The Seer King: Book One of the Seer King Trilogy (24 page)

I was too late. There had been four Numantians living there, a man, his wife, and his two sons. I don’t remember what had brought them to Sayana. All four of them were dead, the Tovieti strangling cords still wound around their throats. The house was stripped nearly bare.

I cursed and ran to my horse. As I remounted, a mocking laugh came from somewhere, but I saw no one.

My next address was luckier, although I nearly had to knock a grandsire out to convince him he
must
leave. He kept trying to tell me he’d lived in this city since he was a boy, the Kaiti were his friends, and nothing bad would happen. I dragged him to his doorway and pointed to where a knot of glowering men stood, held back only by Lance Karjan’s menace. He looked at his neighbors and erstwhile “friends,” and I thought his heart would break. But he, his equally aged wife, and their grown son then obeyed my orders.

As we rode off, I heard cries of triumph as the Kaiti began looting their house.

A half-dozen other addresses went smoothly.

The next I sensed something strange about, even though there appeared nothing untoward. It was a large building in a wealthy part of town.

I slipped out of the saddle and went to the door. I was about to lift the knocker when I
fell
something. My sword was suddenly in my hand. I began to knock, and the unlocked door was pulled open, and a blade flashed.

But I was not there. I’d slipped to one side without willing the motion, and as my mind “saw” the attack I lunged, and put my sword deep in a Tovieti’s guts. He gasped helplessly for air that was rushing from his lungs, dropped his blade, reached for mine, and died. I yanked my sword free, and went into the house. Curti and Karjan were behind me.

There was the body of a young woman on the floor, her head half-severed. An infant lay beside her, the silk strangling cord around its neck. I heard the sound of crashing from another room, and crept toward it.

A man was pulling drawers out of a cabinet, eyeing them for valuables, then dumping them on the floor. An open sack sat on the table nearby, half full of loot.

“Will y’ stop admirin’ your skills with th’ blade an’ gimme help,” he snarled, half-turning.

His eyes had time to widen just a trifle before my sword took his head off, and sent it tumbling, blood spraying in a half-circle against the walls.

I was about to search the house for other Tovieti when a voice came from the larder:

“Thank you, soldier.”

A little girl, no more than six, her hair as golden as mine, walked into the kitchen. She looked at the headless corpse and nodded soberly.

“That’s good. I think he’s the one who killed my father.” Then she looked at me. “Are you going to kill me now?”

I almost burst into tears.

“No,” I managed. “I’m a Numantian. Like you are. I’ve come to take you to a safe place.”

“That’s good. I wish you had come a little while ago. While my sisters were still alive.”

I could stand no more. I picked her up and rushed her out of the house, telling Curti to prepare a bundle for the girl. I’d stay with her at the horses.

I set her down, and she looked up at Lucan.

“Is he a nice horse?”

“He’s a very nice horse. His name is Lucan.”

“Can I pet him?”

I nodded, and she walked forward as Lucan lowered his head. He nickered when she rubbed his nose.

“Hello, Lucan. I’m Allori.”

In a few moments Curti and Karjan came out. He shook his head in response to my unasked question. There was no one still alive inside. He had a full armload of clothes, stuffed into a heavy storage bag.

“I took mostly heavy clothes,” he said. “There was some coins in the bag that bastard in the kitchen had. I stuck ‘em in here. She’ll need ‘em when we get her to safety.”

I told Allori we must leave, and helped her mount in front of me.

As we turned away, she looked back at the house, then up at me.

“I don’t want to live here anymore,” she announced quietly. Her eyes were dry, and I never once saw her cry.

We rode back to the compound. The Kaiti watched, but stayed well out of our way. There were grumbles and occasional shouts, but the tale of what had happened the day before had spread, and no one was willing to chance our wrath.

Of the 300 or so Numantians in the city, we’d managed to save more than 250. The others either had changed addresses without telling us, been killed, or fled from their rescuers, sure they still had nothing to fear.

But real safety still lay more than 100 miles distant.

