Ardent

by Florian Armas

  “Lina did not seem ... content when you announced Leyonan’s death. Or when you said about his sons. I am not sure. There is a charade here, if not you would not have asked me.”

  “You were the neutral observer,” I smiled. “I will tell you later. Let’s go to our Secretaries now.”

  The long table in the council room was filled with food and they were eating. Finished mostly; Balint was cleaning his hands in a bowl filled with water. All the noise ended when I entered, and I sat in Leyonan’s chair again. I said nothing. I not even looked at them, admiring the statues on the walls. Philosophy was the most eye-catching; it reminded me the ones made by Berenius in Agatha’s castle, even when these were made of wood having elegant discrete colors, and I already knew that they were not painted.

  “We are done,” Maud gestured over the table.

  “Then what’s your answer?”

  “We are done with the food. We’ve not decided yet on that, but we are close.”

  “You are done with both. I will ask each of you only once. And each of you who chose to stay, will keep your position in the Secretariat. You,” I pointed to the man next to her: the third Secretary, and from Vava’s word, Maud’s trusted man. It seemed that she did not have too much faith in Balint. “What’s your choice?”

  He glanced briefly at Maud. There was no reaction in her, but her hand went under the table, urged by a sudden itch on her leg.

  Did you scratch his leg?

  “Codrin...” Coleus said.

  “Sage, you must learn to address me properly.”

  “Sir,” Coleus bit his lip, “this is a delicate matter. You should get to know each other better. Both parties would gain from some more accommodation.” His voice got unctuous, and I remembered Agatha’s warning.

  I flexed my fingers, some physical activity was good to distract me from his hypnotic voice. Love may come later, first you must fear and decide. “It’s their matter, not yours, Coleus. You may leave the room.” My voice sounded harsher than I intended.

  “I’ve not decided, yet,” said the man I had asked, staring sullenly at the peach in his hand. It was half eaten. “Sir.”

  Your decision or Maud’s? “You have until tomorrow at noon to leave the city. Vlad, escort him out of the room, and then come back.”

  “Do you intend to use violence?” Maud asked.

  “Only if needed.”

  “Galerius,” Maud pointed to the man I had thrown out of Leyona, before he could leave the council room, “was close to becoming one of your secretaries. Maybe you should give him a second chance.”

  “There is no second chance. Balint?”

  “I am honored to work for you,” he bowed.

  The other three men accepted too, and I stared at Maud. There was nothing I could read on her face. Should I keep you?

  “Maud, would you stay as my Secretary?”

  “Yes,” she said at last, in a bland voice.

  “Good. I did not realize how hungry I was.” I leaned forward to grab a plate from the table. “Cheese pie,” I sniffed. “It’s still warm. You may go, if you have satisfied your hunger. Tomorrow, I will have a talk with each of you. Here,” I gestured around. “Vlad will call you.” I cut a piece of pie, and filled my mouth. “You make good pies here,” I said, staring at Maud.

  She nodded, then stood up and left the room, followed by all others.

  I am really hungry. I cut another piece of pie. I should move my office here. “Vlad, go and see if Vava and Garland have decided which guards can’t be trusted.” I hope I can trust Vava. More than Maud anyway, but I need Maud too. She knows who I am, so she must be a Sage of the Circle. Colleague with my good friend Coleus. Once I finished the pie, I grabbed an apple, and left for my office.

  “Sir Codrin,” a whisper stopped me in the corridor, and I turned. “It’s me, Balint,” he said, staring blindly at me. “We need to talk. Not here.” His head jerked left and right to check the corridor, his eyes wide open, then he opened a door at his left. “It’s the library,” he said. “At this hour, there should be no one inside.”

  I loosened Flame in its scabbard, and followed him.

  “Please close the door; we are safe here.” Balint wiped his brow, then clasped his hands to stop them shaking. In the torch’s light I could still see tiny beads of sweat dappling his face. “Don’t trust Maud,” he breathed. “The bitch killed old Dani to take his place as Secretary, and she lured Leyonan into this war, promising him that the Circle would help him to take the south of Mehadia from Mohor. She threatened me when I tried to stop the war.”

