“I know a Torian who has forty-six children, with two more on the way. And he’s still quite young.”
She nodded. “Theos is very popular. However, there are other men who have no children, or only one. We track fertility through the women, not the men.”
“But you knew which man I was referring to, just because I mentioned the number of children?”
“Those children are my grandchildren,” she said quietly. “Theos is my only son, so it’s not too hard for me to keep track.”
Theos’s mother. The Sacrati hadsaidhis relationship with his mother was difficult, but surely this went beyond “difficult.” “You have a son who could die in a war between our valleys, but you’re not concerned whether one starts or not?”
“I have one son. I havefourdaughters. And Theos?” She sighed. “Theos has been looking for a heroic death since he was old enough to crawl toward danger. War or peace, he’ll find a way to die young. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
Finnvid stared at her. He wasn’t sure if he was more horrified by the idea of strong, vibrant Theos dying, or by the reeve’s apparent indifference to his fate. “Maybe he just needs something tolivefor! Maybe his energy could be redirected, if he found the right reason.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, I’d certainly like to thank you for all you’ve done in that regard. Losing his rank and his faith in his leader and friends? I’m sure that’s gone a long way toward giving him a reason to live. Not to mention whatever went on between the two of you personally.”
She held his eyes for a moment, then smiled, clearly serene in the knowledge that her point had been made. “So. Neither one of us has been able to do much for Theos. But I want my women content and free, and that will be most probable if we can hold off any attempts to ‘reform’ or ‘modernize’ the Torian system that has served us so well. I’m confident that the Sacrati captain shares my goals in that area, and I therefore support him. I am much less confident about the warlord. It’s very troubling that he hid your presence from the rest of us for as long as he did, and I certainly don’t like hearing that he was meeting with you behind our backs. So, Elkati prince . . . I will support your nation’s quest for peace, if you will support my goal of maintaining the traditional Torian way of life.”
She watched him closely as she added, “What’s more, I have been in communication with the reeves of Cragview and Greenbrook, and they agree with me in principle. They do not support any changes to the Torian system. If they feel that Elkat is their ally in this, they will be inclined toward peace with your valley.”
The room was quiet for a moment, both of them waiting for what came next. “And of course,” the reeve said, “if any of us see Elkat as a problem . . . if we find that Elkat has made alliances with factions from our valleys that threaten to upset the lives we currently enjoy . . . then we will urge our men to respond to the threat. And as I’m sure you know, our men respond to threats in only one way.”
She relaxed back into her chair and gave him another peaceful smile. “You made a mistake, dealing with the warlord instead of with me. But now you have a chance to rectify that mistake. I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity.”
She was clearly done with him, which was just as well because he had no idea how to reply. So he stood up and bowed formally; the reeve inclined her head in return. “Go see your men,” she said, as if sending a boy to look at a litter of puppies. “But don’t take them anywhere. Not until you’ve come to say good-bye.”
It wasn’t quite an order, but it was close. “I certainly wouldn’t want to leave without thanking you for your hospitality,” he agreed mildly.
When he left the outer office, he found Andros and the other two soldiers waiting for him in the hallway. “I’d like to go see my men,” Finnvid told them. He realized he was talking mostly to Andros, hoping for some renewal of their familiarity. “Do I really need a larger contingent of guards?”
Andros shrugged. “Who’s after you?”
“I have no idea. No one, I hope.”
“If no one’s after you, you don’t need guards at all.” He looked over at the other soldiers. “I’d say we’re here to keep an eye on you, not to guard you.”
“Theos isn’t babysitting me anymore, so you are?”
Andros ignored the question. “Which means we’re probably enough, but if you want more, I can arrange it.”
“No, I don’t want more.” He wanted less. Strange as it was, he wanted to go back in time, just a little. The day of the festival had been good, walking through the city with Theos, sampling foods, talking . . . and all the while, Finnvid’s duplicitous mind had been split between enjoying the present and planning for the future. Planning for his escape that night.
No. If he was going to go back in time, he’d go back to the day before they were captured, so he could change their route and avoid all the confusion and doubt that had come from spending time with his enemies. But there was something in this idea that didn’t feel right.Wouldhe want to erase the time he’d spent with the Torians? With Theos?
The questions were a stupid distraction. He couldn’t go back in time; he could only go forward. He could get out of Windthorn and back to his old life and he could make himself forget the strange feelings. But the reeve had been right: he needed to finish his job here first.
By the time he and his escort arrived at the training yards, his men were gathered. Finnvid gestured for the Torians to stay behind, and he approached his men alone. He’d caught glimpses of them training with the regular soldiers as he’d worked under Theos’s direction, but he’d rarely gotten close. And they’d been returned to the pens every night, locked up after their efforts while he bathed and ate hot meals.
As they saw him approach, they clearly realized something was going on, and when he drew close enough for them to notice his new clothes, he saw several nods of approval. Torians might like their leaders down in the dirt with them, but Elkati preferred that distinctions be maintained.
At least, some of them did. A few of the others looked a little less happy to see him in his changed state. He ignored their reactions for the moment, and strode forward to grasp Gunnald’s forearm in greeting.
The old man beamed at him. “About time,” he said gruffly. “What’d you have to do to free us?”
Nothing. Finnvid had done nothing. The one time Finnvid had tried to stage an escape, he’d gotten one of his men killed.
Killed by Theos, he reminded himself. He needed to remember that sort of thing. And he needed to pay attention to the current conversation. “I didn’t have to do much,” he admitted, but he made it sound like he was joking. “I think they were just glad to be rid of you.”
“Tired of us showing them up at their training,” Gunnald said.
