Iain Bansk: The Inversions

Still the Protector's son hung on to life. The convulsions and his lack of appetite had left Lattens so weak he could barely lift his head to drink. For a few mornings he seemed to be getting better, but then he relapsed and seemed once again at the very door of death.

UrLeyn was distraught. The servants reported that he raged round his apartments, tearing sheets and pulling down tapestries and smashing ornaments and furniture and slicing ancient portraits with a knife. The servants started to clean up the destruction when he went to Lattens on his sick bed, but when he returned UrLeyn threw the servants out, and from then on he would let nobody into his rooms.

The palace seemed a terrible, bleak place to be, the atmosphere contaminated by the powerless fury and despair of the man at its heart. UrLeyn remained in his wrecked apartments during this time, only leaving to visit his son every morning and afternoon, and the harem each evening, where he lay, usually with Perrund, collapsed in her lap or bosom while she stroked his head until he fell asleep. But such peace never lasted long, and he would soon twitch in his sleep and cry out and then wake, and subsequently rise and return to his own rooms, old and haggard-looking and sunk in despair.

The bodyguard DeWar slept in a cot along the cor¬ridor from the door to UrLeyn's rooms. For most of the day he would pace up and down the same corridor, fretting and waiting for UrLeyn to make one of his rare appearances.

The Protector's brother RuLeuin tried to see UrLeyn. He waited patiently in the corridor with DeWar, then when UrLeyn appeared from his apartments and walked quickly in the direction of his son's room, RuLeuin joined DeWar at UrLeyn's side and tried to talk to his brother, but UrLeyn ignored him, and told DeWar not to let RuLeuin or anybody else approach him until he ordered so. YetAmidous, ZeSpiole and even Doctor BreDelle were all told this by the bodyguard.

YetAmidous did not believe what he was being told, thought DeWar was trying to keep them all away from General.

He too waited in the corridor one day, defying DeWar force him to leave. When the door to UrLeyn's apartment opened, YetAmidous pushed past DeWar's outstretched arm and walked towards the Protector, saying, 'General! talk to you!

But UrLeyn just looked at him from the doorway, then without a word closed the door from the inside before YetAmidous could get there. The key turned in the lock. YetAmidous was left to fume in the doorway, then he turned and walked away, ignoring DeWar.

'Will you really see no one, sir?' DeWar asked him as they strode to Lattens' room one day.

He thought UrLeyn would not answer, but then he said, 'No.'

'They need to talk to you about the war, sir.'

'Do they?'

'Yes, sir.'

'How goes the war?'

'Not well, sir.'

'Well, not well. What does it matter? Tell them to do whatever has to be done. I do not care to concern myself with it any more.'

'With respect, sir—'

'Your respect for me will be expressed from now on by speaking only when you are spoken to, DeWar.'

'Sir—'

'Sir!' UrLeyn said, whirling to face the younger man and forcing him to retreat until his back was hard against a wall. 'You will remain silent until I ask you to speak, or I will have you removed from this building. Do you understand? You may answer yes or no.'

'Yes, sir.'

Very well. You are my bodyguard. You may guard my body. No more. Come.'

The war was indeed going badly. It was common knowledge in the palace that no more cities had been taken, and indeed that one had been retaken by the barons' forces. If the message to try to capture the barons themselves had got through, it was either not being acted upon or was impossible to accomplish. Troops disappeared into the lands of Ladenscion and only the walking wounded seemed to return, with tales of confusion and horror. The citizens of Crough began to wonder when the men who had been sent to the conflict might return, and started to complain about the extra taxes which had been levied to pay for the war.

The generals at the war itself called for more troops, but there were scarcely any troops left to send. The palace guard had been halved, with one half being formed into a company of pikemen and sent off to the war. Even the eunuchs of the harem guard had been pressed into service. The generals and others who were attempting to administer the land and run the war while UrLeyn closeted himself away did not know what to do. It was rumoured that Guard Commander ZeSpiole had suggested that the only thing to do might be to bring all the troops home, to burn all that could be burned of Ladenscion and leave it to the damned barons. It was also rumoured that when ZeSpiole suggested this, at the table where UrLeyn had held his last council of war half a moon earlier, General YetAmidous had let out a terrible roar and, leaping to his feet and drawing his sword, swore he would cut out the tongue of the next man to betray UrLeyn's wishes and suggest such cowardice.

