‘Major, give us a moment please?’ he said urgently.
‘Fuck off, or I’ll gut you like a fish!’ Doranei added with a snarl, swinging wildly around towards the major and ending up just inches from his face.
Ortof-Greyl backed off quickly and retreated across the room. Janna gave Doranei a sharp clip around the head and quickly poured a beer that she took over to Ortof-Greyl, earning a grateful look from Sebe.
‘So what’re we going to do with him then?’
Doranei shrugged. ‘Don’t owe ’im nothing. Send ’im home.’
‘As a spy? He’ll need some reassurance that we’re there to back him up - and what about the Knight-Cardinal clearing house? I don’t like it; we’re probably sending him straight to his death.’
‘Fuck ’im.’
Sebe sighed. ‘Gods, boy, what’s happened to you?’
‘Read their history,’ Doranei muttered.
‘And ?’
‘Bastards had too many secrets.’
‘Oh Gods.’
The Brotherhood had scattered in all directions after the fall of Scree, some pursuing enemy agents, some going after Azaer’s disciples. Doranei had caught up with the main part of the Farlan Army and, whilst securing an escort for his king, met the novice who had guided Abbot Doren to Scree. The young novice, Mayel, had eventually told him all about the island monastery dedicated to Vellern, God of Birds, and Jackdaw, the disciple of Azaer who’d pursued them to Scree.
‘The king suspected,’ Doranei said, to which Sebe nodded. ‘Looked back an’ thought we’d got the Skull too easy. Bastard minstrel could’ve taken it, but didn’t even try. Mayel told me the Skull weren’t the only magic thing they brought, there was a book too, with initials on the cover - a pair o’ Vs. I got the monks to show me their book o’ days. They said a Farlan knight brought the Skull, but they already had a guilty secret.’
‘A pair of Vs? Could still be coincidence.’
Doranei gave a snort and attacked the brandy again. ‘Could be. Bloody ain’t, though. Monastery’s old, but the monks weren’t the first there. They found ruins to Ilit, and a book o’ days with the journal - practically shat themselves when they translated it: in the middle of the night a man came an’ told Ilit’s monks to hide a book.’
‘Let me guess,’ Sebe said. ‘That’d be a man with eyes like sapphires?’ He reached for the brandy and swigged straight from the bottle.
‘Bloody sapphires. Damn minstrel gave us the Skull and took a book belonging to Vorizh Vukotic, that mad blood-sucking bastard hisself. An’ guess who’s gotta ask ’is sister what’s in it?’
‘What’s in it?’ Sebe echoed. ‘What’s worth giving up the Skull of Ruling for? We ain’t going to like the answer to that one, are we? Might piss off Zhia that we’re prying into family business too.’
‘More brandy, woman!’
CHAPTER 7
Though he was flanked by two squads of personal guards, Isak nevertheless found himself walking towards the massive ornate gates with his shoulders hunched. The Temple of Law was based around an enormous central hallway, almost a rival to the white marble halls of Isak’s dreams, only this was teeming with life. Light filled the hall from mullioned glass windows of white and yellow, two full storeys high.
Three massive doors, peaked like the hall’s main gates but without the swirling lattice of ironwork, led to courtrooms on the left, while the right wall was studded with small doorways and corridors that stretched out into a rabbit-warren of offices. Cautious faces poked out from those doorways and watched from the main stairway, and the clank of advancing armour was unable to drown out the whisper of voices and the scurry of footsteps on the marble stair.
The largest and grandest courtroom was at the furthest end of the blue-tiled hallway, opposite the main staircase and the entrance to the cells. Isak swept down the corridor like a surging tidal wave while Major Jachen, the commander of his personal guard,
‘Fuck off, or I’ll gut you like a fish!’ Doranei added with a snarl, swinging wildly around towards the major and ending up just inches from his face.
Ortof-Greyl backed off quickly and retreated across the room. Janna gave Doranei a sharp clip around the head and quickly poured a beer that she took over to Ortof-Greyl, earning a grateful look from Sebe.
‘So what’re we going to do with him then?’
Doranei shrugged. ‘Don’t owe ’im nothing. Send ’im home.’
‘As a spy? He’ll need some reassurance that we’re there to back him up - and what about the Knight-Cardinal clearing house? I don’t like it; we’re probably sending him straight to his death.’
‘Fuck ’im.’
Sebe sighed. ‘Gods, boy, what’s happened to you?’
‘Read their history,’ Doranei muttered.
‘And ?’
‘Bastards had too many secrets.’
‘Oh Gods.’
The Brotherhood had scattered in all directions after the fall of Scree, some pursuing enemy agents, some going after Azaer’s disciples. Doranei had caught up with the main part of the Farlan Army and, whilst securing an escort for his king, met the novice who had guided Abbot Doren to Scree. The young novice, Mayel, had eventually told him all about the island monastery dedicated to Vellern, God of Birds, and Jackdaw, the disciple of Azaer who’d pursued them to Scree.
‘The king suspected,’ Doranei said, to which Sebe nodded. ‘Looked back an’ thought we’d got the Skull too easy. Bastard minstrel could’ve taken it, but didn’t even try. Mayel told me the Skull weren’t the only magic thing they brought, there was a book too, with initials on the cover - a pair o’ Vs. I got the monks to show me their book o’ days. They said a Farlan knight brought the Skull, but they already had a guilty secret.’
‘A pair of Vs? Could still be coincidence.’
Doranei gave a snort and attacked the brandy again. ‘Could be. Bloody ain’t, though. Monastery’s old, but the monks weren’t the first there. They found ruins to Ilit, and a book o’ days with the journal - practically shat themselves when they translated it: in the middle of the night a man came an’ told Ilit’s monks to hide a book.’
‘Let me guess,’ Sebe said. ‘That’d be a man with eyes like sapphires?’ He reached for the brandy and swigged straight from the bottle.
‘Bloody sapphires. Damn minstrel gave us the Skull and took a book belonging to Vorizh Vukotic, that mad blood-sucking bastard hisself. An’ guess who’s gotta ask ’is sister what’s in it?’
‘What’s in it?’ Sebe echoed. ‘What’s worth giving up the Skull of Ruling for? We ain’t going to like the answer to that one, are we? Might piss off Zhia that we’re prying into family business too.’
‘More brandy, woman!’
CHAPTER 7
Though he was flanked by two squads of personal guards, Isak nevertheless found himself walking towards the massive ornate gates with his shoulders hunched. The Temple of Law was based around an enormous central hallway, almost a rival to the white marble halls of Isak’s dreams, only this was teeming with life. Light filled the hall from mullioned glass windows of white and yellow, two full storeys high.
Three massive doors, peaked like the hall’s main gates but without the swirling lattice of ironwork, led to courtrooms on the left, while the right wall was studded with small doorways and corridors that stretched out into a rabbit-warren of offices. Cautious faces poked out from those doorways and watched from the main stairway, and the clank of advancing armour was unable to drown out the whisper of voices and the scurry of footsteps on the marble stair.
The largest and grandest courtroom was at the furthest end of the blue-tiled hallway, opposite the main staircase and the entrance to the cells. Isak swept down the corridor like a surging tidal wave while Major Jachen, the commander of his personal guard,
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