these pajamas, and the slippers, and given a second story sleeping room with view of the back grounds. I laid down for several hours and dozed lightly, suspecting that they might peek in and check on me. They did, once. I then stuffed some pillows and a curtain or two under the blankets to make it look like I was still in bed, and spent the next half an hour or so behind the curtains at the window watching the guards making their rounds. Once I was sure that I had their timing down, I cut down another of the bright day curtains to better blend into the shadows, and waited until the guard had turned the corner of the house. As soon as he disappeared, I was out and over the balcony railing. Dropping to the ground, I raced for the shadows of the pines on the edge of the canal. There, I stripped, bundled my pajamas and slippers into the curtain and holding the bundle on my head, slipped into the water...

'I had to stifle a scream, for not only was the water cold – I had expected that – but it was much deeper than I had expected. I had expected it to be waist to chest deep, but it came up almost to my chin, and at times to my nose, even on tip toes. This made wading much slower than I expected. Luckily, the guard wasn't paying attention to the canal when he came around again, so I made it across to the neighboring island undiscovered. However, with the water so deep, I found that I could not reach the top of its poured stone bank. I then had to wade along the bank to the boat landing before I was able to climb out, dry myself off, and get dressed.

'A small punt – somehow – came adrift, which I borrowed, and having committed the outward journey to memory – as an Imperial Lancer should – I retraced the route and made my way here. At this time of the day the canals were largely empty, and my curtain easily passed for a long cloak when I met another boat. So you see, it was nothing daring about the escape. It was simple and elegant. The greatest risk was being discovered while wading the canal. I might have blushed, not that anyone would notice in the blue light.'

'Somehow, I doubt that. Still, they seemed to have made it easy enough. They forgot that you were a Loh and an Imperial Lancer.'

She laughed. 'You're right! But luckily for me, you remember, so all is well. There, you can turn around now. I take it that we're set to ride?'

'Yes. I stocked up with all our favorite street foods that would keep and filled the canteens with water, so that we should be able to avoid towns for several days riding without any hardship.'

'Excellent! I'll make a Lancer out of you yet. Let's lead our horses outside and mount up, brother. We want to be leagues away when they discover I've flown. I don't think their guard detachment will try to pursue me – they are here as Lady Lee's personal guard, and she will be tied up for days in meetings – but we don't want to take any chances, do we?'

'Not if I can help it,' I said, as I walked Sela out into the Blue Lantern lit alley and swung into the saddle.

02

I dropped another dead branch into the crackling fire. The water in the small kettle was taking its time to boil. I stood and held my hands over the little fire to warm them in its heat, as I kept a wary eye on the black shadowed wilderness around me. Ren was out of sight, down by the stream washing up. The horses were quietly grazing on grass within the rock-lined hollow – a comforting sight, since they would likely sense any trouble lurking in the shadows. We had ridden past the Blue Order Cal Mon Pilgrims' Rest, a large, walled, five story Elder-style hostel on the edge of the Cal Mon uplands. It was the customary first day's destination for the fast, two leagues per hour, pilgrim coaches on their way to Tiladara. We rode half an hour past it, and then far enough into the black pine trees of the more rugged Cal Mon Hills to keep our campfire and its smoke hidden from the caravan road, before we called it a day.

It had been a long day, starting as it did in the early hours. We had ridden north along the largely deserted Avenue of the Tower, across the causeway over the lake and marsh and then out into the dark farmlands. Once we left the paved street behind, we set the horses to a nice, easy, long-striding gallop with Ghostwind and Sela matching their strides just like the horses of troopers we saw riding out of Contere. The horses could keep that pace for hours, and by now, I could move with them without thought for hours on end as well.

With the day's first pilgrim caravan still hours behind us, and yesterday's a day ahead, we had the road to ourselves as we rode through the cultivated Lanterna Valley towards the Cal Mon Hills, a rugged black line across the northern horizon. We circled around several towns that might have City Guards at their gates, just to be safe. In truth, I was no longer too concerned. With the better part of a season now passed, the urgency of our capture had likely faded, if not forgotten in these outlying areas. And since the scandals of Azera likely warranted only a day's worth of gossip in the villages of the hinterlands, we felt comfortable stopping for our midday meal at a small village tea house, posing as rather bold and wealthy pilgrims. Tomorrow, we'd join one of the passing caravans, and travel on with it, assuming that we were not, in fact, being pursued.

Still standing in the feeble circle of firelight, I glanced around our blue lit campsite. Overhead the Blue Lantern was fast waning, but it still cast enough light to illuminate the center of the hollow. Its rocky banks were hidden in the shadows of the pines that climbed up the slope around us. This allowed me to imagine a pack of forest hounds along the upper edges of those rocks, looking down and licking their lips eagerly while they calculated their odds. Ren, an expert in such matters, had assured me that forest hound packs were rarely seen, even along the lightly traveled trails in the rugged hills themselves, and that they generally avoided campfires. Even small ones. Nevertheless, I was glad my new lever-bow and sword, on the saddlebags, were close at hand. I was even more glad when the slim figure of Ren, in her pale long coat, climbed out from the ravine of the stream. As she approached, I noted that she looked different.

Her black wig was gone. She was wearing her own hair now – brown in the firelight. It did not cover her ears, but after two seasons, it no longer bristled from the side of her head. Indeed, it was just long enough for her to pass as a girl, if a rather unconventional one, even on first glance. She was also without her large, black rimmed spectacles. At first I thought she was just not wearing spectacles, but as she neared, I caught the flash of glass and noted that she was wearing small, wire rimmed ones.

She stepped close, watching me almost apprehensively and gave me a surprisingly tentative smile and asked, 'What do you think? How do I look?'

'You look...' I began. I make no claim to have a great deal of experience with girls, save for a sister and several cousins, but even so, at the last instant, I bit back 'nice.' I'd a sharp, undefined, feeling that wouldn't do.

'... pretty,' I finished, and hurried on to cover my hesitation. 'You look like a pretty girl and I like your spectacles. They don't hide your face like your other ones, or distort it like your mono-lens. Did you buy them in Lanterna when I wasn't looking?'

If she had noticed my hesitation, or had been disappointed with pretty she didn't show it. 'Oh, I've had them along all the time. They are the ones I left Jasmyna wearing. My other spectacles were for effect, as was my mono-lens.'

'To make you look unattractive,' I suggested.

'Yes,' she nodded, still watching me closely.

'Well, I'm glad that you no longer feel that it's necessary to be unattractive. I like you this way,' I added, just to be on the safe side. 'Of course, liking you is not a matter of hair or glasses or looks. I like you as a friend.'

Her face, shadowed in blue, lit in the flickering ruddy light of the little fire, made reading her fleeting emotions hard. If there was a shadow of disappointment that crossed her face – and I could not say for certain that there was, it was gone in a moment. 'I thought that I might better look the role of a young wealthy pilgrim like this. I've seen ordinary girls wear their hair this short...'

'And you look very cute with it that way,' I said, a mild lie, since Ren was not the type of girl that looked cute. She might be pretty, but had a face too striking to be cute. And her long nose...

'Pff! Enough flattery. I will never look cute, little brother. I fear I must be thankful for pretty, though I would've hoped for beautiful. Still, I must admire your honesty – and bravery.'

'Oh, come now, Ren. Since when must I ply you with complements about your looks? You have never cared before. I liked you as you, as that strange creature you pretended to be,' I said with a laugh, and hoping that she wouldn't be hurt, or get angry, I added, 'My feelings haven't changed with your new look.'

Again, I could read little in her face. She merely nodded, 'Oh, never mind, I wasn't fishing for compliments. I made these changes to make you feel more comfortable with me at your side. The important thing is that we are kindred spirits!'

We were not kindred spirits.

'How so?' I asked.

'We understand each other. Back in Lanterna, you knew without the slightest hint on my part that I had no intention of surrendering. You understood that I wanted you to have everything ready when I appeared. And then there was your relief at leaving me. It could not have been more convincing, even though you had no intention of doing so.'

'My relief at avoiding being turned over to the Prime Consul was real enough. No acting needed. And since I expected to see you again shortly, there was no need for me to put any sincerity in my goodbye. Plus, I hoped the casualness of our goodbyes would serve to put to rest any speculation that we ran off together for romantic reasons.'

'Will your parting be any more regretful when we part ways in Lankara?' she asked tentatively.

'I don't anticipate parting ways in Lankara – at least not on any permanent basis. I hope that you'll decide to make your new life in Lankara. You'll be safe there, and in Lankara I can begin to repay you for all you've done for me.'

'You're saying that you want your revenge!' she exclaimed with a laugh.

I had to smile. 'I've forgiven you for that. I mean all the things you've done for me since then.

'What little I've done, I did to save you from a very undeserved fate – a fate owing only to my recklessness. You owe me nothing. I owe you much.'

'Pff! As you say. But let's not argue as to who owes who. Once we reach Kara, I'll put my extended family to work finding a place for you in Lankara. I don't know what you would like to do with your new life, but I assure you that you'll have the time to discover whatever it is that you think you might like to do.'

'That is hardly necessary. I still have a supply of gold coins...'

'Pff, again, Ren. We're friends – kindred spirits. I'm only offering what a friend would offer. Your job is to get us to Lankara. After that, my job will be to see that you find a new life in a new land.'

She smiled, a little sadly, I thought. But that may've been a trick of the flickering fire light. 'We'll cross that steppe when we arrive in Lankara. Now, have you made our tea yet?'

I glanced down. 'Ah, I see the water is finally boiling. It refused to do so when I was watching it.'

03

We built a nest with the two saddles and saddlebags, and spread the saddle blankets on the ground between them. We set our lever-bows and swords on the saddles beside us and built up the fire before settling down between the saddles. Drawing our feet in under the cover of our long coats to keep them from getting too numb in the cold of the coldest dark days, we talked for a while before falling asleep.

We rose, stiff, cold, and grumbling, early in the second quarter of the following day by my chronometer. Ren blew the embers of the fire to life while I collected some dry branches. We ate a cold meal of assorted street foods, and warmed ourselves up with hot tea.

After saddling the horses, we rode further up the hill to a point were we could watch a long stretch of the caravan road and wait for the first pilgrim caravan to appear. We didn't have to wait long.

'It looks innocent enough,' said Ren after studying it for some time with her long-view lens before snapping them closed. 'Pilgrim coaches, a few pilgrims on horses, and half a dozen guards. Nothing to be alarmed about. Go ahead Ghostwind. Let's get moving. It will be along shortly.'

It took us longer to make our way down through the forest than expected, so that the twenty-some coaches and baggage wagons had all but passed by when we emerged from the woods.

Rather than wait for the next one, Ren said. 'We'll give them a few minutes, and then catch up to the caravan like late risers.'

We waited until it was out of sight, and started off. A quarter of an hour's ride had us approaching the trailing wagon and a couple of guards.

The guards gave us a questioning look as we rode up from behind them.

'Mind if we join you?' Ren called out cheerfully.

Not that they could do anything but watch us closely, since we had as much right to the road as they did. However, since there were only two of us and we looked the part of young and carefree pilgrims with our lever-bows and swords tucked away in our saddle-kits, they merely nodded.

'Let's get ahead and out of all the dust, brother!' she called out as she urged Ghostwind ahead.

I readily followed her. I'd eaten my fill of dust on the road to Treafara, and these fast coaches kicked up about twice the amount. I believe one of the guards rode ahead to keep an eye on us until we reached Nadara – one of the usual ten league caravan cities along the route – where the caravan pulled up in its wide caravan plaza for a two hour stop for the convenience of the passengers and the midday meal. Here we dismounted and at Ren's insistence, joined the long line of pilgrims at the Pilgrim's Table, one of the large plate houses where you pay by the plate for meals.

I would have preferred to find a nice, small, local tea house several blocks from the caravan plaza to sup, but Ren would have none of that.

'Pff! If we're to be pilgrims, we must act like pilgrims. The sooner we establish ourselves as one of them, the less we stand out, and the safer from discovery we'll be. We have our story, so let's practice it.'

True enough. And yet...

Ren Loh is not a shy person. We had no more than settled into our seats at the bench at the end of one of the long tables when Ren struck up a cheerful conversation with our neighbors. Once we had determined that we'd joined a caravan of Azerian pilgrims, we became Jasmynites from the city of Clinfara.

Our story was simple: since Ren was not familiar with either Azera or Lankara, or for that matter, civilian life, we were the daughter and son of a wealthy sutler – a merchant who supplied sundry goods in the military camps and forts – and so we grew up traveling about Jasmyne calling on various Jasmyne regiments. This allowed Ren the freedom to spin all sorts of Imperial Lancer stories in one guise or another with great authority. Not that it seemed strictly necessary, since she seemed able to effortlessly invent stories which I had to pay close attention to so that I'd not trip her up too badly. She had thoughtfully made me a spark-engineer who had studied in Kara and had been employed by a Lankarian firm in Azera for the last 50 seasons, which would explain any ignorance I might display over one of her stories I'd not heard her tell. I was now escorting my sister Tena on a pilgrimage to Tiladara before returning to Clinfara to join a new Jasmyne spark-motor firm.

'I'm so, so glad to be away from Clinfara! And, forgive me, away from Papa. I knew ever so many handsome boys in all the camps we visited in our rounds, but Papa always kept ever such a close eye on me... I could hardly smile, without him giving me a dark look. So here I am, well, getting near 300 seasons old and would you believe it, still without a husband? Papa said I mustn't settle for any old trooper. Only a fine officer from a wealthy family would do for me. But they are few on the ground, let me tell you...' she gave them a knowing smile. 'So here I'm hoping, well, I'm hoping that this pilgrimage will bring me my fondest wish!' she gushed to our table mates, not long after we settled down. She may've even put a blush in it.

'I understand a lot of pilgrims are well off...Clinfara has so few good marriageable prospects. Trust me, I know...' she assured her new friends

Why she chose to make herself into this rather strange creature, once again, I wasn't sure. Still, I suppose that with her hair still unconventionally short, she could hardly be anything else. And yet why be a rather silly daughter of a wealthy retired sutler who was on the pilgrimage in search of a suitable husband? The answer, I think was that she enjoyed acting, and found this new, and eccentric, guise fun. I will admit, however, that she made many friends in our four days with the caravan.

I, on the other hand, was no hand at acting, and tried to say as little as possible, merely adding details to my Azera life that Ren could not make up.

'You mustn't mind Del. He's spent too much time among the Lankarians – he thinks all this Blue Order pilgrimage is so much superstition. Why, would you believe that I had to practically drag him up to the top of the Tower in Lanterna!'

'Steps, steps, steps, cold and windy,' I muttered darkly, and took another bite of my mutton stew.

'Well, I am certain that you will enjoy Tiladara, it is said to be quite beautiful in the bright days,' said one of our table mates.

I nodded, and when I had swallowed my stew, added, 'At least there are the great Elder machines to see. I am looking forward to that. They are rare even in Lankara.'

