The Severed City

by Christopher Mitchell

  His officers and staff were waiting for him when he returned to the council chamber. Chane was at his side, after he had ordered her not to return to her unit.

  Hodang was directing a small army of clerks as they set up their ledgers on a row of high benches. Regimental officers were sitting smoking on the lower tiers, though Lomecht was positioned far from Mandalecht, and Agang could feel the tension between his two leading commanders. Badolecht was also present, talking with Echtang.

  ‘My lord,’ Hodang said, turning. ‘There you are. Congratulations, your leadership has swept all before it, and the body of the Rahain Republic lies broken on the ground under your heel. Truly you are the greatest Sanang warlord that has ever lived.’

  The officers and staff cheered, but Lomecht’s expression darkened, and his lips pursed as if holding something back.

  ‘Praise is due to every warrior,’ Agang said, walking into the centre of the chamber, ‘every officer, and all who have accompanied us on this invasion and contributed to its success. Already enough wagons of booty have been filled to ensure each man has his share of treasure. And just now, before I came down from the spire, I saw the flag of the Holdings rise over the senate building. The government of Rahain has fallen.’

  ‘Then we have done what we set out to do,’ Badolecht said, his features sagging with the effects of prolonged exhaustion. ‘Can we go home now?’

  Expectant faces looked at Agang.

  ‘Soon,’ he said, ‘once the transfer of power is complete, and Rahain is secured.’

  Furtive eyes glanced at each other through the chamber.

  ‘We’ve been away a long time, my lord,’ Drechtan said. ‘I’m anxious to get back for spring.’

  ‘We may be another third here,’ Agang said, to a chorus of groans. ‘We are part of an alliance, and have sworn oaths. We must have patience. To walk out before the alliance has finished its mission would be to go back on our word.’

  Scowls appeared on the faces of a few officers that sat near Lomecht.

  ‘We all want to go home,’ Hodang said. ‘But in a few thirds none of this will make any difference. We shall be in Broadwater, and Sanang will be a proud nation among equals. No one will care that they had to stay here a little longer. We must have patience.’

  ‘Patience?’ Lomecht cried. ‘So we wait for the king to use us as fodder for another battle, another one of his wars?’

  ‘What?’ Echtang said, his colour rising. ‘Are you a pacifist now suddenly?’

  ‘How dare you,’ Lomecht growled. ‘My regiments were torn to fucking shreds in front of the gates of this city.’

  ‘And then you attacked the man who saved you,’ Echtang spat back.

  ‘That arrogant Clackdomyn piece of shit? His head should be on a pole. We should never have let him go. We let those bastards rub our faces in the dirt, and we did nothing, all because…’

  He paused.

  ‘All because of what?’ Agang said.

  The room stilled.

  Lomecht stood.

  ‘All because you wanted to look good in front of the Holdings. You want to impress them so much that you don’t care about your own people any more.’

  Mandalecht got to his feet, the veins on his neck pulsing. The officers next to Lomecht also rose, to shield their man. Echtang’s hand went to his hilt.

  ‘You will bring chaos to Sanang,’ Lomecht went on, his voice rising. ‘The Holdings will order you to free every slave, and our lands will fall into ruin. They will order you to elevate women to the same rank as men, and our culture will die in the hands of giggling fools.’

  ‘You are the fool, Lomecht,’ Hodang shouted. ‘What you are saying is close to treason.’

  ‘Then let me cross the line,’ Lomecht cried. ‘Agang, you are no longer fit to rule the Sanang, and I spurn your authority.’

  ‘Then stop hiding behind your friends,’ Agang said. ‘Coward.’

  Lomecht pushed aside the officers in front of him and charged at Agang. Mandalecht sprang forward to bar his way, but Lomecht turned at the last second, and leapt upon Chane, his hands going round her throat.

  Chane fell backwards, slamming onto the marble floor. Lomecht grunted, his eyes bulging from his head as he choked her. Agang reached out, but Mandalecht barged him aside and drew a knife.

  He placed it at Lomecht’s throat.

  ‘Hands off,’ the one-eyed commander growled, ‘or you die.’

  A pair of Lomecht’s officers started to run for the door. The others stood ready, their hands on their hilts as Mandalecht’s men surrounded them.

