Devan Chronicles Series: Books 1-3 (102 page)

“Draft my condolences to Lord Vivika, Bothmar, and I’ll sign it personally.”

“Yes my emperor,” Bothmar said with a straight face.

Vexin poured some wine. After a brief hesitation, he poured two more glasses. It never hurt to cement his people closer to him. He sat back behind his desk to savour the wine. He never drank to excess like some lords he could name, but he did like a small glass or two at the end of a good day’s work.

“Is there more to report?”

“Not concerning House Malim, my emperor,” Keppel said. “But I have news regarding the army.”

“It’s about time! Why has that imbecile Barthan been flouting my orders?”

“He hasn’t, my lord. Barthan and Methrym were poisoned and Methrym’s second took command. Soren ordered the raid in vengeance for Methrym.”

That was a little better. A revenge raid was at least understandable. What had worried him was the thought of House Baltu flouting his orders. If Lord Rodyn felt he could do that and get away with it, he knew he would be in serious jeopardy of losing the other lords. House Baltu was strong. Not as strong as House Malai, but the others houses respected Rodyn and would follow where he led.

The previous Lord Baltu had assassinated his father. Vexin never let himself forget that. He had killed that man, and made Rodyn what he is. In return, Rodyn had made House Baltu the most ardent supporter of House Malai and the emperor. Vexin however, watched Rodyn and all the noble houses like a hawk looking for the telltale signs of treachery. He had thought that the now confirmed rumour of a raid across the border was such a sign, but apparently not.

“Japuran assassins are known for their abilities, but they’re not good enough to walk into a camp held by eight thousand men I would judge.”

Keppel was pleased. “You are correct, my emperor. Methrym poisoned himself and Barthan. Barthan died, and Methrym was heard to scream for days before lapsing into unconsciousness.”

Vexin winced, that sounded very nasty indeed. He reminded himself to check his antidotes again.

“I know this drug,” Keppel went on. “There is no doubt that Methrym himself was the culprit. If he hadn’t been, he would be dead. As it was, he took a great risk. Upon awakening, he recalled Soren’s raiders and began a systematic plan of some kind.”

“Good. Time is wasting. When I see that young man again, I’m going to ask some pointed questions. If I don’t receive satisfactory answers, I’ll give him to you, Keppel.”

“
Thank you,
my emperor!”

Bothmar shivered at the anticipation in Keppel’s voice, and Vexin grinned. Keppel often had that effect on people. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff and leaning forward to look over the edge into the abyss.

Scary.

“Do you know Methrym’s plan?”

“No, my emperor, but I’m sure he has everything under control.”

“I agree I think,” Vexin mused. “After the Elvissan affair last year, he will be doubly careful in keeping on top of things. I’m sure nothing will go wrong this time. It had better not.”

The three men drank a toast to Methrym’s success, and then went their separate ways. Vexin went to join his beloved wife Dulcinea in bed, Bothmar to his letter writing, and Keppel to his hobby of ornamental fish.

Each to his own, as Vexin would say.

* * *

Methrym glared through the bars at the bowmen on the walls. The moon was half full, but enough light made its way through the clouds for him to watch them silhouetted against the sky.

“Any sign, Cous?” Soren said quietly.

“Not yet,” he replied without taking his eyes from the bowmen.

Terriss hadn’t reappeared, and neither had any of his men come back from their trip into the city. He prayed to the God for Lorenz to hold the hotheads away from Talayan until he received the signal. If he didn’t, all would be for nothing.

“How did the slaves… the
real
slaves take it?” he asked his cousin in a whisper.

Soren shrugged. It was a movement barely seen in the gloom. The torches, what few were lit, were not for the convenience of the slaves. They were there so the bowmen could peruse the merchandise to keep from falling asleep. He would like to make them sleep forever.

“About as you would expect. Mostly disbelief at first followed by hope. They’re willing to help, but the children will be a hindrance.”

The pressure Methrym exerted on his jaw was in danger of breaking teeth. He forced himself to release the anger so he might think better.

