“No, sir.”
“Jiren, Karik’s uncle is Lord Arman of Darshek. You must have heard of him.”
“Of course—we’re not that backward, captain,” the man said severely. “But while Lord Arman certainly exists, I have no proof at all that any of you have anything whatsoever to do with him. You must understand this is highly irregular and I need time to consider what to do. For now, you three will be fed and provisioned, but this young man will be taken into custody. Groi, fetch three soldiers, will you?” The groi saluted and left to fetch help.
“No.” Romi came to Karik’s side. “Forgive me, Jiren Palanze, I can’t permit that.”
“You’re not in a position to permit anything, my friend. This man apparently belongs to an enemy state, and I must take the steps required to protect this outpost.”
“Then where he goes, I go,” Romi said.
“Me too,” Kepi said.
“And me,” added Taz.
The jiren frowned. “As you wish, but I think you will come to regret your loyalty—our brig is very small.”
“Sir, may I speak?”
The jiren took up his seat again and gave Karik an irritated look. “Yes?”
“I have a friend, Tiremze, who comes from a settlement to the east of Selnozi. Is there any chance he might be in town or contactable?”
Irritation became surprise. “Tiremze? Engineer Tiremze?”
“Yes. Son of Kozan. He was studying at the academy when I met him. He could vouch for my identity. He met my family and knows my background.”
The jiren rubbed his chin. “He’s away from Selnozi now, but word could be got to him. Not easily—it would take a few days.”
Karik shrugged. “If it helps us get home, then a few days won’t matter. But I beg you not to lock captain Romi up—he’s ill and needs proper care.”
The officer looked startled. “Ill? Why didn’t you mention this before, captain? Is it infectious? Someone tell me what is going on here.”
Karik quickly explained what had happened to Romi and what his condition was—Romi let him do it without interruption, since it could only enhance the picture of a harmless healer going about his business. “So if you could see your way to letting him rest somewhere comfortable, it would make a very great difference.”
“In the name of the benevolent god.” He heaved a sigh. “Very well. None of you look in a fit state to make a dash for it, so I’m prepared to give you the run of the barracks. You must not leave them, or cause any difficulty, and you will make sure the guard post knows of your whereabouts at all times. I’ll have a letter sent to Engineer Tiremze—if you’re telling the truth, and I can’t see why you would make up such a detail, then we won’t be delaying your journey much. The next trade caravan won’t be leaving for a fortnight.”
Karik bowed. “That’s fortunate, actually. The captain needs time to recover—we all do, actually. Thank you.”
The jiren raised his eyebrows at the thanks. “Nice manners, at least,” he muttered. “Not what I expected from the Prij.”
“Fortunately they didn’t have the teaching of me,” Karik said with a smile. Romi was proud of the way he was handling this—he didn’t seem nervous, and was being as courtly as one could wish. If his parents in that little village had taught him this, they must be remarkable people.
There was a knock at the door—the groi had returned with the three, now unneeded, assistants. “It’s all right, groi Vitizu. We’ve made other arrangements. These men are to be fed and clothed, and beds sorted for them in the sleeping quarters. If you could send my clerk in on the way out, I need to write a letter. Captain Romi, if you could return to this office tomorrow morning, we can have a more leisurely conversation about your mission, but for now I would like your personal oath that you and your people will abide by my restrictions.”
“Willingly given, Jiren Palanze. On my honour as an officer and a man of Darshian, and by the name of my clan, I am so sworn.”
The jiren grunted. “Good enough. We’re a small outpost here, captain, but my men and women are well-trained. Don’t imagine we’re provincial dullards who won’t care if you escape.”
“I would never think that, since my barracks are just as small.”
That brought the first genuine smile from the officer. “So you know what it’s like. Go, get fed and rested. If your story is true, you’ve had quite an ordeal. I’ll send our healer to you once you’re settled, though it seems you have your care under control.”
“We have been very fortunate to have Karik with us, jiren.”