04

After finishing our meal we sought out the pilgrimage master and officially signed on with the pilgrimage and paid our fees. There was no great advantage to signing on, save that the pilgrim master now paid all our hostel fees.

'Is it wise? I mean, Lady Lee's Household Guards could be an hour behind us with the next caravan.

'Pff! We don't count anymore, little brother. We were history until we fell into her lap. We're history again. She won't bother to send anyone after us. She was in Lanterna to meet with her Azerian counterpart to explore what it'll take to get the Prime Consul to sign off on the treaty – who can be offered up, what assurances need be made. In two hundred seasons, you can write our history – it will merely be a curious footnote to the grand plan of my mother and the Prime Consul.'

'Are you that replaceable? Will one of your other sisters be pressed into action?'

'No, they're all married. But, since both my mother and the Prime Consul want to see the two empires united, they'll find a way. There's no shortage of Lohs and Sols willing to be the parents of the future empress or prime consul of the empire of the Blue and Yellow Thrones.'

'You weren't.'

She smiled. 'No, I wasn't.'

'Why?'

She shrugged. 'Because I'm just a simple Lancer lieutenant at heart.'

I think that was one of her stories as well, but I let it pass unchallenged.

05

As I mentioned, she wasn't shy, and being outgoing, cheerful, and a character, she was known by one and all in our caravan by the time we set out after our first sleep stop at the Blue Order hostel in the middle of the Vartara Steppes. Perhaps because of her long experience with the Lancers, she had a remarkable memory for names, and seemed to know everyone by name by the time we reached our next stop in the forested hills of the Dinadar mountains.

The following day, as we saddled our horses, I asked her, 'Do you really think it wise to make yourself so, well, popular?'

'Jealous?'

'No. I'm just not sure it's wise to be so memorable. We're still nearly ten days from Lankara and safety.'

She shrugged. 'I'm used to having friends on the trail. I'm used to having a hundred troopers riding behind me – a hundred friends that I could count on, no matter how dicey things got. I don't expect that with my pilgrim friends – but if things should get dicey for us, I think their good will could make the difference between escape and capture. Not that I expect that, mind you, but we're trying not to take any chances, aren't we, little brother?'

'I suppose.'

She was right. We crossed the Vartara steppes, the Dindar Hills, and the Meridire Steppes reaching Auradora three days later, without any sign of pursuit. The following day we rode out in the first light of the new season through the tea gardens of the Auradora Hills to the rim of the Tiladara valley. At the large caravan stop at the top of the rim hills we had our last meal with the friends Ren had made, and made semi-demi-promises to get together again in the White City sometime during the pilgrimage, since the caravan was now breaking up to take the pilgrims to various towns and inns within the Tiladara valley.

'Oh, I am so looking forward to experiencing the White City, viewing the Sunken City, and climbing Pillar Rock to the Gardens of the Firmament!' exclaimed Ren as we walked back to our horses. 'I can hardly wait!'

I gave her a sharp look. She almost seemed to have become the character she had adopted, that of a pilgrim and a rather silly wealthy girl looking to find romance, and a wealthy husband-to-be.

She caught my questioning glance and tilting her head to look down and challenge me, 'Yes, little brother?' She could still put some steel in her glance.

'I was about to say that I don't think we'll have a great deal of time for sightseeing. I'd like to be on our way to Lankara tomorrow, or the day after at the latest.'

'Pff! We've not come this far not to complete the required rituals of the pilgrimage. You know we already have plans to meet our friends in the White City.'

'But we're not on a pilgrimage! Not really. We're trying to keep our liberty, if not our lives, by escaping Azere, the Prime Consul, and now, your mother as well. The pilgrimage is merely our cover story.'

'I'm sorry, but I've rather gotten caught up in the spirit of the pilgrimage. As I said before, this is our new beginning. And since we've come all this way, we can afford a few days to complete our pilgrimage.'

'But we're not safe...'

'Safe? Look around you – we're two people in ten thousand strangers. Even if there are people here looking for us, we'd have to be very unlucky to run into them. And even if we did, they'd hardly recognize us now. We've changed. And if they did recognize us, what could they do with all these people around?'

'But why take chances, when we're so close to safety?'

'Why take the chance of calling attention to ourselves by acting out of character? The caravans are still arriving. None will be leaving again with returning pilgrims for at least ten days. If we left now, we'd stand out. And assuming that the Prime Consul still has agents on the northern border, our best chance of crossing the border is with a returning tourist caravan. So why take chances, little brother?' she added with a laugh.

'Yes, I suppose, and yet, we are so near...'

'We're as safe here as we would be in Kara. There are far too many inns to watch, far too many strangers. Plus, this is the greatest site of the Elder Civilization; that is your life's passion. Not only have you never been here, but you're unlikely to return here any time soon...'

I gave her a sharp, accusing look.

She laughed. 'Just stating the fact. Relax. Take in the sights and wonders. Drink in the spirit of the Elders; it will give life to the words you study. I promise that just as soon as the tourists start returning to Lankara, we'll leave along with them.'

I sighed, and nodded. I suppose it made sense, though Lankara and safety was now only a few days ride away. So near, and yet still out of reach.

Chapter 17 Tiladara

01

The road had been built over the low, but massive poured stone wall that circled the valley of Tiladara. Once over, we led the horses to the side of the road to take in the sweeping view of the famed valley and settle on our course of action.

'Ah! Tiladara, the Valley of the Elders! Is it not indeed wonderful, little brother?' exclaimed Ren, at least half seriously. And taking a deep breath, she added, 'I can sense the magic of the place already.'

'It's a pretty enough sight, sister,' I allowed.

'Pff!'

It was a pretty enough – a wide, round valley, perhaps five leagues across – large enough for its far side to be hazy blue with distance. At its center lay its large round lake with a central island that featured a towering mesa known as Pillar Rock. Rising out of the lake and circling Pillar Rock were the remains of the largest known Elder city – the final destination of both the pilgrims and the tourists. In Elder times, the lake had either been much smaller or had not existed at all, since half of the Elder city now lay under its surface – the so called Sunken City. Perhaps a quarter of the Elder city above the lake had been cleared of the ancient forest that had grown over it by the unending work of the Blue Order over tens of thousands of seasons. This was known as the White City. The Green City was the rest of the city that remained under the dense forest that had grown up among the ancient ruins.

'Won't it be wonderful to walk the streets, eat, and sleep in the very buildings that the Elders lived in!' exclaimed Ren.

I gave her a sidelong glance, to determine if she was teasing. My glance left me rather uncertain, so I said, 'I've spent many a day in the Blue Order communities, most of which are reclaimed Elder sites, so that would be nothing new. However, as I am sure you realize, it would be utterly foolhardy to lodge on the island since it would make an escape iffy if we were discovered. We can play the pilgrim – walk its streets, eat in its dining houses, and see all its sights that we have time to see. But we'll lodge in the valley, somewhere from which we can take to flight, if necessary. Indeed, I've already selected our first lodging.'

'Pff!' she said, and gave me one of her imperial Loh looks. 'You have, have you, little brother?'

I ignored the look. I'd grown fairly impervious to it. 'I have. There is a small Blue Order community, Forest Falls Hermitage, in the western rim hills that is said to possess a Zen Ny manuscript written in his own hand. I hope to see and make a copy of it to add to my collection...'

'Which is back in Azera,' said Ren sharply, before regretting that remark and adding, 'But that is my fault. Yes, of course, make your copy, brother. I make no further objections. Though I would imagine that any Zen Ny manuscript must attract thousands of pilgrims!' she added, quickly recovering her imperial bearing.

I ignored her sarcasm. 'It may attract a learned pilgrim every now and again. That, however, would make my interest in it not all that noteworthy.'

'Would this community not be the first place anyone who knew you, would look for you, little brother? Dare we risk even that chance?'

'That, my dear sister, is the one chance that I'm comfortable in taking. We need not stay there for more than a day or two to rest the horses. Indeed, it would probably be wise not to lodge at any one place too long. There are many small Blue Order communities in the valley where we can seek lodging, as well as plenty of small villages where the lodging is likely much less expensive.'

'But this is our grand pilgrimage! A once in a lifetime experience. We should experience it to the hilt. We must sleep at least one day where the mysterious Elders in their long ago day slept,' adding a sly, 'Please, little brother?'

'Pff!' I said mimicking her, dismissively. 'You may have talked me around into climbing the Blue Lantern Tower with a pretty please, but it's not going to work here. Just about every building in this valley is a restored Elder Era structure. We'd be sleeping where the Elders slept anywhere we lay our heads – and still be able to ride away on a moment's notice.'

She pretended to pout a bit, and then said, 'How are you going to find this community? The valley is wide, little brother.'

I was beginning to miss Cro – this 'little brother' was growing old. I gave her a defiant look and said, 'I took the precaution of purchasing a map which shows its location. It looks to be a league or so to the west of here, near a village called Fall Springs.'

Accepting defeat – or at least appearing to – for once, she sighed, 'Then lead on, little brother. I can hardly wait to see this Zen Ny manuscript of yours.'

With that settled, we rejoined the stream of coaches and wagons that were slowly and carefully making their way down this steep section of the road until we came to the first crossroad, a narrow farm lane that we took westwards. It took us around the valley, along the edge of the rim forests, past tea gardens, with the pickers picking the prized first-day leaf from long rows of small, bush-like trees, through farm villages surrounded by their terrace fields in which farmers were looking after the reviving crops, past the elaborate gates of walled estates and hidden villas, and through shady, cold forests, with forest floors of tumbled mossy mounds that were once the poured stone buildings of the Elders. And eventually, it took us to the little farming village of Fall Spring, a reclaimed section of a larger Elder site whose poured stone buildings had been cleared of the forest, patched and made habitable once again after many thousands of seasons of decay. We inquired about the way to Forest Falls of an old man, sitting in the small courtyard before his house. He pointed down the road and said, 'The next lane, and up through the forest.'

Thanking him, we continued on, found the little lane, and turned to ride up through a long stretch of ancient forest, still part of the Elder site from which Fall Spring had been carved. Save for the bright birds that flirted through the foliage, gossiping to each other or singing to the newly risen Yellow Lantern, the forest was still. We soon came to a gateway in the forest that welcomed us to Forest Falls.

As I expected, the community consisted of artistically restored Elder ruins – three two-story buildings set around a central square shaded by ancient trees, some of which still had their roots anchored in the cracks of the restored buildings. Beyond the familiar, boxy buildings, along a steep rim hill, stretched a tea garden that provided the community with its livelihood.

If finding two pilgrims at their gate was unusual, the gatekeeper did not show it. We were greeted warmly, and assured that there were two rooms for us in the hostel, 'Sparse ones, my friends, but clean. Our table is simple as well, but nourishing. Plus, our tea is our own – and famous among those who know tea.'

'That will suit us very well. I understand that you possess a manuscript by Zen Ny in his own hand. I am somewhat of an amateur scholar of the Sages and, truth be told, I have made my way here in the hope of viewing it.'

'We have! Though it is much faded, for it is very ancient, as you know, it is still legible, and shows that the elegance of Zen Ny's thoughts and words are reflected in his hand as well. Our librarians have taken tender care of it down through the ages.'

'Excellent, hopefully it will fill my little brother with the spirit of the pilgrimage,' exclaimed Ren. 'Elder manuscripts and libraries are more to my brother's taste than the great relics of the Elders. I fear he was hardly in the proper spirit when he was climbing the Blue Lantern Tower. All he did was grumble.'

The gatekeeper nodded with a faint smile. 'We are a modest, but ancient establishment. I trust that you both will find the spirit of the Pilgrimage here, for it runs here as deeply as it does through the great and famous relics.'

'I feel it already,' I replied, quite truthfully.

We were shown to the stables and paddock, and once we'd fed and watered our horses, we were shown to our rooms – bare cells with no more than a pallet to sit and sleep on and a low stand with a water jug, a fired clay mug, and a basin for washing up.

Once we had settled in, Ren asked about a bath. We were directed to a two chamber bath house straddling a small pool a little ways down from a spring, seeping out from a mossy outcropping in the ruins, which no doubt gives the community its name.

I stepped down the shallow steps into the clear water and yelped. By the Blue Lantern, it was cold...

'Are you alright, brother?' called out Ren from her side of the partitioned bath house.

'Have you tried the water?' I called back

'I'm sure it's wet.'

'It's more than wet, sister. It's bitterly cold. This is going to be a very short bath.'

'Pff! It's spring water. Certainly it's going to be a little brisk. But that's all we ever had to bathe in on the march. And we counted ourselves lucky to find one.'

'Well, you're in luck then,' I said, and proceeded to splash just enough water over me to lather up. I rinsed off with one brief plunge into the pool that all but stopped my heart, and quickly dried off and dressed. I didn't beat Ren out of the bathhouse by more than half a minute.

I gave her a grin.

'We didn't have all day to bathe when on the march, brother,' she replied, looking down her nose at me. 'In and out briskly, was the order of the day, what with the whole squadron lined up behind you.'

'Old habits die hard, heh?'

We looked into the small library and were proudly shown the Zen Ny manuscript – each of its five leaves were kept between glass plates and in a case to preserve it. It looked authentic – I had seen one other Zen Ny manuscript in another community – which made me even more eager to copy it and compare it to the orthodox version of the story it related. However...

'My sister does not share my passion for the words of the Sages, so perhaps I can return tomorrow, without her, to fully read, study, and hopefully make a copy of it for my collection,' I said to the librarian.

'You are very kind, little brother. It is true, I am merely a simple girl who finds wonder in great relics rather than in faded words,' she replied with a superior, condescending smile. 'But you may have all the time you want with the words. We still have nearly all of the bright days ahead of us. I shall have plenty of time to see all the famous relics and visit all the famous sites that I care to see.'

A pleasantly veiled threat.

We explored the rest of the small community and its tea garden until dinner. Afterwards we walked down through the forest to the village and back before retiring.

I made my copy of the manuscript the next day, and the following day we saddled the horses and rode around the valley to its north side, and the small town of Rid Cara on the lake shore where pilgrim road from Lankara ended.

While the center of the town had a number of large inns along the shore, we stayed clear of those, out of caution, and instead, settled on a low, rambling inn on a quiet, tree shaded street, half of which was still the uncleared ruins of an Elders' site. We took a single, rather bare room, above the stable.

After stowing our kits, we set out to find an eating house and afterwards strolled down to the broad boardwalk along the shore to sample its festive sights – the shops, the entertainers, and the beauty of Tiladara, valley, lake, and island.

'I've been patient, Del, but tomorrow we'll view the Sunken City and begin to explore the White and Green Cities as well,' said Ren decisively, as we made our way back up the hill to our quarters.

'I've been told that the Sunken City is best seen when the Yellow Lantern is high overhead.'

'Do you promise to stay until the Yellow Lantern is at its peak?'

'Ah...'

'Right. We'll see the Sunken City tomorrow.' That was an order.

