'Indeed, commander,' Nelum snapped, his lips thinned as if suppressing a biting retort. 'My apologies.'
TWENTY-ONE
For the men and women of the Seventh and Ninth Dragoons, the day commenced in a sombre mood, and didn't much improve from there. These soldiers had landed on the coast of Folke four days ago, after returning from a failed invasion of the Varltung nation, where thousands of comrades had died under the ice sheets as they attempted to claim another island. All in the name of the Empire and empire building. The official story was that the tribal nations had gathered along the edge of the ice sheets and rained arrows down on those drowning in the frozen waters. But some suggested there were no enemies in situ, that this was merely to provide reason for the Emperor to launch a much larger and more brutal invasion.
A mild sleet seemed to make the air above Villiren rattle, with grey skies smothering every point of the compass. The Dragoons were now lined up to attention, forming precise rows in the colossal quadrangular courtyard of the Citadel, framed by the wide granite arches and pillars. Awaiting further instructions they stood in silence, soggy, muddied, still mourning the dead.
Brynd remembered reading the great poets from an era when the sun was stronger – translations that had survived collapsed civilizations and forgotten languages, rhetoric and drama that injected glory into the legends of war. Bitterly he wondered if many of those writers had actually stood in the front line of any battle.
*
The troops began moving directly into the city, first in their tens and then in their thousands. Many empty structures in Port Nostalgia needed to be taken over in the name of defence. Citizens looked on in misery as the soldiers shuffled into their positions. This was an invasion of their normality – and the mood of the city changed perceptibly. The mere presence of the military seemed to augur death and decay.
Days of rigorous training continued in camps scattered to the south of the city, in Wych-Forest, manoeuvres practised in accordance with Brynd's detailed instructions, based on military traditions and his own theories. Such staged combat scared the richer districts into holding late-night meetings where landowners would protest. Seafront shop and bar staff pleaded for the army not to take over their homes, as if not realizing how important the front line of the city would be in staging a defence.
Did people ever see beyond their own everyday lives? And why should they, Brynd reflected, when it seemed enough to just stay alive in these harsh conditions?
Extra food had been imported through military protected networks, to prevent prices from soaring in the city proper, but he was careful, too, not to fix prices, because such artificial lowering could lead to severe shortages later on.
But there was always food, strangely. Good cuts of meat were imported from massive agricultural settlements beyond the suburbs, which Brynd had never known existed. Portreeve Lutto had indeed prepared his city well, and no matter how grossly he acted, no matter how much of a buffoon the man appeared, there was clearly an active, useful mind in that bloated head.
Brynd had recently been impressed by a shield design employed by many of the local tribesmen, and which had subsequently entered the culture of Villiren. It was called a hoplon or an aspis, depending on who you spoke to, and was crafted to a circular design that Brynd deemed more efficient than the longer traditional variety. So the city's armouries went into mass production, and he ordered a different type of helm to be manufactured at the same time, one allowing a much greater range of vision, completely without unnecessary adornments – just a simple, skull-gripping design.
And day in, day out, Priest Pias's sermons delivered throughout the Jorsalir churches had proved potent in driving home a message Brynd otherwise did not care for: religious propaganda. Leaflets were simultaneously scattered around the city, carrying the same message:
I beseech you all – join hands with the soldiers now prepared to lay down their lives so that we amp; our children may continue to walk our streets as free citizens. Opportunity to guarantee your soul's salvation is to be found currently at the Citadel, where you can sign up amp; collect sacred weaponry from the heroic soldiers who have always protected this Empire amp; have fought off the devilry of the repugnant, unevolved races for thousands of years. Their glory can be yours, too, with the opportunity to fight hand in hand with them. The future of our city lies in YOUR hands. Either you are with US or you are with this new race of invaders. Think not of this life but of the FUTURE amp; I promise you safe passage to the hereafter.
Priest Pias, Arch Pater of the Church of the Jorsalir
Later still: there was to be the initiation of a new recruit to the Night Guard, whose addition would bring the total back to twenty, the minimum figure acceptable in Brynd's mind. Being selected to join the elite regiment was the highest attainment a soldier could hope for. It signified someone possessing extraordinary skills in close-quarter combat, but also a supreme degree of physical fitness, outstanding tactical judgement, and the ability to endure extreme mental and physical torture. Once the potential recruit had been accepted, only then did the real hardships begin.
Night Guard soldiers were expected to undergo enhancement.
Tiendi was stripped down to her breeches and vest top in a stone-tiled chamber at the lowest level of the Citadel. She was due to become the first female Night Guard to be ordained for years – there were simply not that many women in the army who could physically reach the required levels. Having risen to sergeant within six years, Tiendi was long overdue for this promotion: during four campaigns on the southern islands, she'd proved extremely proficient with the sword, diligent out in the field, and had saved the lives of no small number of her comrades. And she was only twenty-seven. She would retain her rank, although it was meaningless since, with the exception of Brynd, all Night Guard were considered equal.
