Thraxas and the Dance of Death

Chapter Seventeen

Tanrose is living with her mother on the top floor of a dark stone tenement between Twelve Seas and Pashish. Five flights up, with a stairway that could use some cleaning and a few more torches to light the way. As I arrive, Tanrose is laying dinner out on the table, one of the few strokes of good fortune I’ve had all summer. Not wishing to be impolite, I accept her offer of a meal. Once at the table, I lose all self-control and take second, third and fourth helpings of everything. Tanrose is amused, as is her mother, an elderly woman with white hair who already knows my appetite by reputation.

“I like to see a man eat well,” she says, and brings me another pie from the larder, I hesitate. With Tanrose no longer bringing in her wages from the Avenging Axe, there might not be much money to go around. There again, I don’t want to appear impolite. I eat the pie.

“Tanrose, you have to come back to the Avenging Axe. The population of Twelve Seas is starving to death. There’s misery everywhere, particularly in my rooms.”

Tanrose asks if Gurd sent me.

“No.”

“So he’s too useless even to send a message,” says Tanrose, which is true, I suppose. I try to excuse him.

“He spent his life fighting. There was no finer companion for killing Niojans. It’s not easy for a warrior to settle down. I know he loves you. He just doesn’t want to say it.”

“He doesn’t have any trouble in saying he doesn’t like my bookkeeping.”

I contrive to look hopeless. A few minutes of this sort of conversation is all I can ever manage. I’ve no idea how to bring together sundered couples. I don’t remember ever caring about a sundered couple before.

“What will it take to bring you back? An apology? A marriage proposal? Or would a bunch of flowers do it?”

“It would help.”

“I’m always surprised how much you like flowers, Tanrose.”

Tanrose smiles.

“It’s the thought behind them.”

“Is it such a great thought?”

“It worked with Makri, didn’t it?”

On several previous occasions when Makri had taken offence at some of my wilder outbursts of invective—criticism of her morals or her ears or her clothes, or maybe a few other things—I had managed to calm the troubled waters with flowers, not something I would ever have thought of myself unless prompted by Tanrose. Naturally this entire process was greatly humiliating to a man such as myself, involving much mirth from the flower sellers, Gurd, and the assembled drunks at the Avenging Axe, but it seemed preferable to the terrible atmosphere caused by Makri storming round in a bad mood for weeks on end, which she’s quite capable of.

“It did work. But only because Makri was too naive to realise I was faking it.”

“Faking it?”

“Sure. I don’t care if the woman is upset or not. It just makes it difficult getting a quiet beer. Have you noticed how much more annoying she’s got recently?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“There’s definitely something different,” I say.

“Maybe the difference is with you,” suggests Tanrose.

I look at her suspiciously.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Ever since last year when Makri had her first romantic encounter with that Elf on Avula you’ve been in a bad mood. And I notice you’re really giving her a hard time as well.”

“So?”

“So I’m beginning to think the gossips might be right.”

I’m not liking the way this conversation is going.

“Right about what?” I demand.

“Maybe you wouldn’t mind ending up with a young companion to keep you warm in winter.”

I practically choke on my pie.

“Tanrose! Have you lost your mind?”

I rise to my feet.

“I came here to try and smooth things out between you and Gurd, and now you’re making crazy insinuations. Of course I give Makri a hard time. She’s an insane half-Orc menace to society who’ll probably get me killed one of these days. Kindly never insinuate anything again.”

Tanrose is laughing.

“I apologise, Thraxas. Sit down and finish your pie. You know I can’t just arrive back in the Avenging Axe. Might as well send Gurd a message saying he’s welcome to walk all over me. He has to make the first move.”

“What if Gurd thinks you have to make the first move?”

There doesn’t seem any ready answer to this. It’s the sort of insoluble problem that led to my marriage falling apart a long time ago. I’m grateful for the food, but even a brief conversation about Tanrose and Gurd’s relationship has made me feel very uneasy. I leave after expressing my own profoundest wishes that Tanrose hurry back to the Avenging Axe where she belongs.

Right outside the tenement, some magical silver doves are fluttering around gaily. I bat them out of the way, not being in the mood for magical silver doves. Further down the street I come across a detachment of Civil Guards and at the next corner a squadron of the King’s troops. The city is becoming nervous. Alarm is spreading at the widespread reports of mysterious apparitions and unexplained deaths. Personally I’m more alarmed at Tanrose making a joke about me desiring Makri to keep me warm on a winter’s night. It was in very poor taste. I hurry into a tavern to wash away the bad taste with copious amounts of beer.

Inside the tavern I pick up a copy of The Renowned and Truthful Chronicle, freshly printed. One side of the single sheet is entirely taken up with reports of sightings of magical creatures, golden trees and such like, and the other details the surprising number of deaths there have been in the city in the past few days. Even by Turai’s standards, the population is decreasing at an alarming rate.

