Part Three. The clock shows midnight.

  Chapter 16

  - Dark deeds are best done in the dark, - Don Armando hummed to himself as he strode through the streets of Innoto. Actually, the song of the Daertian smugglers was strictly about the opposite - that the darkest deeds are done in the daylight, in the gilded halls of the royal palaces. But the Don didn't care about that now - he was savouring an almost forgotten sensation. For the first time in a long time, the former royal bailiff was walking through the sleeping city not as a lurking fugitive, but as a representative of the law. Behind Armando's back a dozen soldiers rattled their armour, in his jacket pocket lay a rolled-up order signed by the Chancellor, and in his hand the don clutched a steel rod decorated with a coat of arms. The rod was his own - the local lawmen used a band with the emblem of the Republic as a symbol of authority. Out of pure childishness, de Gorazzo had taken it from the bottom of his bag and carried it with him today.

  Armando had been in Erdos for a little over a month, but he had not had time to familiarise himself with its straight avenues and narrow alleys. But he was going to visit a mansion on one of the main streets tonight, so he was in no danger of getting lost. De Gorazzo stopped in front of a low carved gate, knocked on it with his rod. Then again. He was answered only by the barking of a lone dog.

  - Sleeping? - suggested master Carlon. Apart from the soldiers of the Republic, Don Armando was accompanied only by him.

  - Commander... - de Gorazzo nodded to the escort's chief. He took arquebus off his shoulder and blew the fuse. Than drew more air into his chest, shouted something in his native tongue, and fired into the air. His subordinates began to bang the shafts of their spears against the paving stones. Now all the dogs for many yards around were already stirring. The windows of the neighbouring houses began to flash - Armando had noticed at once that in such a rich district many people used golden magic lamps. Only the mansion they needed remained dark and silent.

  - How long have the "shadows" been watching the house, commander? - Don asked the Erdosian.

  - Since sundown, - he said. - If the master had left the house, we would have been signalled.

  Armando looked up at the round pagoda of the temple at the end of the street. There, on the roof, near the gilded Sign of the Creator, a pair of shadow warriors lurked. Valria, armed with a crossbow, would have joined them a few minutes ago. The Don looked at the other roof and waved his hand, not seeing either the shadows or the elf. Pointed his finger at the gate. At the same moment, a flexible dark figure separated from the high ridge, slid down, and crossed the street. Clawing its claws, it swiftly climbed the steep stone fence and easily swung over the tiled ridge. Armando heard a snake-like hiss, and the dog's bark was cut short by a startled shriek.

  - I hope he didn't... – Master Carlon started to say, but then the bolt rattled and the massive carved casements began to open.

  - Good work, Corporal. - Armando smiled at Green, who opened the gate, and walked past him into the courtyard. The dog was all right - the lizard-man had just spat on it. Now the yellow dog with the pretzel tail was whimpering pitifully, with only his nose poking out of the box.

  - Commander, the door. - When he saw that the entrance to the mansion was also locked, the don stepped aside. The door was not a gate; soldiers could kick it down.

  The not-so-luxurious two-storey house was inhabited by an official of the Irutava clan. According to the Chancellor, he was the last candidate to be King Auguste's spy. There was no evidence against him, but the clan's intelligence had rejected other candidates. To get a legitimate reason for interrogation, Taiko brought to light some kind of tax fraud that had been organised by an official years ago and hushed up by the clan. Now it was back on the table, and Valria had somehow got the head of the Republic to authorise her to participate in the arrest. Perhaps the captain hoped to speak to the spy before the Chancellor's executioners.

  - Btam-m! - The two burly soldiers slammed their shoulders into the front door, and it didn't even come off its hinges, just crumbled into planks.

  - Stop! - Master Carlon suddenly gestured to the rest of the men who were about to attack. - Something's wrong.

  Armando raised his eyebrows in mute question, and the mage explained:

  - I can feel the magic in all the houses on the street. But that's just background from guard amulets or household charms. It was the same here. However, when the door was kicked in, I felt a surge... a faint one. And something in the background of the house began to change.

  - A trap?

  - Maybe.

  - Where was the surge?

  - On the first floor. - The mage scratched his beard glumly.

  - What about the first one?

  - Looks clean.

  - Then let's go in after all, - Armando decided.

