Free Scion of Cyador by Jr. Modesitt L. E. Page A

friend."
    "You will be burned by such flames sooner than I, Bluoyal, for you are far closer to them, and Cyad is less than kind to those who cannot balance the chaos of chaos and the chaos of man."
    "You seem most concerned for my welfare."
    "I am, indeed, for if you fail, who will be Merchanter Advisor?" asks Tasjan. "I would not wish it to be Veljan, for reasons we all know. Nor Vyanat, who is all that you claim I am. And beloved as I am, who would wish me? Does that mean we would see someone like Kernys? Or the lady trader, the one who makes us look magnanimous in our petty revenges? No... I would much prefer you not fail."
    "For now," suggests Bluoyal.
    "But, of course." Tasjan laughs. "Would you have me lie outright?"
    Bluoyal laughs as well, even as he lifts the wide blue cloth to blot his perspiring face once more.
     
     
    XVI
     
    In the early-morning light that brightens his overcaptain's study, Lorn pores over the map of Biehl before him, trying to link what he has seen so far in the town with the old cartographic information. Some material he can see is outdated, for the map shows four piers in the harbor, and several structures that may have been warehouses that exist no longer.
    His earlier perusal of the records in Helkyt's study also shows that at one time, the commandant of the compound had been a majer or sub-majer, and that there had been three companies quartered in the compound. He straightens and shakes his head, knowing he must act quickly and decisively, even before he knows enough to do so. He also knows that such actions must show as little as possible, for an intelligent officer who is young for his rank is already suspect.
    "Ser?" Helkyt peers in the study door. "Have you been here long?"
    "Since around dawn, I think." Lorn laughs. "Come on in and tell me about the Emperor's Enumerators. Close the door."
    Helkyt closes the door and takes the seat nearest the wall. He brushes back a thin and long strand of blond hair, unconsciously swirling it over the top of his scalp where most of his hair has already vanished. "Mayhap... mayhap, ser, as you said, best you know about the Emperor's Enumerators here in Biehl, afore you visit such." Helkyt's brow is perspiring, despite the cool air in the study.
    "Tell me," Lorn says easily.
    "There be three enumerators-Flutak, Neabyl, and Comyr. Senior Enumerator Flutak," Helkyt says, "he is in charge of administering and collecting the tariffs here. Neabyl inspects the vessels to ensure they carry no contraband, and Comyr is the most junior. He will do whatever the elder enumerators request."
    "How long has Flutak been the senior enumerator?"
    Helkyt shrugs uneasily. "He has been such long before I was posted here."
    "And you have been here?"
    "Near-on eight years, ser."
    "Does Flutak spend much time with the local traders and merchants? Or does he have relations among any merchant house?"
    Helkyt moistens his lips. Finally, he speaks. "Not that I'd be knowing, ser, not for certain. Some say he has powerful relatives in Cyad. In Biehl, he is said to be close to the olive-grower Baryat... mayhap others, but those I've not heard."
    Lorn nods. "What about Neabyl?"
    "He came but five years ago, and Comyr three."
    "Do any of them have consorts here?"
    "Flutak has none, though it is said he has a mistress, the youngest daughter of Baryat. Baryat holds many lands to the south and west. There it is drier and more sunny."
    "Are many barrels of olives shipped from Biehl?"
    "More olives than most anything else, ser. Excepting clay, and that is worth far less."
    What Lorn does not understand-or fears he does-is the most obvious nature of what Helkyt reveals.
    "And Neabyl?"
    "His consort lives in Summerdock, and it is said that she will not so much as visit Biehl. Comyr-he is young, and has none, none that any would know."
    "I don't suppose you would know who those powerful relatives of Flutak might be, or whether they might be related to any in major trading houses?"
    "That I