Quelyt was waiting by the square set aside for his pteri-don. Behind him, the pteridon crouched, blue crystal beak slightly parted.

"Where are we headed now, sir?"

"West, over the mountains. There are some large plantations over there, or so I've been told. We need to look at them."

"We can do that." Quelyt paused. "Can't say I've ever been there."

"Neither have I," replied the colonel, a wry tone to his words.

It had taken Dainyl more than a week to realize what he was missing-or one of the things he was missing. There had been a number of references to the "big growers" or the seltyrs in the west, but always in passing. He'd finally decided that, before asking more about the west, an inspection flight would be in order. That way, he hoped, any answers that he got would make more sense. Certainly, according to the maps, there were but a handful of hamlets to the west of the Murian Mountains, and two small natural harbors.

When he had been a ranker, or even a flying officer, and had been dispatched to Dramur, he'd never flown west of the mountains. All the dispatches and transport had always dealt with Dramuria and the Cadmian compound. He was acutely conscious of that lack of knowledge about the west side of Dramur.

"I'd wager it's a good two glasses to the west shore."

"If it takes all day, we still need to do it."

"Yes, sir." Quelyt checked the harnesses, and then mounted and strapped himself in.

Dainyl followed him, and in less than a quarter glass, they were airborne, climbing westward away from the Cadmian compound.

To the immediate west of Dramuria, the dryness of the winter was alltoo obvious. Dust swirled up in the light winds, and the vegetation, from what grass there was to the leaves on the casaran trees, was tinged with brown or tan. Even on the stone road that eventually led to the guano mine, the few carts threw up fine dust that Dainyl could see from almost a vingt in the air.

A winding dirt or clay road branched off the mine road north of the town, less than half a vingt beyond the point where the road to the compound separated from the mine road and curved uphill and eastward.

Given the narrowness of the road west as it headed toward the mountains, Dainyl could certainly understand why the larger growers preferred to send their produce by boat.

The wide blue wings beat evenly, and the air was calm enough that Dainyl was able to get a steady view of the hills to the east of the mountains. Like the area to the north, around the mine, the slopes were a mixture of open ground, sandy and rocky, with scattered bushes and trees.

The trees were scraggly pines of some sort, and the leaves on the bushes a faded green that suggested very little moisture had fallen recently.

For a time, as the pteridon carried the two Myrmidons westward, over the dry foothills, the peaks of the mountains seemed as far away as when they had first lifted off from the compound. Then, after they had flown almost a glass, the hills began to steepen into low peaks, far lower than those around the mines to the north of Dramuria. The tops were rocky, expanses of gray and black stone.

Within another quarter glass, the ancient lava on the peaks had given way to sandstone alone, and more ever greens were evident. Several times, Dainyl lost sight of the narrow road winding its way through the hills, then the low mountains, but just when he thought it had vanished for good, he caught sight of yet another section of road.

Then they were over the mountains, and heading lower.

The hills to the west of the mountains were far greener than those on the east side, and also looked less rugged, with rounded crests and wider and shallower valleys. The trees were evergreens, mostly, from what Dainyl could see, and there were few patches where nothing grew. While the hillsides were not lush, they were well vegetated.

Quelyt turned and called back. "Looks greener over here.""Quite a bit."

In places, Dainyl thought he saw evidence of timbering, but whoever had been cutting had been doing so selectively, so that there was mixed old and new growth. He smiled wryly. While timbering was frowned upon, he doubted that any of the high alectors would bother with a lander grower who was cautious enough to cut so carefully.

Ahead, just to the left of the winding road, was a long ridge. At one end was a villa, with grounds surrounded by a stone wall.

'Take us over that villa!"

The pteridon banked slightly, then straightened.

The estate grounds enclosed by the stone wall were easily a vingt square, with several gardens, and fountains. Gracefully curved stone lanes ran from the main gate to the outbuildings, the stables, then to a separate lodge set before an oval pool surrounded by a stone terrace. The main villa was a rectangle with a courtyard within, and four separate gardens. One of the gardens held a hedge maze with white gravel or stone paths.

Another held an array of flowers-winter or not-whose blooms were clear from above.

The pteridon swept past the villa before Dainyl could note everything.

"Do you want another look, sir?" called Quelyt.

"No. Just keep heading for the coast."

Dainyl kept scanning the rolling hills, with meadows, long lines of trees, perhaps some of which were the local apple bananas, and recently tilled fields.

He could see other estates, certainly of comparable size to the first, if not larger, and the winding road that they had followed had become straighter-and wider-and headed for the coast, and what looked to be a harbor.

