Scepters (65 page)

While
I would most dearly love to ride to Iron Stem to see you and Alendra, under the
current circumstances, leaving Dekhron until these matters are resolved is not
possible. Nor would it be wise, either for the Guard or for me. I am going to
need all the insight and assistance I can garner, and yet I dare no: leave
Dekhron. Not until matters are far more settled, at the least. Do you think
that your grandsire would be willing to ride here and offer me his insights? I
would also love to have yours, but not at the expense of Alendra and the stead.

I
will write more soon, but know that you are always in my heart and in my
thoughts…

He
signed the letter and sealed it, then stood. He did need sleep, and the days
ahead would be long indeed.

By
just before noon on Quattri, Alucius had sent off his interim report to Marshal
Frynkel and the Lord-Protector, which included the results of the search of
Colonel Weslyn’s dwelling. Then he dictated, revised, and signed the last
dispatches for the last Northern Guard outposts—those at Eastice and Klamat.
Sanasus took them off to the waiting dispatch rider. Each dispatch had
contained the identical summary of the Lord-Protector’s concerns, a short
summary of the previous day’s events, including the discovery of significant
supplies and golds from Northern Guard accounts found in Colonel Weslyn’s
dwelling, and a message from Alucius affirming his support for the
long-standing traditions of the Guard and his pledge to follow the shining
examples of such past commanders as Colonel Clyon. He dared not promise more
than that until he understood the situation far better. With the copy of the
interim report to Marshal Frynkel, he’d sent a note with the promise to report
more as he discovered the details of what Weslyn had been concealing.

He
did wish that he could have written the dispatches in his own hand, but by the
time he had just signed the last dispatch, his fingers were numb, not because
there had been so many, but because of the swelling in his upper arm. No sooner
had he been able to take the brace off one arm than the other was injured, if
not so severely. He stood from behind the desk that had been Weslyn’s, and
Clyon’s before Weslyn. Alucius was determined to remember the study and the
furnishings as Clyon’s. He looked down at the desk and the four officers’ files
there—those of Sanasus, Komur, Yusalt, and Shalgyr.

“What
do you intend now?” asked Feran.

“I
need to meet with the officers. I’ll start with Yusalt. Could someone find him?”

“I
think we can manage that.” Feran stepped out of the study.

Alucius
picked up the officer’s file on top—Yusalt’s—and began to read, ignoring the
whistle of the wind and the cold air seeping through the window. Flakes of snow
swirled in the courtyard outside, adding to the light dusting Dekhron had
received the evening before.

Yusalt
came from Fiente, a town on the north side of the River Vedra roughly
two-thirds of the way to Emal from Dekhron. He hadn’t served at all as a
conscript or as a regular lancer, but had been placed with Fifteenth Company as
an undercaptain for two years, then spent another year as an undercaptain with
Sixth Company.

Alucius
frowned. He couldn’t say that he recalled Yusalt when Sixth Company had been at
Pyret trying to fend off the first Matrite invasion of the Iron Valleys. A year
and a half ago, Yusalt had been promoted to captain and been given command of
Seventh Company when it had been rotated off duty at Soulend, and he’d been at
Dekhron ever since with Seventh Company. Fiente? Alucius had his own ideas, but
he’d have to see if he were jumping to unwarranted conclusions. He continued to
read through the single line reports on the captain, entries that noted very
little except Yusalt’s presence and submissions of his own reports.

Before
long, Yusalt appeared at the door to the study. He stiffened. “Sir? You
requested my presence?”

“I
did. Come on in and sit down.” Alucius settled into the wooden chair behind the
desk. He waited until the junior officer seated himself, then studied him for a
time. There was no sign of ifrit presence. “You’re from Fiente, I see. Your
family has been there a long time, I take it?”

“Yes,
sir.” Yusalt looked at Alucius only briefly.

“What
do they do?”

“Ah…
well, my father has the seed-oil works.”

Alucius
kept his nod to himself. That explained a great deal. “Do you have any
brothers?”

“Yes,
sir. Four.”

“You’re
one of the younger ones.”

“The
youngest, sir.”

“Did
any of the others serve in the militia or the Guard?”