“So it seems. Groi? Please take them in hand, and make it your responsibility to know where they are at all times.”
The junior officer bowed and then beckoned them all out of the office. Karik blew out his cheeks with relief, and Kepi grinned. “No one can resist our combined charms, eh, captain?”
“I think we owe most of that to Karik, actually,” Romi said. “You better damn well hope your friend speaks up for you.”
Karik turned. “The worst that will happen is that we’ll be stuck here until someone can get word from Visiqe or Tsikiugui.”
“Winter in Andon? No thanks,” Taz said with a shiver.
The young officer leading them across to the sleeping quarters, grinned at them. “I always heard you Darshianese were soft. Look at you, all bundled up even though it’s a beautiful warm day.”
Romi gave him a baleful look, since it wasn’t just the low temperature outside that made him so cold. “Soft, are we? When we just walked six hundred miles from Mount Arzha with nothing more than a couple of blankets and an axe to help us?”
“A mere stroll, we do that all the time.” Gods—not another one. Young Groi Vitizu clearly fancied himself a comedian too. Romi really hoped Karik’s friend would come through sooner rather than later. This could get very wearing indeed.
Staying Power: 36
To Romi’s relief, the enforced rest wasn’t anything like as tiresome as he feared it might be. The soldiers of this backwater were a good bunch, mostly young and drawn from the local area, though one or two had come from the south. For that reason, Romi told his team to remain reticent about Kizinke—he disliked concealing facts when they had been treated so fairly, but without bona fides, and being entirely dependent on the goodwill of these soldiers, he just couldn’t risk that Kizinke might have familial or friendship ties here. Other than that, the four of them were as open as they could be about their mission and their work, and there was a good deal of mutual curiosity about the other army’s activities.
Once again, Karik proved that, given even half a chance, he could make himself at home in the most unlikely of surroundings, and very quickly their confinement was in name only. Karik was even granted permission to meet local healers and discuss remedies and herbs with them—his diary was now supplemented by donated notebooks, and he was busily making notes and taking medicine samples, though Romi reminded him that everything had to fit in one pack. He didn’t want Karik’s enthusiasm overwhelming the capacity to transport the stuff.
A lot of the time, Romi found he was completely abandoned by his team as they were lured off to talk to far more interesting people. He didn’t really mind—well, not much. He spent the first two days mostly sleeping, and even after that, he found he wasn’t good for much after a couple of hours unless he was able to rest again. Since Karik was off exploring so much of the time, he had to take his own rehabilitation in hand, so he surreptitiously increased his activities each day. A little more time walking, a little longer before he would allow himself a rest.
It was hard—every little extra was hard, every added exertion draining reserves of energy that were puddle deep at the best of times. But he had to get well again, or he would have no career, and no real options other than that—he had no trade, couldn’t work as a farmer if he had a bad heart, and no special learning. It was mortifying to know just how much he defined himself by his physical well-being, and how few options he had o
nce it was gone.
The weather was steadily getting colder, which made his exercise even tougher, and they had already had the first light snow of the season, though it had quickly melted away. He wanted to get away from Selnozi before the deep winter—he knew his heart just would not stand that degree of cold—but all they could do was wait. If Karik’s friend didn’t reply, then all that would be going to Agen port would be a letter from Jiren Palanze to Tsikiugui barracks—and they would be stuck in the middle of nowhere for months. It would probably finish him off, though he never said a word to the others about it. They had got this far with incredible luck—when it ran out completely, then he would face the hard facts, but not before.
“And what do you think you are doing, captain Romi?”
Romi froze in mid-dismount, startled by the angry voice, but pretended casualness as he finished getting off the doig and handed the reins to the waiting soldier. “What does it look like I’m doing?” He turned to face his friend, and found Karik standing there, looking extremely irritated.
“Looks to me like you’re being a pissing idiot, that’s what it looks like. You know you’re not up to riding yet.”
