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DIVIDED ALLEGIANCE

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and

any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

A Baen Books Original

Baen Publishing Enterprises 5020 Henry Hudson Parkway Riverdale,NY 10471

ISBN: 0-671-69786-2 Cover art by Kevin Davies

First Printing, October 1988 Second Printing, September 1989 Third Printing, July 1990

Printed in the United States of America

Distributed by Simon & Schuster 1230 Avenue of the Ameneas New York. NY 10020

Prologue

Long ago, before the elder folk were driven from the lands south of the Hakkenarsk, the elves who

dwelt in those heights had found a valley more lovely than any other. The shape of its rock and

the clarity of its water brought joy to all who saw it. There for a time the elves lived, and

built as they rarely build, while the greatest among them sang to the taig of that place, and

wakened it to its own power. Over long years they shaped it, singing one song of beauty after

another, and the taig responded, willing itself to flourish as the elves suggested. Very dear was

this valley to all who could sense the taigin, both elder and younger folk, and it was known as

the elfane taig, the holy place and living banner of the elves and their powers.

Then troubles came: the tales are lost that tell who brought them, or how those who fled sought

refuge far away. Even to the elfane taig the evil came, and the elves fled, driven out by a power

they could not resist for all their songs. The taig remained, crippled in its resistance to that

evil by corruption placed at its heart, no longer truly elfane but banast, or wounded. Most of its

great strength was spent in containing that corruption. The taig could not attack the embodied

evil without loosing the

2 . EHzabeth Moon

worse danger, the periapt which would leave it permanently defiled.

Few travelers went that way at first, for its hazards were well known. The elves, when they were

asked, warned all. No dwarf would venture so near the Ladysforest, and humans, for the most part,

preferred the easier pass at Valdaire, or the shorter one over Dwarfwatch. So for long years the

contending powers in the valley had only each other to feed on. A stray ore here, a wolfpack

there—these nourished the conflict ill. And of the travelers that passed, not all were apt for

use. Some, when the visions came, woke quickly and fled, leaving packs and animals behind. Others,

greedy for treasure, stormed into the ruins without sense, and fell to the first of the traps and

creatures, ending as servants of evil, or its food.

But ages passed, and time dulled human memories, and ever the contending powers sought lives and

souls to serve them, to war in their long and bitter strife. As elven influence waned hi Lyonya,

the nearest settled land, few asked elves for advice; fewer still obeyed. Bold explorers, half

brigand, wandered the northern slopes. From time to time an entire band disappeared below the

valley's ruins, to live in the eternal light of the old halls, and fight for whichever power could

enchant each separate soul. There they died, for none came alive from the banast taig. So the

treasure accumulated, over the years: most of it the weaponry and armor of wandering mercenaries

or brigands, but also odd bits of magical equipment, scholars scrolls— whatever a lost traveler

might be carrying.

Then two more travelers entered the valley.

Chapter One

When all Siniava's troops had been marched away under guard, most of the Phelani assumed they'd be

going back to Valdaire—even, perhaps, to the north again. Some were already making plans for

spending their share of the loot. Others looked forward to time to rest and recover from wounds.

They were more than a little surprised, then, to be marched south, along the Immer, in company

with Alured's men, the Halverics, and several cohorts of the Duke of Fall's army. These last

looked fresh as new paint, hardly having fought at all, except to turn Siniava away from Fallo.

"I don't understand it," muttered Ken to Paks as they marched. "I thought we were

through—Siniava's dead. What more?"

Paks shook her head. "Maybe the Duke has a contract."

"Contract! Tir's bones, it'll take us the rest of the season just to get back to Valdaire. Why do

we need a contract?"

"Have you ever seen the sea?" asked Seli.

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"No—why?"

"Well, that's reason enough to go south. I've seen it— you'll be impressed."

"What is it like?" asked Paks.