• • •

The officer of the watch shook me awake just after midnight. I came to groggily, since I’d been asleep for just over an hour, and the first thought that wandered across my mind was that the greatest blessing peace can bring is an uninterrupted night’s rest.

“Sir,” the man said. “You’d best come to the main gate.”

I’d fallen asleep almost completely dressed. All I had to do was pull on my boots, my heavy coat and helm, sling my sword belt, and we hurried out.

It was seething rain, and the torches the watch held smoked, sending shadows against the water-walls that washed across us. But I could see well enough.

Lance-Major Wace’s head was impaled on his broken-off lance just outside the gate. Piled against the lance were the heads of my other men.

We were cut off from Urey.

“But what is it you desire of me?” Achim Fergana asked, trying to sound concerned.

“Since Your Majesty evidently can no longer govern his own city, cannot guarantee the safety of the public streets to men and women of my country, I must ask for permission to depart, along with all other Numantians and those who’ve chosen me as their protector.”

“What will your masters think of that?” he said.

“The Rule of Ten will be most displeased,” Tenedos said. “That I can guarantee. What action they may choose to make, I cannot say, but I know it will be harsh, and not in the best interests of Kait.”

“I do not see why my kingdom should be made to suffer because of the actions of a handful of fanatics.” Achim Fergana actually looked worried; perhaps he’d never considered the course of his actions, or, more correctly, inactions.

“Where were your soldiers when my Residency was attacked, O Achim? Where were your wardens when innocents were slaughtered yesterday?”

“Sayana is experiencing great unrest,” Fergana said. “They were occupied with other duties.”

“I noted what those were when we entered your palace,” Tenedos said. “Tell me, O Achim, are you so afraid of the Tovieti you must have
all
your army protecting you?”

Tenedos’s guess the day before had been correct: Soldiers packed the palace, and the gratings were lowered on all levels of the balconies above, and archers lined them.

Fergana’s face engorged in anger, but I wasn’t watching him that closely; I’d seen, with fascination, the effect the word
Tovieti
had on the handful of courtiers around him. It was as if a bloody corpse had been cast in front of them.

“You cannot speak to me in that manner!”

“Forgive me if I spoke in error. But this is a waste of both of our time,” Tenedos said, steel in his tones. “I ask you for one thing. Nay, I do not ask it, I demand it, in the name of the Rule of Ten, and the vast armies they command, armies who seek but an excuse to pull free the long-time thorn that is the Border States. I demand you provide myself and those men and women under my charge safe passage to your borders.”

Fergana breathed deeply, forcing control. He gained it.

“Of course you have that,” he said. “You need not threaten me with your soldiers. Seer Tenedos, your presence in my kingdom has not been a happy one, in spite of a certain service you managed to perform for me.

“Now I bid you go, and take your fellow
Ph’rëng
with you. You will not be troubled, you will not be bothered. But never return to my kingdom again, not you, not your soldiers, nor your people.

“I hereby proclaim the Kingdom of Kait to be closed to all Numantians from the time you cross the border into Urey until the end of time itself!”

Achim Fergana rose and stalked from the room.

That was when the nightmare began.

D
EATH IN
T
HE
I
CE

We’d expected mobs to jeer us out of Sayana. But — and this was most ominous — there were only a few scuttling figures on the streets when we marched out.

We left the Residency at dawn. It had taken us three days to prepare for departure, setting up the order of march, making sure the civilians had proper clothing and footgear, assigning as many elderly or infirm to wagons as we could, preparing rations, and so forth.

We chanced going outside the Residency to buy extra food and horses, although we were hardly welcome in Sayana’s marketplace. We bought with one hand holding gold and the other on the grip of our swords. We had just enough food, I hoped, counting the iron rations and dry reserves in the compound, for the journey back to Urey.

My final task was to call together the fifty remaining hillmen. I told them their duty was finished, and to line up for their final pay. I said that once they’d gotten their gold, Seer Tenedos would cast a spell so they could slip out the gate and disappear into the city without attracting notice. I thanked them for their faithfulness, said I was proud to have to known them, and wished things had gone differently.

About ten of them drew aside, Legate Yonge at their head. I went to him, and he said quietly, “We wish to serve on with you, Legate á Cimabue.”

