Ascendant's Rite (The Moontide Quartet) (48 page)

A rope ladder rolled down the flank of the ship and Jelaska led the way. Ramon tied up the
Blackbird
and set wards before joining her.

He shook hands with Silvio Anturo, every bit the confident, impatient man he’d expected, then followed him through a maze of decks and ladders and masts and ropes, committing their route to memory. Eventually they came to a large fore-deck, where a dozen Keshi men in well-worn robes were gathered. All were bearded and sun-darkened, with grey in their hair. They eyed the Yurosian magi with undisguised worry, but the scent of gold was in the air too, and they had the sniff of it.

Silvio addressed the group in Keshi; Ramon knew enough of the local tongue to get the gist: introductions, and the promise of an opportunity, and the men all looked interested. It had been a lean season.

The Petrossi agent introduced Ramon and Jelaska as
guklu jadugari
, which were formidable things, judging by the captains’ nervous reactions. Then he handed over to Ramon and turned translator.

‘It’s a simple enough job,’ Ramon told them. ‘Yazqheed is four days upstream of my soldiers. We’re low on provisions, but we have much gold. Sail down, ship my men and baggage train across the Tigrates in a single night, and you’ll be paid – and well paid, too.’

The captains proved to have little loyalty to their sultan. After some private discussion, they had but one question: ‘How much?’

He offered them each the value of their craft and what Silvio had assured him would be three months’ income, and bargained hard, lest they begin to think they could get too greedy, allowing himself to be pushed to six months’ income. It was an insane amount of money for them, but it would barely dent his funds.

I want to make sure every single ranker gets paid when we get home,
he reminded himself. The deal left enough, though Jelaska, was worried.

she enquired silently.

<‘Just’?>
She fixed him with a chilly stare.

‘What of the sultan?’ one captain asked. ‘If he learns who helped you to escape, we’ll all be dead men.’

‘That’s why I’m offering you the value of your craft as well,’ Ramon replied, ‘in case you have to abandon them and go into hiding. If I were you I’d sail south until you’re well out of his reach – but the truth is, he’s got bigger problems than you.’

After the logistical discussion, and the all-important agreement on payment – one third upfront, the rest on completion – Ramon then had a few questions of his own, about how many ships it would take to move fifteen thousand souls and their stores in one night, and whether they could also purchase more food and supplies once they were on the west bank of the Tigrates. Then they were asked to wait patiently at the other end of the deck while the captains conferred amongst themselves.

‘They’ll go for it,’ Ramon told Jelaska and Silvio confidently as the men huddled together to decide. ‘I’ll bet they’ve been squabbling over bit-jobs and smuggling runs for at least a year. They’ve clearly got no loyalty to Salim, and by the look of them their boats are in need of attention after being tied up so long. They’re in.’

‘Then all of the money really is in your camp?’ Silvio asked.

‘No,’ Ramon lied, ‘this will take all that I have to hand: I’ve been caching it in the desert, all the way along our route – both before and after Shaliyah,’ he added. ‘I had to do so, otherwise my logisticalus tribune would have noticed something.’

Well, Storn would have, if he hadn’t been in it up to his eyeballs anyway!

‘I still don’t see why you insist on bringing the legions across,’ Silvio complained.

Ramon saw Jelaska’s face harden and answered quickly, ‘Because I’m thinking ahead,
partner
. We’re going to want loyal men after the Crusade, aren’t we? Who could be more loyal than men who owe us their lives? There are always a few in any army who can’t settle back into civilian life after a war. They’ll think of us first.’

Silvio smiled appreciatively. ‘You always play the longer game, don’t you Sensini?’ He looked at Jelaska. ‘And Lady Lyndrethuse is part of your arrangement?’

‘Clearly.’

Jelaska proved she too could play the game, giving Silvio a hard, knowing smile.

‘Small groups need a threat that others respect,’ Ramon said. ‘I think a pure-blood sorceress of Lady Jelaska’s reputation provides that, don’t you?’

‘Is she a full partner?’

‘Oh, Ramon’s the boss,’ Jelaska said airily. ‘He and I have our own arrangement.’ She fluttered her eyelids coyly, making Silvio’s eyebrows shoot up.

Ramon sent sarcastically. Jelaska smirked and looked away.