“Actually, this is the third time this week I’ve been out. Only around the training track, though.”
“Th...Third!” Karik came forward as Romi leaned casually on the side of a stall, trying to hide how tired he was. “Are you insane? Why didn’t you tell me you were doing this?”
“You weren’t here.”
Karik’s eyes widened. “You...! What about in the evening? You couldn’t casually mention that you’re taking such a risk with your health?”
“To what end?” Romi asked mildly. “I wasn’t aware I needed your permission to do anything, actually. A soldier is responsible for his own fitness, and I might be an invalid, but I’m still a soldier.”
“But....”
“But what, Karik? You can’t be here holding my hand. This is going to go on far longer than you’ll be around. Anyway, it’s working. I’m better, I know it.”
“Yes, deeply convincing, captain, with your legs shaking and your face as white as snow. You are such a stubborn arse. I wash my hands of you.”
He turned to storm out of the stables. “Wait,” Romi called. “Did you come in for a reason or just to catch me out?”
“I...oh.” Karik’s irritation softened. “See what you did? You made me forget!”
“Forget what?” Romi straightened. He’d been sliding down the post in his tiredness, and used feigned impatience to cover his fatigue.
“You need to rest, you stupid man. Lean on me.”
There really was no fooling this brat, Romi thought ruefully as he was helped over to some feed sacks to sit down. “Well?”
“Tiremze wrote—gave Jiren Palanze a full description of me, told him all about Arman and Kei and generally called me a good chap.” He grinned suddenly. “He also said if I fancied a job, the engineers could always use the help.”
“And are you going to accept?”
“Not this time around,” he said dryly. “Anyway, that seals it as far as the jiren is concerned. We’re free to go and he’ll offer us all assistance to get back to Tsikiugui. He can’t spare more than a couple of soldiers—I thought we wouldn’t need anyone, actually. But apparently there’s a broken down old wagon, the kind that traders live in with their families. They’ll help us repair and outfit it, and we can then take it to Agen port.” He looked Romi up and down. “You’re not up to four weeks in a wagon, are you?”
“I’ll just have to be, won’t I? When does the wagon train leave?”
“Four days. I’m serious.”
“So am I. I’ll be part of that caravan or die trying.”
Karik touched his shoulder. “I really don’t want that,” he said in a quiet voice.
“I’m not exactly full of joy at the prospect either. Stop focussing on the problems, give me solutions. I can ride, I’ve proved that.”
“No, you pissing can’t.” All Karik’s irritation flared into life again, and his eyes flashed with annoyance. “Maybe a few minutes here and there—but not for hours, not in the cold. Don’t be an idiot. If you had a soldier under you behaving like this, you’d wring his neck and you know it.”
“If I had a soldier under me behaving like this, I’d just hand him to you and that would be enough punishment.” Karik stuck his tongue out and Romi laughed in shock. “Very grown up.”
“It’s all you deserve, you stubborn arse,” he said, trying to look severe, but then he grinned. It was like the sun coming out.
Gods, I miss you. “Maybe so, but it’s not an answer. So concentrate. If we’re forced to travel with the wagon train and we can’t hold them up, then I have to ride at their pace.”
“Come and have some drizu, and we can talk about it.”
“Can I use the steam room tonight?”
Karik sighed in exasperation. “No. It’s too great a risk, and you’ve already put a strain on yourself today. You have to resign yourself to the fact you won’t be using the steam room again before we leave Andon. It’s not just the heat—it’s the razika they use. I’m sorry.”
He was right, but it was still a disappointment. He loved the steam room. More than that, Karik wasn’t using it because Romi wasn’t, and he felt bad about that—but he knew why, and didn’t want to push. “Oh well. Come on, I want that tea.”
Groi Vitizu was taking his ease in the sleeping quarters when they turned up, and so was asked for his advice. “Hmmm. The wagons will be heavily loaded and only going about two miles an hour. Is that intolerable for you, Romi?”
