The Brazen City
Page 25
Again, the others wanted to protest, and again, the Emperor stopped them.
‘This offer is very generous, given the circumstances. Only twenty-four soldiers will lose their lives, the rest will escape scot-free. You will get your Paladin when the time is right, I will get my weapons, which, by the way, I need urgently on account of the Dark Days that are to break over us. You have one week to persuade the Triumvirate, and after that I will have to assume that they are not in agreement, and the same applies to the renegade Paladin. Should that be the case, following the deadline I will capture the 17th Legion by force and execute anybody who resists. If Bergen refuses to agree on account of his pride, then you are better off looking for a new Paladin anyway.’
His tone brooked no contradiction, reflecting the Sun Emperor’s iron will, and they knew that no further compromise was forthcoming. They supper continued in icy silence and even Culhen was relieved when the Emperor finally released them, and they left the room with its table still full of delicacies.
Chapter 14
‘Well, that’s put the cat among the pigeons!’ raged Uldini once they were back in their carriage. They would be departing the following morning and so had decided against other accommodation. Time was of the essence and they needed to come up with a strategy now that the Emperor had given them an ultimatum. ‘What were you thinking of?’ he asked Jelninolan in an angry tone.
‘Nobody else had a better idea’, she responded coolly. ‘Capture Bergen and take him out of the city? Dissolve the Triumvirate? Neither of those would have been possible without causing a bloodbath. Neither of those would have ensured Bergen’s co-operation. Or have you forgotten already why exactly we’re here?’ She pointed a finger at Uldini. ‘The Paladin is the central figure. He is the person who has to join up with Ahren and Falk in their war against the Adversary. We need a diplomatic solution!’
‘And how is that going to work if Justinian has Bergen’s priceless cohorts – his family – executed?’ added Falk darkly. ‘Bergen is at best an idealist and at worst a stubborn mule. He’s never going to agree to those conditions.’
‘But the Triumvirate will’, insisted the elf obstinately. ‘At least that way we could prevent an attack on the city. Justinian has only blocked the Mountain Way for now and surrounded the city. If he starts introducing catapults, well...’ Her voice faltered and nobody wanted to develop her argument.
‘So we have to persuade this Bergen to at least negotiate’, said Trogadon.
‘Good luck with that’, snorted Uldini. ‘According to the Emperor’s reports he’s entrenched himself somewhere in the city with his people. Whoever is giving him shelter is also hiding him from the Triumvirate. As long as he’s not found, he can’t be extradited, and if the whole city is declared an enemy, then the paltry Brazen City guard will need the help of the Blue Cohorts in their defence against the attacking legion.’
‘Then we’ll split in two’, said Khara suddenly, and everyone turned to look at her.
‘How exactly?’ asked Jelninolan in a friendly manner, cutting off Uldini before he had a chance to reject the idea out of hand.
‘We have to persuade two independently operating groups to work with us, and we have only a week. If we go to the Triumvirate first, we’ll be seen as emissaries and Bergen won’t show his face. If we speak to the Paladin first, having slipped into the city, the Triumvirate will consider us spies.’ She brought both her hands together and then separated them dramatically. ‘If we split up, then we can persuade both parties simultaneously and bring them to the negotiating table. If we can first get them to agree to talk, then we’ll already have made considerable progress.’
A silence descended on the room as everyone contemplated Khara’s suggestion. Ahren thought the concept to be both brilliant and frightening. They had never split up before and the very idea terrified him.
‘I would have to be in the official delegation’, said Uldini out loud. ‘And Jelninolan would attract far too much attention as an elf, so slipping in unnoticed is out of the question for her. She’ll come with me. And then we need a Paladin to persuade the Triumvirate that this conflict must come to an end so that we can concentrate on the real danger.’
‘The boy can go with you’, said Falk quickly, but Jelninolan shook her head.
‘Bergen has to see the Thirteenth’, she said forcefully. ‘You and he locked horns too often before you left. He’d see red and wouldn’t listen to you. Ahren must find him. You, on the other hand, are famous enough to be recognised as a Paladin by the Triumvirate immediately.’
