Cheris lay on her bed half asleep, watching little Rosamund snaffle the last of the meaty treats she had cadged for her from the kitchens. Outside, through her small window, it was dark already,
Felmere Castle nestling gently under its coverlet of stars. Though the night was relatively young and she had only just eaten her early-evening meal she felt quite prepared to stay where she was
till morning. The cat finished its food, preened itself for a minute and hauled itself on to the bed before curling up into her midriff and falling asleep.
She was about to forego her evening prayers (again) and blow out the candle on her bedside cabinet when there came a quiet but firm tap on her door. She groaned, sat up on her pillows,
disturbing the cat, and ran her fingers through her hair.
‘Come in.’
The door opened and Morgan strode in briskly, shutting the door behind him. She had barely seen him since the elves had found her and did not know how to react.
‘Can I help you?’
He pulled a chair up to the bed and sat on it, noticing the wariness in her eyes.
‘Yes, I am sorry, I have not really had a chance to speak to you since we arrived but I have been busy.’
‘That is understandable.’
‘Maybe, I am not one for all this responsibility really.’
‘You seem to be doing just fine – from what I can see you have the respect of everybody here. So what exactly do you want with me anyway?’
He looked at the floor for a second as though preparing to say something he had no wish to. ‘You know that by letting you roam free here I am technically breaking the law.’
She nodded slowly, and knowingly. ‘I have been waiting for this.’
‘Any mage called to the mainland should be in the presence of at least two Knights of the Thorn at all times. You have to be watched, in case you choose to set fire to someone in a fit of
pique.’
‘So you will be sending for some knights as soon as you can?’
Morgan smiled, running his fingers over his scar. ‘The only knights we can reach at present are in the south with Esric. Getting a message to them will be difficult.’ She looked at
him blankly, letting him continue.
‘May I be frank?’ he said. She nodded. ‘We all know why the nobles keep the mages hidden well away from the world, and watch them like hawks when they summon them.’
‘We do? I thought it was because we were a danger to the people.’
‘Think about it. You are dangerous, that cannot be denied, but you have full control over your powers. You do not threaten without a reason. No, what the nobles fear is that you will get
the idea into your head that you could supplant them and rule in their stead. Now, as far as I am concerned, if you wish you can depose me any time you choose; this very moment if you
like.’
She giggled, unable to control yourself. ‘Are you suggesting I attack you?’
‘I would rather you didn’t. What I am trying to say, badly, is that I have no inclination to change your current situation at the present. People here know what you are, but I have
explained to those that matter that you are not well and are recuperating. A lot of the time the knights are for show, to reassure the people that the scary mage is being watched. People here,
though, are much more concerned about the war and they have accepted my words about you for now.’
‘Thank you, Morgan; I appreciate it.’
He nodded and got up to leave but stopped at the door.
‘What is wrong exactly?’
Their eyes locked for a minute, his curious, hers guarded.
‘Nothing.’ she said.
He sat down on the chair again. ‘I see one of the kitchen cats has adopted you.’
‘Yes, she must have come in when the maid was here.’
‘Given her a name?’
‘Rosamund.’
‘Any reason?’
‘No, it just popped into my head.’
‘You know what they say about mages and their cats.’
‘Witches and their cats you mean.’
‘I suppose so. Sorry. There was no slur implied.’
‘None was taken. May I keep her?’
‘Of course, as long as you tell me what is wrong.’
‘Persistent, aren’t you?’
‘Yes. I am trusting you enough not to call for men to watch over you. You could at least tell me.’
‘Very well.’ She eased herself off the bed the other side from Morgan and started to pace the room. She did not look at him directly.
‘It was something Baron Felmere said before the battle I fought in. It was mentioned almost as an afterthought. He requested that none of those present attack and violate the women of the
town. He spoke as though such an action was commonplace.’
‘It is, on both sides.’
‘Why? Are men such beasts?’
‘Not normally, but this is war; it changes things.’
‘How? Are there not girls at the camp who provide such a service, such an outlet for frustrated passion?’
