“I can see that.” She indicated his wet hair with a smile. “Well, don’t let me hold you back any longer.” She took the seat next to him.
“As I was saying, before we were all interrupted…” Sthura said in a flat tone. She pressed her hands against the parchment. “Captain Sevlor was just finishing up his report on our various outposts along the valley. As expected, the nobles of Hafod are not happy with our presence in their lands. The King’s requests have made them silent for now, but we don’t know how long it will last.”
“Knight-Commander Dowan did not have kind words for us the last time we met with him,” Robaz said.
“Kind words? From that man? You expect a wasp to lose his sting?” Aden laughed.
“Why do we let you sit with us?” Robaz snapped. “You should be out there, learning how to shave.”
Aden opened his mouth, but his retort was cut short by Kefier’s hand gesturing for him to stop. He fell back, a grin on his face.
“Pass me the report,” Kefier said. Sthura looked at him for a moment before shrugging and handing him the parchment. He cleared his throat and placed it on the table in front of him. The numbers were a little blurred under the candlelight, but if he squinted hard enough…
“I’ve asked Officer Ranias to meet with each of these landowners,” Sthura continued. “Some talks would go a long way to alleviate their concerns.”
“Get the men to do work for them,” Kefier commented, comparing the report to the map on the table. “It’ll keep the lords happy and the men busy, at least.”
Sthura sighed. “How many times do I have to explain this to you? If you want the Hafed lords to see the Boarshind as a military force in its own right…”
“We are a force, though,” Robaz said, slamming his fist on the table. “Their bloody king wouldn’t have given us a castle otherwise!”
“So he did,” Sthura said. “He is king and can do whatever he wants. But it won’t change that the Boarshind has come a long way from before. You are a mercenary army, not a rabble of farmhands. Yn Garr hired me to make sure it stays that way.”
“And that’s why we haven’t thrown you out of the window yet,” Kefier murmured.
Sthura’s eyes flickered. “What was that?”
“Nothing. Jarche, this looks like there’s a larger force along the northern edge here, close to Blackwood. Is that right?”
Jarche leaned over to look at the parchment. Her ears flicked back as she nodded. “Three hundred and seventy-five men from Singular Three.”
“Oh, right,” Aden said, putting up a finger. “I forgot to mention that. Yn Garr sent orders, so I assumed…”
“All orders should go through me,” Kefier murmured.
“Sorry,” Aden grinned. He scratched his hair, which was gathered into a bun. “If it makes you feel any better, we weren’t asked to do anything else.”
“Three hundred and seventy-five men camped out there...no wonder the lords are getting their underpants in a bunch,” Kefier sighed. “Did Yn Garr say anything else? He and the King must have come to some agreement.” He glanced at the people in the room. Thiri Anu-Sthura looked uncomfortable.
Only Jarche managed a smile. “Unfortunately, we know that we are not always privy to the master’s thoughts. However, he must be anticipating good news from your latest report on the conditions in the Orasmus Peninsula.”
“They’re right, aren’t they?” Sevlor broke in. “We’ll be marching past the northern borders, aren’t we? To attack Dageis?”
Kefier said nothing. He pointed at the Blackwood outpost. “Whatever’s going to happen, it’s not happening yet. There’s too many men here, as it is. Break them up into three outposts and situate them closer to the mountains. Whether the King wants us there or not, we want to stir as few tempers as possible.”
“It’s harder to get food up there,” Aden said.
“Figure something out. Maybe get a hunting party started. It’s good training, get them off their rumps.” He rubbed his beard. “How’s the latest recruits working out, Sevlor?”
“They’re good,” Sevlor said. “Lots of green boys fleeing the chaos from Jin-Sayeng. There’s a bunch who can’t speak a word of Kagtar. You might have to talk to them, Kef...I mean, Commander. They’re a little sluggish. Don’t have it in me to flay it out of them—I mean, we’re not exactly that sort of operation.”
