The Invisible Chains - Part 1: Bonds of Hate (19 page)

“I would like you to do me a big favor,” Ehandar replied, “I want you to go to Soranza and find out what the requirements are for asylum seekers. As far as I know, the Senate there has a special committee that grants or withholds permission. To begin with, be as discreet as possible. Just tell them that two princes and a noble friend of theirs are considering to seek their protection. If necessary give more details. I'll also give you a letter, should they ask you for proof of who you're speaking for.”

“A noble friend? Who are you taking with you?”

“Ah,” Ehandar smiled, “it just came to me. I'm kind of hoping that you'll come with us. It makes perfect sense. There's nothing here for you anymore, except maybe a military career and even then your association with me will always hinder you, no matter how far in the past or how inconsequential it is. And I hate simply abandoning you. Think about it. Almost all the city states have their own little army. I'm certain quite a few of them would be glad to have you, not as a simple cavalier, but as an officer. Who knows? You could be a general before you're thirty. And meanwhile, I have more than money enough to provide for the three of us for a few years. And Anaxantis has money of his own too. He won't mind.”

“You... you would really like me to go with you?” Gorth said, his voice cracking.

Ehandar shrugged.

“My little brother seems to have the knack of making friends. I don't. You're the only friend I've left. Sure, I would like you to come with us.”

Gorth mulled the idea over for several minutes.

“He's right. I can become the slave of big brother, always at his beck and call, always at the mercy of his good graces, or I could start over. I wonder what happened between him and his little brother, or rather half brother or maybe not-brother-at-all? The guy is in love it seems. Well, that's not my business, though I'll never understand what the attraction is. Poor Ehandar. He's right. He's not exactly weak, but he isn't nearly ruthless enough to compete for the Devil's Crown. I hope for his sake that he can convince little Anaxantis. That boy has a will all of his own.”

“I guess I'll come then,” Gorth grinned. “What I don't understand is the money part. Do we have to haul coffers with gold across the border. That will slow us down, you know.”

Ehandar laughed.

“That is one of the many things they don't teach us, because they think it is beneath us to concern ourselves with such base things as money. Until recently I also thought that I would have to take it all with me. Going to Ormidon to my bankers and withdrawing all my assets. It seemed unpractical and dangerous. I even considered taking the war chest of the army. Then I noticed that many soldiers were sending a part of their salary home. You learn the strangest things when you are buried in parchments for a few hours a day. So I had the paymaster of the army explain it to me. He doesn't send the actual money home. He sends a list with names and amounts to the bankers the army uses. The beneficiaries receive a small notice and with it they can then withdraw the money. I will need you for this also. I dare not trust anybody else. I'll give you a letter with instructions for my bankers. They'll inform their colleagues in Soranza. They'll also give you a letter for me. That letter permits me to withdraw money at the bankers in Soranza. Simple, really, if you know how. A letter is far easier to carry than actual coins.”

“That's a relief. Should I also look out for lodgings?”

“Yes, and while you're at it try to find out what a reasonable domain in the environs of the city would cost. I was thinking of something not too big, but comfortable. Definitely out of the city but not too far away from it, and maybe with a few depending farms. Oh, just look around and take note of the asking prices.”

“Let's say all this works out. How are we going to make our escape?”

“Simple. The only part of the Northern Marches I haven't visited yet is the duchy of Landemere. It's in the south-east and lies next to the border. I will make as to inspect the duchy and when we are nearest the border, that is when we'll run for it. It will be only a few miles, and if we are careful they won't know we're missing until long after we crossed the border.”

Ehandar felt strangely relieved. For the first time he had told his plans to somebody else, and that made them somehow more real, more definite, as if there was no way back anymore.

While they were eating the conversation drifted to happier times and laughter was a frequent part of it. Before saying their goodbyes, Ehandar gave Gorth a pouch, heavy with coins, for travel expenses.

“Just apply for three weeks of furlough. Give sick family as the reason. You can't go wrong with the classics. Anything more than a week has to be decided and signed by one of the governors, and since Anaxantis is happy enough to leave that kind of thing to me there will be no problem.”

While his friend rode off, Ehandar felt exhilarated. He had firmly set the first steps on the road to Soranza.

“Appointment, appointment, fiddlesticks. Who does he think he is? A doctor?”

Anaxantis startled when he heard the voice in the hallway. He had been looking listlessly at some parchments on the table, while Ehandar was reading a report, and was just about to take his leave. He ran to the door.

“It's OK, let him through,” he said to the guard. “That's my physician.”

Murno Tollbir blinked silently at the guard, who reluctantly let him pass. The doctor stuck his tongue out at him. He was wearing a mantle that had seen better days, and on his wind tousled gray hair stood a bonnet that decades ago would have looked very smart. His appearance was even more disheveled than usual.

“Nice”, he said appreciatively when he entered the war room and sat down in the first chair that took his fancy.

“Hey,” Anaxantis said, “that's
my
chair.”

“And a damn uncomfortable one it is, if I may say so. Will break your back if you sit in it for any length of time.”

He looked around.

“Ah, just what I need. Traveling always makes me thirsty”.

Murno Tollbir grabbed the nearest cup on the table.

“Hey, that's mine as well,” Anaxantis protested.

The doctor drained the cup, smacked and put it back on the table.

“Oh, stop apologizing all the time. I'm not picky. I examined you myself and I doubt you have any contagious diseases. So, it's all right.”

“That is not exactly what I meant,” Anaxantis grumbled.

“Who is this?” Ehandar asked angrily.

“That is the famous doctor you sent me to.”

“The insolent one?”

“Yes. Or hadn't you noticed?”

