Chapter 25
Lovers of War, Lovers in War
Hemet Preya, Kingdom of Hannibal
The guard held open the door to the Captain-General's bedchamber and said to the herald, "Go in."
The herald reluctantly entered. This was not his first time to report to Hemet Preya under such circumstances. There were only two activities Captain Tyrus enjoyed and he devoted all his time and energy to the pursuit of one or the other. If he was in his bedchamber, than narrowed down the possibilities, or at least it should have.
The herald could see the vague human shapes through the gauzy curtains around the Captain's bed. Two... three, perhaps. Maybe more. It would not be unusual for him.
The herald stood before the bed and saluted.
"My lord Captain, I come with orders from Her Majesty the Queen."
"More orders?" the Captain asked disinterestedly. "You would think Her Majesty would grant us a moment to celebrate our victory over the Rock Devils and mourn that fool Reinwald."
The Rock Devils to the north were primarily the responsibility of Captain Reinwald of Hemet Heymdal, but the Captain met with some misadventure while leading an expedition into the Rock Devils' territory, throwing the garrison into disarray. Captain Tyrus then flooded the lowlands to flush out the Rock Devils' underground nests in retaliation. Unlike the Forest Devils, the Rock Devils were not quick to replenish their numbers, so this blow would be felt for years to come. None of this had any bearing on the Queen's orders, however.
Before the herald broke the seal on the orders, he said uncomfortably, "My lord Captain, shall... ah, shall you dismiss your, ah, guests first?"
"There is no need," a woman's voice said. "Our toy for the evening doesn't speak the language. Any secret communication will be quite safe."
It was Sidonia, the vice-captain and lover of Captain Tyrus. It was uncertain which role preceded the other, but what was quite certain was that the Vice-Captain was not one to speak against. She was much quicker than her partner to act on her displeasure and the Captain was rather indulgent of her excesses. Only if he had been commanded on the pain of death to maintain absolute secrecy by either Lord Bannon or the Queen himself would the herald even consider repeating his suggestion contrary to what the Vice-Captain said.
The herald broke the seal on the orders and unfurled the scroll, reading the contents aloud for the Captain and Vice-Captain, "Her Majesty the Queen hereby commands the Lord Captain Tyrus to proceed with the invasion of Inoon, to capture or kill the traitor who falsely calls himself king, and to subdue the subjects thereof by whatever means necessary. A fourth part of all plunder shall be reserved for the Lord Captain and the garrison of Hemet Preya, to be distributed at the Lord Captain's discretion."
"Her Majesty is quite generous," Captain Tyrus said. "She must want this matter dealt with quickly, but why now when like a boil that island has been left to fester for over a hundred years?"
"Something is coming, perhaps," Vice-Captain Sidonia replied, "and the Queen cannot have any distractions."
"Perhaps," the Captain said. "Are all Inooni youths like pearls as the stories say?"
At first it was not clear who he was talking too, but then a slender man with long, flowing hair stepped out from behind the screen at the bedside. His features were so delicate that he could easily be mistaken for a woman. He was adjusting the sash of a thin robe in the fashion of the Jade Isle, apparently having just finished making use of the chamberpot.
"Many are, but not all," the man replied. "You have to expect some trash among the treasure, after all."
"I suppose captives would count as part of the plunder," Captain Tyrus said. "We should claim a few of those pearls for ourselves."
"A boy and a girl," Sidonia said, "one for each day of the week, the choicest we can find."
"Not all the choicest, my love," Captain Tyrus said. "We must pay due honor to our Queen with the very finest of our of our plunder."
"Such a faithful subject of the Crown..."
The herald cleared his throat.
"What is it, man?" Sidonia asked. "Are you sick or something?"
"Come now, love," the Captain chided, "don't tease the poor boy."
"My lord Captain, is it wise to allow an outsider to hear these orders?"
"What do you mean, an outsider?" the Captain asked. "Caspar here is more of an insider than anyone. Isn't that right?"
"I certainly could not be called uninvolved," the man, Caspar, replied.
"Caspar is Inooni, you see," Captain Tyrus explained. "If we're going to invade Inoon, he would be the first person I would call anyway."
Alarmed, the herald said, "My lord Captain, if this man is Inooni, how do you know he is not a spy?"
"I know him... rather intimately, shall we say," the Captain replied. "Caspar is an exile. There is no love lost between him and estranged homeland."
"Even so..."
"Do you want to know why Inoon has been left untouched all these years?" Caspar asked. "The island is surrounded by sheer cliffs and rocks that can thwart most any invader. There is a single narrow route of safe passage to a grotto that can serve as anchorage, but only during low tide. That leaves you with only about six hours before your ship must leave or be smashed on the walls of the cave. If your ship leaves for safety before then, you will be left stranded until the tide goes out again. Even Inooni sailors will not brave this course often. The traders only come once a month."
"Can you imagine the disaster we would face without such knowledge?" Captain Tyrus said. "Yes, without good Caspar no attack on Inoon would succeed, at least not as quickly and cleanly as Her Majesty would like. Go, return to the palace and let Her Majesty and Lord Bannon know that we will launch our attack in the coming days. The new moon is upon us soon and there will be little better time to strike."
The herald had his doubts about all that he had heard, but it was not his place to venture his own opinions any farther than he already had. Instead, he simply said, "Very well, my lord Captain, I will relay your words. Hail Hannibal! Hail the Queen!"
"Yes, hail and farewell," Captain Tyrus replied. "Now be off with you, unless you intend to join us."
Without a moment's hesitation, the herald said, "By your leave, my lord," then gave a curt bow and left. He had had his fill and would be glad to be on the road once more. Why was it that the most normal of these marchland captains was the one who had to get himself killed?