Colours in the Steel (53 page)

‘Ven.’

Venart ignored her. ‘I’m sure Loredan will help,’ he said. ‘He seemed a very honourable sort of person. If we ask him politely...’

‘He isn’t in charge any more. They gave him the sack.’

‘What?’ Venart scowled. ‘Oh, damn. All right then, what about your friend the Patriarch? I’m sure that if
he
put in a word for us—’

‘Oh, do shut up, Ven, before I push you in the harbour. I’ve had enough of it here. I want to go home.’

Venart took another look at his ship, as if to reassure himself that it was still there. ‘What did he do to make them sack him?’ he asked. ‘I’d have thought he’d be the hero of the hour.’

Vetriz shrugged. ‘You’d have thought so,’ she agreed. ‘But like I keep telling you, these people aren’t like us.’ She started to walk away, so that Venart had to run to catch her up.

‘He might still be able to use his influence,’ he puffed. ‘He can’t have made enemies of everyone in the government.’

‘Actually,’ Vetriz said, ‘we might ask him if he wants to come with us. And that clerk of his, Athli. I like her, she’s got good sense. And we could always use another clerk.’

Venart stared at her. ‘You can’t be serious,’ he said. ‘All our working capital’s lying rotting at the bottom of the harbour and you’re talking about taking on more staff. Sometimes I think you must live in a world of your own.’

‘Well, we could at least offer them a ride to the Island. Assuming they want to go, of course. They may prefer to stay here and sweat it out. But we ought to ask.’

Venart scowled at her. ‘And I suppose you want me to offer free berths to the Patriarch and his friend as well. I mean, why leave them out?’

‘Good point. Though I don’t for one moment suppose they’d accept.’

‘Vetriz,’ Venart said, his voice almost pleading, ‘we can get good money for every berth we can fill on the ship; the last thing we want to do is fill the wretched thing up giving free rides to people we hardly even know. Particularly if we don’t get any compensation. It’d be throwing away our only chance of getting some of our money back.’

They discussed the matter further on the way back to the inn, and in consequence it was decided that they’d ask Loredan, Athli, Alexius and Gannadius if they wanted free passage to the Island. ‘And if they offer to pay for it,’ Vetriz added, ‘refuse. You take one copper quarter off any of them and I’ll make you eat it.’

‘All right,’ Venart said grudgingly. ‘But first we’ll ask whether they can do anything about getting an indemnity for all that rope. Bloody stuff,’ he added savagely. ‘I wish I’d never set eyes on it.’

‘Ah, well,’ Vetriz said, with a deliberately aggravating smile. ‘If you’d done as I said and bought carpet the last time we were here...’

So, after a deliberately cheap and frugal meal, they went to find Athli, who would know where to find Loredan. She wasn’t at home.

‘Wonderful,’ Venart said, after they’d banged on the door and peered through the windows. ‘Now what do you suggest?’

‘We could wait here,’ Vetriz replied. ‘Or we could go and see the Patriarch. He’d probably know where Loredan lives.’

‘What makes you think that?’

 

‘Who?’ Alexius demanded. The pageboy repeated the names, mispronouncing them both. ‘Oh, them.’ He exchanged glances with Loredan. ‘Show them up,’ he said. ‘Let’s see what they want.’

‘I’ll stay for this, if you don’t mind,’ Loredan said, after the boy had gone. ‘They’re the ones you reckon have these peculiar powers?’

‘The girl,’ Alexius replied. ‘And I know you’re sceptical. I don’t know what to make of it, though; their being in the city, I mean. If I’m right about her - well, we’ll see.’

Loredan grinned. ‘Actually,’ he said, ‘it’s all to do with rope.’

‘Rope.’

‘I sold him a whole load of surplus rope we’d appropriated by mistake,’ Loredan explained. ‘Presumably he came back to pick up the stuff he couldn’t carry the last time he was here.’ A thought struck him. ‘I hope nothing’s happened to their ship,’ he said. ‘By all accounts things got fairly lively down at the harbour yesterday.’

Alexius nodded. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘if anything has happened to their ship, it knocks a fair-sized hole in my theory. It’s a pretty poor sorceress who can’t protect her own property.’

