Chapter 10

  "I dined at the same with the queen," Armando kept telling himself as he paced the winding streets of Innoto at night. – “I've screwed over an entire baron. I slept in a necromancer's house. At night. Why would I be nervous now?". And then he remembered why - the queen wasn't the most conventional, and the adventure with the baron had eventually led him here. Sometimes it wasn't very helpful to be honest with oneself. The former royal bailiff was hot and cold, and he furtively wiped the sweat from his face.

  Three of them - Armando, Carlon and Maria - went to the negotiations. Meanwhile, the rest of them were settling in the harbour hotel. No one chased them off the “Elena”, but Captain Valria preferred to spend the night on land. The "embassy" was accompanied by the navigator and sailors, laden with a long boarded crate. The contents of the box, as well as the composition of the group was determined by Don de Gorazzo, albeit with the consent of the golden-haired elf. He also drew up the general strategy of the future conversation, having calculated what trump cards the company could use. And it meant, among other things, that in case of failure of negotiations he would be blamed too.

  - Without my charm, you'll have a hard time, - Valria admonished her companions from the doorway of the inn. The captain was already able to stand unaided, but Sergeant Dallan loomed nearby, ready to pick up her commander. - But you'll do fine. The three of you have the charisma of half of me, so you should be fine. Just smile all the time and bow more often. I hear the Erdos like that.

  The island capital of the Republic was very different from the Virian cities on the continent. The buildings here were made of grey stone, the high roofs with curved corners covered with dark tiles. There were hardly any trees along the streets. At dusk, the harbour seemed sullen, like a cawing crow hiding from the rain among the bare branches. De Gorazzo was even grateful to his escort for leading guests almost at a run, giving them no time to look around. The Irutava clan's capital mansion stood near the waterfront, a massive, three-story structure enclosed by a sturdy wall. Skipper Dorlt was a trusted man, and his daughter was a familiar face to the local guards, as the soldiers greeted her separately as they let visitors through the gates.

  - You can't have private troops stationed in the capital, yes? – Master Carlon asked Armando. - Those blue bears on their shells are the clan emblem, aren't they?

  - Well, none of the clan leaders would come here without personal protection, - the former bailiff said quietly. - Bodyguards and residence guards don't count.

  The navigator Elena remained in the courtyard, together with the sailors and the crate. The mercenaries were searched without much effort, their weapons were taken away, and they were taken to the office on the first floor, where a young man dressed in a blue dressing gown embroidered with gold was waiting for them. He sat on a soft ottoman with his legs tucked up and tapped a rhythm with his finger on the top of a low round table. Behind him, two men – a warrior in full armour and a woman in a simple but neat dress stood as statues. A belt with many purses suggested that she was not a servant, but a house mage.

  Don de Gorazzo bowed at once, without waiting for his master to speak. The mage and the guardswoman, instructed beforehand, repeated after him.

  - Greetings to the guests of my house. - The man in blue stifled a yawn and tilted his head slightly at the sight of them. Apparently, it was just the right amount of politeness for a visitor of such status. - I am Irutawa Kero, ninth son of the clan leader and taiko of the Republic, Irutawa Ryuu. You will speak with me.

  Sir Kero gestured for the guests to sit down. There were no chairs in the study, but there were three pouffes lined up in front of the desk. Master Carlon took the left one, and Lady Maria chose the right one. Don de Gorazzo took the middle one and found himself face to face with the Chancellor's son. The Erdosian caught Armando's gaze and held it for a few seconds before continuing:

  - Skipper Dorlt, son of Nirlt, whose word carries great weight among the merchants, and his daughter Elena, whose honesty is widely known, have informed me that you are mercenaries who have learnt something of importance to my clan. And that they themselves have witnessed unusual events. May I hear the details here and now?

  - Yes, sir. - Armando swallowed, but did not dare to wipe the sweat from his forehead again. The first key moment had come, here, at the very beginning of the conversation. If you don't win the interest of your interlocutor at once, all other plans will become meaningless. - We are a mercenary unit. We've been hired to counter a certain group of people. In the course of our fight, we learn that this group has formed an alliance with one of the Republic's merchant clans. In exchange for providing a base and resources, this group promises to help the clan lead the country. We thought it would be logical to turn to you. After all, it would be in your best interest to prevent such a thing from happening.

