Fyrdag nodded. ‘I am content.’
‘Very well,’ said Wulfthram. ‘The matter is settled for the time being. Now for...’
Ceriana interrupted him. ‘This muster of which you speak, would it be predominantly foot soldiers?’
‘Almost entirely,’ said Wulfthram. ‘Only I and Einar and a couple of the other barons retain any standing cavalry up here.’
‘But to chase down these bandits, cavalry would be useful, no. Even if the terrain is poor they would still travel faster than men on foot, yes?’
‘Yes,’ said Wulfthram. ‘But there is very little cavalry available.’
‘My brother is a knight of the Silver Guard,’ she said with no little triumph.
‘I am sure both Father and myself could persuade him to release some men to aid you. Even a small force of, say, thirty men would help, wouldn’t it?’
Silence. Some people looked at their feet; others picked their nails. Einar spoke to her gently. ‘There would be a lot of resentment against the fine knights of Tanaren riding in to solve
our little problems. It would appear that we are incapable of resolving issues on our own, and may encourage further and closer interference from the capital on other matters. It is one of those
times when what sounds like a fantastic idea in theory becomes a much more troublesome one in practice. In itself, though, it is a very good idea and I am sure everyone here is grateful that you
are trying to help.’
‘Forgive me,’ she said, ‘I am still getting used to the concept of you all seeing yourselves as a country apart. I was not aware that outside interference from the capital
would be seen as a mark of hostility.’
Baron Thudig looked at her with pale watery eyes. ‘May I speak frankly, my dear?’
Ceriana met his stare. ‘Of course, Baron.’
‘Very well. I know it is not your fault but there are a great many barons who resent the way your marriage has been imposed on Baron Wulfthram. It smacks of the high-handed arrogance that
we have come to expect from Tanaren and, though I have not heard it directly myself, there has even been talk of armed rebellion, not against the Grand Duke, but against your husband. It would be
no idle threat either; over here barons are deposed regularly if they are seen to be failing. There are no shortages of ambitious men here in the north.’
‘Enough Thudig!’ Wulfthram said harshly. ‘If you have heard rumours of treachery, then see me afterwards and tell me what you know. What you do not do is insult my wife to my
face. If you...’
Ceriana took his arm. ‘It is all right, my husband. I invited the Baron to speak frankly and he did just that. I am sorry that I have put you in such a difficult position. But please be
aware, Baron Thudig, that the imposition applies to both of us.’
Wulfthram looked at her and for the first time she saw sympathy in his eyes. ‘You have not, and you have nothing to reproach yourself for. Let us take some lunch and we will continue the
Council in an hour or so.’
He signalled to one of the servants and shortly afterwards some food was brought out and set down on the table. People did not remain at their seats; rather they got up and mingled with each
other in small groups, a routine that obviously happened each time a council was held. For the first time since she walked into the room Ceriana felt awkward. Wulfthram and Einar were speaking to
Thudig, and so she felt no inclination to join them. She was about to excuse herself and leave the room until lunch was over when Baron Skellar came over to her.
‘My Lady, I think you have surprised and delighted a lot of people here today, including myself. My invitation to visit us at Thakholm is a genuine one; it might be nice for you to tour a
few of the outlying areas, just to get a feel of the country you have ended up in.’
‘Thank you, Baron, but I don’t feel my presence has been as universally welcomed as you seem to think.’
‘Ah, ignore Thudig, if bullshit was a currency he would be living in the lilac palace in Koze and sleeping on a bed of solid gold. If he was to smile, his face would shatter. Nobody
expected you to join us and be so charming – dare I say it, least of all your husband.’
She laughed softly. ‘I gave him no warning that is true, but then I didn’t really know I was going to attend either. I am sure he will have something to say afterwards.’
As she spoke Wulfthram noticed the two of them together and came over to join them.
‘Well, Jon, when do you want my young bride to come and visit you?’
‘At your convenience, of course, but the sooner the better as far as I am concerned. A couple of the great warships in the Tanaren navy should be arriving in a couple of weeks; perhaps a
formal welcome from the Chief Baron of the North might be appropriate.’
‘A good idea indeed, and one I have already looked into. Unfortunately I am otherwise engaged at the time. However, I believe the Chief Baroness
is
available. What say you, Ceriana?
