5.Death of Chaos
LXXIII
EARLY SUMMER HAD struck Kyphros like a hammer, the sun burning through the blue-green sky and searing the land into stunted grasses and dusty roads. In the midst of the heat and dry winds, Durrik had collected his spice chest. I had collected the hinges from Merrin in time to finish both the dowry chest and the travel chests for Preltar and collect his proffered bonus.
Zeiber had even accepted his case and offered a gold bonus. I'd reluctantly deferred. There was no way I could take a bonus from Zeiber. He'd even looked pleased at the case, touching it and shaking his head.
After that, Wegel and I had completed and sold four more travel chests. I was even getting close to finishing Antona's desk, and Wegel had placed a few small carvings with Jahunt, but the peddler was having trouble selling much of anything. That was what he told us, anyway.
Wegel was sweeping up the shop in the late afternoon while I was racking and organizing fir lengths for another travel chest when Krystal rode back into the yard, leaving a trail of dust that hung in the air for kays, turning almost pink in the twilight.
Braaawkkkk... brawkkk... Two of the hens pecked away at the hard, cracked ground around the side of the henhouse.
“No chickens?” Krystal brushed road dust from her leathers even before she swung down from the saddle. I shrugged. “Rissa was persuasive.”
“Ah, no, Commander. Only when Brene would sell no chickens, only when she was ready to pack up her house and leave to visit Tyglit, only then would Master Lerris consent to the chickens. And now-now we have chicks that will be dinners before fall, and now we have eggs, plenty of eggs.”
The cock announced his presence from the rail near the henhouse.
“And too much crowing,” I said.
Krystal laughed, but I could see the lines around her eyes, the additional silver hair, and the looseness of her leathers. “Do we get chicken tonight?” asked Perron. “You would have chicken tonight if Master Lerris had seen fit to buy the chickens earlier.” Rissa went back into the kitchen.
Krystal and I walked across the yard to the open stable doors, leading her mount.
“You're staying here, I hope?”
“There's really nowhere else to stay. Only one wing of the barracks is open, and that's to support Liessa.”
“Showing the flag?”
Krystal nodded. “The heir stays here to reassure the people, but any attack will come at Ruzor.”
“Is it that bad?”
She nodded, but said nothing, and I got the message. It was bad enough that she didn't even want to talk in front of her personal guard.
I got out the curry brush. “Durrik picked up his spice chest, and Preltar paid for his dowry chest and a couple of others. Zeiber offered a bonus, but that I turned down.”
“It sounds as though you've done well.” Krystal loosened the girth and removed and racked the saddle. “You were right about Zeiber.”
“We haven't done badly for a while. Wegel's sold some carved pieces through Jahunt.”
“Jahunt?”
“The peddler. He used to sell stuff for Ginstal, except Ginstal moved back to Hrisbarg. Jahunt said he was a master miner years back.”
“They closed the mines before I was born,” said Jinsa from the middle of the stable.
“Before I was born, and that's something,”, added Dercas. “What be for dinner?”
“Food? Finish grooming that nag, and clean up before you worry about food,” advised Perron. “There's always good food here. There's even enough for the rest of us after you eat.”
Jinsa snickered.
“Man has to know the important things. Good food, good mounts, and Barrel's no nag.”
“Enough,” said Perron quietly.
Haithen unsaddled her mount without a word, and I could sense her discomfort from halfway across the stable, mirroring Krystal's. How women put up with it, I didn't know, but I was more than glad I didn't have to endure the pain and discomfort firsthand. Secondhand and removed was disconcerting enough, especially with two of them in the same state.
After I finished currying the gelding, I stepped behind Krystal and rubbed her back, especially the lower part.
“That feels good.”
“Good.”
Rissa had a mutton curry dish with noodles and bread steaming on the table almost as soon as Krystal and I were washed up.
“Good stuff!” Dercas licked his lips.
Jinsa glared at the other trooper.
“Please sit down,” said Krystal.
I sat and served her, then me, and passed the noodles to Wegel, then dished out the mutton and sauce. Wegel took a substantial helping, just short of being too large. Dercas did the same.
“It would be nice if you men left some,” said Haithen, her voice sharp.
I looked at my plate.
“I don't mean you, Master Lerris.”
“You'd better not be,” added Rissa, “since he's the one providing the table.” She set down a second loaf of bread in a basket.
For a moment, no one said a word.
“I like being here better than in Ruzor.” Jinsa brushed her short hair back off her forehead.
