House of Lust (57 page)

The commander took a deep breath.  “My arrival has certainly upset someone here.  You for one.  Now someone wants me dead.  Who else could it be other than yourself?  Have you approached one of these non-existent criminal gangs to carry out a murder on your behalf?”

Evas waved both hands in alarm.  “No, no no!  I’d never do anything like that!  There are other ways…..”

As he tailed off Vosgaris smiled cynically.  “To deal with me, yes I’m aware of that.  Going behind my back and squealing to the emperor or whoever.  Let me tell you how you’re viewed by the palace.  They don’t like you.  They would rather someone of action be here.  Perhaps, Governor, Astiras Koros has appointed me here to see how I handle affairs in the military sphere, and if I do a decent enough job, could decide to have you removed and instal me in your place.  If I am murdered, then he’ll certainly look at you and ask how it was you allowed this to happen.  I doubt you would last longer than ten days after my death.”

Evas muttered to himself, wringing his hands.  “But how can I take action if I don’t know who is responsible?”

“Then you pull any known associates of any criminal in and question them.  Thoroughly!”

“But innocents could be affected!”

“That’s a favourite word – and excuse –of yours, isn’t it?  Innocents.  Innocent of what?  Who is innocent?  No adult, for sure.  Everyone has a crime of some sort hidden away up here,” and he tapped his head.  He had a pang in his heart at that moment, but suppressed it.  “We know what crimes you are guilty of, so you’re no innocent, that’s a fact.  Anyone could level any accusation at anyone, and you more than most because trying to stop criminals doing
anything
is a crime in your eyes.  Don’t you understand that doing nothing is an equal crime, especially if you’re in a position of responsibility, being responsible to the people of this city.  Doing nothing means you’re letting them down, and the only people who prosper are the very same criminal gangs who you insist do not exist.  You are, in short, the best ally any criminal or outlaw in Niake could have.  They rely on you to allow them a free hand, and this is what you have done.  And why?  All because you are too frightened to take any action just in case you may be taking it against an innocent.”

Vosgaris sneered down at Evas.  “Well, I’ve been nearly murdered last night, and two of my men were.  I suppose they fell onto their swords in despair, did they?  Do your job and investigate it.  Or don’t and believe it’s a figment of my imagination.  Meanwhile I’m going to have to write to two families who are now without their fathers, or husbands.  But don’t worry, it never happened because crime doesn’t exist in Niake.”  He left, fuming.

Evas put his head in his hands.

The inquest was instant and thorough, and Thetos’ investigations soon unearthed a culprit.  One of the militia soldiers had been seen sneaking away with a bundle of papers just before light when he was supposed to have been on duty in the grounds.  He had been spotted by another guard who had wandered away from his post wanting to relieve himself and had been amongst some bushes when he saw his fellow guard making his way from the open window.

He hadn’t thought any more of it until the questioning had begun, and those on duty had been really extensively grilled.  The guard had then volunteered what he had seen, to get him out of a possible telling off for deserting his post.

The man who had taken the papers had not been found; it appeared he had passed through the main gates quite brazenly, opening them himself and joking with the other guards that he was taking toilet paper home.

The question of who had opened the window from the inside remained, as this man had not been inside the main residence all day and Argan had insisted all windows had been shut when he had turned in for the night.  That meant the three guard rosters who had been on duty at the door were suspect, and they were taken to separate rooms and then sent for one by one by the governor under guard with Kerrin leading the squad.

The two guards on the third watch, the one before dawn, stated they had not been in the room but their duty officer, a sub-commander Blek, had gone in for a few moments to check on the room.  He had been just a few moments and had come back out saying all was well and that the guards were not to allow anyone in.

Thetos looked at Argan.  “Blek.  That scrawny pimp.  I’ve never liked him, shifty eyes, false smile.”  He waved his hook at Kerrin.  “Get the guards to fetch him here now.”

“Sir – he’ll be sleeping,” one of the guards pointed out.

“Drag the shit here in his bed clothes.  No delay, he’s under arrest.”

Blek was brought in protesting loudly, held securely by two guards, dressed in shabby woollen underclothing.  “This is an outrage, Governor!  I demand an apology!”

“After I find out what you did in the hall this morning when you were on duty.”  Thetos pointed to Metila, then his hook box.  She smiled evilly and brought the flat box over to him, and he carefully unfastened the hook he had in, and then went over choosing a replacement very carefully.  Blek watched, his eyes wide and bulging.

Argan shiften uncomfortably.  “Governor – what are you going to do?  This man needs to tell us the truth.”

Thetos nodded absently and picked up his biggest hook.  “I can gut a bovine with this beauty,” he said in a conversational manner, and clicked it home.  “Now, Sub-Commander, shall we continue our discussion?  What did you do, and why?”

