Drakenfeld (51 page)

So I told my story, from the locked temple through to Maxant’s body on the beach. My father’s role as an accomplice was discussed, much to the surprise of those gathered there. After
about half an hour, Tibus took over again and proceeded with the prosecution. Knowing that the spectacle could go on for hours – for this was just as much a theatrical production as a legal
debate – I decided to leave, barely caring what would happen to Lacanta and Licintius.

My job was done, I was exhausted. I wanted to go home.

My property was vacant and had long been cleaned of corpses, so I sat alone by the fountain in the garden, staring at the spot where Titiana had hung. Sunlight streamed in over
the roof of the house, and I basked in the sultry evening warmth. This place contained so many memories for me, so many happy occasions from my youth, all the way through to that horrific
departure.

Leana stood over me.

‘Do you mind if I ask you something?’ I asked.

She shrugged.

‘Forgive me for bringing it up, and I apologize if I offend, but how did you manage to cope with your husband’s death, all those years ago?’

I was wary of bringing up the subject. Over the years I’d gleaned only that Leana’s husband – she never told me his name – had died while protecting a prince as the wars
raged throughout Atrewe.

‘What makes you think I cope with it?’ Leana replied.

‘I can’t pretend that Titiana’s end hasn’t somehow wounded me inside,’ I whispered. ‘I don’t mean to even compare it to what you had – it’s
trivial, in relation, but it still hurts.’

‘Of course it will,’ Leana said softly. ‘It is fine to feel pain. You want words of advice, Lucan?’ She looked at me sincerely.

I nodded.

‘It will hurt you whenever you think of it. But soon you will think of other things and the hurt will not strike you as often. But it never goes and it is foolish to pretend
otherwise.’ Leana placed her hand on my shoulder. ‘I am sorry for your loss. I grieve with you, my friend.’

Senator Veron was the first to come and find us and I was glad to see another friendly face. He told me that he had ‘acquired’ my house after the king had ordered
my property forfeit when I left the city. He had not done anything to it yet, except clean it up.

‘I was preserving it for you,’ he said, and I genuinely believed him this time. ‘But it seemed to be filled with foul spirits after what we found when we arrived. Some people
tried to blame you at first – since you were the one who had gone missing. I knew better than that, and argued your case. It’s all yours if you still want it.’

‘Thank you, Veron.’

‘Don’t hang about here, Drakenfeld. The bad memories will eat at you. Stay at my place. My wife is still out of the city and I have plenty of wine for company. If you want,
I’ll buy this place off you and turn it into something without such memories. It could even become a prison to go with a new batch of cohorts.’

‘That’s a kind offer.’

‘Of course it is. Look at what you’ve done, at all you’ve been through. Come back to mine. I’ll see you’re looked after well.’

‘What did you do with Titiana’s body?’

His expression softened and he sat beside me on the edge of the fountain. ‘We burned her in a multi-god ceremony. We had a few priests of different temples. Her and the cohort – all
of them were sent off together. It must have been a terrible sight for you to discover in your own home.’

That statement didn’t warrant an answer. ‘How did it go today?’

‘He’s dead,’ Veron said. ‘Licintius is dead and it took us six hours to arrive at that conclusion – rather short by our standards. It helped that Lacanta admitted
much of it. She could hardly not, given that her being alive contradicted any possible defence.’

Veron told me that the king was not charged with the murders of the priestess, Drullus and Maxant, nor for the gods-angering relationship between brother and sister. Instead he was executed for
willingly deceiving his Senate and his people.

For treason.

‘He was dealt with in the same way as all those who commit such a crime, and beheaded. His execution happened in the Senate gardens, so at least he had a nice location for it. I’ll
show you his head later if you want. It’s on a spike outside the Senate building.’

‘Thank you, but no,’ I replied. ‘I’ve had quite enough of it all. What about Lacanta?’

‘She has been exiled from Detrata for a period of ten years.’

