‘A mug of hot cider will start you off,’ said Foric, ‘and I’ll see what I can do in the kitchen.’
The young man nodded in thanks, then dug into his pocket for a silver coin, which he tossed onto the table between himself and Lorn. Foric grinned when he saw the coin, then went off to fetch the man’s order.
‘Gods, what a night,’ the soldier sighed. ‘I’ve been on patrol all day in the rain, went to my post to report, and now I’m just plain dog tired.’
‘Your post?’ queried Lorn. ‘You mean the library?’
The soldier nodded. Lorn couldn’t believe his luck.
‘Shouldn’t you be there now?’ he asked.
‘I should, but I needed to get away.’ The young man’s eyes turned glassy as he gazed into the fire. He was obviously troubled.
Lorn did his best to seem nonchalant. Next to him, Deine continued playing with Poppy. He turned to her with a practised smile, saying, ‘Deine, I think it’s time Reena got some sleep. Would you see to that for me, please? She likes it when you put her to bed.’
The older prostitute beamed, eagerly agreeing, then took Poppy upstairs, leaving only Lorn, the stranger, and Vanlandinghale in the main room. Van kept his back turned to them, but surprised Lorn by staying put. A moment later Foric returned with a tall glass full of steaming cider. He handed it to the stranger, who took it gratefully.
‘Ah, thanks,’ said the soldier. With both hands he tilted the drink into his mouth, then gave a loud smack of content.
‘I’ll have food for you shortly,’ said Foric. ‘We’ve had hardly any customers all day, so the ovens aren’t warm.’
‘I can wait,’ said the soldier. ‘Thanks.’
As Foric disappeared toward the kitchens the man leaned back in his chair, clutching his hot drink desperately in his hands. Rivulets of water dripped down from the curls on his forehead. He bit his lip as he stared into the fire, as if lost in faraway thought.
‘So,’ began Lorn carefully, ‘how long have you been a Royal Charger? You look rather young.’
Across the room, Van heard the question and cocked his head to listen.
‘I’m not really a Charger, not like the others,’ said the soldier. ‘I just wear the uniform. But Breck says I’m a Charger, and I guess that’s good enough.’
Lorn nodded as if he understood. ‘So you’re a soldier, then.’
‘I volunteered, like a lot of others.’ The young man focused on Lorn suddenly. ‘You’re not from around here, are you? You have an accent.’
‘I’m Norvan,’ replied Lorn. ‘New to the city.’
‘So you probably don’t know, then. About the library, I mean. Most of the real Royal Chargers left Koth. They fled to become mercenaries or just deserted. But some others stayed. Breck was one of the old ones. He knew King Akeela. He even knew the Bronze Knight.’
‘Really,’ drawled Lorn.
The stranger took a pull of cider. ‘It’s true. Breck and Lukien are old comrades. The Bronze Knight is in Jador now, across the Desert of Tears.’
Was that interesting? Lorn didn’t know. He had heard of the Bronze Knight’s legend, but that was so long ago it hardly seemed to matter now. He was far more interested in Breck.
‘So Breck, your commander,’ he continued. ‘He has a lot of volunteers like you?’
‘As many as he can get. He calls all of us his Royal Chargers so we don’t forget the old days, the way it was before the wars. He and the real Chargers train us. We’re the defenders of Koth.’
‘The old days, eh?’ Unable to stop himself, Lorn’s eyes flicked toward Van, who remained still, seated with his back to them. ‘And you’re keeping the city safe,’ he told the young man, loudly enough for Van to hear. ‘That’s admirable. Loyalty is a good thing. A man should defend his home.’
The stranger frowned. ‘So why’d you leave Norvor?’
‘Because,’ said Lorn crossly, ‘there was nothing left for me. Jazana Carr took over my country.’
The soldier nodded and leaned back, his expression miserable. ‘I know. And now she’s got her eyes on Liiria.’
Lorn sat forward. ‘Oh?’