02

Early the following day we set out for the harbor where there were dozens of boats for hire, water taxis, and large ferries powered by steam, oil and spark-engines, wind, and oars along the long dock to carry visitors on to the island. In addition, there were several oil-engined boats with a row of glass windows down the center of their hulls that offered boat rides to view the famous Sunken City of the Elders.

We bought tickets for one such glass bottomed boat and took our seats where we could lean over and peer into the depths of the lake.

Since Rid Cara was also an ancient Elder Era building site, with its boardwalk and harbor built on the ruins, as we slipped away from the dock, I could see the underwater ruins of Elder buildings through the glass bottom, a green tumble of flat rooftops and darker streets slipped behind us.

'Well, that was interesting. The trip was shorter than I expected.'

'Very funny.'

'Well, what's the difference?'

'The difference, little brother, is that this is not the true Sunken City. The true Sunken City is the ruins of Tiladara itself. This is not Tiladara,' she said with a patient smile, and exaggerated slowness as if to make it as simple to understand as possible. And loudly enough to be heard by our neighbors.

'If you've seen one sunken city, as we just have, you've seen all sunken cities,' I mumbled quietly, ignoring the amused glances of our neighbors.

'You haven't seen the true Sunken City so that you can't say that. Quit being such dark day, little brother, and enjoy our pilgrimage!'

I didn't say anything more, but instead, buttoned up my jacket, as we glided over the gently swaying lake, against the cold, early bright day air off of the lake. Ren, on the other hand, eagerly exchanged pilgrimage stories with the other passengers, still reveling in her guise of a rather flighty and cheerfully carefree pilgrim of privilege.

Lake Tiladara is perhaps the deepest lake under the Blue Lantern, and the Sunken City rises up from its dark depths all around the coast of the Island of Tiladara. It took the better part of an hour to reach the island and the fleet of boats like ours were slowly circling it, over the submerged ruins. Peering down through the glass bottom, the city rose slowly from the dark depths of the blue water. Because the Yellow Lantern was still low over the eastern ridge, its light only illuminated ghostly tops of the tall buildings, and the schools of fish that drifted in and around them, leaving the streets and lower stories unseen in the deep shadows.

As we slowly drifted by poured stone tenement after tenement, green in the slanting light, fading to deep blue-black shadows in the depths of the unseen streets and courts between them, Ren exclaimed, 'Isn't this wonderful, Del!'

I glanced across to her. She did seem flushed with genuine excitement by the dim green city below us.

'It's as if we were flying above the city like a bird. We must come again when the Yellow Lantern is higher so that we can see all the way down.'

'We'll see about that, sister,' I replied. I hoped to be on the road to Lankara by the time the Yellow Lantern reached its height.

'Oh, how I wish we could stay on into the dark days to see this in the full light of the Blue Lantern! They say that the Blue Lantern brings out the pale spirit forms of the Elders who can be seen walking along the streets.'

'They would have to come up with some sort of story like that just to get anyone to come out onto the lake in the cold of the dark days,' I replied.

'Oh, brother! Don't be so cynical. Don't waste this pilgrimage.'

'Well, I'm certain that Elder spirit forms are not an official aspect of the Blue Order belief system.'

'Listen, brother,' Ren said softly, leaning close to me. 'I've led patrols in pursuit of bandits who fled into the Sinsan Valley in the Trecarn Hills – in both the bright and dark days, mind you. The ruins of the Sinsan Valley might well be as large as Tiladara, but it is such a wilderness that it is hard to say. No one has ever lived in that valley because it is haunted.'

'Pff!' I said, dismissing her claims out of hand.

'It is! Why even the hill peoples steer well clear of Sinsan, even in the bright days. I can tell you from first hand experience riding into the valley that you can feel your skin prickle and see things moving at the corner of your eyes even in the bright days, and in the dark days – well, you can scoff at spirit forms, but I've seen their glowing forms. I've felt the cold touch of death when they looked at me from the deepest of shadows of that cursed valley. Trust me, you'd not be dismissing the spirit forms of the Elders if you had been one of my troopers who had chased bandits into that valley – dark days or bright days.'

'Yet, somehow, all those spirit forms didn't seem to frighten the bandits to keep them out of the Sinsan Valley.'

'Of course they scared them. It is just that the Imperial Lancers and their crimes frighten them more. At least they usually got out alive – captured, mind you, but alive – unlike those foolish enough to flee into the cauldron. I tell you brother, if the hill people stories are to believed, all the known Elder ruins of the great empires are but pale shadows of the Elder ruins further in the hills and under the forests. With my own eyes, not only have I seen the ruins of Sinsan, but others as well, deep in the hills at the end of our patrols, and there's something about them that's not dead.'

I gave her a long look. She was serious. 'You've spent too many seasons in those hills, sister.'

'And you've spent none. Once you have, we'll talk again, brother.'

'In that case, I'll take your word. I've no intention of spending more time in the hills than need be to reach Lankara.'

Having made a circuit of the submerged city around Tiladara Island, the boat landed us on the island itself to allow us to eat our midday meal and explore Tiladara to our heart's content. We'd take one of the firm's returning boats back whenever we cared to. We spent the third and the early hours of the last quarter, of the day doing just that – walking the ancient streets of the restored Elder city and taking in its lively street life.

There has been so much written about Tiladara, both in popular accounts and scholarly journals, that I have little to add. As for the White City – if you've lived in Azera, you would not find Tiladara very strange. Its poured stone buildings are more varied in size and possible uses than in Azera. And they are all fitted with modern spark-lighting and plumbing, as befitting buildings said to represent the restored Elder Civilization. The city itself has two faces. One is that of a solemn temple to the mysterious Elder Civilization run by the Society of the Elders. That is the city of great halls filled with the relics and artifacts, large and small of the Elders, and imaginary reconstructions of their city and their life. The other face is that of a theater devoted to celebrating the (imaginary) life of the Elders in plays, stories, songs, and feasts, staged on the streets and in all sorts of venues. Tiladara is a spiritual experience. Tiladara is fun. It is both, for both the pilgrim and the tourist. We both, in our own ways, very much enjoyed the pilgrim experience.

We spent two more long and exhausting days exploring the famous wonders of both faces of Tiladara in the White City, as well as in the Green City, which is to say the three quarters of the city that is more or less still buried under the ancient forests. Over the thousands of seasons, many ancient streets have been cleared though this forest, and many of the Elder buildings have been partially reclaimed to create all sorts of picturesque tea houses, inns, theaters, and playgrounds in the mysterious forested ruins. All that remained was climbing Pillar Rock to the Gardens of the Firmament, with its parks and pleasure gardens, something I had hoped to give a miss to. A futile hope.

03

After a rather late breakfast, we set out across the lake for the island aboard a steam ferry which landed us on the wide, and crowded boardwalk, built out on the tops of sunken buildings, that surrounded the island. We made our way though the White City toward the towering mesa – Ren eagerly, I reluctantly. Indeed, I kept finding new things to explore in an effort, partially successful, to distract Ren from her determination to climb that massive rock to the firmament. In the end, I only managed to put it off until after our midday meal.

'Come along, little brother. Come along!' was her refrain, sometimes actually pulling me away, protesting, from a street story amusement hall that I feigned interest in, until, at last, I found myself facing the ornate gateway that led to the Golden Path to the Firmament that wound its way up Pillar Rock.

'I'll race you to the top, little brother,' said Ren as we passed under the elaborate gate along with a stream of other pilgrims and tourists.

'I concede, sister. But do we actually need to climb all the way to the park?'

'Of course we do. It is a part of the pilgrimage. I'm not making these things up, you know. There are certain things you must do to complete your pilgrimage, and as long as we are here, we're going to do them, little brother, like it or not. Besides, how would you feel when someone asks you what the pleasure gardens of the Gardens of the Firmament were like, and you must admit that you were too lazy to walk all the way up to see it. You'd look pretty foolish, brother, after traveling several hundred leagues just to miss the pleasure gardens and the view from the top because you didn't feel like walking an extra couple hundred steps.'

'It's more than a few hundred steps.'

'Pff! Save your breath, little brother, for the climb.'

It wasn't an argument I was going to win. I had long since discovered that once Ren set her mind to something, I was, indeed, wasting my breath. My objections were simply a matter of form. I was still Cro in everything but name. But, if it had to be done, it best be done, so I sullenly conceded, 'Well, I suppose I don't want to look foolish.'

'That's the spirit, brother. Let's go!'

And so we joined the stream of pilgrims following the wide path that lead to Pillar Rock and eventually, to the broad pleasure park at its top.

Pillar Rock was, like the Peaks of the Azera, actually a collection of rocky spires on a much grander scale. Like the Azera Peaks, they were a maze of steep, tall, spiky rock columns with trees and bushes clinging to their every crack and crevasse. The Golden Path, broad and paved in golden gravel at the bottom, narrowed and became less golden, mossier, and pine needle paved, the higher it climbed into the rocks and old pines. It had many branches, some leading inwards to cool green coves and hollows, others outwards to the very edge of points that offered sweeping views of the lake, the valley, and the White City, far below. Too far below.

The higher we climbed, the fewer pilgrims seemed to be climbing with us.

I pointed this out to Ren. 'It seems, sister, that a lot of pilgrims don't mind looking foolish...'

'Luckily, we're made of sterner stuff. We won't have to lie if we're asked about the view from the Gardens of the Firmament.'

'I'm willing to take my chances...' I panted.

'Pff!'

By the time we were, hopefully, nearing the top of the mesa – we'd been weaving in and around mossy rocks in the cool pine scented shade for at least an hour, we seemed to have the path nearly to ourselves. Indeed, I was almost climbing up alone, since Ren, with her great affinity for heights and eagerness to reach the top had opened a large lead on me. Glancing up the path after rounding a bend in the trail, I caught sight of her, almost 20 paces above me, coming face to face with a large party of pilgrims coming down the trail. She stopped dead, as did they.

I had closed to within ten paces when I heard her say, 'Why Mother, fancy meeting you here.'

Chapter 18 The Final Chase

01

Ren's mother, the Empress of Jasmyne, was a straight backed tall woman, much like Ren. She appeared to be in Tiladara in incognito, since she was dressed as a (wealthy) pilgrim – silk blue jacket with ribbons in the seams and around her small, curly brimmed hat. Incognito or not, she had that tilt of the head like Ren that allowed her to look down on the world.

'Daughter,' she snapped, recovering from her surprise. Turning to her followers behind her, she commanded, with a backwards sweep of her walking stick, 'Go back. I have things to say to my daughter. In private.' And with that, she pointed with her stick to a branching path not a few steps behind Ren.

Ren nodded and turned down it, followed by her mother, with a brief glance back towards me. It may've been a warning, an order to retreat while I could, but I was not certain, and unless certain, I did not feel right abandoning her. Instead, I stepped off the path and slipped behind a slim pine tree trunk to await events.

I recognized Shana Lee among the retainers. Her face gave nothing away, but I could sense that she was swiftly taking in the circumstances. On the Empress' orders, she had ushered the rest of the following retainers back up the path and around a bend and out of sight, but not before pausing and glancing back one last time. With that, she turned and began to quietly issue orders of her own.

I didn't have to wait long. Within a minute six men – likely Household Guards – hurried by me, no doubt on orders from Shana Lee. They glanced at me as they passed. One hesitated a step or two, likely recognizing me from a past encounter in Lanterna. But they had their orders, so he hurried on to catch up with his mates. I thought it likely that empresses traveled, even in incognito, with large entourages, and so, she probably had more of her party in the city below who were now about to be alerted to this unexpected, and truly inexplicable meeting. It seems that we had become the playthings of fate.

Given that the entourage was taking this action, I decided that I needed to act as well, so as soon as they were out of sight, I slipped back onto the trail, and up the path to the turning that Ren and her mother had followed. It led, after 30 some paces, to a bare, rocky outcropping opened to the winds and a sweeping view of the lake, far, far below.

I caught sight of them through the spindly underbrush and gently swaying pine boughs. The Empress had her back to me, but it seemed that they were merely talking, so I pulled up and slipped into a narrow crevasse in the rocks along the walk to await developments. The conversation did not carry to me, and though it seemed to last a long time, it probably lasted only several minutes. I'd a feeling everything that they had to say to each other had been said long before.

It ended with the Empress turning abruptly and stalking off. She stopped briefly when she came abreast of me in the shadows of the rocks. She gave me a piercing look down her long nose – I'd grown quite immune to those looks – but said nothing, dismissing me with a sniff, before continuing on her way.

I slipped out after she passed and hurried to Ren.

'How'd it go?'

She looked grim. 'As expected.'

'Six men passed me. No doubt to cut off our retreat and perhaps alert more of her men below.'

She nodded briskly. 'There is no truce. They'll be here in a minute to take me. If they can,' she added turning about, and stalking to the edge of the rocks.

She quickly glanced right and left. 'Come along. We need be gone before they arrive. We can't fight all of them.'

As I joined her at the edge of the rock, she pointed down to a very narrow ledge that looked from this height to be only several hand spans wide and perhaps four or more stories below us. Beyond it, a sheer drop of 50-60 stories to the treetops of the Green City below. We must have been very near the top.

'Down we must go, Kel,' she said, and turning around, stepped back and then out into the air. 'Follow me.'

As she disappeared out of sight, I heard some voices coming down the path. I hesitated perhaps a second, and deciding that I didn't have any better option, turned, stepped off, and half slid, half fell along the face of the rock as slowly I could. Fortunately it was crisscrossed with roots and vines, so that I could control the fall. It took a couple of seconds of falling to reach the ledge. As the tips of my boots caught the edge of the ledge, I flexed my knees to help absorb the shock of the landing. Teetering back, I clutched at the vines to steady myself, tearing them away from the cliff. Ren grabbed my jacket and pulled me back and close to the cliff side with my heart pounding in my chest.

'This way. Quickly, before they think to look down,' she whispered, and keeping her hold on me, started edging sideways along the narrow ledge as it angled inwards into the rocks.

We shuffled along the ledge as it rounded the rocky point and angled inwards and under the boughs of a twisted pine growing from a narrow crack above us that hid us from anyone on the point above. There, however, the ledge ended abruptly. Ren looked up and down.

'Down we go again,' she whispered, and without hesitation, stepped back off the ledge once more.

Looking down, I found a massive, rounded, moss covered boulder, beyond which lay a dark, narrow ravine. It had to be another three story drop, but once more the cliff was crisscrossed with a web of vines and roots which I could use to slowly control my descent. On landing on the slippery slope of the rock, I slipped to my knees, and had to lunge for a vine to keep from slipping over the edge into the dark ravine. Still clinging to the vine, I climbed to my feet, and standing next to Ren, looked around.

She had already survey our situation, and said, 'Follow me and be careful. I think that if we can reach that ravine at some point, it will lead us down to the ground. I'd rather find another way down than to chance the path.'

'Lead on,' I said. I hadn't a better idea, or one at all.