Ramon was right; the captains agreed to take part, so they settled down over some food for several hours of serious planning, sorting out which vessels would go, the timing, number of men and wagons per craft, and most importantly as far as the rivermen were concerned, how the bullion would be exchanged. The fleet would sail south laden with food and drop that at the chosen spot on the western shore before going on to pick up the legionaries. The next Darkmoon, two weeks away, at the end of Janune, was chosen, so that Mater Luna wouldn’t reveal all to watching eyes.

‘We need a signal in case there are Inquisitors or Kirkgarde on the western shore that night,’ Ramon added. ‘That’ll be down to you, Silvio. I don’t want those bastards wandering in while we’re scattered between two camps and a mile of water.’

‘I’ll take care of it. I have contacts in Vida; a few fires inside the city walls in the days leading up to the move should keep them busy elsewhere.’

The meeting broke up soon afterwards and Silvio led them back to their skiff. The
Blackbird
still bobbed in the river, her wards undisturbed. The Petrossi mage turned to Ramon and they clasped hands. ‘It‘s late for you to be returning to your camp, amici. I have a safe house outside Yazqheed where you and Lady Jelaska may rest.’

Ramon glanced sideways at Jelaska. They were supposed to be back by dawn, but Silvio was right; that wasn’t very likely, not given the distances and the hour. He decided Silvio had no reason to betray them, not yet. ‘Thank you, we accept gladly.’

Jelaska asked with an arch look.

He ignored that, and in a few minutes they were following Silvio Anturo’s skiff in a southeasterly direction.

*

The safe house, an abandoned farmstead, had been quietly seized by Silvio Anturo and a small gang of his associates – a mix of Silacian and Dhassan men – and the locals left them alone, or so Anturo said. He gave Ramon and Jelaska adjoining chambers on the top floor, just along from his own. They declined the offer of supper and went to their separate, sparsely furnished rooms.

Ramon warded the doors and shutters, then, just to be sure, he did the walls, ceiling and floor too, though he doubted Anturo would try anything until after the gold was delivered. The adjoining door opened just as he went to snuff the lamp.

‘I’m just checking that you’re safe,’ Jelaska said, brandishing a bottle of brandy and two pottery mugs.

‘There’s safety in numbers,’ he agreed.

They pulled up chairs, toasted silently and drank. Ramon refilled the mugs as Jelaska reached inside her cloak and with ironic ceremony brandished a piece of paper; one of his own illegal promissory notes. ‘That’s Storn’s handwriting, isn’t it? With an Imperial Treasury Seal, a forged signature which looks rather like that of Calan Dubrayle, the Lord Treasurer – and it’s dated Junesse 929. That’s last year, when we were marching east to Shaliyah.’ She looked at him wryly. ‘So what’s going on?’

He told her virtually the whole tale – he only left out the Scytale, and his true parentage; bad enough that Seth Korion knew. It took some time and several refills, and the eastern sky was pale by the time he’d explained it all.

‘So apparently, the amount of investment from the old Imperial families has been ridiculous and now many face destitution,’ he added with a smirk. ‘So sad.’

‘And you’re doing all this just to free your mother and half-sister?’ Jelaska asked, her voice sceptical.

‘Si. And because I can,’ he admitted. ‘You must admit, it’s more fun than just marching around a desert.’

‘Why not just kidnap your mother and half-sister and run?’

‘Because that wouldn’t really damage the familioso. This hurts all manner of deserving people – or at least, it does provided I can keep the gold out of their hands.’

‘Burying it would do that.’

‘Si. The original plan was just to run away and live like a king somewhere. But even before Shaliyah, I began to feel responsible for the men. Then after Shaliyah – well, what can I say? They
are
my family.
My
familioso. And I want to see them get the rewards promised them. I want to see the demi-gods of Pallas sweat. I want to see these familioso thugs who prey on their own people
broken
. I can do that: I’ve been given that opportunity.’

‘Good grief! Ramon Sensini is an idealist! Who’d ever have thought?’

‘Oh, I’m full of surprises.’

