Interregnum Read online

  Kiva shook his head and ignored the swimmy feeling it caused. With a great deal of effort and swearing, he swivelled round in the bed and dropped his feet over the edge. For the first time he saw the state they were in and winced. Both feet were a little misshapen and an unpleasant mottled collection or purples, blues, yellows and browns. There were poultices applied to the centre of each foot. For a moment he found himself wondering whether he would ever walk again. Add to the wounds he’d suffered the general weakness and weariness that threatened to overtake him and he almost gave up and slumped back down. It was Sarios’ concerned and sympathetic look that spurred him on. He was damned if he was going to lie there and fade while a man not far off twice his age poured sympathy over him.

  He did collapse back for a moment, fighting for breath with the sheer effort of hauling his dead weight of a body around. Then finally, his knees reached the edge of the bed and his feet fell with a gentle slapping noise onto the beautiful mosaic floor. He nearly did scream then, tears of sheer agony welling up in his eyes and a shattering mirror of white pain behind his eyes. Gritting his teeth to prevent biting his tongue, he forced himself to stay upright, his feet still on the floor, until he managed to gain control of the pain and force it back down where it came from. He looked up and grinned. “Always was a fast healer.”

  Sarios shook his head, sympathy and anger vying for control of his face. “Don’t be stupid, Caerdin. When you fall over, I’m not going to have the strength to pick you up!”

  The grin stayed as Kiva relaxed once more, the pain fading away. Once more he gritted his teeth, set his jaw and heaved against the bed, slowly pushing himself toward the perpendicular. His legs wobbled back and forth, shaking like knotted ropes in a gale as he heaved, sweating profusely and muttering curses under his breath. With a push, he let go and tried to stand. For a fraction of a second he thought things were ok, but then the pain, exhaustion and dizziness came. For just a moment he lost consciousness on his feet, but was brought back to the present with a start as the flaming lava running in his veins set fire to his brain and the explosion of excruciating pain overwhelmed him. He fell like a sack of grain and with no grace, smashing to the floor with such a sound that Sarios heaved himself up to see whether Kiva had broken his neck. Miraculously, not only was he not broken, but had remained conscious, despite his head having hit the floor with no cushioning.

  As the general groaned, the door to the room flew open and a man Kiva didn’t know entered in a panic. “I’ll get the doctor!” he cried and spun on his heel.

  Kiva bellowed as best he could, a breathless cry, but enough to stop the servant in his tracks. “No you fucking won’t. You’ll go out into the grounds and find me two sticks I can use to prop myself up and then you’ll come back here.”

  The servant’s face took on a perplexed look and he turned to glance at Sarios. The old man frowned for some time and then nodded. The young man reached out to Kiva and tried to grasp his arm, but Kiva swiped at the hand with his arm and growled. “Go! And on the way back, find me something strong to drink!”

  The servant, all aflutter, left the room, still in two minds about what to do. He’d been told to do anything Caerdin asked, but he couldn’t imagine the doctor had meant this.

  As the door shut, Kiva started pulling himself along the floor with his arms, heaving and sweating with the incredible effort. After a minute, he’d reached the window sill and hauled himself onto his knees to look out. If things were still moving apace and the island was going to rebel and evacuate, he’d be needed. He’d have to take control of it, and he couldn’t very well do that from bed.

  As Kiva looked out across the island and the sea beyond, not many miles away in the opposite direction, Commander Sabian slammed his fist down on the wall. The top of the golden tower on the headland opposite the palace was the only place he could be alone and untagged during the daylight hours. Fortunately, he’d managed to commandeer the place for the guards, so he had constant access. He growled and lifted the signal lamp back down from the low surrounding wall. What the hell was Darius playing at? He needed to speak to Cialo, but Darius was being deliberately obstructive. Well they’d have to wait and see then, since he couldn’t pass on a warning.