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"I don't think anyone can tell you. You have to see it. I've heard the cliffs are tower here, at

the Immer's mouth, than at Confaer, where I was. But even so—"

As they marched south beyond the forest, the river beside them widened. They passed through a few

small towns and villages. Alured stationed some of his troops in each of these. Word trickled down

from the captains that Alured was claiming the title of Duke of Immer. This meant nothing to Paks

or the younger soldiers, but Stammel knew that the title had been extinct for several hundred

years, since the fell of the old kingdom of Aare across the sea.

"I'm surprised that the Duke of Fall and the other nobles are accepting it," he said one night.

"That was the price of his help this year," said Vossik. All the sergeants were gathered around

one fire for an hour or so. "I heard talk in Fallo's cohorts about it. If the Fallo, Andressat,

and Cilwan would uphold his claim—and our Duke, of course—then he'd turn on Siniava."

"But why would they, even so?"

"It's an odd story," said Vossik, obviously ready to tell it.

"Go on, Voss, don't make us beg," growled StammeL

"Well, it's only what I heard, after all: I don't know whether those Fallo troops know the truth,

or if they're telling it, but here it is. It seems that Alured used to be a pirate on the

Immerhoft—"

"We knew that—"

"Yes, but that's the beginning. He'd captured another ship, and was about to throw the prisoners

over, the way pirates do—"

"Into the water?" asked Paks.

Someone laughed. Vossik turned to her. "Pirates don't want a mess on their ships—so they usually

do throw prisoners overboard—"

"But don't they swim or wade to shore?" asked ^Natzlin.

"They can't. It's too for, and the water is deep."

"I can swim a long way—" said Barra.

"Not that far. Tir's gut, Barra, you haven't seen the sea yet. It could be a day's march from

shore, the ship, when they toss someone out." Vossik took a long swallow of sib

DIVIDED ALLEGIANCE 5

and went on. "Anyway, one of the prisoners was a mage—or said he was. He started calling to

Alured, telling him he should be a prince by rights."

"I'd have thought Alured wouldn't listen to prisoners' yells," said Stammel. "He doesn't look the

type.

"No," agreed Vossik. "He doesn't. But it seems he'd had some sort of tale from his father—about

being born of good blood, or whatever. So he had the man brought to him, and the mage told him a

long tale about his ancestors. How he was really heir to a vast kingdom, and was wasting his time

as a pirate."

"He believed that?" Haben snorted and reached his own mug into the sib. "I'd heard pirates were

superstitious, but—"

"Well, the man offered proof. Said he'd seen scrolls in old Aare that proved it. Offered to take

Alured there, and prove his right to the kingdom."

"To Aare? That heap of sand?"

^How do you know, Devlin? You haven't been there."

"No, but I've heard. No one's ever said anything was left in Aare but ruins."

"That's what the mage told Alured—that he'd been in the ruins, and could find the proof of

Alured's ancestry."

"It seems to me," said Erial, "that it's extra trouble to hunt up ancestors like that. What

difference does it make anyway? Our Duke's got his steading without dragging in hundreds of

fathers and fathers' fathers."

"Or mothers," muttered Barra.

"You know they're different here in Aarenis," said Stammel. "Think of Andressat."

"That stuffed owl," said Barra.

"No—don't be that way, Barra. He's a good fighter, and a damn good count for Andressat. Most other

men would have lost Andressat to Siniava years ago. He's proud of his ancestors—true—but he's

someone they could be proud of as well."

"But go on about Alured, Voss," said Stammel. "What happened?"

"As I said, he already had some idea that he was nobly bred. So he listened to this fellow, and

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sailed back to old

6 Elizabeth Moon

Aare with him. Then—now remember, I got this from the Fallo troops; I don't say it's true—then the

mage showed him the proof. They say that Alured believed it—an old scroll, showing the marriages,

and such, and proving that he was in direct descent from that Duke of Immer who was called back to

Aare in the troubles."

"But Vossik, it wouldn't take much—any decent mage could fake something like that!" Erial looked

around at the others; some of them nodded.

