"I'll be in my study." Dainyl nodded politely and walked down the corridor past the still-vacant study of the submar-shal. The door to his own study was closed. He opened it and stepped inside. The room was slightly musty, and there were stacks of reports piled on his desk. The colonel frowned. Certainly, the reports could have been sent with Quelyt or Falyna.

With a deep breath he sat down and began to read. After less than half a glass, he almost wished he had not.

Three of the reports were actually reports he'd sent to the marshal, and someone had read them, but there were no replies and no notations. The rest of the reports were the standard quintal reports from the various Myrmidon companies across Corus. Majer Dhenyr, the commander of the Fifth Company in Dereka, had reported the theft of two more skylances and requested replacements. How could anyone steal a skylance? They were either in their holders on a pteridon or stored in the pteridon's square, never more than a few yards from one of the Talent-creatures. No one stole anything from a pteridon. They didn't sleep, and their claws and beaks were lethal. They were virtually invulnerable to anything short of cannon-and there weren't any cannon on Acorus, not that the alectors of the Tables had been able to find. Besides, it would have been obvious if anyone had used cannon.Third Company in Alustre had sent two squads north for reconnaissance around the North Road between Scien and Pystra, as requested by the marshal. Dainyl couldn't help frowning at that. Two squads for recon? Why? Dainyl knew that the two local Cadmian companies there had been scheduled for rebasing at Norda, but that should have been completed a season earlier.

"Sir?"

Dainyl set the report down and looked up at Zorclyt, who stood in the doorway.

"The marshal would like to see you now."

"Thank you." Dainyl stood and walked swiftly from his study to the door of the marshal's spaces.

"Come in, Colonel."

Dainyl closed the study door behind him, then followed the marshal's gesture and settled into one of the chairs across the desk from the head of the Myrmidons.

As Shastylt looked directly at Dainyl, the marshal's violet eyes were intent, the thin-lipped and wide mouth set in an expression of concern.

The colonel had seen the marshal use that look before, and rather than respond, he merely waited. At some point, the marshal would speak, certain that his words would carry more weight after the silence.

"You have handled the situation in Dramur with care and with tact"-Shastylt paused, leaving his words hanging before going on-"when many would have been tempted to act precipitously. At times, it is best to let an infection come to a head, where it is concentrated, rather than treat it with palliatives that will only prolong the treatment and recovery."

Dainyl nodded politely. "I have watched closely over the years and attempted to learn how to distinguish such differences." What he wasn't about to say was that he didn't believe a word that Shastylt said, and that the analogy was misapplied to the situation in Dramur.

"Even when you have some doubts about the wisdom of a policy suggested by the Highest, you seem able to understand that you may notsee all that there is to see."

"The higher I have been promoted," Dainyl replied easily, "the more obvious that has become."

Shastylt was the one who nodded. "For such reasons, the Highest and I have decided that you are indeed suited to be Submarshal of Myrmidons, particularly at this time. All Myrmidons are well aware you have held every position from being the newest ranker all the way up to being sub-marshal, and that will instill even greater confidence in them."

Shastylt smiled, more professionally than with personal warmth as he extended an enameled box, setting it on the edge of the desk before Dainyl. "Here are your stars, Submarshal."

"Thank you." Dainyl bowed his head slightly. "I will do my best to live up to all the expectations and requirements of being your deputy."

"I am most certain you will. Tomorrow morning, you will be meeting with the Highest, one glass before noon, and he will be briefing you on certain critical aspects of your duties. These are matters of which only a few below the station of high alector are aware. We also will be promoting Majer Dhenyr to colonel to take over your previous position here at headquarters. As you may recall, he's been in charge of Fifth Company in Dereka."

"I've read more than a few of his reports," Dainyl admitted. "I must admit that the last one I read worried me greatly."

"About the missing skylances?" Shastylt nodded. "That has worried all of us. The lances are essentially worthless without a pteridon, but how they were taken is more than a little vexing. The majer and the senior regional alector have questioned everyone who could possibly have been near the pteridon squares there, but so far have turned up nothing. There have been more than a few matters like that recently, and once this business in Dramuria is wound up, you may have to undertake a more thorough investigation of some of them."

"I have heard that five alectors vanished in Dereka. Is that so, and part of the problem there?"