‘I thought you weren’t meant to call them—’

The door opened. ‘Oh, isn’t that lucky!’ Vetriz said loudly. ‘Here they are, both of them. Two birds with—’

‘Patriarch,’ Venart said formally, nodding to Alexius. ‘And Colonel Loredan. This is indeed most fortunate. If you could possibly spare us a little of your time—’

‘Can we have some wine, please?’ Alexius said to the boy before he could escape. ‘And something to eat, if there’s anything going? Thank you.’ He propped himself up on one elbow. ‘Please excuse me,’ he went on, ‘but I’ve been officially declared ill and I’m not allowed to get up even for visitors. Sit down, if you can find somewhere.’

Vetriz immediately perched on the edge of the bed, almost but not quite sitting on the Patriarch’s feet. Her brother tried not to notice and remained standing.

‘Sorry to barge in like this,’ Vetriz said, ‘but we’re sailing for home and we wondered if you’d like to come with us.’

Neither Alexius nor Loredan knew what to say. The thought of leaving the city hadn’t occurred to either of them before. It was like hearing some strange heretical new theory about the nature of the universe; something too wild and radical to accept, too plausible to ignore. ‘That’s a very kind offer,’ Alexius murmured. ‘I—’ He stopped and looked down at his hands, resting on top of the sheet. ‘That’s a very kind offer. Very kind indeed.’

‘And Athli, too, of course,’ Vetriz went on. ‘And your colleague Gannadius, Patriarch. Is he here today, or is he back at his own—’ She couldn’t think of the right word. ‘Establishment,’ she ventured.

‘That’s an interesting idea,’ Loredan said softly. ‘Are you sure? Passages out must be a valuable commodity right now. I’d have thought you could name your own price.’

Venart opened his mouth to say something, caught his sister’s eye and closed it again.

‘We do need to know fairly quickly, though,’ Vetriz said. ‘We’re hoping to leave tomorrow morning, first thing.’ She hesitated, rubbed the side of her head with her fingertips, and went on. ‘If you like, sleep on it and we’ll keep four berths empty for you on the ship, just in case you do want to come.’ Venart made a quiet moaning noise, which she ignored. ‘I do hope you will,’ she added. ‘I mean, it was wonderful the way you all rallied round and beat off the attack yesterday, really it was, but...’ Then she smiled brightly. ‘That’s all we wanted to say. We won’t stop for the wine, thanks. Goodbye.’

‘But—’ Venart said, as she opened the door. ‘Oh, never mind. Our ship’s at the north quay,’ he added, turning to follow her, ‘the
Squirrel
, she’s called. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding her, she’s the only twin-castled freighter in the docks.’ He raised his hand in a vague salutation, saw that Vetriz had already gone and darted after her, closing the door behind him.

‘Well, if that doesn’t beat cock-fighting,’ Alexius said after a long silence. ‘What do you make of that, Bardas?’

Loredan rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand before replying. ‘How’s your head feeling?’ he asked.

‘I - Good heavens, you’re right. Sort of a dull, heavy ache, as if there was thunder in the air. I hadn’t noticed it until you mentioned it, but it’s there all right. How about you?’

Loredan grimaced. ‘I wish I’d had the really good night out this is the hangover for,’ he replied. ‘I still don’t believe a word of it, of course. How about their offer? Guilty conscience, perhaps?’

Alexius lifted his head sharply. ‘That’s a nasty one,’ he said, ‘particularly coming from a sceptic like yourself.’

‘I’m humouring you. Are you going to accept?’

Alexius shook his head. ‘Twenty years ago, perhaps. Maybe even ten. Now, though, the journey’d probably kill me. Anyway, I thought you said a direct assault wasn’t going to work.’

Lordan shook his head. ‘If I go,’ he said, ‘it won’t be because I’m afraid of the clan. But there’s nothing to keep me here except the prospect of a trial for culpable negligence. I might just go, at that.’

‘Oh,’ Alexius said. ‘Well, yes, I suppose there’s a call there for your sort of services - teaching fencing, I mean, not lawyering. I suppose,’ he added, ‘I’d better let Gannadius know about the offer. He’s younger than me and still ambitious, still has things he wants to do in the world. I’m sure I could concoct some post for him in one of the Order’s houses on the Island.’

Loredan nodded. ‘That reminds me,’ he said. ‘I ought to tell my clerk, since she was included in the offer. Damn,’ he added. ‘Just when I thought I was going to get a chance to go to bed.’ He stood up, wincing at the stiffness in his joints. ‘If I do decide to go,’ he said awkwardly, ‘then I suppose - well, so long, Alexius. We could have known each other better under different circumstances, except that under different circumstances we’d never have got to know each other at all. Take care of yourself.’

