‘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?’
She glared at him. ‘What?’
‘They say you got a rich kid killed over in Merakasa. One of your band, wasn’t he?’
‘They say you’re a murderer of innocent women and children.’
‘That’s horse shit.’
‘Right.’
Karr watched them as though they were a game of pass the ball.
‘I’m not careless with lives,’ Caldason rumbled.
‘And
I
am?’ Serrah returned.
‘I didn’t say that.’
‘
When
are you respectful of other people’s lives? When you’re having one of your uncontrolled berserks, maybe?’
‘That’s not fair. I have no -’
‘Excuse me,’
Karr grated. ‘Can I have your attention, please? Thank you. If you two can’t work together I’ll have to disband your unit. Which would be a shame because we see this mission as a rehearsal for more ambitious assignments. And not only will it increase our funds, it’ll get you that bit nearer to the Clepsydra, Reeth. So why don’t you both turn your little creative tensions towards the job at hand?’ He beamed at them. ‘What do you say?’
They looked at each other. Serrah shrugged.
‘Fine,’ they chorused.
It was dusk by the time they got to the site and in position. That left about a quarter of an hour before the convoy arrived.
The point they chose was on a tight lane. One side was lined with outbuildings and abandoned properties. The other fronted the boundary of a wood, where a pair of cottages stood in a small roadside clearing.
Caldason and Serrah, on horseback, had hidden themselves on the wooded side. The bridge was to their right, but couldn’t be seen. What they could see was a lookout, stationed at a bend in the road, who had a clear view of the approach.
To their left was the city, sparkling with its usual dizzy magic. Light bursts, lancing beams, glamours born and dying like a million swarming fireflies. The distant urban roar.
Out here on Valdarr’s hinterland there was little in the way of magical discharge. Hardly anybody was about. A mild breeze carried the scent of honeysuckle, and grass after a recent shower. It was quiet, except for the sound of axes biting timber.
The sky was turning the colour of lemons and blood as the sun sank. Stars glinted against spreading purple velvet.
Serrah took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as though savouring a fine tobacco. The distraction of the mission seemed to have lightened her earlier testy mood.
‘At least the air’s better in these parts,’ Caldason remarked.
‘It’s not something I’m usually aware of.’ She added by way of explanation, ‘I’m a city girl.’
It was the first time he’d known her volunteer any kind of personal detail. ‘I prefer the reality of the countryside,’ he confided.