The Second Coming
Chapter 9

They had been riding for some hours since they first saw it, but Liawas still in awe at the size of Surian, the capital city of Suria. Once they were within a few miles of the city, buildings completely obscuredthe view of what lay beyond and nothing else could be seen to the south. She leaned forward and spoke into Michael’sear. “This place is something else! It makes Crossmoor seem like a speck ofsand.”

The heavy set man grunted. “You’re not wrong, Lia. I’m gladOlbane has been here before; I wouldn’t know where to start if I was here onbehalf of my father.”

Lia smiled, although he could not see it. Michael appeared to have lost a lot of hisbravado over the last week; the fact that there was life away from Crossmoorwas expanding his view of Eureza.

They had travelled for almost two days, and Lia noted that Olbanebecame jitterier the closer they were to their destination: the young man wasalmost always glancing in one direction or the other. Lia’s one experience of Terence Black was nota pleasant one, and she was glad Olbane was taking care. The closer they were to Surian, however, themore she realised she needed to know what they were going to do when theyarrived. Olbane and Carly were ridingslightly behind Lia and Michael, so Lia turned her head and addressed the youngman. “Olbane, I think we should discussyour plans when we arrive.” She kept the question direct.

Olbane stopped looking to the east, looked Lia in the eye, and nodded. “That is probably a good idea. Where do you want me to start?”

“What is our first destination? Who are you hoping to discuss the problem with?”

Olbane paused for what Lia thought was a long time, and wondered if heknew where he was going. Once again hepatted his breast. “I was going to takethe letters to the senate. I knowmyself that the letters themselves are not enough, but I hope that by gainingpolitical support I can expose more firm evidence.”

Suria was a republic, with a governing body made up of a small group ofsenators who represented the various parts of the nation. Inevitably, the senate was influenced by the church of Revan, and the Priestesses themselvesacted as advisers to the senators. Everytwo years one of the senators would be elected by the senate as Lead Senator,with an overall veto on matters of state. Lia admitted to herself she knew very little about such matters, andwhen she attempted to recall the name of the Lead Senator, she couldn’t; priorto that moment, she had had no interest in politics.

It was Carly who broke the silence that followed. “From what I understand about the senate, itmay take you weeks to receive a hearing, and you’ll need to gain sponsorshipfrom a senator, usually the one representing your main residence. Do you think that Senator Marsden willsupport you? The church doesn’t trusthim at all.” Lia looked at Carly andblinked, which prompted the acolyte to explain further. “A Priestess of Revan must understandpolitics, Lia. For the church tocontinue to be a force it must be able to influence in all areas of society.”

Lia chuckled. “I suppose Iexpected the church to be above that kind of thing. Surely Revan has authority over all?”

Carly nodded. “He does, butmandating rules and regulations in an autocratic manner is not His preferredmethod. We are taught to work withsociety, rather than to direct it.”

Lia forced herself not to fire back a retort about the rules Carly wasbound to prior to her rather short-notice flight days ago, but decided to nodher agreement instead.

Olbane had remained silent, and listened to the brief discussion withinterest. “Marsden is a typicalpolitician, I am afraid. To the masseshe comes across as a man of the people, fighting to keep taxes low, drivingdown corruption and ensuring Suria’s northern border is well protected. As usual with politicians, what they standfor publicly and what they do with their own affairs do not necessarilycoincide. Rumour has it Marsden isinvolved in some very illegal dealings, but no-one has been able to gatherenough evidence to expose him.” Olbane smiled wryly. “There is no way on Eureza I am going toapproach Marsden, Carly.”

The diminutive woman frowned. “So who are you going to lobby for support? From what I also understand, Senator Smytheof the western-central region is not much better.” Grayson Smythe was arelatively newly elected senator: he had taken office after the untimely deathof his predecessor. “Little is knownabout him, but he is a strong ally of Marsden, which makes him untrustworthy.”

“I am afraid I know little of the senators from the south or east. I suppose I will have to replace out who toapproach when we arrive.” Olbane didn’t look confident.

Carly smiled. “Slavery is anextremely emotive subject, and no senator will do anything but publiclydenounce it. Rumour has it that theArezans are starting to gain influence in the senate, however, and I fear itmay not be simple and risk free to walk into any senator’s office and ask forsupport.”

