Shanakan (The Fourth Age of Shanakan Book 1) Read Free Page A

Gerique.”
    “And they wouldn’t let you in. Well, you’ve got my attention. Do you want a position in the guard? It seems you have skills that would be useful.”
    “Fighting isn’t what I do best.”
    The officer raised an eyebrow. “So. You’re a cook? A musician? What?”
    “I’m a tactician, a strategist, a planner. I find solutions to problems.”
    A couple of the guards looked at each other.
    “You’re saying that you want to work with the Faer Karan, not just for them?”
    “Yes.”
    “It’s not wise. Do you know what they’re like?” The captain’s voice was calm, but the tone discouraging.
    “I have a pretty good idea.”
    There was a long pause while the officer looked at him. The guards were completely still and quiet. They were looking at him, too. He couldn’t read their expressions.
    “All right.” The officer said abruptly. “You know this means that you’ll have to meet with them, and they’ll probably kill you for sport, but if that’s what you want, follow me.”
    He followed the officer through the gate, and two of the guards walked behind him. They entered a large courtyard and crossed to a door on the far side. The captain gestured to Serhan to walk beside him.
    “I hope you know what you’re getting into. Some advice: you do what they say. Exactly. And you never argue. They have short tempers and a taste for other people’s suffering. Most of the people here would do anything to avoid a face to face with the Faer Karan.” He was silent for a moment. “Look, are you sure you want to do this?”
    “Yes.”
    The officer shook his head. “Crazy. The colonel is the only one to go up there regularly, and he hates it.” He offered his hand. “Darius Grand, Captain of guard. You are?”
    “Cal Serhan. I’m from the west. Out beyond the World’s End.”
    “Rough country. Wish you’d go back there. Or I could make you a sergeant of the guard if you like. Your skills would justify that.”
    “Thanks, but no.”
    They went down three flights of stairs. There were no windows down here because they were in the heart of the rock itself. It was colder, but not damp and the air was smoky and stung his eyes a little, the only light coming from oil lamps.
    They walked down a corridor and the captain banged on a large, solid looking door. It opened and there was another pair of guards on the other side.
    “One for the lockup,” Grand said to them. They opened what was without doubt a cell door.
    “You’ll wait here until the Faer Karan get around to you. It could be weeks.” He turned to the guards. “Look after this one, lads. He’s for upstairs.”
    Serhan stepped into the cell and looked at it. There was a bed, a chair, and a hole in the floor. An oil lamp hung from a hook on the wall, and one of the guards lit it.
    “Last chance,” Grand said.
    “Thank you, Captain, but I’ll stick with it.”
    Grand shook his head and stepped out of the cell. “Get him some food and a jug of ale,” he said to the guards. “And let me know when our masters send for him. I’ll take him up myself.”
    Then he was gone. The cell door slammed. The big door at the end of the corridor shut with a clang and he was left with his own thoughts and the whispering of the guards outside. He sat on the chair and closed his eyes. Something that was a bit like fear and a bit more like excitement plucked at his nerves. He shivered.
    Step one complete, he thought.
    *              *              *              *
    About an hour later he heard the big door open again and voices outside in the passageway. The noises came closer and a loud voice outside said “Open it!”
    Serhan stood up and faced the door as it opened.
    A short and portly man stepped through the opening. He was wearing what was obviously an officer’s uniform, buttoned and braided to excess, but in every respect he was the opposite of Darius Grand.
    Some men are big. Gris, the man who’d taught