As the sun rose into the sky again, Alarant rode his mount through the city, making for the Beloch Palisade. He wanted to talk to Gardt and Lyriana, inform them of the topics at the gathering that they had missed. The guards at the gate saluted his arrival but asked no questions.
The Palisade was still as lively as when he had arrived with the people of Ariana's Bend half a week earlier. Kelbrook, Eldvelle and Ariana's Bend had each claimed a section of the district to use for their people and their stores, though the peoples still mingled well enough. Noises nonexistent in the city beyond were plentiful here, like the cries of cows and pigs and children playing in the streets, running barrel-hoops or play-fighting with wooden swords.
Alarant had expected to see some members of his regiment helping to guard the district from within, to deter the rising number of disappearances. But beyond the stalwarts posted at the gates, he saw none. He found Chief Latega sitting in a stone bench by a garden, the garden being worked on by a couple of townsfolk. The gardens inside the city walls seemed unaffected by the malaise that had created the wasteland outside, but the gardens were simply mistreated instead, if not outright ignored, by the city's populace. It struck Alarant that the garden resembled the spot in Ariana's Bend where they had talked to Raggen about the oncoming snow. At Alarant's request, Latega sent one of the gardeners to find Lyriana.
The captain came running, clothed in a simple tunic and trousers. Alarant wondered if Lyriana only wore men's clothes, but then the women of his own people were visually indistinquishable from the men. He stayed seated on the bench so as not to tower over the assembled townsfolk. "Good morning, Lyriana. I trust you came back safely from the estate?"
Lyriana nodded. "I did. Gardt was a very capable escort, even if he did not say much."
"Where is he now?"
Lyriana indicated the northern gates out of the Palisade with a toss of her head. "He bid me good night and left to find some of your knights."
Lyriana paused. "Come to think of it, those knights should have been here by this morning, should they not?"
"He should have, yes." Alarant said and rose from the bench. "If you will excuse me, I will go and find him. This kind of sluggishness is very unlike Gardt."
Latega chuckled. "This is moreso your city than ours, Lord de Lereyne. Go as you wish."
Alarant bowed and left the Palisade, riding for the barracks where his regiment was housed when not in the field. His knights were in a formation on the ground in the midst of practising a shield-wall. Being mounted warriors, the shield-wall was rarely used, but if you were dismounted or forced to fight in terrain that impeded their mounts, having the skill was prudent.
Usually Gardt would lead the drills in Alarant's absence, but his lieutenant was nowhere to be seen. If you went by the ranks, Alarant's regiment had no third-in-command, but the ryder Bomenn Gralis was effectively in command in the absence of both the captain and the lieutenant.
"Ah, Lord de Lereyne." Gralis called out and motioned for the regiment to continue the drill as he stepped off to the side to meet with Alarant.
"A good day to you, Bomenn. It seems to me that I have been absent from the barracks as of late." Alarant said and looked through the hall a second time. At the other end of the space, a second regiment was practising a different maneuver, but he could not see Gardt anywhere.
"Not untrue, Lord, but I understand that the city is going through some interesting times. It is only to be expected in that case." Bomenn said with his usual good nature.
"Why is Sir Sireyl not leading the drill?" Alarant asked.
Bomenn looked around the hall with a theatrical flair. "Sir Gardt? I have not seen him today. Last I heard he escorted Lady de Lereyne somewhere, and hasn't been back to the barracks since."
An uneasy feeling crept over Alarant. "I saw him there, Gralis, at the function he escorted Lisabelle to. Then he went to the Beloch Palisade and one of the townsfolk definitely saw him leave. Where is he now?"
Bomenn scratched at the base of his helmet, like he had a beard. "I will manage the regiment, Lord, if you want to go find him. Can't say I've known Gardt to stay away like this."
"Perhaps he's sulking after he made an advance on one of the humans and they turned him down." Bomenn added and laughed.
Alarant tried to join in the joviality but found that his good humour was strained. He only hoped it was something like that. The reports of vanished knights filled his mind as he left the barracks and returned to his mount. Before the Calamity, Gardt Sireyl had lived in the House Lereyne estate, for there was plenty of space and it allowed for swift meetings between the captain and his lieutenant. When Alarant returned to Calimdar with his regiment to assist the Marquis, Gardt had declined Alarant's invitation of returning to the estate and had taken housing in one of the keeps close to the regimental barracks. It was an old servant's apartment on the keep's 3rd floor, but it served Gardt well enough.
