scroll to roll up once more and then placed the six back in their container. He turned to Darius.
“I think I’ve seen enough here” he said and the young man turned, pulling himself away from some dusty book. The commander went on. “I’ll speak to the minister later, but I can’t imagine any of this presenting a problem for me at least. Shall we go and have a word with Turus?”
Darius nodded and left the room, waiting in the corridor as Sabian heaved the door shut and locked it.
They strolled down the corridor in the direction of the great courtyard, the commander walking ahead lost in his own musings. Behind him, Darius carefully shuffled into his breeches the one item he’d removed from sight in the room while Sabian had been otherwise occupied. He placed a great deal of trust in the commander, but showing him the only map they had of the island’s reefs and safe channels would be taking that trust too far.
Sabian stood in the octagonal room of the ruined Golden House tapping his fingers on his bronze-plated belt, his eyes darting around the various shattered entrances to the room. Behind him Cialo leaned yawning against a crumbling wall and Iasus stood stiff and upright in what was once an alcove, his sergeant’s vine-staff jammed under his arm. No one had said a word for more than five minutes but impatient sounds abounded. How long would it take the young man?
Footsteps in the ruins announced the arrival of their guest. The commander heaved a sigh of relief and Cialo pulled himself upright off the wall. Minister Turus rounded the corner, picking his way gingerly among the fallen masonry with Darius at his shoulder. The minister spotted the soldiers and gave a crooked smile as he gratefully crossed into the clear area within the octagon.
“Commander,” the man said slightly breathlessly, “young Darius said that you need to see me? A strange place to meet.”
Sabian nodded. “Somewhere quiet… out of the way.” He grinned an unpleasant grin at the minister. “Easy to clean…”
The minister opened his mouth to say something, his eyes surprisingly wide, but the commander rode over the top of whatever comment he intended to make.
“I would assume, minister, that due to your complicity in the affair, you are aware of what happened to the good doctor yesterday?”
The colour drained from Turus’ face. He made strange burbling noises and spun around, finally taking in the solitary location in which he now found himself and the four armed men around him. Eyes so wide they looked like they might burst, he collapsed in a heap on the ground.
“This can’t be happening…”
Darius, only a couple of steps behind him dropped his sword point to the ground a foot away from the minister’s knee. “Oh but it can” he said.
Sabian reached down and grasped the slightly portly man by the tunic and hauled him to his feet. He was surprisingly heavy.
“Save your breath with denials” the commander said plainly. “We know about the doctor and we know about you. The doctor’s gone because he wouldn’t talk to me. I’d assume you’re more intelligent than that.”
The minister said nothing, still pale and frightened, but he nodded vigorously. Sabian smiled inwardly. This was easier that Velutio’s damned doctor. He released his grip on Turus and the man sank back to the floor.
“I’ll give you a very simple choice, Turus” the commander said. “Either you stand brave and irresolute and protect your fellow conspirators, in which case we cut you into several pieces to fatten the fishes… or you tell me everything you know right here and now and I turn you over to Sarios to deal with.”
As he finished speaking, he became aware that the minister was whimpering. The man reached up and there were tears in his eyes.
“I didn’t want to, but … my family! You must understand.”
Darius looked over the broken minister at the commander and cleared his throat. “The man’s daughter lives in Velutio.”
Sabian remained stony faced. “I’m waiting, minister.”
Pulling himself together as best he could, Turus hauled himself to his feet.
“Someone in the city. I don’t know who, but he must be powerful. The doctor came to me with an offer; said he could get me off the island and to my family. How could I not? I didn’t know he was going to kill anyone; that was never part of the deal.”
Sabian nodded. “I know who the someone in the city is and I know about the doctor and you. You’re not telling me anything. I know there were soldiers involved;
“I don’t know what the messages were; I was just to get the lamp. There are three men though… three that I know of anyway. Don’t know their names, but they’re all on the guard duty under him.” He pointed at Iasus. Sabian turned and nodded at the sergeant. The young martinet stepped forward and reached out with his vine staff, placing it beneath the minister’s chin.
“Descriptions” he said. “If you can’t give us names, give us descriptions.”
The minister tried to nod, but the vine staff inhibited him; the position looked very uncomfortable. Sabian glanced briefly at Iasus. Sometimes a strict military disciplinarian had his uses. Turus gulped.
“There’s a tall one, fair haired. I think he’s probably in charge.
Iasus nodded and spoke to his commander without taking his eyes off the minister. “Rufus. Got to be Rufus. He’s officer of the night watch. Go on minister…”
“One with a black beard, quite curly.”
Iasus tutted and lifted the vine-staff, almost choking the minister. “No one in my duty with a black beard” he said.
The minister’s eyes bulged again, but Cialo piped up from the other corner. “He means Carbo. Carbo was assigned to guard, but I swapped him for one of my crew this morning after we had a minor accident.”
Iasus nodded and loosened his grip on the stick again. “And the last?”
“A fairly plain man” the minister said. “A bit thin, brown hair, quite pale…”
“Kasta” spat Iasus. “Never did trust northerners.”
Sabian squared his shoulders and put his sword away.
“Ok minister. I’ll assume you’ve told us everything. We’ve got to go prepare for Ursus’ funeral. Darius will deliver you back to Sarios and he will decide how to proceed with you.”
As Darius herded the man back out of the octagonal room, Sabian turned and called after him “and bear in mind that if there’s anything you haven’t told me, I’ll be back for you.” He turned to the two sergeants. “Come on. We haven’t got much time.”
Making their way out of the ruined palace as hurriedly as they could, Sabian almost walked into one of his men who was trying to get past the barrier they’d replaced after they’d entered the ruinous building.
“What are you doing soldier!”
The man came to attention instantly. “I was sent to find you sir. There’s a ship in the channel; should be here in a bit over an hour sir. Lookout says it’s his lordship, sir.”
Sabian smiled. “Good. Now get everyone but the lookout to the graveyard.”
The vicious smile stayed riveted on to his face as he marched through the orchard. If Velutio was on his way, the lack of signal last night must have irritated someone. For an instant he wondered whether his lordship himself were behind this, but dismissed the thought after a moment. This was definitely the work of Crosus and, if Velutio was on his way now, that walking dead man would be right behind him.
Chapter XII
The funeral was short and Spartan, but well-attended and with full honours. Sarios had dealt with every funeral here in twenty years, so Ursus was in good company. Throughout the whole thing, however, Sabian’s mind had been elsewhere. He’d watched the three men the minister had named throughout the entire service but none of them had betrayed any sign of nerves. His real problems were how to go about the legality of proving treachery in
