‘I will bring discipline and order and safety for the hardworking people of Tryum,’ he repeated. ‘All I ask of you is a show of hands come election day, on the morning after the next full moon. Come, friends, support me – and I will support all of you in return.’
That was that. Maxant walked off the platform and out of sight, the priest and his soldiers following him. The masses were jubilant and optimistic.
But it was the men who were not cheering, however, that caught my eye. I indicated a couple of large groups of them to Leana. Some I recognized from earlier, but others I took to be either supporters of Gerrantus, or merely hired thugs.
‘Things are about to get bloody,’ I said to Leana.
‘Shall we stay to watch?’
‘Yes, let’s hang back a little longer.’
Now that people were beginning to move on, we stepped back a little deeper within the sanctuary of the crumbling temple. I spotted a member of the Civil Cohorts stood by idly a few yards away, clearly not aware of what was about to happen.
‘Be careful.’ Leana placed her hand on the hilt of her short sword.
The crowds gradually dispersed, and the two groups of men became more defined. Once they did, the mood changed dramatically and the rest of the stragglers hurried their pace. There were about two dozen on one side, nearly all men, and twice as many on the other; each wore roughly similar clothing, grubby tunics of varying shades. The outnumbered set of men were physically superior to the others; I took these to be Maxant’s soldiers.
Situations like this pained me. As a member of the Sun Chamber, all I could do was observe the confrontation and report it to the correct authority figure. I could not stop it without any soldiers to hand, and neither were we powerful enough to subdue it.
Quite a few people were still lingering around the fringes of the courtyard, watching the spectacle from a street corner or from windows.
Blades were drawn. Two leading figures stepped towards each other and spoke in the centre, the soldier standing a good head taller than the other. After a short while, it seemed to transform into a relatively calm debate.
And then Maxant’s man slit the other’s throat so quickly, I barely saw it happen.
The victim collapsed as the other men surged towards the soldiers, who proceeded to form a disciplined line.
The melee was fast, violent and efficient; blood spouted in thick gouts as skin was ripped open. There were rapid punches and crippling kicks, but no sooner had it all started than the remaining attackers, or victims, fled.
Standing with their weapons still poised, the remaining soldiers regarded the courtyard, which was so badly stained with blood. With a professional calm, they gathered up the corpses and dragged them to the perimeter of the yard, before proceeding to vanish down a side alley.
‘Is this how politics is done in Tryum?’ Leana remarked. ‘This is your version of democracy?’
A Way to Make Money
Another beautiful evening lay ahead. The sun was just passing beyond the rooftops and birds skittered about in the clear, purpling skies. Smoke drifted about on the breeze, having come from the stoves being fired up for the evening, which mixed with the scent of jasmine flowers from a nearby bush. After the excitement and emotional range of my day, there now seemed to be a wonderful stillness, and a sense of peace.
I took another moment to look at the hand-drawn document acquired in Lacanta’s room. It was incredibly vague, so much so that I started to believe it could have been something else entirely – a sketch perhaps, or strange esoteric notes that had manifested in this way. The words were indecipherable, which didn’t help, and there were various triangles scattered about. Maybe it was an encoded drawing from a lover?
Bellona had prepared a nourishing meal of freshly caught fish covered in pepper, bread and vegetables from the market gardens of the city. She turned to leave us, but I nagged her incessantly until she sat down to dine with us. Reluctantly, and eventually with a heavy smile, Bellona agreed, but she would not touch a drop of wine no matter how watered down it was. She ate tentatively at first, with great pauses between mouthfuls, though with time she relaxed – and only then was I satisfied.
‘I’ve been thinking,’ I announced, after chewing on some bread. ‘I have a plan which solves three small problems, and I’d like your thoughts on the matter.’
Leana’s glance was non-committal, but Bellona’s face seemed full of concern.
‘This house stands empty for much of the day and there are many rooms that simply aren’t being put to good use. Meanwhile, many people in this city can’t even afford to feed themselves. It simply doesn’t feel right to me. That’s one problem.’
‘You want to move house?’ Leana asked.
‘No,’ I replied. ‘Now, another issue I’m concerned with is our safety. Bellona, our work brings us into contact with very dubious characters indeed. You’ll know what it was like for my father of course.’
She nodded, and though I waited for an answer none came.
‘The third issue is money,’ I said. ‘I know you don’t like to talk about my father’s money situation, Bellona, but the matter is resolved – have no fear of that. However, that has left me without much in the way of savings, and I don’t wish to get into the same situation.’
Leana took a sip of water. ‘And your plan?’
‘I’d like to use some of these rooms as offices. I think this could become a station of the Civil Cohorts. Daytime offices for the most part – it is a private home, ultimately – but I’m sure we could have a nightwatchman too. Senator Veron gave me the idea, as he’s looking to improve things for the neighbourhood. He could transfer some of the money to me to cover the rent and so forth. In the meantime, it would mean all these rooms aren’t wasted, we’re protected, and we have a little extra income. The most important thing, though, is that the surrounding streets will be improved even further by the presence of a team that I can mentor, to some extent. What do you think?’
Leana considered my words before declaring, ‘This is a good plan. Not that you need it, but it has my support.’
‘Good, and Bellona, you’ll be happy with more people about?’
‘Is it simply more stomachs to feed?’
I laughed. ‘More or less, I guess. I’m not sure exactly. The place could get a bit messy with so many people about. I’ll be able to pay you more, of course. Say, another few pecullas a week? That’s on top of expenses for food. You’ll probably need to manage a bigger household budget, and if you need more help I’ll entrust you with finding whoever you’d like – a quick-running lad to go on errands perhaps. Also, I noticed you have good writing skills – should you need any additional tutoring in numeracy or other languages I’m sure that would be easy enough to arrange. You’ll be able to manage your own small empire before long.’
She nodded eagerly, with wide eyes and a smile to match. ‘Thank you, sir. Your father paid for me to learn to a certain level, though I am not as fine with words as I would like.’