  He pulled out his spy glass and swept it around to the palace opposite, picking out some of his men as he moved down across the buildings, over the Imperial Gardens and to the cliff, and then down and beyond. He couldn’t see the port from here, but somewhere round that corner, four companies of Velutio’s personal guard would be standing in formation awaiting his arrival before they boarded the small ship. And standing at the forefront would be his ambitious and deceiving second in command, Captain Flautus.

  He smiled. For all he was a soldier, he could be as subtle as the next man and prided himself that he was starting to get quite adept at playing Velutio at his own game. His lordship had agreed readily at Sabian’s proposal to remove the regular troops from the island and replace them with the more fanatically loyal of his guard. Indeed, Sabian had been saved a job as Velutio had personally vetted the men to go. The Commander couldn’t possibly have done a better job of weeding out those men who preferred his lordship over their own commander. Ever since he’d killed Crosus, he’d been gradually identifying those who didn’t maintain the right attitude; those who might harbour grudges or doubts or might even think of betraying him. And in one fell swoop he’d persuaded Velutio to do it for him! And even now those four companies of untrustworthy, dislikeable, greedy assholes were forming up for exile, all the while thinking they were getting preferential treatment. Perfect.

  In a few days there would be not a soldier in the city who didn’t hold Sabian as his first loyalty, and those he’d sent to the island could be dealt with by the islanders. He knew they were leaving of course; had sent the warning himself. But there was a perfect irony in letting the islanders get away before his Lordship could commit genocide, while landing the blame squarely with those few who could not be trusted. Again he smiled. He would drop the men off at Isera and collect Cialo’s companies before returning and heading off to Serfium, but he’d have to talk to Darius and the minister about future plans while he was there.

  Chapter XX.

  The knock at the door woke Kiva from further fitful dreams that disappeared like drifting fog as he started into consciousness. He glanced around the room. Much better than yesterday. For all the pain he’d suffered dragging himself around the room, his muscles had loosened a little and he could at least move without the irritating stiffness. It was daylight, though what time he couldn’t guess. The other bed in the room was empty and neatly made; Sarios had apparently been up for some time.

  “What?” he barked at the door.

  He pulled himself a little further up in the bed and reached out for the two cane-like sticks that stood next to it. Using them as a lever, he pulled himself up to a seated position and frowned as he reached for the glass of spirits he’d left on the table last night only to find it had gone. Sarios or Favio? One or the other certainly.

  He nodded in greeting as Prince Ashar Parishid of Pelasia trotted lightly in, closing the door softly behind him. The prince took a seat on the edge of Sarios’ bed and crossed his legs and arms.

  “Well I think this is probably the worst state I’ve ever seen you in.”

  Kiva snorted. “I’m virtually risen from the fucking dead. I personally don’t think I’m too bad considering.”

  Ashar let out a light chuckle and smiled. Reaching across, he took one of the canes.

  “You’ve been conscious barely a day and already you’re trying to walk? My doctor told me you’d not walk for weeks.”

  “I’m full of surprises,” growled Kiva. “Why are you here?”

  The prince pulled a mock expression of disappointment. “You almost sound like you don’t want me around, Kiva.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” the general replied with a sigh. “I appreciate what you’ve done; for me and the others, but
Quintillian’s gone and I can’t see why you’re sticking around.”

  “Ha!” Ashar unfolded his body and leaned forward, prodding Kiva gently with the stick. “Sarios said you were feeling sorry for yourself, but I didn’t believe him. Where else should I go, Caerdin? Back to my own land, where cowardly murderers rule in my family’s place? Off into the wilds to lose myself in blood and self-loathing like you did? No. I’m still on the same journey as before this happened.”

  “But the bloodline’s ended.” Kiva grumbled low in his throat. Why did everyone always insist on looking at a bright side that wasn’t there?

  Ashar shook his head. “The family still goes on though, even if the blood gets more distant. After all you’re one of them, Caerdin. I never thought about that until the minister mentioned it, but it makes you twice as useful.”

  Kiva merely narrowed his eyes and glared at the smiling prince.

