A Soldier's Life-Chapter 266: Greasing the Wheels of Justice

Chapter 266: Greasing the Wheels of Justice

“It was in the trade district. There is a jail along the west wall near there. That is probably where he is being held,” Ignis informed me.

“Are there any others? How was he wearing legion armor in the city?” I asked anxiously, preparing to leave. I wouldn’t wait for Maveith, but Ignis could tell him where I had gone.

“He just had legion vambraces and greaves, and they were stained black. I didn’t see any others, but I arrived as he was being taken away.” Ignis was examining one of the swords. “Don’t do anything rash, Eryk. He assaulted a citizen of the Grand Duchy. Even if he was in the right, he will have to pay a price.”

I pulled the blood compass to my hand and activated it with Castile’s sample inside. The pull was strong but not close. Maybe three miles west or slightly less, by my estimate. I smiled. Castile and Mateo were alive. Maybe the rest of the company was waiting outside the city and Mateo had just gotten into a little trouble. “Tell Maveith where I went.” I belted on a regular sword and elven dagger, not wanting to risk my runic weapons if things escalated.

My adventurer’s medallion was hanging outside my tunic. I learned that if I was going to walk around the city with weapons, it made the guards less suspicious of me. I was not wearing armor because it was not needed; at least, I hoped it would not be needed. The city of Gramney was large and it was a long walk to the western side from the upper district.

As I got closer, I stared off a few pickpockets, their movements much too obvious. The jail was not difficult to find and was fairly massive, nearly two hundred feet long, tucked along the western wall. Numerous guards walked outside it and on the wall above the structure. I could see the small windows denoting the cells.

I put on a friendly smile when I spoke to one of the guards. “One of my friends has recently been incarcerated. Where can I go to see about getting him free?” The guard assessed me, judging my appearance. My clothes were decent and should have signaled that I was a man of wealth, though I favored darker colors over the brighter hues that nobility everywhere seemed to prefer.

It didn’t take him more than a glance to direct me. “The arbiters’ office is at the end.” He pointed.

I thanked him with a large copper. “Thanks for your help. Enjoy an ale after your shift.” He nodded happily, and I made eye contact to ensure he remembered me. It was always best to let the local guards know you were friendly.

As I approached the offices, a familiar voice was talking loudly. “I don’t understand! The woman said he was protecting her, and the man was still alive, just a few bumps on his head. Why can’t we pay damages and be on our way?” I peeked into the office to see an exasperated Benito arguing with a man in royal-blue robes.

The arbiter seemed to be losing his patience. “His case will be handled in the order it was received. You can return tomorrow evening. It should come up by then. The arbiter on duty will review the arrest and decide on the damages due, and if the sentence will include time on the work crews.”

I walked in and stood behind Benito, towering over him by a head. I was disappointed there were no other legionnaires here. Benito’s clothes were worn and not Legion issue. As Ignis had said, Benito also had legionnaire greaves and vambraces painted a dark, flat black. He didn’t smell too great, either. “What kind of trouble did Mateo get into now?” I asked Benito conversationally.

Benito looked back for a second. “Eryk, we were drinking all peaceable-like, and I went to take a piss. When I came back, Mateo had knocked out some grizzled laborer. He swears the …” Benito’s brain finally caught up to what his eyes were seeing and he slowly turned. “Eryk?!” He reached out and touched me to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. He moved in and gave me a half-hug. “I told them Pluto wouldn’t take you. You were just gonna pop up somewhere. And here you are!”

He squeezed me for an awkward amount of time. “Good to see you too, Benito. People are going to talk if you don’t release me.” The arbiter smirked and Benito stepped back.

A pained expression came over his face. “Damn it, Eryk. Why couldn’t you have shown up two weeks ago? Castile used my betting pool money for food. You owe me seven silver!” Although he didn’t mean it, he sounded offended.

I chuckled softly and he smiled, realizing his own joke a little late. “Did everyone make it?” I asked more seriously.

Benito’s expression changed to despair. “No. Konstantin wasn’t with us for the”—he looked at the arbiter—“battle.” He thought for a bit, bringing up the memories. As he did, I moved us outside, out of earshot of the arbiter. Benito continued, “Firth lost his hand. The healing mages hadn’t gotten to him to reattach it by the time we rode with the Emperor. Linus, as well. He took an arrow to the neck and was mostly healed, but not enough to ride.”

“This was at the battle against the Emperor?” I asked.

“No, before. We crushed the Bartiradians between two armies.” Blood drained from his face at the memory. “Bloodiest fight I have ever been part of. We won, but some of the Bartiradians fled, and the Emperor ordered pursuit. Everyone who was able grabbed a horse. Mine was a big black brute who kept wanting to turn around, like it was scared and knew what it was riding into.”

“The battle,” I prompted, before his mind got too far sidetracked.

Benito nodded. “We rode up on the Bartiradians, dismounted, and the Emperor cast his black lightning. The day was clearly won, and then …” He paused. “I didn’t really see what triggered it, but soon we were fighting the Imperial Legion. It was crazy, even though Castile told me it might happen.” He shivered. “I don’t want to think about it. More spells than arrows in the air.” His voice got heavy. “Adrian, Kolm, and Malory fell in the fight.”

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After a pause, he leaned in conspiratorially. “It was Blaze. Blaze put an arrow in the Emperor’s eye at fifty paces! After that, the Duke pulled his army away, and Castile ordered us into the woods. It’s been weeks crossing Bartiradia to get here. The first few days were rough, but after we disguised ourselves as mercenary caravan guards it was easier.”