It could be your first official visit.’
‘Of course, I would be honoured.’ She looked him directly in the eye but as usual could read nothing. ‘When should I leave?’
‘It’s a two-day trip by land and sea, so perhaps you could leave in about ten days’ time. You could arrive a day or two before the ships arrive and Jon could show you around
the island.’
‘That won’t take too long,’ Baron Skellar said, laughing. ‘But I am content. I shall await your arrival with both trepidation and excitement. You will have the place of
honour at the head of the table.’ With that he bowed and took his leave.
‘Are you angry with me?’ she blurted it out, seeing as the two of them were alone together for once.
‘Why should I be? I did consider asking you to come but thought it might be a bit early for you, seeing as you keep to your rooms most of the time. Mind you, it was obviously time well
spent. Everyone here seems impressed by your attempt to get a grip on the problems we have here.’
‘Thank you; I am resented by some, though.’
‘As am I! And ignore Thudig; we are all used to him here, as you will be soon enough. Baron Skellar seems enchanted anyway. He is a single man, so be on your guard when you see him. He
already has a reputation with one or two of the other baronesses.’
‘Oh, you surely don’t think ... not with me?’
‘I
do
think,’ he said with a smile, ‘I know him of old. Don’t worry, though; I have every faith in you. All you have to do is follow him around and approve of
everything. I am sure you had to do that plenty of times back at Edgecliff.’
‘You have never spoken a truer word. I have a great tolerance of the mundane and dreary, all of it stemming from attending my father’s inspection of the soldiers every week as a
child.’
‘I bet you never knew how useful that would be as you got older. Spend just under a week with him – that is the average length of an official visit – then hurry back home. You
will have my flagship at your disposal and I shall ride with you to the port and see you off.’
‘Thank you, my Lord; I would like that.’
The meeting resumed shortly afterwards. Baron Farnerun of Slemsholm was speaking.
‘If I may, I will continue with the problem of brigandry, for it does seem endemic in our lands of late. We were obviously all relieved when the Kudreyan pirates were defeated, giving us
some respite from the constant raids on our shores, on my shore in particular. But it would be wrong to say such attacks have stopped completely. They still have some ships and are still making
surprise attacks by sea. I don’t know how but there seems to be a rump of these people still operating on our coast. Where they base themselves I know not, but there have been two attacks on
my lands in the past week. The fact that they were unexpected made it worse as they raided a couple of villages with impunity before making off with their spoils, gold from the churches and the
homes of the magistrates. I was hoping that Baron Skellar could ask these ships from Tanaren to do a sweep of my coastline; maybe they could at least find out where they are based, if nothing
else.’
‘I do not control them directly,’ Skellar replied, ‘but I shall certainly ask them when they arrive.’
‘I will speak to their commander if need be,’ said Wulfthram. ‘And again I shall mention it to Duke Hartfield when I see him. Perhaps some sort of regular patrol can be
organised; I can’t see there being any objection to that.’
The meeting continued and ploughed into what was obviously familiar territory for most of those present – local taxes and grain supply and allocation. As they delved into its intricate
minutiae and baron horse-traded with baron, Ceriana sensed herself drifting. The mental effort required to force her into the meeting was tiring her out. She was thinking longingly of her soft bed
and a jug of warmed almond milk when she heard her husband summing up. Evidently things were drawing to a close.
‘So, most of what I have to do involves speaking to my father-in-law when he arrives. Is there anything else anyone wishes to say before we finish up here?’
‘One thing,’ – it was the grey-bearded Baron Tragsmann of Vihag – ‘something I should have mentioned earlier maybe. Baron Fyram of Clutha, the next town north of
mine, is dead. He has been replaced by Vorfgan, his cousin.’
‘And the significance of this is?’ questioned Farnerun.
‘It might be of no significance at all,’ said Tragsmann. ‘Fyram was killed in a hunting accident pursuing boar in the northern Morrathnay Forest. His brother, the next in line,
died six months ago in a boating accident in which there were no survivors. Vorfgan still isn’t the next in line but Fyram’s son, who is thirteen years old, has not been seen since the
accident. The version Vorfgan is telling us is that he has taken sick and is confined to bed. A bed in Vorfgan’s mansion. As I say, no one outside of Vorfgan’s immediate circle can
claim to have seen him and Vorfgan has claimed the protectorship until the boy gets better.’
