"Another thing I put off dealing with, and it's just gotten worse.

"You could have done nothing," Jecks said.

"It doesn't matter; I didn't, and I can't. Not now. If I don't go and fight off Rabyn, there won't be much of Defalk left to worry about...."

Himar's head bobbed in affirmation.

"Has this always happened?" asked Anna.

"Has what always occurred?" replied Jecks, a wariness in his voice.

"When the Lord of Defalk was occupied trying to save the country, the Thirty- three played games and tried to grab more lands behind his back."

"It has occurred more often than not," conceded the white-haired lord of Elheld.

"Was that another reason why you were worried about my going into Ebra?"

"I had not thought any would move so swiftly. I expected some such once you were occupied with Rabyn."

"So I can count on this infighting to get worse?"

Jecks shrugged. "Mayhap.""All right. It will get worse. That's because they all know I can't deal with them while I'm fighting Rabyn. Will you hold Falcor for me?"

Jecks swallowed. "I had hoped..."

"I can't leave Falcor unarmed. Not now. If I leave Himar here, anyone can attack and claim that Himar's only a hired gun."

Jecks frowned in puzzlement.

"A hired blade," Anna explained. "If they attack you, they attack one of their own, and one who is the grandsire of the heir. That should stop some of this nonsense."

"What of Jimbob?"

"He still gets that puzzled look on his face. I think he should come with me, with Kinor, I think."

Jecks nodded slowly. "As do I." Himar's eyebrows rose.

"She can protect him better than can I," Jecks said. "And I can summon some of my own armsmen here from Elheld, enough that you need leave but twoscore. Or three' The white-haired lord shrugged. "Only the Regent can hold Defalk together in these times. Being here will not help Jimbob, and he should see with his own eyes how perilous is the life and conduct of a ruler."

"I'll take sevenscore, and leave you three;' Anna said, "if you send Out a message today summoning armsmen from Elheld."

Jecks' lips quirked. "Sevenscore for you...but try not to have them fight. They should but protect you so that you may deal with Rabyn and his evil Darksong."

"I can't afford to have them fight any real battles." Anna grinned ironically.

"I won't have any lancers left at all if I do." Not against forces twenty times yours.

"See that you hold to that resolve, my lady."

"I will." She turned to Himar. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, before the turn of the day's second gla.s.s." The overcaptain glanced toward the receiving-room doors.

"You may go..." Anna laughed gently. "I haven't left you much time."

Himar eased back the straight-backed chair and rose. He bowed. "I will have most of the experienced lancers accompany us." He looked at Jecks. "Would you not agree, Lord High Counselor?"

"I would insist... but that is the Regent's decision."

Anna had to laugh at the mock-seriousness in both men's voices. "All right. All right. You've made your points."

Himar bowed, a twinkle in his eyes. "We will be ready."

As the receiving-room door closed behind the overcaptain, Anna's eyes went to Jecks. "You have a scroll to write."

"Alas..." He shook his head "I would be with you." "You can ease my worries more by holding Falcor."

'That I can accept, but I do not like it."

From somewhere, half-familiar words came to her, and she murmured them, "Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart." Will your heart be stone... if you even survive?

Jecks did not speak, and Anna reached out and touched his arm. "1 know. I don't like it either."

Jecks rose, gracefully as ever, muscular and competent, and bowed. "1 will send the scroll, and then inform young Jimbob and Kinor of their duties."

"Thank you."

After Jecks had left, Anna looked at the stack of scrolls and groaned. Too much to do... but if she didn't get moving to deal with Rabyn, she'd have even greater problems. And she needed to look in on Lysara again... and...

She took a swallow from the goblet before reaching for the bell to summon Halde.

"Yes, Regent?" Alseta peered into the receiving room.

"Is Halde still there?"

"He awaits your pleasure."

"Have him come in."

Halde stepped into the room, then immediately bowed. "I rode as quickly as I could, Regent."

"You did fine, Halde." Anna motioned to the chair across from her. "I don't have much time. So this will be quick. Are you willing to be my saalmeister?"

"Yes, lady. Herstat has told me much."

"Loiseau has never had a saalmeister, not in years and years, anyway. I have told everyone there to expect you. Serna is the housekeeper, and she has a chest of five hundred golds for your use in maintaining the place. Those must last until spring-at least..." Anna quickly ran through brief backgrounds on the older and more experienced staff members. Then she looked at the dark-haired and dark-bearded young man. "Do you understand?"

Halde bowed and nodded. "I trust I do, Regent. If I mark your words, your holding almost does not need a saalmeister, saving that you will be there seldom, and my task is to make sure that all goes well with those who already do their jobs well, to ensure it is guarded, because there has always been a sorcerer to guard before, to make the rounds to collect the rents and to refrain from collecting the rents where there has been death or trouble, and to discover ways to manage those aspects of the hold once handled by sorcery."

"And anything else that you feel should be done and isn't being done-after you discuss it with Serna and Quies." Anna paused. "I am not saying that their judgment should override yours, but I do not want you making a decision-except where there is no time-without talking it over with them so that you know how it will be received and can adjust your plans for implementing things, if necessary.""A light but gently firm rein?" Halde offered a smile.

"Yes... and I will expect a scroll from you every two weeks, sooner if you think necessary. The armsmen there know they will have to act as couriers on occasion."

Halde bowed again.

