Thraxas Under Siege (ARC) Read online

  I use my opening spell again. The slab groans. It's a weightier item than I'm used to shifting. For a moment I think it's not going to work. I reach down and start hauling at it, adding my own strength to the strength of the spell. Finally the slab moves over a foot or so. I wipe the sweat from my forehead. That was an effort. Without the desperate circumstances I'd never have pulled it off. I reach down into the coffin below, and at that moment the front door flies open and Bishop Gzekius and Pontifex Derlex stride into the church. I have rarely seen two men look more surprised.

  "What is going on!" roars the Bishop.

  "It's Thraxas," cries Derlex. "He's robbing a grave!"

  "Send for the Civil Guards," roars the Bishop. "He'll hang for this!"

  Pontifex Derlex is aghast.

  "Thraxas!" he cries. "Even from you, I never expected this."

  He turns to go, to summon the Guards.

  "It's for the good of the city . . ." I begin, but abandon the effort. There's no way of convincing them, and time is short. Though I'm not used to casting two spells in quick succession, I can still do it, just about. I mutter the words of my sleep spell and the Bishop and Derlex both tumble gracefully to the ground. Then I have to sit down. The effort has drained me completely. It'll be a week before I can use a spell again. I have to force myself to move, shaking my head and reaching down into the marble coffin. The first thing I touch is a wooden box, something of a relief as I wasn't looking forward to dragging up a lot of bones. I take it out of the grave. It's sealed and there's a small metal nameplate on it. Captain Maxius.

  So there it is. The Captain's treasure. Buried under a whale, more or less. I tuck it under my arm, pick up my illuminated staff and hurry from the church. For a first attempt at grave robbing, it's gone rather well. With any luck the Deputy Consul can explain things to the Bishop, thereby preventing any rash attempt to hang me for my crimes.

  Outside the church I'm about to climb back on my horse when a hand grabs me by the shoulder and yanks me backwards. I tumble to the ground and find myself looking at a fancy pair of black boots and the fringes of a rainbow cloak. It's Glixius.

  "Stealing from the church?" he booms. "Just what I'd expect of you, Thraxas. Hand it over!"

  I struggle to rise. It's an effort. I'm still weak from casting the spells. I once knocked out Glixius with one punch but there's no way I can do that just now.

  "I need this money," I say.

  "So do I."

  "What for?" I ask, trying to delay him while my strength returns.

  "Gambling debts," says Glixius. "To the Brotherhood. Casax, in fact. He just learned that one of my credit notes from last month is bad. It could be awkward."

  He raises one hand.

  "But killing you with a spell and taking the fourteen thousand gurans seems to be a solution to all my problems."

  Glixius suddenly sags at the knees, and then pitches forward on to the ground. Makri has appeared silently round the corner and hit him with a small leather club. I look at her rather wildly.

  "Who's looking after my cards?"

  "Aren't you going to thank me for saving you?" says Makri.

  "Thanks for saving me. Who's looking after my cards?"

  "I saw Glixius following you out so I followed him myself."

  "Yes, it was brilliantly done. So who's at the table?"

  "Dandelion."

  "Aaarrggghhhh!"

  "Did you just scream?" says Makri.

  "Dandelion is looking after my cards? Of course I screamed."

  I struggle to get on my horse, frantic at the thought of the barefoot idiot sitting in for me at the card table.

  "She'll be fine," says Makri. "I told her not to do anything rash."

  "Are you insane, leaving her in charge? Do you want to marry Horm?"

  "Well you weren't doing so well yourself," says Makri. "Shouldn't you be getting back to the Axe rather than standing here talking?"

  I mount my horse and spur it forward. It's a risk riding at night in the city as it's illegal, but there are so many people exempted from this law in Twelve Seas at the moment, with soldiers, Sorcerers and Civil Guards scurrying round shoring up the defences, that no one pays me much attention. Makri, an inexperienced rider, follows me at a distance.

  I stable the horse and rush back into the tavern. If Dandelion has blown my money then it's all over. Once a player is out of funds he has to leave the table, and can't return. I've a faint hope that Makri might have been joking about Dandelion. My heart sinks—even further—when I see that she wasn't. Dandelion is sitting in my seat, with a suspiciously small pile of money in front of her. I glance round wildly at the onlookers, focusing finally on Lisutaris.

