Chapter 10
Breadcrumbs on the Trail
Campo di Malo, Zenone Province, Anedetto Region, Ilyria
Battino had made a number of poor choices in his life. He ran out on his apprenticeship because he didn't like the work and didn't like getting beaten by his master even more, but that pretty well ensured he would have no prospects for gainful employment. He resorted to begging and when that didn't fill his belly, he started pickpocketing. He wasn't very good at sneaking, though, and he didn't have a very light touch, but he eventually became strong enough to mug people. He was careful not to pick on anyone who might be stronger than him. Drunks about to pass out, old people, cripples, half-starved beggars who were better than he was at eliciting other people's charity, etc. However, lone wolves don't tend to live long in the wild and so he was picked up by a gang of fellow thieves. You worked together and everyone got a share. It was a square deal.
Things were going fine until their leader got ambitious and moved on to kidnapping and extortion. They kidnapped the granddaughter of a wealthy and well-connected merchant. The ransom would've had them set for years, but the merchant tried to double-cross them during the exchange, so they ended up killing the kid and dumping her body during their escape. They were still caught and sent to Campo di Malo. Battino managed to save his own hide by turning on the rest of his gang and telling them where they could find the girl's body.
In retrospect, though, it may not have been the smartest move. Yes, he wasn't taken out and shot like the others, but he was going to spend the rest of his life in a stinking cell. That others may have gotten the better deal.
Then there was a stroke of rare fortune. There was a jailbreak and one of the escaped prisoners tossed him the keys. Now, he could have tried to escape himself. He could have freed all the other prisoners if he wanted, but he figured he'd just get shot. Instead he handed over the keys to the guards when they came and told them whatever he could about the escaped prisoners. For his cooperation, he was rewarded with a job as an assistant to the guards. Yes, emptying slop buckets and ladling gruel wasn't much fun, but it was better than being chained to a wall all day.
Even though it had been several days, they were just now getting around to cleaning the cells of the escapees. While he was sweeping the straw in B13, there was a glint of something by the dim light of the oil lamps. He sifted through the straw and found a broken silver chain and with it, a ring. It was a rather large with an ornate crest engraved on it. This had to be worth some money. He could probably trade it for some favors. What luck.
"And what have you got there?" a husky woman's voice asked in accented Ilyrian.
Battino turned to see an intimidating woman in a Zadok uniform with two other Zadok soldiers behind her. The Zadok woman held out her hand and said, "Give it to me."
Reluctant as he was to part with his treasure, Battino knew the Zadok woman could easily kill him and take it off his corpse if he refused, so he meekly handed over the ring. The woman looked at it for a moment and then said, "Do you know what this is? It's the crest of the Aurean Imperial Family. This double crown on the lion indicates a son of the reigning Emperor. You had a prince of the Aurean Empire in this cell."
Battino couldn't even tell you who the King of Ilyria was, so obviously he knew nothing about some far-flung foreign land like Aurea.
As the woman pocketed the ring, she said, "You know what else?"
Battino shook his head.
"Now that I've told you this, I'm afraid I can't let you live."
The woman drew her sword and expertly ran him through, cleanly piercing Battino's heart. He couldn't cry out, not that doing so would do him any good. It would seem that finding that ring wasn't so lucky after all.
* * *
Half an hour earlier, Colonel Cray stood in the office of the commandant of Campo di Malo, a bald, portly man with a rather impressive moustache.
"Colonnello Moscato," she said, "I have flown hundreds of kilometers to see these prisoners you had detained here and now you tell me they're missing. I would like an explanation, a thorough one."
"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Colonnello Cray," the commandant replied. "Six days ago, when the 8th Auxiliary was rotated back here, along with some 200 Grelish prisoners of war, there were three civilians brought in because of their resemblance to the fugitives you have been looking for. On the evening of the next day, every guard in the donjon was murdered and the prisoners escaped. We didn't even know what had happened until the shift change in the morning."
"How did they escape?"
"We have three missing men. It is assumed that they aided the prisoners in their escape."
"What can you tell me about the missing men?"
"They were soldiers in the 8th Auxiliary. I will summon their platoon leader later."
"Was it just the three persons of interest who escaped?"
"No, there were two others: the prisoners' cellmate, a savage Adomite woman they call the She-Bear; and a smuggler from the neighboring cell. He gave his name as John Brown, but that was obviously a lie. He certainly was no Grelese."
The She-Bear. Cray remembered now. She was imprisoned for killing Zadok soldiers. Normally, such a person would be summarily executed, but when she was able to shrug off the musketballs meant to kill her, it was decided that she warranted further study. She was being held here until a team of natural philosophers back in Zadok could prepare a proper facility to study her.
