Марк Ньютон - Drakenfeld

‘If we had some proper light down here you might be able to see who,’ I replied.

‘Listen to the rich boy speak,’ the man said. ‘He’s got a lovely voice, don’t he? Shame to lose a tongue like that. Ruin a handsome face. We could sell him as a whore and make a lot of money.’

‘You would die trying,’ Leana interrupted.

‘Easy, lads. I like women from where she comes from. Atrewe, ain’t that so? I’d remember that accent a mile off. You’re a long way from home, black lady.’

Leana didn’t move but I figured it was only a matter of time and while I had no issue in principle with this man being erased from the city, I hoped to Polla she would not kill anyone, not when we needed answers instead of corpses.

‘Thoughtful people, you Atrewens – could kill you in the morning and write a poem about it in the afternoon,’ the man continued admiringly. ‘You don’t talk as much as we do in case the spirits hear you, ain’t that so? I spent some time there in my younger days, when I was stealing ships around the coast. Good days they were. Atrewe is a big place. You come all the way here with a man like him?’

‘Get to the point or I will open your stomach and leave you to the rats.’

There was a silence in which he assessed us.

‘Rich man, what’s your name?’ he called out.

‘Lucan Drakenfeld, officer of the Sun Chamber, newly stationed in Tryum. This is Leana, my peace mediator.’

He snorted. ‘Man with a sense of humour. I like that.’

‘It helps to pass the time.’

Another figure emerged and stood alongside the others, blocking what little light there was and probably our only exit too.

‘Is this the home of the Snake Kings?’ I asked.

‘One of them.’

‘Good. Are you their chief ?’

‘One of them.’

‘That’s a start,’ I replied.

‘Shouldn’t we be asking the questions, since you’ve fallen through our trapdoor?’

‘You just asked a question right there.’

The shorter man stepped closer. ‘You talk far too glibly for my liking. Tongues that quick are best removed. What’re you doing here?’

‘We’re looking for someone, an actor named Drullus.’

‘Drullus.’ He turned to his colleagues and said, ‘I’ve never heard of a Drullus. Have any of you heard of a Drullus?’

‘No,’ came the reply, all well rehearsed, and all of this pitched to steer me towards bribing them.

‘Let’s get to the point. How much do you want?’ I asked.

‘A thousand pecullas.’

For them to request so much meant that Drullus must have paid them something near that figure to keep his whereabouts quiet. It was a lot of money, more than a year’s earnings for most people – and certainly more than anyone in Plutum would probably see in their lives. All of this begged the question of how an actor could possibly get his hands on that much cash. Of course, it wouldn’t be an issue if he had friends in high places…

‘What would we get for a thousand pecullas?’ I demanded.

‘A specific location. Whether you find Drullus there or not, we can’t say.’

My eyes were growing accustomed to the darkness. The leader’s face was broad, though without an ounce of fat, and his eyes narrow. He was certainly a good head shorter than me, though he looked nimble, as if he knew how to fight and flee.

Leana was outraged. ‘A man came to you for protection, for shelter, and you’re willing to sell him out? Where’s your honour?’

He grunted. ‘I’m running a business here. What’s honour got to do with it?’

‘I’m a member of the Sun Chamber pursuing an investigation. You could be held accountable for withholding information,’ I told him.

‘My gang might say otherwise.’

‘You realize I could bring an army to this place – you’ve heard of the Sun Legion, haven’t you? Five thousand of the finest and highest-paid soldiers in all of Vispasia could come straight to Tryum and wipe the Snake Kings from the collective memory of the city.’

‘That would mean you had to get out first,’ he sneered.

‘Your trapdoor and lock didn’t hold us. Are you sure you like your chances against an angry Atrewen warrior and myself, a trained officer of the Sun Chamber?’

He paused considering.

Leana took a step closer to him and whispered, ‘I will kill your men quickly, but before I send you into the afterlife I will first skin you with breath still in your body.’

He grunted a laugh.

‘She means it,’ I assured him. ‘She’s killed a few people already today. However, the other option is that I pay one hundred pecullas and have the money delivered here before noon tomorrow. You get your money, I get my information. And I promise that no harm will come to your client.’

‘Five hundred.’

‘One hundred pecullas.’

‘Three,’ he bargained, ‘and the offer of a network of good men should you need it.’

I waited in silence, considering that I’d have to request authorization for a bribery receipt later to recover the money. How I hated administration. However, having a network such as the Snake Kings to hand was worth the effort.

‘Three,’ I agreed. ‘Delivered here before noon tomorrow.’ I offered my hand and forearm and he shook it.

The tension in the room seemed to vanish.

‘My name is Yadrix Velor.’ He smiled widely. ‘And I’m glad to make a connection with an officer of the Sun Chamber.’

Drullus’ hideout was not too far from the Snake Kings and, after the brief interlude, we continued through the streets once again. Unfortunately Yadrix could offer no further information about Drullus, especially on why he was seeking a hideout at all.

‘People seek help from me all the time,’ Yadrix had commented. ‘I do not ask for their secrets – I do not care, as long as they can pay. There is a lucrative trade to be found in such things in this city.’

I hated making deals with people like Yadrix as they were people who profited from misery, but sometimes it seemed the only way of getting what was required.

Relieved not to have engaged in another fight, and glad – as ever – that Leana was by my side, I asked her if she was all right after Yadrix brought up the subject of her country, Atrewe, with that niggling guilt that I had dragged her far from her home.

‘You mean, do I want to go home to Atrewe?’ she replied. ‘No. I am happy here.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes,’ she replied.

‘Do you miss Atrewe? I never ask.’

‘I am happy. Few people in Tryum – in Vispasia – would ever meet someone from Atrewe. From what I understand in Venyn, many think us bad, stupid people. Here so far I have been treated as a novelty. I can change those thoughts – they will respect Atrewens. I believe that will do all Atrewens a favour in the long run.’

Leana and I had shared so many experiences over the years, been in so many scrapes together, that much of my life was framed by her reassuring presence. We’d faced street executions by Venyn gangs; we had uncovered treasure hoards on the eastern Vispasian coast. We had been in the presence of priestesses and bishops, of kings and queens. We’d eaten snake as the sun set, purpling the skies of the desert regions, in our relentless hunt of a multiple child murderer. We had witnessed armies clash on a beautiful glade, turning it into a bloodbath, before moving in to arrest the victorious general with just a hundred men of the Sun Legion at our side. It was difficult to imagine my role without her. And yet, despite all of our shared experiences, she rarely opened up to me. Perhaps it was a cultural quirk, but I felt she knew me far better than I did her.

Bad weather had come again since our brief time with the Snake Kings, and rainwater still trickled downhill. The refreshing smell made the journey to the location somewhat more pleasant. It was the middle of the afternoon and hunger was setting in, so we stopped off at a pastry stall and purchased food to eat on the way. As the rich flavours filled my mouth, it made me realize just how much I’d missed the local cuisine, though it had never cost this much. The vendor muttered only that the city was overcrowded, and that there wasn’t enough food in Detrata.