Alarant was let in by one of the keep's servants and found the room as it always looked. The hearth was cold and unlit, and the chair in front of it was empty. A working-desk stood against one of the walls, a few scattered documents on its surface. Alarant skimmed through them, hoping to find some clue of his lieutenants whereabouts, but found only personal correspondance with an old friend of Gardt's in the capital, as well as listings and notes on the knights serving under him. The other wall held racks for weapons, where Gardt kept his when not in the field or in the barracks. His halberd and sword were both here, as was his shield. It carried the house symbol of the Lereyne family, with Gardt's own symbol, a spear with a radiant point, below it. Above the desk was a document protected by glass and framed with gold-filigree wood. Alarant did not need to look closely at it; it was Gardt's proof of knighthood, given to him by Alarant himself. The last furnishing in the room was the most telling; a cloak stand by the side of the door, with a single cloak hanging from it. Gardt had few items of formal wear. The normally-stoic lieutenant rarely needed it. But Alarant knew he owned two, and the one that Gardt had worn to the gathering of the Second Assembly the night before was missing from the stand, as was the cloak that Alarant had loaned to him. Gardt had gone to the Palisade with Lyriana, then had never been by the barracks or his own quarters.
Alarant steadied himself on the desk. It was becoming increasingly clear to him that Gardt was in some kind of trouble, and if the Marquis had a hand in it, finding Gardt before it was too late would prove difficult.
Alarant left Gardt's room, not pausing to close the door. Even as he left the keep, his mind whirled with the question of Gardt's whereabouts. He did not return the greeting by the guards at the keep's gate, instead climbing onto his mount's back and riding to all of the prisons in the city in turn. At every one he was greeted politely and his questions answered. But he did not find what he sought. Gardt was still missing by the time he climbed into his mount's saddle after visiting the final prison. Where could he go now? Where could he look? He wanted to go to the citadel and demand Gardt's release, but even in his growing desperation, Alarant could see no reason why the Marquis would admit to being responsible, let alone release the man. Unless Alarant had some bargaining chip of his own, Gardt was beyond his reach.
What such a bargaining chip could be occupied Alarant's mind as he returned to the regimental barracks to find his regiment scattered for the day, and Bomenn in one of the offices doing some paperwork. He must have sensed his lord's distress for the man offered no jibes or jokes when Alarant gave him the rank of Acting Lieutenant until Gardt's return to the regiment. His first order was for the regiment to search the city, every keep and every district, for any hints as to Gardt's location. Bomenn promised to send word to his Lord the moment they learned anything, then urged him to rest. Their bodies did not tire, but their minds were a different matter.
The House Lereyne estate was empty when Alarant came home, devoid of both family and servants. He put his mount in its pen and took his time in polishing its metallic skin before walking around the estate and into the gardens. Despite the manicured grounds and the flowers, the garden was host to no animals. No birds chirped and nested in the trees. No insects flew among the flowers. Once the winter had passed, Lisabelle would have to acquire new flowers. Perhaps they could install an apiary, though Alarant could not say if any life could truly thrive in the city of Calimdar.
He was still sitting in the garden, distracting himself with thoughts of future summers, when Lisabelle returned home from her duties. He heard her call out from the stables and replied in kind.
His wife's armour was still dusty from sentry duty when she came to sit beside him on the bench. They held each other's hands and sat for a moment in silence, enjoying the view of the grounds. They had been the pride of the House Lereyne estate in the city before the Calamity and would be so again.
"I heard an upsetting rumour in the city on my way home." Lisabelle said. Her tone was soft, but the quiet moment was lost.
Alarant squeezed her hand but said nothing.
Lisabelle continued. "I heard that Lieutenant Gardt has left the city without a word as to why and where. That he has abandoned the city." She could sense her husband's thoughts on this and waited for him to speak.
"His personal items are still in his quarters, and his mount is still at the regimental barracks. If he has fled the city, he has done so very suddenly and on foot." Alarant said and turned to his wife. "Whatever has happened to him was not by his own choice."
Alarant paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and then continued. "He escorted Lyriana back to the Beloch Palisade last night and she saw him leave through the gates of the district. But Bomenn Gralis never saw him return to the barracks and no sentries were posted in the district. The cloak he wore to the gathering, as well as the cloak I loaned to him that night, has not been returned to his quarters."
"You think he has been abducted, just as that scholar, Braugh Velmon, and the others." Lisabelle finished for him.
Hearing it said out loud chilled Alarant to the core. He could only nod.
Lisabelle looked back to the grounds and leaned back, her helmet tapping against the wall behind her. "It seems like a rash move to me."
"Hm?" Alarant grunted and looked at his wife.