  - Which clan are we talking about? - Kero-san tilted his head to his shoulder. He still looked a little sleepy and bored.

  - Tagawa.

  - Yeah, well, who else would. - Taiko's son chuckled. - The Princes of Iron... And you say they've taken in another mercenary squad? What kind of people are these that can threaten an entire clan? Mercenary assassins?

  - Not exactly, sir. These aren't just mercenaries. - Armando inhaled deeply, feeling drops of sweat chill his forehead. The former magistrate could have held back his emotions better, but he didn't think he needed to. Visible excitement was appropriate now. - Our enemies are dangerous not only and not so much with their skills. They possess... very unusual capabilities. We have brought with us some of the spoils taken from these people. With your permission, I'll demonstrate one.

  At Armando's sign, Lady Maria handed him a flat black-and-yellow box, one end of which was covered with a thin transparent glass. When the girl took out the strange object, the man in armour and the woman mage took a step forward. The warrior put his palm on the hilt of his sword, the mage slightly spread her hands apart. Silver rings glittered on her fingers, no doubt enchanted.

  - It's not a weapon. - Don de Gorazzo clicked a square button on the side of the box. The glass window emitted a beam of bright white light.

  - An unusual shape for a magic lamp, of course... - sir Kero stretched out disappointedly, leaning back. The female mage suddenly dropped to her knees beside him, whispering something in his ear. The Chancellor's son's face changed. He stared glumly at the object in Armando's hands. Catching the don's gaze again, he asked:

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  - That is not a magic item?

  - That's right, - de Gorazzo nodded. There was tension in the Erdosian's voice, and Armando realised that he had won the first round. - It is a mechanical device. It's also not a weapon, as I said. We left the weapons in the courtyard.

  Kero took a silver bell from the table and rang it. The servant bowed silently and went out with his back to the front of the room. Armando cast a questioning glance at Lady Maria. The guardswoman smiled reassuringly at him and waggled her chin almost imperceptibly. So there was nothing threatening in the order given.

  - If you'll excuse me. - Sir Kero stood up. - I must leave you for a while. Tea will be right away.

  - I hope he went to ask eighth and seventh sons for advice, - Master Carlon said in a low voice when the mercenaries were alone in the room. - Not to assemble a strike force to arrest us.

  - So far, everything's going according to plan. - Armando handed the alien lantern back to Maria. He didn't add anything else out loud; they were sure to be overheard.

  It took an hour to wait for the master's return. In that time the men had emptied a pot of herbal tea and devoured a tray of rice cakes with a strange sour sauce. Lady Maria politely refused to eat - the habits of a bodyguard, Armando decided to himself. When the well-fed de Gorazzo began to feel sleepy, the door of the study opened. Without entering the room, sir Kero looked round at the guests and said:

  - I'd like to see the workings of a trophy weapon before we continue this conversation. Lady Elena told me that in the box you brought the gun and its loads. There's a firing range in the back of this house, would that work?

  - Yes, sir. - Armando stood up, his legs stiff from sitting on the ottoman. He noted with envy that the bearded mage and the Lady Guard had no such problem. - Would the noise of gunfire attract attention?

  - No, our guards have arquebuses. They often practise with them. Come.

  The elongated backyard was lit by dim oil lamps on man-sized poles. Night had finally fallen, and silver stars dotted the velvet-black sky, free of clouds. Somewhere nearby a cricket sang. A group of men had gathered around the wooden barrier blocking the courtyard. All of them wore armour except one, a bald, elderly man with a long, floppy moustache. The mustachioed man wore a traditional Erdos dressing gown of blue silk, with the clan crest on his chest. He wore a warm cloak of Iolian fashion over the dressing gown.

  Armando poked Carlon with an elbow in the side:

  - The man without armour... That's Ryuu.

  - Chancellor?

  - Yep. So this is who we've been waiting for.

  Armando felt a surge of enthusiasm. If the Chancellor's ninth son had not informed eighth son of their visit, but his father himself, and the latter had turned up in person, it meant that they were seriously interested in their story. The only thing left to do was to direct this interest in the right direction and turn it to their advantage.

