Errant

by Armas, Florian

  “Why are you so sure?” I asked, intrigued; who would not claim such an inheritance if the chance arose?

  “Because I will never let my son inherit anything from a Mehadin,” she said, bitterly.

  You are a Mehadin, I suddenly realized, and you want to claim the inheritance for your son. The bitterness in your voice proves it, but time doesn’t favor your little Mehadin. Her husband died in battle… “I am sorry for your loss, Mara, but war is like this.” I struggled to absolve myself.

  “I hated my husband,” she shrugged. “Before castigating me for such bad feelings, you should know that I lost two pregnancies because of his beatings. If I wasn’t ashamed to reveal my body I would let you see the marks of the whip on my back.”

  “Why ashamed? You offered yourself to me.” I tried a joke to change the subject again.

  “The offer is still open if you save my children and father,” she said, dryly.

  “Mara, it was a joke. A most stupid one, I agree. Please forgive me.” I touched her hand over the table, and she glanced at me in silence. “I was too rude for us to continue working together right now. You may go, I can do it alone.”

  She nodded in silence and went out.

  How could I be so stupid?

  Too tired to continue, I decided to make a tour of the city; the letters had extracted me from my daily routine. I was about to leave the building when I realized that I had left my swords in Calin’s office. What is happening to me? I was tired after a night almost without sleep, but it was not the first time I was tired. Back in the office, I found Mara playing with my short sword.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, annoyed, my voice louder than I intended, and the echo in the room amplified my angry reaction. It could have been a man playing with my sword, waiting for me.

  “Sorry, I was just curious, they are so different. I came to tell you that lunch is ready.” Slowly, she sheathed the sword, and put it back on the table, staring at me.

  “Leave my mother alone!” The voice came from behind me and belonged to a child I already knew, and few things could be less dangerous than a seven-year-old child, yet he was able to sneak behind me unobserved.

  I am becoming careless. It could have been an armed man. The child had a wooden sword in his hand. It could have been a real sword, and I have no armor. The residence was supposed to be empty and safe. A little too long for his height, the blade was pointing at me. If I weren’t so annoyed by my double negligence, I would have laughed.

  “Mihai,” Mara said swiftly, and tried to move between her son and me. I stopped her, raising my left arm. She clutched my arm, but stopped walking. “Please, Codrin,” she whispered. “He is just a child. He did not...”

  “Leave her or I will attack you,” the child threatened me, raising the sword, and I could not pass over the seriousness in his voice and eyes – he believed that I wanted to harm his mother.

  “I don’t want to fight you,” I said, feeling Mara’s fingers gripping stronger on me, yet she stayed still and silent.

  “Why?” he asked, surprised. In his mind, everything was already settled for the fight, and he would win against the big ogre, saving his mother. I knew it well – some years ago, I was living in the same kind of fantasy inner world, and like him, I could not save anyone in my desolate reality.

  “That’s a sharp point.” I gestured toward his sword.

  “I sharpened it myself,” he bragged.

  “May I see it?” I asked, and felt Mara’s fingers slowly lessening their grip on my arm.

  “Yes,” Mihai moved forward, and gave me the wooden sword in the very proper manner: his right hand, turned up, taking the blade close to the hilt, while his left hand handled the point.

  I received the toy with the same seriousness he gave it to me, and slowly moved my fingers along the wood; it was well polished. “Good work.” With a swift move, I balanced the blade. “Well balanced. A little long for you right now, but you will grow, won’t you?”

  Yes, he nodded in silence, and that seriousness, unusual for his age, started to leave his face, making him a child again.

  “Why did you believe that I would harm your mother?” I asked, giving the sword back to him, using the same proper manner.

  “I ... I don’t know,” he whispered. “You seemed upset, and I was afraid. Is that bad?”

  “It’s not a bad thing to be a little afraid, it makes you more careful.” Unlike myself, I remembered how he sneaked behind me. “Would you train with me later?”

  “When?” he asked at once; the answer was already clear.

  “When we have time,” I said vaguely.

  “When we have time,” he repeated. “May I leave now?”

