Baron
Von Eisen wrote the ransom note, with a little help from Lord Balliwick, and
then passed it on to his aide de camp, Captain Hesse. Hesse took it to Lucian
Petroff, the knights’ most trusted Amanskian merchant, who had his coachman
ride his coach swiftly back down the mountain to the city of Amansk, where he
delivered it to Praefectus Arnon’s residence. For that service the knights paid
him twenty barbars, twice the amount that he could ever make on a normal
trading run. Then he had an additional
job taking another letter down to Ortia, which was going to make him a lot more
money. All his birthdays had come at once.
Lily had been missing for three days and her
family were searching around for an explanation for the disappearance. Had she
been attacked by wild animals? Had she been kidnapped? Where was her governess?
Had she been kidnapped by her
governess?
Arnon sent out troops and even his
residential guard to search the area around Lake Berren and the surrounding
woodlands. There were no obvious signs of a struggle, and, thankfully, no body.
The search widened over the next day and the next, and everyone began to give
up hope. When the ransom demand finally came, therefore, it was received with a
sort of relief.
The
Praefectus was in his study when he was given the note. He knew immediately
what it was.
To
Lord Arnon, Praefectus of Amansk and Angmaroya
Greetings!
I
am Baron Helmut von Eisen, Grand Master of the Knights of the Crimson Flame. We
are the carriers of the eternal imperial flame, dedicated to one object and one
object alone: to recover the lost eastern provinces of the Visneorian Empire
for the Emperor. We are willing to go to whatever lengths are necessary to
achieve this end, as our cause transcends individual, group and nation. The
Emperor’s needs outweigh all others.
To
this end we are holding your daughter as a hostage. She is perfectly safe and
will remain so during the time that you co-operate with us. Once we are happy
that you will assist us then she will be returned to you, unharmed.
These
are our demands.
First,
that you provide free passage of a Crimson Flame army through your lands, from
the border in the west to that in southern Amansk that abuts with East
Visneoria. In addition, you will allow me to station a small garrison in your fair
city for entirely defensive purposes.
Second,
that you reaffirm your allegiance to the Emperor; an allegiance that you threw
off illegally eight hundred and seventy two years ago. This allegiance will be made to me as the
Emperor’s official representative in the north.
It is not our intention that Amansk should be reabsorbed into the Empire
at this stage, however. We can assure you that we recognise your sovereignty as
a client state and one that has some considerable autonomy.
Third,
that you will, by virtue of your position as a vassal of the Emperor, act as a
liaison agent in our subsequent dealings with Ortia. It is known to us that you
have cordial relations with the citizens of Ortia and you are perfectly placed
to inform them of the details of our planned expedition through their lands. I
have sent a letter to the Proconsul in Ortia by another hand. We require that
you check that the Proconsul has received the letter and ensure that a response
arrives back at Castle Uberwald as quickly as possible.
I
have sent my envoy, Lord Balliwick, to talk to you, and he should arrive within
a few hours of this letter. All that you need to do at this time is to meet him
and send back a message with him agreeing to our terms. Once I receive that
letter then I will see to it that the process that will lead to your daughter’s
release is set in train.
Forward
for the Emperor!
Grandmaster
Von Eisen
Castle
Uberwald
Arnon
put down the letter and clenched his fists. He let out a roar of anguish and
rage and shouted for his assistant, Viktor, who was sorting files in the next
room. The eager young man was already running into the room in response to the
scream, which had sounded to him, at least for a second or two, like a mountain
lion that had somehow crept into the residence.
‘Viktor’ shouted Arnon, pointing down
at the letter ‘did you see who delivered this note?’
Viktor picked up the paper and examined the
front of it. He made sure that he didn’t read the contents as he hadn’t been
given permission to do so. He looked up
at Arnon a little afraid.
‘I think that was Lucian, the fish merchant,
sir’
‘How long ago did he leave it?’
Viktor narrowed his eyes and looked
thoughtful.
