'Thanks be to the gods,' said Peddonon with a fierce sigh.
'Meanwhile, there remain remnants of that army wandering in the countryside, an outpost at Walshow, and headquarters at Wedrewe in Herelia. Why can't Anji just take over the entire apparatus and stand as — what do the Qin call their ruler? — stand as var over the Hundred, with an army he trained and which is loyal to him to enforce his will.*
The river's voice had the clarity his own lacked. The danger seemed so cursed obvious to him. How easy it was to cross under the gate of shadows, never knowing you passed the threshold of corruption until it was too late to turn back.
'Joss,' said Kesta in the voice of an auntie who is about to tell you that the woman you're hankering after just isn't interested no matter how many smiles and songs and silk scarves you ply her with, 'don't you think you're spinning a tale out of your own fears? Have you thought maybe you're a bit envious? I admit I've been startled by how quickly Commander Anji and his chiefs have taken to giving orders to the reeve halls, but hasn't it worked? Aren't we at the threshold of victory, after all the terrible things we've seen?'
'When in the hells,' Joss demanded, 'did everyone stop calling him "Captain"? This isn't about being commander of the reeve halls. For sure I never wanted the position, and if we can ever get the reeve halls to meet in council, then I'll be glad to follow a new commander. But tell me this, Kesta.' He grabbed a rock off the ground and pitched it toward the river, waiting until he heard, like an echo of his doubts, its hollow splash. 'If the reeve
halls met today in council, if Anji stood up before them with his eloquence and persuasiveness and his good-humored smiles, what makes you think they wouldn't elect him?'
Shai was conscious, and he was hurting, and his ears were filled with voices that nagged as stubbornly as young nieces and nephews wanting a ride on his broad shoulders.
How do I get home? Can you tell me?
I never wanted to march with the army. But it was cursed sweet to have my belly full every cursed day, eh? I don't feel hungry at all now.
Aui! It hurts! I'm scared!
Gods-rotted cowards, falling back like that. If only we'd listened to-
Ghosts plagued him, worse than a horde of nieces and nephews because there was nothing he could do for them. He wanted to shout 'I can't help you!' but he had no throat, no tongue, no mouth. Sand had been poured over raw flesh and rubbed in until he was a single screaming wound.
Cursed if he would cry about it. Others had endured worse. This was only physical pain.
'Out!'
The voice rang strong, startling in its fury. The whispers snapped out, the ghosts fleeing as Shai took a breath, although even a simple breath hurt, scouring his lungs.
Yet he was still not alone. Two voices disturbed his peace.
'Now we talk, Captain Arras, here in this private place where no one will disturb us. Just you and me. I have a sword, and you have no weapon but your wits. Zubaidit served my army well, so as a favor to her I did not kill your soldiers or you immediately, although I could have. I have accepted the cloak you brought as an offering, and I'm appreciative that you have hauled this man Shai to my camp. I have allowed you to sit in my council and pretend to be my loyal officer. But you're not. You're a traitor.'
'I would argue it was Lord Radas who betrayed me and the soldiers who served him.'
42
'Go on.'
'The truth, Commander, is that I joined up with Lord Radas's people because I was an ordinand of Kotaru who got into some trouble and I had nowhere else to go. I didn't kill anyone, mind you, nor abuse those weaker than me, as some men will do if they can get away with it. But those who commanded in Kotaru's temple didn't like my attitude, and I didn't like their incompetence. I sought scope for my talents. I served in Seven's militia for a while, and that worked out all right, they are decent people there, except I wasn't a local man and only local men got raised to positions of command. So then some men came recruiting, and what they promised sounded good to my ears. I came in as a sergeant and soon got rewarded with a company and later a cohort of my own. I had hopes of really doing something when we started our campaign. But as it turned out, Lord Radas was just as incompetent as my other commanders had been, in his own way. I suppose I thought a cloak who could rip out the hearts and minds of those who opposed him would be a better commander than ordinary fellows, but I guess after all that the magic a Guardian bears is meant only for the assizes, not the battlefield. The cursed cloak could look right into my heart, and steal my understanding of the tactics and strategy that would have worked best for the army, and still he made one bad decision after the next.'
'Will you judge me incompetent in my turn, and seek a bolder and more intelligent commander?'
'Is there one?' The question was not meant to flatter.
'Here, in the Hundred? I doubt it.' The answer was not a wishful boast. 'But will you betray me in turn? People do it all the time, as I know to my cost.'
'An impossible question, because I have to deny it to win your trust. So, listen, Commander. I'm willing to suffer under your suspicion until I prove myself. I've no ambition to rule a vast army. I just want a cursed command that means something. I want it to matter that my men are well trained, and that I usually know what I'm doing. That my sergeants and subcaptains are competent soldiers who can be rewarded with higher command, if such comes open. Do what you must to prove to yourself that I'll serve you. I'm patient. I'll do what I must.'
The other man laughed, a bark of anger. 'Until I give you an order you don't respect?'
'If you're the kind of commander I think you are, you'll never give me an order I don't respect.'
'You think a lot of yourself, Captain Arras.'
The man chuckled. 'Someone must. I'll do what I can to make you think well of me. Even if you do kill me now, having decided I'm not trustworthy, I'd ask you to spare my soldiers. Let them serve you. They're disciplined and loyal. They never betrayed their captain, did they? I'd hate to see them suffer for my decision, as I and they have suffered from the idiot decisions of our former commanders.'
'A captain is only as strong as his soldiers.'
'I'll offer you one more thing. A piece of advice that comes with this small gift. Handle it carefully.'
'A hollow pipe, thorns, and — this? — some milky liquid.'
'Don't open that. In the Wild lives a snake called a two-stepper. That is its venom. If it pricks you, you have two steps before you're dead. This venom is deadly enough to kill a cloak. I knew a person like Zubaidit would be hiding weapons. Sergeant Giyara searched her thoroughly. If Zubaidit is your loyal servant, then you're well served. But if she's not yours, then I'd consider her a very dangerous weapon. Best you hope that the one who controls her doesn't decide to go after you.'
'I appreciate your words, Captain Arras. They're wisely spoken. Even I can be outflanked.' The speaker's voice rasped with such a ragged edge that Shai moaned as if the tone were scraping him where he was raw.
'Call Tohon. He's stirring. Captain Arras, be assured I have my own defenses and weapons. You may become one of them. Serve me ill, and you'll fall hard and fast and dead. Serve me well, and you'll find yourself rewarded.' A clap shattered the air. 'Let Tohon in. Captain Arras, you're dismissed.'
Shai's hearing had become painfully acute. Boots scraped on dirt. A man was breathing swift and shallow as if he'd come running. A musty, dusty sweat of bracing familiarity breathed across Shai's nostrils, and he turned his head like a blind man rooting for treasure.
Was it truly Tohon?
'Here, now, son. Can you open your eyes? Raise a hand to show you hear me?' A touch as soft as wind brushed his fever-dampened hair. 'If you don't mind, Captain Anji, would you hand me the bowl? My thanks.'