Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.- Napoleon Bonaparte
Kensie Poldara arrived alone at Poldara House in Haven. His father remained at the county seat to ensure that Naril's marriage to Lord Benal Foster happened quickly and smoothly. Count Wyeth insisted that Kensie return to Haven to resume his studies at the Collegium and training with Herald Alberich.
Count Wyeth wanted his son to take on more responsibility for the family properties and affairs. His son needed to learn the business side of nobility. To that end, Kensie spent his first morning in Haven with Piran Couch, major-domo of Poldara House, who briefed him on the domestic issues of the Haven manor as well as Count Wyeth's business affairs in the city. The major-domo also briefed Kensie on the events in Haven since Kensie and his father left for Poldara City before Midwinter.
Kensie learned of the Royal Council's attempt to coerce Queen Selenay into choosing a husband from among their relatives. Due to his disgrace, Kensie's name had not been among the candidates, though his relationship in the third degree to the Queen would have disqualified him in any case.
Kensie confirmed all of Piran Couch's decisions (as his father had instructed). In his father's name, he approved the purchase of two properties near the cattle market; he knew that his father had been seeking properties in the area. He recommended another deal to his father in a letter: an offer to buy one of his father's warehouses in Haven. The warehouse was only marginally profitable and Kensie knew that his father was seeking cash.
In the afternoon, Kensie went up to the Palace. He arrived at the stables just in time to see Lacaral launch Bredin into the manure pile. With a smile on his lips, Kensie went to his class in case law. Done with that, he headed for the salle to practice his weapons work. As Kensie entered the salle, Bardic Trainee Adain bound Herald Trainee Mical's practice sword and sent if flying into one of the mirrors.
Kensie was horrified. He liked the Collegium mirrors so much that he had gone to a glass works to see if he could purchase one for his own training room in Poldara House. He boggled at the price quoted by the Master Glassmaker and politely discontinued his inquiry.
With the salle closed until the broken glass could be painstakingly removed, the Heraldic, Bardic and Healer trainees had other studies that demanded their attention and quickly went off. The highborn Blues milled around gossiping and discussing what they should do.
Kensie, still scorned by most of his peers, headed back to Poldara House. He could exercise in the training room there and then read in the library. Without his father's presence, Kensie had no intention of subjecting himself to the snubs and insults of his peers in the Court.
Count Wyeth planned to remain in Poldara City until Countess Lora gave birth, which was expected in a moon. In the meantime, Kensie would act as his father's agent and surrogate in Haven. Kensie was sure that Piran Couch – and probably others – would report every move to his father and knew his father was testing him. It was an opportunity to prove himself.
One of Kensie's tasks was to collect the intelligence reports from Odelle Deschner and forward them to his father. The duty was a delicious one for Kensie. With his father's knowledge, Kensie learned much of the pleasures of the bed at Lace House. Now, Kensie could visit the establishment for those very real pleasures, then receive the spy reports under the cover of settling the bill with Madame Deschner.
His father had told him that Odelle was merely his contact for receiving the reports. As Kensie spoke with her and noted her careful scrutiny, he deduced that Madame Deschner was much more than an intermediary. Kensie no sooner realized this than he realized he was not officially supposed to know. It took all of his training in Courtly Graces to maintain the façade.
Odelle caught the moment of Kensie's realization and suppressed her own smile at how carefully he maintained the pretense that his visit was for the purpose of whoring. She revised her assessment of Kensie sharply upward.
As Kensie left to return to Poldara House, Geoffrey Toews emerged from the servants' waiting room. Kensie turned quickly to look in the small mirror in the entry hall, ostensibly to check that his face did not show signs of his visit. Seeing his manservant reminded Kensie that Geoffrey Toews was spying on him and, by extension, on the Poldara family. He would have to see to it that Geoffrey Toews thought that Kensie's patronage of Lace House was nothing more than roistering.
Kensie turned back to Odelle. Though he had had only one glass of wine, Kensie slurred his voice slightly as though he were tipsy, Kensie said "Madame Odelle, your ladies have once again proved themselves most adept. I look forward to my next – ah – visit."
