Deforya and the Northern Pass,
and so we’re back to where we were two years ago. That means higher tariffs
here. But… if I don’t do something, we’ll lose even more, just on the wine
trade to the east. If we want safe trade that isn’t tariffed to excess, I’ll
have to invade Deforya and make it part of Lanachrona. And where will I find
the lancers and foot for that when I can’t even find enough to hold Southgate
without losing Hyalt?”
“Then…
you must do what you must. But be generous to the overcaptain. Offer him
something beyond rank.” Alerya tilted her head. “Appeal to him, and offer
gratitude, honor, and a stipend to his family in his absence. Pay for the
stipend yourself.”
Talryn
laughed softly. “You are as bad as I must be.”
“We
all do what we must.” Alerya stood.
Talryn
raised his eyebrows.
“You
have decided. Can you do anything more this evening?”
“No.”
Talryn smiled sheepishly.
“Then
we should enjoy the supper Feylish has prepared. Mother also sent some of the
better amber wine from the cellars.”
“A
good supper would help…”
Chapter 13
Finally,
the looming was mostly finished, and, on Duadi of the second week of harvest,
Wendra rode out with Alucius and the flock. After the episode with the dark
sanders, Alucius had taken not only to bringing two rifles but wearing his
Northern Guard ammunition belt at all times while away from the stead
buildings. So far, he had not had to use even one rifle, so quiet had the stead
been. But that worried him as much as more sandwolf attacks would have.
Still,
he enjoyed having Wendra out with him, especially on a warm and sunny day with
just enough of a breeze that the sun wasn’t too hot. At the same time, he had a
nagging worry. After his previous experience with the wild pteridons, did he
have any right to ask Wendra to come out with him?
“You’re
thinking about those dark creatures, aren’t you?” called Wendra.
“I
worry about whether you should be out here,” he admitted.
“I’ve
been worried about you every time you’ve taken the flock out alone,” she
countered. “When you ran into the dark sanders, my ring didn’t even show that
you were in trouble.”
“I
wasn’t,” he replied. “That’s why you didn’t feel anything.”
“It’s
still safer with two herders.”
She
was right, Alucius knew, but he couldn’t help worrying about her.
By
midmorning, they were a good ten vingts east of the stead, and they had let the
flock slow and browse its way eastward.
“How
do you feel?” Alucius called across the fifty yards separating him from Wendra.
“I
feel fine. It’s wonderful to be out here.” A smile followed Wendra’s words. “It’s
too bad I can’t come out tomorrow.”
“You’re
going to stay at the stead and handle the last of the looming? “
“Your
mother and grandsire want to go into town. They haven’t been off the stead in
weeks. How could I say no?”
“Knowing
you, you couldn’t.” Alucius laughed.
After
another glass, the nightsheep began to spread, and Alucius and Wendra chivvied
them back into order and urged them farther eastward, toward another area where
the quarasote was more dense, not that it was all that dense anywhere, but
where the bushes were merely a yard or so apart as opposed to three or four.
As
the nightsheep settled into grazing once more, Alucius frowned. He could feel
something—almost a sense of sadness, of sorrow—that wavered at the edge of his
Talent-senses. Then it was gone.
He
eased the gray back toward the rear of the flock, where he urged two laggard
ewes forward until they were almost up with the others, then circled back
toward Wendra, letting the nightsheep graze what new quarasote shoots there
were.
After
another half glass, they eased the nightsheep farther east, because Alucius
didn’t want the quarasote overgrazed.
As
he rode slowly eastward in the general direction of the Plateau, Alucius could
feel the sense of sorrow
and so we’re back to where we were two years ago. That means higher tariffs
here. But… if I don’t do something, we’ll lose even more, just on the wine
trade to the east. If we want safe trade that isn’t tariffed to excess, I’ll
have to invade Deforya and make it part of Lanachrona. And where will I find
the lancers and foot for that when I can’t even find enough to hold Southgate
without losing Hyalt?”
“Then…
you must do what you must. But be generous to the overcaptain. Offer him
something beyond rank.” Alerya tilted her head. “Appeal to him, and offer
gratitude, honor, and a stipend to his family in his absence. Pay for the
stipend yourself.”
Talryn
laughed softly. “You are as bad as I must be.”
“We
all do what we must.” Alerya stood.
Talryn
raised his eyebrows.
“You
have decided. Can you do anything more this evening?”
“No.”
Talryn smiled sheepishly.
“Then
we should enjoy the supper Feylish has prepared. Mother also sent some of the
better amber wine from the cellars.”
“A
good supper would help…”
Chapter 13
Finally,
the looming was mostly finished, and, on Duadi of the second week of harvest,
Wendra rode out with Alucius and the flock. After the episode with the dark
sanders, Alucius had taken not only to bringing two rifles but wearing his
Northern Guard ammunition belt at all times while away from the stead
buildings. So far, he had not had to use even one rifle, so quiet had the stead
been. But that worried him as much as more sandwolf attacks would have.
Still,
he enjoyed having Wendra out with him, especially on a warm and sunny day with
just enough of a breeze that the sun wasn’t too hot. At the same time, he had a
nagging worry. After his previous experience with the wild pteridons, did he
have any right to ask Wendra to come out with him?
“You’re
thinking about those dark creatures, aren’t you?” called Wendra.
“I
worry about whether you should be out here,” he admitted.
“I’ve
been worried about you every time you’ve taken the flock out alone,” she
countered. “When you ran into the dark sanders, my ring didn’t even show that
you were in trouble.”
“I
wasn’t,” he replied. “That’s why you didn’t feel anything.”
“It’s
still safer with two herders.”
She
was right, Alucius knew, but he couldn’t help worrying about her.
By
midmorning, they were a good ten vingts east of the stead, and they had let the
flock slow and browse its way eastward.
“How
do you feel?” Alucius called across the fifty yards separating him from Wendra.
“I
feel fine. It’s wonderful to be out here.” A smile followed Wendra’s words. “It’s
too bad I can’t come out tomorrow.”
“You’re
going to stay at the stead and handle the last of the looming? “
“Your
mother and grandsire want to go into town. They haven’t been off the stead in
weeks. How could I say no?”
“Knowing
you, you couldn’t.” Alucius laughed.
After
another glass, the nightsheep began to spread, and Alucius and Wendra chivvied
them back into order and urged them farther eastward, toward another area where
the quarasote was more dense, not that it was all that dense anywhere, but
where the bushes were merely a yard or so apart as opposed to three or four.
As
the nightsheep settled into grazing once more, Alucius frowned. He could feel
something—almost a sense of sadness, of sorrow—that wavered at the edge of his
Talent-senses. Then it was gone.
He
eased the gray back toward the rear of the flock, where he urged two laggard
ewes forward until they were almost up with the others, then circled back
toward Wendra, letting the nightsheep graze what new quarasote shoots there
were.
After
another half glass, they eased the nightsheep farther east, because Alucius
didn’t want the quarasote overgrazed.
As
he rode slowly eastward in the general direction of the Plateau, Alucius could
feel the sense of sorrow
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