  "You allowed this to happen? Are you crazy?"

  Lisutaris shrugs.

  "Captain Rallee volunteered to take your hand. But Horm objected."

  I turn to face Horm.

  "Since when can an Orc come in here and start objecting to people?"

  "There are limits to how many replacements a man can have," says Horm, smoothly. "There was general agreement on the matter."

  I glare at them all.

  "It's all right, Thraxas," says Dandelion, quite cheerfully. "I'm getting the hang of it now."

  "How much of my money have you got left?"

  "Er . . . almost fifty gurans."

  I drag the idiotic barmaid out of the way and retake my seat, not in the best of tempers. I scowl at the assembled players.

  "Most amusing. Dandelion filling in for me while you rob a man of his hard-earned money. Well I've got a surprise for you."

  I slap the wooden chest down on the table.

  "That wasn't the only money I have."

  Now this isn't such a strange thing to do, in normal circumstances. A player is quite entitled to bring in more funds. But given that Horm and I are meant to be playing with a stake of 1,000 gurans each, I'm expecting some argument, at least from him. When I stare him in the eye, however, he merely lifts an eyebrow, professing not to care.

  "I am already far ahead of you, Investigator. I have no objection to you squandering whatever else you have scraped together."

  "Scraped together? Try this, you half-Orc excuse for a card player."

  I open the chest and turn it upside down quite dramatically, expecting a shower of coins to cascade on to the table. Fourteen coins tumble out in front of me. Fourteen single gurans. I stare at them, and then shake the box, hoping for more. There is no more. Apparently the tale of the Captain's treasure grew in the telling. All around the table there are guffaws of laughter.

  "Brought your life savings?" says Casax.

  I'm still scrabbling around in the empty chest, looking for more money. I can't believe I've gone to so much trouble for fourteen gurans. Damn that Tanrose and her lying family. Behind me Cicerius snorts in derision. Lisutaris and Hanama might well be about to join him but we're interrupted by a very loud banging on the tavern door.

  "Open up in the name of the True Church. We demand the immediate arrest of the grave-robber Thraxas!"

  "What is this?" demands the Deputy Consul, startled by the clamour.

  "Ignore them," I say. "The Church doesn't have the authority to go around demanding things."

  "This is Bishop Gzekius and I demand the arrest of Thraxas under the authority of the Church!"

  "It's a moot point," I say. "Anyway, you outrank the Bishop."

  "What have you done?" demands the Deputy Consul.

  "Nothing."

  "They're saying you robbed a grave!"

  "A small misunderstanding when I dropped in to pray. Well, gentlemen, I'd say it was time to get the game underway again."

  Cicerius goes off to the front door, hopefully to pacify the Bishop. He has to. They can't drag me off for grave-robbing; the safety of the city rests in my hands. Me and my sixty-four gurans. It's not going to be easy. I need more beer. I twist round in my chair to yell at Makri, who's now returned to her post behind the bar.

  "Bee
r!"

  Makri looks at me strangely, clutches her brow, and falls to the floor.

  "She's sick!" cries Dandelion. "She's got the malady!"

  "But I want beer," I say, and start to feel that the world really is against me. Captain Rallee goes to help Dandelion carry Makri into the store room along with the other casualties. I ignore the commotion, and focus on the task in front of me. At a rough guess I'd say that Horm the Dead has around 2,000 gurans in front of him, and that's a lot of money to claw back. For most men, it would be an impossible task. Of course, most men haven't roamed the world with a sword in their hands and only their native wit to protect them. Most men haven't gambled their way around every card table in the west. You can't compare Thraxas the Investigator to most men; it's not a fair contest. I bang my fist on the table.

  "Are we going to play cards or not? Moolifi, start dealing. And Dandelion, bring me a beer. Goddammit, do you expect me to sit here parched with thirst all night?"