  - All right. I'll go first. - The black-bearded imperial placed his palm on the hilt of his infantry cleaver, but did not bare it. - The rest of you, follow me. And don't let the soldiers touch anything without my permission.

  Six men entered the mansion - de Gorazzo, the magician, the escort commander, and three of his subordinates, who switched their spears for swords. Carlon walked slowly, looking around carefully. He opened all the doors. Already behind the second one they were surprised by two dead bodies on the floor. An older man and a young boy, both in black nightgowns. Armando crouched down next to them, examining the dead men without touching them. He said, straightening up:

  - Servants. This is their room. Killed with a stiletto or other thin blade. The blows are precise, like a professional. No blood on the floor, but these wounds don't bleed much. Still, it's unlikely they were both killed in the same place. There's no sign of a struggle, so neither was expecting an attack.

  - I have a bad feeling about their master, - Carlon said, growing darker than ever.

  The mage's fears were confirmed when the group climbed the stairs to the first floor. The owner of the mansion was not in the bedroom, but in the study. He was sitting at a desk with his nose buried in some papers - deader than the woollen carpet on the floor of the room. A dagger with a plain black hilt protruded from the official's back. Armando took a step forward, but the mage grabbed him by the shoulder:

  - Freeze! What did I say?

  - You said not to touch anything. - De Gorazzo stepped back to the threshold. - I wasn't going to...

  The imperial mage sneaked closer to the table, stared at the corpse for a moment. He grinned crookedly:

  - That's clever. Only I've seen it before, alas and alack.

  - What is it? - Armando asked, fighting the urge to wipe away the sweat. The former bailiff had convinced himself that the situation did not frighten him, but the vapour on the don's temples did come to the surface. Magic was still an area in which he was and always would be helpless. And that, you know, was unpleasant.

  - The dagger is bronze, with copper trim. - Master folded his arms across his chest, never taking his eyes off the dead man. - Not a gram of steel. It is a trap. Activated by contact with blood. You stick it in, you set it off. If you take the blade out of the body, the dagger...

  - It will explode, - Armando finished for him.

  - You're beginning to understand something about magic, Don. - The mage grinned wider. - That's right. These things were in vogue a hundred years ago, but they're still around now. But they have to be recharged, and this one was energised at least a year ago.

  - It's good to have you with us. - De Gorazzo took a moment to catch his breath. - Master, is there any way to defuse this dagger?

  - We can, - the mage nodded. - But we won't have time.

  - Er... why?

  - Because there are two traps. The second one's planted up the arse of a corpse, - the image pointed at the dead man with a nod. The mage's voice remained businesslike, steady. - It had something to do with the alarm on the front door, and it was activated when we kicked in the sash. Somebody was counting on the finders of the corpse paying attention only to the dagger and not to it. Good thing the dagger's got energy under the lid. To a magician's eye, it shines so bright it outshines the nearest source of magic.

  - The second trap... Will it explode if the body is disturbed? - Don suggested timidly.

  - Oh no, it would explode as soon as it had stored enough energy. - Carlon shook his head. - That thing draws its charge from the household amulets in the house so it's undetectable. But I've seen nastier stuff in the war. Body traps, traps under traps. Traps that go off when the trap is discharged…

  - Can you defuse it? - Armando almost cry, but he managed to pull himself together and asked the question calmly, in the tone of the mage.

  - No. But I can tell you that the explosion was at least ten minutes away. - The mage turned to the don, pointed his thumb at the study door. - I suggest you don't run, just go out into the courtyard and ask everyone to get away from the house.

  It was not so easy to follow the mage's advice. Nevertheless, Armando lingered on the ground floor.

  - Take the bodies of the servants and drag them outside, - he ordered the escort commander, the only one of the soldiers who spoke good Daertian.

  - It will be done, - the warrior bowed.

  With two dead men on their heels, the Republic fighters jumped out of the mansion and hurried away from the house with their comrades. As they went, the soldiers shouted something to the gawkers looking out of the windows. They recoiled in fright and slammed the shutters shut. After a hundred paces the magician raised his hand:

  - That's enough. It should be safe here. Green, what is it?

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The corporal behind the line was carrying a dog squealing with fear.

  - Shh, shh, shh! Af-f. - The lizard-man opened his mouth wide, clutched the dog tighter to his chest.

