“What’s new?” Octavian asked, before seating himself in a chair before the fireplace in Reymont’s office, which he was taking over for himself. He was the Primus Itinerant after all. Recalling his own title made him feel good. Waiting for the wine, he sat motionless in the chair, his eyes moving slowly from one corner of the room to the other, to memorize everything. Eyes closed, he thought of Loxburg again, then he shook his head. He was tired.
“Cleyre is enjoying her honeymoon.” Reymont laughed, and gave him a glass of wine. “Nicolas is causing some problems, but he has fewer men than he expected.”
“But more than you expected. I was informed that more than eight hundred soldiers are marching with Nicolas right now. You told to me that he would not have more than five hundred. It doesn’t matter; in fact, it may serve us even better.”
“Did Loxburg agree with our plan?”
“He can’t agree with what he doesn’t know. Our plan is known only to us. But he has agreed to attack Peyris with more than three thousand men. If all is well, he will be here in less than two weeks. How is Albert?” Octavian’s mouth twitched, and he repressed a curse. He was supposed to meet the Duke that day. The fat man always indisposed him. I met women who were more a man than him.
“Hiding under his bed. He is afraid of his own shadow.”
“Good. That will make it easier to convince him to leave Peyris.”
“I don’t think he would agree to...”
“Then think how to make him agree,” Octavian cut in. “It should not be so hard. Loxburg must not lose many soldiers, and the taking of Peyris will make him ... famous.”
“And then?”
“In three or four weeks, you will free Cleyre, divorce her and make her ready to marry Loxburg’s son. He is average in everything, mind and looks, but after Veres, he will seem quite the charming prince. Anyway, Cleyre must be a different woman by now. Would tamed be the correct word to describe her?” Octavian asked, and sipped some wine, just to stifle the smile on his lips – he knew what that would mean for the Secretary of Peyris. There was a moment of silence, and the sound of the rain became louder.
“Why did you agree to this?” If Cleyre becomes Duchess, I am dead. She will hang me. Reymont’s shoulders slumped under the strong pressure of panic filling his mind. Beneath his wrinkled forehead, his eyes reflected the terror gnawing at his entrails.
He is too weak. Reymont’s reaction disturbed Octavian. “Because I had no choice. Manuc knows how to negotiate,” he said dismissively, trying to keep his voice calm. He babbles like an old woman. Just when I was enjoying my wine.
“I suppose so. We received a letter from Dornan.” Reymont recovered faster than the Primus Itinerant had expected.
“Ah, yes, Itinerant Sage Solis convinced him to join Loxburg. Dornan will bring six hundred soldiers.”
“Why?”
“To make Loxburg look more important. The new Chief of the north.”
“And if he really wants to become the Chief...?”
“Manuc is old,” Octavian shrugged. “And soon, he will join the other two old Dukes in the afterlife. That was a great generation; it has been followed by some dwarves, but maybe I am too tough on Baldovin. He is not stupid, just sick. Sometimes, it brings the same consequences. If Manuc doesn’t understand that things are moving in a new direction, he will leave us like the former Duke Stefan – another man who did not adapt to the changes around him. Old people are like that. Unfortunately. I gave that poison that kills without leaving a trace to our Hidden Sage in Loxburg, the one you used on Stefan. It works well, doesn’t it? If things go to plan, both dukedoms in the north will disintegrate. Then we will reform them to our needs. Just in time. But for the moment, we need a strong Loxburg to convince Codrin become the Duke of Tolosa through marriage.”
“Bucur?” Reymont asked and raised an eyebrow.
“Ah, you did not know. He killed an Itinerant Sage, and the Conclave stripped the Candidate King title from him. Keep this to yourself; there are few Sages who know about this and no one outside the Circle.” Drusila may know it, though. Octavian frowned; he disliked the woman, and he was not sure that such important information should be given to the Wanderers. She is Maud’s sister. “For the moment, we don’t want this to be known.”
“When Loxburg comes here,” Reymont said, hesitantly, “should we open the gate of the city?”
“Of course. I don’t want Peyris to be ruined. The new kingdom must be powerful, and it can’t be powerful without strong provinces. That’s why we arranged for him to come with almost four thousand soldiers, Dornan included. The surrender should look real, or Codrin will know that everything is a set up. He must fear Loxburg. Like in any conquest, some bad things will happen here, rapes, robberies, but everything should be controlled. Loxburg doesn’t want his city to be ruined.”
“He hates Peyris, and wants Loxburg to become...”
“He hated Peyris, but only because it did not belong to him. It was the capital of Frankis, and whoever sits here dreams of being the next King. Loxburg is no exception. And the negotiation for surrender will be led by us.”
“Will you stay here?” Reymont asked, both appalled and relieved.
“Of course, my dear Reymont. How could I miss such an important event?” How I miss sleeping for a few weeks in a bed and drinking good wine? The sad thing is that we can’t count on you for such delicate talks, but I can’t tell you that. You are getting old too. Odbald, the second Secretary, will take your place. It will happen sooner than I thought before today. “I hope that you are comfortable with my wish to stay longer in Peyris. I like this wine.” Octavian nodded at his empty glass and Reymont refilled it.
