The Autumn Republic

“And the savage?”

“No sign of Ka-poel. When I left, we still hadn’t caught up to the Privileged.”

“Then what are you doing here?” Had Taniel followed the Kez Privileged down here and slipped inside Budwiel? Had he been captured by Kez patrols? Tamas found himself growing more nervous every moment Gavril didn’t speak.

“You should probably sit down,” Gavril said.

“I’ll sit when I damn well feel like sitting!”

“The Kez didn’t break the parley. It was the Brudanians in disguise.”

Tamas stumbled to his chair and fell into it. “No,” he said, the word coming out as a gasp.

“Afraid so. Captured a couple grenadiers in the fight. Imagine our surprise when not one of them speaks a word of Kez. What’s more, they weren’t heading south. They were heading north, going far out and around to avoid any of our people between the army and Adopest. Vlora and Taniel are on their trail now, but we suspect they’re going to meet up with the rest of the Brudanians in Adro. Are you all right?”

Tamas stared at his brother-in-law for several moments, his mouth hanging open. How could this have happened? He had been played like a fool. The Kez hadn’t broken the parley. He had. Blinded so thoroughly by his own righteous anger, he had ignored Ipille’s pleas for another meeting and dismissed the Kez messengers.

He was too old for this. Too proud, too angry. He had made mistakes in his time-even the best officer did-but the magnitude of this…

“You couldn’t have known,” Gavril said quietly.

“No.” Tamas let out a mirthless laugh. “I’ve become what I most despise. Am I nothing more than a warmonger, Gavril? Another dictator with an army and a grudge? You know, that’s what the old tales say that the Nine was like back before Kresimir came. They were just a collection of squabbling warlords.”

“It’s not like that.”

Tamas went on. “I see a vision of the future, revolutions spreading out across the lands as people pull down their monarchs. The strongest men, unordained by saints or gods, rise to the top and carve out their own petty empires. Men and women die by the millions and all the progress that our world has made in the last thousand years is lost in the dust of time. All because of me.”

Tamas held his fingers in front of his face, watching them tremble.

“I think you give yourself too much credit.”

The vision floating before Tamas’s eyes slowly faded and he felt older than time itself. Every muscle ached, every bone remembered its old breaks and bruises.

The thump of artillery brought Tamas back to the present. “Are you wounded?”

Gavril glanced at his blood-soaked sleeve. “Just a scratch. I gave myself stitches while I rode.”

“You should have them redone. Probably looks like they were made by a blind monkey.”

“Poked myself a few times, but they’re straight and the wound is clean. You forget I’ve spent far more time in the saddle than you.”

“Mostly running from jealous husbands.”

“Some of them were very dangerous. Oh, I forgot to tell you. The Deliv have engaged the main Kez force, but I passed a column in the middle of the night.”

“Kez?”

“Yes. Coming for you. Didn’t look like more than a few thousand-they’re far more worried about the Deliv infantry-but it’ll be enough to put you in a damned tight spot.”

“How far?”

“A couple hours.”

“You should have probably mentioned this earlier.”

Gavril yawned. “It was a long night.”

“You hear any news about Olem?”

“No,” Gavril said. “Should I have?”

“He’s chasing Kez cavalry that got behind us up north. Never mind that. Andriya!” Tamas shouted.

The powder mage put his head in the tent. “Sir?”

“Tell Arbor we have company coming up behind us. He has forty-five minutes until we assault the walls, and we’ll only have time for one attack.”

“Yes sir!” Andriya left to find Arbor, looking as giddy as a schoolboy.

“There’s something wrong with that boy’s head,” Gavril said.

“You know, he’s one of the ones Erika saved. A year before she was…”

“That doesn’t explain the blood all over him.”

“He revels in killing his former countrymen. Perhaps a little too much, but people like that have their uses. For instance, there are few soldiers I would want more clearing the way for me as we go through the breach or over that wall.”

Gavril ran his fingers gingerly over his shoulder. “I don’t think you should take part in the attack,” he said.

“I always have.”

“You’re not a young man anymore.”

“Don’t I know it.” Tamas shook his head. “Some men lead from the back. I prefer to do it from the front.”

“It just takes one lucky musket ball. One thrust of a bayonet.”

“That knowledge has never stopped me before.”

“When will your luck run out?”

Tamas extended a hand. “Maybe today. Maybe never. Help me up. I have another king to kill.”

“I thought you just meant to capture him.” Gavril helped Tamas climb to his feet.

Tamas grimaced. “I will. Wishful thinking, I suppose. I’ll be out in a minute.”