  The room goes quiet, Moolifi deals the cards, and I get on with the business of mounting one of the most heroic rearguard actions ever seen at the card table. With only sixty-four gurans to my name, I'm facing overwhelming odds, but I remain undismayed. Lisutaris needs more time to complete her spell. Fine. I'll get her some more time. I sip beer, study my cards, play with the utmost caution, refuse to be drawn, and even pick up a small win with three 4s. As the night wears on, I start to show the assembled mockers and doubters what a real genius at rak can do when he's backed into a corner. By the time Ravenius goes bust, unwisely believing that Casax is bluffing when he raises 500 gurans on one hand, I've built my stake up to ninety gurans and am exhibiting the sort of quiet determination that gets a man through a crisis when everyone around him is losing their heads.

  Three hours later I'm still in the game. I call loudly for more beer, curse Moolifi for the bad cards she's been dealing me, and roar at Dandelion to bring me some more yams and make it quick.

  Horm the Dead laughs. He's enjoying himself. He's still well ahead of me and he's no doubt expecting to be leaving the city with Makri in tow. I'll show him. By three in the morning there are only four people left at the table—Praetor Capatius, Horm the Dead, Casax, and me. Each of them has several thousand gurans in front of them. I have 180. Horm decides that it's time to force me off the table. When I raise a cautious ten gurans on a hand, he calmly looks over at the money in front of me, counts out 180 gurans, and pushes it into the centre of the table. If I cover his bet it will cost me everything I have, and I'll be out of the game if I lose.

  I turn my head slightly, and notice Lisutaris shaking her head discreetly. A signal that she has not yet found a counter spell to attack Horm, and doesn't want me to risk losing yet. I turn back to my cards, and push all my money into the centre of the table.

  "Let's see what you have."

  Horm turns over two dragons and two kings. I turn over three 10s. My hand is superior. I scoop in the money and now I've got 360 gurans in front of me.

  Cicerius appears at the table and says it's time we took another break. It brings complaints from the players. Praetor Capatius hasn't been doing so well for the past hour or so, and like any card player on a losing streak, he wants to carry on. Horm shrugs. He doesn't mind either way. I'd as soon carry on playing because I've got a strong suspicion that Cicerius is calling for a break so he can lecture me again, but we rise from the table anyway. I head for the bar but don't make it that far before I'm once more surrounded by the angry mob.

  "That was very rash," says Lisutaris. "I told you not to risk everything before I'm ready."

  "I knew what I was doing."

  "I wish I knew what you've been doing," hisses Cicerius. "Did you really break into the church of St Volinius and rob a tomb?"

  "Yes. But only as part of an ongoing investigation."

  "You know you could be hanged for this?"

  "For what? For saving the city? I had to do it. Tell the Bishop it was vital war work. You ought to be getting behind me, not giving me a hard time. Who's the one that's doing all the work here? Who's the one that's making Horm look foolish at the card table?"

  Lisutaris purses her lips.

  "Good question. He has five thousand gurans and you have three hundred and sixty."

  "I got off to a bad start. Now excuse me, I have a beer to pick up."

  I break free and head for the bar, where Dandelion is handing a glass of klee to Horm.

  "I want to see Makri," says Horm.

  "You can't," replies Dandelion, firmly. "She's sick and she needs to rest."

  Horm shrugs.

  "This filthy city would make anyone sick. In my mountain kingdom, Makri will be healthy."

  Hanama approaches silently.

  "Makri isn't going anywhere near your mountain kingdom," she says.

  "You trust Thraxas to save her?" asks Horm.

  "Not for a moment. I'll save her."

  Horm gives a languid smile, then departs without responding.

  "Thanks for the vote of confidence," I say to Hanama.

  "I have no confidence in you whatsoever," says Hanama. "And if you let Makri be taken by Horm I'll kill you myself."

  Casax appears beside us. He's wondering what happened to Glixius Dragon Killer.

  "Probably still trying to find the money he owes you," I tell him. From the look on Casax's face I can tell that he'll be wanting words with Glixius at the first opportunity. I'm pleased. Even if you're a powerful Sorcerer, it doesn't do to offend the Brotherhood.

  Captain Rallee is looking rather weary. No doubt he'd rather be in bed, but with Moolifi dealing, he has to stick around. Moolifi is sitting beside him but her attention is taken by Tirini Snake Smiter who's at her side, talking about clothes.

  "I adore your dress. The new Samsarina line is definitely you. And those shoes; I swear mine can't compete."

  They both stretch out a foot, rather genteelly, to compare shoes.

