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Updated: June 21, 2025
Young Basom proved to be a reasonably competent supervisor. He was nowhere near as good as Anketam or Jacovik, but there were worse supers in the barony. Anketam found that the biggest worry was not in the handling of the farmers, but in obtaining manufactured goods. The staff physician complained to Kevenoe that drugs were getting scarce. Shoes and clothing were almost impossible to obtain.
I'm not a Chief. I don't know how their minds work. Do you? Maybe they'll think surrender would be better than having all of Xedii destroyed inch by inch." Anketam shook his head. "Never. The Chiefs will fight to the very end. And they'll win in the long run because right is on their side.
There was a long silence while the men walked six paces. Then Jacovik said: "I'll do whatever I can, Ank. Whatever I can." There was honest warmth in his voice. Again there was a silence. "Blejjo," Anketam said after a time, "do you mind coming out of retirement for a while?" "Not if you need me, Ank," said the old man. "It won't be hard work," Anketam said.
Anketam pulled his hat down again and turned to walk toward his house in the little village that he and his crew called home. He had warned his wife to have supper ready early. "I figure on being finished by sundown," he'd said. "You can tell the other women I said so. But don't say anything to them till after we've gone to the fields.
Even so, Anketam's faith in the power of Xedii remained constant. The invading armies were still being held off from Chromdin, weren't they? The capital would not fall, of that he was sure. What Anketam did not and could not know was the fact that the Invaders were growing tired of pussy-footing around. Instead of fighting Xedii on Xedii's terms, the Invaders decided to fight it on their own.
"Sure you can. You mean to say you've never had brandy before? Why, down in Algia, our Chief " He stopped. Anketam didn't look at him. "Sure, Russ; sure. I'll bet Chief Samas gives a drink to his secretary, too, now and then." He turned around and winked. "But this stuff is for brain work, not farming." He knew Russat was embarrassed.
But The Chief's words after the speech the words spoken to him privately were bright and clear in his mind. The Chief was a good three inches shorter than Anketam, but Anketam never noticed that. He just stood there in front of The Chief, wondering what more his Chief had to say. "You've shown yourself to be a good farmer, Anketam," Chief Samas said in a low voice.
He turned to face the dark, squat, hard-looking man who had spoken. "It couldn't be, Jacovik. It couldn't be." The other supervisor looked down at his big, knuckle-scarred hands instead of looking at Anketam.
Anketam felt as though he had been struck an actual blow; the finger was pointed directly at him. "Anketam," said The Chief, "I'm leaving the barony in your hands until I return. You will supervise the labor of all the men here. Is that understood?" "Yes, sir," said Anketam weakly. "Yes, sir. I understand."
"I said that the Invader troops are crossing Benner Creek," Kevenoe said angrily. "They'll be at the castle within an hour. We've got to do something." "What?" Anketam asked dazedly. "Fight them? With what? We have no weapons." "I don't know," Kevenoe admitted. "I just don't know. I thought maybe you'd know. Maybe you could think of something. What about Lady Samas?" "What about her?"
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