Blavat, the cultist who had accompanied the soldiers from Villja-mur, was busy working in a corner of the room with two or three of the standard relics she needed for the procedure. Brynd had seen it performed so often now – had seen it done to himself, of course – but he was certainly not a cultist, and did not understand how the devices worked. He had brought with him a few vials of the precious fluids for the necessary injections.
The impending ritual followed an antiquated tradition, involving a stylized liaison between cultists from the Order of the Dawnir and the senior military official, which went back several hundred years. It went back so far, in fact, that no one really knew how it had all started, but it had succeeded in binding the Empire to one of the major cultist orders.
Tiendi was beckoned to lie down on a thick stone table positioned in the centre of the room, while all her comrades-to-be stood around her in a circle, watching. A few cressets burned steadily, casting enough light on the procedure, but not so much as to make the scene seem eerier than it should have been. She was strapped down, the muscles of her pale, lean body tensing, and her chin-length blonde hair bunched up to one side.
Blavat's gaze was utterly focused as she assembled her bits of equipment around the new recruit, cautiously adjusting some settings, deciphering the technology. Two metal plates were attached to Tiendi's forehead, whilst a brass syringe was poised just above the base of her neck. Blavat deftly flicked the switch on a cylinder resting behind Tiendi's head.
Then she was injected.
Tiendi screamed and clenched her fists, saliva appearing in a thin line across her cheek. Her body flared into a network of purple, as if a luminous web clung to her skin, forcing a surreal display of veins and arteries. The soldier tried to reach up to her face, but her arms were restricted by the straps, biceps bulging under the strain, and all the time Blavat stared nonchalantly at the spasming body of the young woman before her. Brynd watched with concern – this was not always a procedure without casualties.
Once Tiendi's screams died away, once her throes had diminished, she was unbound. She rolled off the table, collapsed sweating onto the ground and begun hu
gging her own body, scrunching up her eyes to hold in the tears. Gradually, the trauma wore off, and she began to gape around the room as if discovering the view for the first time.
Brynd knew what was happening, that she was becoming accustomed to the enhanced vision, more perceptive of details in both shadow and highlight, of colours at the limits of the spectrum – seeing the entire world so much more clearly.
He smiled as the rest of the Night Guard swarmed around Tiendi, patting her on the back and genially welcoming her into their elite brigade.
TWENTY-TWO
Randur slapped down a mug on the table next to the settee. Munio woke and immediately gaped at the flames. They were roaring away in the fireplace, the spare logs neatly stacked to one side, even the mantel thoroughly cleaned. Randur had transformed this part of the manse into something almost habitable.
'Ah,' Randur remarked. 'I see the princess awakes from her slumber.'
'The hell hour is this?'
'Late afternoon, nearly time for dinner.'
Munio pushed himself to test his feet, swaying gently as he came to terms with the new day.
'Is that baking bread I can smell?'
'Yep.' Munio probably couldn't remember the last time he had smelled such a heavenly aroma. To be honest, neither could Randur.
Munio leant over to pick up his mug of tea from the side table. 'This will not do. The day must begin with something a little stronger.'
'You're a total pisshead – and that's why your life's such a mess.'
Randur shuffled through into the kitchen, where he found Eir intent on working through some Vitassi moves with a ladle. He humoured her, as they clattered around the room.
'No, no,' Munio called out to her from the doorway. 'Eir, your left foot is all over the place.'
She whispered something to Randur, then made to leave the room.
'Don't go on my account,' Munio yelled after her.
'I'm just going for a walk with my sister. You two need to catch up.'
'Is she around somewhere – Rika?' Munio struggled to contain his eagerness.
'Later,' Randur declared, then gave a nod to Eir, and she left.
The two men said nothing for some time, and Munio began ambling around the kitchen with a sense of purpose.
'You won't find any more drink,' Randur said.
Munio glared at him. 'And just who is this young parvenu who comes storming in from the past to invade my house like this?'
He slumped onto a stool at the table.
Randur ignored the tantrum and, slicing some warm bread, buttered it and slid the plate across to him.
'Why're you all here anyway?' Munio asked.
'Because you invited us, you miserable sod,' Randur replied. He grabbed a mug of something hot and sat down opposite.
'You've done all right, lad.'
'Is that a compliment?'
Munio grunted a laugh. 'The petulant child still exists, inside this glossy exterior. So how did you get away from this shithole of an island and come to meet the likes of those two posh lasses?'
'I managed to steal a name from a dead man who was meant to be sword and dance tutor to Lady Eir. Originally I was there to get a cultist to help my poor mother, but I found cultists only helped themselves. My world then took something of a drastic turn and my priorities changed. Eir's sister was due to become Empress. Then the man who's probably now Emperor set them up for a crime of treason, and I helped get Eir and Rika out of the city. We're now on the run to Villiren – since Rika's got a plan, which is more than the rest of us have.'
'Bohrsakes, child. Can't believe you didn't tell me this at first.'
Randur shrugged.
'Well, makes no difference to those of us way out here who runs the Empire. And so having the burden of such responsibility – is it eating away yet?'
'People can change,' Randur replied. 'And I'm not who I used to be. I can choose to be different if I want.'
'People never really change,' Munio declared, a statement of intent regarding his alcoholism, perhaps.
