Peter Brett - The Daylight War

Gared grunted. ‘Corespawned right.’

‘But Rojer has the right of it,’ Leesha said. ‘If you let the count give you a title, it’s the same as saying the Cutters are part of the Angierian army.’

Gared shrugged. ‘Ent we? You two act like I’m the dim one, but it seems to me like you’ve forgotten whose side we’re on, carrying on in the sheets with Krasians and forgetting who was there for us when we needed them.’

‘It sure as the Core wasn’t Duke Rhinebeck,’ Rojer said.

Gared nodded. ‘Know that. Was the Deliverer done it. Painted Man’s letting the count lead the Hollow for now, that’s good enough for me. Tomorrow he says chop the count’s head off, I’ll do that, too.’

‘And all the Cutters with you,’ Leesha said in disgust.

‘Ay, that’s right. They follow me . Not you, Leesh.’ He nodded to Rojer. ‘And not fiddle-boy here, either. You two can go back to pickin’ herbs and spinning reels. The men got this.’

‘Creator help us,’ Leesha muttered as he turned his back and strode ahead.

‘The Hollow has changed since you were last here, mistress.’

Thamos sat on a heavy throne atop a raised dais at the head of his receiving hall. Still under construction, the walls and high ceiling were partly bare wood and partly beams covered in heavy tarp. The air was thick with dust and the smell of mixing crete, amplified by her headache. Freshly swept sawdust crunched beneath her shoes. Still the room was daunting in its sheer size, and would likely be breathtaking when fully appointed.

Adding to the trappings of power, the count was dressed in full armour, his spear close to hand. His beard was impeccably groomed to accentuate a sharp, handsome jaw, his waistline trim, and his shoulders broad. He looked every inch a noble soldier. A servant stood behind him, holding the count’s helm and shield as if he might be called to battle at any moment.

At Thamos’ right hand was Tender Hayes, the man Araine had promised in their meeting those months ago. Honest in his faith and fair, she said, but Angierian in his heart.

The Duchess Mum was behind everything the Angierians did, whether they knew it or not. Leesha had witnessed the woman’s power first-hand on her last visit to court. The duke and elder princes were kept in line by her first minister, Janson, but Leesha had long suspected that the youngest reported directly to her.

In that meeting, Araine had promised to send Thamos and his soldiers as well, but left out the part about making him count.

I should have seen this coming , Leesha thought. The woman’s played me for a fool again, even after scolding me to keep up with the dance.

In front of the throne, Lord Arther stood at a small writing podium, pen in hand with an open ledger and a fresh pot of ink. Captain Gamon stood to the left, straight-backed with his spear planted firmly on the floor. Behind him, a footman held his helm and shield.

‘Changed quite a bit it seems, Your Highness,’ Leesha said with a curtsy. ‘We don’t normally surround our citizens with drawn bows on their return from a journey.’

‘Our citizens did not used to go off into our enemies’ midst without permission from the crown,’ Thamos said.

‘Perhaps that’s because we never had enemies before,’ Leesha said. ‘I had fifty Krasian warriors in my town with an army at their backs, and did the best I could to keep my people safe. We didn’t have a week and more to wait on a response from the crown, and there’s nothing in the town charter that says I can’t come and go as I please in any event.’

Thamos sighed. ‘You’ve gotten used to having your own way in Cutter’s Hollow, mistress. Well enough when all you were good for was a few caravans of wood each year, but all that has changed. I am lord of the Hollow and its environs now. Your town council answers to me, and not the other way around. I can wipe my arse with your charter.’

Leesha smiled. ‘Do as you please, Highness, but do not be surprised to find the Hollowers don’t take it kindly if you do.’

‘Threats, mistress?’ Thamos asked. ‘After the ivy throne has answered your plea for aid, sending food, supplies, engineers, Warders, and soldiers to succour the refugees and fortify against the Krasians?’

‘No threat,’ Leesha said. ‘We are thankful for your aid and grateful to His Grace for the consideration he has given. I am simply offering a piece of advice.’

‘And what “advice” do you have regarding the company of enemy soldiers you brought with you?’ Thamos asked. ‘Can you give me a reason not to arrest and execute the lot of them?’

‘I have seen the Krasian army,’ Leesha told him. ‘Harming my escort, sent in good faith to keep us safe on the road and open relations between our peoples, would be tantamount to starting a war we cannot hope to win.’

‘You’re a fool if you think we will surrender an inch of ground to them,’ Thamos growled.

Leesha nodded. ‘Which is why you should smile and bide your time while the Hollow gets its feet under it. Treat our guests with courtesy. Show them our way of life is a good one, and that we, too, are strong.’

Thamos shook his head. ‘I will not have Krasian spies living and moving freely about the greatwards of the Hollow.’

Leesha shrugged. ‘Then you shall not. I will let them stay on my land.’

‘ Your land?’ Thamos asked.

‘Bruna was given a thousand acres of hereditary land by your father, Duke Rhinebeck the Second.’ She smiled. ‘A gift for midwifing Your Highness, I believe.’

Thamos’ face reddened, and Leesha let the grin slip from her face. ‘When Bruna died, she left me the land in her will. I have deliberately kept every acre off the greatwards.’

‘The land around the cottage Darsy keeps?’ Thamos asked. ‘You doubt my sincerity in offering my walls to these people, and then suggest instead they live on unwarded land?’

‘My lands are safer than you might expect, Highness,’ Leesha said. ‘Without their spears, there aren’t enough of them to cause a real problem, especially with their wives and children in tow. The Krasians bring gifts and goods to trade, with the promise of more. Let them do business, and send merchant spies of your own in return. If we cannot avert war, it is in our best interest to delay it while we build our forces and learn our enemies’ ways.’

Thamos wiped the frustration from his face, losing most of the tension in his shoulders. ‘Mother said you’d be like this.’

Leesha smiled. ‘The Duchess Mum knows me well. She is in good health, I presume?’

Thamos seemed to brighten a bit at the mention of his mother. ‘Not as vital as she once was, but I think in the end she will outlive us all.’

Leesha nodded. ‘Some women have too much will to die before their work is done.’

‘Mother sends her regards,’ Thamos went on. ‘And gifts.’

‘Gifts?’ Leesha asked.

‘First things first,’ Thamos said, turning his gaze on Gared. ‘Gared Cutter?’

Gared stepped forth. ‘Ay, Yur Highness?’

Arther took a small scroll from his podium and broke the seal, unrolling it to read: ‘“Gared Cutter, son of Steave of the village of Cutter’s Hollow, in the name of His Grace, Duke Rhinebeck the Third, Wearer of the Ivy Crown, Protector of the Forest Fortress and Duke of Angiers, you are hereby requested and required, in the year three hundred and thirty-three after the Return, to assume the rank of captain of the Cutters in service to His Grace, and the title of Squire at court. You will be given a district of the Hollow to oversee and tax for the upkeep of your household, and report only to His Highness Lord Thamos, Marshal of the Wooden Soldiers.” Do you accept this honour, and this duty?’