  ‘Stop them,’ Agang shouted, and the guards at the door drew their swords, blocking their exit.

  Lomecht’s hands came away from Chane, her eyes open but blank, her neck marked in weals. Mandalecht pulled Lomecht to his feet, the blade of his knife remaining against the skin of his throat.

  Badolecht rushed to Chane’s side, and put his hands on her neck.

  ‘Echtang,’ Agang said, ‘summon more guards. Arrest Lomecht and his men. Place them in the cells in the basement.’

  As his nephew ran to the door, Agang turned to face Lomecht.

  Before the commander could speak, Agang punched him in the face as hard as he could, and Lomecht dropped to the ground.

  ‘Mandalecht,’ he said, ‘I want Lomecht’s regiments purged. Round up his supporters. Arrest the officers, execute the lower ranks. I want a thorough job.’

  ‘Yes, my lord.’

  ‘Drechtan,’ Agang said.

  ‘My lord,’ he said, swallowing.

  Agang heard the sound of gasping and coughing, and turned. Chane was breathing again, and Badolecht smiled. She lifted her head, and saw Lomecht’s limp body before her.

  ‘Bastard,’ she wheezed, lashing out with a boot in the direction of the Sanang’s head.

  The doors to the chamber opened, and squads of warriors marched in, Echtang at their head. Eight officers were arrested, and chains were attached to Lomecht’s limp body before he was ready to be carried away.

  Agang glanced at Drechtan. The allied chief was sweating, his gaze darting out at the warriors filling the hall.

  ‘How many men do you have left?’

  ‘Just short of two thousand, my lord,’ Drechtan said.

  ‘I’m appointing you as commander of Lomecht’s regiments,’ Agang said. ‘Incorporate your warriors into their ranks, once they’ve been purged.’

  Mandalecht looked over, and left the hall, his face dark.

  ‘But with all due respect, my lord,’ Drechtan said, his voice high, ‘I’m a chief, not one of your officers.’

  ‘I am your high chief,’ Agang said. ‘I command the army of the Sanang realm, and you will obey.’

  Drechtan said nothing. The air stilled as everyone watched.

  The old chief got down on one knee in front of Agang.

  ‘As you will it, my lord.’

  Agang looked up, his attention drawn by movement by the door. Three Holdings officers entered, striding their way towards him, their armour gleaming in the lamp light.

  ‘My Lord Agang,’ Harkins said, nodding his head while he gazed around. To his right, Lomecht’s officers were being led away in shackles. To his left Badolecht was helping Chane rise to her feet, her hands clutching her neck, while before him Drechtan was on one knee.

  ‘General Harkins,’ Agang said. ‘Congratulations on taking the senate. A truly historic moment I believe.’

  ‘Quite,’ Harkins said, his eyebrow raised. ‘I thought I’d call in person, my lord, and I see that you have taken the council buildings as we planned. I hope resistance wasn’t too severe?’

  ‘One old man who cut his own throat.’

  Harkins nodded. ‘As you noted, my lord, the Rahain senate has been dissolved. Our friend Laodoc has been appointed Chancellor of the Republic, and his rule has begun. I am here to invite you to the inaugural ceremony this evening.’

  ‘Chancellor Laodoc?’ Agang muttered.

 
‘We would be delighted to accept, General,’ Hodang said. ‘Tell me, is the council of eight to be convened? I would have thought a decision as momentous as the elevation of Laodoc to chancellor might have warranted a meeting?’

  ‘Word came directly from his Majesty in Plateau City,’ Harkin said, producing a folded document from his inside pocket. ‘In response to the announcement that we had overthrown the Rahain government, Laodoc is to be installed chancellor with immediate effect, although his term won’t officially commence until he has finished the mourning period for his son, at the end of winter.’

  ‘And did King Guilliam have any word for us?’ Agang said.

  ‘His Majesty invites you to remain in the city until the New Year, when Laodoc is formally appointed Chancellor. Upon that date the king has decreed that the realm of the Holdings will recognise your own kingship of the Sanang.’ Harkins bowed his head. ‘My lord.’

  ‘On that date then, General,’ Agang said, ‘we will lead our army home.’

