Suth saluted them both. ‘High Mage. Captain.’
‘At ease,’ the High Mage said. She invited him to stand with her next to the side of the vessel and turned to face outwards, looking over the water. ‘Only private place on any crowded ship,’ she said with a wink.
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Now, firstly, be assured this is no official inquiry… no effort is being made to assign blame or censure. Is that clear?’
Somehow that failed to reassure him. ‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘I merely want a clearer picture of the events at Thol. That is understandable, yes?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
The woman let out a long exasperated breath. She pushed the unkempt mousy curls of her greying hair from her face. ‘Relax, marine. That’s an order.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
A hard one-eyed glare from her. ‘Now, I’ve questioned your squad-mate, Keri — she’s recovering quite well, by the way…’
‘Glad to hear that, ma’am.’
‘And to your best recollection did no one touch this chest after the young child dropped it?’
‘No one, ma’am. Ipshank was most insistent.’
‘Not even Manask when he threw it into the inland sea?’
‘No, ma’am. He used a spear.’
‘I see. And you are sure you saw it fall into the sea?’
‘Yes, ma’am. Quite sure. I saw it thrown and fly out and then the sea foamed like boiling soup. Why, do you sense her?’
The High Mage chose not to take offence at the question. She shook her head. ‘No. It’s just Manask… the man’s notorious…’
‘Ipshank was watching.’
She turned to put her back to the side, nodding. ‘Yes, well, thank the gods for that. He seems to be the only one who can exert any control over the man… And finally, Kyle, the Adjunct. Did you overhear anything from him before he went his own way?’
Suth thought back to the confusion and upheaval of their arrival back in that flood-panicked town. He and Wess rejoined the garrison — he never saw the Adjunct again. But before they went their separate ways he did overhear him and Ipshank talking. ‘I believe he said something about heading back home.’
‘I see. Thank you, trooper. Now, you accompanied Fist Rillish on a number of missions, did you not?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Well, before you go, and I have told this to Captain Peles here already… But I was the last to see Greymane, and I just want you to know that he spoke well of the Fist before he went. Since you served under him I wanted you to know that.’
‘Thank you, High Mage.’
‘That is all.’
Suth saluted and rejoined Goss.
The rest of the afternoon was spent reordering stores. All that time the High Mage and Captain Peles had the side of the vessel to themselves. They were there long into the evening as well.
Down in the hold, while Wess slept as usual, Goss and Suth watched the crowd gathered around a square of wood inscribed with a circle where cockroaches, released from a bowl in the centre, raced for the edges. The crowd of troopers let go huge roars with every race but they spent most of their time attempting to snatch up the escapees.
Uncrossing his arms, Goss winced and loosened his shoulders. ‘It’ll be a sergeancy for you, certain.’
‘I don’t particularly want it.’
Goss let go an irritated snort. ‘Haven’t you learned anything yet, man? The army doesn’t care what you think. What you think doesn’t matter. You’ll take what they give you even if it’s a dead dog and you’ll say yes, sir, thank you, sir!’
Suth couldn’t help a rueful smile crooking up his lips as he said, ‘Yes, sir, thank you, sir.’
Goss grunted his approval. ‘There you go. Now you’re learning.’
The freak wave that rolled over the docks of Ring city had smashed boats in their moorings, demolished the wharves, and driven on to wash through the sea-front blocks. The worst of the damage was the countless souls it then washed out to sea as it retreated taking everything with it. Yet only a few days later the first boat dared approach Ring again. They found the great sea-chain fallen and submerged. Carefully, they oared their small fishing vessel onward, over the broad Hole itself, the first to do so since anyone cared to keep records.
Here the water was so clear, so calm, it was as if they floated hundreds of feet above nothing. Ernen, who owned the boat, squinted at the surrounding rock walls. ‘Where’s their keep, their quarters?’ he asked of the three dock-front youths who’d agreed to accompany him. ‘See anything?’
‘No.’
It had been old Ernen’s idea. ‘Them Stormguard were gone, weren’t they?’ he’d argued. ‘Probably run to Korel. So they must’ve left gear behind, yes? All that silver inlay. All them fine swords and armour an’ such. A rich haul just waiting for the first one to dare…’
And so they snuck out at night, made their way across and entered. Now he waved them to one side, pointing into the gloom. The youths peered at one another, terrified in the dim glow of their covered lantern.
One fumbled at his oar then let out a horrific scream, flinching from the side and making everyone jump. ‘Riders!’
‘Quiet!’ Ernen ordered, sitting still, listening. They all sat motionless as well, straining to hear. But only the murmur of the waves returned, echoing and hollow. Ernen cuffed the lad. ‘Ain’t no Riders here!’
‘Something’s down there,’ the lad whispered, hoarse.
Huffing, Ernen extended his neck to peer over. He stared, squinting, then his eyes widened and he let go an oath, making a sign of blessing. The lads joined him.
Below, unknowably far down in the black depths of the Hole, a figure glimmered. The unnatural clarity of the water allowed extraordinary detail. An armoured giant of a fellow in a full helm and holding, point-downward on his breast, a great grey blade.
Ernen knew him to lie impossibly far below, but it was as if he could just reach down and touch him.
‘Who, what, is it?’ one of the lads breathed.
‘A guardian,’ another said. ‘Must be a guardian ready should the Lady return!’
‘It’s just a body…’ Ernen began, but the youths ignored him, all talking excitedly about what a great warrior he must be, and so the old man waved the subject off and grabbed the oars.
‘Where are you going?’ one asked.
‘For the cliff. They must have a dock somewheres…’
The lads were horrified. ‘You can’t do that! You’ll disturb him!’
Ernen stared. ‘What? Disturb who?’
‘The Guardian!’
‘It’s a body! Sunk to the bottom of the Hole!’
The lads yanked the oars from his hands. ‘We’re not disturbing him. No one should come here at all.’
Ernen looked to the night sky. ‘Oh, for the love of all the damned foreign gods…’
‘Don’t be disrespectful,’ one of them warned, rather sniffily.
Ernen muttered something and sat back against the pointed bow, crossed his arms. Damned pious idiots! A month ago they would’ve turned him in for cussing the Lady, now they’re all against her. He shook his head. Damned youth — so certain of everything. Walk everyone off a cliff, they would!
At his bench on the High Court of the Newly Sovereign Kingdom of Rool, High Assessor Bakune listened to the advocate for the defence detailing the intricacies of the twisted bloodline governing the competing family claims to the Earlship of Homdo Province. He blinked his eyes to force them open wider, set his chin in his hands. He glanced out of a window where spring’s thinning cloud cover allowed a glimpse of clear blue sky.