So with one hand on the cliff and its vines to steady us, we stepped carefully along the boulder inwards, into the darker coolness of Pillar Rock. When it ended, we had to slide down several smaller boulders to continue inwards, though we did catch a glimpse of the ravine with a small stream tumbling down it in a series of rapids and falls.

'That'll surely take us to the bottom,' said Ren without looking at me, as she carefully walked along its edge against a mossy cliff. 'We need to move as fast as we can – without breaking our necks. I'm still a pawn in Mother's game. And she made it clear that I can, and will, be sacrificed. Knowing her, I'm sure she can call on dozens of Guardsmen to seal off the Pillar, and likely the harbor as well, if we give them a chance to deploy.'

I didn't know what to say. Ren was uncharacteristically grim. She was not her usual carefree self when facing danger, so I said nothing.

Not that she expected me to say anything. There was nothing else to say.

We could not, however, move fast. Reaching the stream bed proved difficult and time consuming – lots of detours and difficult descents along the slippery margins of boulders. It took over an hour to reach the cold, clear stream and then the better part of half of another hour to carefully splash our way downstream over its slick rocks, and twisting course, and down its tricky waterfalls. Some of the steep rapids and waterfalls were as high as two and three stories, requiring some rather iffy jumps. However, very wet, moss stained, and bruised, we eventually reached the narrow foothill of Pillar Rock where it steeply rose out of the forested ruins. Following the little stream down under the trees, we came to the first of the tumbled ruins of the Green City. Several blocks ahead was a low bridge that carried one of the cleared Green City streets over the stream.

'We must chance the harbor,' said Ren as we stood along the stream, catching our breath. 'I'm sure there will be Guardsmen posted, but I don't think that they'll risk kidnapping us in a crowd. We'll board a ferry for Rid Cara, and deal with any Guardsmen who follow us there.'

'That seems our only option. If we can get to our horses, we should be able to get clear once more. I assume that we're still history...'

'I wouldn't. This is personal now, between my mother and me.'

'Then let's get moving,' I said, starting off.

We hurried ahead, and climbed up the damp rocks of the stream bank to the well populated street. Several parties of pilgrims saw us emerge from the stream – wet and stained green from our descent.

'I guess we made a wrong turn, up there somewhere,' said Ren with an apologetic smile to answer their unspoken questions. They didn't believe us, but then, what could they believe? Well, they came up with an explanation of their own, and looked away – embarrassed, amused, or indignant?

We briefly brushed the clinging moss and twigs off of our trousers and jackets and then started for the harbor.

As we hurried along, I asked, 'What's your mother doing here in Tiladara?'

'I gathered that she's here – incognito as a pilgrim – for a secret meeting with the Prime Consul to hammer out a way forward to get the trade treaty signed and in force. I also got the distinct impression that I'm – we're – unexpected, but very welcomed pawns to have, potentially, fallen into her lap to play, or rather sacrifice to that end. Which is why we're no longer history. Mother would very much like me – and you – in hand when she meets the Prime Consul. I don't, however, think they'll risk making a scene to capture us as this is Tiladara, the center of the very non-violent Blue Order. Any great fuss would likely allow word of this secret meeting getting out, something both leaders would want to avoid at all cost. Mother has had to swallow her pride to come this far to meet, and more or less plead, with the Prime Consul to sign the treaty – and apologize for me, so we have that in our favor. We should be safe from capture as long as we stay in a crowd...'

We slowed to a fast walk once we reached the White City so as not to attract attention. Luckily, the dark blue color of our clothing did a fair job of hiding the moss stains and the dampness of our trousers from a casual glance, so we were able to slip into the flow of people without attracting too much attention. We hurried through the streets, through the crowds, past the stands and carts, the storytellers and street singers, towards the piers along the outer edge to find the first ferry to Rid Cara.

They were waiting for us there. Big, nondescript men in nondescript blue pilgrim jackets and ribbons, notable only for the fact that they were standing still – at parade rest – searching the crowd, their serious eyes hidden in the shadows of their hats.

Ren paid them no attention, striding by them as we walked the pier, looking for a ferry that would take us to Rid Cara. They, however, paid attention to her, and whistled to their mates, who began to drift our way and tag along behind us. One of the bolder ones – likely an officer – hurried forward to join us as we made our way along the pier.

He seemed about ready to say something, when Ren hissed, 'Not a word or I'll scream that you're molesting me, and not stop screaming until the gallant men of the crowd have dragged you off to see the Guards.' She gave him one of the Loh's stock in trade; an imperial, down her nose look, just to drive the point home. 'And that goes for our mates, as well.'

He blinked, hesitated, and dropped back.

We found our ferry within minutes of departure and boarded it, along with most of our escorts. Still, there was nothing they could do. Here. Their time might come when we'd have to leave the crowd behind to reach our lodgings, our kits, and our horses. I didn't know what Ren had in mind, but one advantage of traveling with a Loh, I've found, was that you could leave the planning to her, and your concerns as well, if you cared to. I couldn't, but I said nothing.

Ren stood along the railing forward, watching the water slip by and the terraced and forested hills of the valley get slowly closer. I preferred to rest my back against the railing so as to keep an eye on the six guardsmen who had accompanied us, and who were lurking in the shadows of the ferry's open sided deck house keeping an eye on us in turn.

'When we get ashore we'll proceed to our lodgings. Just follow me. We'll see what we can do to shake off our company, but I have a knife and will use it to escape, while they probably won't dare use any lethal on me, even if they are so armed. I believe between the two of us, that we can disable any of them that manage to follow us. We'll saddle up and make our escape,' said Ren without turning around as we approached Rid Cara.

'Right. How I wish I had a stick. They look to be rather big brutes to take on unarmed.'

'Pff! Household Guards. Clumsy doormen. Kick them in... the shins and they'll run off crying.'

'Right.' I'd studied and worked out with various unarmed fighting techniques, though I had little confidence in my ability to actually use them in a fight. But with Ren armed with a knife and a willingness to use it against even six guardsmen who wouldn't dare harm her too much, well, I did not despair of making our escape.

02

We jumped ashore over the railing as soon as the ferry pulled close enough alongside the pier, and hurried across the crowded boardwalk, our pursuers, caught in the press of disembarking passengers, were slow off the mark. We slipped through the crowd as swiftly as we could, leaving them to plow their way through behind us.

As we escaped the press of people, Ren pointed ahead, 'Look!'

On the edge of the boardwalk I spied a mounted rider.

'A Guardsman?'

'Who else?'

'How? How did he get here already? How did they know to find us here?'

'It's been at least two hours now since we met. Mother probably had several dozen mounted guards – even incognito – along with her when she rode out to visit the island. She'd have left half of them behind to guard the horses and carriages. It's been almost three hours now. No doubt they were given orders to guard the most likely harbors where we'd try to escape to.'

Even as we started up the long straight street that stretched up the steep hill, I saw one of our pursuers slip free of the crowd and race towards the mounted Guardsmen. The rest picked up the pace to close up with us.

Ren picked up the pace as well. We dodged down the first of the side streets, and as soon as we had put our pursuers out of sight behind the corner building, she dashed through a gateway into the small courtyard of a hotel, straight through its lobby, and down the central hallway until we saw the light of an open doorway that lead to the back court.

We dashed out, and with a quick glance around the small courtyard, across it for the poured stone terrace wall at the back of it – still a cracked ruin, that was laced with the roots of several large trees growing through it.

'Up we go,' she said, and with a leap, she clambered up the shattered wall using the roots as steps. I followed, and tumbled over the wall to land in the flower bed of either a residence or a small inn.

'This way,' she said, and took off across the narrow lawn to its side wall. A short leap had her scrambling over the top. I followed her over, and we repeated the process – without surprising any residents or guests in those back yards – until we reached a strip of wilderness and un-reclaimed ruins on either side of a little creek that flowed down from the hills. We clambered over the mossy mounds and through underbrush to reach the next street up.

She paused briefly to look up and down the street, before saying, 'Right. Move it!' and shot across the street and into the patch of wilderness on the far side. I followed close behind. Glancing to my right I could see the bulky silhouette of a guardsman at the end of the street. Seeing us, he whistled to alert his comrades, but the fact that they had split up was encouraging should we run into any. We plunged into the creek side wilderness, but only as far as the back wall of the upper terrace. Once more we took to trespassing through the backyards of the residences along the next street.

When we reached the next street, we paused to surveyed the street, catching a brief glimpse of one of the guardsmen turning down the side street, with another racing on ahead to get to the next one up. We waited until both had disappeared down their respective streets before climbing over the wall, racing across the street, and over the next wall. Once more we traversed the next block via the backyards of residences and little inns.

When we came to the next street, she climbed to the top of the wall, and peered about. 'I think we can chance a dash up the hill. Charge,' she added as she pushed herself up and over the wall. I followed.

We raced up the tree shadowed, light speckled street, carefully counting the side streets we passed so as to find ours. Ren, however, pulled up one street short of our hotel, since glancing back had shown that our dash was not entirely unobserved. Still, there were only three guardsmen visible, and they were far down the hill. Taking no chances, we once more took to the backyards to reach our hotel and quarters from the courtyard below. We tumbled into the narrow back alley of our inn and up to our room. Panting, we started to quickly pack. As we did so, a still, rather subdued Ren, snapped a brief command, 'Hurry.'

'Ready in a moment.'

'Good.'

It only took moments, since we traveled light.

Ren glanced out the door, 'Clear. You watch the stable door. I'll saddle the horses,' she added as I followed her out the door, down the steps and around into the long stable that ran below the inn's rooms.

As Ren saddled the horses behind me, she talked. 'I'm certain that Mother would travel, even incognito, with a full squadron of Guardsmen – a hundred, plus as many aids. I suspect that they are barracked in some Jasmyne noble or merchant's estate. It could be two leagues away, or a quarter of a league up the hill from here. No way of telling. Still, a man on a fast horse would've gotten the word to them to saddle up and await orders... No doubt that horseman we saw on the boardwalk is racing with those orders now, so it all depends on just how far he has to ride – and of course, how far they have to ride back. We'll be out of here in a few minutes, and assuming that they can't follow us on horseback, we should be able to slip away, with luck.'

It hadn't been our day for luck, I thought, but didn't say that.

'We have to decide if it's safer to hide out here in the valley or run for Lankara. It's a large valley with a hundred villages and communities to go to earth in. We could wait for the dark days to come around again to escape.

'Or we can take our chances and strike out for the road north and let them try to catch us, if they can. Even if they can mount some sort of pursuit – we could likely be able to stay ahead of them long enough to discourage them. They are, after all, here to escort Mother, not to chase after her feckless daughter, pawn or not. If not, we could likely lose them in the hills...

'They could use relay riders to alert the border guards ahead of us, but I'm certain we could work our way around them. They can't guard more than a few leagues of the border. And I know my way around the hills...' she added, as she slung the saddle on Sela.

'So, what do you say, little brother? Any other ideas?' She asked, glancing across the back of Sela at me. There was no humor in her eyes, this time.

'I've no better ideas...' I muttered. We were only three days from the safety of Lankara riding hard. And yet, it was a big valley with many woods to hide in and little villages to supply our needs. I doubted that they had the manpower to find us if we took to the woods, but that would mean 20 some days of living rough.

'You know that I prefer the safe way, but I can't say which way is safer. I'm anxious for home, so I'd be tempted to say we should give the caravan road for Lankara a try. If it looks iffy, we can take to the woods. But I'll leave it up to you.'

'Right. North to Lankara while we can is what I'm thinking as well. I've a new life to start. No point putting it off any longer...'

We donned our long coats, though we didn't button them. The air was still a little brisk and on a fast horse it could be cold after awhile. We slipped our sword belts over our heads and led the horses out into the narrow ally and mounted up.

'I don't know what to expect. But I think you can do no better than to ride, and if necessary ride as fast as Sela will fly. If we run into trouble, all we can do is to escape in any direction, if necessary.'

I nodded. 'I'll just follow you.'

And with that, we steered our horses for the street.

We rode past one of the guardsmen standing at the cross street. He merely watched us ride by. What else could he do?

When we reached the caravan road to the north, we turned up it. Picking up the pace to a steady long gallop, we left the town behind and started up the long estate, field, and forested slope towards the rugged rim hills, blue in the distance – without any sign of mounted pursuit. Halfway to the rim, that changed. Ren pulled up short and pointed ahead.

'Those don't look like tourists.'

They didn't. Not more than a half a league ahead, three ranks of horses and riders were streaming out of a woods and onto the caravan road. Even without their uniforms on, they looked to be what they were – big, buff Household Guards on strong-built horses.

'By the Blue Lantern, we must be cursed! Now what? They've no reason to assume we are who we are, so perhaps we can just turn down that side road ahead, and let them pass...' I said, in growing despair.

Ren glanced back. 'It looks like we've got company behind us now as well.'

I looked back to see six or seven riders coming up the hill from town.

'I suppose there's no chance they're just tourists.'

'None. We'll just have to run for it – east, if we can. Let's go Ghostwind!'

We started up the road again. We hadn't far to go to reach the first cross road that would likely circle the valley, when glancing down the hill I could see the riders behind us waving their hats to alert their comrades up the hill. They must have seen us, as well, and started down the wide road at a gallop. When we turned down the side road, they responded in kind by turning down another side road that ran parallel to ours, half a dozen terraced fields above us.

Sela and Ghostwind set the pace, and it was a fast one. Sela and I kept up, I holding tight and keeping my head low as the wind whipped by. We had a slight lead and as we raced across the valley, and with a slight advantage by having the inside track, we gained on the large upper road pursuit. The guardsmen who had been following us, had taken the road below us so we were trapped between the two groups and even our little lead would do little good, since there was nothing to be gained by racing around and around the valley. We'd have to get by the Guardsmen above us if we wanted to escape. And we'd need a fair lead to do it.

We raced by the walled estates, the tea gardens, terraced fields, woods and little villages, slowly gaining on our pursuers. Going through the woods we'd be out of sight of both pursuing parties, but not for long enough – nor were any large enough to offer any chance of concealment for long, so we raced on. I didn't know what Ren was planning, but I resigned myself, as a plaything of fate, to whatever end Fate and Ren decided. Sela and I just followed her in the pale wake of dust Ghostwind kicked up.

We had almost quartered the valley when we entered a large, long woods, clattered over a stone bridge over a deep ravine with a stream tumbling down it from the rim hills. At this point we were once again out of sight of both bands of our pursuers, so that if we were ever to take to the woods, this might be our best chance, as it was the most extensive forested area we had encountered.

But Ren did not stop. Not, anyway, until we reached its far side. She reined up only briefly. 'It's now or never!' she called out and then started up the narrow lane that ran along the edge of the forest all the way to the rim hills. We were now riding towards the pursuing Guardsmen.

It took only a minute or so before we reached and raced past the road that our pursuers were pacing us on. Casting a quick look down it as we passed, I saw the mounted Guardsmen bounding through the forest shade, just before the bridge, perhaps a hundred paces away from the crossroad. A faint cry reached us as they saw us. Rounding the corner at the crossroads, they took after us with renewed energy, breaking their orderly ranks as the fastest horses and boldest riders surged ahead in our dusty wake.

