Rahl followed.
Getting settled in Mage-Guard Headquarters on eightday evening went smoothly enough. Taryl had produced dispatch orders. The quartering clerk had assigned rooms, giving Rahl one on the far south end of the second level. Rahl had made his way there, where he hung out his gear, and then gone down to the mess.
Taryl was nowhere to be seen, and from the entry, Rahl glanced across the long tables. The two in the center bore white linens trimmed in crimson, while the two adjacent and outside of those had linens of a pale tan-or faded khaki-but also trimmed in crimson, if with a thinner banding. Two other long tables set perpendicular to the other four bore plain khaki linen.
"The center two are for the seniors, and the two at the base are for the clerks and juniors," said the mage-guard who had appeared to Rahl's left. "I don't think we've met. I'm Laryn, or as all the seniors say, Laryn the younger. You new here or transient?"
"I'm new and probably transient. I've been assigned as Senior Mage-Guard Taryl's assistant." Rahl could sense that the other was an order-type mage-guard, but one without particularly strong order-skills.
"Triad Taryl's back?"
"Not as a Triad, I don't think," Rahl replied. "He says he's a senior mage-guard."
"That's… interesting." Laryn gestured. "We're a bit early, but we might as well sit down." He walked toward the far table. "This is the men's table, for all those not seniors or juniors. You're not a senior, are you?"
Rahl just shrugged. "No. I did a tour in Swartheld, and I've just been assigned to Taryl."
Laryn laughed. "If that's the case, sooner or later, you will be."
After they seated themselves near the middle of the long table, Rahl asked, "What do you do here?"
"You can probably tell. I'm not that good a mage, but I've a talent for numbers and things like that. So they put me in charge of supplies here at headquarters, and sometimes, they send me to stations that have messed up their accounts to straighten them out, but that doesn't happen often. Usually doesn't take long to fix them either. Oh, I'm also part of the bookkeeping auditing team that reviews the Emperor's accounts."
That was another surprise. "How often do you do that?"
"Twice a year, at the turn of summer and at the turn of winter. Usually we don't find much." Laryn turned to the server. "Ale."
"Do you have a light beer?" asked Rahl.
"Golden lager, ser," replied the server.
"I'll have that."
"What will you and Triad Taryl be doing? Do you know?"
"It has something to do with the rebellion, but that's all I know. You probably know more about it than I do."
"Prince Golyat has stationed patrols and armsmen at all the major entry points to Merowey-in the port towns, anyway." Laryn stopped and nodded to another mage-guard who was seating himself. "Devalyn, this is Rahl."
"Good to see you."
"And you, too," replied Rahl.
In the entry to the mess, Rahl could see Taryl, talking to an older mage-guard. Both walked to the senior's table for men. Taryl glanced at Rahl and nodded, then continued on.
After that, more mage-guards appeared, and Rahl spent the rest of the meal being introduced. He only talked about Swartheld, and no one else asked about Taryl-or about Recluce or the attempted Jeranyi attack in Swartheld.
VIII
Breakfast on oneday was little different from the evening meal on eight-day, save that Rahl was introduced to even more mage-guards. Unlike the mess in Swartheld, Rahl found that there were fully as many mage-guards who had order-skills as chaos-skills, although he did not sense any who approached Taryl in strength… unless some of the older mage-guards had such subtle shields that he could not ascertain their true strength, and that was certainly possible. Once more, he only mentioned his vague assignment to Taryl and did his best to talk about Swartheld. After he had eaten, and Taryl had done so with the seniors, Taryl joined Rahl in the foyer outside the mess.
"I'm meeting with Triad Fieryn shortly," announced the thin-faced and angular mage-guard. "When I know more, I'll get back to you. I've already arranged for you to spar with Khedren this morning. He's the headquarters armsmaster, and he should be able to teach you something about how to handle a falchiona with less strain."
Rahl wondered if that could be possible.
"There are techniques. Physical techniques, not order techniques," Taryl added.
"Besides," Rahl replied with a grin, "I'll get into less trouble if I'm working hard and no one can ask questions."
"There is that." Taryl's face was expressionless.
Even so, Rahl caught the sense of amusement.
"You'll need all the practice you can get," Taryl added. "After you finish, wait for me in the library. I trust you can find some suitable reading material to pass the time."
"What would you consider most suitable, ser."
"I'd suggest one of the histories of the mage-guards. It might give you a better feel for the traditions, but try to read between the lines and the words. What is not written is often as important as what is. Try the most slender volume first."
"Yes, ser." Rahl had to wonder how he was supposed to determine what had not been written. Taryl was sounding like Kadara, and that bothered him.
"Off with you. The armory and exercise chambers are in the smaller separate building to the south, across the paved rear area and next to the stables."
Rahl nodded and headed for the main entry foyer, passing several other mage-guards and nodding politely as he did. Outside, even as early as it was, the air was warm and nearly as damp as it had been in late summer in Swartheld. The green-blue sky was faintly silvered with a thin haze that did nothing to reduce the heat and glare of the sun.
Unlike the main headquarters, the armory was a low one-story building with two entrances. Rahl took the eastern one and found himself in a foyer with three corridors branching from it. In the middle of the foyer was a table with a fresh-faced mage-clerk seated behind it.
"Might I help you, ser?"
"I'm supposed to meet with armsmaster Khedren."
"Yes, ser. He said he had a sparring session."
"That's what I'm supposed to be doing," Rahl admitted.
"He's in the main sparring chamber. If you'd take the right corridor to the second set of double doors halfway down."
"Thank you." Rahl smiled and followed the mage-clerk's directions down the empty corridor. He passed one door, and he could sense a number of people beyond it. He also heard a strident voice.
"… juniors! All of you… the next one who makes that mistake gets to spar with a senior…"
A faint smile crossed Rahl's lips.
When he reached the second set of doors, Rahl paused, taking a long, slow breath and wondering exactly what to expect. Then he opened the right-hand door and stepped inside. The stone-walled chamber was well lit by four large skylights, but each had what looked to be a black shade to one side and a rope dangling from one end.
Rahl nodded. The arrangement was similar to what Taryl had used in Luba to train Rahl.
"Taryl said you'd be here." The man who stepped forward wore a worn khaki uniform of a mage-guard, but without insignia. He was the only one in the chamber besides Rahl.
"Yes, ser. You're armsmaster Khedren, ser?"
Nodding, Khedren picked up two staffs, extending one to Rahl. The armsmaster was one of the few men in Hamor taller than Rahl, yet even in the few moments Rahl had observed him, Rahl saw a spare grace in his movements and gestures. He bore only the slightest traces of white, but Rahl suspected that was because of the effectiveness of his shields.
Rahl set aside his visor cap, hanging it on one of the polished wooden pegs on the rack beside the door, then took the proffered staff.