"It is," Kumul admitted, and could not help but feel great pride in what Lynan had achieved. "It is not the way I would have done it, but it is the way it should have been done."

Jenrosa put an arm around Kumul's waist. "You are used to the ways of the east, of the royal court. Lynan seems to know instinctively how to behave with the Chetts."

"Well, that might explain his lack of success back in Kendra," Ager said. "Lynan is a barbarian at heart."

Ager's words sent a shiver down Kumul's spine. "For the kingdom's sake, I hope you are wrong."

Chapter 8.

Freyma was scattering the last bale of feed in the pad-dock when he saw the group of horsemen approaching along the south road. He thought quickly, and realized he would not be able to reach his house to get his sword before they arrived. There was a pitchfork in the barn, though, and that might be handier than a sword against a mounted foe. He called to his five cows and they lazily lumbered across the paddock to pick at the feed.

Pretending to be as casual as his beasts, he sauntered to the barn, opened just one of the old, creaky wooden doors, made sure his pitchfork was within reaching distance, and waited for his guests.

One rider galloped ahead of the rest. He saw Freyma but ignored him at first, instead riding around the yard, looking through windows and around corners. He was dressed in good leather gear, the chest piece hard and shiny from boiling; a long cavalry sword was in a scabbard attached to the saddle. When at last he halted in front of the barn, he looked down on Freyma with something like curiosity.

"Hello, friend," Freyma said.

The rider nodded but did not reply.

"I hope you've just come for water or to buy some eggs."

The rider shook his head, and pointed to the rest of his group, six riders, now passing the farm gate.

Can't do much against seven, Freyma thought. But if I take this one out now, I'll make at least some account of myself.

His leaned against the barn door and grasped the pitchfork in his right hand. "One of your horses is lame," he said. The stranger looked over his shoulder, and as he did so, Freyma quickly moved forward, bringing the pitchfork up and around.

"Hold it, Freyma!" cried a harsh voice, and the farmer hesitated. The rider Freyma was about to impale whipped around, his sword already in his hand. Before Freyma could do anything the pitchfork was spinning out of his grasp.

"God's death, you're fast," Freyma said, and waited for the sword to bite into his neck.

But the rider just grinned down at him.

By now, the other riders had reached the barn. One of them dismounted and slowly took off a pair of black gloves. "Age has slowed you, my friend," the man said.Freyma stared at him in surprise. He recognized the voice, the well-muscled frame and horribly scarred face with its crooked nose. "I don't believe it. Jes fucking Prado."

Prado put his hands on his hips and roared in laughter. "You should see the color of your face. You'd think I was a ghost."

"I thought I was going to be a ghost," Freyma said. He waved at the other riders. "Who are your friends?"

"My escort."

"Escort? Since when does a farmer in the Arran Valley need an escort?"

Prado shook his head. "News still travels here slower than a corpse. I've been gone from the valley for over half a year."

"Gone? Where? Who's looking after your farm?"

Prado snorted. "I never thought I'd hear you sound so concerned over a few square leagues of dirt."

"It's how we feed ourselves, remember?" Freyma said resentfully. He looked at Prado's companions again. "Or did. You've obviously moved on."

"How much do you make here, Freyma?"

"None of your business."

"After you've paid your taxes, and for transporting your milk and grain and eggs. How much? A dozen gold pieces a year?"

"Still none of your business."

"And how much did you make when you rode with me? Some campaigns you made a dozen gold pieces a day."

"Those days are gone, Jes. I'm just a farmer now."

Prado grinned and put his arm around Freyma's skinny shoulders. "I'm here to tell you that those days are back again."

Freyma did not have enough food for all seven guests, so Prado paid him three gold pieces straight off for one of the cows. For that amount Freyma said they could have the vealer, and three hours later they were eating rare fire-roasted beef and downing a few flagons of his best cider and mead.

"So you're actually working for the Rosethemes now?" Freyma shook his head disbelievingly. "I never thought that'd happen. Not in a thousand years."

"That's right. I've even got her commission."

"They made you a captain?"

"A general," Prado said. "I want you to be my captain."

Freyma's eyes narrowed. "I told you, Jes, I've got my farm."

"I'll pay you three times what you get from your farm. And there'll be booty."

"Slaves?"

Prado shook his head. "No. Areava's munificence won't extend that far. But there's plenty of rich takings in Haxus, and the Strangers' Sooq."

"That's true," Freyma admitted. He rubbed a pockmarked cheek with a long finger."How long does this commission last?"

"Six months, a year. Until we do the job."

"You goin' to stretch it out?"

Prado's eyes hardened. "I want Rendle dead. I want Lynan dead. The only thing I want to stretch are their necks."

Freyma's brow creased in thought.

"I know what you're thinking, you dog. You can be my captain, get rich, and be back here before next summer." Prado chuckled. "Well, that's fine by me, if that's how you want to play it. But I have a feeling there'll be more work for us after this job is done."

