"You aren't just doing this to ease your conscience, are you?" Kethry asked, knowing there would be others who would ask the same question. Sewen had been Idra's Second for years now -- playing Second to a woman had let him in for a certain amount of twitting from his peers in other companies. Not-withstanding the fact that one quarter to one third of all mercenary fighters were female, female Company Captains were few, and of all of them, only Idra led a mixed-sex Company. And Idra had been showing no signs of retiring, nor had Sewen made any moves indicating that he was contemplating starting his own Company.
"I won't deny that I want the Hawks," he said, slowly. "But -- not like this. I want the Company fair and square, either 'cause Idra goes down, or 'cause she hands 'em over to me. This -- it's too damn iffy, that's what it is! It's eating at me. And what's worse, it's eating at me that Idra might be in something deep -- "
" -- and you have to do something to get her out of it, if you can."
"That's it, Keth. And it's for a lot of reasons. She's my friend, she's my Captain, she's the one who took me out of the ranks and taught me. I can't just sit here for a year. and then announce she's gone missing and I'm taking over. I owe her too damned much, even if she keeps tellin' me I don't owe her a thing! How can I act like nothin's wrong an' not try t' help her?"
"Sewen, if every merc had your ethics -- " Tarma began.
He interrupted her with a nonlaugh. "If every merc had my ethics, there'd be a lot more work for freefighters. Face it, Swordsworn, I can afford to have ethics just because of what Idra built the Sunhawks into. So I'm not going to let those ethics -- or her -- down."
"This is an almighty cold trail you're sending us on," Kethry muttered. "By the rime we get to Petras, it'll be past Midsummer. What are you and the Hawks going to do in the meantime?"
"We're on two-year retainer from Sursha; we do spring and summer patrol under old Leamount around the Borders to keep any of her neighbors from getting bright ideas. Easy work. Idra set it up before she left. I can handle it without making myself Captain."
"All right, I've got some ideas. Our people can keep their lips laced over a secret, so you wait one week after we've left, then you tell them all what's happened and that we've been sent out under the ivy bush."
"Why?" Sewen asked bluntly.
"Mostly so rumors don't start. Then you and Ersala concoct some story about Idra coming back, but fevered. Tresti can tell you what kind of fever would need a two-year rest cure. That gives you a straw-Idra to leave behind while you take the Hawks out to patrol. The Hawks will know the real story -- and tell them it might cost the Captain her life if they let it slip."
"You think it might," he said, soberly.
"I don't know what to think, so I have to cover every possibility."
"Huh." He thought about that for a long time, contemplating his wine. Finally he swallowed the last of it in a single gulp. "All right; I'll go with it. Now -- should I replace you two?"
'I think you'd better," Tarma said. "I suggest promoting either Garth or Jodi. Garth is my preference; I don't think Jodi would be comfortable in a command position; she's avoided being in command too many times."
"I'll do a sending; there are White Winds sorcerers everywhere. You should be getting one or more up here within a couple of months." Kethry bit her lip a bit, trying to do a rough calculation on how far her sending would reach. "I can't promise that you'll get anything higher than a Joumeymanclass, but you never know. I won't tell them more than that there's a position open with you -- you can let whoever you hire in on the whole thing after you take them on. Remember, White Winds school has no edicts against using magic for fighting, and I'll make it plain in the sending that this is a position with a merc company. That it means killing as well as healing. That should keep the squeamish away. Have Tresti look them over first, then Oreden and Jiles. Tresti will be able to sense whether they'll fit in."
"I know; she checked you two out while Idra was waiting to interview you."
Kethry nodded wryly. "Figures; I can't imagine Idra leaving anything to chance. All right, does that pretty much take care of things?"
"I think so...."
"Well, as cold as the trail is going to be, there is no sense in stirring up a lot of rumors by having us light out of here with our tails on fire," Tarma said bluntly. "We might just as well take our time about this, say our goodbyes, get equipment put together -- act like this was going to be an ordinary sort of errand we're running for you. Until we've been gone for about a week, you just make out like I'm running the string out to sell, and Keth's coming with me for company."
Sewen nodded. "That sounds good to me. I'll raid the coffers for you two. You'll be needing stuff to make you look good in the court, I expect." He rose and started for the door-then turned back, and awkwardly held out his arms.
"I-I don't know what I'd have done without you two," he said stiffly, his eyes bright with what Kethry suspected might be incipient tears. "You're more than shieldbrothers, you're friends -- I -- thanks -- "
They both embraced him, trying to give him a little comfort. Kethry knew that Idra had been in that "more than shieldbrother" category, too -- and that Sewen must be thinking what she was thinking -- that the Captain's odds weren't very good right now.
"Te'sorthene da'dera, big man," Tarma murmured. "When we come across someone special, like you, like Tresti, like Idra -- well, you help your friends, that's all I can say. That's what friends are there for, her'yr"
"If anybody can help her out, it'll be you two."
"We'll do our best. And you know, you can do us a favor -- " Kethry almost smiled at the sudden inspiration.
"What? Anything you want."
"Leslac. I want you to teach him a lesson. I don't care what you do to him, just get him off Tarma's back."
The weather-beaten countenance went quiet with thought "That's a pretty tall ord -- wait a moment -- " He began to smile, the first smile he'd worn since he walked in their door. "I think I've got it. 'Course, it all hinges on whether he's really as pig-ignorant about Shin'a'in as he seems to be."
"Go on -- I think after that damned song we can count on that being true."
Sewen's arms tightened about both their shoulders as he looked down at them. "There's this sect of Spider-Priestesses down south; they sort of dress like Tarma -- deal is, they didn't start out life as girls."
Tarma nearly choked with laughter. "You mean, convince the little bastard that I'm really a eunuched boy? Sewen, that's priceless!"
"I rather like that -- " Kethry grinned. "-I rather like that."
"I'll get on it," he promised, giving them a last hug and closing the door to their room behind him.
Tarma went immediately to her armor-stand, surveying the brigandine for any sign of weakness or strain, Kethry put another log in the stove, then approached the wall where Need hung, reaching out to touch the blade with one finger.
Yes -- the call's still there. And I can't tell anything, it's so faint -- but it is Idra. The call gets perceptibly stronger when I think about her.
"Get anything?" Tarma asked quietly.