to the kings," I said, hesitantly. "They think of you as one of them."
"Not those of them who remember where I come from, which will be few enough by now,"
she said. "Very well, I will do it, if you think it will be any help at all. I would do anything that can sway the straw in the wind to help this Peace hold."
So we sat there the rest of the afternoon writing letters to all the kings. I wrote first to Cinon and Flavien and
Custen-nin, difficult letters all, trying to stop them rising treacherously while avoiding accusing them of intending to. Then I wrote to all the other kings. To my surprise the easiest letters were those to Alfwin and
Ohtar, who I had no reason at all to distrust. It was very strange that distant Jarnish kings were easier to understand than my kin close at hand, but that was the way of it. I knew what to say to reassure them.
I was in the middle of writing to Ayl, and yawning over my work, when a servant came in to tell me that Emlin was here, with the half ala from Magor. I was glad to take a break, although I left Veniva still writing. I have rarely done anything so difficult or so completely useless as writing those letters to the kings.
—4—
My running child, from your first step you passed me, stretched out your arms and charged across the field.
What could I do? You would not heed my warning, the more I called, the more you would not yield.
How fast you ran! How much you wanted glory!
How brave you were, the world stretched out before.
A name you won, my child, all know your story, No deed of mine could make you safe once more.
How far you ran, my laughing child, beyond me.
How great you grew, my child I could not save.
How bright you burned, how little you have left me;
nothing but ashes cold within the grave.
— Isarnagan Lament
Emlin was sitting on the window ledge, looked tired but unhurt. He stood as I came up. When I saw him I felt as if a weight had been lifted from me. If Aurien was prepared to murder me then she might have been
prepared to bar doors and burn barracks. The safety of my armigers and my horses had been on my mind all day, though I'd pushed the thought away every time it surfaced.
"Sulien! You're better!" he greeted me.
I waved him back to the seat and sat down beside him. So much had happened that the poisoning and paralysis seemed long ago by now. "The land healed me. But Garian and Conal the Victor are dead, killed by some of Aurien's household. How about you and the ala?"
"They're all here safe," he said. "I spent the night in the stables and left at dawn as you said."
"Any trouble?" I asked.
"No. Well, Galba's lady asked us to stay. She said those who had more loyalty to Galba and the White God than to you and Urdo should stay. When she saw we weren't going to she seemed Page 23
glad to let us go, almost hurried us out."
"Did any of them want to stay?" I remembered how they had all cut their hair for Galba. Even the recruits who had come into the ala after his death knew all the stories about him, and one of the stories was his great love for Aurien. I had never tried to discourage this love of Galba. He had been my friend, too; he had formed this ala and given it much of its spirit. I tried to command them well, I had expanded them from six pennons to nine, but they were Galba's ala still and fought with the Rod of Magor on their ala banner. As for the White God, many of the armigers had taken the pebble. It was interesting that Aurien was making that claim. I
wondered where Thansethan stood.
Emlin looked awkward. "One or two looked to see what their friends were doing, but nobody moved."
"I'm not asking for names," I said, as gently as I could. Emlin himself had been Galba's tribuno before he was mine. Aurien might well have got some of them if I had been dead of drink. "That's all right. So, you left without being attacked?"
"Who could attack us?" Emlin looked puzzled. "I can see that Aurien could send her guards to fight four
"Not those of them who remember where I come from, which will be few enough by now,"
she said. "Very well, I will do it, if you think it will be any help at all. I would do anything that can sway the straw in the wind to help this Peace hold."
So we sat there the rest of the afternoon writing letters to all the kings. I wrote first to Cinon and Flavien and
Custen-nin, difficult letters all, trying to stop them rising treacherously while avoiding accusing them of intending to. Then I wrote to all the other kings. To my surprise the easiest letters were those to Alfwin and
Ohtar, who I had no reason at all to distrust. It was very strange that distant Jarnish kings were easier to understand than my kin close at hand, but that was the way of it. I knew what to say to reassure them.
I was in the middle of writing to Ayl, and yawning over my work, when a servant came in to tell me that Emlin was here, with the half ala from Magor. I was glad to take a break, although I left Veniva still writing. I have rarely done anything so difficult or so completely useless as writing those letters to the kings.
—4—
My running child, from your first step you passed me, stretched out your arms and charged across the field.
What could I do? You would not heed my warning, the more I called, the more you would not yield.
How fast you ran! How much you wanted glory!
How brave you were, the world stretched out before.
A name you won, my child, all know your story, No deed of mine could make you safe once more.
How far you ran, my laughing child, beyond me.
How great you grew, my child I could not save.
How bright you burned, how little you have left me;
nothing but ashes cold within the grave.
— Isarnagan Lament
Emlin was sitting on the window ledge, looked tired but unhurt. He stood as I came up. When I saw him I felt as if a weight had been lifted from me. If Aurien was prepared to murder me then she might have been
prepared to bar doors and burn barracks. The safety of my armigers and my horses had been on my mind all day, though I'd pushed the thought away every time it surfaced.
"Sulien! You're better!" he greeted me.
I waved him back to the seat and sat down beside him. So much had happened that the poisoning and paralysis seemed long ago by now. "The land healed me. But Garian and Conal the Victor are dead, killed by some of Aurien's household. How about you and the ala?"
"They're all here safe," he said. "I spent the night in the stables and left at dawn as you said."
"Any trouble?" I asked.
"No. Well, Galba's lady asked us to stay. She said those who had more loyalty to Galba and the White God than to you and Urdo should stay. When she saw we weren't going to she seemed Page 23
glad to let us go, almost hurried us out."
"Did any of them want to stay?" I remembered how they had all cut their hair for Galba. Even the recruits who had come into the ala after his death knew all the stories about him, and one of the stories was his great love for Aurien. I had never tried to discourage this love of Galba. He had been my friend, too; he had formed this ala and given it much of its spirit. I tried to command them well, I had expanded them from six pennons to nine, but they were Galba's ala still and fought with the Rod of Magor on their ala banner. As for the White God, many of the armigers had taken the pebble. It was interesting that Aurien was making that claim. I
wondered where Thansethan stood.
Emlin looked awkward. "One or two looked to see what their friends were doing, but nobody moved."
"I'm not asking for names," I said, as gently as I could. Emlin himself had been Galba's tribuno before he was mine. Aurien might well have got some of them if I had been dead of drink. "That's all right. So, you left without being attacked?"
"Who could attack us?" Emlin looked puzzled. "I can see that Aurien could send her guards to fight four
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