“I’ll see if I have the time. These numbers from Kago…”
“Yes. We’ve got about hundred men at the Boarshind Keep—full capacity, mostly trainees. Officer Iro’s been complaining like you won’t believe. Eight hundred in the various outposts around Cairntown. Another four hundred near Ni’in, maybe a handful around Muiju…”
“A force,” Robaz repeated, grinning. “What do you have to say about that, Sthura?”
“Every moment your force exists is another coin lost from Yn Garr’s coffers,” Sthura snorted. “In addition, too many of your men are from Jin-Sayeng. How much loyalty do you expect from Jins? They’ll hightail back to their lands as soon as a new Dragonlord comes to take that throne.”
“Hey now,” Aden snapped. “One of our brothers was a Jinsein, Yohak bless his soul.”
“Not this again,” Robaz grunted. “Enough about Oji.”
“If he was here, we’d have figured out a way to get rid of you,” Aden said.
Robaz grinned. “Too bad he was idiot enough to get himself killed doing routine work.”
Aden got up.
“Sit,” Kefier said.
“You can’t seriously let him talk like that?” Aden asked. He pointed at Robaz. “The Commander and Oji were inseparable, and Kefier, come on, for Sume’s sake…”
“That’s enough,” Kefier murmured. “We’re not here to argue.”
“I thought that’s what half of meetings are for,” Sevlor said with a giggle.
Aden sat down. He rubbed his chin, as if he wanted to say more, but he finally kept his mouth shut.
Kefier took a deep breath. “I’ll talk with Yn Garr to see where he wants us to proceed from here. I don’t want rumours, but let the men know that we may have to fight. Anyone with second thoughts is free to go.”
“You’ll lose half your army,” Sthura warned. “If they catch wind that they’re going up against Dageian mages…”
Kefier glanced at his captains. “Nothing about Dageian mages leaves this room.”
“If that’s what you want, Commander,” Sevlor said. “We can’t stop the men from gossiping, though.”
“Speaking of gossip, where is Caiso?” Robaz asked.
“I gave him the day off,” Kefier said. “He’s not much needed here right now and I’m sure he would’ve found all of this boring.”
“He’s missed half our meetings these past months,” Sthura said. “You need to discipline your men better, Commander.”
Kefier made a dismissive gesture. Sthura glowered at him, but she didn’t say anything else. “We need an outpost with fifty fresh horses close to the border, Robaz,” he said, as his captains filed out of the room. “I’ll talk to you about it later.”
Aden clasped Kefier’s shoulders from behind. “And you and I need to catch up,” he said. “Beer, fried pig’s intestines, lemon cakes, and big-bosomed women. My treat.”
“Plenty enough time later,” Kefier said, patting his hand. “Don’t want to let Robaz catch you bootlicking, now.”
“He wishes I was bootlicking him,” Aden laughed. “Too bad he can’t handle me. Up now, Sev. There’s a lady out there to entertain!”
Sevlor saluted before following Aden out of the door. Kefier glanced around, realizing he was left with Jarche. He sighed and slumped deeper into his chair, his hands over his head.
“I know it’s tough,” Jarche said. “But believe me when I say you handle yourself better than you think you do.”
“High praise from someone who called me a fuzzy-brained anal wart when I first started.”
“Why, I never...to think I would�
��ve uttered such words…”
“Maybe that was Caiso.” He gave a soft smile. “How’s Rosha?”
“As well as you could expect, given what you pulled,” Jarche said. “I had to lie through my teeth. Pirating a Dageian warship? If I didn’t know that captain personally, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“I had to, Jarche. There were Gorenten slaves in there.”
She didn’t seem to hear. “I haven’t told the master, either. I expect he’ll be livid. If this thing has no repercussions, he doesn’t need to know.”
“I appreciate that.” He fell silent, tapping the table with his fingernails.
Jarche rolled her eyes. “I know that look.”
“What look?”
“That look. You want me to take you to Cael to see her.”
He grimaced. “If you don’t mind…”
“Of course I mind. I let you tag along a couple of times and suddenly you think I’m a hired coach? No, thank you.”
