L. Modesitt - Arms-Commander

“But if you become overlord…?”

“Henstrenn left quite enough for now, and I have no doubt that you and your father ended up paying out of The Groves strongboxes what others should have paid.” Besides, all the lord-holders will pay their tariffs, and they’ll do so on time. She’d seen enough to know that they could…and she’d see that they would. Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? “Also, there’s the small matter of getting them all to approve of a woman as overlord.”

“All you have to do, Commander, is to ask who might be opposed to the idea.”

“I suspect all of them except Maeldyn and possibly Spalkyn are opposed.”

“That may be,” Zeldyan replied, “but all you have to do is ask who is opposed.”

“You’re suggesting that no one is about to speak up.”

“Against you? I would think not. If anyone does, it would be Chaspal. He’s not always perceptive. I don’t know if there will be any heirs who will try to claim their fathers’ holdings, but there might be some stupid enough to show up and try.” Zeldyan slipped a small box wrapped in cloth into the crate beside her. “What will you do if that happens?”

“Assuming people look to me, I’d accept any true blood heir…and make certain that they are treated exactly like any other lord-holder.”

“You can tell that, can’t you?”

“I can usually tell when people tell the truth and when they don’t.”

“Usually…or always?”

Saryn offered what she hoped was an enigmatic smile.

“I’ll be through here before long,” Zeldyan said.

“The quarters here are still yours, and they will be for now, and until you return to The Groves as lady-holder.”

“But…”

“The guest chamber I had before is perfectly adequate. This has been yours forever.”

“Just twelve years. At times, it seems like forever.”

“Could we have dinner together, Zeldyan…and without you calling me ‘Commander’?” asked Saryn warmly. “Please?”

Zeldyan’s eyes brightened. Then she swallowed…and nodded.

Saryn stepped forward and put her arms around Zeldyan.

Saryn woke early on eightday, half-dreading what the day might bring, knowing that Maeldyn, Spalkyn, and Wethryn had arrived late the evening before, and that most of the other surviving lord-holders would doubtless show up before long. She ate by herself in her chamber, then dressed and checked with Hryessa to make sure that first company was ready for any eventuality, before returning to the palace to see Zeldyan.

The former regent insisted that Saryn use the third-level sitting room for any private meetings. She also suggested that Saryn provide her own guards from first company. Saryn did not protest, and within the glass she was waiting there for Maeldyn, with two guards stationed outside.

“Lord Maeldyn and Lord Lyndel of Lyntara, Commander.”

Lord Lyndel? That has to be Deolyn’s son. “Have them come in.”

Maeldyn stepped into the chamber along with a slightly built young man with tight-curled and short brown hair. “Commander…”

Both men bowed, and as she stood from behind the table, Saryn saw immediately the resemblance between the son and his late father. “Lords…please join me.” She gestured to the table, waiting for them before she reseated herself.

“I thought Lyndel should meet you before all the lord-holders assembled,” began Maeldyn.

“I’m pleased to see you, Lord Lyndel,” Saryn said, “although I wish that your accession to being lord-holder had occurred under different circumstances.”

“I would have wished that, also, Commander,” replied the young man in a voice far deeper than his stature and youthful appearance might have suggested, and not at all like his father’s tenor. He smiled politely. “Lord Maeldyn has suggested that it is most likely you will succeed the regents. Although I am young, I must express my concern, especially given that my father sacrificed his life to preserve the regency in the hope of retaining the traditions of Lornth.”

Saryn could sense both worry and youthful arrogance behind the smoothly spoken words. She did not reply immediately, letting the silence grow for a time, while she gathered order and chaos flows to her. As she began to speak, she used those flows to project absolute authority over the young lord. “Lord Lyndel…I will speak frankly. I did not come to Lornth to seek power. I came here to preserve the regency and the friendly relations between Westwind and Lornth. Ever since I have been here, lord-holders-mostly from the south-have either attacked the Lady Regent or me, all demanding two things-that the regency attack Westwind and that no woman ever hold power in Lornth. Lornth attacked Westwind once, and the result was disaster for Lornth. Westwind is even more established today. I arrived here with a mere two squads of women guards, and we have not only defeated but also destroyed all those who attacked us. I would point out that not once did we attack any lord-holder who had not attacked first.” Saryn paused and smiled again, sensing that she had shaken the young lord, despite his massive arrogance.

Sitting on the side of the table between Lyndel and Saryn, Maeldyn nodded.

“Neither the Marshal of Westwind nor I can allow Lornth to destroy itself with internal bickering, and I am most certain that any intelligent lord-holder would prefer to hold his lands under an overlord-or lady-sympathetic to his needs than to have Lornth raided continually by the Jeranyi and racked with dissension until it became a mere province of Suthya. Or would you prefer to find yourself under Suthya?”

“We have always dealt with Suthya.”

“The last incursion of Suthyans I dealt with,” Saryn pointed out, “because no lord in the north beside your sire had the armsmen to do so. Now…not through my doing, but through the doing of your fellow lord-holders, you have barely a handful of the armsmen trained and raised by your father. Exactly how do you propose to stop the next Suthyan attack, not that there is likely to be one…unless I leave you to that unhappy fate?”

Lyndel looked to Maeldyn.

“As I pointed out on that part of the journey we shared coming here,” Maeldyn said, “even between us, Lord Spalkyn, Lord Wethryn, Lord Chaspal, and I could barely raise a company and a half of armsmen. Commander Saryn’s forces have defeated more than ten companies of armsmen. In some cases, not a single armsman of the forces opposing her survived. The Suthyans lost close to three companies, as well as three white wizards.”

“You two seem to leave me no choice,” protested Lyndel.

Saryn laughed softly. “That is not quite correct, Lord Lyndel. The reason why your choices are so few is because so many lord-holders who are no longer with us chose so poorly. They attacked a land that never attacked Lornth, and they continued to press for such attacks even after it was made clear to them the futility of such. Do you want to hold your lands in peace and prosperity…or do you want constant warfare with Suthya and Jerans at best, or total defeat at worst?”

“But…under a…”

“Woman?” finished Saryn lightly. “Why not? Have all those manly lord-holders you revere supported you and your sire so faithfully? You might recall that Lord Maeldyn and Lord Spalkyn and I were the ones to avenge him.”

“No,” said Maeldyn quietly. “Commander Saryn avenged him, and you might well mention that to any who press you on the issue, Lyndel.”

While Maeldyn’s tone was even, Saryn could sense the anger behind the words, an anger directed at the young lord.

For a moment, Lyndel was silent. Then he shook his head. “I must offer my apologies, Commander…Lord Maeldyn. Matters…are so unlike…what I had expected.”