‘But we can’t send the two children off on their own’, interjected Trogadon. Both Ahren and Khara looked daggers when they heard how they were being described, but they both remained silent. ‘I’ll go with them. A third of the citizens are dwarves and I can easily pass myself off as a mercenary, and the same applies to Khara and Ahren. We’ll mingle with the locals and seek out this Bergen. We can persuade the Brazen Clan as soon as all parties are at the negotiating table.’
Ahren was quite dizzy at the speed with which the plan had been formulated. It would be the first time he’d be separated from his master.
‘We will enter the main gate with great pomp and ceremony, with emissary flags and all the usual paraphernalia and meanwhile you three can slip into the city unnoticed. We’ll deal with the Triumvirate and you look for Bergen, who’ll hopefully be trying to avoid us’, explained Uldini, and Trogadon nodded in agreement.
Khara seemed pleased at the fact that her suggestion had been taken on board, and it seemed as if it was only Ahren who felt uncomfortable the idea of them splitting into groups. ‘Is there no other way? One where we can all stay together?’ he asked meekly.
Falk placed a comforting arm on his shoulder. ‘You’ll manage it alright. Anyway, Trogadon and Khara will be watching out for you. You find Bergen, reveal yourself to be a Paladin and bring him to the Triumvirate. Then we’ll all be together again, and we can think up a plan for getting out of this in one piece.’ The old man’s wrinkled face creased into a crooked smile. ‘You’ve always wanted to save everybody, and that’s exactly what we’re about here.’
Ahren’s eyes opened wide in surprise. He’d never thought of it like that. He looked around at the encouraging faces of his companions.
‘Right then’, he said, ‘let’s slip into the Brazen City.’
They set off early the next morning, hoping to get to the foot of the mountain as quickly as possible. Towards noon they reached the broad path in the rock, which wound its way upwards and would lead them to the top of the Iron Peak. Ahren had looked up now and again at the roofs of the houses peeping out over the squat city walls. Smoke could be seen rising up from more than a dozen locations behind the walls, thick swathes that combined into a heavy cloud in the skies above. At first Ahren thought the attack on the city had begun already.
But Falk reassured him. ‘They’re just the fires from the forges. The Brazen City is full of blacksmiths and traders, and both groups are too stubborn to be put off doing their work by a siege. I’ve no doubt the black market is flourishing, which must be annoying Justinian.’
The path was steep and full of hairpin bends now, there were soldiers encamped everywhere, setting up fortifications and digging trenches. The Iron Peak was impassable on the other three flanks and this was the only route up. This made a siege easy to implement, and Ahren could see why Justinian favoured that approach.
‘He also wants to capture the blacksmiths using as little force as possible’, whispered Trogadon to him after Ahren had shared his thoughts with the dwarf. ‘It’s pointless fighting for a city and then capturing it after it’s been reduced to rubble.’
‘Why don’t you tell those people over there?’ interjected Falk drily and pointed at the level ground they had just crossed. They could see a large group of soldiers busily constructing enormous catapults, the advance party preparing for the attack which would inevitably take place in six days if their plan
failed.
‘My Emperor is rather impatient, unfortunately’, Uldini sighed. ‘And the voices that say this whole conflict as a mistake are growing louder. He has to negotiate or he’s going to lose all support in the senate.’
‘Why are all the rulers we meet continuously under pressure? You’d think that being the head of a kingdom would mean having more freedom in what you do’, said Ahren, who was finding it difficult to breathe. They were moving forward at a challenging speed and the steep incline of the path was nothing to be laughed at.
Uldini, who was contentedly floating in front of them, laughed sarcastically. ‘You really should know better. Doing what you want in a tyrannical manner can sometimes be pretty reckless. Quin-Wa seems to have the hang of it alright, but then she is one of the Ancients.’
‘Don’t be getting ideas into your head’, added Jelninolan with a laugh, but then resisted from teasing him further as she needed to conserve her breath.