Every so often, he could make a out a clump of houses, more like hamlets than villages, but there weren't many more of those than villas from what he was seeing.They passed over another estate, except there were two villas within the walls, and each was larger than the first villa that Dainyl had seen. The outbuildings were numerous, including several across from stables that could have passed for barracks, except for the laundry hung on lines behind the structures. He didn't see a pool, but there was an open riding arena, although he could make out neither riders nor horses at the moment.

The growers in the west were definitely far better off than those in the east.

"That looks like a harbor ahead," he called to Quelyt. "Let's see what it looks like."

"Heading there, sir!"

The gently rolling hills actually rose as they neared the Lioastline. The harbor was small, but well protected by rock bluffs, almost as if a volcanic caldera had once stood there, and the ocean had broken through on the west, leaving a circular green bay. Dainyl saw two stone piers and a schooner tied to one. Several buildings, warehouses, stood at the shoreward end of the piers.

Small harbor or not, the warehouses looked to be almost as extensive as those at the port in Dramuria. Given what Dainyl had seen, that didn't surprise him. What did surprise him was that there were no large villages.

Most of the people seemed to be gathered into the buildings on the villa grounds. What also surprised him was that no one had mentioned the apparent wealth of the western growers.

"Now what, sir?" asked Quelyt.

"North along the coast for a while. Then we'll swing back east."

"Yes, sir."

Dainyl doubted that he would see anything much different from what they had already observed, but he wanted to make sure. He had the feeling that he might not have the time to make another trip for a while.

26After a long day's patrol on Sexdi, Mykel had done two things. First, he had made inquiries in Enstyla about Rachyla and Stylan Estate and obtained directions to the estate. Then he had written up his report for the day and dispatched it with a scout to Majer Vaclyn, who had set up a makeshift headquarters in the nearby hamlet of Eltorana. The report had included a summary of all the patrols, al-though the single rifle taken from the well-attired woman was the only direct evidence of any illegal or rebellious activities among all those riders and wagons observed or stopped.

Early Septi morning, more than a glass before dawn, the scout returned with written orders to Captain Mykel that Fifteenth Company was to suspend patrols for the day and await the majer's arrival "for further orders." Mykel passed the order to Bhoral to have the company ready to ride when the majer arrived.

Majer Vaclyn did not arrive until the ninth glass of the day, when he summoned Mykel to meet him outside the barn used by Fifteenth Company. The majer stood in the shade afforded by the northeast corner of the structure, well away from the squad from Thirteenth Company that had accompanied him.

Mykel approached on foot and nodded. "Good morning, Majer."

"It is morning, Captain. I am not convinced that it is good." Vaclyn's right hand dropped to his belt, his fingers briefly touching the hilt of the throwing dagger sheathed there in place of the standard Cadmian belt knife. There was a second dagger on the other side of his belt. Neither was regulation, but, so far as Mykel knew, no one had ever said anything about the weapons.

Mykel waited, sensing the majer's anger.

"You have not even set up a proper study-or a command position, I see, Captain."

"I've been riding with the various squads, Majer."

"And how could they reach you in the event you were needed?"

"Each squad leader knew where to find me, sir.""I'm sure." Vaclyn extracted several folded papers from his riding jacket. "I have your report here, Captain. I cannot say that I understand it.

You found a woman with a contraband rifle. You took the rifle, but you did not take her into custody."

"We confiscated the rifle and warned her of the offense, Majer."

"We have been searching for contraband. She had a contraband rifle.

Yet you saw fit not to bring her in, Captain? On what authority and on what basis did you decide to ignore both your orders and the Code?"

Vaclyn's voice was cutting.

"I believe I wrote that out in my report, sir-"

"What you wrote has no basis in regulations or in the Code. Could you explain to me, again, this time in terms I might understand, why you didn't?"

"Yes, sir." Mykel nodded, politely. "The woman was dressed very well, in the kind of clothes that showed she had golds. She was accompanied by an older woman, also well dressed, and she was driving a horse cart, the kind that was almost new and well kept. She was shocked that I would ever dare to stop her. The single rifle was the only piece of contraband."

"And that was why you didn't punish a violation of the Code?"

"No, sir. The rifle had no numbers, and that indicated that it was not stolen from a Cadmian unit. Either it was an unauthorized gift, or it is an indication of a much greater degree of smuggling. Because of those possibilities, seizing and punishing the woman did not seem to justify the risks. She seemed very well placed in Dramur. We are already being seen as more of a danger to people than are the rebels and smugglers. I did not see how punishing her would help matters. I had thought that a visit to her estate, and a quiet explanation to either her father or husband, might well gain more information and results than punishing her immediately. I did obtain her name and location and verified them."

