Tolk shot him a brief grin. “It’s formidable style.”
“Indeed it is. I understand there’s two branches in the style: one that trains with weapons and one that doesn’t.”
“Yes. Bohme did weapons. I always fumbled with them, so Master had me train in the other way.”
Oh-ho. Darius didn’t believe for one second that not being armed made him an inferior fighter in any way. That drunk master he’d tangled with hadn’t been armed either. Darius had been and still barely walked away from the encounter. If the master had been sober, he wouldn’t have stood a chance. “I’m surprised a man of your skills wasn’t already employed by someone.”
“I taught with Master,” Tolk answered easily. For some reason, he shot his friend a dark look over his shoulder. “Until Bohme called in favor.”
Darius bit back a laugh. Ahhh. He could see the whole picture now. Just what kind of favor had Bohme called in, anyway? He made a mental note to ask later. “I’m glad he did. I’m afraid I was pushing him too hard. He needed your help.”
Tolk looked at him steadily. “Yes, I see that. You are energetic man, very hard to pin down. Even two men might not be enough.”
He should have seen me at eighteen, Darius reflected ruefully. I’ve actually slowed down a little in the past ten years. “Well, I can defend myself when the occasion calls for it. All I need you two to do is keep an eye out so that I can rest. Two people are enough for that.”
The bodyguard didn’t respond but he didn’t need to. Tolk’s expression spoke volumes. He clearly didn’t agree.
“Alright,” Darius capitulated, “I’ll think about hiring one more. I know it has to be harder to guard me on a battlefield. Give me a list of candidates when we’re back home and I’ll think it over.”
Satisfied, Tolk nodded. “Yes, sir. Will also think about getting wife, sir?”
WIFE? Darius twisted in his saddle and stared at the man, flabbergasted. “Tolk, I’ve been in this country a whole month and a half. My House has barely existed for a month! Not to mention that I’ve got an impossible war to somehow win. Don’t you think I should worry about beating Brindisi first?”
Tolk shook his head before Darius could even finish. “No, sir. A woman gives strength to man’s heart. A good raja would make your House flourish.”
“I second that, General!” Sego called from behind.
“Third!” Bohme chimed in.
Darius raised his head and both hands to the heavens, wondering what he had done to deserve this heckling. Were they better or worse than Queen Tresea? He couldn’t quite tell at this moment. “After I win this war, I’ll think about it,” he said firmly.
“A pretty gyne,” Payam suggested cheekily. “Like one yesterday.”
“Payam,” Darius asked mildly, turning in his saddle even further to give the boy a quelling look, “Do I need to tie that mouth of yours shut?”
Clearly not fazed by the threat, Payam grinned at him. “No, sir.”
Sego looked between the two of them, eyebrow quirked. “What pretty woman from yesterday?”
Payam made a show of putting a hand over his mouth. He wouldn’t say anything in front of Darius. No doubt his mouth would be flapping out of Darius’s sight, though. There were apparently downsides to having a runner. He wished he’d realized that before Sego had conned him into hiring people on. He’d have taken precautions.
Well, it was out there now. When Sego turned that inquiring look on him, he sighed and admitted, “I met Amalah Sebresos by chance yesterday.”
“Ahhh.” Sego, mercifully, didn’t say anything more than that. But the wheels were clearly turning in the man’s head.
Darius didn’t particularly want him to jump to any conclusions, especially since every person around him was eager to get him married off. But nothing he said right now would convince them to leave it alone, either. In fact, saying anything more at this point could very well make it worse. Clearing his throat, he changed the topic. “As I understand it, there are a few Arape merchant stalls in the port city.”
The expression on Sego’s face promised that this topic wasn’t finished, not by any means, but he played along. “There are several. I know of two in particular that have a good reputation. Do you wish to stop at one of them?”
