‘That’s possible. It’s also largely irrelevant now. Our only concern is Rintarah’s internal security, and we know that although crippled, the rebels still pose a threat. Which brings us back to the action I intend taking.’ A clamour broke out. The Elder raised a hand to silence it. ‘For those of you who waiver on this, let me add another factor.’ He turned and pointed to the pit. It was an intentionally dramatic gesture. ‘We all know that strange things have been happening to the energy mesh. My fear is that the disturbances will grow worse unless immediate steps are taken to trace their origin.’
‘You can’t be suggesting a connection, surely?’ Rhylan exclaimed. ‘What possible relation can there be between the rebels and the matrix?’
‘I don’t know. But it takes little effort to imagine a potential link between it and Caldason. Nor should we overlook Zerreiss.’
‘The warlord? Being cautious is a commendable trait, brother, but don’t you think you’re going a bit far? What does he have to do with the picture you’re painting for us?’
‘Perhaps nothing at all. Or he could be the lynchpin in this affair.’
‘Oh, come on, Felderth-’
‘Hear me out. We know he’s carving a domain for himself in the northern wastelands, and that alone makes him a threat. Then there’s the question of the mission we sent to investigate his activities, and the one Gath Tampoor dispatched. There seems little doubt both have been lost, and the chances are it was Zerreiss’s doing. If Caldason, the rebels and Zerreiss united we could be facing a much more formidable menace than a mere handful of traitors.’
‘If. It’s not our way to talk ourselves into a panic over hypothetical possibilities. What would they have in common?’
‘A hatred of the empires seems a good enough impetus to me. Zerreiss certainly has no respect for us or Gath Tampoor; he’s attacked both our colonies with equal zeal. He might see a benefit in joining with our enemies. And I suspect that’s how Gath Tampoor sees it, too.’
‘This is all supposition. Where’s the proof?’
‘I’ve no hard evidence. But I do have something I think is heavily circumstantial.’ He took a parchment scroll from his robe and placed it on the table. ‘Recently, I noticed an anomaly. The last three or four occasions when the matrix became agitated occurred on what seemed to be significant dates. When I checked I discovered the upheavals coincided with Zerreiss’s conquests. I set our officials to compiling a list of his victories and major battles, and when they took place. Every one of them tallied with a disturbance in the matrix. It’s all there.’ He nodded at the scroll.
Rhylan picked it up. ‘And this is indicative of what, exactly?’ His tone held an uncertainty that hadn’t been there before.
‘Again, I don’t know. But there’s a definite correlation. And with each conquest he makes, with each step nearer our sphere of influence, the disturbances grow stronger.’
‘There’s no doubt about this?’ his brother said, studying the scroll.
‘None.’ The Elder addressed them all. ‘Don’t you see? We have something here that’s unprecedented. If there’s the slightest prospect of it affecting our position we’re bound to act. We’ve survived as long as we have by anticipating threats, and stamping down hard at the first sign of any opposition to our power. Ask yourselves this: what do we have to lose by taking action, bar a few lives amongst the lower orders? Inaction, on the other hand, could prove disastrous.’
Largely favourable murmurs rose from the Council.
‘I propose we vote on this,’ a supporter suggested.
‘Those in agreement with military action as outlined,’ Jacinth said, ‘raise your hands.’ He scanned the table. ‘And against?’ There was a quick reckoning. ‘The ayes have it.’
But only just.
Rhylan got up. ‘A word on behalf of the naysayers, brother?’
The Elder nodded.
‘There’s wisdom in what you’ve told us, as usual. But I know you’ll respect the reservations some of us have. In recognition of that, I’d like to suggest a rider to the Council’s decision.’
‘Of course.’
‘We should be kept fully informed at every stage of this operation.’
‘Naturally, that goes without saying.’
‘And in the event of any mishap, any hint that this enterprise was misconceived, a further vote shall be taken with a view to instantly recalling our forces. The outcome of such a ballot to be absolutely binding.’
‘You ask no more than that which would have been freely given, Rhylan. So be it.’ He rose. ‘There are busy days ahead and we all have our tasks. Unless anyone else wishes to speak…? Good. Then I suggest we adjourn and go about our business.’
The Council dispersed in whispering groups.
But the brothers lingered, and, as one, moved back to the pit.
The Elder gestured, reactivating the silvery mass. Visions came again. Views of the streets, squares and parks of Jecellam, once the most orderly of all capitals, now fraying at the edges.
Snow had begun to fall. It dusted the shoulders of dissenters and enforcers alike, and tempered unlawful fires, but it did nothing to quench the passion for justice.
At a silent command from the Elder, the empire’s largest port came into focus. A great invasion fleet was at anchor there. Lines of stevedores chained provisions from hundreds of wagons jamming the dockside, while battalions of harbour marshals swelled the crowd, making preparations for the embarkation of a waiting army. Ships were so numerous they queued out into the bay; a seemingly endless prospect of nodding masts and fluttering sails.
And beyond, the vast expanse of a heaving ocean.
12
Flying the colours of the freebooter alliance, around a dozen ships lay at anchor within sight of the Diamond Isle.
The small fleet’s number had recently been reduced. Not through the attrition of warfare, but a cause less predictable, and one that left fury in its wake.
On the deck of the largest vessel, Kingdom Vance vented his anger.
‘Three ships! Three damn ships, and two score men!’
‘So you said,’ Kinsel Rukanis told him.
Vance turned from the rail and faced the singer. ‘You find this amusing?’
‘Instructive would be a better word.’ He was shivering from the cold, and found little protection in his threadbare garments.
‘Instructive? The only lesson I draw is that a bunch of turncoats switched sides.’
‘Have you thought why?’
‘Why?’ There was genuine menace in his tone. ‘Because they’re cowards!’
‘Isn’t it possible they deserted because they realised the futility of what you’re trying to do?’
‘That’s just another way of saying they’re spineless. I’m better off without scum like that.’
‘Or could it be that they saw the justice of the rebels’ cause?’
Vance laughed cynically. ‘They’re fools as well as lily-livered if they think that. They deserve each other.’
‘You surprise me, Captain. I thought you’d feel an affinity with the rebels, given they stand against the authorities.’
‘Then you think wrong, singer. I’ve no love for the empires, but at least you know where you are with them. They’ve got power, and don’t have any scruples about using it. I can respect that. The only thing of any account in this world is what you can grab with your own two hands.’
‘If that’s what you truly believe, I’m sorry for you.’
‘Save your pity for yourself, Rukanis. And think on this. The people on that island chose to leave their homes and come here. By doing that they deprived us of a land of our own. That makes them my enemy.’
‘Who’s being self-pitying now? You chose your way of life. Were you forced into piracy? Did somebody hold a blade to your throat? No. Make an accommodation with the islanders, Vance, as your deserters have. End this lunacy.’
‘You come out with that refrain as regularly as any of your airs, and I’m growing tired of it. There’ll be no truces or climb-downs. And the ones who ran out on me are going to pay for it when I take that island.’
‘If you take it.’
Lightning swift, Vance swung his fist into the side of Rukanis’s head. It was a savage blow, and the singer would have fallen if he hadn’t been standing with his back to a mast. His cheek instantly reddened. A dribble of blood seeped from his swelling lip.