"If you have any questions later... send me a scroll. Lord Jecks will know where to find me." Anna stood. "Oh... one other thing." She grinned. "What is a good saalmeister paid?"

Halde swallowed... for the first time. "Ah... I know not. I received two silvers a week as the a.s.sistant at Synfal."

"All right. Let's start at twice that, with an initial bonus of five golds for taking the job, and if either of us thinks you should get more... then we'll talk about it."

Anna fumbled with her belt wallet, glad she'd filled it before leaving Loiseau, and then extended seven golds. "That's your bonus plus your pay until close to spring. You tell me when I'm supposed to pay you again."

Halde's eyes widened as the words sank in. Then he shifted his weight from one boot to the other, uneasily.

"I operate on trust, Halde." Anna's eyes fixed on the saalmeister. "If I can't trust someone... they leave. I don't have time to do your job and mine, and if you aren't doing yours. I'll know soon enough. Understood?"

"Yes, Regent. You. . . are most generous."

"I hope you'll always feel that way. Now..." She gestured toward the pile of scrolls. "I have to read those before I leave tomorrow."

Halde bowed again.

Once Halde had left, Anna glanced at the piles of scrolls and reached for the one closest to her. Lord...

72.

After setting aside the scroll from the Rider of Heinene, Anna sat in the pool of candlelight behind the writing desk in her own chamber, ma.s.saging her forehead. Lord Vyarl's missive had been one of the few she had received not asking for anything, but merely thanking the Regent for her kindness and generosity in seeing that grain had come to the gra.s.slands people after the fires of summer. She'd liked Vyarl when she'd met him the summer before, and the scroll reinforced the impession of honesty and dignity she had gotten then. Too bad there aren't more like him. But there were few enough in any society, from what she'd seen on two worlds.

Though it was still comparatively early in the evening, not much past what would have been eight o'clock on Earth-the second gla.s.s of the night on Erde-she was tired, and had to repress a yawn.

Maybe it had been the de facto memorial service .. .or all the details that kept inundating her... or... or... Who knew? All she knew was that it was early, and she had more scrolls to read, and she was tired.Maybe some cheese and bread would help-that was something she had to concentrate on remembering. She broke off a chunk of the crusty bread and used the knife on the side of the small wooden platter to cut a sliver of white cheese. After eating both slowly, she ma.s.saged the back of her neck, then looked out through the open shutters into the purpled darkness. A cool, not quite chill, breeze slipped into the chamber.

Thrap!

"Yes?" Anna glanced toward the closed door.

"The lady Secca," Fielmir announced.

"She can come in." Anna stood. leaving the pile of scrolls on the writing desk, lit by the pair of candles with polished-bra.s.s reflectors. Better lighting at night-that she did miss about Earth.

Secca slipped into Anna's chamber and bowed. "Are you all right, Lady Anna?" One hand remained behind her back.

Anna couldn't help smiling, warmed by the little redhead's question. "Are you all right? Yesterday and today have been hard days for you."

"I cried a lot. I couldn't help it." Secca sniffed. "I tried not to, but I really couldn't..." The redhead sniffed again.

"You're allowed to cry after things like that happen-even when you're a lady."

Telling Secca earlier in the day about her mother's death had been hard enough for Anna.

"Why is everyone calling me 'Lady'? Is that because...?"

Secca looked almost as if she were going to break down and cry again. "I didn't want anything like that to happen. Not even to Kurik"

"I know." The sorceress nodded somberly. "But you are the Lady of Flossbend."

"It seems funny. Jeron was going to be lord after Papa. Or Kurik. Even Lysara's older, and she's not a lady." Secca tilted her head to the side, then straightened. "I'm sorry about Resor and Cens. I'm sorriest about poor Lysara, though. Tiersen looks awful. I think he loves her, you know."

"He does," Anna said.

"Do you think someone will love me like that?"

"Yes. When you're older." Anna smiled. How could they not love you, child?

"Will you let me show you something?" Secca stepped sideways and looked down at the floor stones. "And you won't get angry? It can't wait; it really can't."

"Secca. . . I won't get angry. Not at you."

"I was going to wait, but I heard Kinor say you were leaving tomorrow." The little redhead eased a small mandolin from behind her back. "Don't say anything yet." Then she took a stick of pencil wood and walked to the cold hearth, laying the wood in the iron grate. After she drew herself erect, Secca cleared her throat, almost as if in an unconscious imitation of Anna, and her fingers gripped what seemed to be a pick, drawing it over the mandolin's strings, as if to check the sound. Her voice was clear and on key.Fire, fire, burn so bright burn well and warm and light....

A tongue of flame wrapped around the stick of wood, flickered, and died to almost nothing, before seeming to catch.

Anna swallowed.

"You used a bigger spell, but I couldn't make my fingers work right for that long, so I used just part of your spell... it's shorter." Secca bit her lip, lowering the mandolin slowly. "And I used a piece of copper-it was a part of a mirror-to pick at the strings."

"Secca... you sang that right on key."

A faint smile crossed the girl's lips. "It was hard. I had to practice the tones without words, the way you do, and...it was hard."

"Singing is always hard, if you do it right."

"Will you... can you teach me?"

Anna nodded slowly. "If you promise not to try any more spells without showing me the words first."

"I haven't tried any more. I used yours because I saw you do it."

"You remembered that spell from last winter?"

"It was almost spring," Secca pointed out.