“Yes,
sir. Aluard, he’s the next to oldest. He was a conscript about ten years ago,
when Clyon was the commander. He does some growing these days and helps with
the oil works.”

“Tell
me what you recall about the fights around Pyret when you were with Sixth
Company.”

A
brief expression of confusion crossed Yusalt’s face. “Ah, yes, sir. That was a
number of years ago…”

Alucius
waited without speaking.

“We
were ordered up there. I was the undercaptain. Captain Tregar was in charge.
Majer Dysar headed the whole militia force. We were all crowded into this
holding in Pyret. It snowed all the time. I remember that. The Matrites had
this spear-thrower, and it just cut people down… like they were overripe oilseeds.
I guess that was how they pushed the other companies out of Soulend and farther
south. We had this big assault on their camp, except it had been a militia
outpost, and we lost a lot of lancers. But we were lucky. When it was all over,
their spear-thrower had exploded. Some of the lancers said there were Sanders
there, but I never saw any. That could have been because I was on road duty,
making sure the Matrites didn’t have reinforcements coming in from the west.
After that… well, it got colder and snowed more, and they didn’t do so well in
the cold, and we pushed them back to the edge of the Westerhills before winter
ended.” Yusalt shrugged. “Then it got warmer, and the Matrial sent more
lancers. That was when Captain Tregar got it, and Captain Cavalat took over.
They pushed us back to Soulend, and nothing much changed for almost a year. We
fought some, but not a lot, and then they pulled back. That was when everyone
thought the Matrial died. But no one knew for certain.”

“Didn’t
Majer Dysar have family or friends near Fiente?” That was a guess on Alucius’s
part.

“Yes,
sir. Both he and Colonel Weslyn visited my family several times. They knew some
of the larger growers, too, like Dhafitt and Guiral.”

“What
did Sixth Company do after the Matrites pulled back?”

“We
moved west to the border post—that was the old stead just short of the
Westerhills—and we ran patrols through the hills and along the high road. We
never saw any Matrites then, though.”

“After
you served with Sixth Company, you were promoted to captain and took over
Seventh Company. How did that happen?”

“I
can’t say that I know. It was after Colonel Weslyn—except he was a majer
then—became the deputy, and I remember that he signed the orders.”

“Then
you knew Colonel Weslyn fairly well.”

“No,
sir. I only met him a few times before he became deputy commander. I’d have to
say that he was a friend of the family, but it was more business. He was a
buyer for one of the old factors—Ostar, I think—and then maybe Halanat, except
I think he doesn’t run the factoring anymore. Anyway, we sold oil through the
factors. Still do, but I don’t have anything to do with that.”

Alucius
nodded. From what he could tell, and what his Talent reinforced, Yusalt was
exactly what he seemed—a not-too-bright younger son who’d been placed at
headquarters for exactly that reason—and to placate or do a favor for his
father. “Thank you, Captain. I appreciate your forthrightness.” Alucius stood. “Just
carry on with your duties for now. We’ll probably be making some changes, but I’ll
let you know.”

Caught
off guard, Yusalt belatedly rose. “Ah… yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” He shifted
his weight from one foot to the other. “Ah… can I… I mean, what can I say…
about Colonel Weslyn?”

“I’d
tell the truth. Right now, all we really know is that the Lord-Protector wanted
to replace Colonel Weslyn, and Colonel Weslyn had some golds and goods that
belonged to the Guard in his dwelling, and he tried to kill his replacement.
Why? That’s a good question. That would suggest that there was something wrong
that he didn’t want known, but at this moment, we don’t have all the answers.”
Alucius offered a wry smile. “As soon as we know, I’ll let you know. There’s no
harm in saying that Overcaptain Feran and I were sent to take over and find out
what was wrong, and that both the Lord-Protector and Marshal Frynkel were well
aware that there were problems here.”

“Yes,
sir.”

“You
have my leave, Captain.”

“Oh,
yes, sir.” Yusalt bowed and hurried out of the study.

Alucius
managed a quick reading of Overcaptain Sanasus’s file before the graying
overcaptain in charge of communications and logistics appeared.

Sanasus
sat down, forward on the edge of the wooden chair, pursing and pursing his
lips, waiting.