‘She’s on her way,’ said the young man. ‘I was just out on patrol with some others, riding the Norvan border. I was gone for days, around Andola mostly. Jazana Carr is massing near the city.’
‘Are you sure?’ Lorn asked. ‘You saw them?’
‘Hard to miss them! She’s got an army five times the size of Ravel’s at least, and more on the way. Baron Ravel’s forces are rallying to stop her, but they won’t be enough. Neither will we.’ The soldier’s face tightened with dread. ‘Ravel’s got a stronghold in Andola, a castle that should be able to hold Carr’s forces for a while. And he’s been building defences along the border. Still, it won’t matter for long.’
It was stunning news, and it had come sooner than Lorn had expected. For a moment he was speechless, his mind racing with possibilities. At last Jazana Carr had come. Was he ready? Could he make this fellow Breck believe him? He glanced over at Van. The former mercenary had put down his drink, sitting with slumped shoulders. His silence and defeated posture angered Lorn.
‘Van, come here,’ he commanded. Van heard him but took his time answering.
‘What is it?’ Van replied without turning around.
‘I want you to hear this,’ said Lorn.
‘I heard already.’
‘Did you? And you’re just going to sit there ignoring it?’
It was enough of a jibe to get Vanlandinghale out of his chair. He stood and regarded Lorn with a peculiar expression.
‘We had a deal, Akan,’ he said evenly. ‘No more talk about politics, remember?’
‘I remember. But this young fellow has news even you should care about — news about Jazana Carr.’ Lorn gestured to the stranger, who was obviously confused, and asked him his name.
‘My name is Aric,’ he answered. ‘Aric Glass.’
‘Glass?’ Lorn reared with surprise. ‘There’s only one Liirian I know of with that surname.’
‘Aye, Baron Glass is my father,’ admitted Aric, none too keenly. ‘Or he was, before he abandoned us. Captain Breck told me about him.’ A shadow darkened young Aric’s face. ‘My father was in Norvor with Jazana Carr. All those years the rest of the world thought he was dead, he was in bed with that whore. Now he’s in Jador with the Bronze Knight.’
‘I know about your father,’ said Lorn. He struggled to keep the bitterness from his tone. ‘I know about him helping Jazana Carr.’ He turned to Van, asking, ‘Did you know him? When you worked for Carr?’
Van shook his head. ‘That was before my time with her.’
Aric didn’t seem interested. ‘Don’t expect me to defend him, sir. My father left me and my family to rot here in Liiria, all the while living in luxury with the Diamond Queen. Breck says he’s a good man. I say he’s a bastard.’ The young soldier laughed mirthlessly. ‘And now he’s safe again in Jador, while the rest of us have to fight off his old lover! Fate above, what a father!’
‘Some say he’s a hero,’ said Van. ‘Some say he left Jazana Carr to help defend Liiria.’
‘Yeah, well you would say that, wouldn’t you?’ hissed Aric. ‘You worked for that bitch Jazana Carr?’
Van nodded. ‘That’s right.’
‘Then you’re a traitor.’ Aric looked at Van fearlessly. ‘Just like my father, you ran away.’
Lorn expected Van to erupt, but he did not. He merely took the insults, strangely mute.
‘Van, you heard what the boy said,’ Lorn continued. ‘Jazana Carr is on the move, just like you said she’d be.’
‘So I was right,’ said Van. ‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘She’s heading for Koth,’ Lorn reminded him.
‘Oh, don’t waste your time,’ spat Aric. ‘This man’s a dog, a mercenary. He doesn’t care about anything but money.’
‘This dog is my friend,’ snapped Lorn. ‘And he’s not one of the bitch-queen’s freelances any more. Or hadn’t you noticed?’
Just then Foric returned with a plate of hot food. Stepping between them, he laid down the plate with a smile, took the silver coin from the table, and left without a word. The tension in his wake was palpable. Young Aric spied the food but didn’t eat. He ground his jaw grudgingly.