Devan Chronicles Series: Books 1-3 (154 page)

“A prisoner might have helped in understanding the clans.”

“I think we understand them well enough. The books I showed you should give you that surely?

“In a way. They certainly help, but don’t forget sorcerers wrote them. Their words are filtered through their own perceptions.”

“The authors lived among the clans for years. They blended in, literally became clan themselves.”

Navarien shook his head. “Only someone born clan would understand them completely, but as I said the books are useful. I’m about halfway through those you lent me.”

The books were more than useful. They had told him how to destroy the clans forever.

* * *

17 ~ The Malim

Lord Vivika of House Malim was far from a happy man. Fear was the most evident emotion upon his face. Methrym could understand that, Keppel affected him the same way.

“…understand me?” Keppel said in his deadliest voice.

“Yes but—” the Malim said.

“
Do
you
understand?
” Keppel said hammering each word home.

“Yes,” Vivika said meekly.

Methrym was uncomfortable witnessing Vivika’s humiliation. No lord of Tanjung, no matter how foolish, should be treated with so little respect.

“Everything will be fine my lord,” he said trying to put respect he didn’t really feel into his voice.

Vivika looked at him with gratitude. “Truly?”

He nodded. “Truly my lord. I won’t lie to you, there is danger, but it is small compared with letting Ranen’s army continue unopposed. Your city is in peril whether we use it or not. At least this way we control the situation.”

“Yes,” Vivika said and nodded. “Yes I can see that. Very well Methrym, what can I do to help?”

He glanced at Keppel and received a slight nod. He took that as a sign to continue. “Well my lord, there are a few things we need to address. I know Keppel has business to attend to. Perhaps you would excuse him so that we might retire to your study?”

Vivika’s eyes flickered at the mention of Keppel’s business. He nodded toward the assassin. “Certainly you may be excused, Keppel. You should have said you had business to attend.”

Vivika spoilt his show of bravado just a little by swallowing nervously at the end, but Keppel took no notice. He bowed and left the hall.

Vivika sighed in relief and climbed down from the dais. “I thank you from the heart, Methrym. I thought he would kill me on the spot when I questioned him. I swear I did.”

Methrym followed the lord to his private rooms. “I know how you feel my lord. Not long ago I had a similar thing happen to me.”

“Ghastly man, but effective I should think.”

“Very,” he said dryly.

The silence between them drew out until they entered a comfortable room furnished like Bothmar’s office. Methrym had spoken to Bothmar many times, but only once in his office. As with this room, the centre of attention was the large desk in front of a set of balcony windows. To one side two armchairs and a comfortable looking couch sat near to a cold fireplace. The room was bright enough without a fire in any case.

“Here we are. Sit there while I pour the wine,” Vivika said indicating the couch. “My beloved wife would have done a better job of welcome I’m afraid, but we do the best we can.”

He seated himself. “Your wife is indisposed?”

“Dead.”

“Ah, I hadn’t heard. An illness?”

Vivika handed him a glass and sat in the armchair. “No, she was murdered by her lover. It will sound strange to you I know, but we had a wonderful life together. My father arranged the marriage, and things worked out splendidly. It’s embarrassing to admit, but she would have made a far better lord than I.”

Methrym coughed and covered his mouth trying not to spray wine everywhere. Vivika handed him a piece of lace to mop himself.

“You don’t mind listening to this do you?” Vivika said.

“Ah… no. Not if you wish to speak of it.”

“I have wanted to talk about it for some time now. I was an only child you see. My father realised early on that I needed help to keep Malim strong for the next lord.”

“Your son?” Methrym said.

“He is too young yet. I could never speak of this to my servants, of course. She and I were partners, you see. She was clever and would plan things; I had the title and authority to carry her ideas out. I didn’t mind if she took the occasional lover, but she chose the wrong man at the last. He was a criminal—though I’m sure she didn’t know that.”

Methrym wasn’t so sure. He seemed to recall a rumour regarding Vivika’s consort. Something about bedding anything that moved.

“…stealing. She must have tried to stop him and he killed her. My guards killed him trying to escape the grounds, or so I’m told.”

“I see. And you’re telling me because…?”

“Because I need your advice,” Vivika said.

