S. Stirling - The Given Sacrifice

Nystrup glanced at him startled-that was from his people’s holy book-and angry. Then he nodded slightly.

The last sunlight was dying on the Gallatin peaks to the westward. Rudi stepped forward, pitching his voice to carry.

“This man was my enemy and hunted me and my comrades across the continent on the Quest. He was like a burr on our tail, never giving up, faithful unto death to his pledged word and his lords. Only when they betrayed him and he was shown that they were unworthy of a brave man’s loyalty did he renounce them.”

He put the palm of his right hand on the pommel of the Sword for a moment, reminding everyone present that he could detect any deceit.

“And when he did turn on them, he did so honestly and with a whole heart, for right’s sake and not for advantage. He risked death by torture and worse to oppose them here on their own ranges, when he might have returned to Montival with me and had a post of honor, because these are his folk and he wished to set them free to live as humankind should once more. Has any man or woman here done more?”

Silence, and the High King went on: “Not to mention he just removed. . what, twenty-two hundred riders from the enemy’s order of battle. Men we will not have to fight again tomorrow, and some of our warriors will live, or see their homes again whole of limb because of it.”

The almost-grumbling died away. Graber’s face was a thing of slabs and angles. He might have renounced his allegiance, but twelve years as cadet in the House of the Prophet had effects he would never shed entirely, not to mention the years as a warrior in Sethaz’ army afterwards. It wasn’t an accident that the Prophet had assigned him the task of foiling the Quest. Despite that masklike impassiveness there was relief and gratitude in the cold blue eyes. Graber showed unexpected tact when he reached arm’s length from Rudi; he gave a military salute, and then sank down on both knees with his hands held forward, palms together.

It didn’t surprise Rudi that the man had learned the etiquette used nearer the Pacific, but it was a graceful gesture. The subordinates behind him, his company commanders and staff, went to their knees as well; that meant they gave their assent through their leader.

The High King drew the Sword and planted it in the earth between them. Graber took the hilt between his palms, and Rudi enfolded the other man’s hands between his own; that was a new custom, the way the High King took fealty, and a guarantee of sincerity on both sides.

Graber’s eyes widened a little; touching the Sword of the Lady was never easy, though he had before when Rudi freed him from the bonds laid on his mind. His voice was steady as he spoke, a little harsh but confident:

“I, Justin Graber, pledge my faith and honor to the High King of Montival and to the heirs of his blood; I will be his sworn man in peace and war, with goods and with counsel, with aid and with arms, taking his foes and friends as mine, though my life be the price of this oath. This I swear on my honor as a fighting-man, and by whatever Powers watch over me.”

The which he will find, I think. This is a man of faith, and he will hunger for one to replace that which was broken.

“I, Artos, the first of that name, High King in Montival, Son of Raven, Son of Bear, accept your oath, Justin Graber. From this day forth I am your liege-lord. In peace you may hold secure all that is your own under my hand; in need you may appeal to me for aid; in war we shall be comrades of the blade, and I shall ward your family and children at need should you fall in my service. As you keep faith with me, so I will with you: I promise good lordship and fair justice, to you and to those who follow you-”

He added that deliberately, just to drive the point home that Graber’s folk-and all the dwellers here not in arms against them-were his subjects now too. He didn’t think there was anyone in the Host who still doubted that he meant what he said about things like that. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Mathilda nodding approval, which was reassuring; he had the most profound respect for his wife’s political judgment.

“-and I will hold your honor as precious as my own. This oath I will defend at need against all men, and any who do you wrong do also so to me, and at their peril. So I swear by the Lady of Stars and by the Lord Her Consort, and by all the Gods of my people; by Earth, by Sky; and so I bind the line of my blood and yours until the sky fall and crush us, or the sea overwhelm the land, or the world end.”

Most of the officers made formal greeting and left; a few came forward to shake Graber’s hand. All of the ones who’d been on the Quest did so, and Rudi led them to the open flap of his tent, with a quiet word to have the needs of Graber’s subordinates seen to.

“How many in your band?” Rudi asked, when they’d been seated and the plain stew and flatbread brought.

Graber ate with wolfish intensity; he and his were well equipped for the sort of war they practiced in these parts, as far as Rudi had been able to tell, but evidently they hadn’t been eating high off the hog. Or the rangeland steer, in this country.

Mind, with years of war levies and now fighting on their own territory, it’s going to be touch and go to keep famine out of this land as it is.

“Fifteen hundred, not counting about five hundred women and kids brought along because there wasn’t anyplace safe to put them.”

Out of the corner of his eye Rudi noted Ignatius making a note and handing it off to a staff messenger who stepped forward at his crooked finger. The quartermasters would be attending to feeding the newcomers by morning.

“Including both my wives and my children; friends helped to get them out before the hunt started. My wives are women of excellent character and acted quickly,” Graber added. “The. . High Seekers seemed curiously blind about what I was doing.”

“They would, my friend, after you were touched by the Sword; and they’ve grown careless about using ordinary means. It’s good that you rescued your little ones and their mothers. There are some prices that are steep even for honor; I’m glad you weren’t forced to pay so high.”

Graber nodded. That had been another risk he’d taken. “And about three times as many have taken up arms against the CUT here and there on their own, once I showed it wasn’t just suicide,” he said. “I’m in contact with their leaders; that’s not counting areas we. . the Prophet, that is. . overran in the last few years, they’ve just gone back to how they were before.”

“Not entirely,” Father-or in this context, Lord Chancellor-Ignatius said. “The CUT’s occupation has left many grudges, many feuds. And the reprisals going on right now against collaborators, or people who their personal rivals and enemies can paint as collaborators, will make for more. We’ll be long years settling them.”

Graber shrugged; those lands weren’t his affair. “A lot more of the Prophet’s levies have just gone home-or gone home to defend their ranches and neighborhoods-as they were driven back into the lands they came from. Not to defend from the invading. . liberating. . armies, so much, as from bandits and deserters and each other. And, ah-”

“From the Lakota, the ones who aren’t riding with the armies,” Rudi said ruefully.

He liked and respected the folk of the Seven Council Fires, but they had their own grudges to pay off-and raiding for horses was an ancient tradition with them, one they’d revived gleefully after the Change. Nor did what passed for their central government have all that much control over the individual tribes and clans or for that matter individuals. It operated by consensus, or not at all.