"I would like to confirm my suspicions," Cray said. "I want to speak to anyone who had firsthand contact with the prisoners."
"The Subofficer of the Watch, Maresciallo Annibali, was on duty the night of the jailbreak as well and was killed, but Caporale Carmenetti, the guard who escorted them to their cell, is waiting outside. Shall I call him in?"
"Yes, please."
The commandant stepped out of the office, telling his adjutant who was waiting outside the door, "Call in Caporale Carmenetti."
"Yes, sir," the adjutant replied.
While Cray was standing there, she noticed a length of gold chain peeking out of a cloth on the commandant's desk. She pulled back the cloth to reveal a necklace with a large green gem. She knew this necklace.
The commandant returned and Colonel Cray straightened herself back up. The guard Carmenetti entered the room shortly thereafter. He went to attention and saluted the commandant, saying, "Sir, Caporale Maggiore Carmenetti reporting as ordered."
The commandant returned the salute and then sat down at his desk, saying, "At ease, Caporale." He motioned to Cray. "This is Colonnello Cray of Zadok and she would like you to tell her about the three prisoners from the other day, the ones who escaped."
"Not much to say, ma'am," Caporale Carmenetti replied. "Looked like ordinary kids, not even thirty. Two boys and a girl. Pretty girl. Damn waste, I thought. Looked a little like you, ma'am."
Cray narrowed her eyes at him, prompting the Caporale to nervously clear his throat.
"I, ah, er, not to say I think of you as a pretty girl, ma'am... I mean, you look pretty. That is to say—"
"Enough," Cray said irately. "Get back to the girl."
Carmenetti cleared his throat again.
"Ah, er, yes, ma'am. Pretty girl, but seemed tough. Not physically, but nerves, I mean. Didn't look scared at all. Nervous, yeah. Uneasy, yeah, but not flat-out scared like you'd expect a girl to be brought to a place like this. Hell, lotta grown men piss themselves once they see their cell."
"What about the boys?" Cray asked.
"One was blond and skinny. Weak-looking, mind and body, that is. You see the type, the ones that look like their soul's been sucked out before you lock the door. The other one was a fighter. You can tell by the eyes. You got to watch those. They're the ones that'll try something first chance they get, but it seemed like he was taking his lead from the girl the way he kept looking to her."
Cray didn't much like the sound of that. She looked over to the commandant's desk and asked him, "That trinket you have there, you got it off the girl?"
The commandant looked surprised and like he wanted to feign ignorance for a moment before thinking better of it.
"No, actually, we got it off the smuggler. We figured he had more squirreled away, which is why we were keeping him alive. We had the Professor working on him."
"And what did the Professor find out?"
"Nothing. He was a tough old devil. The Professor said he was one in a hundred."
"You think this smuggler may have bribed the missing men to arrange their jailbreak?"
The commandant shrugged.
"It's possible. Relief troops cycled in from the front. We wouldn't know them like the regular guards of the garrison."
"Did you launch a search?"
"Of course we did. Near as we can tell, they escaped through the sewers and probably crossed the creek to wash off the scent, so the was nothing for the dogs to follow."
"And you just gave up?"
"We canvassed the area for three days, but with troops cycling in and out all the time and more and more prisoners being sent from the front, I don't have manpower to spare looking for what may or may not be the fugitives you're after."
"What about their personal effects that you confiscated when they arrived?"
"They broke into the storeroom and reclaimed everything."
Colonel Cray glanced at the necklace and noted, "Except for this."
"Yes, except for this," the commandant said with some nervousness creeping into his voice because he could anticipate what was about to happen.
Taking the necklace, Cray said, "I am confiscating this as evidence. I'm sure you understand, Colonnello."
"Of, of course," the commandant said, all too aware that there was nothing else he could say.
"Did you find anything in the cells?"
"Actually, besides removing the bodies from B14, we have left them as they were."
"Then I would like to see them. There may yet be some other evidence to be had."
"Caporale Carmenetti," the commandant said, "escort Colonnello Cray to the donjon. Show her whatever she wishes to see."
"Yes, sir," the Caporale replied curtly.
Cray then told the commandant, "I will speak to the missing men's platoon leader and the other members of their platoon when I return."
"I will have them assembled here waiting for you," the commandant said.
"Your cooperation is much appreciated," Cray said. "I will file a petition to compensate you for your loss."
Likely because he thought her words were nothing but an empty gesture, the commandant only nodded. He may not see any money in exchange for the necklace, but at least he stood a good chance of not being relieved of his post and being forced into early retirement.
Cray signaled for Caporale Carmenetti to lead the way. If they had indeed left the cells untouched, there was still more she could discover, perhaps. She was pretty well certain by this point, but she wanted there to be no doubt. There could be no room for failure.