The Apogian War

Chapter 23

I wasn't the only cadet who had that experience. During cadet training, there are times when you hate all your officers. But Dyan was the only one we really feared. I left Father to him and went back to Darkovan "Someone's looking for you," I told him, pointing out a man in Darkov livery, sheltering in a dorway and looking wet and miserable, as if he'd been out in the weather, waiting, for some time.

Darkovan turned eagerly to hear the mes sent more than a servant's message! I said quickly, "You'll come to us, The Regent's compliments, Lord Darkovan He has been urgently called into the city. He asks you to make yourself comfortable and to see him Darkovan made some formal answer and turned to me with a humorless in the morning." smile. "So much for the eager welcome of my loving grandsire." One hell of a welcome, indeed, I thought. No one could expect the Regent of Dover to stand out in the rain and wait, but he could have of course. Send a message with your grandfather's man and come along for some dry clothing and some supper!" Darkovan nodded without speaking. His lips were blue with cold, his hair Jing soaked on his forehead. He gave appropriate orders, and I went back to my own task: making sure that all of Father's entourage, ser sants, bodyguards, Gu smen, banner-bearers and poor relations, found their way to their appointed places. Things gradually got themselves sorted out. The Guardsmen went off to their own quarters. The servants mostly knew what to do. Someone had sent word ahead to have fires lighted and the rooms ready for occu pancy. The rest of us found our way through the labyrinth of halls and corridors to the quarters reserved, for the last dozen generations, to the Faltron lords. Before long no one was left in the main hall of our quar ters except Father, Marie and myself, Darkovan, Lord Cyan, our personal servants and half a dozen others. Darkovan was standing before the fire warming his hands. I remembered the night when Father had broken the news that he was to leave us and spend the next three years at Evertin. He and I had been sitting before the fire in the great hall at Armiday, cracking nuts and throwing the shells into the fire; after Father finished speaking he had gone to the fire and stood there just like that, quenched and shivering, his face turned away from us all. Damn the old man! Was there no friend, no kinswoman, he could send to welcome Darkovsn home? Father came to the fire. He was limping badly. He looked at Marie ' riding companion and said, "Dan, I had your things sent directly to the cadet barracks. Shall I send a man to show you the way, or do you think "There's no need to send anyone, Lord Faltron." Dan Syrt came you can find it?" away from the fire and bowed courteously. He was a slender, bright eyed boy of fourteen or so, wearing shabby garments which I vaguely recognized as once having been my brother's or mine, long outgrown. That was like Father, he'd make sure that any protégé of his started with the proper outfit for a cadet. Father laid a hand on his shoulder. "You're sure? Well, then, run along, my lad, and good luck go with you." Dan, with a polite formula murmured vaguely at all of us, with drew. Cyan Hardais, warming his hands at the fire, looked after him, eye brows lifted. "Nice looking youngster. Another of your Outcast sons, Poseidon ?" "Dani? Hades hells, no! I'd be proud enough to claim him, but truly he's none of mine. The family has Dover blood, a few genera tions back, but they're poor as miser's mice; old Dan Flix couldn't give him a good start in life, so I got him a cadet commission." Darkovan turned away from the fire and said, "Dan! I knew I should have recognized him; he was at the monastery one year. I truly couldn't remember his name, Uncle. I should have greeted him!" The word he used for uncle was the casta term slightly more intimate than Kinsman: I knew he had been speaking to my father, but Cyan chose to take it as addressed to himself. "You'll see him in the cadets, surely. And I haven't greeted you properly, either." He came and took Darkovan in a kinsman's embrace, pressing his cheek, to which Darkovan sub mitted, a little flustered; then, holding him at arm's length, Cyan looked closely at him. "Does your sister hate you for being the beauty of the family, Darkovan?" Darkovan looked startled and a little embarrassed. He said, laughing ner vously, "Not that she ever told me. I suspect Jane thinks I should be running around in a pinafore." "Which proves what I have always said, that women are no judge of beauty." My father gave him a black scowl and said, "Damn it, Cyan, don't tease him." Cyan would have said more-damn the man, was he starting that again, after all the trouble last year-but a servant in Darkov livery came in quickly and said, "Lord Faltron, a message from the Regent." Father tore the letter open, began to swear volubly in three lan guages. He told the messenger to wait while he got into some dry clothes, disappeared into his room, and then I heard him shouting to Andres. Soon he came out, tucking a dry shirt into dry breeches, and scowling angrily. "Father, what is it?" "The usual," he said grimly, "trouble in the city. Darkov's summoned every available Council elder and sending two extra patrols. Evidently a crisis of some sort." Damn, I thought. After the long ride from Armiday and a soaking, to call him out at night "Will you need me, Father?" He shook his head. "No. Not necessary, son. Don't wait up, I'll prob ably be out all night." As he went out, Dyan said,