CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Lounging about outside his room, Nalyx polished his already clean armour, trying to maintain a fine balance between looking industrious and bored. The barracks were quiet, with the vast majority of warriors off at the gate, but there were still a few people wandering around who were making life difficult for him. Geron was outside the armoury, testing out some new swords, feeling their weight and balance. And there were two new trainees who hadn’t been cleared for active duty yet who had spent an hour practicing their sparring in the courtyard. Captain Leefe’s room was down the end of the row, and Nalyx had to wait for a quiet moment when no one would see him sneak inside, but that meant loitering in the courtyard for most of the day, and trying at the same time to look like he was doing something useful.

Finally, Geron put his swords away and wandered off, and Nalyx watched as he headed out between the buildings towards the town square. With luck, he was going to visit one of the local blacksmiths, which would give him plenty of time to get in and out of Leefe’s room without getting caught. He hadn’t seen Captain Leefe himself since early this morning, and with any luck, he’d have plenty of business in town to take care of before returning to the gate tomorrow morning.

Nalyx got up and headed down the row, moving fast, but not so fast as to draw attention to himself. At the end of the courtyard, gateways led both towards the town square and into the bathhouse, meaning that either one could provide a ready excuse as to where he was going, if needed.

He got closer to the end of the row, slowing his steps to look around. There was no one about. Was his luck going to hold? Once he was inside, he still had to find the key, and that could take a good few minutes, depending on how cautious Leefe was feeling about it.

But just as he was approaching the end of the row, Captain Leefe himself suddenly came around the corner. Gods damn it. Nalyx smoothly changed direction, as if he’d been planning on doing so all along.

“Nalyx,” the captain greeted him warmly, as he saw him coming. “Going somewhere important?”

“I was just going to get some lunch,” Nalyx said, the excuse already prepared in case he’d run into someone on his way.

“Ah, splendid. Well, if I could just interrupt you for a few minutes of your time, I have something to show you,” Leefe said, opening the door to his room. “Come in. I think you’re going to like this one.”

Nalyx followed, only mildly put out by the interruption. At the very least, he could check out Leefe’s room and figure out any likely hiding places for the key to the cage.

Inside, he was immediately impressed by both the size and the opulence of the room. He’d never been in here before, and though he knew the captain must have amassed significant wealth over his years of service, the display was still startling. Colourful tapestries hung on the walls. Two ornate and ancient swords were mounted on brackets, and Nalyx suspected from the design that at least one of them had once belonged to one of those big, black demons. The floor was covered in fine rugs, and two porcelain vases were displayed on small tables beneath the window.

“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” Leefe said, an indulgent tone in his voice, and Nalyx felt himself flush at getting caught staring. And then he decided to use that to his advantage, instead.

“It’s impressive,” Nalyx said, taking a longer look around the room, disguising his search for the key as admiration for Leefe’s wealth. “It must have taken you years to collect all of this.” A narrow table sat against one wall, a sheaf of papers on one end. Next to it was a quill and a pot of ink, and beside that was a small wooden box. The lid was open, and inside sat a large, bronze key. The key to the cage. Nalyx had seen it once before, years ago, but for some reason, the image had stuck in his mind.

Which was fantastic, except for the fact that he could hardly just walk over and take it with the captain standing right there.

“People keep asking me why I haven’t found a wife and bought a house of my own. I just think that some people aren’t meant to be married. I spend half my life at the gate, and the other half training my men. There’s no woman in the world who would want to put up with a husband who’s obsessed with his work and away from home ninety per cent of the time. I figure I’m better off with just me on my own.”

“It’s a wise philosophy,” Nalyx said. “But you said there was something you wanted to show me?” If he could find a way to distract the captain, perhaps he could snatch the key? He took a discreet step closer to the table, ostensibly to have a closer look at the sword mounted above it.

“Of course, yes,” Leefe said. He went over to a table near his bed and picked up a bow. “Take a look at this. One of the carpenters made it for me. It’s the first one, so it needs a few tweaks to get it just right, but it’s a fine start. Bow making is a unique skill all of its own, but Rodget was happy enough to have a go at it. Young Meesan has been helping him. He’s the only one who’s actually used one of these, after all. And then there’s this…” He opened a long, narrow box, taking out an arrow. “Look at this. It’s perfectly straight, and I had one of the blacksmiths make the arrowhead.” He was grinning enthusiastically. “Perfect for slicing right through the hide of a unicorn, don’t you think?”

Nalyx took the arrow, examining it carefully. The head was broad and sharp, bound to the shaft with a thin leather thong. At the other end, three pale feathers curved in perfectly uniform lines. “It’s a work of art,” he said, not having to manufacture his appreciation.

“This was made by a young man named Reece. He’s only fifteen, but he leapt on the opportunity. He wants to be a warrior, but his father’s a blacksmith and he won’t allow it. But I think learning to make our arrows for us might be a fine compromise for the lad. Gives him a sense that he’s still making a contribution, even if he can’t be on the battlefield.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Nalyx agreed. How the hell was he going to distract the captain? Now that he was here, with the key right in front of him, he didn’t want to have to sneak back in again later. “My god, is that Melhitian pottery?” he blurted out, pretending to have just noticed the vases by the window.

“It is indeed,” Leefe said, turning to face the window. “You have a good eye.” Quick as lightning, Nalyx’s hand darted out and picked up the key, being careful to be entirely silent about it. He shoved it into his pocket, then returned his attention to the vase. “A merchant came through town a few years back,” Leefe went on. “He only had two of them in stock. I bought them both.” He turned back to Nalyx, a smug grin on his face.

“But Melhiti’s over two thousand miles away,” Nalyx said, keeping the conversation going. “How on earth did he get them here?”

“Damned if I know. But I’m glad I grabbed them when I did. I’ve never seen another one since.”

Nalyx smiled and handed the arrow back. “You’re a lucky man. Or maybe just a very talented one. The gods know not many men last as long in the army as you have.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Leefe said with a grin. “But there’s a lesson in that. There’s a time for bravery and a time for caution. I got as far as I have by making use of both.” His smile turned sympathetic. “I know you’re not happy about being kept out of battle. But you’re too good a soldier to waste you on the risk of getting seriously injured. A few more days, Nalyx, and you’ll be back out there with the rest of us.”

Nalyx nodded. “I know. I mean, yes, it’s frustrating, but I understand your reasoning.” He gave a wry grin. “Patience was never one of my virtues.”

Leefe slapped him on the shoulder and led them both out of the room. “I must be off. No rest for the wicked. I’ll let you get on with finding some lunch.”

He strode away, leaving Nalyx to watch him go, the weight of the key heavy in his pocket.