Interregnum Read online

  Tythias looked across at the captain. “Seems like a good man for the task.”

  The captain nodded. “He’s been in jail at Velutio a couple of times for burglary, but the times they didn’t catch him, he was starting to become quite a wealthy man.”

  Tythias laughed quietly. “Thieves, vagabonds, turncoats and mercenaries. Quite an army we’ve got.”

  He turned his attention once more to the ex-thief running lightly across the rocks. The man leapt from one to another with fine balance and took a long run across a particular rock, sailing silently through the air above the barbarians that went regularly to check on the fires. Landing with the faintest of thuds, he started to climb very slowly and carefully up the giant rock towards the water cache at the top. Tythias smiled. “Guess we won’t need to worry about that problem then.”

  He watched for a while longer as the swordsman reached the peak of the rock and positioned himself near the barrels of water. With a quick glance behind him he noted that the crossbowmen had all vanished from sight. With a satisfied hum he waited, figuring another ten minutes at most would be needed before the signal could be given. With a sigh he turned and watched the sun slowly sinking behind the mountains opposite. In peaceful circumstances the view would have been soothing and relaxing. In their current position, he worried how much light they’d have when he put out the signal. Would half-light be enough for the crossbowmen? They were good; he knew, but how good?

  A long time passed. Probably the ten minutes Tythias was hoping for, but it felt like a week. With a deep breath, Tythias put his fingers in his mouth and issued a call at best reminiscent of a hawk. Holding his breath, he gestured to the men.

  “At the first shot, we move. You; you; all of you,” he added, gesturing at men, “are with me. Time to go.”

  He waited tensely for a few more minutes until he heard the first cry. With a satisfied glance as he climbed over the rock and ran down with his men he noticed three of the black and silver uniforms punched heavily by crossbow bolts and the men disappear to the floor in blood and screams. His grin was positively wolfish as they took their defensive positions on the rocks, cutting off the escape route for Captain Janus, watching the rest of the swordsmen disappear down toward the narrow defile that served as a passage between the camp and the mining operation. On the rock there was a clatter as the barrel held by the rope clattered down into the camp area and the barrels on the top were smashed open with violent force. Gallons of water cascaded harmlessly from the summit into the camp, ruining hours of work the Spears had undertaken.

  He watched with further satisfaction as the Spears and the few barbarian hirelings they’d brought as workers charged for whatever cover they could find. Phythian’s crossbowmen did their job with ruthless efficiency. Having spread out almost a third of the way around the depression, their field of fire was impressive and men screamed as they were pinned to rock and to tent frames even in places they believed were safe.

  Finally, a number of men had been gathered in a position behind an overhanging rock and their captain was with them. Janus looked around him in some panic and then, with a single wave of his arm, launched his men toward the gap where they could clearly see Tythias and his men waiting.

  Tythias grinned. Janus was making straight for him and the man wouldn’t make it an inch further. Janus’ position and opposition had been responsible for the route the Wolves had taken to Serfium, leading them into danger, captivity and death, and the men killing them as they ran were the men who’d captured the Wolves. There was some small satisfaction in that.

  The prefect, with only one eye and one arm and scarred so heavily he would be unrecognisable as the youth that had left Rilva thirty-five years ago, seeking a life and glory in the Imperial army, stood at the ridge and watched Janus running toward him, surrounded by his men and barbarian allies. Twenty five years ago, Janus had served with him at a level rank. Even then he’d been a man Tythias wouldn’t have trusted, as many games of dice had attested. His grin widened as he hefted his sword and prepared. Even with only half his faculties, he knew full well how much better he was than Janus. This would be sweet.