“Come now, Jarche. You’re not a coach. It’s not like I pay you.”
Jarche gave him a look. “Give me a few hours,” she sighed. “I need some food and drink in me before I can conjure up another portal.”
“You want me to take you to town? There’s a nice bakeshop in Gilwin, that neighbourhood by the harbour. Owned by twin sisters, if you can believe it.”
“Ah, you and your brother do know how to charm this old woman. Do they have sausage rolls? The kind with a buttery, nutty crust?”
“The best I’ve tasted.”
She gave a mock sigh. “I’ll get ready and meet you outside.”
Chapter Nine
Sume could still smell soil and rice dust even after they had pulled the burlap sack from her head. Her head was still swimming. Her first instinct was to look for Arn. The boy, as she expected, was tied up in the other corner of the room. He looked a lot calmer than she felt.
She looked up at the surrounding men. They were dressed in plain clothes—if not for the bare swords in their hands or belts, she could’ve taken them for farmers out for a midnight stroll. One glanced at her, but turned back to his companions just as quickly.
“Do you think the guards will take it?” one man asked.
“We don’t have much of a choice,” another murmured. “They’ll have to.”
“I hope the others got out of there safely. Prophet guide our steps. Omionoru protect us.” The other men dropped their heads in agreement, and then what looked like a shared prayer. Afterwards, one stepped out of the room. Another finally took notice of their captives and sauntered towards Sume.
“If you cooperate, and the guards are generous, you’ll be out of here soon enough,” the man said. He glanced at Arn. “Bad time for you and your foreign lover to be taking a stroll in the streets.”
“He’s not my…” she started, before realizing it didn’t matter.
“This isn’t personal,” the man assured her. He gestured to the other men. Together, they left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
She sank back, trying to make herself comfortable against her bonds. She found herself focusing on a crack on the earthen floor. An ant was crawling out of it. She stifled a sigh, realizing that she felt like that most days. She and her family were caught between the troubles in Jin-Sayeng and Yn Garr’s ambitions and she wasn’t sure where she fit into all of it or if her efforts even mattered at all.
A part of her began to wish that Enosh was there. As much as she knew it was forced, there were times when his cocky confidence was reassuring. The other, sensible part of her knew she was only thinking like this because of how they had parted, and the night before that.
Too much wine, he’d said. He was probably right.
But Sakku, for a time there, she thought it was real.
“This isn’t going to work, you know,” Arn said out loud.
She looked up. “What,” she said, “are you doing?”
He ignored her. “You! All of you!” he called out. “Those guards out there—”
The door opened. One of the rebels, the leader of the small group, strode inside. “What’s he saying?” he asked. He grabbed Arn’s shirt. “You stupid rai, talk plainly.”
“You can understand Kagtar?” Arn asked.
The man stiffened for a moment before nodding. Clearly, he was ashamed of admitting it.
“Do you think the guards would give up just because you’re holding two strangers as hostage? After all the work they’ve done the last two nights?” Arn laughed. “It’s naïve. A good effort, but naïve.”
“Arn,” Sume warned.
“Let us escape into the night while you have time. What do you think you’ll accomplish here? You’ll just get us all killed.” He pulled himself up straight. “If you truly need to trade someone with the guards, there’s someone better you could use. We were accompanying her to the mountains. Let us go. In exchange, I’ll tell you where she is.”
Sume cleared her throat. Arn didn’t even look at her—he was staring at the rebel. The man seemed to be seriously considering his words. “How do I know you’re not just saying this to save yourselves?” the man asked.
“This woman was a member of the Seven Shadows,” Arn said.
“A woman? Of the Seven Shadows? I wasn’t aware there was one.”
“A front. It made her escape notice all these years. She went by the name of Hirong Sethi.”
The man licked his lips. “You are either a fool,” he said, “or the most creative liar I have ever met in my life.”
