S. Turney - Interregnum

Sabian nodded. The boy was absolutely right. Had he found one of his soldiers up there he’d have disciplined him.

Darius went on. “Either he or some other man’s never been far from you since then. There may even be two or more of them, cos to be honest when you’re all in uniform, I find it hard to distinguish at first glance and I don’t get to see them up close. That’d be too risky. I think there’s several though and your younger sergeant might be in on it. The soldier or soldiers that I’ve been seeing are often with him. Sort of with him and shifty if you get my meaning.” He frowned.

Sabian shrugged again. “It’s a bit thin though Darius. It’s not like they’ve been hunting me with their blades out or anything. I don’t like the sound of it, but without any kind of evidence, they may just be bored. I wouldn’t be at all surprised.”

Darius shook his head. “True, but I followed one of them myself this afternoon. He went into one of the rooms people don’t really use in the Peacock Palace. It’s on the top floor and a bit dangerous. He was in there for about a quarter of an hour and then left and raced off to find that sergeant. After he left I went into the room and the only thing in there was a signalling lamp standing on the windowsill.” The young man crossed his arms. “Now tell me that’s not fishy!” he added.

Sabian frowned. Such news threw a whole new light on the subject. “Take me to this room Darius.”

The sun was floating lazily almost touching the sea to the west when Darius and the commander reached the main palace buildings. Within the complex walls the shadows had melded together and lamps had been lit in the palaces. Up on the main gate and at strategic places on the walls braziers burned where the soldiers on the night watch had just come on duty. Making their way through the Great court and along the Hall of the Swans the pair had seen not another soul. Everyone would probably be preparing for dinner at this time.

Sabian walked quietly but quickly, his hand gripping the pommel of his sword to stop it swinging as he walked. He wasn’t quite sure why he was being so cautious, but for some reason his instincts told him to be careful and he had long since learned to trust his instincts. Besides, Darius was also treading quietly and the boy was equally intuitive. Moving into the intricately designed stairs they made their way up the six flights until they could see the wide vestibule at the top, dark but for the scattered patches of grey where the windows in the stairwell allowed a little light to penetrate the gloom. Sabian stopped.

“Lead on Darius” the commander whispered. The young man answered with a simple nod and turned to make his way along the curved hall. They made their way quietly, softly around the central well until Darius stopped and held up his hand. Pointing down at the floor, he shook his finger. Sabian looked down and realised that this floor must be hardly ever visited. The dust was thick and settled apart from several sets of footprints leading both to and from the door that now stood before them. The commander took a moment to examine the tracks. They were of an average size and bore all the hallmarks of military boots, though with little or no signs of the hobnails; whoever it was needed their boots replacing. He looked back up at Darius and nodded as the two pulled themselves up in front of the door. Darius was reaching for the handle when Sabian stayed his arm. The commander pointed at the cracks around the door itself and the younger man realised that a tiny amount of light was visible around the edges. Darius had assumed the room’s window to be the source of the light, but it was possible that the sun was now beneath the horizon and this window would face east. Perhaps the window or… a lantern maybe? Slowly and with infinite care Sabian drew his well-oiled blade from its sheath. Darius raised his eyebrow and at the commander’s nod drew his own sword, new and unfamiliar.

Stepping to either side of the door, the two took up defensive positions as Sabian reached out and, gently lifting the catch, thrust the door open and peered round the edge. Since he didn’t flinch or pull back, Darius leaned forward and peered round to survey the room. Much like the corridor, the room with thick with dust. Old ramshackle furniture stood around the walls collecting dust and bird droppings. The ornate window had seen better days, much of its plaster moulding having fallen away both outside and in and the walls were shedding plaster in places, beautifully painted chunks lying on the floor in the dust and leaving just the bare bones of the walls. The only articles in the room that did not show a sense of neglect and decay were a small wooden table and chair before the window and as Darius had noted in his brief earlier visit, a signalling lamp standing on the table next to a flickering candle that had almost burned out. It took long moments for his gaze to pick out the other oddity in the room and, as he did, he joined the commander and they walked into the room, their swords still ready.

Not far from the table in the dust on the floor was a heap that Darius had at first assumed to be old drapes or wall hangings. In fact, with the low flickering candlelight, its nature became clear as they made their way closer: it was a body. Darius stopped suddenly and turned, his blade flashing in the dim light as he squinted to check the corners of the room. Sabian shook his head.

“No one here,” he said, “apart from him.” He gestured at the body and then turned to the young man. “Step careful. There are tracks in here we don’t want to disturb.”

As the commander stepped lightly toward the body, Darius remained where he was, watching the doorway. Sabian reached the heap and crouched.

“His name’s Ursus” he confirmed. “One of Iasus’ men.” He sighed and, standing again, added “we need more light.”

As Darius nodded the commander scratched his head. “I’ve sent word for his Lordship’s physician to find me. No one else should be around for best part of an hour; it’s dinner time.” He gestured to Darius. “Are you alright guarding this room while I get some lanterns and find the doctor?”

Darius nodded again. “Don’t be too long.”

Stepping carefully to avoid scuffing the footprints in the dust, Sabian left the room and Darius heard him jogging along the corridor to the stairs. As the hob-nailed boot noises faded away into the distance Darius placed his sword on the table, hilt facing him for easy retrieval should it become necessary. Crouching he examined the footprints in the dust. He hadn’t examined the ones in the corridor, but they were fairly clear tracks. Here there were at least two sets of prints crossing each other many times, one military boot and one light flat shoe. Darius frowned and crossed to the body. The man was probably in his late twenties; perhaps ten years older than he and powerfully built. A big man with a lantern jaw and a shaved head and wearing the full kit of a soldier. The young man considered examining the body himself but thought better of it. These things were best left to men of science.

Standing once more he walked past the table and peered out over the water. Velutio was visible in the distance as myriad twinkling lights in the shroud of darkness. How anyone signalling would know what to look for was beyond him, as it would be near impossible to distinguish between the lights.

He hadn’t realised just how long he’d sat there, staring out at a world beyond his reach, but it must have been some time for he was shaken from his dreamy state by footsteps in the corridor. Retrieving his sword he came to his feet in a sweeping motion to face the door as Sabian and the doctor appeared in the open, framed in the doorway by the light of the lanterns they each carried. The lad relaxed, his shoulders dropping back and the sword coming to rest by his side. Sabian entered, stepping to one side to avoid the footprints and advising the doctor to do the same. Without a word, the physician reached out with his lantern and held it in front of Darius, expecting the young man to relieve him of his burden. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Darius grasped the lantern and placed it on the table. Looking around, Sabian found a high wooden cupboard still in a reasonably sturdy state and placed his own lantern on the top. As the room was bathed in the glow of the two oil lamps, the commander wandered across and shut the door, sealing them in the room before he addressed the doctor.