"Recluce - 09 - Colors Of Chaos" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

they can harvest and press. It costs the Certans about the same whether
they get wool from Montgren or from Recluce through either Tyrhavven or
Spidlaria."
   Cerryl thought, half-wondering at the idea that he-an orphan raised by
a disabled miner-would be worrying about merchants and traders and rulers
as a member of the White Order of Fairhaven. Finally, he glanced at
Kinowin. "I am only guessing, ser. Much of what supports the Guild and
ties Candar together are the White highways. What you say tells me that
if the prefect of Gallos supports us, he may be replaced. The Viscount of
Certis does not care, and does not wish to offend, but may find it
difficult to encourage his overcaptains to support us against Gallos." He
paused. "What of the Duke of Hydlen?"
   "Duke Berofar is old, and tired."
   Cerryl swallowed. "War, then? Sooner or later?"
   A grim smile crossed the overmage's face. "Although Jeslek and Sterol
and I agree on little ... we all fear such. And you are not to tell
anyone that." Kinowin sat back in his chair, as if to let Cerryl digest
what he had just said. After a moment, he continued. "You were with
Jeslek when he used chaos to destroy the Gallosian lancers, were you not?
How did Jeslek look after the battle?"
   "It took all six of us, ser," Cerryl said carefully. "Jeslek did much
more than anyone else."
   "But you might not have won without all of you?"
   "It would have been in much greater doubt," Cerryl admitted.
   Kinowin laughed. "Well said, and with great care." The big mage stood
and wandered to the window, looking into the shadows that fell across the
Avenue to the east of the White Tower. "How many Gallosians were there?"
   "Around twenty score."
   "The prefect of Gallos can raise nearly twenty times that in lancers,
if need be." Kinowin turned and faced the seated Cerryl. "The Viscount of
Certis cannot match that, though he might come within fifty score. I
doubt the Duke of Lydiar, for all his boasts, can raise more than one
hundred score-trained lancers, that is. We have somewhere over
two-hundred-fifty-score lancers and another hundred score of other
armsmen and archers. Do you have any idea how many coins that takes each
year?"
   "No, ser."
   "Were the pay chests for the year put together, just the pay chests, I
would guess the total would easily exceed five-hundred-score golds."
   Cerryl swallowed. The thought of that many golds, just for armsmen,
left him speechless.
   An ironic smile crossed Kinowin's face. "How many lancers did you kill
in Gallos? You?"
   "I didn't count, ser. I'd say a half-score, perhaps a few more."
   "In one battle you killed more than some lancers do in years. You also
clean sewers and water aqueducts. The other day you killed a man, kept
some guards from being injured, and saved the Guild from being cheated on
taxes and tariffs. Your stipend is more than ten times that of a senior
lancer-because the Guild expects more than ten times as much from you."
Kinowin paused. "There is a problem with that. Do you know what it is?"