Free Darksong Rising by L. E. Modesitt Jr.

Defalk and Lord Ehara of Dumar. Eight hundred golds for replacement mounts... Anna took a
    deep breath. She’d authorized most of the expenditures. “But after we pay every- thing, we still should
    have almost seven thousand more than at the beginning of summer."
     
    “Six thousand if you pay the Ranuans, and you cannot count on the liedgeld being paid on time,”
    Dythya pointed out.
     
    “Only from Cheor, Elheld, and Mencha,” Anna replied, adding after a pause, “and Stromwer,
    Suhl, Lerona, Abenfel, and Pamr.”
     
    A surprised look crossed Dythya’s face, as if a quarter of the lords paying on time were a
    novelty. “That is true.”
     
    “But you’re right,” Anna replied. “We will be cutting it close. I still want to pay the Ranuans,
    though. If we, or any of the lords, have to borrow from them in the future, it might make it
    easier. We also may need allies, and a land that repays its debts is a better ally than one who
    doesn’t.” She paused. “If you would draft a scroll and make the arrangements with Arms
    Commander Hanfor to ensure the repayment reaches Encora safely?”
     
    “Yes, lady.”
     
    “Also... perhaps you could draft a scroll to go with that party, and copies that could be sent
    elsewhere. We’ll offer a twenty-gold bonus for weapons smith. Five golds after examination of
    his work, five golds after the first month, and ten golds after the first year."
     
    Dythya nodded.
     
    “How is the schooling going for the pages and fosterlings?”
     
    “Well enough for most..." Dythya’s voice was cautious.
     
    “Except Hoede is becoming impossible?”
     
    “He has difficulty with numbers. He has little interest in them, and less in learning them from a
    woman.”
     
    Anna shook her head sadly. “How about the others? What about Nelmor's heir—Tiersen, is it?”
     
    “After the first weeks, he is fine. His sister had a word with him, I believe.” A smile crossed
    Dythya’s lips.
     
    Anna smiled as well. Had the timid Ytrude actually had the nerve to advise her brother? “Any
    other problems?”
     
    “No. The others learn well. Some, like Cataryzna and Lysara, know as much as I do already, and
    even young Secca has begun to do complicated sums like the others. Skent is the best of the
    young men, but Jimbob works hard."
     
    That the heir of Defalk worked hard was good, but Anna hoped at least some of the motivation
    was internal, rather than provided by his grandsire externally.
     
    “Lord Jecks, lady,” announced Resor.
     
    Anna motioned for the white-haired lord to enter. “Will that be all?” asked Dythya, standing.
    “Just for now,” Anna said. “I wanted to know how things stood before I started thinking about
    spending golds.”
     
    “Would that more rulers thought such, my lady,” Jecks offered as he bowed to Anna.
     
    Dythya bowed and slipped out of the receiving room. With Anna’s gesture, Jecks took the seat
    the counselor had vacated.
     
    “How am I supposed to deal with the mess in Fussen?" she asked him.
     
    “As Regent, you must reach a decision about which will inherit—and quickly.”
     
    “I don’t know either one.”
     
    Jecks smiled. “Yet, my lady.”
     
    “I think, you schemer, that you’re saying I need to go to Fussen and meet the two young men.”
     
    “How else will you know them? How else will the Thirty-three feel at ease with your decision?
    You have not been to the west of Defalk, my lady."
     
    “If I upheld the older male, no one would say anything. So…” —she dragged out the word—
    “that means that you think something’s rotten in Fussen, or at least with Ustal, and you think my
    presence will reassure such stalwarts as Nelmor—”
     
      “And Lord Jearle."
     
    Anna looked and felt blank at the last name. She took another swallow of water and blotted a
    forehead that had become damp as the midmorning heat had begun to build in the receiving
    room.
     
    “Lord of Denguic,” Jecks