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that Defalk-or her? "What about Lord Dannel's lands and heirs? Do I send out a
proclamation? Or confiscate them?"
Jecks offered a grim smile. "Do nothing. Let all of them wonder. You have
destroyed all of his heirs-his sons. If you explain, they will think you weak.
If you seize the lands and hand them to another, you must enforce that at this
moment."
The Regent nodded. "You're probably right about that... and about Lord Dannel.
It's just so hard for me to believe that people believe that crap." She shook
her head. "Lady Essan rode to battle with Lord Donjim. Women run the entire
land of Ranuak; and probably half the counselors of Nordwei are women. How can
these...idiots... believe that women are less capable? So much that they would
die rather than accept it?"
Jecks shrugged. "Mayhap once I did, but a daughter I had, and stronger than
her consort."
"I liked Alasia," Anna said quietly. Then she stepped forward and hugged the
handsome white-haired lord. "I'm sorry. You've been good to listen to me."
Jecks squeezed her back, then gently released her. "I would listen to aught
you say."
She looked into the warm hazel eyes. "Thank you. You know... I do listen to
you, too. It's just hard, sometimes." Especially in this crazy place.
The smile she received took all the chill out of the damp scrying room.
70
In the dampness of late morning, Anna stood on the old raised stone platform
that backed up to the outside of the south wall of the liedburg, looking out
at
Jecks, Jimbob, and the pages and fosterlings to her right-except for
Lysara-and to the lancers and officers arrayed to her left. Behind the lancers
waited nearly two dozen older men and women-and perhaps three young
women-sisters or consorts of the slain. Before her were the newly filled
graves, almost fifty of them set behind the five rows of far older graves.
Behind her were all her guards, each wearing a black sash.
Anna herself wore a black vest, instead of the green or purple of her office
as
Regent. While she had vaguely known there was a cemetery behind the liedburg,
she certainly hadn't wanted to find out more about it, not so soon nor for so
many.
She'd consulted with Himar and Jecks, as well as Tiersen, who, as the oldest
of the fosterlings, had some experience with death in Defalk, to find out what
sort of ceremony would be appropriate. For so many deaths in the liedburg
itself, there had. to be a ceremony, both for the dead and for the living.
After surveying those before her, Anna began to speak. "These brave men died
in the cause of harmony. They died fighting to defend what was dear to them
and to us... and they helped to preserve harmony and restore and maintain
order and peace in Defalk. Because of their sacrifice, we are here. Because of
their skill, we can go on to build a better land for all of us.
"I wish their sacrifice had not been necessary, but prosperity and harmony
have always required dedication and hard work, and sometimes armsmen and even
ordinary people die to maintain harmony. For doing what needed to be done,
they will be remembered. For their sacrifice, they will be remembered. And for
their
inspiration, we must and will go forward with the gift of life they gave the
rest of us.
"In the name and the cause of harmony, now and ever."
The last part was more than true. Had the guards and lancers not held off the
treacherous surprise attack, then Anna would never have had time to turn her
sorcery against the attackers.
Anna turned to the chief player and nodded.
"The dirge," ordered Liende in a low voice.
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The usually cocky Duralt was somber and, wearing a black tunic, stepped
forward and lifted the falk-horn to his lips.
The long and mournful notes filled the stone-walled cemetery and drifted
beyond, to the liedburg, and to the town itself.
Duralt lowered the horn.
"Order out!" called Himar. "By files."
Anna remained facing the freshly packed earth that covered more than fifty
men, as the lancers filed silently past her and through the baileylike gate
and back into the liedburg.
"Old... style..." murmured someone. "The lord is the last to leave."
"Good to see...traditions...especially from a sorceress..."
"...only right..."
Anna hoped so.
71
Anna lowered the lutar and studied the image in the scrying pool-clear enough
to see that Jearle remained behind the walls of Westfort, and that more than
twentyscore Neserean lancers patrolled the heights across the valley.
"That has not changed in a week," murmured Jecks.
Himar merely nodded.
"But why would they leave twentyscore at Westfort?" asked Anna. "A third or
half of that would be more than enough to keep Jearle inside his walls."
"They would keep you from avoiding the main body of Rabyn's forces and going
straight into Neserea."
The sorceress frowned.
"With the Mansuuran lancers, the Nesereans have more than one hundred fifty-
score elsewhere in Defalk. Twentyscore is not that many for them," pointed out
Jecks.
Anna doubted she could have raised twentyscore in real armsmen even if she had
stripped Loiseau, Pamr, the Sand Fort. and Falcor. Lifting the lutar, she
tried a second spell, one seeking Hanfor. This brought a picture of Hanfor
reined up
on a hillside road, looking westward, or so it seemed, with the morning sun
falling on the backs of the arms commander and the lancers behind him.
The third spell called forth a troop of Mansuuran lancers who had dismounted
beside a stream running through a deep and narrow gorge. The image in the pool
shivered once, then again, as if being vibrated. Abruptly, timbers and planks
lay beside the stream and pillars of steam rose from blackened soil where the
stand of pines had been. Armsmen scurried forward on foot and began to lift
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