Interregnum Read online

  “Presumably Gods aren’t indestructible then.” Phythian gave a laugh that was as dead as his smile and cradles his hands.

  “Get in the back chambers” he told the three.

  Kiva and Alessus reached out to help Quintillian walk. He had gone pale with shock and, though the wound was far from mortal, a surprising amount of blood trailed along the floor as they half-supported, half-dragged the young man across the floor toward the rear exit. The captain stopped as they reached the door and it opened of its own accord. Beyond another six men stood in the priests’ robing chamber, crossbows already levelled at them. Kiva’s hope for an escape from the rear chambers faded instantly. The bodies of half a dozen priests lay strewn around the floor of their own chambers. Phythian was unlikely to be turned around with any kind of appeal to reason or honour if such sacrilege was not beneath him. He turned to look at the cold, mad man that had brought them to this and spat on the floor.

  “When I’m back on top there won’t be a fucking hole in the world deep enough for you to hide from me, Phythian.”

  The man just laughed again. “We shall see. I can’t see you bouncing back quickly from this. Anyway, your friends are coming; I can hear them. Let’s hope they don’t do anything stupid, eh?” He motioned with his finger and unseen hands slammed the rear door shut. The heavy door cut off all noise from within the dome and Kiva growled again, furious with his impotent position.

  He stopped in silence and could hear his heart beating. Where was his plan now? Where were the allies he needed? He glanced around at the six men training their weapons on them. Perhaps he and Alessus could take three each. The lad would be no use now with a leg than wouldn’t support his weight. But then they had no weapons and would each take two or three bolts before they reached the archers. No, it was no use. There was no way they could get out of this for now. He frowned at the six guards. “We’re going over to the corner. We need to get the boy comfortable. Ok? We’re not escaping, so don’t shoot.”

  There was no acknowledgment from the six, so he turned to look at the boy. Quintillian was now out cold. Perhaps the pain; perhaps the loss of blood. He and Alessus lifted the boy by the shoulders, eliciting a lifeless groan, and dragged him over to two benches at the room’s corner, where they lay him gently on one.

  Alessus made a harrumphing noise as he undid the scarf from his neck and tied it around the boy’s leg just above the wooden shaft. “Wish bloody Mercurias were here.”

  Kiva shook his head. “No you don’t, and neither do I. Just staunch it as best you can. There’s no hope of us getting out of here now, but it’s quite a long road to Velutio, and anything can happen between here and the city. Perhaps Phythian might have a little accident.”

  Alessus nodded. “Wonder what the hell’s happening out there?”

  As if in answer, the doors were suddenly thrown open and the young Julian limped into the room, two bolts through his shin and one in his shoulder. Alessus looked up in concern and Kiva raised an eyebrow. “The others?”

  Julian shook his head sadly and walked across to the other three in silence, lowering himself painfully to the bench and sitting as comfortably as he could.

  Kiva rumbled deep in his throat. He was so angry now he could almost feel his heart boiling in his mouth. “Bors and Thalo, Pirus, Scauvus and Clovis. Five good men.” They’d served in more battles together than he could count in the last twenty years and with rarely more than minor wounds. Only one fatality some ten years ago, after which they’d taken on Julian to make up the unit’s numbers. And now five down in five minutes. Almost half the company, and things didn’t look over hopeful for the rest either. That was what happened when you dealt with politics and blood feuds; battles he could cope with. He hoped to hell that Athas and the others would find out about this before they walked innocently back into Serfium.

  Phythian and his archers marched into the room.

  “Tie them” he ordered two of his men. “Securely.”

  As the two men came into the corner of the room with heavy cord and began to lash them around the wrists with their arms behind their backs, Phythian took a seat on a table and crossed his legs, kicking the air idly. “I often wondered how you got this awesome reputation, Tregaron, and now that I’ve actually fought you, I’m still wondering.”

  Kiva snarled. “You haven’t fought me yet, Phythian. This was just using poor innocent priests to trap us, but don’t worry; I’ll let you fight me soon.”

