Chapter 11
Feud
Marak lay awake staring at the ceiling in his dark bedroom. The sounds of Fardale had quieted hours ago, but Marak found no comfort in the silence. He thought back to his days as Squad Leader and laughed out loud. Life was simpler then without the intrigue and schemes, which were part of running an estate. He hadn’t heard from Fisher in two weeks and for some reason that bothered Marak. He still had no idea what the Sorgans were up to and that meant trouble. He had learned that Lord Quavry disliked the very existence of Fardale, but nothing that would indicate any overt hostilities.
Kasa was doing better with the Ksaly Company. As she predicted, Tachora swallowed the contract offer instantly and his funds had already been transferred to the Fardale coffers. At least Fardale would not have a problem honoring their contracts and that was Marak’s first priority. Lord Marak sat up and lit a candle. Hastily he scribbled a note to replace Tachora as Bursar in the morning. There was no longer a need to pretend that he was not aware of the Khadora Grain Importers now that he had their money. It was time for Kasa to become the first female Situ Bursar. Lord Ridak would choke on his breakfast when he found out. As far as Marak knew, there was not a female Bursar in the entire country. It was just one more change, which Khadora needed. Her first job would be to find a market for the grain, which Fardale would begin harvesting soon.
The lack of communication with Lord Ridak bothered him as well. Marak was in no hurry to reestablish communications, but Lituk Valley should be. Still, there were no runners from Lord Ridak or Lord Marshal Grefon.
The most exciting development had been the confirmation of Marak’s ideas about magic. Mages of one discipline were quite capable of learning the other disciplines provided they had the proper training. Marak still hosted the two-hour meeting in secrecy every day and most of Fardale’s mages were now proficient in at least two disciplines. Even better than Marak had expected, mixed teams of mages could link together and produce results far greater than the same number of mages working alone. Marak scribbled another note to have Kasa start buying any slave mages she found for sale.
Lectain Zorkil continued to plot the visits of the Kywara and it became very evident that the Chula were enriching Fardale’s fields somehow. The Kywara reacted favorably to the soldiers’ waves and the water brought out by Klora’s mages. They started visiting the closer fields and Fardale’s harvest promised to be a good one. Marak’s thoughts lingered on the Kywara and he decided it was time to visit them again.
Marak rose and retrieved the package Fisher had left for him. The spy continually amazed Marak. His opening gift had been a duplicate of the blacksuit that Marak had admired, complete with a back sheath which fit Marak’s double-edged sword. This gift was purchased and delivered before Fisher ever met the Lord of Fardale and yet it was exactly what Marak would have wanted if he had known what to ask for.
Marak laid the blacksuit out on the bed and was preparing to put it on when he heard a sound from the doorway. Marak grabbed his sword and twirled around as he dropped to a crouch.
“There is nothing wrong with your reflexes,” chuckled Fisher from the doorway. “Did I interrupt something?”
“A man could die sneaking around like that,” scowled Lord Marak. “You should learn to announce yourself in a less startling fashion.”
“Sorry,” apologized Fisher, “but most people would not have heard me. I see the stories about you are true. Are you just admiring my gift or were you planning something fun?”
Marak motioned for Fisher to enter as he sat down on the bed. “I was planning a trip to the forest,” explained Marak. “Too many thoughts nag my mind for me to get a decent night's sleep. How did you know I would appreciate your gift?”
“The sword sheath was easy,” remarked Fisher. “Whenever any soldier talks about your strange habits, your practicing with the double-edged sword is the first topic of conversation. I happen to share your admiration for that type of blade. As for the blacksuit, what warrior would ask for a finer garment? It is tight enough to avoid getting snagged on bushes and yet loose enough to be comfortable. The color is obvious for anyone who works at night and you strike me as one Khadoran who is not afraid of the dark. I think it will appeal to your taste more than the gaudy green and yellow colors of the Situ Clan.”
“You are a logical and thorough man,” laughed Marak. “I have never understood why Khadorans refuse to attack at night. It seems perfectly logical to me to attack when your enemy is not likely to see you coming. Anyway, it is a gift I will treasure forever. You have been gone a long time. What brings you here tonight?”
“A bit of disturbing news, I’m afraid,” whispered Fisher as he slid down into a chair. “I have been scouting around the Sorgan estate to find out what they are up to. Lord Quavry had a busy day today. Lord Burdine of the Litari Clan was an early morning visitor. His meeting with Lord Quavry did not last long, but it culminated in the release of a pigeon. Some Clans who have multiple estates use pigeons to communicate with their Clan Lord, but Lord Quavry could only be sending a message to the capital.”
“What message could Lord Quavry and Lord Burdine be sending that would be a joint message?” quizzed Lord Marak.
“Well, it could be a joining of their Clans, though I doubt it,” remarked Fisher. “It could also be some joint business deal. By itself it means really very little, but the rest of the day Lord Quavry spent in meetings with Marshal Yenga. Yenga’s troops are also on short duty, which would indicate that they are going to see action soon. There were no troops from the Litari at Lord Quavry’s so I don’t think the Litari are involved in any military action unless they are attacking separately.”
“Do you think they would dare attack Fardale?” queried Lord Marak.
“If they did so without at least some provocation,” considered Fisher, “ they would appear very aggressive to the other Clans and that is not a view to be desired. Khadora has a way of subduing aggressive Lords. The proper way to wipe out your neighbor is to anger him into attacking you first, then you appear to be forceful in defending your estate while you are expanding it. You haven’t done anything to anger Lord Quavry have you?”
“Certainly not,” frowned Lord Marak. “I have enough trouble managing Fardale without looking for trouble elsewhere. I did intend on visiting Lord Quavry in an attempt to better relations, but I have not had the time yet.”
“As I expected,” grimaced Fisher. “So you have not authorized Bursar Tachora to negotiate with the Sorgan?”
“Tachora?” mouthed Lord Marak. “You, of all people, should know that I would never use Tachora as an envoy. Why do you ask?”
“Because he visited Lord Quavry this evening,” declared Fisher. “And judging by the reactions of the mansion guards, he was not unknown to them.”
“So, Tachora is playing games with the Sorgan, as well,” suggested Marak. “I was planning on retiring him this morning and letting Kasa take over as Bursar. If he has somehow indebted Fardale to Lord Quavry, my treatment of him will not be so polite.”
“As Bursar,” asked Fisher, “does Tachora have any authority which might be used to anger the Sorgan?”
“I can’t think of any,” answered Marak. “We have no financial dealings with Lord Quavry or Lord Burdine. Tachora and Lord Lashendo entered an agreement with Lord Zawbry of the Ragatha to allow for their transit across Fardale, but I know of no other agreements with local Lords. What could Tachora be scheming with Lord Quavry? Do you think he might be entering into grain agreements with them?”