Lisabelle kept looking straight ahead. "Abducting a lieutenant, himself a known face in the city, of a famous noble lord, on an evening where he was meant to meet someone. Braugh Velmon was a recluse and rarely met people, so his disappearance would go unnoticed for a while. Gardt's has been noticed immediately."
When Alarant did not respond, Lisabelle continued. "He must have caught the Marquis's attention in some manner to warrant such rash action."
Alarant gently let go of his wife's hand and stood up. A thought had occurred to him. If he had still been human, he imagined it would have turned his stomach. "There is also the possibility that this is some twisted punishment that the Marquis has devised for me. He knows I disagree with his demonstration of the plaza and the Winter Vanguard expedition." Like Ristel de Kelsira had called their gatherings The Second Assembly, talk around town and indeed also the Palisade, had coined the expedition led by Alarant, Sarell, Zistayre and Lenann as 'The Winter Vanguard'.
"I dread to think that someone in such a position of power should be so petty." Lisabelle said.
They talked a while longer, sitting on the bench in the estate's gardens, talking of Gardt and Anna and what winter might bring. As they rose to go inside and rest, they heard someone approaching up the gravel-road towards their front-door. Benthi, one of the knights that had unwittingly helped in the first gathering of the Assembly, was riding towards the estate with a coloured bundle in her arms. She gave them Bomenn's greeting and presented her bundle; two cloaks, one being the one Gardt had worn the night before and the other was the cloak Alarant had used to disguise Lyriana's exit from the district. Both were dirty and wet, and the clasps that secured them around one's neck had snapped off. According to Benthi, she and another knight had been walking the southern districts when her partner had noticed something fluttering underneath the bridge. No one they asked knew where they came from or when the cloaks had gotten stuck there, though one woman swore that they had not been there the day before. Bomenn arrived as the sun was beginning to set. A craftsman working late in a district adjacent to the Palisade had seen lieutenant Gardt talking to three other knights just around the bend leading to the ramps up to the Palisade, but he had not stuck around to see the outcome, nor had anyone else noted this exchange. Alarant thanked him for the report and asked them to get some rest then continue the search in the morning.
The next morning, Alarant left the estate at first light, riding to the Plaza of the Second Dawn and the cathedral there. He stood by Anna's pedestal for a long moment, seeking some peace of mind or reassurance against recent events. A part of him wondered whether Anna was in danger, whether the Marquis would consider striking at his helpless daughter, but he shook the thought away. The process of Stasis was more sacred to their people than even the sanctity of life, perhaps even the rule of emperors. To interfere with it willfully was one of the greatest crimes of their new empire, and surely even the Marquis would balk at such measures. As Alarant left the cathedral on the business of his day, he hoped dearly that that was not just wishful thinking.
That day brought the snow to Calimdar. Dark clouds rode the wind from the north and covered the sky, blocking out the sun. The blue lights on the spires lit the city as if it was night when the first snow began to fall. There was little wind that day, so the white flakes drifted onto the rooftops and streets of the city, a dusting of white that lasted well into the following day, a herald of what was to come. Lightning-storms could be seen over the northern mountains, but they did not approach the city.
Alarant spent the rest of his day in the regimental barracks, training his ryders and organising with Bomenn, both on matters of the regiment and of the search for Gardt. Alarant also ensured that the Beloch Palisade got the guards that Gardt had been supposed to arrange, though Alarant made them patrol in pairs. They would cover less ground, but hopefully it would protect them against further abductions. Sarell Kelkstein passed by the barracks, informing him of further disappearances. She had heard the rumours of Gardt's disappearance and expressed her condolences at the confirmation. She offered to post some of her own men in the Palisade alongside Alarant's, which he gladly accepted.
The following day brought no news of Gardt, but Lyriana sent word that a young girl from their town had vanished overnight, gone from the very home her family had been granted, as well as more men and women from the other towns housed in the Palisade. Only one of the guards that Alarant and Sarell had posted had seen anything, but it had been so elusive that they thought they had been jumping at shadows. A shape had crossed an alley so fast that if the knight could have blinked, they would have missed it. By the time they moved into the alley to look, there was nothing to see. The dusting of snow on the cobbles had not been disturbed, and so the two knights concluded that they must have imagined it.
The next day, storm clouds hung over the city. Some time before midday, town criers called for an assembly at the plaza in front of the citadel, the same place that the Marquis had carried out his brutal demonstation. Alarant considered it an ominous decision, but put on one of the cloaks with his house insignia and rode into the centre of the city, Lisabelle on her own mount beside him. Much of the city was already assembled when they arrived, and the crowds pushed and jostled to get a closer view of the figures standing on the platform with the Marquis. Bomenn and some of Alarant's knights met them at the entrance to the plaza.
