“No, ser. He just shook his head.” The captain pauses. “You don’t know about the second explosion?”
“It had to be somewhere south of the Harbor Post, because we were coming back and were just north of the point when the explosion there happened, and we didn’t hear anything.”
Lerial is wondering exactly what he should do next when two Afritan Guards in the uniforms of Rhamuel’s personal company ride through the gates. Their mounts’ muzzles are flecked with foam.
“Part of the palace blew up! Where’s Lord Lerial? We have—” The ranker in the lead sees Lerial and turns his mount toward the overcaptain, riding around Twenty-third Company and reining up facing Lerial. “Lord Lerial, ser. Part of the palace exploded. The arms-commander is hurt, but he’s alive, and he can talk. He wants you there, ser. Undercaptain Norstaan sent word to Commander Nythalt and Commander Sammyl, but we’ve heard nothing from them.”
“Commander Nythalt is at the Harbor Post?”
“Yes, ser.”
“Part of it exploded. What about Commander Sammyl?”
“He was at the South Post.”
Lerial turns to Dhallyn. “I’ll take Twenty-third Company to the palace. I’d recommend your sending a company as well. The palace guard will need help in keeping order.” He turns in the saddle. “Kusyl, we need to head out. Strauxyn, Fheldar, stand by. Should anyone attempt to attack here, you’re to defend. You’re not to leave the post here without my orders … or Kusyl’s, should anything happen to me.”
“Yes, ser.”
Because Dhallyn looks slightly dazed, Lerial adds, “You’d best stand by for anything, Captain, and it might not hurt to start getting barracks ready, because some of those battalions may need quarters.” Lerial isn’t about to suggest that a captain whose functions have been largely logistics head out to fight, not when the Harbor Post is nearer and still has sizable ready forces, from what he saw, and when the headquarters post has only a few companies, most likely not all that well trained in combat.
“Yes, ser.”
Lerial nods and then turns his gelding.
“On the overcaptain!” orders Kusyl. “Arms ready!”
As they ride out through the gates once more, Lerial turns to the undercaptain. “You don’t have to say it. It’s far worse than eightday-old fish.”
“Yes, ser.”
Once again, Lerial sees fewer people on the streets, but there is not the urgency in their steps that he beheld near the merchanter section of the city. Because they don’t know about what has happened? Or don’t think it affects them?
That is all too possible, sadly, if the people only think that there has been damage to the palace.
XXVII
Because of the narrowness of the streets and the route Lerial has taken from the north, as he nears the palace, he cannot make out any damage—at least not on that part extending above the walls that he can see. He does see that the outer east gate to the palace is closed, but the two Afritan Guards ride forward, and the gates open so quickly that Lerial does not even have to slow his mount. Although he does not look back, even with his still-aching head, he has enough perception left with his order-senses to know that the gates close behind Twenty-third Company as quickly as they opened. The same pattern occurs when they near the inner gates.
As soon as Lerial rides into the inner courtyard, his mouth drops open. The entire southeast corner of the palace appears to be a heap of rubble, and there are stones piled up around the lowest level, almost halfway to the second level, as if a giant hand had knocked off the false tower from the southwest corner and much of the stones and masonry from the fourth level and dropped them around the lower corner of the building. There are palace guards and Afritan Guards swarming over the rubble.
As Lerial rides closer, he can see that what have been destroyed by the explosion are the third and fourth levels, although he would certainly not trust the lower levels to sustain the remaining weight above them. Strangely, the rest of the palace appears intact. But why?
The family quarters and the duke’s study and receiving rooms. Before he can even think about that, his concentration is interrupted by a bellowing yell.
“Lord Lerial! Overcaptain! Here!”
Lerial turns in the saddle to see Undercaptain Norstaan waving from the door of a small stone building built against the east wall of the inner courtyard. Lerial immediately rides to where the undercaptain waits. Even before he reins up, Norstaan begins talking.