Cursors's Fury

Miles blinked his eyes several times and moved his right hand as though brushing sweat from his forehead. It left his face smeared with thin streaks of the blood on his sleeve. “All right,” he said quietly. Then he leaned down closer to Fade. “Rari. It’s Miles. I’m…” He bowed his head, at a loss for words. “I’m here, Rari. I’m here.”

He looked up at Isana. “Is there anything I can do help you?”

Isana shook her head. “He’s… he’s very tired. And very sick. And he isn’t fighting it. He isn’t trying to recover.”

Miles frowned. “That doesn’t sound like him. Why not?”

Isana let out a sigh. “I don’t know. He’s only been lucid enough to speak for a few moments. And even then, he wasn’t making much sense. Guilt, perhaps. Or perhaps he’s just too tired.”

Miles stared down at Fade for a moment. He was about to speak when boots thumped up to the door.

“Captain!” called a young man’s warbling voice. One of the citadel’s pages, then. “My lord requests your immediate presence.”

Miles looked up at Isana, and called, “On my way.” Then he bent down and leaned his forehead against Fade’s for a second. Then he rose. “Should he come around again before… Please tell him I came to see him.”

“Of course,” Isana said.

“Thank you,” Miles said.

Miles left the room. Giraldi stuck his head back in, glanced around once, then went back out. He shut the door and leaned his back against it to prevent any more disturbances, Isana supposed.

Miles had been right. Fade was not the sort of man simply to surrender. He had lived with the guilt of Septimus’s death for twenty years, yet never attempted to end his life, never given in to despair.

It had to be something else. Something more.

Bloody crows, Isana thought. If only he could speak to her. Even if just for a moment. She ground her teeth in frustration.

Outside, fire-thunder boomed and cracked. Trumpets blared. Drums rattled. Beneath them, the roar of angry armies. The sullen sky flickered with spiteful thunder.

Isana finished the broth, forced all such distractions from her mind, and went back to work.

Chapter 28

Captain Cyril stared at Ehren for a long moment. Then his mouth turned down into a thoughtful frown. He studied the almost-too-bright silver of one of Gaiuss personal coins, given to the Cursors as tokens of their authority. A full minute passed before he asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, sir,” Ehren said, his tone grim and calm.

They stood inside the captain’s command tent, flaps down, lit by a pair of soft yellow furylamps. When they arrived, Cyril had been awake, armored, and waiting for them without a trace of sleep lingering in his eyes. His bedroll was neatly stored atop the standard trunk in the corner. The soldier who led by example.

A brief silence followed Ehren’s reply, and Magnus used the time to refresh the captain’s cup of tea. Max waggled his own empty cup at Magnus. Magnus arched an eyebrow at him, then passed him the carafe. Max smiled and poured his own, then refilled Tavi’s as well.

“Marcus?” Max asked.

Valiar Marcus shook his head, declining. The ugly old centurion stood beside the captain, scratching at his head. “Sir, I have to wonder if this isn’t a hoax of some kind. The Canim have never come to Alera’s shores in such numbers.”

Ehren looked ragged and tired, but he bristled at the First Spear’s words. “Are you calling me a liar, centurion?”

“No,” the First Spear said, meeting Ehren’s eyes. “But a man may speak the truth and still be incorrect.”

Ehren clenched his hands into fists, but Cyril stopped him with a hard look. “The First Spear is right to be cautious, sir Cursor,” he said to Ehren.

“Why?” Ehren demanded.

“Because of the timing,” Cyril said. “Kalarus’s Legions have marched upon the forces of the First Lord.”

Ehren stared at him for a moment. “What? “

Cyril nodded. “Ceres is under siege. Kalarus’s forces have cut off the eastern High Lords for the time being. Placida and Attica stand neutral. If Kalarus could manage to create a false threat from the Canim and force Aleran Legions to respond, it could spread Gaius’s supporters out more thinly, rob them of the advantage of numbers.”

Ehren shook his head. “I saw them, Captain, with my own eyes. Hundreds of ships, driven before the storm that has made it all but impossible for us to fly, to carry word swiftly, to outmaneuver them. This is no mere raid. ‘

The First Spear grunted. “How come this didn’t come through official channels of intelligence?”

“Because I made landfall at the harbor in Redstone to find that my contact in the Cursors had been murdered the previous week. I didn’t dare reveal myself for fear that his murderers would be watching for other Cursors.”

“A plausible explanation,” Cyril said. “But one that does not readily lend itself to confirmation. My orders are to hold the bridge, Sir Ehren, not to mount expeditions against an incursion. I am willing to send out a party to verify-”

“Captain,” Ehren said, voice rising in alarm. “There’s no time for that. My ship outran the Canim armada, but not by much. If they kept their pace, they’ll make landfall in the harbor at Founderport in the next few hours. There aren’t many harbors along this coast. It’s obvious that they must control the Elinarch or risk being attacked from several directions.” He pointed to the south. “They’re coming here, Captain. By this time tomorrow, you’ll have the largest Canim bat-tlepack in the history of Alera coming over that hill.”

Cyril frowned at Ehren for a moment, then looked at the First Spear.

“Crows,” Marcus muttered, running a finger down the lumpy bridge of his often-broken nose. “Why?” he asked. “Why here? Why now?”

It came to Tavi in a flash. “Wrong question, centurion.” Tavi looked at Cyril and said, “Not ‘why,’ sir. Who.”

“Who?” Cyril asked.

“Who are they working with,” Tavi said quietly.

Silence fell.

“No,” Max said after a moment. “No Aleran Citizen would have traffic with the Canim. Not even Kalarus. It’s… no, it’s unthinkable.”

“And,” Tavi said, “it is the most likely explanation. This storm has blinded us and severely harms our ability to coordinate.”

“It does the same to Kalarus,” the First Spear pointed out.

“But he knew when it was coming. Where his targets were. Where he would strike. His forces were already coordinated and in motion.” Tavi glanced at Cyril. “That storm does far more to harm Gaius than Kalarus. The only problem is how the Canim told Kalarus that it was about to begin.” Tavi chewed his lip. “They’d need a signal of some kind.”

“Like red stars?” the First Spear snarled in disgust. He spat a vile oath, hand coming to rest on his sword. “Kalarus’s attack began the night of the red stars. So did the Canim’s.”

“Bloody crows,” Max said. He shook his head in disbelief. “Bloody crows.”

Cyril looked at the First Spear, and said, “If they take the Elinarch, they’ll run right through Placida’s heartlands on the north side, and with the river protecting their flank, they’ll be able to lay waste to Ceres’ lands on the south.”

“There’s not another full Legion within eight or nine hundred miles, sir,” the First Spear said. “And we can’t send any requests for reinforcement by air. No one could reach us in time to make any difference.” He set his jaw in a grim line, and said, “We’re alone out here.”