The Crimson Campaign(The Powder Mage Trilogy)(69)

"Are you threatening me, Miss … ?"

"Fell."

"Fell." Ket rounded the table and crossed the room, gesturing to the provosts. "Are you threatening this war effort?"

Fell put a hand to her chest in shock. "Me? Threaten you? By Kresimir, General Ket, I would never think to threaten you. After all, I can see Taniel's face right there, tenderized like a side of beef by your provosts. I wouldn't want to end up like that. No, I am merely providing context for the consequences of the decision of this court."

"Your master controls the union   s. Therefore, you're threatening me."

"No." Fell waggled her finger like a parent scolding a child. "My master heads the union   s. The union   s have the power to strike, and Mr. Tumblar cannot stop them if they so desire. Do you want that to happen?"

Ket leaned in toward Fell. To her credit, the undersecretary did not so much as flinch.

"This court is in recess for one hour!" Ket whirled and stormed out of the tent, followed by the other generals.

Fell dragged a chair up to the middle of the room. She waved her hand at the provosts flanking Taniel, and they hesitantly took a step back. Fell deposited the chair beside Taniel and sat down.

Taniel studied Fell for a moment. She was dressed sharply, looking far more a businesswoman than an undersecretary or personal assistant. Her eyes, though, were tired, and Taniel could see a recent scar on her cheek covered by a layer of face powder. She reached into her pocket and removed a brown bag. "Cashew?"

Taniel didn't know what to make of the woman. She, and her master, could have very well just saved Taniel's life …  but a man like Ricard always had his price.

"You're going to owe Ricard a great deal if you live through this," Fell said in a low voice.

And there it was. "I didn't ask for his help."

"No, but he gave it. You're an honorable man, aren't you, Taniel?"

The idea of owing Ricard Tumblar anything made Taniel's stomach turn.

"What's Ricard's price?"

"Three years," Fell said. "As a politician. You'll be expected to attend galas and address the public. Everything will be scheduled for you. When you're not in the public eye, you can do anything you want  –  bed whomever, smoke all the mala in the world. Not a hard life at all." Fell shrugged. "But if Ricard happens to die or be killed, you'll have to step up as prime minister of Adro."
 
 

 

"I don't want that."

Fell gave him a tight smile. "Then you're more qualified for the job than Ricard is."

Taniel wondered if that was something that Ricard himself would have said, or if the undersecretary had just made a jab at her master.

"I thought that Hrusch Avenue hadn't union   ized." Taniel glanced meaningfully toward the tent flap where the generals had exited.

"They don't know that."

"Is Ricard serious about those threats?"

"I'd rather not find out."

A bluff, then. Taniel had to give credit to Ricard. Bluffing the senior staff of the Adran army took courage. "Has Ricard ever tried blackmailing Tamas?"

"Oh, pit no. Tamas would have strung Ricard up like a marionette."

"I'm glad to hear he has limits."

The hour-long recess for the court stretched into two hours, and then into three. Mihali served coffee and another round of cake.

Taniel couldn't help wondering where the pit the generals had gotten to. What could be taking them so long?

"This is a good thing, you know," Fell said between bites of cake.

Colonel Etan, his chair wheeled up beside Taniel, agreed. "At this point, the sentencing requires a four-out-of-five vote. If they'd returned at the hour, or earlier, it would not have looked good for you. They've been arguing this whole time, which means that more generals than just General Hilanska are trying to save your skin."

The tent flap was swept aside, and the generals reentered the room. Fell and Etan both retreated to the back, and the generals took their chairs.

Ket examined Taniel for several moments before speaking. The anger had left her eyes. Steely determination replaced it. "This court," she said, "has found the defendant guilty of treason. We have decided to drop the remainder of the charges and commute upon the guilty one sentence, to be carried out immediately:

"Captain Taniel is hereby stripped of his rank in the Adran army and dishonorably discharged. As this is a closed court, the verdict is private  –  however much I'd like to announce to the world that Taniel is no longer one of us, he will be allowed twelve hours to gather his things and quietly leave the camp. Any failure to do so will be met with swift reprisal. Court is adjourned."

