The Grave thief

'And the support?'

'I intend to issue an edict regarding the vacant duchy, to appoint the next Duke of Lomin rather than confirming the natural line of succession.'

'You intend to deny a successor?' Duke Lokan was hunched forward in his seat, peering intently at Isak, almost as though he could divine the truth by looking hard enough.

'I do. I've brought you here to explain my reasons before publicly asking for your support. If it doesn't come as a surprise at my investiture, your reactions will send a message to the rest. If the dukes are united, every suzerain not already loyal will fall into line.'

'A reasonable assessment,' Sempes nodded, 'but I do not see why there is a need for the denial. I hear there is some argument over succession, but your intervention should not be required once Disten's investigation is complete. Your Chief Steward will surely have told you that relations between us are not friendly; some of our conflicts have been public and because of that I will need a good reason to overlook years of hostility.'

Isak nodded, well aware that the disputes between the cities of Tirah, Perlir and Merlat had seen noble deaths on all sides. 'The denial is necessary because I believe you will not find the rightful duke acceptable.'

'Oh?'

'Lesarl takes an interest in such things. He alerted me and I asked Lady Tila to investigate; she spotted it immediately. If Tila only requires a single glimpse, there are others who'll not take long to follow suit. I asked her to meet with the son of the old duke's cousin, the man whose family has the best combination of claim and power. His name is Sir Arole Pir, knighted after battle by the previous duke and expected to have a great future ahead of him.

'Tila reported him to be "a charming and extremely handsome man".'

'Hah,' grunted Lokan, a fat grin spreading across his face, 'and my wife will do the same, no doubt! The whole tribe knows what sort of man Lady Tila finds attractive.'

Isak grinned. 'Exactly. While he might surprise us all and prove a fine duke, I suspect many might find it all a bit too convenient.'

'Accidents have happened for less reason than that,' Sempes added, 'and even with our approval, it wouldn't be accepted by those most likely to already know the truth. The suzerains of Meah have never liked being the lesser cousins to the duke's family, and shared territories always cause a problem.'

Perlir nodded in agreement. The Farlan laws on territory were strict: each duke ruled one of the four cities, but had only limited land, so they were always contained within a suzerainty. With the wealth of a city behind him, the duke often owned as much land in the suzerainty as its lord, and the Farlan were not people to share power happily.

'Suzerain Imis would be even less amused by the situation,' Isak added. 'His border with the Great Forest is longer than any other, so Tirah influences his decisions far more than he'd like anyway. With a puppet wearing the ducal coronet he'd feel gelded.'

'Your solution?'

'Major Belir Ankremer, of the Second Lomin Infantry.'

'Lomin's bastard?'

Like Major Jachen Ansayl, the commander of Isak's personal guard who was a bastard of the Sayl suzerainty, Major Ankremer carried the name of the noble line he was fathered by, even though the old duke, as a gesture of loyalty to Bahl, had taken the name of his territory rather than using his own name, Kremer. It was a gesture his legitimate son, Duke Certinse, had carefully stepped away from too, not once but twice, eschewing both the names Lomin and Kremer in favour of his mother's family.

'You want the Farlan to be stronger, and how is that possible with a bastard soldier handed a duchy?' Lokan pointed out. 'You yourself do not rely on divine mandate; you hold on to your title because of your gifts, and the Palace Guard. What's to stop Major Ankremer being even more of a puppet than Sir Arole?'

'Because he's one of the finest soldiers left in Lomin. The only command a bastard is going to get is in the infantry, because any scion, marshal or knight will go for the cavalry, of course, a far more prestigious posting. But as a result, many of the experienced noble-born officers were wiped out last year when Lomin's cavalry was decimated. Militarily speaking, the game has changed over there, and the eastern suzerains at least respect experienced soldiers because they're usually on the front line. Lesarl tells me that Major Ankremer brings us a number of advantages, the first being that he's a fine officer. Every colonel in the region knows he's worth something; the man has no serious enemies in the army, and he does have the legions of the East behind him.

'Secondly, he is Duke Lomin's bastard, not of bastard stock, and the duke was well-loved. There is apparently no truth to the rumour that Duke Certinse was not Lomin's son, but even if he is true-blooded, he didn't inherit many of his father's better qualities. Major Ankremer is the image of his father in looks and heart, and that buys him political capital, especially when combined with your endorsements. Crucially, he is as strong-willed as his father. Some nobles will flock to him assuming they can manipulate him; Lesarl assures me that will not work.'

Isak paused for breath, and to allow the dukes time to comment.

After a few moments of thought, Sempes cleared his throat. 'Let us suppose,' he said slowly, 'that we agree to endorse your choice, my Lord, and act the devoted subjects while you pursue your wars. All of that will cost us, and not just in reputation… So what are we offered in return?'

Isak tried not to scowl at the phrase 'your wars', as though the two men believed there was nothing more complicated in Isak's mind than a young white-eye's yearning for conquest. 'I'm sure you have a few ideas.'

'I would first like to hear what new taxes will be imposed,' Sempes said sharply, 'and what existing agreements your Chief Steward will actually honour.'

'There will be no additional taxation, but I will require troops and supplies from both of you. In particular we'll need horses, livestock and grain, double the amount agreed under the Lower Temple Levy.'

'Double?' spluttered Lokan, 'my Lord, you have an unusual idea of what "no additional taxation" means.'

'The levy is not taxation; it's part of your responsibility as my subjects,' Isak said, 'and it is already set out in the agreement that in times of war the levy is doubled. All you are agreeing to is to encompass the spirit rather than the letter of the wording. We might not currently be at war, but we will by the time summer comes, and we must be prepared.'

'If we are discussing preparedness,' Lokan replied, having composed himself quickly, 'then the state of the navy must also be brought up.'

'There will be no more funds made available. I agree the navy is in need of overhaul, and that's something you'll be paying for yourselves. Additional taxation of your subjects is, of course, your concern, but we can't afford to have either of you dealing with insurrection over excessive taxes. I can offer you mages from the College of Magic to help, a dedicated group for each of your cities.'

'A few mages will make little difference,' Lokan blustered, but Isak knew it was a generous offer. With mage assistance, work could be massively accelerated; the College of Magic was located in Tirah precisely so the Lord of the Farlan could limit their employment in other cities.

The portly Duke of Merlat drained his cup and poured another. 'What I really need is the taxes on the Carfin River to be controlled, and sections dug out to allow deeper-hulled vessels to use it.'