"I didn't say I believed it, Erial. But Alured did. It fitted what he wanted, let's say. If Aare

had been worth anything, it would have meant the throne of Aare—if it was true. It certainly meant

the lands of Immer."

"And so he left the sea, and settled into the forest to be a land pirate? How was that being a

duke?"

"Well—again—this is hearsay. Seems he came to the Immer ports first, and tried to get mem to swear

allegiance—"

"But he'd been a pirate!"

"Yes, I know. He wasn't thinking clearly, perhaps. Then he hired a lot of local toughs, dressed

them in the old colors of Immer, and tried to parley with the Duke of Fall."

"Huh. And came out with a whole skin?"

"He wasn't stupid enough to put it in jeopardy—this took place on the borders of Fallo. The Duke

reacted as you might expect, but—well—he didn't much care what happened in the southern forest, as

long as it didn't bother him. And, so his men say, he's longsighted—won't make an enemy

unnecessarily."

"But what about Siniava?"

"Well, Alured wasn't being accepted as Duke of Immer any more than Siniava was accepted as Count

of the South Marches. Now this bit I got from one of Alured's men. Siniava promised Alured the

dukedom if he'd break up the Immer River shipping, and protect Siniava's movements in the area.

Thats why no one could trace him after Rotengre."

"Yes, but—"

"But a couple of things happened. First, Andressat. Andressat didn't accept Alured's claim, but he

was polite:

DIVIDED ALLEGIANCE 7

read the scroll, said he could understand Alured's feelings, but pushed the decision off on the

Duke of Fall. He let Alured look at his archives, and said if Fallo was ever convinced, he'd back

him. So when Siniava tried to get Alured to move on Andressat's flank, he wouldn't. Then the wood-

wanderers: you remember that old man we met in Kodaly, that time?' Stammel nodded. "Alured had

befriended them when he moved into the forest, so they were on his side. Same time, our Duke had

befriended them for years in the north, and northern Aarenis. From that, our Duke knew what Alured

wanted. And he knew what Fallo wanted, which was to marry into a northern kingdom—and he knew that

Sofi Ganarrion had a marriageable child—"

"But Soft's not a king—"

"Yet. Remember what he's always said. And with Fallo behind him—"

"Gods above! You mean—"

"Somehow our Duke and the Halveric convinced the Duke of Fall that Alured's help in this campaign

was worth that much to him. So the Duke of Fall agreed to back Alured's claim, and Andressat fell

into line, and we got passage through the forest and Siniava didn't."

Paks shivered. She had never thought of the maneuvering that occurred off the battlefield. "But is

Alured really the Duke of Immer?"

Vossik shrugged. "He has the title. He will be ruling. What else?"

"But if he's not really—by blood, I mean—"

"I don't see that it matters. He'll be better as a duke than a pirate: he'll have to govern,

expand trade, stop robbing—"

"Will he?" Haben looked around the whole group before going on. "I wouldn't think, myself, that a

pirate-turned-brigand would make a very good duke. >Vhat's the difference between taxes and

robbery, if it comes to that?"

"He's not stupid, Haben." Vossik looked worried. "It will have to be better than Siniava—"

"That's my point. Siniava claimed a title—claimed to be governing his lands—but we all saw what

that meant in

Elizabeth Moon

Cha and Sibili. He didn't cut off trade entirely, as Alured has done on the Immer, no—but would

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any of us want to live under someone like him? I remember the faces in those cities, if you

don't."

"But he fought Siniava—"

"Yes—at the end. For a good reward, too. I'm not saying he's all bad, Vossik; I don't know. But so

far he's done what any mercenary might—gone where the gold is. How will he govern? A man who

thinks he's nobly born, and has been cheated of his birthright—what will he do when we reach the

Immer ports?"

They found out at Immerdzan, where the Immer widened abruptly into a bay. It sheltered four ports:

Immerdzan and Aliuna, across the river from each other, Ka-Immer, seaward of Immerdzan, and

Seafang, high on the last rocky point of the bay on Aliuna's side. Seafang alone had not been

controlled by Siniava in the past few years; it was more a pirates' lair than a port anyway. But

Immerdzan, Ka-Immer, and Aliuna had been governed by Siniava's minions.

