“I will, as necessary. I intend to have the other lord-holders follow your example of only having a limited number of armsmen. In return, I’ll use the companies I raise and support to deal with problems like the Jeranyi and the Suthyans.”
“Will all your armsmen be women?”
“Right now, that’s all I have. I plan to have companies of both. I will need more armsmen and guards to deal with those who would threaten Lornth.”
“What about Westwind?”
Saryn shrugged. “Westwind has no designs on Lornth and never did. We will trade as necessary. Since our interests do not conflict, I see no problems.”
“You don’t think women will leave Lornth to go there?”
“There will be far fewer trying to reach Westwind now than would otherwise have been the case. Those who still wish to leave would not have served Lornth well.”
“What about tariffs?”
“They will be slightly higher, and they will be paid on time. Most lord-holders will be better off because they won’t need so many armsmen. In your case, you’ll lose less to the Jeranyi.”
Jharyk laughed again, not quite so harshly as the first time. “You take care of them the way you did before, and you’ll even have me spouting your praise.” He paused. “There will be some who won’t take to you.”
“I know. They don’t have to like me. They just have to be loyal.”
“For some that’s been a problem. Then, I hear that most of them are dead.”
“Those that raised arms against the regency.”
“That leaves a few, Commander.”
“All we can do is see what they do,” she replied.
Jharyk shook his head. “They’d be wise to do nothing. I’m not sure one or two are that smart.” He inclined his head. “I can live with what you do. Good day, Commander.”
“Good day.”
After Jharyk departed, Saryn walked to the window and looked out at the front courtyard of the palace. How many more will want to see you? How many won’t even consider it? How will you handle matters if someone gets unruly?
XCIX
Saryn and Hryessa walked into the tower council chamber half a glass before the lord-holders were to assemble. Five chairs around a round table filled the center of the dark-paneled room, with the only light from the high windows in the back wall of the chamber, since the wall lamps were unlit.
“Let’s put the table against the wall, and line the chairs up along the wall by the door. That will leave the floor space open.” Saryn glanced down at the heavy, worn, dark green carpet, which was bordered in purple, with gold intertwined vines and leaves. Ugly and then some.
When they had rearranged the room, Hryessa looked to Saryn. “How many guards do you want?”
“Ten. I want the most experienced, and five should be on one side of where I’ll stand, and five on the other side. They should be here, waiting. I won’t enter until everyone is inside. After I do, and the doors are closed, bring the rest of the squad into the corridor outside.”
“The lord-holders…they will not like it.”
“No. They won’t. And they won’t like the fact that I’m wearing a battle harness, but they’ll each have a single blade at their belt.” And my having two blades at hand will subtly reinforce the impression of power. “They’re going to have to get used to having women with power and weapons around, and now is as good a time as any to start.”
Saryn decided to wait on the staircase landing around the corner from the corridor in front of the council chamber, half a flight up. From there, she could sense the lord-holders entering, and Zeldyan had agreed, with a smile, to summon Saryn after Maeldyn had explained the general situation to the others.
When Saryn left the chamber, because she did not want to be anywhere close while the lord-holders arrived and gathered, Zeldyan was outside.
“We rearranged the chamber,” Saryn said, nodding for Hryessa to get on with her preparations.
“You could have had the staff do it,” Zeldyan pointed out.
“I’d rather not ask anything of them yet, other than what any guest would expect. Have you heard anything I should know?”
“Maeldyn says that most are resigned to your becoming overlord, but he hasn’t mentioned anything about succession.”
Saryn could understand that. For a historically patrilineal and patriarchal society, what she planned to impose would certainly not sit well, but, for better or worse, she wanted everything out in the open from the beginning. It would make the initial transition less popular, but easier because it was clear who held power, and that would make matters easier as time went by. That’s what you hope. At the very least, she would know who was so vehemently opposed that she would have to deal with them immediately. “That’s something I’ll deal with after the issue of being overlord is raised.”
“Some may change their minds.”
“That’s their decision…and their consequences.”
Zeldyan winced.
“You think I’m cruel? You have lost everyone you loved. I don’t want to see the same things happen again and again, and they will, if things aren’t changed.”
“Saryn…women are not any better than men.”
“No, we’re not, but I can train and educate the women. Right now, I can only kill the men, because they’ll fight to the death rather than accept change. I’d prefer not to, but I’ll end up having to unless I change matters. And there are a few lords who love and trust their daughters.”
“In the end, will the women be any better?”
“I don’t know. I hope so, but…don’t you think we ought to have a chance to see if we can do better?”
Zeldyan only smiled sadly.
Saryn could sense the former regent’s feelings-that Saryn was going to pay a very high price for her changes…and that, in the end, little would change. We’ll see.
“You’ll enter the chamber with Maeldyn and Spalkyn?” Saryn asked, as much to change the subject as anything.
“Both Lyndel and I will enter with Maeldyn. Spalkyn is going to stick close to Chaspal.”
Saryn heard horses outside. “I think it’s time for me to disappear for a while.”
“And I, also.”
Saryn retreated to the staircase landing, and Hryessa ushered the ten guards into position in the council chamber.
Since Saryn could only sense general shapes and some few feelings from where she was, she could not identify most of those who entered the chamber, but she thought she sensed the gruff Barcauyn, and Jharyk, and, of course, Maeldyn, near the end, because he was escorting Zeldyan and Lyndel. She could only sense that the lord-holders talked and moved below, some in apparent agitation.
Almost half a glass passed before Zeldyan appeared at the bottom of the staircase. “You should come.”
“How are they taking it?” Saryn came down the stairs and joined Zeldyan.
“Not well…but no one has left.”
As she entered the council chamber with Zeldyan, Saryn could sense the conflicting emotions-veiled hope, anger, resentment, resignation, worry.
“…wearing blades…”
“…so are we…”
“…doesn’t seem right…woman…”
Once she reached the point midway between the guards, Saryn turned and surveyed the lord-holders present: Spalkyn, and beside him a holder she did not know, presumably Chaspal, Jharyk, Barcauyn, Shartyr, Maeldyn, Zeldyan, Lyndel, and a rotund figure with deep-set eyes, who, by process of elimination, had to be Whethryn. Eight out of what had once been eighteen, if she counted the vacant holding of Rohrn, and who knew how many others might have been present if the holdings taken by Suthya were also included.
Maeldyn cleared his throat, but did not speak.
Saryn gathered the order and chaos flows, a process almost instinctive after all her experiences, and projected both authority and ability even before she began to speak. “I understand that Lord Maeldyn has explained how I came to be in Lornth and all the details of what has occurred since last spring. Although all of you know some, if not all, of those events, not all of you knew what lay behind many of them.” Saryn smiled pleasantly. “You are gathered here because Lornth needs an overlord who is strong enough to protect it from other lands, and forceful and able enough to protect you from each other. I did not come to Lornth seeking anything but to support the regency and to keep Suthya from creating conflict between Lornth and Westwind. I was asked to consider becoming overlord. That is why I am here.”