The Ring Of Truth

by B Cameron Lee

  It took time but their observations were starting to bear fruit. One day a guardsman came to him and told him the same man had been seen three times as he passed the manor, pretending not to look at the walls. Kuiran asked for his description and slipped over the back wall. Soon there was a cry from the street outside and the gate was opened to admit Kuiran carrying a scruffy looking individual by the front of his jerkin. All the man would say was.

  “Please ask Mistress Cristal to get in touch with Merdon.”

  The ruffian was placed in a locked storeroom while Cristal was contacted and once she heard the story, sent a runner off to call on Merdon. She was one of few who knew where he could be reached!

  Merdon arrived about an hour later. Coming to the gate for admittance he was challenged and his identity verified before gaining entry. He looked around, taking in the poise of the guards and the pride in which they wore their uniforms. It seemed almost military. He was shown to the drawing room for his interview with Cristal.

  “So Merdon, I take it you’ve being spying on me. May I enquire as to why?”

  “Well my Lady, you too do a bit of spying. You and another, wandering around the city disguised as a couple of old crones. The boys have been told to leave you be but when I heard there was more activity going on at your Mansion, I thought to find out what it was. You’re definitely expecting trouble aren’t you?”

  “Oh yes Merdon and I’m thinking of calling a special meeting of the Council of Ten. We need to get this city better prepared and have the army out patrolling near the border with Graswyn. For your information only, as I know you to be trustworthy, I have some very able people with me who could be of use to this city. By the way, do you want your man back now?”

  Merdon’s eyebrows rose a little.

  “So, you marked and captured him. I’m impressed, he was one of the better ones. I’ll talk with the others of the Guild and maybe you could have another, less official meeting after the main one. If that’s alright with you of course.”

  Cristal nodded. “It would be my pleasure. There are things about this City even I don’t know yet, although I’ve lived here all my life. We need to make plans. After the official Council meeting it will be refreshing to have the unofficial one.”

  Merdon steepled his fingers together, nodding as he did.

  “It would be in the best interests of Belvedere methinks. Now I must go.”

  He rose and Cristal accompanied him out to the courtyard, calling on Waltor to release the prisoner, who looked rather sheepish as he drifted to Merdon’s side.

  “No need to be ashamed Jalus, these folks are better prepared than we thought. Come, let us depart.”

  With that they were gone. Smoke in the wind.

  In the two weeks since Chalc and Kuiran had arrived back in Belvedere, Cristal had been eagerly awaiting further information regarding Martine’s impending attack on Southland but all was quiet. No communications had arrived regarding Arwhon so they assumed he was still receiving treatment or being cared for. There were other pressing problems to deal with as time wore on.

  The last Council meeting had been fiery. Willem was openly sarcastic.

  “I’m getting complaints from the grain sellers that they’ll not have enough room in the warehouses for this years harvest if we don’t sell off some of the old weevilly grain. They are talking of lawsuits. No one has seen a Draakon Reaver for a couple of weeks now. I don’t see a problem. Martine has backed off.”

  “Aye, an ar ain’t seen a Graswyn fisher in ‘at time neither.” Kirta snarled. “Wherun you think they be? We be ther best market.”

  Willem gave her a greasy smile.

  “Maybe your prices are too low?”

  Kirta made a rude gesture with her hand and leaned back in her chair.

  Cristal tried again. “At least have some army units patrol near the border with Graswyn. Just until we are sure there’s no problem.”

  Willem again. “And who will pay for it Cristal?”

  “Why the City of course,” she replied. “Cradon, how are our funds?”

  “Not as good as they were but we easily have enough for a few regular patrols.”

  Cristal took a chance. “I move we send a few patrols to keep an eye on the border with Graswyn. Seconded?”

  “Aye.” From Merdon of all people.

  “For?”

  “Against?” Surprisingly there were a couple of dissenters.

  Willem of course but also Dalvan and Bertran.

  Interesting.

  “Carried.” She cried slamming her palm on the table.

  Old Baldin banged his gavel.

  “It’s my job to approve motions, not yours Cristal.”

  She ignored his outburst and turned to Callandor.

  “Would you mind discussing the matter with the Commander in Chief of the army? You know him well.”

  “By all means Cristal. Anything to help.”

  A man of few words, he only spoke when necessary. He must have been a fighter at some stage of his life as he had exquisite weapons and armour for sale. Really, Callandor was a bit of a mystery but a thorough gentleman. She took a gamble.

  “Callandor, if you were thinking of attacking Belvedere, when would be the best time?”

  He studied her for a moment, deep in thought. Not only for an answer which was easy but at the poise and depth of understanding this handsome older woman exhibited.

  She was so full of energy.

  “I think autumn. Just before harvest. Then my army would have food but my enemy would not. I would drive the farmers and rural population before the army, so if it came to a siege, food supplies would be depleted much more rapidly. What with the expanded population within the walls of the city combined with a lack of food. We always have the sea for transport but reports on the number of Draakon Reavers sailing east are disturbing. We could be threatened on two sides. No food and no way to get it.”