Lia remained silent when Carly mentioned Arezans. She presumed it was Arezans she hadencountered and then sent back with empty cages. Olbane, however, had a sad expression on hisface. “It is a sad day when Arezan goldbecomes more important than fighting the imprisonment of innocent folk againsttheir will. I honestly hope that the church of Revan is wrong about this, Carly.”

The four remained silent for the duration of the journey into the largecity. First they encountered areas thatwere more residential than anything else, which contained small dwellings andthe occasional merchant or inn. Thefurther into the city they rode, however, the more densely populated the areabecame. Lia soon realised thatCrossmoor was a mere hamlet compared to Surian, and she wondered what delightsshe would have wanted to experience had the situation been different. There must have been dozens of inns similarto The Piebald Lamb. At thethought of The Lamb Lia felt a pang of homesickness, the first such pangfor days. She wished she was at the bar,sharing banter with Warnock Spicer and hearing stories from his adventuringdays. She shook her head; that was herold life, a life that seemed years away, even though in reality it was just aweek. Her parents were dead, and withtheir last breaths her connection with Crossmoor had been severed. She had Carly, and to a smaller degreeMichael, but her other friends and occasional dalliances were of no lastingvalue to her. Michael would undoubtedlyreturn to his father once they had finished in Surian, and he would be betteroff without her. Lia wondered if Carlywould go back to the church; she suspected that although her diminutive frienddid not feel like returning at that moment, it was only a matter of time. In those short days she had changedsignificantly, and the way she had recently spoken about politics confirmedthat the only person who did not think Carly was fit to be a Priestess wasCarly. There was something else aboutCarly’s reaction that troubled Lia; she knew more than the others did about theencounter with the slavers, that much was clear. If Michael had not interrupted them back inFrodsby, Lia would have struggled to keep the truth from her friend, which forsome reason was something she felt she had to do. Lia longed for someone to discuss herexperience with the slavers with, and although it filled her with revulsion todo so, she thought of Rastlin. Almostevery fibre of her being hated him for what he and his companions had done toher parents, but a small part of her knew he was the one she needed to explainwhat was happening. She wondered whereRastlin and Franklin were: were they dead? That seemed unlikely; after all, Lia had seen the slavers herself, andneither of the two men had been captured. Of course it was possible they had run into the slavers after Lia hadsent them back east, but she didn’t think that was likely either. Rastlin was out there somewhere, andhe was almost certainly trying to replace her. The question was, did she want to be found?

It was Olbane’s voice that jolted Lia from her thoughts. “We are here, my friends; Surian’s ratherlarge and bustling commercial district. The senate is a short walk from here.”

Lia looked up, and realised she had taken virtually nothing of the lastpart of their journey in. She waslooking at an enormous square, which must have been two hundred horses inlength, with scores of merchants present. Some were in permanent trading posts, some in more portableversions. A lot of them were sellinggoods that Lia had never seen before.

Olbane grinned at the reaction of his three friends. “If you think this is good, you should take atour of the surrounding streets. Thereis much more to this district than the square.”

Michael nodded. “Does yourfather have a presence here?”

Olbane smiled. “Father has amoderately sized business here, mostly to ensure he is up to date with senatematters and for credibility; it is useful to have a presence where thedecisions are made.”

Michael looked slightly offended by that; it appeared his father didnot travel as far as Surian. “Well Isuppose that depends on who you are trading with and what goods you are tradingin.”

Olbane smiled wryly. “That istrue. Sometimes I wish my father wouldkeep things simple; if he had done, we wouldn’t be here now.” The sandy hairedyoung man pointed towards a rather narrow looking alleyway off to theright. “My father employs a factor hereto manage his affairs; his name is Manson. As a part of his responsibility is to advise on what might happen in thesenate when it comes to commercial matters, he might be able to give us someinsight into my little problem.”

Lia frowned. “Can you trusthim?”

“To be honest our dealings have been limited, but on the whole yes. I am sure he is not completely honest when itcomes to my father’s interests down here, but he is loyal.”

Lia didn’t look convinced, but said nothing; they had to startsomewhere. She looked up at the sun andthen at some of the merchants in the square; they probably had two hours ofdaylight left, and from the look of it some of the merchants were beginning tocease trading for the day.