“I’m not sure I understand my lord. I am of House Malai and a soldier not a lord. I hate politics.”

Vivika snorted. “Everyone hates politics. I don’t need you for that. The Japurans will be here any day now; I need advice on how to fight them.”

He nodded but his thoughts were racing. Malim was a great house, its forces would make a valuable addition to his own, but then he looked at Vivika’s worried face and could not do it.

“You have captains surely?”

“Yes but… they won’t help,” the abashed lord said quietly.

“Won’t help,” he said in disbelief. “You are their lord! Command them. If they don’t obey, execute them!”

“I couldn’t do that!” Vivika said wringing his hands in worry. “They followed my father and—” he broke off in misery.

Methrym didn’t need this! By the God, didn’t he have enough to do with half the empire lost to Japura? Looking at the very young and
very
pathetic lord he felt… he felt…
sorry
for him! Vivika was one of the most powerful men in Tanjung and he felt sorry for him.

“All right,” he said and sighed. “I’ll help, but you’ll have to at least try to rule. Pretend to be your father and do things the way you think he would have.”

Vivika looked hopeful at last. “I think I can do that.”

“No. Don’t
think
you can,
know
you can,” he said in a hard voice. “When you give an order, whether it is right or wrong, give it firmly as if you have no doubts. Be strong in public, even if a quivering wreck inside. Develop a public face. Vexin uses stern and unforgiving. Perhaps you could try hard but fair.”

“My father was a hard man, but he was always fair,” Vivika said looking hopeful.

“There you see. Practice looking as if nothing upsets you and soon nothing will. What goes on in private is your own affair, but in public act strong.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It is easy my lord,” Methrym said. “No man can read what is in your heart. He must judge by what you do and say. Hide your doubts, and people will believe you have none. It’s that simple.”

“I’ll do it!”

Methrym watched Vivika pace in excitement. He knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as he made it seem, but the lord had no self-confidence. At least this way Vivika believed he could fake it. Who knows, one day he might find it was no longer a sham.

“My lord?”

Vivika stopped pacing. “Yes?”

“We have to discuss the plans.”

“Oh yes the war!”

Methrym nearly laughed. Vivika must be the only lord truly not worried about the Japuran threat.

“What do you need?” Vivika said sitting down again.

“Have you a map of your city?”

Vivika jumped up again and started searching through a large cabinet. “I know there is one. Where is it? Ah!” He turned with a large scroll in hand. “Will this do?”

Methrym joined the lord as he unrolled a highly detailed map of Tanjung Malim. It was perfect. “This is exquisite work my lord,” he said and it was.

Every street was not only drawn to scale with all the buildings and curtain wall, but they were named in tiny but legible script as well. Everything he needed was clearly defined.

“Father commissioned it. He said it was good to know where everyone was so he could lay hands on them when he needed to reach them quickly.”

It seemed to Methrym that the previous Lord Malim was not someone to be treated lightly. He felt sure Vivika’s father had
laid hands
on more than one person over the years of his rule.

“What I need is this…” he began and detailed the plan.

Vivika listened intently and his eyes widened as the full scope of the plan was realised—and the dangers.

“Then I hit them from here,” Methrym indicated the river. “The bridge will be dropped to prevent them turning, and the Borderers will chop up their lead elements.”

“What of my men?” Vivika said thoughtfully.

“I’m glad you asked that my lord. We need to give the impression that your forces miscalculated the threat.”

Vivika laughed and clapped his hands. “That will show them!”

By the God, Methrym hoped so, but he didn’t let his unease show. Vivika needed to believe in the plan badly; it would undermine everything if he lost confidence in his new adviser so soon.

The next day, Vivika put his new confidence to the test. Methrym had discussed what was to happen with him, but was still unsure if the young lord could pull it off. He was sitting upon his high seat as if in judgment which was pretty close to the truth, looking stern and confident. Methrym stood a few paces from the dais occasionally looking around at the portraits and tapestries as if bored. Soren and Lorenz were nearby ready to lend their support. All was ready.

At the appointed time, the doors opened to admit Vivika’s captains and their seconds. Behind them came the squad leaders—those who commanded a hundred men—and their seconds. The doors boomed shut.

