The decivate saluted smartly. “My lord, this is Lady Lea’s protector.”
Commander Pendek rose to his feet, blinking. “Merciful gods, but you’ve been quick. You must have intercepted my courier on the road.”
Thirbe felt his heart stop. “She’s found?”
“A sighting only. My men could not reach her in time.”
“Where was this?”
“Near Ismah Pass, a mountain road running—”
“How long ago?”
“The afternoon before last. I sent my courier yesterday.”
In silence Thirbe strode over to a map pinned to the wall and squinted at it. The decivate joined him and silently traced the mountain and road with a fingertip for him. It was all Thirbe could do not to pull out the magical opal in his pocket and compare his map to this one, but he restrained himself. He didn’t want to land in the guardhouse on charges of using shadow magic.
“Then there’s time,” he said. “Which way was she being taken?”
Pendek didn’t answer. Thirbe swung around, and found the commander staring at him in apparent confusion.
“I don’t understand,” Pendek said.
“Simple enough question. Which way?”
“But if you’ve read the report—”
“Haven’t,” Thirbe broke in. “I’ve tracked her into Ulinia, but I need a good map of this province. Never saw so many damned mountains and switchback trails that dead-end into canyons. I’m assuming you’ve already started systematic search parties through the area, but I’d appreciate two or three decims of men if you can spare them and will be joining the search myself as soon as I can get fresh provisions. Any assistance you can provide, information on the local government, its factions, and so on, will be welcome. By now, I suppose you’ve sent notice to every outpost in your jurisdiction to be on the watch for her.”
Pendek blinked at him for a long moment. “You say you’ve tracked her here,” he repeated slowly. “But you haven’t read my report.”
Thirbe expelled his breath, trying hard to be patient. But Gault above, he was tired, tired to his very bones, and in no mood to deal with a commander like this. He should have waited until he’d eaten and rested before coming here, he told himself, fully aware that he could not have borne to do either with Lea still in danger.
From outside came the sounds and activity of a legion camp: the stern shouts of centruins, the tramp of boots on packed parade ground in the distance. This small mud hut was furnished like any other legion commander’s office in any permanent posting. The legion’s standards were propped in one corner like so much fishing clobber. There were a utilitarian desk, a small assortment of wooden stools, and a duff chest to hold gear. Even the smells of camp were as Thirbe remembered from years ago when he’d been an ordinary foot soldier in the Twelfth. Oil for armor and leather, camphor ointment for sore muscles, and the reek of latrine lime when the wind shifted just right.
The decivate cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “It seems you are at cross-purposes, sirs.”
“Are you alone?” Pendek asked. “Where are your men, the rest of the lady’s armed escort?”
“Killed, along with their officers.” Thirbe hesitated a moment before adding the lie, “Ambushed by the mercenaries that took her. I’ve been on her trail since.”
“Dispatches apprising us that she was missing reached here only four days ago,” Pendek said. “And then my patrol came in with this report—”
“Good,” Thirbe said. “Then I’m close. We’ll get—”
“Do you expect to keep searching here?” Pendek asked in astonishment. “But she’s far away by now.”
“She’s in Ulinia,” Thirbe said.
“Impossible. They took her through the Hidden Ways.”
“So?”
Pendek sighed. “If you aren’t familiar with that particular method of travel available to shadow users, then—”
“I am.”
“Then I needn’t explain how quickly someone can cross great distances. I daresay she’s at the Madrun border by now, being handed over to those wretched savages.”
Thirbe stared at him. “You haven’t initiated searches?”
“No need.”
“There’s every need! I tell you I’ve tracked her as far as these mountains.” Thirbe stabbed the map with his finger.
“Broken Spine country,” the decivate informed his commander.
“Bad area,” Pendek said. “I don’t allow my patrols to venture into that region. Too risky for losing men.”
“Too risky,” Thirbe snapped. “Poor reason for refusing to rescue the emperor’s sister.”
“Nonsense!” Pendek’s voice was equally sharp. “How dare you put words in my mouth? A refusal would be treason.”