"And I suppose you intended to make that visit?" Vaclyn's tone was cutting.

"No, sir. I will, if you think it best, but I had thought that someone with greater position and authority, such as you, might make a betterimpression and gain more."

"We're here to uphold the Code, Captain."

"Yes, sir." Mykel managed to keep a polite expression on his face.

"Explain to me again how letting this woman go upholds the Code."

"I could not have proved that she even knew the rifle was there." That was stretching things, but not by a great amount, because the woman was the kind who could easily claim that before a justicer. "It was under the bench seat of the cart. She was not holding it, and she never looked at it.

There was no other contraband in the cart, even hidden on the underside.

Since she was obviously well connected, possibly to someone of great wealth, and since the rifle had no numbers, I felt that prudence was called for. Had she brandished the weapon, or used it in any fashion, then there would have been no question about applying the Code."

Vaclyn frowned. "But you had a squad there who observed the weapon."

"She had an aunt, also well attired, and most proper. We are foreign Cadmians. I may have misjudged the situation, sir, but I felt it wiser to err on the side of caution, rather than excess. If there are rebellious activities taking place on her estate, they could not be concealed that quickly. If there are not, then taking someone respected into custody might easily push the landowners into supporting the rebels."

"I can see your concerns, Captain, but people must learn that the Code is the Code, and that the laws are the laws, and position does not excuse breaking those laws."

"Yes, sir. Do you wish me to take Fifteenth Company to her estate and convey a warning to her?"

"Do you even know where this estate is, Captain?"

"Yes, sir. As I told you, I verified its location and her name. She is the eldest daughter of the landholder, a man named Ubarjyr. The estate is some thirteen vingts north of the center of Enstyla, and two vingts west."

"Then perhaps we should make a call on this Ubarjyr, although it well may be too late, given the fashion in which it has been handled."Mykel merely nodded, although he had few doubts that handling it in the manner suggested by Majer Vaclyn would have been worse than the way in which he had handled it.

In less than a quarter glass, the troopers of Fifteenth Company-and those in the squad from Thirteenth Company that had accompanied the majer-were riding northward through a cool and breezy morning.

The majer did not offer any information or conversation for the first five vingts.

"Could you tell me how matters are faring with the other companies?"

asked Mykel, after the long silence.

"Seventeenth Company is patrolling the area on each side of the road to the mine. They have apprehended two escaped prisoners."

"And the others... ?" prompted Mykel politely.

"Sixteenth Company has been patrolling the east-west road to the south of here. They have so far been unable to apprehend anyone or anything.

Thirteenth Company has been providing security at Eltorana. Fourteenth Company has been patrolling the highlands to the north and west of the mine. They have encountered resistance and have taken some fire. They have killed several of the insurgents, but have not yet taken any prisoners to obtain information."

"Would you judge that the majority of the insurgents are in the area being covered by Fourteenth Company?"

"That remains to be seen, Captain. It is clear that Fourteenth Company has been most successful so far."

If getting shot at was a measure of success, Mykel wasn't so certain he wanted that kind of success. The majer was not about to offer more information, not without Mykel's prodding, and that prodding would just upset Vaclyn more. So he rode quietly beside the majer.

They continued northward to the lane to the estate and westward on it until they came to a pair of elaborately carved wooden gates blocking the lane. There were two small raised guardhouses, set on heavy timbered bases in back of and overlooking the closed gates. A timber stockadeextended roughly fifty yards on each side of the gates. The one on the right side ended at a pile of boulders that filled the gap between the stockade and a rocky hillside rising thirty some yards above the lane. On the left the stockade ended partway down a gully filled with brush olives.

"You!" the majer snapped at the man in the left guardhouse. "Open those gates!"

"Sir, these are the lands of Seltyr Ubarjyr. We do not admit anyone he has not invited."

"We are here on the orders of the High Alector of Justice. Open the gates."

"I do not know this High Alector of Justice. I know that you have not been invited."

"Ready rifles!" ordered Vaclyn.

"Ready rifles!" Mykel repeated.

More than one hundred rifles appeared in the hands of the troopers.

"We are not anyone^ snapped the majer. "I am Majer Vaclyn, and we are here under the express orders of the Marshal of Myrmidons and the High Alector of Justice. If you don't open those gates by the time I finish speaking, you three will be very dead guards."

The three guards at the closed gates looked at the line of mounted riflemen.

One of them murmured, "... dead men, either way."