DeWar came to the harem's outer room one morning, and requested that the lady Perrund attend him.

'Mr DeWar,' she said, sitting on a couch. He sat down on another couch across a small table from her.

He gestured at a wooden box and a game board, lying on the table. I thought we might play a game of "Leader s Dispute". Would you humour me?'

'Gladly,' Perrund said. They unfolded the board and set out the pieces.

'What is the news?' she asked, as they commenced playing.

'Of the boy, no change,' DeWar said, sighing. 'The nurse says he slept a little better last night, but he barely recognises his father and when he talks he makes no sense. From the war, there is news of change, but all of it's ill. I fear the whole thing has gone wrong. The latest reports were confused, but it sounds as though Simalg and Ralboute are both retreating. If it is only a retreat there may still be some hope, but the nature of the reports themselves makes me think it may in reality be a rout, or well on the way to becoming one.'

Perrund stared at the man wide-eyed. 'Providence, can it really be that bad?'

'I'm afraid it can.'

'Is Tassasen itself in danger?'

'I would hope not. The barons ought not to have the military wherewithal to invade us, and there should be sufficient troops intact to mount an adequate defence if they did, but ...'

'Oh, DeWar, it sounds hopeless.' She looked into his eyes. 'Does UrLeyn know?'

DeWar shook his head. 'He will not be told. But YetAmidous and RuLeuin are talking about waiting out¬side Lattens' room this afternoon and demanding that he listen to them.'

'Do you think he will?'

'I think he might. I also think he might run away from them, or order the guards to throw them out, or run them through, or strike at them himself.' DeWar picked up his Protector piece and turned it round in his fingers before replacing it on the board. 'I don't know what he'll do. I hope he will listen to them. I hope he will begin to act normally again and start to rule, as he ought. He cannot go on like this much longer without those in the war cabinet Carting to think that they'd be better off without him.' He looked into Perrund's widened eyes. 'I cannot talk to him,' he told her. She thought he sounded like a small, hurt boy. 'I am literally forbidden to. If I thought I could say something to him, I would, but he has threatened that if I try to speak to him without his express permission he will have me removed from my position, and I think I believe him. So if I am to continue trying to protect him, I must remain silent. Yet he must be told what a pass things have come to. If YetAmidous and RuLeuin do not succeed this afternoon—'

'Will I, tonight?' Perrund said, her voice sharp.

DeWar looked down for a moment, then he met her gaze again. 'I am sorry to have to ask you, Perrund. I can only ask. I would not even think of doing so if the situation were anything less than desperate. But desperate it is.'

'He may not choose to listen to a crippled concubine DeWar.'

'At the moment, Perrund, there is nobody else. Will you make the attempt?'

'Of course. What ought I to say?'

'What I have told you. That the war is on the verge of being lost. Ralboute and Simalg are retreating, that we can only hope that they are doing so in good order but the hints we have indicate otherwise. Tell him that his war cabinet is at odds with itself, that its members cannot decide what to do, and the only thing they may eventually agree on is that a leader who will not lead is less than worthless. He must regain their trust and respect before it is too late. The city, the country itself starting to turn against him. There is discontent and wild talk of harbingers of catastrophe, and the beginning of a dangerous nostalgia for what people call "the old days". Tell him as much as he can bear of that, my lady, or as much as you dare, but be careful. He has raised his hand to his servants before now, and I will not be there to protect you, or him from himself.'

Perrund gazed levelly at him. 'This is a heavy duty, DeWar.'

It is. And I am sorry to have to offer it to you, but the moment has become critical. If there is anything at all I can do to help you in this, you have only to ask and it will be done if I can possibly do it.'

Perrund took a deep breath. She looked at the game board. With a faltering smile she waved her hand at the pieces between them and said, 'Well, you could move.'

His small, sad smile matched hers.