  And then Janus vanished. Half way through his run, the first crossbow bolt hit him in the shoulder, spinning him round where he stood. The second took him through the leg, causing a fall and, while he floundered on the floor, the third took him through the hip. In unbelievable agony and unable to move, Janus screamed his heart out as he bled onto the dust and gravel. Tythias shrugged. He’d be fifty corona poorer when they got back, but the men had deserved it. He’d make it sixty and split it three ways. With a sigh he prepared himself for the rest of the men running up the hill at the defenders, though a number of them vanished to crossbow fire as they ran. He smiled. And Kiva thought hr had the monopoly on strategy.

  Kiva smiled as he looked down at the man on the makeshift stretcher, built out of tent canvas and spears. Janus had looked better. The three crossbow bolts still protruded from him and he was pale, with eyes that rolled wildly. The general looked back up at his second in command.

  “You couldn’t capture any of the others?”

  Tythias grunted. “Frankly, general, it never crossed my mind. Not a single life made it out of that depression after the captain here. Phythian’s crossbowmen are just too good and Sithis trains men well. You’re not going to tell me you mourn them?”

  “No,” Kiva replied, “of course not. It’s just unlike you to not take prisoners. That’s where we’ve differed for years. No, I don’t really care,” he added with a sigh. “I wonder what to do with Janus here though. We could interrogate him, but it seems pretty clear-cut to me. He’s either working for Velutio with orders to cut off our egress and slow us down, or he’s still independent and greedy and thinks if he does it himself, Velutio will cover him with gold. Either way you’ve stopped him and he’s in the shit. Cialo’s saved us a lot of trouble, you know? That man’s a good man to have, I think. Sabian prized him highly.”

  Tythias nodded. “So long as this isn’t all some convoluted plan to drop us in the shit.”

  “He’s taken the oath and we’ll be very wary around him, but don’t worry about it. I’ve plans for Cialo.”

  He turned to one of the soldiers behind him. “Fetch sergeant Cialo at once.”

  The man ran off toward the barrack buildings, but Cialo was already out of the door and marching across the square, out of uniform and in his rough clothes for sleeping. The sergeant ignored the mutterings of the soldier and marched past him to where Kiva and his second in command stood over the wounded captain.

  “My, my. Captain Janus.”

  Kiva nodded. “Yes, the infamous captain Janus. And he’s here because of your warning, Cialo. As such, I feel, since I’m unsure what to do with him, I’m inclined to ask you your opinion…”

  Cialo looked down at him and shrugged. “He’s a captain from the old days. That means he’s taken the oath. If he took the oath and is fighting against the Emperor’s army, he’s a traitor. You should probably crucify him for that.”

  Tythias and Kiva stared at each other.

  “On the other hand,” Cialo continued, “these being the times they are and him having done nothing other than fight on the wrong side, I’d be tempted to despatch him quickly and by the sword. He’s a soldier after all.”

  Kiva nodded. “Good. We’re in agreement.” He drew his blade and poised it over the heart of the wounded man, bubbling and gibbering on the stretcher. With a last glance at both Cialo and Tythias, he put all his weight behind the blade and drove it down through the body and the canvas below until it struck the ground below. He stared down at the corpse and watched the last life ebb with a few twitches.

  “Cialo… you’re a man in the most peculiar position. I wonder how far you are willing to go for the cause of peace and the Emperor?”

  The sergeant straightened. “I’m the Emperor’s man now and I’ll do everything I can. There’s no nobler cause than to strive to
repair the imperial peace.”

  Kiva smiled. “I’m glad you see it that way, as I’ve a rather unpleasant job I need doing and there’s no one else I can think of that can do it.”

  Cialo slumped slightly. “You want me to spy on my former commander?”

  “Actually, no.” Kiva smiled and placed a hand on Cialo’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to do anything that brings you into direct conflict with Sabian. However this all goes, he’s a man of honour and I think he’ll come out of this for the best. What I want you to do is to go back and put the first phase of a plan that’s gradually coming together into effect.”

  Cialo narrowed his eyes. “Go on, sir.”

  “You, I presume, are of the same opinion as the rest of the commanders; that direct conflict between our two forces with do irreparable damage to the Empire. The only way out is a peaceful solution?”

