Half Discovered Wings by David Brookes Page B

pulling back his shoulders.
    ‘ What’s your business?’
    ‘ I came with the party that just entered through your gates,’
Caeles said. ‘I wish to see the Regent to inform him of our
arrival.’
    ‘ Is he expecting you?’
    ‘ No,’ Caeles said calmly. ‘He’s not.’
    ‘ Then wait until morning,’ was the guard’s response.
    ‘ He would want to know of my arrival in São Jantuo. Please send
word that I’m here. I don’t want to cause any trouble.’
    It came out wrong but Caeles wasn’t a man to take back
anything he said. He hadn’t meant to make a threat – it was more an
apology – but if it worked…
    The armoured man spoke quietly with one of the guards, who
went inside the hall, while the Chief watched, thick arms folded.
The guard returned half a minute later, whispered back to his
supervisor.
    ‘ You can enter,’ he rumbled to Caeles. ‘Have you any
weapons?’
    Despite his
earlier worries, Caeles had left the sword with Gabel. ‘None.’
    The man checked, obeying the regulations of his duty to the
letter. ‘Don’t keep the Regent too long,’ he said.
    ‘ I won’t.’
    A bow, and
then he was inside. The doors closed behind him.
    ~
    The inside of
the city hall wasn’t as he expected. It was only a single room,
immense in size and almost square in shape. The ceiling curved to a
large dome above him, and there were paintings he could barely see
between the beams. There were no windows, only weedy electric
lights that ran all across the walls. Faded ribbons hung from the
rafters, deathly still in the stale air.
    His boots rang out as he walked slowly accross the stone
floor. Caeles stopped with his feet together and hands clasped in
respectful greeting.
    Before him was the great throne of the Regent: wooden,
unadorned and not much higher than five feet. It was as
unimpressive as the small, wrinkled man who sat upon it.
    ‘ Greetings,’ said Caeles. ‘I hope you’re not too unhappy to see
me, Regent, but my party and I had no choice but to enter your
city, against our agreement.’
    The man looked slowly up at the voice. Long white hair, thin
and uncared for, hung loosely around his shoulders, sprouting from
the sides of his half-bald head. Upon his gradual recognition, he
allowed his instant anger to dominate his creased face. Long-nailed
fingers clasped at the wooden throne.
    ‘ You! You … dare to enter my city.’ Spit landed in a light spray around
Caeles’ boots.
    ‘ I apologise for doing so,’ he said, bowing his
head.
    ‘ You apologise for doing so,’ the man derided. His neck seemed
to have trouble supporting his head. ‘Ha! You don’t have to talk
like the rest of them here, Caeles. For God’s sake, just act like
yourself.’
    Slowly the head came up, and the Regent looked first at those
dark, angry eyes, then at the deep scar that ran below
them.
    ‘ I was there when you got that,’ he said. ‘I remember you
coming to take us all on, with that hideous gash dripping blood all
through your bandages. You looked a mess. Praise to Alison!’ Jason
Dysan laughed, teeth broken or missing, spit stretching between his
lips and running down his chin. ‘You killed everyone on the ship, I
think.’
    ‘ Alison’s gone. You followed Tan Cleric into a nightmare – that
was your choice.
And I didn’t kill you .’
    ‘ Whatever ! ’ the old man screamed. ‘You killed my friends ! And you spare me? You put me through hell, you
bastard ! ’
    Caeles watched as Dysan stopped to gulp in breath. Slowly the
Regent regained his composure, taking a moment to collect his
thoughts and emotions. Caeles couldn’t help but notice the glitter
of intelligence brighten behind the faded lenses of his eyes. He
wondered how a man made so grotesque by age and anger could still
live, or at least retain control over a city as large as São
Jantuo.
    The skinny chest behind the robes deflated as Dysan
controlled himself. Slowly, and with deliberation, he reached into
a fold in his robes and