He caught her sombre, worried face at last. She stopped pacing and looked directly at him. He spoke, slowly and deliberately.
‘You think what Trask did to you was because he thought you attractive? I can assure you that was not the reason he did what he did. It has nothing to do with sex. It is about power and
control. To do such a thing to the enemy’s womenfolk is to show them what defeat means; they do it because they can and there is no one to stop them. It is something the women in the theatre
of war have come to accept; it is the price they pay if their men are not brave or strong enough to protect them.’
‘Then you know my next question.’
‘No.’
‘You were with Felmere’s men, yes?’
Realisation dawned on him. ‘You are asking if I have done such a thing?’
‘It is a reasonable thing to ask, I believe. We are alone in here; I think I should know.’
‘The army changes people, Cheris; they do things they would normally abhor. It takes a lot to drive a blade into a man, keeping a grip on it as his blood flows over your fingers. At least,
it does the first time; the second time is easier, and the third easier still. Killing becomes mundane after a while, all the more so if you earn the admiration of your peers by doing it. If men
you respect take and use the enemy’s womenfolk, why should not you? These are the wives, mothers and daughters of men you hate, after all.’
‘Mothers and daughters?’
‘Are all fair game. Aged seventy years or ten they need to be shown what supporting the wrong side means.’
‘You truly believe this? If so, I would like you to leave.’
‘I have not yet answered your question.’
‘Then answer it. I am getting tired.’
‘I will not deny it. Many of the men in this garrison, in this army, are guilty of the same thing as Sir Trask. I am not one of them, though.’
Her breath hissed through her teeth. ‘Should I believe you?’
‘Yes. I never have because I have a ... loyalty to someone, a trust I do not wish to betray.’
‘To whom?’
‘My wife.’
She gave an exclamation of surprise. ‘I did not know you were married! I rather thought the opposite was true, given the way Lady Mathilde keeps looking at you.’
‘You are misreading the situation. Besides, though, I say I am married but the situation is a little more complicated than that.’
‘How so? You are either married or not?’
‘Now who is being persistent?’
‘It is part of my mage training. Questions lead to truth, do they not?’
He seemed to weary a little and stopped looking at her.
‘Very well, I will tell you. Few people know everything. I have just spent weeks with an exotic and highly curious elf maiden and even she failed to get it out of me. You are to be
congratulated, I suppose.’
Morgan stood and faced the door, lost in his memories.
‘It would be sixteen years ago now that we married. Her name is ... was Lisbeth and she was literally from the next farm to me. Usually such marriages are family arrangements designed to
secure land or money, or both, but in our case it was a genuine love match. She was a little younger than I, but sharp and pretty and a world cleverer than I would ever be. We used to tease each
other a lot, make each other laugh; we genuinely enjoyed each other’s company and so married almost as soon as we could. Within a year we had Erik, a boy who fortunately took after his mother
in both looks and manner. We lost another a year later, due to a harsh winter, but we had plenty of time for more children. Plenty.’
He stopped, his back to Cheris.
‘I am sorry, Morgan. If this is too difficult...’
‘No, I have started now. Anyway, ten years ago, sorry, nearly eleven now, there were rumours of war brewing in the east. As I was to find out later a baron called Corax whose lands
bordered Roshythe was agitating the Arshumans by laying claim to the city. He was an idiot who fell prey to Arshuman plotting. They goaded him into a foolish attack in which he was killed and his
army routed. They had been planning for war for some time and used this as a pretext for a full invasion, smashing our useless defences and getting as far as Athkaril before being stopped.
‘What did I and all the other peasants like me around Glaivedon know of all this? Very little. We had families to feed. Anyway, I had goods to sell and so said goodbye to my wife, child,
parents and grandfather and took the wagon into the town of Glaivedon, some ten miles westward. After selling the goods and making a tidy profit I retired to the inn. I fully intended to eat and
return home that day; I had promised my wife this, after all. But there were rumours of war and much gossip floating around so I had a drink and listened. Then I had another, and another.
