Douglas Niles - Measure and the Truth

It had been there, in her laboratory, that Coryn made the potion of enchantment Jaymes had used to bewitch Selinda-to woo her love, win her hand, and gain control of her fortune. That seemed like another lifetime, such a distant part of the past that the emperor could almost convince himself that it had never happened. But it had happened. Now, it seemed, his wife had magic on her side.

There, too, the White Witch and a younger Jaymes Markham had shared moments as lovers and friends. They had dreamed of a united Solamnia. That goal was key to their partnership.

Would that dream, too, end in ruin?

The emperor dismounted and stalked to the front door, which opened before he could knock. He halted momentarily at the sight of a young man dressed in the livery of an apprentice Knight of the Crown. A small fuzz of brown fur bristled atop his lip, an overly ambitious attempt at the singular mustache of a proud Solamnic Knight.

“Donny?” Jaymes said, taken aback. It had been more than a year since his last visit there. He was suddenly bemused as he confronted the fellow who was the son of the house’s most venerable servant. “I didn’t know you had taken the Oath.”

“Yes, my lord,” said the young man, beaming. “It’s Sir Donald, now.”

“Excellent. Your father must be very proud.”

“Oh, he is, sir. Most definitely. I’m sure he would love to see you if you have a moment. I can get him right away.”

“Actually, I’m here to see Lady Coryn on a matter of urgency. Where is she?” His voice had suddenly hardened, and the change in his mood did not escape the young knight. Jaymes was surprised to notice a flicker of defiance in Donny’s-Sir Donald’s-face. The young man’s first loyalty was to the mistress of the house, a fact that shouldn’t have been surprising.

“Come in,” the knight said after a moment. “I’ll get her.”

Jaymes waited in the anteroom, looking at those steps he had climbed so many times. The laboratory was up there… and her bedroom too. He had gone to each, in turn, and found strength and renewal with the woman so many knights called the White Witch.

The stairway seemed unusually bright in the afternoon sunlight spilling through the high windows. When Coryn came around the curve on the stairs, he realized that she, not the sun, was the source of the brightness. It was a magical effect, he knew, and resolved not to give her the satisfaction of shielding his eyes.

She halted several steps from the bottom, waiting for him to speak first, and he felt the rise of his anger. He was facing betrayal from women on all sides. Instinctively, he went on the attack.

“You gave a magical ring to my wife, didn’t you?” he began, speaking harshly.

“You locked her up in her room when you left the city.” Her tone was calm. “As if she were a criminal. That was something she clearly did not deserve.”

“It was for her own good!”

“Who are you to judge what is good for the Lady Selinda?” Coryn challenged.

“I thought you were my ally!” Jaymes declared. “We are working together toward a strong Solamnia! Surely you understand the importance of keeping Selinda-and the child she carries-safe!”

“I’m not sure that we agree on what is good for your… wife.” The reply was frank, her tone still cool and unapologetic.

“But everything is going according to plan,” he protested. “We’ve come so far! Six duchies and regencies, united as a nation, facing a future in strength, as an empire! Just as we always hoped.”

“What does that have to do with Selinda, with what you did at Vingaard Keep?” she said. “This is how you make a strong future?”

“It was necessary-”

“It was brutal and short-sighted,” Coryn spat, her calmness shattered like a broken mirror. Her voice caught; tears swam in her eyes. “Much of what you are doing these days is brutal and short-sighted. You don’t have any idea how the people of this nation feel. You want their respect, but all you gain is their fear!”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand!” he replied. “I have carved a place for myself… and for this land. Turn your back on me, on this land, if you will. I can hold that place by myself.”

“I wish you success in your attempt,” the White Witch replied coldly.

“Do not dare to betray me again!” he warned.

“Go now,” was her only reply.

The last word vanished behind the door the emperor slammed on his way out.

General Dayr and his son accompanied their army on the southward march back to Thelgaard. It was a grim, businesslike procession, with none of the celebratory chatter and cheering that inevitably accompanied the return from a victorious campaign. Men and officers alike seemed subdued and introspective.

They had about the same distance to march as Jaymes and his Freemen, but they moved without the emperor’s urgency. As a consequence-even though they marched across the plains instead of over a mountain pass-it took a few days longer for the Crown Army to reach Thelgaard than it did for the emperor to reach Palanthas.

Finally the long column of troops drew up to the ancestral home and castle. Despite being sacked by Ankhar less than five years earlier, Thelgaard had been restored as an impressive edifice. The outer wall and gates had been fully rebuilt, and several new towers added to the mighty keep.

“I’m going to spend one night at home and then go on to New Compound on a mission for the emperor,” General Dayr said to his son as they approached the castle gate. “Would you care to come along with me?”

“Certainly, Father,” replied Captain Franz.

“Good,” said the older man, invigorated as they rode into the cool shade of the great courtyard.

On arriving home the general signed the orders dismissing his levied troops, allowing them to return to their farms and shops for the summer. He took some time to set up a training schedule and duty rotations for his permanent garrisons. He and his wife hosted a homecoming banquet that evening for his knights and their ladies.

The next morning he and his son ate a quick breakfast while their horses were saddled and their traveling kits were freshened by servants. Lady Dayr made no complaint-she had seen darker days-and merely kissed her husband and son good-bye.

They departed for the valley of New Compound, in the northern Garnet Mountains, only an hour after dawn. The two men had decided to travel alone, partly to make the trip almost a vacation, but partly knowing they had private matters to discuss.

The older man had been watching his son, noting the darkness that seemed to envelop him whenever the emperor’s name was mentioned. After their first day traveling, with the responsibilities of army management and home behind them, General Dayr decided to broach the subject of what had transpired at Vingaard Keep.

“I picture the siege of Vingaard, even in my dreams,” he said frankly. “As clear as if I’m standing there, the smoke of the gun still swirling around me.”

The two men rode their horses at an easy walk, the flat expanse of the Vingaard Plains making for easy traveling. The ragged crest of the Garnet Range was visible on the horizon but still several days ahead.

“How can we ever forget?” Franz replied, the bitterness tightening his voice. “A year ago those knights were our friends, our allies. Blayne Kerrigan was a mate of mine when we were apprentices in the order of Crowns! How could it have come to this?” He turned in his saddle to regard the general with an almost pleading expression. “Father, we helped the emperor earn his place. At the time, it seemed like we were clearly doing what was best for the knighthood… and for our realm. Now I fear just the opposite.”