“If he wanted to get out he would already be gone,” the leader reasoned. “It’s been a few days after all. Now, form teams and get going.”
The group broke up, but the leader remained behind. Relam approached the hooded and cloaked man cautiously. “I’m looking for Commander Hadere,” he said tentatively.
“You found him,” the man growled, turning around. “What do you wan-?” He stopped and frowned, peering under Relam’s hood. Relam obligingly pushed back the hood so Hadere could see his face clearly.
“Your highness,” the commander said, bowing. “I apologize, I did not recognize you.”
“No problem,” Relam replied amicably. “In this cursed weather everybody looks the same.”
“Yes. How may I help you?”
Relam frowned. “Is there somewhere we can talk, out of the weather? This will only take a few moments.”
“The guardroom should be empty,” the commander said, leading the way to a heavy metal door on the left side of the gate. He pushed the door open and ushered Relam inside.
The guard room was small, with a few tables and chairs arranged in the center. Four bunks stood against the left-hand wall, presumably for the night shift. A cold fireplace stood on the same wall as the door, the chimney venting out through the wall at an angle. A door across the room stood open, revealing the great windlass that helped open and close the gate and portcullis. Relam checked the room for occupants, then closed the door and sat at the nearest table, gesturing for the commander to sit as well.
“I hear there is a dead man on the loose,” Relam murmured, getting right to the point.
“Yes,” the commander grunted. “I have no idea how, but it appears he fooled the Citadel and faked his death somehow. All my men are searching for him. Former commander Narin won’t escape us, your highness, don’t worry.”
“You intend to handle this just with the city guard?”
“Yes,” Hadere replied immediately. “This is exactly the sort of thing my men are trained for. There is no need to involve the Citadel. After all, they let him get away the first time.”
“Yes,” Relam agreed. “We should not make the same mistake twice. However, it would be rather embarrassing if word got out that the Citadel – and by extension, us – lost a man that was supposed to be dead.”
“You want me to keep the whole affair a secret?” Hadere asked.
“Until Narin is caught, yes,” Relam confirmed nodding. “We can handle this ourselves I think. If you find anything, let me know. Do not bother the king with this, he has enough to worry about at the moment and has asked me to deal with the situation myself.”
“Very good, your highness,” the commander said, inclining his head gravely. “I shall do as you ask.”
“One more thing,” Relam said as the commander made to get up. “The boy, Aven, how is he?”
“The one who doubles as your servant?”
“Yes. I heard that when Narin escaped your men the other night, Aven was one of the soldiers that was attacked.”
“He came through all right,” the commander said, shrugging. “The rest of his squad was bludgeoned pretty badly with the prisoner’s handcuffs but Aven avoided the worst of it. Narin just knocked him down.”
“Good,” Relam said, relieved. “I had hoped that he was fine. He has served you well?”
“Very well,” Hadere agreed. “Especially for someone of his age. Might be officer material eventually. Don’t tell him I said that,” the commander added quickly.
“My lips are sealed,” Relam promised. “Well, figuratively anyway.” He rose and shook hands with the commander. “Thank you for your assistance. If there are any developments, please send updates to my personal guards at the palace. I’ll make sure they know how to reach me day or night.”
“Very good, your highness,” the commander said, ushering him out of the guard room. “We’ll find Narin, don’t worry. One man against the city guard. Not very good odds for the one, not at all.”
“The trick won’t just be finding him,” Relam warned. “It will be capturing him. There is a reason he was selected to be the palace guard commander. And that reminds me,” Relam said, stepping closer to the commander and lowering his voice, “Make sure you capture him alive. I want to find out how he escaped and what he’s been doing creeping around the city.”
“He was meeting with someone the first time we ambushed him,” Hadere said, shrugging. “The man who betrayed him to us, actually.”
“And what does this informer do for a living?” Relam asked curiously.
“We’re not sure, but it’s likely unlawful,” the commander replied. “He’s a low-life, I’d stake my job on it.”
“Fascinating,” Relam murmured. “Well, see you around commander. I’d best move on to other things. Only so many hours in a day, you know?”
“Yes, your highness,” the commander said, bowing slightly. Relam nodded in reply, then turned away and pulled his hood forward to shield his face, releasing a deep breath as he did so. “Not bad,” he muttered to himself. “Let’s hope it all works out all right.”
By the time Relam arrived back at the palace, sleet was slanting down from the sullen skies above. The roads were well and truly frozen, slick with thin sheets of black ice. When Relam passed Bridge Street, he saw that the guards were already spreading sand on the bridge itself to keep people from slipping. The river below still flowed free, but it always took longer to freeze than a single day.
The palace was warm and dry though, and relatively empty. There were even fewer servants and staff about than usual, some no doubt having holed up in their homes around the city rather than brave the elements for work. What was left was a mere skeleton
