“Do we have any choice?” That question came from the lord-holder she thought was Chaspal.
Saryn smiled. “You have had many choices. You could have accepted peace with Westwind. You could have united behind the regency and supported the regents with more than equivocal words and insufficient tariffs, tariffs paid late if at all. You could have rejected the dissension created by the late Lord Kelthyn and others. Most of the lord-holders of Lornth chose not to do any of those, and few indeed protested the acts and words of the rebel lords. That is why your choices now are few. It is also why my choices are few. If I choose to leave you to your devices, within a year or so, if not within seasons, most of you will be dead, and Suthya will rule Lornth. And then I will have to fight another year over these lands and others to stop Suthya. You will pardon me if I tell you that I am less than enthusiastic about that, and I would think you would not find that prospect particularly to your liking.”
“Some have said that as soon as you are overlord,” offered Jharyk, “that you will turn on each of us in turn and take our holdings and turn them over to daughters or consorts.”
“I will not take your holdings from you. I could. That you should know. But upon your death, each of your holdings will go to your eldest daughter. If you have no daughter, you may choose between the consort of your eldest son or the eldest daughter of your oldest sister…”
“You will destroy the bloodlines…” That was from Chaspal again.
Saryn laughed. “On the contrary, what I do will preserve them. Any child of your daughter has to carry her blood. A man’s consort does not always bear that man’s offspring…as all of you should know. A daughter always bears her own offspring. If you are worried about your blood inheriting, having your daughters inherit is the only absolute way to assure that.”
“How can a woman keep a holding?” asked Shartyr. “You might, but women in Lornth are different.”
“Do you doubt that women can bear arms?”
“You can bear arms, Commander,” offered Spalkyn, “but none of us have trained our daughters in arms…”
Saryn smiled. “That is scarcely a problem. Every single one of the guards who defeated those who came against them was born in Candar, and not a one received arms training from their fathers. Every lord-holder’s daughter will be trained in arms, and I will supervise that training. They will also be schooled in numbers and other skills needed to run a holding. This should not pose a problem since you will all remain lord-holders and can, if you choose, also add to their knowledge.”
Chaspal edged forward until he stood at the front of the group, his hand on the hilt of his sword. “You mock everything Lornth has stood for.”
“Not everything,” Saryn replied, gathering order and chaos as she sensed the anger and antagonism. “Just the ideas that more fighting among lord-holders will preserve Lornth and that women have no worth at all.”
“I will show you worth!” Chaspal’s sword was just out of the scabbard, and he had taken but a single step, when Saryn’s blade slammed into his chest with such force that chaos-flames erupted, momentarily, before he toppled backward.
Naked blades appeared in the hands of the ten guards flanking Saryn.
In moments, all that remained of Chaspal was a pile of ashes, fragments of leather and metal, and two blades, all resting on a charred patch on the heavy ugly carpet.
None of the remaining lord-holders made a sound, and Saryn again let the silence fill the room before she spoke.
“You can call me a tyrant…but that is the way it will be. Any lord-holder who brings arms against another, I will deal with-just as I dealt with Lord Chaspal. In addition, each lord-holder will be limited to two squads worth of personal guards. That should be enough to keep peace on your lands…and few enough that neighboring holders will not be tempted into territorial incursions. It will also allow you to keep more of your golds since you will not have to spend them on arms and armsmen…although I will increase your annual tariffs slightly to support the guards and armsmen necessary to deal with Suthya and the Jeranyi…”
“What of our sons?” inquired Whethryn.
“What of them?” asked Saryn in return. “They can help their sisters run their holdings. They can consort with the daughters of other lords. They can do all manner of things-but they cannot inherit or rule a holding.”
“That will bring chaos…” muttered someone.
Barcauyn, Saryn thought, but decided against singling him out directly. “Chaos, you say?” Her laugh was mocking and cold, and she added order and chaos flows to the sound that chilled every ear. “Chaos, you say? For a score of years, if not longer, Lornth has been nothing but chaos, with holder against holder, falling prey to the schemes of the Suthyans and the lusts and bloodlust of all too many lord-holders. There will be none of that, not now, nor in the future. I will protect our borders with the same skills that have brought you all to bay, and I will not suffer any outside meddling in the land, not from Jerans, nor from Suthya or Westwind.
“Think about this. I have not raised arms against anyone who did not first raise arms against the regency that was or against me. How many of those lord-holders who perished at my hand could have said that? Not a single one. Also, think about this. I am not taking the lands of any lord-holder except those of Lord Henstrenn and possibly Lord Kelthyn, who brought near ruin on the land. I am allowing the heirs of even the rebel lord-holders to keep their lands, and I am allowing you to remain lord-holders for the rest of your lives, and those of your blood will continue to hold those lands. If you rebel, then you will suffer Lord Chaspal’s fate, and your daughters will become lady-holders that much sooner.” After a moment, Saryn added. “I will tariff you, as did the regency, and you will pay those tariffs. In return, I will protect you, and I will keep order so that no lord-holder need fear another.”
“How will we know you will keep that word?” asked Maeldyn mildly.
“Some of you have seen that I have thus far kept my words about all that I have done. That will not change. Also, think about this. How many of those who rebelled and wished to be overlord could say the same? Lord Orsynn paid the Jeranyi to raid Lord Jharyk’s lands because Jharyk was loyal to the regency. Lord Mortryd begged for help from the regency, then joined with Lord Rhehrn to ambush the regency forces. Lord Henstrenn persuaded three other lords to join him in attacking Lord Gethen, then left two of them behind to face me while accepting golds from Suthya to attack the regency. Lord Jaffrayt incited the southern lords to rebel. Lord-holders…if you are at all honest, you should see that the record of honesty and loyalty among you leaves something to be desired, especially when the greatest butchery was accomplished by rebel Lornian lord-holders against the most loyal lord-holders-Lord Gethen and Lord Deolyn.”
With her words, Saryn did her best to project guilt and shame…if only briefly.
“That is past,” she went on. “Either the Suthyans or the Jeranyi or both would kill you and take your lands. I will not. Were I so inclined, I certainly could have done so. Could any of you have stopped me? Yet you question me far more than you ever questioned yourselves. My question to you is simple. And before you answer, I will tell you that I can tell if any man or woman lies to me. My question to you is simple: Will you be loyal and not force me to take up arms against you?”