'Look, there's likely to be a big price on our heads, and that level of bounty can change a man's thinking.'
'A big price, for just you lot? You would've thought the Council had better things to be worrying about than a couple of kids.'
'Money's no problem to that man, Urtica – he'll have a regiment or two spreading out across the Empire. Don't forget, we're fugitives. I have to keep looking over my shoulder, but I never let my concern show to the girls – I prefer to carry that burden myself. So we're on our way north, to Villiren, to meet the commander there, and we'll leave here as soon as we feel up to it.'
'Why bother?' Munio asked.
'Rika wants to be able to clear her name – strangely, she actually wants to serve her people, to help them. She reckons the commander of the military – you must have heard of the legendary albino? – can help her out. Seems he brought her to Villjamur in the first place. We're focused on that as our objective, and it's all we're living for at the moment.'
'Long journey you have in mind.'
'I think you should come with us. In fact, I want you to.' Sudden, thrusting words.
Munio glanced at him in disbelief. 'At my age?'
'We could do with the extra protection. Also I only half remember the routes north from this part of the island, so your assistance in getting there would be bloody useful. You reckon you'd be up to it?'
'Pah, I'm too old. People like me never change, like I said.'
Randur didn't buy that. Like he deployed his sword strokes over the years, Munio had more than likely repeated the habits of his misery until he knew, by heart, how to shun the real world.
Randur pressed him further, more persuasive blows. 'I know you've talked about money, or lack of, but when you're on the road with us you won't have to worry about that. Maybe we can catch up a bit, because there are so many years to talk about. I used to respect you so much, old friend. After all I didn't have a father, and…' Randur trailed off, as if expecting Munio to say what he then said.
'Well, I never had a son.' With these words Munio disarmed himself, let his guard down, and no longer had anything to parry Randur with.
A pause, and Randur said, 'Or at least none that you knew about, you filthy old scrote. So you'll join us, will you?'
'I'll think about it.'
The two of them laughed and Munio looked much the better for it.
'Maybe it would do me good to get on the road again. What has my life here consisted of but sauntering around drunk and alone amid clouds of dust motes?'
Eir entered the room again and said, 'She's now busy meditating.'
Munio blurted out, 'Young Eir! This one here has been telling me all about the pair of you.'
'What kind of things?' She eyed Randur with suspicion, as he shuffled over to her side.
'Nothing bad.'
As the old man drew a sword, she turned sharply.
'Lad says you've been keen to learn the ways of Vitassi,' Munio said. 'Shall we now see if he was as lazy a teacher as he was once a student.'
'Rand, would you like to fetch my sword?' she said coldly.
'What, am I your servant now?' He stomped off but returned moments later with the same thin blade she had used to cut her way out of Villjamur.
She grabbed it and turned to face Munio, who said, 'Let's have a look at you.'
His blade darted aggressively towards her torso, and for the next few minutes her sword was slapped around the kitchen by a master of the technique. Every time she made a strike, he seemed to predict what she was intending. He barked out corrective instructions, but when he eventually started singing, she lost her poise completely, slipping over, her sword clattering at Randur's feet. He handed it back to her with a grin, knowing that if he said anything, he'd earn one of those glares she did so well.
'And that', Munio declared, 'is why you should not be distracted by anything I say while I'm advancing. You must hear only your sword-st
roke. You listen to me when we finish.'
'The enemy aren't exactly going to be advising me in combat, are they?' Eir muttered breathlessly.
'That depends', Munio replied, 'on whether you know exactly who your enemy is. Well the three of you obviously need my assistance, and I admit that it feels rather good to be non-sedentary again. So I will agree to join you. Anyway, there is not a hope in hell you'll scramble your way north through all those forests without someone like me to guide you.'
Randur leapt across and slapped Munio on the back. 'Knew you wouldn't be able to resist.'
'Indeed,' Munio said primly. 'But I have some business in town this afternoon, so we may leave tomorrow morning.'
TWENTY-THREE
'Individual from the Bloods – claimed he was their leader. Decision to be made on bolstering troop numbers. Said something about your preferences in men? Possibly staffing arrangements. Details of locations overleaf.'
Brynd had received the message earlier that day, telling him to meet the gang leader, Malum, outside the Victory Hole tavern at sunset. For a long time afterwards he held the piece of paper in his hands, staring into the distance.
At the specified time, he was loitering in the freezing cold by the quayside. The streets were again being treated with solution to flush away any remaining ice while the dreary evening skies filled with yet more snow. Lights from the bars could be seen tracing an arc along the rim of the harbour, but out towards the north, where the invasion would originate, there was nothing but darkness. The Victory Hole itself was becoming increasingly rowdy as traders and fishermen began lining up against the bar to talk shop in the half-light. Men, for the most part, shuffled past him huddled from the cold, many of them not wanting to make eye contact with a soldier, as if he was a bad omen. Brynd was fine with that.
Soon a hooded man with stubble shuffled up to Brynd. Expensive cut of clothing, thick grey woollen top, flashily tailored boots, the red mask: he could tell it was Malum.
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