by Tony Roberts
“Our destination,” Jorqel finally said. “I will speak to the governor there and request accommodation for the night, then tomorrow Alenna and I will arrange passage to Kastan City while you, Maddick, will board ship at Aconia and sail to Efsia with further instructions from me. I must hear what the governor says before I make any final decision as to what to do.”
Maddick nodded. He would do his duty. Alenna shivered. Going to Kastan City was a frightening prospect; it was the centre of power of the Koros, traditional rivals to her own family, and she had heard of how opponents to the new imperial rulers had been sent to the dungeons, or to the mines. She did though have Jorqel’s word that she would be unharmed or sent to any prison or mine, so she looked at the prince for reassurance. What he had in mind for her now was unknown, and he hadn’t expanded on what he’d told her back on her family estate. She didn’t know whether she trusted him or his word, but she had little choice, and now she had turned against the wishes of her family, who else could she turn to?
Jorqel signalled that they should move on, and they slowly walked their mounts down the long, gentle slope to the road at the bottom. Here, it turned and headed right for the city gate, and it wasn’t long before Jorqel and the two others arrived. The guards looked at them suspiciously; heavily armoured men on heavy equines always spoke of nobility, but whose? Jorqel, still playing the part of a mere retainer, handed the guards a letter he as prince had written, stating that the three were part of the prince’s retinue and were on his bidding to report to Governor Evas Extonos.
“More of you?” the guard said, frowning. “Only a few days ago there were more of you here. They left two days ago.”
“Gavan, I presume?” Jorqel said.
“Yes, that was his name. Oh, well, its genuine enough; matches the previous writing and is on imperial paper. You may pass.”
Jorqel took the paper back and led them into Niake. He had been there before, prior to the Koros taking power. He hadn’t been back in four years, and it seemed a little brighter and tidier. The main road led straight through to the square and there he dismounted. The governor’s residence was sited on one side of the square, and he led the two others up the steps. More guards blocked the way and Jorqel and the others were only allowed past once an officer had verified the document’s authenticity and received permission from the governor to come in.
Jorqel pushed into Extonos’ room without any further encouragement. He strode confidently up the governor’s desk and waited for his reaction. He had come through Niake four years ago and had spoken to the governor then, so he would know the prince by sight.
Evas Extonos stared in surprise at Jorqel’s entrance. He pushed his chair back, which crashed over with the force of him getting to his feet, and bowed hurriedly. “My Lord,” he said, shaken, “I had no idea it was you, else I would have seen you without any delay whatsoever!”
Jorqel smiled thinly. Extonos had shown none of this degree of respect four years back. Then, he’d merely been a general, the son of a prominent noble. Jorqel knew how false Extonos’ show of loyalty and respect was, but he would go along with it for appearances’ sake. Behind him, both Alenna and Maddick came in and stood to either side of the prince, and slightly behind. Extonos looked at both; the man was a bodyguard, and therefore unimportant, but the woman was clearly nobility, if young. Very young, in fact, and looking a little scared. That put Extonos further on his guard.
“Governor, I have things to say to you in private. Your guards and this advisor here,” the prince pointed to Kisan Prelek, Extonos’ advisor, who was nothing more than an inventor who was there by good fortune – nobody else in Niake wanted to advise the governor who was intelligent enough, “can wait outside. What I have to say is for your ears only.”
Extonos nodded nervously to his advisor who bowed and backed away, shocked that the prince was actually there in person. The guards left and shut the door. “And these two, sire?” Extonos asked, picking up his chair and standing stiffly to attention.
“They know of what I am about to speak. My guard does not leave my side, as I hope you understand. The young woman here is Alenna of the House of Duras.”
Extonos looked at the girl in surprise.
“Yes,” Jorqel said wearily, “not someone whom you would think I would choose to have by my side, but in the recent past certain events created by her father has given her, shall we say, a crisis of conscience. You will have been told by my man Gavan that my betrothed, Sannia of the House of Nicate, was kidnapped and a ransom note was sent to me by Lombert Soul, demanding I surrender Slenna to him in return for her life.”