  "Such a beautiful pink," says Tirini.

  "Thanks," says Moolifi. "But they're not quite perfect any more. I seem to have lost a few threads from the embroidery."

  I glance at the shoes. It's hardly noticeable, but there are a few pink threads missing. Pink threads like the ones in my pocket. The ones I took from the place where Makri fought the Orcish Assassin. I don't quite know what that means, but I have a bad feeling as we sit down again to play.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Capatius, Horm, Casax and I resume the struggle. The air is thick with thazis smoke and the fire burns brightly in the huge hearth, kept alight by the occasional word from one of the Sorcerers. No one looking at Lisutaris, Coranius, Anumaris and Tirini would guess that at this moment they were busy working on a spell to defeat Horm, but I know they are. Three of them are anyway. Tirini is probably planning her outfit for the next reception at the Palace.

  Deputy Consul Cicerius sits with Samanatius. I'm a little surprised to see that Cicerius apparently regards the philosopher as worthy of respect, as does Lisutaris. I wouldn't have guessed the practical Cicerius had much time for that sort of thing.

  With 360 gurans I still can't afford to do anything rash. So far tonight I've rarely tried bluffing, though it's something I'm good at. But Praetor Capatius, being obscenely rich, likes trying to throw his weight around, and it goes wrong for him in spectacular fashion when he tries to bluff Horm out of a hand and Horm coolly stands up to him, and triumphs. The Praetor is left almost moneyless, and scowls mightily as he throws in his cards.

  "I'm out," he grunts, and stands up, stretches his limbs, and heads for the bar to see if there's any stew still on offer. The praetor is a large man, and a healthy eater, and if he's used to more exotic fare that the Avenging Axe stew, it's not a bad meal for a man who's just been beaten at cards in the early hours of the morning.

  As Casax, Horm and I battle on I can feel the eyes of the audience on us. I've worked my way up to 400 gurans, and when Moolifi deals me three kings I raise a hundred. Horm drops out but
Casax follows me. Once more I'm forced to put in everything I possess. My nerves are straining as Casax turns over his cards, but I win the hand. I've now got 800 gurans and I'm back in the game. Casax is rattled and the very next hand he stays in far longer than he should and I end up taking another 300 gurans from him. Now I'm the one with the momentum. Horm plays quietly and cautiously while I systematically win hand after hand from Casax in an exhibition of card playing that will undoubtedly go down in history. When I finally chase the Brotherhood boss from the table, grinding him to dust with a lethal combination of masterly betting skills and a few lucky cards, he rises to his feet wearily, throws his cloak around his shoulders and walks away without even offering a parting insult. His henchman, Karlox, glowers at me evilly but I ignore him. Thraxas, number one chariot at rak, and no one can deny it.

  "Just you and me, Horm," I grunt, and call for beer.

  Horm sips his glass of klee, and stares at me for a few moments. I can't read his expression. He has turned out to be a better card player than I expected.

  "Indeed, Investigator. Just you and me. For the Ocean Storm, or Makri."

  "Myself, I'm more worried about the money."

  "Are you serious?" says Horm.

  "Women and magical trinkets are never in short supply. Personally I prefer a solid pile of cash."

  Horm hesitates. For the first time ever, I seem to have disconcerted him.

  By now it's quite likely that everyone in the tavern knows the nature of our bet. It's been obvious from the start that this is no ordinary game, and as the whispers and rumours have spread the intensity of the interest has grown. There's hardly a sound save for the crackling of the fire. I'm suddenly gripped with a thirst that can't be satisfied by normal beer alone. I tell Horm and Moolifi that I need to collect something from my room, then hurry upstairs, returning with a bottle of the Grand Abbot's Ale. I open the bottle and pour some into my tankard.

  "Are you quite ready?" says Horm, now a little more irritated.

  Moolifi deals the cards. She gives me a black 8 and a black bishop. Horm checks his cards idly, lays them face down in front of him and pushes 100 gurans into the middle of the table. I cover the bet. Moolifi deals again. This time she gives me a black 7. Bishop, 8 and 7, all black. It's a hand that's worth pursuing. Horm raises 2 00 gurans and I again cover his bet, quite calmly, giving nothing away.