"Keep your wits about you, Lord, this is some grim business." Bomenn warned and accepted the reins to Alarant's mount. Lisabelle's was likewise handed to another of Alarant's knights and so Alarant and Lisabelle made their way, hand in hand, as close to the platform as they could.
On the platform were seven figures. From a distance, Alarant could only recognise two of them; the Marquis and the distinctive crimson hue of Samhane Haligtide standing behind the city's ruler. Two figures were on their knees in front of the Marquis, facing the crowd, though Alarant could not make out anything beyond that. Lisabelle and he approached, making their way through the crowds. Once they were closer, Alarant could recognise the figure of Jace de Kirgaan standing to the side. The remainder of the standing figures were guards from the citadel, stalwarts that bore the house symbol of the Marquis.
Of the kneeling figures, Alarant was initially unsure. One was a human with skin so dark it bordered on black, with Dust-gold tattoos over much of his body, continuing even onto his bald-shaved head. Alarant had heard tales of their people, but had never seen one himself. Cutthroats and spies, they plied their trade in the shadows. No allies of men of honour, but Alarant could well imagine that men like the Marquis had uses for them.
The other figure was one of Alarant's people, though it was not till they raised their head to look out at the crowds that Alarant recognised them.
It was Gardt, his trusted lieutenant.
Alarant must have shouted his name as he surged forward, for Lisabelle looked up at the platform and gasped. People whispered the name with surprise around him, for everyone in the city knew of Gardt Sireyl, either through acquantaince or through the rumours that had sprung up since his disappearance. Stalwarts posted in the plaza crossed their halberds to block Alarant's path.
On some cue, the Marquis stepped forward. His voice carried easily across the plaza where most of Calimdar was assembled.
"Brethren and sisters," he started, "Countrymen! I have called you here today to see the fruits of our labours and how the Emperor Jessari would reward our hard work!" Marquis Martin spoke the name of the emperor with bile, then continued.
"We have laboured to rebuild this city and to secure the people of Auriga against the threats that crawl up from the deep and down from the mountains, and as thanks, the Emperor sends these men," The Marquis gestured at the kneeling figures, "to slay me."
The plaza erupted in whispered conversations and shouts. The people were appalled and confused, but those who knew Gardt Sireyl knew that could not be true. Alarant joined his shouts of disbelief to theirs, but it seemed to him that they were outnumbered.
The Marquis gestured for silence. The circlet he had worn during the demonstration was still on his brow, but today it did not shine as it had then. "Many of you know this man. Gardt Sireyl. Many of you would call him an honourable man. It saddens me to see how deeply he has abused the trust of our good city."
Gardt tried to rise, to speak, but one of the stalwarts struck him with his halberd and Gardt was forced back to his knees. A glimmer of golden Dust attested to an injury.
The Marquis scarcely slowed during the display of violence. "Sir Sireyl conspired against me with the Emperor's blessing, and with the Emperor's coffers he purchased the services of assassins." Martin de Suluzzo indicated the tattooed man, who kept his head lowered and did not protest the accusation. Gardt tried again to rise, but the stalwart behind him struck him down again, this time leaning on the polearm jammed against Gardt's back. Alarant heard words of protest from his lieutenant before the blow landed and it spurred him to push harder against the stalwarts blocking his progress. Lisabelle was behind him, urging caution to his deaf ears.
The Marquis glanced down at Gardt, then turned to the assassin and continued his speech. "This man is Jarno. He was captured trying to sneak into my private estate under cover of darkness. His mission, as ordered by Sir Sireyl, was to slay me. I do not know the traitor's plans beyond that point, but doubtlessly the Emperor would move on the city with conquest in mind. However, my brave retainer," Jace de Kirgaan lowered his head but said nothing, "caught the man and took him into the citadel's custody."
The Marquis paused. Alarant was still trying to push closer to the base of the platform. More stalwarts in the plaza moved closer, hands on their polearms.
Jace de Kirgaan stepped forward and handed the Marquis a sword. It was small in the Marquis's hands, forged in the style of the weapons of the Old Empire, built for a human. The Marquis raised the sword then slashed down. But Jarno was unharmed, for the Marquis had only cut his restraints.
"I will let the man go free, for there was no ill will, no treason. He simply carried out a mission he was paid for, and I cannot fault him for that. He will go free, with my protection." The Marquis said and lowered the sword.
