"My pleasure, Lady Anna. We are all glad to see you back safe." With a smile, the youngest guard started up the side staircase to the second level.

Rickel and Blaz stationed themselves outside the receiving room, and Anna slipped through the door, and stopped--looking at the stack of scrolls that seemed to cover the worktable. "Lord..."

After a moment, she set the lutar against the wall, then slowly picked up the first scroll-something from the rivermen. Not again... She glanced at the first lines.

Regent and sorceress, Savior of Liedwahr, Restorer of Defalk, Protectoress of Harmony, and Lady of Mencha, The Guild of Rivermen has approached your ministers, and has requested, time upon time ... We cannot plead too strongly that the tariff levied upon us will force all of us from the waters of the rivers that have nourished us and fed our families since from before the days of the Corian lords....

The receiving-room door burst open, and Menares panted into the room, shouting, "Lady Anna! Your lutar! Your spells! Lord Dannel has attacked the liedburg with scores of armsmen and lancers! They are everywhere, killing everyone!"

Anna dropped the scroll and scrambled for the lutar case, flicking the leather straps away as quickly as she could. Shouts came through the half-open door, and the sound of metal against metal, followed by grunts.

"She's in there! Get to the b.i.t.c.h!" Clunk. ...A dull thud followed as some armsman fell against a wooden door.

Anna shook herself, and pulled the lutar from the case. She fumbled with the tuning pegs and the strings, but moved toward the open door to the hallway as she began to sing, managing to get out words to the spell she knew all too well.

Turn to fire, turn to flame ...

all those to strike- She found herself coughing, choking on mucus that had come from somewhere. She managed to clear her throat and spit out the garbage that had come from her lungs. Would happen now... With a deep breath, she stood just back of the open side of the doorway and began the chording and singing a second time.

Turn to fire, turn to flame...

all those to strike against my name.

Turn to ash, turn to dust, these enemies as I must.

The hissing of fire whips mixed with screams that died quickly. Anna found herself coughing once more and reached out to steady herself on the doorframe, then stepped out into the corridor where Rickel and Blaz stood with bloodied blades. Lejun and Kinor. came hurrying down the corridor, stepping over blackened corpses, their blades also bare and stained.

The m.u.f.fled sound of arms and yells elsewhere was not ending, but continuing, and Rickel and Kinor glanced toward Anna, their eyebrows rising in puzzlement.

Why? Anna wanted to bang her head against the wall. Because they can't hear your voice through all the walls.

"Lady Anna?" asked Kinor.

"We need to get to the north tower. So I can sing out over the whole liedburg,"

she added after a pause. "Quickly." Before too many people die.

"To the north tower!" ordered Rickel, raising his blade. "Blaz, follow the lady so none slip behind us."

Holding the lutar, Anna followed Kinor and her guards, past a half dozen charred corpses. She tried not to gag on the smell that was all too similar to burned meat, coughing her throat clear. When they turned at the end of the corridor, moving toward the stairs to the upper levels, Kinor, and Rickel stopped, finding a half-score of armsmen lurching toward them. Another group was attacking four armsmen in purple who held the base of the stairs, able to keep off the invaders only because of the comparative narrowness of the staircase.

Anna began the chording and the spell, again.

Turn to fire, turn to flame...

The all-too-familiar whips of fire cleared both the corridor and the lower steps, leaving more blackened figures, and the sickening odor of burned meat.

Anna coughed more secretions out of her throat, but kept moving, holding tightly to the lutar.

"The north tower! The sorceress needs to spell the liedburg," Kinor yelled through the smoky air. "Hold the stairs," he added to the four regular armsmenas Rickel and Anna raced past, followed by Lejun and Blaz. Kinor then sprinted up the steps after the others.

The second-floor corridor was empty, but Kinor and Anna's guards hurried northward toward the steps to the tower, quickly checking each corner, but finding no invaders.

At the sound of boots on the stone, corning from behind them and from the direction of her chambers, Anna lifted the lutar, but the two figures were those of Jecks and Jimbob.

"The north tower," Kinor explained as the white-haired lord glanced toward the Regent.

"Good. She can spell from there," Jecks said.