‘Really?’ I asked.

‘Yes. After you left, Licintius claimed that he acted alone, that Lacanta was merely following her king’s orders. He said he’d personally banished her from the city, and that
everything was his responsibility.’

‘I guess he really must have loved her,’ I said, ‘to spare her life like that.’

I wondered just how much of that was true, knowing how smart Lacanta was in conversation. Her excellent mind could equally have helped in the planning. It was frustrating that Licintius could
not be held to account for the actual murders because at the heart of all of this was the priestess: a young woman who had come to an exciting city for a new start, only to be held captive and
ultimately killed so that a brother might be able to marry his own sister. Drullus and Maxant’s deaths were more pointless acts, more lives erased for the hope of a corrupt love.

And Titiana, of course.

‘Come on.’ Veron stretched out his hand. ‘Let’s not linger here with our bad thoughts.’

Veron pulled me up, and he embraced me. ‘It’s good to see you again, friend. I had run out of people with whom to get drunk, and I don’t wish to end up drinking alone like some
poor drunk!’

We spent just the one night at Senator Veron’s immense house. He was kind enough – though the more cynical might say he had his own career prospects in mind –
to invite the other senior Sun Chamber officials to spend the night there also, and there were more than enough rooms to go around.

The dinner was sumptuous – big pheasants, fat fruits, exotic spices and tender rice. I suggested to Leana that this was a welcome break from being out on the road and she replied merely
that I would become spoiled once again by such luxuries. Perhaps she was right, but tonight I dined heartily and didn’t feel guilty in the slightest.

While Leana found herself a quiet spot in Veron’s residence to pray to her spirits, I was able to speak in private with Commissioner Tibus. We sat on resplendent couches in an elegant
office, while more and more people filed into Veron’s house. The noise of distant chatter grew quite overwhelming. He had even brought in a pipe player to entertain his guests.

‘Commissioner,’ I said, ‘I don’t know if it is too soon to ask, but I would be grateful if you could help me to find a posting outside Tryum. There’s nothing here
for me now.’

She gave me a look of sympathy. ‘We thought this might be the case, and it’s just as well, Drakenfeld.’

‘Why so?’

‘Look at it this way – you’ve just unseated a bloody king and changed this entire nation. Word has reached me there are still a few royalists who are unhappy, even though they
voted with the majority of the Senate. I would not be surprised if blood gets spilled on that Senate floor before too long. Worry not,’ Tibus continued. ‘I’ll see to it that you
don’t hang about long. We’ll have need of that mind of yours in darker places than this.’

‘That sounded almost like a compliment.’ I smiled.

‘Oh, Lucan Drakenfeld.’ She placed one firm hand on my shoulder. ‘I’m not made of iron. If I have been harsh, it is for good reason. You see, your actions are likely to
leave Detrata without a king – as a republic, for the time being. That could have ramifications across Vispasia.’

‘How so?’ I asked, fearing that I already knew the story.

‘Imagine if a nation could successfully rule itself without a king once again. Imagine how that would be received in nations close by. If Detrata can do it, why not Maristan? Vispasia is a
Royal Union, after all, and even the Sun Chamber depends upon the blessings of royal blood. How will the continent organize itself without royal rulers? This is not to say it can’t, but such
issues have been preoccupying my mind of late. Needless to say, many of us in the Sun Chamber will remain in Tryum for the time being, for diplomatic reasons. It’s probably for the best if
you’re kept away for a while. But let it be known far and wide that your actions here have been of exceptional quality. I would say that your father would be proud, but that doesn’t
quite seem to possess the same meaning any more.’

‘Not especially.’ The guilt of what might happen to Vispasia was already starting to churn inside me.

‘Don’t boast about this,’ she cautioned. ‘Your work is to be commended but, as I say, people might not appreciate all you’ve done in the long run. You might not
appreciate it yourself in a few years, but at least you’ve done the right thing.’