  “Is she a Sage of the Circle?”

  “Yes, she is. And even worse, she is the sister of that bitch from the Wanderers, Drusila.”

  Family… They did the same to Senal. A bunch of murderers. They say a cat has nine lives. I’ve escaped four assassination attempts up until now. “The First Light of the Wanderers. They look indeed like family to me.” I rubbed my chin. “How do you know about Drusila?”

  “Dani told me about her, when she visited us at the end of spring to reach the Conclave. It was some matter related to the new candidate King. Your name was mentioned too, but I don’t know more than that; I am not a Sage of the Circle. You must be careful.”

  “Who is Maud?” Until that day, I had never heard of her.

  “She is the Lady of Tambor. Her husband and Knight of Tambor died some time ago. I don’t remember when,” he shrugged. “She came to Leyona just two years ago, and Sir Leyonan appointed her as third Secretary.”

  I never went to Tambor. It was south of Tolosa. “Quite unusual.”

  “Even Dani opposed her appointment as third Secretary of Leyona, but...” Balint opened his palms.

  “And from third Secretary she went directly to the first position.” She took your place.

  Yes, Balint nodded. “She is well connected. Her daughter married Baldovin, the youngest son of the Duke of Tolosa.”

  “The youngest son is now the oldest and will take the Duchy.” The Duke had four sons, and three of them had died. “The last one of his elder brothers died during the winter. It was a kind of ... accident.”

  “The same kind of accident that killed Dani.”

  “Are you suggesting...?”

  “I am, but I can’t offer any proof,” he shrugged.

  “Then why is Maud not in Tolosa right now? The Duke is almost eighty. Accident or not, her daughter will become a Duchess sooner rather than later.”

  “The Duke is already bedridden.”

  “Baldovin is not bad, but he is not the bright man his father was.”

  “His wife is as brazen as Maud. She will be the ‘Duke’. And Baldovin’s daughter was marked by the Circle.” Balint frowned, without looking at me. “I know nothing more.”

  You do know more. Marked by the Circle. Bucur... Leyonan died at the most opportune moment. It may be that I did exactly what the Circle wanted. Except for the fact that I took Leyona for myself. If I can keep it... “Why did Maud delay her ... allegiance to me?”

  “She said that we are not cheap whores to cede at the first snap of the fingers, but she never though tot leave her position. And if you believe that she will keep her allegiance to you...”

  Will you keep yours, Balint? “We shall see. Thank you, Balint,” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “This is something that we have to deal with when I come back.”

  “Not now?” he asked, querulously.

  “I am leaving tomorrow, to meet the other tool of the Circle, Devan. Only we know about what you’ve told me. I don’t like it when old men are killed for political games. They deserve to die in peace in their beds. The leader of my Mountes guard remaining here will be told to cooperate with you. Discreetly.” Should I leave Vlad behind? It’s too dangerous for him. He knows no one here. “I have to go now. If everything is fine, I will knock three times on the door. Just wait one more minute before leaving the room.”

  “I was looking for you.” Vlad started when I ope
ned the door in front of him, and I pressed a finger to my lips.

  “Let’s walk,” I said, and knocked three times in the door after I closed it. There was no one else in the long corridor. “I’ve learned something strange today, but let’s see what you’ve brought me.”

  “Vava made the list of the guards we can’t fully trust. Seventeen,” he said, passing a paper to me. It had Vava’s writing on it.

  “Good, we have seventeen more soldiers to fight with us in Orhei. Tell Vava to dispatch them to Laurent,” I gave the paper back after I read it. All the names were unknown to me, but they would remain somewhere in a corner of my mind, and maybe they would resurface when I needed to remember them. “And tell him that I want to see the Vistier. Now.”

  The man was ambulant barrel walking on two short legs, with the frightening head of a fighting dog. It should not be difficult to convince people pay their taxes with a head like that.

  “May I enter?” he asked, after opening the door. A big smile was set on his parted lips, revealing strong canines. “I am Frank, the Vistier.”