"It is, but I cannot say more until after you meet with the Highest." The marshal looked directly and intently at Dainyl. "I would be curious toknow what happened to Ma-jer Vaclyn to cause him to lose such control. If you can explain, that is."

"Yes, sir. No one can look into the mind of a dead man, but there were subtle indications of his... growing instability. He was an officer who did not have the ability to be promoted beyond majer. He was a competent company commander, but his grasp of greater tactics was limited. His captains have, over the years, quietly remedied his deficiencies. This is something far more easily done in operations against raiders than in the situation in Dramur-"

"How so?"

"In Dramur," Dainyl replied, "there is not one group of insurgents, but several. There are smugglers, who wish to avoid Duarchial tariffs. There are the escaped miners who, for superstitious reasons associated with the vanished ancients, will often resort to near-suicidal tactics to escape the mines and attack the Cadmian guards. There are former smallholders, forced off their lands by the seltyrs and the larger growers. There was at least one seltyr who was so alarmed by these combined factors that he had assembled his own company armed with the contraband Cadmian rifles."

Dainyl paused. "Did you ever receive any reply, sir, to your inquiries about the source of those weapons?"

"A reply, yes. One that was helpful... not really. The High Alector of Engineering sent an inquiry to Faitel and one to Alustre. More than a thousand rifles are missing from the reserve storeroom in Faitel, but no one seems to know how and when it happened."

Dainyl winced visibly, even though the number was really no surprise to him after his inspection flight over the west of Dramur. "That many?"

Shastylt shook his head. "It could be more. There's been no response from Alustre."

No response? When the contraband weapons had been reported weeks before, when the high alectors had access to Tables and Myrmidon couriers?

"You look surprised, Submarshal."

"I'm less surprised by the numbers of weapons missing than I am bythe lack of response and knowledge." Dainyl was walking on the edge of a steep chasm. To charge a high alector with incompetence or worse was unwise, but not to show some concern and even indignation would raise the marshal's suspicions.

"Some of the high alectors do not grasp the severity of the challenges we face in the next few years, and we must tread lightly until they or their successors understand fully those challenges."

Dainyl nodded. "It is clear that you are dealing with a most delicate situation, sir."

"As are you, Dainyl." Shastylt smiled. "I would that I could have you delegate you oversight of the Dramur situation to someone else, but, at the moment, there is no one else. Majer Dhenyr will have his hands full taking over your duties, especially now, and it would not be feasible to bring either of the senior majers from Alustre. The Myrmidons have always had to cope with fewer officers than we might wish otherwise." The marshal rose from behind the desk. "We will have to continue this discussion later.

This afternoon, the Highest and I will be briefing the High Alector of Finance and the Duarch, but I did want to let you know of your promotion. It is effectively immediately. So you can put on the stars as soon as you have a moment. The Highest will be briefing you tomorrow; and then on Septi, we'll talk again."

As the marshal had stood, so had Dainyl. He did reach out and take the black-enameled box that held the eight-pointed silver stars of a submarshal. The marshal's stars were gold and green-edged, of course. "I look forward to that, sir."

He managed a pleased smile before turning and leaving the marshal's study.

Once back in his own study, a space that he supposed he would be leaving before long for the larger study that had been Tyanylt's, Dainyl sat down behind his desk, heavily. He was both surprised and alarmed by his promotion. Shastylt had as much as stated that some of the high alec-tors did not understand the coming crisis and would have to be replaced, and that the marshal and the Highest would be briefing the Duarch on something of great import. Dainyl was supposed to connect the two-but he doubted that such a connection was accurate.More than anything, he felt that his position was more precarious, rather than less-and he had yet to meet with the High Alector of Justice.

63.

Dainyl walked up to the duty coach outside Myrmidon headquarters roughly a glass and a half before noon on Sexdi. The sky had cleared the night before, leaving the heavens a brilliant silver-green. The white sun shone brightly, but the air remained chill.

"The Hall of Justice, sir?" asked the duty driver.

"That's right." Dainyl offered a smile and then stepped into the coach.

As the coach pulled away from the headquarters building, Dainyl sat back, thinking about what awaited him. The night before, he and Lystrana had discussed, quietly and in their bedchamber, what the marshal had told him. She had not been able to add any more understanding or information. What was obvious, so obvious that neither had to speak it, was that times were getting even more dangerous, especially since Dainyl was thought to have limited Talent and no ties to the Duarches, and no links to any of the High Alectors-except indirectly through Lystrana.