Jarno rose, turned to the Marquis and kneeled again. Through the press of people around him and the rattle of the stalwarts' armour, Alarant could hear the man speaking to the Marquis, but could not hear what he said. After a moment, Jarno rose and walked off to the back of the platform, leaving Gardt alone with the Marquis and his cronies.
"Marquis!" Alarant shouted despite the stalwarts pushing him back with their weapons. When the man did not react, Alarant shouted again, foregoing the man's title. "Martin de Suluzzo!"
The Marquis still did not react, but Jace de Kirgaan did. The man, a battle-sword buckled on his hip, strode to the edge of the platform. "You will adress the Marquis by his title!" Sir de Kirgaan shouted.
"Dogs have no titles!"
Jace de Kirgaan's hand flew to his sword, but the Marquis appeared at his side before the knight-captain could draw the weapon. De Suluzzo looked down at Alarant, and he thought he spied a flicker of red pass through the glimmer of the Marquis' essence.
"Lord de Lereyne. What is your quarrel with me, that you call me a dog as an insult?" The Marquis asked. The ceremonial sword was still in his hand, held along his side. At the Marquis' reply, the stalwarts stepped away, though they still barred Alarant's approach with their halberds.
"What quarrel, you ask!?" Alarant shouted, fury evident in his voice, "This monstrous 'trial' is my quarrel. Sir Sireyl would never even envision such a scheme, and neither would the Emperor!"
Lisabelle put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Alarant, and be careful. This could be a trap, or part of his scheme." She whispered, though doubtlessly the people behind them heard it. The stalwarts held their weapons tighter, ready to defend the Marquis against Alarant, regardless of his lordship.
"Yet we have witnesses claiming that he did just so, Lord de Lereyne." The Marquis said calmly. "Jarno was not operating alone, and his fellows can attest as well as he to Sir Sireyl's request and conduct. Additionally, we have anonymous witnesses to the Sir Sireyl's dealings and meetings with these would-be assassins."
Alarant heeded his wife's warning and checked his response. He clenched a fist, metal squealing in protest and fought the urge to draw the hammer belted on his hip. "And why do we trust the words of sellswords and cutthroats over the word of knights of the realm?"
"Their words match the testimony of our witnesses. And, Lord Alarant, need I remind you," The Marquis's words dripped with scorn, "That they were caught within my own chambers, and with Imperial gold in their possession?"
"And where are these witnesses?" Alarant asked, and squeezed his wife's hand.
Jace de Kirgaan stepped forward and glanced at the Marquis who gave an indication of approval. The retainer turned back to Alarant, a hand on the grip of his sword. "The witnesses asked for anonymity, Lord de Lereyne. The presence of a gang of assassins in the city unsettled them, and so they asked to not be named."
"Would you call these innocents liars and dogs as well?" Jace de Kirgaan challenged.
De Kirgaan posing as a noble knight of the people made Alarant want to gag, but he pushed the impulse aside. Behind Alarant, the crowd assembled in the plaza were reacting to the discussion, cheering on the Marquis and shouting with indignation at Alarant's accusations. He heard supporters for his side as well, though it was smothered in the greater numbers of the Marquis' supporters. In the battle of hearts and minds, the Marquis had the lion's share of the spoils.
"May Sir Sireyl not speak in this trial? He is the accused, after all." Alarant said and glanced at Gardt. His lieutenant looked back and Alarant's heart ached for his plight.
"He continues to proclaim his innocence," The Marquis was silent for a moment, "But I will allow him to speak." Martin de Suluzzo waved at the stalwarts holding Gardt down and they helped him, begrudgingly, to his feet.
Gardt stood and watched over the crowd for a moment. The plaza fell silent, with not even murmured conversation to interrupt the accused's speech. Alarant wondered desperately how he could salvage the situation and save his lieutenant.
"This trial is a farce," Gardt shouted so that the assembled crowd could hear, "Do not believe in the Marquis's lies. Just like all of you, I am a loyal citizen of the Empire and I only seek to protect it, not to harm it."
The crowd was murmuring again, and Alarant did not like what he was hearing. Gardt continued unabated. "The gold in the assassin's purse is the Marquis's, as payment for their testimony. These 'witnesses' are his hired cronies, fabricating tales to implicate his enemies. I beg of you, do not accept their lies!"
Alarant believed Gardt's words, but he knew how it would sound to a crowd already wooed by the Marquis. Still, Alarant cheered and shouted "Hear, hear!" when Gardt finished, though only a scattered few took up the shout. Far more showed their support of the Marquis, and for a moment the plaza was a cacophany of booing and jeering.