  I thought you were the cup-bearer. “Take a seat,” I gestured to an empty chair across the table.

  “I talked with Maud,” he said.

  “And what’s your answer?”

  “I will be glad to serve you.”

  “Then serve me. How much money is in Leyona’s Visterie? Give me an estimate.”

  “Around two hundred thousand galbeni.”

  Ten thousand mercenaries for two months. Not enough for Arenia. Enough for Frankis. There are no more than three thousand mercenaries in Frankis. “I will leave tomorrow. Before noon, I need an overview of the annual revenues generated by Leyona Seigneury. And twenty-six thousand galbeni, in six leather bags to be loaded on horses.” Six thousand to pay the Mountes and Valer’s mercenaries and their food for three months. The rest will go to Cleuny. Before the war started, I counted to keep my soldiers hired for two months. The allegiance rules of Frankis gave me Sara’s soldiers for free in the first month, then I had to pay them to. Garland was another story: he needed me more than I needed him. Taking Leyona changed many things. “We will talk again tomorrow.”

  ***

  “Where is Bucur?” I asked Vlaicu when I dismounted. Only he and Rares were in front of the tent in the middle of our camp. Down in the valley, Orhei looked distant and small. I can’t see Calin’s house. It belongs to Dobre now. With all the issue related to the way he bought the house, I liked that bald man. Dobre was a quick mind, and in the end, he offered almost the correct price to Calin. After the battle, I will tell him that Leyona belongs to me now. And I will keep him as governor.

  “Two days ago, he went to scout the area toward Deva, and then he vanished. I sent you a courier.” Vlaicu added the last phrase in reaction to my frown.

  “He never arrived. Ban, I know that you are tired, but you must take twenty guards and fly to Severin. Vlaicu, give him some of the guards you have here.” I glanced at the sun going down behind the hill, then at Ban. “You leave now.”

  “Our scouts spotted him half a day’s ride from here, on the road to Deva,” Vlaicu said. “You think…?”

  “That road goes north-east. Half a day’s ride from here, it splits. The west branch goes to Severin. I may be wrong, but…”

  “Why are you afraid if he goes to Severin?” Rares asked, when Vlaicu and Ban left to pick the guards who would return to Severin.

  “You are asking the wrong question. Why did he leave like a thief? That’s the right one. One for which I have no answer. But I can answer the one you asked. Last year Bucur and Aron betrayed Mohor to Orban, the beast against whom we have an alliance, you included. Duke Stefan and the Circle forced Mohor to still keep Aron as his Spatar. Then came this story about the new candidate King. Tell me what happened here.”

  It took a while until Rares was able to speak. “Vlaicu told me some things… Well, it seems that we have an … interesting candidate King. Devan arrived yesterday with six hundred soldiers. He is a cautious man; I know him well. Once he saw that we were not Leyonan, he camped on that high hill. We are sure that he doesn’t know what happened, and still hopes for Leyonan to arrive with his army. We caught all his scouts trying to reach Leyona, and Vlaicu interrogated them.”

  “We’ll see about that tomorrow. I will negotiate with Devan. Why fight if we can have a better solution?” I asked, in reaction to Rares’s wide eyes.

  “Don’t get me wrong. We thought the same, but we did not know what you would think of it.”

  “Do you think I fight for glory?”

  “We all fight for glory to some extent. It’s not a bad thing. What is wrong is to want too much of it.”

  “It’s wrong to want too much of anything,” I shrugged, and turned toward Vlaicu who just returned in front of the tent.

  “Ban has left for Severin with twenty guards. Even if Bucur is there two days before him, it should not be an issue,” Vlaicu glanced at me. “A courier from Severin came this morning: Orban’s army did not cross into Severin County. In two days we can move back too.”

  We shall see… “I want to talk to Devan tomorrow morning. Both of you know him. Who can arrange this today?”

  “I can,” Rares said promptly.

  “Tell Devan that I have one condition: his Chief of Guard should not attend the meeting tomorrow. And don’t tell him that I took Leyona.”

