Cheilin Saga ~ 31

Cheilin Saga ~ 31 Unfinished Business

By Len Morgan

“You see Aldor!” said Dan triumphantly, “you worry too much.   All your fears of assassination were totally unfounded.   My people love me and everything went off without a hitch.   My double received all the honours and adulation and had the fun of presenting the victors with their spoils whilst I stood behind him looking vigilant and bored.  Don’t think I will easily forget that you ruined the games for me.   But, I suppose you have to justify your existence somehow.   Let me tell you, it isn’t necessary; it’s enough that you are my friend, I ask no more of you!”

Aldor nodded and smiled “As ever you are right, ‘light of the world’,” he said.  

Dan winced, “what then of the Bluttland invasion?”

“My Agents inform me that their forces are disbursing, now that the conjunction has passed, I suspect the crippling cost of that standing army has caused them real pain to no end.   They could never have maintained that level of readiness for more than a few months.” Said Aldor.

“So the crisis is past?”

“It is” said Aldor.

“Good!   That means you can return your attention to some real work, the good of the Empire, for instance, I should like to know what this episode has cost us.   What of Bector dropping bodies on the populace like dead flies, causing alarm amongst my people, and what of Gavein and Zophira…” said Dan.

Aldor smiled, “they will all cope just fine now that Effelel’s influence has been removed.   Bector is to receive a promotion; he is to join your personal guard.”

“He won’t like it,” said Dan.

“But he will perform superbly of that you can be sure.   Both he and we will survive,” said Aldor. 

.-…-. 

   Sloan had been observing Aldor patiently, unmoving, in the shadows, he had been there, in the lower levels of a house on C20, for some time.   He watched as Aldor finally went up to the tiled wall and placed his palm on a tile that was fractionally darker than the others.   For an instant the patch darkened as if a door had opened, when it returned to normal, Aldor was gone.   Sloan looked both ways, sniffed noisily, and listened intently for sounds of movement before leaving the niche he’d hidden in for too long.   He shook and manipulated his knotted muscles as he moved toward the wall.   He placed his palm on the tile, as Aldor had done, but nothing happened.   He modified the placement of his feet, and the pressure of his hand, without success.   Finally, he accepted the inevitable, nothing would happen at least not for him.   He returned, a while later, with one of his men. 

“I want to know everything that happens here.   Everything you see and who passes this way.   I do not want you to leave out the slightest detail when you report, is that clear?” Said Sloan.  

“Yes sir” the young man nodded, looking bemused.   He had been awaiting the arrival of a mouth-watering hot steak pie when the sergeant tracked him down.   Now he would be cold and hungry, for a further two hours, whilst somebody else ate his pie.   But, he knew and respected Sloan.   To question his orders was…   Out of the question.

"Here," said Sloan handing him his heavy cloak and a sack containing salt beef rolls and a flask of ale. "You will need sustenance to keep your mind on the job." 

"Thank you, sergeant," he said.

(To be Continued)

Copyright Len Morgan