"Moon, Elizabeth - Deed Of Paksenarrion - 02 - Divided Allegiance V1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moon Elizabeth)

"Hmm. Not common, for a girl from a remote farm to join an army."
"No, sir. But I'd always wanted to be a warrior—"
"As a mercenary?" put in the Marshal.
Paks blushed. "Not—exactly, sir. But Jornoth said that was the way to start."
The mayor took control again. "You say you were trained at Duke Phelan's stronghold, and went from there to the wars in Aarenis?"
"Yes, sir."
"How long were you in Aarenis?"
"I was there for three campaign seasons, and in winter quarters in Valdaire. Only a few come back north in the winters."
"You must have had a short season this year," he said, looking at her sharply. "Why did you leave your Company?"
Paks hesitated. "The war—Siniava had been killed, and my two years were up."
"You have told Marshal Cedfer and Master Oakhallow what happened to you; we also would like to know, from your own lips."
"Yes, sir. ' Paks gathered her wits. She hurried over the first part of the trip with Macenion, merely mentioning his half-elf ancestry and the knowledge he claimed of the mountains. Then she described the valley of the elfane taig as they had first seen it, and the dream that came to both of them. The Councillors listened without interrupting as she described the underground passages, and the chamber where they'd found the elf-lord. Through the battle with him, the burning, and the running fight with the ores, and the last struggle that ended, beyond her comprehension, with her alone on the surface, no one spoke or stirred. "Some sickness came on me," she said finally. "I couldn't go far along the trail; a snowstorm came down off the mountains, and I fell. Then it was that the elves came. They healed me, and entered the valley to see whether I had told them the truth. When they returned, they told me how to find my way here, and gave me messages to Master Oakhallow and Marshal Deordtya. I was to say that Ae elfane taig has awaked, and the elf-lord was freed/ Paks stopped, anal looked up and down the table. The faces were intent, but no longer hostile.
After a moment's silence, Sir Felis turned to the mayor. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask a few questions."
"Go ahead."
"Paksenarrion, you say you served three campaign seasons. How soon after you joined the regular company were you made private from recruit?"
"The first battle, sir."
"What was your file position?"
"File second, the first year, sir, and the second. Tjьs past year we moved around a lot, but at the end I was file leader."
"I'm not clear on something. You've spoken both of leaving the Company, and of being on some sort of long leave. Are you still the Duke's soldier, or not?"
Paks sighed. "Sir, the Duke had reason to give me a long leave. He and others had suggested that I might leave the Company for a year or so. For other training, or experience, they said. But the Duke said I would be welcome back any time. I hadn't decided yet, sir, how soon to return."
"But you have no complaints against Duke Phelan, or he against you?"
"I have none against him, sir, and as far as I know he has none against me. And the Company is all I've known. I miss them."
"Have you any sort of token or pass from your Duke, that might prove what you say of his opinion?*
Paks remembered the ring he had given the survivors of Dwarfwatch, and reached into her pouch to get it. "Here is a ring—" She handed it to the mayor, who peered at it, and passed it along the table. When they had all looked at it, the mayor passed it back.
"Dwarfwatch," the mayor said. "Isn't that die name of that Sorellin fort on the south end of Hakkenarsk Pass?"
"So the traders say," said Master Senneth.
"So. Those rumors, last spring, of a major battle there—" mused Hebbinford. "You must have been there. Why were you so angry with the merchants, Paksenarrion, for mentioning it?"
Paks glanced quickly at Sir Felis and the Marshal, then back to Hebbinford. "Sir, it is the Duke's business. 1 don't talk of it with merchants. But—by treachery, most of my—of a—cohort was lost at Dwarfwatch, to Lord Siniava. Most of a cohort of Halveric's, too. For those of us who lived, the Duke had these rings made."
"So he's fought understrength this past year," commented Sir Felis. "And the Halveric, too, I presume."
The Marshal was not deflected from the original story. "What was it, a siege, or what?"
"If she considers it her Duke's business, Cedfer—" began the Kuakgan.
"Nonsense. Anything that's happened almost a year ago is public knowledge in Aarenis, and well know the details here sooner or later."
Paks took a deep breath and tried to shove her private memories back into hiding. All the mercenary companies in the south knew the story; Cedfer was right. She gathered her wits and began. "One cohort of the Duke's Company was detached from the siege of Rotengre—the Guild League cities had joined in that—and garrisoned Dwariwatch while the Sorellin militia, who had been there, helped with the grain harvest." She paused, and they all nodded. They listened intently as she described Halveric Company's approach, the surrender, the departure of all but a guard cohort of Halveric's and Siniava'sattack, the fete of die prisoners marched away toward Rotengre, and the desperate defense of the few who held the fort.
"And you were in that. I see." Marshal Cedfer glanced at the Kuakgan and back to Paks. "Were you one of those sieged in the fort, or were you taken prisoner?"
'Neither, sir. Three of us were not taken—by chance, we were gathering berries in the brambles and they didn't see us. We took word to the Duke." Paks stopped there and looked at them. Sir Felis was leaning forward, alert and eager; the Marshal's eyebrows were up; the Kuakgan was frowning slightly. The rest merely looked interested. "How far did you go?" asked Sir Felis. "Where was the Duke?"
"Outside Rotengre, with the rest of the Company," said Paks. She wished they would go on to something else. She didn't want to think about that journey, about Saben and Canna.
"I can see," said the Marshal, "why you would be trusted by Duke Phelan. Remarkable. Well, then—so the Duke relieved his force at the fort. And where was the Halveric? I should think he'd have been there, too."
"He had taken most of his Company toward Merinath," said Paks. "They arrived the next day, too late to fight there: but they came to Rotengre."
"And how many troops did Siniava have?"
"We thought about eight hundred, altogether—"
"But Phelan's force is what—three cohorts altogether?"
"Yes, sir. He had help from the Claris and Count Vladi—"
"And Gird, no doubt," said the Marshal firmly. "Well, indeed. That's quite a tale, but straight enough.Now, what's happened this last year? We've heard of widespread fighting, open war from the mountains to the sea, armies marched clear from the Westmounts to the Copper Hills. What about it?" The mayor was watching the Marshal closely, but did not interfere.
Paks wondered where to start. "Sir, after the year before, the Duke and the Halveric were certain that Siniava meant to conquer all of Aarenis. The Guild League cities blamed him for the piracy of Rotengre, and other things as well. My lord Duke pledged to spend himself on a campaign against Siniava, for what he had done to us. He gathered most of the northern mercenaries to his aid. And the Guild League cities fought on their own lands, and sometimes marched abroad as well."
"Ahal" Master Senneth was rubbing his hands together. "I always suspected the like, sirs, I did indeed. Too many caravans were robbed on the trade roads between Merinath and Sorellin, and none of the goods ever showed up here. They must have been taken on south. And I'd heard through—well, I'd heard that Siniava had bought into some of the guilds."
Paks nodded. "We heard the same, sir, after Cortes Cilwan fell."
"Cihvan fell?" asked Sir Felis sharply. "What happened to the Count?"
"He was killed," said Paks. "But Vladi's men got his heir out, the boy, and he's safe in Andressat, the last 1 heard."
"Succession wars," muttered the Marshal. "They'll have succession wars, as well as everything else."
"Go on," said the mayor, with a gesture that silenced the others. "What then?"