  Callandor was well respected and now everyone around the Council table was paying attention.

  “Bit far fetched don’t you think?” Willem asked.

  Cristal felt a shiver run up her spine as he spoke. There was something not quite right about Willem she thought to herself.

  “Not really. Just sound tactics. You all forget. Empress Martine has been in power over seventy years and has enlarged and then lost part of the Dominion. Now she seems to have made a pact with the Draakon Reavers. We have two enemies to face now. Possibly at the same time. It could go tough on us, if that’s her plan.”

  Old Baldin, still in the chairman’s seat was counting on his fingers.

  “But Harvest is only about six weeks away at the most.”

  Callandor shrugged. “It may not be Martine’s plan but I would prepare for it anyway. If nothing else, at least the City will be ready if there are problems later. We could always start the harvest a little earlier.”

  Timid little widow Trelin, whose brain had been filled with tactics for all the years of being married to the Commander in Chief of the army before his fatal accident, spoke into the silence.

  “Duke Dalvan. What are your plans for the City Guard regarding extra training?”

  He puffed up, increasing his size and stood up out of his chair, leaning toward her, knuckles on the table.

  “They are well enough trained already, madam.”

  “But Duke,” she returned, “Most of them have been hired on since the last war. What do they know of defending the city if it came down to it? Also, they need to keep an eye out for fires and such like if we are engaged in warfare.”

  “Madam, I don’t need you to tell me how to do my job. The City Guard is my concern.”

  Timid maybe but not a coward. Trelin spoke up again.

  “Duke Dalvan. The City Guard is everyone’s concern. They exist to serve the City and they are paid by the City. We have a right to know what steps are being taken to make them more effective in its protection.”

  Dalvan scowled at her and sat down ag
ain before replying.

  “I’ll have more to report next Council meeting. I take it we’re agreeing on Callandor’s surmise?”

  “I think it would be a very sensible idea.” Cristal interjected before anyone else could speak.

  Old Baldin banged his gavel.

  “That’s enough for this session. We’ll meet again in a week’s time with updates. Meeting adjourned”.

  Cristal surreptitiously signalled Merdon and they met briefly outside under the watchful gaze of Lareeta, never far from Cristal’s side now.

  Cristal stepped close to Merdon and kept her voice pitched low.

  “I think it would be a good idea to keep a close eye on Councillor Willem, he seems to throw out a lot of red herrings. I don’t know where his heart or loyalty lies.”

  Merdon nodded as he dipped away, sliding quietly into the darkness.

  “Leave it to me,” was all she heard as he vanished.

  Cristal and Lareeta boarded their coach. It was immediately driven to an area of the city not usually frequented by the wealthy.

  Stopping the coach a discrete distance from the site of her second meeting that evening, Cristal nodded toward a figure lurking in a darkened doorway and walked toward a shadowy building, feeling herself under scrutiny but only catching a fleeting glimpse of another observer. Having Lareeta with her made her feel a little more secure. She stood in front of the main door and knocked gently. An eyehole was opened in the door and its owner inspected her carefully.

  “Yes?”

  “Cristal here to see Merdon at his request.”

  “There’s two of youn.”

  “Lareeta is my bodyguard. Where I go, she goes.”

  The eyehole shut with a clack as the owner of the eye took off for further instructions regarding Cristal and Lareeta. Before long the door was opened narrowly by a hulk of an ugly man with a broken nose and absent front teeth. Cristal was asked to follow a grubby boy with raggedy clothes and bare feet. He led Cristal and Lareeta down a couple of long corridors, paved with flagstones looking suspiciously like some which had gone missing from the streets a couple of years previously. Before long he left them at a door through which Cristal heard sounds of arguing. She knocked as the boy scurried off. The noise inside ceased and a loud voice called out.

  “Enter.”

  She opened the door onto a large room with about a dozen occupants seated around a broad wooden table with a well used, scarred surface. On it were jugs of ale and a few pastries of dubious appearance. The ten men and two women were all dressed in odd assortments of clothing, some fine and some workman-like. Here, a brocade jacket over canvas work pants, there, a fine dress ending in work boots.

  There was an empty seat beside Merdon and he patted it.

  “Welcome to the alternative Council. Ale, Mistress?”

  “Don’t mind if I do,” she replied taking the indicated seat and raising a tankard of foaming brew to her lips. It was excellent ale. Lareeta quietly moved off to lean against a wall, standing in shadow out of the light, her senses on high alert.

  Looking around the table, Cristal recognised a few faces from her time on the streets and knew she was dealing with the cream of Belvedere’s underworld.

  Merdon turned to her. “No introductions, I’m sorry but that was one of the prerequisites of getting you into this meeting. I’ve informed the group of the possibility of war coming and they want to know if they should warn the ordinary people of the City?”

  This posed a conundrum for Cristal as a rumour may cause general panic but she was a lady of action.

  “As I’m officially not here and you haven’t been in contact with me, any rumours starting up cannot be laid at my feet. That understood, let’s begin.”

  There were nods around the table and a few smiles. Cristal was known to be fair and because of it she had never once been robbed.