“There are a few things I’d like to buy. Or order, if they aren’t available here.” He mostly wanted to buy Amalah a present without arousing suspicions. If he were sneaky enough about it, no one would know that he’d gotten lost (again) and had to be rescued (again). If he bought a few other things for himself at the same time, he might be able to get it past all of these watchful eyes. Maybe.
Part of the reason why Darius had delayed going to the harbor had been because he’d scheduled a meeting with the Izeh Port Council. Or at least, one of the councilmen. City managers liked pre-made appointments and Darius had a habit of scheduling things ahead of time and giving them a warning of what he wanted so that when he did arrive they weren’t flustered or doing delay tactics to get the information he required. It usually worked in his favor.
This meeting, however, had become one of the exceptions.
They’d arrived in the city just at noon, as he had expected. Starving, they’d stopped at the first tavern they saw and ordered enough food to feed a small army. With Bohme in the mix, they’d actually finished it, too. Darius had been secretly delighted that Sego had rubbed elbows with Tolk on one side and Payam on the other without thinking twice about it. Whatever engrained opinions he had about rank and station were slowly being worn away. Or maybe Sego had just resigned himself to dismissing them altogether, since Darius did.
After lunch they went straight to Councilman Sabido’s office. It had all of the splendid grandeur that ministration offices seemed to have. Instead of being built by wood, or mud bricks like the rest of the city, this had been built of riverstone. It stood a grand two stories tall with white pillars framing the main doorway. It did not, however, look like it had the size to accommodate everyone in the same room. The building was very narrow, so that it seemed squeezed between a courtroom and a record’s hall.
“I give you the choice,” he said to his bodyguards and runner. “Do you want to come inside and be invisible for the next hour or two, or do you want to stay out here?”
“Out here,” Payam answered instantly.
Tolk and Bohme looked at each other and then at the building with measuring eyes. They were clearly weighing out the possibility of danger versus being stuck to a wall in a stuffy building. “Out here…?” Tolk ventured.
Bohme nodded slowly. “Don’t think empty shacksh like them are much threat.”
Darius tended to agree. Most ministers weren’t threatening even to flies. “Then just Sego and I go in. Hopefully, this will be quick.”
No one believed him. Actually, he didn’t even believe him. Meetings like this never lasted a single hour, not unless someone set the roof on fire. (Which Darius had been tempted to do, a time or two.) Marshaling up his patience, he ascended the three steps to the main door and stepped inside.
He had to pause for a moment in the doorway as he transitioned from the stark sunlight of the outdoors for the dimmer lighting of the office. As his eyes adjusted, he saw a long desk on the right with a timid looking man sitting behind it, with two plush benches jammed against the wall on the left side. Beyond that, he could see only a single door, which presumably led to the main offices for the councilmen that worked here.
Darius approached the desk and said to the clerk, “I am Darius Bresalier. I have an appointment to see Councilman Sabido.”
The clerk looked up with the air of a mouse hovering within range of a mountain cat. “G-g-general. We’ve been expecting you. Ah, um, if you could have a seat? Councilman Sabido should see you shortly. I mean, will, will see you shortly.”
He raised an eyebrow at the man. I’m not that scary, am I? Well, he was used to striking fear in people on a battlefield, but he was actively trying to be scary
then. He hadn’t even given this man a mean look yet and already the clerk quaked in his chair.
But he nodded as if nothing was unusual, turned and took one of the benches. Sego settled in next to him with a slight grunt as he extended his leg out. Leaning closer, he murmured, “That was not a good reaction.”
Darius nodded in agreement. No, it hadn’t been promising. But he tried not to jump to any conclusions. Darius stood a little taller than most of the men in this country and he had a fierce reputation in Niotan. Maybe the man had been spooked by the rumors that he’d heard. Hopefully, his boss had more spine.
So he sat back and waited for Sabido to come fetch them. And waited. And…waited. He had no real way to track the time in this dim room, but the light from the window had noticeably moved, which meant a significant amount of time had passed. The clerk had not once moved from his desk to inform the councilman that they had arrived, either.
