L. Modesitt - Ordermaster

“So they couldn’t be sure that he hadn’t betrayed them. That would explain it. Once you’d talked to him, they couldn’t trust him.”

The rebels had killed Vatoran because Kharl had talked to him? “But he never told anyone anything.”

“They don’t know that. Lords like Malcor and Kenslan don’t trust anyone. Neither do Fergyn and Hensolas, and I’d wager that they’ve taken over leadership of the rebels.”

“There were that many lords who opposed Ghrant?”

“These things take on a life of their own. Hensolas in particular is too calculating ever to start a revolt, but he might encourage others and let them take the lead. That was why Estloch had sent him off as envoy to Brysta. Once he came back, he’d stayed in the background, but he had to have worried about Malcor’s treachery and Kenslan’s brutality. With both of them dead, and with the quiet support of Hamor-and seeing what you’ve done to Malcor, Kenslan, and Guillam, he and Fergyn wouldn’t trust Lord Ghrant. They’d feel that they had no choice. They don’t.” Hagen’s words were level.

“You’re telling me that I caused this revolt? Because I caught Guillam lying in his teeth?” Kharl set down the mug of warm cider without taking a swallow.

“Lords fear the truth at times more than death or their ruler.” Hagen offered a faint smile. “You didn’t cause the revolt. It would have happened before long.”

Kharl understood all too well that Hagen and Lord Ghrant would have liked more time before the rebel lords had acted. He just shook his head. “I was afraid that if Guillam walked out of the audience hall, there would have been a revolt within eightdays. I didn’t realize that I’d cause it to occur immediately.”

“Lord Ghrant is aware of that.” Hagen fingered his chin. “As I told you earlier, if we can get through this, matters may turn out for the best.” He laughed softly. “The next few eightdays will be the test.”

“What else has happened?”

“Norgen’s scouts have reported several Hamorian vessels off the coast just north of here. They landed a small party, then departed.”

“Golds … and more white wizards,” Kharl suggested.

“The golds I can see. They’re cheaper than soldiers and less costly.”

“So are white wizards. The one wizard with Malcor wasn’t that strong. Neither was the one with Ilteron. The one who attacked yesterday wasn’t as strong as the one with Ilteron in Dykaru.” Kharl felt that any white wizard he’d bested couldn’t be that powerful. After all, he’d been working with order for less than a year.

“You think so?”

“The emperor keeps his wizards under tight rein. I saw that in Hamor. What better way to suggest that they stay in line than by sending those who are not as … obedient as he might like to Austra?”

“And if they refuse to follow orders once they’re here,” Hagen added, “it just creates more chaos here in Austra, and anything that does that weakens Austra.”

Kharl nodded.

“Always Hamor …” Hagen shook his head. “They want to hold the entire world.”

“What about Reduce?”

“Hamor will try to take over everyone else first. It may take generations, but the emperors have all been patient, and they have wizards and iron-hulled warships and golds.” Hagen rose. “How are your ribs?”

“Still sore.”

“You’ll have a few days, I’d judge. I’d like more, but I’m not counting on it.”

Neither was Kharl.

As Hagen had predicted, there were no more attacks on the Great House-or nearby-on oneday, or on the days following. Fortunately, the damage at Lord Lahoryn’s city house had been minimal, and not even his guards had been wounded.

Kharl spent the time practicing his order-skills, particularly his shields, and in studying The Basis of Order in the manner in which he had found most effective-by questioning. Sometimes he read in his quarters, but when he could, he preferred the sheltered area on the top of the north tower.

On fiveday, after midday dinner, he was in the bright and cool sunlight of the tower, his back against sun-warmed stone, perusing a particularly obvious section, wondering why the writer had felt it necessary to emphasize the point so thoroughly.

Every strength is a weakness, every weakness a strength, for under the Balance there cannot be more order than chaos. Thus, if order is concentrated in one place, there must be another place where there is less and where it will take less effort for chaos to prevail. Likewise, the same is true of chaos …

That had certainly been the case in his own experience. If he concentrated order into a shield, for him to resist the firebolts of the white wizards, that order had to be restricted to a very small area. On the other hand, he asked himself, was there a time or place where the use of additional order spread over a large area, almost like seasoning over a large piece of meat, would prove useful? Kharl considered it, but could not think of a situation where it might be useful. Perhaps he might in time.

He continued reading, until he came to a passage which seemed both direct and obscure, simultaneously.

Because chaos reflects the absence of order, it can manifest itself in two fashions, or both at once. The first is as what appears as white fire, and that is chaos free of all order and all constraints, but chaos drawn from elsewhere by one who is able to do so and imposed upon what order may exist in a given place. The second is that chaos caused by the withdrawal of order from the place itself. Both methods produce that force known as chaos, and the unrestrained chaos created by either means cannot be differentiated, one from the other. The first method is the easiest, and the one most widely practiced, but the amount of chaos that can be mustered is limited by the strength of the wizard, because by nature such free chaos is widely dispersed. The second method does not require strength alone, but great mastery of both order and chaos, and has seldom been employed because failure to attain mastery is almost inevitably fatal.

Kharl understood the concepts well enough, but there was no explanation of why attempting the second method was so dangerous. He read on, but nowhere could he find any explanation of the dangers-or even of the reasons behind the caution.

He frowned. The book seemed to suggest that technique was the key to the second method. As a cooper, he certainly understood that the key to any craft was skill and not brute force, but exactly what sort of skill wasrequired to remove order from an area or an object? What would happen if he did?

He marked his place in the book and closed it slowly, thinking.

What sort of danger was involved? Why hadn’t the book explained? Or was it like so much else-something that the writer had not wanted to spell out? Or could not?

“Ahhh …”

Kharl turned his head, then rose from where he had been seated.

Hagen was walking across the stones of the tower.

“You look worried-again,” offered Kharl.

Hagen nodded. “These days … I’m worried all the time. The rebel lords look to be trying something else. Hensolas has gathered his forces, and they include half of the regular Austran lancers from the eastern district, the ones who were under Vatoran. Norgen’s scouts are reporting that the rebels are moving around Valmurl to the southeast.”

Kharl didn’t know enough about the local geography to understand what that meant. “Where are they heading?”

“I’d judge that they’re planning to use the southern high road into the harbor. If they take the harbor, they can claim they hold Valmurl. It also makes it much easier for the Hamorians to send them supplies.”