mess. “Commandant ca’Rudka,” the man stammered. “You must know. .”
“Know
The man’s eyes widened. His mouth gaped like a river carp’s. “I was just writing an urgent message to you. Only a turn ago, while you were at the palais. . the prisoner. . the Numetodo. .”
Sergei didn’t wait to hear more. He spun on his toes and ran out of the capitaine’s office, with ci’Doulor in pursuit. He went across the courtyard under the glare of the stone dragon and into the tower, taking the winding, ancient stone stairs two at a time. There was a garda at the landing to ci’Vliomani’s cell, but the door was open. There were spots of blood on the garda’s shoulders. Breathing heavily from the climb, Sergei went into the room, spinning around.
The cell was empty.
He heard ci’Doulor’s panting entry a few moments later. “Where is he?” Sergei spat angrily, the question seeming to strike ci’Doulor like a fist. The capitaine shook his head as if denying the reality of what Sergei was seeing here. The garda, his face averted, pressed his back to the wall of the landing.
“I don’t know how to explain it, Commandant.”
“I’d suggest you try, Capitaine,” Sergei told him. “I suggest you try very hard, and immediately.”
Rather than answer, Capitaine ci’Doulor’s gaze went from Sergei to the garda. Sergei followed the motion. “You!” Sergei snapped. “Tell me what happened here.”
The man saluted and came into the cell. He stood at attention before Sergei. His eyes were focused more on Sergei’s silver nose than his eyes. “The prisoner hadn’t eaten for two days, Commandant,” he said.
“Not since the night that we found E’Offizier ce’Naddia unconscious at his post.”
Sergei frowned. “
The man nodded. “We told him, sir.”
“Ce’Naddia fell asleep at his post, Commandant,” ci’Doulor said.
“That’s all. He has been disciplined severely.”
Sergei nodded. “Undoubtedly. You said ci’Vliomani wasn’t eating?”
he asked the garda.
“No sir, not since that night. The prisoner just sat there on his bed, his eyes closed. Wouldn’t answer any question we asked of him, or respond if we. . well, if we tried to get him to respond. Two days he was that way.”
“What happened tonight?”
The garda glanced again at the capitaine, as if waiting for him to answer. He took a breath and continued. “About a turn ago, I noticed that it was cold here, as cold as the middle of winter. My teeth were chattering, sir, and I could hardly hold onto my sword when I drew it.
I could see ci’Vliomani in the middle of the cell, and there was wind swirling around him, and a glow all around. I called for the gardai below to get the capitaine, and when he came. .”
Sergei glanced at the insignia on the man’s uniform. “What’s your name, E’Offizier?”
“Aubri ce’Ulcai, Commandant.”
“E’Offizier ce’Ulcai, how long was it before Capitaine ci’Doulor arrived?” Sergei asked the man.
Ce’Ulcai gave a sidewise glance at the capitaine. “I’m certain he came as quickly as he could, Commandant.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
The man pressed his lips together at Sergei’s tone. “The gardai
below told me the capitaine would be up as soon as he finished his supper. I don’t know how long that was, sir. Not for certain.”
Sergei nodded. “Capitaine?” Sergei said, and ci’Doulor’s eyes returned to him. “What happened when you finally arrived?”
Ci’Doulor licked his lips. “I looked in, and I saw ci’Vliomani.”
“As e’Offizier ce’Ulcai described?”
“Yes, Commandant. I felt the cold and the wind, and saw the glow.”
“And you didn’t immediately send for me, or for one of the teni?”
“I thought. . After all, the man was still in chains and silenced. No. No, sir. I didn’t.”
Sergei glanced back to ce’Ulcai. “You opened the cell door?”
“I didn’t want to, Commandant,” he said. “I told the capitaine so.
But he ordered me to open it.”
Sergei nodded. “You did as you should, then, E’Offizier. The capitaine went in? You saw what happened then?”
A nod. “The capitaine went in. He went up to the prisoner, shouting at him to stop. I saw him take his bludgeon and hit the man. As soon as he did, right at the moment the capitaine touched him. .”
Ce’Ulcai shivered. “The cold became worse than anything I’ve ever
felt, and the glow was so bright I couldn’t see anything at all. I heard the capitaine scream, and I started into the cell myself, but the wind threw me back into the wall, right there where you see the marks.” He pointed out of the cell to the landing, where a few of the stones showed light scrapes in the dark surface. He touched the back of his head, and Sergei saw blood on his fingertips when he brought them away. “I hit the wall hard. When I managed to get up again, the cold and light were gone, and the only person in the cell was the capitaine. The prisoner had vanished. I went to the balcony, thinking he’d jumped, but there was no body in the courtyard, and even Numetodo can’t fly. None of the gardai below say they heard or saw anyone on the stairs.” The man ducked his head. “I’m sorry, sir.”
Sergei ignored the apology. “Capitaine, is this man’s story true?”
Ci’Doulor nodded. “Yes, Commandant. There was sorcery here.
Numetodo work.”
“You had a guard rendered unconscious two days ago and since
then the prisoner was unresponsive, and you didn’t inform me. When you were told that there was something odd happening here earlier this evening, you decided that finishing your supper was more important.
Seeing sorcery inside the cell, rather than inform me or someone in the Kraljiki’s or Archigos’ offices, you ordered this e’offizier to unlock the cell. You went inside. Alone. And now the prisoner is. . gone. Are any of those facts substantially incorrect, Capitaine?”
Miserably, ci’Doulor shook his head. “It just wasn’t possible for him to escape, Commandant. We both know that.”
“Then he’s still here, eh? I’m sure you’re right. Then I’ll leave you to search the cell thoroughly.”
The sarcasm struck ci’Doulor like a lash to his head. “Commandant, I’m sorry. I should have. .”
Sergei lifted his hand, shaking his head at the same time and silencing the capitaine. “No, Capitaine. This is entirely my fault and I’ll accept the blame. It was my decision to leave you in charge of the Bastida when you were obviously not competent to perform that function.
Therefore,
Sergei gestured to ce’Ulcai to leave ahead of him, then walked to the cell door. Ci’Doulor was still standing in the center of the room, his body slumped, and now he began to follow them. Sergei shut the door in the man’s face. As ci’Doulor called out in alarm-“Commandant!
What are you doing?”-he turned a key in the lock and closed the viewhole in the center of the door. There were muffled screams and cries from the cell and a pounding of fists on the door. Sergei handed the set of keys to ce’Ulcai.
“Your rank is now o’offizier,” Sergei told him. “I’ll have another of the Bastida gardai relieve you from your post immediately. Have the Bastida’s healer look at the wound on your head; tomorrow morning
after First Call, report directly to me at the office of the Garde Civile. I can use competence there.”
Sergei gave the sign of Cenzi to the man and went back down the long staircase, wondering how he would tell the Kraljiki and A’Teni ca’Cellibrecca what had happened, and wondering why he felt more
relieved than angry.
