“You are Baltacco’s people?” Quint asked.
“Right, you are, lad,” the other, older, man said. “You are complicating what is going on in Bocarre, so the general decided it would be better to remove you. For your information, neither of us are hubite haters, and we are sorry for what happened to your people.”
“So Baltacco and the chief council member didn’t order the massacre?” Quint asked.
“Not at all, but don’t ask us any more questions. We aren’t supposed to talk to you,” the older man said. “The general will show up by midday.”
Quint looked at the sky, determining that it was still morning.
Quint sat down in the third of four chairs on the porch and sighed. “I’m tired of being pushed around. Before it was because I wasn’t important enough, and now it’s because I’m too important.”
“Be patient and your importance will decline,” the younger guard said.
“What does Baltacco want with me?” Quint asked.
“Your cooperation with something or he would have had us kill you. That’s as specific as we’ll get,” the older guard said.
“How did you find out about the hubite slaughter?”
The younger guard shook his head. “I lost a few distant relatives, myself. Hubites weren’t the only victims. Found out last night, for sure. The general had heard of some action in the southeast and had originally thought it might be an incursion from Vinellia by the pretender’s troops.”
“Colleto is now called the pretender by Racellians? If he is, Pacci Colleto is doing a good job of pretending.”
“You are on his side? After what he’s done…”
Quint pursed his lips. “Killing innocent people like that is unforgiveable. Every man, woman, and child were massacred, hubite and willot. I saw them in the streets and in their homes murdered. I parted company with Colletto at that point and headed to Bocarre to figure out what I should do.”
“And what you should do is go somewhere else,” an older man in a black uniform said, walking around the corner of the cabin and stepping up to the porch. He took the fourth seat. “I’m General Baltacco.”
“I know who you are, and you know who I am,” Quint said.
“I do indeed. My daughter has kept me informed all along since we last saw each other.”
“I’m sure Amaria was very complimentary,” Quint said sarcastically.
Baltacco smiled. “In her own way. You found a way to irritate her like no one else. But we aren’t here to talk about my daughter. I heard your discussion with my officers.”
“Not guards?”
Baltacco shrugged.
“Officers can be guards,” the older guard said.
“What are you going to do with me?”
Baltacco turned the chair to face Quint. “Well, that depends on you, Master Quinto Tirolo.” Baltacco grinned. “I can say that when Amaria isn’t around. Tell me about Pacci Colleto. You probably know him better than all but a few Racellians.”
‘Know your enemy.’ Quint thought. “He isn’t a monster, if that is what you are hoping for. He was as surprised by the hubite massacre as I was. It wasn’t his men, either. I don’t know who did the dirty work, but Coletto doesn’t hate hubites. I don’t think he even bothers to think about us. He is very smart, and from what I can tell, knows how to use people to his advantage without resorting to strings. He is a master wizard and his interest in me is due to my actions at the Gussellian border battle. I exposed myself using a portent string and he had a wizard cast a string on my future. He thinks I have promise, but I couldn’t see myself at his side.”
“Your ties to Racellia are too strong?”
“Perhaps ‘were’ might be a better term. It depends on what happens. If the murdering faction prevails, definitely not.”
“And my faction?” Baltacco asked. “I have no love for hubites, although that means much less today than it did a few days ago.”
“You didn’t kill me out of hand,” Quint said. “As your officers said, it’s better I’m not around to stir things up in Bocarre, not that I was going to do that anyway.”
“You were in contact with a Gussellian spy. We saw you talking.”
“He was acting much the same as you are,” Quint said. “I wouldn’t call him friendly, but he wasn’t antagonistic. I was kidnapped by Colleto, by the way. I didn’t desert the wizard corps.”
“We know that,” Baltacco said. “We have our own portent casters and saw something similar to what Colleto’s wizard saw.”
“What did you see?”
“Quinto Tirolo will rise over time and become a player in the world’s affairs,” Baltacco said. “Does that sound familiar?”
“It does, but portents are not particularly accurate,” Quint said. He was tired of discounting the portents, but they could still be accurate enough to be terrifying.
“Consider this abduction to be like what Colleto tried. I certainly can see his point. I don’t want to make an enemy of you, but I remain suspicious of hubites, even now. If the time comes when we face each other in enmity, that you will remember our cordial conversation.”
Baltacco nodded to his officers who freed Quint from his bonds. “I’ll let you make your way to Bocarre on your own but consider this a truce that can be terminated at any time.”
Quint managed a smile. “I’ll remember your forbearance, general,” he said, resisting the urge to salute the general. Baltacco’s relatively civil behavior surprised Quint. Was there another portent cast? Something had to have changed for Amaria’s father to change his attitude.
The three willots mounted horses and left Quint to manage his way to Bocarre and then on a ship to Narukun. He still had to see what was left in the flat and then it was spend the rest of his days in Bocarre in a dusty office by the docks.