  “Yes, Mihai,” Mara said, her voice calm again. “Go to the kitchen. It’s lunch time.”

  “Why did you think I would harm your child?” I asked Mara, after Mihai had left.

  “I was afraid. Is that bad?” she smiled.

  “No,” I sighed. “Everybody thinks of me as an ogre; one that scares the children and makes bad jokes about women.”

  “You are not an ogre,” she smiled again and took me by the arm, pushing me slowly out of the office. “Let’s go and eat. May I ask you one thing?” she asked after a few steps along the corridor, turning toward me, and I nodded, confused. “Why did you stop me? I apologize if…”

  “Why apologize? I thought that Mihai would be even more scared if you just grabbed him out of my way.” I moved forward again, and she followed in silence, her hand still on my arm.

  Calin seemed better and joined us at the table. After we finished eating and the children went to sleep our political game started again. I need some sleep too, I thought, watching the children leaving the kitchen.

  “Calin, I have something more to trade. You may find my request strange, though. I am not a big player, I don’t have a castle, in fact, I am not even a Knight, but I need an experienced diplomat to act as some kind of Secretary for me. Just to keep you well informed, I am not rich either.”

  “What would that mean?” he asked, intrigued.

  “Ah, no need to write letters for me, nobody exchanges diplomatic messages with someone on my level. I need information. You may be surprised, but I can provide information too, if you want that kind of trade. It will keep you trained,” I smiled. “I have learned a lot from Mara, and I am sure that your diplomatic letters still have many secrets for me. And of course, there might be interesting things not mentioned in any letters.”

  “And how do you want to play this game?” he asked, without accepting or rejecting my offer.

  “I would visit you from time to time to talk over a bottle of wine. When needed, I can provide some protection, but it will not be easy for you to reach me, I travel a lot.”

  “Are you a protector? For Mohor?”

  “Sometimes, yes, but mostly not. I am hired by anybody who can afford to pay for my services. They complain about my greed, yet they still use my skills,” I let him know that I was not the usual protector.

  “Well, we enjoy having guests, so why not?” Calin accepted my offer.

  How much of your acceptance is because you need me to help you leave the city? The game was that I could not constrain him, such collaboration required goodwill and trust. Maybe in time both will come to us.

  “Thank you,” I answered. “I have to leave now; if not, Mohor will think I’ve deserted him.” I can’t even tell him what I am doing here… In my pocket, Big Mouth’s letter was waiting for its time to come.

  I found Mohor in front of his tent, together with Big Mouth.

  “What a bright afternoon,” Big Mouth said, before I could speak. “I can’t wait to see Calin hanged.” His voice was wicked and filled with ghastly expectation. “I have waited twenty-five years for this.”

  “No one will be hanged,” I said. “The agreement for surrender included Calin, too. It was Calin I negotiated with.”

  “Yes, the agreement,” Aron mused. “Calin will
leave the city, as agreed. There is nothing in that paper to stop me after that.”

  “Yes, there is. For any decent man, I mean…”

  “He killed my brother.”

  “Both of you lost a brother. Things are even.”

  “After he is hanged, yes.”

  “He will leave tomorrow with his daughter and her children,” I tried to close the discussion.

  “Oh, yes, I forgot,” Big Mouth sneered. “The poor daughter... Quite a pretty woman, I understood. Don’t worry; I will take care of her after her father’s misfortune. I am a kind man. You don’t seem very pleased by my kindness, perhaps you might want her too,” he laughed. “We can share the girl, but I must have the first night. I am a Knight. You are...” he shrugged to underline that I meant nothing in the hierarchy.

  “I know, you are strong enough to fight a woman, and these days any thug brags about being a Knight. I will escort Calin out tomorrow.”

  “Nobody will leave tomorrow,” Mohor intervened finally, and there was a thin smile on Big Mouth’s lips as he looked at me in contempt.

  They have already agreed on this. I stared hard at Mohor, weighing my answer.

  “And nobody will be hanged today,” he added, before I could say anything.

