“I had to tell somebody,” admitted Rybak. “Koors started using me against the other men and then Grefon picked up on it. It seemed to be an easy way to rise in rank and I didn’t see any harm in it. I guess I have Lord Marak to thank for my change in attitude. If I hadn’t seen what a change in attitude one man can make in people, I probably would have remained ignorant my whole life. When I saw how much he cared for his people, my stomach turned every time I thought of my obligations to Lord Marshal Grefon. I used the bandits as an excuse, but I could have gotten word out with the Ragatha caravans. I’m glad I didn’t. You didn’t break your promise about telling Lord Marak, did you?”
“No, smiled Tagoro. “I don’t have to tell Lord Marak. He has known since before we left Lituk Valley.”
“He knows?” asked Rybak. “Then why hasn’t he done anything about it? Why did he allow me to rise to Cortain?”
“I’m not sure anybody understands all of Lord Marak,” theorized Tagoro. “I know he believes that there is good in every person and that if you dig deep enough you will find it. Perhaps he understood your confusion about what is right and what is wrong. Maybe he thought giving you time to think about your actions would solve the problem. It certainly appears that is what has happened.”
“I feel bad now that I know he knows,” sighed Rybak. “If I try to make it up to him or talk to him about it, he will think I am up to my old games again. I couldn’t blame him if he did think that.”
“Don’t underestimate Lord Marak,” smiled Tagoro. “Since you have given your Vows to him, you have not once betrayed him. I am sure that he knows this. My advice is to entirely forget about your past and just concentrate on doing the right thing from now on. The rest will work itself out just fine.”
“I wish I had your confidence,” Rybak said. “I like it here in Fardale and I’m kind of attached to Elsa. I don’t want to lose that. Lord Marshal Grefon sounded like he still had authority over me and that I was going back to Lituk Valley.”
“Elsa’s a sweet girl,” commented Tagoro, “but if you ever get out of line with her, I’d watch her pitchfork.”
“She is a brave woman,” smiled Rybak. “Heck, she’d make a fine soldier, but I have other plans for her.”
“Look,” declared Tagoro, “if this thing is really hanging over your head, go and talk with Lord Marak. Don’t butter him up and don’t offer lengthy explanations. Just tell him flat out that you were supposed to spy on him and you’ve had a change of heart. Ask his forgiveness and promise you will never even think of doing anything like that again.”
“That’s it!” exclaimed Rybak. “You are right. I’m dreading the moment he finds out and says something. Let me put that moment behind me. Thanks again, Tagoro.”
Tagoro shook his head and picked up his helmet to continue his polishing. Cortain Rybak hurried into the mansion and went straight to the Lord’s study. Lord Marak was alone and Cortain Rybak entered after knocking on the open door.
“Yes, Cortain Rybak,” Lord Marak said as he looked up from his papers.
“Lord Marak, I . . . ” Rybak began hesitantly, “want you to know that I was sent here to spy for Lord Marshal Grefon. I haven’t complied with his orders and I never intend to, but you have the right to know.”
Lord Marak smiled as he studied his former rival. “Cortain,” he said softly, “you exhibit a great deal of courage coming in here and telling me that. I have known about your mission from the day it began. I knew when you gave your Vows of Service that you had no intention of keeping them. I also recognized the change in you two weeks after that and have never worried since. You have proved to be a fine soldier since you have come to Fardale and I have great hopes for your future in my army.”
“That’s it?” queried Cortain Rybak. “No punishment? No lectures or demotions?”
“Cortain Rybak,” laughed Lord Marak, “you have done nothing wrong. You have thought about doing something wrong, but you never did. If we were punished for each thought we had, Elsa would surely have you black and blue from your toes to your temples by now. No, Cortain, there is no punishment, only admiration for you for having done the right thing. You are dismissed with my compliments on your behavior.”
Cortain Rybak smiled broadly as he saluted and smartly marched out of the Lord’s study. Bursar Kasa walked in and placed a pile of reports on Marak’s desk.
“Are you making the soldier boys blush now?” questioned Kasa. “That Cortain was beet red.”
“He’s in love,” chuckled Lord Marak before he noticed the strange look his Bursar was giving him. “Not with me! With Elsa. What is it you need from me, Bursar Kasa?”
Kasa could not stop laughing. “I never thought I would find a subject that confused My Lord,” she laughed. “Who would have suspected that the magic topic would be love?”
“Bursar,” interrupted Lord Marak, “I doubt that pile of papers you dragged in here are sensual materials. What did you wish to see me about?”
Bursar Kasa fought to compose herself before answering. “I have an idea for increasing our money,” she finally said. “Watula Valley is the largest grain producing Clan in Khadora and most of their grain is already spoken for. Fardale’s yield this year will be larger than ever before and none of it is contracted for. I have been trying to negotiate contracts for our grain and the buyers are reticent because they still expect to buy from Khadora Grain Importers at lower prices. My idea is to start buying grain contracts instead of selling them.”
“Why would we want to purchase more grain?” questioned Lord Marak. “If we can’t sell what we have grown, then we already have too much. We should be thinking of planting a different crop next year.”
“I’m not talking about next year,” stated Bursar Kasa. “If we buy every grain contract we can find, there will be none left for anybody else. The buyers who are waiting to purchase from Khadora Grain Importers will have no grain at all. They will become anxious to purchase from anybody who has grain for sale and they will start sending offers to us. When we ignore the offers, the price will start to escalate quickly. We will not only sell the contracts we have purchased for a healthy profit, but we might get twice as much money for our own contracts.”
“Will this really work?” quizzed Lord Marak. “Won’t people know what we are doing?”
“I don’t know if it will work,” admitted Kasa. “I have not found any records of someone trying this before, but then, again, who would advertise pulling off such a scheme? We still have the Ksaly Company and it would make an excellent vehicle for the grain contracts. Another possible plus from all of this would be prepaid contracts for next year's crop.”
“I do not want to get involved with more prepaid or prearranged contracts,” declared Lord Marak. “It may be smart financially, but it leaves us in a vulnerable position with our enemies. We could be crippled if an enemy destroyed our crops rather than defeat our armies. Do we have the finances to purchase all of the available grain contracts?”
“I’m not sure how much is available yet,” conceded Bursar Kasa. “I have been spending quite a bit of money on your program for buying mages, but we still haven’t gone through Tachora’s money. “We also have treasuries in Glendale and Watula Valley which you have access to.”
“I would prefer to keep them for emergencies,” noted Lord Marak. “If one of our enemies tries to destroy us financially, they will be unaware of those reserves.”
“I can see that you look at things differently than I do,” remarked Kasa.
“Of course, I do,” chuckled Lord Marak. “That is why we make such a good team. You raise our money stores and I’ll raise our armies.”
“Who are these enemies you keep talking about?” Kasa inquired. “The Sorgans and Litari are no longer enemies.”
“That is a hard question to answer, Kasa,” frowned Lord Marak. “Lord Ridak is one, for sure, although he has not acknowledged it yet. I fear the Ragatha will be another. They feel penned in by the Litari and even if we continue to let them cross our land, they will not be satisfied until they own it. There will be plenty more once people find out how far my control has grown. That is one of the facets of Khadora culture that I would like to change. At times I feel as if this culture is foreign to me, like maybe I should live with the Chula instead of the flatlanders.”