measure.
Well, fame took some unpredictable postures when you fucked him. And he was a fickle boy at best.
That s who he is, kir -Archeth, Tand said laconically. I asked who he answers to.
Archeth gave him a blank look, and paced a couple of moments before she spoke. My lord Ringil has agreed to act as guide and captain for the expedition north. His contract, then, is with me, and with the imperial charter. Does that suffice?
Across the table from Tand and Kaptal, Nethena Gral wrinkled her famously smooth, pale brow a couple of court poets, Ringil was told, had made allusion to it and gestured irritably at Noyal Rakan.
It was my understanding, my lady Archeth, that the Throne Eternal had command of this expedition, and were, so to speak, the Emperor s blessing and protecting hand in the venture. Is this then no longer the case?
Ringil raised a hand to his jaw, made a seemingly innocuous stroking gesture with it. The agreed signal. On his flank, he felt Archeth subside as she saw it.
Honored lady Gral, he said. The Emperor s blessing here in Yhelteth is no doubt a wondrous bounty, to be sought by any wise citizen. North and west of Tlanmar, however, and paired with a League florin, it will buy you a florin s worth of salt.
A taut silence stretched behind the words. Ringil kept half an eye on Captain Noyal Rakan, saw the aide bristle with affront, but Rakan himself stay quiet and watchful.
Down the table, someone cleared a throat.
Some, said Yilmar Kaptal carefully. Would call that an insult to the majesty of the Burnished Throne.
Ringil shrugged. Some would call it truth.
More quiet. What gazes were not fixed on Ringil darted around the room, meeting one another, querying, seeking alliance, shying away again.
Then, abruptly, Menith Tand chuckled.
He s completely right, of course. The slaver looked around at the assembled company. Isn t he? Come on, maybe not all of you have been up there, but who here hasn t read the court records on the northwestern march? He s completely right, and what s more we all know it, and we re all sitting here thinking it. So
He clapped his hands on the word, once, sharply. Rubbed them briskly together. shall we just welcome our new captain and war hero, as his rank and exploits dictate, and then get to some serious planning? Because I for one grow bored with this constant measuring of male members in place of intelligent debate.
It would take longer than that, of course. he'd sown the seeds, but the crop would be a while in sprouting.
Imperial summons had brought them all to the first meeting, curiosity and the promise of potential wealth kept them attached, as did an unwillingness to be the first to jump ship in case a hated rival should stay, and garner fame and fortune in their absence. It was a powerful binding force in a group so fractious, but it was unstable and unreliable in the longer term. About as safe as the winds around the Gergis cape was Shanta s sour opinion. Could die out from under us at any minute, leave us becalmed and going nowhere. Or turn about and fling us on the rocks before we even get a start. Needs a very cool hand on the helm.
Well, he d made a start. Form an outsider bond with Shendanak, but keep it wrapped and opaque beneath the language gap. Throw a line to Tand with his well-traveled merchant sophistication and connection to the League territories. But keep a vague menace about it all. Neutralize the rivalry between the two men by the simple expedient of giving them Gil to worry about instead. Then dare the others to seek confrontation when they had just seen the two most vociferous of the company prefer to stand down. Lubricate the whole with court charm, and leaven with warrior bluntness. Force unity from the mix with that same unspoken threat and promise you d summon for any ragtag command you got stuck with this is the thing you are a part of now, and it belongs to me; fracture it and you call me out. And you wouldn t want that.
This shit he could do in his sleep.
With the rest of his attention, he worried about Egar.
Still somewhere in the city, Imrana thinks. Archeth didn t have much detail; even now she was playing catch-up like everyone else. The story of Saril Ashant s murder in his own bedchamber had rocked the court from top to bottom, but Imrana had enough connections to stanch the flow of further information down to a trickle. And her long years as an independent woman at court had taught her the nimble art of trusting no one any further than you absolutely had to. Archeth got a terse summons and a few minutes audience in which Imrana sketched the events of Egar s last visit. He shows up at the crack of dawn with some little trollop in tow, some hard-luck case he s rescued from sadistic priests and their evil sorcery
Sorcery? Priests?
Yeah, tell me about it. But you know what he s like, Archeth. He doesn t really see any difference between some bone-through-the-nose shaman up north and the Revelation. It s all magic to him, it s all evil. At heart, he s still the same hulking romantic thug he was when he rode into town fifteen years ago. It s all tales-around-the- campfire heroism and eternal bonds and Imrana, gesturing wearily out the window at the city beyond I mean, seriously, Archeth, who believes in that shit anymore?
Have Saril s family put a bounty out on him yet?
Probably. A thin grimace. They re not exactly keeping counsel with me at the moment. I imagine they re still deciding whether to try to put me in the chair for this.
The chair? Ringil, aghast when Archeth reported back that evening. The fucking chair? I thought that was for traitors.
And for women caught in, quote, adulterous machinations against a lawful spouse, unquote. It s an old law, very early Empire. Used to cover any kind of female adultery back in the day, but modern magistrature usually reads machinations to mean a plot against the husband s life or property. Anyway she picked up her goblet and drained it, but not before he d seen her shiver we have the Chamber of Confidences for traitors now, so the chair s been gathering rust.
Right. Good. He topped up her glass from the flask on the table. The house was quiet and drowsy around them, flooded with rosy evening light from the west-facing windows. So, no chance she ll get strapped into it, then?
Archeth studied her new drink. A couple of years ago, I d have said no way it could happen. But Demlarashan is really shaking things up at court. Lot of military fanfare going around these days. And Saril Ashant is was a bona fide war hero.
Ringil grunted. Me, too. Outside of scars, what s that good for?
If you re from the rank and file, not much, she admitted. But add it to noble family and wealth, and you ve got a problem. No one at court wants to be seen not backing our glorious imperial troops.
But Imrana has friends at court, right?
Imrana has allegiances. It s not the same thing. And if they don t catch up with Egar, then everyone s going to be looking for someone else to take the rap. Her lip curled in disgust. Justice in this city is all about visible retribution and in the end, it doesn t much matter who s on the receiving end so long as vengeance is seen to be done.
Sounds just like home. And Imrana really thinks Eg hasn t left town?
From the way he was talking, she says not.
Ringil rubbed at his chin. Strange.
Well, what can I tell you? Archeth spread her hands. He has been acting strange the last couple of months. Especially the last couple of weeks, with Ashant back in town. You know, after all that time home on the steppe, maybe it was a mistake for him to come back here. Maybe city life doesn t agree with him anymore.
Doesn t explain why he didn t leave town. Ringil held his drink up to the light, frowned critically at its color. Anyway, my guess is, what doesn t agree with Eg most of all is not getting laid. And who could fault him on that? Eh?
She ignored the glance he shot her, ignored the prod. They ve got the City Guard out in force looking for him.
Poor City Guard.
I don t know, Gil. Those guys have changed a lot since the war. Lot of demobbed veterans in the ranks now, real hard men from the expeditionary and the sieges. They re not the joke they used to be. And Eg s not as young