Taniel could hear Doravir protesting from the back that the sentence was too light. Etan loudly argued that the sentence was too harsh. The provosts released Taniel from the irons and stripped him out of his uniform jacket.

He didn't argue. He couldn't argue. He barely noticed when the generals had left.

How could they do this to him? After all he'd done? All he'd given?

"Taniel."

He looked up. Etan sat in front of him, an orderly waiting to wheel him off.

"Taniel, you know I don't believe any of this treason garbage. None of them do either. If they did, they'd have executed you, regardless of Tumblar's threats. They just wanted you out of the way. If there's anything you need, just let me know. I have a house in North Umpshire if you need someplace quiet to recover. Bring the girl if you'd like."

Ka-poel. Taniel let out a shaky sigh. What should he do with Ka-poel? Send her back to Fatrasta? Would she even go?

"Thanks," Taniel said.

It was some time before he realized that the tent was empty. Fell was gone. It occurred to him that he should have asked her if Ricard received his letter regarding the missing gunpowder.

Taniel managed to climb to his feet. His legs shook, and he wondered where he could get some mala. No. Not mala. He needed powder. That would be easier to find anyway. He had to gather his things. What did he even have? His sketchbook and charcoals. The rifle wasn't even his  –  army issued, though he might be able to slip off with it anyway. He could sell the buttons off his army jacket.

Taniel cursed. The provosts had taken his jacket.

He cursed again when he noticed the tent was not, in fact, empty.

Mihali sat at the back, sipping a cup of coffee. He met Taniel's glance with the slight rise of his eyebrows.

Taniel wondered what it would be like to punch a god. "Did you see that, you bastard?" Taniel said. "‘Apologize to Doravir.' That's what you told me. ‘Save the war.' How the pit does this save anything? Stripped of everything I know?"

"The future is always changing," Mihali said. "Coffee?"

"Go to the pit."

Taniel left the command tent and headed toward his quarters. He wasn't two dozen steps outside when he was joined by Brigadier Abrax. It only took him a few moments to realize why she was there.

"Do the Wings of Adom usually perch at a court-martial, waiting to recruit new mercenaries?"

Brigadier Abrax was a serious woman in her forties, with short blond hair and a sharp white-and-red uniform. "Awfully full of yourself, Two-Shot. I can see why Ket wanted to be rid of you. What makes you think I've come along recruiting?"

"Nothing. Sorry, ma'am." Taniel reminded himself that he was not in a position to insult the senior commander of the best mercenary army in the world.

"I have, of course," Abrax said. "Come recruiting, that is. I want to offer you a spot in the Wings of Adom."

Taniel had never thought highly of mercenaries. At best, they took your money and did everything they could to avoid actually fighting. However, he had to grudgingly admit that the Wings had a reputation for slogging into the melee along with the ordinary infantry. He'd seen them do it himself during this war.

Taniel stopped and turned to the brigadier. "The General Staff would be furious."

"What do I care?" Abrax said. "I don't report to anyone but Lady Winceslav and Tamas. Not to the General Staff. Besides, I just watched them court-martial their best soldier. I don't have a lot of faith in their ability to do anything right. Even if you are a pompous ass with no respect for authority, you're worth fifty men, and I mean to see you in my army."

"That was an incredibly backhanded compliment," Taniel said.

Abrax gave him a shallow smile. "I meant every word."

"Ricard Tumblar seems to think he's bought me."

"If you feel as if you must repay him," Abrax said with a shrug, "feel free to do so. But after this war is over. I have the feeling you would much rather be on the front than in Adopest trying to win over the snakes in politics. At least here you're allowed to shoot your enemies."

Taniel looked around the camp. It was muddy and chaotic, the moans of the wounded rising from the field hospitals and the crack of gunfire drifting back from the front. Still, he couldn't imagine leaving it for a desk or a podium in Adopest.

"What do you propose?" he asked.

"You'll be a major in the Wings of Adom with full pay and benefits. I'll place you outside the chain of command and you'll only report to me. Your sole mission will be to kill enemy Privileged and Wardens. I don't like to complicate things further than that."