Extonos nodded. “A bad state of affairs, sire.”
Jorqel snorted and walked slowly to the window behind the governor who had to turn to face him. Jorqel stared out and continued talking. “I had my doubts it was written by Lombert Soul; it was too well written and correctly addressed to be that of someone like that upstart rebel. My deductions were that it must be a noble House behind it, and who else but the Duras would be that? So I carried out a surprise raid on their estate yesterday and I found not only evidence that they were behind the abduction, but that they were aiding and assisting the rebels. There is also one other sinister development which I must bring to your attention, which is why I am here in person.” He turned away from the window and faced the nervous governor. “I have good reason to suspect that Lombert Soul is in possession of a huge quantity of the Leaf and is intending to give it – free of charge – to anyone who wishes it in this city. Of course, that will mean hundreds of new addicts who will become in no time utterly useless and unable to contribute to Niake’s wellbeing. You are to stop this happening.”
“How, sire?”
Jorqel stepped up close to Extonos. “By exercising your powers as governor, Extonos. The Leaf is in such huge quantities that it cannot be sneaked in as it normally is, under someone’s tunic or in a small bag. No, this time it is in wagon loads. Anyone trying to bring in anything must be searched thoroughly, and if it is found to be the Leaf, it is to be confiscated at once and all the drovers and merchants bringing it in arrested without delay.”
“And – and the confiscated goods?”
“Soak them in saltwater. It is the only thing to do with that foul stuff. Do not burn it, as it’ll have the same effect as taking it!”
“As you say, Lord. What will happen next?”
Jorqel grunted. “I am to cross over to Kastan City for my sister’s wedding. After that I shall return and put this Lombert Soul to the sword. If he makes a move on Niake, you are not to surrender. You are to hold this city until I arrive with my army. Failure to obey my commands will be fatal to you, do you understand me?”
Evas bowed, his face sweaty. “I understand you very well, sire. Rest assured, I will hold out if a siege occurs. We have provisions for the populace for a year.”
“It will not be necessary to last that amount of time, do not fear. If the Duras do turn up, and enter this city, they are to be arrested on the spot. They are outlaws and are under sentence of death.”
Extonos glanced at Alenna who was looking extremely nervous by now. Jorqel caught the meaning. “Oh, except this young lady here. Because she has wisely chosen to speak out against treason and the evil practices that Lord Duras has resorted to in order to try to take power here in the west, she is under my protection. I merely wish for you to do your job, Governor, while I am away. I shall return soon enough to take charge of the Army of the West once more, and I shall deal with this rebellion once and for all.”
Extonos was relieved once Prince Jorqel and his small entourage had gone. He sat down and mopped his brow. He tried to control his shaking but his legs were not obeying his will. Kislan Prelek came back in and stood dutifully by the side of the governor’s desk. “Bad news, sire?”
Extonos wiped his face with a cloth and cleared his throat. “Just an imperial command to hold Niake against an expected attack from the rebels. Do we have sufficient supp
lies to hold out if we are besieged?”
Prelek didn’t know. “I shall consult the commissariat. They will know. Do you seriously expect trouble, sire?”
Evas Extonos sighed mightily, his shoulders slumping. “It would appear the Prince is unable to prevent the Duras faction from making their move on us. I’m informed that the Duras are allied to this Lombert Soul, and it is more than likely his army will march on us in the near future.”
“And what will you do if that happens, sire?”
“It depends on the reserves of food and supplies here, Prelek, and how many are in the rebel army. If the Prince is unable to protect us, what can we do? I may have to make an accommodation with the Duras. I’ve served under their rule before and didn’t find it too onerous. I do not wish this city to suffer any more than it has to. I don’t think the Prince has the power to stop the rebellion; do you?”