The sound of fighting continued to rise from the liedburg courtyard, sounding louder by the time Anna reached the north tower steps.

Anna winced as Kinor sprinted up the steps without waiting for any of the others.

"Blaz.... follow him ... you as well, Lejun," Rickel ordered.

"We will hold here," Jecks said to Rickel, "Jimbob, you follow the sorceress and guard her rear." Then Jecks raised his voice to Anna, "Lady, sing your worst upon them!"

Anna glanced up the narrow stone steps, but could hear nothing but the sound of boots on stone. She hurried after Blaz, lutar in her left hand, using her right for balance as she hurried upward, trying to breathe deeply, knowing she would need every bit of oxygen she could muster once she reached the open parapets of the tower. The tower steps were empty, and each door on every level had been flung open-none of the apartments, including the small one in which she had once lived, and the larger quarters that had briefly imprisoned Lady Essan, held anyone.

Lejun stood on the landing nearest the top. "They have cleared the tower, lady."

"Thank you," she gasped out. Riding had been good for her legs, but it clearly hadn't helped her breathing. She took two deep breaths, then started up the last dozen or so of the stone steps. She was still panting by the time she reached the open s.p.a.ce of the tower's uppermost level. Kinor and Blaz-blades bare-waited for her.

"Do what you must, lady," Kinor said. "We will guard the steps."

Without speaking, Jimbob stepped up beside Kinor and Blaz. "Jecks and Rickel are guarding the bottom." Anna forced herself to take several more deep breaths, breaths which led to another round of coughing. s.h.i.t! You wouldn't think you'd need vocalises coming back to your own liedburg. She coughed her throat clear and began to check the lutar's tuning before she walked to the chest-high parapet overlooking the courtyard and the liedburg building itself. Then she tried for full concert voice with the spell.

Turn to fire, turn to flame...

The liedburg shuddered, each stone seeming to glow in the twilight. Then, a long and low rumble of thunder, nearly subsonic, shook the air, and the liedburg towers shivered. Streaks of flame streamed from somewhere below the gray clouds that darkened as Anna watched.For long moments, the entire liedburg was ringed with fire- or so it seemed.

Then screams echoed from the open courtyards and from the s.p.a.ce to the north of the open gates.

Another shudder of the ground was followed by silence.

Anna leaned against the stones of the parapet, half-stunned, exhausted, doubting that she could sing another spell. She could barely hang on to the lutar and her breath rasped hoa.r.s.ely through her throat.

After a time, she peered into the twilit gloom and the courtyard below where figures still moved. But the yells and the clangor of metal on metal had ceased, as had the awful screams of men being flayed alive by fire.

Jecks stepped out onto the tower.

Anna turned.

"You have destroyed them all, my lady." Jecks had sheathed his blade. "Himar sent a messenger. Even Lord Dannel and his sons fell under your fire whips." He paused. "Young Gielium fell defending us." Jecks' eyes flickered to Jimbob.

Anna understood. Giellum had died protecting Jimbob. She nodded dumbly. Lord...

all this because I blocked Dannel's son from taking Lysara as a consort? After a moment, she straightened and made her way down the stone steps of the tower- carefully. It wouldn't do to trip and break her arm or neck after surviving an attack on the liedburg.

In the upper main corridor, the guards-as well as Kinor, Jimbob, and Jecks- formed almost a phalanx around her as she walked toward the steps that would take her down to the lowest level.

"Lady Anna!"

The sorceress looked down the dim corridor-the candles in the wall sconces had never been lit that evening, understandably.

A small red-haired figure ran down the corridor, dodging the dead bodies and then throwing her arms around Anna. "You're safe! Oh, Lady Anna." Abruptly, Secca stepped back and straightened, looking up at the sorceress.

Behind Secca, three other young women appeared, striding briskly toward the Regent-Alseta. Cataryzna, and Ytrude. All held bared blades.

Secca addressed Anna. "Resor... Cens... Tiersen... they fought, but there were so many."

Anna wanted to hold Secca, but she could sense that the little redhead wanted to look strong. So the Regent looked at the three young women still holding shortswords. Ytrude's blade was streaked with blood. "How are they? Resor and Cens and Tiersen, I mean?"

