late to learn them.”
“In time, you will learn them all. Now we should go over your preparations once more.”
She led him through several situations that might arise, what he should say, and how he should deal with each. The more they spoke, the more his trust increased. And of all the things they discussed, they talked longest about Noble Drigo.
Trella’s thoughts about Drigo startled Esk kar. She believed Drigo presented the biggest problem and the greatest danger. She’d learned much in Nicar’s house about Drigo and his plans, and her words sent a chill through him. He hadn’t realized the immediate threat Drigo represented.
Slowly his resolve hardened. Nothing, he decided, nothing and no one would push him aside again, not in the street, not in Nicar’s house. He would be captain of the guard and even Drigo would acknowledge him.
When they finished speaking, their hands joined again across the table.
He looked at her differently now, seeing someone with fire in her heart and bronze in her thoughts. Esk kar knew he’d found a woman worth more than a fistful of gold coins. With her beside him, he felt he could accomplish anything, dare the Five Families, and even defeat the horde of barbarians.
“You give me strength, Trella,” he said simply. “Stay at my side.”
Her grip tightened on his hand, and again her strength surprised him.
“You have the power now, Esk kar, but you must learn to use it, and quickly, or it will slip away. You must act as if you have always had it.
When you speak, speak with authority and certainty. If you’re not sure what to say, say nothing, just look confident. The crowd will follow if you lead them. I saw that last night, and again in the streets this morning. Even the soldiers looked to you for direction.
“And don’t be in awe of any man from now on, Esk kar, not even any of the Five Families. They’re just merchants, and they’re all frightened. Only you seem not to be afraid, and that is your power. Don’t hesitate to show that power. Starting today everyone will look to you, searching for weakness or doubt. If you have any, conceal it. If any oppose you, push them aside—kill them if you have to. No one will question you. In times of trouble, people look to strong leaders, not merchants and tradesmen, no matter how much wealth they have. Tomorrow you must take the power, or not at all.”
The hard words no longer surprised him, not even her casual reference to killing. The nobles thought that way, careless of lives other than their own. He’d stopped thinking of her as an inexperienced young girl, a slave, or even a woman whose ideas didn’t matter. She’d become a window into the lives of the nobles, perceiving their plots and plans, and offering herself as a partner to his own ventures.
But Trella’s strength of will did surprise him. Some women could be stronger than their men, though the idea made him a little uncomfortable.
Such women often eclipsed a man in reading people’s thoughts and faces.
Trella had all those qualities, the toughness of a man in the body of a young woman.
A thought crossed his mind. He reached into his tunic and brought out Nicar’s leather pouch. He hadn’t even looked inside, but he opened it now and dumped the contents on the table. Counting slowly, he found twenty gold coins. He knew Ariamus had gotten only ten each month. For a moment Esk kar played with the small golden squares, touching them, enjoying the feel of the cool metal and the power it represented. Many men worshipped gold, he knew, schemed and plotted to obtain it, then caressed it at night behind locked doors before burying it deep in the ground.
Looking up, he found Trella observing him, not the gold. Abruptly, Esk kar pushed two coins across the table. “Take these and change them for copper, then pay the street vendor for the food. I’ll not owe any man for my bread. Make sure you’re not cheated in the exchange. Use the rest to buy a decent
“In time, you will learn them all. Now we should go over your preparations once more.”
She led him through several situations that might arise, what he should say, and how he should deal with each. The more they spoke, the more his trust increased. And of all the things they discussed, they talked longest about Noble Drigo.
Trella’s thoughts about Drigo startled Esk kar. She believed Drigo presented the biggest problem and the greatest danger. She’d learned much in Nicar’s house about Drigo and his plans, and her words sent a chill through him. He hadn’t realized the immediate threat Drigo represented.
Slowly his resolve hardened. Nothing, he decided, nothing and no one would push him aside again, not in the street, not in Nicar’s house. He would be captain of the guard and even Drigo would acknowledge him.
When they finished speaking, their hands joined again across the table.
He looked at her differently now, seeing someone with fire in her heart and bronze in her thoughts. Esk kar knew he’d found a woman worth more than a fistful of gold coins. With her beside him, he felt he could accomplish anything, dare the Five Families, and even defeat the horde of barbarians.
“You give me strength, Trella,” he said simply. “Stay at my side.”
Her grip tightened on his hand, and again her strength surprised him.
“You have the power now, Esk kar, but you must learn to use it, and quickly, or it will slip away. You must act as if you have always had it.
When you speak, speak with authority and certainty. If you’re not sure what to say, say nothing, just look confident. The crowd will follow if you lead them. I saw that last night, and again in the streets this morning. Even the soldiers looked to you for direction.
“And don’t be in awe of any man from now on, Esk kar, not even any of the Five Families. They’re just merchants, and they’re all frightened. Only you seem not to be afraid, and that is your power. Don’t hesitate to show that power. Starting today everyone will look to you, searching for weakness or doubt. If you have any, conceal it. If any oppose you, push them aside—kill them if you have to. No one will question you. In times of trouble, people look to strong leaders, not merchants and tradesmen, no matter how much wealth they have. Tomorrow you must take the power, or not at all.”
The hard words no longer surprised him, not even her casual reference to killing. The nobles thought that way, careless of lives other than their own. He’d stopped thinking of her as an inexperienced young girl, a slave, or even a woman whose ideas didn’t matter. She’d become a window into the lives of the nobles, perceiving their plots and plans, and offering herself as a partner to his own ventures.
But Trella’s strength of will did surprise him. Some women could be stronger than their men, though the idea made him a little uncomfortable.
Such women often eclipsed a man in reading people’s thoughts and faces.
Trella had all those qualities, the toughness of a man in the body of a young woman.
A thought crossed his mind. He reached into his tunic and brought out Nicar’s leather pouch. He hadn’t even looked inside, but he opened it now and dumped the contents on the table. Counting slowly, he found twenty gold coins. He knew Ariamus had gotten only ten each month. For a moment Esk kar played with the small golden squares, touching them, enjoying the feel of the cool metal and the power it represented. Many men worshipped gold, he knew, schemed and plotted to obtain it, then caressed it at night behind locked doors before burying it deep in the ground.
Looking up, he found Trella observing him, not the gold. Abruptly, Esk kar pushed two coins across the table. “Take these and change them for copper, then pay the street vendor for the food. I’ll not owe any man for my bread. Make sure you’re not cheated in the exchange. Use the rest to buy a decent
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