Prelek scratched his jaw. “Best not to let your thoughts pass out of this room, sire. Who knows where the nearest Koros spy is? Such talk could end with your arrest, you know.”
Extonos grunted. “I’ll profess my allegiance to the Koros as long as they can protect me, but if that fails, then I’ll go with whoever can.”
The advisor laced his fingers. “Such constant switches of loyalty could ultimately end up causing your dawnfall, sire. Surely its best to remain loyal to the same House?”
Extonos shook his head. “You forget that long before you came to serve me, I had to change sides three times. I’ve become fairly good at judging when to jump sides. There is only one side to be on, you know, Prelek, and that’s the winning side. If I remain loyal to the Koros and they lose, then I fall with them, and I have no intention of allowing that to happen. If the Duras look like winning, I will declare for them and open the gates of Niake to their forces.”
“And if Prince Jorqel returns with a large army and makes a move on us?”
“Then I shall switch sides once more when the opportunity is right, and make my peace with him. You will have to ride with the wind if you wish to remain in your current position.”
Prelek bowed and left to find out the state of the supplies. He also quickly wrote a note and got a messenger to deliver it to a house along the main street. Within a very short space of time Demtro Kalfas arrived, a look of concern on his face. “What’s this you say, Prelek? The damned fool Extonos is all for surrendering the city to the Duras?”
Prelek relayed to Demtro what he’d been told, and Demtro dropped a bag of coins into his upturned palm. “Keep on giving me these gems of information and you’ll continue to be generously rewarded,” the merchant said. “I must go speak to someone now. Thank you.”
“Thank you, Sir Kalfras,” Prelek bowed low, greedily pocketing the clinking bag.
“Whore,” Demtro muttered under his breath as he strode from the office. Still, a useful one. Money usually turned heads and loyalties, and Prelek was easier than most. He was as shallow as an ebb tide. He climbed to the top floor of the governor’s residence and spotted the room immediately through the solitary armed guard standing outside.
“I wish to see the Prince,” Demtro said standing before him.
“He’s not seeing anyone,” Maddick replied, gripping his two-handed guard sword firmly, the point biting into the floorboard. He puffed out his chest and flexed his arms.
Demtro rolled his eyes and looked to the heavens. “Oh please cut out the macho rubbish; it doesn’t impress me one bit. I have urgent business with the Prince. My name’s Kalfas I’ll wait here.” He folded his arms and leaned against the side of the corridor, glaring at the bodyguard.
Maddick was unsure as to what to do; usually his scowl and flexing chased most people off, but this richly dressed man was different. After a short while of wrestling with his mind, he knocked on the door behind him. “Sire, there’s someone to see you, someone called Kalfas?”
Jorqel, sat in a chair and having his feet washed by Alenna, groaned in irritation. The Duras girl was actually quite good; she’s never had to do that sort of thing before, and had to be persuaded to do it. She was, after all, something of a snob and too used to the good life. “Fine, Alenna, that’s wonderful. I’ll be back in a moment.”
He got up, wiped his feet on a cloth on the floor for that purpose, and padded over to the door. He opened it and peered past Maddick’s shoulder. He saw the merchant. “Yes? Kalfas? Demtro Kalfas, by chance?”
Demtro bowed low. “Sire.”
Jorqel breathed in deeply. The personal services of Alenna Duras would have to wait, so it seemed. Pity. Still, she seemed willing to comply with his wishes and was young enough to be malleable. “Come in.”
Demtro brushed past the guard, smiling briefly, and then followed Jorqel into the chamber. His eyes fell on the kneeling woman, wiping up the water puddles. “Oh, am I disturbing anything?”
“Yes, so get on with it, Demtro. My mother speaks highly of you, so now’s your chance to impress me and add to your long list of admirers.”
Demtro chuckled. “Very well, sire. My lips are sealed.” He became serious and relayed the words of Prelek to the Prince.
Jorqel’s face grew dark and thunderous. “I ought to string that cowardly canine up on the city gates.”
