‘You think that means I will do things I should not do…’
‘What are you trying to do, Leo? Talk me into thinking you want out of this? You could, you know. You would not live very long afterwards.’
‘You think – what if I went to Drake and told him what I know?’
‘Then you’d get me killed and maybe Konstantin and Mikhail and certainly yourself. You don’t think they can be tied to anybody higher up, do you? You don’t think they wouldn’t disappear, just the way you would be made to.’
‘All right, all right. You’ve made your point. I have another question for you…’
‘Fire away.’
‘How much do you expect to make out of this?’
‘I’ve already made enough so I could retire back to Belial and live like a noble.’
‘It doesn’t look that way.’
‘No. Not right now. But when this is over, I can assure you I will be out of here and away. You will be, too, if you play this sensibly. Look we’ve seen all the high muckety-mucks get rich from these endless wars. Why shouldn’t we do the same?’
‘How rich are you going to be?’ He named a sum that made me whistle. He smiled and nodded and said, ‘Look Leo – you and me are just pawns to these people. We always were. If it wasn’t us, it would be somebody else. This way we at least get something out of it.’
He sounded sincere, just a man looking out for an old comrade, trying to do his best in this mean, old world. Hell, maybe he was.
‘What if I wanted some proof of that up front.’
He nodded affably. This was something he understood. ‘I am sure that could be arranged, with a word in the right ear – leave it to me.’
I was sure that whatever he arranged there would be a cut included in it for him. I could not really begrudge him that. I handed him back his flask. ‘Let’s drink on that,’ I said.
The Red Lantern was the sort of place that soldiers came when they could afford it. Scantily clad women lounged around on red divans. I was greeted like an old friend by the lady in charge and shown through into a private room where I was met by Mikhail and Konstantin. They looked more affable than at any previous time I had dealt with them. I guessed that my session with the truth drugs and my asking for money had reassured them somewhat.
They passed me over a small pouch. It contained three tiny brilliant gems. I had seen their like before. On Belial, they could purchase a large part of a small hive if I traded them to the right person. They were tiny, easily concealed and incredibly valuable. It seemed that my new friends had taken my request quite seriously.
‘You can expect more if you play your part well,’ said Mikhail. He had a somewhat contemptuous manner now, that of a man who has bought and paid for something he expects to get the use of. Or maybe it was just the surroundings that put that thought into my mind.
Konstantin looked more conciliatory. ‘We are all on the same side here,’ he said. ‘We all want what is best for the Imperium.’ He looked and sounded as if he really believed that.
‘That remains to be seen,’ said Mikhail.
‘What do you want from me?’
‘Macharius has plans to defeat Richter,’ Mikhail said.
‘He does not tell them to me.’
‘If you hear anything you will let us know.’
‘I won’t hear anything.’
‘Don’t be so certain.’
‘If it happens, you’ll know,’ I said, ‘but don’t get your hopes up.’
‘If there’s anything else that seems relevant let us know.’
‘What do you deem relevant?’
‘Any plans Macharius might have, where he might go, who he might talk to.’
‘He’s not doing a lot of any of those things right now. He spends most of his time in his chambers studying maps of Loki.’
‘There now,’ said Mikhail. ‘That was not so difficult. That is information worth knowing and for which you will be rewarded.’
Again there was a hint of a sneer in his manner. Again Konstantin stepped in, ever the conciliator. ‘Anything might be relevant, Leo. We need to know Macharius’s intentions and anything you might know about the people around him. What do you know about the Space Wolf presence on Acheron?’
‘I did not know there was one.’
They both looked at me as if they did not quite believe that. I shrugged and said, ‘The Space Wolves have left. There was a farewell feast. I was a cupbearer at it.’
‘So we heard. It’s one reason you are of interest to us.’ I considered that. Perhaps they did not intend to just kill me once they were finished with me. I could see how they might think that. I had enjoyed the favour of the leader of one of the most powerful and noble forces in the Imperium. They might think me a useful person to have around in case of any future dealings. I told myself not to get my hopes up. The Space Wolves were a long way away and likely to remain so.
‘So you don’t know anything about a small Fenrisian vessel in orbit over Acheron?’
‘It’s news to me,’ I said. ‘Whether it’s news to Macharius or Drake I do not know.’
I could see another reason for them to worry. If the Space Wolves were supposed to have left and one of their ships was still in orbit, who knew what that might represent. Any Imperial commander would be wary of offending the Adeptus Astartes. Perhaps they thought Macharius had cut some sort of secret deal with Grimfang. Hell, perhaps he had. My ignorance was very far from being entirely feigned. As a bodyguard you get to hear far more of what is going on in the Imperial headquarters than any normal soldier, but this does not mean you are privy to all of its secrets.
‘If you hear or see anything, let us know.’
‘How am I supposed to do that?’
‘Leave a message at the tavern for Krimov. He will set up a meeting.’
‘Very well. Is that all?’
‘No,’ said Konstantin. ‘We may as well enjoy what we ostensibly came here for.’
He pulled a long cord. The drapes swished open. Three women came in.
‘It’s getting worse,’ said Drake. He rose from the table, strode around the command chamber and studied the great map of the city. All of the armed camps and their commanders were marked on it.
Macharius sat hunched on his commander’s throne. He looked tense, not at all like the relaxed, effortlessly calm leader he had always been. He hunched forward, crooked his hands and then stood up himself. ‘What did you expect?’ he said.
‘It is a problem,’ the inquisitor said. ‘A real problem. There has been a six hundred per cent rise in disciplinary offences. Seventeen officers have been killed in duels. One has lost an eye. Three have lost limbs. Seven hundred and fifty-two enlisted men have been injured in brawls, one hundred and seven of them fatally.’
‘Those are not bad numbers for an encampment this size,’ said Lazlo, one of Macharius’s staff officers.
‘That was yesterday,’ said Drake. ‘Normally we would not see such a rate in a month.’
Lazlo looked as if he wanted to protest but did not dare. The inquisitor turned his attention back to Macharius. ‘It’s all part of the same thing.’
‘I know,’ Macharius said. He sounded distant, as if his mind were still elsewhere, dreaming up schemes to defeat Richter. It was the first time I could ever recall seeing him like this.
‘Surely the officers and commissars can bring this under control,’ said Lazlo.
‘They are part of the problem. The crusade is losing all cohesion. Our officers fight duels. Our commissars punish petty infractions of discipline and yet allow the rot to spread unopposed. It starts at the very top. The High Command is too busy jockeying for position to concentrate on any other problem. Their juniors are lax from want of supervision and communicate the ambitions and prejudices of their superiors to the troops. Followers of General Tarka and General Crassus turned their weapons on each other in the streets yesterday. They did not stop until their commissars shot sixty men for disobedience of orders. Even then three commissars were killed.’