“Doesn't the sea make it cooler?” I asked.
“Not that much, and it's damp. You sweat, and you're never dry, and pretty soon everything smells like mold unless you wash it all the time, and if you do nothing really ever gets dry.” She shuddered.
“Beautiful Ruzor by the sea,” added Krystal. “Keeping supplies and food from spoiling is one of Yelena's biggest problems. Besides getting them.”
“How is she doing?” I broke off a corner of bread and passed the basket to Wegel, who took a much smaller chunk, after a quick glance at Haithen.
“ Yelena? Like the rest of us, she has too much to do and too little time to do it. I think she misses being in the field. She's spending what little free time she has practicing.”
“That's probably what I should be doing.” I'd done some, but I still felt rusty, especially without Tamra to keep me on my toes.
“You two... all this talk of weapons practice and preparation. Many seasons will pass before any Empire takes Kyphros, for that is what the Book of Ryba has said, that no man will take Kyphros.” Rissa stopped abruptly as Perron looked at her.
“Prophecies are only as good as those who enforce them.” That was the lanky soldier's only comment.
“We're pretty good, then,” barked Dercas.
“At eating, anyway,” added Jinsa.
Neither Krystal nor I added much to that, and, after dinner, we retreated to the bedroom, where I helped her pull off her boots and rubbed her back.
“Does that help?”
“You know it does. You just want me to tell you.” Her voice was muffled because she lay facedown.
“We men need to hear we're appreciated.”
She rolled over and threw a mock punch at me, mock enough that I managed to duck. If she'd been serious, I would have been nursing a bruise somewhere.
“Careful... I'm a fragile man.”
“Fragile? Ha! I've roasted meat less than that wizard roasted you. Don't tell me you're fragile.” She grinned, momentarily, before her eyes focused a thousand kays away.
After a long silence, I asked, “How are you doing? You seem kays away.”
“This preparing for the coming of the Hamorians... it seems endless.”
“I wonder if it's not more like the coming of the demons.”
Krystal raised her eyebrows, then stretched out on the bed on her back. “Darkness, this feels good, almost as good as having my back rubbed. What did you mean about the coming of the demons?”
“There's a lot of chaos rising, all over Candar. Preltar bought traveling chests, and didn't even quibble over the prices, and he's the type that quibbles over everything. Brene-Rissa told you about her. It doesn't make sense. Nothing's going to happen that soon.”
She shook her head. “It has. The Brotherhood assassinated the first regent-Rignelgio, not Leithrrse. They've also sunk at least three Hamorian cruisers, iron-clad or not, and one of them had the Hamorian fleet commander on board. Leithrrse has taken command of everything, and he seems to know what he's doing. Renklaar just fell, and supposedly the harbor waters were as red as the banner of Hydlen. The Hamorians landed another five thousand troops in Freetown, and they're marching on Hydolar. Montgren has surrendered to the Emperor's regent, and the Viscount of Certis has sent out notices for all his levies.”
“That's worse than I thought.” I'd been thinking more in terms of chaos, but the physical impact of the Empire was something again.
“It will get worse.”
“Has Leithrrse sent any messages to Kasee?”
Krystal shook her head.
I waited, then added, “I think the brimstone spring exploded two or three eight-days ago. The impact of the chaos woke me up.”
“Kasee got a report that about half of Arastia was destroyed by the fires and steam. The river's still steaming.”
“I can still hear the chaos groaning.”
“Can you do anything about it, Lerris?”
“I don't know what. Too much chaos really means too much order.”
“Too much order? There can't be that much order in Recluce.”
“It's not all coming from Recluce. I got a letter from my parents.”
“You did? I'm glad you wrote them.” She grinned. “Tamra would be, too. I haven't heard from either Justen or Tamra. Have you?” She shook her head. “I'm tired, and I'm not thinking too clearly. What did your parents say?”
“My mother did the writing, but she said my father said the Balance worked both ways. It seemed odd at first.”
“That does seem odd.”
“But I figured it out. Recluce limited the amount of order in both Candar and in Recluce to limit the amount of chaos. Hamor is using tools and machines to create order...”
“And that creates more chaos?”
“I think so.”
“Darkness help us all.” Her eyes refocused in the distance, and I held her hand for a time, leaving her in her thoughts.
Then, when she was almost asleep, I helped her undress. Through the night, I held my commander close, and I could almost ignore the deep groanings of chaos surging beneath Candar-almost.