Lord Marshal Grefon was slightly more pleased when they entered the main gate of the Fardale estate. The soldiers on duty were fresh and sharp. They saluted smartly and were proper in every respect. Grefon recognized some of the men as having been in Marak’s Corte when he left Lituk Valley. Tagoro appeared to have been given the rank of Cortain, he noted. That certainly would not hold when they got back to Lituk Valley. Only the Lord Marshal could give Tagoro such a promotion, and only with Lord Ridak’s agreement. Marak may promote his own forces as he wished, but he had no control over Grefon’s men and Tagoro was one of his men. Thinking along those lines, Grefon searched for Squad Leader Rybak. Rybak was supposed to be reporting on Marak’s progress and Grefon had not heard a word since the Corte left Lituk Valley. That boy was overdue for a stern lecture on his attendance to duty.
Lord Marshal Grefon gazed around the Fardale estate and was surprised to see so many new buildings. He wondered how Marak found the time and resources to construct so many new buildings and still be able to grow enough grain to fulfill his contracts. As he continued his inspection, he noticed the complete lack of a slave compound and alarm bells began to go off in his head. He shuddered for a moment and thought Marak might have traded all of the Fardale slaves for peace with his neighbors, but he quickly realized that there would not have been time to dismantle the slave compound. The graves he had seen indicated that the conflict was going on just a few days ago.
If Lord Marak was messing with Khadora’s use of slavery as a punishment for serious crimes, Lord Ridak would not be pleased. In fact, the Lords Council would not be pleased. Lord Marshal Grefon definitely needed to get to the bottom of this matter. As he was struggling to store all of his questions in his head, his eyes landed on Rybak. Rybak was also wearing the Cortain plume and Lord Marshal Grefon was almost certain that Rybak immediately about-faced when he saw Grefon.
Marak halted at the steps to the mansion and dismounted and Grefon followed his lead. A young woman pranced down the steps and barely nodded her head instead of bowing to the Lord of Fardale.
“Lord Marak,” she excitedly began, “I have some ideas I want to discuss with you as soon as you are available.”
Lord Marshal Grefon snickered under his breath as he pictured the upcoming session between Lord Marak and his new mistress. He could just imagine her important new ideas and wondered what color curtains she was going to ask for. Perhaps she had ideas about furnishing the Lord’s suite with rich Fakara silk. Grefon’s teeth snapped shut and his jaw tightened when he heard Lord Mark’s response.
“It will have to wait, Bursar Kasa,” Lord Marak replied. “I understand that there is a Council meeting scheduled this afternoon. I want to update them on our agreement with the Sorgans and Litari. I am going to see Lord Marshal Grefon situated and then I will join you in the Meeting Chamber.”
Before Lord Marshal Grefon could regain his wits, the young woman danced off with a sparkle in her eye and Lectain Zorkil strode up with a Marshal of the Ragatha Clan in tow.
“Lord Marak,” saluted Lectain Zorkil, “this is Marshal Tingo of Woodville. He appeared this morning with the desire to speak on your behalf before the emissary from the Lords Council. I explained to him that he was too late and he requested to stay and talk with you before he left.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Lord Marak,” welcomed the Marshal with the red and yellow plume. “Lord Zawbry sends his greetings and offers his limited assistance in your times of trouble. He values the partnership between the Ragatha and Situ Clans and I stand ready to speak on your behalf against the Sorgan and Litari filth.”
“Marshal Tingo,” addressed Lord Marak, “welcome to Fardale. Please inform Lord Zawbry that I am touched by his consideration, but I have concluded an agreement with the Sorgans and Litari that I am satisfied with. I would welcome a visit from Lord Zawbry to discuss matters of common interest, such as the desire for the Ragatha Clan to utilize Fardale as a right-of-way.”
“But we already have such an agreement,” protested Marshal Tingo.
“Indeed,” commented Lord Marak, “I have read it myself. The agreement, however, does not offer any compensation to Fardale for its use. It is a small matter and not of great consequence, but it will make for a good foundation to base our discussions on. If you wish to discuss this further with me before you leave, I will make time for you following my Council meeting but I fear I must take my leave now.”
“Of course, Lord Marak,” Marshal Tingo replied. “I would like some more of your time. I will wait until your meeting is over.”
Lord Marshal Grefon burned with anger at being treated as a servant. Lord Marak had made no attempt to introduce him to Marshal Tingo or his female Bursar. He stormed up the steps to follow the already retreating Lord Marak. Lord Marak stopped outside the Marshal’s suite and opened the door.
“I trust these quarters will be sufficient during your stay with us, Lord Marshal Grefon?” Marak inquired formally.
“Do you not have a Marshal of Fardale yet?” quizzed Grefon.
“I have someone for the position but he has not been installed yet,” offered Lord Marak. “He will not be needing these quarters during the time of your stay with us.”
“The quarters will do nicely,” Lord Marshal Grefon answered as he slung his bag into the room. “I will get settled after the Council meeting.”
“You may as well get settled now,” instructed Lord Marak. “The Council of Advisors meeting is closed to everyone except Council members. I’m sure you can appreciate the delicacy of the matters which might be discussed in such a meeting.”
“Of course, I do,” snapped Lord Marshal Grefon. “I was privy to the most delicate of Situ matters while you were still tied to your mother. You have no reason to exclude me from any Situ matters.”
“The Council of Advisors do not concern themselves with matters of the Situ Clan,” clarified Lord Marak. “They deal only in matters of importance to the Fardale estate. While you have high rank in the Situ Clan, you have no standing in Fardale. Were I to convene a meeting to discuss Situ concerns, you would be among the first I would invite. Your knowledge of the Situ Clan is impressive and filled with many facts which others would overlook. I doubt, however, that you could contribute much to the status of our current crop, the value of our holdings in Fardale or the morale of the workers. Please do not be offended. This has nothing to do with your status in the Situ Clan. This has to do with what you can offer to the topics being discussed.”
“I heard you mention to that woman that you plan to discuss the agreement with the Sorgan and Litari,” pushed Lord Marshal Grefon. “I want to be involved in that discussion.”
“That woman, as you call her,” smiled Lord Marak, “is Bursar Kasa and she is responsible for some of the miracles that have occurred in Fardale. While you may not think that a woman can possess the skills needed to delve into high finance, I would stand her abilities up against any Bursar in the Situ Clan. As far as the agreement with the Sorgan and Litari, quite frankly, it is none of your business. I have agreed to nothing that affects the Situ Clan or Lord Ridak. If I had, you would be informed.”
“You have informed me of nothing,” barked Lord Marshal Grefon. “You are hiding every last detail of anything concerning Fardale and it is not acceptable to me or to Lord Ridak.”
“I am sorry you feel that way,” sighed Lord Marak. “I have much to tell you of Fardale and the progress we have made, but it must wait until the Council meeting is over. I have an entire estate waiting for me and I must dispatch my orders to ensure its smooth operation. Let me get that task out of the way and I will deal with your less immediate thirst for information later. You will not be reporting to Lord Ridak while I am in the meeting, so relax for a while.”