  - Well, if it's really so tasty... - the mage dubiously stretched out, stroking his beard.

  - Commander, send a man to the guard barracks to call firefighters, - Armando turned to the chief of the escort. - Tell the others to gather the neighbours. I want them to identify the dead and tell me how many other servants were in the house. If anyone goes to their own place for the night, look for them. If there's one servant missing, he's the killer. And probably a real spy.

  - Do you think he realised that the spy was being sought, that the circle was narrowing, so he killed his master and fled, sir?

  - Yes. The master could also be involved in espionage. Or it was done as a diversion, like the traps. - De Gorazzo clapped his staff on his palm. - Signal the Shadows, I want their report. They were only watching the master, if any of the servants left the house it was none of their business, but they had to see. There's still a chance of capturing him, but I wouldn't count on it....

  - Sir de Gorazzo! Sir! - Armando turned at the shout and saw a messenger in the colours of the Irutava clan running towards them.

  - What is it? - He asked with his hands at his sides.

  - Sir! - The messenger almost fell at the don's feet. After taking several deep breaths, he blurted out: - The Chancellor urgently requests you, Captain Valeria and master Carlon to come to the clan residence! Urgent!

  - Valria, not Valeria, - the don corrected messenger. - To the clan house, not the taiko palace?

  - Yes, sir.

  - Well, tell me… - Armando stammered and flinched as the first floor of the mansion exploded behind him with a deafening crack. Scarlet flames shot up into the sky, casting long, charcoal-black shadows over people and objects. Small shards of tile rattled, sprinkling onto the stone pavement. The messenger boy recoiled, covering his face with his palms. The dogs howled and barked again, and a woman screamed somewhere very close by.

  - Tell the chancellor we'll be right there, - Armando finally finished. A piece of clay tile the size of a finger hit him on the shoulder.

  *       *       *

  The former royal bailiff felt the Irutawa clan's mansion in the capital almost like his own home - the squad had slept there for weeks. But he rarely had to visit the chancellor’s personal office. After the defeat of the alien base, the Chancellor of the Republic had spoken to the mercenaries in person only a couple of times. Today he invited four of them to his office at once - Armando, Valria, Carlon and Alex. The guests found Taiko standing at the desk. The head of the Republic was looking at some papers, and he looked up only after the last of them had closed the door behind him.

  - Good night, gentlemen and ladies, - the chancellor nodded. His voice seemed a little distant to de Gorazzo, as if he were secretly thinking of something else. - Are you well?

  - Our guesses about the spy were both confirmed and not. He... - Armando started to say, but Irutava interrupted him by raising his palm. He said:

  - I'm afraid we have more important things to talk about. We'll come back to the spy later.

  - One of your younger children is an excellent artist, Taiko-san. - Captain Valria suddenly stepped forward and jabbed her finger at one of the papers on the table. - And an excellent imagination. I see the mushroom above the forest, don't I?

  - Sometimes I find your sense of humour inappropriate, Lady Valria, - the Chancellor said without a smile. - But your powers of observation and your ability to spot things at a glance are worthy of respect.

  He took the paper the captain had indicated and held it out to Armando. The companions huddled around the don, eager to see it. On the crumpled piece of paper, a simple charcoal drawing had been made by an unskilful hand. A jagged line probably marked a forest. A mushroom with a rounded cap rose above the treetops. On the sides of the mushroom were sketched stylised clouds and stars. According to the drawing, it looked as if the mushroom's cap was touching the clouds. To Armando's surprise, Alex was the most impressed by the picture. The defector turned pale, changed his face. He said something through his teeth, then added in Daertian:

  - Forgive us, Lord...

  - I see that messier Alex immediately understood what was depicted here. - Ryuu Irutawa looked at the stranger questioningly. - This picture, Captain Valria, was not drawn by a child. It was given to me by an agent of the Republic on the continent. He was watching the rebels in the Duchy of Velonda.

  - What is it? - Master Carlon shifted his gaze from the Chancellor to Alex, as if asking them both.

