Drakenfeld

by Mark Charan Newton

  ‘It is a rather breathtaking place,’ I remarked.

  ‘Seemed like it was made for the gods. And there we were!’ She was much less aggressive now. Her face became vibrant, her attitude far warmer than before. ‘We were good friends with the king.’

  My look of surprise didn’t seem to go down well. Clydia rolled her eyes, as if she’d seen that reaction a hundred times before. It must have been annoying, if she’d had something to brag about, that people didn’t believe her. ‘It seems unlikely . . .’

  ‘King Licintius likes to visit the city at night. Course, if you even mention it to him he’ll deny everything, but he liked to visit his people, only . . . not as himself. He dresses up in disguise.’ Her expression was perfectly serious.

  ‘You’re not actually joking, are you?’

  ‘Course not. That’s how he found us. I think it’s a good thing, too – how else is a king to know his people? From senators whispering into his ear? No. He’d heard about several theatre groups, but wanted to meet one for himself – away from the life in Optryx, so he said. We were new, we had little in the way of a following. So one night, with ten armed guards in civilian clothing walking up and down the street outside one of our performances, the mighty King Licintius came to pay us a visit.’

  I raised an eyebrow. ‘That seems . . .’

  ‘Hard to believe?’ Clydia finished. ‘I know. Could scarcely believe it myself. Came in here, he did – right where you’re sitting. Dressed almost like one of us. He’s a handsome man up close – did you ever see him?’

  ‘I have spoken face to face with him, yes.’

  ‘When he’s in his royal fineries he’s like a god, but when he dressed like us he seemed almost within reach. I wanted to touch him to see if he was real. I made a drunken pass at him once, I think. A girl in my position’s got to try these things.’

  ‘I take it he didn’t accept your kind gesture,’ I said.

  ‘Nah, he wasn’t interested.’ Clydia gave a warm laugh. Her moods seemed to skip between extremes within the same sentence.

  ‘So what did he actually do with the Skull and Jasmine, when you were all together?’

  ‘Do? We acted, of course. He wanted to join in. Wanted to have some fun, the kind he couldn’t have up there.’

  ‘You’re telling me the king simply came all the way down here, putting his life at risk, to have fun with some poor actors.’

  ‘Poor doesn’t even cover the half of it. We were massively in debt – we couldn’t even afford the rent on our tiny little apartments at the time, let alone this place.’

  ‘Do you have any evidence of these assertions? Forgive me for asking, but it seems remarkably unlikely and, as you say yourself, the king will deny such occurrences. Where is your proof ?’

  With her free hand she gestured to the room around her. ‘This place. How in Tryum d’you think we could afford to live somewhere like this? We’re not renting any more – this is ours.’

  ‘Licintius’ money paid for this building,’ I said.

  ‘And the rest,’ Clydia said. ‘For a small time we dined like kings and queens. Well, not quite, but we had mushrooms and pheasants at least. He wanted actors to enjoy a little luxury so that they “might refine their craft free of worries”. It meant we could finally perform the plays that we wanted.’

  I absorbed what she had told us and contemplated this large house in one of the poorest districts of the city. It seemed so unlikely, yet here we were. The only other possibility of them owning such a place is that they were operating criminal activity on the side, yet there were none of the rough types on standby for protection, none of the questionable social circles that build up around it. At the moment, there was just one girl.

  ‘Where is the rest of the Skull and Jasmine troupe?’ I asked. ‘I’d like to speak to them.’

  ‘Upstairs asleep. Same as I was before you arrived.’

  ‘It’s midday,’ I observed.

  ‘What’s your point?’

  It appeared her spirited half was about to return, so I decided to ask her about what happened the night of Lacanta’s murder at Optryx, all the while scanning her face for signs of evasiveness.

  Clydia spoke calmly, clearly and with a surprising amount of detail, all of which matched up with what had been put forward in the written statements of the guests that night. She discussed the play they were putting on, a rendition of ‘The Gods and their Conquests’, an old play that dated back to the beginnings of the Detratan Empire hundreds of years ago. It was the king’s choice that they perform this particular piece, as it would highlight the importance of Maxant’s own triumphant conquests in Mauland.