  Chapter 30

  Flight

  Rahain Capital, Rahain Republic – 20th Day, Second Third Winter 505

  Keira awoke, the chamber dark and quiet around her, except for the gentle snores of her squad-mates. She had no idea what time it was, having had no glimpse of the sun since they had broken out of the gatehouse. They had kept moving ever since, Benel leading them straight through the city, cutting a path for the alliance forces to follow.

  After running and fighting for what seemed like days, they had ended up in a deep system of dark caverns by an underground river, the source of the city’s drinking water, where Benel had allowed them to rest.

  She scratched her side, itching from the insect bites, and pulled the rough blanket off her. Kylon was sleeping to her right. She thought about poking him awake, but stood instead, and headed for the faint light coming from under the door. She turned the handle, and came into a large circular room, off which the other squads were sleeping. Benel sat, his feet up on a table, swigging from a bottle. A handful of soldiers sat about the room, sorting supplies, mending weapons and tending wounds. Through an archway to her left she could see lamplight reflecting off the cold, rushing river.

  She walked over to the mage and held out her hand.

  He frowned and passed her the bottle.

  She took a large gulp. ‘Not bad.’

  Benel drew two cigarettes from a packet, lit them both off a match and gave one to her. She sat on the table next to where his boots rested.

  ‘Enjoy your beauty sleep?’ he asked.

  ‘Aye,’ she said. ‘Dreamt about wringing your fucking neck.’

  ‘I have that effect on women.’

  ‘So here we are,’ she said, taking another swig, and passing him the bottle. ‘Part one of your plan is done. What’s next?’

  He shrugged. ‘I hadn’t thought ahead of getting us out of the gatehouse before the rest of the army arrived. And by us, I mean you.’

  ‘Well that’s fucking great,’ she said, glaring at him. ‘If you’re considering selling me out…’

  ‘Not at all, blondie.’ He flicked ash onto the floor. ‘If I was going to do that, it would have been much easier at the gatehouse. News has come in, that might change things.’

  ‘News? From where?’

  ‘A squad from the alliance forces came by when you were sleeping,’ he said. ‘Out on patrol. Right now, they’ll be on their way back, telling everyone that they found what’s left of the famed battalion.’

  Keira jumped to her feet. ‘Shit.’

  ‘Relax, blondie. It’ll be hours before anyone’ll be back. Sit.’

  She remained standing, smoking her cigarette.

  ‘The news might cheer you up, or maybe not, I don’t know,’ he said.

  ‘Fucking get on with it.’

  Benel smiled, a smoke ring rising. ‘Let’s go for a walk.’

  He stood, and she followed him to the archway, past the soldiers in the room. They went out into the shadows by the riverside tunnel. It was cold and damp, and the noise of the water drowned out the sounds of the soldiers in the circular room behind them.

  Benel had brought the bottle and he took a drink.

  ‘It seems that your brother played a role in the battle outside the gates.’

  ‘Killop?’

  He laughed. ‘Do you have any others? Yes, Killop, chief of the Severed Clan, I believe. He destroyed the catapults on the mountainside that were punching holes in the alliance lines. Allowed the cavalry to charge the Rahain army and win the battle.’

  ‘Ha!’ Keira cried, grinning in the dim light. ‘Chief Killop.’

  Benel leaned over. ‘Wait for the best bit. He had a fire mage with him.’

  Keira’s jaw fell open. ‘What?’

  ‘Your face,’ Benel smirked. ‘Quite a picture. What is that? Jealousy perhaps?’

  Keira said nothing, her mind spinning.

  ‘It appears you’ve been replaced,’ Benel said, swigging the brandy, ‘by a young girl, or so the squad told me.’

  ‘A girl?’

  ‘Yes. She dropped fire onto the catapults, and burnt them to ash. The way the squad told the story, the Holdings assumed that you were up there on the mountainside with your brother, doing your fire mage thing, and they got the surprise of their lives when Killop showed up with a skinny teenager.’

  Keira frowned. A young girl? Must have been a child-slave. How the fuck had Killop trained her?

