“You’re protected by the peace of the camp,” reminded Praji, his ugly face turned even less appealing by dark suspicion. “Did you turn coat?”
Zila nodded. “My captain, and the others . . .” He seemed lost in the tale and said, “You know there are ways in and out of a city under siege, for a crafty man with enough money. The lizards didn’t ask for our surrender. They just came at us again and again. The men fighting with them were worse than any I’ve met, and I’ve met some black-hearted murderers in my time. But the lizards . . .” He took a long drink. “They stand nine, ten feet tall, and they’re as broad as two men across the shoulders. One blow with their sword can numb a strong man’s arm to the shoulder or split a shield. And they have no fear. They didn’t attack until the wall was breached.” He shook his head. “Until we quit the wall and gave it to them.
“They sent an agent who found my captain and some others and told us there would be no formal offer of truce and that after the battle, those in the city would be put to the sword. They said those of us who abandoned the walls and stood aside would be free to join in the looting.”
Praji looked ready to attack the man, as he slowly rose. He stared at Zila for a long, dark moment, then spit on the ground and left. Calis seemed more interested in facts than in condemning the man. “What else?”
“The captains brought the offer to us. We knew we were beaten. Every day more men and supplies would come downriver to bolster them, while we grew weaker. Someone had set fire to a grain warehouse”—Erik winced in anticipation; he knew that grain dust in the air could explode if touched by spark or match; that was why no fire was permitted near the mill or the grain silos near Ravensburg—“and the explosion took out half the supplies of grain as well as a block of dwellings. Someone else poisoned a good amount of the wine being harbored near the palace, and at least a score of men died screaming as they held their bellies.” He closed his eyes, and this time a tear did fall, one of rage and frustration as well as regret. “And their damn spellcasters. The Raj had hired his own, and some were good. A few priests were there, too, healing the wounded and sick. But the lizard magicians were stronger. Strange noises would come during battle, and a man would feel terror no matter how well the fight went. Rats came boiling out of the sewers in broad daylight to bite your ankles and climb up your legs. There were clouds of gnats and flies so thick you inhaled them, or swallowed them if you opened your mouth.
“Fresh bread turned moldy moments after being taken from the oven, and milk soured in the bucket below the cow. And every day the lizards dug their trenches and turned their siege engines and kept hammering at us.”
Zila looked around at the faces. “I don’t know if you’d have done different in my place, but I doubt it.” His tone was defiant. “My Captain came to us and told us what was going to happen, and we knew he wouldn’t lie to us. We knew he was no coward.” He said to Calis, accusingly, “You said you knew him?”
Calis nodded. “He was no coward.”
“It was the lizards that broke the compact. They changed the rules of war. They gave us no choice.”
“How did you escape?” asked a voice from behind, and Erik turned to see de Loungville, who had come up sometime during the narrative.
“Something the lizard’s agent said bothered my Captain. I don’t know exactly what, but I do know that when they impaled the Raj in front of his own people, they told everyone still alive that they could either sit a stake next to their former ruler or serve.”
“You weren’t given the day’s grace to quit the field?” said Foster, from behind de Loungville, and Erik stepped aside so they could see Zila better.
“We weren’t given enough time to pick up our own kits! But Bilbari knew they were up to something and had us gather by the smallest gate to the south. We fought our way out, and they were too busy to send anyone after us. That’s where our Captain died, leading us out of the city we had betrayed.”
Calis said, “It was your Captain’s choice.”
Zila said, “I’d be a liar if I told you. We’re regulars, and until then every man had a contract with Bilbari. We voted on it, like regulars do.”
“How did you vote?” demanded de Loungville.
“Does it matter?”
“You’re damn right it matters,” he answered, his face set in an angry mask. “Turning coat is the lowest thing a man can do.”
Zila said, “Every man voted to leave.”
Calis said, “You have the peace of the camp until sunrise the day after tomorrow. See that you’re gone by then.”
He rose, and as he left the pavilion, Erik hurried after him. “Captain!”
Calis halted, and Erik was shocked at the anger he read in the half-elf’s face. “What?”
“Some of their horses need to lie up. If they don’t, give them another couple of days and they’re useless.”