Gardt looked about the chaotic plaza and tried to speak again. "The Marquis is using kidnapped–"
But he said no more, for the Marquis motioned to the guards and they struck Gardt again with their weapons. The sound of Gardt hitting the platform floor was inaudible above the bedlam in the plaza. The Marquis stepped forward and held out a hand for silence. It only took seconds for the crowd in the plaza to follow his cue and all waited for what came next. Alarant dreaded it, for he saw no way out now.
The Marquis slowly lowered his hand and let his gaze wander over the assembled crowd, bathing in the expectant silence. "The accused has spoken. Do we heed his words," The crowd booed, "Or are they lies, a desperate attempt to escape his just punishment!?"
The plaza erupted in cheers. Lisabelle squeezed his hand and looked imploringly at Alarant to keep silent. The Marquis had planned this too well, and acting against him further would only damage themselves to no gain. Alarant looked to Gardt and met his gaze, hoping that his lieutenant understood. Gardt stared back, but he was being pressed into the ground by the guards on the platform and could make no movements. Alarant quietly put a fist to his chest.
The Marquis turned away from the crowd to look down at Gardt. Jace de Kirgaan stepped closer to stand just behind his master. Martin de Suluzzo raised the ceremonial sword to hover above Gardt, who had been raised onto his knees by the guards. "Sir Gardt Sireyl. You have been found guilty of treason against your ruler and your people, as well as attempted murder. For these crimes, the punishment is death!"
With that, the Marquis swung the sword, cutting through the join between Gardt's chest and helmet. The plaza was utterly silent for a moment, then the helmet clattered lifeless against the platform and the crowd erupted in cheers again. Alarant cried out, unable to keep himself from taking a step closer to the platform, prompting the guards to lift their polearms again. Gardt's armour slumped down, released from the grip of the guards. The Marquis held up the sword for a moment as if in triumph, then handed it back to Jace de Kirgaan and stepped away from the platform's edge. De Kirgaan, holding the ceremonial sword flat across open palms, followed his lord. The guards waited a moment, then lifted Gardt's lifeless armour away.
Samhane Haligtide stood at the back, for she had not moved since Alarant had seen her when he arrived. She observed the milling crowd for a moment then met his stare. Alarant again wondered what part Haligtide held in all this, if she had corrupted the Marquis or simply aided in endeavours that the Marquis had already intended. Her stare unsettled him, but the anger burning in his chest would abide no show of weakness.
Then the crimson-hued figure turned about and followed the path the Marquis had taken, leaving the platform. With the trial over, the crowd began to leave the plaza to return to their lives. Alarant and Lisabelle stood at the platform's base, still caught in the surprise of the events that had unfolded.
Despite the Marquis' words, Gardt was not truly dead. His armour was inanimate, but his soul was now in stasis, taking refuge in one of the glowing orbs just like Anna. Gardt's sentence would last till he recovered from the stasis in his own time, after which he would, ostensibly, be free to go. That was the way of the law in their new empire.
"I failed him." Alarant whispered, looking up at the platform that rose above the plaza.
Lisabelle took him by the shoulder and turned him so she could look him in the eye. "The Marquis had planned this and outmaneuvred us, Alarant. There was nothing you could do. By the time we knew it was happening, the pieces were already in place."
His wife indicated the plaza behind them where the crowd was still thinning out. "You heard the crowd. They wanted to believe him. However much we might disapprove of his methods and doubt his intentions, the populace love him. Most are blind, perhaps even willingly, to what he is doing. The people of Calimdar are behind him."
And in truth the city was prospering. The walls had been reconstructed, as had the keeps and many noble estates. Week by week, more and more soldiers were waking up from stasis and increasing the defenses of the city, though the cause for that was still unknown. Gardt had tried to convey some information in his speech, but the Marquis had cut it short. That the kidnapped people were being used for something was no huge surprise.
Alarant and Lisabelle had turned away from the platform to take their mounts and return home when they met Ristel de Kelsira.
"My condolences for Gardt." She said and bowed. She had a mount on a leash at her side.
Alarant put a hand on her shoulder and raised her up. "My thanks. I will make sure he is cared for until he is ready to come out of his stasis. Auriga willing, we will have justice for him then."
Ristel de Kelsira walked alongside them back to where their own mounts had been tied. "I had heard the rumours that Gardt had vanished, but I did not expect the Marquis to go so far."
"I doubt anyone did," Alarant said and worked to untie his mount, "Whatever hand this was meant to be, he played it quickly."