The highest ranked member of the group took note of Methrym and his friends then dismissed them, but his eyes lingered upon the new guards stationed around the room. Methrym had supplied them all, with Keppel recommending two men from Lorenz’s squad. Keppel and Nisim had rode out late yesterday to take care of some business they evidently had. Whoever the poor soul was, he had been unable to discover and Nisim wouldn’t say. Whoever it was, he was a dead man, which went without saying.

“I have called you all together to hear the plan devised by myself in consultation with War Leader Methrym,” Vivika said.

Methrym sighed with relief. Vivika hadn’t changed the speech and consequently it had the desired effect. There was uproar from the higher ranked officers, though most of the seconds seemed unsure and were quiet. Not so their superiors.

Captain Kian stalked forward angrily to the bottom of the dais. He ignored Methrym to his right who had turned in place to keep the man in sight and at sword’s length.

“I will not follow a plan made by a Malai dog!”

“…cursed right!”

“He’s a fool if he thinks—”

“He always was—”

“You are refusing?” Vivika said licking his lips nervously.

Methrym willed Vivika to hold to the plan, and when the lord said nothing further, he breathed a little easier.

“You’re cursed right I—”

“Methrym!” Vivika squeaked finally losing his hard won calm.

Methrym drew sword and struck Kian’s head from his body in one blow. There was shock throughout the hall as Kian’s headless corpse fountained blood in all directions and fell to the floor. Vivika’s captains didn’t take long to recover. As one they started forward to attack, but Soren and Lorenz were instantly at his side with swords bared.

“Guards!” Vivika shouted. “If these men move another step kill them all!”

All round the hall weapons slid from scabbards. The outraged captains stumbled to a halt looking at more than two dozen bared blades. Methrym noted some grins from the seconds who had hung back from the stampede, but his eyes were locked upon the new leader of Vivika’s forces. Viator had been a strong supporter of Kian. Would he recognise the hopelessness of his position?

He didn’t.

Before Viator’s sword was halfway from its scabbard, he was dead and Soren was grinning with excitement.

I really must have a talk with him about that.

“Any more of you?” Vivika said calmly. “No? Well then, you are to remove yourselves from my presence, from my city, and from my
lands!
”

Methrym tensed. Now would be the time, but the moment past. Anger was evident on all their faces, but thoughts of violence had faded. First one then two, then all at once the captains left the hall escorted by Vivika’s newly acquired guards. The seconds seemed unsure what was to be done, but finally Alaren stepped forward and bowed.

“What are your orders, Lord?”

“Each of you is promoted to command your former captain’s units. You will find able men from your commands and promote them to your seconds. I will not choose for you, but I will meet them at a future time so make good choices.”

“I understand, my lord,” Alaren said. “And the Japurans?”

“The plan stands. You will execute it to the utmost of your ability or receive Kian’s fate.”

“Yes my lord,” Alaren said hardly able to keep his eyes from the two corpses. “It will be as you order.”

“Good. You are dismissed. I will be seeing each of you separately over the next few candlemarks with specific orders.”

The newly promoted captains bowed as one and marched out the door, followed by the squad leaders who were grinning fit to split their faces in two. As soon as they had departed, Vivika slumped in his seat sweating and shaking.

“I did it,” he whispered.

“Yes you did my lord,” Methrym said pleased for the man. Whether he could keep up the charade was another matter, but he had made a good start.

* * *

As Nisim rode toward another confrontation, he could not help thinking back to his last one. Leona had not taken his leaving well. She had simply stood before him silently weeping as he explained about Talitha and his feelings for her. Even now, the memory wrenched at his heart. He felt like crying himself as he thought back.

Joz had been kind to him, but it was obvious their friendship had failed the test. Joz was no more an enemy than Leona was, but he was no longer a friend either. Nisim mourned that closeness. They were the first friends he had made as a free man. Who were his friends now? He glanced at his companion. From outward appearances, Keppel looked like a Japuran lancer, a force leader no less. Nisim was also wearing armour. They had acquired it from a patrol they had dealt with not long ago. By no stretch of the imagination could Keppel be called a friend. He doubted the man had them at all, or if he did, the relationship must be fraught with peril.