  - Ten days ago, deep in the night, many people in the duchy were awakened by a bright flash. Then a column of fire and smoke rose to the sky’s. - replied taiko. - This was seen by the people in the villages and towns near the capital. Actually, the pillar rose above the capital of the duchy. Some of those who looked in that direction were blinded. Ashes fell from the sky. Then the refugees began to arrive. They told of the flash over the city, the rumbling and the earthquake. Some of them were badly burnt, some of them were being torn apart alive. Their hair fell out, their teeth fell out, their skin peeled off. One in three had lost their eyesight. All the refugees came from the suburbs and towns outside Velonda. Not a single person came from the capital itself - not even three days later. The last of the fugitives saw the glow of great fires where the city stood.

  There was a long silence. Irutava walked round the table and sank into a chair, while the mercenaries remained standing. They stared at the black lines of the drawing - each of them had his own picture in front of his eyes, born of the Chancellor's words. Alex was the first to find his voice.

  - This is it, - the defector said quietly. - An atomic bomb. One of... ours. That's how they work.

  - King Auguste the Strong, on the other hand, said it was magic. - Taiko leaned his elbows on the table.

  - What? - Armando and Carlon asked almost in unison. Valria snorted softly.

  - That same night, the king's army suddenly withdrew from camp and attacked the rebel forces, - the chancellor said, interlacing his fingers. - Auguste managed to defeat the duchy's forces and capture the eldest of Lord de Velonda's sons. I suppose he is now the new duke, since the rest of the family was in the capital. Marshal de Cotoci's army has retreated into the forests and is being pressed into the foothills. Rumour has it that the Marshal himself has been killed. In the morning, Auguste announced to his soldiers that the new battle magic developed by the Royal University had crushed the walls and magical shields of Velonda. He left a couple of regiments of the regular army to finish off the rebels, and moved towards Dert. To crush the nomads and gather new troops.

  - How did the bomb get to Velonda? - Valria asked.

  - I think it'd been there a long time. - Alex rubbed his cheek with the palm of his hand, pressed his lips together. - I don't know all the cities that have been mined, but this one is big and strategic. The bomb must have been delivered there years ago. All Auguste had to do was send people to activate the timer and escape before the explosion.

  - If Auguste has used such a weapon in suppressing a rebellion on his own soil, there can be no doubt that he will not be afraid to use it against the Empire, - Master Carlon grumbled glumly. He shook his head, as if to dispel an obsession, and was the first to take his eyes off the drawing. He slumped back in his chair and said, - We have time while he puts the kingdom in order. Then...

  - War, - Valria said simply. The elfess took the sheet from de Gorazzo, crumpled it up, and slipped it into her trouser pocket. - A big one. A terrible one.

  - What will the Republic do, Taiko-san? - Armando caught Irutava's gaze, but he didn't try to look away.

  - The Republic of Erdo will fulfil its obligations to the Coalition. - The Chancellor said dryly. - The treaty obliges us to enter the war on the side of any country invaded by the Second Daertian Empire. There is no mention of engaging in offensive wars. We will, of course, give all possible support to our allies - food, medicine, refugees... But if Auguste attacks the Empire first, Erdo will not join him.

  - It won't work, - Armando shook his head. - If the Empire starts winning, it will declare war on you. And Auguste would do well to force you to help by threatening you with bombs. If he wins, he'll remind you of your passivity.

  - So the best solution is to avoid war altogether, Don Armando, - agreed the Chancellor. - Perhaps we must rely on your and the captain's plan.

  - What other plan? - Alex frowned. Master Carlon looked equally puzzled. Armando glanced at the pointy-eared girl. She grinned broadly and winked at the don.

  - You see... - The former royal bailiff spread his hands. - The captain and I, through the Chancellor's agents, spread a rumour that that machine captured from the aliens, the laptop... well, it allows you to detonate alien bombs at any distance. Right in Auguste's warehouse. And our new ally, Alex's friend, can hack into the machine and subdue it. She just needs time. The spy who escaped today definitely heard everything we need to know. And in case he didn't, we've organised a leak on the continent.

  - But Anya can't... - Alex blinked a couple of times. - Auguste took prisoners at the base. They'll explain to him that Fulcanelli's laptop is not capable of such a thing. And that Anya was an engineer, not a programmer.

  - But could they explain it in such a way that Auguste would have no doubt? - Valria squinted. - He doesn't know anything about these things. And the stakes are high. If the laptop and Anya are out of reach of their ambitious majesty's clutches, it will make Auguste afraid of his own armoury. Without the bombs, the Coalition has no bargaining chips. Recent events have weakened it, and it makes no sense to start a war with the Daert Empire.