“I’ll give you her location as a gesture of goodwill. Get her, and then see what need you have of us once you do. We were only guards.” Arn paused, as if for effect. When the man didn’t move, he gave the exact direction to the farm.
“You could understand us,” Sume said, as soon as the door closed again. “These past few days, you pretended…”
“I understood enough,” Arn said. “I didn’t spend the last few years shadowing Enosh and his little group without learning as much as I could about you, or picking up Jinan along the way.”
“You’d trade her life for ours?”
“Yes. Stop stating the obvious. I’d do it again if I had to.” He sat down and took a deep breath, his eyes closed. “There’s no point wasting your energy on me. What’s done is done.”
“If something happens to her…”
“You’ll do nothing, Kaggawa. You wouldn’t. You couldn’t even kill me.” He opened his eyes and smiled at her. “There you were, dagger in your hands, no one watching, and you couldn’t even try.”
Sume swallowed. How did he see that? Only the griffon…
“You don’t even really need their cooperation, do you?” she asked. “At any time, you could ask the beast to come here and break us free.”
“Faran,” Arn said. “He has a name.”
“So why don’t you ask him to? Save them the trouble.”
Arn shrugged. “I want to see what happens next.”
Sometime in the night, the rebels returned to take Sume and Arn out to a fenced compound. There were hooded men and women in the shadows, their foreheads streaked with paint that signified the mark of Kibouri, the prophet. Hira was standing in the midst, bruised and bristling.
A man tapped Sume’s back. She walked forward. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, kneeling beside Hira. “It was Arn. He…”
“It doesn’t matter,” Hira said.
A woman stepped forward. Something in her gait and the manner with which everyone else looked up made them take notice. She was wearing a scarf, inlaid with the same mark on her forehead. “So this is the one who claims to be Hirong Sethi,” she said, looking at Hira with the expression of someone who had discovered a poisonous mushroom in her vegetable bed. “I expected someone less...shrivelled.”
“Fine wine ages well,” Hira snapped. “Cheap liquor, on the other hand, sours quickly.”
The woman gave a thin smile. “Forgive me if I find it hard to believe that you are wh
o you claim to be. Yet you have to be telling the truth, to try something so incredulous.” She glanced at Sume. “And this? My men told me these were your guards, but she doesn’t look like much of a warrior to me.”
“I’m not,” Sume said.
The woman looked at her, waiting.
“I’m Sume Kaggawa,” she finally said. “Goran Kaggawa’s daughter.” Behind her, she heard Arn give a snort of amusement. I’m not letting Hira take the fall. It’s not like we can find the way through the mountains without her.
“Well,” the woman said. “This is an interesting turn of events. A relic and a relic’s whelp showing up on a momentous eve in Jin-Sayeng history. How appropriate.”
“You call this history? Doesn’t look like you’re accomplishing much,” Hira commented.
The woman bristled. “This was never meant to be an invasion,” she said, pulling out her sword and pointing it at Hira. “That said, I wouldn’t mind setting an example for the Hoen clan.”
“Go ahead. Like those bastards would give a damn.” When the woman didn’t reply, Hira got up, facing her. “Well? What are you waiting for? Either you do it or you don’t.”
The woman remained still for a moment before putting her sword away. Hira snorted. “I thought so. A coward has no business pretending to make history.”
“You can’t let her speak like that to you, Sang Mihad,” one of the men said. He unsheathed his own sword. “If you want, I can…”
Mihad held out her hand. “That won’t be necessary. One must let old farts air out once in a while, lest they fester.” She turned to Hira. “I was told you had left for Xiaro decades ago.”
“What would I do there?” Hira asked. “Xiarans hate all Jinseins. And what they do to red snapper is atrocious.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know what you think you have here, but my presence won’t turn the tides to your favour. You’ve lost this battle—the guards are slaying your men out there as we speak.”
Mihad crossed her arms together. “If you have a suggestion, now would be the time to say it.”
“Why would I suggest anything to help your all-deities-be-damned insanity?” Hira snapped.
An Elegy of Heroes Page 91