“Now, now, boys, don't fight,” said the source of all irritation.

He winked at Anaxantis.

“By the way, nice one with all the chickens. Threndll, my housekeeper almost fainted. Lucky for her I'm a doctor. Well, I say housekeeper, but she's so much more. In fact, I should have married the woman decades ago. But you know how it goes. Today never works for you, and there's always tomorrow. What was I trying to say? Oh, yes, the chickens. They like to hide in dark places a few feet from the ground, did you know that? We keep finding them everywhere. Still. Gave most of them away. You'll be glad to know that some poor families had a decent meal thanks to you, young man. Kept ten of them though. In the garden. For the eggs. Oh, and there is this one strange boy, lives in a world of his own, doesn't talk, who now has a pet chicken. Can't cure him, but gave him a chicken. Who knows—”

“Is all this leading somewhere?” Ehandar interrupted him rudely.

Tollbir looked at Anaxantis.

“You seem to make it a habit to surround yourself with annoying people. Who's this one?”

“This one,” Anaxantis replied trying not to laugh, “is my brother. The other lord governor. The one who wrote the report.”

“Really?” the physician said, turning to Ehandar. “Well, well, who'd have thought. Not I, that's for sure. I had you pegged for one of those sword loving types who can barely read, let alone write. That was a fine piece of medical reporting. The preciseness of observation. The sheer wealth of details. However did you think of all those little signs and from so long ago too?”

“I... I just wrote down what I remembered seeing,” Ehandar said, totally confused whether he should remain angry or permit himself to feel flattered.

“You're a natural. I bet there's not much that escapes you, is there? Your report was a great help.”

He turned back to Anaxantis, pointing to the cup.

“Give us some more wine, will you, there's a good boy.”

Sighing, Anaxantis filled his cup.

“Not that you aren't excellent company, but was there any purpose to your visit? Or did you just feel like pestering me again?” he asked, shoving the filled cup in the doctor's direction.

“Oh, I was in the neighborhood. Quite by accident. Every year I leave the house for a few weeks to travel around a little. Mostly to the sea. For the air, you know. So, don't you go imagining that I came all the way here for you. But I examined those samples you sent me.”

“Samples?” Anaxantis asked nonplussed.

“That was me,” Ehandar explained. “I took a sample of the herbs, the pills and the sweets before they were thrown into the sea.”

“And he sent them to me with a polite letter,” Tollbir picked in. “You're a civilized young man on parchment,” he added for Ehandar's benefit.

Tollbir scratched his beard and looked scrutinizingly at him.

“Hm, those black patches under your eyes... I don't like them. People think that's from lack of sleep, but that's not always the case. Could be you aren't taking enough liquid, or eating too much meat. Could also be from excessive worrying. I really should examine you thoroughly, you know.”

“Oh yes, please, let him,” Anaxantis said not without malice. “Have no fear, I'll stay with you to hold your hand.”

Ehandar looked from one to the other as if they spoke a secret language.

“No, thank you,” he said. “I feel perfectly fine. What did you find?”

“Ah, yes. First I examined the sweets. Nothing wrong with them. Highest quality, in fact. You didn't hope to get the remainder back, did you? I'm afraid I ate the lot. I first gave one to Yapper. That's Threndll's little dog. We have three. The two big ones are no trouble, but the little one... Yap, yap, yap, all day long. Yap, yap, yap. Drives you mad. The thing stuck to his teeth. Quite a funny sight, and it stopped him yapping. Since it didn't seem to harm him, I ate one myself. Delicious. Strange how it goes. You take another one, just to make sure, and a third one, and before you know it the box is empty.”

“I thought you said that sweets were bad for you,” Anaxantis said in a reproaching tone.

“I never said such a thing. I said that sweets were bad for you. You are young and want to lead an active and long life. Me not so much. I am almost eighty and frankly I'm getting a little bored by it all. I don't particularly want to add many years to my existence. Besides, the sweets can't take away what time has taken already. Then the pills. I gave a little piece of one to Yapper as well, mixed in his food. Didn't do much, so I repeated the process a few times. Well, the next day he lay quietly in his nest. And I mean quietly. It was heaven. He reacted well enough when I petted him, but he didn't try to bite my hand as usual. So, you're not getting those pills back either. In fact, I want more of them. I'd make them myself, but it's impossible to find out what's in them. The effect is clear though. They make you calm, kind of resigned even.”

“We could have done that,” Anaxantis said to Ehandar.

“Ah, yes, but you didn't, did you? Then I looked at the herbs. Another bummer. They were cut so fine that it was very, very difficult to see what was in the mixture. After hours of carefully looking at itty-bitty pieces I could sort some of them in eight little heaps. It was impossible to identify them by sight, so I boiled each of them in some water. From most of them I recognized the smell. Mind you, I'm not sure I've got them all, in fact I suspect that there were no less than fifteen ingredients. Almost impossible to say what the global effect would be, but some of them were quite poisonous, though not in those quantities. If I had to guess, I would say that the overall effect would be to slow down your body. The interaction of the different herbs can be quite astounding. I'm guessing again, but I'm almost certain that they would also work on your mind. The ingredients, the amounts, it was all very sophisticated. To me this is the work of someone who studied in Zyntrea. I'm afraid that is all I could discover. Well, we suspected as much, but now we are sure. They didn't want to kill you, but they wanted you in less than full strength, both mentally and physically.”

Tollbir scratched his beard.

“So there is no way that this herb mixture was made to cure something, or that the dizzy spells and all the rest were just unfortunate side effects?” Anaxantis asked.

“No,” Tollbir replied, ogling the wine pitcher. “In fact, if I were to give this mixture a name, I would call it Weak and Meek.”