Interregnum (24 page)

Chapter XI.

Sabian was in his full kit when he strode into the square, his armour gleaming in the bright sunlight and his sword swinging idly by his side. Darius stood, as seemed his automatic place these days, behind the commander’s shoulder. He wore the standard kit he used for sword practice or hunting; brown and grey leathers. Cialo and Iasus snapped to attention and the six companies of men behind them followed suit with an ear-splitting crash.

The commander stood for long minutes, his countenance cold and dark. Behind him his new ally shared the commander’s visage, as did the two sergeants. Sabian let them sweat at attention for a few minutes before he spoke.

“I’ve called this parade to give you some news and an ultimatum.”

The companies didn’t move but he had no intention of letting them stand at ease. A few cast curious glances in the direction of Darius without moving their heads. It hadn’t escaped anyone how much time the young man was spending in the commander’s company. Sabian paused a moment and then continued.

“The doctor from the city will no longer be treating you for any minor abrasions or construction injuries during your tenure here. He went for a swim last night without his head.”

He emphasised the last words to increase their shock value and had the desired effect on more than a few soldiers. Without the commander having to utter a word, Iasus bellowed “Stay at attention!” Those who’d slumped a little came rail straight again instantly.

Sabian cast his eyes around the Ibis courtyard windows. No one. Good. He’d sent the elders to examine the bath house and the rest of the population had duties assigned elsewhere. This sort of meeting had to be conducted in some privacy.

He rounded his shoulders and began to pace slowly backwards and forwards along the line of men as he went on.

“The doctor betrayed both myself and the loyal troops of the army to someone back in the city. He murdered Ursus yesterday which is why you may have wondered where he was today. In the end the doctor paid the price traitors always pay!”

Again he fell silent, still stalking up and down the line.

“There is also some suggestion that one or more men in these six companies may be involved in this treachery.”

A murmur of denial spread throughout the lines until Cialo bellowed “Quiet!” at the top of his voice. The commander paused again in the centre of the line and faced them, his hands clasped behind his back.

“I will not allow treachery and mutiny within the ranks. I’ve always been a good commander to my men and you’ve all benefited from my leniency. I don’t want to have to stamp down on any freedoms we’ve granted, but enough is enough.”

He glared at the men. “Rest assured I will find out about anyone who is involved. Anyone who comes to my attention will be summarily punished. If you admit your guilt, I may be lenient. If not, I will make damn sure that you suffer beyond the limit of your wits. Is that clear?”

Silence greeted his last words.

“Is that
clear
?” he bellowed.

The companies saluted in unison with an affirmative. The commander nodded and continued. “If I find out that anyone has been keeping any information from me, they will suffer the same fate. Am I understood?”

No hesitation in the response this time.

Sabian nodded again. “All work parties are suspended for two hours while the elders tour the bath house works. At noon, we’ll be holding a service for Ursus in the graveyard and I expect everyone to attend. I had Minister Sarios informed of events first thing this morning and he will be performing the service for us. After that, work will begin again and you should report to your officers as normal. If any of you feels the pressing need to get anything off your chest in the meantime, you can approach either Iasus or Cialo or find me. I will be somewhere in the complex.

He nodded once at the sergeants before he turned and marched out in the direction of the gate with Darius at his shoulder. Behind him he heard the sergeants give the order to fall out and the men went their various ways. He stalked along angrily into the trees. The doctor had annoyed him so much last night that he’d dealt with the man without getting any real information or confirmation from him and now he had to threaten his own men which irked him all the more. He stopped beneath a tree with perfect lilac flowers and shrugged his armour back into position. Scanning the horizon, he lifted his cloak out of the way and sat with his back to the tree. Darius wandered across to a tree opposite and seated himself. Neither spoke for a long time. Sabian rubbed his hands and stared at them while the young man watched him intently before becoming the first to break the silence.

“Do you think anyone will come to you?”

The commander shook his head. “I really don’t know. This whole thing is irritating me beyond fucking reason. I came here to do a twice yearly head-count and now I’m a prison guard and I can’t trust most of the men around me. I don’t even know why I trust you. I think the time’s coming when we’ll all need to take some oaths of loyalty again.”

Darius nodded. “You can have my word that I have no involvement in any plot against you and that I’ll do my damndest to help you sort this out.”

Sabian smiled. “If only you were a free man Darius. I’d have had Cialo fit you for a uniform before you could draw breath.”

The young man returned the smile and then spoke, tapping his fingers on the hilt of his sword. “What enemies do you have?”

The commander shrugged. “Enough that I know of, let alone those I don’t. His lordship isn’t altogether happy with me right now; I have an ambitious captain back in the city that I should have brought with me theoretically, since he’s Cialo and Iasus’s direct superior. Then there’s three or four noble families whose noses I’ve put out of joint in the last few years, my previous lord who tried to have me killed to stop me taking a position with his opponent… the list goes on. You have no idea how irritating it is to live in a city like Velutio and to have to deal with all the conspiracies that go on there on a weekly basis. No one’s really safe in that city but his lordship. There’s no proof as yet, but I have absolutely no doubt in my mind who’s at the bottom of this: Crosus. The one who commanded the bodyguard, when his lordship was here if you remember. Got to be him, the weaselly bastard.”

