The Invisible Hands - Part 1: Gambit by Andrew Ashling Read Free Book Online

and lay him out in the open. It's the fastest way to let the flesh rot. I'll post men at a distance to keep the wild animals away. We don't want him gnawed at, just decomposed. Then we'll bury him in a shallow grave near the hut, with a stone.”
    “At least the color of his hair is similar to mine.”
    The young man groped at the braided tail, hanging on the right side between his loose hair and, having found it, held it out
    5
horizontally. His posture looked almost ridiculous, comical. Under any
    other circumstances it would have.
    “Cut it off,” he said.
    “Do you really think it's necessary—”
    “Yes, I do,” he interrupted the old general. “Cut it off and lay it beside him.”
    When Anaxantis had mounted the stairs he heard the delicate tones of a flute, tentatively playing a melancholy melody.
    He stopped before the door of their room to listen until the music died out. When he entered Ehandar was putting the small silver flute in a cupboard.
    “Don't stop on my account,” Anaxantis said. “It was beautiful.”
    “It's not finished,” his brother smiled, “but I'm glad you think so.”
    He went over to take off his brother's mantle, scarf and sword belt.
    Anaxantis let himself be handled willingly.
    “See?” he said. “I wore the bloody things.”
    5
Ehandar said nothing and carried the bloody things over to the
    wardrobe, after which he joined his brother, who meanwhile had sat down on the rug before the open hearth.
    “I've sent an invitation to Mother. For a meeting at Landemere Castle,” he said to the flames.
    “I see. Your mother doesn't like me very much. She has never had any reason to, I suppose. What do you want me to do? Come with you or stay here and keep an eye on things?”
    “Tomar can keep an eye on things. Why don't you come along?”
    He looked at Ehandar.
    “Only if you feel up to it, love. We'll have to take this one step at a time, but I think it would be for the best if we made a start. She will find out about us sooner or later anyway. If she sees we're, eh, on good terms, well, that's a good beginning, isn't it?”
    “If she ever finds out what really happened, I'm dead,” Ehandar thought.
    He smiled.
    “It's your mother. We'll do it whichever way you think best.”
    “Oh, good, thank you,” Anaxantis said, falling around his neck and kissing him on the cheek. “You'll see, she really can be very nice, when she puts her mind to it.”
    “Any particular reason why you are inviting her now?”
    “No, and several. I plan a little surprise and I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. I had planned this all along, but now there's an extra reason with Father moving half his army inland. I need her and the Tribe to find out what's really happening. But that's not enough.
    We need our own, independent sources of information… Speaking of which, I was thinking of asking Rullio to go and very discreetly look around a bit.”
    5
Ehandar hesitated.
    “You know, Rullio is my friend, but he is in Father's pay. He's a good guy. The best. He's always been put down by his oldest brother and he had nothing to look forward to but being his humble servant, catering to his every whim. That's partly why he clung to me. Kindred spirits and all that. In fact, it was he who lay at the origin of our little group.”
    Anaxantis arched his brows.
    “You know, we were going to outflank Tenax and Portonas and make a bid for the crown. As it happens, all that came to nothing. He was captured by Portonas, tortured and then Father took him into his own, eh, care. He sent him here for exactly the same reasons as you want to send him back to Ormidon. Or is it Fort Nira?”
    His brother ignored the last question.
    “I'd thought as much… I could give him his own demesne as well, you know. In the Plains.”
    “I'm sure you could, and he would accept it with both hands. At the same time he would try to hang on to his title of count of Brenx-Aldemon. You see, he is of the highest nobility,