  As for the murder of Lacanta, Clydia explained they had not been in a position to see the Temple of Trymus; the play was conducted in a private outdoor theatre within the grounds of Optryx – one of the most beautiful places Clydia had ever performed in.

  I asked her whether or not all the actors were present in the same place all night, but she explained that they’d mingled with the party guests – much to the disgust of some of the senators. She gave a smile at that last point. All in all, there was nothing in her statement that didn’t tally with what we already knew, nothing to suggest she was lying and, unfortunately, nothing to suggest she knew anything of value concerning Lacanta’s killing.

  ‘Who’s the leader of your troupe, the one who everyone seems to know as your figurehead?’

  ‘You’ll be after Drullus then.’

  I gave a nod; she gave a sigh.

  ‘Drullus. He managed to get pretty close to the king, didn’t he?’

  ‘How d’you know that?’ Clydia didn’t sound surprised, but I hoped she was.

  ‘I’m the one who’s meant to be asking questions,’ I replied.

  ‘That’s a shame.’ She drew her knees to her chest and took another sip of wine. There was something distant in her gaze that I couldn’t quite fathom. Despite living with so many others, she seemed quite alone. ‘Yeah, Drullus could charm his way with anyone. Even me.’

  ‘But Licintius and Lacanta?’

  ‘Not her, just him. Drullus managed to appeal to the creative side of the king and – somehow – the king expressed an interest in anything Drullus had to say. Drullus was like that, though. He always promised the world and the heavens to someone, but never came good.’

  ‘Licintius and Drullus – did they ever sleep together?’

  ‘What a sweet way of saying it, Drakenfeld. You mean, did they fuck?’ She laughed at me. ‘I never knew and, strangely for Drullus, he never said. He usually boasted about that sort of thing, whether with men or women. He wasn’t fussy. But not with Licintius – didn’t reveal anything. But we didn’t mind though, we were all just happy for the money and comfort.’

  ‘I’d like to speak to him – can you wake him for me?’

  Concern manifested on her face and she became nervous. ‘Drullus hasn’t been here since the murder.’

  Was this a lead at long last? Drullus’ disappearance made finding him all the more pressing.

  ‘Can you describe him for me?’ I demanded.

  ‘About as tall as you,’ Clydia said, ‘skinny, bronze skin, dark-blond hair that came down to his eyes. He sometimes wore it plaited.’

  ‘Have you any idea where he might be found?’ I asked. ‘Any old addresses, relatives or friends?’

  She moved forward to say something, but hesitated.

  ‘Go on,’ I urged her. ‘If you know anything . . .’

  ‘I don’t. Not exactly. You heard of a gang called the Snake Kings?’

  I let out a deep sigh and made a small prayer to Polla.

  ‘Right after we left Optryx,’ Clydia continued, ‘he told us he was going to them. I knew about that gang, but didn’t know Drullus even had connections there.’ She described the location of where I might find the Snake Kings, but repeated that she had no idea where Drullus might have gone now.

  I asked her to fetch the other members of the t
roupe, and one by one they all shuffled down the stairs, most of them young men, though there was one other woman. All were dressed in weird and wonderfully coloured clothing, though one man wore just a pair of trousers and seemed happy enough to parade around semi-naked.

  They seemed fit and handsome people, and I imagined they made quite a lively bunch when they were all properly awake. A few slumped on the floor, a couple of them stood to talk with me. After my requesting it, Clydia told the others what she had told me so far. It was less confrontational coming from her; and meant I could watch their reactions to see if Clydia had been lying to me.

  None of them showed signs of surprise; a couple of them were so tired they barely showed signs of life. Further questioning during Clydia’s conversation didn’t bring anything further to light. The actors’ only connection to one another was their profession – they were a disparate bunch, from wildly different backgrounds. None of them had become close to Drullus in any significant way. Though they shared interests as well as jugs of wine, it appeared that Drullus had kept himself to himself.