No, this didn’t look good at all. Annoyed, Darius stood and went to hover in a threatening manner over the clerk’s desk. “Go inform the Councilman that we are here to see him. Now.”
The clerk shot up from his chair, croaked something that might have been “Rightawaysir” and darted for the door.
Sego turned to watch the man’s flight from the room and the frown he’d been wearing since their arrival deepened. “I don’t like the look of this, General.”
“Neither do I. It speaks of power games that I do not have the time to play.” Nor the patience to play.
Within a few minutes the clerk reappeared and hovered in the doorway. He didn’t quite meet either man’s eyes as he announced, “The Councilman will see you now, sirs.”
Smoothing out his face, he followed the clerk out of the room and up a narrow flight of stairs. The wood of the floor and the walls had been polished to a gleam, but the place didn’t speak of power and influence like it should have. For some reason, Darius only felt a hollowness, as if this building were only for show.
The clerk knocked quickly on the last door in the hallway before shoving it open. Before Darius could come anywhere near it, he sped back down the hallway towards his desk, not even bothering to announce them.
Sego exchanged a significant look with him at this breach of etiquette but Darius had come too far to stop now and he went inside.
The room beyond the door looked…plain. It had a wide desk in front of the window, two benches lined up parallel to the desk and a massive portrait of three sailing ships coming into the harbor hanging on the wall. Nothing looked particularly expensive or even well cared for. In fact, the air had a musty smell as if the room hadn’t been exposed to fresh air in months.
Behind the desk sat a man that could have been forty or fifty, his age almost indiscernible. The stark white shirt and sleeveless coat said expensive in the cut and the fabric but they did nothing to flatter the flabbiness of his puffy face or belly. He struck Darius as a man that tried to look like a man of power but didn’t know how to go about it. I think I just wasted a trip coming to this office. “Councilman Sabido,” Darius greeted with a courteous half-bow.
Sabido rose from his desk and came around before giving a deeper bow to Darius. “General Bresalier. We have been expecting you.” He gestured to a padded bench. “Please.”
Darius gave his host’s face a quick study as he took the seat. He might have been expecting me, but he clearly didn’t want me to actually come. Well, this attitude didn’t surprise him. Other people he’d met had clearly not been comfortable talking civilly to a former enemy. As long as Sabido could remain professional, he could work with him. “Thank you, Councilman.”
Sabido took another bench that faced Darius and pasted a smile on his face. “I understand that you have some questions about our harbor.”
So, the Councilman wouldn’t be offering any refreshments or hot towels to wipe away the dust of the journey? His superficial cordiality became more flimsy with every moment. “Indeed,” Darius agreed calmly. He glanced at Sego who had not bothered to sit and found the man frowning. His steward had also noticed the lack of hospitality and clearly didn’t like it one bit. Darius prayed that Sego’s political upbringing would prevent him from making a fuss and kept talking. “I have reviewed a few plans and descriptions of the harbor’s construction, but I found them to be too general to be useful. I need more detailed information.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I will be happy to explain.” Sabido sat back a little with his hands clasped over a pudgy belly, smile never reaching his eyes. “There was no natural cavity for a harbor here along the coast, as I’m sure you’re aware. We built walls on two sides, taking advantage of a natural curve in the land, to build up the water level. Over the years, we’ve extended the wall several times to make the water deeper as the ships grew larger. We can now accommodate almost any vessel provided that it’s not overly loaded with cargo.”
I do believe he just recited the original report that I was handed. Darius cleared his throat and fought to keep a frown off his face. “Yes, the information sent to me said something along the same lines. What I need to know is, is it possible to add locking gates in between the walls? Is it possible to drain the water if needed? How exactly were the walls constructed?”
“The harbor was designed with free passage for vessels in mind,” Sabido answered, tone evasive. “The walls have a very sound construction, I assure you, and will last for many years with the proper maintenance.”
