“Well, he is asking for this person to be put forth by the council. I did meet the candidate, and he seems well-suited. Strong ties to the immigrant communities from many provinces. Cain mentioned the needs of the Arlanders in the Capital must be considered as well, as whoever sits in the Commons will affect them more than us. There is some sense in that.”
Arienne narrowed her eyes at Wilfrid. “You traitor.”
Wilfrid laughed. Arienne took the document from her.
“Let’s bring it up at the council meeting tomorrow morning, then.”
“Thank you.”
Wilfrid had changed much in the past year. Once a countrywoman working a farm in Arland, then a general under Loran, and then a knight, this last change being the most dramatic. She had learned to read, and the way she dressed and carried herself changed. Loran had, after all, personally entrusted her with the future of Arland.
“Has King Loran made an appearance since I’ve been gone?” asked Wilfrid.
Arienne shook her head. “Still nothing since that day. Nor do we know where the fire-dragon has flown…”
“How I wish we could see her again, just one more time…” Wilfrid said somberly.
Arienne was secretly glad of Loran’s absence. Had Loran stayed in Arland, the Empire would have done everything it could to ridthemselves of her, sending wave after wave of their legions. On the other hand, if Loran had died, they wouldn’t have felt the need to make the current compromises. Even as the Empire breathed a sigh of relief that Loran had disappeared, they could not ignore the fact that somewhere, the King of Arland who had destroyed one of their gigatherions was still at large, which was why they had been the first to open negotiations with Arland.
The negotiations did not last long. All the Empire’s wrongdoings were to be pinned on the late Prefect Hesperus and the Twenty-Fifth Legion, and Arland was to remain a province of the Empire. But Arland was, for almost all intents and purposes, self-governing. Had Loran known this would happen?
“I still wonder from time to time,” said Wil sadly, “whether what we did was the right thing. Whether this was indeed what Her Majesty would have wanted…”
“Well. We did not have to continue fighting, the Twenty-Fifth Legion was sent away far south, you are prefect now, and we have the right to send whomever we want to the Commons…”
“But this is not true independence. We still send taxes to the Empire… Not that it’s anywhere near as staggering an amount as under Hesperus. Still, I may have the title of prefect, but there is nothing I can do should the Empire refuse to hear no for an answer.”
“That is true. Our fight is not over yet. There are still other battles to come.”
Wilfrid nodded. “What of the new occupying force? Are they any trouble?”
“The Eighty-Second? Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, they are to stay in the fortress and never leave. We never see them. That’s good for them as well as us.”
“And I saw that the wreck of the gigatherion still stands on the battlefield.”
“We’ve forbidden the Twenty-Fifth from removing it. Only the Power generator and some other important parts have been returned to the Empire.”
Perhaps sensing Arienne’s displeasure, Wilfrid said, “I’m sorry, I know you were against the Empire getting their hands on the generator.”
Arienne sighed. “I’ve made peace with the council’s decision. I knew the Empire wouldn’t give us that…”
The Empire would also continue to test for children with magic and take them away. The council tried to convince her that this had to be the way things were for now, but she suspected that the matter was merely a bargaining chip to them.How our lives are designed to satiate the hunger of banal, ordinary men,Eldred used to say, of the sorcerer’s fate.
Sometimes, when the whole thing didn’t feel like a victory to her, she would remind herself of what Loran had told Wilfrid:Even if we should win, the Empire also has its tomorrow. That is what you need to prepare for.Prepare she would. At the Academy, a classmate had taught Arienne a spell learned from a witch in her homeland. Now it was Arienne’s turn to be that witch, teaching the sorcerer children of Arland all that she knew—Eldred’s magic, and her own.
She would have to find them. She would have to get a place to teach them in secret. She couldn’t speak of this to anyone, not even to Wilfrid. Arienne changed the subject.
“The council wants to make a memorial there, but I wonder how useful such a place would be, hours away from the city.” Ariennesuddenly gave a start and clapped her hands. “How rude of me! I didn’t serve you anything to drink. I was simply too happy to see you!”
Wilfrid laughed and waved her hand in refusal. “It’s fine. I have many other people to see.”
“If I’d known you were just arriving today, we would have delayed your banquet, so you could rest.”
“I could’ve come earlier, but when I was passing Ledon, Chief Griogal had come out to greet me. He insisted on me staying for three days. I must confess I have grown rather weary of banquets of late.”
“Ledon doesn’t seem to be doing well in their negotiations… Kamori as well.”
“Theirprefects are alive.” Wilfrid nodded thoughtfully. “But at least the Ledonite tribes will not be so terribly harassed as before.”