  Their captor laughed again and then turned to someone without a bow, possibly his second in command. “Get them roped together and shackle each of their left legs onto a chain. I don’t want any chance of these four going anywhere.”

  Kiva looked round at Julian, Alessus, and finally at the unconscious Quintillian. His mind raced as he tried to fathom a way out of this mess, but there seemed to be precious little chance of any escape. Perhaps Athas and the others would find them on the way to Velutio. Perhaps Tythias would head south. Perhaps even, and this seemed the least far-fetched of the three, prince Ashar would learn of their peril and do something about it. The only other hope would be to find a friend in the city, though it had been a very long time since Kiva had had a friend there. Perhaps this Sabianus would prove to be someone he could deal with. There were many possibilities, but all of them either relied on someone coming to their aid, or slim chances he would have in the city itself, providing Velutio didn’t have them all executed the moment they arrived.

  With a sigh, he wondered how such a promising week had produced such a bad day.

  Chapter XVI.

  Three days they’d been travelling in both light and dark to reach Velutio, with Phythian and his score of men on horseback and driving the wagon in the back of which the four of them lay bound tight. They’d tried to persuade the effeminate leader that their wounds were bad enough to demand they delay the journey until the healing process was underway, but Phythian would have none of it. He wasn’t going to risk holding Tregaron any longer than necessary, knowing that the man had friends in the most unexpected of places. In fact, as Alessus had done his best to keep their wounds under control, Phythian had not allowed any of his men to get closer than a dozen feet from the prisoners, including their unit’s medic. Alessus had complained bitterly at the lack of medical treatment and, while he was no doctor and knew only a little field medicine, even he could see that Julian’s leg was infected. Unless there was a very good surgeon waiting for them in Velutio, and that seemed extremely unlikely, the leg would have to come off. The young Julian was facing bravely up to the possibility though, even when fever came on him and the smell from the infection filled his nostrils. Kiva had said hardly a word since their journey had begun. He spent every day and night watching the countryside, half expecting to see the Lion Riders or some other friends come running from the undergrowth to rescue them. Indeed it was gratifying in a small way to see that Phythian kept just such a look out himself.

  And now he saw the first hopeful sign as the heavy stone south gate of the city of Velutio passed over the four of them as they lay in the cart staring at the sky. Kiva caught his breath and nudged Quintillian as best he could. The boy turned his head to look at his captain and Kiva raised his head very slightly to gesture upwards. Following his direction, the young man looked up and took only a moment to register a figure in black standing on the battlements and leaning over to look down into the cart. Something flashed a couple of times; a falling coin, flipping over and over and catching the sun as it plummeted into the cart, falling onto the captain himself. Kiva looked down his chest and could see a Pelasian gold sindar lying on his front. He looked back up at the battlements, now disappearing into the distance as they travelled along the south road toward the centre of the city, but the figure in black had gone. With some difficulty he shuffled back and forth until the coin finally rolled off his chest and into his bound hands.

  He gripped it tight and then winced. Typical bloody Pelasians. They’d sharpened one half
of the coin as either a tool or a weapon. Still, he thought as the warm blood trickled around his hands and soaked the bonds, he could use both a tool and a weapon at this point in the game. He settled back into the cart’s bed. Whatever Prince Ashar had in mind, there was precious little the four of them could do about it right now. Due to the raised sides of the cart, he could see very little of the city as they travelled, though what he did see appeared not to have changed since the days he’d frequented the place. The looming walls of Basianus’ Great Baths rolled by on his right, along with their surrounding parkland and the aqueduct that supplied them. A short while later, he saw the tops of the triumphal columns of the Calumnite Dynasty and the Avenue of the Gods with its temples in myriad shapes and sizes. All landmarks he recognised and remembered well.