"Which might mean he is close to his goal." Lisabelle said. She was already seated on her mount.
"We should have another gathering, as soon as possible." Ristel de Kelsira said.
"Agreed, but we must be careful. It is possible that Gardt was taken as a warning against precisely those gatherings." Lisabelle replied, echoing Alarant's thoughts. His wife glanced around the plaza for anyone paying too close attention.
"How would he have learned of them? We have been careful, both about who is allowed to attend and where we hold them." De Kelsira said. There was nervousness in her tone, but Alarant found he could not blame her; if the Marquis had learned of their plotting and planned to punish them for it, House Kelsira could well stand to lose their position as garrison commander. All of the Kelsira family, save for Ristel, were in stasis and so free from the Marquis' vengeance. So was Anna, thank Auriga.
"It is also possible that he was taken for being my retainer," Alarant said, "I am well known for my opposition to the Marquis."
"Then why not simply strike directly at you?" Ristel de Kelsira said and turned her mount off the plaza. Alarant and Lisabelle followed on either side of her.
"Because House Lereyne has holdings and a reputation. The Marquis gambled on the populace siding with him, or this farce of a trial would never have worked. Marquis de Suluzzo would not have had such overwhelming majority support if he had targetted Alarant or me." Lisabelle said and glanced at her husband. He nodded, both to show his assent and his appreciation for her concern.
Ristel de Kelsira also glanced in Alarant's direction and the nervousness in her tone was evident. "Is it possible that Gardt gave them information? About us, about the gatherings."
"Why would he do that?" Alarant asked.
"Maybe they tortured him in some fashion, maybe with that relic your father spoke of, or they promised him land or holdings." Ristel de Kelsira said.
Alarant stopped his mount. After a moment Ristel and Lisabelle followed suit.
"Lady de Kelsira," Alarant said in the calmest tone he could manage, "I would ask you to not make those claims of my trusted lieutenant, not even in jest." His grip tightened on the leash of his mount as he kept himself from gripping the hammer in his belt.
"Of course, Lord de Lereyne. My apologies." Ristel de Kelsira said and bowed in her saddle.
"I do not believe he did," Lisabelle said to smooth over the topic, "If he had, why would they have publicly executed him?"
"Indeed, Lady de Lereyne." Ristel agreed hastily. As they proceeded down one of the wide streets that led away from the plaza, Ristel de Kelsira slowed to ride behind the Lereynes, either in her own thoughts or afraid of Alarant's wroth.
They said their goodbyes to Ristel de Kelsira for the day and promised to look into how they could gather again without compromising more of their members, then split up. Lisabelle rode home to the estate while Alarant rode to the regimental barracks to talk with his knights and rearrange the ranks now that Gardt was in stasis. Bomenn Gralis would be the new lieutenant and he was to appoint someone to take his place should he fall or become indisposed. Next, Alarant went to Gardt's room in the keep with two of his knights and arranged for Gardt's personal effects to be transported to the Lereyne family estate for safekeeping until his former lieutenant could reclaim them. The thought of Gardt being 'former' anything hurt Alarant, and he stood by the room's single window for a moment, staring out over the city. The sight did him less good than he had imagined, for he was reminded of how the city had turned on Gardt during the trial, siding with the Marquis' accusations.
The next morning, Alarant and Lisabelle left their home arm-in-arm, only to find an object left on their doorstep. A glass orb that had been shattered. It was much the same design as the thousands of glass orbs in stasis-cathedrals around the empire. A moment of confusion passed before Alarant saw what had been written on the orb. In flowing, Dust-gold script, the orb carried the name Gardt Sireyl.
"They wouldn't." Alarant said in disbelief, rooted in place with shock.
Lisabelle knelt and gently picked up the orb, a few shards dropping off its shattered form to crash on their entrance. "This could well be another trap or misguidance." Lisabelle was still for a moment. "I hope to Auriga that it is."
Alarant stumbled back, crashing against the doorpost of their house. "But stasis is sacrosanct. Surely even the Marquis would not tamper with that process. Fighting over that could doom us as surely as any war."
"Perhaps we have underestimated the length Martin de Suluzzo is willing to go to for his goals." Lisabelle said and stepped past him and opened the door into their entrance-hall. Gardt's shattered stasis-orb, if it was indeed his, was placed on a table, resting on a cushion.
"I know a Dust Bishop that works in one of the southern cathedrals," Lisabelle said and walked towards the door, "I will bring them here and we will ascertain whether or not Gardt's essence ever inhabited that orb."
