innocent young man again. She wanted to wet her hand and dampen down his unruly mop of hair.
“If my words seemed harsh—” she started, but Olio interrupted.
“M-m—my apologies, sister, for m-m-my b-b-behav-ior,” he blurted. “I cannot explain why you saw m-m-me in that condition—not yet—b—b-ut it will not happen again. I p-p-promise.”
Areava sighed and took his hands in her own. “I was worried. I have never seen you like that before. So much is happening now, and I need you strong by my side.”
“I will always b-b-be at your side, Areava. You know that.”
She nodded and smiled up at him. “You are to be a general.”
Olio blinked. “A general?”
“We are creating an army to counter Haxus. We believe they will march south into Hume as soon as winter eases. Their army is already massing on the border. There are rumors that their captain is Lynan.”
“My God.” Olio shook his head. “I don’t believe it. Not of Lynan.”
“And I, for one, would never have suspected Lynan capable of murdering Berayma!” Areava snapped. Olio opened his mouth to object, but Areava spoke over him. “We are ordering what forces we have in Hume to hold the province’s capital against a siege. Our army should be ready to march north in the spring; it will have contingents from all the southern provinces, and the heavy cavalry from the Twenty Houses. It needs a leader who will be higher in rank than all its captains, a leader all will obey. I must stay here in Kendra. That leaves you. It will be a close-run thing, Olio.”
“I understand. I will do it, of course, b-b-but I have no experience in soldiering.”
“So few have, brother. We have been at peace for a long time. But the same applies to the army of Haxus. In that at least, we are equal.”
“What m-m-must I do?”
“Be near me. Give me your advice. Liaise with the marshal and Orkid. They will advise you.”
“When will this b-b-be announced to the p-p-people?”
“I’m arranging for couriers to be sent to all our provinces; they will leave this afternoon. By then everyone in Kendra will know. Councilors like Shant Tenor and Xella Povis are hardly likely to keep quiet about it.”
“Are you going to declare war on Haxus?”
Areava shook her head. “Let them make the first move. Let all of Theare know who is the aggressor in this matter. It will not be Grenda Lear.”
Olio smiled. “You are m—m-more and m-m-more like our m-m-mother.”
“I hope I have her luck in war.”
“You will have no need of luck.”
Areava could already hear the sounds of battle in her mind. She could smell smoke and blood and fear. She could see heaps of dying and wounded, and battered pennants waving from broken spears. “Perhaps,” she said quietly. “But I will take any I can get.”
Chapter 7
The riders halted at the crest of a small hill. Some distance away was a glade of arrow trees circling a permanent lake, something rare in the Oceans of Grass. The glade was surrounded in turn by a deep green carpet of vegetation that spread out for leagues in every direction. Regularly spaced around the glade were collections of brightly colored tents, each collection marked by different pennants, and around the tents milled thousands of cattle.
“The High Sooq,” Korigan said, stretching in her saddle, looking even more lithe than usual. For a moment Lynan felt a twinge of desire; the urge surprised him.
“This is the richest grazing land on the continent,” she told him. “From here, you can see the entire wealth of the Northern Chetts.”
Lynan could not believe how many cattle there were. “Surely they will eat it out?” he said.
“Most of the grazing will be gone by midwinter. Then we give them the feed we’ve stored. By the end of winter that will be gone, and the clans will scatter to find spring grass. By the time we all meet here again next year, the land here will have regenerated.”
“Do we wait for all your people to arrive
“If my words seemed harsh—” she started, but Olio interrupted.
“M-m—my apologies, sister, for m-m-my b-b-behav-ior,” he blurted. “I cannot explain why you saw m-m-me in that condition—not yet—b—b-ut it will not happen again. I p-p-promise.”
Areava sighed and took his hands in her own. “I was worried. I have never seen you like that before. So much is happening now, and I need you strong by my side.”
“I will always b-b-be at your side, Areava. You know that.”
She nodded and smiled up at him. “You are to be a general.”
Olio blinked. “A general?”
“We are creating an army to counter Haxus. We believe they will march south into Hume as soon as winter eases. Their army is already massing on the border. There are rumors that their captain is Lynan.”
“My God.” Olio shook his head. “I don’t believe it. Not of Lynan.”
“And I, for one, would never have suspected Lynan capable of murdering Berayma!” Areava snapped. Olio opened his mouth to object, but Areava spoke over him. “We are ordering what forces we have in Hume to hold the province’s capital against a siege. Our army should be ready to march north in the spring; it will have contingents from all the southern provinces, and the heavy cavalry from the Twenty Houses. It needs a leader who will be higher in rank than all its captains, a leader all will obey. I must stay here in Kendra. That leaves you. It will be a close-run thing, Olio.”
“I understand. I will do it, of course, b-b-but I have no experience in soldiering.”
“So few have, brother. We have been at peace for a long time. But the same applies to the army of Haxus. In that at least, we are equal.”
“What m-m-must I do?”
“Be near me. Give me your advice. Liaise with the marshal and Orkid. They will advise you.”
“When will this b-b-be announced to the p-p-people?”
“I’m arranging for couriers to be sent to all our provinces; they will leave this afternoon. By then everyone in Kendra will know. Councilors like Shant Tenor and Xella Povis are hardly likely to keep quiet about it.”
“Are you going to declare war on Haxus?”
Areava shook her head. “Let them make the first move. Let all of Theare know who is the aggressor in this matter. It will not be Grenda Lear.”
Olio smiled. “You are m—m-more and m-m-more like our m-m-mother.”
“I hope I have her luck in war.”
“You will have no need of luck.”
Areava could already hear the sounds of battle in her mind. She could smell smoke and blood and fear. She could see heaps of dying and wounded, and battered pennants waving from broken spears. “Perhaps,” she said quietly. “But I will take any I can get.”
Chapter 7
The riders halted at the crest of a small hill. Some distance away was a glade of arrow trees circling a permanent lake, something rare in the Oceans of Grass. The glade was surrounded in turn by a deep green carpet of vegetation that spread out for leagues in every direction. Regularly spaced around the glade were collections of brightly colored tents, each collection marked by different pennants, and around the tents milled thousands of cattle.
“The High Sooq,” Korigan said, stretching in her saddle, looking even more lithe than usual. For a moment Lynan felt a twinge of desire; the urge surprised him.
“This is the richest grazing land on the continent,” she told him. “From here, you can see the entire wealth of the Northern Chetts.”
Lynan could not believe how many cattle there were. “Surely they will eat it out?” he said.
“Most of the grazing will be gone by midwinter. Then we give them the feed we’ve stored. By the end of winter that will be gone, and the clans will scatter to find spring grass. By the time we all meet here again next year, the land here will have regenerated.”
“Do we wait for all your people to arrive
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