“That thing with Cleyre,” Reymont returned to his worries. “It’s just something temporary, until the Duchy disintegrates.”
“You have it wrong. The disintegration will be temporary. Once we have a King, we need able people to rule. Cleyre has a lot of potential.”
“And I have a lot of hanging potential, if she becomes Duchess.”
“Don’t worry, Reymont, you will move to the Royall Court. We need capable men to rule there too. Codrin is young, and it appears that his military abilities are rather better developed than his political acumen. That suits us. He will rule, led by our people. Maud, you, me... And our beautiful Marie will help us from his bedroom. If you don’t mind, I would like a few moments of silence.” Eyes half closed, he looked a little as though he might be ready to sleep, but he just wanted to silence Reymont.
“Nicolas’s army is camped not far from the southern gate,” the guard informed Reymont, two days after the Primus Itinerant arrived in Peyris.
“The real game starts now.” Octavian rubbed his hands gleefully after the guard left him and Reymont alone. Reymont was now a guest in his own office. “Let’s enjoy our time with the Duke. He always surprises me. Never in a good way.” Octavian squinted at the Secretary, amused. The Duke’s office was close by, and Octavian entered without knocking. “Duke Albert, we have an unwelcome guest outside the city.” Without waiting for an invitation, he took a chair, moved it close to the window, and sat in such a way that he could see both the Duke and the sunset. Albert looked at him from glazed eyes. “Nicolas and his army are at the gate of Peyris.”
“How many men does the traitor have?” Albert asked, agitated, beads of cold perspiration running down his face.
“Eight hundred. Duke, let’s go and observe what’s happening out there, before night falls. Your soldiers want to see you on the wall, amongst them.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Nicolas is a long way from the wall.”
On the parapet, behind the merlons, Albert’s agitation only grew, and both Octavian and Reymont kept silent, leaving him to his fear.
“What should we do?” Albert finally asked.
Octavian looked briefly at Reymont and nodded.
“My Duke,” Reymont said, “the safest thing is to move you out of Pe
yris.”
“What?” Albert turned abruptly. “These walls protect me better than anything else will, and we have almost two thousand soldiers. One thousand here, and another thousand in the north-east, halfway from the border with Loxburg. Why should we leave Peyris?”
“Because we are not safe in Peyris. Nicolas would not have come here without a plan. He can’t take the city with eight hundred soldiers.”
“And?”
“We think that he may have some men hidden in the city, perhaps in the palace, waiting to act. These traitors are a great danger to you.”
“Do you think so?”
“Why else would Nicolas be here?”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure there are traitors in Peyris. Find them. Hang them,” the Duke said nervously, wringing his hands.
“We are working on it, but it will take time.”
“How much time?”
“We don’t know yet, maybe a month or two. You can return after we catch them all. That’s the safest thing to do.”
“Where should I go?”
“Amiuns fortress. It’s stronger than Peyris and it’s not far from here. It’s also smaller, and we can control the people better there.”
“I need to think,” Albert said and turned away. By the time he reached the stairs, he was already running, forcing the guards to run after him. Luckily, he was too fat to run fast.
Octavian bit his lip and Reymont pinched his nose to stifle their laughter. Their reactions did not escape to the soldiers on the wall, who were split between amusement and scorn.
We need a Duke, the captain of the wall thought. Fate take this puppet and his puppeteers. Our only chance to survive is Cleyre.
***
Under the cover of late twilight, two discreet shadows approached the house. They did not try to pass totally unobserved, just walked carefully, watching their backs and whoever crossed their path. The autumn was in full swing, and the days were shorter. People still filled the streets after sunset.
“I think this is it,” the taller man said and opened the small gate of iron. Peyris was a safe city and people did not close their gates so early. Silently, the second man followed him. “There is light in the house, so he must be at home.”
“Or maybe the servants are at home.”
The tall man shrugged and knocked at the door. They were both right; a servant opened the door, and his master was at home. “We came to see your master.”
The servant raised his lamp to see them better. The light was not strong and the men were half hidden by their cloaks. “Who are you?”
“Altera is far from Peyris,” the tall man gave him the password.
“Three days from here,” the servant said.
“I wish it was. The road was longer.”
“Follow me.”
They went in, but neither took off his cloak. The servant pretended that he did not see that. He entered the small office, closing the door to the guests. They waited patiently, and the servant came out in less than a minute. He held the door open for them, and closed it after they entered. He walked briskly away and returned with two armed men who remained to guard the door, ready to interfere if something should go wrong inside. In the office, both men lowered the hoods of their cloaks.
“I was not expecting visitors,” Costa said, but he was smiling, and they clasped their hands.
“Neither was I,” Vlad laughed. “Nicolas and Tudor sent us here.”
Costa nodded. “Sit,” he pointed at the chairs in front of his desk. “I don’t suppose you came here just to drink my wine.” He took two glasses from a cabinet and filled them from a bottle that was already open.