Reclaiming his palfrey from the stableman, Kensie returned to Poldara House. The next morning, he gave Geoffrey and Spod some errands to do while he worked on the accounts, knowing that his manservant would take the time to go to the Bird in the Hand to report to his handler. Spod, of course, would report to Kensie on Geoffrey's doings.
When Piran Couch had finished his daily briefing, Kensie turned to the papers he had been left to review. Now that Kensie was alone and unobserved, he pulled out the packet that Odelle Deschner had given him. He longed to know what was inside. Dare he open it? His father had forbidden him to do so.
Kensie put himself in the place of his father and his father's spy. What would he do to keep the information secure? The information would be coded. Also, the packet itself would be protected in some way, either to see that the papers inside were destroyed if it were opened incorrectly or the fact that it had been opened could be detected. Kensie decided he had better begin studying codes and secure ways of sending messages.
It was another test. One which would show if Kensie could be trusted. Kensie placed the packet in the middle of the routine papers that Clyde Jensen would take to his father. As he placed the papers in the satchel, Kensie realized that Clyde was another of his father's agents.
Kensie knew that Clyde had been a mounted guard for Baron Futcher many years ago and that the baron had dismissed Clyde after the man lost an eye, which the Baron had deemed made Clyde less capable. Clyde had been reduced to penury, even having sold his horse to feed himself before Wyeth had hired him. Wyeth had not only repurchased Clyde's beloved horse, Wyeth had given him a position of trust. Clyde was the Count's man, body and soul. He would fight to the death to protect Wyeth's secrets. From sparring with Clyde, Kensie knew that the missing eye made little difference to Clyde's formidable fighting skills. His father had bought Clyde's loyalty not with coin, but with faith. Kensie filed that idea for future use.
In the afternoon, Kensie attended his classes as one of the Blues. He checked out the école. It was packed with nobles trying to work their horses; the snow did not bother the Companions and Keren gave her trainees no choice where they would ride, but most of the nobles did not wish to endure the discomfort of snow melting onto them as they rode. It was getting colder and the horses were feeling fresh. In just the short time Kensie scanned the école, two nobles were dumped by their mounts. Only quick action by the grooms and retainers prevented the loose warhorses starting a stud-fight.
Kensie opted to take Blood on the paths. He carefully greased the soles of Blood's hooves to prevent the snow from balling in the cup of the hoof and rode out for a candlemark. When he returned to the stable, he overheard Kadhael Corbie talking with Evan Aitken and Olaf Futcher.
"…he's not got his Companion with him now. I hear they've taken his Companion away." Kadhael was saying.
Kensie looked over the stable door. "You can't take a Herald's Companion away. They are bonded for life." He put in.
"What about Tylendel?" Evan retorted. "They took his Companion away."
Kensie shrugged. "The story says that his Companion repudiated him."
"You really have bought into that whole fairy tale." Kadhael sneered. Kensie shrugged and turned back to Blood, though he kept an ear on the conversation.
"We can teach the beggarly peasant a lesson, now. He won't have his fancy pony to get away on." Evan said.
"Where do we catch him?" Olaf said. "It would be better to do it away from the Palace without his Gray friends around him."
"Same place as last time." Kadhael said. "He will be on foot this time. He goes down to that temple every other afternoon."
The mention of the temple brought Kensie's attention fully back to the conversation. He turned back to the three highborn once more. "If you are talking about Trainee Bredin Kase, I really recommend you forget the idea."
All three looked at him scornfully. "Protecting your vassal, coward?" Kadhael said.
Kensie ignored the insult. "He's not my vassal and I'm not protecting him. You got called on the carpet when you tried before. If you go for him again, the Heralds will have your hides."
"Piffle. They'll huff and puff, but nobody will really care about a jumped up peasant." Kadhael dismissed the warning.
"Don't ignore that monkish training, either." Kensie could see the three thought his warning was nonsense. "If you don't believe me, talk to Urson Felthan or Lovat Astey. They will tell you not to tangle with him."
Kadhael waved his hand airily. "Oh, he might be good one on one, but I think the three of us can handle him."
Kensie rolled his eyes and gave up. Let them learn the hard way. He finished with Blood and left the stable.