Alexius nodded. ‘And you,’ he said. ‘I have an unpleasant feeling at the back of my mind that I’ve interfered with your life to an extent that I’d never be able to put right if you stayed here. Maybe this business is someone or something putting it right. I’d like to think it was. If you decide to go, that is.’

‘I gather you think I should.’

Alexius shrugged. ‘Don’t ask me,’ he said. ‘Another thing I can’t do is tell fortunes.’

Shortly after Loredan had gone, the boy came back with wine and cakes for four. He put the tray down nevertheless, and asked if there was anything else.

‘Yes, if you’ll just wait a moment,’ Alexius said, his head bent over a writing tablet. ‘I want you to run down to the City Academy and give this to Archimandrite Gannadius, as quickly as you can. Give it to him and nobody else, please; tell him it’s important. Can you do that for me?’

The boy nodded eagerly, his eyes bright with the prospect of an excuse to get outside the walls for an hour or so. Shortly after he left, Alexius could hear him running down the stairs.
Enthusiasm
, he thought.
I had some of that myself once. And look where it got me
.

 

Athli wasn’t at home, which was a nuisance. He hung around outside her house for half an hour or so feeling painfully conspicuous -
I feel like a lovesick sixteen year old, and I didn’t even do this sort of thing when I
was
sixteen
- and then gave up and headed for the baker’s shop on the corner, which was cautiously opening its shutters.

‘I know you, don’t I?’ said the woman in the shop as she handed him a freshly baked loaf stuffed with slices of cheese and bacon.

Loredan nodded. ‘It’s possible,’ he said. ‘I used to work for the government.’

‘That’s it,’ the woman said, snapping her fingers. ‘Weights and measures. Didn’t you use to come round here checking weights and measures one time - oh, must be all of ten years ago now?’

‘Fancy you remembering that,’ Loredan replied, his mouth full of bread.

The woman looked at him, and edged sideways in front of the shop scales. ‘You still doing that?’ she asked.

‘It’s all right,’ Loredan replied. ‘I just quit earlier today.’

‘Oh.’ The woman noticed his armour under his coat. ‘Got called up, did you?’ Loredan nodded. ‘It’s happening to everybody,’ she went on. ‘Damn shame, if you ask me.’

Loredan nodded. ‘I blame the General,’ he said.

‘What, the one who got the push or the new one?’

‘Both,’ Loredan replied, putting his hand out for his change.

He finished off the loaf outside the shop, then explored a little until he found an open tavern. He didn’t feel quite so tired now that he’d eaten something, and the idea of a drink was very attractive indeed. Eventually he located one, in a small, rather dismal place he hadn’t been to in years. It hadn’t changed a bit.

‘Guardsman,’ said the landlord, pouring pale cloudy cider into a grubby-looking horn mug. ‘Seen some action these last couple of days, I’ll bet.’

‘Enough to last me a while,’ Loredan replied, handing over a coin. ‘Your health.’

He and the landlord were the only people in the place. Loredan remarked on this.

‘Don’t know why I bothered opening up,’ the landlord replied. ‘Nobody wants to venture out of the house, just in case the savages suddenly come running down the street. That’s not likely, is it?’ he added.

Loredan shrugged. ‘Don’t ask me,’ he replied. ‘Last I heard they’d obviously had enough, after the General used that fire-oil stuff.’

The innkeeper nodded. ‘Good work, that,’ he said. ‘And it’s about time the wizards did something to earn their keep. Night after night we had people in here asking, why don’t the wizards do something? Should’ve realised they’d keep the magic stuff in reserve for when it’d do most good.’

‘Fine man, the Patriarch,’ Loredan said.

‘His health,’ replied the innkeeper, tilting the mug he’d just filled. ‘If you ask me, though,’ he went on, lowering his voice, ‘there’s more to it than that.’

Loredan’s face registered interest. ‘You reckon?’

The landlord nodded. ‘I’ve heard it said that the Prefect and the General’ve been deliberately keeping old Alexius from doing anything, because it’s in their interest for the emergency to carry on as long as they can spin it out for.’

‘Get away.’

‘Just repeating what I been told,’ the landlord said. ‘Stands to reason, though; the two of them, running the whole city - because you’re not going to tell me the Emperor’s been running things all this while. My guess is they got him locked up somewhere.’

‘That’s terrible,’ Loredan said.

‘Too right it’s terrible. And now, soon as the bastards’ve been defeated, look what happens. The General gets the push, just like that. Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?’