“Yes, it would be, right enough.”
The decivate reached for his sword, but Thirbe drew his quicker. “Don’t try it, son,” he said quietly, his voice cold and hard. “I have more years than you, but I ain’t slow yet.”
“Put away your weapons, both of you!” Pendek said angrily. “I will not have this, do you hear? Decivate, you know better than to challenge a protector. Come to order at once!”
Looking surly, the decivate took his hand off his weapon. Thirbe did not.
Pendek turned on him. “Now you see here,” he went on, his color high. “The patrol did its best to rescue her, but could not follow her abductor into the Hidden Ways. I have sent my report to the palace. I have done my duty, exactly as I should. Insulting me and casting doubt on my loyalty as an officer may relieve your spleen, Protector, but I will not stand for being told I am derelict in my duty.”
Thirbe sucked in a couple of deep breaths and got his temper under control. “Right,” he said in milder voice. “I tender my apology, Commander.”
“Accepted.” Pendek exhaled. “Now, you can ask the quartermaster for accommodations tonight. Glad to provide you with all you need. Will you be heading to New Imperia in the morning?”
“No!” Thirbe said in astonishment. “I’m not quitting.”
“Very commendable, but the Hidden Ways—”
“Mean nothing,” Thirbe told him. “He’s been trying to move her through them for weeks, but without much success. I figure he hid from your patrol until it moved on, and then he came out again.”
Pendek stared at him blankly.
“Shadow magic don’t work right these days for most of ’em,” Thirbe said with more patience than he felt. “I figure Lady Lea’s interfering as much as she can. He never uses magic long, and he doesn’t go far. Like I said, he just hides and comes out again. The quicker we get some search parties sweeping that area, the better.”
“You’re welcome to your interpretation of the events,” Pendek said, still looking baffled. “But there’s no reason for her abductors to linger in Ulinia.”
“Plenty of reason. The knave we’re after is Shadrael tu Natalloh.”
“The praetinor? Commander of the Eighth?” Pendek said in astonishment.
“Ex-commander.”
Pendek cleared his throat. “Yes, of course. I meant to say ex-commander. Discharged in the Reforms. A sad day for the army, losing someone of his valor and skill. Had to be done, of course,” Pendek added hastily as Thirbe’s eyes narrowed. “No question of it. Had to be done. Pity he could not forswear shadow.”
“While you’re lamenting the army’s loss of an officer, consider that he’s Ulinian by birth,” Thirbe said.
“Is he?” Pendek suddenly scowled. “And here, seeking to stir up trouble. I know exactly how to deal with that.”
He picked up a piece of vellum and began writing across it. “Decivate, this order is to be conveyed to Lord Vordachai immediately, requesting that he conduct a search across this region at once.” Pendek smiled at Thirbe, flourishing his signature and handing over the order to the decivate, who saluted. “Nothing better than using the locals when possible. The warlord’s men are expert trackers.”
; Thirbe blinked. “Are you mad? This is an Imperial matter, not a provincial one!”
A tide of crimson surged into Pendek’s face. “Remember whom you are addressing, Protector. I can make allowances for your state of mind only once. Control yourself in future, and address me with respect.”
“Do you think the emperor will respect your decision to hand his sister’s safety over to the local warlord, a man known to be conspiring to commit treason?”
Pendek’s face grew even redder. “I have no solid proof that Lord Vordachai is involved in these recent acts against Imperial authority. He has promised full cooperation with my efforts to establish order here. I am to keep Ulinia quiet and loyal.”
“Don’t care. Lady Lea’s safety—”
“My orders are to maintain peace in this province and keep the trade routes clear of outlaws. This week, one of my road patrols was attacked. I’ve had officers killed.”
“Hazard goes with the job,” Thirbe muttered.
“Not like this. Not robbed and left mutilated.” Pendek clenched his fist atop a stack of papers. “The constant insurgency of bandits and outlaws is threatening to escalate quite out of control. My men must quell this trouble before any caravans are threatened.”
“By all means, leave the princess in jeopardy while you protect rugs and hammered pots.”