Ytrude smiled crookedly. "Tiersen had gone to the stables. He fought his way back. He has not a scratch."

"Cens... Liende is treating him with your elixir... and Barat as well," replied Cataryzna. The blonde's eyes were cold, carrying a bottled rage, Anna suspected, something beyond the attack, but what that might have been Anna had no idea.

"Lysara-they tried to attack her:"Anna turned cold. "Where is she? Is she all right?"

"She was as good with a blade as Cens, and Liende used the last of the elixir for her. Tiersen-he is standing guard."

Sorcery-distilled alcohol; and it's an elixir as magic as your sorcery in this land. "How is she?"

"Lysara may recover, as may Barat and Cens." Ytrude paused and swallowed. "Resor put himself first, and for that Lysara and Secca are alive." The tall blonde looked at the blade she held, almost as if surprised that she still carried it.

"Resor is dead?"

"Yes, Lady Anna."

Anna tightened her lips.

"Barat was wounded as well... he joined the fosterlings holding the south tower.

None of the armsmen could reach us." Ytrude looked down at Secca, then back at the sorceress-Regent. "They were almost overwhelmed. So we picked up blades."

Anna glanced at the streak of red on the brown-eyed blonde's sleeve. "What about your arm?"

"A long scratch. Liende cleaned it and coated it with your elixir."

Cataryzna looked at Anna, a question in her eyes. Anna smiled. "Undercaptain Skent is holding the lands of Pamr. He did not return with us."

Anna marked the slow exhalation.

"Lady?" Cataryma asked.

"Yes, Cataryzna?"

"The armsmen came to the south tower seeking Secca and Lysara. I heard one yell about getting the two redheads, and not to forget the little redhead."

"Their words were not that polite," Alseta said dryly.

Anna could understand Dannel's grudge against Lysara, but why had Dannel's armsmen been seeking Secca? She had two older brothers who were the heirs.

"Lord Dannel was angered," Jecks said mildly. "He must have known that you are fond of Secca."

Anna clamped her lips together, finding herself shuddering with rage. She forced herself to take a long and deep breath. "I... am. . . we will talk about it tomorrow. Tonight... we need to clean up this mess, and make sure that the gates are closed against the northern lords."

Jecks stepped back. "As you wish, my lady."

Doesn't he understand? Will he ever really understand? "It's been a long day, Lord Jecks, and armsmen and a lord have died. I killed most of them. In a sane land, I shouldn't have had to kill them."

She turned toward Kinor and Rickel. "I want to see the fosterlings who were wounded, and then Himar, and then I will inspect the liedburg." You need to knowjust how bad the damage is. . . and to avoid talking to one Lord Jecks right now. You might say something you'd really regret.

She took yet another long and deep breath.

69.

It wasn't much past dawn when Anna paused by the door where Tiersen and an armsman Anna did not know stood guard. The armsman stiffened. "Yes, Regent?"

"I'm just here to see how she's doing." Anna glanced from the armsman to the young heir of Dubaria. Dark circles ringed Tiersen's eyes, and he wore the same blood-smeared tunic he had worn the night before, when he had also been guarding Lysara's door. "Have you been here all night?"

"Mostly, Lady Anna," admitted the tall and muscular blond.

"I'll get someone from my guard to relieve you. You need some rest, too." Anna asked in a lower voice, "How is she this morning?"

Tiersen inclined his head. "She seems better. The healer says she is."

Anna hoped so. She set the lutar case beside the door, then opened the door and stepped into the small south tower room. Lysara lay propped up slightly, dressings across her left shoulder, her eyes closed. The sorceress could smell the faint odor of alcohol, and she wondered if Liende had poured some onto the dressing... and how much.

The redhead opened her eyes. "Lady... Anna..."

"Just be quiet. I came to see how you were doing." Anna touched her forehead, but Lysara didn't seem to be running a fever. Not yet.

"Hurts more today."

"That's usually what happens."

"Tell Tiersen... sleep." The redhead seemed to have to force the words out.

"I have, but he won't leave until I send one of my guards to relieve him."

Lysara offered a faint smile "...sweet..."