“They are all gone?” Stiger asked. “You are sure?”
“Almost, the entire senate,” Max confirmed.
“How many remained?” Stiger asked.
“Six senators,” Max answered. “The rest fled the city. The gods only know where they are now.”
Stiger rubbed at his tired eyes. The news, it seemed, was continuing to get worse, not better.
“Most of those who stayed are the weakest of the bunch, the least influential,” Max said. “They are looking for some advantage to be gained by pledging their loyalty to you.”
“Can they be trusted?” Stiger asked.
“They are politicians,” Marcus scoffed. “Of course they can’t be trusted.”
“Well,” Stiger said, “it is a start, I guess.”
“But it’s not a quorum,” Marcus said. “The senate needs to officially confirm you as emperor. Until that happens …”
“I know,” Stiger said.
“We will have to find ways to tie these six senators closer to us,” Max said.
“I imagine that will be the least of our problems,” Marcus said.
“I suppose we could elevate new families to the senate,” Stiger said.
“A few, yes,” Max said. “Creating an entirely new senate—that would be unwise. Those currently serving in the senate have vast holdings throughout the empire, not to mention wealth. They exert control and power over the provinces where they have holdings. I think you will agree, we need that influence, especially now.”
Stiger gave an unhappy nod. “No word on the treasury either, I suppose?”
Marcus shook his head. “We know the High Priest fled the city with it. Where he went, we have no idea. We don’t even have cavalry to run them down either.”
“I’ll wager he’s taking the treasury to the confederacy,” Stiger said.
Neither Stiger’s father nor brother said anything to that, which told him they believed the same.
“And Mechlehnus has not replied either?” Stiger asked.
“Not yet,” Marcus said. “It is possible we could receive his messenger sometime today or tomorrow. At least the reinforcements he sent to the city pledged themselves to you.”
“Three legionary companies and four auxiliary cohorts,” Stiger said. That was one of the few bright spots of the day. “At least we now have the largest military force in the city.”
“It’s also possible,” Max said, “that the senate fled to Mechlehnus, along with the High Priest. They might offer him the empire for his protection.”
“Let’s hope not,” Stiger said and leaned back in his chair. He took a sip of the wine. It tasted like ash in his mouth.
“If he does not respond,” Marcus said, “you should let me write to the men I put in place.”
“That could lead to more bloodshed,” Stiger said.
“Yes, it could,” Marcus said. “There may be no way to avoid it.”
“I’ve seen enough of that,” Stiger said, becoming heated. “We need to bring the empire together, not drive it further apart.” Stiger paused and took a sip of the wine. “Still, if it becomes necessary, and Mechlehnus rebuffs us, we will do it and see if we can limit the bloodshed.”
The door that led to the kitchen opened and Therik walked in. The orc held a steaming bowl of stew in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other. It was clear he had been using the bread to sop up the stew. The entire house seemed to smell of the stew the cook had made.
“You were right,” Therik said as he came up. He shook the loaf, dripping droplets of stew onto the floor. “This is really good bread, and I mean good.”
“I am pleased you approve,” Stiger said.
“You should get some, before it is all gone.” Therik took a large bite and chewed with his mouth open. “Ruga’s men are devouring it. They eat like a pack of wolves that’s not seen a kill in a month.”
“I’ve lost my appetite,” Stiger said. His headaches seemed to be mounting by the moment. Food just did not sound appealing.
“What’s wrong with him?” Therik asked, looking to Max and Marcus.
“He has an empire to manage,” Marcus said.
“Some minor problems, then,” Therik said, and took another bite.
“Minor problems?” Stiger exclaimed, sitting up in the chair. “The senate’s fled, the treasury is gone, Mechlehnus has yet to respond to my orders. Worse, I’ve just learned Handi has murdered the bureaucrats and administrators that worked in the palace. The entire High Command has been killed. Most of the tax collectors have seen the same fate, as have nearly all of the treasury accounting officials. We don’t think that even the lowliest of clerks survived from amongst them. It’s either that, or anyone who survived ran for the hills. They may never come back. He also had most of the records destroyed.”
“So,” Therik said, “get new clerks, make new reports. You legionaries seem too fond of written reports. I’ve seen what Ruga is required to do and it’s a lot, too much.”
Stiger closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. On top of all of these problems, which seemed to be mounting by the moment, he still had to find the Key to the World Gate before the enemy did.
“It is not as simple as that,” Marcus said.
“No?” Therik asked.
“No,” Marcus said.
“Explain it to me, then.” Therik seemed thoroughly unconcerned. He took another large bite and chewed rather noisily.
“Without the trained administrators,” Marcus said, “the clerks, and the records, we lack basic information about the empire, which is huge in scope. We don’t know who the provincial officials are, who’s been given grants of imperium, let alone the magistrates, local tax collectors, amounts owed to contractors, the list continues. We’re not even sure what military forces and assets are where, besides those with Mechlehnus’s army. And when it comes to those formations that are left, the records that were kept in relation to pay and retirement funds have been lost, as have those of the general pensions and disability funds across the government. And even if we had them, there is no way to pay, as the treasury is gone. A good portion of those people out there in the city, who are currently celebrating the new emperor, will turn on us soon enough if they find out. See the problem?”
