“Lady, we too have arms.” The nasal first voice insisted stubbornly.
“You most certainly are fools, to talk so,” said a new voice, deep and rolling. “And I speak of sure knowledge, being the only trained soldier among you. Your arms are old relics and, despite my best efforts over these last months, few of you have absorbed even the bare bones of the use of those arms.
“Most of those men up there are professional soldiers, or they were. The one who is not was still reared a Kindred nobleman, which means reared to the sword. Of that bard, I know naught, save that his horse be war trained and his harness includes a well balanced and well kept saber, which I doubt he carries as a toothpick. Attempt the idiocy of which you prate and the most of you will die tonight. And your well hacked corpses will be of no use to the Church or to our oppressed people.”
“Phah! Don’t listen to the coward,” hissed the arrogant second voice. “He is not our leader!”
“The last man who named me coward,” the deep voice rolled menacingly, “died with his guts curled around his legs!”
“Enough!” snapped the woman. “Would you men serve the very cause of the Oppressors? Remember your oaths and the sacredness of our crusade.”
“I do remember my oath, Lady,” the soldier softly boomed. “It is the only reason I have not removed the heads from some of these yapping curs long since!” Then, speaking to the others in the room, “No, I am not your leader, thank God. But your leader did appoint me your advisor. And my advice is this: Wait. Wait for the opportunity to kill without being killed.”
The nasal voice suggested, “Why don’t we just poison the roomful? They are sure to call for more wine, ere the night’s out.”
“We dare not,” answered the woman, quickly. “One of them is secretly one of us.”
“Tell me which he is.” Another female voice. “Lady, I could serve them, and sign him not to drink…”
But the commanding female advised, “No. We do not know who he is, and even if we did, it were too dangerous to make Sacred Signs before so many.”
“Besides,” rumbled the advisor. “How would you know which signs still are secret? How would anyone know . .. since Gafnee?”
Mere mention of the terrible calamity brought the expected shocked silence. Taking advantage of the silence, the soldier went quickly on. “Some of them will die tonight, never fear. The Lady and I will plan it, and I myself will see that it is properly done. But forget what has been here proposed, it is simply too chancy!”
The commanding female took over. “Now, brothers and sisters, let us close this meeting with a prayer that Our Lord, the only True God, show us the way to serve Him in the deliverance of our lands from the bloody hands of the godless heathens, and His people and Church from the ancient bondage.”
After the round of introductions had been made and all were seated about the table, Komees Hari had more wine brought in, along with spiced meats and salty beancakes. Then he and the three newcomers took turns interrogating Bili, sounding out his every feeling, hope, or ambition. They pried into his past, in Harzburk and on campaign, gleaning an encapsulated rendition of ten years of training and warring. That done, Komees Djeen put several complicated military problems to him.
For Bili, it was nervewracking to sit there in the hot closeness of the narrow stone chamber, breathing air layered with pipesmoke and lampsmoke, and baring his innermost secrets and desires in response to the probing questions of the four shrewd but increasingly friendly noblemen. Of course, it would have been much quicker and far easier to have conducted the meeting by mindspeak, save for the fact that Lord Drehkos totally lacked that talent.
But Bili consoled himself with the thought that all this was necessary and simply must be borne with as good a face as he could muster. For if these men were to eventually confirm him their Clan Chief and the Thoheeks of Morguhn, they must know him as well as they knew themselves. Only a fool would buy an untested blade, no matter how distinguished its hallmark; and their questions revealed these men to be anything but fools.