Chapter Five

" You," the man carrying a spear and a half-shield called.

"Over here!"

Hal pretended he wasn't the intended. The man shouted again, and pointed at Kailas.

Hal put on an innocent face—hard when you're ragged and hungry—and strolled casually across the oceanfront walk.

"City warder on special duty," the man said importantly. "Who're you?"

"Hal Kailas."

"Citizen of what country?"

"Deraine."

"You sure you're telling the truth? There's Roche about in Paestum claiming to be Deraine, which is why we're checking."

"Deraine," Hal repeated.

"From where?"

"Up country. Caerly, originally."

"Never heard of it."

Hal shrugged, anger starting to grow.

"They've never heard of you, either."

"Don't crack wise," the man growled, "or we'll find my serjeant and let him sort you out. What's your business in Paestum?"

"I was on the road, and decided it was time to get back home."

"You and what looks like a million others. Damned if I knew there were that many Deraine in Sagene," the man said, loosening a trifle.

Hal didn't answer.

"All right," the warder allowed. "Your accent's too back-woodsy for any Roche to imitate. On your way."

Hal didn't acknowledge, but moved quickly off into the crowd.

The waterfront was crowded, and not with a holiday throng. Men, women, children, some richly dressed, some ragged, some carrying elegant travel cases, others with improvised packs of breeches or sheets, eddied up and down the walkway, stopping at the gangways of the tied up ships.

Most were looking for one thing—passage they could afford home before the war started.

Hal had been almost three months in Paestum. He and Gaeta had gone their separate ways, figuring their luck would be better alone than in company.

Hal had started looking for work with two dragon fliers he'd found in Paestum. Both were heading back for Deraine, though. The first told Hal he had no interest in hiring somebody who'd pick his brain and end up a competitor.

The other, more kindly, a man named Garadice, said he would, normally, be willing to take on an apprentice, particularly one who'd worked for Athelny, which proved Hal had brains, was a hard worker, and had the ability to get along with difficult people. But he was heading for home, "and putting my head under the covers."

Hal asked, and the man explained why. He'd just gotten back from Roche.

" Damned scary. Everyone's running around talking about how they're not getting their rightful place in the world, and Deraine and Sagene are conspiring against 'em, always have, and Queen Norcia's the first to recognize it, and they'll get their own back, and then we'll see what we'll see.

"Don't like it none. Especially when I saw the army warrants combing the villages, enlisting for the army.

"Roche is getting like a damned armed camp. The smithies are churning out swords and spears, the farriers have horses lined up for shoeing, even the damned little old ladies are sewing uniforms for 'their boys.'

"Like I said, a place in the country where nobody comes, a good store of food and wine, and I'll take note of the world again in a year or so.

"Or maybe not."

Hal was driven to casual labor, unloading wagons, clerking for a day, cleaning anything that needed to be cleaned. But there were hundreds, maybe thousands like him, streaming into Paestum, willing to work for a meal, when Hal needed silver for his passage.

And every time he had some money, the price of the passage across the Straits, no more than two days' sail, had gotten dearer and dearer.

Hal had at least found a warm, dry place to sleep in a byre whose owner treated him like he was invisible, not minding him washing up in a trough or even stealing a dipper of milk in the mornings before he went out looking for work.

He was almost hungry and desperate enough to consider the army's recruiters. But not quite. He'd worked too hard to serve any master for longer than a moment, except Athelny. He didn't fancy regimentation, square-bashing or the yessir nossir threebagsfull attitude the army demanded.

Somehow, some way, he'd find a way aboard one of those damned ships with their heartless captains, get across to Deraine and regroup.

As the days passed, he started paying close attention to the rumors, taletellers and broadsheets.

The rumors first said there were raiders abroad, hitting lonely farms and small villages along the Roche-Sagene border. The rumors were confirmed, and the story was they were actually Roche warriors in mufti.

Queen Norcia denied these rumors, saying it was very like Deraine and Sagene to come up with these lies when they couldn't keep their citizens safe, and perhaps they needed Roche to bring order back.

Rumors said there were Roche infiltrators in Paestum, waiting for the moment to rise and support an attacking army. Frighteningly, these rumors were neither confirmed nor denied by the criers and broadsheets.

Hal gloomily decided it couldn't get much worse.

But it did.

The situation deteriorated by the day.

A company of raiders was wiped out by government cavalry. Strangely enough, the cavalry was a mixed unit of Derainian and Sagene soldiers, strange because it was unknown for the two rival countries, always rivals, to cooperate.

The massacre supposedly happened not many leagues south of Paestum.

Next it was revealed the raiders weren't brigands but Roche military, making provocative raids into Sagene.

The Roche government, rather than disavow the dead bandits, agreed they were Roche dragoons, on an official mission, and had been ambushed well inside the Roche borders.

This was shrilly denied by every official in Sagene, Paestum and Deraine.

Next an official statement from Roche, sent out in Queen Norcia's own hand, said the situation was intolerable, and reparations would be required from both Sagene and Deraine.

The Council of Barons and Deraine's King Asir icily refused.

Queen Norcia increased her demands: reparations, plus a conference, in Roche, which would determine the proper governing of Paestum. At the very least, Deraine must agree to a power-sharing with Roche for the free city.

Failure to meet these "reasonable" demands could have only one response.

Norcia announced her military was being called up, and rumor had it Roche troops were already massing on the border, ready to march against Paestum.

Deraine refused the "offer," King Asir calling it blackmail "no decent man would ever respond to" and force would be met with force, if necessary, although he hoped there was still a chance of peace.

Hal looked up, wondering if that dragon, high above the city, was Roche. Other dragons, all flying in and out to the east, had been overflying Paestum.

No one knew what they were doing, but hearsay had it there were Roche troops hidden not far across the nearby border.

Hal remembered Ky Yasin and his flying show, and wondered just where the flier was, and if he might not be wearing a uniform or commanding those dragons overhead.

But it wasn't his concern, since he'd just figured a way that was almost unbeatable to stow away on a fishing boat bound for Deraine.

There were dangers of smothering under a load of fish, being caught and thrown overboard or simply drowning in a fishwell, but what of it?

Staying here in Paestum was already dangerous, between the threat of starving, and onrushing war.

His planning was cut short by a stocky warder, flanked by a dozen grinning fellows. All had swords at their waists, carried ready truncheons, and looked as if they were in a transport of delight.

"You, lad. Who's your master?"

"Uh… I have none."

"Your work?"

"None, at present."

"You now have both. This is your official announcement that you've been accepted into His Majesty's Army, and your service will be required to defend the walls of Paestum."

"But I'm a civilian, and have no interest in carrying a damned spear,"

Hal protested.

"That's tough treacle. King Asir has authorized conscription for all Derainians in this present emergency, and you're one of the first to be honored and permitted to become one of the heroes of Paestum.

"Lads, take charge of our new recruit, and escort him to the barracks for outfitting."