Marthian was standing on the battlements on
the highest tower in the city. It was twilight and she was watching a large
military patrol returning through the east gate. Each horseman carried a torch,
which, from a distance had appeared very faint in the late afternoon sun; but
now, close up, they seemed as bright and warm as a camp fire. Almost no-one knew that she was up there, as
she was doing something that she was a bit embarrassed about. She was waiting
to make sure that the leader of the patrol had come home safely.
She was staring
down, but she allowed herself to be distracted briefly by a flock of birds
flying overhead, going north. She couldn’t make out, in the half light, what
they were, but was pleased to see them – she knew that migrating birds ushered
in summer, warm days and huge blossoms in her garden. She looked down again.
Was that him? It was so hard to say. She’d have to wait a little longer.
She attempted
to distract herself by thinking about something else. The only problem was –
what to think about. She considered her unsatisfactory meeting with the High
Priestess that she had had the preceding morning, and wondered if there was
anything else she should do to strengthen the defences. Perhaps General Aurelian
would have something to report. Where was he?
Marthian had
brooded during his absence more than was usual. Without him the ‘war camp’ of
arch-imperialists always became more active – particularly that old bastard
Perclivius, constantly patronising her and pressing for conscription,
explaining in his gentle voice about his experience and knowledge, insisting
that they form a war cabinet. Two hundred years of this was enough. Aurelian
would keep him under control, she hoped, assuming, of course, that he’d got
back safely.
She stared out
into the growing darkness and thought again about the Empire in the west. Which
direction is that? She thought, twisting round and trying to orient herself. Over
there? Maybe. Would anyone ever come to
relieve them? Who was emperor now? She realised that he represented a distant
government about which she was entirely ignorant. They were ignorant of her, of
course, but that didn’t seem as important in the grand scheme of things.
She heard the
sound of footsteps coming up the stairs below her. She turned, but it was only
Viola, her intelligence officer, slightly puffed from climbing the stairs.
‘What do you
want?’ she snapped. Viola looked crestfallen. ‘I told you that I should only be
disturbed in an emergency’
‘The patrol has
returned’ said Viola, still gasping.
‘Yes…’ said
Marthian tartly, ‘one could hardly miss it’
Viola made a
face and bowed her head slightly
‘And?’ asked
Marthian
Viola looked
blank.
‘Why are you
here?’
‘Oh’ said
Viola, ‘I have several documents for you to sign – from yesterday’s council
meeting…’
Marthian shot a
glance at her.
‘And how is
that an emergency?’ she asked,
‘wasn’t most of the discussion about footpaths?’
‘Yes, I know…’
stammered Viola, ‘It’s just that the Secretary has been bothering me about it
all day. I promised I’d get you to sign it this afternoon and it’s getting
rather late…’
Marthian sighed
– she could never get away from it.
‘Fine’ she
said, more gently, ‘I’ll sign them. Just take them down to my office and I’ll
join you there’
As she spoke
she could hear another, heavier set of footfalls. General Aurelian strode up
the stairs. He was still dressed in his field uniform and he looked a little
ragged but still, to Marthian, rather dashing. She turned away from Viola and
allowed herself a smile of relief.
‘General’, she
said, ‘greetings! How are things in the east?’
Aurelian smiled
a big smile and bowed low. He somehow made the action both formal and friendly.
‘Proconsul,
Captain Viola’ he said, ‘I offer greetings to you both’. He straightened and
turned to speak to Marthian.
‘All is quiet.
No signs of any enemy movements and no other incursions. And here?’
‘Very, very
quiet. Almost boring’ she said. Her eyes met his. They both smiled. This made
Viola felt very uncomfortable.
‘I’ll see you
downstairs, ma’am’ she said, backing to the stairs. She was pleased that it was
now dark as her cheeks were burning. Oh
how she hated having to keep this secret.
Once she was gone
Marthian ran forward to Aurelian and embraced him. They kissed briefly and then
untangled themselves. Aurelian frowned.
‘So she knows’
‘Yes, it’s hard
to keep secrets from a spy’
‘Well, fine –
but I hope she doesn’t tell anyone else.’ He was mildly annoyed, but still
smiling.
‘The same logic
applies concerning spies and secret keeping’ she said, stroking his face.
‘Anyway –
there’s not a lot to say’ he said a little wistfully.
‘That’s true,
General, but this isn’t the easiest of…umm… romances…’
‘Agreed,
Proconsul. I’m not happy with the accidents of our birth at all…’
She shrugged.
‘Still, I think
I’d make a good General’s wife’
‘No you
wouldn’t’ he said, laughing, ‘you’d never marry so far below your station. And
you’d loathe the military balls’
She nodded.
‘Of course –
and you are very uncouth’ she said, staring at him, ‘you never seem to have any
clean clothes’
‘Soldier’s
curse – and anyway – I’m just obeying orders’
Marthian
sighed. She pressed her hand gently against his chest.
‘I must say
that you are very good at obeying orders. One of these days I’ll have to think
of some special ones for you…’
He frowned down
at the hand.
‘Which Ma’am, I
might have to disobey, for reasons of professional ethics ’
‘Imperial
ethics, I hate them! We all have our needs… ’
He nodded. There
was a catch in his voice.
‘I’m sure you
know, ma’am, that, if fully pressed, I would find it hard, ethics
notwithstanding, to disobey any order from you…’
She smiled but
took her hand away from his chest. This was an old subject and they scarcely
needed to restate their feelings. They stood together in silence for a while.
Then she turned away from him. Her voice was barely audible.
‘I went to see Julia
yesterday’
‘Oh why, did
you do that, Marth? I thought you said that you’d wait? You spend too much time
in her company. She doesn’t help; she just makes you feel miserable’
‘Anyway’ she
continued, frowning her disapproval, ‘Julia said that the Lady had prophesised
danger from east and west. It worried me’
He touched her
shoulder.
‘Wherever it
comes from we can’t do much more than we’re doing now. So, I can’t see how
worrying will help’
‘Who said it
was going to help? I’m just saying’
‘Oh, right’ he
murmured, ‘well… I’m sorry that you’re worried’
Marthian raised
her eyebrows.
‘Well, that’s
very helpful – thank you. I think I may only discuss military matters with you
from now on’
He could think
of nothing to say in reply so he just continued to rub her tensed shoulders.
‘You can be quite
useless sometimes’ she said, but with a softening tone in her voice.
‘I know’ It was
a sort of apology.
She sighed and
after a few seconds she turned and embraced him again. He breathed out in
relief.
‘How doomed are
we?’ she asked, gently.
‘Oh’ he
replied, grinning into her hair, ‘we can withstand a six month siege at least’
She stepped
backwards, glared at him, and kissed him on the forehead. She made her way
rapidly to the stairs.
‘I’ll wish you
goodnight, General. Apparently I have some important documents to sign’