  Street after street slid by with a gradual increase in noise as they approached the centre until finally they neared what was undoubtedly their destination. They’d passed through the great markets and the lower forum, gradually climbing as they turned to head west. Then the triumphal arches began to appear as the cart and its escort rode beneath them, carved relics telling stories of campaigns long gone and celebrating Emperors than no one in these days would remember. This was the Imperial Way and, not far off at the top point of this mile long avenue of triumphs, stood the Palace of the Emperors on its rocky promontory overlooking the bay of Isera to the north and the ports to the south. Here the Emperors had ruled for three hundred years over the city of Velutio and the world beyond, long before the first villa had been built on Isera. Indeed in those days Isera was a watch tower and fortified island and nothing more, before one of the Emperors whose name escaped Kiva had decided he wanted a summer palace as a retreat from the city. The Emperors had begun to summer on the island while the rest of the government built their villas at Serfium.

  And now the last arch rolled over the top of them and disappeared into the distance beyond their sight and the cart rumbled to a halt. He knew this place well enough. The sides of the wide avenue had closed in at the end and now became a three-sided courtyard with the fourth open to the Imperial Way. The walls of the palace, with their windows and battlements looked down from three sides into the cart where the four lay. Somewhere just ahead there was talking, but over the general din of a score of horsemen Kiva couldn’t make out any of the details until one of Phythian’s men unbolted the back board of the cart a minute later.

  “Out!” he ordered curtly and stepped back. Lifting his head, Kiva could see four of them with crossbows aimed at the cart. Probably a little unnecessary considering where they were, but Phythian would be very careful right now since he hadn’t been paid yet.

  Struggling, Kiva helped Quintillian to sit up while at the other side of the cart, Julian pulled himself up with the help of the side board and Alessus. The four shuffled with difficulty to the edge of the cart, grateful that at least their ankles were no longer chained while they’d been aboard. Kiva hauled himself off first, turning to give Quintillian a hand. Julian dropped to the stone flags, but his leg gave way instantly and he collapsed to the floor groaning. Alessus helped him to his feet with a struggle and the four stood, their hands tied behind their back. Blood still dripped from Kiva’s hands, though he continued to clutch at the coin until he turned and could deposit the item into his pocket. The man who’d ordered them to disembark gestured past the cart. “Time to go.”

  As they limped and shuffled around the cart, they could see Phythian with his second in command beneath the huge ornate gate of the palace, with a dozen guards around in the red uniforms of Velutio. Other guards stood atop the battlements with javelins by their sides. Even in the current circumstances, Kiva was impressed to note how closely Velutio’s men emulated the old Imperial army. Their dress, kit and even stance spoke of the old ways, though they wore red instead of traditional green. This had to be the influence of their commander, for Kiva knew the lord of Velutio well enough to know how much he shunned the reminders of Imperial days.

  As they reached the arch Phythian folded his arms and smiled. “This way. His lordship will be meeting us in the courtyard.”

  Uncomfortably and painfully they plodded through the dark, covered gateway with Velutio’s guard ahead and Phythian’s archers behind, crossbows still trained on them. Kiva swallowed. This was the moment of truth. If Velutio was on true form, the four of them would probably be executed in the courtyard without any preamble and then anything Prince Ashar could do wouldn’t be enough. His only hope was to annoy his old adversary enough to make him keep the prisoners around long enough to suffer. The light dazzled them as they broke out from the gatehouse shadows and into the bright courtyard. This had changed beyond recognition. Gone were the statues and fountains, the flowerbeds and well tended walkways. In its place was a bare stone-flagged courtyard of immense size with two low stone buildings that had all the hallmarks of guard-posts. Around the beautifully decorated walls of the ancient palace now stood dummies for sword and javelin practice. In fact it reminded him greatly of the old Imperial training camp at Munda.

