My job was done, I was exhausted. I wanted to go home.
My property was vacant and had long been cleaned of corpses, so I sat alone by the fountain in the garden, staring at the spot where Titiana had hung. Sunlight streamed in over the roof of the house, and I basked in the sultry evening warmth. This place contained so many memories for me, so many happy occasions from my youth, all the way through to that horrific departure.
Leana stood over me.
‘Do you mind if I ask you something?’ I asked.
She shrugged.
‘Forgive me for bringing it up, and I apologize if I offend, but how did you manage to cope with your husband’s death, all those years ago?’
I was wary of bringing up the subject. Over the years I’d gleaned only that Leana’s husband – she never told me his name – had died while protecting a prince as the wars raged throughout Atrewe.
‘What makes you think I cope with it?’ Leana replied.
‘I can’t pretend that Titiana’s end hasn’t somehow wounded me inside,’ I whispered. ‘I don’t mean to even compare it to what you had – it’s trivial, in relation, but it still hurts.’
‘Of course it will,’ Leana said softly. ‘It is fine to feel pain. You want words of advice, Lucan?’ She looked at me sincerely.
I nodded.
‘It will hurt you whenever you think of it. But soon you will think of other things and the hurt will not strike you as often. But it never goes and it is foolish to pretend otherwise.’ Leana placed her hand on my shoulder. ‘I am sorry for your loss. I grieve with you, my friend.’
Senator Veron was the first to come and find us and I was glad to see another friendly face. He told me that he had ‘acquired’ my house after the king had ordered my property forfeit when I left the city. He had not done anything to it yet, except clean it up.
‘I was preserving it for you,’ he said, and I genuinely believed him this time. ‘But it seemed to be filled with foul spirits after what we found when we arrived. Some people tried to blame you at first – since you were the one who had gone missing. I knew better than that, and argued your case. It’s all yours if you still want it.’
‘Thank you, Veron.’
‘Don’t hang about here, Drakenfeld. The bad memories will eat at you. Stay at my place. My wife is still out of the city and I have plenty of wine for company. If you want, I’ll buy this place off you and turn it into something without such memories. It could even become a prison to go with a new batch of cohorts.’
‘That’s a kind offer.’
‘Of course it is. Look at what you’ve done, at all you’ve been through. Come back to mine. I’ll see you’re looked after well.’
‘What did you do with Titiana’s body?’
His expression softened and he sat beside me on the edge of the fountain. ‘We burned her in a multi-god ceremony. We had a few priests of different temples. Her and the cohort – all of them were sent off together. It must have been a terrible sight for you to discover in your own home.’
That statement didn’t warrant an answer. ‘How did it go today?’
‘He’s dead,’ Veron said. ‘Licintius is dead and it took us six hours to arrive at that conclusion – rather short by our standards. It helped that Lacanta admitted much of it. She could hardly not, given that her being alive contradicted any possible defence.’
Veron told me that the king was not charged with the murders of the priestess, Drullus and Maxant, nor for the gods-angering relationship between brother and sister. Instead he was executed for willingly deceiving his Senate and his people.
For treason.
‘He was dealt with in the same way as all those who commit such a crime, and beheaded. His execution happened in the Senate gardens, so at least he had a nice location for it. I’ll show you his head later if you want. It’s on a spike outside the Senate building.’
‘Thank you, but no,’ I replied. ‘I’ve had quite enough of it all. What about Lacanta?’
‘She has been exiled from Detrata for a period of ten years.’
‘Really?’ I asked.
‘Yes. After you left, Licintius claimed that he acted alone, that Lacanta was merely following her king’s orders. He said he’d personally banished her from the city, and that everything was his responsibility.’
‘I guess he really must have loved her,’ I said, ‘to spare her life like that.’
I wondered just how much of that was true, knowing how smart Lacanta was in conversation. Her excellent mind could equally have helped in the planning. It was frustrating that Licintius could not be held to account for the actual murders because at the heart of all of this was the priestess: a young woman who had come to an exciting city for a new start, only to be held captive and ultimately killed so that a brother might be able to marry his own sister. Drullus and Maxant’s deaths were more pointless acts, more lives erased for the hope of a corrupt love.
And Titiana, of course.
‘Come on.’ Veron stretched out his hand. ‘Let’s not linger here with our bad thoughts.’
Veron pulled me up, and he embraced me. ‘It’s good to see you again, friend. I had run out of people with whom to get drunk, and I don’t wish to end up drinking alone like some poor drunk!’
Getting Away
We spent just the one night at Senator Veron’s immense house. He was kind enough – though the more cynical might say he had his own career prospects in mind – to invite the other senior Sun Chamber officials to spend the night there also, and there were more than enough rooms to go around.
The dinner was sumptuous – big pheasants, fat fruits, exotic spices and tender rice. I suggested to Leana that this was a welcome break from being out on the road and she replied merely that I would become spoiled once again by such luxuries. Perhaps she was right, but tonight I dined heartily and didn’t feel guilty in the slightest.
While Leana found herself a quiet spot in Veron’s residence to pray to her spirits, I was able to speak in private with Commissioner Tibus. We sat on resplendent couches in an elegant office, while more and more people filed into Veron’s house. The noise of distant chatter grew quite overwhelming. He had even brought in a pipe player to entertain his guests.
‘Commissioner,’ I said, ‘I don’t know if it is too soon to ask, but I would be grateful if you could help me to find a posting outside Tryum. There’s nothing here for me now.’
She gave me a look of sympathy. ‘We thought this might be the case, and it’s just as well, Drakenfeld.’
‘Why so?’
‘Look at it this way – you’ve just unseated a bloody king and changed this entire nation. Word has reached me there are still a few royalists who are unhappy, even though they voted with the majority of the Senate. I would not be surprised if blood gets spilled on that Senate floor before too long. Worry not,’ Tibus continued. ‘I’ll see to it that you don’t hang about long. We’ll have need of that mind of yours in darker places than this.’
‘That sounded almost like a compliment.’ I smiled.
‘Oh, Lucan Drakenfeld.’ She placed one firm hand on my shoulder. ‘I’m not made of iron. If I have been harsh, it is for good reason. You see, your actions are likely to leave Detrata without a king – as a republic, for the time being. That could have ramifications across Vispasia.’