  A mark of respect from Belvedere’s Guild of Thieves.

  “I’ve been thinking of a number of things. One is the secret tunnels and byways this organisation uses to get around the City. In time of war, especially if the unforseen occurs and the enemy breaks into Belvedere, we’ll need to move people around secretly and also get them out of the City. Can a set of plans be drawn up showing these pathways?”

  Immediately there were frightened glances between some of the table’s occupants and before too much discussion broke out, Cristal continued.

  “I don’t need an answer now. I raised the question for the good of all the people of Belvedere, not as a way of entrapping you. Perhaps trained guides being made available to take people through the tunnels would be just as good. Think on it, discuss it and let me know your answer through Merdon, whom I trust.”

  She paused for another draught of ale. She was enjoying herself.

  “Now, I want to know your opinion of the City Guard in relation to capability and weapons prowess.”

  A large bearded man in common working clothes spluttered into his tankard, suppressing a laugh.

  “That be easy Lady. They be totally useless. We let Duke Dalvan march his pretty little uniformed boys up and down. Occasionally they catch some idiot who is starting out as a thief. Not one of us mind, as those of our Guild never have a problem with the Guard. We have a warning system, I don’t mind telling you as you seem closed mouthed, which alerts us to the presence of the Guard. They alus march the same streets at the same time; you could set your watch by em.”

  “What about their ability with weapons?” was her next query.

  Another answered. “Sometimes, when we wants some fun, we cross swords with a few. Not to hurt ‘em mind but my twelve year old boy fights better’n some of the Guard.”

  He guffawed and took a swig of his ale.

  Cristal had one last question. “How well armed are the people of the city?”

  An old man down the end of the table answered that question.

  “Those of us who were involved in the last Dominion war kept a sword or longknife tucked away in case of future trouble but the last war ended nineteen or more year ago. Most people under thirty or so wouldn’t know how to hold a sword, let alone use one and there aren’t that many swords about. None have been made during the time of peace. It wouldn’t hurt to have a few swords made, if someone knew how to do it.”

  Cristal bowed her head.

  “Thank you sir for your comprehensive answer.”

  She then looked around the table, face to face, studying and evaluating. She saw cunning and intelligence and knew she had been right to come here and include these people in the possible defence of their own City. Their livelihood was drawn from a healthy, functioning economy. They would help. She felt certain. They needed the city as much as it needed them. The assembled group waited in respectful silence as she regarded them.

  “Gentlemen and ladies. You have given me a lot to think on. If you have any ideas which could help the City overcome any problems you may foresee, please do not hesitate to let me know through Merdon. I still have a lot to do, so if you’ll excuse me I must now be off.”

  She raised her tankard to her lips and drained it to approving murmurs and chuckles from around the table.

  “Good brew,” she remarked as she thumped the empty tankard onto the table and rose to her feet. “Strong too.”

  Merdon arose and appeared at her side as she headed for the door, closely followed by Lareeta.

  “Allow me to show you out my Lady.” He spoke softly as he opened the door for her. A guard had been posted on the other side, the big bruiser from the front door. No doubt to ensure privacy for the meeting.

  “You did well in there. Some were opposed to you coming here but I think you won them over. My respect for you grows daily.”

  Cristal smiled disarmingly at him.

  “Why thank you Merdon but you haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait until I get fired up. Sparks will fly.”

  Little did Merdon realise she meant what she said. Literally.

  Early next morning t
he Commander in Chief of the army was duly informed of the Council’s decision and three patrols of fifty mounted men were sent off to observe the border region of Graswyn, six days hard riding away. It would be another two weeks before reports would be received on what they found there.

  That same morning, Cristal called a meeting of all her houseguests and staff in the entry vestibule of her mansion and explained the situation to them.

  “I don’t want to worry you but if you have family in town, I’m happy for them to move into the Mansion here as soon as there’s a hint of trouble. I would rather you be focused on your jobs than worrying unnecessarily about your families. Besides, there’s plenty of room here but they’ll need to bring all the food they can carry if they do come.”

  Chalc nodded to himself. Excellent strategy. The men would give their lives in defence of their loved ones in the house. Cristal continued.

  “There will probably be rumours of war. These cannot be helped but Master Chalc here and Kuiran have both had dealings with the Empress Martine recently and they’ll tell you that she is a ruthless woman. Her plan to take over Barsoom was thwarted but I believe she’s bent on conquest again. Only this time she will be better prepared. Tomorrow will be a holiday for you, draw lots for a skeleton staff. Mendle will be in charge of the drawing. After tomorrow, I want you to be on increased vigilance. There may be spies around. That’s all; enjoy your day off tomorrow and thank you.”

  There was a resounding cheer from her staff and as they crowded around Mendle for the ballot, Cristal signalled the others to follow her into the drawing room. When they were seated, she proceeded to outline her plan.

  “Master Chalc. It appears most of the citizens under thirty do not appear to have a weapon. How quickly could you get sword production going after I give the word?”

  “How many blacksmiths are there in the city?”

  Cristal rose and went out to consult Waltor before returning.