Who is responsible for this? thunders the Chronicle. And why has no attempt been made to arrest the renegade Tribune Thraxas?

What? I shake my head, barely able to believe what I’m reading. I find myself shrinking in my seat, hoping no one recognises me as I hurriedly scan the rest of the article.

All signs indicate that Thraxas—a so called Investigator in Twelve Seas of whom we have had reason to complain before—is heavily involved in the affair. Our enquiries show that in the space of three days this man has been at the scene of a great many unexplained deaths. Several landlords, for instance, report that Thraxas—a huge man of bestial appetites—visited their taverns only minutes before a series of savage murders were committed, leaving swiftly after searching the bodies for valuables.

Furthermore, Thraxas, a known associate of several renegade Sorcerers, has been repeatedly questioned by the Consul and his deputy after an attempt was made to blackmail Lisutaris, Mistress of the Sky. While we have no absolute proof that Thraxas was behind this attempt, he has reportedly been trying to sell various personal items belonging to the Sorcerer, including a diary and some items of jewellery. Reports from other sources indicate that guards at the Guild College were forced to eject him after he menaced Professor Toarius over a sum of five gurans.

Although it cannot yet be proved that Thraxas is responsible for the mysterious apparitions that have been troubling the city, he is known to have dabbled in the sorcerous arts, and may be in possession of several devastating Orcish spells (he is fluent in the Orcish language, and is rumoured to have various Orcish associates). It has recently come to light that he once threw down his shield and fled the field of battle, an offence for which he will shortly face charges in court. Why is this man still at liberty? And why, we would like to know, was he ever granted the office of Tribune? Even in a city as corrupt as Turai, surely a man of such reputation should not be able to bribe his way into lucrative government positions. . . .

It goes on for a while in a similar manner. I’m devastated. I’ve been denounced by the Chronicle before, but never so damagingly. Reading the remarks about throwing down my shield, I feel a rage swelling up inside me the like of which I can rarely remember, and I wonder why the hell I haven’t killed Vadinex yet. Kill him, then pay a visit to the Chronicle and beat the editor. Damn these people, no one says things like that about me and gets away with it. I throw back my beer and storm out of the tavern, intent on doing some violence to someone, and quickly.

I’m intercepted by Makri in Quintessence Street.

“Thraxas, I’ve been looking for you.”

“Did you see the article?”

“Everyone saw it. You can’t come back to the Avenging Axe. The Civil Guards are waiting to arrest you. They have a warrant.”

“The Guards? Damn them. Every time the Chronicle criticises them they think they have to do something about it. When I get hold of that editor I’m going to—”

“What about the pendant?” asks Makri.

“I’ve still got it.”

“Then why did three men die in the next street just an hour ago for no good reason? I thought the strange deaths were all related to the pendant, but it’s been with you. They can’t have looked at it.”

I admit I’m baffled.

“I thought it was all pendant-related too. Maybe it’s some madness unleashed by Horm the Dead. Anyway, I have to get the pendant back to Lisutaris. Once that’s done, she can get back to looking after the sorcerous requirements of the city. She can sort out the unicorns and all the rest.”

“How are you going to get it back to Lisutaris? It’s not safe for you to travel around the city.”

Four Civil Guards are heading in our direction. I withdraw into the cover of a shop doorway as they pass. In the dim evening light they don’t pay much attention to me.

“I’ll just have to make my way there by the back streets.”

Makri points out that it’s not going to be easy for me to even approach Lisutaris’s house.

“They’re bound to be watching. Everyone knows there’s something going on with Lisutaris. If you turn up at her door, they’ll just haul you away.”

“You’re right.”

I try to think.

“Do you have any idea what sort of costume I should wear?” asks Makri.

“What?”

“For the masked ball tomorrow. Lisutaris says I have to go in a costume. I’m not familiar with this concept. I was going to look it up in the Imperial Library but I didn’t have time, what with everything that’s being going on.”

“This is no time to be discussing costumes.”

“But I don’t know what to wear,” says Makri, sounding unhappy. “I don’t want everyone to laugh at me.”

It’s really too much. A man can only stand so much harassment in his own city. I firmly resolve to slip out of the city under cover of darkness and never come back.

“All the rich people will have really fancy costumes, I expect,” continues Makri. “How am I meant to compete with that?”

“Wear your armour,” I suggest.

“My armour?”

Makri brought a fine suit of light body armour with her from the Orc gladiator pit. Made of chainmail and black leather, it’s an arresting sight, and the Orcish metalwork is not something you see in Turai every day.

“Why not? You’re meant to be going there as Lisutaris’s bodyguard, so it would be appropriate.”

“But am I meant to be appropriate?” says Makri. “Don’t Senators go dressed as pirates and things like that?”

“I believe so.”