“That’s what the Duras would do, sire; you wish to copy their example? You would be no better than them in that instance.”
“My temper is sorely stretched at present, Merchant, so please understand my wrath will be swift and harsh. The Duras and Lombert Soul are holding my betrothed, and anyone helping them or siding with them will have to face my judgement, and I’m not feeling very charitable at this precise moment.”
Demtro waved his hands in a placatory manner. “Forgive me, sire, but I know the governor, having been here for a few years now under his rule, and I’m confident that he can be guided to make the right decisions, either by persuasion or coercion. Better to have him in his position than an unknown.”
Jorqel curled his upper lip. “You’re very confident; if the Empress hadn’t placed such high stock with you, I wouldn’t care much for your advice. However you do come with the best of references, so I will listen to you. You must understand my position; Sannia Nicate is to marry me and if she is harmed then the entire world would not be big enough for those who carried out such an act. I will not see her harmed, so I must deal with this situation in the manner I believe will bring her the least danger.”
Demtro bowed. “I have placed agents in Lombert Soul’s camp, sire. I hope to hear from them in a short while, but I can only wait. I hope to learn if your betrothed is there, and indeed where ‘there’ is.”
“Then ensure this fool of a governor remains loyal to the imperial throne and not turn to the shifting sands of feckless opportunists who seek the throne for power’s sake. I am only going to be absent for a few days in Kastan City, and when I return……” he drew his finger across his throat. “It would be very helpful indeed if you were to find out the location of Lady Sannia, and if you could get as a bonus a message to her, so much the better.”
“The latter may be too difficult. But my agents will try – first I must get in touch with them, and they have yet to send a message. It may be impossible, but they do know what is expected of them.”
Jorqel tapped a table by his side. “I asked the governor to watch out for deliveries of large quantities of the Leaf that are on their way here; the Duras and Soul have managed to get hold of an enormous amount and are threatening to give it away to the citizens for no charge.”
Demtro was horrified. “By the gods! That’s monstrous!”
“Isn’t it? What is needed is for it to be intercepted at the gates. Even so, how they hope to reduce to city to chaos is beyond me – only a small number of people would be prepared to try it out. Most know how lethal it is, even if it is supposed to bring pleasure.”
“I would guess they’ll enforce it on people,” Demtro surmised, “forcing captives to take it. After a couple of goes they won�
�t try to resist; the poor souls will beg for it.”
Jorqel thumped the table. “Then it is essential this evil plan is stopped. Use whatever means you have to do that.”
“I will need help, sire,” Demtro said. “I imagine there are enough spies and agents within Niake to put this into motion once the Leaf arrives.”
“Speak to whoever you need to. I’ll give you an imperial sealed commission. Wait here.” Jorqel went to his pack and pulled out the ‘box’. He brought a candle over and pulled forth from the container a sheet of parchment, a stick of sealing wax and a quill. He wrote rapidly, then looked at the commission critically, and nodded. He melted the end of the wax in the candle flame and allowed it to drip onto the parchment, then pressed the ring on his finger into it and left his seal at the bottom.
“There. Show that to people. It gives you higher authority than the governor.”
“Thank you, sire,” Demtro said, folding it away. “I’d best be going.” He looked at Alenna once more who had stood up and was waiting to be spoken to again. He smiled at her and left.
“A man who is very sure of himself,” Jorqel commented to her.
“Lord?”
“No matter. Either he will succeed or he won’t. It won’t hurt to have people like him looking out for the governor doing a decent job.”
Alenna had little idea of what the prince was talking about. Her mind was full of uncertainty and fear, both for herself. Her life had been ripped apart these past few days and it was all she could do to keep going and not break down in floods of tears. She had been brought up to behave in a dignified and dominant way as befitted one of the top Houses of Kastania, and everything would be provided either by her family or by servants. She would never lack for anything, and she had been prepped for a life as a noblewoman, married to another prominent noble, to continue the bloodline of the Duras.