Immerdzan required no formal assault. It had never been fortified on the land side, beyond a wall

hardly more than man-high with the simplest of gates. The army marched in without meeting any

resistance. The streets were crowded and dirty; the air stank of things Paks had never smelled

before. Paks got her first look at the bay, here roiled and murky from the Immer's output. The

shore was cluttered with piers and wharves, with half-rotted pilings, the skeletons of boats,

boats sinking, boats floating, new boats, spars, shreds of sail, nets hung from every available

pole, and festooned on the houses. She saw small naked children, skinny as goats, diving and

swimming around the boats. Most of them wore their hair in a single short braid, tied with bright

bits of cloth.

Beyond the near-shore clutter, the bay lay wide and nearly empty under the hot afternoon sun. A

few boats slid before the wind, their great triangular sails curved like wings. Paks stared at

them, fascinated. One changed direction as she watched, the dark line of the hull shorten-

DIVIDED ALLEGIANCE 9

ing and lengthening again, now facing another way. Far in the distance she could see the high

ground beyond the bay, and southward the water turned green, then blue, as the Immer's water

merged with the open sea.

Around the Duke's troops, a noisy crowd had gathered— squabbling, it seemed to Paks, in a language

high-pitched and irritable. Children dashed back and forth, some still sleek and wet from the

water, others grimy. Barefoot men in short trousers, their hair in a longer single braid,

clustered around the boats; women in bright short skirts and striped stockings hung out of windows

and crowded the doorways. One of Alured's captains called in the local language, and a sudden

silence fell. Paks heard the water behind her, sucking and mumbling at the pilings, slurping. She

shivered, wondering if the sea had a spirit. Did it hunger?

Alured's captain began reading from a scroll in his hand. Paks looked for ArcoTin and watched his

face; surely he knew what was going on. He had no expression she could read. Now the announcement,

whatever it was, was finished: Alured's captain spoke to the Duke, saluted, and mounted to ride

away. The crowd was silent. When he rounded the corner, a low murmur passed through them. One man

shouted, hoarsely. Paks looked for him, and saw two younger men shoving a graybearded one back.

Another man near them called in accented Common:

"Who ofyou speaks to us?"

"I, do." The Duke's voice was calm as ever.

"You—you are pirates?"

"No. What do you mean?"

"That—that man—he says is now our duke—he is a pirate. You are his men—you are pirates."

"No." The Duke shook his head. Paks saw Arcolin give the others a hand signal, saw the signal

passed from captains to sergeants. It was unneeded; they were all alert anyway. "We are his

allies, not his men. He fought with us upriver—against Siniava."

'THiat filth! The man spat. "Who are you, then, if you fight Siniava but also with pirates?"

"Duke Phelan, of Tsaia.'

Elizabeth Moon

"Tsaia? That's over the Dwarfmounts, all the way north! What do you here?"

"I have a mercenary company, that fights in Aarenis. Siniava—" The Duke's voice thinned, but he

did not go on, "We fought Siniava," he said finally. "He is dead. Alured of the forest has been-

granted the Duchy of Immer, and as he aided us, so I am now aiding him."

"He is no duke!" yelled the man. "I don't know you—I heard something maybe, but I don't know you.

But that Alured—he is nothing but pirate, and pirate he will be. Siniava was bad, Barrandowea.

knows that, but Alured! He killed my uncle, years back, out there in the bay, him and his filthy

ship!"

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"No matter," said the Duke. "He is the Duke of Immer now, and he rules this land—including this

city. I am here to keep order until his own officers take over."