They reached the last bend in the path when darkness fell, and Uldini ordered them to stop.
‘We can’t go any further together’, he whispered. ‘This is where we’ll split up. You slip along the city wall in that direction and find yourselves a secluded spot. We’ll go through the city gate late in the evening and arouse as much excitement as we can.’
Everyone nodded, but Ahren’s throat was bone-dry. He turned to Falk, who slapped him silently on the shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. Ahren swallowed hard, pulled himself together and followed Trogadon and Khara who were waving goodbye to the others. Culhen gave a quiet yelp but remained by Jelninolan’s side. The priestess was going to camouflage the wolf with some magic and smuggle him in. The wolf would be unable to scale the city walls, but once inside he could find his own way to Ahren.
We’ll see each other before this night is over, Ahren comforted his friend.
Be careful – a pack divided is a pack endangered, he heard in return, and the apprentice groaned. He really would have to have a word with Culhen about his lack of tact.
Night had well and truly fallen and luckily there was cloud cover. Ahren, Khara and Trogadon were crouched by a large rock on the edge of the plateau upon which the Brazen City lay. The apprentice couldn’t make much out in the darkness apart from city wall a stone’s throw away, which stretched up a good five paces, dividing them from the first houses that were built close behind it.
‘The city grew too quickly over the last few winters and obviously the inhabitants never expected an attack’, whispered Trogadon, examining the wall. ‘The houses are too tall and too close to the defensive structure.’ He winked at his two young companions. ‘I bet you a big purse of gold that at the end of this conflict the Triumvirate will commission the building of a higher city wall.’
‘That’s fine by us’, murmured Ahren absently.
He was following the others in his mind by pushing his way into Culhen’s head. Falk was riding on Selsena – every inch a knight and Paladin – while Uldini floated in front of them, surrounded by fiery flashes of light. Then the Arch Wizard created a magic fanfare sound that was so loud Ahren could hear it from his hiding space with his own ears.
The three had crept a good five furlongs along the city wall until they had found the rock, which would serve as a hiding place. Ahren could hardly imagine how loud it must be at the city gate itself. Very loud if the ringing in Culhen’s ears was anything to go by.
‘Hear ye, hear ye, citizens of the Brazen City! The right hand of the Emperor, Uldini Getobo, Chief of the Ancients and beloved of the gods, has been sent to lead peace negotiations! Open the gates and let hope and friendship enter!’ The magically strengthened voice of the Arch Wizard echoed through the night air.
‘A bit kitschy, don’t you think?’ whispered Ahren with a giggle.
‘Lady Jelninolan likes to make a good entrance whenever she gets the chance’, whispered Trogadon, grinning.
Khara cleared her throat forcefully, and the others stopped their sarcastic jibes. They were relieved to see the sentries on the walls disappearing as they marched quickly towards the city gates.
‘Now or never’, hissed Trogadon and began running forward.
Ahren and Khara quickly followed, and the young Paladin couldn’t resist a smile as he felt the excitement within and his heart pounding faster. He knew that Khara wanted to race him to the wall and so he increased speed. They quickly passed the dwarf who looked at them in surprise, and Ahren would have won but for the swordsgirl jostling him and slamming her hand on the stone wall before him. She threw him a triumphant look and he glared at her as Trogadon arrived, shaking his head.
‘Take this a bit more seriously if you don’t mind’, he chided, almost inaudibly. ‘If they capture us, we’ll be treated as spies or an advance party. Which means they’ll use their weapons. Do you understand?’
They both nodded sheepishly, and Trogadon decided to leave it at that. The dwarf pulled out a grappling hook and threw it with impressive ease over the wall. He gave it a short tug, there was a faint noise of steel on stone, then Trogadon tensed his muscles and indicated to them to start climbing. ‘I’ll hold the rope taut, and then you’ll be quicker. Tug the rope once when the coast is clear’ he instructed in a whisper.
Ahren wiped his sweating hands on his trouser legs. Suddenly everything was all too real and tangible. They were going to break into a potentially hostile settlement – and without the aid of magic. No protective shield to give them cover and no healing magic.