  - To summarise, - Irutawa put his palms down on the table, - it is time for you to go home, my friends.

  - We've already overstayed clan's welcome, - Armando confirmed. - And the most inaccessible place for Auguste is the capital of the Empire.

  - Bluffs can't work forever. - The Imperial mage tugged at his beard.

  - Maybe, if you switch from one bluff to another in time, and don't repeat yourself. - Valria held up a finger. - And then it'll all work itself out. Or I'll figure something out. In the meantime, we must prepare to set sail. My cabin in Elvart is waiting. And the kids miss me. I reckon half of them have grown into sad, round-eared adults in my absence. Human children grow up so fast.

  - Will you help us one last time, sir Taiko? - Armando looked at the head of the Republic.

  - Of course. - The Chancellor smiled faintly. - Even those of my allies who are not happy about your presence here will be happy to kick you off the islands. I can't give you a Clan ship or a Republic fleet ship. But I suppose you don't need one.

  - "Elena” in the harbour and Elena in the harbour, - Valria grinned wider. - One at the dock, the other at the inn. All you have to do is pay.

  - We'll leave it at that, - Irutava concluded. - I will, however, share one more piece of disturbing news. According to reports from my agents in Iolia, a large part of their fleet has left the ports. The Iolian Trident has made no official announcement. There are whispers in the sailors' taverns that there will be a surprise raid against the pirate bases on the Thousand Islands. Only the whisperers appear to be agents of Trident's secret police. There's something going on at sea.

  - Well, all the important events in this world can't be about us, can they? - The elf fluttered her arms. A golden strand fell on her forehead, and she brushed it away with her finger. - I'll bet you a slap on the back of the head that the Iolians have some problems in their overseas colonies. But thanks for the warning.

  In the corridor, barely a dozen steps away from the study, master Carlon tried to grab Valria by her long ear. She dodged with a graceful pirouette, clearly expecting such a move.

  - And what are you dissatisfied with this time? - The girl asked with contrived resentment. She broke the distance and turned to face the mage, folding her arms across her chest. He assumed the same pose, and Armando didn't realise who was mimicking whom.

  - Okay, Alex. But why didn't you say anything to the others? - The bearded imperial stared at the elf. - Dallan doesn't know either, does he?

  - Because spy games are dirty. - The Captain fought back a glare with a dazzling smile. - The only way to stay clean is to not play them. And I want Dallan to smell like the perfume I give her all the time. Nothing else.

  - We're up to our eyebrows…

  - This is different. - Valria twitched her ears. - Just trust me, if there was anything you could do to help, I'd tell you right away and get you involved.

  - Shouldn't you have told Anya? - Alex frowned, standing next to the mage. - She's not the only one who's affected by your plan.

  - I'm still working on getting her to start talking to me at all. - The captain's smile faded. - It's not easy to be friends with someone whose friends you've killed. Okay, I promise not to do that again.

  - Take your hand out of your pocket, - Carlon commanded sternly. The elfess obeyed with a sigh.

  - I knew it, - the mage snorted. - Fingers crossed? Really? Promise me one more time.

  With a sour mien, the girl raised her hands:

  - I promise. You have no beef with Armando, then? Just me?

  - Armando is not my squad leader, - the mage said.

  - Great power requires great responsibility, - Alex nodded seriously. - A wise man said before he died.

  After half a day's rest, the group led by Valria visited the port and talked to the navigator Elena. The dark-haired elven woman kept a cool demeanour, showing that would prefer to go on a quiet trade voyage rather than load the adventurous crew back on board. But Armando strongly suspected that this displeasure was ostentatious, and that the navigator liked the prospect of dangerous adventures following the mercenaries as much as Dorlt did. In the evening the personal belongings of the squad were delivered to the Helena's quarters. In the morning, cannon volleys rang out over Innoto Harbour. The fort protecting the entrance to the harbour was firing blanks. A squadron of naval vessels was coming into the harbour raid. The mainmast of the huge flagship galleon was adorned with the flag of the Republic of Iolia. The group watched their approach from the pier. Master Carlon looked at the flagship and nodded to Sergeant Dallan. The green-eyed warrior nodded back and gave Valria a symbolic slap....