Path of Honor Read Free Page A

It seemed she ought to know after more than a year in Koduteel. But then, how would she have found out? Except for Sodur, none of the ahalad-kaaslane would even speak to her, and Sodur spent most of his time in the palace these days, trying to keep the nobles from revolting against the failing power of the ahalad-kaaslane .
    “There’s no set length of time. No set place to go. Each ahalad-kaaslane comes and goes as he is called and travels wherever the Lady guides him.”
    “Juhrnus wasn’t called.”
    “No. But then it is customary for new ahalad-kaaslane to spend time learning about Kodu Riik by traveling its length and breadth. I suggested Juhrnus make such a journey, listening to what calls guided him as he went.”
    But there wouldn’t be any calls. Not since the Lady had withdrawn from Kodu Riik. Reisil didn’t say it. “How do you know what to do then? What the Lady wants you to do?”
    “For me, being at the palace is the best way I know how to serve Kodu Riik. Without the Iisand on the throne, the Verit Aare jostles for the regency. It would devastate the land. He’s hungry for war, and he hates the power of the ahalad-kaaslane more than the other nobles do. He’s already developed a substantial network of supporters. If he became regent, the Arkeinik would soon bend to his will—and then we’d be in much worse trouble than we are in now. If the Lady was to speak to me, I believe this is the path She’d choose for me.”
    “How can you be sure?”
    Sodur grimaced. “Who is sure? But what does it matter? We know we must protect Kodu Riik. Even without the Lady to guide us, we must answer our oath to Her. Certainly we cannot sit on our hands, doing nothing. Your path is to find a way to use your power, and mine is to give you the time to do so while keeping the court from tearing itself apart.”
    Reisil nodded, thinking of her experiences with the court nobles. Most didn’t like her any better than the ahalad-kaaslane did, only they didn’t mind telling her so. Or they cultivated her for what they thought she could do. On those rare occasions she’d accompanied Sodur to the palace, she couldn’t escape a feeling that she was prey and that lions and wolves stalked in the shadows. Sodur had shouldered a staggering task. She slanted a look at him. He looked much as he had when she first met him: clothing patched and threadbare, now covered with the dust and dirt of nearly two weeks’ travel. His shoulders were slouched, his thin figure unprepossessing. He felt her eyes on him and glanced up, a smile illuminating his haggard features, his eyes twinkling.
    “Not the most impressive-looking diplomat, am I?”
    Reisil grinned back, shaking her head. “But I’ve seen you. You know how to manage people. And you don’t make them angry when you do it.”
    “That’s because they don’t realize what I’m doing. That’s the key, Reisil,” he said, sobering. “They are a prickly bunch. They’re born to lead, and they know it. They don’t take interference well, even well-intentioned efforts. Some would rather burn in the Demonlord’s third circle. Better to herd them slowly in the direction you want and teach them to see reason—but never let them know what you’re up to.”
    Reisil fell silent, thinking. Then she asked, “You didn’t say—have you heard from Juhrnus?”
    “No.”
    “You’re not worried anything’s happened to him? To any of them?”
    Sodur turned his head to look for Lume, his ahalad-kaaslane . The silver lynx wound through the shady grasses along the tree line, leaping after grasshoppers and tree lizards.
    “Of course I am,” he said at last. “Things have changed in Kodu Riik. People do not welcome the ahalad-kaaslane as they used to. They still haven’t recovered from the war, and the drought hasn’t helped. Bandits and thieves prowl the land. Nokulas are everywhere, slaughtering entire villages. And then there’s the plague.” He drew a breath. “As I said, no