Haydn of Mars (25 page)

We were heading, I learned, to a secret stronghold, a fortress that had been built in the mountains outside Huygens.

It was a shock seeing old acquaintances after such an amount of time, especially Jamie, who looked as though he had aged a decade.
 
At first I did not recognize him when he came into my presence.
 
He wore chin whiskers now, banishing his youthful appearance, and walked with the stoop of an old man.
 
But his eyes were as clear as ever, and his voice rang clear as a bell.

He embraced me, and when I was startled he spoke, I was sure as to his identity.
 

“I'm sorry, Haydn.
 
I mean: my Queen.
 
It is I–”

“I know who you are, now.
 
My, how you've changed!”

He nodded, studying me.
 
“So have you!
 
But in your case for the better.”

“What happened to you?” I asked.

“I was captured by the F'rar the day you were taken by the Yern.
 
I was...” For a moment he looked away.
 
“...tortured for a time and then I was sent to a prison camp.
 
They have many of them, spread mostly through the south but now in other part of Mars.
 
It is part of their plan.
 
They subjugate, eliminate undesirables, retain those in camps they might find useful.
 
Eventually...”

His eyes held a blank, faraway stare, as if he had seen too much.

“I escaped,” he continued.
 
“I was very lucky.
 
Doubly lucky to find my way back to Kerl.”
 
His eyes became more focused on me.
 
“I have heard that you tried to return yourself but were unable to.”

“Yes.
 
I had an interesting time.
 
I will tell you about it.”

He bowed.
 
“I will be happy to hear.”

Our conversation was interrupted by the approach of a tall, well-dressed female of almost regal bearing.
 
I knew immediately who it must be.
 
As had always been his way, Jamie quietly took his leave and left the two of us alone.

“My name is Piesha,” she introduced herself, bowing slightly.
 
“Of the Sarn clan.
 
I am to be Kerl's wife.”

She made a low, graceful bow and then looked into my eyes with an open expression as we talked of everything but her husband-to-be.

I wanted to dislike her – she was taller than I, and her bearing more assured, her manner more refined.
 
Which did not mean she had no sense of humor, which was in abundance.
 
Her high forehead, her dark gold almond-shaped eyes, her aquiline brown nose and thin red lips – she was constructed to make me feel inadequate.
 
And yet I liked her.
 
She had a quality of mind I instantly adhered to, a lack of guile and fawning I found refreshing.
 
Any man would fall in love with her, and yet Kerl had not.
 
And I found it remarkable that she did not hate me on sight, because it was obvious that she loved him with all of her heart.

Politics and marriage, again.
 
The old curse.

She was a remarkable woman.

“My Queen,” Piesha said in her lilting voice, “Kerl has told me something of what you have been through.
 
It is a horrible story, yet fascinating.
 
If there is anything I can do, I am at your service.”

Again the graceful bow.

“Thank you, Piesha.
 
I hope that we can be friends.”

She saw my meaning instantly, and embraced the words for what they were – a true offer of friendship.

She smiled.
 
“I hope so too, my Queen.”

Kerl joined her, and there were a few more minutes of amiable chatter before Piesha retreated and Kerl and I were alone.

“What do you think of her?” he said.

“Do you really want to know?”

He frowned.
 
“Yes.”

I could not keep my own feelings completely under control, but I gave it my best.
 
“You have done remarkably well under the circumstances, Kerl.
 
Don't treat her the way I treated your brother.
 
It will only make both of you unhappy.”

He was studying me.
 
“You mean that.”

“I do.
 
We will not speak of these things again.
 
We've already made our noble pronouncements about duty before self.
 
I see no reason to repeat them.”

“You
have
grown a lot,” he said.

“I hope so.
 
And now I would like to see what your plans are for this coming campaign.”

“You need hardly concern yourself–”

I let anger show.
 
“I was once informed by you that I would be a figurehead in this war.
 
That will not be so.
 
I mean to lead this army.”

“What!” he sputtered.
 
“That is imposs–”

My anger turned, for the first time in my life, to command.
 
“Kerl,” I said, letting ice coat the words.

Something about my changed manner froze him.
 
“I truly don't know you anymore,” he said in wonder.

“You know me well.
 
But there is another part of me that has been honed by this long time away.”
 
I let my tone soften a bit.
 
“How do you expect our people to fight and die for me if I'm nothing but a cowering figure hiding in a fortress tower somewhere?
 
Will they fight for that?
 
You want them to fight for an idea, the idea of the legitimate monarchy – but why should they if the legitimate monarchy has no real face?
 
My father would have done as much as I.
 
They will never put their hope in me if I am not with them.

“I learned to fight during my time with the Mighty,” I went on.
 
“I fought just yesterday with Newton, when there was no choice.
 