Therik had stopped chewing as he looked between Marcus and Max.
“Almost everything that was used to manage the empire,” Max added, “has been destroyed or is lost to us. The most concerning thing to me, at the moment, is the grain dole. Those records are gone too. We have vast stores of grain, but don’t know who’s entitled, or for that matter who is a citizen and who is not. If the mob goes hungry because of it, we will lose everything in a heartbeat. The city will consume itself in an orgy of rioting and destruction.”
Therik resumed his chewing, before swallowing. He was silent for a long moment.
“I see a challenge ahead,” Therik said. “I am not worried in the slightest.”
“A challenge?” Max exclaimed. “It’s more than that. I fear the road ahead is not just rocky, but an impossible one.”
Therik laughed. It was harsh and grating. He pointed a finger at Stiger. “He pulls off the impossible every day.”
“This may be too much, for even me, my friend,” Stiger said to Therik.
“We’ll see,” Therik said, “we’ll see.”
The door to the hall opened. Ruga strode in and snapped to attention.
“Sir,” Ruga said. “There are visitors here to see you.”
“I left orders not to be disturbed,” Stiger said, feeling irritated at the interruption. It seemed everyone in the city who felt they were even moderately important wanted an audience. “Add them to the list.”
“I am sorry, sir, I can’t do that.”
Stiger felt his anger rise as Ruga stepped aside.
In walked Currose, followed by Venthus and then, as impossible as it seemed, Taha’Leeth. Stiger froze in his chair, his anger draining away. He stood, dropping his mug of
wine onto the floor, where it shattered. Taha’Leeth seemed pale and very frail. She moved slowly too, not like her normal graceful self.
Dog leaped to his feet and, like a missile, ran over to her. She laughed as he greeted her. Stiger had missed her laugh. The animal was gentle and did not jump up, but licked her hand as she patted him. He seemed to sense she was recovering. Taha’Leeth bent down very slowly and kissed him on the head.
She looked up and straightened. Her gaze swept the room and stopped on him. Their eyes met. In them, Stiger saw love, hope, and dreams of what could be. Everyone else in the room seemed to vanish in an instant, but for her.
Taha’Leeth walked slowly across the hall to him, limping slightly. He just stood there, staring at her almost stupidly, as if she were not real. Her beauty stole his breath away.
She slapped him hard across the face. The blow was strong enough that it brought tears to his eyes. It also broke the moment of shock.
“I think I deserved that,” Stiger said, reaching up a hand to his cheek, which stung painfully.
“You left me behind,” she said firmly. “You will not make that mistake again, husband.”
She grabbed him by the tunic and pulled him close. Their lips met and suddenly Stiger was lost in her kiss. He started to pull her tight. She gave a pained grunt and pulled away, grimacing.
“Easy,” Taha’Leeth said and touched her side. “I am still healing. You need to be gentle.”
“And the baby?” Stiger asked hopefully, glancing down at her belly, which was still flat. There was a bulge under her tunic, where she was clearly bandaged.
“Still there too,” Taha’Leeth said with a slight smile, her eyes glistening. “Currose assured me of that. The baby is well.”
“Thank the High Father,” Stiger said and pulled her close again. He reached up and grabbed her face, kissing her hard. All of his worries faded. With Taha’Leeth at his side, he could face anything, accomplish the impossible. That included rebuilding a crumbling and destitute empire.
“I hate to rain on your lovely picnic,” Currose said, “and reunion, but I am afraid I am the bearer of bad news.”
Stiger felt his mood shift as he turned his gaze to the noctalum. Taha’Leeth looked as well. It was clear she did not know what was coming.
“What bad news?” Stiger asked. He’d gotten more than enough already. He did not need any more.
“My mate and that frustrating wizard, Ogg, went to find the sertalum,” Currose said.
“They did what?” Stiger asked and closed his eyes in frustration. He’d been wondering where Menos and Ogg had gone off to without word. He had thought they’d done something not only stupid, but dangerous. That they’d gone to find the noctalum’s sister race and ancestral enemy was madness in the extreme.
He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and opened his eyes, turning his gaze back to Currose, who had not replied.
“They went to bargain,” Stiger surmised. “They look to enlist her in our fight against the confederacy. In return, they are planning on giving her access to the World Gate, aren’t they?”
“And now,” Currose said, “they are in deep, deep trouble and need our help.”
“Our help?” Stiger asked. “Against the sertalum?”
“If only it were that simple,” Currose said. “No, there are gnomes involved.” She heaved a heavy, almost weary sigh. “And a particular volcano that you and my mate are very familiar with.”
Stiger stared at her for several long moments, not quite believing what he was hearing. “The volcano?”
Currose gave a slow nod. “The very one.”
“Seven Levels.” Stiger just shook his head. He had hoped never to go back there. “Bloody gnomes. This day just keeps getting better and better.”
The End
Stiger’s journey will continue in The Tiger’s Fight, Book Seven of the Chronicles of an Imperial Legionary Officer series, out in 2022.
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