While he was still trying to summon up his courage, Khara was already making her way nimbly up the rope and within a few heartbeats she disappeared over the parapet. Trogadon gave him a signal and Ahren began his ascent. The rope felt raw under his hands as he steadily climbed upwards. His training with Trogadon’s weights had paid off and soon he was up at the parapet. He was about to swing himself over when he heard a noise to his right. It sounded like a shrill whistling and, indeed there was a sentry, walking along the wall and whistling a simple melody with more enthusiasm than talent. Ahren didn’t dare to move but looked along the parapet to see if there was any sign of Khara. The girl was cowering in the shadow of a merlon three paces to his left, waiting intently for the sentry to disappear again. Unfortunately, the man didn’t do her that favour, and kept walking towards her. Ahren watched in frustration as Khara slowly reached for Wind Blade and he shook his head almost imperceptibly. Her eyes were seeking out his, and he could see their wild, questioning look. The sentry was now almost parallel to Ahren, and the apprentice quickly ducked behind the stone edging and prayed that the whistling man wouldn’t notice the grappling hook. The whistler walked by him much to Ahren’s relief. His fingers were burning with the effort now, but he knew he had to hold out for just a little longer. Any moment now the distance between the sentry and Khara would be so small that he would have to discover her. Ahren had to act. He had no time to swing over the parapet behind the man, and so he did the first thing that came into his head.
He started to whistle too.
The footsteps above him stopped and he heard how the sentry let out a surprised sound and turned around to where the apprentice was hanging. Now the armed guard would undoubtedly see the grappling hook, and Ahren hoped that Khara would react quickly enough to prevent the man from cutting the rope to which Ahren was attached.
While he was wondering whether he should swing himself upwards or slide back down, he heard a short, muffled scuffle followed by a strangled gasp. Ahren quickly pulled himself over and spotted Khara, who was kneeling on the ground behind the collapsed sentry with her lower arm in a merciless choke grip around the neck of the blindsided man. The eyes of the unfortunate sentry were rolling in his head. Then they closed and the whole body went limp. Ahren stared at the young fighter in horror.
‘He’s only sleeping. Tomorrow he’ll have a headache, but that will disappear quickly’, she whispered to him reassuringly.
Ahren gave her a grateful look before tugging on the rope
so that Trogadon would know that the coast was clear. The young Paladin didn’t want to push their luck in case one of the sentry’s mates appeared.
‘You keep watch, and I’ll check to see how the others are getting on’, he whispered and immersed himself in Culhen’s spirit.
The city gates were now wide open, and over sixty guards were greeting Uldini and his companions in a decidedly chilly manner. The features of the soldiers only softened when they recognised Falk, and at least he was given a polite reception.
There was something strange with the perspective. Culhen seemed to be sitting on Jelninolan’s arm, but that was hardly possible. And the wolf’s body felt somehow denser than normal. Culhen reacted to his friend’s thoughts and looked deliberately downwards. Ahren saw the skinny little legs and the curly hair of a poodle. He had to really pull himself together to stop himself from exploding with laughter. It seemed that the elf had transformed Culhen into this harmless creature so that nobody would associate the while wolf with the emissaries later on.
There will be consequences, growled Culhen in his master’s mind. Ahren tried to think of comforting thoughts, but as he couldn’t laugh for fear of revealing his and the others’ location, his merriness came across as bellowing laughter in Culhen’s head.
Before the wolf could react, Jelninolan whispered into Culhen’s ear. ‘The charm will only last for a few moments. Off into the alleyways with you.’
The transformed wolf leaped out of her arms and raced off in the direction she had indicated. Jelninolan cried out in a wailing voice: ‘Come back, Fiffi, come back!’ Ahren quickly withdrew from his friend’s mind before he completely lost his self-control.
Suppressing the urge to laugh, he opened his eyes and saw Trogadon rolling up the rope and looking at him questioningly. ‘They’re inside and Culhen is on his way here’, he said, smirking.