“Married,” Les said.
“Last autumn,” Tylara said. “She believed that you were dead or had forsaken her.”
“Well, I’m not, and I didn’t,” Les said. “And now I’d like to see her. If you please.” His voice grew more stern. “Do you think I’d have come back to this-to Tran-for any other reason?”
Tylara shrugged. “I do not know the duties of those who serve the-Shalnuksis.”
“So. You’ve told her everything,” Les said.
“Shouldn’t I?” Rick asked.
“I don’t know.” Les shrugged.
“It’s walk, ride, or wait all night until I can send for a sedan chair,” Rick said.
Les laughed. “I’ll ride, if the horse is tame.”
“It’s a mule,” Rick said. “More surefooted for this mountain trail. And it’s certainly gentle enough. All right, Sergeant Major. Lead the way. Sergeant Frick will bring up the rear. And spread right out, gentlemen.”
“Yes, sir,” Elliot said. He rode on ahead, and Frick dropped back, so that Rick, Tylara, and Les rode alone.
“You have them well trained,” Les said.
That didn’t seem worth answering, and Rick said nothing. The trail was steep and frightening if you didn’t trust the mules; the trick was to let the animals pick their own way and pace. Les seemed to be doing that.
They reached the bottom, and the trail widened. “All right,” Les said. “Where is Gwen? And this- Caradoc.”
“Lady Gwen is-in another part of the country,” Rick said.
“And Lord Caradoc is a soldier,” Tylara continued. “He is with the army in the west.”
“Hah. Good battle, that,” Les said.
“You watched?” Tylara asked. “But-” She fell silent.
“Saw some of it,” Les said. “So. That’s fortunate. Lord Caradoc is off to war, and Gwen is home alone. Good. If he stays out of my way, I won’t go looking for him. No trouble at all, that way.”
“He is her husband by Tran law,” Rick said. And that sounds foolish.
“And I’m her husband by Earth law,” Les said. “Does he have more right than me?”
You don’t have any rights at all, Rick thought. You certainly didn’t marry her. But it will be better to pretend.
“The case must be heard by the priests of Yatar,” Tylara said. “Do you not understand? The Lord Caradoc is our captain. A knight sworn to our service-”
“And under our protection,” Rick said reluctantly. Christ, this is going to be rough.
“I have no wish to shame the man,” Les said. His words came slowly, as if forced. “Nor-nor do I bear him ill will.”
The hell you don’t, Rick thought.
“I do not wish to be disrespectful of your law,” Les continued. “But I will see my wife.”
“She is far from here,” Tylara said. “The roads are poor, bandits are numerous, and our army has been sent against the Westmen. It will be no easy journey, and we would do the Lady Gwen an ill service to send you without proper escort-”
Les laughed, a short sharp sound. “An escort won’t be needed,” he said. “Tell me where to go, and I can call the ship.”
35
There were only the three of them at Rick’s conference table. Tylara sat at his right, and Sergeant Elliot on his left, leaving the long table nearly empty.
Like to have more, Rich thought. But who? Art. Larry Warner. Maybe one of them could think of something- “If you’re going to let her know, you’d best get the message out now,” Elliot said.
Rick nodded. The semaphore line to the University wasn’t finished. Messages had to go part way on horseback, and even with relay stations spaced Pony Express style that took time. “I think we won’t,” he said. “What could I put in a message, even a coded one?”
Elliot gave him a significant look. So did Tylara.
Yeah, Rick thought: “Keep your pants on.” I can just see me sending her that message. Hah.
“You learn anything from him?” Elliot asked.
“Not much we don’t know,” Rick said. “The council or whatever it is that governs the Confederation is still divided over what to do about Earth, and doesn’t seem to know about Tran. Which means the Shalnuksis have a free hand, but we don’t have -to worry about the council sending the galactic navy. Not just yet, anyway.”