Olbane grinned once more. “Manson will no doubt still be at my father’s holding. Let’s go and see him now.”

Michael raised a hand to object, but Carly intervened. “I agree; if we are to make the most oftomorrow, we need to know where to start before we wake.”

Michael grunted. “Let’s make itquick; I am hungry and thirsty, and we haven’t yet found a place for the night.”

Alane Jonson’s premises inthe capital were average to say the least: a small establishment of a similarsize to Michael’s father’s back in Crossmoor. Olbane did not pause, opened the door and strode through. Lia and Carly followed, which left Michael totether the horses to a post outside. Inside there was a simple looking counter with a single door leadingthrough to the back. “I take it yourfather doesn’t display his goods here?” Michael had arrived, and was stood inthe doorway.

Olbane briefly turned in his direction. “Father mostly uses this as a base; Manson deals with transactions onhis behalf; as you know, some things are easier done face to face. There is a reasonable sized store at theback, however.” Olbane looked back to the counter and called out. “Manson?”

Moments later a rat-faced man in his early thirties emerged. He was dressed in a well made shirt andtrousers, something Olbane picked up on immediately. “Has father increased your pay, Manson, orare your other interests doing well?” A smile was on the young man’s face.

“Both!” The rat-faced man grinned. “It is good to see you, young master Jonson,although I must admit I am surprised to see you here. I do not recall your father notifying me thatyou were going to pay me a visit.”

Olbane looked slightly uncomfortable. “I am not here on my father’s business, Frederick, at least not directly.”

Manson’s face looked intrigued, but he did not ask furtherquestions. “Well, can I offer you andyour companions some refreshment? Yourfather always keeps some good quality wine here for when he visits.”

Olbane nodded. “We will take itin the back, please; and I’d like you to join us, if you will. I need your advice.”

Manson bowed deeply. “Of course;please, follow me.”

Minutes later they were sat in what served as the factor’s office. The table there had only had three chairs, soMichael and Olbane had to stand. On thepositive side, all five of them, including Carly, were sampling a very goodbottle of Arezan red. It was only thenthat all four realised how tired they were, and Olbane did not waste time withsmall talk. “I am not going to burdenyou with too many details of why we are here, Frederick; my father’s business should not beinvolved in this at all. What I doneed, however, is your view on which senator to approach.” When the rat-facedman’s face sparked with interest, Olbane continued. “I need to raise an issue of some importanceto the senate, regarding slavery.”

Manson’s expression tightened slightly. “Slavery? I am glad you do notwant your father involved. In my opinionit is a nasty business, but unfortunately it is a trade that more and more ofhis contemporaries are becoming involved in.” The rat-faced man paused for amoment. “Are you saying your father isinvolved in slavery? Forgive myimpertinence Master Jonson, but Ishould like to know if it is true.”

Olbane shook his head. “Not thatI am aware of, Frederick,and I wish to keep it that way.”

Manson looked relieved. “Well, Irespect the need for discretion, so I will not ask further questions regardingyour father’s involvement.” He took a sip of his wine.

Olbane smiled briefly. “Fatheralways said he made the right decision when he asked you to represent him here,Frederick; thank you.”

Manson looked slightly embarrassed. “No need to thank me, Master Jonson. As I hinted at before, your father pays mewell, and he grants me a great deal of autonomy here; I respect him and wouldnever betray him.” He took another sip,that time a larger one. “Now, youmentioned you need to approach the senate. I am sure you are aware of the protocols that must be adhered to, so Iwill not bore you with that. Based onour conversation so far, I also assume that you wish to give some informationregarding a transaction or transactions that have been brought to yourattention, and I also assume this is of some importance for you to make thejourney south personally.”

Olbane nodded once more, and allowed the factor to continue.

“Which senator to approach is an interesting dilemma. It would be seen as most unusual for you notto be represented by your own senator, but speaking frankly, Edward Marsden isone of the last people I would trust, and he has developed a reputation for movingin some rather unsavoury circles of late.” It was Carly’s turn to nod agreement.

Manson took another sip; there was a long pause, before he sighed. “I fear gaining support in the senate willnot be easy; all of the senators will publicly denounce it, but the odds of anyof the most influential senators actually raising something to do with slaveryare very low.”

