Chapter Five

 

 

Jer looked up as Van walked into his study. He had not been aware of Van being any different from the other barons, not an inkling of a possible problem. Not until Av made comment at the breakfast table as to having a conversation with Van before the western baron left for his home.

With Av leaving suddenly, Jer was left to carry out the conversation without the slightest idea what the talk was to be about. Obviously there was something off about Van, a fact which Jer now noticed. Van was friends with the eastern baron, Gamen. While Gamen felt a little off, he did not completely hide his rank the way Aren had learned to do. Van felt like neither Gamen, nor Aren.

“Have a seat,” Jer said, motioning to the chairs across from his desk.

“Are you resuming steward duties already?” Van asked, standing behind the offered chair.

“No, I called you because Av cannot have the conversation he proposed having with you,” Jer responded quietly. “Until they are mated by palace law her parents have a right to be here. While we are saying they are engaged and that there will be no others, the ceremony still needs to happen. Would you rather have this conversation with the steward instead? Have him pass judgement?”

Van flushed with red. Watching the older man for a moment, Jer decided that it was rage playing over Van's features.

“I take that as a no,” Jer said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I am a baron of another land,” Van said.

“Who is flaunting his differences to the throne.” Jer tried to remain calm as he spoke, not quite understanding why his anger was boiling up. He had control of the situation, he was a warrior, Van was a warrior. Jer was stronger than Van. Why then would Jer react instinctively as if a stronger rank were upsetting him? “While on palace land, one is asked to obey its laws. We do not ask, you do not tell. But the mate to the throne is aware of your oddities.”

Van gripped the back of the chair, jaw setting as he glowered down at Jer. For a moment, Jer wanted to run. Hide behind Telm. That might save him. At the very least the queen would give Van a reason to reconsider.

“He's not mated to the throne, not yet,” Van said.

“And the barons came to palace lands by Merkat's command.” Jer stood.

He was of a height with Van, meaning that the older man could no longer glare down at him. Yet even standing, he felt as if Van was out of place with his surroundings.

Coastal tricks, hiding a rank. Jer tumbled over what he knew about the other lands. The barons, besides Merkat, still adhered to the old ways.

As independent lands, they had changed tradition, altered how men and women interacted with one another. In extreme cases the barons had even changed how ranks interacted. Yet the barons remained the same. Always a warrior mated to a queen.

Jer walked around the desk and sat on the edge of it, facing Van. The only item now between them was the chair that Van had his hands on, clutching at it until his knuckles were white.

What Jer had done was meant as a peace offering. His hands were empty, sitting in his lap, and any weapon he might have was on or behind the desk. Van's possible weapon was still clutched in his hands, the chair. A warrior would see Jer come around the desk and relax.

A queen would tense, waiting for an attack.

Van did neither. He simply watched Jer, waiting just the same as he had been a moment before.

“It is by the grace of the mate that you are still alive.”

“How kind of him,” Van said through gritted teeth.

“Not really. He does so by my advice. We don't need an incident, now do we?” Jer asked, pushing off the desk. As he opened his mouth to speak, Van tensed, leaned back ever so slightly. The chair shifted back in Van's grip. “Are you living in the open in your own land?”

Queen, Van was a male queen. Rare, said to be very rare, the male version of the rank was typically killed on sight. After all, queen had once been a title. The women didn't take kindly to finding males of their rank and the warriors weren't quite certain what to do with those like Van.

“No, as baron, that would be inciting the throne, daring you to come after me.” Van relaxed. “My people know, but do not speak of such things to outsiders. It was a palace-born queen who suggested to my father that I learn coastal tricks. I went to Gamen and learned. You've not met my mate, have you?”

“No, I've not met her,” Jer said.

Van nodded slowly. “Ella.” the man smiled. “Coastal blood. They have good ranks there. The north is strong. They breed all right, but mainly warriors. The coast is strong every few generations and breed more true. The west breeds true every time. Since the decline we've been getting a little stronger with each generation. Even if palace lands refuse to acknowledge our strength.”

“What's that to do with Ella?” Jer asked.

“You surely know that a warrior and a queen will be more likely to create ranks.” Van hesitated as Jer nodded once. “As shown recently, when you breed a warrior from, let’s say, the coast and a queen from the west the offspring take on parts of their parents, as all children are bound to do. The first born is a strong queen, she may find some love of Aren. The second born is a weaker healer, but Ella says he is like his uncle and will birth many strong children. The third born is my heir.”