  Frustratingly, none of them could tell me anything about the night at Optryx that Clydia had not told me already. One of the men had seen Lacanta and remarked how attractive she was, and that he, too, had seen her moments before she had been found dead. When he saw her she had been full of life, smiling and laughing with other guests, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

  One thing I did find interesting was that the king had constantly wanted them to perform certain plays – ones glorifying Detrata and establishing the king as a noble leader and the nearby nations as friends, not enemies. They explained that the king liked to create a mood whereby people of the city would feel more secure: satisfied by the conquests, and that they would want no more. When pushed on this, the actors suggested that the king actually preferred peace to war, stability to uncertainty, and that he was pro-Vispasia – unlike, it was said, many in the Senate.

  The sudden appearance of the king down here was not as odd as I had assumed. Perhaps along with other reasons Licintius was using these actors for his own propaganda to boost his popularity around the city, and to spread his messages.

  Of Drullus, it turned out that the other woman and two other men had slept with him, but nothing turning into anything serious. Drullus was not, they said, a man who liked to commit to anything other than the theatre. At last I told them they could go, but asked them not to leave the city. A few of them headed back upstairs, the other woman included. There was a tension between her and Clydia but I didn’t think it was connected to the case.

  As I was about to leave, Clydia stepped forward and touched my arm. ‘Do you believe us?’ Her eyes revealed a sudden panic. ‘I don’t want anything bad to happen to the troupe because we know the king. We just wanted to perform plays and not starve . . .’

  ‘If you’re telling me the truth,’ I replied, ‘then I see no reason for you to be afraid.’

  As we left and continued back through the sunlit street, Leana said, ‘And do you think she is telling the truth?’

  I considered the matter and contemplated just what the actors might have gained from lying. ‘She might be boasting a little, or they might be protecting themselves, but I believe she was being genuine enough – it was her fear at the end that persuades me. Why be so scared if she was making it up?’

  The Snake Kings

  Clouds had massed, darkening one half of the sky leaving the other in ochre tones. It started to rain. This was not just any kind of rain though, it was the kind that had received the full backing of the gods. I’d heard rumours that the city’s priests had been conferring in the shadows of temples, praying to any god inclined to listen, in an attempt to help relieve the people of the city from the intense heat and surrounding crop failures. Street astrologers, hedge witches and those of the more dubious arts, had also been making sacrifices, casting runes and studying the stars in an attempt to bring rain.

  Perhaps it was the will of the priests, priestesses, pontiffs and their clerics uniting in secret prayer that helped produce this downpour. Or, as I was inclined to believe, perhaps it was just the natural rhythms of the world, things that were simply beyond the control of even the gods, let alone priests.

  Whatever the cause, the rain came as a blessed relief to the people of Tryum.

  If the sun could not always reach down to these shaded lanes because of the height of the surrounding buildings, that did not stop the rain. Drummers stood on street corners as people danced barefoot in the mud. Children headed outside, their arms outstretched, and ran in circles while their parents laughed on from the shelter of an awning or doorway. A few traders were hastily erecting covers for their produce and wares, but even they did so with a beaming smile. In the poorest streets of the city, as we marched slowly across from Plutum to Barrantum, the mood of the populace grew increasingly happy. Tensions were dissolving before us in the rainwater.

  I hoped the Snake Kings would also be in a better mood because of the weather.

  The Snake Kings were a legendary gang of the lower districts of Tryum, mainly Barrantum if I remembered correctly, but who had some dealings elsewhere in the city. Of all the rival factions the Snake Kings had their fingers in most pies, including that of the Civil Cohorts who rarely intervened in any of their business.