Dainyl glanced out the coach window, his eyes taking in the Duarch's palace to the right, the stone glowing in the sunlight, and then the gardens, gray and winter brown. Did the Duarch of Elcien know what the Highest and the marshal were doing? Dainyl and Lystrana doubted it, yet neither dared bring matters before the Duarch without some real proof-and they had none-not given the Talent-strength of the marshal and the High Alector of Justice.

In less than a quarter glass, the coach pulled up outside of the Hall of Justice.

"I'll be waiting over at the concourse, sir," said the driver.

"I don't imagine I'll be that long." With a nod, Dainyl turned and started up the steps.

Coming down the wide golden marble steps were two lander women, followed by a graying man and woman. The thinner of the two younger women was punctuating her words with sobs and tears."... he didn't do anything wrong, he didn't. What difference did it make, adding a pinch of white lead to the wine here and there?... kept it from spoiling and tasted sweeter... the Highest wouldn't change anything...

what will we do? Gil's dead, and they took the shop..."

Dainyl concealed a wince as he passed the four. Not only did lead poison those who had too much, but it also decreased fertility among the indigens and landers, and that meant slower growth of high-level lifemass.

No matter how often the schools taught that certain practices were not good for life, some landers and indigens would do them anyway if it brought a few extra silvers, or even coppers. And then they complained when justice fell on them, even when they had been warned.

At the top of the outside steps, without looking back, he stepped between two of the goldenstone pillars and into the receiving rotunda, crossing the octagonal tiles of polished gold and green marble, with their inset eight-pointed stars, stars exactly the same shape as those he now wore on his tunic collar. He could hear the petitioners in the main Hall, even before he passed through the goldenstone pillars between the receiving rotunda and the Hall.

The High Alector of Justice was not seated behind the podium of judgment, set directly before the Needle of the Duarches that soared upward through the high pink marble ceiling and well above the green exterior tiles of the roof. Rather, one of his assistants was, although Dainyl doubted that most of the petitioners would have noted the difference.

Dainyl slipped to the left toward the pillar on the south side that held the hidden entrance to the chambers below. While the entrance was on the side away from the podium and petitioners, as always, Dainyl used his Talent to conceal his opening the concealed entry.

After stepping through the square stone archway, and making sure it closed behind him, he released the Talent-illusion and made his way down the light-torch-illuminated stairway to the lower level and warmer air. He followed the stone-walled hallway to the Highest's chambers.

Even before he reached the door, a deep voice boomed out, "Please come in, Submarshal."

This time the Highest wore a tunic of deep purple, trimmed in brilliantgreen. The purple created a greater impression of gravity. Did the High Alector wear the purple when meeting with either of the Duarches?

Dainyl inclined his head, murmuring the ritual phrase, "Highest, I am here to serve."

"That you are." The High Alector of Justice motioned for Dainyl to follow him. Without saying more, the senior alec-I tor turned and walked through an open archway. I Dainyl followed and found himself in a smaller sitting room, also windowless, but lit by enough crystal light-torches that the chamber was more than comfortable.

The Highest seated himself in a curved oak chair without upholstery.

Dainyl took the matching chair on the other side of the small ebony table.

Despite the hardness of the wood, the chair's graceful curves were far more comfortable than many padded chairs in which Dainyl had found himself. He waited for the Highest to speak.

Several moments passed, and Dainyl could sense the use of Talent to scan him. As he had practiced with Lystrana, he did not react, but merely maintained his shields.

"Your shields improve every year, Dainyl."

"I keep practicing, Highest."

" 'Sir' will do, Dainyl." A half-humorous smile followed the words, then a pause, before the High Alector continued. "I must admit that the timing of events, even of your promotion, is less than optimal."

"I certainly didn't plan things that way, Highest," Dainyl said politely.

"I doubt anyone could have been that farsighted, even your lovely wife."

"She is quite farsighted, but neither she nor I anticipated a promotion at this time." Earlier, or not at all, had been Dainyl's own judgment.

"As Marshal Shastylt doubtless revealed, matters on Acorus are not as we would wish."

"He did suggest that, sir."

