Matthew Sturges - Midwinter

Purane nodded.

"Why is the Queen sending me where you want me to go? It makes no sense."

"If you'd been paying attention to current events instead of mooning over your new love, you might know why." He leaned back in his chair. "Our spies have sent word that Mab is moving south at her top speed. We believe she's massing forces at the border."

Purane-Es stared. "But it's been years since the last engagement at Midalel. Anyway, what's that to do with me? Is the Seelie Army no longer charged with protecting our borders?"

Purane shook his head. "You have no military sense, boy. Think! When the Seelie Army begins to concentrate along the border, they will quarter in Sylvan. And what will happen then?"

"The Beleriand rebels. They'll go mad."

"Exactly. Any concentration of force there will be construed as an offensive by the rebels. You're being sent to Sylvan to maintain the peace."

"But the rebels know my face. They despise me because of Mauritane. My presence will only incite them further."

Purane nodded.

"And that's exactly what you want, isn't it? You want to start a civil war! "

"The Beleriands and their Gossamer Rebellion are the only thing that stands between us and total control of the Kingdom. Mab is no threat during Midwinter. Her forces wouldn't make it to Midalel now, even if the border troops let them walk past. What better time to take care of the rebel problem?"

"And if the rebels attack first, then the Queen is not the aggressor and Her hands are clean in the eyes of the Arcadians."

"Precisely. Maybe you aren't as stupid as I thought." Purane paused while his son rolled his eyes. "And while all of this is going on, you will `discover' Mauritane at large in Sylvan, wrest his prize from him, and present it to the Queen along with the heads of every Beleriand leader you can muster."

"And you will have orchestrated everything, behind the scenes, no doubt taking full credit for all. I won't do it."

"How childish you are! You are not my only remaining son. If you care not for your reputation, think of your younger brothers."

"I'm sorry, father. I won't do it."

"You won't do it."

"No."

Purane leaned back as far as his chair would allow and gazed at the ceiling. "Son, who sent the order for Purane-La to reduce the town of Stilbel to ashes?"

Purane-Es moved backward as if he'd been slapped. "What kind of question is that?"

"An important one. Who sent the order?"

"Mauritane sent the order."

Purane stood and edged around the table. "Mauritane sent no such order, and you know it. I was there, Purane-Es. I saw the look on Mauritane's face when he came upon the two of you. Had I been him, I might have slain your brother myself. He was enjoying himself a bit much for such a loathsome task."

"What are you suggesting, Father?"

"Only one person could have forged those orders. Only one person was in a position to do so."

Purane-Es lowered his head. "How long have you known it was l?"

Purane's lips pursed. He leaned close into his son's face, and Purane-Es could smell the wine on his breath. "I did not know it for certain until this very moment."

"I only wanted to cause trouble for Purane-La. I wanted everyone… you, to see how cruel he'd become. If I had known how much trouble it would have caused I would never have done it."

With a speed that belied his age, the Elder Purane lashed out at PuraneEs with the back of his hand, sending the younger man sprawling backward onto the floor. "Why would you go out of your way to shame your own brother?"

Purane-Es pulled himself up onto his elbows. "I hated Purane-La. With every bit of me, I despised him. I wanted to hurt him. I regret it now. Not a day goes by that I do not think of it."

"How nice," said Purane. "And all it cost was the life of your brother and the career of one of our finest Guard Captains."

Purane-Es stood, shaking with rage. "I see that you have not suffered overmuch as a result," he sneered.

"I made the best of an ugly situation. As I am doing now. If you are not in Sylvan in four days, I will go to the Queen Herself and tell her what I know about you and our dear Mauritane."

"You wouldn't! You'd be ruined along with me."

"Anything less than complete success is ruin, son. Your brother knew that, if nothing else. Before you had him killed." Purane stood and adjusted his long coat. "Now, will you go break the news to your lovely new wife, or shall l?"

Purane-Es swiped a tear away with his sleeve. "I'm glad Purane-La is dead," he snapped.

Purane brushed past him to open the door. "I can't tell you, boy," he whispered, "how many times I've wished it had been you instead."

The Castle Laco straddled the rim of Sylvan's valley. From its southern terraces, the Temple Aba-e and the mountains beyond created a lavish backdrop to the city below. To the north, at the edge of vision, was the outpost of Selafae. Beyond it lay the Unseelie lands. Mauritane glimpsed both views as they were marched through the palace and into its cellars.

In centuries past, the palace had served for a time as headquarters for the Seelie Army's western division. An ancient wine cellar had been converted into a stockade and it was here that Kallmer's men led Mauritane, Raieve, Silverdun, and Satterly, prodding them into a wide cell with the tips of their lances. The far wall was packed earth, the bars narrowly set and of polished hardened silver.

Kallmer stood outside the cell clucking his tongue while a pair of soldiers removed the prisoners' manacles and withdrew, locking the door behind them.

"Who would have believed this tableau three years ago, eh, Captain?" said Kallmer. He laced his fingers behind his back and began to pace. "I, the-how did you put it in your review? — the undisciplined and unreliable lieutenant, now promoted to Commander of the Sylvan region, standing watch over you, now fugitive and traitor. The Arcadians say that Aba's will is rarely what we predict, and I am tempted to believe them."

Mauritane strode forward and took the bars in his hands, furious at being thus imprisoned twice in a week. "Are these your orders, Kallmer? Or are you writing your own?"

Kallmer smiled. "As one's distance from the City Emerald increases, so does the number of interpretations one may discover in his orders. I believe I may have been instructed simply to send you on your merry way, but there was no provision against detaining you briefly for a chat, was there?" He stopped pacing. "Anyway, my position is a self-auditing one, so if I feel I have made a breach of conduct, you can be certain that I will chastise myself appropriately once all is said and done."

Mauritane loosened his grip on the bars with some effort. "What do you want?" he said. "I have orders as well, and mine are less open to interpretation."

Kallmer nodded slowly. "Yes, I've been told as much. And that's exactly why we're here, dear Captain. You see, I can't help but feel a bit left out of this happy business. My orders were cryptic and brief, though they came from the Chamberlain himself. It's a failing on my part, I'll be the first to admit, but I detest being used as a pawn in someone else's game. If there is an advantage I can press, why, I will press it."

"What do you want?" repeated Mauritane.

Kallmer continued, ignoring him. "All I've been told is that I was to meet you in the Rye Grove, ensure that you were properly provisioned, and then send you on your way to the City Emerald. Now imagine my surprise upon receiving such orders! My former captain, convicted of treason and imprisoned, is to show up at my door with his band of companions, and I am to kiss him on the cheek and cheer him southward. Odd, no? I think there's more to it than that." He spun on his heel. "I did a bit of investigation. I had a brief chat with a mutual friend: Purane-Es. Remember him? He's not the brightest star in the sky, Aba bless him, and he came to me, trying to find out what I knew. He managed to let slip that you might be conveying something of great value to Our Beloved Lady." He picked up a scabbarded sword from a simple wooden table in the corner and rapped it on the bars in time with his words. °I. Just. Had. To. Know. More!"