‘It’d be less of a concern if we were put in sole charge of dealing with them.’
‘You know that would be politically unacceptable.’
‘Unacceptable my arse. Politics is a mire. It bogs things down when speed’s of the essence. It conciliates when we should be striking without mercy. You’re in it by choice. It’s your
job
to spew silken words amounting to no more than a pile of horse shit. I wade in the privy out of necessity.’
‘Your views on the subject are well known,’ Talgorian replied dryly, ‘so let’s not rehearse them again, shall we? The fact remains that politics is what we’re engaged in, like it or not, and that means we practise the art of expediency. It’s how we get things done.’
‘My point exactly. Expediency. Compromise, concessions, give and take. Allow us a clear path and you’d see improvements in the situation then.’
‘I would hardly say that the regime we have now is particularly soft, any more than the penalties meted out by your clans could be called lenient.’ He didn’t wait for Bastorran to contradict that, and pushed on. ‘And you have to admit the paladins are in a delicate position with regard to the Resistance, what with you serving both Gath Tampoor
and
Rintarah. You’ll never have a free hand as long as that’s the case.’
‘Now we have a subject
your
views are plain about,’ Bastorran replied heatedly. ‘We make alliances. It’s our tradition.’ He spoke deliberately, as though instructing a dim child. ‘The paladins bear arms for anyone who needs our services.’
‘Anyone who can pay for them, you mean.’
‘Do you do your job unpaid? Or is your patriotism so great your services are given freely? There’s no contradiction in what we do. We’re stateless, remember, and by choice. Which makes it possible for us to serve and fight without being hampered by ties of nationhood. In any event, no one clan serves both empires.’
‘Nevertheless, a paladin of whatever clan is ultimately loyal to all clans.’
‘If conflicts of interest arise, paladins withdraw. If that’s impossible we serve faithfully, and that includes meeting brother clansmen in battle if need be.’
Which had never been known, Talgorian reflected. And he was far from alone in thinking that if the paladins’ stateless condition, a privilege accorded to no other group, wasn’t expediency, he didn’t know what was. The word mercenary hung in the air, but he had no appetite for using it. He didn’t want to make more of an enemy of this man. ‘The idea that you could take up arms against yourselves,’ he said, ‘I always found that difficult to understand.’
‘You would, you’re a civilian,’ the paladin responded, appending, ‘With respect,’ though he meant no respect at all. ‘It’s about honour.’
Talgorian raised a cynical eyebrow at that. ‘The reality of the situation is that the clans are never going to be entirely…’ He was going to say trusted. ‘The clans are unlikely to be granted the latitude you want as long as you insist on this particular… tradition,’ he rephrased diplomatically.
‘Over the centuries many have tried to persuade my predecessors away from our customs. I very much doubt the present administration, or indeed your good self, is going to have any more success than they did, Ambassador.’
‘I would never be so presumptuous, Clan High Chief.’
They exchanged professional, insincere smiles and mentally crept away from the topic.
There was a soft bump as the palace flattened something. A farmhouse perhaps, or somebody’s orchard. Nothing of any importance.
Bastorran said, ‘I will concede that difficult problems do arise in respect of security.’ He noted Talgorian’s guarded expression. ‘I’m thinking of recent events concerning your Council for Internal Security,’ he clarified, ‘and the disappearance of a certain special unit captain.’
It was Talgorian’s turn to hide embarrassment. ‘You suspect the Resistance had a hand in it?’
‘She’s a reasonably important middle-ranking operative by all accounts. Certainly an asset to them if she has defected, and her escape
was
assisted. On the other hand, things often prove more complicated than they first seem.’
‘What’s your interest in the matter, beyond the security implications?’
‘Several clansmen were killed during her escape. Losing our own isn’t something we take lightly.’
‘I’m told her escape was purely a criminal matter.’
‘Whatever it was it should never have been allowed to happen. The whole affair was a botch from start to finish. When a member of one of the great families gets killed, like this Phosian boy, even if it was incompetence and not assassination, heads should roll. Anything less and the mob loses proper respect for authority.’
‘You may well be right. But the fate of a lowly captain isn’t what concerns us at the moment.’ He nodded towards the pair of elegantly carved doors at the far end of the anteroom. ‘It would benefit us both if we had a united front when we see the Prince. I suggest we keep the agenda simple for him.’
‘Don’t we always?’
‘More so today, I mean. By concentrating on one or two issues of special importance.’
‘If you’re hoping to dominate this audience with your own concerns,’ Bastorran rumbled angrily, ‘you can -’
‘No, no, no, it’s not that.’ He waved a hand in an appeasing gesture. ‘I just want to be sure certain matters that affect us all are given priority.’
‘I sometimes wonder why you bother with the pretence of protocol. Gath Tampoor’s going to do whatever it wants anyway, isn’t it? Given this island’s no more than another of the empire’s puppet states.’
‘
Protectorates
,’ Talgorian insisted. ‘Unfortunately, in some matters that require Bhealfan co-operation it behoves us to feign legality. Unilateral action could stir up even more agitation among the populace. Something we can do without at a time when our forces are stretched countering Rintarah’s ambitions. You know that.’
The paladin nodded. ‘Too well. Laws, treaties, etiquette, they’re all as bad as politics. They clog everything up. Sweep the lot away, I say.’
The Envoy kept his impatience in check. ‘What we have is what we have. Until such time as other, more direct arrangements can be made.’
‘Anyway,’ Bastorran sniffed, ‘what is it that’s so important?’
‘This warlord we’ve been hearing about. Zerreiss. By all accounts he’s expanding his sphere of influence at an alarming rate.’
‘Is
that
all? You’re worried about one barbarian chieftain? I thought it must be something important!’
‘It might not do to be so dismissive of a possible threat to our borders.’
‘Afraid another empire’s rising, are you?’ He laughed derisively. ‘Concerned you could have a rival?’
Talgorian gave him a stony look.
‘One tin-pot leader overthrows a few others,’ Bastorran went on. ‘It happens all the time. He’ll fall back into obscurity soon enough. They always do. It’s ridiculous to think savages could offer a threat to the might of either empire.’
‘Of course it is. But what about some of our more far-flung protectorates? There are northern dependencies that produce valuable resources for us. Seeing the supply of those resources cut off, or worse, having the prize fall into the hands of a warlord, would be another burden for us at a time of unrest.’
‘The northern wastes are a long way away. You have one of the two largest navies in the world. Distance and force of arms should be enough defence for you. Anyway, I still think you’re exaggerating the risk.’
‘With respect, High Chief -’ again, none was meant ‘- I would suggest that the Gath Tampoorian Diplomatic Corps has more of an eye on external affairs than the paladins generally do. And our assessment is that we need to keep a close watch on the Zerreiss situation.’