Arnos stared in silence for a few seconds, then accused, "We had a deal."
"We had an understanding," Lady Aquitaine said. "But you've broken faith with me. You told me that you hadn't acquired any of your troops as mercenaries. But your extremely well-supplied and well-armed and well-paid cavalry seem to have taken it upon themselves to loot and pillage every human habitation they come across."
"Their Tribunes are acting independently of my orders," Arnos said.
"You're the commander of these Legions, dear. You're responsible for what they do. That's rather why one is able to attain glory and respect after a victory. Or don't they teach that at the Collegia."
"How dare you lecture me on-"
Lady Aquitaine's voice, though still quiet, turned cold. "Don't make me raise my hand, Arnos. When I slap someone, he doesn't scurry away after."
Arnos jerked up straight, and his face turned red. "You were willing enough to spill Aleran blood six weeks ago."
"I'm willing to make sacrifices in pursuit of a greater goal," Lady Aquitaine said. "That's not the same as condoning the rape and murder of entire stead-holts. There was no profit to those actions. No purpose. It's unprofessional. Idiotic. And I have difficulty tolerating idiots."
"Then you should agree that this conversation is unprofitable, given the circumstances. We need to focus on the matter at hand."
"Oh?"
"We're probably worried about nothing. Navaris is going to introduce our young captain to the crows, and that will solve the problems at hand."
"Will it?" she said in a flat voice. "I've made a decision about the problems at hand, Arnos."
The Senator's voice sounded wary. "What's that?"
"They're your problems," Lady Aquitaine said, her tone pitiless. "Solve them by yourself. If you manage to survive them, I may be willing to renegotiate our relationship. But until then, you're on your own."
Arnos's mouth opened and closed several times.
Lady Aquitaine appeared in the tent's doorway and faced Marcus. She gave him a small smile, then it vanished. She turned, and hissed to Arnos, "Someone is coming."
Marcus took that as his cue and briskly strode to the mouth of the tent. "Senator?" He held up a roll of paper. "I've brought the First Aleran's casualty list for you to look over."
Lady Aquitaine's simple gown was spotted with blood, doubtless from the wounded men to whom she had been carrying water. She took the paper with a little curtsey and passed it over to Arnos.
Arnos unrolled it and glanced at it. "Thank you, centurion. Dismissed."
Marcus saluted and withdrew from the tent. He found Lady Aquitaine walking beside him.
"Sloppy," he said quietly. "Speaking that openly. Someone could overhear."
She made a tsking sound. "I extended the windcrafting to include you."
Marcus grunted.
"The duel is to be held on the south wall of the fortifications," Lady Aquitaine said. "This is the time for the balest, I suppose."
Marcus nodded. "Which?"
She shook her head. "There's something to be had on all fronts of this debacle. If Arnos is vindicated, our would-be Princeps has been dealt with. If Oc-tavian wins, he gets rid of a useless retainer who might well return to stab me in the back when I'm not looking."
Marcus understood the cold-blooded logic of it. "Wait until it's over. Shoot the winner."
"Problems solved," Lady Aquitaine said.
"There might be some problems you aren't considering," Marcus said. "About sixty thousand of them."
The mourning howls of the Canim army drifted through the night air.
She frowned, and rubbed her hands on her arms as if cold. "It's unfavorable. I'd rather not lose the Legions, but the odds would seem to be against it."
"You could improve them."
Lady Aquitaine stopped in her tracks and stared. "You can't be serious."
"Consider the advantages should we succeed," Marcus said. "Between this and the Vord attack in the citadel, you'll be establishing yourself as a true hero of the Realm. You'll gain even more allies."
"Assuming I'm not killed in the fighting, of course," she said. "No. That's not a chance I'm willing to take. Should the battle go ill, I'll take us both safely away."
No you won't, Marcus thought. I know you, Your Grace. Why remove two liabilities when it's as easy to manage three?
Marcus brooded for a moment, and when the privacy aircrafting Lady Aquitaine had been holding suddenly collapsed, he all but collided with the captain.
"Ah, there you are," the captain said. "I've been looking for you. Where did you get off to, First Spear?"
Tavi's eyes traveled to the disguised Lady Aquitaine, and his eyebrows rose in time with the corners of his mouth. "Ah-hah."
Lady Aquitaine dropped another curtsey, her eyes on the ground, and her cheeks turned pink.
Marcus coughed gruffly as he saluted. "Captain." He turned to Lady Aquitaine. "I must attend to my duties."
She nodded silently, still blushing-or pretending to be-and kissed Marcus on the cheek, curtseyed again to the captain, and hurried away.
"I didn't know you had a woman," Tavi said, grinning. "Ready to work?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I-" The captain frowned suddenly, studying Lady Aquitaine as she left.
Marcus watched him frown pensively. "Sir?"
"Mmmm?" The captain shook his head. "Oh, nothing. She just seemed familiar to me for a moment."
"You may have seen her around the camp, sir."
"That's probably it." The young man rolled his shoulders beneath his armor. "The show starts in an hour. I'd like you to make sure the south wall is cleared of debris and ready."
Marcus saluted. "Will do, Captain."
The captain thumped a fist down on one of Marcus's armored shoulders. "What would I do without you, centurion? Carry on."
Marcus strode away to the wall, rounded up two spears' worth of legionares, and proceeded to clear it. Then he hurried back toward the wagons to get his gear. He'd already picked a likely spot from which to shoot. There should be just time enough to collect the balest and reach his position.
And after that, who knew.
He might even get to rest.
Chapter 54
As challenger to the duel, protocol required Tavi to arrive at the field first, and his knuckles were white as he climbed up the ladder to the southern wall.