That really didn’t answer any of his questions. Darius read the situation for what it was: he wouldn’t be able to get any answers out of this man. Well, not unless he applied a few torture techniques, but you weren’t allowed to do that to allies. Without reason, that was. Or at least, a better reason than But he was irritating me!
He took in a deep breath, reining in his anger, and stood. “Councilman Sabido, I realize your time is valuable. I will not take up any more of it.”
Sabido also stood, a flicker of relief darting over his face. “Thank you, General.”
With a nod to Sego, he led the way out of the door and into the outside air. “I do believe that man thought I was a spy for Brindisi,” he noted to Sego over his shoulder.
Anger flushed Sego’s fair skin an unhealthy bright red. “I can’t believe the gall of that man,” he fumed, cane slamming into the ground with every step. “His safety, the entire safety of Niotan, depends on you getting the information you need. And what does he do? Plays some petty power game with you!”
“We’ll find someone else to answer my questions,” Darius soothed. “I doubt he knew the nitty details that I need to ask about anyway.” He lifted his head to the sky and checked the position of the sun. It seemed to be somewhere around mid-afternoon, which meant he had just wasted an hour. He’d probably spend another hour just hunting down the right man to ask his questions. “Sego, go find us a good inn and book three rooms.”
“For how many nights?” his steward inquired dryly.
Darius waggled a finger at him. “Don’t jinx us. I’ll find someone in this city to talk to me, even if I have to sit on them to get the answers I need.” As an afterthought he added, “Take Bohme and Payam with you. I’ll take Tolk.”
“And where are you going to begin searching?” Sego asked. He clearly wanted to know where to start looking for Darius if he needed to.
He stood closer to the south side of the harbor than he did to the north. “Right here. I’ll work my way northward.” Darius ran a hand through his noticeably blond hair and sighed. Even in this city of foreign merchants and visitors, he’d stick out like a black horse in a desert. The odds of any native willingly talking to him were dismally low. “Wish me luck,” he sighed.
“Water and light be with you,” Sego offered, a little tentatively.
Darius stopped dead and snapped around, eyes wide. He hadn’t heard the traditional good wishing since he left Arape. Where and how had Sego learned it? Somehow, the words touched him deeply with a bittersweet feeling. “Thank you,” he resp
onded a little huskily.
“I did get that right?” Sego asked uncertainly.
“Yes.” Darius cleared his throat to ease the tightness. “Yes, that was exactly right. I haven’t heard it in a long time. Where did you learn it?”
“There is a book of Arape customs in the palace library,” Sego admitted. “I’ve been reading it recently when I have a spare minute.”
A book of customs? He didn’t know that such a thing existed. “I’d like to take a look at it.”
“You probably should,” Sego said ruefully. “I don’t know how accurate this book is. It also claims that Arapeens only drink water, which I don’t think is true. I’ve seen you drink other things.”
Well, they did drink water more than anything but they didn’t solely drink just that. It would be very boring if they did. “Ahh…yes, I’d better read that book. I don’t think the author has everything straight. But for now, I’ll accept your well-wishing. Tolk?”
The bodyguard stopped relaxing in the shade of the building and came to stand at his side.
“After you’ve booked us in a good inn, try talking with some of the other officials here,” Darius suggested to Sego. “Maybe you can make more headway than I can. I need specifics on how these walls were constructed. I specifically need to know if we can add a gate to them and ports so that we can drain the harbor quickly.”
Sego’s brows furrowed a bit. “Of course, I’ll ask.” Although he clearly didn’t understand why Darius would need this information.
“I’ll explain it later,” he promised with a half-smile. “But we’re losing daylight. Go.” With a wave, he turned on his heel and started heading for the docks. “Tolk, if you were an old construction worker that had helped build this harbor, where would you be?”
“Harbor is forty years old,” Tolk pointed out dubiously. “Odds of any worker still being alive is slim.”
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