  At that moment, I realized that once Mehadin died in battle and his city fell into Mohor’s hands, I lost some of my position, if not most of it. The political game starts after the war ends, I remembered Vlaicu’s words. The future was bright, and there was no longer much need for an army commander. I did not think Mohor so weak… Yet, he postponed the decision. If I can sneak Calin out tonight. Forcing myself to refrain from reacting, I turned, leaving without a word, and went back to the castle.

  “You can’t leave yet,” I said to Calin, after I closed the door behind me. Mara was not there, and it was easier for me to speak openly.

  “I understand,” Calin accepted the news with his usual calm, and as before, he reminded me of Cernat. “I prepared this for you,” he took a piece of paper from his desk – an official document with Mehadin’s seal. “There is a hunting house and a piece of land in Histria region, close to Orhei, a hundred hectares. It was supposed to come into our possession for good services, at a certain point. The truth is that it should have happened already, but there was always a new reason to move that point further and further on in time. Seigneurs are sometimes too tight with their purses,” he sighed. “and Mehadin was worse than many. I still have my official rights in Mehadia, so I gave the land to you.”

  “Why not to your daughter?” I asked, confused by his offer.

  “It may be contested, as the document is signed by me. I dated it a month ago, when Mehadin was still alive, to avoid unwanted scrutiny.”

  “I will sell the land to you later, when things calm down. Just to record the transfer, there will be nothing for you to pay,” I assured him.

  “My understanding is that I will not leave the city alive,” Calin shrugged. “But that’s not so important right now.” He stopped me before I could speak. “You are new in the game of power, and it seems to me that your position is not as strong as you think. Old faces loathe new faces. It’s a normal human reaction.” He turned his palms up just to underline his words. “No one had heard of you until this year. I mean no offence; it’s just a matter of fact. You are an ambitious man with the required qualities to climb in the hierarchy, but you need the right kind of luck, and a place to hide and plan your future, if things go wrong. Orban wants your head after this campaign against Mehadin. Mohor is too much in debt to Aron, who is not your friend. This is your place,” Calin handed the paper to me, while I wondered who told him that Big Mouth was not my friend. “Histria is a neutral land for you, at least for now. And I am sure that you will take care of what is left of my family. That would be my only request to you; a lone woman is not able to defend herself. Don’t think me wrong, I am not suggesting marriage; Marahas two children with another man, she is too old, and you need a wife able to step up to your place in the hierarchy – a Knight’s daughter. Just keep an eye on Mara until my grand-child is able to defend himself.”

  “What makes you so sure that I will take care of your family after getting the land?” I asked. “I am a stranger to you.”

  “Your question,” he smiled. “Many would have promised me anything I wanted to hear, and it seems that you like to keep your word; if not you wouldnot try to save me. Mara can be your hidden Secretary.” He offered another advantage for me in a suite of steps that looked very well planned. “She is qualified – I am sure you realize that by now – and has many connections that might help you.”

  Not as many as you, but you may be right. You asked her to help me on purpose, I suddenly acknowledged. “Then I will give the house to Mara.”

  “You did not listen well. You need the house. Your position is not as good as you think.”

  “What makes you say that?” I asked, annoyed.

  “There is a problem with the treaty we signed. It touches me,” Calin pointed to his chest, “but mainly it’s because Mohor does not value your signature too much. Aron will not let me out alive. Yes, the treaty says that everybody is free to leave the city unharmed, but it’s just a matter of choice to interpret everything differently after the gates close behind me. And there is a story I heard about Mohor’s wedding.” I knew instantly what he meant, yet I gestured for him to continue, just to understand in what form the story have spread. “Mehadin wanted to snub Mohor in a subtle way, so he decided to send a high servant instead of a family member. I could not go for obvious reasons, and the Chief of the Guards had the pleasure of participating. When he returned, he told us a … story about some fools and a young man, and even stranger, he recognized the young man in our negotiations.”

  Are you playing me against Mohor? “Just an old story,” I said coldly.

