L. Modesitt - Mage-Guard of Hamor

"Ser Gorsyn?" asked Rahl, standing on the narrow front verandah.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to ask you a few questions."

"Officer, I do not believe I owe you an explanation for anything." Gorsyn's voice was warm, smooth and modulated, as if it were nut oil flowing into a pan.

Rahl smiled. "It's Majer Rahl, ser Gorsyn, and since I'm also an Imperial Mage-Guard reporting directly to the Imperial Mage-Guard Overcommander for Merowey… you do. Also, since that squad of troopers drawn up out there will do whatever I ask, I think it would be most unwise for you not to answer my questions."

Gorsyn's eyes flicked past Rahl to fourth squad, then back to the mage-guard. He smiled, but only with his mouth. "I suppose I must, mustn't I? What do you wish to know?"

"You've paid your seasonal tariffs regularly, even the last one, haven't you?"

"Of course. I'm a loyal citizen of the Emperor."

"Did you know that Chyrl was paying those tariffs to the usurper?"

"Majer-it is Majer, is it not? I wouldn't want to be disrespectful. As I was saying, Majer, my duty as a loyal citizen is to pay my tariffs to the Emperor's duly appointed representative, and to the best of my knowledge, that was the town clerk, Chyrl. It was his duty to dispatch those funds to the appropriate authority, and I would certainly not wish to second-guess any Imperial functionary, whether minor or mighty." Gorsyn smiled again.

Rahl could tell that Gorsyn had known what Chyrl had been doing. "Did you offer Chyrl any advice or suggestions once the fact of the revolt became known?"

"I wouldn't presume, Majer. I'm a distiller, not an Imperial functionary."

"Yes or no?"

"No."

"Did you offer any assistance or aid to anyone known to be a rebel, or known to support the rebellion?"

"I did not, unless you would classify paying my lawful tariffs as support."

That suggested most strongly that Gorsyn had known Chyrl's sympathies and actions, but Rahl couldn't very well discipline someone for what he knew, rather than what he had done, not in this case.

"Did anyone in your household?"

"Absolutely not."

That meant Gorsyn had forbidden it, and that suggested a very clever man. By paying his tariffs to Chyrl and winking, so to speak, he had made sure that he'd remain in a good position, no matter what happened.

"You're a very clever man, ser Gorsyn."

"I'd like to think so, Majer, but that's something time will tell, won't it?" He smiled again. "Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

Rahl could have asked more questions, but he'd sensed enough from Gorsyn to know that he'd find little more than what he'd already discovered, and nothing that would amount to proof of treason. "No. You've been most helpful, and I thank you."

Those were the first words that created unease within the distiller, but Rahl merely smiled and stepped back. "Good day, ser Gorsyn."

"Good day, Majer." The door closed gently, but firmly.

Rahl walked back to the fourth squad and the gelding, then mounted. He still had four others to run down.

In the end, he found all four, and his conversations will all four were remarkably similar to the one he had held with Gorsyn. All insisted-truthfully-that they had given no golds or support to the rebels and that they had only paid their lawful tariffs to the town clerk, trusting in his sense of duty. That meant that they'd all talked about how to handle the situation, and that, in a way, Chyrl had been partly set up, if willingly, to be the only true rebel in Lahenta.

He did not return to the square to meet Drakeyt until close to sunset. Along the way he did discover just how highly the distiller-or the distillery-was regarded. A paved lane ran from the distillery building on the south side of Lahenta to the highway leading to Nubyat, and it appeared to Rahl that from that point on, the road was stone-paved.

"What did you find out?" asked the captain.

"The town clerk handed all the tariffs for the past two seasons over to Golyat's tariff administrator. He was active in supporting the revolt and knew full well that the tariffs went to support the rebellion, but none of Lahenta's wealthiest did anything but pay their tariffs, and none of them did anything to support Golyat or the rebellion."

"They had to know."

"I'm sure that they did, but you can't administer justice against someone because he didn't stop a minor functionary from abusing an official position."

"What about the clerk?"

"He rode off with the rebels. He left enough records that he can be charged with treason. That's if he survives and we ever find him."

Drakeyt snorted. "The wealthy snots knew, and they'll get away with it."

Rahl nodded. "I can't administer justice against someone who only suspected a crime and didn't look further."

"I can see that… but it's still wrong."

"It is, but it would be more wrong to punish them. That way, we'd have to punish all of Nubyat and Sastak, and a good third to half of all the people in Merowey near the coast around those cities."

"So they set themselves up to profit no matter who won?"

Rahl smiled sadly.

"We'll see more of that, won't we?"

Rahl didn't have to reply to the question. Drakeyt already knew the answer.

Twoday morning Rahl was up early. He hadn't slept well, even though he'd been able to lay his bedroll on some comparatively soft hay in the corner of one of the barns Third Company had taken over temporarily. He'd had nightmares about drowning in ooze while Deybri had looked on. He couldn't recall what her nightmare image had said, but he felt that she had judged him for creating so much death. Yet what else could he have done? The rebels had left him nowhere to go, and he couldn't throw order-bolts the way the chaos-mages could throw chaos-bolts. One such effort had left him so helpless that his own troopers had had to cart him back.

After he struggled out of the nightmare and into wakefulness, Rahl washed up as well as he could and ate stale field rations. He was saddling the gelding when he heard a trooper riding into the courtyard.

"Majer! Captain!"

Rahl turned, then waited as Drakeyt appeared. The two walked over to the trooper.

"Sers… there's a full squad coming in. They're ours."

"Thank you, Shundyr," Drakeyt said.

"My pleasure, ser. Wouldn't want it said your scouts didn't keep you posted."

Both officers had their mounts saddled and ready in the light before dawn when Rahl could sense the oncoming riders, moving at quick trot. He turned to Drakeyt. "They'll be here in a moment."

Shortly, the squad rode into the open space west of the barn and reined up. A squad leader rode forward and halted. "Squad leader Lyrn reporting, ser, one full squad for duty. We have dispatches for Majer Rahl and Captain Drakeyt."

"Welcome, squad leader," offered Drakeyt.

"Welcome," added Rahl.

Lyrn handed an envelope to Rahl, then one to Drakeyt.

"Have your men stand down and rest… water your mounts," Drakeyt said. "You must have left early."

"Yes, ser. We covered about six kays since we broke bivouac."

Drakeyt opened the envelope and began to read, then looked over at Rahl. "We're ordered to scout the approaches to Thalye-that's the next town-with particular concern for possible opposition from the old back road. Squad leader Lyrn and his men are to replace fifth squad, and the previous fourth and fifth squad are to be consolidated under Fedeor as fourth squad, and squad leader Fysett is to be one of the messengers returning to Second Army. He'll be reassigned as a squad leader there."

Rahl nodded. The reassignment made sense. So did the suggestion of even more intensive scouting of the route to Thalye, particularly since the rebel attack on eightday and the beginning of the metaled highway to the coast signaled the edge of territory more likely to be defended more vigorously. According to the maps, Thalye was less than ten kays from Lahenta.