  The sergeant nodded. “Commander Sabian, I know, is of the same opinion, but as long as Velutio is the man at the top, there’ll be no peaceful solution.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” replied the general. “But I need a number of things to fall into place for it to work, and I’m still very vague about how it’s going to happen yet. I know that the first step has to be yours. Will you do it?”

  “Of course I will, sir,” replied Cialo, coming further to attention.

  “Very well,” Kiva breathed out heavily. “What I need you to do is this: get back into your other uniforms and head back to Velutio’s army. You can take the reply to his offer, which is that the Emperor Darius will not share his throne with a treacherous murderer and that the commanders of his army will not submit to his judgement. Feel free to tell him anything you want about the army here; our numbers, makeup of forces, location and so on. He will think it strange if you don’t give him plenty of information. Then you can settle back into your place in the army temporarily.”

  Cialo cocked his head to one side. “And then?”

  Kiva smiled. “And then I need you to make your way around the other lords. I need you to identify all the lords in the army. I need to know which ones are staunch Velutio, which ones are borderline rebellious. I need to know which ones are strong and which weak. I particularly need to know which ones are the sort that might consider backing out of the conflict if there was any way to do it without retribution. All in all, I need to know everything you can find out about every lord in the army.”

  Cialo frowned. “I can do most of that for you now. And here.”

  “Yes,” continued the general, “but that’s only the start. Once you find that out I need you to send a messenger you trust to me with the details. Then you and your loyal men need to befriend the smaller lords who would rather go home in peace than fight and you need to start to drive a wedge between them and Velutio. Basically, anyone who’s worthwhile you can work on and I’ll probably persuade to walk away when my plan comes to fruition. Don’t worry about the larger lords that are closer to the borderline. I’ll take care of them once I know who they are.”

  He put his arm around Cialo’s shoulders. “I don’t want you to have to bring harm to a single person. I just need information and a little persuasion. And when we finally meet as armies, face to face, I’ll make sure you’re brought into our lines under protection unless you can get to us beforehand. Rest assured, Cialo, that there are a lot of people who have the greatest respect for you, on both sides I believe, including your Emperor. We are going to win this and everything will be fine in the end.”

  Cialo nodded, a little unhappily. “I was rather looking forward to being on the good side and all above board, where my mother, Gods bless her, would have been proud of me.”

  Tythias smiled. “If the general has a plan and it hinges on you, then we’ll all be proud of you, sergeant. I’ll have uniforms made up for you while you’re gone.” He glanced at Kiva and the general nodded. “Captain, I think.” Men of substance are few and far between.”

  Still frowning, Cialo saluted with exaggerated motions and turned toward the barracks. He started to jog as he moved to wake his men.

  “Can we trust him?” Tythias asked.

  Kiva shrugged. “I think so. If not, then he’s not gone back with any information that Velutio won’t know soon enough. If he falls foul of Velutio there’s little he can tell them that’ll wreck our plans. I’m still not sure of the way it’s going to pan out yet. The Gods stopped talking to me decades ago, but I’m hoping to hell they start again soon. I need a little divine help, I think.”

  Darius stood on the balcony of his villa with Athas by his side, gazing past the main gate and down the valley. The night was clear with a sprinkle of stars in the sky but a chill settling in. Summer was clearly over and autumn getting into its stride. The valley was a vague impression of shapes and shadows by moonlight. Within the gate on this side, the first group of wagons, along with a wheeled bolt-thrower and an engineer’s cart stood ready to move at dawn. He sighed.

  “Do you think it’s all going to work?”

  Athas smiled next to him. “Kiva thinks the Gods abandoned him. He abandoned them. They’ve kept an eye on him for decades and they’ve not stopped yet. He’s got luck and ingenuity and that’s what you need, highness. Luck and ingenuity.”

  Darius smiled wanly. “I hope you’re right.”