“Who is with you now? And where are they?” I pressed.

“They are in a hamlet outside the city to save coin,” Benito said. “Castile, Blaze, and Lirkin. Wylie was with us but disappeared on the second night. Castile said to let him go. Oh! And Mateo is locked up.” He gestured profanely at the arbiters’ office.

My heart got heavier with each name he listed. There was a chance Konstantin, Linus, and Firth were alive, but the only ones who had made it to Gramney were Castile, Mateo, Blaze, Benito, and Lirkin. “Well, at least you had a cook,” I said softly, remembering Benito’s quip on entering the Shimmering Labyrinth.

Benito took a moment to figure out what I meant. “Lirkin is in a bad state. He has an infection in his leg from a gnoll spear that he received five nights ago. Blaze wrenched his knee and is laid up too. Mateo and I were here to find work to make some coin for healing poultices.”

“Why doesn’t Castile use her magic? Surely she could make good coin with it,” I asked.

Benito was saddened again. “She is burnt, Eryk. During our first few days in Bartiradia, we only traveled at night. She was using her shadows to conceal us from the enemy.” That shocked me. Castile always seemed so unassailable. She also knew when she had reached her limit. My best guess was that she knew being caught would be a death sentence.

I patted Benito on the back. “Okay, let me see if I can grease the wheels of justice for Mateo.”

“Grease the wheels? Are you going to cook for them?” Benito said, confused.

“Just wait here.” I returned inside to confront the arbiter. He exhaled and nodded at two guards nearby to be on alert. I stepped close to him and whispered, “I have been told there is a special fee to expedite a case review?” He motioned the guards back, a good sign.

“The friend of your acquaintance?” he asked politely, seeing my hand covering a gold coin. I nodded. “Let me take a look. We do need to clear some cells today.” He went to a folder and started paging through it till he found the sheet he was looking for near the back. “Hmm. Looks like a simple tavern fight.” He acted like he was considering the case as he readied a stamp. “Two large silver or fourteen days on a work detail is the normal fine,” he announced loudly so the guards could hear him. “But it looks like both parties were equally at fault here. I think one large silver or a week laying quarry stone.”

“He will pay the fine,” I said, adding a large dungeon silver to the counter with a clink. The arbiter took the silver, scratched out the verdict, and stamped it. I moved my hand away from the gold coin, and the paper covered it. “Sign here. Next time he is caught fighting in the city it will be forty silver.” The gold coin disappeared with the paper. He turned to a guard. “Pull the Telhian from cell nineteen. He is free to go.”

I went outside to bring Benito in, but he had been close enough to see. “Since you are giving out coin so freely, do you have the seven silver you owe me?”

“No, Benito. Getting Mateo out just cost me one hundred and ten silver. I am going to stand in the corner to see if Mateo recognizes me.” I smirked, anticipating his reaction.

It was a good twenty minutes before Mateo was marched out of the long hallway. Two guards walked behind him as he limped toward us. His right eye was swollen shut and his lip was crusty with blood. Benito turned to me and said, “The city guards did that to him for resisting.” I wanted to slap Benito. The guards could clearly hear him, and it was ruining my surprise.

Mateo was missing his greaves and vambraces, and it didn’t look like he was getting them back. “What’s the damage?” Mateo asked Benito.

“I found a friend who paid to get you out,” Benito said happily.

“A friend? Did Castile come into town?” Mateo said, confused.

I was leaning against the wall, and Benito gestured toward me. I should have been more explicit in my instructions to him. Mateo squinted with his one good eye. I was standing in the shadows, as there was only a single window in the room. “What the—?” He stepped closer, not believing it. Like Benito, he needed to touch me to confirm. “Eryk? But you are dead. Castile said …” He moved in for a full hug, getting a little choked up.

When we separated, I said, “Yeah, it seems to happen a lot. You two can go get the others. Try to avoid getting into any fights on the way. We are at the Crescent Crossroads inn in the trade district. Third-floor suite. Don’t tell Castile. I want to surprise her.” I looked pointedly at Benito. “Mateo, why don’t you do all the talking.”

“We? Who is with you?” Mateo asked, staring at my adventurer’s medallion.

“Maveith is with me, and we are headed to the Boutan Caliphate. But we can talk about that later.”

Benito’s eyes widened. “You’re going into orc lands? Why would you do that?”

Mateo shook his head at Benito. “He said he would explain later. Let’s go get Castile and the others. We are renting a small house far outside the city. It is a half-hour walk, so it will be some time with my leg.” We spent a few minutes talking. Their journey getting here was obviously quite the story.

As I walked back alone, I couldn’t believe Adrian, Kolm, and Malory were dead. Castile had lost two-thirds of the company’s legionnaires since I joined. When I entered the suite, Maveith rushed to me. “Is the company in the city?”

I nodded. “Where’s Ignis?”

“She took one of the swords to sell. Where are they?” Maveith rumbled excitedly, looking at the door.

“They were staying outside the city. There are only five of them, Maveith.” Maveith’s excitement faded at my words.

We waited for an hour before the thunder of multiple people could be heard coming up the steps. There were some whispers in the hallway before a short, sharp knock. Maveith and I rose to greet them. I opened the door to see Castile standing in the hallway, the company men behind her.

Castile didn’t look healthy and was speechless at seeing me, her jaw trying to work. We stared at each other for a long time before Benito asked, “Are we going in? Do they have any food?”

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