“No one is staying in this… this
cesspit!
” he said furious at the very idea. “Not while I can do something about it.”

“I didn’t mean—” Soren began.

“I know, forgive my temper cousin. If Terriss had followed orders, we would be sacking this shit hole by now!”

“A sack!” Soren voice rose in surprise.

“
Keep your voice down!
” he hissed.

Soren glanced quickly at the guards and lowered his voice. “A sack? I thought we were going to raid the place and run.”

Soren’s reaction would have been amusing under other circumstances, but nothing here was the least amusing. If things didn’t start happening soon, he might well find himself a slave for the rest of his life. It would be short, he would see to that, and take as many Japurans with him as he could.

“I never planned a raid, cousin. I told you that in the beginning. You saw Vexin’s orders. He specifically asked for a small war, not a raid. I’ve decided to burn this stinking place to the ground—after we steal everything not nailed down of course.”

Soren chuckled but he smothered it. Laughing was foreign to this place of misery, and might draw unwanted attention.

Methrym completely missed the thing he had been looking for. Not surprising really, he was looking toward the north wall, but it was behind him that the first of the borderers struck. One moment there was a guard standing upon the wall fantasising about what he would do if he could afford one of the women in the pens below, the next, a borderer stood in his place. It all happened so fast that none of the other guards noticed a thing until the borderers had control of the southern wall. The first Japuran to realise something was wrong, was standing on the north wall above the gate, but he didn’t shout the alarm, he couldn’t, he had a Japuran war arrow through his larynx.

Methrym hissed in excitement as the guards fell to arrows. One or two flew back, but from the lack of outcry he assumed, incorrectly, that they had all missed. In fact, two of Terriss’ men fell that night, but neither cried out. They died in silence to give their families a last gift and hope of escape. In no time at all, the walls were devoid of Japurans.

Terriss ran out of a building with a ring of keys that jingled as he raced to find the correct one. Finally, after three attempts at the lock on Methrym’s cage, he found it and opened the door. Methrym dove out and struck the man full in the face with his entire weight behind the blow. Terriss flew back from the force of the punch, but he rolled to his feet with a dagger in hand. Blood was flowing freely from his broken nose and pulped lips.

“Betray me again, and I will kill you!” Methrym growled. “Open the others.”

Terriss threw the keys to one of his men.

Soon all the slaves were free of the cages, and Methrym detailed men to help with the little ones. The armour and weapons were reclaimed from under the wagons while he urged them to greater speed.

“Quiet!” he hissed and the excited murmurs were silenced. “I’m going to burn this stinking place to the ground. I’ll not leave our people behind in chains. All those willing to fight, step forward.” As one, the entire body of ex-slaves moved forward—even the women with babes in arms. He shook his head in annoyance. “All right, the men then—those without family here.”

There was a rumble of agreement and hate from the slaves—ex-slaves now—and he realised they were his. They were more his at this moment than his own men were.

Soren helped to prop the iron gate open and keep watch. He nodded to Methrym and went through quietly. The men without families to protect ran silent as death down the connecting streets. Methrym shivered. The Japurans, those that lived beyond this night, would never again be able to look at a slave without remembering Talayan.

With Soren at his side, Methrym made his way quietly toward the main gates of the city. Having his armour and sword back made him feel better, but by no means secure. He had thousands willing to fight, but only his original force was armed with swords. More than once a pedestrian started to give the alarm on sighting them, but Terriss’ bowmen turned them into pincushions before they could utter more than a startled cry of surprise. Upon sighting the gate towers, he held the bowmen back with the women and children. He stood in the shadows at the mouth of the alley trying to decide how many guards he would be facing.

Soren’s impatient sigh decided the matter.

Methrym stepped casually out of the alley backed by Soren and his men marching in column. Trying to appear as if they belonged, they marched toward the towers. Terriss’ men covered them with their bows, but having that man with a bow behind him made his skin crawl. He clenched his fists. He had to trust Terriss this time. No choice.