‘It sounds suspicious but I am guessing there is no proof of foul play, and in all honesty it could all just be coincidence anyway.’ said Wulfthram.
‘Indeed, but then Vorfgan is a very ambitious young man, one who needs to be watched. And did I mention the arrow that killed Fyram by accident belonged to one of Vorfgan’s men? I am
not suggesting he should be deposed ... yet. But as I said he should be watched, intently.’
‘Thank you for that, Tragsmann. If I can find the time next year, I might just pay a visit to Clutha. What is Fyram’s boy’s name?’
‘Dekkan, a quiet lad, easy to manipulate.’
‘I shall write to Vorfgan enquiring as to the health of young Dekkan then, see what he has to say for himself, and let him know I am watching him. Now let us conclude this council. Thank
you all for your time and we shall reconvene in three months after Winter Festival Day. Syvuhka watch over us.’
‘Syvuhka watch over us,’ they all solemnly echoed before rising from the table. Ceriana had heard the name before but didn’t quite know what it signified so when she had the
opportunity she asked Einar.
‘Syvuhka?’ he said. ‘It is all to do with keeping our history and traditions. In Kibil we had the same gods as you but we knew them by different names. Syvuhka is the old Kibil
name for Artorus and we invoke it when we want to remember who we once were. Ironically, hardly anyone in Kibil uses the name now. It has been part of the Empire for so long that its gods are now
their gods. In fact, if you want to see how Kibil used to be, your best bet would be to watch us. We keep some of the old language, religion and festivals. In fact, the festival of Logammasnat,
when we set fire to a wooden boat on the ocean, will be observed in a couple of weeks’ time. As with all great Kibil festivals, we all get drunk to insensibility afterwards.’
‘Drink is an important Kibil tradition, I take it?’ she laughed.
‘Well, it can get arse-numbingly freezing up here. Sometimes it is the only way to keep warm.’
‘You never got round to discovering fire then?’
‘We did, but lighting a fire is nowhere near as much fun.’
The barons mingled and talked until the sun had long gone down. They would all stay in the mansion house that night before journeying home the next day. Ceriana tired quickly and excused herself
early on. On retiring to her rooms, she asked Ebba to bring her some bread and milk and resolved to have an early night. Once she had eaten, she dismissed Ebba, put on her nightclothes, blew out
the candles and climbed into bed.
She couldn’t remember her dreams; she felt so warm and woozy. She had been so cold since her arrival; it felt like such a pleasant change. She felt like she was melting
into her bed, dissolving into the sheets, into nothingness. Just her and the warmth she felt within her...
Elissa’s breath she was hot! She sat bolt upright in her bed. Her chest and the back of her neck were soaking. Outside she could see the moon, its pale light filtering in through her
window. It was the dead of night. She had slept for hours. She drew her knees up to her chin, noticing that the fire had gone out. How could she feel this warm without the fire? She went to put her
face in her hands when she stopped. What was it this time?
She looked at her pale forearms in turn. The only light source in the room came from the moon. But there was no doubt about it. The thin tracery of veins in both arms was glowing, shining
luminously through her milk-white skin. She groaned. It must be that Keth-accursed stone! She hadn’t looked at it since she left Edgecliff but she knew exactly where it was. Getting out of
bed, she went to a drawer in her dresser, pulled out the jewellery box and opened it. She already knew it would be glowing before she looked at it and, sure enough, there it was, pulsating exactly
like before. Trying to keep her panic in check, she went over to the full-length mirror next to the room where her clothes were stored and pulled off her nightclothes. What she saw only compounded
her nausea.
It wasn’t just her arms; she could see the pattern of veins in her body travelling through her arms, her shoulders, and her torso and into her legs. The only places they weren’t
shining through her skin were at her extremities, hands, face and feet. She was sweating profusely, both through the unnatural heat and through the fear she felt rising within her. A drop of sweat
collected at the tip of her nose before falling and splashing on to the wooden floor. It was followed by another. And another.