“I-I did nothing!  I was doing my rounds as per my orders!”

Thetos tutted and got out of his chair.  He walked up to the held man and ran the thick metal of his hook down the side of his face.  “I will insert this up into your scrotum and castrate you.  Then I shall give you to the most twisted and perverted squad I have in this city and allow them to use you as they see fit.  Then, and only then, I will bring you back here and ask you again.”

Blek swung to look at Argan.  “Your majesty!  You cannot allow this – this creature to abuse me like this!  Is this the sort of abomination the Koros permit to run whole provinces?”

Argan stepped across to come between the two.  “Governor – there must be another way in getting the truth out of this man.  I can’t permit such barbarity, even if he may have been responsible for the theft.”

Thetos looked disappointed.  “If you insist, sire.”  He nodded to the two men.  “Tie him to that chair, securely.”

The sub-commander was bound firmly.  Thetos checked it to his satisfaction.  “You may go,” he said to the guards.  They left, leaving Thetos, Argan, Metila and Kerrin with Blek.

“Metila,” Thetos said.  “This
kivok
has information.  Can you please do your best on him?”

Metila swayed in front of the bound man and eyed him, her tongue sliding over her lips.  “I hungry,” she told the worried-looking man.  “I eat.  You fresh meat.”

“Sire,” Blek looked up, swallowing, “you can’t allow her to do this to me!”

Argan went to say something, and Metila turned to him.  She switched to rapid Bragalese.  “This idiot thinks I’m being serious.  I’ve no wish to eat him; I may catch some illness!  Just play along with this, please,
Lakhani
.  I want him to be terrified without touching him.”

Argan nodded and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  He stepped up alongside Metila and slid an arm round her waist.  “This beautiful woman has my complete confidence.  She is my slave and only does what I wish.”  He added in Bragalese to Metila, “behave as if I am Thetos.”

Metila coyly slid up to Argan and entwined herself about him.  “I love Koros – they strong – I slave.  You,” she pointed at the fearful Blek, “are food.”

She advanced towards him, her tongue sliding out over her teeth and back into her mouth repeatedly.  “I eat soul as well – you become mine when I do.”

“S-Sire!” Blek pleaded.  He had heard rumours about this witch and didn’t know what were facts and what were mere stories.  He was terrified of her.

Thetos eyed Argan.  He raised an eyebrow and Argan shrugged and briefly gestured with his fingers in a vague way of explanation.  Kerrin looked extremely uncomfortable.  He had caught some of what had passed between Argan and Metila but not all.  He had to fill in some of the missing words.

Metila loomed over the helpless man and hissed, her teeth bared.  “I start with the sexual parts,” she said.  “You no longer man.”

“Sire!” Blek screamed.

Metila knelt and began unfastening the man’s leggings.

Blek broke.  “I was told to open the window, that was all!”

Thetos stepped forward.  “Who by?”

“Anonymous.”  He looked desperately up, pleading, as Metila continued unravelling his leggings.  Her fingers were inside, searching his flesh.  They closed around it and she opened her mouth wide, teeth exposed, a breath of pleasure escaping her.  “Letter in my room!” he screamed.

“Metila!” Thetos barked.

She stopped and looked up at him.  “You let me feed!”

“No, whore!” he yelled.  “Stop it right now!”

Sulking, she withdrew and stood up, glaring down at the trembling man.  “I will have you.  I need your parts for powerful spells and potions.”

Blek broke down into sobs of terror.  “Please sir,” he pleaded with the governor, “take me away from her, I’ll tell you everything!”

“Metila, go to your room now,” Thetos said softly, pointing at her door.

The witch snarled but whirled away, and as she passed Argan she winked at him.  Stalking, rather than walking, she left the room and slammed her door shut loudly.

The atmosphere in the main room palpably relaxed.  Thetos turned to Kerrin.  “Go to his room and fetch any letter you find there.  Where is it?” he asked Blek.

“Drawer, bedside.”  The milita officer hung his head and shook all over.

Thetos nodded to Kerrin.  The boy looked at Argan who signalled he could comply.

“Do I take any guards with me?” Kerrin asked by the door.

“No – I don’t trust any of them.  Who knows how far the rot has spread?”  Thetos leaned over Blek.  “How many others are like you, traitors?”

“I-I don’t know… I didn’t know of any others, honestly!”

“So how did you join this movement and why?” Argan asked, still shaken at the tactics used on the bound man.

Blek looked at him with dull eyes, all resistance gone from them.  “Promises of senior military position, something I’ll never get under him,” he jerked his head at the governor.  “The witch would be burned, something we all agree on.  She’s an abomination.  This regime is evil and has to be swept away, and if the emperor won’t do it then we will.  I was told Slavis will submit to the imperial rule on a promise no action would be taken against him or any of us who joined the rebellion.”