  And what a business it was. Coins, looted from private dwellings by their thieves, were melted down and sold back as ingots to those higher up in the city at a knock-down price. They charged commission to moneylenders who needed a little extra force to recover stubborn debts. Snake King members were more often than not responsible for trafficking young women – and young men – into the sex trade. The gang even possessed influence in the political sphere, helping to rig votes by keeping people away from the count, or in ensuring that graffiti against certain factions of the Senate was removed from the city walls.

  They were not the only gang in the city – gangs were the silent shame of Tryum. Nowhere was free from their influence, and it was difficult to attach blame to their acts, much to the eternal frustration of my father, who would frequently curse their names.

  Anyone who had an interest in furthering themselves in the city liked to keep on the good side of the gangs. This meant that if the actor Drullus was indeed hiding behind the Snake King’s protection, life might become very difficult for us trying to track him down.

  ‘You honestly believe her?’ It seemed Leana did not notice the rain. I had drawn up the hood of my cloak, but she had merely flipped up the collars of her jacket, continuing as normal, with water streaming down her face.

  ‘Who?’ I asked.

  ‘Clydia.’

  ‘You think I shouldn’t believe her?’

  ‘She is an actor,’ she replied. ‘She performs.’

  ‘Everyone performs – some people are more honest about it than others. I’ll grant you, the parts about the king’s antics down here do seem a little improbable. But it is worth reminding ourselves that there were many leaders of the Detratan Empire who bedded men as well as women, and many a ruler who had no shame in associating him- or herself with those more unfortunate than people of their position.’

  ‘She could be playing a game,’ Leana said. ‘Why are we here, in this part of the city? She may be sending us on a chase through the streets so we keep out of the way.’

  ‘That may be so. But I’d rather that than have no chase whatsoever.’

  It was getting late in the afternoon, but I felt we were at least closing in on something. I had a nagging suspicion at the back of my mind that no one was quite telling me the truth about the murder. No one seemed to have seen a thing out of the ordinary on the night of a seemingly impossible crime. That the king went to the lower regions of the city to express himself creatively did appear to me to be slightly fanciful. That a man had gone on the run, however, was not. That a man might also have been bedded by the king threw the case open to many new questions.

  Clydia had d
escribed the location where the Snake Kings might be found, on the border of Barrantum and Vellyum, a street just off the main thoroughfare, which led down to one of Tryum’s massive gates. It was a building of four floors beside a wood yard, with whitewashed walls that had seen better days. The sun had come out again, and there was a dark smear across the horizon where the clouds had moved on, looking like a volcano had spewed its contents to the heavens. Puddles sparkled in the afternoon light and the air felt a lot fresher. People had stopped working outside, for a moment, so the city was as calm as I’d seen since my arrival.

  As we approached the door of the building, it was already ajar. Leana cautioned me, unsheathed her sword and pushed the door slowly back.

  I followed her inside to a small room. Aside from the stone floor, the place was constructed entirely of wood, with thick beams crossing the ceiling. A strong smell of urine came from somewhere; perhaps we were above some sewers or near some operation that gathered the liquid for reuse. There was no one around, and there was only a stairway in front of us.

  ‘What do you think?’ she whispered. ‘Head upstairs?’

  ‘There’s nowhere else to go,’ I replied.

  Leana led the way with me following on her heels. The place wasn’t quite what I’d expected to find as a safe house run by a leading gang of the underworld – it felt abandoned.

  We approached the top of the stairs and stood side by side, listening for any signs of life. There seemed to be conversation coming from further along the corridor, so we both took a few steps forward—

  The floor gave way and we both fell into darkness.

  ‘A trapdoor,’ I said, looking up at the opening above us. How very embarrassing it was to fall through it – to fall for it.

  ‘It could have been worse,’ Leana grunted. ‘You could have landed on the stone floor instead of falling on me.’

  We found ourselves in a room on the ground floor. It was a crude cage of sorts, albeit the metal mesh was only on one side – the rest of the room was made from thick panels of wood. There wasn’t much to be seen, the place was dusty and we were in the company of two rats. Testing the mesh got us nowhere; it seemed firm, but there was a lock.