Most of Talayan’s forces were asleep in barracks, and why not? Japura didn’t know it was at war. The slaves would take care of the garrison by the simple expedient of locking the doors and burning the place to the ground. Those men would soon be sleeping the sleep of the dead. Methrym chose the tower on the left, leaving Soren the right. He gave the signal and they shoved the doors open at the same instant. The fight was brief but savage. His men had no intention of being recaptured and that made them ferocious. No quarter was given, neither was it expected of the Japurans after seeing the slave pens. The battle was over almost before it began with the Japuran guards falling one by one. Methrym waved his men up the tower steps while he puzzled out the gate mechanism. The clang and shout of battle rose above him, but he took no notice.

There was a large crank that he assumed he needed to turn, but where was the lock? He heard a rumbling coming from outside and realised the lock must be in Soren’s tower. He quickly applied himself to the crank and opened his gate before running outside to signal Terriss.

A flicker of light within the alley, and an arrow flying into the air like a shooting star was his reply. He hoped Lorenz had sharp eyes. That was answered soon enough when the thunder of hooves heralded his approach. Methrym gestured everyone away from the gate less they be trampled, and lucky he did. Lorenz charged through with eight thousand men at his back yelling for all they were worth.

“What kept you?” Lorenz said as his men thundered by.

“A slight change in plans, Lorenz. We have women and children to see to,” he said waving a hand at the ex-slaves.

Lorenz’ eyes widened. “So I see. Orders?”

“Much the same as before. Kill all the men, free the slaves, loot everything in sight, and burn
Invincible
Talayan to the ground!”

“Burn it!” Lorenz gasped. “I don’t think Talitha will like that.”

“Screw her,” Methrym growled remembering the slave compound. “Vexin will, and that’s all that matters as far as I’m concerned. Now go.”

“By your command!” Lorenz said and rode after his men.

Methrym could already hear the wails and screams as the slave revolt gained a strong following. Fires were leaping up all over, and he knew much of Vexin’s loot would be lost. Not all of it though, and Talayan is…
was
fabulously wealthy. His men should be able to save a good deal of it. Looking around himself at the homes of the wealthy, he estimated that he would be able to carry away enough to buy all of Tanjung with money to spare.

Slavery is profitable it seems.

That thought wiped the smile from his face. Looking for something to do, he ordered the women and children out of the city and into the fields. They didn’t need to see or hear what was going on in those rich houses. Even if he was inclined to give them one, which he wasn’t, his men were unlikely to heed an order from him preventing the rape of the women. The slaves were raped every day of their lives just by being slaves, raped of their right to choose how to live, and that didn’t include the men and women who were raped in the usual sense of the word either. As far as he was concerned, all those living here were responsible for that and deserved their fate. He watched the fires leaping into the sky and smiled grimly. This was justice, his justice.

Women and children were flowing out of the gates in an unceasing flood. There seemed to be a lot more than he remembered seeing in the compound. He walked along the line a short way trying to see its end but he couldn’t! More were joining the line even as he watched. It seemed that someone had told them all to head this way and that was what they had done.

How would he feed them all?

“I’ll find a way,” he muttered thinking about the march ahead. “No reason to panic, the border isn’t that far.”

It wasn’t long before wagons began moving through the gate driven by Lorenz’ men. Methrym peeked inside one as it headed for the gate. It was full, and he did mean
absolutely full
, of gold coin. It was so full, he was surprised the wagon could carry it all.

“Where did you get all that?” he said in shock. He didn’t recognise the driver, but he thought he might be a friend or cousin of Lorenz.

“It’s the treasury!” the man said with so much glee, Methrym thought he was going to float off his seat. “Lorenz told me to keep an eye out for it.”

“Be careful not to run off the road. With that load you’ll bog down in no time.”

“It
is
a little heavy for a wagon this size,” the driver admitted. “We could only find these three.”

Three?

Methrym peered into the darkness and saw the other two heading his way. He waved the first one through and went to see this miracle. Two more wagon full of gold coin was… it was… there were no words to express it!

“We had to cover the wagon beds with shields to stop it breaking through the boards!” the third driver said laughing.