CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
IN THE SHADOW OF GREATNESS
Lord Ire sat cross-legged in front of the grand painted battle scene, his father featuring prominently in it as an almost legendary warrior figure. His people nigh on worshipped the man as a hero, and to many, he was. Even after his death, people spoke reverently of the late lord’s great deeds both in battle and in the courtroom. How they saw their new lord was different matter. Ire gritted his teeth. How his family had fallen, from the heady days of expansion and conquest to this… this humiliation!
He tapped his fan on his knee as his advisors sat quietly, one either side of him as they habitually did. His sword bearer sat slightly off to one side, just in case. By the gods, he hoped it didn’t come to that, yet he would protect his clan no matter what, despite what the others may think of him. He knew how they viewed him—a drunkard, a womaniser, and maybe he was, to some degree. However, in this unforgiving world, life was cheap, a commodity that had little to no value and could be snuffed out in an instant.
Since birth, Ire knew that he was on borrowed time. Sooner or later, the old pact that his father had arranged with Saru’s clan would be discarded, and the largest fish in the pond would gobble up the smaller one. It was the way of things. Still, he wouldn’t throw the lives of his men away on pointless resistance should that happen. The victors were unlikely to show mercy to the vanquished, and the country was already full of lordless warriors who’d lost themselves to barbarity. He wouldn’t add to them, even if it meant taking his own life to appease his enemies.
There was a commotion outside. Moments later, the doors at the far end of the room slid open, one of his warriors bowing before moving respectfully to one side. In a long, loud voice, the warrior announced the attendance of…
“LORD SARU.”
Ire rolled his eyes. He hated formality, and this was one of ‘those’ moments where he had little choice but to choke down what he really felt. More specifically, he knew he’d have to avoid saying what he really thought as well.
A small fleet of immaculately-dressed retainers entered, flanking a large, rather round man with grey hair and a thin beard. Several of his clan staff buzzed around him like bees, bringing him a cushion, drink, and a small box of snacks. Ire gritted his teeth—obviously his clan was far too poor to afford to feed the mighty Saru!
Lord Saru stood, watching Ire for a moment in silence, before Ire and his advisors bowed respectfully. “Lord Saru, you grace us with your presence. Please, be welcome in our home.”
Saru nodded formally and folded his large frame onto the cushion beneath him. A retainer hurried to fill his cup that was already being held out in a meaty paw. Apparently, Ire couldn’t afford drinks either…
One of the retainers bowed to Lord Saru, then turned to address Ire. “Lord Saru wishes to know the location of Deputy Nile, Lord Ire.” The man looked him directly in the eyes.
Ire kept his voice neutral. “It is with the deepest of regrets that I inform Lord Saru that Deputy Nile tragically lost his life whilst bravely leading a group of villagers into the forest to hunt down a wild animal. I understand that Nile was killed by the beast whilst protecting the villagers.”
Lord Saru’s face was as featureless as stone. His attendant, acting as his spokesman, apparently already knew the powerful man’s wishes ahead of time. “Lord Saru is aware of the alleged circumstances surrounding the sad loss of his beloved son, Lord Ire. What my lord wishes to know is where his son’s remains are.”
Ire could feel his eye beginning to twitch. What the hell had they done with the deputy’s corpse? Hadn’t those fools from the governor’s office collected him yet? He leaned across to his advisor, who shook his head. Ire cringed inside.
“Lord Saru, I apologise for the tardiness in the recovery of your late son. Please be assured that I dispatched men from the local governor’s office as soon as I heard of this dreadful event.” Ire bowed to Saru, whose face never so much as twitched in response.
The attendant clapped his hands, and one of the seemingly endless legions of Saru’s entourage hurried to deposit a neatly wrapped box before Lord Ire. He looked down at it and felt a cold flush run through him.
“Lord Saru requests that you identify the contents of the package, Lord Ire.”
The young lord felt as if a lead weight was settling in his gut, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow as he waved to Dinu to open the parcel for him. His advisor bowed and hurried to untie the ominous thing which fell open dramatically once the string was removed. There was a collective intake of breath from the hall as the severed head rolled out, forcing Ire to step out of the way.
“It’s governor Yito,” he murmured.
“I’m sorry, Lord Ire, would you mind repeating that a little more clearly?”
“I said, it’s governor Yito,” Ire replied, trying desperately to keep his voice level.
Saru continued to stare at Ire, his eyes as black as onyx, boring into his soul. There was something cruel about this man, a terrible sense of calm laced with barely restrained power that could snuff out the tiny fiefdom with barely a flick of his wrist.
The attendant slapped his knee. “Wild animals do not decapitate people with swords, Lord Ire. Perhaps you would care to explain?”
Ire glanced at his advisors, but it was immediately apparent that neither of them knew any more than he did. “Lord Saru, you appear to have me at a disadvantage. I only recently gave orders for these men to recover your son and to hunt down the beast responsible. How this has happened… I cannot say. I have heard nothing.”
The attendant moved to speak, but a hand moved out from his master, silencing him instantly. The man bowed, and Saru himself spoke, “You are responsible for keeping the hills between our lands free of bandits, are you not?”
Ire nodded. “I am.”
“Then how do you explain this?”
“I cannot. Everything I was told—”
“—was wrong!” Saru angrily thrusted his arm out for his attendant to refill his cup. “I have lost my son, Ire, and all I have is your word about what happened to him. What I see is that he was likely murdered, murdered by bandits in an area that you were supposed to keep free of them.”
Ire bowed low. “I understand, Lord Saru, and beg your forgiveness. There have been no incidents of bandit activity for a year now and—”
“—I don’t want excuses, Ire, I want action.” The large man leaned forward, his eyes glistening with promised menace. “You take your men, you go to the village, and you bring my son back to me. Furthermore, I want the heads of the ones who did this… all of them.”
Ire bowed. “Of course, Lord Saru. I will attend to it immediately.”
Saru swallowed a mouthful of the wine from his cup and passed it back to his attendant. “Ire, I respected your father a great deal, and it is because of that respect that you are in the position you are in now.” He stood, looking down at the younger lord. “Don’t make me regret my decision. I would hate to have you face a similar fate as your late governor.”
Ire stayed bowed, his forehead touching the floor as Lord Saru turned to leave.
“I will await good news, Ire.”
Lord Saru left the hall, his retinue following behind like row boats behind a trader’s ship. Ire waited until the doors closed and the sound of footsteps died away. Groaning, he sat back up, rubbing his back. Dinu let out a long-held breath and shared a look with Ethru. They had weathered the storm, but… what now?
Lord Ire stared at the closed door and gripped his knees until his fingers went numb. “Dinu, Ethru, get everyone, everyone who can hold a sword or a spear and assemble them in the courtyard as quickly as possible.”
Dinu bowed. “Yes, my lord.”
Ethru cleared his throat. “My lord, when you say everyone, do you mean—”
“—I mean everyone, Ethru! Even the blasted cat if the thing can hold a weapon. If we don’t sort this bloody mess out, it’ll be my head in a box, and you’ll be damned lucky to keep yours too!” Ire kicked the governor’s head angrily.
“And get that bloody thing out of here someone, for the gods’ sake!”