  “Is there blood between you and Devan’s Chief of the Guard?” Vlaicu asked. “Dan is a fine man.”

  “No. He even doesn’t know me,” I shrugged. He knows the other me, Tudor. “You are right; Dan is a strong man, and Devan’s hand will be weaker without him. I want to keep Devan under pressure.”

  “I asked Aron’s men who are still here, but they did not know why Bucur left,” Vlaicu said after Rares left us alone. “I couldn’t push them too much. It would have destroyed our morale.”

  “A few must know... They also may know what happened to your courier who did not reach us. I suppose that he is dead. Keep this between us. You are right, it will lower the morale. In one way or another, tomorrow will free our hands to handle this new treason.”

  In the evening, Rares returned with Devan’s approval of the next morning’s meeting, in the middle of the plain.

  The night was short, like any night before a battle. There was a chance to avoid fighting, but your mind is still set on it, it doesn’t matter what Fate decides. Only fools would think differently, and they die fast. I also missed the Wing Talisman, even when Dochia had convinced me not to use it before a battle. There is a Junction before a battle, she said. I need to learn more...

  In the morning, when the sun just came out over the hill in front, we gathered in silence, and went down toward the meeting point Rares agreed with Devan.

  “Unroll the banner of Leyona,” I said to Boldur, when we were a hundred paces away from Devan’s party, “and keep it high.” Each commander was protected by ten men. I had Rares, Vlaicu, Boldur, and two Knights from Leyona with me, and five soldiers. Valer and Vlad remained behind, to lead the army. We met Devan in the middle of the plain separating our armies.

  “Why are you using that banner?” Devan asked, instead of greetings.

  “Because I am the Seigneur of Leyona.”

  “I know well who the Seigneur of Leyona is.” Anger filled Devan’s voice, and his stare was menacing. “He is my brother-in-law.”

  “I am the new Seigneur.”

  “You don’t have enough men to take Leyona.”

  “I apparently do. Leyona has fallen already. And you have one brother-in-law less. Don’t cry for him; you were not really friends. Let’s go to more important things and talk alone. It may be easier to speak.” I need to shake him. He nodded, after taking his time to think, and our guards moved thirty paces away from us.

  “What’s so important that you could not trust your own men?” Devan asked, using the tone you might use with a servant.

  You will eat your own t
ongue soon. “There is a marriage contract between your son and Lady Jara’s daughter, and you have an alliance with Mohor that you never canceled, and yet you still attacked him. What kind of man are you?”

  “Marriage? With that pregnant girl? She must be giving birth soon.”

  “When I saw her a week ago, she was not pregnant. Neither does she have a child. So, what kind of fool are you, Devan?”

  “How dare you?” Devan hissed. His hand went for the hilt of his sword, and his guards tensed, ready to join the quarrel. So did my guards. He breathed hard, but did not move further.

  “Are you not tired of being the Circle’s fool?” I crossed my arms on my chest. “They made you sign the alliance. They made you attack Mohor, despite the alliance with him.”

  “What do you want?” he asked, suddenly cold.

  “I want you to honor your alliance. The marriage is no longer possible, as the girl was given by the Circle to the new candidate King.”

  “Is that true?”

  “Ask your Secretary; he is a Sage of the Circle.”

  “Is he?”

  “You are not an inexperienced young man, and Cernat told me good things about you. You were friends once. Your Secretary is betraying you to the Circle,” I said, lowering my voice.

  “Ah, yes, young men, experience,” Devan grinned. “He worked for my father before, and now for me.”

  “Your Secretary works for the Circle. It may be that he works for you too, when your interests do not collide with the Circle’s. No one can serve two masters, Devan. Why did the Circle push you into that alliance with Mohor?”

  “You are talking too much. Are you…?”

  “Leyonan will not come to help you,” I said sharply. “The position you chose to camp in is good for defense, but offers no way for retreat. You picked the wrong place, waiting for Leyonan. I doubt that he can rise from his grave and help you. You are trapped there, and I have three hundred more men and plenty of food.”

  “What makes you think that the Leyonans will fight for you?”

  “They will be the first ones to attack you.”