He took Tylara’s hand for a moment. She gave an answering half smile. He’d spent three hours trying to explain what he knew about the millennia-old galactic confederation and its human Janissaries, but she still didn’t understand. That’s all right, Rick thought. I don’t either. And what the hell, Tylara has more experience unravelling plots than I do. Maybe she can understand a confederacy of a dozen or more star-faring races. According to Les, they haven’t changed in five thousand years, mostly because of human slave soldiers.
It sounds nutty. It would sound nuttier if I didn’t know the Turks used slave soldiers and administrators to run their empire. They called them Janissaries, and their empire stayed together for centuries.
“What about that Agzaral guy?” Elliot asked. “Is he on our side?” –
“Don’t know. Les won’t say much about him. One thing’s sure, he’s playing a deep game,” Rich said. “He knows about Tran, but his bosses don’t. Yet he’s a cop. Or something like a cop, anyway.” Rick shrugged. “I don’t even know how much Les knows. Maybe he’ll tell us more.”
“Yeah, if he lives long enough,” Elliot said. “Christ, Cap’n, why’d it have to be Caradoc he’s gonna put horns on? Nobody else is near that popular with the army. Even the mercs like him.”
Tylara frowned. “Is it so certain that Lord Caradoc will be dishonored? Why do you think so ill of the
Lady Gwen? Surely she knows what must be.”
How do I answer that? Rick wondered. No way to tell her how I know. “Girls on Earth do not think as the women on Tran do. Les was her first love, and he will be insistent. Yet, you may be right. It may be that Lady Gwen will refuse his advances, at least until the case can be heard by a court.”
“Fat bloody chance,” Elliot muttered.
“You have knowledge?” Tylara asked.
“Some,” Elliot said. “Look, I don’t want to tell tales, but before she married Caradoc-”
“Yeah?” Rick demanded.
“Well, one night I heard shots from her room,” Elliot said. “I came in to find Gwen breathing hard, Larry Warner with his hideout pistol, and Caradoc waving a bloody big knife. They straightened it all out, but-”
“But she is not a chaste woman,” Tylara said.
“It’s not that simple,” Rick protested. “Different cultures, different-”
“I am more concerned with consequences,” Tylara said coldly. “If the Lady Gwen cannot use proper judgment, then we must save her from her folly. And save the University, which is such a great part of what our children will inherit.” –
Damn all Tran dynasts, Rick thought. But she’s right.
“My love, we both know Caradoc. He has alwa-ys been quick to defend the right. Not his right alone. Ours as well. But my lord husband, my love, even now the Tamaerthan troops are returning. Caradoc will soon be here, and if he is wronged, if his wife has dishonored him, he must act! He will challenge Les.”
“He’d probably lose,” Elliot said. “I don’t know what Les carries, but it’s sure to be as effective as our pistols. Remember Art Mason’s story? The walls of the ship shot him when he threatened one of the Shalnuksis.”
“And Les and the other humans are warriors,” Rick finished. “Janissaries for the Galactic Confederacy.” He laughed. “I don’t want to believe that.”
“Evidence is pretty convincing,” Elliot said.
“Didn’t say I don’t believe it,” Rick said.
Elliot laughed.
Tylara waited until there was silence. “It matters little whether Lord Caradoc wins or loses. He will insist upon his rights in this matter. He will insist that we come to his aid, or avenge him if he is killed.”
“Army’ll be on his side,” Elliot said. “Hell, Cap’n, suppose Les kills Caradoc. You know damn well what you’d have to do.”
“Yes.” Kill Les. Or be a lord who’s broken faith with his followers. My name will stink from the Westscarp to Rome. Caradoc’s relatives will want my blood-Padraic! My own bodyguard.
“Do you see difficulties I do not?” Tylara asked. “We are two. We both have pistols. Les is only one. I saw no weapon upon him, but suppose he has? He can be killed. At this moment he is guest under our roof, but that need not be forever. We swore no permanent oath to him.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying! You can’t know what his ship will do,” Rick said.
“There is no one in it,” Tylara said. “I asked him. It could be a lie, but I do not think it was.”
“Nor do I,” Rick said.
“Then he controls the ship with that box. When we have killed him, we will take the box and use it,” Tylara said.