Bredin despaired. Lacaral still avoided him; the Companion spent most of his time alone in Companions' Field, venturing in to snatch his feed only when Bredin was occupied elsewhere.
With the additional chore of mucking out the regular stables, Bredin had no opportunity to walk out to the field to seek out Lacaral. He had tried to go out into Companions' Field to find Lacaral the third night after Lacaral dumped him. Losanir blocked Bredin's path until Keren showed up, summoned by Dantris at Losanir's request.
Keren's anger was past. When she saw Bredin weeping and pleading with Losanir to let him get by, her heart went out to the boy.
She put her hand on his shoulder and took him to her tiny office behind the tack room. She bade him sit and poured him a cup of kava from the pot that sat permanently on the stove.
"Bredin, I know you are sorry, but I can't let you go out into Companions' field at night in this weather. You would freeze to death." Keren knew that Lacaral would never let that happen, but wanted to dissuade Bredin from trying.
"But he is out in that cold!" Bredin fretted. "What about him?"
"Companions can endure more that you or I. Besides, I know he comes in later at night once everyone else is sleeping. I have seen the signs in his stall." Keren said.
"Why won't he let me apologize?" Bredin asked.
Keren sighed. "I don't know Bredin. At a guess, you hurt his pride when you smacked him with the reins. He is feeling sorry for himself and can't bring himself to admit it."
::I think you are pretty close to the truth.:: Dantris said to his Chosen. ::Rolan is getting annoyed with Lacaral's sulk and will speak to him in a day or two if he doesn't end it.::
Armed with this news, Keren had a suggestion. "You heard about the Queen's Ice Festival?"
Bredin nodded. Selenay's proclamation had set the whole city abuzz.
"Well, the highborn don't think it will happen. After all, the Terilee hasn't frozen over in two generations, but it is going to freeze this winter. At least, the Companions think so. There is a wave of cold weather moving in from the west that will freeze the Terilee solid."
Bredin stared at her, not sure what she intended. "That makes it worse." He said. "Any colder and he could be in danger." His voice rose with alarm.
"But that's the point." Keren said. "He won't be able to stay out there just to avoid you. He will have to come in."
"But what if he still won't talk to me?" Bredin worried.
"I think he will." Keren said. "He may pout a little, but he will come around. After all, it is not as if he repudiated you. The bond is still there and he has to acknowledge it."
The mention of repudiation struck at Bredin's deepest fear. Almost speaking in a whisper, he said. "What if he does?"
Keren snorted. "Pish. You aren't the first Herald or Trainee to have a spat with his Companion. You are not the first to have struck your Companion. It has happened before. You are two individuals and you are going to have quarrels. You and he will get over it."
Bredin accepted Keren's logic, though his inner fears still niggled at him. Leaving her office he went back to his room.
The weather got colder. Bredin shivered as he trudged down Pitcher Road towards Temple Bridge. Head hanging, he stared at the packed snow in front of his feet. The cold had driven most people indoors, so there was little need to watch where he was going. He did not see the three highborn until Olaf Futcher and Evan Aitken grabbed his arms.
Startled, Bredin looked up to see Kadhael Corbie standing in front of him with a grin on his face. "Time you learned to show more respect for your betters, peasant." Kadhael said as clenched his fist and drew back his arm.
All of Bredin's despair, frustration and anger boiled up in an instant. Instead of struggling against the grip of Olaf and Evan, he grabbed back. Supporting himself on their arms, he lifted both legs and drove his feet into Kadhael's belly.
Kadhael's breath whooshed out and he fell on his back.
Startled, Evan and Olaf tried to let go. Bredin twisted; he grabbed Evan's arms, allowing him to get his feet under him.
Evan aimed a punch at Bredin's face. Bredin ducked his head and Evan's fist glanced off Bredin's skull. The blow stung but Bredin ignored it.
Bredin felt Olaf grabbing from behind, trying to get his hands around Bredin's throat. Bredin lashed out with his right foot. Olaf screamed as Bredin's kick broke his knee.
Evan now faced Bredin alone. He flailed wildly at Bredin, who blocked his blows. Launching himself with both feet, he attempted to throw Bredin to the ground. Bredin turned and sent Evan over his hip. Bredin held Evan's arm and twisted it hard. Now Evan screamed as his shoulder dislocated.
