A large congregation of rebels waited for them outside the caves, Aroisius and his lieutenants at the front. Anglhan was eager and scrambled down the side netting before the landship had rumbled to a halt. He crossed the rocky valley floor almost at a run, a broad smile on his face.
'Success!' he cried out. 'The spirits have blessed our endeavours. I bring you a cargo more precious than gold or rubies or iron. I bring you freedom!'
There was a ragged cheer from some of the assembled rebels, but Aroisius's expression remained stern. He eyed Anglhan carefully.
'You have my gratitude,' said Aroisius. 'How much did you pay?'
Anglhan had expected suspicion, but he was prepared for it.
'It is of no matter. Consider this equipment my gift to your cause.'
'That is not necessary,' said Aroisius. 'I will cover half of the payment, as we agreed.'
'Certainly not,' said Anglhan in his most insistent tone. 'We have the weapons already. Those askharins of yours can be put to far better use than simply swapping between our pockets. Think of the welcome you will have in Magilnada when, as the new lord of the city, you are able to show your generosity with a few well-placed donations to the local shrines and elders. What I have brought you might be the means to take the city, but it is only you that will be able to keep it.'
Anglhan saw Aroisius's stern demeanour flicker as he imagined the scene, a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. It passed in a moment.
'Start unloading,' barked the rebel leader. He bent close to Anglhan as the rebels swarmed towards the landship. 'I know that you are not doing this out of belief in my cause. What is it that you hope to gain? Where is your profit going to come from, slaver?'
Anglhan quickly considered his alternatives and decided that a protestation of innocence would fall on deaf ears. The truth would be better at this stage. Or a half-truth.
'You're right, Lord,' he said conspiratorially. 'My profit will come when you control Magilnada. You'll need someone to help run the city, taking care of the boring day-to-day affairs. A man in that position receives all sorts of attention; gifts from those who want his ear, business from those who want his favour. There's no reason for us to be at odds over this. I want you to rule the city; you want to rule the city. We both get what we want. I've already given you my ship, my debtors, and now a sizeable cargo of weapons. What more can I do to persuade you that I want you to succeed?'
'If you remain loyal, and useful, I could include you in my council,' replied Aroisius. 'I know you think I am blinded by my lofty ambitions, but do not think that I see the world as a child. I know how power works. Just remember not to get greedy. That can get a man into trouble.'
'It certainly can,' said Anglhan.
VI
There was a mood of celebration around the rebel camp that night. The fires were banked high and the rain passed in the early evening so that everyone was outside the tents and caves. Jugs of ale were passed round and those that had served on the landship told their tales to the rebels that had stayed in camp. Anglhan found himself beside the main fire, sitting between Barias and Lubrianati. The two chieftains stank of untreated hide and stale sweat as they talked across Anglhan.
'The lord says that with these weapons, we're ready to go,' said Lubrianati. 'We'll be going at the half- moon.'
'That's about six days, isn't it?' said Barias, rubbing his hands cheerfully. 'Seven nights from now, we'll be in Magilnada, drinking their beer and fucking their women.'
'You heard the boss,' warned Lubrianati. 'This isn't a raid. We'll be staying. That's hard to do when someone is after you for having your way with his sister.'
Barias's unconvinced expression was all the answer he needed to give. Anglhan spied Aroisius approaching through the camp. The self-appointed future lord of Magilnada stopped to speak with some of his men. They were joking and laughing, excited by the prospect of the coming attack. That didn't suit Anglhan well at all. He turned to Lubrianati.
'So, it's your men that are going to be storming the gate, right?' Anglhan said. 'I would bet they're pleased they've got some decent weapons and armour.'
'Most of the new stuff is going to Griglhan's men,' said Barias, which Anglhan already knew to be true. 'They'll be climbing down the cliff.'
'Oh,' said Anglhan. He furrowed his brow. 'Hmm.'
'What?' asked Barias. 'Why the frown?'
'Oh, it's nothing. Just ignore me.'
'You think that my men should get more of the weapons?' asked Lubrianati, pulling Anglhan towards him.
'It doesn't matter what I think,' replied the landship captain. 'I'm just a trader. Aroisius is your leader. I'm sure he knows best.'
'If you have something to say, slave-man, just say it,' said Barias. 'What's wrong with the boss's plan?'
Anglhan snatched his jerkin from Lubrianati's grasp and stood up haughtily. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aroisius getting closer, just at the edge of the light on the far side of the fire.
'Nothing,' Anglhan snapped. 'I would have thought the best gear would go to the men doing the most dangerous job, which as I see it is those making the assault on the gate.'
Anglhan stalked away before they could ask any questions. He slipped past the closest tent and stopped in the shadows to watch what happened. Aroisius waved a greeting to the two chieftains and sat down close to them.
'I've been thinking about who gets the new weapons,' Lubrianati said gruffly. 'We should have another think about the plan,' added Barias.
With a smug grin, Anglhan turned away and headed across the camp.
VII
The next day, news circulated around the camp that Aroisius had decided to split the weapons between Barias and Griglhan. Anglhan wondered what hold the rebel leader had over his subordinates that he could get them to agree swiftly with his commands. Was the promise of Magilnada enough to get these rebels, brigands and hillmen to put aside their rivalries? He decided to find out how much control Aroisius really had over his army.
An idea came to him as he wandered into the main storage cave. Inside he saw Cannillan, second-in- command of Urias's gang. The shaven-headed lieutenant's back and upper arms were criss-crossed by whip scars, and his wrists and ankles bore the telltale marks of long-time bondage.
'I bet you don't have much time for the likes of me, do you?' Anglhan said solemnly as he joined Cannillan. 'I know it's worthless, really, but I hope my gift goes just a little way to atoning for my past greed.'
'What are you talking about?'
'You know, my gift? The weapons and armour? I hear that Aroisius is sharing them out amongst the groups to make sure everything is fair. Now that he's decided not to give them all to one group, I'm sure he's stopped any hard feelings.'
'He's splitting them between Griglhan's and Barias's mobs, that's all.'
'Oh, I must have misheard. I thought he said he was going to give them to those that needed them most. You know, the most important leaders, the best warriors. I thought that sounded like a sensible plan. I mean, no point giving a nice sword to some pig-fucking hillman who doesn't know one end from the other. And after all, my gift really is for those who have shared the burden of debt that I have helped spread, not for a bunch of opportunists who've just come down from the mountains for a bit of fighting and looting.' Cannillan's eyes narrowed