Eventually I crashed out on the floor, my mind a fog. War seemed imminent so I decided to talk to the family about evacuation when I got home.
‘Turned out, the Arshuman attack had started days before; they already were within a few miles of us. Blithely ignorant, I rode my sore head home.’
‘And when you got there?’ Cheris asked quietly.
‘My parents’ home was burned to the ground. I saw my parents’ bodies. My father had resisted – he had been cut to pieces – and my grandfather – killed by a
single dagger thrust. My home, a small building next to a brook less than a mile from my parents’, was undisturbed. But my wife and child had gone.’
‘Gone? You found no bodies?’
‘None.’
‘So what happened to them?
‘I do not know. Not for certain.’
‘The refugee city; perhaps they fled there.’
‘As soon as I could I went there. I wandered every inch of the shit-lined streets calling for her, but there was nothing. I did hear what had happened to others, though.’
‘What? What did you hear?’
‘What is war without profit? I heard that the Arshumans had received a lot of gold from slavers out of Fash and Kudreya. They were following in the train of the army, picking up those they
could make money out of, then shipping them back to their homelands. My father resisted so he was killed; both my mother and grandfather were frail and sick so they were of no use to anyone. My
wife, though, was pretty and a boy could give them many years’ service. So I believe they were taken, sent to Artorus knows where – to what end I do not wish to think.’
‘But that might not have happened; they could have fled west.’
‘It has been ten years, Cheris. They would have made contact by now and I have searched long and hard, too. Anyway, after this happened I joined the army, determined to slay every Arshuman
I ever came across. And that, basically, is what I have done. Of course, if I had kept my word and returned when I said I would, rather than pissing away my money in the Glaivedon
tavern...’
‘Then you would be dead now ... or a slave. You cannot blame yourself for this.’
‘Easier said than done. Anyhow, I have taken up enough of your time.’
‘No, wait.’ Cheris came towards him and gently put a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her, his face grey, drawn and tired.
‘Morgan, it is a terrible loss, one I cannot imagine. I have never been in love after all, but you will have to accept that they are gone. Do not deny yourself any chance of what little
happiness might come along; there is little of it enough in this world as it is. You cannot live your live like an Artoran hermit.’
‘As I said, easier said than done.’
‘So you have been single all this time?’
‘Pretty much.’
‘That is such a long time. Until what happened to me happened I took every opportunity for physical solace that I had. That will change now, I fear. The mage in the south,
Mikel...’
‘What? You mean the two of you...’
‘Yes.’
‘I thought the college banned such things.’
‘Technically, yes, but even the Knights of the Thorn know you can’t deny human nature. You just have to be careful, that is all. Mikel and I had an arrangement. I was not his only
woman nor he my only man. It is something we just accepted. Such is life in a place with no marriage or open affection allowed.’
‘It sounds terrible.’
‘It is not so bad. Nobody ever raped me there.’
‘That is a salient point.’ He placed the chair back to its original position. ‘Now I had better leave you to your sleep. Make sure little Rosamund has some water.’
‘I am sorry, by the way.’
‘What for, by the Gods?’
‘I have been a little mistrustful of you. I saw you as another Trask, another soldier who thought others existed only to do his bidding. I was very wrong.’
‘That is all right, but please do not ever compare me to that man again. We have a history, but that is a tale for another time. You seem very persuasive, though; I am sure you will get it
out of me someday. Good night to you.’ He bowed slightly and left the room, shutting the door quietly.
Cheris climbed back on to the bed feeling a little guilty as to her brusqueness with him. Rosamund saw her chance and snuggled back to the selfsame part of Cheris’s midriff that she had
inhabited earlier. Within minutes the two of them were asleep.
Outside the keep and the castle, within the dark and fetid heart of the city, things were quiet. The threat of war coming closer than it had been for years had brought a
sobriety to the townsfolk and the taverns and brothels were doing a poor trade. Inns and the tumbledown tenements overlooking the river were doing better, though, as they had rooms to rent and the
influx of refugees fleeing Grest and other towns were filling the landlords’ pockets.