"I haven't got many good years left in me, Jes. I don't want to die with a sword in my hand."

"None of us is young anymore. I reckon if I recruit most of the old company, and take on their sons and daughters who can ride and use a sword, we'll be back to almost full strength."

"You'll need more than that to take on Rendle, especially if Salokan's backing him."

Prado nodded. "I hear Black Petra settled his company near Sparro."

"That's right. I ran into some of them at the Sparro fair this autumn past. But Black Petra's dead, Prado."

"Gored by one of his bulls, no doubt. He liked farming, too, I seem to remember."

"Knifed. Got in a brawl with a local."

Prado sucked his teeth. "No way for a soldier to die."

"No way for a farmer to die either. You thinking of recruiting his people as well?"

"As many as I can get."

"Sal Solway put her company down near Black Petra's. That's another hundred or so.

She'll join up, at any rate. I hear her inn was burned down."

"We'll make the biggest company Theare has ever seen," Prado said, his eyes gleaming.

"We? I haven't said I'd join up, Prado."

"You didn't say, that's true."

"You'll pay me six times what I make from my farm, and I leave in summer with all the booty I can carry."

"Anybody would think you were a mercenary."

Freyma laughed, and the two men shook hands.

Prado set up in the second largest inn in the valley's largest town. His men wondered why he did not stay in the largest, but Prado would not tell them the largest inn was where he had kidnapped Lynan, slaying the owner of the tavern in the process.

Once word got around he was recruiting, over eighty of his old company came to see him and sign up, many of them bringing their children to sign up as well. By the end of the first week, he had over two hundred on his roll.

He sent Freyma to spread the word among any other mercenaries he could find closerto the Chandran capital, Sparro, and by the end of the second week his numbers had swelled to four hundred, many of them veterans, and even including a few locals with no military tradition but eager for adventure and easy money. Freyma had been right about Sal Solway, and Prado now had his second captain. She was a short, solidly built woman of middle years with short black hair. He let Freyma and Sal choose their own lieutenants and sergeants, and within a month of arriving in the Arran Valley had a force of five hundred mercenaries, all mounted, and divided into two companies of roughly equal strength. Freyma wanted to start training right away, but Prado told him to wait until they were on the border with Haxus.

"I want to get north and find billeting before spring."

"They can't train in winter," Sal complained.

"They can and will," Prado said harshly. "They'll do whatever they have to do if they want to stay in my company."

"How long before we leave the valley?" Freyma asked.

"Another day or two, then we head for Sparro, picking up any of Sal's and Black Petra's old companies that still want to join, then north, recruiting where we can until we get to the border with Hume. I hope to have at least two thousand under me before I start calling on Queen Charion for some of her regiments."

Sal was impressed by Prado's ambition. "Two thousand! We can do a lot with two thousand mercenaries."

"We only have to do two things," Prado reminded her. "Kill Rendle and kill Lynan. If I can avoid using Charion's regulars, I will."

"You said it was Areava who first commissioned Rendle ..." Freyma began.

"What of it?"

"... did she employ other companies at the same time? Could we get them to join us?"

"They've already taken Areava's gold. She wouldn't look too kindly on us paying them again."

"Not whole companies, maybe," Freyma mused, "but a troop here and there?"

Prado grinned. "Well, maybe a troop here or there. I'll leave that to you."

"I'm surprised you don't have at least two others with you now," Sal said to Prado.

"Who do you mean?"

"Bazik and Aesor. They were your sergeants once, weren't they? Stuck closer to you than ticks on a dog."

"I was wondering when they'd turn up," Freyma added.

"They won't be here," Prado said darkly, and something in his tone told Sal and Freyma to leave well enough alone.

On their last day in the valley, as their company gathered with their mounts along the main street, Prado still kept open a table for any last-minute recruits. He was glad he did.

So far, five more locals, each armed with their own bow and arrows, had signed up, and there was a short queue still waiting to be processed. He wanted as many of the Arran Valley archers as he could get his hands on: there were none better in Theare.

"Have you been in combat before?" Freyma was asking the next in line, a boy barelyold enough to shave, but he had weapons and a horse.

"No, sir.''

"Then your pay is one gold piece a day, and one share of any booty after each battle."

"Good enough."

"Can you write?"

"No, sir."

Freyma pushed over the page he had been writing on as he asked his questions. "Make your mark here," he said, handing him the stylus. The boy did so, and Freyma then gave the stylus to Prado to countersign. "Right, report to Lieutenant Owel at the end of the line; she's the one with a roan mare and a scar shaped like an arrow point on her forehead."

The boy nodded, bowed a little to Prado who patted him genially on the back, and made way for the next in line, a man who had seen better years and came with the yellow sash of the grieve's office and a dress sword that would be good for little except sticking fruit.