  “Maybe. Keep the house. Give half of the land to Mara if that makes you feel better,” he smiled. “And one more thing; there is a second vault in the Secretariat, not a big treasure, just two thousand galbeni. The amount is at my disposal, as I am also Mehadia’s Vistier. It’s a small court,” he shrugged. “Take the bags, and split them with Mara, so she can buy a house later. Money is also important in any plan you make. The higher you rise, more secure my family will be.” He stood up, and came to my side of the table, putting one hand on my shoulder. “I trust you.”

  “I will think about it,” I said, getting up to leave.

  With surprising speed for a wounded old man, Calin grabbed my hand. “Codrin, please take the paper.” There was some trust between us from the negotiations and trying to get him out safe from the city, but everything was now driven bythe lack of choiceshe had to save his family, and the sudden desperation in his voice proved it.

  In silence, I took the paper, it did not make sense to deepen his worries, and anyway I would not have kept that house and land, even when he was right that I might need a hidden place to plan my next moves. “Thank you, Calin,” I said and left the room, feeling the need to clear my mind.

  Late in the night, I went to the gate to check who was in charge, and I saw Ban at the entrance of the gate room. It would be easy to sneak Calin out. “How is it going?” I asked.

  “Calm and peaceful. Never thought it would be so easy to take a city,” Ban smiled in the torch’s light. “The only nuisances are two scoundrels from Big Mouth’s troupe, but everybody is ignoring them.”

  “Why are they here?” I asked, annoyed; it had been agreed that his men would not enter the city.

  “I don’t know,” Ban shrugged. “They came with a paper from Mohor, and I had to accept them.”

  “Well, if it is from Mohor,” I stepped back, trying to look uninterested – my plan had failed before it started.

  “You know why I had to join this campaign,” Mohor said abruptly. We were alone in his tent, the next morning, and both of us knew that many unpleasant things would be said. My collision with Big Mouth over Calin was loo
ming between us, as were Big Mouth’s soldiers being sent to the gate, breaking the agreement between Mohor and me.

  Big Mouth will take over the army… “To have a pleasant country journey,” I mocked him in a stern voice, matching the content of our talk – losing your position of commander is a serious affair.

  “I can’t contradict you, winning a war is a pleasant thing; not that I really won anything by myself, but a Seigneur’s duty is to find the right man in the right place. Which I think I did,” he smiled, but as I knew from the past, his smile could be as thorny as his calmness or temper. “The war is won. The war is now past. You won it for us. I now need to organize Mehadia’s absorption into my lands. Well, the parts that don’t go to my good friend Orban. That’s a different errand, for different skills.”

  “And for a different man,” I mocked him again, in the same serious way.

  “That’s why we are here now,” he answered in kind. “Aron has more experience in controlling the Knights and to organize the land. He will take over from now on.”

  “Whatever Big Mouth feels the need to organize, it doesn’t concern me or the army,” I forced Mohor to say directly that my position as commander was finished.

  “The Spatar is the head of the army,” Mohor stared at me, “and Aron needs the army to bend Mehadin’s Knights to my will. As you already know, a Seigneur must sometimes make the right, not the just, decision.” He was making a veiled reference to the month I spent in his jail, but I did not see it as a threat, just a reminder of what he considered the right state of things.

  Is this what my father failed to do? To make the right decision? Our fall began after my cousin Jan raped the wife of a minor Knight. Father tried to punish Jan, and my uncle started the revolt. “Ah, it was the Seigneur’s decision,” I derided him, knowing well that Big Mouth had forced his hand, and Mohor stayed silent, his face bland. Father took the right decision, it doesn’t matter what happened after that, I reassured myself. And I am his son. I am not like Mohor. Father’s mistake was to let Baraki, Jan’s father-in–law, stay as commander of the Royal Guards, after the revolt started, not the decision to punish Jan. He trusted Baraki and left too much power in my uncle’s hands. The same mistake Mohor is making. Baraki was eager to see his daughter becoming a Queen. Big Mouth wants something too. To take Mohor’s place? “Misplaced trust is dangerous, as is too much power in a wicked Knight’s hands,” I warned him, and for a moment, I thought to reveal the letter announcing Saliné’s wedding to Mehadin. I decided against it; alone, Mohor would not be able to act against Big Mouth; I needed Jara and Cernat to be involved too.