Today there is a choice and I make it.”

“But Haydn–”

“From now on you will address me as your Queen.
 
I appoint you Counselor, as well as Commander of Armies.
 
You are my first in command.
 
I am not so foolish as to think I can plan a battle or execute a plan without expert help.
 
I expect to get it.
 
I will defer to you in all proper things, and you will defer to me in
all
things.
 
Do you understand, Kerl?”

His flabbergasted look was slowly replaced by something else.
 
“I hope this is the right course...my Queen.”

“I share your hopes.
 
Now bring me to your war tent and show me your plan of battle.”

After hesitating, he bowed his head.
 
“Yes, my Queen.
 
But I think we may need to talk of these things again.”

To my surprise, I understood most of what Kerl showed me over the course of the next week, and quickly picked up much of the rest.
 
We moved our camp twice, keeping well ahead of F'rar scouts, and would soon reach the mountain stronghold Kerl had built.
 
I now understood what Kerl meant for us to do.
 
The plan, on paper, was a simple one.
 
Frane and her cohorts had spread like a thinning stain over nearly half of Mars.
 
Their influence now extended to nearly every inhabited province, and all but the wildest clans had been at least partially subdued.
 
What Kerl meant to do was to peel back this influence starting at its farthest, thinnest, weakest, points, and then continue to push back until the F'rar were concentrated where they had started, in the city of Wells.
 
Then, an all out battle would ensue.
 
The insurrection would start with the sleeper cells already in place in the outlying districts, which extended, at least in the north, far past Sagan and Shkovkii at this point.
 
Here the campaign would begin.
 
They would be assisted by small bands of our army which had been quietly gathering for months in the far districts to come to the aid of the rebels.
 
My old friend general Xarr was overseeing these operations and would soon return to aid Kerl and me.

Simultaneously, our own main army would battle the F'rar where we were, keeping them from crushing the weak resistance to the west.
 
By the time the forming army in the west joined up with our own, we would have enough forces to march on Wells.

“It is audacious and simple,” I said, standing with Kerl and his military advisers in the war tent on the last day before heading for the fortress.
 
“But will it work?”

Kerl smiled grimly.
 
“You ask a commander for precognition?”

“I only ask if everything is in place.”

He nodded.
 
“As much as it ever will be.
 
If we wait much longer, the outlying districts will be overrun completely and subdued by the F'rar, and winter will overtake us.”

“You have sent out word that I will head the army here?”

“I have.”

“And the reaction?”

“Skepticism.”

“I see.
 
Well, we will try to take care of that.”

There was a new coolness between us, which I saw as both necessity and armor.
 
Every time I saw Piesha, and longed to be in her place, the armor grew harder, its steel colder.

Kerl's subordinates, two lieutenants and the more than able Captain Prelan, who was one of the tallest felines I had ever seen, gave their reports and then left the tent.
 
Kerl and I were alone in front of the maps and plans.

“There is also fear, my Queen.”

“Of what?”

“That if you are killed in battle, there will be nothing to fight for.”

My reply was too hasty: “That is foolish.”

“Is it?
 
I speak as Counselor, now.
 
I told you we would have to speak of these things again.
 
You have no relatives.
 
There is no direct line to the throne behind you.
 
If you were to die, our own forces would turn on themselves, clan fighting clan for the right to succeed.
 
It would doom the rebellion, and establish Frane's claim to the throne, which she hasn't been able to do.”

I could feel myself growing hot with anger.
 
Pride was fighting reason, and the battle was all the worse because I suddenly knew he was right.

“Then – I will stay behind.”

A visible flood of relief went through him.
 
“Thank you, my Queen.
 
You have made the right decision.”

“It is not an easy one, Counselor.”

For the first time in a week I saw a tiny smile come to his lips, though an ironic one.
 
“None of them will be, my Queen.”
 
The smile vanished.
 
“There is another question that has come up in counsel with my staff.
 
It is an old one, and I feel bound to bring it up to you.”

“Yes?”

He hesitated.
 
“It concerns the succession of which I spoke.”

I suddenly knew why he was having such a difficult time.

“You speak of my having another litter.”

He would not speak, staring at the ground, but only nodded.

“To do that, I would need to wed.”
               

“Yes, my Queen.
 
For the good of our people.”

“This is...something I must think about.
 
You are a good Counselor, Kerl.”

When he had left I added to myself, “Too good.”

General Xarr returned from the east as few days later.
 
I immediately summoned him.

He knelt before me with his head down, and would not meet my eyes.

“The last time I saw you, general,” I said, “you were drunk.”

“I wish I was dead at this moment, my Queen.”

“Get up, and let me embrace you.”

He did so, and when I gently pushed him away I was startled to see tears on his ugly face from his one good eye.