Up and up we raced them along the forest toward the final steep hills and woods of the valley's rim. I glanced back only once to find the lead Guardsman within 20 paces of Sela's flowing tail, and a dozen more not all that far behind him.

And then we were in the shadows of a deep woods, racing through the pines and the twisting canyons that the pale blue shadowed lane flowed through. By the time we cleared the rim forests and started down the slope to the rolling farmlands beyond, we were leading a pack of a dozen riders by not more than 30 paces.

Ghostwind and Sela were feeling the effects of the pace, and so our pace was gradually slowing, allowing the faster horses of our pursuers to close in on us – the leaders within a few paces of Sela's tail. Still, as a matter of pride, Sela would let them get no closer, and then there was the question, what could – or would – they do if they got closer? However, within half a league these fast horses began to fade back. Ren had not selected Ghostwind and Sela for blazing speed, but for stamina, and that now was paying dividends, as our lead slowly lengthened, not only on the Household Guard's fastest horses but on the entire pursuit behind them.

'Big, showy horses, just like their riders,' said Ren, later, when we had a chance to talk. 'Fine for parades, but not for real field work.'

The farmlands flowed by for perhaps half an hour before we reached the final crossroad that lead to the caravan route to Tardina on the Jasmyne side of the border, and then across the Tar Steppes to the steppe city of Seris and the rail line that ran through it from Kara to Jasmyna. Once on the wide caravan road, with its long lines of wagons and pack trains, which slowed our pace, we reined in to allow our horses a chance to catch their breaths. The pursuing Guardsmen did likewise, now content to merely keep us in their sight.

'What next?' I asked, as Sela and I pulled up alongside of Ren and Ghostwind.

She shrugged. 'I don't think we can open a large enough lead to slip out into the steppe lands unobserved... Still a long chase over the steppes might be our best chance... But I don't know this steppe. Once we reach the Jasmyne border, I'll be in the country I'm very familiar with. I spent 50 seasons patrolling the Tecarn Hills, the Tar Steppes, and Dura Hills beyond with the Imperial Lancers.'

'Can we hide out in the hills?'

She shrugged again – clearly not her old self. 'Oh, I know them well enough. I spent many a season on patrol and chasing bandits through those hills. But the problem is that we'd be the bandits now, and well, the Imperial Lancers likely have a squadron or two stationed in Tardina. They'd know the Tecarn hills every bit as well as I. So it would depend on how many troopers they can deploy, and how determined they'd be to capture us. I suspect that they'll get orders to spare no effort, and that would include putting a bounty on us, so that we'd have all the hill people watching for us as well...'

'Could we push on around and beyond Tardina – all the way to Seris or some other small station on the rail line to Lankara?'

She shook her head. 'No. We'd still have to deal with the Lancers on station in Tardina, and likely the Household Guards behind us. They'll be able to exchange their spent mounts for fresh ones at Tardina. Against fresh horses we'd not stand a chance of outracing them on the steppes. They'd quickly run us to the ground in a flat out race, even with the lead that stopping to exchange horses would give us.'

'So it's the hills?'

She sighed. 'I think that will be our best chance. I know them well, and can play the bandit better than most bandits. As for the hill peoples, well, I've still some gold coins – what can be bought with a promise of coins, and be un-bought with coins in hands. And I have friends in these hills...

'We'll leave the road several hours before Tardina and ride for the hills. We'll be followed, of course, but once in the hills I doubt the Guardsmen will continue to push us hard. They'll likely be content to make certain we don't double back by setting up pickets along the edge. They'll let the Lancers track us down...'

She shook her head. 'I shouldn't be so gloomy. We're riding ahead of our news and any orders, so we'll have at least a quarter of a day to take cover in the hills, camp and rest the horses. And with any luck, most of the Lancers will be on patrol, so we won't have to deal with more than a detachment or two...'

She paused to consider our options. 'We could just push north through the hills, but we'd have to run the risk of running into bounty hunters. Or we could cross over them before turning north. It'd be upland steppes riding – fast traveling. We'd skirt the Tecarn Cauldron to reach the Dura Hills, work our way through them and we're in Lankara in five days, with a little luck. But let's see how it plays out.'

'We're owed a little luck. I won't say more. I don't want to tempt fate more than we have. But well, as a Lancer yourself, I'm sure that you'll make a very wily bandit.

'I hope you're right, little brother,' she said, with a rather sad excuse for a smile.

02

We rode for hours with the newly risen Yellow Lantern shining on our faces. We passed dozens of caravans moving east and west. And then, when the Tecarn Hills grew to a wide and rugged blue line across the horizon, about an hour out of Tardina, we left the caravan road and started across the steppes. Most of our pursuers followed, though several continued on to Tardina to turn out whatever Imperial Lancers were on station there.

The horses were growing very weary by the time we reached the hill country and started up the tree dotted slopes. They pushed on, on pride, and perhaps the knowledge that once we reached the steep hills and the thick cover, we'd have to walk rather than ride. Still, by the time we reached the hills proper – rugged, steep, boulder strewn and forested and dim in the shadows of the hills above us – the horses were carrying us no faster than we could've walked.

Sore and stiff, we slipped off our weary horses and looked back. The Guardsmen had already dismounted and were hurrying forward on foot in one last effort to capture us. However, they were still a thousand paces behind us, so with Ren in the lead, we started up the steep slope into the dark shadows under the trees and the towering boulders. It was a stiff climb up the forested, boulder littered hill, but even so, we quickly put the Guardsmen out of sight.

We walked several hours up into the hills, avoiding the open plateaus that might give observers below a clue to our course. Finally, too weary to continue, Ren found a small, boulder sheltered clearing with grass for the horses, and we called it a day.

Backs against a Yellow Lantern warmed rock, wrapped in our long coats, and chewing on some tough saddle rations, we fought our eyelids to keep them open long enough to finish our light meal. I could've used a cup of tea, but we didn't want to risk a fire.

'I'm sorry, Kel,' said Ren. She had said little during the whole of the our escape, and I had not pressed her – saving my breath for the next footfall, and the one after that.

'For what?'

'For this. For everything. Perhaps I should have trusted Lefe to look after you back in Azera. I'm sure he would've done all he could. But with the Prime Consul raving about how you were a secret agent and he'd have you up against the wall to be a quill cushion – well, I couldn't take the chance that Lefe might not prevail. He – well both of us – had failed to prevail against our parent's wishes up to that point, so getting you out of the way seemed the safest course. Besides, I felt... Responsible for you and how things turned out. I knew I was twisting that old dog's tail. I wanted to make him angry and embarrassed. I'm just sorry, Kel that I dragged you into my game. And I'm truly sorry how it all turned out.'

I summoned the energy to turn my head to look at her. 'Pff! As you would say. Why all the doom and gloom? We've got all of the Tecarn Hills to hide in and rations for five or six days. We can be as cautious as need be.'

She just shrugged, not even giving me a glance.

'Don't let your mother get you down. Where's the old cheerful sparrow of a Ren Loh?'

She just shrugged. 'Toss me the canteen,' she said wearily.

I did as ordered, and left her be.

Later, unable to keep my eyes open, I asked, 'Do we need to keep watches?'

'I don't think neither of us could stay awake. It shouldn't matter. I sleep light on the trail.'

I didn't argue.

03

The Yellow Lantern was a little higher in the sky when Ren shook me awake.

'Trouble?'

She shook her head. 'No, but we should be on our way.'

I glanced at my chronometer. It showed the third hour of the second quarter, and was still ticking, so that was probably correct.

'A light breakfast. No tea. And then we'll be on our way,' she said, grabbing her saddle and marched to the resting Ghostwind who dutifully rolled off his side and rose to his hooves as she approached, as did Sela.

I ate a scant breakfast of saddle rations, gave Sela her lump of sugar and saddled her like the old hand I had become. 'Where to?' I asked Ren after I had strapped on my saddle bags.

Sleep had not improved her spirits. She replied listlessly, 'We still have those two options I outlined yesterday. The first is to follow these hills north. We passed several trade trails on the way up, and there are several more on the east side of the range. They'd make travel fairly easy. But they'd also make discovery much more likely, since both the Lancers and the tribes know and use them. If both are searching for us, we run the risk of handing ourselves over to them. If we avoided the trade trails, it would double our travel time, and we'd still run the risk of running into the tribes who might be scouring the hills for game.

'The second option, cutting over the hills and out into the steppes gives us more options. Running north along the hills would be the fastest, but, it'd likely be heavily patrolled. However, if we ride east along the southern edge of the Cauldron, we'd reach not only the Dura Hills, but if we pushed on a bit further, we would reach the rail line from Jasmyna to Kara at Seris Station. There, we might be able to stowaway on one of the goods wagons, though word of us is probably on its way there already. But if we could, it's less than a day's journey to Sincara on the Lankarian side of the border.'

'Crossing the hills does seem to give us two tempting options. But it's your choice.'

'If we can get across and out of these hills without being sighted, we can cut across the steppes and have a good chance of reaching the Dura Hills since I know my way around these steppes and they're hard to patrol in any strength.

'That sounds like our best bet.'

She nodded. 'That's what I'm thinking. Trust our luck. In four hours we could be running free.'

And with that, we started off, leading the horses since we were still in the rugged heights of the hills and not following any trail. We had several hours of climbing before the eastern sky was clear down to the flowing steppes beyond the screen of trees. Ahead of us, and a little to the north rose the faint, pale pillar of smoke, steam, and gasses arising from the Tecarn Cauldron.

Picking our way down through the boulder strewn forest was a bit easier than climbing, but Ren still took it cautiously. 'They're likely to have patrols picketed all along this side of the slope, since they know where we want to go.'

Still, we seemed to have had the hills to ourselves, with only the hawks soaring over the whispering pines, restlessly stirring in the warm east wind. We paused three or four times to allow Ren to slip ahead and climb to the top of a boulder and lie, studying the lay of the land with her long-view glass. Each time she returned shaking her head, 'No sign of any activity.'

'That's good, isn't it?'

She sighed. 'I wish I could say it was. But I find it strange. Perhaps the entire regiment is on patrol elsewhere, so we have only the Household Guards behind us. Still...'

'Still?'

'Still they could just be lying in wait to ambush us when we show ourselves. They know our ultimate goal and what we have to do to get there. Perhaps they just decided to wait for us to come to them.'

'Yes, I suppose. Still, it's only been half a day since they received their orders. That's not a lot of time to get a regiment into position to intercept us.'

She shrugged. 'True. Oh, well, we've no reason to change our plans. Onward.'

We paused on the edge of the steep slope to eat our midday meal. Ahead of us was the open high country, a long rolling hillside clothed in long grass and dotted with old pines. Ren spent a long time searching the slope for any flash of weapons or movement with her long-view glass. Finally, shoving it closed, she said. 'Mount up.'

As I mounted, she added, 'If we should get separated, don't worry about me, just keep riding for Lankara.'

I gave her a long look. She glanced to me, saw me studying her, and gave me a little smile and a shrug. 'Sorry. I guess, I'm a little spooked. I've lost faith in my luck.'

'Well, you still have your skills.'

'I hope so. Let's go, Ghostwind.'

Sela, who seemed to take her orders from Ghostwind, started off as well.

We rode down the long slope in silence.

We didn't see them until we reached the edge of the tree line that marked where the hills flowed into the rolling steppes ahead. They had their horses down in the grass in the deep shade of a stand of pines, not five hundred paces from us as we passed. They – a detachment of twenty – hauled their mounts to their feet and leaped on them, the trumpeter blowing charge as the horses bounded towards us.

Ren looked to me and said, 'Sorry,' as Ghostwind and Sela launched themselves into flight as well.

In the distance to the north, and south, we heard the faint reply of trumpets from other picket forces, hidden along the edge of the hills. With Imperial Lancers to our right and left, we raced across the Tar Steppes with the regiment of Imperial Lancers in close pursuit.

I will say this, Ren had an uncanny eye for horses. Ghostwind and Sela gave us their all – for hour after hour, flying through the tall grasses of the steppes, over ridge and dry hollows, keeping the Lancers at bay while the sinister column of smoke and steam grew ever closer, ever taller as Ren steered for the southern edge of it. She hoped to follow it around, putting our pursuit all behind us. By the end of the third quarter of the day, we found ourselves nearing the edge of it. However, the Lancers were on horses that had not given their all for two days, closing in on us.

We came to the top of a ridge, and before us spread the great valley of the Tecarn Cauldron, the ruined land not a hundred paces before us – a land of dead, tumbled earth that fell as far as one could see into the hazy depths of the cauldron. I'd seen one before, and this one was no less imposing. No less haunted.

Ren reined in. She almost seemed to be holding Ghostwind on his feet by the reins. Sela pulled up as well, heaving hard. Ren stood in the saddle and looked back and around. The patrols to the south of us, had managed to nearly catch up, while the ones directly behind us were close enough now that she could see her old troopers without her long-view glass.

'They've gotten the angle on us,' she said, pointing to the horsemen to our right. 'They'll cut us off shortly.'

I looked back. We had no chance to double back, several detachments were riding along the edge of the cauldron's ruined land.

Ren sat back down and stared ahead at the dead, ruined land. She shook her head. 'I'll not kill myself. If Mother wants me dead, she'll have to do it herself. But if you want to take your chances, Kel, go on ahead. I can assure you they'll not pursue you into the ruined lands.'

I shook my head. 'I'll take my chances with you.'

'I fear the result will be the same,' she said lowly, and turned Ghostwind about to greet her regiment.

19 The Final Act

01

Ren sat straighter in the saddle as the first detachment arrived and wearily surrounded us. The lieutenant in charge edged his glistening, steaming horse forward and saluted.

'Lieutenant Loh.'

She returned the salute, 'Lieutenant Kre... Lem.'

'You've led us on a merry chase, Ren. I was afraid for a moment there, that you might risk the broken lands.'

She shook her head. 'No, Lem, we've both seen that is a course to a certain death, haven't we? I'm not ready to die quite yet.'

'I'm very happy to hear you say that. We're Imperial Lancers. Never say die.'

'We are. Now you have us. Do your duty, Lieutenant.'

He smiled sadly, shaking his head, and with a glance back said, 'Captain Aven will be here shortly. You are my senior, after all, Lieutenant Loh.'

She smiled and nodded. And then as we waited for the arrival of Captain Aven's detachment, she greeted the troopers she knew by name who had surrounded us on their heaving, steaming mounts. They returned her greetings with a nod and a fond, sheepish grins.

Captain Aven's detachment arrived with a rumble of hooves that formed a second ring of troopers around us. The Captain, a slim, straight man walked his horse through the path made by the troopers to stop next to Ren. She saluted him, and he returned it. He then looked at her silently for a few moments, sadly shaking his head ever so slightly.

'A sorry situation.'

'Yes, sir.'

