Servant of the Empire. Janny Wurts

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СКАЧАТЬ conceded the point with an admiring chuckle.

      Tasaio said, ‘I am done, I think. No need to wait an hour, my Lord. I will accompany you back now.’ Desio clapped his cousin on the shoulder, and together they started down the hill.

      The Minwanabi First Adviser met them in the private study, his grey hair damp from his bath, and his back erect as a sword blade. He was an early riser, inspecting the estates with the hadonra in the morning hours. Afternoons he spent over paper work, but years of watching sunrises had given him the weatherbeaten appearance of an old field general. He watched with a commander’s perception as he made his bow before the cousins.

      Lord Desio was sweating, though he had already consumed three mugs of rare, iced drinks. Runners continually drove themselves to exhaustion to provide him with the luxury; as the summer progressed, and the snowline receded up the northern peaks, the young Lord’s craving for cold dishes could no longer be satisfied. Then he would turn to drink to dull the heat, but unlike his father Jingu, he did not slacken his intake after sundown. With an inward frustrated sigh, Incomo regarded Tasaio, who still wore his armour and archer’s glove, but who showed no fatigue from his hours of practice in the hills. His only concession to comfort was the slightly loosened lacing at his throat; at all times, even just after rising, Tasaio seemed but a half second away from being ready to answer the call of battle.

      ‘Tasaio has finally devised his plan to defeat the Acoma,’ Desio opened as his First Adviser took his place on the cushions beneath the ceremonial dais.

      ‘That is well, my Lord,’ answered Incomo. ‘We have just received word of our ambush on the Acoma thyza wagons.’

      ‘How did it go?’ Desio rocked forward in his eagerness.

      ‘Badly, my Lord.’ Incomo’s expression remained wooden. ‘We were defeated, as we expected, but the cost was much higher than anticipated.’

      ‘How costly?’ Tasaio’s voice seemed detached.

      Incomo shifted dark eyes to the cousin. Slowly he said, ‘Every man we sent was killed. Fifty raiders in all.’

      Desio sat back, disgust upon his face. ‘Fifty! Damn that woman. Is every move she chooses ordained to win her victory?’

      Tasaio tapped his chin with a finger. ‘It may seem so now, cousin. But victory belongs to the last battle. In the end, we shall see where Mara is vulnerable.’ He inclined his head to Incomo and asked, ‘How did our enemy achieve so total a success?’

      ‘Simple,’ answered the First Adviser. ‘They had three times the guards on the wagons that we would expect.’

      Tasaio considered this, his fingers motionless on his knees. ‘We expected them to know we were coming. That they responded with so much force tells us two things: first, they did not want us to capture that wagon, at any price, and second …’ His eyes widened in sudden speculation. ‘That damned cho-ja hive must be breeding warriors like jade-flies!’

      Desio seemed confused. ‘What does this have to do with uncovering Acoma spies?’

      Incomo smoothed his robes with the fussiness of a bird ruffling feathers. Unbreakably patient, he qualified. ‘Our offensive was aimed at tracing information leaks. Mara’s too competent Spy Master has just confirmed the guilt of one, or all three, of our household suspects. Timing is all, my Lord Desio. Had we planned our attack on commerce more consequential than the grain trade, we would certainly have drawn notice to our purpose.’

      Tasaio broke his silence. ‘There could well be something else at play here: a garrison as undermanned as Mara’s should not have responded so forcefully to so minor a threat. This overreaction is meaningful.’ Tasaio paused, his brow furrowed. ‘Suppose our action has in some way disrupted a plan the Acoma have under way? Suppose we just blundered into their next move against our interest? They were desperate for us not to capture that wagon, willing to pay a price far above the worth of the grain or the minor loss in honour of abandoning a small caravan.’

      ‘Now, there is a point to pursue,’ Incomo broke in. ‘Our factor in Sulan-Qu reports that since our raid the Acoma have doubled the guards on all their trade caravans. Rumours circulate that secret goods lie hidden under every bushel of grain. By the flurry of covert activity, we could conclude that one real treasure exists, a treasure our enemies have determined at all costs to keep secret.’ Incomo’s excitement dissolved in a frustrated sigh. ‘How I wish we had an informant in Mara’s inner household! Something important is under way, something we nearly discovered accidentally in our raid near Sulan-Qu. Why else should a minor sortie provoke such elaborate countermeasures?’

      Desio reached for his ice glass and swirled the last, fast-melting chips in the dregs. ‘She’s sent messengers to Dustari, too. No doubt to invite Chipino of the Xacatecas to parley on his return from the borders. If he accepts, the Acoma will almost certainly gain an alliance.’

      Only Tasaio remained unmoved before the evidence of setbacks. Gently he said, ‘Let that bide, cousin. I have a long-range plan for Mara that might take two years to bring to fruition.’

      ‘Two years!’ Desio slammed his mug on a side table. ‘If that cho-ja hive is breeding warriors, each spring Mara’s estates become that much more unassailable.’

      Tasaio waved this aside. ‘Let Mara grow strong at home. For we will not deal with her on her own ground. Gone are the days we could dream of overwhelming her estate by main force.’ His voice turned reflective. ‘We would win, of course, but be so depleted we would not survive the certain onslaught from other enemies. Were I Chipino of the Xacatecas or Andero of the Keda, I would welcome an open confrontation between the Acoma and the Minwanabi.’

      Desio became sulky when anyone else tried to tell him what to do. Incomo watched as his master sucked his last ice cube between his teeth. Finally the Lord of the Minwanabi said, ‘I may come to regret my rashness in vowing Minwanabi blood should we fail to crush the Acoma. I had hoped to spur our people to end the matter quickly. But the Red God gave us no time limit –’ he glanced heavenward and made a luck sign, just in case he was wrong – ‘so we might do well to proceed cautiously. We cannot spare fifty seasoned warriors for each grain wagon Mara sends out.’ With a nod, Desio said, ‘Cousin, let’s hear your plan.’

      Tasaio responded obliquely. ‘Do smugglers still operate between the Empire and the desert lands in Tsubar?’ he asked the First Adviser.

      Incomo shrugged. ‘Almost certainly. The nomads still covet luxuries, especially jades and silk. And they have to import swords from somewhere, since resin-producing trees do not flourish in the desert.’

      Tasaio nodded almost imperceptibly. ‘Then I suggest we send an envoy to the ruins at Banganok, to offer the nomads weapons and jades and rich bribes to step up their raids on the borders.’

      ‘Xacatecas’ forces would stay preoccupied.’ Desio jumped ahead. ‘His return to the mainland would be delayed, along with any possible alliance with Mara.’

      ‘That is the least advantage, my Lord.’ Tasaio slipped his fingers out of his archer’s glove. He flexed his hands as though warming up his grip for the sword, and outlined the steps of a bold plot.

      The Minwanabi would cultivate relations with the desert raiders, beginning with bribes to keep the Xacatecas forces pinned down in defence. Over a period of two years, the bribes would be escalated, forming the pretence of alliance. Minwanabi soldiers would add to the raiders’ ranks, disguised as tribesmen allies. At a moment judged most СКАЧАТЬ