“So if I’m really there as a bodyguard, shouldn’t I be dressed as maybe a philosopher?”

Night is closing in. I should probably flee the city soon. I explain to Makri that while it is customary for people to attend these masked ball in costumes which may bear no relation to their normal station in life, it’s not something that is governed by rules.

“I doubt if Cicerius is going to dress up as a pirate. Probably he’ll go as the Deputy Consul, but wear some discreet little mask. Only the more extrovert sort of Senator will turn up in outlandish garb.”

Makri nods her head.

“I see. So really, any costume is fine?”

“I expect so.”

“I suppose a person might gain some social status by turning up in an especially fine costume. It would get noticed, I imagine.”

“Yes, Makri, you seem to be getting the hang of it. Could we stop discussing it now? I seem to have some other pressing matters to attend to.”

“Okay,” says Makri. “I just wanted to get it clear. From what you say, my bodyguard costume should do fine. And after all, how many people will be there in a full set of light Orcish armour? Not many, I’m sure. And I don’t often get the chance to wear the helmet. Thanks, Thraxas.”

Makri now looks happy. Obviously the costume problem was preying on her mind. Despite my numerous problems, I still manage to get annoyed that I’m not invited. Until it strikes me that the masked ball does present an excellent opportunity for getting myself unnoticed into Lisutaris’s house.

“Of course,” I exclaim. “I’ll dress up as something and just waltz in tomorrow evening. I give the pendant back to Lisutaris, she shows it to the Consul and the main problem disappears. Once the threat to national security is out of the way, I can start proving I haven’t been going round killing or blackmailing people. Lisutaris will speak up for me once I’ve solved her problem.”

Makri purses her lips.

“But you’re not invited.”

“So what? I’ll forge an invitation.”

“You just can’t stand it that I’m going to the ball and you’re not invited,” says Makri.

“That has nothing to do with it.”

“Very likely. Admit it, Thraxas, you’ve been plotting to go to Lisutaris’s ball from the moment you learned I was going. It’s really not mature behaviour.”

“Will you stop this? I don’t give a damn that you’re going to some party. I have no wish to attend and am merely planning to do so in order to bring the case to a conclusion.”

“You don’t fool me for a moment,” says Makri, and looks cross. “What if you’re found out? People will think I let you in.”

“Who’s going to think that?”

“Everyone.”

“Well so what? Since when did you care what Turai’s aristocracy thought of you?”

“I just don’t want to be humiliated at my first major social function.”

I clutch my hand to my brow, something I don’t do that often.

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. Are you still dazed from staring into the jewel? I have important business to take care of.”

Makri remains convinced that I wish merely to attend the ball.

“You had better not embarrass me.”

“Me embarrass you? Who was it got so wasted at the Sorcerers Assemblage that I had to pick her up and carry her out of the hall? Who threw up in front of the Deputy Consul?”

“That was different. The Sorcerers Assemblage was full of people getting drunk and throwing up. Almost every Sorcerer, from what I remember.”

In the next street a huge mushroom of flame suddenly spurts from the rooftops. Whistles sound and Guards appear from every direction. I shrink further back in the doorway. The flames turn green then disappear.

“Another apparition. They’re getting worse.”

“More unicorns in Twelve Seas today,” agrees Makri.

“I have to get going now. I’m going to hide down by the docks. I have the pendant safe with me. Providing Horm or Glixius don’t find me, I’ll meet you at Lisutaris’s house tomorrow. See what you can find out about the secretary.”

“What?”

“Avenaris. I have strong suspicions about her. I think she had some involvement with Barius.”

“Why?”

“Investigator’s intuition. One other thing. The body count is way out of control. People are dying everywhere. I don’t exactly know how Moxalan is going to prove which deaths are connected to me, but in case it turns out they all are, get the last of the money and put a bet on sixty.”

“Sixty?”

“That’s right. See you tomorrow.”

“What are you going to do for a costume?”

“Good question. You’ll have to find something for me.”

“Just fit on a pair of tusks and go as an elephant,” suggests Makri, who’s still showing signs of resentment at my plan to attend the ball. I ignore her jibe.

“Bring me my toga.”

“You have a toga?”

“Yes, from my days at the Palace. It’s under the bed. And some sort of mask. You can find one in the market.”

“It won’t be as good as my bodyguard costume,” says Makri. “Where will I find you?”

“I’m going to hide in the stock pens at the harbour. There’s a warehouse there waiting for some horses to be shipped in, it’ll be empty for a day or two.”

Makri agrees to bring me my toga there tomorrow. I steal away along Quintessence Street, heading off down the first alley I come to. With my excellent knowledge of Twelve Sea’s back roads and alleyways, I should be able to make my way to the harbour undetected by the Civil Guards. It’s lucky I went to see Tanrose. Without her food inside me, I’d never make it through the night.

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