‘Three or four hours ago, I would say… I’m
not entirely sure’
‘He’ll be long gone, I expect, anyway, and
he’s just the messenger’
‘Is
everything alright, sir? You seem upset’
Arnon handed the letter to Viktor and told
him to read it. There was a minute or two’s silence and then Viktor put the
note down on the table.
‘Sir – this is dreadful. They must be very
evil men’
Arnon could find no answer to this. He
slumped down into his chair and buried his face in his hands. The open fire
burning in the grate in front of him cast a giant shadow of his head and hands
on the wall opposite, as if amplifying his grief.
‘Get my son,’ he sobbed, ‘get him now’
***
Toby,
the Praefectus’s son, was in the gymnasium fencing with his best and oldest
friend, Dominic Shavosky. Both of them were very good, but Toby was a very
broad young man and Dom was very slender and so the latter had a clear
advantage in agility and speed. However, Dom was sensible enough to let Toby
win about fifty one per cent of the time and to do it with such subtlety that
Toby, who was in no sense stupid, never noticed.
It was a cold day and although big braziers
were burning in the recesses of the gymnasium Dominic was finding it hard to
grip the epees. Toby was laughing at
him. Dom was just pleased to be distracting him from his growing fears about
his sister.
‘If you drop that blade, I will show no mercy
– I hope you realise that’
‘Of course my liege, but you will still have
to catch me – I am a much faster runner than you’
They continued to circle round each other,
with their foils extended, but neither had much interest in a formal duel.
‘Is that another way of saying that you are a
coward, vassal?’
‘Indeed I am, sire. But I will live to fight
another day’
‘And you want to be a general in my army? How
dare you be so presumptuous! I should definitely run you through’
Dom stared at the button on the ends of their
blades.
‘Feel free to try, sire’
‘I will, Sir Dominic, I will, but you
probably have to agree to stand still’
He lowered his foil and lined it up against
Dom’s now stationary frame.
‘Not much of a target though, I must say –
and so pale. We really need to feed you up’
‘I’m quite happy as I am sire, and
fortunately your feasts are not yet compulsory’
‘Just you wait, Dom, they will be…’
‘Then I will retire to my estates and leave
you to it, sire’
‘I must teach you a lesson now then, treacherous
liegeman!’
Toby roared and pretended to run at Dom full
tilt. Their swords met and they grappled theatrically for a few seconds. Toby pushed hard and Dom went flying through
the air. Fortunately Dom could not keep hold of his foil and it slipped down
harmlessly on to the wooden floor. He tripped backwards and fell in a heap on
his back, jarring his coccyx. He grinned painfully up through the fringe of his
floppy strawberry blonde hair.
Toby looked down at him and assessed the damage.
Momentarily he was concerned, but he hoped that his friend hadn’t notice this.
Once he realised that this was just a bruising, he laughed victoriously, and
pulled Dom up roughly.
‘I win again!’
Dom shook his head.
‘I really don’t think you can count that one,
Toby. It was scarcely Visnean rules was it?’
‘Umm - a win is a win – but I’m willing to
concede your point – for friendships sake’
They bowed to each other and sheathed their
blades. Toby stood still and thoughtful for a second.
‘Do you think we will ever have to fight in a
real war, Dom?’
Dom looked at his friend uncertainly.
‘Did you say that because you fear that you
never will, or because you fear even more that you will?’
‘No – what I mean is that I have no idea how
I will feel if I have to fight. What do you think that it’s like?’
‘I have no idea – but I imagine terrifying
and chaotic, horrible. Only to be resorted to when everything else has failed’
‘You sound like my father…’
‘Well, he is a very wise man’
Toby looked troubled.
‘If I find that anyone has hurt Lily then I will fight them, I promise you’
‘And so would your father’
Toby’s good humour had now evaporated. He
looked accusingly at Dom.
‘And you? Would you?’
Dom flushed and turned away.
‘Alongside you, of course… you know that I
would. You and Lily are my closest friends’
Toby’s expression was now stony.
‘You know that that’s not what I meant…’
Dom turned to face Toby again.
‘Leave it, Toby, now is not the time.’
Viktor entered the gymnasium with a wild look
in his eye. They had never seen him look like this before. Something had
changed.
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