While Bredin fought Olaf and Evan, Kadhael recovered his breath. He surged to his feet. He charged at Bredin. Bredin held his ground until Kadhael was committed, then shifted to one side. Bredin grabbed Kadhael's arm and pulled him forward, tripping the lordling and sending him sprawling. As Kadhael flew past, Bredin struck Kadhael's neck with his hand. Kadhael hit the snow-covered street and lay unconscious.
Bredin stood over the three lordlings, still poised in a combat crouch. Kadhael sprawled unmoving. Olaf lay on his side, holding his knee with both hands and bawling in pain. Evan sat up, his face contorted with pain as he placed his left hand on his right shoulder and rocked silently back and forth.
Bredin could see that the fight was over. He straightened himself and looked around. A half-dozen faces gaped at him; more people were gathering from up and down the street.
One young stableman in a livery Bredin did not recognize said. "They told me you Heralds was good fighters. After I seen this, I ain't never messin' with one of you."
Bredin moved towards Evan to see if he could help.
Evan's eyes bulged with fear and he scrambled backwards. "Get away from me, you demon!"
Bredin recoiled in shock. Never before had someone been afraid of him. He had been scorned, disliked and sneered at, but never had he been terrifying. He felt sick and ashamed. Bredin stood helplessly, unsure of what to do.
Several of the bystanders moved to help the injured young lords.
The fight had happened in front of a silversmith's shop. Master Silversmith Moshe Adler and his wife Yesrin came out. They sent their younger son to find a healer and bent to help Kadhael. Master Adler held Kadhael in a sitting position while Yesrin waved smelling salts under his nose.
As Kadhael moaned and began to wake, Herald Mirilin arrived. He had been returning from his court when his Companion told him there was trouble. "Bredin, are you all right?" He asked.
The mention of Bredin's name brought Kadhael fully awake. He pointed at Bredin. "Herald, that lunatic attacked us!"
Bredin was dumbfounded at the lie. Kadhael went on "I demand he be charged." Recognizing the silversmith, Kadhael said "Master Adler saw the whole thing."
The silversmith hesitated. The Corbies were valued customers; antagonizing them would hurt his business. He looked at his wife. Yesrin pressed her lips tightly together as she stared back at her husband. Yesrin thought the world of Heralds and would not countenance backing Kadhael's lie.
With a heavy sigh, Moshe Adler looked up at Mirilin. "Herald, that is not true. The trainee was walking down the street minding his own business when the others grabbed him. Lord Kadhael was aiming a punch at the boy when he struck back."
The stableman interrupted. "Tha's the way it was, Herald." He pointed at Kadhael. "That one said something about givin' the boy a learnin' an' was gonna punch 'im when the boy struck back." He grinned broadly. "Never saw anythin' like it. Yon trainee, he levelled 'em as quick as a cat."
"I see." Mirilin said. Like the other instructors at the Collegium, he was aware of the grudge some of the highborn bore Bredin. Mirilin looked back at Kadhael. "Perhaps the blows from the fight have afflicted your wits momentarily, Lord Kadhael. Maybe you can give a more careful statement under the Truth Spell?"
Kadhael blanched at the mention of the Truth Spell.
Before Kadhael could say anything, a streak of white flew down the street and stopped in the midst of the group. ::Chosen! Chosen! Are you all right? Did they hurt you? I am sorry I wasn't here for you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me.:: Lacaral's mindvoice was frantic as he inspected Bredin for injuries.
Bredin hugged himself Lacaral and burst into tears. He buried his face in Lacaral's made and babbled apologies for hitting the Companion.
With a slight smile as Bredin and Lacaral made up their quarrel, Mirilin dismounted. A few Heralds arrived with Healers riding pillion behind them. The Healers began treating the injured. As they did so, more Heralds, led by Keren, arrived. Several of Bredin's yearmates trailed behind.
Mirilin took statements from Master Adler, the stablehand and other witnesses. As the Healers took the three young lords up the Hill to Healer's Collegium, Herald Kyril went with them to take their statements.