She was by the door by the time Alarant spoke up. "Should we bring Anna home?"
Lisabelle stopped in her tracks. Alarant heard her gauntlet creak as she gripped the side of the door. "It would be best for her to remain in the cathedral."
"Her recovery would be stunted here, if it proceeds at all," Alarant said the rest for her, "But if the Marquis is willing to go this far, then Anna will be in danger. She would be safer here at home."
Lisabelle was silent for a moment. "Let us see what the bishop says. If it truly was Gardt's orb, then the Marquis will have stepped too far."
The bishop's name was Caurice Elmont and they arrived an hour later, sitting astride Lisabelle's mount as she escorted him to the estate. He was garbed in the same imposing robes as all other Dust Bishops, a void in his hood showing his lack of a mask.
"Lord de Lereyne," Caurice said as he ascended the stairs to the estate's front door, "A pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, Father Elmont." Alarant replied. The image of the shattered orb was prevalent in his mind, and he had to force himself to keep his good manners.
"Your wife asked for my personal advice on a matter, but did not wish to give many details before we arrived here." Caurice clasped his hands behind his back. "What is this secretive matter?"
"It would perhaps be easiest if you saw it for yourself, Father." Alarant said and opened the door. Caurice Elmont was led inside while a servant took care of Lisabelle's mount. While Lisabelle had been away, Alarant had had some tables and chairs moved next to where the orb was placed, as well as some lamps. At first, Caurice looked around the entrance-hall until he spotted the shattered orb.
"We believe it to be the stasis-orb of a dear friend of ours, but we are unsure if he ever inhabited it or if this is some unseemly joke." Lisabelle said.
The bishop sat down by the table. Caurice Elmont turned the orb and lifted it, examining it from different angles. Alarant noticed that the bishop paused for a moment when he read the golden script denoting the orb's former occupant, but Caurice continued the work with no comment. His initial examination finished, the bishop put the orb carefully back on the table then held his hands on either side of it. Golden particles began to flow from his hands to play over the glass surface of the orb. Alarant was initially alarmed, for it reminded him of the Marquis's demonstration, but he noted that the particles only flowed from the bishop to the orb and not back. After a moment, Caurice Elmont sat back down.
"This orb has indeed held the essence of the man who is inscribed on the surface." Caurice said, then leaned back in his chair. "However,"
"Yes?" Alarant and Lisabelle said.
Caurice made to speak, sighed, then continued. "Now it only holds the merest suggestion of a fragment, and I do not sense the essence of Gardt Sireyl anywhere else."
Alarant gripped the table hard enough to jolt the orb on its pillow. "Are you telling me that Gardt is dead?"
Lisabelle put a hand on his arm while Caurice collected himself. "Relax, Alarant. Father Elmont is only trying to help." Alarant returned her look then stepped away from the table and clasped his hands behind his back. His rage at the Marquis for carrying out such a vile act, combined with his guilt over Gardt's fate, was demolishing his self-control.
Lisabelle motioned for Father Elmont to continue. The Bishop nodded. "I cannot rule out that it still exists, or that the tools and methods we employ at the cathedral would enable us to find it, but my current judgement, based on what I have seen here,"
Caurice Elmont looked Alarant in the eye, "Is that Gardt Sireyl is dead and beyond our reach."
Lisabelle thanked the Father for his council and Caurice, in turn, promised to review the matter back in the cathedral. Alarant sat down in one of the chairs and stared at the shattered orb.
"There was nothing you could have done, Alarant," Lisabelle said, "The Marquis is a very powerful man in this city and he had planned it out before we even heard about Gardt's disapperance."
Alarant heard her words, but they did not lift his guilt one bit. "I could have kept him out of our little circle."
Lisabelle sat down next to him and took his hand in hers. "Do you think Gardt did it because you were his superior? If so, then you understood your lieutenant far less than I thought you did, Alarant de Lereyne."
Alarant looked away from the orb and met her gaze. Lisabelle continued. "Gardt would have followed you even if you told him to go away. I am sure he was delighted to be included in our gatherings. He understood and accepted the risks."
"Perhaps even more so than we did." Lisabelle finished with a chuckle.
There was silence in the hall for a moment, then Alarant nodded. "You're correct, Lisabelle, as always." He patted her hands affectionately. "Where would I be without you?"
Lisabelle stayed with him as he grieved and cried for his lost friend. With Anna's absence, Gardt had been the closest to a son that Alarant had had, and though their bodies could not produce tears and had no hearts with which to ache, none could have mistaken Alarant's grief that day.