He sighed and rearranged his sword belt to be less constrictive while Darius shuffled into a better position. Reaching into his tunic the young man produced a flask of earthenware, topped with a wax seal. He smiled at the commander. “I managed to lay my hands on some of the minister’s plum brandy. With him being bedridden, no one’s looking after his store.

His smile broadening, he broke the seal and took a swig from the flask, swilling it round his mouth appreciatively. The taste was both sharp and sweet. The island did make an excellent brandy. He proffered the flask to the commander who smiled and took it for a grateful swig. The morning was already gearing up to be a scorcher and the shade of the palace wall behind and the trees above was welcome. Down the hill between the dappled shadows of the branches a short stretch of grass sloped down to the sea. In the distance the city of Velutio was vaguely visible in a wavering heat-haze and between the waves crashed on the rocks surrounding the island and fish leapt, sparkling in the sun. In other circumstances it would be idyllic.

He resealed the flask and handed it back to Darius, who secreted it away again. With a grin the young man stood.

“Enough of feeling sorry for yourself commander. I haven’t had a chance for sword practice today and I’d be grateful if you’d spar for a short while.”

With a nod the commander stood and drew his blade as Darius drew his. Looking around, they stepped out from the area of cluttered trees and wandered across to the area of lawn before the sea. As Sabian removed his cloak and placed it on the ground to one side, the young man took up a duelling stance, his sword held at forty five degrees before him. The commander smiled and took up a similar stance opposite. Neither moved for a moment and then Darius stepped forward with some speed, swinging the blade at chest height in both hands. Sabian had been prepared and stepped to one side, his sword vertical and blocking the blow. He pivoted with the momentum of his step, his own sword coming back in a swing at head height, but Darius had already recovered. The young man ducked and lunged towards the commander’s thigh. Sabian barely sidestepped in time, the blade catching his breeches and tearing along the seam. The two stepped apart again, breathing heavily.

“You know, Darius, you’re better than I thought? You almost caught me good and proper there.”

The young man nodded. “I get a lot of practice, remember?”

As Darius grinned, Sabian lunged forward and Darius came to meet the blow, only to discover it was a feint; the commander fell forward into a roll beneath the sweep of Darius’ sword and the flat of the blade connected painfully against the young man’s shin.

Darius collapsed to the floor, his sword falling from his hand as he sat clutching his shin. “Shit, that hurt!” he exclaimed.

Sabian dropped his own sword point to the grass. “You do have a tendency to over-extend. I think you’ve done remarkably well taking everything from the great writers and more from a couple of reasonable tutors here, but nothing beats field experience and live targets. Shame Ursus went; he’s one of the best training officers we had.”

Darius opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a voice from the gate. One of the island’s scribes was calling them and, collecting his cloak, Sabian and Darius strode up the hill. The scribe, clad in a white tunic and cloak and with a scroll in his hand frowned at Darius before turning to Sabian.

“Commander” he said, slightly breathlessly, “Minister Sarios would like to see you in his chambers if you have the time.”

Sabian nodded and thanked the man as he and Darius strode across the Ibis courtyard toward the doors of the Raven palace. He wondered momentarily whether to tell Darius to wait below for him as they approached the narrow spiral staircase that led up to the top floor apartments, but decided against it. As they strode down the corridor, he realised that the minister’s door was open and spotted the old man moving about within. He paused at the door and knocked out of courtesy. The minister’s voice, stronger than the commander had heard it in some time, called for them to enter and they did so. The sparsely furnished study was full of paperwork at the moment and Sarios stood at a desk, shuffling a large wad of notes and filing them away in a leather case. He turned and smiled. His colour was considerably better and, although he staggered a little as he turned he seemed generally in better health. His head was no longer bandaged, though the bruising and scrapes on his face were still clearly evidenced and he wore a hastily fashioned eye patch to cover his still blind eye.

“Commander, thank you for coming so promptly. I didn’t want to interrupt anything important, but I think I may have something that could help you and I wanted to catch you before the funeral.” He gestured to a couple of wooden chairs arrayed beneath a window. “Please sit down.”

The two settled into the chairs and Sabian raised his hands, palms up, and shrugged questioningly. The minister wandered over to the corner of the room and picked up a lamp, bringing it across and placing it on the desk before them.

“Is this the lamp you found in the room?”

Darius and Sabian glanced at each other before they both nodded. The commander pointed at the lamp. “Where did you get it? I confiscated the one from the room and hid it in my own kit.”

The minister smiled. “I know we’re supposed to be cut off from the mainland here, commander and I have to admit that we’ve never used these; after all, who would we signal? But there were three on the island that had never been confiscated in the early days. All three have been locked away in a storage room for many years. As soon as Darius here told me what had happened, I went to check on them and I assume you can guess how many I found?”

Sabian cleared his throat, standing once again. “So this lamp we found was stolen from your secret store room?”

The minister nodded and a sour look crossed his face. “And that means that your doctor was being aided be someone from the island.”