“I’d
be interested to know, Sanasus, if you ever saw the ledgers for the supplies.”

“No,
sir. Not after Colonel Weslyn took over. He said he was reorganizing things,
and he put all the disbursements and payroll receipts under Shalgyr. Brought
him in from Fiente. Never served before. Made him a captain right off, then last
summer, promoted him to overcaptain. Wasn’t right, I said, but the colonel said
that times were changing and that the Lord-Protector wanted logistics and
disbursements separate. Wasn’t much I could say to that. Especially not with
but a few years before I could get a stipend. This golds business in his house…
I never knew. I thought maybe he was taking a few… but not hundreds.”

Alucius
could sense the absolute truth behind the overcaptain’s words, and that was
both a relief and a worry. “I think that, once we go over the ledgers, you’ll
have to take over both functions once more. I doubt if there’s anyone else in
headquarters who knows what’s required.”

“What
about the Lord-Protector’s requirement?”

“So
far as I can tell, there never was such a requirement. Even if there happened
to be one, my orders and mandate allow me to change any procedures that are not
working. I don’t know everything that happened, but the golds, and Colonel
Weslyn’s reaction and Overcaptain Shalgyr’s flight, suggest that things are not
as they should be.”

“No,
sir. Couldn’t prove it back then, but I felt we were paying too much for
supplies. Then there’s the payroll. The colonel decommissioned those two
companies, but we were still getting the same payroll from Tempre, and no one’s
pay that I know of was increased.”

Alucius
cleared his throat gently. He’d spent more time talking in the last day than he
did in weeks on the stead. Or in several days as a majer in charge of a few
companies. “You can advise me on how you think the ledgers and accounts should
be set up so that any irregularities can be quickly and easily caught.”

“I
can do that. That was the way Colonel Clyon had it, sir. Fine officer, and a
better man.”

“He
was.”

“You’d
best be real careful, sir. Leastwise, until you get everything out in the open.
I don’t know who they are, not for sure, but there’ll be more than a few in
Dekhron who won’t want the Lord-Protector to know.”

“That’s
one reason why we already sent out an interim report.”

“Might
not be a bad idea to let folks know that.”

Alucius
smiled. “I can’t say much about that, but I certainly wouldn’t complain if that
word got out.”

“I
can see that, sir, and, well, it just might.” Sanasus offered a grin, the first
warm expression on his gaunt and grizzled face.

When
the overcaptain finally left, Alucius turned to the window. The snow had
stopped, leaving a fine dusting on the roofs of the compound and on the
courtyard itself. Then he turned back and picked up the file on Komur.

After
he met with the undercaptain, he needed to get Feran and Sanasus together and
undertake a count of what was left in the existing pay chests in the strong
room, then have Sanasus develop and provide him with a budget for at least the
next few months. He also needed to see if the accounts and ledgers provided any
clues as to exactly what Weslyn had been doing to amass all those golds.

He
still needed to read all the recent reports from company and outpost
commanders, and to update himself on where all the current companies were
stationed and what the command structure was. For some of that, he could read
at night, and he would have to—for longer and later than he’d ever imagined.

Dekhron, Iron Valleys

Tarolt
looked up as the door to his study opened, and a round-faced trader in a heavy
dark blue winter cloak marched in, halting a mere yard from the desk.

“You
look rather… disturbed, Halanat.”

“You
said everything would be fine.” Halanat glared at the white-haired Tarolt. “You
said that he’d fail or get killed in the revolt, or by that spear-thrower. He
didn’t. Now he’s here, and the whole city knows—”

“He’s
only just taken command—and, as I recall, the initial idea of having him
recalled to duty was yours.”

“You
aren’t the one that they’ll be looking for.”

“Oh…
and just what will Colonel Alucius do? He has no power over anyone who is not
in the Northern Guard. He cannot touch you. There’s no proof of anything,
except Weslyn’s stupidity. Stupidity on two counts. One never draws a weapon on
a warrior. It’s far better to have someone else do it. Or push him into a
situation where he cannot win or where he kills the wrong person. One also
should never underestimate an honest man. Especially an honest Talent-steer.”