Beneath them in the band’s command structure were two ‘subalterns’, with eight ‘privates’ forming the pyramid’s base. Half the membership was drawn from the ranks of the Resistance. The other half came from the Fellowship of the Righteous Blade, hand-picked by Quinn Disgleirio. All were seasoned fighters. But the unit lacked a thirteenth member, due to the scarcity of combat sorcerers.
At the end of a hard day’s training in a small wood beyond the city limits, Reeth and Serrah were summoned to Karr’s hideaway. No one else was present at the meeting. It took place in a cellar whose entrance was concealed by a glamour that mimicked a solid wall. Used for planning and briefing sessions, the cellar was brightly lit and well appointed.
They sat at one of several large benches, taking refreshments. For Serrah and Caldason, who shared frugal appetites, that meant light fare and plain water. Karr allowed himself a goblet of diluted brandy.
He swallowed a mouthful and said, ‘Is everything going well with the band?’
‘Seems to be,’ Caldason replied. ‘They work together and take orders. No problems so far.’
‘You being a Qalochian isn’t an issue? I should hope it isn’t, of course, but prejudice can exist even in our ranks.’
‘No more an issue than Serrah being a Gath Tampoorian, I’d say.’
‘Good. So, you think the band’s ready to be put to the test?’
‘Ready as it’ll ever be.’
‘Serrah?’
She nodded. Her eyes were less hollow, there was more colour in her face. Rest, nourishment and having a purpose had begun to revive her. ‘Ready and eager. Particularly if there’s a chance of doing some damage to my old masters.’
‘Then I think you’ll approve of what we have in mind.’ Karr took another drink. ‘It’s no secret that one of the ways we finance ourselves is through stealing. Not from the common people, of course. We take from the masters, the imperialists who squeeze their vassals dry. You might call it ethical robbery. It’s something of that kind I’m proposing for your unit.’
‘A politician involved in criminal enterprises?’ Caldason gently mocked. ‘Whatever next?’
Karr laughed. ‘Does beggar belief, doesn’t it?’ More soberly, he added, ‘But there’s a real contradiction, of course. No decent public servant should be forced into illegality, no matter how deserving the cause. There comes a time when the disparities are too difficult to balance. I think that’s where I am now.’
‘What are you going to do about it?’ Serrah asked.
‘The day’s close when I’m going to have to give up so-called legitimate politics. To do what I urged Kinsel to do and get out. Things have gone too far for lawful opposition to make much difference now. Direct action’s the only path I can see.’
‘I’m surprised you’ve stuck it out this long,’ Caldason said.
‘You hold on to your illusions, you know? Once, politics seemed to make a difference. Somehow you lose sight of the fact that it doesn’t anymore. You don’t see the piecrust promises and downright lies, and go on believing that the platitudes matter.’
‘You’ve changed your tune. Not that long ago you were saying politics still had a value.’
‘Partly it was seeing Kinsel come so near to grief. That was sobering. But mostly it’s the general situation. The more we kick out at the state, the more they ratchet up their oppression. That’s only to be expected, but it makes it harder to achieve anything through official channels. It certainly makes it more difficult for me to live two lives.’
‘So you’re going underground.’
‘Probably. But I’ve not officially made the decision, so keep it to yourselves, will you?’
They nodded.
‘I’ve got us away from the subject,’ Karr went on, businesslike. ‘First priority is your mission. And it’s the sort we particularly favour; a redistribution of some of the taxes leeched from the provinces.’
‘Redistribution,’ Serrah repeated, quietly pleased with the word.
‘Yes. It doesn’t all go back to the people, but we pass on as much as we can after our needs.’
Caldason raised an eyebrow. ‘So
you’re
taxing them.’
‘They give it willingly, Reeth, believe me. Look at it as the state collecting donations on the Resistance’s behalf. And the collection we’re concerned with happens once every three months. That’s how often they bring in the tithes from outlying districts. In this case, from quite a wide area to the east of the city. That’s rich farming land, several good-sized towns and a lot of villages, as you know. Should be a hefty take.’ He produced a large rolled parchment and nodded at the bench. ‘Clear that, would you?’
They swept aside the food and drink. Karr unravelled the parchment, which they weighted at the corners.
‘A paper map,’ Serrah muttered. ‘Quaint.’
It showed an edge of Valdarr where a hamlet was being absorbed by the spreading city. The effect was like the profile of a face with an absurdly long nose. A smattering of buildings thrust out from the urban mass into virgin countryside. The farthest end of the captured hamlet, the tip of the nose, met a small river, with a few buildings on its far side. At that point there was a bridge. When the road it carried reached the city side, it turned sharply and narrowed, threading its way through a cluster of houses and tree-lined lanes.
‘That’s the only bridge for miles,’ Karr informed them. He didn’t have to spell out the potential for ambush.
Caldason pointed at the map. ‘You’re sure they’ll go that way?’
‘They vary the route every time, but we have good intelligence that it’s going to be along here.’
‘When?’
‘That’s the thing. This evening. In about four hours.’
‘Gods, Karr,’ Serrah exclaimed, ‘that’s cutting it a bit fine, isn’t it?’
‘Yes. But the tip-off just reached us. It’s tonight or in another three months, and next time we might not know the route.’
‘What sort of numbers are we talking about?’ Caldason said. ‘How’s it protected?’
‘One or two wagons for the load. Escort party of between twelve and twenty, going on past form. Certain to be paladins among them.’
‘They outnumber us.’
‘I’m sure you can be inventive on that score. And maybe we can bleed their number with a few diversions.’
‘Hmmm,’ Serrah mused. ‘They’re going to be well glamoured, aren’t they?’
‘Chances are they’ll have standard magical ordnance. But so will you. Only you won’t have a trained sorcerer on hand to work it properly. This is a dangerous mission, I won’t pretend it isn’t. Which is why I have to be sure your band’s up to scratch.’
‘It is,’ Caldason assured him. ‘We can deal with this.’
‘I wouldn’t be quite so hasty,’ Serrah said. ‘This is all last minute, we’re going to be outnumbered, the band’s untested, and -’
‘Oh, come on. You know we can do it.’
‘
Planning
, Reeth. It’s the key to any successful operation. How much preparation can we do in four hours? What’s our strategy if things go wrong?’
‘It looks pretty straightforward to me. It’s perfect terrain for waylaying a convoy and we’ll have the element of surprise.’
‘Rushing in blindly’s a lot worse than not doing it at all, believe me. Remember, I’ve had experience running units like this. The least we should do is give the rest of the band the choice of coming along or not.’
‘This isn’t a temple picnic, Serrah. We’re supposed to be a disciplined unit. We can’t give people the option of backing out. You’re worrying about the band too much; they’ll be all right.’
‘
You’ll
be all right, you mean.’
‘Pardon?’
‘You’ve got this invulnerability thing, haven’t you? Well, the rest of us don’t have that luxury. You might keep that in mind when the lives of our band are on the line and you feel like behaving recklessly.’
‘I’d trade what I’ve got with you any time,’ Caldason replied icily. ‘And I’m not invulnerable. I can still be killed, or maimed if the wound’s bad enough.’
‘So you say. I’m just thinking about the safety of the group.’
‘Oh yes, that’s something you know all about, isn’t it?’