2 valnirs bane

by ich du

  'Do we not?' asked Manfred. 'My brother had the right idea, branding you, but his methods were crude.' He motioned to the man behind him on his left, a white-bearded ancient in the black robes of a scholar. 'Magus Handfort is a member of the royal college of alchemy. He has developed a poison that can be activated from afar, at any time he chooses. While the surgeons were tending to your wounds, they rubbed this poison into your cuts.' He raised his hand as Reiner and his friends began to stand and protest. 'Take your ease, please. The solution is perfectly harmless until the magus reads aloud a particular incantation. Only then will you die a horrible agonising death.' He smiled, as warmly as if he were wishing them a happy and prosperous new year. 'And he will only read the incantation if you fail to report back to me at the end of the assignments I shall give you.'

  'You swine,' said Reiner. 'You're worse than your brother. At least he offered a reward if we completed our mission. At least there was to be an end to our bondage.'

  'My brother never intended to honour his end of the bargain, as you well know,' said Manfred. 'And he used you for his own interests, whereas now you will be working for the good of the Empire.'

  'He said that too,' said Pavel.

  'You will be well rewarded,' continued Manfred. 'When duty does not call you, you will live well indeed, within the walls of my castle. And when this time of crisis is over and the terror is at last vanquished, you will be freed from your service and given riches enough to build entire new lives. In addition, as you have all died, all your crimes will die with you.' He gave Franka a significant look. 'Your secrets will remain buried in your past, and you may live as you choose, new men.'

  Reiner and his companions looked blankly at Manfred as he sat back and folded his hands in his lap.

  'So,' he said. 'What have you to say? Do you take my offer? Will you help the Empire in its hour of need?'

  'I'll say what I said to your brother,' sneered Reiner. 'We haven't much choice have we?'

  'No,' said Manfred. 'You have not.'

  A SHORT WHILE later, riding toward Nordbergbruche castle in a coach with heavily curtained windows, Reiner and his companions looked at each other glumly.

  'That some loads of horse mess, hey?' said Giano.

  'Aye,' said Pavel. 'Until the terror is vanquished, he says. The Empire has stood for two thousand years and there's always been some terror or other banging on the gates.'

  'We're in it for the duration all right,' said Hals.

  'Isn't there anything we can do?' asked Franka.

  Reiner shook his head. 'Not unless we can find a way to flush the magus's poison from our system. But until then...'

  'Until then,' said Pavel, 'they have us.'

  'Aye,' growled Hals. 'By the short hairs.'

  Reiner laughed and couldn't stop. His life might have become a never-ending nightmare, but at least the company was good.

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