Thetos lifted the man’s head by pushing Blek’s chin up with the flat of his hook.  “Now you listen to me you damned fool, Slavis doesn’t care a jot about what I do or Metila does, he just wants the power here and will use imbeciles like you to get what he wants.  Once he does that he’ll march in and remove and replace you with his own men.”

Argan stepped aside.  “Governor, I must talk with you later.”

Thetos released Blek’s chin and sighed.  “Very well, sire.  This cretin doesn’t seem to understand if I get removed, you would be either held captive or put to the sword too.  Either way, the emperor would be down here with the Army of the East in no time, battering down the walls.”  He looked at Blek.  “Do you really think the emperor would spare any of you for endangering his son here?”

“The Prince here would have been released as a gesture of goodwill.”

Thetos snorted in disbelief.  Kerrin opened the door at that moment, holding a letter.  He passed it to Argan first, making sure Thetos knew who he looked to first.  Argan read it, then passed it to Thetos.  “Thanks Kerrin.  Keep guard of him while I go make sure Metila is alright.”

Argan went over to her room and knocked.  He got a muffled reply to enter and did so, finding Metila hanging up a big bunch of some plant cuttings, tied together by string.  “Metila, is everything alright?”

She stopped and looked at him in surprise.  “Yes,
Lakhani
.  Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I thought you might be upset about what went on out there.”

She shook her head.  “No, we got him to talk, as expected.  The fool didn’t know we were bluffing.  I’m not upset, I am merely the slave of the governor, after all.”

“That makes no difference to me,” Argan said.  “Everyone to me is important.  I know you have feelings just like anyone else and I wouldn’t want you to be in here upset on your own.”

Metila came over to him, wiping her hands together.  “
Lakhani
, you do not need to concern yourself over me unduly.  I’m stronger than you realise.”

“Even so, I care for you and wanted to know you were alright.”

Metila smiled slightly.  “Thank you
Lakhani
.  I shall be out soon.  I must tend my plants.”

Reassured, Argan returned to the main room, shutting Metila’s door.  Thetos was eyeing Blek thoughtfully.  “She’s alright, sire, she’s a tough one.  This rotten fruit here,” he gestured in contempt at Blek, “was supposed to recruit as many men as possible to the cause before Slavis made his move.”

“I would guess Slavis knows what goes on inside here, Governor, given the fact he’s recruited him plus at least one other.  We can’t assume that’s all there is to it.”

Thetos agreed.  “I hate to admit it sire, but you’re right.  I’ve a good mind to hand him over to Metila for her to suck every last portion of what he knows out of his head.”

Argan shook his head.  “I doubt he’s got anything more to tell us, and that letter there gives us as much as we need to know.”

“It doesn’t tell us where Slavis is, though, sire.”

Argan took the letter back and held it up to the window.  “Parchment.  Quite distinctively made.  Plants that grow along the Storma River are the best to make parchment, aren’t they?”

“Indeed sire.  Your education is quite comprehensive.”

Argan grinned.  “Father and mother made sure I got the best.  Metila knows plants, and I’m willing to stake my title that she’s capable of determining which plants precisely have gone to make this parchment.  Then all we have to do is to find out when they were harvested and who harvested them, and then it’s a logical step to find out who turned them into parchment and where their parchment went.”

Thetos slapped his thigh and laughed.  “Sire, you’re marvellous!  Of course!  What a mistake to make.  And the ink – I will have her do a comparison on it if she’s capable – and we can find out what that is made of and where that is available.  Great thundering hoofs, we’ll snare the
moklar
yet!  Oh, begging your pardon, sire.”

Argan made a conciliatory gesture.  “Granted but please moderate your language in future – I don’t want Kerrin picking up bad habits,” he grinned.

Kerrin’s lips twitched and Thetos chuckled.

“Governor, a word please in private, over here,” he beckoned Thetos to follow him to the far corner, away from Kerrin and the limp Blek.  He spoke softly so as not to be overheard.  “Governor, I would appreciate it if you went a little easier on the officers here.  They are not all bad or useless, but they feel as if you are treating them like the lowest ruffians of society and it is making them resentful.  Blek here no doubt is the worst example of them, but if one can be persuaded to change sides, then others may follow.  It may well be frustrating sometimes to deal with people who cannot or will not see things the way you do or wish them to, but treat them as people and not animals.  Please?  You do not need to humiliate them; use your position of command to order them appropriately.”

Thetos regarded the teenage prince for a moment, then nodded curtly.  “Very well, sire, I shall do my best.”