“She rides like a horse nomad,” Panin said.

“She rides like a paladin,” Kieri said. “Horse nomads would worship her as the Windsteed’s bride, if they saw her on that horse.”

“Sir King—Sir King—!” A groom hurried from the opening of the mews, to the left as they entered the palace gate. “I can take him, Sir King—you need not—”

“Just show me where he’s stabled,” Kieri said. “His name’s Banner—I don’t think I told anyone when we arrived.”

“Sir—down here, then, if you will.” The row of stalls seemed to be mostly empty, but the stall the groom led him to was amply large, clean, freshly laid with deep straw. Kieri stopped the horse outside.

“He’s been exercised in the Royal Ride, and it’s wet—you’ll want to check his hooves, make sure he’s thrown all the mudballs out.”

“Of course, Sir King. Jemi—come hold this horse—” A younger man, hardly more than a boy, came out of a stall down the row and hurried to take the lead.

Kieri gave the horse a last pat and turned away.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Back in the dining room, he found Sier Galvary and a younger man with stacks of records, scrolls, and books.

“You’ll want more than this, I’m sure, Sir King,” said Sier Galvary. “I brought the year-roll for last year, the final accounting to the Council upon the former king’s death, and a list of the lands held by human Siers—their extent and their principal products. Most of our trade is in craftwork of one kind or another, but we do export some raw materials.” He turned to the younger man with him. “And this is Egil, who despite his youth has earned his place as senior auditor of accounts.”

“Excellent,” Kieri said. “Let’s get to it, then.”

“The royal treasury is supported by taxes, like most,” Galvary said. “Our arrangement with the elves limits the lands humans can farm or clear; land rights do not come from the Crown, as they do in Tsaia, and elves must approve any transfer of land by purchase.”

“What about inheritance?”

“Firstborn, male or female, inherits the land—the elves have not interfered save when a firstborn was obviously incompetent, and then only to approve the transfer to someone else in the same family. Near as we can tell, them being so long-lived, if not immortal, they make alliances with families and not individuals.”

“And the other children? Or do most people have only one or two children?”

“Usually that, Sir King—well, not just one or two, but not many, because the land grants will not support a multitude and the elves demand that land be well managed. They removed one family for failure to do that … a long time back, that was.”

“So … does the Crown take taxes on the basis of landownership or production? Or do the elves?”

“Elves take no land-rent; their restrictions on land use, they say, are sufficient impediment to short-lived human ambition.”