'We must do our duty, Lieutenant.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Did you forget that?' he asked quietly.

'No, sir. There is duty, and there is honor. I had to choose. I chose honor.'

'Or pride?'

'Honor and pride,' she allowed.

He shook his head again, and sighed. 'A sorry situation. I've orders to arrest you on the charge of treason, and escort you to Fort Carn. If you give me your word not to attempt to escape, you can ride with us there unbound. Otherwise, I will need to have your weapons, bind your hands, and lead your horses.'

'And my friend?'

Captain Aven looked at me for the first time. 'I've orders to collect him as well.'

'On what charges?'

He shrugged. 'On the orders of the Empress.'

'He's a Lankarian, and guilty of only kindness to me. I dragged him along to spare him the unreasoning wrath of the Prime Consul. Let him ride free.'

Captain Aven shook his head. 'I see it as my duty to follow my orders. The Empress has ordered me to bring him in along with you. If he is innocent, I am sure he has nothing to worry about. He can catch a rail for home at Carn station, which will save him a long ride through the hills. So what is it, Lieutenant? Your word or the indignity of traveling as a prisoner?'

Ren cocked her head and looked down on him. 'I am not prepared to surrender, sir. You can have my weapons – I would not use them against my fellow Lancers in any case – and you can bind my hands. It is up to you to keep me.'

He smiled and nodded. Turning to Lieutenant Kre, he said, 'Relieve Lieutenant Loh of her sword and lever-bow.' And looking to me, 'And you sir? Your word or your weapons?'

'I believe that I would like to escape along with Lieutenant Loh when she does, so I'll not give my word.'

Ren flashed me a quick, bright, smile – the first I'd seen since she had her talk with her mother.

Captain Aven gave me a sharp look, before nodding. 'As you wish.'

The Captain then ordered a rest and a meal while the rest of his squadron arrived from their scattered posts along the edge of the hill. Over the cook fires, plans were made, orders were given, and messengers were dispatched back to Tardina and ahead to Fort Carn.

Ren was, at first, treated with distant respect, and then, over the meal and tales told, in the comfortable comradely of a Lancer of 200 seasons by one and all. It was my impression that everyone treated this as an affair between a willful mother and a willful daughter, into which they were unwillingly dragged. They expected to laugh about it, in time. I hoped they were right.

After the meal, when it was time to push on, the Captain asked Ren once more if she would give her word. She laughed and refused again. 'You'll have to keep me, sir.'

He nodded, sadly, and said to Kre, 'Bind her hands behind her. Securely.'

'And his?' asked Kre, looking to me.

Captain Aven looked to me, and shook his head. 'Don't bother. He'll go nowhere without our Lieutenant.'

True enough. Still, I had thought I'd grown more dangerous than that. Perhaps if I still had my whiskers.

With the horses spent, it took us two days to ride along the edge of the cauldron and on to Carn station. The Captain took no chances with Ren. Her hands were unbound only for meals and necessities and though I formulated desperate plans, I was given no opportunity to attempt them since I rode with the troopers, while Ren rode with the officers in the lead. When we stopped to camp or eat I had no chance to talk to Ren alone and the Captain posted plenty of sentries around the perimeter and the horses to prevent the unbound Ren from escaping.

Late in the second day, Fort Carn appeared on the broad, steppe horizon – a sprawling bone white, poured stone walled fort, with a dusty city strung between the fort and the rail station, half a league to the east. I was shown a large bare cell with small windows and a door that locked from the outside.

Once Ren was led away to her quarters, I didn't see her again.

02

The following day I was interviewed by the fort commandant, Major Yete. I politely asked to know what the charges were lodged against me and why I was being held a prisoner. He answered rather sheepishly that I was being held on orders of the Empress, which was sufficient. I asked if they had laws in Jasmyne, and if so, what law had I broken. He said that they had an Empress in Jasmyne, and that I should direct my questions to her, as he was only following orders. I then played my Lankarian citizenship, and my family card. I named my relatives in high Lankarian government posts, and warned Major Yete that once this ill treatment of me was known, it would cause a great deal of headaches in the Jasmyne foreign office. People would be blamed...And it wouldn't be the Empress. It would be overzealous people like Major Yete. And while there was some truth to this claim, it was mostly bluff.

None of this sprung me, but I think that I did manage to make Major Yete, an honorable man, feel rather guilty for keeping me a prisoner without a charge. After that I easily talked him into providing me with pen, ink and a thick stack of paper which I have used to set down the account you are now reading.

'If any one questions you on this matter, just tell them that I said it was my written confession,' I said.

'Why, I suppose it can be considered that. All, right, if it will make you happy.'

'It will, but I'd be happier when I am allowed to see Lieutenant Loh.'

He shook his head. 'I've strict orders about that. Our Lieutenant Loh is to be held in isolation. She is one of us, and I rather suspect that the Empress doesn't quite trust all of us... Still, we're all soldiers of the Empress and will do our duty.'

I've now gotten Major Yete to promise to send this account along to my old friend Ore Bay, if, for any reason, I could not take it with me when I was released. I assured him that my friend was a noted historian who could be counted on to be discreet in its use, should it ever come to that.

Other than being denied any contact with Ren, I was made as comfortable as it was possible, for being a prisoner. I ate well. I was given leave to roam most of the fort as long as I was accompanied by an old trooper by the name of Sargeant Bine. He'd spin stories of his hundreds of seasons riding the hills and steppes with the Imperial Lancers while we walked the parade grounds or for the hours we sat in the shade and sweet fragrances of the elaborate fort flower garden. With Bine at my side, I became a familiar figure around the fort, and by the end of the bright days I would greet many of the officers by name and gossip with their wives in the garden. Though I asked, and begged, Bine would not tell me where Ren was being held. Nor did we run into her when I was out and about. No doubt she was allowed much less freedom than I was since she was deemed competent enough to escape. I wasn't. Nor was I, I suppose, though in my defense, I didn't try. I didn't think it necessary. I felt it wiser to make as many friends in the Imperial Lancers as possible as a bulwark against any unfair treatment I might be subjected to.

And so, the seven long, bright, and twilight days passed, marked only by the ticking of my chronometer and the passage of the Yellow Lantern from overhead to the west. Though nothing was said about Ren's future, and thus mine, I knew that it rested upon the Empress' negotiations with the Prime Consul in Tiladara. I told myself to expect being sent back to Azere, but I could not extinguish all hope that I'd be taken across the town to the rail station to be put on a rail carriage and sent home to Lankara. I had no hope of such an easy escape for Ren. I don't know what her mother said to her on Pillar Rock, but whatever it was, it had taken much of the life out of her.

During the third quarter of the second twilight day, a messenger hurried into the garden where Bine, I, and some of the ladies of the fort were gossiping. He drew Bine aside for a moment, after which Bine hurried me back to my prison quarters, without an explanation. Within the hour I've heard the regimental band playing from my cell. It seemed possible, indeed likely, that the Empress herself had arrived, though perhaps, an official like the Foreign Secretary Shana Lee might warrant a band greeting as well. As I listened by my barred window, I seemed to recognize the anthem of Azere in with the tunes, which was very curious. It suggested that some Azerian official had arrived as well. I tried not to, but couldn't help but feel that was somehow sinister.

I've asked Fax, who brought me my dinner, who had arrived, but he merely shook his head, and said, 'Sorry, sir.' before hurrying away. No one else has come around after dinner, so that I've spent the evening bringing this account up to date. What happens next, well, I guess, time will tell.

03

Sargeant Bine woke me out of a sound sleep. It was dark and the rain had come.

'Get dressed quickly,' he growled setting down the oil lantern he was carrying to shove my clothes at me. 'Time is of the essence.'

'Huh?' I mumbled, prying my eyes open and swinging my legs off the pallet to sit up. I picked up my chronometer from the low stand beside my pallet. 'Why it's not even the second quarter yet! What's going on?'

He shook his head grimly.

'You know something, Bine. Tell me.'

He shook his head again. 'I do as I'm ordered. My orders are to get you across to the Garrison Quarter on the double. So move, or I'll have the guards dress you.'

This, I supposed, was the reckoning. Why it had to be so early, I couldn't say, but, well, so be it. There was no point in not moving, so I quickly dressed. After I had donned my boots and jacket, I stood and grabbed my hat. 'I'm ready, Bine.'

He stepped close and looking me in the eyes, and said, 'Do you trust me, Kel?'

I never had a reason to consider that question, but it seemed an easy question. 'Yes. You've been very considerate.'

'Do you trust me absolutely, without question?'

Looking into his grim, lantern lit face, eyes hooded in shadows, I said, 'Yes.' I had to trust him. There was a friendship between us, of sorts, and I'd been trying to build friendships in Fort Dorn for this day. I didn't think I could go wrong trusting Bine, absolutely.

'Do exactly what you're told to do, no matter what, without question. Got that? No matter what. Those are your orders.'

'Ah, right,' I said, and bit back more questions, since I'd just promised to trust him.

He nodded, and said, 'Then let's go. They're waiting for you.

Bine was joined by four other guards and I was hustled out into the very dark and wet new day, the first of the rain days. We splashed across the sprawling fort to the large Garrison headquarters building with only one block of the complex showing lights in the windows. I was hustled into a very dim, lantern lit, antechamber. There we were met by a slight figure; I could not tell if it was a man or woman since his or her face was hidden in the shadows under the hood of the long rain cloak she or he wore. From what little I saw of the hooded figure's lower face, I got the impression of age – hollow cheeks and wrinkles. I seemed to be the object of his or her interest. And then with a nod, I and my guards were dismissed, and we continued on through the building to another slightly brighter room.

It was almost entirely bare, containing only a large wooden table just inside the door, with a bright spark-lamp on it. The four guards took their positions – two by the door and two on the far side of the table.

'Take off your jacket and shirt and don this,' said Bine, picking up a long, plain white shirt from the table.

I darted a question at him with my eyes, biting back saying the question out loud.

'It's custom,' he said, answering the unsaid question.

'For what?'

'You'll know soon enough. Move, we haven't all season,' he replied gruffly. Uncharacteristically so. He gave me a dark, dangerous look. And a fleeting wink. The effect was a warning, and a reminder.

Remembering my promise, I said nothing more, and stripped off my jacket and shirt. Pulled the long white shirt over my head, I found that it fell to almost my knees. 'Should I tuck it in?'

He shook his head. 'That will not be necessary. This is how it is worn. Right. Now we wait.'

I was tempted to ask, "For what?" but I suspected that I knew his answer, "You'll know soon enough."

Instead, I glanced around the room. There was something subtly wrong with it. It was either smaller than it seemed to be, or the dark shadows at the far end of it were not shadows, but heavy, black bright day sleeping curtains. As my eyes adjusted, I was certain that the darkness was black curtains, but the windows of the room were not on that wall...

I turned away. I'd a feeling that wasn't something I was supposed to pay attention to. I must have been standing there, getting ever colder in the thin white shirt for almost quarter of an hour before I heard a door creak, and a lieutenant that I did not recognize pushed out through the curtains at the far end.

'Bind the prisoner's hands, Sargeant,' he snapped, handing some leather straps to Bine.

'What's this all about, Lieutenant?' I demanded, my suppressed fears breaking out.

I was immediately grabbed from behind.

He didn't bother to reply, but nodded to Bine. 'Get it done. We haven't all day.'

Bine stepped in front of me and looking me in the eyes to remind me of my promise, said quietly, 'It would be best if you cooperated, sir. Your hands.'

I tried to swallow my fears and thrust out my hands and he bound them together.

'And now the gag, Sargeant.' snapped the lieutenant. 'We want this affair neat and orderly. No fuss.'

I suppose at some level I knew, but with all of Bine's trust me talk, I hadn't allowed that thought to enter my conscious mind until the lieutenant gave the order. I was going up against the execution ground wall. The thought just left me mercifully numb. I could think of only one question.

As Bine stepped close, I whispered, 'Ren?'

'She's gone before you,' he replied in a low voice, and then with the help of one of the guards, strapped the leather gag over my mouth. He gave me another grim look – but I no longer knew how to take them.

'Right. Let's go. We haven't all day,' snapped the lieutenant.

It seemed I hadn't, in any case.

I was nearly lifted off my feet and marched through the far door out into a dark hallway. Halfway down we stopped by a door and the lieutenant stepped close, leaned in and looking me in the eyes, said, 'We have no time to spare. I am going to remove this gag. You are to say nothing at all. I am going to give you something to drink. Drink it all down. It will make everything easier for you. You've been told to trust us. Do you?'

What choice did I have? And if it made dying easier... I nodded, yes.

'Right.' he said and nodded to one of the guards behind me to loosen the gag. It slipped down to my neck.

The lieutenant was handed a small cup from someone in the doorway we had stopped in front of. 'Drink this down in one swallow. It tastes horrible I'm told. You'll feel its effects almost immediately. Don't show any, if you can help it. Die when you should.' He placed the cup in my two bound hands.

I lifted it and drank it down. It tasted horrible.

The gag was reattached and I was marched on ahead. By the time we reached the door to the execution ground, I was feeling needles in my legs and arms, and I was feeling dizzy. I was half carried out into the rain, and then stood alongside two large oil lanterns for several long moments, before someone half seen, gave a quiet order, and my escort marched me to the far wall. By this time, only my guards were keeping me upright. They spun me around and lifted me up a bit, hung my bound hands over a hook set in the wall.

A hood was slipped over my head, and I hung there for... For some period of time, I was no longer paying much attention to life, as the drug they'd given me took effect.

I believe I heard some orders out of the surrounding darkness.

The lever-bow quills that struck my chest drove me back against the wall, but I was dead before they hurt.

Chapter 20 The Afterlife

01

I was in a swaying, jolting darkness. And every little rhythmic jolt, hurt. Every breath I needed to draw, hurt. Even every little creak and groan out of the darkness seemed to hurt, including the patter of the rain in the darkness. The smothering darkness was a blanket of hurt.

Eventually, I had enough of just hurting, and groaned a low growl of protest. That hurt. But I did it again anyway, since not doing it hurt as much.

And then I yelped and tried to move – that hurt a lot – when something unseen in the darkness – began crawling along my arm. I tried to pull it away, but my arm refused to follow orders. I tried to roll away, but couldn't, though the effort hurt. A lot.

It reached my hand, and fumbled with it. I felt warm fingers intertwining with mine.

I grasped those fingers, and held that hand. And everything felt much better, even if every little thing still hurt.

02

It wasn't raining in the next clear memory of mine. And nothing was moving, save the darkness. It was flickering. Or rather the small fire in the fireplace against the opposite wall was doing the flickering. I watched it for a time, trying to piece together the events that had brought me here. Wherever here was. Whatever I was. I did have the vague memory of being hung on the execution wall. And of being executed.

And of a hand to hold, later on.

I turned my head to one side, and then the other. A dark figure in the corner, noting my movements, stepped over and bent down above me.

'How are you feeling?'

