'Don't worry,' he says, surprisingly cheerfully. 'I've lashed worse men than these into shape.' 'There are worse men than these?' I mutter. We watch as a phalanx of professional soldiers from the King's guard marches past in splendid formation. We saw them practising earlier, and the difference between their performance and ours could hardly have been greater. They won't break at the first assault, or come apart when they're charging the enemy.
There's a marked lack of cheerful war stories among the corporals. Bad memories are coming to the fore.
'We were saved by the Elves last time,' says one, a sail-maker from Twelve Seas. 'If they'd arrived one day later Turai would have fallen. Rezaz the Butcher would have marched in and we'd all be long dead.'
No one cares to dispute this. It's true. In reality, if the
Elves had arrived one hour later, Turai would have fallen. The east wall was already starting to crumble when the Elvish armies arrived on the battlefield.
I'm hungry. I look around for Consul Kalius's tent, hoping to snag a pastry from his chef, but the Consul isn't on the field this day, and I trudge from the practice fields hungrily, in a poor mood. At the Eastern Gate I come face to face with Vedinax. He's a head taller than me, muscled like an ox, with a long sword slung over his back. I walk up to him and stand close.
'Take a good look round,' I growl.
'Why?'
'You won't be seeing it for much longer. If the Ores don't kill you I will.'
Vedinax sneers down at me. He's not scared of any sorcery I might be able to muster against him. He wears a spell protection charm around his neck. They're expensive items, rare in the city, but obviously his boss Capatius provides for him well.
'No chance of that, fat man.'
'We both know I didn't flee from the Battle of Sanasa.'
'I seem to remember you did,' says Vedinax.
I decide to kill him now. It was a bad idea to fight the case in court. I draw my sword. Vedinax draws his. Suddenly four men in uniform stride between us. Praetor Capatius has arrived with his guard. I sheathe my sword.
'I'll kill you later,' I say. Vedinax isn't intimidated. He once took the award for valour for being first over the enemy walls at a siege. I don't care if he's intimidated or not. I'll still kill him one day.
Chapter Fifteen
Domasius isn't a bad lawyer. A little too fond of wine. Maybe not immune from taking a bribe in one of the minor cases he conducts in the courts. But he's sharp as an Elf's ear at sifting through evidence. I'd consult him more often, but even at the cheap end of the market, lawyers' fees are expensive. Domasius lives between Jade Temple Fields and Thamlin. Probably he'd like to make the move into Thamlin proper, but unless he gets appointed to some high-profile cases that's not going to happen, and at his age, nearly fifty, it's unlikely to. His office is a little seedy, with a lot of scrolls and documents waiting to be filed away, and a faint aroma of thazis hanging over everything.
I turn up for my consultation around midday and find him buried in The Renowned and Truthful Record of All the World's Events, the daily news-sheet which focuses on the grimier side of life in Turai. Of which there's a lot to focus on. He shakes his head, pointing to the lead story, which concerns a merchant who's just been convicted of insurance fraud, claiming money for a lost cargo of wheat which never actually existed.
'He should have hired me,' says Domasius. I'd have got him off.'
'He was guilty.'
Domasius shrugs.
How many guilty clients have you worked for?' he asks.
'One or two.'
Domasius adjusts his toga - not sparkling white - and pours me a goblet of wine. His grey hair is cut short, as is the fashion with the senatorial class, but it's a little ragged, and his beard could do with a trim. It's obvious that Domasius is never really going to move up in the world. It strikes me that it must be equally obvious to my clients that I'm not going anywhere either.
'How did you make out with the documents?'
Domasius shuffles around on his desk, pulling out a few pieces of paper and glancing at them.
'You want it in technical language?'
'Simple will do.'
'Senator Lodius is guilty as hell. He organised the forgery of that will and he didn't even do it that well. Prefect Galwinius was going to nail him in court.'
I finish my wine and climb to my feet.
'Don't you want a fuller report?'
'That'll do for now. You can send the report to my office with your bill.'
I head for the door.
'Make sure you pay the bill before the Ores attack,' calls Domasius after me. He's not the only person in town worried about settling their accounts before Prince Amrag arrives.
Senator Lodius is still under house arrest. The guards outside his gates let me through, used to me by now. I wait a long time at the front door while a servant goes to fetch Lodius's wife. The door is painted white. Every front door in Turai is, even mine. It's the lucky colour for front doors.
Ivaris is a little apprehensive when she arrives in the hallway. I didn't send a message warning her of my arrival, which means she hasn't had the opportunity to get her husband out of the way.
'That's fine. I don't want him out the way, I want to see him.'
She looks apologetic.
'I'm afraid he still refuses to see you.'
I look apologetic back.
'Doesn't matter. I need to see him.'
Her mouth sets in a firm little line.
'I'm afraid you can't. It's been very awkward for me, keeping you engaged. It's caused us great stress. I've done it because I believe you can help, but there are limits. You really cannot see my husband.'
'Ivaris, I'm sorry. I know this is awkward. And I don't like being awkward towards a lady who invited me into her private prayer chapel and makes sure I get food when I visit. But I'm here to see Lodius and that's what I'm going to do.'
She stands right in front of me.
'If you think I won't bat you out the way, you're mistaken,' I tell her.
'You certainly would not bat me out of the way.'
'I certainly would. When you hire Thraxas you get the full package. Hitting people included in the price. So take me to your husband before I search the house for him, and tell those servants behind you not to bother trying to stop me, they'll only get hurt.'
I move past her, not exactly batting her out the way but not letting her stop me either. A servant does try to prevent my advance but I brush him aside and carry on to the private rooms in the centre of the house. Hearing the commotion, Senator Lodius makes a swift appearance.
'He forced his way past me,' says his wife, bringing up the rear, and sounding betrayed.
The Senator casts an evil glance in her direction before turning his glare on me.
'Save the stare, I need to talk to you. Here will do, or somewhere private if you'd rather the servants didn't hear.'
'This way,' says Senator Lodius, and leads me further back into an office.
'Is there any reason why I should not call for the Civil Guard to throw you out?'
'No reason at all. But the way your popularity has waned recently, I'm not sure they'd be all that quick in coming to your rescue. I have questions.'
'I have already made it abundantly clear that I do not wish to talk to you. You do not represent me.'
'I do. Or maybe I represent your wife. Either way I'm working on your case. And I just learned from a lawyer that you're guilty in the matter of forging a will.'
'I beg your pardon?'
'Comosius's will. You forged it, or rather, you had it forged for you. Galwinius was right, you were trying to defraud him of an inheritance. He had witnesses and documents. He was going to skewer you in court.'
I'm expecting a lot of arguments and denials. I'm expecting wrong.