  “You can be a figurehead too now” laughed Ashar. “You were going to be my blade, but now you can also be the banner. Do you have any idea how many of your countrymen would follow you into battle against the Gods themselves if you asked it? No, no, no. It’s far from over yet; you just need to get well very soon.”

  Kiva shook his head finally. “Don’t even think like that.” Ashar opened his mouth to speak, but the general rode roughshod over the top of him. “I’m no politician; not an Emperor and I’m not of the Imperial blood. Hell, I’m a deicide and a regicide; I boiled the Imperial blood!”

  He levered himself over to one side and leaned on the other cane. “Sarios is living in the same fool’s paradise as you: that something can be done. Well it can’t. Not now; not ever. The next line‘ll be the Velutio dynasty, or maybe even the Avitus dynasty should he want to revert, but it sure as hell won’t be mine.”

  Again, the prince leaned forward, waving a finger at Kiva and opening his mouth, but once more Kiva drowned him out. “I’m a realist, Ashar. My prime concern now is to help Sarios get these people safely off the island and away from here, as far away as it’s possible to go, and then into hiding somewhere they’ll never be looked for. After that, I may have a score to settle with our friend the future Emperor, but that’s personal. Don’t try and convince me of any other grand schemes, ok?”

  Ashar held up both his hands defensively. “Ok, I understand. I don’t agree, but I understand, and yes the island does need to be evacuated first, but bear in mind that this isn’t over for you either. Anyway, I’d best get out of here. Your horde of loud hooligans is on its way like a mobile fish market, regardless of what your doctor recommended and I don’t want to intrude. I shall be busy making plans for the evacuation with Sarios.”

  With a bow Ashar turned and made for the door, just as it burst open and Brendan and Marco poured in like a wave, crashing across the furniture of the chamber. Behind them, Athas came ambling in, grinning like a mischievous child, with Tythias and the others after him. Ashar stood patiently, smiling, until the group were in the room howling like a bunch of unruly baboons, bowed again and then left, closing the door.

  The tide of people flowed forward and Brendan and Marco rolled onto Sarios’ bed coming finally to a rest as they leaned forward to examine their general.

  “Ah, he’s fine!” declared Marco with a grin. Brendan leaned forward and with thumb and forefinger pulled back Kiva’s right eyelids, gazing into the pupil. “’E looks better than ‘e used ter! Bit pale ‘n mis’rable, but that’s pretty normal!”

  Kiva jerked his head back out of the man’s reach and growled. “Get off me you big ape. I’m not well.”

  Brendan and Marco gave him a startled glance and then collapsed against each other in fits of laughter. Athas escorted a young lady to the remaining place on the bed and then he, Mercurias, Tythias and Jorun brought up chairs and a bench from near the window. The general murmur and hubbub in the room washed over Kiva as he sat bemused. He wasn’t used to noise and activity at the moment, and the chatter was starting to make his head hurt a little. It took him a moment to realise that the young lady was leaning forward and speaking to him.

  “What?” he asked as clearly as he could over the buzz.

  “I said how do you feel now?”

  Kiva looked perplexed. “Erm. Better than I did, and better than I should do by all accounts.” He frowned. The girl was young and pretty and he had the vague feeling he’d seen her before, but couldn’t for the life of him figure out why she was here. He smiled uncertainly at her. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but who are you?”

  Tythias leaned across from the chair he’d just placed next to the bed.

  “This is Sathina. She saved your life, you old goat.”

  Kiva’s frown deepened and Tythias smiled, placing his hand on the young lady’s arm. “She was the one who got into the palace; the one who told us where you were.”

  Now the general’s brows rose. “You infiltrated the palace when Ashar’s men couldn’t? I’m impressed. Thank you.”

  He turned to Athas. “How the hell have you all remained hidden? There’s a garrison of Velutio’s men here.”

  “Not so hard,” the big man chuckled, “when you have the right friends. Minister Sarios knows all sorts of things about this place that I didn’t. I’ve walked past doors and cupboards in this palace on a daily basis twenty years ago, and never even thought to look closely.”

  He leaned forward conspiratorially.