“That will be a lot easier than the cart getting here, certainly.”
“Yes, but it’ll be all day, Romi,” Karik pointed out. “From dawn to dusk, and only the briefest stop in the day. You had the afternoon to recover before.”
“Well, then I’ll just have to manage, get what rest I can in the wagon. I won’t die, Karik.”
“You might.”
“Fine. Then I die. Somehow, I’m betting I won’t.”
Vitizu looked at Romi, then at Karik, in evident alarm. “Your condition remains that serious?”
“No.”
“Yes!” Karik glared at him. “Damn it!”
“At some point, life becomes not worth living if you take no risks. I won’t risk anyone else, but I claim the right to risk myself.”
“Kepi will wring your neck!”
“Only if you tell him. And you won’t, because I’m asking you not to. We all want to go home. I’m prepared to take a risk. I’m not doing this in ignorance. All soldiers know they could die doing their job—this is no different.”
Karik stood suddenly, his face red with anger. “It is different!”
“How?”
“Because...because.... You’re not allowed, that’s why!” He whirled and stalked out, his hands clenching into fists at his side, leaving the two soldiers rather stunned.
Finally Vitizu coughed. “Ah...he’s a very passionate young fellow, isn’t he? My friend, is there nothing we can do to make this journey safer?”
Romi was still wondering why Karik was so insistent he was somehow exempt from the normal rules that applied to soldiers. “Uh, whatever you can come up with, I’d be grateful. I think he’s overreacting.”
“If you say so. He doesn’t strike me as the type, though. Leave it with me, my friend. I will make enquiries.”
“Thanks, Vitizu,” Romi said distractedly.
He sipped his now cooling tea as the other man left. What did Karik want him to do? Sit in Selnozi? Have them all sit in Selnozi? They had very limited options. Damn it, one minute people were shouting at him for not wanting to move on, and the next minute he was getting it in the neck for doing just that. He’d never realised how being sick handed other people so much say in his doings. It really was very tiresome.
~~~~~~~~
Karik leaned against the wall of the stables and thumped it hard with his
fist. What was Romi thinking? How could he talk so casually about dying, as if it was of no importance to anyone but himself? They’d been over this already! He wasn’t going to die—Karik wouldn’t let him die. That pissing, stubborn, irritating arse.
A hand descended on his shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his skin with shock. “Hey! Easy, Karik, it’s just me.” Kepi came around in front of him and peered worriedly into his face. “What’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing, you just s-startled me.”
“Are you sure? You look upset.”
“I’m just annoyed. I’ve got g-good news—we’re free to go. We can leave with the caravan.”
Kepi’s face broke into a wide smile. “That’s great news! I want to get back to Darshian. I’m tired of wandering. What about Romi? He’s up to it, isn’t he?”
Karik bit his lip—on the one hand, he wanted Kepi’s help, but on the other, Romi had just asked him not to violate his privacy. “If we take care, he will,” he said cautiously. “The days will be long, that’s my main concern. Any idea how to make it easier on him? You know what riding in a wagon can be like.”
“Yes, I do. How about we try this...?”
~~~~~~~~
Romi served himself more drizu, and tried to recover the relatively good mood he’d been enjoying earlier that day—before Karik’s tantrum. Damn it, it was just a wagon ride. They weren’t even going very fast—Karik was just being overly cautious.
He jumped, spilling tea all over his hand as the inner door of the sleeping quarters slammed open and Karik came stalking in. “Right, this is how it will be, captain Romi. You,” he emphasised the words with a finger stabbed in Romi’s direction, “will be resting on as many furs, pillows and blankets as we can borrow or steal, and you will be accompanied by one of us at every moment. You will not make a solitary unnecessary movement, you will stay well wrapped up and warm, and you will eat properly and sleep properly. Is that clear?”
He stood with hands on hips, glaring furiously at Romi, daring him to argue. “Perfectly,” Romi murmured.
Staying Power (Darshian Tales #3) Page 48