I croaked a noncommittal reply. I was feeling, which was probably more than I should have expected. It still hurt when I drew a breath, but it seemed that I'd grown used to it. It didn't bother me as much.

'Ren?' I tried to say, and must have succeeded to some extent, since the figure replied, 'She's fine, like you. Here, have a sip of water.'

I thought fine was rather optimistic. Alive seemed a more accurate statement. Still, we were, indeed, alive, somehow. Which was fine.

I sipped my water, and had almost dozed off again when a door opened and another dark figure came in. A short, square figure.

'How's he faring?' he asked in a low, deep voice as he stepped around to my side. I couldn't make out more than his outline in the low, flickering light.

'He's fine,' replied my first shadow.

'I'm alive,' I croaked, to correct the assessment.

'More than you have any right to be.'

I would have argued otherwise, if it wouldn't have hurt so much. Instead I just made a non-committal grunt.

'I'm Len Cea, late of the Imperial Lancers. Sargeant Bine has asked me to look after you and Lieutenant Loh. Bena, my mother has been your nurse. This is her house on my family's farmstead. We want to keep this matter as quiet as possible, so you're to stay here with my mother and her companion while you recover. Our farmstead is outside of Durintra. My mother doesn't entertain much and I don't expect visitors here. If there are any, please keep out of sight, if you can. We don't want gossip.

'I know you have many questions, and I assure you that Sargeant Bine has given me all the answers. However, they can wait for a few days until you are feeling better. We don't want anything to come undone. So just rest and let your body heal. I assure you that you and Lieutenant Ren are safe here, so you can rest easily.'

I nodded. I didn't want anything to come undone... Whatever anything was.

At a later awakening, I discovered that the anything was four red, and very sore, half-healed holes in my chest. It seems that my execution had not been a dream, however dreamlike my memory of it had become.

As more time passed – my chronometer had stopped, so I cannot say how much – these episodes became longer and ever more coherent. I was looked after by the kind, but stoic Bena, who, she assured me, knew nothing of my past, and so I learned nothing of the circumstances that brought me there. In unrecorded time, I graduated from water to broth, and then solid food I learned little more – that I was on the farm of Len Cea, Captain Cea formerly of the Imperial Lancers. When I asked about Ren, as I often did, both Len and his mother told me not to worry – she was doing fine. She was as much concerned about my welfare as I was about hers. As soon as we were able to get up and around, we'd be able to get together. In the meanwhile, I was to get better so I could see her, and she, me.

I made getting up and about, carefully, a priority. My legs were sound enough, but moving, and more so, breathing in anything but shallow breaths, was painful – though I was told that I must breathe deeply. When I next awoke, I managed to get to my feet and was standing, swaying slightly, despite holding on to a walking stick, and ready to tackle the stairs down to the farmhouse's main rooms, when the door opened and a slight figure carefully walked in, followed by the more square one.

'Kel! You are up and about,' Ren said, shuffling as best she could over to me. 'I was so worried.'

'Ren,' I said as we hugged –very briefly and painfully. And laughed, painfully.

'I'm so sorry,' she whispered, as she pulled back to gaze at me.

I just croaked a laugh and waved it feebly off.

'Sit down by the fire you two,' commanded Captain Cea 'I'm tired of your questions, so I'll give you both your answers at one sitting.'

We hobbled over to the fire and found some low stools to sit on. Ren and I both searched each other's face to assure ourselves that the other was indeed, on the mend. It was hard to tell in the low, flickering light.

'Right. Here's the tale as Sargeant Bine told me. It is a simple one. Your deaths were the price of the trade treaty between Jasmyne and Azera. A steep price, to be sure – the daughter of the Empress... and of course you, Scholar Cam. It seems that Lieutenant Loh had, by her actions, compromised the word and integrity of the Empress, which then had to be restored. We're talking about the fate of empires, here, so I suppose those stakes justify the blood of two people if it insures the eventual triumph of one throne over the other, even if it is the blood of one of those thrones. At least, when viewed from those thrones,' he paused, and then added, with a look to Ren, 'Marriage I think would've been a better deal.'

'But no more honorable,' replied Ren.

'Perhaps,' allowed Cea, who then continued, 'But in any event, that arrangement had been carried away by the east wind. I imagine that a marriage between a Loh and a Sol will, someday, be brought about, hopefully more successfully. However, if the treaty was to be signed now, and the Empress wanted it signed now, a price had to be paid for a contract broken, since even with you in hand, neither the Empress nor the Prime Consul could trust you to carry out the original understanding. And that price, the Prime Consul insisted, was to be paid in blood. I gather that the Azerian Prime Consul demanded it. It was a matter of pride. And so, in order that there be no question of evasions, this time, he was offered, and accepted, the opportunity to witness your execution.

'You were brought and dressed for the execution at the Regimental Quarters so that he and the others in his party could see that there was no fancy work before the execution wall – no chest armor under the clothing, no substituting hooded victims. Everything as agreed on.'

'But there was fancy work,' said Ren.

'Yes,' agreed Cea with a grin. 'But everything had to look just so to make it convincing. An old Blue Order Master Healer examined you as you entered to determine just the right amount of the very rare drug you were given to approximate death. Not only did it have to be sufficient to do the job – to reduce your life spirits to the point where you could pass for dead – but it could not take full effect before you were marched out and hung on the execution wall. A little wobbliness might be expected, but you could not have been brought out unconscious without raising a lot of suspicion. I gather that she got the amounts right, so everything worked as planned.'

'Which included being shot full of quills. I doubt the drug made us invincible,' I said. 'How did we survive?'

'That part had to be finely tuned as well. The bows of the lever-bow had to be much weakened, and the quills used were shortened to give the appearance of having being sent deeper into your body than they were. Plus their tips were modified with a shallow barbed head that held them firmly in place, even though they were not all that deeply embedded in your chests. Hanging still, as the dead on the execution wall with four quills embedded in your chests, the white blouse growing red with your blood, was very convincing. We then took you to the morgue and laid you out, beside four regular, and suitably bloody quills for inspection. An inspection the Empress insisted on. It was brief enough, and the Prime Consul signed the treaty before breakfast.'

'Is this sort of performance done often?' I asked.

'Oh, my, no. It is very rare. I've never seen it done, but there have been times past when, to protect our network of informants in the unfriendly hills of the frontiers, our intelligence branch needed to give the appearance of executing one of our hill country agents to cover any tracks that would lead to others in our pay. All very hush-hush.

'Did my mother know of the deception, or was this all concocted within my regiment?' asked Ren quietly.

'Oh, come now, Lieutenant Loh. We are the Imperial Lancers and we loyally serve the Empress on the Yellow Throne of Jasmyne. We – most of us anyway – follow orders, especially those that come down to us directly from the Empress. Do you think that I, or my comrades still in service, would dare to deceive the Empress and disobey her orders, even if it meant executing one of our own officers for the good of our empire?'

Ren gave him a long steady look. 'You haven't answered my question, Captain Cea.'

'I believe I have. To have deceived the Empress would put the lives of a fair number of officers and men, including my own, in grave risk, should your survival, against the Empress' orders, become known. However, the same can be said for deceiving the Prime Consul. If he should somehow discover that he'd been deceived, you can imagine his reaction. Blame would fall on the Imperial Lancers, its senior officers and men. So, you see, you will need to stay dead for all of our sakes.

'I've been told that the disappearance of the Loh bride has never been publicly acknowledged, though now, I believe the wedding has been quietly called off. The true facts of the matter are known to relatively few people – top government officials in both courts, some important Azerian nobles, plus the Palace Guards and certain other agencies charged with the search for Ren Loh. Enough people, I am certain, to send a ripple of rumors eventually though all sections of society, but the facts of your, ah, tactical withdrawal from the understanding, remain a closely held secret. As for your execution, it is known to only a handful of people– those who carried it out, and those who watched it being carried out. Those who carried it out were sworn to secrecy, so that even in your old regiment, your fate is – at least officially – unknown. You disappeared in the rain of a rain day. It will be a mystery that will never be solved, if you value your life and the lives of the people who have kept you alive. Have I made myself clear on that point? No one must learn that you are alive.'

Ren nodded. 'That was always my intent. But what about Kel here?'

Cea turned to me. 'Your involvement in this affair – whatever it was – was known to only a few in the upper levels of the court and the nobility involved with the treaty. As far as I know, your disappearance has been ascribed to some tragedy during your bright day travels. An unfortunate encounter with steppe hounds or bandits. Kel Cam, at any rate, must remain dead to the Prime Consul and the court of Azere. I don't know how much of this affair has reached Lankara, but I know that if it became widely known that you were alive, you and Lieutenant Loh would not be safe even in Lankara. Powerful forces would see that your execution was carried out. Your safety depends on as few people knowing that you are alive as possible – and they all must be very, very discreet. Not only your lives, but the fate of empires, even peace, depends on it.'

Ren and I exchanged glances.

Thinking rapidly, I said, slowly, 'Yes, I can see that. I'm not famous, and having been in Azere for some 67 seasons already, no one will be expecting to see me even in Kara where most of the people I know live. I believe that we can start a life anew with only a little, and very discreet involvement by my family once they know the stakes. Perhaps beyond the Blue Lantern. It is still quite the backwater of Lankara.'

Cea nodded. 'You, and your family must be very discreet.'

'Yes. I understand the stakes. I'm certain you can trust us. I shall become a cousin or some other obscure relation.'

'Right. The next order of business is seeing the two of you off to Lankara, as soon as you are fit enough to travel.'

'I believe that program suits me – us – just fine, doesn't it Ren?' I asked turning to her next to me. She had been usually quiet.

'Yes,' she said simply.

03

We slowly walked along one of the farm lanes deep within the Cea family's sprawling farm towards a stand of bamboo at the far end of the lane. The Yellow Lantern had risen once again, and hung low in the eastern sky. We were well on the mend. Our wounds, though still pink and sore, were healed over. It was now merely a question of stamina. As much as Captain Cea would like to see us off, he'd not see us off until he was confident that we could ride through the hills to Lankara without any relapses.

We expected to set out for Lankara in three or four days, once the air was a little warmer and we were stronger every day. Once over the border, we could, if we cared to, board a rail carriage to complete our journey, so that it might take only four or five days.

I was not too concerned about the journey to Lankara. What we would do after that weighed on my mind, in spite of my assurances to Captain Cea. No one expected me back in Lankara, so if I avoided my family, friends, and old haunts in Kara, we could remain anonymous. I was, however, uncertain what sort of position Ren and I would find ourselves in on reaching Lankara. Ren talked of joining one of the Lankarian regiments that patrolled our hill country borders. I suppose that by now, I knew enough, and had ridden horses long enough to get by, once again, as her swordsman. Still, I had hope for something better, for both of us. I felt that I could trust my older brother not only to keep our secret, but use his position as a manager in the family's manufacturing businesses, to find employment for Ren and me in one of the family companies under whatever new identities we adopted. I didn't know how many coins remained sewn in the hems of Ren's jackets and sliced into the soles of her boots, so I didn't know how pressed we'd be to find work and earn the coins we'd need to survive. I didn't feel like it was my place to ask. I still had much of my savings left, so I didn't think we'd starve for a few seasons.

Ren had nearly recovered her old spirits. At least, she was not always apologizing. Still, she had her dark moods as well. She was in one now, as we walked.

'Why so gloomy? What's troubling you?' I asked.

She shrugged.

'Oh, come now. Can I help?'

'No. The thing is, Kel, I need to know if my mother knew of this plot or not.'

'Of course she did. Captain Cea said that they could not do it without her approval. And besides, even if you don't get along with her, she is your mother. I don't think she'd really sacrifice her daughter for a trade treaty both sides really wanted. They would've eventually found a way, and a new bride and groom to take yours and Lefe's place in time. She'd only do it if she knew she could get away with a deception.'

'You don't know my mother.'

'True. Still, you're her daughter. And you are a Loh. In some ways, she could hardly have expected you to act differently than you did. Besides, her plan was to put you close to the Blue Throne of Azere, which I'd see as a sign of trust in you. Putting a Loh up against the execution wall to get a treaty signed is something else entirely.'

'You don't know my mother.' And she wiped away a tear.

'Well, I have gathered that you don't know her all that well, either. I think Captain Cea make it clear that they were acting on her orders.'

'He did no such thing. I have asked him since then, he refuses to give me a straight answer, which I think is telling.'

'He said that they serve the Empress loyally, and would not to dare run the risk of deceiving her.'

'He said no such thing. He merely pointed out the risk of deceiving her, as a warning to stay dead.' She wiped away another tear with the back of her hand.

'Would your regimental officers deceive the Empress to save your life, at the risk of their own?'

'I think they would've. Maybe. You must remember who I am. I am the daughter of their late, and much loved commander. He was a member of the Lancers before he became consort. His family – my family – have long served in the Imperial Lancers. And Captain Cea and my father not only served together in their youth, but were great friends. Captain Cea may well have taken us in for that reason alone. You see, in many ways, the Lancers are my family, and have been for many generations back. I can't help but think that all that history and ties of loyalty would justify what they did, against my mother's orders.'

She was probably right. 'But that doesn't mean that they had to.'

'But I've never been loved...'

'Oh, come now, you have one loving family. The Imperial Lancers, which, at the very worst, have put their lives on the line for yours.'

She smiled, briefly, and wiped a few more tears off her cheeks. 'Yes, I suppose it does. They are my family. And I'm so proud of them. I will miss them, terribly. Still, I must live with the fact that I have a mother who may've had me murdered. How would you feel about that?'

I walked in silence for a moment or two. 'I take your point, Ren. But... But she didn't succeed, should that have been her intention. Besides, she was never much of a part of your old life, so what if it had been? It was Kina Tor who loved and raised you as her daughter. It seems, Ren, that you've earned the love of many more people than most. You're lucky in love. I would take my happiness from that.'

She glanced to me, and said, 'Yes, you are right. I am lucky.'

04

Ghostwind and Sela had grown fat and lazy during our convalescence.

'Why I can hardly get these saddle straps around you,' said Ren, three days after our conversation in the lane.

Ghostwind looked back at her and snickered.

'Never fear, we'll work it off of you,' replied Ren, giving him a pat on his rump.

Once saddled – and well supplied with fresh, farm produced provisions – we thanked Bena, her companion, and her son, Captain Cea for all their kindness. And then, after our goodbyes, we set off at a pace that was unlikely to work much fat off of Ghostwind and Sela. We had time – a dozen bright and twilight days to travel five, maybe six, days along the old caravan road through the hills to the Central Valley of Lankara where we might catch a half a day's rail ride to Kara, if we so chose. Or simply ride on to Kara and still arrive before the rain days.

The old caravan road was lightly traveled. Often we had it to ourselves as we followed the deep, twisting valley through the dark, wooded, Dura Hills. These days most of the trade goods are carried on the rail line that runs alongside the old caravan route all the way from Kara to Jasmyna. Long chains of rail wagons and carriages would rumble past us several times a day. There were still caravanserias along the way, but many had fallen into disrepair. Out of a sense of caution, we avoided these caravanserai stations and instead, camped under the firmament in the ever brighter days. With the weather warm, our journey, at our easy, unpursued pace, had a comfortable, carefree, almost holiday air about it.

