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anger.  He was surprised by the husband of the woman he was raping, and
he was injured in the fight that followed. He killed the husband first, slashed
the woman with his sword, and died from his injuries which he inflicted himself
 he slipped in the blood and cracked his skull. Our man wasn t even armed.
 Have you got any proof of this?
 Ask anyone, my lord. He attacked the woman in her own home, any
number of us saw the end of the fight. If you believe our kind, that is, he said
with a sneer.
This would explain the lack of detail, if true, Arman thought grimly. He
questioned the man further, and then carefully interrogated each of the other
nine hostages separately and without allowing them a chance to confer. The
story was the same in each case, with only the slight differences that came
from different vantage points. This fact, the impression of honest anger and
his previous suspicions, were enough to make him believe this new version of
events.
He felt utterly sick with fury and shame at the deception, and the unjustness
and pointlessness of the hostage deaths. If the men responsible had been in
Utuk, he d have taken great pleasure in venting his rage and punishing them
for their betrayal of their duty. Frustrated by the distance and slow
communication, he had few options but he exercised them all. He asked for a
meeting with Her Serenity that very day to bring the matter to her attention 
she granted the audience, with Mekus in attendance. That suited Arman
perfectly. He laid out the information he received and carefully detailed why
he believed the story to be true, but he was surprised at the lack of reaction
on both the part of his sovereign and the senator at the gruesome story.  We
really don t know what you want us to do, Arman, Kita said, sounding less
than enthralled.  The people are dead, we can t bring them back to life.
 Your highness, you can send the new arrivals home, or offer to
compensate them. It s a simple matter of justice. Even an apology....
Mekus snorted.  General, don t be ridiculous. We re waging a war against
these people, we don t offer apologies or compensation to the enemy.
 Senator, with respect, the hostages and the villages are not the enemy,
they re now Her Serenity s subjects, to which the law of the Prij applies.
 Then they shouldn t have killed one of our soldiers, should they?
 They....
Kita held up her hand.  Enough. We don t wish to engage in this unseemly
discussion any further. Arman, the senator is correct  we re at war, and in
wars, people die. When the peace is restored, then perhaps.... We shall do
something as a gesture, perhaps erect a statue to improve their town square.
The sovereign of the Prij does not explain her actions to anyone, or
apologise. She rose, and they stood too.  That is all. Good day, senator,
general.
Arman bowed, seething with anger. There was warfare and there was
simple murder. He knew which had occurred a month earlier.  Was there
something else, general?
 Yes, Senator, there was another matter. I ve been hearing reports of
attacks against hostages, and mistreatment in the houses in which they re
being kept. I believe one woman may even be pregnant.
 I don t believe I m responsible for that, General.
 I don t mean to imply you are, Senator. But it concerns me that such
mistreatment may bear bitter fruit in the future when Darshian is entirely under
our control.
Mekus gave him a scornful look.  You sound as if a handful of disgruntled
farmers are your only concern these days, Arman. Are you not occupied with
enough affairs?
 Yes, senator, I am. But I have a care to the military implications.
Mekus snorted, flicking his hand dismissively.  There are none, don t be a
fool. As for mistreatment, I heard that your own servant might have a
complaint in that direction, so I suggest you don t put your hand in that thurl s
nest, for your own peace of mind. Now, if there s nothing else?
Arman bowed.  No, Senator. That s quite enough.
Mekus looked if he was going to say something about the ambiguous
meaning of his response, but then he gathered his robes about him and swept
out. Arman clenched his fist and punched the wall, right in the middle of a
mosaic depicting a victory of Lord Quek over the demon Squiluk. This was
wrong. This was such rank injustice it made his blood boil. But at the same
time, there was nothing more he could do  the sovereign and Mekus were
right, in that as the ruling nation, they had no obligation to do a damn thing.
There had to be an answer....
Kei was dozing restlessly on his pallet, the same way he spent most of the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]