"Knowing him, he was circumspect. They may be worse than that.None of these difficulties would be especially troublesome by itself. The problems with the iron and coal mines in Iron Stem would be workable. A wild lander Talent in the rugged hills west of Hyalt would require no more than a battalion of Cadmians and a squad of Myrmidons. Grassland nomads have decided to raid merchant convoys on the upper steppe highway between Ongelya, and they hide in the high grasses so that pteri-dons are of little use-unless we were to burn the grass, and that just would make the lifemass situation less favorable. So another battalion must go there. There is your problem of what appear to be dual revolts in Dramur. There are unforeseen difficulties in Dereka-but I will not burden you with all of those. The marshal is dealing with Iron Stem and Hyalt, and, once you finish what you must here and in Lyterna, you will handle the difficulties in Dramur."

In Lyterna? What was he supposed to do in Lyterna? Dainyl decided against asking, for the moment. He was also concerned, because the Highest had not been quite truthful about the difficulties, but exactly how, Dainyl could not have said, only that the Talent-sense surrounding those words of the Highest had left him feeling most uneasy.

"Before we deal with Lyterna," the Highest went on, "there are some basic matters of knowledge that are not widely known. I will go through these quickly. Some you may have deduced, but I would be surprised if you know them all." He paused.

Dainyl nodded, waiting.

i "For all practical purposes, the pteridons are nearly inde-structible, as you may know. What you may not know is that their numbers are fixed.

Once the Dual Scepters have been placed on a world, pteridons as you know them can no longer be created..."

Dual Scepters? What Dual Scepters? Should he ask? Would Lystrana know?

"... Upon occasion, wild translations may manifest themselves as feral and near-brainless pteridons or as other wild Talent-creatures, but they are short-lived and unusable. In the history of all Ifrit worlds, only a handful of pteridons have been destroyed, that is, until the lifeforce of the world on which they have been created itself fails. This does not wean that a pteridon cannot be destroyed, only that no one in recent eras has done so. It is possible. I will not tell you how. It is sufficient for you to know thatsuch destruction is both possible and unlikely..."

Dainyl had not known what the Highest had just told him, but after his years as a Myrmidon, he could not have said that he was surprised.

"Second is the matter of Talented landers. As you should know, no lander who has displayed the ability to employ Talent can be allowed to live. What you likely do not know is that landers were designed and bred as more, shall we say, creative versions of indigens when it became apparent that the indigens were not multiplying world lifeforce mass quickly enough. What the designers did not realize until far later was that the creativity traits also allow the possibility of Talent, and that certain landers have demonstrated the potential to be highly Talented. Thus, they must be destroyed, and quickly, once discovered. This policy is never to be revealed or discussed with anyone besides a high alec-tor, or the marshal.

Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"That is a matter of survival. Landers breed more rapidly and in far greater numbers, and they would exhaust the world's lifeforce all too quickly."

"What about crossbreeds between landers and indigens?"

"The offspring could carry those traits," the Highest replied. "We do not wish those traits to be spread. Talent may never surface in someone with the traits, and thus cannot be detected, Its emergence in landers cannot be predicted-except in those cases where both parents are Talented landers-and such an instance must never be allowed to occur."

"Yes, sir."

"Another related fact is that the so-called ancients are not all dead."

"Sir?" Dainyl hoped he counterfeited enough surprise.

"They are a dying race, among the last remnants of the life-forms fully native to Acorus. They are seldom encoun-tered or seen, but they have a form of Talent, and they can be dangerous, according to the reports in the sealed archives. I have never seen one, but most of my predecessors have..."Dainyl had the sense and feeling that the highest was skirting the truth about the ancients, if not outright dissembling.

"They prefer high and chill locations, and we believe that a small community lives somewhere on the Aerial Plateau."

"That's too high for pteridons." It would be uncomfortable, reflected Dainyl, if not close to impossible, for an alector to function well or for long in that cold and altitude.

"Exactly. Should the ancients become a problem, we do have a contingency plan for dealing with them. It would be extraordinarily wasteful of world lifeforce, but such a plan has been developed. If you encounter such an ancient, it is to be reported immediately."

"Sir... I don't know if Marshal Shastylt told you, but I have found a tunnel with an ancient archway on one of the peaks in Dramur. There were no tracks there..."

"The marshal did report that." The High Alector smiled. "Their artifacts, like our eternastone and other preserved works, do not age. I have seen two of those tunnels with the amberstone arches myself, one in Deforya and one in the Spine of Coras near Passera." He cleared his throat "The ancients can be most dangerous. Several alectors were killed in the early years after the seedings."