  “It’s quite possible to get from almost any building on the island to any other without passing through a single open space if you know how.”

  Tythias leaned across to Athas’ shoulder and grinned. “Even then it’s tough with this load of conspicuous windbags. How do you try and keep Brendan quiet and hidden; or Jorun even?”

  Kiva nodded. “Well we’re going to have to do something about it soon. Sarios and I both thought of drugging the garrison somehow, but I’m not sure how thorough that’ll be.”

  Mercurias shuffled forward, his chair legs scraping on the floor. “Athas and I’ve had much the same conversation. I’m damn sure we can come up with something fairly potent considering how bright some of the people here are. Only problem is: what to do about the few that we’ll inevitably miss.”

  Now Tythias grinned, his feral features twisting into a face of morbid satisfaction. “Then we deal with the others the best way we know. Anyway, the Wolves owe Velutio now. Let’s even the score a little.” He pulled a knife from his belt and started tapping the flat of the blade on his knee.

  Athas shook his head. “The islanders like this sergeant Cialo; and his men. The garrison’s been good to them, you know? They’ve been helping them grow food, rebuilding parts of the palace, repairing the water system. Sarios won’t want them killed and I can’t say I’m fond of the idea either. I saw the sergeant with his men from a window in the Peacock palace and he’s old school; like one of us. We have to take them all at mealtime and give any guards that’re elsewhere the option to surrender before we kill them.”

  Mercurias nodded, but Kiva sighed and let his head loll back. “We’re all daft. Best of intentions and noble and honourable and all that shit, but as soon as Velutio finds out the islanders have gone and his men were tricked, Cialo and every man under him’ll be strung up from the trees of the island. We’re not saving their lives, just sending them to a death sentence under Velutio.”

  The general hubbub died down now as everyone contemplated the truth of what their general said. He was right. There was no forgiveness in Velutio and perhaps it would be better to die by the sword of a soldier than on a tree naked and beaten. The young girl was the one to break the silence.

  “General, what are we going to do?”

  Kiva blinked and lifted his head back up to look at her. She appeared so young and innocent and he was finding it hard to reconcile her presence among these others. “We’re going to get these people off the island and into safety” he stated.

  The girl nodded. “I know that, general, but I meant after that…
in the long run.”

  “Not you too?” Kiva groaned. “Why is it everyone I speak to wants to plan for a future. The present’s dangerous and complicated enough; let’s deal with that first.”

  The girl leaned forward and stared at him, a very serious look crossing her face. Kiva noted the way Tythias moved with her and tried not to smile. She spoke quietly. “I’m a nobody, general. I’m a serving girl from a small village tavern in the middle of nowhere, but in the last month I’ve been with people my dad used to talk about in wonder. My dad served in the army ‘til he lost an arm you know? Then he left and went into business as an innkeeper. He knew you, general. Oh, you won’t have known him; he was just a standard bearer, but he was proud to serve in your army.”

  Kiva’s face took on an equally serious expression. “Your father must have been a good man. Standard bearers were honoured above many of the officers. Important job, that.”

  Sathina nodded. “He was a good man. But that’s not my point. You were a general, in command of a quarter of the world’s army. Tythias here was a commander of a thousand on his own. I guess Athas, Brendan and Marco were all senior officers; Jorun’s the son of a chieftain in the north, and Mercurias was a chief medic. Then there’s the Pelasians: their leader’s a prince. And on top of that I’ve been trying to help save the last man with Imperial blood by sneaking around dangerous places and going up against the powerfulest lord in the Empire.”

  She sat back and folded her arms. “And there’s me: a serving girl from an inn.” Her face had taken on a little colour during her diatribe. “I don’t care who you are, you’re not going to tell me I’ve left home, risked my life and helped save yours just so you can all run off with your tail between your legs. No. Not happening!”

  Kiva blinked as she leaned forward once more and shook her finger in front of his nose. “The Emperor may be dead, but there’s something else we can do and you bloody well think of it. Everyone says you’re real clever, so show me!”