Jack Whyte - The Eagles' Brood

"How is your foundling?"

I snapped back to the present. "Cassandra? Oh, she's well." I tried to keep my voice casual and betray none of the emotions that filled me, but I was unsuccessful, for his eyebrow rose immediately.

"She is...well, is she? It pleases me to hear that. When will she be well enough to visit us here in Camulod?"

"I.. .I do not know, Father." I made my face as grave as I could, wishing him to think I still had grave reservations about her overall health. "I could not guess with any confidence. She is still...weak, in some ways."

"Aye. And quite strong in others, I can see." His voice was heavy with irony and I felt my face flush.

"You sent for me, sir."

"Aye. I did. For several reasons, the first of which is the least important in real terms. This barbarian, the Scot. What do you intend to do with him?"

"Do with him?" The question caught me unprepared. "What do you mean?"

He looked at me, wide-eyed, his face reflecting an uncharacteristic bewilderment as he admitted, "I don't know what I mean. I was hoping you would help me define what I mean. You have managed to saddle us with a useless mouth to feed and a responsibility to guard this man for years. I only hope you have some idea of what's involved here. Have you thought about it?" In spite of his bewilderment, his frown indicated that here was matter for serious consideration.

I nodded. "Of course I have."

"And?"

I shrugged, trying to put conviction into my tone. "I have decided to offer him the opportunity to pass his time here usefully."

"How, in God's name? The man's an Outlander and an enemy!" That was almost a bark.

I shrugged again, recognizing the repetition and attempting unsuccessfully to stifle the movement before it was complete. "I don't know yet."

"Not as a soldier, then?"

"No...I don't know! Perhaps, or perhaps as a servant of some kind."

"A servant? Caius, the man is a warrior and a king's son, and a Scot, to boot. Trying to make a servant out of him would be akin to training a grown wolf to act as guard dog to a child! It is not in his nature to be a servant. He will never submit to that."

"Well, perhaps a soldier, then."

"Trained to our ways?" I almost flinched at the scorn in his voice. "The way the Romans taught their enemies to overwhelm them? I tell you, lad, you teach this man to fight the way we do, and he'll go home and teach his kinsmen how to beat us."

I shook my head at him. "No, Father, that he won't. I would not be so stupid as to raise a viper in my bosom. I intend to talk with him today. I locked him up as soon as he arrived to let him think about imprisonment. I hope he will see reason and decide that he has more to gain by working with us than by mouldering in a cell. We will see. I'll inform you later how the meeting goes. What else did you want to talk about?"

"Uther," he growled. "There's still no word from him. I'm starting to worry."

"Why?" I had not even begun to grow concerned. "No news is good news, in this case. If Uther had been killed or defeated, we would know of it by now. Lot's forces would be everywhere, drunk with victory."

My father looked unconvinced. "Well, you may be right," he growled.

"Father, you know I am. Uther has turned them back and, being Uther, he is worrying at their heels like a dog baiting a bear. He'll drive them home to Cornwall and then he'll come back for more men to keep them there, confined in their wooden stronghold. You'll see. I'd be prepared to wager on it." That earned me a glowering glance and a sharp warning.

"That is exactly what you're doing, boy."

"Well," I said, changing the subject, "time will tell. What else is there?"

"This!" He indicated the parchment in front of him with a gesture of disgust and I knew we had come to the crux of this meeting. "Victorex has been dead how long? Ten years now? Since he died, no one has been able to give me a concise report on our strength of horses. No one. I have four reports here. Four separate responses to the same demands: How many head of stock do we possess in all and how is our breeding program progressing? The answers are all different, not even close to each other. The two furthest apart involve a difference of six hundred and twenty head. Six hundred and twenty! When I arrived back in Britain with Stilicho there were not that many horses in the Colony. Now we can misplace that number without even noticing, according to my own horsemasters!"

"Which do you believe to be most accurate?" I asked him. "Do we have so many that six hundred could be overlooked?"

He shook his head in frustration. "Caius, I have no way of knowing! That's what makes me so angry. I have no idea, and no one else has, either."

A progression of images flitted through my mind, pictures of the herds of horses that now seemed to be everywhere on our estates. "Surely there must be something we can do to remedy that, Father?"

He thumped his fist on the desk top. "There is. I want you, personally, to take a census of our livestock, starting immediately. I want an itemized head count of every animal on the Colony, particularly horses, but cattle as well. As far as the horses are concerned, I have to know how many battle mounts we have, as opposed to workhorses, and then I require information on our stud farms: how many stallions, mares and fillies; how many geldings; how many colts and foals; everything you can find. And I want it presented in a written report, detailing our entire resources, right down to the number of mares in foal." He pointed a rigid finger at me, underlining the importance of what he was about to say next. "This is not a task for delegation, Cay, it's far too important. I must have trustworthy numbers. That is why you are to do it in person. Your presence and authority will give this census an aura of official importance, which is exactly how I wish it to be perceived. It is vitally important. I want results as soon as possible. How long do you think you'll need?"

I stood up, shrugging my shoulders. "As long as it takes, I suppose. Certainly not less than a week and probably closer to two, by the time we visit all of the outlying farms and check the stock on each of them. It may take even longer than that. We do have a lot of horses nowadays."

'Talk to me of accurate numbers, Cay, not of lots. So be it. Start today, with the horses at hand here in the fort and stables. And be thorough, Caius. I want every head accounted for."

I nodded, saluted him, and left to go to the Armoury to collect my thoughts and make my plans. Two hours later I summoned a secretary and gave him the announcement I had prepared, instructing him to make twenty copies for my seal. It was a simple announcement to the commanders of each camp in the Colony, and to the masters of each farm, to gather all of their livestock in preparation for a visit of inspection by myself within a given period of days. When the secretary had gone about his business I relaxed and yawned, allowing myself to think about the pleasures I had enjoyed the previous night and savouring the image of Cassandra that burned clearly behind my eyes. In the course of my day-dreaming, I remembered my resolve to bring her something fine to wear and I sprang to my feet and made my way directly to my Aunt Luceiia's home.

The old lady was so happy to see me that I felt my usual guilt at spending so little time with her. She fussed over me, sending a servant to bring me wine, and seating me on her most comfortable chair. She chattered happily for some time about the affairs of her household before turning to my reasons for being there. As soon as she did that, I realized that she had known from the moment I walked in, with that infuriating percipience so often possessed by the elderly, that I had come to ask a favour. I know now it was ingenuous of me not to recognize that she must have determined my purpose immediately. From the very diffidence of my bearing, when I arrived, it would have required no great mental effort to conjecture that there was a woman involved.