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accept it that we should not be fighting one another.
He had taken Galen's exile, Decius' wound, Galen's death, all as his own
fault. But they were all part of the perpetual war between the empire and the
savages.
He stroked his beard, thinking, Now I'm part of both, the Aventine Empire and
the savage No, not an empire, but perhaps one day an amalgam of alliances
such as Aradia had forged with Lilith. Their alliance had withstood the power
of Drakonius.
Filled with hope for the future, Lenardo slept the sleep of deep contentment.
The next day everybody in and about Castle Nerius slept late except Lenardo.
He was up at dawn, as usual, and for the first time found the kitchen not only
deserted but hi a shambles clearly even the cook and his staff had finally
joined hi the celebration last night. He found fruit and bread and met the
bleary-eyed dairyman bringing hi fresh milk cows, the man grumbled, had to be
milked no matter how one had spent the night before. Lenardo helped him pour
the milk into the cool stone vats and earned for his efforts a mumbled thanks
and, "I don't suppose you can cure a headache, Master Reader?"
"No, I'm afraid you'll have to ask one of the Adepts for that."
"Aye, but they'll be "too busy curing their own today. Good day to ye!"
Apparently everyone knew who he was by now even the proper way to address
him but there was none of the fear Nerius had predicted. Aradia's sworn man,
wearer of the wolf-stone...
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When Aradia appeared downstairs, looking none the worse for her night of
revelry, Lenardo approached her with his ideas.
"An academy of Readers at Zendi?" she asked. "How will you persuade the
empire to risk their precious Readers outside their borders?"
"I don't think they would. Aradia, to make a treaty, both sides must grant
concessions. To gain peace, and the aid of Readers, grant me the power to
return the land that includes the city of Zendi to the empire." "Give back
land honorably won?"
"You won it from Drakonius; thus you would not be giving it 'back' to the
empire but granting it as a concession  with stipulations. The academy, and
free access for Adepts to work with Readers there."
Her violet eyes studied his face. "And you would be Master of this Academy?"
"I ... I suppose so, one day. I hadn't really thought about that."
"Lenardo . . . precisely what was your mission on this side of the border?"
"You know it. To find Galen and stop him from aiding Drakonius."
"And that was all?" "Yes. But after all I've seen here " "You are ready to
stop merely doing what you are told." She reached for the wolf s-head pendant
he wore. "Do you wish to continue to wear this?"
"Yes," he replied. "I will swear loyalty to you, Aradia freely, as I have
fulfilled my agreement with you and won my freedom."
"You have done far more than fulfill our agreement. But if you swear loyalty
to me, that is where your loyalty must stay. If you do not succeed in making
the treaty with the empire, you must come back to me."
"I would want to," he replied. "If I cannot persuade the senate or the
emperor to listen to me . . . then you will have one Reader, Aradia, and
perhaps we shall find more among your people."
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"The empire will think you a traitor."
"All but three people think so now. I am sure that, with your strength to
back me, I can persuade the empire that making a treaty with you is to their
benefit"
The wolfish grin showed her teeth. "With my strength to back you. Yes,
Lenardo, you are beginning to understand how to work with nature human nature.
You shall have the power you require and the chance to learn to use it wisely.
Now," she added more seriously, "there is a ceremony to be performed before
Lilith leaves. Tomorrow afternoon, will you swear fealty to me before Lilith,
Wulf-ston, and my officers?"
"Gladly, my lady."
The ceremony was held in the great hall, again cleared of tables, including
the permanent one that had burned in the battle of Adepts. Aradia's treasure
chest stood open, along with numerous other chests of gold and jewels, plunder
brought back by the army. Other chests held gold and silver corns. Lenardo
judged that there was as much value there as in the Aventine Empire's depleted
treasury, unhesitatingly delivered by Aradia and Lilith's soldiers. Lenardo
recalled Arkus saying that day in Zendi that Drakonius' soldiers were allowed
to loot as they pleased and I suppose he didn't care if they killed each other
over the loot, once the battle was over.
Aradia, wearing the circle of twisted gold that had been Nerius' crown, began
the long list of awards: to every soldier and watcher a measure of silver, to
every wounded man two measures, to the family of every man killed a gold mark,
and on to detailed grants to the communities that had sent men and supplies to
her army.
Then each of the officers assembled there received one of the twisted gold
bracelets, and Lenardo recalled that there was enough value in on.e to build
and furnish a modest home. More than one mind among the younger officers began
to fill with marriage plans, while others thought of horses or oxen, of new
clothes for wives and children, and standing out from the common melee
someone's plan to build a mill to grind grain.
Charging the officers with taking their men safely home and distributing
their awards, Aradia turned to Lilith, Wulfston, and Lenardo. "Although Master
Lenardo long since gave his personal pledge to me, and proved his value and
loyalty right well in the battle just past, he has not made a public
declaration of fealty. Master Reader?"
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When Wulfston had rehearsed him in the ceremony, Lenardo had been glad to
find it needed no rewording to avoid conflict with his Reader's Oath. He knelt
before Aradia and held the wolf-stone in both hands. "I, Lenardo, Master
Reader, take this sign in pledge to Aradia, daughter of Nerius, and my liege
lady. I promise to protect her life, her people, and her goods, and to defend
her life with my own."
Aradia took his hands, saying, "I accept your pledge. Arise, Master Lenardo,
my sworn man. I promise to protect your life, your family, and your goods, and
as with all my people, to defend your life with my own." She kissed him on
both cheeks, quite formally, and he stepped back, his part in the proceedings
over.
Aradia then announced, "As you know, the battle just past resulted in the
deaths of Hron, Trang, Yolo, and Drakonius, and the forfeit of their people,
lands, and goods to me. The lands of those Lords Adept will require hard work
and a strong hand to be made good for their people. I cannot rule them all,
nor should those who kept loyalty to my father and me, risking all against
Drakonius and his henchmen, go unrewarded." She stepped to the wall, where the
three shields still hung, and took down the one with the golden boar.
"Hron betrayed the alliance he had made with me. He paid for that broken
pledge with his life and the forfeit of all that he owned. To Lilith, my ally [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]