Chapter eighty-five

Ortia

The Supreme-Commander of the Imperial Forces, General Aurelian, arrived three days later, hurrying from Portalis to relieve his home city.

 Marthian met him at the west gate. Aurelian sat on his horse – the huge weight of the massed Visneorian army behind him. He had no idea how he should greet her. Sweep her up in his arms, kiss her hand, embrace her formally? In the end he just waited, feeling a bit of a fool. The army, suddenly an extension of his diffidence, waited with him – the horses’ breath filled the air with steam.

‘You’re at least two days too late’ she said, ice in her voice

Aurelian looked round. The city seemed much as before; if anything it looked somehow brighter and more vibrant. His reply was faltering.

‘What? Everything… looks fine…’

‘But no thanks to the mighty Visneorian army’

Aurelian felt completely devastated. He had somehow failed the city and the one he loved: but how?

‘I came as soon as I could’ he whispered

She shook her head.

‘I don’t blame you personally, General’ she said, her tone a little warmer, ‘and you and your troops need to enter the city. No point hanging around’.

She turned to the rest of the army, smiling and opening her arms out as if to embrace them.

‘Welcome, brave citizens’ she shouted out, with unfeigned enthusiasm. She turned back to address Aurelian. Her voice dropped to a murmur.

‘I need them to relieve my force – they’ve been on duty for days’

‘Yes, ma’am’ was all Aurelian was able to say. He felt tears pricking behind his eyes, but he had enough control not to weep. Guilt was a very heavy emotion; he had felt it before. It made no difference that it was unwarranted.

‘They can all get some rest and then we’ll assign them jobs. You however…’

‘Yes, ma’am?’ he repeated woodenly. Her voice dropped to the quietest that would permit him to understand her.

‘I want you to report to my quarters, immediately’

.’Your quarters? What do you mean exactly?’

She laughed. She continued below the hum of the army.

‘Well, that will depend on how tired you are, darling’

The soldiers were now streaming past them and paying them no attention. They stood like a liitle grassy island in a fast-flowing river.

‘I thought you were cross with me…’

She sighed.

‘There are ways of making angry people less angry, you know’

All he could do was nod, but a smile couldn’t help peeping out through the clouds in his face.

‘We have been saved by forces I do not fully understand, but I am still alive and the city is saved. I won’t be able to stay angry for all that long’

***

He was still in her bed; and feeling much happier. She had had to get up to read some papers. She kept staring longingly at him, but he was very good. He avoided her gaze and said nothing.

‘Why were you at Portalis?’ she asked, eventually bored with her reading, ‘and where is the Emperor?’

‘We were there to keep the peace while the Emperor visited Visnea’

‘I see, in the west, politicking…I suspect, however, one of his problems has solved itself – General Titanius is dead. He died in a very honourable way. I think he did his lover a favour’

‘I was very fond of the General’ muttered Aurelian, ‘that’s a bitter blow’.

‘He was a very fine man’ agreed Marthian

He got up from the bed and pulled on his trousers.

‘Sometime your cynicism is…’ he stopped in mid flow, not really sure what he meant.

‘Sensible?’ she suggested, ‘prudent? The Emperor is a complex man – it’s probably best not to get too close to him’

‘How did Titanius die?’

‘Saving a lot of citizens’ lives’

‘I thought he was relieved of his duties?’

‘He asked me to reinstate him and I did’

‘So that he could sacrifice his life?’

‘No’ she snapped, ‘so he could do his duty; just like you have done – just like I have done; just like we continue to do’

‘Sometimes you have a cold heart, my love’

She glared at him.

‘Would you say the same thing if I were a male proconsul?’

Aurelian considered this

‘Well, I wouldn’t be your lover if you were male…’

‘Tell that to General Titanius…’

He could only guess at part of what Marthian meant.

‘Are you implying’ he said, ‘that the General sacrificed himself for the Emperor; so that Pallatian could be freed of some political baggage’

She frowned.

‘Probably not – but he may have felt abandoned, he may have felt guilty – he didn’t share his inner feelings with me…’

He wondered who was the more ruthless, his liege lord or his liege lady? He hoped  he knew that answer. But, in any case, he was angry. Angry that the Emperor had somehow contrived Titanius death, although he knew rationally that could not be so.

She came over and hugged him tight. Then she pulled free and their relationship shifted back to the professional.

‘Put your clothes on Supreme Commander. We need to inspect the walls’

***

He leant with his hand against the white wall.

‘It’s mended’

She nodded

‘How?’

‘Viola did it, with help from some Orbiverdi; who gave their lives, just like General Titanius’

He said nothing; he still didn’t fully understand what she meant.

‘She acted as a conduit for their life energy’ she explained

‘She did what?’

Marthian shrugged.

‘I’m not sure what she did; I didn’t see it myself’

‘And is she well? Where is she now?’

‘In hiding somewhere, with Dr Fielding…’

‘What about the Lady?’

‘She was saved by the Witches’

‘By the Hybitor?’

‘Yes – by them. But the details are again unclear; I only have the Priestesses account. And I do not believe that they told me everything. A number of important things have happened here, but I am not fully privy to any of them’

He looked up the long white wall. Then he went down on one knee to feel the base of the wall.

‘But we are whole again – we can breathe again…’ he exulted

‘For a while, perhaps, yes’

‘And what of the Witches?’

‘They are all gone…’

‘Even Envoy Hardacre?’

Marthian nodded.

‘All they left behind was an old healer woman; she is helping Rem treat the injured’

‘Rem is here?’

‘Yes – I think that the ancient healer would have gone too, but Rem is very persuasive, particularly when it comes to matters of war and destruction’

She let this strand of the conversation fade away. She shifted to a proconsular thread.

‘I will write to the Emperor and inform him of General Titanius’s brave death. I will recommend him for a Posthumous Victory, of course’

‘Of course’ he agreed.

‘My report will be entirely factual, of course, and in the usual valedictory style…’

He didn’t really know what she meant by this, and, in any case, a fear had begun to grow in his mind.

‘What about me?’ he muttered, ‘what will happen to me?’

Marthian frowned at him, but her eyes were softer than her mouth.

‘You are Supreme Commander – until the Emperor replaces you’

He took her hand.

‘I want to be here with you’

‘Of course’ she said, ‘but it’s not in my hands. I can ask him to return you to your old position – but he may not listen’

He let go of her hand.

‘We will have to wait to see if he calms the senate’ he said

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

‘Darling, we may have to be apart for a while, again. We’ll just have to accept that’

He looked up at her; he didn’t want that to happen again.  The next words he said were words that he had wanted to say for years, and now they came out of their own accord, at the worst possible time.

‘Then let’s find a way to make it harder from them to keep us apart’

She smiled at him indulgently; she had no idea what was coming next.

‘How could we do that?’ she asked

‘Marry me’ he said