Ludwig nodded with satisfaction.
“Are there any Mord-Sith remaining at the citadel?” Erika asked.
The man immediately bowed. “Yes, Mistress, Lord Dreier. Several.”
“Have them assembled inside,” she said.
Ludwig nodded his agreement. “We will need to speak with them.”
Erika smiled at the prospect as she stroked a hand down the long blond braid lying over the front of her shoulder.
CHAPTER
37
As Ludwig threw open the towering main doors and entered the grand greeting room of the citadel, he could see servants in dark gray dresses and crisp white aprons carrying linens and other supplies as they raced through the galleries beyond the stone columns to each side. An older man down on one knee fed sticks of wood into one of the two fireplaces in order to build up the flames to help take the dampness out of the air. A few women to the sides in the same gray dresses were throwing back heavy draperies to let in streamers of gray light. Other women of the staff were lighting lamps on side tables to brighten the gloomy room and welcome the new master of the house.
At the far end of the grand room, a split staircase led up to balconies running along either side of the room above the galleries supported by the stone columns. Halls and doors up on that level led to different areas of the citadel. Ahead, on the balcony level, a single grand staircase in the center beginning with spiraled, marble newel posts on each side led up to the top floor, where Ludwig had heard on previous visits were to be found Hannis Arc’s main work area and recording room.
Soldiers, who had decided to take the choice Lord Dreier had offered them, also rushed through the gallery and into halls both on the lower floor and up on the balcony level to make sure that everyone recognized the new order of things in the citadel. Ludwig could hear orders being called out in the distance down various passageways. Everyone, it seemed, was rushing about, urgently seeing to it that proper preparations were being made to receive the new lord of the house.
Once the draperies had been opened wide, the large windows on the front wall beside the entrance doors let in the gloomy light to show off the rich, deeply colored carpets and tapestries, the tasteful chairs and couches in muted tans, and small, polished mahogany tables near the chairs. A thin haze from the fireplaces hung in the air, adding the pungent aroma of wood smoke to the otherwise musty smell.
Ludwig had seen it before and had never been all that impressed. It wasn’t that it lacked elegance, it was that the people were what mattered to him. He had never been preoccupied with belongings.
His belief was that if you focused on people and gave them the proper attention required, then the possessions would naturally follow. It seemed to him that most people had it backward, focusing on the value of mere objects, never getting matters right with the people, first, thinking instead that such trappings would convince others that they had attained great power. They had attained only possessions.
“Rather disappointing,” Ludwig commented to Erika.
“What’s disappointing?” she asked.
“That they folded so quickly. I expect you were looking forward to … corrective measures.”
“Only when necessary,” she said. She clasped her hands behind her back as they stood overlooking the room, watching the servants rush about. “Besides, I know your talents, so I wasn’t all that surprised when you only had to kill one of them before the rest had a change of heart. You do have a way with people.”
He smiled. “Well, I have found that beheading a snake does tend to take the fight out of the rest of it, making it more flexible and easy to handle.”
Erika nodded as she surveyed the room, taking note of each person she saw. “We still have the Mord-Sith.”
Ludwig shrugged. “Even less trouble. Generals are plentiful, but Mord-Sith are valuable so I am reluctant to be quite that ‘blunt’ when explaining it to them.”
Erika gave him a testy side glance. “I know these women, Lord Dreier,” she said. “I’ve served with them since we were with Darken Rahl. While I realize that you value the Mord-Sith, and want to conserve a valuable resource, there is one among these here that I think you should know about.”
“Why is that?”
“She is the kind who will smile to the face of power and cross you behind your back.”
He cast a dark look her way. “You all did that. You all smiled to your master, Darken Rahl, and served him, but you all left him when his back was turned.”
“To go to a better master,” Erika pointed out.
When Ludwig let out a small grunt, dismissing the excuse, Erika went on. “I took up your offer and willingly turned my loyalty over to you. In your service, you have given me the chance to use my training to fulfill myself as a Mord-Sith, more so than Darken Rahl ever did. You have shown me trust by giving me wide-ranging responsibilities.