This time, clearing his throat had the desired effect. Edine looked up and smiled.
“Bannerets,” she said, “if you wouldn’t mind waiting on me a moment in the square outside, I’ve some urgent business to deal with.”
He waited until the small, whitewashed room cleared before speaking. “I wasn’t expecting to see so many people.”
“Neither was I,” she said, “but it seems everyone wants to slay a dragon. You’re still the only man to prove he can actually do it, though.”
She seemed different here. While in Trelain she had come seeking aid, now she seemed calm and in control, mistress of her domain.
“Any idea of how many there are?”
“Forty-seven so far, and that’s just today.”
“How will you feed them all?”
“Hopefully they won’t need to be here too long. Hopefully they keep paying while they are. I’ve heard stories of how soldiers behave when they’re broke and hungry. We’ve never had to deal with anything like that here, and I have to admit I’m worried. Gaufre at the tavern thinks it’s wonderful, as does everyone else who can make a few pennies from it, but so many armed men? How would we stop them taking what they want? It might not be dragons I need you to protect us from after all.”
“Are they looking for payment?”
“No, the promise of glory seems to be enough for them, but if they’re to be given food and drink while they’re here, I’ve made it clear they all have to sign the ledger. If there’s trouble, I can see the duke’s steward gets the names. I’m not sure if it will mean anything, but it’s all I can do.”
“I’d try not to worry about it,” Guillot said. “Most of these men are bannerets. We’re not pure as the driven snow—far from it—but most of us hold our personal honour high and won’t do anything to jeopardise it. They’ll keep the ones who don’t in line.”
“I hope so. Them being here might make your job a little easier, though.”
Or harder, Guillot thought. “Perhaps. If I see one or two that look useful, I might ask if they want to sign on with me. A few more blades couldn’t hurt. Have they given you any idea of what they have planned?”
“I think just getting here was as much thought as any of them have given it.”
They’re not the only ones, Guillot thought. “I suppose it’s new to us all. Have there been any more attacks since we last spoke?”
She nodded. “One more, shortly after we left for Trelain. Only cattle, but the farmer got the fright of his life.”
Gill nodded. Seeing her keeping notes had made him curious, so he asked, “Is there a school here?”
“No,” Edine said, shaking her head. “I’m not from Venne originally. The duke sends administrators to all his towns and villages to make sure things run smoothly. It takes the pressure off him and allows him to spend his time in Mirabay. The lords and seigneurs aren’t always happy about it, but they learn to live with it. Everyone does better when things are run properly.”
“That’s enlightened of him. I didn’t think he had much interest in anything outside the ballrooms and cardrooms of Mirabay.”
She smiled. “A well-run duchy means more tax revenue for the duke. Which means he can stay in Mirabay, and spend it.”
“Ah, yes, that makes sense,” Guillot said. “It’s too late for there to be any use in riding out for a look around this evening, but I wonder if someone could show us where the attacks happened, first thing in the morning?”
“Of course. I’ll have someone meet you at the tavern at dawn. Once you’re done with that, I was hoping you’d pay a visit to the seigneur at his manor house. It’s not far. He isn’t much involved in what goes on in the village, and hasn’t shown any sign of doing anything about our problem, but it’s best to let him know what’s happening.”
“After I get a look at the area,” Guillot said firmly. If he was going to hunt dragons, he wanted to have a good sense of the lay of the land.
“We’ve been caught behind the news once already, your Highness,” Amaury said. “I think I managed to get on top of it, but we can’t expect to get that lucky every time. We need to announce the Order now, before any more news arrives, and we lose the ability to turn events to our benefit, and keep public opinion on our side.”
The king looked pensive and scratched his beard in that faux-thoughtful fashion that was coming to irritate Amaury so much he had to fight the temptation to walk across the office and slap the king across the face.
“No,” Boudain finally said. “The time’s not right. We’ve yet to adequately deal with the Intelligenciers.”
“I’ve been clipping their wings for months now,” Amaury said, his irritation piqued once more. “They are not an issue. Their ranks are depleted and they’re under-resourced. Even with the losses the Order has suffered, the Intelligenciers no longer pose any real threat.”
“You forget the international nature of the Intelligenciers, your Grace,” the king said. “They can call on their brethren the world over, and under the threat of magic, I believe national rivalry will be set aside, and they will answer.”
How dare you try to school me, you arrogant little shit. Amaury smiled. “Ostia, Estranza, my spies tell me the King of Humberland has people experimenting with magic in secret. The Intelligenciers the world over have their own problems to deal with. By the time they turn their attention here, in the unlikely event they ever do, there won’t be anything they can do to stop us. In any event, I have something in place to deal with them when the time co—”
“The Intelligenciers are reliable servants of the Crown, even if they claim to answer to a higher calling. I won’t have them killed in the streets.”
“A rabid dog might once have been your most faithful hunting hound. That doesn’t mean it’s not necessary to put it down.”
The king frowned. “You have my answer. There are bigger concerns than just public opinion in Mirabay. A crusade against Mirabay is the last thing we need.”
“That’s a fantastical notion, your—”
“You. Have. My. Answer.” The king’s expression softened. “In principle I agree with you, but one must be cautious in overturning a thousand years of law and tradition. The time is near, but not quite at hand. You went ahead without notifying me this time. Do not do so again. I want to know before you do anything. Using the privy is the only decision you are to make without notifying me in advance. Understood?”
Amaury smiled, quelling the urge to do murder.
CHAPTER 14
Guillot could remember being brought out to the site of a recent battle in the entourage of a general when he was still a fresh adjutant. The man had surveyed the field, ravaged in the way only violence can, and littered with bodies. The general had maintained an expression of distant interest, taking in all that he was being told, and all that he could see. At the time, nothing had struck Guillot as unusual about the scene. The man was simply another general who held the lives of his men cheaply.
Later that night, while enjoying a few bottles of wine in the camp with some of the other junior officers, Guillot learned that the reason the general had asked to see the field—the site of a battle he had not commanded—was because three of his sons had been in one of the infantry regiments that had been cut to pieces. All three of them had been lying dead on the ground that afternoon as the general surveyed the devastation, no doubt flicking his gaze from body to body, both hoping to see, and terrified of seeing, a familiar face.