Senator Veron barged into the study with a jug of wine in one hand and a cup in the other. ‘Don’t boast about it?’ he declared, grinning. ‘The man’s famous. Think
of all the parties you’ll be invited to! Think of the women and men who will fall at your feet. People will speak about this for years to come. Now both of you, none of this whispering, not
tonight. Vispasia can wait another evening. Come and join the celebrations. I’ve at least a dozen senators who want to shake your hand, Drakenfeld, and I promised them I could make that
happen. One of them is a powerful lady, recently divorced, if you find yourself in the mood for climbing social ladders.’

‘Celebrations?’ Tibus asked, rising up from her chair. ‘Is the death of a king a time to celebrate?’

‘That depends who you ask, my dear commissioner. Many have come tonight to celebrate a liberation, of sorts. Judges, senators, clerics, even the city censor, they’re all here. The
republicans are jubilant. We’ll need to organize a consul for the short term. I might run for such a position myself, come to think of it. That’s worth a drink or two,
surely?’

Tibus gave a heavy sigh and smiled. ‘And so it goes . . .’

I did not have the heart to tell Veron I would be leaving the city, not just yet, so instead I took his jug of wine, poured myself a cup and, with his arm around me, joined the others.

The following morning Leana and I readied to leave Tryum. Veron seemed genuinely distraught that I was going and I had to admit I felt sad myself. In a short period of time
I’d grown fond of him, even though there was much about his character that I hoped I might change. I said I’d try to visit or, at the very least, write to him. There and then he wrote
me a credit note and a down payment in coin for my property – a sum that I felt was more than it was worth, but he waved away my efforts to negotiate him down. He said a pleasant goodbye to
Leana and for the first time there was no hint of lust in his manner.

Commissioner Tibus and the entourage of Sun Chamber officials gave us something resembling a sending off, lining up in Veron’s ornamental gardens to bid us farewell. In front of the
others, Tibus handed over to me an exquisite leather wristband, the kind given to victorious generals by their kings or queens. On one side was a golden head of Polla and on the other the burning
star of the Sun Chamber.

‘A token for your efforts,’ Tibus declared.

‘Breathtaking craftsmanship, commissioner. I don’t know what to say.’

‘And those horses, over there, are for the road.’ She indicated the two handsome brown mares standing outside the gate. ‘Head to Bathylan, on the border of Detrata and Koton.
I’ll see to it that you receive more instructions soon, and we’ll send on your salary.’

Tibus called for Leana, surprisingly. Leana stepped forward, only to receive a similar leather bracelet to mine. Instead of Polla’s head, the silver detailing on it was completely
different. ‘For assisting young Drakenfeld in this whole debacle, and for helping to capture Licintius,’ Tibus said.

Leana seemed genuinely shocked and gratefully received the wristband. ‘Where did you find this?’

‘One of our men asked a few questions and ran to locate an Atrewen craftsman first thing this morning, to reset it with Atrewen icons. Drakenfeld told me of your background, so Polla would
be of little use to you. Not much in the way of a reward, forcing our gods upon you, is it? I’m sure Polla would think of it that way.’

Leana smiled and thanked her once again.

And that was that, no grand ceremony, no big parade. We gathered what possessions we had and walked down the long path of Veron’s gardens.

We stopped off to visit Lillus, and to see if Bellona was there and coping well. She already had her stall out selling all sorts of pastries and delights. When she saw us she
seemed overwhelmed with joy and ran around the front of her stall to embrace me.

She stepped back all of a sudden, full of apologies for being so forward.

‘Don’t worry,’ I laughed. ‘I’m happy to see you again.’

Lillus stepped outside at that point and I said to Bellona, ‘Is this man looking after you?’

‘Looking after her? Already she is looking after me!’ Lillus rubbed his stomach. I knew exactly what he meant. ‘Besides, she is doing a much better trade than that nonsense
fabric seller. People want to eat while they wait, not fondle cloth.’