The man spat again, and turned away. The Duke said nothing more to the crowd, but set the cohorts

on guard along the waterfront, and had patrols in the streets leading to and from their area. All

was quiet enough, that first day. Paks felt herself lucky to be stationed on the seawall. She

could look down at the boats, swaying on the waves, and catch a breath of the light wind that blew

off the water. Strange birds, gray and white with black-capped heads, and large red bills, hovered

over the water, diving and lifting again.

It was the next day that the executions began. Paks heard the yells from the other side of the

city, but before they could get excited, the captains explained what was going on.

"The Duke of Fall and the Duke of Immer are executing Siniava's agents." Arcolin's face was

closed. "We are to keep order here, in case of rioting—but we don't expect any." In fact, nothing

happened in their quarter. The men and women went about their work without looking at the

soldiers, and the children scampered in and out of the water freely. But the noise from across the

city did not quiet down, and in the evening Cracolnya's cohort was pulled out to join the

Halverics in calming the disturbance. They returned in the morning, tired and grim;

DIVIDED ALLEGIANCE

Paks did not hear the details until much later. But the Duke's Company marched out of Immerdzan

the following day, and the bodies hung on the wall were eloquent enough.

In Ka-Immer, the word had arrived before they did. The gates were closed. With no trained troops

for defense, and only the low walls, the assault lasted only a few hours. This time the entire

population was herded into the market square next to the seawall. While the Halverics and Phelani

guarded them, Alured's men searched the streets, house by house, bringing more and more to stand

with the others. When they were done, Alured himself rode to die edge of the square. He pointed at

a man among the others. His soldiers seized him, and dragged him out of the mob. Then two more,

and another. Someone yelled, from across the square, and a squad of Alured's men shoved into the

crowd, flailing them aside, to seize him as well. The first man had thrown himself down before

Alured, sobbing. Alured shook his head, pointed. All of them were dragged to a rough framework of

spars which Alured's troops had lashed together.

A ripple of sound ran through the crowd; die people crammed back against each other, the rear

ranks backing almost into Pak's squad. She and the others linked shields, holding firm. She could

hardly see over the crowd. Then the first of the men lifted into sight, stretched on ropes slung

over the framework. Paks stiffened; her belly clenched. Another. Another. Soon they hung in a row,

one by the feet and the others by their arms. Alured's men petted them with mud, stones, fish from

the market. One of diem hung limp, another screamed thinly. Paks looked away, gulped back nausea.

When her eyes slid sideways, they met Keri's, equally miserable. She did not see the end, when

Alured himself ran a spear into each man. She felt, through the movement of the crowd, that an end

had come, and looked up to see die bodies being lowered.

But it was not the end. Alured spoke, in diat strange language, gesturing fiercely. The crowd was

still, unmov-tng; Paks could smell the fear and hatred of those nearest her. He finished with a

question: Paks recognized die tone

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of voice, the outflung arm, the pause, waiting for an answer. It came as a dead fish, flung from

somewhere in the crowd, that came near to its mark. His face darkened. Paks could not hear what he

said, but his own soldiers fanned out again, coming at the crowd.

Before they reached it, the crowd erupted into sound and action. Jammed as they were against a

thin line of Phelani and Halverics holding the three landward sides of the market, they somehow

managed to turn and move at once. PaksJs squad was forced back, by that immense pressure. They

could hear nothing but the screams and bellows of the crowd; they had been ordered to guard, not

attack. But they were being overwhelmed. Most of the people had no weapons; their weapon was

simply numbers. Like Paks, they were reluctant to strike unarmed men and women—but equally, they

did not want to be overrun.

Behind, in the streets that led to the market, Paks could hear other troops coming, and shouted

commands that were but pebbles of noise against the stone wall around them. She tried to stay in

contact with the others, tried to fend off the crowd with the flat of her sword, but the pressure

was against them all. A man grabbed at her weapon, screaming at her; she raised it, and he hit

her, hard, under the arm. Almost in reflex, Paks thrust, running the sword into his body. He fell

under a storm of feet, that kept coming at her. She fended them off as best she could, pressing

close to the rest of the squad as they tried to keep together and keep on their feet.

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