Carly looked a little aggrieved. “There has to be someone who will take Olbane’s issue! What about Bryan Hiron of Surian? He’s been more outspoken than most sincesightings of Arezan slavers became more frequent.”

Manson nodded. “Priestess, youare correct, of course. However, Hironhas only been in office for a year, and his power base is small.” From what Lia had heard, Surian was a liberalcity and often brought idealistic and righteous senators into power. However, despite the fact the senator for thecapital represented almost a third of Suria in terms of population, he heldonly one vote.

Carly looked uncomfortable after Manson’s error, but she did notcorrect him. “Well, he is still our bestchance of a fair hearing.”

The rat-faced man nodded. “Ifyou must attempt to gain an audience with him, be prepared for a wait; rememberthis is his represented area, so he’ll have numerous others who also wish topitch their complaint or idea.”

Olbane smiled briefly at Manson. “Is The Noble Senator still a reasonable inn?”

Manson inclined his head. “It isindeed, Master Jonson; reasonably priced, clean and with surprisingly good fareon offer.”

“Then we will stay there for the night.” Olbane’s expression grewserious. “If anyone asks, we were neverhere.”

Manson rose and bowed slightly. “Whatever you say, Master Jonson. Is there anything else I may do for you?”

Olbane paused for a moment before clearing his throat. “Actually thereis. I had to leave Susanon in a hurryand didn’t bring enough coin with me. Ineed to borrow some funds, if I may.” His face coloured slightly and he didn’tmake eye contact with the others.

Manson’s face didn’t betray any emotion. “Of course; come with me and you may takewhat you wish.”

*

Baren Covenson sat at an ornately carved wooden table, with only thecrackling of the fire in the opposite wall for company. To pass the time, he was digging the dirt outof his fingernails with a knife. He andGrimmit had ridden hard across country to reach Surian and by his own admissionthey had made better time than expected. Grimmit was at the inn, probably on his fourth or fifth tankard by now,and Covenson was beginning to lose his temper. Suddenly the door to his left opened, which made Covenson jump, and henicked a finger in the process.

“I hope you weren’t planning to use that on anyone here.” A tall, welldressed thin man in his fifth decade entered the room.

Covenson almost growled. “Onlyif you had kept me waiting any longer; did you not get my message?”

The other man smiled and took a seat opposite. “I did, but in my position I cannot dropeverything unless something extremely serious has happened, and I am afraidthis does not fall into that category.”

Covenson resisted the urge to lunge across the table and point hisknife at the other man’s throat. “Well,to my employer this matter is extremely serious. His reputation is at stake, and if I fail inthis matter, so is mine.”

“Ah yes, Terence Black; I must admit I have not seen the old fellow forsome time. Has he sent you all the wayfrom Susanon?”

“By way of Crossmoor, yes.” Covenson’s eyes flashed dangerously and hisvoice grew louder. He pointed the knifein the other man’s direction. “Listen, friend,it has been a hard ride for us, and while my companion has been enjoyinghimself drinking and gambling, I have been sat on my rear end. I suggest that if you want to leave this roomwith all of your fingers, you allow me to get to the point and stop thispointless small talk.”

The other man shook his head, and tutted. “My dear mercenary, or whatever it is youare; this is my domain and I will not be threatened here. If you wish to test that presumption, pleasefeel free.”

Covenson looked around the room, then withdrew the knife and sheathedit in a scabbard at his belt. “Alright;have it your way, Flaun.”

Flaun smiled a rather thin smile. “A wise decision. Now, what it is that Black wants?”

Covenson reached into his tunic and pulled out an envelope, which hehanded to Flaun. Flaun opened theenvelope and took out a single sheet of paper, which took him less than thirtyseconds to read. He read it again and thenthrew it on the fire.

“Well?” Covenson’s impatience got the better of him.

“Black was wise to seek additional help now your quarry has reachedSurian, assuming that is where he is. Which inn are you and your companion staying at? I will need to know where to contact you whenthe time comes.”

Covenson nearly leapt from his seat. “Is that all you are going to tell me? How can we catch the boy if you don’t help us!”

Flaun laughed briefly. “You onlyneed to be here to confirm we have recovered what you are looking for, mymercenary friend. When the time comes, Iwill do the rest.”