Gorm looked momentarily disappointed.
‘If I judge you worthy, I believe that a polearm of some kind would be fitting. There are several enhancements that could be made,’ said Barandas. ‘A lightning-emitting head, perhaps, or a shaft able to shape the winds to its wielder’s will…’
The Watchman immediately perked up. Yes. Definitely a dreamer.
There was a sudden commotion near the gates. ‘Get out of my damned way, Garmond,’ growled an irate voice. The huge Augmentor was blocking his view of the newcomer, but Barandas recognized the speaker immediately.
‘Let him pass,’ he ordered. He took a deep breath. This was going to be unpleasant.
Garmond moved aside. Rorshan marched towards him.
‘Commandant!’ he barked. ‘My magic’ — he gestured to the whip on the left side of his belt, then the dagger on the other — ‘has gone, and I feel like… like a part of me has died inside. Commission new bondmagic for me. Please.’
Barandas looked his erstwhile comrade in the eye. ‘Rorshan, you served Dorminia well for many years. Your bravery ensured the safety of our vassal towns and villages countless times. I mourned when I learned that our lord’s ritual consumed your magic. Of all the men I lost that night, your dispossession was the greatest tragedy.’
‘But I can still serve,’ said Rorshan. ‘I was on my way to Farrowgate to confront an abomination when I was summoned to the Obelisk. Replace these weapons and I will return there and do my best to protect the village — as I have always done!’ Desperation coloured his voice.
Barandas shook his head. ‘You ask the impossible,’ he said softly. ‘The binding spell can only be performed once. A second attempt will kill a man. It has been tried in the past, many times, and the result has always been fatal. I am sorry, Rorshan, but you need to put this part of your life behind you. I have recommended you for an officer’s position in the Watch-’
‘Fuck the Watch!’ Rorshan exclaimed. His grip on his weapons had tightened so that his hands had turned white. ‘You don’t know what it’s like. I can’t sleep. Sometimes I start to shake and it won’t stop. There’s a part of me that’s been ripped out, and if something doesn’t fill the emptiness soon I swear I’m going to make the bastard responsible pay.’
‘Easy, Rorshan,’ Barandas said. ‘You’re suffering. That’s normal when an Augmentor loses his bondmagic. I can help you-’
‘I don’t need your help,’ Rorshan spat. He tugged his weapons from his belt. ‘Fifteen years. I’ve been an Augmentor since you were barely more than a boy. Now you’re going to tell me that’s it? I’m finished? I don’t think so.’ He took a step forwards.
As Rorshan approached, Barandas felt despair threatening to engulf him. His sword weighed like a mountain in his hand.
He gritted his teeth. A man has to do what is necessary.
Suddenly Garmond was between them. He shoved Rorshan so hard that the man flew a dozen feet backwards. With a yell of rage, the ex-Augmentor leaped to his feet and charged at the giant. He easily dodged a massive right swing and flicked his wrist so that his whip snaked out and wrapped around Garmond’s other hand. He pulled.
Had the magic still been present in Rorshan’s weapon, not even Garmond’s prodigious strength would have been able to withstand its tug. The colossus would have been dragged forwards to meet the point of the dagger in Rorshan’s other hand — sharp enough to pierce even the huge man’s enchanted armour.
Instead, Rorshan stared with a helpless fury as his efforts failed to budge Garmond an inch. The giant Augmentor grabbed the slack part of the whip and pulled, heaving Rorshan towards him. Rorshan was too slow to react to the crushing hands reaching around his throat. They closed, and then they began to squeeze.
Barandas looked away. Rain hammered down, almost but not quite drowning out the sounds of a man being choked to death. Eventually the noises ceased. Around the courtyard men were silent, staring at the ground or the sky with troubled faces.
He looked at Gorm. The lanky fellow wore a shocked expression. ‘So,’ Barandas said. ‘Just to be certain, do you still wish to pledge your life as an Augmentor?’
Gorm opened his mouth, but no words emerged.
‘And how is your recruitment of potential new Augmentors progressing?’
‘Steadily, my lord. Sadly, a promising candidate declined us earlier this day.’
Lord Salazar waved a bony hand, dismissing the unfortunate news. ‘There will be others, I am certain. Keep looking.’
Barandas nodded. The events of that morning had shaken him. Rorshan had no family, but the Supreme Augmentor had nonetheless arranged an honourable burial for his old comrade. That was the least he could do, in spite of the manner of Rorshan’s passing.
‘My lord, we have roughly a thousand Crimson Watchmen,’ he said, finally daring to broach a subject that had been troubling him for days. ‘I believe we can muster another five thousand men of fighting age, untrained or poorly trained for the most part. That is a sizeable force, yet if reports are correct, Thelassa has contracted no less than three companies of mercenaries from Sumnia.’
The Magelord narrowed his eyes. ‘Then we must recruit additional soldiers from our vassal towns. Thelassa has no army to speak of, and its emasculated men are worth less than a Dorminian woman.’
‘Be that as it may, my lord, three thousand mercenaries will cut down untrained men like wheat. The warriors of the Sun Lands are renowned for their discipline and effectiveness. They will overwhelm us, no matter how many civilians we conscript.’
Salazar drummed his fingers against the sides of his throne. Barandas watched him in silence. The Grand Council Chamber felt huge and empty with only the two of them present. Timerus was still recovering from the poisoning, which he had survived only by spitting out the wine he had been about to swallow. Marshal Halendorf remained indisposed. Even the grey presence of Chancellor Ardling would have leavened the atmosphere somewhat.
‘We have no gold left with which to hire mercenaries of our own,’ said the Magelord finally. ‘The White Lady has gambled much on entrusting her war effort to Sumnians. I now regret not crushing Shadowport before Admiral Kramer’s incompetence sank our navy.’
Barandas nodded. Sumnians were celebrated warriors on land and in the native desert of their homeland on the other side of the continent, but they lacked any experience of maritime conflict.
‘I believe the Sumnian army will march soon,’ he said. ‘They know we cannot launch an assault. Not without a navy. The White Lady will be aware of your… forgive me, your weakened state, my lord. Now is the right time for her to make her move.’
The Tyrant of Dorminia narrowed his eyes dangerously. ‘I am not as weak as they suspect. Nor will I allow myself to be taken unawares again. The White Lady’s servants are skilled in the art of sophistry, but I am prepared now. If they dare intrude here I will kill them.’
‘Sophistry, my lord?’ asked Barandas.
‘A form of magic focused on subtle deception and mental manipulation. The Fade were masters of it, back when they roamed these lands. They could live unnoticed within a city for decades. It was but one of many racial attributes that made them so incredibly dangerous.’ The Magelord’s voice trailed off as he spoke, as if he were troubled by something. Barandas knew better than to push further.
Lord Salazar suddenly rose from his throne. ‘I must leave Dorminia for a time. I am owed an ancient favour, though calling on it will not be pleasant. There are some things that time can never heal. As I have learned all too well.’
Barandas was shocked at the sorrow in his master’s voice. ‘My lord… you are leaving the city? Who will govern in your name, with Grand Magistrate Timerus still unfit for office?’
‘I will not be gone long, Supreme Augmentor. I am sure you can manage in my absence. The Halfmage will assist you. He possesses a keen intellect as well as a certain cunning. Keep an eye on him.’