“That’s quite enough! For these ruffians to dare ambush Imperial officers is outrageous. Now there have been shadow users nearby, and a sacred festival is coming up. I have more than enough on my hands at the moment, but I can assure you that this year there will be order, even if I have to set a curfew before sundown.”
Thirbe opened his mouth, only to close it again in silence. Obviously Pendek was no field officer. How he’d ever achieved the rank of legion commander must be something of a miracle—or else his family had bribed him through the promotions necessary. He’d probably been posted to this backwater province because of some career-blighting blunder. He showed all the marks of having burrowed deep into this dreg posting like a dung beetle, determined to clerk his way through reports and regulations until his hitch ended and he could retire with his pension. He was worse than Hervan Hothead, Thirbe thought in disgust. A pen-pushing, minimum-effort bureaucrat too stupid to see that helping rescue the emperor’s sister would restore his fallen fortunes faster than sunshine could dry a puddle.
“Let me explain the situation to you more clearly,” Thirbe said at last. “Shadrael tu Natalloh, the man who’s probably kidnapped Lady Lea, is Lord Vordachai’s younger brother.”
“Is he?”
“The local warlord’s a troublemaker, known to be agitating to pull Ulinia from the empire. I’d wager a month’s pay that he’s behind these so-called bandit attacks up and down the caravan roads. And probably behind the attack on your officers.”
Pendek frowned.
“Now Vordachai’s brother—who just happens to be a wicked brute, a shadow user driven from the army because he was too evil to accept reform, a donare with a heart as black as his armor—has stolen Lady Lea, probably on Vordachai’s orders. She’s being held at one of Vordachai’s strongholds. I’d stake my life on it. And I say that we forget asking for his help in looking for her and start searching his—”
“No!” Pendek said explosively, rising to his feet. “You must be mad if you think I’m going to accuse Lord Vordachai of complicity in treason, without solid proof.”
“I—”
“Ulinia is a hotbed of political unrest. The least thing, the slightest insult, could set it ablaze. I manage a careful balance here to keep order, and by Gault, I won’t have someone like you stirring things up.”
“The lady’s life depends on me doing exactly that.”
Pendek’s green eyes met Thirbe’s glare for glare. “Protector, the lady’s life depended on your having kept her safe in the first place.”
“You want to see the hole in my back that I took defending her?”
“No, I want to see proof backing up these wild accusations.”
Thirbe clenched his jaw. Damn you, Hervan, he thought. If you’d done things properly I wouldn’t be in this mess now, with no authority behind me. “Lord Shadrael’s Ulinian. He’s Vordachai’s younger brother, and he has brought her here. The pieces fit too neatly to be ignored.”
“Loose evidence. I need facts, Protector. Not your suppositions.”
“Tracked ’em as far as the badlands, where I lost the trail and was forced to come here for help.” Thirbe drew a deep breath and spread his hands wide in appeal. “I’m asking you, Commander Pendek, for that help.”
Pendek gestured curtly at the order in the decivate’s hand. “I’ve supplied it.”
“Gods, man! If Vordachai is part of this, he’ll laugh himself sick. It’s plain enough that Shadrael is heading straight for his fortress.”
“You said the badlands,” the decivate said. “Lord Vordachai is based in the Jawnuth Mountains. The ones overlooking this city.”
“There!” Pendek said triumphantly. “Not the same location at all.”
Thirbe scowled. No legion commander could be this stupid, he thought. Which meant Pendek was on the take, or . . . “What’s the size of the reward offered by the emperor for her return?”
Pendek’s jaw dropped open. “Are you implying—”
“Sir,” the decivate said, stepping forward, “withdraw your implication or accept my challenge.”
“Shut up, you damned little banty cock,” Thirbe growled. “We’ve been through that already.”
“That was before you accused my commanding officer of accepting bribery.”
“That will do,” Pendek said, glaring at both of them. His green eyes blazed at Thirbe. “Now you listen to me. However you may have botched your duties, Protector, it doesn’t mean I’m going to botch mine. I’m too old to be busted down in rank, and too smart to take the word of some rough-shaven ruffian with a protector’s pass and a hot temper, trying to force me to commit the biggest blunder of my career.”
