The Iron Princess
Page 24
‘Pero?’ Xian lowered her voice and dipped her head toward the captain. ‘We need to have a little chat about Pero…’
~~~
General Marsan had certainly seen better days. He was seated at the big table in the meeting room in the hall, but he was bandaged and looking a little grey. From the way the bandages were wrapped around his head, Ayah figured he had lost hair. He did not look like he should be out of bed, but there was still the same intelligence and steely resolve in his eyes.
On the other hand, Gothram got the first word in when Ayah and her friends entered the room. ‘Captain Keeva, why have these… people been allowed into this chamber with weapons? How do you know they aren’t here to–’
‘Shut up, Gothram,’ Xian snapped. ‘Without these people, you would be sinking under a sea of imperial troops by now.’
‘You expect us to believe that–’
‘I expect nothing from you. Not even a coherent argument. The Imperial Army is a full day’s travel south of here. I checked last night. Personally. They lost all their upper command and with it most of their cohesion. Since a lot of their available provisions were also destroyed, about all they could do was to manage an orderly retreat.’
‘But their spies–’
‘Be silent, Gothram,’ Marsan barked. ‘Keeva, would you kindly arrange to have a few scouts sent out to confirm Xian’s assessment of the situation? I’m fed up of listening to paranoid ramblings. I’d like some information.’
‘Yes, sir,’ Keeva said, but he did not immediately move.
‘We do have to address the issue of spies, General,’ Suyin said, stepping forward to stand beside Xian. ‘I’m sure you wondered how I was spirited out of this building and ended up in General Guang’s camp?’
‘We had wondered, yes,’ Marsan said.
‘Are we really going to take the word of Emperor Siyu’s own daughter in this matter?’ Pero asked, getting to his feet. He flinched back a little as Jun and Ayah stepped up to flank Xian and Suyin, their hands on the hilts of their swords.
Nareel stepped up beside Ayah, unarmed, but looking just as menacing. ‘I don’t think she has to say anything further.’
Pero gave Marsan a look of disbelief. ‘You don’t think–’
‘You do a lot of business with the Iron City, as I recall,’ Marsan said.
‘Yes, but–’
‘Captain Keeva, delay those scouts for as long as it takes to detain Laoshi Pero and search his home and places of business.’
‘My pleasure, General,’ Keeva replied, motioning to the two soldiers he had brought with him.
‘And while the good captain is doing that,’ Marsan went on, ‘I should very much like to hear what the five of you have been up to since you left the city.’
Xian gave him a smile. ‘Quite a lot, General. Quite a lot.’
3rd Day, First Jenshu.
It was not until the following day that Ayah, Nareel, and Suyin got to return to the boarding house, where they could collect their belongings, and the circus, where they had to face Taravel. Things did not quite go as Ayah expected they would. For one thing, the circus manager seemed to have worked his way through his feelings over Suyin’s deception.
‘I’m not a man who likes to be surprised,’ he said. ‘I didn’t like being used to transport an imperial princess around the world, but I’ve never been one to turn anyone away when they needed help. Perhaps I’d prefer to have known, but it was likely safer that I didn’t.’
‘I thought so,’ Suyin replied, ‘but I’m not sure I was right. By the time I knew I could probably trust you, laoshi, the time to tell you seemed long past. I apologise for the deception.’
Taravel gave a shrug. ‘From what I hear, you three helped put an end to the siege.’ His gaze turned to Ayah. ‘And you put an end to Guang. I can forgive all of you a lot for ending that sadistic piece of…’ He trailed off, apparently unable to find suitable words to describe the man, or not wishing to use the words he could find in front of women.
‘It was him or me,’ Ayah said.
‘That’s often the way. Now, Jun tells me that you’ve plans to head north.’ Taravel got various nods in reply. ‘The city is actually paying us to stick around here for an extra week or so. We’ll be leaving on the fourteenth. If you could see your way to staying on, I can offer you passage to the City of the North. I really don’t want to lose two of my best dancers or my expert on the northlands before I get there. No one else knows who you are, Princess. Well, except for Jun and Avoona. I think Avoona has known all along.’