“Your wine is good,” Emich, the second Knight of Nicolas said, “but it isn’t worth the risk of sneaking into Peyris past Albert’s guards.”
“I am afraid I will not like the news you bring me.”
“Oh, noon the contrary,” Vlad laughed, raising his glass in salute. “You will certainly like the news; Cleyre is free.”
Costa drank his wine in one shot and sighed. “That is the best news I have heard in a while. How, who...? Tell me.”
“The Wraith of Tolosa found a solution to her problem. It involved a barrel of wine to bribe the guards at the Eagle’s Nest’s gate. We met Nicolas while he was going to Severin, and he took us there. We had spent most of the summer in the south and didn’t know what had happened.”
“Where is she now?” Codrin saved Cleyre, and whatever chance I still had to marry her is gone now. I could do nothing for her. Fate. But at least she is safe. This is what really matters. Pleasant memories from the past came to him, filling him with regret. He sighed.
“A small house, hidden in a forest not far from here, guarded by fifty men,” Emich said. “She is safe there.”
“Veres?”
“In chains, heading south. The Wraith took care of it. This is from Cleyre.” Emich proffered a letter to Costa.
He is being taken to Severin... The Circle can’t reach Veres there. With impatient fingers, Costa opened the letter and read it slowly. His eagerness did not escape Vlad.
‘Costa,
What they will ask from you is dangerous. You know the situation in Peyris. Codrin and Nicolas are keen to attack, but I don’t want to lose you, or other good men, in an attack that is likely to fail. If you think we can’t take Peyris as things stand, just write back. There is no need to explain it all, just send me a letter, even an empty one.
Cleyre’
“The second part now. The part I will not like,” Costa said and filled all the glasses again.
“We want to take Peyris,” Emich said.
“With eight hundred soldiers? That won’t happen.” It’s me they want, but how can I...?
“It could happen if we take one of the gates. The western one.”
“And you want me to...” Costa stood up abruptly and went to the window. It was fully dark and there was nothing to see. He turned and leaned against the wall, waiting for them to tell him more. They didn’t. “From the fifty men in my company, I can count on fifteen at most. For the others I would be a traitor.”
“Like us, you serve the Duchess, and they are the traitors. I know, it’s just a difference of perspective,” Emich laughed. “It will not matter if we lose. You don’t have enough men to take the gate. Just to be sure that we understand each other; if you have an answer for Cleyre...” He pointed at the letter.
Costa pondered for a while and read the letter again. Going back to his chair, he rested his elbows on the table. He pressed his thumb to his nose. His eyes were intent. “I think we can do this. But I’ll need your help.”
“That’s why we are here,” Vlad said. “We can bring you more men. How many do you need?”
“Twenty-five. Most of the night guards stay in the gate room, and some are stationed on the walls, from where can shoot at anyone trying to attack the gate from the city.”
“How many crossbows and spears have they?” Vlad asked.
“There are five crossbows and fifteen spearmen in each company. My company is not allowed these weapons since I was demoted. You must bring both.”
“They are watchful at the gates; they are searching every cart, and it will not be easy to bring the weapons in, but we will find a way. It makes no sense to attack the gate without crossbows. We will need two days to prepare everything.”
“I also have news,” Costa said. “Good news. Tomorrow, Albert will leave the city with five hundred soldiers.”
“We had hoped to capture Albert, but five hundred fewer soldiers will make our task easier. If we take the gate...” Emich said.
“You have only eight hundred men. It will be hard to take the city even if we capture the gate.”
“Once we enter Peyris some of them will change sides.”
“True,” Costa nodded, “but most of them will only change sides after the winner is known.”
“True.” Emich nodded too.
“Seven hundred more soldi
ers will arrive just before we attack the gate,” Vlad said.
Emich didn’t know why Vlad was saying this. Is Vlad trying to fool Costa? It may be a good strategy, but it may backfire.
Codrin’s army is growing, Costa thought. Emich doesn’t know about the army and doesn’t know that Codrin is the Wraith of Tolosa. Perhaps Nicolas and Codrin don’t trust each other. That’s not good. “An army of one thousand five hundred strong sounds better.”
“We need a place to gather before taking the gate.”
“There is a stable behind the barrack between the South and West Gates. The barracks and stables will be more or less empty; they belong to the soldiers that will leave with Albert. Tell your men to gather behind the stables. We will attack at night, one hour before midnight and the change of guard.”
“I will be here to lead my men.”
“And I will lead my men,” Emich added.
Costa sat motionless, his eyes moving slowly from one man to the other. Then he smiled. At least I am not alone. Codrin and Nicolas are men of character. “We are a strong team. Let me open another bottle.”
“Salut,” Emich said and raised his glass. “To victory, and to our Duchess.”
“Salut,” the other two answered.
“Octavian is here,” Costa said after a while. “We may be able to solve that issue too.”
“No.” Vlad shook his head. “Let him play his game.”
“Is he working for you? Is that why is he taking Albert out of Peyris?”
“He is working for the Circle, but with some information we provided for him,” Vlad said cautiously. “We didn’t know about Albert leaving, but there are several games afoot right now.”
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