“And you don’t think Vordachai might have hired his brother to abduct her? That he might intend to use her as leverage?”
“The warlord is not that big a fool.”
“Then why was the girl brought here?”
“That’s for an agent to find out,” Pendek said. “My report is on its way—through correct channels—to the palace. I do not need you telling me how to run an investigation, or whom to trust.”
“There’s more to an investigation than insisting on proper chain of command.”
“It matters, sir! It matters! Without order, there is only chaos, chaos that undermines the empire. I am holding this province together despite every imaginable difficulty and hardship. You Itierians will never understand. You—”
“I don’t understand you bleating about roads and keeping order,” Thirbe said furiously, “when my sweet lady’s life is at stake. You have no idea how special she is, how precious to the empire, to the emperor’s heart. These brutes have dragged her about, subjecting her to Gault knows what kind of brutality, and you intend to sit here and do nothing.”
“I’ve heard the lady is beautiful, even that she performs miracles and is an oracle of wisdom,” Pendek said flatly. “But I have done my duty and I will continue to follow my orders from correct channels, not go jumping to rash conclusions based on guesses instead of proof.”
“Can’t you use your common sense?” Thirbe cried.
Pendek frowned. “Bring me real proof, and I’ll sweep the warlord aside, lay siege to his fortress, and claim his lands for the empire, but I won’t judge him guilty on your word alone.”
“What must I do, lay her corpse on your desk?”
“That’s enough,” Pendek said. “You have followed regulations and correct procedure in reporting to me on your arrival in Kanidalon. I will make a note of it, and this information will be routed through the proper channels back to New Imperia. Until then, I will wait for direct orders.”
“L
isten, you—”
“That is all.”
“You damned scab-brained—”
“That is all. Dismissed!”
Thirbe seethed, gathering himself for another try. The decivate, however, stepped toward him.
“Sir,” he said in a steely voice, “you will accompany me outside or I’ll be forced to summon sentries to escort you to the guardhouse.”
Thirbe went on glaring at the top of Pendek’s bent head. The commander had resumed his writing, his pen scratching firmly as he worked. After a moment Pendek looked up.
“The decivate will escort you to the warlord’s citadel tomorrow,” Pendek said. “Talk to Lord Vordachai about the missing girl. Ask for his help. Don’t demand it. And don’t accuse him to his face of treason. Decivate?”
“Sir!”
“I’m relying on you to keep the protector from starting an incident that could inflame this province.”
As he spoke, Pendek glared firmly at both Thirbe and the young officer, then returned to his writing.
The decivate saluted Pendek before turning to Thirbe. “Report to the north camp gate at the bells of naoin,” he said in a surly voice.
It would be, Thirbe knew, a complete waste of time. Mastering himself with an effort, he spun on his heel and stormed out.
Chapter 8
Snow was falling upon the valley of Falenthis, shrouding the bleak ruins and turning the tiny stream bordering the old Imperial road to slush.
“It was here, Excellency,” the agent said, pointing.
Caelan drew rein, his horse snorting and pawing the crumbling pavement of the old Imperial roadbed. Orders rang out down the line, and his armed escort halted.
He had three companies of legion soldiers marching with him, one full squadron of auxiliary cavalry in bright blue capes and tall fur headdresses, tassels swinging from the hilts of their curved swords, and fifty members of the Imperial Guard—over four hundred men in all, bristling with weapons and unease, their breath misting white about their faces in the cold.
Since he’d turned onto this road and entered the deserted valley, Caelan’s mood had grown grimmer by steady degrees. Now he swept an expert gaze across the site where the ambush had happened, noting how the road bordered the wooded hillside where there would have been plenty of cover to hide the waiting force. The stream ran between low banks in places, but here the near bank lay flat and wide while the opposite bank rose sharply. He imagined the attack and its confusion. He imagined his sister trying to gallop away, while her horse slipped and scrambled up that muddy slope.
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