“Why didn't your daughter inherit?” Jer asked.

“I only inherited because I was my father's only living child,” Van said quietly. “Otherwise the warrior child of the baron takes over. Female warriors are rare, so a son has always inherited. We considered having our youngest inherit, but by birthright it goes to our second-born son and so he shall have first choice.”

“What's special about your youngest child?” Jer asked.

“She takes after her mother,” Van said, releasing the chair. “Though now that my mind is clearer, it comes to me that, were the throne to execute me, my mate could claim my seat and become the first baroness in the history of any of the independent lands.”

“Are you threatening me?” Jer asked.

“No, I've only a question for you really. What would you do if someone killed your queen and you had all the ranks of the marshes to your back? Something to consider.”

“You're still invited to the mating ceremony,” Jer said steadily. “Bring Ella. And your daughter, if you please. I'll introduce them to Aren.”

“You don't think that on this little mission of hers, she might change?” Van asked. “Might decide that I am a threat to her or you? Or worse yet, to Av?”

“Like most of your rank, Aren is stubborn as a stone wall. Nothing is going to change her,” Jer grumbled, more to himself, than to Van.

“And where is it, exactly, that you think the throne has sent her?” Van asked. “What could possibly be so bad that it could not be dealt with here, at court?”

Jer could only shrug in response. “Something that cannot be moved, obviously. If the throne has sent her off on some mission, that is. It's more likely Aren ran away from home like a pouting child and will be back in a few days when she realizes that she's no coin and that no one is going to recognize her.”

“Why ever not? She's attached to the throne.”

“We have Laeder to thank for this one. The farther from the throne Aren moves, the less commoners can tell she is linked to it. They might see her as a queen if her defences are down. He says three to four days away from the palace on horseback is all it would take. The throne's influence tends to fade that far out. She's still attached to it, she can still feel it and we, those of us around the palace, can still feel her.”

“Fascinating, that means landmark magic,” Van muttered.

“What exactly is landmark magic?” Jer asked.

“The stone circle is just such a magic, as is Castle Grey. Although with Castle Grey it's more of an object magic. The throne is linked to this one place but the farther away from it you get, the less you can sense its influence. Unless it's influencing you directly.”

“What exactly is the stone circle?” Jer growled.

This was the second time the circle had been mentioned in as many days and still no one had answered his questions about it. Each of the lands had taken something of importance from palace lands. The Mariltons to the north had taken the palace stones, which had been about to be cast aside. The Hues of the east had taken the coastal trading. There were lands beyond the ocean that the coast still had access to while the palace withered.

The south had taken a repository of knowledge, old texts which had been removed from the palace when the renovation had happened. The repository had been built in the south at that time, though it was centuries before the south broke off from palace lands.

To the west, the Toltens took something called the stone circle.

“It's a circle,” Van said. “Of stones.”

“But what does it do?” Jer asked.

Van shrugged. “It was important to palace lands. We wanted something from the palace, in order to irritate the court, so we took it. I haven't a clue what it is supposed to do.”

“You called it landmark magic.”

“Most things of importance to the palace are landmark magic,” Van said sternly. “Why don't you ask Laeder, since he seems to know everything?”

Jer sighed and shook his head. “You took a circle of stones from the palace and have been bragging about them, as if you had a Castle Grey of your own, and you don't even know what they do?”

“Do you want them back?” Van asked.

Jer shook his head. “No, I don't want a circle of stones that have absolutely no use. They don't even have sentimental value. I'd never heard of a circle of stones until you mentioned it yesterday.”

“It's called a stone circle,” Van said sternly, jabbing a finger at Jer. “We take great pride in the fights we've had with palace warriors over that ground. We've won every one of those skirmishes.”

“Your land has won every skirmish against palace grounds,” Jer growled.

“Well, they say if you fight over the fields, the spirits judge who is worthy. Men can only do so much bad over the bones of their ancestors before the spirits rise up and fight on the side of those who are good.”

“Now there are fields?” Jer asked.

“Around the stone circle, yes. Four fields were carved into the woods. The stone circle sits on a rounded field, with four straight fields pointing in the directions of the ends of the world.”

Jer frowned. “Must take a lot of work to maintain those fields.”

“They maintain themselves,” Van responded.

“Ah, hence the magic portion of the piece of useless land you took: well-manicured fields,” Jer grumbled to himself.

“They aren't manicured, they simply do not grow over.”

“What could be so damned important about fields?” Jer asked himself, unable to shake the nagging feeling that he had heard that term before.