She yawned. ‘Well, young Ramon, that’s a lot to absorb and no mistake.’ She stood and ruffled his hair with a fond smile. ‘I need some sleep, and I’m not going to do it in the same room as you: bad for both of our reputations, I don’t doubt.’ She jabbed a finger at him. ‘I’ll play along with being part of your conspiracy, but if you betray our boys back at the camp, I’ll pursue you to the grave and beyond.’

He nodded meekly.

She snorted. ‘I’m not fooled by you, Ramon Sensini. I know what manner of man you are.’

That worried him more than any threat.

Riverdown, near Vida, Southern Kesh, on the continent of Antiopia

Moharram (Janune) 929

19
^th
month of the Moontide

The transfer of the Lost Legions to the western shore of the Tigrates took place on a still night, the stars giving just enough light for the men and women to safely embark from the makeshift docks the legion magi had thrown together. Seth and Ramon watched over them, standing with the last cohorts manning the walls, maintaining the illusion that this was just another quiet night in Riverdown.

‘Once again you’ve got us out of a tight spot,’ Seth said in a subdued voice as they joined the last men slipping away.

Ramon tried to appreciate the attempt to cheer him up, but he really didn’t give a shit whether they all lived or died right now. ‘This was baby stuff,’ he said morosely. ‘Even you could have done it.’

He was dimly aware of Seth clenching a fist then exhaling forcibly, but he was too far down misery creek to wonder why. ‘We’ll find Severine and your baby,’ Seth said after a few moments.

‘She can’t have gone far,’ Ramon muttered, although the truth was, he had a very real idea where Severine might have gone, and was scared he’d never see her or Julietta again.

He’d been exhausted when he and Jelaska got back to Riverdown. He knew they were late, but he hadn’t expected to walk straight into another tirade from an overwrought Severine: a screeching, embarrassing and humiliating dress-down in front of half the army. But next morning the
Blackbird
was gone, and so were Severine and Julietta. No one had foreseen that, so there had been no one guarding the skiff. No one saw them leave, and no amount of scrying or gnostic calls was eliciting a response. He felt crushed and empty as a broken eggshell.

But there was more to be done. He looked up at Seth and felt for the minds of the magi on the boats, awaiting the signal. He’d planned one last surprise for the Keshi, a warning to them not to follow, and to ensure his men didn’t have to suffer yet another archery barrage as they left.

‘Do we proceed?’ he asked quietly.

Seth looked chilled at the thought of what they had prepared. They’d initially conceived this as an emergency plan – something to throw at the Keshi if they were discovered mid-evacuation – but from there it had evolved into something more. ‘It’s not necessary,’ he said. ‘We’re clean away.’

‘It’s a war, Seth,’ Ramon said. ‘If we kick them here, they’ll not try so hard to follow us.’

They both looked down at the surface of the river, the gentle starlight illuminating the backs of the crocodiles, so many you could have crossed the Tigrates on their backs. Their eyes were gleaming, their tails steadily churning the water as they waited; there were occasional harrowing glimpses of teeth flashing. And that was just a part of what they’d planned.

Ramon waited.
Come on, Lesser Son,
he thought,
I
want
this. I want to know someone else is suffering too.

Seth could doubtless feel the eagerness of his magi, poised to strike back at the enemy who had pinned them in the camp for so long. They all wanted to show what they could do – and perhaps he felt a little that way too. His own role in this wasn’t small, after all. ‘Very well, let’s do it.’

*

‘Great Sultan—! Please, waken!’

Latif stirred groggily, the insistent hammering on the gong and his aide’s call dragging him back into the waking world, which was filled with noise: shouting and screaming, blaring trumpets and the hammering of spears on shields.

Are we under attack?

Rubbing at his eyes and shivering at the chill air, he desperately tried to focus. It was still dark, the lamps glowering like the eyes of jackals. ‘What is happening?’

‘The enemy—! They’re
escaping
!’

‘Where?
How?
’

‘Ships, Great Sultan!’ the aide babbled, handing him his robe.

‘Windships?’

‘No, Great Sultan,
riverboats
!’ The aide sounded furious. ‘
Our own riverboats!
General Darhus is leading the attack – we can still catch most of them!’

Darhus was a veteran of two Crusades, with the scars of failure to prove it. He’d been descending into a morass of drink and bitterness until Shaliyah had rejuvenated him. He had been appointed to the command here when Salim went north.