  They had a target prepared for them - an old iron breastplate, already punctured in a couple of places by the bullets. The gun box lay open on the ground. It was guarded not by sailors from the “Elena”, but by Clan soldiers. Maria nodded to her companions and stepped forward. Getting down on one knee, she pulled a rifle out of a drawer. Not her favourite rifle with a telescopic sight, but another - shorter and more massive, capable of firing bullets in a fan. Four soldiers surrounded the girl, ready to bring her down and disarm her at any suspicious movement. It was as if the Lady Guardsman didn't even notice. She straightened up, pulled up her thick leather gloves to her elbows, adjusted the collar of her black jacket, and switched some lever on the gun case. Putting the barrel of the outlandish weapon on the barrier's crossbar, the lady took a slow aim and pressed the trigger. Three shots merged into one. And three more, and three more. The breastplate shook from the hits. The wooden pole holding it broke after the fourth round, and the target crumbled to dust with a clang. Maria stepped back, dropping the smoking gun.

  - I still... hate that sound, - master Carlon muttered under his breath. His whisper sounded surprisingly loud in the silence.

  One of the guards ran for the breastplate and brought it to the Chancellor. The first man of the Republic looked for a moment at the sieve into which the iron plate had turned, then with a wave of his hand he invited the guests to approach. He said as they approached:

  - You never know what a new evening will bring you. Tonight after sundown, I had planned to finish my paperwork at the palace early and have a nice time with a glass of wine. But lo and behold, here you are. I gather from your terse words that you don't think my son is a worthy listener. Would the taiko of the Republic and the head of the clan be willing to hear your whole story?

  Armando portrayed the elegant courtly bow he saved for special occasions:

  - I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way, sir. But what I'm about to tell you is really not for everyone's ears. You must hear it first, and then decide which of your men to tell. I'm afraid we'll be talking for a long time.

  - I see. - Sir Ryuu squinted his eyes and twirled the tip of his moustache. - Well, let's go back to the house.

  The clan leader's office was nestled under the roof, and it looked a little deserted; taiko probably spent more time in his residence than in the clan mansion. But the unnaturally clean room was furnished in the Daertian manner, with chairs instead of ottomans, massive wardrobes against the walls, and a normal oak desk under the window.

  - It's all from our own wood, - the chancellor told the guests as he walked to the table. - Just as the Tagawa rule the iron, so the Irutawa own the ship's timber. Sit down.

  Once in his seat, Don de Gorazzo looked around quickly. Taiko had not brought his bodyguards, but Armando would have bet that there were secret doors behind the cabinets and hidden loopholes in the ceiling.

  - So? - Ryuu looked questioningly at Armando. He hesitated for a moment. It was his turn to drop another bomb, and de Gorazzo felt a prick of fear. Valria and Carlon doubted whether it was worth the risk, but Armando insisted. Having prepared the ground for negotiations, having aroused the curiosity of potential allies, the former bailiff planned to shock them with the purest truth - presented, of course, in the right light. Alas, the only way to tell the story of the company truthfully was to reveal the truth about himself.

  - I'll start by introducing myself. - Don coughed, taking a moment to control his voice. - My full real name is Armando de Gorazzo. I am a former royal bailiff of the Daertian crown.

  - The Queen's murderer, - Chancellor Irutava said in a perfectly even voice.

  - No, - Armando said, allowing himself a little harshness in his tone. - Witness to a murder.

  It was light outside the window when the don finished his story. Armando had a splitting headache and a sore throat, and his companions, who were also in the conversation, looked equally exhausted. Sir Ryuu sat motionless with his chin resting on his intertwined fingers. He was silent for a long time. A long time. Just until one of the people present rumbled in their stomachs. Taiko grinned:

  - I think it's breakfast time.

  He was answered only by the tense stares of his guests. The Chancellor leaned back in his chair:

  - Well, you can consider me convinced of the existence of aliens. It's a crazy story, but it makes sense. Your words coincide with some of the observations of our people on the continent. We've heard about the research funded by the Iolians in Daert for a long time. And these trophies... But the alien connection to the Tagawa clan... Requires serious proof. Any action I take against the Tagawa could lead to civil war in the Republic, you realise that, don't you?

  - Of course, - De Gorazzo nodded.

  - The burden of proof is on the accuser, - Taiko quoted a line from the laws of the Kingdom of Daert. He looked intently into Armando's eyes.

  - I have a plan, - the don replied simply, hearing Captain Valria's laughter in his head. And laid before the Chancellor the last trump card he had saved for today...