  ‘You still don’t get it,’ Benel said. ‘Every rumour of a fire mage can be pointed in her direction. As far as the authorities are concerned, Killop’s young companion was the only fire mage who intervened in the battle. Why would they look for another? That leaves just a few here in the battalion who know, or suspect.’

  She nodded, but her mind was elsewhere, wondering what the young mage was like.

  ‘Who’s left in your squad?’ he asked.

  ‘What?’ she said. ‘Uh, Kylon, Leah, Fang, Sergeant Niall and a trooper named Flora.’

  ‘The Kellach I trust,’ Benel said. ‘They obviously knew who you were long before I found out, and the Sanang is too dumb to realise or care who you are.’

  He paused, and she glared at him.

  ‘What are you suggesting?’

  ‘I think everyone else in the battalion could be persuaded that they were mistaken about what they think they saw in the gatehouse. The two Holdings in your squad are the only loose ends.’ He glanced through to the brightly lit room. ‘Are they still sleeping? We could make it quick.’

  ‘Don’t touch them,’ she said. ‘Don’t even fucking think about it ya backstabbing bastard.’

  ‘Funny,’ he said. ‘I didn’t think you’d mind. After all, you didn’t balk at the genocide of the Rakanese.’

  Her anger flared.

  ‘You don’t know a fucking thing about what happened.’

  ‘What’s to know? You stood on a hillside and incinerated a third of a million refugees.’

  ‘Most were already dead,’ she said. ‘The lizards told me they were all dead, that I was only getting rid of the evidence.’

  ‘But you must have realised that many were still alive,’ he said, stepping back as she glared at him. ‘Why didn’t you stop then?’

  A memory flashed through her mind, of that cold dawn overlooking the vast encampment of the Rakanese, polluted with tar and oil and with heaps of the dead lying on every street corner. And the survivors. She swallowed hard. Diseased and staggering, hordes of survivors had stumbled outside to see the first flames as they began to tear through the city.

  ‘I put them out of their misery.’

  They smoked in silence for a moment.

  ‘Nothing will save you if you’re arrested,’ Benel said. ‘No court will believe you, and the court you will be hauled before will probably be the highest in the Holdings realm. Your execution would be a fitting end to the campaign, I think, after you have been paraded through the capital.’

  ‘I won’t get captured.
And I won’t harm Niall or Flora.’

  He sighed. ‘It’s your head.’

  ‘No fucker’s getting anywhere near my head. We stick to your idea about hushing it up, and blame anything that happened on Killop’s new mage. We play dumb, won’t be hard for you, and then you can bask in the glory of all your victories. I’ll be just a humble squaddie.’

  Benel frowned for a moment, then nodded.

  She watched as he turned and headed back into the circular room through the archway. She smoked the last of her cigarette, shutting all memories of the Rakanese camp from her mind. She wouldn’t dwell on the past. She needed all her wits to find a way to get herself out of the city, link up with Killop, and meet his new mage. She smiled.

  She threw the cigarette into the river, then paused as the sound of firm voices came from the circular room. She dashed to the side of the arch, and peered through from the shadows. In the centre of the room Benel was standing, facing a squad of brightly armoured Holdings troopers.

  ‘…for disobeying a direct order, and I’m afraid, sir, that you will have to accompany us up to army headquarters,’ a tall officer said, his palms extended.

  There were angry murmurings from the battalion soldiers in the room.

  Benel raised his hand. ‘Everyone, calm, please. I’m happy to be escorted, confident that I’ll be proved innocent of any charges. May I ask if I’m formally under arrest?’

  ‘Not at present, sir,’ the officer said. ‘You are to be brought in for questioning, by order of Field Marshal Howie.’

  ‘The field marshal herself?’ Benel whistled. ‘I am honoured.’

  The officer gestured, and Benel walked forward, between the ranks of the Holdings squad.

  He turned.

  ‘My gallant Leftovers,’ he called out. ‘Wait for me here, I shall return soon.’

  He nodded to the officer, and the squad moved off, Benel in their midst. Keira waited for them to leave the room before she came in by the archway. She went straight to her squad’s chamber.

  ‘Wake up you silly fucks,’ she called out, kicking the sleeping forms. ‘Benel’s been arrested.’

  She closed the door, and lit a lamp.