We reached the heights over Simcara, the border city of Lankara early on the fifth day.

05

Jasmyne – and Azere, for that matter – were now behind us. We had taken to the high hills to cross the border to avoid any possible trouble crossing over. The Lankarian border town of Simcara now lay half a league behind us, at the bottom of a narrow valley along which the old caravan road and the new rail line flowed. I felt it safe to let out a mental breath I'd been holding for two seasons.

'Welcome to Lankara, Ren,' I said, with a sweep of my arms to take in the wide, hilly world from the top of the tall steep ridge that overlooked that winding, narrow valley. 'You have kept your promise and have seen me home to Lankara.'

'Don't be cruel, Kel. I've done no such thing. I've nearly succeeded in getting you killed. I can't take any credit at all for seeing us here. Others have seen us here.'

'Of course you can – and take all of it. We were the playthings of a cruel fate who delighted in putting obstacles in front of us to conquer. Hopefully it's done with us, but I'll say no more to tempt it.'

'Please don't. What's that?' she asked suddenly, looking back and shading her eyes.

My heart skipped a beat. All I could see was the small white town nestled in between the steep ridges.

'That!' she pointed, and drew her long-view glass. 'In the air above the town. See it?'

At this distance, all I could see was a small, bright yellow dot rising up from the edge of town. As I watched the dot resolved itself into a double cross.

'Ah, yes,' I muttered, squinting. 'It looks like one of those flying machines. Probably a courier machine from the military garrison at the edge of town. I believe I've mentioned them.'

'Yes, of course. I've heard of them, but I've never seen one. Have you?'

'Oh, yes. They've been working to perfect them for the last 150 seasons or more. When I was helping out at the family's booth in the Exposition they mentioned that these flying machines have now been perfected to the point where the government would soon be giving the firms licenses to export them outside of Lankara. That said, I don't know how perfect they'd have to be to be licensed for export.'

I glanced back to Ren. She was watching it rise and approach with great intensity.

'Do you know how it works?' she asked, not taking her eye off the machine.

'Ah, vaguely. I mention them in one of my lectures on new inventions, but I don't have my notes with me...' And who knows where they are now. 'But I believe that they have a whirling blade in the front that pulls them through the air. And the air flowing over or under the wings, lifts the machine up. It has something to do with the shape of the wing and speed of the air over the top and under the bottom of the wing, but as I said, I don't have my notes...'

'Never mind. Is it hard to operate those machines?'

I considered my answer for a moment as I watched the flying machine rise up through the clear air like a leaf in the street gutter carried aloft on a little eddy of wind. It was still a little below the ridge line, so I could make out its bright yellow wings – no doubt brightly painted so that its wreckage could easily be found – and the black spark collector panels along the top of the main compartment that helped keep power in its spark-cells. The spinning blade flashed in the low light of the Yellow Lantern. I glanced to Ren and seeing her entranced expression, decided that honesty would be the best policy.

'I believe that anyone foolhardy enough, and with enough coins, can be taught to operate them in a season or two. There was a club of flying machine enthusiasts at the university when I was there.'

'Did you join?'

'Did I mention foolhardy?'

'Pff!' she said, snapping the long-view glasses shut as the machine was now close enough to watch it without them.

'I shall learn to fly them, Kel. That's what I shall do in Lankara!'

That's what I was afraid of. Foolhardy, if not quite accurate, was pretty close to one of Ren Loh's chief characteristics.

'Ah, yes...' I muttered. And thinking fast, added, 'But perhaps you might consider becoming a builder or designer of such machines, or parts of such machines, instead. I would think the inventors would be the people who will be remembered. The operators are like troopers, the inventors are officers. Besides, you had talked about learning a new trade...

'I know that my family's spark-engine firm designs and manufactures spark-engines for such craft. I bet that my brother would be able to set up some sort of engineering apprenticeship for you that would allow you to learn to build or even design machines such as that. They're a new enough invention that apprenticeships are the way young people are learning the trade.'

'I will do both!' she exclaimed, and taking off her hat and waving it as the flying machine, now even with us, purred serenely by us. I could see one of the operators through the side window wave back, so I gave a halfhearted wave as well. Ren laughed in delight, and watched it until it turned and disappeared beyond the far ridge.

She turned to me with a broad smile and said. 'I am so glad I've come to Lankara! I shall learn to operate a flying machine. And when I do, I shall take you up in it, and we shall fly like birds!'

It seems that I only escape one danger before the next looms before me.

'That would be nice,' I replied, making no attempt to convince her I meant it.

She just laughed.

06

We rode on along the ridge line for several more hours. For the first hour or two, Ren talked on and on about flying, flying machines, and the machines she was going to design. Within an hour she was designing flying machines large enough to carry me to the far side of the world in search of the living Elder Civilization that fables placed in the unexplored hills of the far side of the world. As alarming as that prospect was, I couldn't help but find happiness in her newfound purpose in life. However, by the time we called a halt for our midday meal, Ren had grown silent and rather reflective.

We dismounted and stood for awhile in the tall grass just to take in the view and the peace of the high ridge. This far north, the Yellow Lantern hung low over the hills to the south, and the east wind, whispering to the pines and playing with the long grass, was warm and pine scented. For the first time in memory, I, at least, was feeling at ease, as long as I didn't think about flying. What lay ahead for me – for us – was still largely a mystery, but, in this moment on this bright, pine scented hilltop, it did not greatly weigh on me.

'Let's find some firewood, I need a cup of tea, and maybe a nap,' I said, after we had stood in silence for some time.

'Yes, of course,' she said absently, and looking around, pointed up the slope, 'There looks to be a dead tree over there.'

It seemed that if I wanted my tea, I needed to fetch the wood, so I started up the hill. Ren joined me. I glanced to her, at my side. 'Why so quiet, all of a sudden?'

'I'm just thinking.'

'Of what?'

She shrugged. 'This and that.'

I didn't press her for an answer. We both had questions to find answers to. But we had time as well to find them.

We came to the dead and fallen pine, and using our swords, chopped off an arm full of dry branches each, and then found a broad, flat rock on which to build the fire. Dumping off our branches, we started back for another load – the dry pine branches would burn fast.

'What are you planning to do, now that you are here – back home in Lankara?' she asked, as we walked back up the hill to the dead pine.

Ah...

'I've been thinking a lot about that, these last several days,' I began, slowly. 'But I haven't said anything out loud, so as not to tempt fate by assuming we'd actually put Jasmyne, Azere, and all that behind us...' And I'd spent those days chasing my tail, so I said no more, while I collected by thoughts. And my wits. I knew that I'd need my wits about me in these next few minutes.

'And? Have you made any plans?'

Had I? I glanced across to her walking beside me. She was looking ahead, not at me. I had lots of ideas as to how we might find a way to live, and where we might go to live. But as to what I would like to do, well, it always came back around to "We." And I wasn't sure I could – or wanted to – make that assumption. She was a Loh, after all. Still, this was probably the time to find out.

'I do have some ideas as to how we might start a new life. But, well, I guess I'm content to just ride along with you. If you'd have me, that is. Ride, mind you. Flying is another story. But, my ideas can wait until, I – we – know the shape of what we want in our new lives.'

She stopped and looked sharply at me.

'What exactly do you mean, by riding along with me?'

'I find that I've become accustomed to being with you. I, ah, can't seem to think about not having you at my side. Every time I think of my future, it seems that I think of us. Of course, that's entirely up to you. You only offered to see me to Lankara, so your promise to me is discharged. And, of course, as a friend, I would insist on repaying you for all your efforts to see me to safety. I have a large family that, as I mentioned, I believe I can discreetly call on to offer you a new start, a new life in Lankara, messing around with flying machines in some manner, so you needn't worry about that. That's a promise, no matter what you decide...'

'Why do you want to ride with me? Is it just a habit?' she asked, dismissing the offers of help with a shake of her head.

I was rather hoping that I could put that question off for awhile... But I'd a feeling it wouldn't be wise.

'Ah, well, I've come to like you. Like you a lot...'

'Like?'

'A lot...'

She cocked her head and looked down her nose at me. 'A lot?'

Now she'd looked down her long nose at me many times over the last several seasons. I think she does it mostly for comic effect. But one doesn't take chances with a Loh...

'Ah, yes. A lot... Oh, by the Blue Lantern, it seems that I've fallen in love with you, Ren. You've grown to be very dear to me.'

She lowered her head, a little, and said, 'Really? You love me?'

'Yes. Really. I love you,' I admitted to her, and myself. Now, that wasn't all that hard, was it? I asked myself.

'Why? Why did you say you love me?'

'Because I do. We've been through a lot together, and well, as I said, you've grown very dear to me. I found that I missed you so very much when we were separated at Fort Carn. I don't want to miss you again. I want to be with you.' On the ground, anyway.

'But why?'

'Do I have to make a list? Because I admire your courage and your cheerfulness in the face of danger. I love your kindness and company. And I think that when you're not trying to look unattractive you can be very...'

'Pretty?'

She was a Loh, I reminded myself; don't take chances... 'Very beautiful... Ouch!'

She had given me a light punch in my shoulder. 'That's one lie too far, Kel.'

'Well, I think you are,' I replied, and decided that this had gone on too far already, so I reached out, to pull her – carefully – close and kissed her.

She kissed me back, and then gave me a gentle hug and asked, softly, next to my ear, "When did you realize that you were in love with me?'

'Just now...' I said, not wishing to lie. Likely a mistake.

She pushed off from me and looked down that nose again at me. 'Just now?'

'Obviously I've been falling in love with you for some time,' I hastened to add. 'And I've likely been in love with you for some time, I just didn't realize it. It wasn't the right time, until now. But I am in love with you here and now, and I don't expect that to change. And I don't want to leave your side.'

She smiled. 'Well, I suppose I shouldn't complain. If you love me now, and for ever, that is enough.' And she leaned in to kiss me, and then, after a while, rested her head on my shoulder.

'I think, for me, it was love at first sight,' she said softly.

'Me?'

'Yes. Oh, I knew it was Colonel Sol who I was supposed to marry – though I never intended to. But when I saw you, you looked so dark and forbidding with your neatly trimmed whiskers and what seemed like a sardonic gaze in the twilight, I knew you were the fascinating one.

'And then you were so cute, playing the waiter at the exposition to flirt with me. How could I resist?'

I cast my mind back. I was pretty certain it was kindness, and an extra glass of wine that I didn't need, rather than any idea of flirting with the strange bird she was then. I thought it best to let that impression ride unchallenged.

'I'm glad you didn't resist.'

'And I like the way you don't let me just order you around.'

'I don't?'

'Penmanship.' She laughed.

'Once, and only because getting banged up and bruised wasn't my idea of fun. Otherwise... Well.. Still, it never mattered because I enjoyed being with you, even when I knew it wasn't wise. I enjoy being with you. Though, I must warn you now, that applies only to when you're on the ground.'

'Pff!' she laughed. 'We'll see about that.'

There was that time, of course, on the blue lit steppes when I wanted to be rid of her... Looking back, it's hard to imagine what I was thinking, save that she frightened me back then. And still does. But she's on my side, and at my side.

'Did you ever know how I felt about you?' she asked, after a while.

'Oh, I knew you liked me, of course. We were friends and comrades in arms. And that I could count on you to look after me. But I can't say I ever saw the look of love in your eyes. Must've been hidden by your spectacles. Or perhaps I never thought to look for it. I never considered it a possibility. Not until Fort Carn anyway. There I realized just how much you meant to me, only after you were not at my side. I wondered if you felt the same. Since then, well, I didn't want to tempt fate and only dared to mention it now, because I felt I had to take a chance, and this seemed like the time to chance it.'

'You do truly love me, Kel, don't you?' she asked, pushing me away to look me in the eyes. 'You're not just saying that to be kind?'

'I do,' I said, 'Truly.' One doesn't dare trifle with even the fourth daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne.

She pulled me close and we kissed.

When we eventually stepped apart, and I got my breath back, I asked. 'Well, my dear, so are we going?'

She looked right and left and back and then pointed to a tall pine with a mound of fallen brown needles under it.

'There, under that pine. The pine needles look thick enough. Grab the long coats, the old needles will be prickly. Move it, my dear.' she said and started up for the twisted pine.

I hurried back to Sela, unstrapped my long coat from the saddle, and hers from Ghostwind, and started back up the hill. Behind me I heard the horses snickering to each other. Let'em.

When I reached Ren, she was fumbling with the small buttons of her blouse. She looked up and smiled shyly. I stepped close to her as I cast the long coats down on the brown needles in the scented shade of the pine.

'Allow me to do that, my dear,' I said, gently removing her hands. 'As your swordsman, I believe it is my duty to undress you.'

She smiled wider, cocked her head, just a little, and looked down that nose of hers, just a little, and said, softly, 'It is now.'

Books By C. Litka

A Summer in Amber

A young physicist is dispatched to a remote Scottish estate to secretly decipher the fragments of a manuscript that may hold the key to restoring the solar storm ravaged 21st century. Once there he finds whispers of a reincarnated wizard, strange forces linked to an eerie laboratory said to be a gate to the Otherworld, and a girl. A classic science fiction novel of adventure and romance.

Some Day Days

Be careful what you wish for – wishes can come true, as Hugh Gallagher discovers when the girl of his dreams, the incomparable Selina Beri, comes seeking his expertise on a piece of technology she needs to understand for her last final exam. Can Hugh, the classic shy, geeky, university student, avoid making a fool of himself with the girl he's loved from afar? A romance set in the near future.

The Bright Black Sea – The Lost Star Stories Volume One

The tramp space ship Lost Star is a ship with a mysterious and very dangerous past. Its future is looking pretty iffy as well. Join the crew of the Lost Star as they cross orbits with cruel assassins, homicidal robots, deadly pirates, and the mythical dragons of space in this long, sweeping space opera which revisits, and reinvents, the golden age of science fiction space adventure.

The Lost Star's Sea – The Lost Star Stories Volume Two

The Lost Star's Sea is the complete sequel to The Bright Black Sea. Captain Wil Litang, shipwrecked on a floating island in the Archipelago of the Tenth Star, must survive its many perils – storms, dragons, pirates, and the fabled Dragon Kings. Like the first volume of the Lost Star Stories, this is a rich, character-driven novel that celebrates and reinvents the classic planetary romance.

Beneath the Lanterns

Beneath the Lanterns is an adventure novel set in an imaginary land. When the son of the ruler of Azere, finds himself engaged to a daughter of the Empress of Jasmyne, his good friend, Kel Cam, offers his help in dealing with this unwanted bride. Kel soon finds himself entangled in the intrigues of empires, threatening not only his freedom, but his life – proving that no good deed goes unpunished.

These books are available from fine booksellers as ebooks and trade paperbacks