Suyin sighed. ‘That wouldn’t surprise me. I think she’s dropped me a few hints that I’ve chosen to ignore. If you think it’s safe… The circus has been more of a home to me than the Imperial Palace ever was.’ She looked at Ayah. ‘You’re the one in a rush to find a teacher.’
Ayah gave a shrug. ‘Yes, but I don’t think another week will make a difference. Somehow, I think my journey has just begun. I still have a long way to go before this is over.’
###
About the Author
I was born in the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall so perhaps a bit of history rubbed off. Ancient history obviously, and border history, right on the edge of the Empire. I always preferred the Dark Ages anyway; there’s so much more room for imagination when people aren’t writing down every last detail. So my idea of a good fantasy novel involved dirt and leather, not shining plate armour and Hollywood-medieval manners. The same applies to my sci-fi, really; I prefer gritty over shiny.
Oddly, then, one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading was The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper (later made into a terrible juvenile movie). These days we would call Cooper’s series Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and looking back on it, it influenced me a lot. It has that mix of modern day life, hidden history, and magic which failed to hit popular culture until the early days of Buffy and Anne Rice. Of course, Cooper’s characters spend their time around places I could actually visit in Cornwall, and South East England, and mid-Wales. In fact, when I went to university in Aberystwyth, it was partially because some of Cooper’s books were set a few miles to the north around Tywyn.
I got into writing through roleplaying, however, so my early work was related to the kind of roleplaying game I was interested in. I wrote science fiction when I was playing Traveller. I wrote “high fantasy” when I was playing Dungeons & Dragons. I wrote a lot of superhero fiction when I was playing City of Heroes. I still love the idea of a modern world with magic in it and I’ve been trying to write a novel based on this for a long time. As with any form of expression, practice is the key and I can look back on all the aborted attempts at books, and the more successful short stories, as steps along the path to the Thaumatology Series.
Recently I took the big step of quitting my day job and taking up full-time writing. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, J.D. Robb, and Kim Harrison. Kim’s Hollows books were what finally spurred me to publish something, even if the trail to here came by way of Susan, back in school, several decades ago.
For More Information
Take a look at the Witches and Ray-guns blog: http://witchesandrayguns.wordpress.com
Links to book vendors and other information can be found there, along with a view on what I’m up to and when it might happen.
Other Books by this Author
The Thaumatology Series
Thaumatology 101
Demon’s Moon
Legacy
Dragon’s Blood
Disturbia
Hammer of Witches
Eagle’s Shadow
Ancient
Dragonfall
The Other Side of Hell
For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll
Vengeance
A Midsummer’s Nightmare – coming
Anthologies in the Thaumatology Universe
Tales from High Towers’ Study
Tales from the Dubh Linn
The Aneka Jansen Books<
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Steel Beneath The Skin
The Cold Steel Mind
Steel Heart
The Winter War
The Greatest Heights of Honour
The Lowest Depths of Shame
Hope
The Ultrahuman Books
Ugly
Shadows
Hunting Mink
Frostburn
Guardian – coming soon
True Dark – coming
The Unobtainium Books
Kate on a Hot Tin Roof
King Solamet’s Mines – coming
The Reality Hack Books
Reality Hack
The Fox Meridian Books
Fox Hunt
Inescapable
DeathWeb
Criminal Minds
Emergence
The Ghost in the Doll
Eden Burning
Dominance
The Princeps Venator Books
Hunter’s Kiss
Be My Valentine
The Gunwitch Books
Gunwitch: Rebirth
The Children of Zanar Series
The Zanari Inheritance
The Misfits Series
Misfit Magic
Misfit Witchcraft
The Sondra Blake Series
The Vanity Case
The Shil the Huntress Books
The Eyes of the Huntress
The Twilight Empress Trilogy
The Iron Princess
Table of Contents
Part One: Ayah
Part Two: The Festival of Growth
Part Three: The Forest and the Trees
Part Four: Ghost Town
Part Five: Thunder
Epilogue
Table of Contents
Part One: Ayah
Part Two: The Festival of Growth
Part Three: The Forest and the Trees
Part Four: Ghost Town
Part Five: Thunder
Epilogue