Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html "I've never seen it," Ivahn said, deadpan. "But to give you an idea, I can tell you what happened the first time Arko tried to take Haiu Menshir. They sent three ships, thinking an island of pacifists would be no trouble;he rousted a force up out of the harbor—where all the non-pacifists on Haiu Menshir stay, you understand—and defeated and captured the Arkan unit entire. With a handful of Yeoli elite, some Srian archers and a rabble of knife-wielding sailors, none of whom got so much as a scratch." "In this war, the alliances, the hiring of mercenaries, have all been his work. He has a genius for persuasion, too. As soon as he was back in Yeola-e they stopped losing and started winning. Those who say he turned the tide single-handedly aren't far wrong." "Hmmm," said Shkai'ra. "I'd like to meet this person."And lecture him on cavalry tactics, probably , Megan thought. "Of course, there is the inherent danger," Ivahn added, "of so much depending on one person. All would change were he to come to grief. And, though he's managed to slip through them all so far—he has a tendency to miraculous recoveries when he messes up, too, a good thing in a leader—he takes great risks." "Well, now this brings me back to a previous enigma," Megan said. "Six months ago my spies had it that he was executed with a lot of fanfare in Arko." The Benaiat smiled, and sipped his Saekrberk. "Being one of your spies, I will report: like many things done in Arko with a lot of fanfare, it was faked." "The only thing Arko hasn't faked in a while, apparently, is losing," Shkai'ra snorted. "They gave him what they said was poison, in front of a sell-out crowd in the arena," Ivahn continued. "Actually it was a drug that made him appear dead." "He must have been rather surprised," Shkai'ra chortled, "when he woke up." "He must carry a large grudge against Arko." Megan ran a fingertip over the lock of one of the books on the desk. "Well," Ivahn answered, "they captured him treacherously—he was on a peace mission, carrying Kurkas's oath of safe conduct, as I can attest, having a copy here— invaded his homeland, killed his dearest friend in front of his eyes and tortured him to madness—temporary madness, I should add, that's why he was on Haiu Menshir. Onemight surmise he justmay hold aslight grudge." Megan chuckled and nodded. "I suppose he was able to make all those alliances that the Yeolis didn't make before, and get all those mercenaries, on the strength of his name?" asked Shkai'ra. "And by renewing old friendships?" Megan added. "With people whose interests might be threatened by an Arkan conquest of Yeola-e, being near, and who have money in large enough amounts to pay for all those mercenaries he couldn't possibly afford himself?" She tilted her head and winked at Ivann. "Wouldn't you say?" His smile widened, good to see on that gaunt face. "Great trouble I should have,hylashka , were the Arkans as perspicacious as you. Yes, their conquering Yeola-e would—did—put their border a day and
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html a night's sail from Brahvniki's very walls. And they've had ambitions against us for centuries. So yes, I did float Chevenga a very substantial loan. And I was not the only Brahvnikian who did; I think he raised at least double that again among prominent citizens who shall remain nameless. I will guarantee you one thing about him, which will explain at least in part all this. If you meet him, which I suspect you will, you'll like him, if not on first sight, on first word. Very few are those who don't." Megan raised her eyebrows quizzically. "That's a rare talent, to say the least—to makeme like you on sight." "Oh, I know you better than that,hylashka ," the old man chuckled. "At any rate, I think you will: you'll see." Megan got up and paced along the windowed west wall, catching glimpses of the river and Brahvniki out of the corner of her eye. "Do you know how the Yeolis, in general, treat Zak? I've dealt with one or two, but one isn't likely to discuss pogrom over coffee." "There are a number of Zak living in Yeola-e proper, mostly in and around Selina. They mind their own business, and the Yeolis mind theirs. The curly-hairs tend not to have the sort of atavistic beliefs about witchcraft that make people want to destroy and drive it out in terror; they'd put it down to some strange face of the God-in-Ourselves they haven't seen yet, not to demons or Halya-spawn or what-have-you. It's true that they tend to think of the rest of the world as a slow child that they earnestly and generously hope will improve enough to come around to their way some day, but underneath that they are fairly broadminded about spiritual things." Shkai'ra snorted. "A slow child, hmmph. I've noticed people who favor mob rule tend to be that way. Not that I've ever seen it carried so far, as an entire race taking avote over an invasion. Which brings me to a concern I had. The man's been given marching orders by his mob. And says he wants them. But from what we heard, it sounds like they had to all but pull his toenails out to get it out of him, grudge or no grudge. Is hereally whole-hearted about this fight?" "Oh, yes. It's a Yeoli thing. Any method, other than a vote, of deciding on an act so major—and so much against their customs; they've never done it before— Yeolis would consider unthinkable." Megan nodded. She had been taught a little Yeoli politics—very little, it being seen as subversive by the Dragon's Nest—and remembered the main principle, "the people wills," in Yeoli,semana kra , hence semanakraseye , literally, "the-people-wills-one." Laws were initiated by citizens at large and enacted through plebiscites of various forms, sometimes complex, involving percentages and such; the semanakraseye existed only to oversee their administration, and to act quickly in case of war or emergency. Over the military, though, his power was absolute. "And they are very jealous of their power; all sorts of ways they have, of clipping asemanakraseye's wings. Including a forbiddance on his voicing his wishes regarding national policy. They made an exception this time, wanting to know as you do, Shkai'ra, whether he was whole-hearted." "But he had to make a show of sticking to the rules," Megan said, "I understand." "Oh, it was more than show. Chevenga is an adherent of mob rule, to the bone; he was bred that way from birth. Knowing him, he genuinely squirmed at having to say what he wanted, dreading to interfere with the vote. I know it's hard to believe. A sad irony, for him: no onewill believe it, they'll think as you did that it was a show, that he pulled the strings all through, and he'll be pinned with having wreaked change on his people without their consent, when all he did in truth was act on their wishes. He just
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Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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