  Sathina lay in the comforting fold of Tythias’ good arm as he stared down at her. The scarred prefect was the archetypical mercenary that looked dishevelled and battered and rough, but had quickly proved to be the most gentle and caring man she’d ever met. She lay for a while wondering if he would marry her. It surprised her that he hadn’t already and she’d worried over it for a long time until she pieced it together. Tythias wouldn’t marry her before he went to war. To marry her now and leave her a widow in a month… She bit her lip. That thought was creeping in all too often now. Tythias didn’t seem to have the best of luck in fights. Oh he’d survived plenty of years and plenty of battles, but his wounds were starting to become severe. If this all went well, he’d have to quit the army if he married her. If it didn’t go well, then there was no issue to worry about.

  Brendan and Marco sat in one of the rooms of the officers’ quarters. Their thoughts were dark and often bleak, but neither would speak of it as they played dice over and over again, drinking unwatered wine as though they’d never try it again.

  Many leagues away, Sabian stood in the command tent of Velutio’s army. The meeting had finished and the other officers and the independent lords had all gone their separate ways, leaving Sabian standing before the table, opposite his commander.

  “You go too far, my Lord.”

  Velutio looked up with one eyebrow raised. “I wasn’t aware you were her to dictate policy to me. You are welcome to advice, but you criticise just a little too much, commander.”

  Sabian gritted his teeth. “That letter was a genuine offer, albeit an insulting one, under a flag of truce. I would never have allowed Cialo and his men to leave camp if I’d know what you were doing. It’s an insult to the honour of the army and to your own honour.”

  Velutio stood sharply, slamming his hands to the table, palms down. “I will do anything in my power to bring this to a quick end. You are too stiff for your own good. If it takes deaths, assassins, treachery and deceit to win a war and to stop a massacre, I will try it every time. Caerdin’s too sharp to fall for any of them anyway, but I must try. And now, this meeting is over. You have talked out of your place for the last time Sabian. You will leave without a word and go about your preparations for tomorrow and the next time you criticise or defy me, you will be stripped of your command and, if I’m particularly peeved, crucified.”

  He pointed a finger at Sabian. “Now get out of my sight!”

  The commander carried out an extravagant salute and turned on his heel to leave the tent and marched out into the night, growling. Nothing was worth this.

  Part Six: Imperium

  Chapter XXXI.

  Darius took
a deep breath to steady himself. The army had been down on the plains now for two days and had begun to move slowly and steadily toward the sea and the inevitable clash with the army of Velutio. The Emperor was, despite his lifetime’s study of the great campaigns, amazed at the incredibly slow speed at which a full army travelled. The infantry were not as fast as the cavalry, obviously, but the entire army was forced for move at the same speed as the slowest unit among them which turned out to be the siege units and wagon trains that toddled along at the back as though out for a country ramble. The commanders of the army seemed to be taking it all very stoically and Darius tried to be patient, but the fact that Velutio’s army was reputed to be moving with a worrying swiftness kept preying on his mind. Tythias had tried to explain that this was because they had foregone siege units and engineers in favour of speed of travel and that they required no wagon train as they had been in foragable lowlands their entire time, rather than in bare and inhospitable mountains like the rebel force. Also, Velutio had allies and vassals everywhere that provided their army with supplies as they moved, whereas all the allies the rebel army had were travelling with them on their route.

  He sighed and glanced around himself at the others. They rode quietly, their faces expressionless as the noise of thousands of men and horses blanketed them and the dust rose like the column of smoke from a forest fire.

  “How long ‘til we reach Silvas’ palace?” he enquired of Caerdin, who rode alongside at the head of the column.

  “We’re almost there now. We’ve been on his land for an hour now. You’ll see the top tower of his palace over the ridge any minute…”

  Darius nodded and turned to face their destination again just in time to see three of their mounted outriders come galloping over the hill and rein in urgently in front of the command party. The scout officer saluted and coughed a little in the resulting cloud of dust.