I told him how honored I was but that, quite frankly, he was being foolish. “There is a long journey between here and safety, and I know we face enemies at every turn.”

“Life itself is nothing more than that.” Yonge shrugged. “I took an oath to serve you
Ph’rëng,
and do not wish to be released from it.”

“Yonge, think, man. Even if we make it to Urey, you’ll be an exile. You’ll never be able to return to Kait as long as Fergana lives.”

“Do you honestly believe,” the hillman said, “that lizard shit who calls himself achim will let any of us escape his punishment for serving you? I know he’ll have his
jasks
cast seeking spells for anyone who swore fealty to the resident-general, and a slow death will follow their discovery.

“No. I would prefer to take my chances with the seer, as would my fellows.” He started to say more, but broke off.

“Go ahead,” I encouraged.

“Two other reasons. You treated us as equals when you came, as did all your Lancers, in spite of what I know they feel about Kaiti. This is the way of honor. I wish to learn more about it.

“Besides” — he grinned — “I have never seen Urey, and would like to learn what skills their women have when they come willingly to your bed.”

I could do nothing other than accept. For their safety on the march, I told them to dress themselves as Numantians, although I wished them to keep their native garb ready. There might be a need for a Kaiti spy on our journey.

We planned to cover the nearly 100 miles in about ten days, weather permitting. The rains were coming to a halt, and while it was bitter cold, so far the winter storms had not begun.

The order of march was One and Two Columns, Seventeenth Lancers, at the front; then two platoons of the Khurram Light Infantry; then the civilians; a third platoon of the KLI; Four Column; our wagons, which I asked Captain Mellet to take charge of; the last of the infantry and Three Column, which I personally regarded as the best of my troop, at the rear, under the command of Troop Guide Bikaner. I half apologized for always giving him the hardest task. He half smiled and said, “ ‘S alright, sir. I’m gettin’ so used to eatin’ dust now I’ve grown t’like its taste.”

The city gate stood open, and the guards were withdrawn. Sitting on horseback, just on the other side, was Achin Baber Fergana, surrounded by some of his courtiers and cavalrymen.

Now we heard jeering, but it was muted. Even these lackeys were afraid of Tenedos’s magic, which had killed
Jask
Irshad and saved us from the demon.

Tenedos held up his hand, and we reined in. He stared long and hard at Fergana, his eyes harsh, as if he were cutting a steel engraving of the man. Fergana grew visibly nervous under the stare, then wheeled his horse and galloped around us, his men streaming after him, back into Sayana.

One of them turned as he rode through the gates, and shouted,
“M’rt tê Ph’rëng!”

Tenedos turned to me. “Ride on, Legate.”

I shouted commands, and the long train creaked forward.

Behind me, I heard Lance Karjan grunt, “Good, that. Don’t give th’ bastard no satisfaction. ‘Though it’d do me good t’see th’ seer send a bolt a lightnin’ up that shit-heel’s arse, ‘twould.”

It was a charming thought, and I did wish Tenedos had cast some sort of spell, even though my rational mind knew the achim was well surrounded with protection from his court
jasks.

It gave me something to think about as we crawled north toward Sulem Pass. If I’d had to watch my words before, when we’d first made the slow passage, now I must be doubly careful. I must not try to hurry these civilians, for fear they’d panic, or else lose all belief in themselves and lie down to die.

Another thought occurred: I told Lance Karjan that he might have chosen to be my servant, but the best way he could serve was to stick close to Seer Tenedos. I could manage for myself, but the resident-general
must
survive. Karjan muttered darkly, but obeyed, and from that time on stayed as close to Tenedos as he’d permit.

This was fairly open country, so I was able to keep Two Column out as flankers. The few Kaiti we saw stayed distant from the road.

I’d expected harassing attacks the moment we went beyond the gate, but nothing happened. I knew better than to expect Fergana’s safe-conduct to be better than before, and wondered when we’d be hit.

We camped the first night, having made almost twelve miles, which sounds like very little, but on a first day’s march, with inexperienced people, it was quite respectable.