Syd Nugent gave Bredin a quick check for injuries; finding none he smiled at his friend's brother and congratulated him. Satisfied that Bredin was well, Keren boosted him onto Lacaral's back. They returned to the Collegium surrounded by Bredin's yearmates. Keren sent Harrow to the Temple of the Iron God to tell the monks what had happened.
When they reached the Collegium, Elcarth and Teren took Bredin to Elcarth's office. Bredin told them his version of the incident; the two senior Heralds made Bredin go over it in exhaustive detail. Mirilin arrived with the statements he had taken from the witnesses, which corroborated Bredin's story.
Bredin fretted during the questioning, sure that he would be dismissed from the Collegium. Elcarth and Teren assured him that, though there might be trouble, there was no chance he would be dismissed.
After nearly a candlemark, Kyril arrived with the statements he had taken from Evan, Olaf and Kadhael. Kyril had not used the Truth Spell, but the implication that he might had quelled any claim that Bredin had initiated the fight. Their statements confirmed the essential facts: That the three had planned to confront Bredin in the street, that they had held him and that Bredin had laid them out. However, the three claimed that they had merely wanted to lecture Bredin about his 'disrespect' and Bredin had turned the 'discussion' into a fight.
Elcarth sighed. "The question, then, is not whether Bredin had to defend himself, but whether he defended himself too forcefully."
Mirilin snorted. "Really, Elcarth! Three against one? And each of the three half again his size? He had every right to fight back with everything he had. It isn't as if he kept on attacking after they were down. The witnesses all agree that he stopped as soon as he was no longer under attack."
Kyril shook his head. "That's not the way the Young Lords' fathers see it. They showed up just as I finished getting the statements from the three. To hear them tell it, young Bredin is a vicious animal who took pleasure in maiming their sons."
"How bad are their injuries?" Elcarth asked.
Kyril exhaled strongly. "The worst is Lord Olaf Futcher. His knee is broken. The healers say he could have a limp for the rest of his life."
Bredin winced and hunched his shoulders.
Kyril went on. "They fixed Lord Evan Aitken's dislocated shoulder while I was there. It will hurt for a few sennights and he'll wear a sling for a moon. He should heal completely."
"And Kadhael Corbie?" Elcarth asked.
Kyril grinned. "He will have a pair of bootprints on his belly for a fortnight."
The other three Heralds snorted. Bredin hunched lower. Elcarth noticed Bredin's reaction. "You are not in trouble, Bredin. You were attacked three-to-one and defended yourself. Lords Kadhael, Olaf and Evan should be up on charges of attempted assault. I don't know whether we can make that stick, but I'd say they have already had at least some of the punishment they deserve."
"You mean that? I am not in trouble? Won't the highborn make trouble for me?" Bredin could not believe it.
Elcarth waved his hand. "Oh, they will try to make trouble for you. Or their fathers will, but I think they will back off if we demand that their sons testify under the Truth Spell."
Elcarth smiled at Bredin. "I think you are done here, Bredin. You can go now. I think your yearmates and the rest of the trainees are going to demand every detail."
The bell for dinner rang as Bredin left Elcarth's office. Bredin hurried to clean up and join his yearmates. As Elcarth had predicted, Bredin's fellows lionized him. They demanded he give them the full story, blow by blow.
Bredin remembered what had followed the fight with his brothers on Midwinter eve four years before. He did not want trouble. Though he had never mindspoken Lacaral from so far away, he sent a plea to his Companion. ::Keep me honest. Don't let me boast.::
To his surprise, Lacaral's reply came back clearly. ::I will help you, Chosen. But the fact that you asked means my help is probably unnecessary.::
Bredin told the story as carefully as possible, keeping it strictly free of any embellishment. As he told the story, he had the strange feeling that Lacaral was listening in the back of his mind.
His fellows were disappointed at his dry recital. When Bredin had told all that he could, they fell to discussing it amongst themselves. Bredin caught a sense that the story was growing with each retelling.
Lacaral chuckled in Bredin's mind. ::By curfew tonight, they will be saying you slaughtered a score of highborn, littering the street with their dismembered corpses.:: Bredin groaned inwardly.