  One thing that could not be mistaken though was the Lord of Velutio. He’d aged considerably since the last time they’d met, but then Kiva would be the first to admit that he’d seen better years himself. The lord’s hair may have greyed and his features wrinkled slightly, but there was no mistaking that cold, calculating face and the mind like a steel trap behind it. His attention was drawn to the small unit of no more than ten men standing behind the lord. Like the ones at the gate they carried themselves in the manner of old fashioned soldiers. A sergeant stood with the unit, young but very military in his appearance and deportment, vine staff jammed under his arm and a red crest on his helm to denote his rank. And in front of them at Velutio’s shoulder was a man that had to be this Sabianus. Wearing a very traditional general’s gear, with a burnished helm and breastplate, he stood straight and tall. Kiva’s heart fell as he realised this man was far too young to have been an officer in the old days. Probably no hope there then, though he obviously kept the old ways where it applied to his men. The commander was staring at him in a way that made Kiva curiously nervous. He shuffled his feet as he realised that blood from his hand was dripping onto his boot.

  Velutio stepped forward and the commander followed him, staying at his shoulder.

  “Kiva. You’ve looked better.”

  The captain was interested to note that Sabianus glanced at the lord and then resumed his interrogative stare at him. How was Velutio going to play this?

  “Avitus” he answered the Lord with a grin. “Nice city you’ve borrowed.”

  Velutio’s temper seemed to have calmed over the years. Instead of the angry backlash he’d expected from such a comment, the lord smiled a humourless smile and turned his attention to Quintillian.

  “You gave us quite the little run around, boy. I’ve spent rather a lot of money finding you.”

  Quintillian cleared his throat and tried to stand straight, having previously been leaning against Kiva to support his weak leg. “You could have saved you money if you’d come looking yourself, Marshal. I’m sure we’d have given you a fitting reception.”

  Velutio laughed and Kiva was most surprised to hear a note of real humour in there.

  “By all the Gods, he even talks like you Caerdin! You do have a curious effect on people. Has he been adopted into your unit, whatever they call themselves these days? I note he’s wearing a soldier’s clothes now.”

  Before Kiva could answer, the lad piped up “I’m a member of the Wolves now, yes.”

  Kiva smiled. Quintillian, ever bright, seemed to have cottoned on to what he was doing and was taking turns in helping wind the lord up. Couldn’t afford to go too far though. There was something about the calm quiet way Velutio was taking the comments that unnerved him; reminded him of a volcano ready to erupt. He cleared his throat.

  “So, Avitus, what are you planning for us then? A little jaunt round the bay? A social drink and a chat about ol
d times?”

  Velutio shook his head. “I haven’t quite decided yet. I’ll make sure you’re shown to the best of quarters while I decide though.” He turned to his senior officer. “Sabian? Take the four of them down to the Dalertine prison and have food delivered to them.” He stopped for a moment and peered at the four. “And if you can find a doctor, send him to look at them.”

  Kiva’s brain ticked away as he filed everything he heard and saw. There may still be hope here. The way Velutio spoke to the commander told an intriguing tale. There was some suspicion or disagreement there, and the way ‘Sabian’ as he appeared to be called reacted to the comment made it clear that the discomfort was with both parties.

  Sabian saluted and called over his shoulder “Iasus. Send your men out for food and drink for four hungry men and a doctor. Don’t worry about a guard. I’ll escort the general down to the Dalertine.” He glanced up at Kiva. “I’m assuming there’ll be no trouble, general?”

  Again that grating edge. To call Kiva a general in front of Velutio was bordering on insult, but the lord brushed it off. Definitely a change there from the old days. Behind Kiva, Phythian coughed.

  Velutio sighed. “Yes captain, I have your money. Go through into the gardens and I’ll be with you presently.”

  As Phythian and his men walked off through the next arch and Sabian’s unit left the courtyard, Kiva glanced around. There were few guards here, but enough to stop anything foolish. Sabian wasn’t risking anything, just giving Kiva a certain deference and respect though whether for his benefit or to irritate Velutio escaped him.

  The lord turned to Sabian and frowned. “All the respected and feared units we have out looking for these men and the people who take them are virtual unknowns. Perhaps they could be useful to the city on a more permanent basis?”